Plimoth Plantation

Pictures are worth a thousand words!   

What a fantastic day of learning for the Third Grade!  

Plimoth Plantation - October 2016

Thank you very much to Mrs. O'Shea for the additional pictures!

Thank you to Mr. Gallo, Ms. O'Brien, and Mrs. O'Shea for chaperoning our trip!

Special thanks to the Parmenter PCC for all their hard work and sponsoring the entire third grade!

Field Trip Monday

Looking forward to Monday!

Please be at school for 8:30!

Bring a bagged lunch.

Wear warm clothes and sneakers

Bring your questions!

Moon Project Information and Resources

Moon Journal Project 

Directions: You will observe the moon for a total of 28 days. During these 28 days, you will observe and collect data that includes the different phases of the moon.  Each day you will observe the moon. If it is cloudy or you can’t find the moon in the sky then you must use the resources online to find out what the moon would look like and what phase it is.  In your packet are several wonderful resources to use during this project.

 Start Date:  Monday, October 17, 2016, Monday, October 24^th, Monday, October 31, 2016 and Monday, November 7, 2016

You will get a new sheet each Monday for each of the 4 weeks.   Remember to use your resource page to help.

The following information must be included in each entry of your Moon Journal:

                                                             

-Time and what phase it is for that day.  Observations can be made at anytime the Moon is visible on each day

-Picture of the moon - A detailed illustration of the moon that is accurate and neatly drawn

-There will be a total of 12 written observations and/or facts during the four weeks of the project.  Each fact should be written on the page.  Remember to use neat printing, correct spelling and capital letters for each entry.  This can be a combination of facts and/or observations.  You will have 3 facts for each of the 4 weeks.  These are due each Monday. (Tuesday at the latest)

Moon Journal Resources

These resources will help you out a great deal when trying to locate important facts about the moon.  Please remember that when you find an important fact you should make sure it is in your own third grade words.

http://www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases/phasenow.php

http://sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/moon/moon_challenge/moon_challenge.html

http://www.space.com/30546-supermoon-blood-moon-total-lunar-eclipse.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBc8QHSsFgE&app=desktop

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/index.html

http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/solar-system/moon.htm

Several times over the next 4 weeks you will not be able to see the moon as it will be cloudy.  You will also find out that some nights the moon will not be visible until after bedtime.  You may need to wait until first thing in the morning on the way to school to find the moon.   When you can’t find the moon consider using this great resource.  This will be very helpful for you:

http://www.timeanddate.com/moon/usa/providence

You will find other great resources online as well.  Be sure to ask your parent(s) for permission before going onto the computer at home.

Multiplication Facts

Dear Parents,

This week students will begin memorizing their multiplication facts for homework. A timed assessment will be given several times each week to evaluate their fluency of multiplication facts. Students will begin with the zeros and ones facts and upon mastery will move on to the twos, threes, fours, and so on. If a student struggles with a particular times table, the child will remain at that level and continue to practice those facts until he/she is successful. I am  hoping that in using this multi-leveled approach, students can work at their own pace to reach success.

Please help your child practice his/her multiplication facts nightly. When you are doing drills to memorize, explain to your child that the goal is to memorize the facts (to recall from memory) and not to get the answers by counting or some other method. Just like your child probably has memorized your address and phone number, now he/she is going to memorize multiplication facts. You can easily see if the student is trying to count because producing the answer takes much more time. You should expect the answers from the child immediately when you are drilling. If he/she doesn't know the answer readily, then tell him/her the right answer. Usually short drill sessions are best.

You can drill for 5-8 minutes a night, depending on the child. Flashcards are a wonderful resource and can be purchased rather inexpensively at local dollar stores. In addition, there are many websites and apps that offer drills, games, strategies, and activities to help students learn their facts.   Students have also made their own set of flashcards at school that they can bring back and forth each day.

Some great websites include:

http://www.multiplication.com

http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/multiplication.html

Best Regards,

Ed Tighe

Grade 3 Teacher