Room 15 News

Dear Third Grade Families,

          Third grade mathematicians are learning to measure area this month.  Students have learned that area is the total number of square units needed to cover a two-dimensional surface.  Earlier this year, we measured surfaces with square centimeters.  This week we are measuring surfaces with square inch tiles. Check out the photos of students finding the area of various rectangles below. 

Which shape has a greater area?  Ask your child what he/she discovered?

Multiplication Facts Update
           February has been a busy month in third grade.  I am so proud of our class for all of the hard work and effort that they are putting into memorizing the multiplication facts. Third graders rock! We updated the multiplication table below by shading in the Half Ten Plus One More Set Facts (x 6 facts).  When we looked at the updated multiplication table below, we could see that there are only nine facts left to learn!  You can see the white square of nine facts in the table below,

          So what's our next step?  It's time to learn  the x 7 facts! It's interesting that the x 7 facts are the only set of facts that are not given a special name based on a certain strategy.   Perhaps this is because there are several ways to solve the different x 7 facts.  Here are two strategies that your child might use to solve the x 7 facts. Both strategies are based on using a known fact to solve an unknown fact.  

Strategy 1:  Use a x 5 fact and a x 2 fact.

What is the product of 7 groups of 8  or 7 x 8?

Step one - I know that 5 groups of 8 (5 x 8) equals 40.                            5 x 8 = 40

Step two - I know that 2 more groups of 8 (2 x 8) equals 16.                   2 x 8 = 16

Step three - Add the products to find the product of 7 groups of 8.         40 + 16 = 56

                                                                                                           So... 7 x 8 = 56

Strategy 2:  Start with a x 6 fact and add one more set.

What is the product of 7 groups of 8  or 7 x 8?

Step one - I know that 6 groups of 8 (6 x 8) equals 48.                                   6 x 8 = 48

Step two - I need one more group of 8 to have seven groups of 8.                 48 + 8 = 56 

                                                                                                                So...  7 x 8 = 56

         Keep up the great work of practicing the multiplication facts and skip counting at home!  We are in the home stretch with only nine new facts to learn!  Way to go, third graders!  Thanks to all family members for helping your students to practice at home.  Please let me know if you need your child's username and password for www.IXL.com. It's a great site to go to for multiplication fact practice.  

         Remember to remind your child to read each day practice skip counting and memorizing the multiplication tables; especially during the February vacation.

        Girls on the Run and Invention Convention registration forms have been sent home. Please let me know if you child needs another copy. 

         We are in need of cleaning wipes for our desks.  Please send in a package if you have one to spare.  Thanks!

Sincerely,

Keelin Simpson

Dear Third Grade Families,

Room 15 is full of hard working mathematicians! We have been working towards memorizing the multiplication facts, and students are making terrific progress!  So far, students have been assigned to memorize the x 0, x 1, x 2, x 3, x 4, x 5, and x 10 facts.  We took a look at all of our hard work on the multiplication table below, and we cheered about what the chart reveals!

The facts we have learned are colored in.  The facts that we have left to learn are white.  There are only 16 facts left to be memorized!!!

This week our goal is to learn the x 6 facts. We call the x 6 facts "Half Tens Plus One Set Facts."  The x 6 facts are named that way because of a strategy that can be used to solve them.  This strategy involves using a known fact, a x 5 fact, to solve a x 6 fact.  Here's how it works: 

What is the product of 6 x 8?

Step 1  -  I'll start with a fact I know.   10 groups of 8  = 80.                     10 x 8 = 80.

Step 2 -   From there, I can figure out that 5 x 8 is half of 80.                  5 x 8 = 40

Step 3 -   6 groups of 8 is just one more set of 8 than 5 x 8.                    6 x 8 = 40 + 8 = 48

(If you know your x 5 facts, then you can start on the second step.  5 x 8 = 40, so 6 x 8 = 40 + 8).

Look at the photos below.  The boys made arrays on the left side of an abacus to model the three related problems that can be used to solve 6 x 8 (that are mentioned above).

Step 1 

10 x 8 = 80

Step 2 

5 x 8 = 40

Step 3

6 x 8 = 48

Help your child to practice skip counting and multiplying at home. Make a set of flashcards or buy a box at the grocery store.  Pull out the x 6 facts to practice.  Play the multiplication games that were sent home or remind your child to log in  at www.ixl.com and practice the multiplication facts.  Write the most challenging facts on Post-it notes and stick them on the fridge, the bathroom mirror, or a living room end table where they'll be seen more frequently. Practicing for 5 to ten minutes each night will make a big difference.  Keep up the great work, third graders!!!

I will send home copies of some games that you can play with your child at home to help him/her learn the x 6 facts.  Look for the games in your child's backpack on Friday!  The photos below show students playing Multiply It! 

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Upcoming Events

vOlympic Week will be February 12-16.  Students may wear Olympic ring colors!  See the colors to wear listed below by day.

v  Monday - Black 

v  Tuesday- Yellow

v  Wednesday- Red 

v  Thursday - Green 

v  Friday - Blue - South Burlington Colors (blue and grey)

TThursday, February 15^th, is Chamberlin School's Family Night and Pasta Dinner, from  6:00-7:30 PM.

FFriday, February 16, is an early release day for students.  Students should bring a bag lunch to eat in the classroom or place an order to purchase a bag lunch from the cafeteria.  Students will be dismissed at 12:30 PM.  

