Day 1 · Monday

Objective: I can explain what a government is and name things my local government does.

Standards: D2.Civ.1.3-5, D2.Civ.6.3-5

Materials: Notebook, Pencil, Colored pencils, 8 sticky notes

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 1. Ask: "Who usually takes care of town roads: a business, volunteers or local government?" (Local government.) Then ask the big question for the new unit: "Who decides where the stop signs go on our street?" Accept any guess.

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "A government is a group of people who make rules and decisions for a community. It also provides public services, jobs done for everyone." Say: "Our country has three levels of government." In the notebook, draw three circles, one inside the next. Label the smallest Local, the middle one State and the largest Federal. Say: "Local government runs a city, town or county. It is the closest to us. State government runs our whole state. The federal government runs the whole country. Federal means national." Say: "Native nations have their own governments too. More than 570 Native nations govern themselves in the United States today." Say: "Local government usually takes care of streets and stop signs, parks, libraries, trash pickup, and police and fire departments." Ask: "Which level is closest to us?" (Local.) "Which level sits between local and federal?" (State.) "Who puts up most stop signs on town streets?" (Local government.) If stuck, say: "Start small. Our town is inside our state. Our state is inside our country."

3. Activity / Source Work · 15–20 min

   Neighborhood service hunt. 1) Walk around the block, or look out a window, for about ten minutes. 2) Your child looks for things local government provides, such as a stop sign, streetlight, fire hydrant or sidewalk. 3) Your child writes each find on a sticky note. Aim for five or more. 4) Back at the table, name three groups: Keeps us safe, Helps us get around, Places and things we share. 5) Your child sorts the notes and gives a reason for each. 6) Ask: "What is your evidence that a government put this here, not one family?" (Sample: it stands on public land, and everyone uses it.) 7) Say: "Not everything outside is local. A blue mailbox belongs to the federal postal service. Power lines often belong to a power company." Set those notes aside. Streets differ. Look for the pattern: shared things that no single family owns.

4. Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Your child titles a new section "Civics and Economics" and writes the date. Copy this sentence: "A government is a group of people who make rules and decisions for a community." Your child copies the three circles and colors each level a different color. Under them, list five local services found today. Sample list: stop sign, streetlight, fire hydrant, sidewalk, park bench.

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Read the three questions aloud. Your child answers without looking back. Praise answers that name something your child saw today.

Homework: Your child finds one local service your family uses today, such as tap water or a library book. Your child tells a family member who provides it. Look for the word "local" or the name of your town or county.

Practice page · Week 19, Day 1

Social Studies

I can tell what a government is and name services my local government gives.

Show answers

Who Takes Care of the Town?

Every morning, a truck picks up the trash on Elm Street. A bus takes kids to the public school. At night, streetlights glow on the corner. Who makes all this happen? The local government does. A government is a group of people who make rules and decisions for a community. Local government is the level closest to you. State government works for the whole state. The federal government works for the whole country.

Write five things you found on your service hunt. Then write its group: Safe, Get Around or Share.

Thing I saw	Group

1. 1.

   Write one thing you found that keeps people safe.
2. 2.

   Write one place everyone in the town can share.

Answer each question about government.

1. 3.

   What is a government?
2. 4.

   Write the three levels from smallest to largest: state, federal, local.
3. 5.

   Which level runs your town or city?

   ○ local○ state○ federal
4. 6.

   Does local government often run the public library?

   ○ yes○ no

Challenge: Draw three circles, one inside the other. Label them Local, State and Federal, with Local in the middle.

Materials: sticky notes · a local map or a walk around the block

Objective: I can explain that a fraction names equal parts of one whole.

Standards: 3.NF.A.1, 3.G.A.2

Materials: 2 paper squares, the same size (plus 2 more for the extension), 1 paper circle, cut out ahead, Grid paper, Crayons, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 10. Read: "20 crackers are shared equally by 4 children. How many does each get?" (20 ÷ 4 = 5) Then practice ÷2 and ÷4 facts with no clock. Ask 16 ÷ 2, 18 ÷ 2, 24 ÷ 4 and 36 ÷ 4 (8, 9, 6, 9).

