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Week 20 — full print packet

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Quarter 3 · Weeks 19–27

Week 20 Lesson Packet

Reasoning: Fractions, Opinion Essays, Weather & Government

Day 1 · Monday

Social Studies

Objective: I can explain why the U.S. government is split into three branches and what each branch does.

Standards: D2.Civ.5.3-5, D2.Civ.3.3-5

Builds on: Needs Week 19 Day 1, the three levels of government, where federal means national. One-minute check: ask, "Which level of government works for the whole country?" (Federal.)

New words:

Constitution – the written plan for the United States government and its highest law
legislative branch – the part of government that makes laws; for the country, it is Congress
executive branch – the part of government that carries out laws; the President leads it
judicial branch – the courts, which decide what laws mean
checks and balances – the ways each branch can limit the other two

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "Name the three levels of government from closest to farthest." (Local, state, federal.) Then play a quick coin game. Say: "I make the rules. Heads, I win. Tails, you lose. I am also the judge." Flip the coin once. Ask: "Is this game fair? Why not?" (No. One person holds all the power.) Say: "Today we see how our country avoids that."
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "In 1787, leaders from the states met in Philadelphia. They wrote the Constitution, the plan for our national government." Say: "They had lived under a powerful king. They did not want that again. So they split power into three branches." Say: "The legislative branch is Congress. It makes the laws." Say: "The executive branch is led by the President. It carries out the laws." Say: "The judicial branch is the Supreme Court and other federal courts. It decides what laws mean and whether they follow the Constitution." Say: "Each branch can check the others. We call this checks and balances." "The President can say no to a law that Congress wants. Courts can rule that a law breaks the Constitution." Chant: "Congress makes, the President carries out, courts decide." Ask: "Which branch is Congress?" (Legislative.) "Who leads the executive branch?" (The President.) "What can courts do when a law breaks the Constitution?" (Rule against it.) If stuck, say: "Makes, carries out, decides. Which word fits this job?"
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Branch tree. 1) On the large paper, your child draws a brown trunk and labels it "U.S. Constitution." 2) Your child draws three big green branches and labels them Legislative, Executive and Judicial. 3) In blue, write each job and who does it. Legislative: makes laws, Congress. Executive: carries out laws, the President. Judicial: decides what laws mean, the Supreme Court and federal courts. 4) Write six job cards. "Votes on a new law." "Leads the armed forces." "Decides a case in court." "Writes a new law." "Meets leaders of other countries." "Rules that a law breaks the Constitution." 5) Your child places each card on a branch and says why. (Legislative, executive, judicial, legislative, executive, judicial.) 6) Draw an arrow from Executive to Legislative. Label it "can say no to a new law." Ask: "What does this arrow show?" (One branch checking another.) 7) Ask: "Use your tree as evidence. Could the President decide a court case?" (No. That job sits on the judicial branch.) Keep the tree all week.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child copies a small branch tree and writes one sentence for each branch. Then finish: "One check I learned today is ___." Sample: "Congress makes the laws. One check I learned today is that the President can say no to a new law."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud, with the tree out of sight. Praise answers that match a branch with its job.

Watch for: Thinking the President makes the laws.

Try: Say the chant together. Then your child walks the "Votes on a new law" card from the legislative branch to the executive branch.

Exit ticket:

A group in Washington, D.C., votes yes on a new law about highways. Which branch is that group in?
What does "checks and balances" mean?
Which document is the plan for our national government, and in what year was it written?

Answers: 1) The legislative branch. The group is Congress. 2) Each branch can limit the other two, so no branch grows too strong. 3) The Constitution, written in 1787.

Mathematics

Objective: I can show halves, thirds and fourths on a number line from 0 to 1.

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

Builds on: Needs number lines from Week 1 Day 4 and unit fractions from Week 19 Day 3. One-minute check: ask "How many pieces of size 1/3 fill one whole?" (3)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "How many pieces of size 1/6 build 4/6?" (4) Then practice ÷4 facts with no clock. Ask 20 ÷ 4, 28 ÷ 4, 32 ÷ 4 and 36 ÷ 4 (5, 7, 8, 9). For a slow fact, halve the total twice.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A fraction is a number, so it has a place on the number line." Draw a line 12 cm long with the ruler. Label the left end 0 and the right end 1. Say: "The whole is the distance from 0 to 1." Say: "For halves, I cut that distance into 2 equal spaces." Make a tick at 6 cm. Put a finger on 0 and slide to the tick. Say: "I moved one space of size 1/2." Label the tick 1/2. Slide one more space. Label the end 2/2 under the 1. Say: "So 1/2 is the point one space from 0." Say: "We count spaces, not ticks." Draw a new 12 cm line for thirds. Make ticks at 4 cm and 8 cm. Ask: "How many equal spaces?" (3) Label 1/3, 2/3 and 3/3. Now your child does more. Your child draws a 12 cm line and makes ticks at 3, 6 and 9 cm. Ask: "How many equal spaces?" (4) Your child labels 1/4, 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4.
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Use the three lines. 1) Point to the halves line. Ask: "How long is each space?" (6 cm) "Are the spaces equal?" (Yes.) 2) Your child folds the 12 cm strip in half twice and opens it. Lay it under the fourths line. Ask: "Where do the folds land?" (On the ticks at 3, 6 and 9 cm.) 3) On the thirds line, ask: "Which fraction is two spaces from 0?" (2/3) 4) Draw a 12 cm line with ticks at 2 cm and 6 cm. Ask: "Are these thirds?" (No. The spaces are 2, 4 and 6 cm, so they are not equal.) If stuck, say: "Put your finger on 0. Hop one space at a time and count the hops."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child draws each line 12 cm long with the ruler, from 0 to 1. 1) Halves: a tick at 6 cm. Label the ticks (1/2, 2/2). 2) Thirds: ticks at 4 and 8 cm. Label the ticks (1/3, 2/3, 3/3). 3) Fourths: ticks at 3, 6 and 9 cm. Label the ticks (1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4). 4) On the fourths line, which fraction is at the first tick after 0? (1/4) 5) How many equal spaces show halves? (2) 6) On the fourths line, which fraction is at 6 cm? (2/4) 7) An ant starts at 0 on the thirds line. It walks to the first tick. What number is the ant on? (1/3) 8) A bug starts at 0 on the fourths line. It hops 4 spaces. What number is the bug on? (4/4, which is 1)
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child puts the lines away and answers on paper.

Watch for: Counting tick marks, with the 0 tick as one, so the first tick gets the label 2/4.

Try: Your child puts a finger on 0 and hops one space at a time. Your child says "one fourth" on landing, not before the hop.

Exit ticket:

A 0 to 1 line has 3 equal spaces. What is the size of each space?
On a line in fourths, what fraction is at 1?
Why must the spaces on a number line be equal?

Answers: 1) 1/3 2) 4/4 3) Answers vary. Look for: fractions name equal parts, so the spaces must match.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can tell the difference between a reason and evidence.

Standards: W.3.1.B, L.3.6

Builds on: Needs the body paragraphs from Week 19 Day 4, each with a reason and evidence. One-minute check: ask, "What do you ask after a reason to find evidence?" (How do you know?)

