June 8, 2015
Dear Third Grade Parents and Students,
It’s our LAST week! Can you believe it? I certainly can’t. The first day of school is still so clear in my mind, it is hard to believe that 9 months have gone by. Well, you know what they say, time flies when you’re having fun!!
Just a few reminders for the week:
- Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are full days.
- Thursday is a noon dismissal day. Students can wear jeans for cleaning day.
- Friday is our last day of school with dismissal at @10:00 am (directly after Mass). Mass begins at 8:45 am. Please feel free to join us if you can. Students should dress up (Sunday best).
Cleaning day: Thursday is our cleaning day. Please send a grocery bag (please no plastic bags) with your student. These bags will be used to put their supplies and other items they need to bring home in. Paper bags or the thicker reusable bags work the best. Thanks!
Thank you parents for all that you have done for me this year. I greatly appreciate all of your support and thoughtfulness. You work so hard with your children to help them succeed, and it makes all the difference in the world. I have enjoyed working with your children. They are all so full of enthusiasm and kindness.
Isn’t it incredible to think about the changes that have taken place in your child this year? Way back in September it was a struggle for most just to copy down homework in the assignment notebook, and now, the children can work so independently! From learning cursive, to multiplication, to writing reports or reading long chapter books, your child has come a long way and is truly ready for the new challenges fourth grade will bring!
Report cards will be passed out on Friday.
*Please know that in order for your child to receive their report card all fines and payments must be up to date.
Also included with the report card will be the summer math challenge, summer reading challenge and a list of books from the iMovie trailer book reports.
In this newsletter, I’ve included some ideas and activities you can choose to have your child do this summer to maintain and continue to improve his/her progress. Not only will this practice keep the summer from getting dull (if that’s possible), it will help your child begin fourth grade with his/her skills nice and sharp! These activities are optional, but highly encouraged.
First, and always important, is READING! You and your child know the importance of daily reading and how it affects all other learning. Continuing this practice throughout the summer is something that every child needs. This week, your child will receive a list of the books that each student read for their oral book reports. These presentations left us hanging, so your child may want to read some of these over the summer to find out the endings!
A librarian from the Seattle Public Library has spoken with our class about their summer reading program. I encourage all students to participate. In fact, get the whole family involved!
At the end of this newsletter, you will find a list of good comprehension/discussion questions, which could be used with any novel/story/picture book.
Next, students can be WRITING every day. I am so excited that so many of the students decided to participate in our pen-pal program! I think it would be so fun and great practice! The students will bring their journals home, so they can continue writing in them, use a new journal, or even make little books. Students can write stories, poems, and letters in cursive. Students will also bring home their cursive workbooks to use for summer practice.
All third graders should be practicing their MATH times tables and basic division facts. It would also be a good idea to review addition and subtraction facts now and then. Ten minutes of practice here and there is all it takes to keep those facts in long-term memory.
Most importantly students, don’t forget to PRAY. God wants to be a part of your life. Make time to pray and be thankful for all the great people and things that God has made possible for you. When you are sad or upset, God is with you, and wants to comfort you! Always remember you are an image of God.
Love,
Erin Meland
Sample Reading Comprehension &
Discussion Questions
- What are the main events in the story. Use the words “first, then, next, after that, finally” to retell the story.
- Describe the main characters using three words. What do they do or say in the story that makes you choose those words?
- Which character in the story is most/least like you?
- If you could choose any character in the story to be your friend, whom would you choose? Why?
- What is the setting of the story? How would the story be different if the setting were different?
- Compare and contrast two characters in the story. How are they alike and how are they different?
- What problems do the characters have to solve in the story? How do they solve these problems?
- What is your favorite part of the story? Why?
- What is the overall mood of the story? (scary, funny, suspenseful, etc.) What does the author do to help create this mood?
- If you could add another chapter to the end of this book, what would you have happen?
- How would you rate this book? (1-5 stars) Why did you like it (or not) ?
- What messages are in this story? What you can learn from the story?
- What is the author’s purpose for writing this story?
- Find 3 quotes from the story, which show the personality traits of a character.
- Relate this story to your own life or to other stories you have read.