3rd Grade Peek at the Week News October 3rd, 2011

Dear Parents,
Please take a look at this week's highlights:

Vocabulary/Spelling: Vocabulary 8 Unit pages are due tomorrow. Vocabulary Quiz on Thursday and Spelling Test on Friday. Last week's Vocabulary Quiz scores were outstanding, and the class average was a 96%! The online component for our textbook we used in class have been very helpful for the kids when learning and retaining information. We will continue this routine on the Smartboard until we master this skill.

Reading: Next week is Achievement Testing week. Like many Catholic schools in the Diocese, Holy Family of Nazareth uses the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) for standardized test scores. We employ the series of tests from 1st through 8th grade to gain information about classes and students for instructional planning, to supplement teacher observations regarding abilities, and to establish a basis of student performance evaluation. This week, we are using the ITBS practice materials during our Reading class to help us feel more comfortable using these test formats. A list of the content areas for testing is below:
Vocabulary
Reading Comprehension
Spelling
Capitalization
Punctuation
Usage and Expression
Math Concepts and Estimation
Math Problem Solving and Data Interpretation
Math Computation
Social Studies
Science
Maps and Diagrams
Reference Materials

English: We will begin to apply our grammar skills into our writing workshop sessions this week and begin to analyze parts of a personal narrative essay. We will attempt to complete our very first essays using personal narrative topics. A guide for this lesson is in the textbook, and we will use our daily class work time to begin understanding the written word.

Math: We continue to use our school-wide (grades 3 and up) ALEKS Math program to help guide us into covering various Math topics that match the standards-based curriculum in 3rd grade. Your child should have shown you several copies of day-to-day specific instructions I have sent home in the past two weeks. We are covering a review on Place Value (with expanded numbers), Money, Addition and Subtraction (with regrouping and borrowing). In class, we do a mixed review of our Subtraction chapter (aligned with our textbook schedule) on subtraction across zero, including word problems. In computer lab, we will continue to practice our Math facts in addition and subtraction using keyboard, and they are timed in the ALEKS program. This week, students will have homework using the ALEKS program. In class, the students will experience a mixture of Math worksheets in both paper-pencil and digital formats.

Religion: We began Chapter 6 in our textbook, "The Death and Resurrection of Jesus." So far, we have discussed the meaning of hope and different symbols we use for hope. We examined our faith by discussing that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins, and God raised Jesus from the dead. The cross is a symbol of hope because Jesus won for us God's promise of life after death. The rainbow is another symbol of hope. After the rain, the rainbow shows God's promise of life. We designed our own rainbows as our own personal reminder of God's promise of everlasting life.

Notes/Reminder:
1. Feast of St. Francis celebration today! We will have a short prayer service with the blessing of the pets at 2:30 in church. The students will bring pictures of their pets and celebrate St. Francis' love of animals.
2. Spirit Day on Thursday. Dress code: Plain blue jeans, sneakers, and a Spirit shirt.
3. Early dismissal Friday (noon).
4. No School Monday.
5. Achievement Testing next week!