New words:

personal experience – something that really happened to you

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, Week 20: the suffixes -able and -ment. Say: "The suffix -able means can be. Washable means it can be washed. The suffix -ment turns an action into a naming word. Move becomes movement." Your child reads and sorts six words into two columns: washable, breakable, fixable, movement, payment, agreement. Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "What does a hook do?" (It makes the reader want to keep reading.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A reason answers WHY. Evidence answers HOW DO YOU KNOW?" Draw a T-chart with the headings Reason and Evidence. Write "A class trip helps kids learn" on the left. Write "After our trip to the pond, Ana could name four kinds of ducks" on the right. Think aloud: "The first sentence tells why a class trip is good. Anyone could say it. The second sentence tells something that happened, so it proves the reason." Say: "Evidence comes in three kinds: a fact, an example and a personal experience." Show all three for the reason "A dog keeps you active." Fact: "Our dog needs two walks every day." Example: "For example, dog owners visit the park even in winter." Personal experience: "When we got Biscuit, I started walking a mile a day." Warn: "Saying the reason again in new words is not evidence." Read: "Dogs are good buddies because they are great friends." Ask: "Does that prove anything?" (No. It repeats the reason.)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Write these ten sentences on ten cards, before the lesson if you can, and shuffle them. Reasons: Libraries save families money. Board games bring families together. Reusable bottles cut down on trash. Camping teaches new skills. Learning an instrument takes patience. Evidence: Last month we borrowed twelve books and paid nothing. On Friday we played checkers for a whole hour. Our bin used to fill with ten plastic bottles a week. On our last trip, I learned to tie two knots. Jo practiced for three weeks before she could play one song. 1) Your child sorts the cards into a Reason pile and an Evidence pile. (five in each) 2) Your child matches each reason to its evidence. (They match in the order listed above.) 3) Hold up the knots card. Ask: "Which of the three kinds of evidence is this card?" (a personal experience) 4) Your child picks one reason card and says a new piece of evidence for it. If stuck, say: "Read the card. Does it tell why, or does it tell something that happened or can be checked?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child works in the essay draft. 1) Underline every reason in one color. 2) Underline every piece of evidence in the other color. 3) Put a star by any reason with no evidence beside it. 4) Add one new piece of evidence for each starred reason. With no stars, add a second kind of evidence to one paragraph. 5) Label each piece of evidence F for fact, Ex for example or PE for personal experience. Look for: every reason has evidence, and no evidence simply repeats its reason.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the questions aloud. Your child answers in the notebook and uses the essay draft for question 3.

Watch for: Repeating the reason in new words and calling it evidence.

Try: Ask: "Could I check this, could I see it, or did it happen to you?" If not, it is not evidence yet.

Exit ticket:

One sentence is a reason and one is evidence. Which is which? "Hiking is good for your body." "On Sunday we hiked two miles to the falls."
Why is this not evidence? "Reading is fun because it is enjoyable."
Point to a reason in your essay that got new evidence today. What did you add?

Answers: 1) The first is the reason. The second is evidence, because it tells something that happened. 2) It only says the reason again in new words. It proves nothing. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a fact, an example or a true story that proves the reason.

Science

Objective: I can explain the difference between weather and climate and sort statements into each.

Standards: 3-ESS2-2

Builds on: Needs Week 19: weather is what the air is like at one place and one time. One-minute check: your child gives today's weather in one sentence with a time (sample: at 9 a.m. it is 50°F and cloudy).

New words:

climate – the usual weather of a place over many years

Day 96 — What Is Climate? — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "A wind comes from the north. What is it called, and where is it going?" (A north wind. It blows toward the south.) Then the wonder. Ask: "Suppose it snows here today. Does that mean it snows here all year?" Let your child explain. (No. One day does not tell about the whole year.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Weather is what the air is like right now. Climate is the usual weather of a place over many years." Say: "Scientists use about 30 years of weather records to describe a climate." Give a memory line. "Weather is your mood today. Climate is what you are usually like." Find Phoenix, Arizona on the map. Say: "Phoenix has a hot, dry climate. It can still have a cool, rainy day." Find Seattle, Washington. Say: "Seattle has a mild climate with many cloudy, drizzly days in fall and winter. It can still have a hot, sunny day." Ask: "Did the rainy day change the climate of Phoenix?" (No. One day is weather.) Teach the clue words. Weather clues: now, today, tonight, this morning, tomorrow. Climate clues: usually, most years, every summer, all year. Ask: "Snowflakes are falling at this minute. Weather or climate?" (Weather. The clue is at this minute.) Ask: "July is usually our hottest month. Weather or climate?" (Climate. The clue is usually.) If stuck, say: "Is it about one day or about many years?"
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Weather or Climate Sort. 1) Write one sentence on each card. Card 1: Hail is bouncing on the porch right now. Card 2: Deserts get very little rain in most years. Card 3: Tonight will be clear and chilly. Card 4: Florida is warm for most of the year. Card 5: It was 75°F at lunch today. Card 6: Antarctica is cold all year. Card 7: Frost covered the grass this morning. Card 8: The rainy season comes here every summer. Card 9: A rainbow came out after this afternoon's shower. Card 10: Our autumns are usually cool. 2) Shuffle the cards. Your child sorts them into two piles. 3) On each card they underline the clue words. 4) They record the sort in a table with two columns: Weather, Climate. Expect the odd-numbered cards under Weather and the even-numbered cards under Climate. If one is misplaced, ask: "Which words tell when?" 5) Your child writes one new sentence for each pile.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child writes both meanings side by side in the notebook. Then they write three sentences about the climate where you live, using "usually" or "most years". Sample: "Our winters are usually cold and snowy. Most years we get thunderstorms in summer. Fall is usually dry." Help with facts about your area if needed.
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise answers that point to a clue word.

Watch for: Thinking one unusual day, such as a cold day in summer, means the climate has changed.

Try: Ask: "Is that what usually happens here over many years, or only today?" Point to the clue words.

Exit ticket:

"Lightning flashed over the lake a minute ago." Weather or climate? Which words are the clue?
"Farmers here expect dry summers in most years." Weather or climate? Which words are the clue?
It rained in a desert town today. Did the town's climate change? Explain.

Answers: 1) Weather. The clue is "a minute ago". 2) Climate. The clue is "in most years". 3) No. One rainy day is weather. Climate is the usual pattern over many years, and that is still dry.

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Day 2 · Tuesday

Social Studies

Objective: I can describe how Congress is set up and how a bill becomes a law.

Standards: D2.Civ.1.3-5, D2.Civ.5.3-5

Builds on: Needs Day 1, where Congress is the branch that makes laws. One-minute check: ask, "Which branch makes laws, and what is it called?" (The legislative branch, called Congress.)

New words:

bill – an idea for a law that Congress votes on
veto – to reject a bill; only the President can veto a bill from Congress
senator – a member of the Senate, one of the two houses of Congress
representative – a member of the House of Representatives, the other house of Congress
census – a count of every person in the country, taken every 10 years

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "What is a term?" (The set number of years an elected leader serves.) Then ask: "Congress makes laws. Do you think every state sends the same number of people?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Congress has two parts, called houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives." Say: "The Senate has 100 senators. Every state gets 2, large or small. Senators serve 6-year terms." Say: "The House has 435 voting members, called representatives. States with more people get more of them. Representatives serve 2-year terms." Point to California and Wyoming on the map. Say: "California has the most people and more than 40 representatives. Wyoming has few people and 1." Say: "Every 10 years a census counts everyone in the country. Then the House seats are shared out again." Say: "A bill is an idea for a law. A bill must pass both houses. Then it goes to the President. The President can sign it into law or veto it, which means reject it." Ask: "Which house gives every state the same number?" (The Senate.) "Why does California get more representatives than Wyoming?" (More people live there.) "What two choices does the President have with a bill?" (Sign it or veto it.) If stuck, say: "Senate: the same for every state. House: more people, more seats."
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Bill journey. 1) Your child writes a pretend bill on one sheet of paper: "Every post office must have a bike rack." 2) Label the sticky notes House, Senate and President's desk. Stick them across the room. 3) Stop 1, the House. Everyone votes yes or no. More yes votes means it passes. An even split means it fails. Ask: "Is it a law yet?" (Not yet.) 4) Stop 2, the Senate. Vote again and ask again. 5) Stop 3, the President's desk. Your child, as President, signs or vetoes. If signed, write LAW across the top. If vetoed, say: "Congress can still pass it if two thirds of each house vote yes." 6) Your child writes a second bill on the other sheet. This time it fails in the Senate. Ask: "What happens now?" (It stops. It does not become a law.) 7) Open your prep notes and find your state on the map. Your child fills in: "My state's two U.S. senators are ___ and ___. My U.S. representative is ___." Families in Washington, D.C., or a territory have a non-voting member in the House and no senators. Look for three stops in order.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child draws a building with two sides. Label one side "House: 435 voting members, 2-year terms, more people means more seats." Label the other side with the Senate facts. Copy the filled-in blanks below. Sample label: "Senate: 100 members, 2 from each state, 6-year terms."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud. Praise answers that tell the two houses apart.

Watch for: Thinking a bill becomes a law as soon as one house votes yes.

Try: Walk the journey again. Stop at each sticky note and ask, "Is it a law yet?"

Exit ticket:

A bill passes the House but fails in the Senate. Is it a law? Explain.
Texas has many more people than Vermont. Which state has more representatives? Which has more senators?
How long is a senator's term? How long is a representative's term?

