This quarter, our 3rd-grade AIG students will engage in activities designed to strengthen their foundational skills while encouraging higher-order thinking in both math and reading.

Mathematics Focus

This quarter, our math work focuses on strengthening number operations, mathematical reasoning, and essential academic vocabulary. Students will engage in a variety of rich tasks that challenge them to think flexibly and apply their strategies in meaningful ways.

We begin each day with a “Lock of the Day” warm-up—short logic or number puzzles that build perseverance and critical thinking. Students will also complete several rounds of Hexagonal Thinking with Unit 3 and 3.OA.8 vocabulary to deepen their understanding of key math terms and how concepts connect.

Throughout the unit, students will:

• Solve multi-step addition and subtraction tasks (3-digit + 2-digit and 3-digit – 2-digit)

• Participate in themed Breakout Rooms which require collaboration and creative problem-solving

• Work through Step-Up Task Cards that gradually increase in rigor

• Apply the Properties of Multiplication and practice real-world problem solving using 3.OA.8

• Complete a Picture Book Math Challenge, using literature as a springboard for mathematical reasoning

Overall, Quarter 2 offers a high-engagement blend of vocabulary, strategy work, puzzles, and hands-on problem solving to help students build confidence and deepen their mathematical thinking.

Reading Focus

📘 Reading & Literacy

• Exploring fables, folktales, and trickster tales from around the world

• Asking and answering text-dependent questions using RL.3.1

• Identifying major events and the lessons/morals of stories

• Comparing characters’ motivations and how events influence them

• Examining global stories using Depth & Complexity icons such as:

  • Patterns: common elements across trickster tales

  • Multiple Perspectives: how different cultures portray similar messages

  • Ethics: evaluating the characters’ decisions

Mathematics Focus

Fourth graders are beginning the quarter with multi-digit multiplication and division strategies, using daily “Lock of the Day” puzzles to strengthen number sense and stamina. Students work through task cards, explore vocabulary through Hexagonal Thinking, and apply their skills in breakout challenges such as Multiply the Memory Maze and Game Night. Midway through the unit, they dive into our Vacation of a Lifetime project, where they use multiplication and division to budget and plan a dream trip. As we wrap up the unit, students will begin transitioning into fractions, using models to explain equivalence and compare fractions with different numerators and denominators. 

Reading & Writing Focus

Fourth graders are exploring a high-interest nonfiction unit centered on animal and plant defense mechanisms, while practicing key comprehension standards such as referring to details and examples (RI.4.1), identifying main idea and key details (RI.4.2), and determining the meaning of academic vocabulary (RI.4.4). We begin with vocabulary routines and small-group expert work, where students analyze texts and collaborate through activities like List–Group–Label and Depth & Complexity questioning to deepen understanding.

Students then move into a second unit on impressive animal defenses, where they conduct research and transform their learning into short narrative writing pieces. This work builds toward our final project: a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure narrative, supported by lessons on planning, research, character development, and narrative structure. Students will draft their adventure paths, build their introduction and choices, and finally create a digital website to publish their interactive stories. This engaging project strengthens comprehension, research skills, and creative writing while keeping students excited about reading and learning.

Mathematics Focus

In 5th grade math, students are deeply exploring fractions, models, and real-world applications as we move through Units 3 and 4. We begin by using models—number lines, area models, set models, and repeated addition—to multiply fractions and whole numbers. Students apply this understanding through vocabulary work with Hexagonal Thinking, enrichment tasks like Snail Race and Canine County, and a multi-day Multiplying Fractions STEAM Project that helps them visualize and solve fraction scenarios using hands-on methods.

The second part of the unit shifts to dividing unit fractions and whole numbers. Students learn to interpret fractions as division, represent problems with visual models, and write expressions. Activities such as You Can’t Have a Whole One, What’s the Pattern, and Cookie Math build conceptual understanding, while the Dividing Fractions STEAM Project allows them to apply their skills to meaningful real-world situations over several days.

We end the quarter by transitioning into place value and decimals, exploring how multiplying or dividing by powers of ten affects digit movement. Students practice with activities like Gridlock, What’s the Decimal?, and Digit Detection, then bring their learning to life in the multi-day Donut Investigation and Place Value STEAM Project, where they use decimal reasoning and place value patterns to solve practical, real-world challenges.

Reading & Writing Focus

This quarter in reading, students are strengthening their comprehension, research, and writing skills through two engaging units. We begin with our Refugee One-Pager project, where students work with Greek and Latin roots, revisit key moments from Refugee, and design a visual one-pager that highlights themes, evidence, and important quotes. At the same time, students select a national park of interest and write a formal letter to park rangers requesting information about the park’s biggest environmental impacts. Once responses arrive, students transition into our National Parks Research and TED Talk unit, where they read and summarize the information received, conduct additional research from reliable sources, and analyze how human-environment interactions affect their chosen park. They then plan, draft, and refine a TED-style presentation that includes a clear central message, strong text evidence, and a meaningful call to action. Students create visual presentations, write speaker notes, and practice delivery skills such as pacing, tone, and projection. The quarter concludes with students presenting their final TED Talks—an exciting opportunity for them to share their research, apply speaking and listening skills, and advocate for the protection of their national parks.