September · Week 1 of 4 · School week 1 of 36
Week 1: Welcome to Third Grade
Skills this week
Word study and fluency
Closed and open syllables. Split and read: nap|kin, ro|bot, pic|nic.
RF.3.3c
Vocabulary words: community responsible routine
Reading & writing
Routines; ask and answer questions using the text
RL.3.1, RF.3.4
Math
Place value to 1,000: hundreds, tens and ones
3.NBT.1, 2.NBT.1 review
Science
What is a force? Pushes and pulls
3-PS2-1
Social studies
Our school community: roles and responsibilities
C3 D2.Civ.2.3-5
Word study and fluency this week: Closed and open syllables
A closed syllable ends with a consonant, so the vowel is short (nap|kin). An open syllable ends with a vowel, so the vowel says its name (ro|bot). Split between the consonants first; if that does not make a word, try after the first vowel.
Words to read: napkin, robot, picnic, music, basket, tiger, magnet, pilot, insect, silent
Word building: rabbit → ribbon → robin → robot → rocket → pocket
Sentences to read: “The pilot put a napkin in the picnic basket.” “A tiger can be silent when it hunts.” “We used a magnet to pick up the robot parts.”
Spelling: napkin, robot, picnic, basket, silent · Dictation: “The music was so loud that the insect hid in the basket.”
Fluency passage: “On the first morning of third grade, Lena found a robot on her desk. It was made of a milk box, two bottle caps and a lot of tape. A note said, "Hello! I am Bolt. I help this class remember our routines." Lena laughed. By the end of the week, Bolt had a name tag, a job chart and a whole class of friends.” (65 words)
Day plans
- Day 1Welcome to Third Grade!
First Day Jitters - Day 2Routines That Help Us
The Day You Begin - Day 3Pushes and Pulls
Move It! Motion, Forces and You - Day 4Mapping Our Classroom
Me on the Map - Day 5Our Class Community
Each Kindness
Centers this week
- 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
Student games this week
Syllable Splitter Place Value to 1,000 Pushes and Pulls Map Explorer
Week at a glance (printable)
| Block | Day 1 Welcome to Third Grade! | Day 2 Routines That Help Us | Day 3 Pushes and Pulls | Day 4 Mapping Our Classroom | Day 5 Our Class Community |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question of the day | What is one thing you hope to learn this year? | What is a routine you do every morning? | What did you push or pull today? | If you could add one thing to our classroom, what would it be? | What is one thing that makes our class a good community? |
| Word study and fluency | Introduce: A closed syllable ends with a consonant, so the vowel is short (nap|kin). An open syllable ends… | Warm-up: Split and read: nap|kin, ro|bot, pic|nic. | Spelling: napkin, robot, picnic, basket, silent. Say the word, split it into syllables or parts, then write… | Sentences to read: "The pilot put a napkin in the picnic basket." "A tiger can be silent when it hunts."… | Review: read all 10 words: napkin, robot, picnic, music, basket, tiger, magnet, pilot, insect, silent. |
| Read-aloud | First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg | The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson | Move It! Motion, Forces and You by Adrienne Mason | Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney | Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson |
| Math | Show a flat, a rod and a cube. "This is 100, this is 10, this is 1." Trade 10 rods for a flat and 10 cubes… | Draw a number line from 0 to 1,000 with marks every 100. Your child places 300, 650 and 910. | Write 487. "What is 10 more? 10 less? 100 more? 100 less?" Use blocks to show it. | Write a number in expanded form: 600 + 20 + 9. Your child writes it as 629 and says it. | Review: build, write and compare three-digit numbers. "Build 562 and 526. Which is greater?" |
| Science / social studies | Social studies: Ask: "What jobs do people do to make our school work?" List them: teachers, office staff, custodians,… | Social studies: Make a list of class routines: arriving, lining up, getting help, cleaning up. | Science: Give your child a toy car, a ball and a book. "Make each one move with a push. Now with a pull." | Social studies: Look at the room from above (stand on a step stool if safe, or imagine it). "What would we see from the… | Social studies: Make a "Community Promise" with 4 or 5 statements together, like "We help each other when someone is stuck." |
| Writing | Write a letter to your teacher (or your family) about yourself: one paragraph about what you like and are… | Write the steps of one class routine so a new student could follow it. Use time order words: first, next,… | Write three sentences about forces you saw today. Each sentence names the object, the push or pull, and… | Write directions from the door to your desk using the map: "Walk north 5 steps, then turn east..." | Write a paragraph: "A good community member..." Give three reasons with an example for each. |
| Game | Place Value to 1,000 | Syllable Splitter | Pushes and Pulls | Map Explorer | Syllable Splitter |