Answers: 1) No. A bill must pass both houses and then go to the President. 2) Texas has more representatives. Neither has more senators. Each state has 2. 3) A senator serves 6 years. A representative serves 2 years.

Mathematics

Objective: I can place any fraction between 0 and 1 on a number line.

Standards: 3.NF.A.2.A, 3.NF.A.2.B

Builds on: Needs the halves, thirds and fourths lines from Week 20 Day 1. One-minute check: draw a 0 to 1 line with 4 equal spaces. Your child points to 1/4 (the first tick after 0).

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 13. Your child breaks apart 7 × 6 into 5 × 6 and 2 × 6 (30 + 12 = 42). Then practice ÷6 facts with no clock. Ask 24 ÷ 6, 36 ÷ 6, 48 ÷ 6 and 54 ÷ 6 (4, 6, 8, 9).
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Any fraction has a place on the number line. We use three steps." Write them. Step 1: the denominator tells how many equal spaces to make from 0 to 1. Step 2: the numerator tells how many jumps to make from 0. Step 3: mark the landing point and label it. Write 3/8. Draw a line 16 cm long from 0 to 1. Ask: "How many equal spaces?" (8) Make a tick every 2 cm. Say: "Each space is 1/8." Start at 0. Draw 3 jumps as small arcs with the colored pencil. Count: "one eighth, two eighths, three eighths." Mark the point. It is at 6 cm. Label it 3/8. Say: "So 3/8 is the point 3 jumps of 1/8 from 0." Now your child does more. Write 4/6. Your child draws a 12 cm line from 0 to 1. Ask: "How many spaces? How long is each?" (6 spaces; 2 cm each) Your child draws 4 jumps and labels the point. (4/6 is at 8 cm.)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child draws each line and the jumps. 1) 2/3 on a 12 cm line. Ticks go at 4 and 8 cm. (2 jumps; 2/3 is at 8 cm.) 2) 5/8 on a 16 cm line with a tick every 2 cm. (5 jumps; 5/8 is at 10 cm.) 3) 1/6 on a 12 cm line with a tick every 2 cm. (1 jump; 1/6 is at 2 cm.) 4) Look at 2/3 again. Ask: "Is it closer to 0 or to 1?" (Closer to 1. It is 8 cm from 0 and 4 cm from 1.) If stuck, say: "Read the denominator. Make that many equal spaces. Now read the numerator and jump."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Use 12 cm lines for halves, fourths and sixths. Use 16 cm lines for eighths. Your child places each fraction and tells the jumps. 1) 1/4 (1 jump; 1/4 is at 3 cm). 2) 2/4 (2 jumps; 2/4 is at 6 cm). 3) 2/6 (2 jumps; 2/6 is at 4 cm). 4) 6/8 (6 jumps; 6/8 is at 12 cm). 5) 1/2 (1 jump; 1/2 is at 6 cm). 6) You draw a 12 cm line with a tick every 2 cm and a dot at 6 cm. Ask: "Which fraction is at the dot?" (3/6) 7) A frog sits at 0 on a line in eighths. It makes 4 jumps of 1/8. Which number does it land on? (4/8) 8) A ladybug sits at 2/6 on a line in sixths. How many more jumps of 1/6 take it to 1? (4) Check each point with the ruler.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child may sketch a line for each question.

Watch for: Drawing the ticks by eye, so the spaces are different sizes.

Try: Your child measures every tick with the ruler, such as every 2 cm, before making any jumps.

Exit ticket:

How many equal spaces and how many jumps do you need to place 2/8?
Is 1/3 closer to 0 or closer to 1?
What does the denominator tell you on a number line?

Answers: 1) 8 spaces, 2 jumps 2) Closer to 0 3) How many equal spaces the distance from 0 to 1 is cut into.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can find evidence in an informational text, including cause-and-effect facts, to support an opinion.

Standards: W.3.1.B, RI.3.1, RI.3.3, W.3.8

Builds on: Needs Day 1, telling a reason from evidence, and the cause-and-effect clue words from Week 7. One-minute check: say, "I was late because the bus broke down." Ask: "What is the cause?" (The bus broke down.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: build words. Your child writes each base word, adds the suffix and underlines the base. break + able, read + able, enjoy + able, move + ment, pay + ment, excite + ment. (breakable, readable, enjoyable, movement, payment, excitement) Ask: "Did move or excite lose the final e?" (No. The suffix -ment starts with a consonant, so the e stays.) Spaced review from Week 17. Ask: "What is a source?" (Where a fact came from, such as a book, an article or a person.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Evidence can come from your life, from what you know and from what you read. Evidence from a text is very convincing." Read the article aloud. Then your child reads it from this page. "Soap at Work." Your hands touch hundreds of things every day. Doorknobs, pencils and pets all leave tiny germs on your skin. Germs are too small to see, but some of them can make you sick. Water alone does not wash them all away. When you rub soap on your hands, it loosens the dirt, oil and germs. Because the soap lifts them off your skin, running water can carry them down the drain. Good washing has steps. First, wet your hands and add soap. Next, scrub the fronts, the backs and between your fingers for about 20 seconds. Finally, rinse well and dry with a clean towel. Clean hands carry fewer germs, so washing before meals helps keep a family healthy. Say: "Some words signal cause and effect: because, so and when." Set an opinion together: "Kids should wash their hands before every meal." Think aloud: "I see the word when. The cause is rubbing soap on your hands. The effect is that dirt, oil and germs come loose." Draw it in the notebook: soap rubbed on hands, then an arrow, then loose germs. Say: "To use a fact from a text, name the source." Write: "According to 'Soap at Work,' soap loosens the germs on your skin."
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) Ask: "Find the sentence with because. Which part is the cause? Which part is the effect?" (Cause: the soap lifts the germs off your skin. Effect: running water can carry them down the drain.) 2) Ask: "Find the word so. What does washing before meals do?" (It helps keep a family healthy.) 3) Write that fact together as evidence. Sample: "According to 'Soap at Work,' clean hands carry fewer germs, so washing before meals keeps families healthy." 4) Ask: "What do you do first, next and last when you wash?" (Wet your hands and add soap. Scrub for about 20 seconds. Rinse and dry.) If stuck, say: "Put your finger on the clue word. What comes before it? What comes after it?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child draws two cause-and-effect arrows from the article in the notebook. 2) They write two evidence sentences for the opinion. Each one names the source. One uses a cause and effect. One uses the order of events. Sample: "According to the article, scrubbing takes only about 20 seconds, so washing never makes a meal late." 3) Your child rereads their own essay draft. They mark one spot where a fact from reading would help. In the margin they note a book or person that could give that fact. Look for: sentences that start with "According to," facts in your child's own words, and facts that fit the opinion.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child may look back at the article. They answer aloud or in the notebook.

Watch for: Copying a whole sentence from the text without telling where the fact came from.

Try: Your child covers the article and says the fact aloud. Then they write it, starting with "According to."

Exit ticket:

According to the article, why can you not tell just by looking that your hands are clean?
Which clue word shows the effect? "I scrubbed with soap, so my hands were clean."
Start a sentence that names where a fact came from. Use the title of a book you know.

Answers: 1) Germs are too small to see. 2) so 3) Answers vary. Look for: "According to" plus a title, then a comma.

Science

Objective: I can use a table of monthly averages to describe the climate pattern where I live.

Standards: 3-ESS2-2, 3-ESS2-1

Builds on: Needs Day 1: climate is the usual weather over many years. Also needs bar graphs and subtraction within 100 from math. One-minute check: your child solves 85 − 35 (50).

