We Are Experts!

Third grade writers are learning the art of informational writing. Writers are beginning to think about how they are "experts" in a variety of topics.  Students made expert lists this week.  Boy are we experts on all kinds of topics - soccer, tap dancing, tree climbing, origami, annoying our little brothers - the lists go on and on.  Be sure to ask your child about their expert list!

Nonfiction Readers Read with Power!

Nonfiction readers are learning how to read nonfiction texts with power.  Readers have discussed what it means to read nonfiction text.  We understand that nonfiction text is teaching us and that it is our job to be learning from the text.  We discussed this and decided that to read with power and learn from text we must:

• Open our mental file on the text topic and think about what we already know
• Be sit up and pay attention kind of readers
• Use text features like headings, captions, and pictures
• Connect the pictures and captions with what we have read in the text
• Think about what we are reading while we are reading it
• React to our reading and learning

Check out these pictures of partners reading with power!

This week in Room 207...

Reading Objectives:

• Nonfiction readers will learn how to read texts with power.
• Nonfiction readers will learn how to identify the main idea and supporting details in their texts.
• Readers will become experts about the books they read and will be able to teach others.

Math Objectives:

• Mathematicians will continue to explore the concept of multiplication.  
• Mathematicians will practice solving word problems with skip counting.
• Mathematicians will practice writing equations for multiplication problems.

Project Objectives:

• Community members will learn why communities have rules and laws.
• Community members will learn about the branches of local government.

Writing Objectives:

• Writers will begin to think about how they are “experts” in a variety of topics.
• Writers will teach their expert topic to another student.
• Writers will write long about their topic.
• Writers will organize their writing into categories creating a table of contents.