Day 3 · Wednesday

Objective: I can describe the land, farming and cities of the Midwest and explain why it is called America's Breadbasket.

Standards: D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.11.3-5

Materials: U.S. map, Bread bag or cereal box with its ingredient list, 3 index cards, Crayons, Notebook, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 10. Ask: "Name one tributary of the Mississippi River." (The Missouri or the Ohio.) Then hold up the bread bag or cereal box. Ask: "What plant is this food made from? Where might that plant have grown?"

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Point to the Midwest. Say: "Much of the Midwest is flat or gently rolling. Its soil is deep and rich, and summers bring warm days and rain." Hold one hand flat and make a fist with the other. Ask: "Which land could a tractor plow in long, straight rows?" (The flat land.) Say: "Farmers here grow huge amounts of corn, soybeans and wheat. Grain is the seed of plants like wheat, corn and oats. People call the Midwest America's Breadbasket because so much grain grows there." Say: "The grain does not stay there. Trains, trucks and river barges carry it far away." Say: "Chicago grew into a big city where railroads met Lake Michigan." Ask: "Name two Midwest crops." (Corn, soybeans or wheat.) "Is bread baked on the wheat farm?" (No. Wheat goes to a mill, then a bakery.) If stuck, say: "Read the label. Which word names a plant?"

3. Activity / Source Work · 15–20 min

   Follow the grain. 1) Read the ingredient list together. Your child finds the grain. (Wheat, corn, oats or rice.) 2) Read this source aloud: "A Grain's Trip. In early summer a Kansas farmer cuts ripe wheat with a big machine. A truck hauls the grain to a tall storage tower beside the railroad. A train carries it hundreds of miles to a flour mill. The mill grinds the wheat into flour. Trucks take the flour to bakeries in many states. Some wheat rides river barges to ports and sails to other countries." 3) Your child writes farm, mill and bakery on three index cards and puts them in order. 4) Ask: "Which sentences show that Midwest grain feeds faraway places?" (Flour goes to many states. Some wheat sails to other countries.) 5) Ask: "Which vehicles are in the source?" (Truck, train, barge and ship.) 6) Your child finds Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Chicago on the map.

4. Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Your child writes a list titled The Midwest with five facts: land, crops, one city, one lake or river, and weather. Sample: flat plains; corn and wheat; Chicago; Lake Michigan; hot summers and cold, snowy winters. Then finish the frame: "It is called America's Breadbasket because ___." Draw an ear of corn and a stalk of wheat with crayons.

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Read each question aloud. Your child answers in the notebook. Praise answers that use a detail from the source.

Homework: Your child reads two food labels at home and finds one made from corn or wheat. Look for the grain's name. Your child adds, "It may have grown in the Midwest."

Practice page · Week 11, Day 3

Social Studies

I can describe the land, farming and cities of the Midwest and explain why it is called America's Breadbasket.

Show answers

The Breadbasket

The Midwest sits in the north-central part of the country. Much of the land is flat or gently rolling, and the soil is deep and rich. Farmers plant miles and miles of corn, wheat and soybeans. That grain becomes bread, cereal and food for farm animals. Big cities such as Chicago and Minneapolis grew near lakes and rivers. Summers are hot, and winters are cold and snowy.

Read about the Midwest. Answer each question.

1. 1.

   Name two crops that grow in the Midwest.
2. 2.

   Why is the soil good for farming?
3. 3.

   Name one big Midwest city.
4. 4.

   Why is the Midwest called America's Breadbasket?

Label detective: read the label on a bread bag or cereal box. Fill in the chart.

Food	Grain on the label

1. 5.

   Which grain did you find on the label?
2. 6.

   Could that grain grow in the Midwest?

Challenge: Why is flat land good for big farms?

Materials: a bread bag or cereal box

Objective: I can divide by 6 and 7 using the matching multiplication facts.

Standards: 3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.B.6

Materials: Grid paper, Crayon, 6 index cards or paper slips, Notebook, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 10. Write 45 ÷ 9 = 5. Your child names the dividend, divisor and quotient (45, 9, 5). Then warm up the facts behind today's division, with no clock. Ask: "6 times what is 18? 7 times what is 28? 6 times what is 60?" (3, 4, 10) Your child tells how one answer was found.

