3
    Third GradePowered by ThirdGrade.com

    Print bundle

    Week 17 — full print packet

    ← Back to week

    Quarter 2 · Weeks 10–18

    Week 17 Lesson Packet

    Building Meaning: Division, Narratives, Ecosystems & Regions

    Day 1 · Monday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can choose a U.S. state to research and write questions to guide my project.

    Standards: D1.1.3-5, D1.3.3-5, D1.4.3-5, D1.5.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Week 11 (the five regions) and Week 8 (compelling and supporting questions). One-minute check: "Which region is Iowa in?" (The Midwest.)

    New words:
    • economy – the ways people in a place make, grow, sell and buy things
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 11. Ask: "Name the five regions and one state in each." (Sample: Northeast, New York. Southeast, Florida. Midwest, Iowa. Southwest, Texas. West, California.) Then ask: "If you could visit any state this week, which would you pick? Why?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "For five days you will become an expert on one state." Say: "Your project has four sections. Map and Location: where is it? History and People: who lived there first, and who lives there now? Economy and Products: what do people make or grow? Landmarks and Fun Facts: which well-known places make it special?" Write the compelling question on the planning sheet: "What makes my state a special place?" Say: "People can answer this in different ways. So you will need evidence." Say: "Supporting questions are smaller. Facts can answer them. Their answers become your evidence." Model two questions. Say: "'What crops grow in Kansas, and where are they sent?' is strong. A book can answer it. 'Is Kansas boring?' is weak. It only asks for an opinion." Now your child judges. Say each question. Your child shows thumbs up for strong. "What mountains are in Oregon?" (Up.) "Is Oregon fun?" (Down.) "Who lived in Oregon first?" (Up.) Ask: "Why do we need supporting questions?" (Their answers give facts for the big question.) "Which section does 'What do farms grow?' fit?" (Economy and Products.) If stuck, say: "Start with What, Where, Who or How. Could a book answer it?"
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Choose a state. 1) Your child puts sticky notes on three states that seem interesting. 2) Your child names the region of each. 3) Find each state in the atlas or book. Look for a map and at least one page of facts. 4) Your child fills a chart in the notebook: State | Region | Source I can use | Why I am curious. 5) Your child picks one state and gives a reason. 6) Ask: "Which kind of source answers a geography question best?" (A map or atlas.) "Which answers a history question?" (A library book or encyclopedia.) Ask for evidence: "Show me the page that proves we have enough facts." Choices vary. Look for a correct region and a real source.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — On the planning sheet, your child writes the state, its region and the compelling question. Then your child writes three supporting questions. One is for Map and Location, one for History and People, and one for Economy and Products. Sample for Kansas: "Where are the rivers in Kansas? Which Native nations have homelands in Kansas? What do Kansas farms grow?"
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each exit question aloud. Your child answers in the notebook. Praise questions that facts can answer.

    Watch for: Writing yes-or-no or opinion questions that do not lead to research.

    Try: Your child starts every question with What, Where, Who or How. Then ask: "Could a book answer this with facts?"

    Exit ticket:
    1. Which state did you choose, and which region is it in?
    2. Change this weak question into a strong one: "Is Texas cool?"
    3. Name one kind of source you will use. What can it tell you?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: one named state with its correct region. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a question facts can answer, such as "What landforms are in Texas?" 3) Answers vary. Look for: a real source and a fitting use, such as an atlas for rivers and cities.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can show a division fact as equal sharing and as equal grouping.

    Standards: 3.OA.A.2

    Builds on: Review of Week 10 Days 1 and 2, where sharing and grouping were first taught. One-minute check: your child deals 12 beans onto 3 plates and tells how many are on each (4).

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 16 Day 3. Write 4 × 60. Your child says the tens sentence (4 × 6 tens = 24 tens = 240). Then practice ÷3 and ÷4 facts with no clock. Ask 21 ÷ 3, 27 ÷ 3, 28 ÷ 4 and 36 ÷ 4 (7, 9, 7, 9). Your child names the multiplication fact that helped with one.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Division asks two different questions. Today we review both." Write 20 ÷ 5. Say: "First, sharing. That was Week 10 Day 1. We know the number of groups." Set out 5 cups. Deal 20 beans one at a time, round and round. Ask: "How many in each cup?" (4) Say: "20 shared among 5 groups puts 4 in each." Tip the beans out. Say: "Now grouping, from Week 10 Day 2. We know the size of each group." Scoop the 20 beans into piles of 5. Ask: "How many groups?" (4) Say: "So 20 ÷ 5 = 4 both ways. The total always comes first." Draw both pictures side by side: 5 circles of 4 dots, and 4 circles of 5 dots. Ask: "What is the same? What is different?" (Same total and same numbers. The 5 is the groups in one and the group size in the other.) Now your child does more. Write 18 ÷ 3. Your child shares with 3 cups, then groups in piles of 3. (6 in each cup; 6 groups) Say: "So 18 ÷ 3 = 6."
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child builds each one, draws it, and labels it sharing or grouping. 1) 30 beans are shared among 6 cups. How many in each cup? (30 ÷ 6 = 5; sharing) 2) 16 beans are put in groups of 2. How many groups? (16 ÷ 2 = 8; grouping) 3) Write 15 ÷ 5. Your child draws it both ways. (5 circles of 3 dots; 3 circles of 5 dots; 15 ÷ 5 = 3) 4) Your child tells a sharing story and a grouping story for 12 ÷ 4. (Sample: 12 grapes shared by 4 children, 3 each. 12 grapes in bags of 4, 3 bags.) If stuck, say: "Do we know how many groups, or how many in each group? Draw what we know first."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child draws a model, writes the equation, and labels it sharing or grouping. 1) 27 ÷ 9 as sharing (3; 9 circles of 3 dots). 2) 32 ÷ 4 as grouping (8; 8 circles of 4 dots). 3) 24 ÷ 8, either way (3). 4) 40 ÷ 8, either way (5). 5) You draw 6 circles with 3 dots in each. Your child writes a division sentence for it. (18 ÷ 6 = 3) 6) 0 ÷ 5 (0; nothing to share puts 0 in each group). 7) 36 pencils are shared equally among 4 tables. How many pencils at each table? (36 ÷ 4 = 9; sharing) 8) A baker packs 35 muffins in boxes of 5. How many boxes? (35 ÷ 5 = 7; grouping) To check a model, your child counts all the dots. The count must match the total.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers on paper with no beans and draws for question 2.

    Watch for: Drawing the wrong number of circles, such as 5 circles for 20 shared among 4.

    Try: Ask: "How many groups does the story name?" Your child draws that many circles first, then deals the dots.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What does 28 ÷ 7 mean as equal sharing? What is the answer?
    2. Draw 14 ÷ 2 as grouping. How many groups?
    3. Write a division story for 45 ÷ 9 and solve it.

    Answers: 1) 28 shared among 7 equal groups puts 4 in each group; 28 ÷ 7 = 4. 2) 7 (drawing shows 7 circles with 2 dots in each) 3) Answers vary. Look for: a total of 45, either 9 groups or groups of 9, and the answer 5.

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can write a focused research question and ask questions that help a speaker explain more.

    Standards: W.3.7, SL.3.3

    Builds on: Needs Week 3 Day 1, asking questions before and during reading. One-minute check: show any nonfiction book cover. Your child asks one How or Why question about it. (Any question the book might answer.)