New words:

average – the usual, middle amount you get when you even out many numbers

Day 97 — Climate Patterns Over Time — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 11. Ask: "What does it mean when an animal migrates?" (It travels to another place each year for food or better weather.) Then the wonder. Ask: "Next July has not happened yet. How could we know what it will probably be like?" (We can look at what July is usually like.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "An average is the usual, middle amount. You get it by evening out many numbers." Say: "A monthly average high tells how warm the afternoons of that month usually get. It comes from many years of records." Show this table for Sample City. January 30°F, April 52°F, July 77°F, October 56°F. Ask: "What happens from January to July?" (It gets warmer.) Ask: "By how many degrees?" (47 degrees.) Ask: "What happens from July to October?" (It cools by 21 degrees.) Say: "The same pattern comes back every year. So people there can expect warm summers and cold winters." Say: "Seasons group the months. In the United States, winter is December to February. Summer is June to August." Point to one row of the Weather Log. Say: "One day can sit above or below the average. The average is the middle." Ask: "Sample City has a 40°F day in January. Is that above or below the usual?" (Above, by 10 degrees.) If stuck, say: "Find the month's average. Is the day's number bigger or smaller?"
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Graph a Climate. 1) Read these average highs for Maple Town aloud while your child copies them into a table. January 35°F, February 40°F, March 50°F, April 62°F. May 72°F, June 80°F, July 85°F, August 83°F. September 76°F, October 64°F, November 52°F, December 40°F. 2) Your child draws a bar graph. Months go along the bottom. The side is numbered by 10s from 0 to 90. 3) They draw each bar with the ruler. A value such as 62 sits just above the 60 line. 4) They color the three warmest months red and the three coolest blue. 5) They add a title and label both sides. 6) Ask: "What pattern do you see?" (It warms from January to July, then cools.) 7) Ask: "Which season is best for a lake swim in Maple Town? Use the data." (Summer. Its averages are 80°F or more.) Expect red on June, July and August, and blue on December, January and February. If you have your own town's numbers, graph them another day and compare.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child glues or copies the graph and finishes this frame. "The warmest month is ___ at ___°F. The coldest month is ___ at ___°F. The pattern is ___." Sample: "The warmest month is July at 85°F. The coldest month is January at 35°F. The pattern is warming until July, then cooling until January."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions with the graph in view. Praise any answer that uses a number from the graph.

Watch for: Treating the monthly average as the exact temperature on every day of that month.

Try: Point to January on the graph. Say: "Some January days are above 35 and some are below. The average is the middle."

Exit ticket:

Use your Maple Town graph. What is the difference between the June bar and the March bar?
A July day in Maple Town reaches only 70°F. Is that above or below the usual, and by how much?
Why do scientists use many years of records, not one year, to find a monthly average?

Answers: 1) 30 degrees (80 − 50 = 30). 2) Below the usual, by 15 degrees (85 − 70 = 15). 3) One year can be unusual. Many years evened out show what is usual.

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Day 3 · Wednesday

Social Studies

Objective: I can describe the jobs of the President and the executive branch.

Standards: D2.Civ.1.3-5, D2.Civ.5.3-5

Builds on: Needs Day 1, where the executive branch carries out laws, and Day 2, the bill journey. One-minute check: ask, "A bill reaches the President. What are the two choices?" (Sign it or veto it.)

New words:

Vice President – the leader who helps the President and takes over if the President cannot serve
Cabinet – a group of advisers to the President; most of them lead a federal department
governor – the elected leader of a state

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "Who leads many towns and cities?" (A mayor.) Show the quarter or the dollar bill. Ask: "Whose face is this?" (George Washington, the first President.) Then ask: "What do you think a President does all day?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "The executive branch carries out the laws. The President leads it." Count four jobs on your fingers. "The President signs or vetoes bills, leads the armed forces and meets leaders of other countries. The President also chooses people to lead federal departments." Say: "The Vice President helps, and takes over if the President cannot serve." Say: "The Cabinet is a group of advisers. Most of them lead a department, such as Agriculture or Transportation." Say: "The country elects a President every four years. A person can be elected President only twice." Say: "A President must be 35 or older and a citizen from birth." Say: "The President must follow the laws and the Constitution too." Say: "Each state has a governor. A governor leads a state's executive branch, much as a mayor leads a town." Ask: "Can the President make a law alone?" (No. Congress makes laws.) "Who leads a state?" (The governor.) If stuck, say: "Look at the tree. Which branch holds that job?"
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Job sort. 1) Write eight cards. "Signs or vetoes bills." "Leads the armed forces." "Meets leaders of other countries." "Chooses Cabinet members." "Votes on a bill in the Senate." "Decides a court case." "Leads a state." "Leads a town." 2) Your child sorts them under two headings: President's jobs and Not the President's job. Expect four in each pile. 3) For each "not" card, your child names who does it. (A senator, a judge, a governor, a mayor.) 4) Your child lays the four President cards on the executive branch of the tree. Ask: "What does the tree show about the President's power?" (It has limits. Other branches hold other jobs.) 5) Read this made-up schedule aloud. "A President's day. 9:00, meet the Cabinet about a big storm. 11:00, sign a bill from Congress. 2:00, phone the leader of Canada. 4:00, visit soldiers at an Army base." 6) Ask: "Match each line to a job card. What is your evidence?" (Sample: phoning Canada's leader matches meeting leaders of other countries.) For the Cabinet meeting, accept "chooses Cabinet members" with a reason.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child draws a ladder with three rungs: Mayor (town), Governor (state), President (country). Next to each rung, write one job. Then fill in: "The governor of our state is ___." Sample: "President: signs or vetoes bills. Governor: leads our state. Mayor: leads our town."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud. Praise answers that show the limits on a President's power.

Watch for: Thinking the President can do anything, such as make laws alone or decide court cases.

Try: Lay every job card on the branch tree. Your child counts how many jobs sit outside the executive branch.

Exit ticket:

Name two jobs that belong to the President.
Who are the people in the Cabinet, and what do they do?
A friend says, "The President can decide who wins a court case." Is that right? Explain.

Answers: 1) Look for two: signs or vetoes bills, leads the armed forces, meets other countries' leaders, chooses department leaders. 2) They are advisers to the President. Most of them lead a federal department. 3) No. Courts decide cases. That job belongs to the judicial branch.

Mathematics

Objective: I can place fractions greater than 1 on a number line.

Standards: 3.NF.A.2.B, 3.NF.A.3.C

Builds on: Needs fractions greater than 1 from Week 19 Day 4 and jumps from Week 20 Day 2. One-minute check: ask "Is 6/4 less than, equal to or greater than 1?" (Greater than 1. 4/4 is 1 whole.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 12. Read: "48 stickers go 6 on each page. How many pages?" (48 ÷ 6 = 8) Then practice ×6 facts with no clock. Ask 6 × 4, 6 × 7, 6 × 8 and 6 × 9 (24, 42, 48, 54). For a slow fact, use the ×5 fact and add one more group.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "The number line keeps going past 1. Every whole is cut the same way." Draw a line 24 cm long with the ruler. Label 0 at the left end, 1 at 12 cm and 2 at 24 cm. Say: "I want fourths. Each whole needs 4 equal spaces." Make a tick every 3 cm. Count the ticks together from 0: 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 8/4. Label each one. Ask: "Which fraction is at 1?" (4/4) "Which is at 2?" (8/4) Write 5/4. Start at 0 and draw 5 jumps with the colored pencil. Say: "I land one jump past 1, at 15 cm." Say: "So 5/4 is between 1 and 2. It is one jump of 1/4 past 1." Now your child does more. Your child draws a 24 cm line from 0 to 2 with a tick every 6 cm. Ask: "What size is each space?" (1/2) Your child labels 1/2, 2/2, 3/2 and 4/2, then marks 3/2. (3/2 is at 18 cm, one jump past 1.)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) Draw a line 18 cm long from 0 to 3. Each whole is 6 cm. Make a tick every 2 cm for thirds. Your child labels 3/3 under 1, 6/3 under 2 and 9/3 under 3. 2) Your child places 7/3 on that line. (7 jumps; 7/3 is at 14 cm, one jump past 2.) 3) Draw a 24 cm line from 0 to 2 with a tick every 2 cm. Ask: "What size is each space?" (1/6) Your child places 9/6. (9/6 is at 18 cm, three jumps past 1.) 4) Ask: "Is 10/6 between 0 and 1 or between 1 and 2?" (Between 1 and 2. 6/6 is 1 and 12/6 is 2.) If stuck, say: "How many parts make 1 whole? Count that many jumps to reach 1. Then keep counting."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child uses 24 cm lines from 0 to 2, with 1 at 12 cm. 1) Place 6/4, with a tick every 3 cm. (6/4 is at 18 cm.) 2) Place 7/6, with a tick every 2 cm. (7/6 is at 14 cm.) 3) Place 4/2, with a tick every 6 cm. (4/2 is at 24 cm, which is 2.) 4) Place 11/6, with a tick every 2 cm. (11/6 is at 22 cm.) 5) Draw a 16 cm line from 0 to 2, with 1 at 8 cm and a tick every 1 cm. Each space is 1/8. Place 9/8. (9/8 is at 9 cm, one jump past 1.) 6) On the sixths line, you put a dot at 20 cm. Ask: "Which fraction is at the dot?" (10/6) 7) A grasshopper starts at 0 on a line in fourths. It makes 8 jumps of 1/4. Which whole number does it land on? (2, because 8/4 = 2) 8) Ben is at 13/8 on a line in eighths. Is he between 0 and 1 or between 1 and 2? How many jumps past 1? (Between 1 and 2. He is 5 jumps past 1, because 8/8 is 1.)
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child may sketch a line for each question.