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "Today the ×6 and ×7 facts help us divide." Write 42 ÷ 6. Say: "I ask: 6 times what is 42?" Write 6 × ? = 42. On grid paper, your child colors rows of 6 squares until 42 squares are colored. Count by 6s as each row is colored: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42. Ask: "How many rows of 6?" (7) Ask: "Is this sharing or grouping?" (Grouping. Each row is one group of 6.) Write 6 × 7 = 42. Say: "So 42 ÷ 6 = 7." Say: "Next time, start from a fact you know. 6 × 5 = 30. Two more sixes make 42. That is 7 sixes." Write 56 ÷ 7. Write 7 × ? = 56. Ask: "Which ×7 fact makes 56?" (7 × 8 = 56) Say: "I check with 5 groups and 2 groups of 8." Write 40 + 16 = 56. Say: "So 56 ÷ 7 = 8." Now your child does more. Write 36 ÷ 6 and 21 ÷ 7. Your child writes each multiplication question and solves. (6 × ? = 36, so 6. 7 × ? = 21, so 3.)

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   Your child writes the multiplication question first, then the quotient. 1) 48 ÷ 6 (6 × ? = 48; 8). 2) 49 ÷ 7 (7 × ? = 49; 7). 3) 30 ÷ 6 (6 × ? = 30; 5). 4) Write 42 ÷ 7. Ask: "Which fact from today is in the same family?" (42 ÷ 6 = 7, so 42 ÷ 7 = 6.) If stuck, say: "Start at a fact you know, like 5 groups. Count on by the divisor until you reach the total."

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   Your child writes each quotient and the multiplication check beside it. If a fact does not come, your child counts on from the ×5 fact. 1) 24 ÷ 6 (4; 6 × 4 = 24). 2) 70 ÷ 7 (10; 7 × 10 = 70). 3) 12 ÷ 6 (2; 6 × 2 = 12). 4) 60 ÷ 6 (10; 6 × 10 = 60). 5) Write the two division facts that go with 6 × 8 = 48. (48 ÷ 6 = 8 and 48 ÷ 8 = 6) 6) Your child colors rows of 7 on grid paper until 14 squares are colored. Your child writes the division. (2 rows; 14 ÷ 7 = 2) 7) 18 eggs are packed 6 to a box. How many boxes are filled? (18 ÷ 6 = 3) 8) A trip lasts 63 days. How many weeks is that? (63 ÷ 7 = 9) Last, your child writes each fact that felt hard on a card. The multiplication fact goes on the back. Use no clock.

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Put the grid paper and cards away. Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper.

Fact fluency: ÷6, ÷7 facts

Homework: Your child practices the still-building ÷6 and ÷7 cards for 10 minutes with no clock. Then your child asks a family member 3 facts and checks each by multiplying. Sample: 30 ÷ 6 = 5 because 6 × 5 = 30.

Objective: I can write dialogue that shows a character or moves the story forward.

Standards: W.3.3.B, RL.3.3, L.3.3.B

Materials: Narrative draft, Writer's notebook, Two different-colored pens, Sticky notes

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Word study, about 3 minutes. Dictate: "Mom smiled and waved while I was riding." Your child writes it. Check it together: the capital, the period, and no e before -ing in riding. Ask: "What are the three base words?" (smile, wave, ride) Spaced review from Week 2. Ask: "What is a character trait?" (a word for what a character is like inside, such as brave)

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "You know the word dialogue. It is the words characters say out loud. Good dialogue has a job." Write the three jobs. S: show what a character is like. M: move the story forward. I: share information the reader needs. Read this weak dialogue: "Hi." "Hi." "How are you?" "Fine." Ask: "What did we learn?" (nothing) Read the strong one: "Grandpa, the kite string is snapping!" Jada yelled. "Hold on with both hands," Grandpa called, running across the field. "I'm coming!" Think aloud: "Jada's line shares information. Now I know the problem. Grandpa's lines move the story, and they show he is caring and quick." Say: "People talk differently than they write. Inside the quotation marks, a character can sound real." Write: "Nope, I dunno where it went!" Say: "The narrator uses standard written English." Write: No, I do not know where it went.

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   Read aloud "The Missing Lunch": Tomas unzipped his backpack at the picnic table. "My lunch is gone!" he said. "I packed it right before the bus came." His friend Bea slid half of her sandwich across the table. "Here, take this. I always bring too much," she said. Then she pointed at the fence. "Look! That squirrel is dragging a brown paper bag!" Tomas jumped up. "Come on, let's follow it!" 1) Ask: "Which job do Tomas's first lines do?" (They share information: his lunch is gone. That is the problem.) 2) Ask: "What does Bea's sandwich line show about her?" (She is kind and likes to share.) 3) Ask: "Which line moves the story forward? How?" (Sample: Bea's line about the squirrel. It gives a clue and starts the chase.) 4) Find a spot in your child's draft where a character would speak. Write one line together. Your child labels its job on a sticky note. If stuck, say: "What did someone really say right then?"