    New words:
    • research – finding facts to answer a question
    • research question – the one question your research will answer
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, 3 minutes: suffixes -ly and -ness. Say: "The suffix -ly means 'in a certain way.' Quickly means in a quick way. The suffix -ness means 'being a certain way.' Kindness means being kind." Write quickly, softly, loudly, kindness, darkness, goodness. Your child sorts them into an -ly column and a -ness column and tells each meaning. Spaced review from Week 16. Ask: "What does it mean to draw a conclusion?" (To decide something by putting evidence together.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (15 min) — Say: "Research means finding facts to answer a question. A good research question passes three tests." Write the tests: 1. Can I find facts to answer it? 2. Does it need more than yes or no? 3. Is it about one part of a big topic? Think aloud with four questions about spiders. Say: "'Are spiders creepy?' That asks for a feeling. Facts cannot settle it, so it fails test 1." Say: "'Do spiders have eight legs?' One word answers it. It fails test 2." Say: "'What are spiders like?' That is far too big. It fails test 3." Say: "'How do spiders build their webs?' I can find facts. It needs a real answer. It is about one part. It passes." Write the starters How, Why, What and Where. Ask: "Which starter did the best question use?" (How.)
    3. Guided Practice (10 min) — Turn each topic into a focused question together. After each one, your child names the tests it passes. 1) Horses. (Sample: How do horses sleep?) 2) Lightning. (Sample: What causes lightning?) 3) Deserts. (Sample: How do desert plants get water?) 4) Fix this yes-or-no question: "Do bears sleep in winter?" (Sample: How do bears get ready for winter?) If stuck, say: "Start with How or Why. Ask about one part, such as its food, its home or its body."
    4. Independent Practice (20 min) — Your child works with the nonfiction books. 1) Look through the books and choose a topic that at least one book covers. 2) Write one main research question and two smaller questions under it. Sample: main question, "How do dragonflies live and grow?" Smaller questions: "Where do dragonflies lay their eggs?" and "What do young dragonflies eat?" 3) Your child explains the question aloud. You ask two follow-up questions that start with Why or How, such as "Why do you want to know that?" Your child answers each with a detail. 4) Your child writes one new question from your talk on a sticky note and adds it to the page. Look for: a main question that passes all three tests, and smaller questions about the same topic. Keep the books for the rest of the week.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers in the notebook and keeps the three tests in view.

    Watch for: Writing yes-or-no questions, such as "Do ants eat leaves?", that end the research after one fact.

    Try: Swap the starter. "Do ants eat leaves?" becomes "What do ants eat, and how do they carry it home?"

    Exit ticket:
    1. Only one of these can be researched: "Is snow fun?" or "How do snowflakes form?" Pick it and tell why.
    2. Turn the topic "dolphins" into a focused research question.
    3. Read your main research question aloud. Which of the three tests was hardest for it to pass?

    Answers: 1) "How do snowflakes form?" Facts can answer it, and it needs more than yes or no. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a how, why, what or where question about one part, such as "How do dolphins talk to each other?" 3) Answers vary. Look for: a named test and a reason; the question itself must pass all three.

    Science

    Objective: I can plan a model of an ecosystem that includes producers, consumers, decomposers and nonliving parts.

    Standards: 3-LS4-3

    Builds on: Needs the Week 16 study square and the Week 10 list of nonliving parts. One-minute check: your child names three nonliving parts of the study square (any three: sunlight, soil, air, water, rocks).

    New words:
    • terrarium – a clear container with soil and small living plants inside
    1. Day 81 — Plan a Model Ecosystem — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 16. Ask: "Tell one food chain from your study square." (Answers vary. Each arrow points to the eater.) Check the bean cup and water it if the soil is dry. Then the wonder. Ask: "Could a whole ecosystem fit in a jar or a shoebox? What would it need?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Hold up the toy. Say: "This is a model. A model is a smaller or simpler version of something real." Ask: "How is it like the real thing?" (It has the same shape and parts.) Ask: "How is it different?" (It is small and cannot do everything the real one does.) Say: "Scientists use models to study things that are too big or too slow to watch." Explain the two choices. Option A is a terrarium, a living model in a clear container. Option B is a shoebox or poster model with every part drawn or built and labeled. Write the model checklist in the notebook. It has seven lines: light, water, air, soil, 2 producers, 2 consumers, 1 decomposer. Ask: "Which checklist parts are nonliving?" (Light, water, air and soil.) Ask: "A shoebox pond shows water, a frog and a heron. What is missing?" (Producers, a decomposer, light, air and soil.) In a terrarium, the decomposers are molds and tiny bacteria in the soil and dead leaves. Give the animal rule. Use only 2 or 3 pill bugs or one earthworm from your own yard. They go home on Day 5. Collecting in parks is often not allowed. If the ground is frozen, plan plants only and add labeled drawings of consumers. If stuck, say: "Read the checklist one line at a time. Point to that part in your idea."
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Model Plan. Safety: an adult does all cutting of the bottle and tapes the sharp edge. 1) Your child chooses Option A or B and the ecosystem to show. 2) They list the materials needed. Walk through the house, tick what you have and set it on a tray. 3) They sketch the model from the side and label each layer or part. A terrarium sketch shows pebbles at the bottom, then soil, plants and dead leaves. 4) They check the sketch with a table of three columns: Part, In my plan, Where. 5) They add anything missing to the sketch. Expect all seven lines ticked. A poster can show large consumers. A terrarium can hold only tiny ones.
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child writes the plan: option, ecosystem, materials list, labeled sketch and ticked checklist. They finish this frame. "My model will show a ___ ecosystem. Its producers are ___. Its consumers are ___. Its decomposer is ___." Sample: "My model will show a backyard ecosystem. Its producers are moss and clover. Its consumers are pill bugs and a drawn robin. Its decomposer is mold on dead leaves."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise a plan in which every part has a place.

    Watch for: Planning a model with only animals, and forgetting the nonliving parts and the decomposer.

    Try: Read the checklist aloud line by line. Your child points to each part on the sketch or adds it.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Which option did you choose, and what real ecosystem will it show?
    2. A globe is a model of Earth. Name one way it is like Earth and one way it is different.
    3. Name the four nonliving parts on the model checklist.

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a clear choice and a specific ecosystem, such as a terrarium of our backyard corner. 2) Like: it is round and shows the land and oceans. Different: it is far smaller and has no real water or living things. 3) Light, water, air and soil.

    Print Day 1 practice pages →

    Day 2 · Tuesday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can research my state's geography, capital and landmarks.

    Standards: D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.3.3-5, D3.2.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Week 3 (map keys and symbols) and Week 10 (landforms and rivers). One-minute check: "What does a star on a map usually show?" (A capital city.)

    New words:
    • landmark – a well-known place that helps people know an area; it can be natural or built
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 10. Ask: "Which river system is the largest in the U.S.? Which way does it flow?" (The Mississippi. It flows south.) Then ask: "What is a capital city, and what happens there?" (The state government meets there.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you map your state. Record four things: land and water, the capital, the bordering states and two landmarks." Say: "A capital is the city where the state government meets. It is often not the biggest city." Say: "A landmark is a well-known place. It can be natural, like a waterfall, or built, like a lighthouse." Model with Colorado on plain paper. Draw a rectangle. Draw a star just above the middle for Denver, the capital. Draw brown bumps on the west side for the Rocky Mountains. Leave the east side flat for the Great Plains. Draw a blue line from the mountains toward the southwest for the Colorado River. Mark Pikes Peak with N for natural. Mark Mesa Verde with B for built. Say: "Ancestral Pueblo people built homes in the cliffs there more than 700 years ago. Their descendants include today's Pueblo nations, such as the Hopi." Say: "A map of the whole country shows which states touch yours. A map of one state shows its cities and rivers." Ask: "Is Pikes Peak natural or built?" (Natural.) "Which symbol marks a capital?" (A star.) "Which map shows bordering states best?" (A map of the whole country.) If stuck, say: "Did people make it, or did nature?"
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Map your state. 1) Your child copies the state's outline from the atlas onto plain paper. 2) Add a star for the capital. 3) Draw one river in blue and one landform in brown. 4) Mark two landmarks with N or B. 5) Write the bordering states around the edge. 6) Add a key. 7) Check two facts, the capital and one landmark, in the second source. Your child fills a chart: Fact | Source 1 | Source 2 | Do they agree? For each source, ask: "Who made it? Does it give facts or opinions?" Say: "A postcard that says 'Best state ever!' gives an opinion. It cannot prove a fact." Expect the two sources to agree. If they differ, say: "Sources sometimes differ. Check a third one."
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — On the research sheet, your child writes: "Capital: ___. Two bordering states: ___ and ___. Landmark 1: ___ is (natural or built). Landmark 2: ___ is (natural or built)." Your child adds the source beside each fact. Sample: "Capital: Denver. Source: atlas."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each exit question aloud. Your child may use the research sheet. Praise facts that were checked in two sources.

    Watch for: Marking the biggest city as the capital, such as Chicago instead of Springfield for Illinois.

    Try: Check the capital in two sources. Say: "The biggest city and the capital are often different. Find the star."

    Exit ticket:
    1. What is your state's capital? Is it also the biggest city?
    2. Name one landmark in your state. Is it natural or built?
    3. Your book names one city as the capital. A website names another. What should you do?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: the correct capital and a checked yes or no. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a real landmark with the correct label. 3) Answers vary. Look for: check a third reliable source, such as an atlas.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can divide quickly by thinking of the related multiplication fact.