Watch for: Starting the count over at 1, so 5/4 gets the label 1/4.

Try: Your child keeps counting aloud past 1: "four fourths, five fourths, six fourths." The denominator stays the same.

Exit ticket:

On a line in sixths, what fraction is at 1?
Is 5/2 between 1 and 2 or between 2 and 3? How do you know?
How many eighths make 2 wholes?

Answers: 1) 6/6 2) Between 2 and 3. 4/2 is 2 and 6/2 is 3. 3) 16

English Language Arts

Objective: I can use facts that can be checked as evidence in my essay.

Standards: W.3.1.B, L.3.6, RF.3.3.A, L.3.4.B, L.3.1.C

Builds on: Needs Day 1, the three kinds of evidence, and telling fact from opinion from Week 8. One-minute check: ask, "Fact or opinion? Pancakes are the best breakfast." (Opinion.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: dictation. Say this sentence twice: "The breakable cup was fixable, so there was great excitement." Your child writes it. Check it together. Underline the base word in breakable, fixable and excitement. Spaced review from Week 15. Ask: "What do we call a group of lines in a poem?" (a stanza)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A fact can be checked or proven. An opinion tells what someone thinks." Hold up the notebook. Say: "This notebook is the best one." Ask: "Fact or opinion?" (opinion) Measure it with the ruler or weigh it. Say what you find, such as "This notebook is 11 inches tall." Ask: "Fact or opinion?" (Fact. We just checked it.) Teach three fact starters: According to, In fact, It is true that. Model with the two books. Say: "My reason is that a paperback is easier to carry." Weigh or measure both books. Write a sentence with your real numbers. Sample: "In fact, my paperback is half an inch thick, and the hardcover is over an inch thick." Word link: "Something we can check is checkable. Words such as excitement and agreement name things we cannot touch. They are abstract nouns." Show one in evidence: "The new park brought excitement to our street."
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Read this student paragraph, "Window Beans." Another reason is that beans are the best plant for kids. Beans are so cool. Everyone loves them. They are the greatest plant ever. 1) Ask: "How many facts did you hear?" (None. Every sentence is an opinion.) 2) Ask: "What could we measure or count about a bean plant?" (its height, the days until it sprouts, the number of leaves) 3) Rewrite one sentence together as a fact with a starter. (Sample: In fact, a bean seed can sprout in about a week.) 4) Open your child's essay. Find the spot right after one reason where a fact would help. Decide how to check it: measure, count, look in a book or ask an expert. Write the fact together. If stuck, say: "What could we measure, count or look up about this?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child works in the essay draft. 1) Add at least two facts that can be checked, in two different body paragraphs. 2) Use a different starter for each fact. 3) In the margin, write how each fact could be checked. 4) Write one evidence sentence that uses an -able or -ment word, such as enjoyable or excitement. Look for: facts with no opinion words such as best or cutest. Each fact has a way to be checked and fits its paragraph's reason.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child answers the first two questions aloud and shows the essay for question 3.

Watch for: Adding an opinion word to a fact starter, such as "In fact, cats are the cutest pets."

Try: Ask: "Could we prove this with a measuring tool or a book?" If the answer is no, find a new fact.

Exit ticket:

Fact or opinion? "A week has seven days."
Fact or opinion? "Mondays are the hardest day."
Read one fact you added today. How could someone check it?

Answers: 1) Fact. It can be checked on a calendar. 2) Opinion. It tells what someone thinks and cannot be proven. 3) Answers vary. Look for: measuring, counting, looking in a book or asking an expert.

Science

Objective: I can explain that Earth's climate has changed over long periods and that scientists measure it carefully.

Standards: 3-ESS2-2

Builds on: Needs Day 1: climate is the usual weather over many years. One-minute check: ask whether one snowy day changes a climate, and why (no; one day is weather).

New words:

ice age – a very long, cold time when thick ice covered large parts of the land
tree rings – the circles inside a tree trunk; a tree adds one each year

Day 98 — Earth's Climate Changes Over Time — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 11. Ask: "What is an adaptation?" (A body feature or behavior that helps a living thing survive where it lives.) Then the wonder. Show the mammoth picture, or sketch an elephant with long shaggy hair and small ears. Say: "Woolly mammoths once lived across cold northern lands." Ask: "What does thick fur tell you about the climate there long ago?" (It was very cold.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Earth's climate has changed many times over its very long history." Say: "In the last ice age, thick sheets of ice covered much of Canada and the northern United States. It ended about 12,000 years ago." Say: "Nobody had thermometers then. Scientists read clues instead." Name three clues. Fossils are remains or traces of living things from long ago. They show what lived in a place. Layers of old ice hold tiny bubbles of air from long ago. Tree rings show good and poor growing years. On plain paper, draw a tree stump with eight rings. Make rings 3 and 4 wide and rings 6 and 7 very thin. Say: "A tree adds one ring each year. A wide ring often means a warm, wet year. A thin ring often means a dry or cold year." Ask: "Which years were good for growing?" (Years 3 and 4.) Ask: "Which years were hard?" (Years 6 and 7.) Ask: "Can one tree prove it? What would make us more sure?" (No. Many trees showing the same pattern.) Say: "People have kept thermometer records for about 150 years. They show Earth's average temperature has risen about 2°F." If stuck, say: "Thick fur, thick ice. What do both tell us?"
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Climate Clue Timeline. 1) Lay the strip flat. Your child marks 12 equal spaces along it, each one hand wide. 2) Say: "Each space stands for 1,000 years." 3) They label the left end "12,000 years ago" and the right end "Today". 4) At the left end they draw ice sheets and a mammoth with markers. 5) At the right end they draw your area now. 6) Say: "Thermometer records cover only about 150 years." They color a thin stripe at the right end, about as wide as a finger. 7) Ask: "How do we know about all the rest?" (From clues such as fossils, ice layers and tree rings.) 8) They list three differences between the two drawings in a table with two columns: Ice age, Today. Expect differences about ice, temperature and living things.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child copies the two-column table into the notebook and adds rows for temperature, ice, animals and plants. They finish this frame. "Scientists know the climate was different long ago because ___." Sample: "Scientists know the climate was different long ago because mammoth fossils and old ice show it was much colder."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise answers that name a clue as evidence.

Watch for: Mixing up one cold winter with an ice age, or thinking climate changes from one year to the next.

Try: Point to one space on the timeline. Say: "This is 1,000 years. One winter is a tiny dot on it."

Exit ticket:

A tree stump has three very thin rings in a row. What might those three years have been like?
One winter is very cold and snowy. Is that an ice age? Explain.
On your timeline, why is the thermometer stripe so thin?

Answers: 1) Poor growing years, most likely dry or cold. 2) No. One winter is weather. An ice age was a cold climate that lasted many thousands of years. 3) Thermometer records cover only about 150 years out of the 12,000 on the strip.

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Day 4 · Thursday

Social Studies

Objective: I can explain what courts and the Supreme Court do.

Standards: D2.Civ.1.3-5, D2.Civ.3.3-5

Builds on: Needs Day 1, where the judicial branch decides what laws mean. One-minute check: ask, "Which branch do courts belong to?" (The judicial branch.)

