Update for 10/16

       Dear Parents,


       ITBS testing begins Monday, 10/17 and will be every morning through Friday, 10/21 for 3rd grade.  There is nothing your student needs to study for this test, but please make sure he/she is well rested and has had a good breakfast with protein (eggs, bacon, peanut butter on toast).  We will only be giving the "Getting Out the Vote" PBL survey sheet for homework next week.  Students only need to be asking relatives and any other grown ups you approve two questions:  Are you registered to vote?  and Are you planning on voting?


       Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  As always, thanks for your support!!


       Jenny M-G

Habitats Study Guide

Habitats Study Guide

Vocabulary to know:

Environment – the living and nonliving things around a living thing

Ecosystem – where living and nonliving things interact

Habitat – the part of an ecosystem where a living thing lives (survives)

Mountain – a high, raised part of Earth

Piedmont – the region of Georgia that contains rolling hills

Coastal plain – an area between the piedmont and Atlantic Ocean

Wetland – a place where the soil is often wet and spongy

Drought - a long period of time with no rain

Balance – an environment with not too many or not too few of any living thing

Questions:

What things can change an environment? Fire, plants, rain

What does a habitat provide for animals?

Which part of Georgia has many mountains?

Name some plants and animals that are ONLY in one habitat in Georgia.

What do you predict a hurricane would affect an ecosystem?

How are the coastal plain and mountains the same and different? (compare

and contrast)

What would happen to the animals in an ecosystem if there was too little food

or water?

They would move (migrate) to another ecosystem/habitat. However, if they

could not find one that they matched their adaptations, they might die.

Animal Poster Rubric

         Dear parents,


         We will work on our Animal Poster projects in class, but here is the rubric so you will be aware of the requirements. 


Jenny M-G

Making A Poster : Animal Poster Project Teacher Name: Mrs. Magis-Graves Student Name:     ________________________________________

 

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Graphics -Clarity	Graphics are all in focus and the content easily viewed and identified from 6 ft. away.	Most graphics are in focus and the content easily viewed and identified from 6 ft. away.	Most graphics are in focus and the content is easily viewed and identified from 4 ft. away.	Many graphics are not clear or are too small.
Graphics - Relevance	All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation.	Graphics do not relate to the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation.
Required Elements	The poster includes at least five facts about the animal\'s habitat in Georgia, three examples of adaptations that help the animal survive, and two examples of the effects of pollution on the animal as well as additional information.	The poster includes at least four facts about the animal\'s habitat in Georgia, three examples of adaptations that help the animal survive, and two examples of the effects of pollution on the animal as well as additional information.	The poster includes at least three facts about the animal\'s habitat in Georgia, two examples of adaptations that help the animal survive, and one example of the effects of pollution on the animal as well as additional information.	The poster includes less than three facts about the animal\'s habitat in Georgia, only one example of adaptations, and one example of the effects of pollution on the animal as well as additional information.
Knowledge Gained	Student can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.	Student can accurately answer 75% of the  questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.	Student can accurately answer most of questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.	Student appears to have insufficient knowledge about the facts or processes used in the poster.
Attractiveness	The poster is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.	The poster is attractive in terms of design, layout and neatness.	The poster is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy.	The poster is distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive.
Sources	The poster has one source.	The poster has at least two sources.	The poster has at least three sources.	The poster has at least four sources.

 

 

Update for 9/25

       Dear Parents,


       We will have our Paul Revere quiz this Thursday and our Habitats quiz on Friday.  Your student will be bringing home a study guide for the Paul Revere quiz and their science journal for the Habitats quiz.  I also sent pictures our on Remind.com of the habitats notes we have taken in class.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks for your support!!


      Jenny M-G

                       Paul Revere Study Guide

 Vocabulary to know:

Entrepreneur   Revolution           Interdependence

Diligence           Independence     Patriot

Tax                     Boycott

 1.  Why was Boston Harbor important to many colonists?

2.  What did the Sons of Liberty believe in?

3.  Why did the American colonists dislike Britain’s rule?

4.  How did Paul Revere’s “Midnight Ride” help the American colonists?

5.  Paul Revere felt that the role of government was to ________________________.

6.  What kind of government plan do we have today in the U.S.?
7.  How might the United States be different today if Paul Revere had NOT made his “Midnight Ride”?

8.  How the U.S. government today use tax money differently that King George III did?

 Answers:

1.  Boston Harbor was important to many colonists because goods were traded there and the colonists were able to buy goods from Great Britain that they needed and sell goods to Great Britain to make money.

2.  The Sons of Liberty believed in freedom for the colonies (that they should be free from British rule).

3.  American colonists disliked British rule because the colonists were not given choices about what would be taxed because they could not vote for representatives in the British parliament.