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

    Builds on: Review of Week 10 Day 4 (fact families) and Week 11 Days 1 to 4 (division facts). One-minute check: ask "If 4 × 5 = 20, what is 20 ÷ 4?" (5)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 13 Day 1. Ask: "If 9 × 6 = 54, what is 6 × 9?" (54; switching the factors keeps the product.) Then practice ÷7 and ÷8 facts with no clock. Ask 35 ÷ 7, 42 ÷ 7, 40 ÷ 8 and 72 ÷ 8 (5, 6, 5, 9).
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Every division fact has a related multiplication fact. We learned this in Week 10 Day 4 and used it all through Week 11." Write 56 ÷ 8. Say: "I ask: 8 times what number is 56?" Write 8 × ? = 56. Say: "I know 8 × 7 = 56. So 56 ÷ 8 = 7." Ask: "How can we check a quotient?" (Multiply it by the divisor. It must make the total.) Draw a triangle. Write 56 at the top and 7 and 8 at the bottom corners. Say: "These three numbers are a fact family." Ask: "What is 56 ÷ 7?" (8) Say: "What if I do not know the fact yet? I count by the divisor." Write 48 ÷ 6. Count by 6s, one finger for each number: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48. Ask: "How many 6s did I count?" (8) Say: "8 sixes make 48. So 48 ÷ 6 = 8, and 6 × 8 = 48." Say: "For ÷4 there is one more way, from Week 11 Day 2. Halve the total twice." Write 36 ÷ 4. Say: "Half of 36 is 18. Half of 18 is 9. So 36 ÷ 4 = 9." Say: "Quick does not mean rushed. A fact is quick when you know its related fact." Now your child does more. Write 63 ÷ 9. Your child asks the question and names the related fact. (9 times what is 63? 9 × 7 = 63, so 63 ÷ 9 = 7.)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Write each fact. Your child says the related multiplication fact first, then the quotient. You write both. 1) 27 ÷ 3 (9; 3 × 9 = 27). 2) 35 ÷ 5 (7; 5 × 7 = 35). 3) 54 ÷ 6 (9; 6 × 9 = 54). 4) 32 ÷ 8 (4; 8 × 4 = 32). If stuck, say: "Turn it around. What times the divisor makes the total? Count by the divisor if you need to."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child writes each division fact and its related multiplication fact. 1) 24 ÷ 3 (8; 3 × 8 = 24). 2) 42 ÷ 6 (7; 6 × 7 = 42). 3) 28 ÷ 4 (7; 4 × 7 = 28). 4) 81 ÷ 9 (9; 9 × 9 = 81). 5) 45 ÷ 5 (9; 5 × 9 = 45). 6) Draw a fact triangle with 18 at the top and 2 and 9 below. Write all four facts. (2 × 9 = 18, 9 × 2 = 18, 18 ÷ 2 = 9, 18 ÷ 9 = 2) 7) A baker sets 30 muffins in rows of 6. How many rows does the baker make? (30 ÷ 6 = 5) 8) 7 friends share 21 stickers equally. How many does each friend get? (21 ÷ 7 = 3) Ask: "Which facts came fast? Which ones needed counting?" Your child copies the four slowest facts onto cards. The related fact goes on the back. Check answers on the chart. Find the row for the divisor and slide across to the total. The number at the top of that column is the quotient.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the chart away. Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper.

    Watch for: Mixing up two facts with close totals, such as answering 9 for 56 ÷ 7 by thinking of 54.

    Try: Your child says the whole related fact aloud first: "7 × 8 = 56." Then the quotient is the other factor.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What is 24 ÷ 4?
    2. Which multiplication fact helps with 18 ÷ 6? What is the quotient?
    3. What is 40 ÷ 5?

    Answers: 1) 6 2) 6 × 3 = 18, so the quotient is 3. 3) 8

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can use text features to find facts quickly and record where each fact came from.

    Standards: W.3.8, RI.3.5, RI.3.4, L.3.4.D

    Builds on: Needs Week 6 Day 4, using a table of contents, a glossary and an index. One-minute check: ask, "Where in a book is the index, and what order is it in?" (At the back, in ABC order.)

    New words:
    • source – where a fact comes from, such as a book or an article
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, 3 minutes. Your child writes these as one word: quick + ly, safe + ly, loud + ly, kind + ness, bright + ness, thick + ness. Then your child underlines each base word. Ask: "Did any base word change?" (No. Safe keeps its e.) Spaced review from Week 16. Ask: "A writer puts a comma after a new word. What often comes next?" (The meaning of the word.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (15 min) — Say: "Researchers do not read every page. Text features help them jump to the right part." Review quickly. The table of contents is at the front and lists chapters. The index is at the back. It lists topics from A to Z, each with its pages. The glossary gives the meanings of bold words. Show the sample. From a book called "Backyard Birds" Index: beaks, 6; eggs, 14-15; feathers, 8-9; migration, 20-22; nests, 12-13; songs, 18. Glossary: migration: a long trip some animals make when the seasons change. preen: to clean and smooth feathers with the beak. Think aloud: "My question is 'How do birds build nests?' My keyword is nests. I run my finger down the index. Nests, pages 12 to 13. I turn straight there." Say: "A source is where a fact comes from. I write the source beside every fact." Write: Robins use mud and grass in their nests. (Backyard Birds, p. 12)
    3. Guided Practice (10 min) — Use the sample for the first three prompts. 1) Ask: "Which pages tell about feathers?" (8-9) 2) Ask: "You wonder why some birds fly south in fall. Which keyword helps?" (Migration, pages 20-22.) 3) Ask: "What does preen mean? Where did you look?" (To clean and smooth feathers with the beak; the glossary.) 4) Now open one of your child's books. Your child picks a keyword from the research question and finds it in the index or table of contents. Mark the page with a sticky note. Read the page together and find one fact. If stuck, say: "Say your question. Which word names the thing you need? Find its first letter in the index."
    4. Independent Practice (20 min) — Your child finds and records five facts that answer the research question. 1) Choose a keyword and use the index or table of contents. 2) Write each fact on its own line as a short sentence. 3) Next to each fact, write the source: the book's title and the page, such as (Backyard Birds, p. 12). 4) For one bold or new word, find the meaning. Use the glossary, a children's dictionary or clues in the sentence. Write the word and its meaning. Look for: every fact answers the question, every fact has a title and page, and one word has a meaning. Keep the notebook page for tomorrow.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child uses the sample index and the day's fact list.

    Watch for: Starting on page 1 and copying the first interesting fact, even when it does not answer the question.

    Try: Before opening the book, your child writes two keywords from the question and looks up each one in the index.

    Exit ticket:
    1. In the sample index, which pages tell about eggs?
    2. Songs and nests are both in the sample index. Which one is listed first, and why?
    3. Read one of your facts aloud. Where did it come from?

    Answers: 1) Pages 14-15. 2) Nests. An index is in ABC order, and n comes before s. 3) Answers vary. Look for: the book's title and the page number.

    Science

    Objective: I can build the producers and consumers into my ecosystem model and label them.

    Standards: 3-LS4-3

    Builds on: Needs yesterday's plan and the Week 10 Day 4 idea that living things depend on each other. One-minute check: ask "What must be in a model before any consumer goes in?" (Its food, such as producers or dead leaves.)

    New words:
    • build log – short notes that tell what you added to your model each day
    1. Day 82 — Add Producers and Consumers — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 11. Ask: "What four things does a habitat give a living thing?" (Food, water, shelter and space.) Say: "Your model must give those things too." Then the wonder. Ask: "In what order should we build so nothing goes hungry?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Write three sticky notes: "soil and water," "moss," "pill bug." Ask your child to put them in building order and explain. (Soil and water, moss, pill bug. Plants need soil and water first. The pill bug needs a damp home and dead leaves.) Say: "We build in the order that living things depend on each other." For Option A, teach six steps. 1) Add pebbles about two fingers deep, so extra water can drain down. 2) Add soil about three fingers deep. 3) Press the plants and moss in firmly. 4) Lay a few dead leaves on top. 5) Mist lightly with water. 6) Last of all, move the animals in gently with the spoon. Keep the lid loose or poke air holes. Set the terrarium in bright light, but not in hot direct sun. Never add frogs, lizards or other larger animals. For Option B, draw or build the sky, sun, ground and water first. Then add producers, then consumers. Ask: "Why do pebbles go under the soil?" (Extra water drains away from the roots.) Ask: "Why do animals go in last?" (Their food, water and shelter must be ready.) If stuck, say: "What does this one need? Is that in the model yet?"
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Build Day. Safety: an adult does any cutting; wash hands after touching soil or animals. 1) Your child builds the nonliving layers or the background. 2) They add the producers and label each one. 3) They add the consumers. Each label names what it eats, such as "pill bug: dead leaves" or "frog: insects." 4) They fill in a food check table with three columns: Consumer, What it eats, Is that food in the model. 5) They compare the model with the checklist and note what is still missing. Expect every consumer to have its food in the model. The decomposer may still be missing today. If a consumer has no food, your child adds the food or removes that consumer. Pill bugs may hide under the leaves. Say: "They often choose dark, damp places, as we saw in Week 14."
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the science notebook, your child sketches the model as it looks today and starts a build log. "Today I added ___. Still to add: ___." Sample: "Today I added pebbles, soil, moss, clover, dead leaves and 3 pill bugs. Still to add: a decomposer label and a drawn spider."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud; your child points to the model while answering. Praise labels that name each consumer's food.

