Week Five Focus

Because of last week's storm, we will have our Unit One Assessments this week. 

In math, besides spiraling up place value and rounding, we will be continue working on estimating sums and differences, as well as solving one and two step word problems by using addition and subtraction.  In Science we will be learning about the changes in state of matter and properties of matter such as sink and float. We will need to adjust the timeline of our Genius Hour Project and I will add more options for students to work on their individual or team project. 

By now all students should be able to login to Reflex Math and Imagine Math account from home. Please work on Reflex math and imagine math at home for 15 to 20 minutes a day. I suggest 5~10 minutes for Reflex math, and 10~15 minutes for Imagine Math. We will have an open house on Sep 27th(5:00 - 5:45).  I will send out invites via LivingTree shortly. 

Please make up your work if you have missed any school day(s). Let me know if you need more time to catch up. 

Have a great week! 

Mrs. Waters

Week Four Focus

Last week our enrollment increased to 623 students. We will be expecting a new student in our class.

Please keep in mind for this week:

• In math class, we will be learning one- and two-step problem solving by using addition and subtraction
• In science, we will be learning about the physical and chemical changes of matter
• Tuesday we will have Unit 1 CFA Math Assessment
• Wednesday we will have Unit 1 Reading Assessment
• Progress reports will go home this Wednesday
• Thursday is Fall Holiday, no school
• Friday is a teacher service day, no school for students
• Please make up any assignments if you have been miss any school days

After teaching self-contained 3rd graders for a decade, I'm teaching math and science only this school year. The transition has been great.  After sharing with my students the draft, we'll be using the Math Magician Logo which my daughter has designed for us.

Have a great week!

Final Version

Draft

Week Three Focus

SEL – Social Emotional Learning

• Growth Mind Set / Grit TedTalk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14bBuluwB8

• How to Make Friends

• Being Responsible

• Prioritization

Math

• Locate a number on a number line and find the closest or nearest 10, 100, 1000, 10000.

• Estimate sums and differences by using rounding and compatible numbers 

• Review comparing and ordering numbers by using the correct symbol(s)

• Universal Screen BOY

• Complete Initial Math Benchmark

• Send parent's invite for Imagine Math (Wednesday Folder)

• Continue Genius Hour Project 1- Math in Nature: Find Patterns (Due in 4 weeks)

Science

• describe, classify, and predict changes in the state of matter

• explain how temperature changes affect matter

Homework will be checked by Friday.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Waters

Week Two Focus August 29, 2021

Week Two focus:

SEL – Social Emotional Learning

• Empathy

• Grit

• Wants vs Needs

• Being Mindful

• Honesty

Math

• Compose and decompose whole numbers up to 6 digits 

• Understand the patterns in a place value chart are based on a system of 10’s 

• Compare and order numbers by using the correct symbol(s)

• Set up Imagine Math and Reflex Math

• Complete Initial Math Benchmark

• Set up GT Student Renzulli profile

• Send parents invite for Imagine Math and Reflex Math (please check Wednesday Folder)

• Start our Genius Hour Project 1- Math in Nature: Find Patterns (Due in 3 weeks)

Science

• Demonstrate and observe how position and motion can be changed by pushing and pulling

• Observe the forces of magnetism and gravity acting on objects

Homework will be checked by Friday.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Waters

 

Week One Focus

Parents,

Our week one focus areas will be as follows:

• Quick Class meeting using discussion cards
• Build relationships and make connections
• Make a buddy
• Establishing our class routines and systems
• Set up our expectations
• Set long-term goals for self and class
• Set up interactive notebooks
• Set up flexible small groups
• Practice drills: evacuation, fire drills
• Team Building: tangram team work
• Intro Tool Box for math class
• Discuss cafeteria and Hallway Ready Procedures
• Covid safety practices
• Organize and label all folders and notebooks
• Teach turn and talk
• Building number sense: number talk daily 
• Introduce behavior economy
• Practice and review dismissal expectations
• Tour math supplies like dice, cards, base ten blocks, cubes, flash cards, etc.
• Give first timed fact drills 
• Make a list of special snacks
• Introduce technology and access instructions
• Students make a list everything they learned in 2nd grade
• In Science class, learn about lab safety and lab tools
• Introduce Genius hour Project Class
• Reflection: highs and lows of the week

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best, 

Mrs. Waters

Kudos to Our PTO Ladies!

One of our extraordinary assets at Sinclair is that we have devoted PTO parents. 

They volunteer for school related activities in any weather. You often bump into them unexpectedly..

On Sunday Aug22 in the heat of the day I saw some of our PTO ladies marking guide signs and happy designs on the school sidewalks – Thank You!

Welcome to 3rd Grade!

Dear parents,

Thank you for taking the time to meet me. It was a delight to see so many excited faces. I understand this past year has been tough on us. But we made it, and we can do better even.

I have posted today's document on my Blog. Please click Welcome to 3rd Grade 21-22 to open it.

Looking forward a great year!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Waters

HOMOGRAPHS - Confusing Words with Same Spelling but Different Meaning | ...

Grading Policy Sinclair Elementary – Third Grade

To accommodate the HISD grading policies for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, the 3^rd Grade team at Sinclair Elementary in accordance with HISD recommendations, has chosen to adopt the following local school grading policy beginning week of April 20,2020.

