Wishing you a fun, relaxing and balanced summer! Third Grade News Room 205 Mrs. Weis’ Class June 2016 Summer Reading We read some really great books this year! Our third graders learned how to form good discussions about literature: characters, setting, plot and themes that encouraged higher order thinking and conversation skills. It was a great opportunity for young readers to express their ideas, thoughts and opinions about story elements and “big” ideas in the book. Your child must read all summer! Go to the library and expose your child to different genres of text. It is a good idea to have your child complete reading responses that cover the 3rd grade standards over the summer to express their thoughts in writing after reading. The expectations and rigor of the program are much higher next year. Written responses are expected to be more substantial in 4th grade with elaboration of reasons, examples and evidence from the text. Having a book club with your child is another great way to stay connected to what your child is reading and comprehending. Read with your child and know what they are reading so you could discuss the books together and have a meaningful conversation based on the plot, characters, themes and “big” ideas. Listen to how your child responds to literature orally and then in writing. Does your child comprehend the text? Does your child understand the big ideas or themes in the text? Can your child answer higher order questions? Does your child stay engaged in conversations about reading? Does your child listen to other people’s thoughts and respond appropiately? What kinds of things does your child contribute to discussions? Knowing your child as a reader is really helpful to learn about what their thinking as they read and after they read! Writer’s Workshop During the school year we wrote in all subject areas for different purposes every day. Over the summer your child can do the same by keeping a summer journal. Your child could record their day to day activities, vacations, day trips, adventures and really anything else that interests them. The goal is to just keep them writing. Your child should continue working through the writing process of planning and researching their topic of interest, draft, revise, edit and publish. Third graders are expected to go into 4th grade writing multiple paragraphs: a strong introduction, several body paragraphs and a conclusion paragraph. Correct capitalization and punctuation must be in place. It’s really important that your child goes into 4th grade with these skills in place! Wishing you a fun, relaxing and balanced summer! It was a pleasure being your child’s teacher this year! Mrs. Weis