    Watch for: Adding a consumer with nothing to eat in the model, such as a fox with no rabbits.

    Try: For each consumer ask: "What does it eat, and is that in your model?" Add the food or remove the animal.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Name two producers in your model.
    2. Pick one consumer in your model. What does it eat, and where is that food in the model?
    3. A child adds a hawk to a poster that has only grass and a pond. What is the problem, and how can she fix it?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: two plants, moss or drawn producers that are really in the model. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a consumer matched to a food that is in the model, such as pill bug and dead leaves. 3) The hawk has nothing to eat. She can add its food, such as mice that eat grass seeds, or remove the hawk.

    Print Day 2 practice pages →

    Day 3 · Wednesday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can research my state's history, the Native nations whose homelands are there, and a notable person from the past.

    Standards: D2.His.1.3-5, D3.1.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Week 12 (Native nations are living nations) and Week 8 (timelines). One-minute check: "Name one Native nation and one true thing about it today." (Sample: The Navajo Nation has its own government.)

    New words:
    • statehood – the time when a place became a state
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 12. Ask: "Name one Native nation of the Plains and one of the Southwest." (Samples: Lakota or Comanche; Hopi or the Navajo Nation.) Then ask: "Who lived in your state long before it was a state?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Every state's story began long before statehood." Say: "Record three things: a Native nation whose homeland includes the state, the statehood year, and one notable person from history." Model with Oklahoma. Draw a line on scrap paper and add each fact as you say it. Say: "The Wichita and Caddo peoples have homelands that include Oklahoma." Say: "In the 1830s the U.S. government forced other nations to move there. Two were the Cherokee and the Muscogee (Creek). You learned about the Trail of Tears in Week 7." Say: "Oklahoma became a state in 1907. Maria Tallchief was born there in 1925. She was a citizen of the Osage Nation and became a world-famous ballet dancer." Say: "Today dozens of Native nations have their governments in Oklahoma." Say: "For each source, ask who made it and when. A nation's own website tells its story in its own words." Say: "Choose a person from history, not someone who holds office today." Ask: "Which came first in Oklahoma, Native nations or statehood?" (Native nations.) "When did Oklahoma become a state?" (1907.) "Why use a nation's own website?" (It tells the nation's own story and gives facts about today.) If stuck, say: "Look at the years. The smaller number is earlier."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Build a timeline. 1) Find three facts in your sources: a Native nation, the statehood year and a notable person with a year. 2) Your child fills a chart on the research sheet: Event | Year | Source. 3) Your child draws a line on the paper strip. Write "Long ago" at the left end and "Today" at the right end. 4) Above the line, add the events in order from left to right. 5) Below the line, add two events your child knows: 1869, the railroad across the country; 1892, Ellis Island opens. 6) At the right end, write: "Today the ___ Nation ___." Ask for evidence: "Was your state a state yet in 1869? How do you know?" Expect years that grow from left to right. If a nation was forced to leave, write that honestly. If sources differ, say: "Sources sometimes differ. Check a third one."
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child writes: "___ became a state in ___. The ___ Nation's homeland includes this land. Today the ___ Nation ___. ___ was a ___ who ___." Leave one line for a fact your family adds: "In our town, ___." Sample: "Oklahoma became a state in 1907. Maria Tallchief was a dancer who became world famous."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each exit question aloud. Your child may use the timeline. Praise present-tense sentences about Native nations today.

    Watch for: Placing Native history only at the far left of the timeline and stopping there.

    Try: Point to the "Today" end. Ask: "What is this nation doing now?" Your child writes the answer in the present tense.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Which is earlier on your timeline: your state's statehood or the 1869 railroad? How do you know?
    2. Name one Native nation whose homeland includes your state. Where did you find that fact?
    3. Who is your notable person, and what did they do?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: the two years compared, with the smaller year named as earlier. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a nation correctly linked to the state, with its source named. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a person from history with one accurate fact.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can decide whether to multiply or divide and solve word problems with an unknown.

    Standards: 3.OA.A.3, 3.OA.A.4

    Builds on: Review of Week 12 Day 4 (choosing × or ÷) and Week 15 Day 2 (a letter for the unknown). One-minute check: write 5 × n = 30. Your child finds n (6).

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 12 Day 1. Read aloud: A baker puts 8 rolls on each tray. How many rolls fill 6 trays? (48) Ask: "What was unknown?" (the total) Then practice ×8 and ÷8 facts with no clock. Ask 3 × 8, 8 × 7, 16 ÷ 8 and 72 ÷ 8 (24, 56, 2, 9).
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Draw three boxes in a row. Label them groups, in each group and total. Write × between the first two boxes and = before the last. Say: "Every equal-groups story fits here. One box is unknown." Read aloud: Keisha shares 36 stickers equally among 4 friends. How many does each friend get? Ask: "Do we know the total?" (Yes, 36.) "What else do we know?" (There are 4 groups.) Write 4 in the groups box and 36 in the total box. Write s in the middle box. Say: "The letter s stands for the stickers each friend gets." Write 4 × s = 36, then 36 ÷ 4 = s. Say: "The total is known, so we divide. 4 times what is 36? I know 4 × 9 = 36. So s = 9. Each friend gets 9 stickers." Say: "When the total is the unknown, we multiply." Now your child does more. Read aloud: Ravi plants 7 rows of 5 seeds. How many seeds? Your child fills the boxes and writes an equation. (7 × 5 = t; t = 35 seeds)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child fills the three boxes, writes an equation with a letter, and solves. 1) 6 tricycles have 3 wheels each. How many wheels? (6 × 3 = w; w = 18) 2) 54 cards are dealt into 6 equal piles. How many in each pile? (54 ÷ 6 = c; c = 9) 3) 40 children make teams of 8. How many teams? (40 ÷ 8 = t; t = 5) 4) Each jug holds 3 liters. How many liters do 9 jugs hold? (9 × 3 = j; j = 27 liters) If stuck, say: "Is the total known or unknown? Unknown total, multiply. Known total, divide."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child writes an equation with a letter, then solves. 1) 9 packs hold 4 batteries each. How many batteries? (9 × 4 = b; b = 36) 2) 21 apples go equally into 3 bags. How many in each bag? (21 ÷ 3 = a; a = 7) 3) 8 weeks have 5 swim lessons each. How many lessons? (8 × 5 = n; n = 40) 4) 56 crayons are packed 8 in each box. How many boxes? (56 ÷ 8 = c; c = 7) 5) A ribbon 42 inches long is cut into 6 equal pieces. How long is each piece? (42 ÷ 6 = p; p = 7 inches) 6) Your child draws the three boxes for 7 vases of 6 flowers and solves. (7 × 6 = f; f = 42) 7) Solve 6 × m = 30 (m = 5). 8) Solve k ÷ 4 = 8 (k = 32). Last, ask: "Which problems had an unknown total?" (1, 3, 6 and 8)
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each problem aloud. Your child writes and solves on paper.

    Watch for: Choosing the operation from one clue word, such as dividing every time a story says "each."

    Try: Ask "Is the total known or unknown?" before any number is written. Your child points to the total box and tells you.

    Exit ticket:
    1. 32 marbles are shared equally among 4 bags. How many in each bag? Write an equation with a letter and solve.
    2. 5 shelves hold 9 books each. How many books? Write an equation and solve.
    3. In question 1, how did you know to divide?