New words:

court – a place where judges settle disagreements by using the law
case – a disagreement that a court is asked to settle
Supreme Court – the highest court in the United States
justice – a judge on the Supreme Court

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 4. Ask: "What is evidence?" (Words, numbers or other facts that show an answer is true.) Then ask the big question: "Two children both say it is their turn on the swing. Who should decide, and how?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "The judicial branch is made of courts. A court hears both sides of a disagreement, called a case." Say: "A judge weighs the facts and the law, then decides." Say: "The highest court in the country is the Supreme Court. Its judges are called justices. There are nine." Set out the 9 buttons. Say: "Congress chose that number in 1869." Slide 5 buttons to one side. Say: "The justices vote on each case. When all nine vote, the winning side needs five or more." Say: "The President chooses each justice. The Senate must approve the choice." Say: "Justices and most federal judges can serve for life. So they can decide cases without fear of losing their jobs." Say: "The Supreme Court can decide whether a law follows the Constitution." Say: "States have their own courts, which hear most cases." Ask: "What are Supreme Court judges called?" (Justices.) "Why does a court hear both sides?" (To be fair.) "Four justices vote one way and five vote the other. Which side wins?" (The side with five.) If stuck, say: "Think of the swing. Would it be fair to hear only one child?"
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Pretend court. Your child is the judge. 1) Write one case on each index card. Case 1: the park rule says "No dogs in the playground." Sam is blind and brings his guide dog. Case 2: Ana says Leo broke her toy. Leo says it was already cracked. Case 3: the class rule says "Raise your hand to speak." A student shouts because a classmate is hurt. 2) For Case 1, speak for each side. "The sign says no dogs." "Sam needs his dog to walk safely." 3) The judge taps the spoon and uses this frame: "The rule is ___. The facts are ___. I decide ___ because ___." 4) Say: "Real laws let trained service dogs go where pets may not." 5) For Case 2, ask first: "What facts do you need before deciding?" (Sample: who saw it, or an older photo of the toy.) 6) For Case 3, ask: "What is the rule for? Did the shout harm that purpose?" (The rule keeps class calm. The shout was for safety.) Decisions vary. Look for a reason that uses the rule and the facts, not who spoke loudest.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child finishes: "Courts decide ___. The Supreme Court has ___ justices. They can serve ___." Then your child writes the decision and the reason for one case. Sample: "Courts decide cases by the law and the facts. Nine. For life. Sam's dog stays because it is a helper, not a pet."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud. Praise answers that give a reason, as a judge would.

Watch for: Thinking judges pick the side they like more, or the side that argues loudest.

Try: Your child repeats each side's facts before deciding. Ask: "Which rule helps you decide?"

Exit ticket:

A new justice is chosen by one leader and approved by one group. Name both.
Why may Supreme Court justices keep their jobs for life?
A judge hears only one side and decides right away. What is wrong with that?

Answers: 1) The President chooses the justice. The Senate approves the choice. 2) So they can decide by the law and the facts, without fear of losing their jobs. 3) It is unfair. A judge needs both sides and all the facts before deciding.

Mathematics

Objective: I can find equivalent fractions because they sit at the same point on a number line.

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

Builds on: Needs placing fractions on a number line from Week 20 Days 1 and 2. One-minute check: ask "On a 0 to 1 line with 6 equal spaces, which fraction is 2 jumps from 0?" (2/6)

New words:

equivalent fractions – fractions at the same point on the number line; they are equal

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 16. Your child solves 8 × 30 (8 × 3 tens = 24 tens = 240). Then practice ×8 facts with no clock. Ask 8 × 4, 8 × 6, 8 × 7 and 8 × 9 (32, 48, 56, 72). For a slow fact, double the ×4 fact.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Draw three lines from 0 to 1, each 24 cm long. Stack them with every 0 lined up. Top line: halves, a tick at 12 cm. Middle line: fourths, a tick every 6 cm. Bottom line: eighths, a tick every 3 cm. Label every tick. Find 1/2 on the top line. Lay the ruler straight down from it. Ask: "Which fraction on the fourths line does the ruler touch?" (2/4) Say: "1/2 and 2/4 are at the same point. Both are 12 cm from 0." Write 1/2 = 2/4. Say: "Fractions at the same point are equivalent fractions. They are equal." Say: "So 1/2 = 2/4." Say: "The names are different because the spaces are cut differently." Now your child does more. Your child slides the ruler down to the eighths line. Ask: "Which eighths fraction is at that point?" (4/8) Your child writes 1/2 = 4/8.
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Add two more 24 cm lines below. Thirds: ticks at 8 and 16 cm. Sixths: a tick every 4 cm. Your child labels the ticks. 1) Your child finds 1/4 and the eighths fraction at the same point. (2/8 is at 6 cm; 1/4 = 2/8) 2) Your child finds 2/3 and the sixths fraction at the same point. (4/6 is at 16 cm; 2/3 = 4/6) 3) Ask: "Are 1/3 and 1/4 equivalent?" (No. 1/3 is at 8 cm and 1/4 is at 6 cm.) If stuck, say: "Put the ruler straight up and down on the first fraction. Which ticks does it touch on the other lines?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child uses the five lines and the ruler. Your child draws a colored line down through each matching pair. 1) Which sixths fraction is at the same point as 1/2? (3/6 is at 12 cm.) 2) Find 3/6. Which eighths fraction is at the same point? (4/8. Both are at 12 cm.) 3) Are 3/3 and 6/6 equivalent? (Yes. Both are at 1.) 4) Which eighths fraction is at 1? (8/8) 5) Are 3/8 and 3/6 equivalent? (No. 3/8 is at 9 cm and 3/6 is at 12 cm.) 6) Are 4/6 and 6/8 equivalent? (No. 4/6 is at 16 cm and 6/8 is at 18 cm.) 7) Ana paints 2/3 of a fence. Ben paints 4/6 of a fence the same size. Who paints more? (They paint the same amount, because 2/3 = 4/6.) 8) A snail stops at 3/6 on a 24 cm line. Name that point in halves. (1/2. Both are at 12 cm.) Keep the five lines for tomorrow.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child may look at the five lines.

Watch for: Drawing lines of different lengths, or with the 0s not lined up, so equal fractions do not meet.

Try: Your child lines up every 0 and every 1 with the ruler before comparing any points.

Exit ticket:

Name a fraction in fourths at the same point as 2/8.
Are 2/2 and 6/6 equivalent? How does the number line show it?
Is 2/3 equal to 2/6? Why?

Answers: 1) 1/4 2) Yes. Both are at the same point, which is 1. 3) No. They are at different points. 2/3 is farther from 0.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can use examples and personal experiences as evidence, and I can retell evidence I heard.

Standards: W.3.1.B, SL.3.2, SL.3.1

Builds on: Needs Day 1, the three kinds of evidence, and Day 3, facts that can be checked. One-minute check: ask, "Name the kind of evidence that is not a fact or an example." (A personal experience.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: use the words. Ask: "Which word fits? A book with large, clear print is very ___." (readable) "The two friends shook hands to show their ___." (agreement) "A crack in the ___ made my scooter bump." (pavement) "What does amusement mean?" (fun, or the feeling of being entertained) Spaced review from Week 16. Ask: "When two texts are about one topic, what do we compare?" (Their most important points and key details.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Sometimes the most convincing evidence is a true story." Tell this one: "Last week I forgot my water bottle on our hike. After an hour I felt tired and dizzy. That is why hikers should always bring water." Ask: "What was my reason? What was my evidence?" (Reason: hikers need water. Evidence: the story of feeling tired and dizzy.) Write four starters: For example, For instance, When I, I once. Say: "Examples and experiences make a reason feel real." Model with the reason "Libraries are important." Example: "For example, some libraries lend cake pans and telescopes, not only books." Experience: "When I needed a book about snakes, the librarian found three for me." Think aloud: "I test each one. This shows that libraries are important. Yes, it connects."
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Listening practice. Read this speech aloud once. Your child only listens. "A Picnic Every Friday." I think our family should eat a picnic supper outside every Friday in summer. For example, last Friday we ate sandwiches under the big maple at the park, and nobody rushed. When we eat outside, my little sister tells her funniest stories. I once learned to skip stones from Grandpa after a picnic at the lake. A picnic every Friday would give us more evenings like that. 1) Ask: "What does the speaker want the family to do?" (Eat a picnic supper outside every Friday in summer.) 2) Ask: "Retell two pieces of evidence." (Any two: sandwiches under the maple, the sister's funny stories, skipping stones with Grandpa.) 3) Ask: "Which starter began the skipping-stones evidence?" (I once) 4) Ask: "How does each story connect to the opinion?" (Each shows a good time the family had at a picnic.) If stuck, read the speech once more and say: "Hold up one finger each time you hear proof."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child works in the essay draft. 1) Add one example or personal experience to each body paragraph. 2) Use a different starter each time. 3) After each new sentence, say "This shows that ___" with the reason's words. 4) Read one new sentence aloud. You retell it. If your retelling is wrong, your child makes the sentence clearer. Sample: "For instance, my aunt's cat naps on the windowsill all afternoon." Look for: true or true-sounding stories, three different starters, and a clear link to each reason.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child answers aloud. Do not reread the speech before question 1.