 

4.  Paul Revere's "Midnight Ride" helped the colonists because he warned them that the British (Redcoats) were coming so that they could get their guns to fight the British. 

5.  Paul Revere felt that the role of government was to allow people to make decisions and participate in government.  The colonists couldn't do this under King George III since they were not allowed to vote for representatives in Parliament.

6.  We have a REPRESENTATIVE government in the U.S. today where we vote for (elect) people to represent us in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches.

7.  The United States might be different today if Paul Revere had not made his "Midnight Ride" because the colonists might have lost the American Revolution and we might still live under British rule.  In part because of Paul Revere's ride the colonists were able to defeat the British and to start their own country, the United States of America!

8.  The U.S. govenment today uses tax money to build roads and schools and libraries, pay teachers and police officers and firefighters, pay people to make sure our food and water and goods are safe, and to provide many more services.  Also, U.S. citizens are allowed to vote and so have some say in what tax money is used for.  King George III used the colonists' tax money to pay for wars and to provide services in Great Britain, but the colonists were not allowed to vote and so had no say in what their tax money was used for.

 

 

Update for 9/18

       Dear Parents,


         We are getting into Unit 2 for 3.1 Math which will introduce repeated addition and arrays as ways to solve multiplication facts.  We also will start having timed multiplication check ins during this unit so if you are able, buying some multiplication flash cards will help your kiddo get a jump on learning his/her facts.  By the way, kids usually find the 6's, 7's and 8's to be the most challenging.  Our 3.2 Math students will be exploring more about fractions, starting with equivalent fractions and fractions on a number line.


        Last Friday, it was wonderful to have five grandparents visit us during Writing and Literacy Centers - lots of great sharing and partner reading went on!  I look forward to the next Grandparents' Day.  This week we will have our Tiger Trot-a-Thon on Friday so please make sure your child wears tennis shoes!


       As always, thanks so much for your support!


       Jenny M-G

Update for 9/11

        Dear Parents,

        It's hard to believe that we are done with the first month of school!  Please remember that this week we have our Hearing and Vision screening on Wednesday so if you child wears glasses or has a hearing aid, send it with him or her.

       We have finished up our "Roots of Democracy" posters in Social Studies and will be presenting them tomorrow and Tuesday.  We will switch to Science next week and get into our first unit on Habitats of Georgia (Mountain, Piedmont, Coastal Plain, Wetlands/Okefenokee Swamp, Atlantic Ocean). This Thursday we will have our Unit 1 math test for 3.1 and our Unit 4 math test for 3.2 will be on Friday.  Please review the related Study Guide with your child.

      As always, thank you for your support and let me know if you have any questions or concerns at magisgraves@fultonschools.org

      :)  Jenny M-G

Update for 8/28

     Dear Parents,

     We have not begun our personalized Reading groups yet where students will be switching based on Lexile levels, but I wanted to show you the standards that are applicable to your students.  As you can see, many of the standards are similar, but we will differentiate lessons based on appropriate text complexity. We will begin these lessons on September 6th after Labor Day.

      Jenny M-G

3rd Grade English Language Arts Georgia Standards of Excellence 
ELAGSE3RL1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
ELAGSE3RI1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
ELAGSE3RL2: Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. ELAGSE3RI2: Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
ELAGSE3RL3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
ELAGSE3RI3: Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
ELAGSE3RL4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases both literal and nonliteral language as they are used in the text.
ELAGSE3RI4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
ELAGSE3RL5: Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections. ELAGSE3RI5: Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic quickly and efficiently.
ELAGSE3RL6: Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters. ELAGSE3RI6: Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.
ELAGSE3RL7: Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).
ELAGSE3RI7: Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
ELAGSE3RI8: Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).
ELAGSE3RL9: Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series).
ELAGSE3RI9: Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.
ELAGSE3RL10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. ELAGSE3RI10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

4th Grade English Language Arts Georgia Standards of Excellence 
ELAGSE4RL1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
ELAGSE4RI1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
ELAGSE4RL2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. ELAGSE4RI2: Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
ELAGSE4RL3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
ELAGSE4RI3: Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
ELAGSE4RL4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
ELAGSE4RI4: Determine the meaning of general academic language and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
ELAGSE4RL5: Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text.
ELAGSE4RI5: Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
ELAGSE4RL6: Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.
ELAGSE4RI6: Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.
ELAGSE4RL7: Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text identifying similarities and differences.
ELAGSE4RI7: Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
ELAGSE4RI8: Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text. ELAGSE4RL9: Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.
ELAGSE4RI9: Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
ELAGSE4RL10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
 ELAGSE4RI10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.