    Answers: 1) 32 ÷ 4 = m (or 4 × m = 32); m = 8 marbles 2) 5 × 9 = b; b = 45 books 3) Answers vary. Look for: the total (32) is known.

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can take short notes in my own words and keep the order of events from a science text.

    Standards: W.3.8, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, L.3.4.A, RF.3.4.A, RF.3.4.C

    Builds on: Needs Week 3 Day 3, paraphrasing an idea in your own words, and yesterday's five facts. One-minute check: say, "The nest was hidden high in the oak tree." Your child says it in new words. (Sample: The birds made a home near the top of a tree.)

    New words:
    • note – a few key words in your own words that help you remember a fact
    • plagiarism – copying someone else's words and calling them yours
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, 3 minutes. Dictate: "She spoke softly and kindly in the darkness." Your child writes it, then checks it against your copy. Look for unchanged base words: soft, kind, dark. Spaced review from Week 16. Ask: "What is a point of view?" (How a person thinks or feels about something.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (15 min) — Say: "Notes are short phrases in your own words. They are not copied sentences. Copying a writer's words and calling them yours is plagiarism." Teach Read, Cover, Write. Step 1: read one sentence. Step 2: cover it with your hand. Step 3: write the key words you remember. Step 4: uncover and check. Read the passage aloud once while your child follows. "From Egg to Dragonfly" A dragonfly's life begins as a tiny egg laid in or near a pond. After a few weeks, a nymph, or young dragonfly, hatches. The nymph has no wings. It lives underwater, breathes with gills and hunts small water animals. As it grows, it molts many times. That means it sheds its tight old skin. After months or even years, the nymph climbs a plant stem into the air. Its skin splits one last time, and an adult dragonfly pulls itself out. When its new wings are dry, it flies away. Model with sentence 2. Read it, cover it and write in the notebook: nymph (young dragonfly) hatches, few weeks. Uncover it. Say: "Did I copy more than three words in a row? No. This is a note."
    3. Guided Practice (10 min) — Your child reads the passage aloud. Say: "If a word does not make sense, stop, reread the sentence and use the clues." 1) Ask: "What are gills for? Which words help?" (Breathing underwater; "lives underwater, breathes with gills.") 2) Ask: "What does molts mean?" (Sheds its old skin; "That means" explains it.) 3) Your child uses Read, Cover, Write on the sentence about living underwater. (Sample note: nymph: underwater, gills, hunts.) 4) Write the stages on index cards together, one card for each stage. Lay the cards in order and draw an arrow on each. (Egg near pond; nymph hatches; lives underwater and molts. Then climbs stem; skin splits and adult comes out; wings dry and it flies.) If stuck, say: "Cover the sentence. Tell me the fact out loud. Now write only the most important words."
    4. Independent Practice (20 min) — Your child turns yesterday's five facts into notes. 1) Use Read, Cover, Write for each fact. 2) Write one note on each index card, with the source title and page at the bottom. 3) If the facts show steps, number the cards in order. If one fact causes another, draw an arrow from cause to effect. 4) Check each card beside the book. No more than three words in a row should match. Sample card: "eggs laid on water plants (Pond Insects, p. 9)." Look for: short phrases, your child's own words, and a source on every card. Keep the cards for tomorrow.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child may look back at the passage for questions 1 and 2.

    Watch for: Copying a whole sentence, changing one word, and calling it a note.

    Try: Hold to Read, Cover, Write. The book must be covered before the pencil moves.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Turn this sentence into a short note: "When its new wings are dry, it flies away."
    2. Which happens first: the nymph molts many times, or the adult dries its wings?
    3. You copied a whole sentence onto a card by mistake. How do you fix it?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a short phrase such as "wings dry, then flies off." 2) The nymph molts many times. 3) Answers vary. Look for: cover the book and write only the key words in my own words (Read, Cover, Write).

    Science

    Objective: I can show how energy moves through my model ecosystem with food chain arrows.

    Standards: 3-LS4-3

    Builds on: Needs the Week 12 Day 2 idea that plants capture energy from sunlight, and food chain arrows. One-minute check: your child draws the arrow between clover and rabbit (it points from clover to rabbit).

    New words:
    • decomposer loop – the path from dead things, through decomposers, back to the soil and plants
    1. Day 83 — Show Energy and Food Chains — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 12. Ask: "Where does the energy in every food chain start?" (The sun.) Then ask: "Where does energy enter your model? Where do the dead leaves go?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Energy enters as sunlight. Producers use it to make food. Then energy moves each time something is eaten." Show it with four sticky notes: sun, clover, caterpillar, wren. Draw an arrow between each pair. Ask: "What does each arrow show?" (Energy moving from the food to the eater.) Now add two more notes: dead leaves and mold. Say: "Leaves fall and animals leave waste. Decomposers break those down, and nutrients go back into the soil. Plant roots take the nutrients up again." Draw arrows from dead leaves to mold, from mold to soil, and from soil back to clover. Say: "Earthworms and pill bugs are consumers that eat dead leaves. That speeds up the loop." Say: "This is the decomposer loop. Energy moves one way along the chain. Nutrients go around and around." Ask: "Is a decomposer the top hunter?" (No. It breaks down dead things from every part of the chain.) For a terrarium, add one more idea. Say: "Water leaves the damp soil and plants and goes into the air inside. It turns back into drops on the cool walls and runs down. The same water is used again." If stuck, say: "Start at the sun. Who uses sunlight to make food? Who eats that?"
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Energy Arrows. An adult helps with the scissors. 1) Your child draws a sun on the index card and sets it beside the model. 2) They cut yarn or paper arrows and tape on the first chain, from the sun to the last eater. On a terrarium, use sticky-note arrows on the outside wall. 3) They add a second chain. If two chains share a living thing, the model shows a small web. 4) They add the decomposer loop: dead leaves, decomposer, soil. Label each arrow end with a sticky note. 5) Terrarium only: look for water drops on the walls today and tomorrow morning. Record them in a table with three columns: Time, Drops seen, Where. Expect every chain to begin at the sun and then a producer. Drops often form on the cooler side. Say: "Drops depend on warmth and how damp the soil is. Real results vary." No drops? Mist lightly and check again tomorrow.
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the science notebook, your child draws both food chains and the decomposer loop, then finishes two frames. "Energy enters my model as ___." "Nutrients return to the soil because ___." Sample: "Energy enters my model as sunlight. Nutrients return to the soil because mold and pill bugs break down the dead leaves."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise chains that start at the sun and a loop that returns to the soil.

    Watch for: Putting the decomposer at the top of the chain as if it "eats everything last," or leaving it out.

    Try: Show the decomposer as a loop from dead things back to the soil and plants, not as the last hunter.

    Exit ticket:
    1. How many food chains does your model show? Trace one with your finger and name each link.
    2. What comes right after the sun in every food chain, and why?
    3. What would pile up in an ecosystem with no decomposers? What would the soil lose?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: at least 2 chains, each named in order from the sun to the last eater. 2) A producer, because only producers can use sunlight to make their own food. 3) Dead leaves, dead plants and animals, and waste would pile up. The soil would lose the nutrients that plants need.

    Print Day 3 practice pages →

    Day 4 · Thursday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can organize my state research into a clear poster or slideshow.

    Standards: D4.2.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5

    Builds on: Needs the map from Day 2 and the timeline from Day 3. One-minute check: "What is the compelling question for your project?" (What makes my state a special place?)

    New words:
    • layout – a plan that shows where each part will go on a page
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 13. Ask: "Which kind of transportation carries heavy goods like grain a long way over land?" (A train.) Then ask: "What makes a poster easy to read from across the room?" (Big titles, short sentences, clear pictures.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A good project is organized into sections. Then the audience can follow it." Write the four section names on scrap paper: Map and Location, History and People, Economy and Products, Landmarks and Fun Facts. Say: "Each section needs three things: a big heading, two or three short sentences, and one picture or map." Model one section aloud. Say: "Economy and Products. Iowa grows more corn than almost any other state. Farmers also raise many hogs. Trains and trucks carry the corn to other regions." Say: "Add one 'because' sentence to explain a fact. Corn grows well in Iowa because the soil is deep and rich." Show how to use your own words. Read one sentence from the book aloud. Cover it. Say it in simpler words. Then write it. Say: "Read, cover, say, write." Ask: "What three things does every section need?" (A heading, two or three sentences, a picture.) "Why write facts in your own words?" (It shows you understand them.) "What does a 'because' sentence do?" (It explains a fact.) If stuck, say: "Tell me the fact as if I were five years old."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Build the project. 1) In the book, your child finds two things the state grows or makes. Add them to the research sheet with the source. 2) Your child sketches a layout on scrap paper: a title and four labeled boxes. 3) On the poster, your child writes the state's name and the compelling question at the top. 4) Using markers, your child builds each section with a heading, at least two facts and a picture. Put the Day 2 map in the first section. Put the timeline facts in the second. 5) Your child adds one "because" sentence to any section. 6) Check with a chart on scrap paper: Section | Heading | Two facts | Picture. Tick each box. Ask for evidence: "Which source gave you this fact?" Posters vary. Look for four full rows of ticks.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child copies the layout sketch into the notebook. Beside each box, note the facts that go there and their sources. Then your child drafts an answer to the compelling question: "My state is special because ___ and ___." Sample: "Iowa is special because of its rich soil and its huge corn farms."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each exit question aloud. Your child answers in the notebook. Praise facts written in your child's own words.

