Welcome to Third Grade!

Meet Your Teachers

Ms. Fazioli
Mrs. Pinkham Mrs. Scherzer

Schedule

Instructional Time
Be on time (8:05) if you drive your child to school. The first part of our day is for getting organized, writing in the planner etc and due to our new schedule our day starts promptly at 8:15! Make every effort to make appointments after the school day or during our recess/lunch time to minimize loss of instruction time. Make sure your child is prepared with all the materials they need. No phone calls will be allowed for forgotten materials.

Homework Expectations
Homework will be assigned 5 days per week (Math practice sheet and Reading comprehension activity: Students should follow model reviewed in class. Reading hw should be completed with adult support with adult and child partner reading.) Quality of work is stressed/ neatness counts Point system is used/no excuses accepted (no name/no points) Set routines/have a designated work space and necessary supplies Reading 20 min per day/ Just Right Books Practice math facts EVERY DAY- addition and subtraction early/multiplication and division later/check our wiki pages for math links to help out Math homework should be done independently. It is fine to get them started but then allow your child to work on his/her own to have an opportunity to practice and reinforce skills. Please check over when completed. Written assignments should be scanned for neatness and accuracy. Please be sure your childs full name is on all assignments.

TESTING DATES!

The following dates are important testing dates. Please avoid scheduling doctor/dentist/ortho appointments on these dates.
Cognitive Abilities tests-September 17,18, and 19 NYS ELA assessments (reading & writing) April 1-3 NYS math assessments April 30, May 1-2

In addition, weekly spelling tests are given on Tuesday mornings. All other tests and quizzes will be announced a week in advance, so look in the planner often! Thank you for your cooperation.

Curriculum
Language Arts:
Reading Workshop: Interactive Read Alouds, Shared Reading, Independent Reading, Guided Reading, Close Reading and Book Clubs and THOUGHTFUL responding Writing Workshop: process approach/ various text structures independent writing projects writing notebook/ poetry on-demand writing inquiry/research (media and reference skills) Language/word study: high frequency word wall spelling & vocabulary, word chunks listening/speaking conventions of print/grammar, usage, and mechanics

Spelling
Pretest Individualized spelling lists/check planners weekly Words derived from sight word vocabulary, writing, reading and spelling pattern of the week. (For example, compound words, blends, contractions etc.)
Strategies to practice Spelling 1. Look, Say, Cover Write Check 2. Wiki Stix 3. Magnetic Letters 4. Playdough 5. www.spellingcity.com

Ways to Support your childs reading at home

1. Create a space for reading and keep it free from distractions. 2. Take advantages of the programs and books offered at the public library. 3. Make sure your child reads 20 minutes a day at least 5 days a week (make this a priority: practice makes progress). 4. Show an interest in the book selections your child is making. 5. Model fluent and expressive reading for your child. 6. Listen to and enjoy your childs reading. 7. Ask questions and talk about the book your child is reading. 8. Make your childs reading time enjoyable through praise & encouragement.

Ways to Support your childs writing at home

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Encourage them to write for fun. Keep a journal or diary. Make lists. Send letters to a family member or a pen pal. Encourage your child to re-read their writing looking for mistakes and capitalization and punctuation errors. 6. Encourage your child to take a snippet or snapshot of an experience to write about. 7. Encourage your child to add detail and adjectives to his/her writing.

Math Our math curriculum is aligned to the common core standards.

70%

20%

10%

Our focus is on developing a DEEP understanding of concepts and strategies. We will be using real world applications and problem solving in every lesson.

1. Take your child to the store with you. Let your child estimate how much your items will cost. Allow them to pay the clerk with real money. 2. Practice math facts every night. You do not have to use flashcards. You can practice with your child on the way to baseball practice, in the morning, or even when setting the dinner table. 3. When a test is announced, begin practicing a little bit every night so your child is not overwhelmed with material the night before a test. 4. Start thinking about numbers as fractions! When making a pie or ordering a pizza, talk about how how much has been eaten or how much is left. 5. Measure at home! Be hands on and use a yard stick, a ruler, a scale, or even make a pitcher of lemonade to show the measurement of something.

Ways to Support your childs math at home

Communities Around The World

The Southgate Community/Town of Colonie The United States (Washington, D.C.) Vietnam Australia

Social Studies

The emphasis is on geography, culture, economics, government and social issues/current events (i.e. deforestation, natural resource depletion, etc.). Some history of each world community is also covered.

Ways to support your child: discuss current events, looks at maps, follow news about elections, etc.

Science
severe weather plant and animal relationships solar system/lunar study butterflies and moths Sound

Ways to support your child: observe and discuss the world around you, ask questions and experiment to find the answers.

Health
communicable diseases
mental health-feelings & communication (Pumsy)

personal safety fire prevention and safety social health-character education Support your child: Reinforce healthy habits.

Computer Keyboarding and Research

instruction in computer lab to develop reasonable touch keyboarding skills through a comprehensive program designed at the third grade reading level. Internet research on content area topics

 Behavior management systems are slightly different depending on teacher: Email teacher with any questions. Bee-havior System: Green, Yellow, Red Sticker if children stay on green Daily behavior report in planner/please initial Positive phone calls & notes home Raffle: Donations are welcomed! Bingo Board Catch a Compliment

Behavior Management

Supplies
3 composition notebooks Seven vinyl folders: red, orange, purple, blue, green, black and yellow #2 Ticonderoga or Dixon yellow pencils 2 packages of wide ruled loose leaf paper 4 dry erase markers and 1 highlighter old sock 3 jumbo glue sticks/bottle liquid glue Scissors a box of 24 crayons, colored pencils, and markers Hand held eraser
please monitor your childs supplies throughout the year and replace consumable materials as necessary
**

Cursive Formations

Miscellaneous
Completed papers: gone over together in class/childs responsibility to follow along and make corrections. Please remove all completed papers (NOT reading and math logs) and leave at home. Unfinished papers need to be completed and returned Reading Log/math facts for accountability Label all extra clothing-coats, sweaters, sweatshirts etc Nut allergies/snacks Notes: send them via email or mark them READ NOW!! Contact us by e-mail: sfazioli@ncolonie.org, ppinkham@ncolonie.org, or mscherzer@ncolonie.org rather than leaving voicemails Absences-requests for work-before 10:30/written excuse & phone call please sign in and sign up for conferences! lunch money: labeled envelope- name, 3 ( teacher name) and amount

Questions & Answers

Thank you very much for coming! I look forward to our future partnership in working to provide your child with the best education possible.