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   1) Your child adds at least three lines of dialogue to the draft in one pen. 2) Beside each line, your child writes S, M or I in the other pen. 3) Your child cuts or changes any line with no job, such as "Hi" or "OK." 4) Your child checks that the narrator's sentences use written English, such as going to, not gonna. Model: "Don't let go yet!" I yelled. (M) Checklist: three lines, a job that matches each label, no small talk, and written English outside the quotation marks.

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Ask the three questions. Your child reads from the draft for question 3.

Homework: Read your own book for 15 minutes. Copy one line of dialogue and write its job: S, M or I. Look for: a line that does real work, not a greeting.

Practice page · Week 11, Day 3

English Language Arts

I can write dialogue that has a job.

Show answers

Look: Dialogue with a job

1. Dialogue is what characters say out loud.
2. Good dialogue shows a character, moves the story or shares information.
3. A character may talk like a real person ('Yeah, I'm gonna try!'), but the rest of the story uses standard written English ('Yes, I am going to try.').

The Locked Shed

Malik tugged at the shed door. "It's locked, and our bikes are inside," he said. His little sister Ivy sat down on the step. "Hi," she said. "Hi," said Malik. Then Ivy jumped up. "Wait! Mom hides a key under the flowerpot!" she shouted. "You're a genius!" Malik laughed.

Use the story above.

1. 1.

   What information does Malik's first line share?
2. 2.

   Cross out the two lines that have no job.

3. 3.

   How does Ivy's shout move the story forward?
4. 4.

   What does "You're a genius!" show about Malik?
5. 5.

   Malik might say, "I'm gonna ride now." How would the narrator write it in standard written English?

Drop the e, then add the ending.

1. 6.

   hide + ing → ____
2. 7.

   share + ed → ____
3. 8.

   write + ing → ____

Challenge: Write a line Ivy could say next that moves the story forward.

Objective: I can name a body feature that helps an animal or plant survive and explain how it helps.

Standards: 3-LS4-2, 3-LS4-3

Materials: Beak tools: tweezers, a clothespin, a spoon and 2 chopsticks or pencils, Dish with 2 spoonfuls of dry rice or beans, Bowl of water and 20 pieces of dry cereal, Paper plate, Clock or timer that shows seconds, Science notebook, Pencil

1. Day 53 — Physical Adaptations — Wonder Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 10. Ask: "Is a wooden chair living, once living or never alive?" (Once living. The wood was part of a tree.) Then ask: "Why does a sea turtle have flippers? Why does a camel have a hump?" Write your child's guesses to check later.

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "An adaptation helps a living thing survive in its habitat. A physical adaptation is a body part or feature." Try one. Your child pushes a hand through the bowl of water with fingers spread, then with fingers closed. Ask: "Which pushed more water?" (Closed.) Say: "A sea turtle's flippers work like your closed hand. They are paddles." Say: "An owl's large eyes help it see in dim light. A cactus stores water in its thick stem. A camel's hump stores fat, not water." Say: "Animals are born with their body features. They cannot grow one by wanting it." Then say: "Animals of one kind are not all the same. A rabbit whose fur matches the ground is harder for a hawk to see. It is more likely to live and have young." Ask: "What does a camel's hump store?" (Fat, for energy.) Ask: "Two brown mice and one white mouse sit on dark soil. Which does an owl spot first?" (The white one.) If stuck, say: "Name the body part. What job does it do?"

3. Investigation / Hands-On · 15–20 min

   Bird Beak Investigation. Safety: do not eat the test food. Change one thing: the tool. Keep the same: the person, the food and 20 seconds each turn. Measure: pieces moved to the plate. 1) Set out the dish of rice as seeds. Float the cereal in the bowl as pond insects. 2) Draw a table with a row for each tool and two columns, Seeds and Pond Food. 3) You watch the clock. Your child uses each tool on the seeds for 20 seconds, moving pieces to the plate. Count, record, and put the pieces back. 4) Repeat with the cereal. 5) Ask: "Which beak was best for each food?" Often tweezers win for seeds and the spoon wins for floating food. Real results vary. Look for the pattern: no one beak is best for every food.

4. Science Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Make a chart: Living thing, Physical adaptation, How it helps. Your child fills rows for the sea turtle, owl, cactus and camel. Copy the beak table. Then give the frame: "The best beak for seeds was ___ because ___." Look for a reason from the data, such as "the tweezers moved the most." Fix the warm-up guesses if needed.

5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Ask the three questions aloud. Praise answers that tell how the body part helps, not only its name.

Homework: Watch a pet, bird or insect for 10 minutes. Draw 2 of its body features. Look for a label telling how each helps it survive.