  

   We are running low on cleaning wipes.  Please send in a package if you have one to spare.  Have a great weekend!

   Sincerely,

    Keelin Simpson

TROPICAL DAY IS TOMORROW!

Dear Third Grade Families,

Chamberlin students were excited to fill the Chamberlin Bee Hive by demonstrating that they are respectful, responsible, and safe at school.  Students voted to have Tropical Day tomorrow, January 25th!  Students can wear shorts and tee shirts, sunglasses, beach hats, and sandals tomorrow.  However, students will still need to bring their regular outdoor gear for recess, too.

This week we were joined by Emily Evenson, who will be student teaching in third grade on Mondays and Wednesdays this semester.  Miss Evenson is in her Junior year of study at the University of Vermont.  We are looking forward to learning with Miss Evenson this semester!

Keep practicing skip counting and working towards memorizing  the x 2, x 3, x 4, and x 5 multiplication facts. Practice at home for five to ten minutes each day.  You can do it! 

Sincerely,
Keelin M. Simpson

Dear Third Grade Families,

We had a great week in third grade! Our grade is full of amazing thinkers!  Here's some information about what we are working on.

Students are working on assessments in reading, mathematics, and spelling this month.  The assessments are one way of looking at the progress students have made since the beginning of the school year, and they will provide information about the learning that needs to occur in the second half of the school year.  

I'm excited to see so many students mastering skip counting patterns and multiplication facts.  Yahoo! Way to go, third graders!  Thank you to family members for helping your student to practice the multiplication facts at home.  A few minutes of extra practice each night makes a big difference!  

Students have learned the 0's, 1's, 2's, 3's, 4's, and 10's facts, and now it is time for the x 5 facts.  We can do it!  

In our classroom, we call the x 5 facts "Half Tens Facts."  This is because you can solve a x 5 fact using a x 10 fact. Every student in our classroom knows the x 10 facts, so they are known facts that we can use to solve unknown x 5 facts.  Here's how the strategy works:

Half Tens Fact Strategy
If I know 10 groups of 8 equals 80, then the product of 5 groups of 8 would be half that amount, 40.

10  x  8 = 80
(5 groups of 8 is half of 10 groups of 8, so split 80 in half)  
5 x 8 =  40

Make flashcards, use grocery store flashcards, or play math games on Mrs. Simpson's blog to practice the facts at home.  

This week, our class had fun practicing  multiplication facts using the website www.IXL.com.  Your child  has a free 30 day membership at this site, and he/she can use the membership at home, too. Students will bring home a letter with a username and password tomorrow.  If you don't receive the letter, please let me know, and I'll send home another copy.  

Directions for IXL
Go to www.IXL.com .Enter your child's username and password.
Select math.
Select third grade skills.
Select from F.1 - F.6 and your child can choose to practice one set of multiplication facts at a time.  For example, just the x 4 facts or just the x 5 facts. Select G.1 - G.4, and your child can practice a mixed review of x 0 through x 5 facts and x 10 facts.  

Reminders and More

• There is no school on Monday, January 15th, in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  
• Children are welcome to bring in a pair of ear buds from home to use with their Chromebooks on different projects.  The Dollar Discount Store sells them for $1.  Children often find them more comfortable to use than the larger school headphones.  
• February 2 is Popcorn Friday.  Bring in 50 cents to buy popcorn for snack.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Keelin M. Simpson

Math News

Dear Third Grade Families,

Third grade mathematicians have focused learning time on rounding and estimating and subtraction of larger numbers this week.  Students have learned about different strategies for solving subtraction problems.  

Check out the photos below of student problem solving. They illustrate  removal or take away, counting up, and constant difference as strategies for solving subtraction problems.  

Students will be bringing home a paper copy of the "Bridges Math Unit 3 Family Letter" on Friday. This letter contains more information about this unit of study.  Check your child's backpack for the family letter on Friday.

I have been meeting with students individually to check on their progress with skip counting and  memorizing the x 2,   x 3, and x 4 multiplication facts.  Many students are close to having these facts learned.  Please make sure to practice with your child at home for 5 - 10 minutes each night.  A little bit of practice at home each day can make a big difference.  Thanks!

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Keelin Simpson

 

Holiday Celebration

Dear Third Grade Families,

The children were delighted with all of the delicious breakfast foods and crafts that were sent in.  Thank you to families and Room Parents for contributing to our celebration!  We had lots of fun together throughout the day!

 

Remember to read each day throughout the vacation, skip count, and practice the x 2, x 3, and x 4 multiplication facts.  Enjoy a fun and restful holiday with your families!  

Sincerely,
Keelin M. Simpson

Happy Holidays From Room 15

             

Third graders have been busy in Room 15 this December.  We celebrated all of our hard work with some snow mountain time outside!

                

Mathematicians have learned about measuring mass in December.  Students used gram weights on a balance scale to find the mass of objects around the classroom.

The objects in this bag have a mass of 1,000 grams or 1 kilogram!

                       

 Mathematicians earned some Chromebook time for all of their excellent work with measuring!

We spent some time making colorful snowflakes to decorate our classroom today!

Remember to practice the X 2, X 3, and X 4 multiplication facts throughout the vacation.  A  few minutes of practice each day will make a big difference!  Keep skip counting each day, too.  Focus on skip counting by 6's, 7's, 8's, and 9's.  

Have a joyful, safe holiday vacation!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Simpson