Week Three and "What's the Deal with Reading Logs"

Week 3 went great with the exception of a tummy bug that is being passed around.  The students have been demonstrating that they understand my expectations for the classroom and we've gotten down to the business of learning.

In math we have been working on place value and addition.  I've been so impressed I had to compliment the second grade teachers.  The students know multiple strategies.  In third grade we will be working with the algorithm for addition and subtraction and ultimately place value up to 999,999.  You can help at home by making sure your children are fluent in basic addition facts.  This computation recall makes the kids so much more confident when we are doing more problem solving.

In science we have been studying matter and it's physical properties.  This week we explored magnetism and the definition of different states of matter.  More fun stuff to come.

Social Studies these next few weeks focuses on the concept of freedom in our country.  This week we have been looking closely at the first document defining the United States -- the Declaration of Independence. 

Our reading goals this week have been understanding the story structure of fiction, answering questions with proof from the text and determining character traits.

Generating a first draft for a personal narrative will be our job in Writing for a few weeks.  Specifically we'll delve into creating an interesting lead, using descriptive words and closing with a satisfactory ending.

IF YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE PARENTS THAT DETEST READING LOGS< READ ON ...
The debate about reading logs is time-honored.  As a teacher, I'm on the fence.  

Here's the fact:  A child that reads more becomes a better reader.  They learn more vocabulary and their reading strength supports all other academic areas.

I'm not taking a grade on the reading log - ever.  But I feel strongly that a third grader needs to read nightly.  I also want them to enjoy their reading.  Counting down the minutes or the pages means that they are completing a chore -- not falling into the land of their book.  A true reader reads until the action is over or the chapter is done or until they fall asleep.

On Fridays I am going to ask your students to write to me about their reading life for the week.  They will be able to write what they enjoyed, what they think will happen next, why they choose a certain author.  This will be a difficult task for "chore readers".  You can help as parents by getting your kids to talk to you about the book they are reading.  Your interest will motivate them and hopefully my guidance and questions will help them view themselves as true readers.