Watch for: Adding a fun story that does not fit the reason, such as a hiking story in a paragraph about saving money.

Try: After each example, your child finishes "This shows that ___." If the reason's words do not fit, choose a new story.

Exit ticket:

In the speech, what happened last Friday?
Example or personal experience? "When I broke my arm, my neighbor carried my backpack."
Read one sentence you added today. Finish this: "This shows that ___."

Answers: 1) The family ate sandwiches under the big maple at the park, and nobody rushed. 2) Personal experience. It happened to the writer. 3) Answers vary. Look for: an ending that uses the words of that paragraph's reason.

Science

Objective: I can locate places on a world map and describe each one's climate type.

Standards: 3-ESS2-2

Builds on: Needs Day 1: climate is the usual weather over many years. Also needs Week 11 habitats such as desert and rainforest. One-minute check: your child tells whether a desert is wet or dry (dry; it gets very little rain).

New words:

equator – an imaginary line around the middle of Earth, halfway between the poles
tropical – hot all year, like places near the equator
arid – very dry, with little rain in most years
temperate – having four seasons, with warm summers and cool or cold winters
polar – near the North or South Pole, and cold all year

Day 99 — Climates Around the World — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 11. Ask: "Which habitat is very cold, with frozen ground below and no tall trees?" (Tundra.) Then the wonder. Ask: "If you could visit any place on Earth, where would you go? What do you think its climate is like?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Scientists group places with similar climates. Today you will meet five climate types." Show the equator on the map. Say: "The equator is an imaginary line around the middle of Earth. Places near it get strong sun all year." Point to both poles. Say: "Near the poles, sunlight is weak and slanted, so it stays cold." Write the five types in the notebook with a color for each. Tropical: hot all year and often very rainy, near the equator. Arid: very dry in most years. Deserts are arid and can be hot or cold. Temperate: four seasons, with warm summers and cool or cold winters. Polar: cold all year with ice and snow, near the poles. Mountain: colder and often snowier high up. Say: "Air gets colder as you climb. So a high mountain can be cold even near the equator." Ask: "Which type is very dry?" (Arid.) Ask: "Which two types are cold?" (Polar and mountain.) Ask: "A place is far from the equator and far from the poles. Which type might it be?" (Often temperate.) If stuck, say: "Ask two things. How warm is it? How wet is it?"
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Climate Map Hunt. 1) Write these five clue cards. Manaus, Brazil: near the equator, hot every month, heavy rain for much of the year. Cairo, Egypt: about 1 inch of rain in a whole year, with very hot summers. Paris, France: four seasons, warm summers, cool winters. Antarctica: below freezing nearly all year, with ice over the land. Cusco, Peru: over 2 miles high in the Andes Mountains, with cold nights. 2) Help your child find each place on the map. 3) They combine the clue card and the map spot to choose a climate type. 4) They stick the matching color on the place and say their evidence. 5) They record in a table with three columns: Place, Climate type, Evidence. 6) Add your own town. Expect tropical, arid, temperate, polar and mountain, in that order. Ask: "What pattern do you see on the map?" (Hot places are near the equator. Cold places are near the poles or high up.)
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child copies the table as a World Climate Chart. They finish this frame for two places. "___ has a ___ climate. My evidence is ___." Sample: "Cairo has an arid climate. My evidence is that it gets about 1 inch of rain a year."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions with the map in view. Praise evidence that combines a clue card with the map.

Watch for: Thinking all deserts are hot, or that a whole continent has one climate.

Try: Say: "The Gobi in Asia is a cold desert." Then show that South America holds both Manaus and Cusco, two different types.

Exit ticket:

Cusco is not very far from the equator, yet its nights are cold. Why?
A town gets 2 inches of rain in a whole year. Which climate type is it? What is your evidence?
Find one place on the map that is likely polar and one that is likely tropical. Tell how you chose.

Answers: 1) It is very high in the mountains, and air gets colder as you climb. 2) Arid. The evidence is the very small amount of rain. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a polar place close to a pole and a tropical place close to the equator.

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Day 5 · Friday

Social Studies

Objective: I can show what I know about the three branches on the Week 20 check.

Standards: D2.Civ.1.3-5, D2.Civ.5.3-5, D2.Civ.3.3-5

Builds on: Needs Days 1 to 4 of this week. One-minute check: your child points to each branch on the tree and names who is in it. (Congress, the President, the courts.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "What is a tax?" (Money that people and businesses pay to the government for shared services.) Then play Who Am I? You name a person, and your child names the branch. A senator. (Legislative.) A Cabinet member. (Executive.) A justice. (Judicial.) The Vice President. (Executive.) A representative. (Legislative.) A federal judge. (Judicial.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you show what you know about the three branches. First we make a poster." Title the poster paper "Who Does What?" Your child draws three columns with markers, one for each branch. In each column, your child draws one picture and writes one job. Say: "A check is one branch limiting another." Model one arrow, from Legislative to Executive. Label it: "The Senate must approve the judges and Cabinet members the President picks." Your child adds one more arrow and labels it. Ask three review questions as your child works. "How many senators are there in all?" (100.) "Which court is the highest in the country?" (The Supreme Court.) "What count of all the people happens every 10 years?" (The census.) If stuck, say: "Find that person on your branch tree."
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Give the stored Week 20 Social Studies Check now. It has 7 items and takes about 15 minutes. 1) Put the branch tree, the poster and the notebook away. 2) Do not time the check. You may read any item aloud. 3) Score it with the answer key and choose a route. 6 or more right: your child is ready for Week 21. With an adult, read about one real bill in a newspaper or a children's news magazine. Your child tells which branches the bill will visit. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 1 branch tree page. Then play "Which branch?" with six new job cards. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 with the branch tree. Then walk a pretend bill across the room, as on Day 2. 4) Go over each missed item together. Your child fixes it in a different color, using the tree.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child finishes two frames. "The branch I understand best is ___ because ___." "One check and balance I remember is ___." Sample: "I understand the judicial branch best because I was a judge. The Senate must approve the President's judges."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — After the check, read the three questions aloud. Praise each answer that matches a person with the right branch.

Watch for: Saying the Supreme Court makes laws because its decisions matter so much.

Try: After the check, your child writes three verbs on the poster: makes, carries out, decides. The courts column gets "decides."

Exit ticket:

Name one person who works in each branch.
Which branch would you like to work in? What job would you do there?
Tell one way Congress and the President must work together.

Answers: 1) Sample: a senator, the President and a justice. 2) Answers vary. Look for a job that fits the branch, such as writing bills in the legislative branch. 3) Sample: Congress passes a bill and the President signs it. Or the Senate approves the President's choices.

Mathematics

Objective: I can show what I know about fractions on a number line.

Standards: 3.NF.A.2.A, 3.NF.A.2.B, 3.NF.A.3.A

Builds on: Needs everything from Days 1 to 4. One-minute check: ask "On a line in fourths, which fraction is 2 jumps from 0?" (2/4)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 3. Your child solves 700 − 356 in columns (344). Then practice ×6 and ×8 facts with no clock. Ask 6 × 6, 6 × 9, 8 × 3 and 8 × 8 (36, 54, 24, 64).
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Play Number Line Hop for 10 minutes. Draw a line 24 cm long from 0 to 2, with 1 at 12 cm. Make a tick every 2 cm with the ruler. Say: "Each space is 1/6. We count our jumps from 0 for the whole game." Each player puts a bean on 0. Model one turn. Roll the number cube. Say it shows 4. Hop 4 spaces and count: "one sixth, two sixths, three sixths, four sixths." Say: "I am on 4/6." On your next turn, say you roll a 3. Count on: "five sixths, six sixths, seven sixths." Say: "I am on 7/6. That is one jump past 1." Now your child takes turns with you. After each turn, your child names the landing fraction. Ask: "Are you before 1, on 1 or past 1? How many jumps past?" Landing on 6/6 or 12/6 earns a cheer, because they are whole numbers. The first bean to reach or pass 12/6 ends the game. There is no clock.
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Do four check-style problems together. 1) A 0 to 1 line has 8 equal spaces. Which fraction is at the third tick after 0? (3/8) 2) How many equal spaces and jumps place 2/3? (3 spaces, 2 jumps) 3) Is 10/8 between 0 and 1 or between 1 and 2? (Between 1 and 2. 8/8 is 1 and 16/8 is 2.) 4) Write 4/6 = ?/3. Say: "The ? is a missing numerator." On the Day 4 lines, which thirds fraction is at the same point as 4/6? (2/3, so the missing number is 2.) If stuck, say: "Which day is this from? Sketch the line and count the jumps from 0."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Give the stored Week 20 check now. It has 7 items. Your child needs the ruler for the drawing item. Allow about 15 minutes, with no clock running. Score it with the answer key. Choose a route by the result. 6 or more right: move on to Week 21. 4 or 5 right: find the kind of item missed. For naming a tick or counting spaces and jumps (items 1 and 2), redo Day 2 Guided Practice. For drawing a line and placing a fraction (item 3), redo Day 2 Independent Practice. For fractions past 1 (items 4 and 5), redo Day 3 Guided Practice. For equivalent fractions (items 6 and 7), redo Day 4 Guided Practice with the five lines. 3 or fewer right: reteach the Day 1 and Day 2 Mini-Lessons, one each day. Then give the check again.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — After the check, your child answers these three questions. Then go over any missed check items together.