    Watch for: Copying long sentences word for word from a source.

    Try: Use read, cover, say, write. Your child says the fact aloud in simple words before picking up the pencil.

    Exit ticket:
    1. In which section does a fact about what farms grow belong?
    2. Say this in your own words: "The state is renowned for its abundant production of dairy products."
    3. Which section still needs work? What is your next step?

    Answers: 1) Economy and Products. 2) Answers vary. Look for: simple words with the same meaning, such as "The state makes lots of milk and cheese." 3) Answers vary. Look for: one named section and a clear step, such as adding a picture.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can use the multiplication properties and solve two-step problems.

    Standards: 3.OA.B.5, 3.OA.D.8

    Builds on: Review of Week 13 Days 1 to 3 (the three properties) and Week 15 Days 1 and 2 (two-step problems). One-minute check: ask 2 × 6 × 5. Your child tells the easy way (2 × 5 = 10; 10 × 6 = 60).

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 15 Day 3. Write 4 + 3 × 5. Ask: "What do we do first?" (Multiply: 3 × 5 = 15. Then 4 + 15 = 19.) Then practice ×9 facts with no clock. Ask 9 × 3, 9 × 6 and 9 × 8 (27, 54, 72). Your child tells the strategy: 10 groups minus one group.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Three properties make facts easier. We met them in Week 13." Write 7 × 4 and 4 × 7. Say: "Commutative, from Day 1: switch the factors. The product stays 28." Write 2 × 3 × 5. Say: "Associative, from Day 2: multiply the friendly pair first. 2 × 5 = 10, then 10 × 3 = 30." Say: "Distributive, from Day 3: break apart a hard fact." Outline 7 rows of 7 on grid paper. Color 5 rows in one color and 2 rows in the other. Write 5 × 7 = 35 and 2 × 7 = 14. Ask: "Why 5 rows?" (The ×5 facts are easy.) Write 35 + 14 = 49. Say: "So 7 × 7 = 49." Next, review a two-step problem from Week 15. Read aloud: Tia has 5 packs of 6 pencils. She gives 4 pencils away. How many are left? Ask: "What must we find first?" (All the pencils.) Write 5 × 6 = p, so p = 30. Write 30 − 4 = n, so n = 26. Say: "Tia has 26 pencils left." Ask: "Does 26 answer the question?" (Yes. It asks how many are left.) Now your child does more. Three boxes hold 9 crayons each. Dad adds 8 more. How many crayons? (3 × 9 = 27; 27 + 8 = 35)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child solves each one and names the property or labels the steps. 1) 6 × 5 is the same as 5 × ? (6; commutative) 2) Find 2 × 8 × 5 the easy way. (2 × 5 = 10; 10 × 8 = 80; associative) 3) Break apart 8 × 7 on grid paper with two colors. (5 × 7 = 35; 3 × 7 = 21; 35 + 21 = 56; distributive) 4) 45 cookies are baked. 5 are eaten. The rest go equally into 5 bags. How many in each bag? (45 − 5 = 40; 40 ÷ 5 = 8) If stuck, say: "Did you switch, group or break apart? For a story, what must you find first?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child names the property for problems 1 to 4. For problems 5 to 8, your child labels both steps. 1) 9 × 3 is the same as 3 × ? (9; commutative) 2) 5 × 4 × 2 the easy way (5 × 2 = 10; 10 × 4 = 40; associative) 3) Break apart 6 × 9 on grid paper with two colors. (5 × 9 = 45; 1 × 9 = 9; 45 + 9 = 54; distributive) 4) Break apart 9 × 4. (5 × 4 = 20; 4 × 4 = 16; 20 + 16 = 36; distributive) 5) 6 rows hold 4 plants each. 12 more plants sit in pots. How many plants? (6 × 4 = 24; 24 + 12 = 36) 6) A book holds 50 stamps. 14 are used. The rest fill 4 equal rows. How many in each row? (50 − 14 = 36; 36 ÷ 4 = 9) 7) 2 tables seat 8 children each. 3 more children stand. How many children? (2 × 8 = 16; 16 + 3 = 19) 8) 7 bags hold 5 oranges each. 6 oranges are eaten. How many are left? (7 × 5 = 35; 35 − 6 = 29)
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers on paper and may sketch an array.

    Watch for: Breaking apart both factors, or forgetting to add the two parts.

    Try: Your child colors the two parts of the array, writes each product inside its part, then adds the two products.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Break 7 × 6 into two easier facts and solve.
    2. Which property lets you switch the order of the factors?
    3. 3 packs hold 7 pencils each. 4 pencils are lost. How many are left?

    Answers: 1) Sample: 5 × 6 = 30 and 2 × 6 = 12; 30 + 12 = 42. 2) The commutative property 3) 17 pencils (3 × 7 = 21; 21 − 4 = 17)

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can sort my research notes into categories with headings and use research words correctly.

    Standards: W.3.8, L.3.6, L.3.1.C, RF.3.3.A

    Builds on: Needs the note cards from Days 2 and 3, and headings from Week 6 Day 2. One-minute check: ask, "What does a heading tell a reader?" (What that section is about.)

    New words:
    • category – a group of notes about the same part of a topic
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, 3 minutes. Your child says the word that fits. "The ___ of the sun made me squint." (brightness) "Look both ways and cross ___." (safely) "We could not see the path in the ___." (darkness) Say: "Words that end in -ness are abstract nouns. They name a quality or a feeling, not a thing you can hold." Ask: "Can you hold a dragonfly? Can you hold kindness?" (Yes. No.) Spaced review from Week 9. Ask: "What is the plural of berry?" (Berries.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (15 min) — Say: "Researchers sort their notes into categories. A category is a group of notes about the same part of a topic. Each category gets a heading, which is a short title. Later, each category becomes one paragraph." Write six sample notes on scraps of paper, one note on each. The notes: four clear wings; eats mosquitoes; lives near ponds; nymph grows underwater; huge eyes; catches bugs in the air. Think aloud: "'Four clear wings' tells how a dragonfly looks. 'Huge eyes' tells that too. They belong together." Put the two scraps side by side. Write Looks on a sticky note and place it above them. Then practice the research words. Your child finishes each sentence. "A ___ is where a fact comes from." (source) "A ___ is a few key words in my own words." (note) "A ___ is a group of notes about one part." (category) "A ___ is a short title for a section." (heading)
    3. Guided Practice (10 min) — Sort the other four scraps together. Each time, your child says, "This note belongs in ___ because ___." 1) "Eats mosquitoes." (Food, because it tells what a dragonfly eats.) 2) "Catches bugs in the air." (Food, because it tells how it gets food.) 3) "Lives near ponds." (Home, because it tells where it lives.) 4) "Nymph grows underwater." (Life Cycle, because it tells about a young dragonfly. Home is fine with a good reason.) Your child writes each new heading on a sticky note. Ask: "Which category has only one note? What could we do?" (Find another fact for it, or join it to another group.) If stuck, say: "Which two notes are about the same thing? Start a group with that pair."
    4. Independent Practice (20 min) — Your child sorts the real note cards. 1) Spread out all the cards and read each one aloud. 2) Make three or four groups of cards that go together. 3) Write a heading for each group on a sticky note. 4) If a group has only one card, find one or two more facts, or join two groups. 5) Write the headings in the notebook as a plan and list the notes under each. Sample plan: "Looks: four clear wings, huge eyes. Food: eats mosquitoes, catches bugs in the air." Look for: at least two notes under every heading, and a heading that fits all of its notes. Keep the sorted cards for tomorrow.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers from the sorted cards and the notebook plan.