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Fold one paper square in half twice. Open it. Ask: "How many parts?" (4) "Are they equal?" (Yes. They match when folded.) On the second square, draw 3 lines that make 4 unequal parts. Ask: "Is this a fair way to share?" (No. The parts are not equal.) Say: "A fraction is a number that names equal parts of one whole." Shade 1 part of the folded square with a crayon. Write 1/4. Say: "The bottom number, the denominator, tells how many equal parts make the whole. The top number, the numerator, tells how many parts we count." Say: "So 1 of 4 equal parts is shaded. Each part is 1/4 of the whole square." Shade one more part. Write 2/4. Now your child does more. Your child folds the circle in half three times and opens it. Ask: "How many equal parts?" (8) Your child shades 7 parts and writes the fraction (7/8).

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   Use grid paper. 1) Draw a rectangle 6 squares long and 1 square tall, with a line after every 2 squares. Ask: "How many equal parts?" (3) Your child shades 1 part and writes the fraction (1/3). 2) Draw the same rectangle with a line after every square. Your child shades 2 parts and writes the fraction (2/6). 3) Draw a rectangle 8 squares long with one line after 3 squares. Ask: "Is each part 1/2?" (No. The parts have 3 and 5 squares.) If stuck, say: "Count all the equal parts first. That is the bottom number."

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   Your child draws each rectangle 1 square tall and writes the fraction. 1) 8 squares long, with a line after 4 squares. Shade 1 part (1/2). 2) 8 squares long, with a line after every 2 squares. Shade 1 part (1/4). 3) 8 squares long, with a line after every square. Shade 6 parts (6/8). 4) 6 squares long, with a line after every square. Shade 3 parts (3/6). 5) You draw a circle with 4 unequal parts. "Are these fourths?" (No. The parts are not equal.) 6) Ask: "In 2/3, what does the 3 tell?" (The whole has 3 equal parts.) 7) A cornbread has 6 equal pieces. Dad eats 1 piece. What fraction does he eat? (1/6) 8) A garden has 8 equal parts. Beans grow in 5 parts. What fraction grows beans? (5/8)

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Your child answers aloud and draws on grid paper for question 3.

Fact fluency: ÷2 and ÷4 facts

Homework: Your child draws 3 foods cut into equal parts and writes the fraction for one part. Sample: a pizza in 8 equal slices, 1/8.

Objective: I can tell how an opinion essay is different from an opinion paragraph and name its parts.

Standards: W.3.1, W.3.1.A, SL.3.1, L.3.6, L.3.1.G

Materials: Writer's notebook, Five sticky notes or index cards, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Word study, Week 19: the endings -er and -est. Say: "The ending -er compares two things. The ending -est compares three or more." Write taller, faster, colder, smallest, strongest, longest. Your child reads each word and underlines its ending. Ask: "Which words compare just two things?" (taller, faster, colder) Spaced review from Week 17. Ask: "When you take notes, do you copy whole sentences?" (No. Write short notes in your own words.)

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "In Week 8 all your reasons shared one paragraph. An essay is several paragraphs about one topic. In an essay, each reason gets a paragraph of its own." Draw five stacked boxes titled Opinion Essay. Label the top box Introduction (catchy start + opinion). Label the middle boxes Body 1, Body 2 and Body 3, with one reason each. Label the last box Conclusion (opinion again + strong ending). Say: "The three middle boxes are body paragraphs." Read the model essay aloud slowly. "Every Kid Should Learn to Swim." (Introduction) Have you ever watched kids splash in a pool while one child sits alone on the edge? Swimming is a skill that keeps kids safe and happy. I think every kid should learn to swim. (Body 1) First, swimming keeps you safe near water. Swimmers learn how to float and how to get back to the edge. (Body 2) Another reason is that swimming is great exercise. After twenty minutes of laps, my cousin's heart is pumping fast. (Body 3) Most importantly, swimmers get to join the fun. Last summer, my friend could finally jump off the dock with everyone at the lake. (Conclusion) Swimming makes kids safer, stronger and part of the fun. Ask a grown-up about swimming lessons this summer! Think aloud: "The opinion sits at the end of the first paragraph. Each middle paragraph gives one reason."