First is a portion of the letter from HISD Interim Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan, which was sent out last Thursday. This part of her letter is specifically regarding grading policies after March 12, 2020:

In addition, for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year we are adopting the following grading policies to ensure that students’ grades are not negatively affected due to the current circumstances:

• No district grades taken after March 12, 2020 can negatively impact a student’s overall average for the course.
• If a student’s grade in the final grading cycle negatively impacts their overall final grade in a course, that final cycle grade will be omitted in the calculation of the final grade for the course.
• Individual schools have discretion for class assignments and grading, but they have been asked to be flexible and understanding of the burdens and limitations that COVID-19 has placed on students and families.

We encourage parents and students to save all completed assignments in one place if students are unable to submit their work digitally until further details are provided. More detailed information pertaining to grading can be accessed at www.houstonisd.org/HealthAlerts
The district is committed to equity and is working to ensure that students have access to technology and other resources necessary for their continued learning and growth.


Per HISD policy for online/distance learning, 3^rd grade teachers at Sinclair will begin recording one grade per week and per subject starting on Monday, April 20, 2020.
The following is a guideline listing expectation that can be used for recording grades during the online/distance learning process depending on established teacher expectations and student home situation:
ELAR (English/Language Arts/Reading)

·       Participation in virtual classroom meetings

·       Completion of HISD Distance/Online Learning Curriculum or teacher selected projects or paper-based assignments

·       Time spent on Imagine Learning RLanguage and Literacy

The expectation is for students to log onto Imagine Learning (reading) for a minimum of 80 minutes per week, or to complete one full lesson per session (per day) – either of these are easily monitored by the teacher, and can be given a grade based on minutes spent on program or average weekly goal achieved. This would mean completion of the digital resource with least 20 minutes each day for four-five days each week.

Math

·       Participation in virtual classroom meetings

·       Completion of HISD Distance/Online Learning Curriculum Activities and Tasks or teacher selected projects and paper-based assignments

·       Time spent on Imagine Learning Math/Reflex Math

    ***For this, the expectation is for students log onto Imagine Math/Reflex Math. For example, complete a lesson (Imagine Math) or achieve a daily green light (Reflex Math). Either of these will be monitored by the teacher and used as a weekly grade based on successfully passing a lesson a/or goals achieved (green light).

Science

·       Participation/Discussions with virtual classroom meetings

·       HISD (H.O.M.E) distance/online curriculum

·       Teacher selected projects or paper-based assignments

·       Science Fusion

Social Studies

·       Participation/Discussions with virtual classroom meetings or

·       Occasional discussion of reading assignments/projects

·       Studies Weekly

·       Teacher selected projects or paper-based assignments

·       HISD (H.O.M.E) distance/online curriculum

Montreal Bagels

Have you ever tried Montreal Bagels? That's my favorite bagel.  Whenever I visited Montreal, I have to go to St-Viateur to buy five dozen Montreal bagels and carry them all the way back carefully to Houston in a cushioned bag. During this Covid-19 stay home period, I have tried to make my own bagels. I found a great recipe on the Web to share with you. The perfect Montreal bagel is baked to a golden color, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. These bagels are boiled in honey water for a beautiful blonde glaze. I hope you'll try to make some with your parents then share your experience with our class soon.

MONTREAL BAGELS

Ingredients

• 350 g warm water
• 60 g sugar
• 30 g oil
• 10 g active dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 20 g honey
• 8 g salt
• Up to 700 g flour

For finishing:

• 350 g honey
• Sesame seeds
• Poppy seeds

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 450° F with a parchment paper-lined baking sheet inside.
• Fill a large pot with water. Put to boil over medium-high heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar, oil, yeast, egg and honey. Whisk in salt. Gently stir in some of the flour (approx. 550g), one cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto surface and gently knead until it begins to comes together. Continue to knead, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking, until you have a soft, dough that bounces back when you press on it — it should take 10 - 12 minutes.
• When dough is properly kneaded, place in an oiled bowl, making sure to get a thin coat of oil on dough. Cover with a towel and let rest 30 minutes.  
• Cut dough into 16 pieces (about 75g each). Keep pieces covered with towel while you work.  

Shaping:

• Roll each piece into a 10 - 12 inch rope. Do not add flour to the surface, unless to prevent sticking.
• Wrap rope around your four fingers, overlapping the ends on the inside of your hand to make a circle. To seal, roll your hand back and forth, pressing gently to complete the circle. Place on floured surface to rest and cover with a towel as you work. Keep bagels covered as you go. 
• Let bagels rest 30 minutes.
• Add 350 g of honey to pot of water and bring to a full boil.  
• Handle rested bagels gently to keep their shape. Boil bagels in batches, 1 ½ - 2 minutes per side. Remove from water using a slotted spoon. Place onto cooling rack and sprinkle heavily with seeds. 
• Place bagels on heated pan in oven and bake until golden brown, 15 - 20 minutes.
• Servings: Makes 16 bagels
• Enjoy!

Complete the Sentence

1. Figures that  have the same size and the same shape are _______________.
2. A polygon that is a flat surface of a solid figure is a __________________.
3. An __________________ is a line segment formed where two faces meet.
4. A ____________________ is a point where three or more edges meet. The plural of ______________________ is vertices. 
5. A Solid figures have length, width, and height. They are also called __________________figures.

Word Problem of the Day

There are 27 plums divided equally in 3 bowls and 35 apricots divided equally into 7 bowls. How many more plums than apricots are there in one bowl of each?

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