    Watch for: Making a separate category for every single note, so nothing is grouped.

    Try: Ask, "Which two notes are about the same thing?" Start every group with a pair of cards.

    Exit ticket:
    1. A new note says "rests on reeds at the edge of the pond." Under which sample heading does it go, and why?
    2. Name two headings from your own plan.
    3. Which of your categories has the fewest notes? What will you do about it?

    Answers: 1) Home, because it tells where a dragonfly stays. 2) Answers vary. Look for: two short headings that name parts of the topic, such as Food and Looks. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a named category and a plan to find one more fact or join it to another group.

    Science

    Objective: I can use my model to predict what happens when the environment changes and judge a solution to the problem.

    Standards: 3-LS4-4, 3-LS4-3

    Builds on: Needs the Week 12 Day 4 idea that removing one link affects others. One-minute check: ask "In grass, rabbit, fox, the rabbits disappear. What happens to the foxes?" (They have less food, so they eat other things or move away.)

    1. Day 84 — Predict Changes and Propose a Solution — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 13. Ask: "Name two ways living in a group helps animals." (Any two: protection, finding food, caring for young, staying warm.) Then the wonder. Ask: "What if your model got no water for two weeks? Who would notice first?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Scientists use models to predict what might happen when a place changes. Then they think of solutions." Say: "A strong prediction tells what changes and why. It uses the word because." Draw a meadow as a rectangle in the notebook. Cover half with your hand. Say: "A new parking lot covers half the meadow." Ask: "What is gone?" (Half the flowers and grass.) Ask: "Who loses food first?" (Bees and butterflies.) Ask: "Then who?" (Birds that eat insects.) Teach the four things that can happen to living things after a change. Some stay and survive. Some move away. Some new ones move in, such as pigeons looking for scraps. Some die. Now judge one solution. Say: "People plant a garden of local wildflowers beside the lot. It gives bees food again. But it is smaller than the meadow, so it may feed fewer insects." Say: "We judge a solution two ways. How well does it fix the problem? What does it cost?" Ask: "Is the garden a perfect fix?" (No. It helps some living things, not all.) If stuck, say: "If ___, then ___ because ___. Put the change in the first blank."
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Change Cards. 1) Write three cards: "No water for 2 weeks," "A new predator arrives," "Half the habitat is paved." 2) For each card, your child predicts two effects on the model, each with "because." They put a sticky note on every part affected. 3) For the paved card, they choose a solution. Ideas: a flower garden, plants on a roof or a saved strip of habitat. They rate it 1 to 3 stars and give one reason. They also name one thing it does not fix. 4) Terrarium only, a small safe test. First move the animals with the spoon into the cup with damp soil and leaves. Change one thing: leave the terrarium lid off for one day. Keep the place, the light and the water the same. Record in a table: Lid, Soil feels, Plants look. Then mist the soil and return the animals. Expect drier soil, though one day may show little change. Say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern."
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child makes a chart with three columns: Change, Predicted effects, Why. Below it they finish three frames. "My solution is ___. It helps because ___. One problem with it is ___." Sample: "My solution is a strip of meadow left along the fence. It helps because bees still find flowers. One problem is that the strip is too small for rabbits."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise every "because" and every honest limit of a solution.

    Watch for: Predicting a change with no reason, or saying a solution fixes the problem completely.

    Try: Ask: "Which part of the model shows why?" Then ask: "What might your solution not fix?"

    Exit ticket:
    1. Pick one change card. Predict one effect on your model and use the word because.
    2. After a habitat changes, four different things can happen to the living things there. Name three of them.
    3. A town plants flowers along the edges of a parking lot. Give one way this helps and one thing it does not fix.

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a change, an effect and a reason. Sample: "With no water the moss dries out, because moss needs damp soil." 2) Any three: some stay and survive, some move away, some new ones move in, some die. 3) It gives bees and butterflies some food again. It is much smaller than the lost habitat, so fewer living things can use it.

    Print Day 4 practice pages →

    Day 5 · Friday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can present my state project clearly and answer a question about it.

    Standards: D4.1.3-5, D4.3.3-5, D4.5.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5

    Builds on: Needs the finished project from Day 4 and Week 8 Day 5 (a claim with evidence). One-minute check: "What must you give to back up a claim?" (Evidence.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 8. Ask: "What makes a question a compelling question?" (It is a big question that people can answer in different ways.) Then your child practices this opening twice: "My state is ___. It is in the ___ region. Today I will tell you about ___."
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A strong presentation has three parts." Say: "First, the opening. Name your state and its region." Say: "Second, the middle. Walk through the four sections in order and point to each one." Say: "Third, the ending. Answer the compelling question with a claim and two pieces of evidence." Model an ending. Say: "Colorado is special because of its high mountains and its long history. My evidence is Pikes Peak, which is over 14,000 feet high. My second piece of evidence is Mesa Verde, built more than 700 years ago." Show how to stand. Stand beside the poster, face the audience and point. Say: "When someone asks a question, repeat it. Then answer. If you do not know, say so honestly and offer to find out." Say: "Listeners ask one question that starts with What, Why or How." Ask: "What goes in the ending?" (A claim and two pieces of evidence.) "Where do you stand?" (Beside the poster, facing the audience.) "What do you do first when asked a question?" (Repeat it.) If stuck, say: "Finish this: My state is special because ___."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Present. 1) Write one audience question on each card. "Why do people visit your state?" "How do people in your state use the land?" "What surprised you most?" 2) Your child presents to the family for three to four minutes. The timer is a guide, not a race. 3) A listener picks a card and asks the question. Your child repeats it and answers. 4) Each listener gives one star, something done well, and one wish, something to improve. 5) Together, fill a chart in the notebook: Opening | Four sections | Claim | Two pieces of evidence | Answered a question. Tick each part you heard. Ask: "Did your evidence really support your claim? Which fact was strongest?" Presentations vary. Look for a claim with two facts from the research.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — Keep this to 5 minutes today so the check fits. Your child writes: "What went well: ___. I was asked ___, and I answered ___. Next time I will ___." Sample: "I pointed to my map. I was asked why people visit. Next time I will speak slower."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Then give the stored Week 17 check. It has 8 items and takes about 15 minutes. Score it with the answer key. 6 or more right: move on to Week 18. 4 or 5 right: redo Day 2's work on capitals, landmarks and checking sources. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 on strong and weak questions. Praise brave speaking. If time is still short, give the check later today.

    Watch for: Reading the poster word for word with their back to the audience.

    Try: Your child stands beside the poster, points to a section, and says its main idea from memory before reading anything.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What was your claim about your state? Give one piece of evidence you used.
    2. What question were you asked, and how did you answer it?
    3. Give your own presentation one star and one wish.

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a claim about what makes the state special and one fact from the research. 2) Answers vary. Look for: the question repeated and an answer based on the research. 3) Answers vary. Look for: one thing done well and one clear thing to improve.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can complete a mid-year practice set on multiplication, division, properties and two-step problems.

    Standards: 3.OA.A.2, 3.OA.A.3, 3.OA.A.4, 3.OA.B.5, 3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.D.8

    Builds on: Needs Days 1 to 4 of this week, which reviewed Weeks 10 to 15. One-minute check: ask 42 ÷ 7 and its related fact (6; 7 × 6 = 42).

