Happy Thanksgiving!

I would like to wish all students and families a VERY Happy Thanksgiving!  I am thankful for the wonderful group of third graders who I get to work with each day.  Enjoy your time together with family and friends over the long holiday weekend!

 

"It's Monday...What Are You Reading?"

Today we read the book, In November, by Cynthia Rylant.  This book paints a beautiful picture of the month for readers to enjoy.  She writes with lovely figurative language, including personification, metaphors, similes, and imagery.  She has made us all feel hungry for the Thanksgiving food coming Thursday! 

My favorite page, the last page, prepares us for December and this cold weather we've been having!

In November, at winter's gate, the stars are brittle.  The sun is a sometime friend.  And the world has tucked her children in, with a kiss on their heads, till spring. (Cynthia Rylant)

 

"It's Monday...What Are You Reading?"

Today we started the non-fiction selection, Animal Homes, from our Treasures book.  This piece is very nicely organized into different main idea and detail sections.  We started today learning why animals need homes.  Ask your child why animals need homes!  (Hint: lots of the same reasons humans need homes!)  Throughout the week, we will read the different sections of the text, determine the main idea and figure out the supporting details, and finally explain WHY or HOW the supporting details connect to the main idea.  The last step extends students' thinking, comprehension, and forces them to "think about their own thinking" as well as the author's structure and purpose for writing the selection.  Happy reading!  

On another note, in honor of one of our favorite authors, I encourage students to read and visit the Junie B. Jones website!  Mrs. Barbara Park passed away on Friday.  While it is with great sadness that I share this news, I know her legacy of being a wonderful author of children's books will live on forever through her Junie B. series.  Her series inspires our children to read everyday!  

"It's Monday...What Are You Reading?"

First of all, wishing a very happy Veteran's Day to all soldiers, family members, and friends of loved ones who serve or have served in our military.  It is truly a heroic duty and deserves to be honored today and EVERYDAY.  I hope you got to hug a Veteran today!  In honor of Veteran's Day, I read the book Sweet Land of Liberty to my girls.  It's a lovely literary non-fiction story that teaches history!  Ask your child what a literary non-fiction story is!  They should know from our unit on Antarctica!       

Non-Fiction Antarctica/Craft Study

Here is what we studied during our mini non-fiction unit on Antarctica. 

This will help you understand the assessment your child took today that asked them: 

Choose two texts (books or articles) that we read about for our study of Antarctica.  One text should be your MOST favorite!  Tell one way they are alike and one way they are different.  Then, tell which text was your favorite and why.

Their answers showed great insight and critical thinking!  Wow!

 

 

"It's Monday...What Are You Reading?"

We are continuing our Navigating Non-Fiction unit of study with a focus on Arctic animals.  Today, we discussed how good non-fiction readers approach a non-fiction text.  Our strategies include:

1.  Read the title closely.  Read and think about the author.
2.  Look for a summary.  Read it.
3.  Read and think about the Table of Contents.  Predict!
4.  Preview the text:  look carefully at text features.
5.  Read and code the text.
6.  Use the glossary to look up words you don't know the meaning of.  Use the index to look up information on specific topics. 

Students practiced this approach in their book clubs with three different books, including: The Blue Whales of Antarctica, The Weddell Seals, and The Wandering Albatross.  Ask your child about the book he or she is reading!!!