Labor Day Update

It is hard to believe that two weeks have passed since we started school, but you know what they say—time flies when you are having fun! And fun is exactly what we have been having these past few weeks, making new friends, meeting up with old ones while also acquainting ourselves with our daily third-grade schedule and expectations as well as how to efficiently implement our iPads as an integral, hands-on learning tool and resource!

Reading: In addition, all students have also completed their individual third-grade reading assessments, allowing each third grader to then be placed in a level-appropriate guided reading group. Individual guided-reading groups will begin meeting this week as we explore informational texts, the first of our ten reading genres. As part of this unit, students will also begin looking at other reading-related elements such as context clues and main idea while becoming better acquainted with the overall governing process of guided reading as a teaching technique.

Spelling: Students also began working with “Words Their Way”--a leveled-spelling list which is assigned weekly to individual users, serving to better assist in honing in on specific spelling needs.

Math: This year third graders will also be working on daily math activities, much the same as they do with our “Daily Five” reading and writing program. Additionally, as with guided reading, this year’s students will be grouped into guided-math groups as well, allowing teacher and students more time working in smaller groups in order to better assess and address specific and/or individual needs.

Students have also been introduced to several additional iPad apps over these last couple of weeks, including Aurasma and iMovie--both of which have been used by students in the creation of their own personal video that will then be linked with their own “Hulk” locker tags.

Here's to a great first two weeks and many more to come!