Welcome to Unit 2: Furs, Feathers, and Fish!

Our 3rd graders are stepping into the shoes of young scientists to explore the incredible diversity of the animal kingdom!

Here is a glimpse of what your child will be discovering and learning over the coming weeks:

• Animal Classification: Students will learn how scientists categorize animals, exploring the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as between warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals.

• Spelling & Vocabulary: We’ll practice alphabetizing words by the second and third letters, work with suffixes (–ed, –ing, –es), and explore how prefixes (un–, non–, re–, pre–) change root-word meanings.

• Grammar Skills: Students will strengthen their writing by identifying nouns, verbs, adjectives, subject and object pronouns, and mastering sentence structure (learning to catch fragments and run-on sentences while building strong compound sentences).

How You Can Help at Home: Ask your child about the stories we’re reading in class! Encourage them to share their opinions about the characters' decisions and to point out interesting adjectives or nouns they encounter during shared reading time at home.

Welcome to third-grade math! We are kicking off the school year with Unit 1: Addition & Subtraction Patterns. This unit establishes key classroom routines while building strong numerical fluency and flexible problem-solving skills.

What We’re Learning

• Fact Fluency & Strategies: Practicing efficient mental math strategies (like Make Ten, Doubles, and Add Ten) to fluently add and subtract basic facts.

• Place Value & Addition: Breaking numbers apart by place value (e.g., solving $36 + $28 by adding $30 + $20 and $6 + $8) to build a foundation for multi-digit computation.

• Visual Models: Using visual tools like open number lines to see number relationships and calculate

• Data & Algebraic Thinking: Sorting, graphing, and analyzing class data to build algebraic reasoning and learn about one another.

How You Can Help at Home

• Spot Patterns: Look for addition and subtraction patterns in daily life (e.g., doubling recipes, counting items by 5s or 10s).

• Practice Fluency: Ask your child to share their favorite mental math strategy for solving basic facts—encourage them to explain how they see the numbers.

 Unit 1 Test Wednesday, September 30th

The study guide will be coming home on Tuesday, September 29th.