Watch for: Placing 5/4 between 0 and 1 because 5 and 4 are small numbers.

Try: Ask: "How many fourths make 1?" (4) Your child counts on past 1: "four fourths, five fourths."

Exit ticket:

How many jumps of 1/8 from 0 to 6/8?
Which is farther from 0: 5/4 or 3/4? How do you know?
Name a fraction equivalent to 3/6.

Answers: 1) 6 2) 5/4. It is past 1, and 3/4 is before 1. 3) 1/2 (2/4 and 4/8 are also right)

English Language Arts

Objective: I can show what I know about reasons and evidence on the weekly check.

Standards: W.3.1.B, RI.3.1, SL.3.1

Builds on: Needs Days 1 to 4: reasons, and evidence from facts, examples, personal experiences and texts. One-minute check: your child points to one reason and its evidence in the essay draft.

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: spelling check, not timed. Say each word, then use it in a sentence: washable, enjoyable, fixable, movement, excitement, pavement. Challenge word: measurement. Your child writes all seven in the notebook. Correct them together. Ask: "Which words keep the final e before -ment?" (movement, excitement, pavement, measurement) Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "Where does the opinion go in an introduction?" (Last, after the hook and the topic.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Play Evidence Detective. Read aloud "A Crosswalk for Maple Street." Most importantly, a crosswalk would keep walkers safe. In fact, I counted 42 cars passing our corner in ten minutes. For example, Mr. Dunn waits a long time to cross with his cane. When I walked to the bus last week, a truck driver did not see me until I waved. That is why Maple Street needs a crosswalk. Think aloud: "The first sentence tells why. It is the reason." Read the paragraph again, one sentence at a time. Your child names the job of each remaining sentence. (Sentence 2: a fact. Sentence 3: an example. Sentence 4: a personal experience. Sentence 5: the closing sentence.) Ask: "Which starters helped you decide?" (In fact, For example, When I)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Hold a three-minute discussion. 1) Ask: "Which piece of evidence in the crosswalk paragraph is strongest? Why?" (Any choice with a reason, such as "The 42 cars, because anyone can count them.") 2) Build on the answer with "I agree with you, and also ..." or disagree with "I see it differently because ...". 3) Your child answers you with one of the same two starters. 4) Ask the same question about your child's own essay. They read their strongest evidence aloud and tell what kind it is. If stuck, say: "Which sentence would change a neighbor's mind? Tell me why."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Give the stored Week 20 weekly check now. It has 8 items. Your child works alone for about 15 minutes. Score it with the answer key. Choose a route by the result. 6 or more right: move on to Week 21. For a stretch, your child adds one fact from an article to the essay and names the source. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 1 practice page. Then write five new pairs of reason and evidence cards for your child to sort. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 with the WHY and HOW DO YOU KNOW T-chart. Sort the ten cards aloud together. Reteach Day 3 as well if the fact and opinion items were missed. For the rest of the block, your child reads their own book.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — After the check, your child answers the three questions aloud. Then go over any missed check items together.

Watch for: Saying that a reason and its evidence are the same thing.

Try: Go back to the Day 1 T-chart. Say: "The reason tells why. The evidence proves it."

Exit ticket:

In the crosswalk paragraph, how could you check the fact about 42 cars?
Which reason in your essay has the weakest evidence? What will you add?
Tell one idea from our discussion that you agreed with. Start with "I agree, and also ..."

Answers: 1) Stand at the corner and count the cars for ten minutes. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a named reason and a new fact, example or personal experience. 3) Answers vary. Look for: the idea is named and something new is added to it.

Science

Objective: I can tell weather from climate and describe climate patterns and types.

Standards: 3-ESS2-2

Builds on: Needs Days 1 to 4: clue words and the five climate types. One-minute check: your child reads the five climate types from the World Climate Chart (tropical, arid, temperate, polar, mountain).

Day 100 — Week 20 Review and Weekly Check — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "Why do we keep an outdoor thermometer in the shade?" (Sunshine heats it, so it reads warmer than the air.) Then play Quick Sort. Your child calls out weather or climate. "Sleet is tapping the window now." (Weather.) "Our springs bring strong winds in most years." (Climate.) Now the wonder. Ask: "Could two towns have the same weather today but different climates?" (Yes. Today can match while the usual patterns differ.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "To describe a climate, scientists combine information: temperature, rain and location." Show this table. Town A: January 20°F, July 70°F, 30 inches of rain and snow a year. Town B: January 78°F, July 82°F, 90 inches of rain a year. Ask: "Which town has seasons that change a lot?" (Town A. July is 50 degrees warmer than January.) Ask: "Which town is likely near the equator? Why?" (Town B. It is hot in both months and very rainy.) Ask: "Which climate type fits each town?" (A is temperate. B is tropical.) Ask: "One April day it is 60°F in both towns. Do they have the same climate?" (No. One day is weather.) If stuck, say: "Look at January and July. Are the numbers close together or far apart?"
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Climate Detective. 1) Read each clue aloud. Your child finds the place on the map, names the climate type and gives evidence. Singapore: almost on the equator, hot and rainy in every month. Alice Springs, Australia: in the dry middle of the country, with about 11 inches of rain a year. Tokyo, Japan: four seasons, with hot summers and cool winters. Northern Greenland: ice covers the land, and it stays below freezing most of the year. La Paz, Bolivia: over 2 miles high in the Andes, with cool days all year. 2) They record in a table with three columns: Place, Type, Evidence. 3) Your child also points to one Day 4 place of each type on the World Climate Chart. Expect tropical, arid, temperate, polar and mountain, in that order.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child finishes these frames in the notebook. "One place with a ___ climate is ___. My evidence is ___. Its weather today could still be ___ because ___." Sample: "One place with a polar climate is northern Greenland. My evidence is that ice covers the land. Its weather today could still be sunny because one day is only weather."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud and praise evidence from the table or map. Then give the Week 20 Science Check: 8 items, about 10 minutes, worked alone. Give it later today if time is short. Score it with the answer key. 6 or more right: compare a city in another climate type with your own town. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 1 sort, then write four new cards and underline the clue words. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 with a two-pile card sort and Day 4 with the map notes.

Watch for: Calling "Florida is warm for most of the year" weather because it mentions temperature.

Try: Your child underlines the time clue words first. Then they decide.

Exit ticket:

Town C is 25°F in January and 75°F in July. Are its seasons very different or nearly the same? Which climate type fits?
Write one weather sentence and one climate sentence about the same place.
Which two kinds of information did you combine to choose a climate type for Singapore?

Answers: 1) Very different, because July is 50 degrees warmer. Temperate fits. 2) Answers vary. Sample: "It is raining in Paris today." "Paris usually has cool winters." 3) The clue about its warmth and rain, and its spot on the map almost on the equator.

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Worksheets

math — Day 96 — Fractions on a Number Line: Halves
math — Day 97 — Fractions on a Number Line: Any Denominator
math — Day 98 — Fractions Greater Than 1 on Number Line
math — Day 99 — Equivalent Fractions on a Number Line
math — Day 100 — Number Line Practice

Assessments

math — Unit Assessment 9 — Fractions Basics & Number Line