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 16 Day 3. Write 8 × 50. Your child says the tens sentence (8 × 5 tens = 40 tens = 400). Then practice ÷6 facts with no clock. Ask 18 ÷ 6, 36 ÷ 6 and 54 ÷ 6 (3, 6, 9).
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Play Five Stations for 10 minutes. This is the first half of the mid-year practice set. Lay the 5 cards face down. Say: "Each card is one kind of problem from this week. Flip a card, name its kind, and solve it." Model one turn. Flip n ÷ 6 = 5. Say: "This is an unknown, like Day 3. The total is unknown, so I multiply. 6 × 5 = 30. So n = 30." Check it: 30 ÷ 6 = 5. Now your child takes the other four turns. Facts card, like Day 2: 36 ÷ 9 (4; 9 × 4 = 36). Models card, like Day 1: 20 ÷ 4 as sharing (5; 4 cups of 5 beans). Properties card, like Day 4: 3 × 8 = 8 × ? (3). Two-step card, like Day 4: 3 bags of 6 apples, 4 eaten. (3 × 6 = 18; 18 − 4 = 14) Ask after each turn: "How could you check that?" Put a star on any card that needed help.
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — This is the second half of the practice set. Your child works on paper while you watch. Help only when asked. 1) 63 ÷ 9 (7). 2) Draw 30 ÷ 5 as grouping. (6; 6 circles of 5 dots) 3) Break apart 9 × 3 on grid paper. (5 × 3 = 15; 4 × 3 = 12; 15 + 12 = 27) 4) A box holds 40 cards. 4 are given away. The rest go into 4 equal piles. How many in each pile? (40 − 4 = 36; 36 ÷ 4 = 9) If stuck, say: "Which day is this like? What did we draw or ask that day?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Give the stored Week 17 check now. It has 8 items on the skills from this week. Allow about 15 minutes, with no clock running. Your child may draw but uses no multiplication chart. Score it with the answer key. Then choose a route by the result. 6 or more right: move on to Week 18. 4 or 5 right: find the kind of item missed. For division stories and models, redo Day 1 Guided Practice. For division facts, redo Day 2 Guided Practice. For equations and choosing × or ÷, redo Day 3 Guided Practice. For properties and two-step problems, redo Day 4 Guided Practice. 3 or fewer right: reteach the Day 1 and Day 3 Mini-Lessons with counters and cups before Week 18. Write down the weakest kind of problem and any starred card. Week 18 reviews every kind again.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — After the check, your child answers these three questions; then go over any missed check items together.

    Watch for: Rushing through division facts and skipping the check.

    Try: Your child writes the related multiplication fact beside every division answer before moving on.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What is 48 ÷ 6? Tell the related fact.
    2. Which kind of problem felt strongest today?
    3. Which kind will you practice before the unit test next week?

    Answers: 1) 8; 6 × 8 = 48 2) Answers vary. Look for: a named kind, such as division facts or two-step problems. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a named kind and a plan to practice it.

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can show what I know about research questions, sources, notes and categories, and start an outline.

    Standards: W.3.7, W.3.8, SL.3.1.D

    Builds on: Needs everything from Days 1 to 4, and the sorted note cards. One-minute check: ask, "What are the four steps of Read, Cover, Write?" (Read, cover, write the key words, check.)

    New words:
    • outline – a short plan that lists your headings and notes in order
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, 3 minutes: an untimed spelling check. Say each word in a short sentence: quickly, softly, safely, kindness, darkness, brightness. Challenge word: carefully. Your child checks each word against the list and rewrites any missed word once. Spaced review from Week 16. Ask: "Two texts tell about one topic. Where on a chart do you write a fact they share?" (Under Both.)
    2. Review (10 min) — Walk the research path with one fresh item for each step. Your child answers aloud. 1) Question. Say: "Make this a better research question: 'Are tigers scary?'" (Sample: How do tigers hunt?) 2) Source. Ask: "In the 'Backyard Birds' index, which page tells about bird calls?" (Songs, page 18.) 3) Note. Say: "Make a short note: 'Beavers pack branches with mud to build a dam.'" (Sample: beavers: branches and mud make dam.) 4) Category. Ask: "Where does the note 'four clear wings' go?" (Looks.) Ask: "Which step do you want to try once more?" Practice that step with one of your child's own cards.
    3. Weekly Check (15 min) — Give the stored Week 17 English Language Arts Check now. It has 8 items and its own sample index and glossary. Your child works alone for about 15 minutes. You may read the directions aloud. Do not rehearse the items first. Score it with the answer key, then choose a route. 7 or more right: move on to Week 18. 5 or 6 right: redo the Day 3 practice page. Then practice Read, Cover, Write with three sentences from a nonfiction book. 4 or fewer right: reteach the Day 2 lesson with the index of a real book. Find two facts together, mark the pages and write each as a short note.
    4. Apply (20 min) — Say: "An outline is a short plan. It lists your headings and notes in order." Show this model in the notebook. Main question: How do dragonflies live and grow? Life Cycle: egg near pond; nymph underwater; adult climbs out. Looks: four clear wings; huge eyes. Food: eats mosquitoes; catches bugs in the air. Your child builds an outline from the sorted cards. 1) Write the main research question at the top. 2) Choose the best order for the headings. 3) Write each heading with 2 or 3 notes under it. 4) Talk about the outline. Your child explains the order of the headings. You ask one question, such as "Why does Food come last?" Your child listens, then says, "After our talk, I will ___ because ___." Look for: every heading has notes, and your child can explain the order. Keep the outline and cards for Week 18 Day 4.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Go over any missed check items together. Then your child answers these three questions from the outline.

    Watch for: Writing full copied sentences in the outline instead of short notes.

    Try: Your child copies from the note cards only, with every book closed.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Which heading comes first in your outline, and why did you put it there?
    2. Which category in your outline has the strongest notes? Tell why.
    3. What is one fact you still need to find for your research question?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a named heading and a reason for the order. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a named category and a reason, such as more notes or clearer facts. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a missing fact that fits the main question.

    Science

    Objective: I can explain my ecosystem model and show what I know about modeling and predicting.

    Standards: 3-LS4-4, 3-LS4-3

    Builds on: Needs the finished model and this week's notebook pages. One-minute check: your child points to a producer, a consumer, a decomposer and a nonliving part in the model. All four should be found.

    New words:
    • limit – something a model cannot show or do the way the real thing does
    1. Day 85 — Week 17 Check and Model Demo — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 15. Ask: "Which has a pupa stage, a butterfly or a frog?" (A butterfly.) Then your child gives a quick tour of the model. Now the wonder. Ask: "What can your model teach someone? What can it not show?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A model helps us think, but it is never the same as the real thing. Every model has limits." Practice on a different model. Ask: "A toy farm set is a model. What does it show well?" (Which animals live on a farm and where they stay.) Ask: "What can it not show?" (Eating, growing, weather or real size.) Now look at your child's model. Draw a chart with two columns in the notebook: Like the real ecosystem, Different. Fill in two lines for each side together. Samples for Different: far fewer kinds of living things, no real weather, a much smaller space. Ask: "Do the limits make the model useless?" (No. It shows connections, and we can test ideas without harming a real habitat.) Teach the four-part demo: the ecosystem, one food chain, one prediction, one solution. If stuck, say: "What does the real place have that your model does not?"
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Model Demo and Release. 1) Your child presents the model to a family member in about two minutes. They cover the four parts in order. 2) The listener ticks a small table with two columns: Part, Shown. 3) The listener asks one question. Your child answers by pointing to the model. 4) Option A: with an adult, carry the pill bugs or earthworm in the container. Return them gently to where they were found. The plant terrarium can stay. Wash hands afterward. 5) Your child tells one way the model is like the real ecosystem and one limit. Expect all four parts and at least one clear limit. If a part is skipped, point to that row of the table. Your child adds it then.
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child finishes three frames. "My model is like a real ecosystem because ___. It is different because ___. If I built it again, I would ___." Sample: "My model is like a real ecosystem because it has producers, consumers and decomposers. It is different because it has only three kinds of animals. If I built it again, I would add a pond."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud and praise explanations that point to the model. Then give the Week 17 Science Check, which has 7 items. Allow about 10 minutes, later today if time is short. Score it with the key. With 6 or more right, add one more change card and judge two solutions. With 4 or 5 right, redo the Day 3 page and add a second chain and loop. With 3 or fewer right, reteach Day 1 by checking a pond drawing against the checklist.

    Watch for: Thinking a model is exactly the same as the real thing.

    Try: Ask: "What does the real ecosystem have that your model does not?" List at least two differences together.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Name the seven parts on the ecosystem model checklist.
    2. Why is it better to test "no water" on a model than on a real meadow?
    3. A toy boat is a model of a ship. Name one thing it shows well and one thing it cannot show.

    Answers: 1) Light, water, air, soil, producers, consumers and decomposers. 2) No real habitat is harmed. A model is small, quick to change and easy to put back. 3) Answers vary. Sample: it shows the ship's shape and that it floats. It cannot show the real size, the engine or the crew.

    Print Day 5 practice pages →

    Worksheets

    • math — Day 81 — Mid-Year Review — Place Value/Round
    • math — Day 82 — Mid-Year Review — +/-
    • math — Day 83 — Mid-Year Review — × ÷
    • math — Day 84 — Mid-Year Review — Word Problems
    • math — Day 85 — Mid-Year Review — Properties & Patterns