September · Week 1 · Day 3 · School day 3

Day 3: Pushes and Pulls

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The day, step by step

1. 10–15 min Morning meeting and calendar 3.NBT.1, 3.NBT.2, 3.OA.9, SL.3.1

   1. Greeting: choose a greeting and greet each person by name; one person shares news.
   2. Date: read and write the full date. Ask: "How many days until the end of the month? How many weeks is that, about?"
   3. Days of school: today is day 3. Expanded form: 3 = 3. Rounded to the nearest ten: 0.
   4. Number of the day: 3. Is it odd or even? 3 is not in the 2s count. What is 100 more (103)?
   5. Question of the day: "What did you push or pull today?" Everyone answers with a reason or an example.

2. 20 min Word study and fluency RF.3.3c, RF.3.3, RF.3.4

   1. Spelling: napkin, robot, picnic, basket, silent. Say the word, split it into syllables or parts, then write each part.
   2. Dictation sentence: "The music was so loud that the insect hid in the basket." Check capitals, punctuation and the pattern.
   3. Fluency: partner read. Take turns by paragraph, then swap.
   4. Vocabulary: community, responsible, routine. Say each word, tell what it means in your own words, and use it in a sentence.

3. 25–30 min Reading workshop and read-aloud RI.3.1, RI.3.4

   Move It! Motion, Forces and You by Adrienne Mason (or any book about forces)

   1. Before: "A force is a push or a pull. Let’s look for forces in the pictures."
   2. During: stop at each example and ask: "Is that a push or a pull? What is moving?"
   3. After: "Find one sentence that explains what a force does." Read it aloud.

   Then read: 20 minutes of independent or book-club reading, then a short written response with one piece of evidence from the text.

4. 30–40 min Math and math centers 3.NBT.1

   1. Write 487. "What is 10 more? 10 less? 100 more? 100 less?" Use blocks to show it.
   2. Make a chart: number, 10 more, 100 more, for 235, 618 and 892.
   3. Ask: "Which digit changes when you add 100? Why?"

   Math center: More-or-less spinner: spin "10 more, 10 less, 100 more, 100 less" and change a starting number.

5. 20–30 min Science 3-PS2-1

   1. Give your child a toy car, a ball and a book. "Make each one move with a push. Now with a pull."
   2. Try a small push and a big push on the car. Measure how far it goes each time with a ruler or by counting tiles.
   3. Record in a science notebook: "When I pushed harder, the car went ___."

6. 20–25 min Writing W.3.2, W.3.8

   Write three sentences about forces you saw today. Each sentence names the object, the push or pull, and what happened.

   In 3rd grade, children write multi-paragraph pieces. Expect correct spelling for taught patterns and common words; use a word wall or dictionary for new words.

7. 20–30 min Centers and independent practice

   • Word work: cut two-syllable words apart, sort them into closed and open first syllables, and read them
   • Book bins: choose four "just right" books and start a reading log
   • Math: build three-digit numbers with base-ten blocks and write them in standard, word and expanded form
   • Map corner: draw a map of our classroom with a key and a compass rose

   Device time (5 to 10 minutes): Pushes and Pulls.

8. 5 min Closing circle SL.3.1

   Ask: "What was one push and one pull you used?" Each child shares one thing.

Short day? Do the morning meeting, word study and fluency, reading and math. Fold science or social studies into the read-aloud talk.