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   Your child writes Intro, Body 1, Body 2, Body 3 and Conclusion on five sticky notes. Reread the essay. Your child holds up the matching note for each part. Then ask. 1) "Which sentence tells the opinion?" (I think every kid should learn to swim.) 2) "What is the reason in Body 2?" (Swimming is great exercise.) 3) "Which words start the three body paragraphs?" (First, Another reason, Most importantly) 4) "How does the conclusion give the opinion again?" (In new words: swimming makes kids safer, stronger and part of the fun.) If stuck, say: "Point to that box on our chart. What job does that box do?"

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   1) Your child lists five topics they have a real opinion about. Ideas: the best season, bedtimes, the best pet. 2) Talk for three minutes. Your child tells you the top two topics. Ask: "Which one has more reasons?" Start with "I agree because ..." when you agree. Start with "I see it differently because ..." when you do not. 3) Your child circles one topic and writes one opinion sentence. Sample: "I think fall is the best season." 4) Comparing words. Say: "Opinions often compare. Use -er or more for two things. Use -est or most for three or more." Show: "Fall is cooler than summer." "Fall is the coolest season for hiking." "Leaves drop more quickly in October than in September." Say: "Cooler tells about a noun, so it is an adjective. More quickly tells how something happens, so it is an adverb." Your child writes one sentence with -er or more and one with -est or most. Look for: an opinion someone could disagree with, and no doubled forms such as "more cooler."

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Ask the three questions aloud. Your child answers in the notebook.

Homework: Read for 15 to 20 minutes. Then tell a family member your opinion sentence and ask if they agree. Write one reason they give as a short note. Look for: a reason, not just "yes" or "no."

Objective: I can explain what weather is and describe today's weather using its five parts.

Standards: 3-ESS2-1

Materials: A glass of ice water, A window or outdoor spot, A light jacket for going outside, Science notebook and pencil, Crayons

1. Day 91 — What Is Weather? — Wonder Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 12. Ask: "In a food web, which way do the arrows point?" (From the food to the eater.) Set the glass of ice water on the table for later. Then the wonder. Open a window or step to the door. Ask: "What three words tell about the air outside right now?" (Sample: chilly, cloudy, breezy.) Say: "Those words all tell about weather."

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "Weather is what the air is like at one place and one time." Write the five parts of weather in a column and say each one. "Temperature is how hot or cold the air is. Precipitation is water falling from the sky, like rain, snow, sleet or hail. Wind is moving air. Clouds tell how much of the sky is covered. Humidity is how much water is in the air as a gas you cannot see." Now look at the glass. Ask: "Where did the drops on the outside come from?" (From water in the air.) Say: "The cold glass turned unseen water in the air into drops. Damp air makes more drops." In very dry air, few drops form. Ask: "Which part is moving air?" (Wind.) Ask: "Weather changes hour by hour. What should a scientist always write down?" (The time and the place.) If stuck, say: "Point to the list. Read each part until one fits."

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

   Weather Detective. Safety: watch from a window if there is lightning, strong wind or bitter cold. 1) Go outside for 5 minutes with the notebook. Wear the jacket if it is cool. 2) Your child stands still and uses eyes, ears and skin. 3) They fill in a table with two columns: Part, What I observed. It has five rows, one for each part. 4) Offer word choices. Temperature: hot, warm, cool, cold. Precipitation: none, drizzle, rain, snow. Wind: calm, breezy, gusty. Clouds: clear, partly cloudy, all gray. Humidity: dry, comfortable, sticky. 5) They write the time and place above the table. 6) Ask: "What is your evidence for the wind word?" (Sample: the leaves are moving.) Expect all five rows filled from today's observing, not from memory.

4. Science Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Your child makes a title page called "Weather and Climate" and decorates it with crayons. On the next page they finish two frames. "Weather is ___." "Today at ___ the weather is ___." The second sentence should use all five parts. Sample: "Weather is what the air is like in one place at one time. Today at 10 a.m. the weather is cool and dry, with a light breeze, a few clouds and no rain." Then rule a Weather Log to use all week. Its columns are Day, Time, Temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Clouds. Write today's words in the first row.

5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise answers that name a part of weather and give evidence your child observed.

Homework: Listen to or read one weather report with a family member. Tick the parts it mentions on your list of five. Look for: at least three parts ticked.