News and Happenings

In humanities we are starting our new unit titled Inspired by the Sea. During the next six weeks, students will read stories, poetry, and informational texts that are inspired by a love of or curiosity about the sea. They will also create a poetry anthology and an informational poster on a sea animal that inspires them. 

In writing students will be writing imaginary narratives using descriptive details, dialogue, thoughts and feelings, action, and written in sequence. They will learn about paragraphs and when to switch to a new one. Writers will also focus on writing strong sentences including nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. 

In math students are challenging their level of personal ability while using Khan Academy. 

** students can challenge themselves at home as well!!

In science students are learning how to forecast the weather. They have learned about hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes through hands on activities in the classroom.

The Khan Experience

We are embarking on a new journey. This year math will no longer be taught the traditional way. Your child will be using Khan Academy to drive their math instruction. 

 Khan Academy is a free online resource that allows students to learn anytime, anywhere, with material that is uniquely appropriate for them. Students can explore new topics and practice their math skills by using interactive exercises, videos, and tutorials. As students learn, their activity feeds into reports that show important information such as strengths and weaknesses in a particular concept. As your child’s coach, I will be able to mentor them through concepts/skills that they may struggle with and help push them to reach their full potential. By using Khan Academy, I’ll be able to provide a more personalized learning experience for your child. 

 You can become your child’s coach as well! 

 1. Create an email account. 

 2. Log on to www.khanacademy.org and create an account. 

 3. Log on to your child’s account. Their username is their full name (ex. kimberlynelson) with no space. Password is wccs3.

 4. On the left hand side, click on coaches.

 5. In the box, enter your email address/coaches id/class code. Please do not remove me from your child’s coach.

 6. You are all set! 

 Once you are your child’s coach, you can explore the site and see what he/she is up to. You can see how long they have been on, what concepts/skills he or she is struggling with, etc. As a coach, there are ways to dig deeper and check to see exactly what your child is doing on each problem.

 If you have Internet at home, I would recommend students to practice their math skills 30 minutes a night. The website is www.khanacadamy.org. I feel that taking the time nightly to work on this site will be beneficial to help strengthen your child’s math skills. 

 Thank you in advance for encouraging your child to continue the Khan experience at home. ☺ If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Best, Ms. Nelson

Community Service Month and the Weather Machine

In celebration of Community Service Month, the third grade team has decided to collect canned goods and other non-perishable food items throughout the month of October. Please be sure to grab a can or two at the grocery store this week! It'll all benefit a local charity. The timing is perfect with the holidays coming up, and it's a great way to start a conversation with your children about the gift of giving back to the community! 

 The third grade and fourth grade science classes are teaming up to bring Channel 2's Weather Machine to our school! If you have internet access at home, you can help make this truly incredible learning experience a reality for Westminster Community Charter School. Here's how to vote: Watch Andy Parker in the morning on Channel 2 at 5:15am or 6:15am. He will give out the "word of the day. Then log onto www.wgrz.com, click on "weather machine" and submit your vote along with the "word of the day". It's that easy and you can vote as many times as you want!! We are currently in 8th place!!!

Tidbits and reminders

Monday is picture day so please make sure your child is in complete uniform and ready to smile!

Monday field trip money is due, please send it in a sealed envelope.

Remind your child to complete their comprehension packets and reading logs, we want to ensure that they are getting as much exposure to reading as possible

We have kicked off the iPads in third grade and the kids are extremely excited to have this tool to help push our thinking and learning. It is a tool and doesn't replace the teaching that must go on. 

We had our first Barnes and Nobles Friday...it was a success! Kids were able to kick off their shoes, grab a few good books, and fall in love with reading! If you haven't sent in your coffee mug, please do so by Wednesday so that your child is able to participate.