Day 3 · Wednesday

Objective: I can explain how candidates campaign and how voters compare them fairly.

Standards: D2.Civ.10.3-5, D2.Civ.9.3-5, D3.2.3-5

Materials: Notebook, Pencil, 2 index cards for the candidate cards, 1 sheet of paper and markers for a small poster, Timer or clock

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 21. Ask: "Which First Amendment freedom lets people say what they think about a leader?" (Freedom of speech.) Then ask the big question: "If you wanted people to vote for you, what would you do?"

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "A candidate is a person who runs for an office. A campaign is the work a candidate does to win votes." Say: "Candidates share plans, meet voters and make ads. In a debate, candidates take turns answering the same questions." Say: "Many candidates belong to a political party, a group of people who share ideas about government. Some run without a party." Write two campaign lines in the notebook. Line A: "Vote Lee! Lee loves our town!" Line B: "Lee will keep the library open on Sundays." Ask: "Which line can a voter check later?" (Line B.) Say: "A fact or a plan can be checked. An opinion is a feeling. Trust a source more when its facts can be checked." Ask: "Where could a voter check a candidate's plan?" (In more than one source, such as a debate and a news story.) Say: "People's lives shape what they want. A grandparent may care most about benches. A parent of small children may care about swings." Say: "People who back different candidates can still be good neighbors and friends." If stuck, say: "Ask: Could I check this? If yes, it is a fact or a plan."

3. Activity / Source Work · 15–20 min

   Candidate cards for a pretend office, Park Planner. 1) Copy each card onto an index card, or read both aloud. Card 1: "Rosa Kim. Plan: add a splash pad to Oak Park. Reason: summers here are hot. Cost: high. A splash pad needs pipes and water all summer." Card 2: "Darnell Brooks. Plan: fix the broken swings and add four benches. Reason: people of more ages can use them all year. Cost: lower. Swings and benches need little care." 2) Your child draws a chart with five columns: Candidate, Plan, One strength, One cost or worry, A question I would ask. Fill it in with evidence from the cards. 3) Your child picks one candidate and makes a small poster with a slogan and one fact from the card. 4) Hold a short debate. You play the other candidate. Both answer: "Why is your plan best for the park?" Each speaker gets 30 seconds on the timer. Choices vary. Look for reasons taken from the cards.

4. Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Your child finishes two frames under the chart: "I would vote for ___ because ___. One good thing about the other plan is ___." Sample: "I would vote for Darnell Brooks because fixing swings costs less. One good thing about the other plan is that it cools children off."

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Read the three questions aloud. Praise reasons that come from a plan, not from a poster.

Homework: With a family member, your child looks at one ad on a box, a flyer or a sign. Sort its words into facts and opinions. Look for: at least one statement that can be checked.

Objective: I can tell whether a fraction is less than, equal to or more than 1/2, and how close it is to 1.

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

Materials: Fraction wall from Week 21 Day 1 (six marked strips, each 24 cm long), Centimeter ruler, Crayons, Notebook, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 20 Day 2. Ask: "On a number line, is 2/3 closer to 0 or closer to 1?" (Closer to 1.) Then practice ×6 facts with no clock. Ask 6 × 3, 6 × 5 and 6 × 8 (18, 30, 48). Ask: "How does 6 × 5 help with 6 × 6?" (Add one more 6. 30 + 6 = 36.)

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "1/2 is a benchmark. We know it well, so we use it to judge other fractions. Is a fraction less than half, exactly half or more than half?" Stand the ruler straight down the wall at 12 cm. Ask: "Which fourths end at this line?" (2/4) "Which sixths?" (3/6) "Which eighths?" (4/8) Say: "Each one is another name for 1/2." Write 3/8 and 1/2. Say: "The denominators are different. I give 1/2 a new name in eighths." Ask: "Which eighths equal 1/2?" (4/8) Say: "Now the denominators match. 3/8 < 4/8. So 3/8 is less than 1/2." Write 5/6. Ask: "Which sixths equal 1/2?" (3/6) Say: "5/6 > 3/6. So 5/6 is more than 1/2." Point to 7/8 on the wall. Ask: "How many more eighths make the whole?" (1) Say: "7/8 is one 1/8 piece away from 8/8. It is close to 1." Now your child does more. Write 3/4. Your child gives 1/2 a new name in fourths and decides. (1/2 = 2/4. 3/4 > 2/4, so 3/4 is more than 1/2.)

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   Your child says less than 1/2 or more than 1/2, then proves it with the ruler on the wall. 1) 1/4 (less; 1/4 < 2/4) 2) 5/8 (more; 5/8 > 4/8) 3) 4/6 (more; 4/6 > 3/6) 4) Which is closer to 1, 7/8 or 5/8? (7/8; it is one piece away from 8/8) If stuck, say: "Find the strip with that denominator. Where is the 12 cm line? Is your fraction before it, on it or past it?"

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   Your child writes less than 1/2, equal to 1/2 or more than 1/2. 1) 1/8 (less) 2) 2/4 (equal) 3) 7/8 (more) 4) 3/6 (equal) 5) 2/8 (less) 6) You draw a rectangle cut into 8 equal parts and shade 4 parts. Ask: "Less, equal or more?" (Equal. 4/8 = 1/2.) 7) Lena eats 1/3 of her sandwich. Does she eat more or less than half of it? (Less. Thirds are smaller than halves, so 1/3 < 1/2.) 8) Two same-size jars hold beans. One is 5/6 full and one is 3/6 full. Which jar is closer to full? (The 5/6 jar. It is one 1/6 piece away from 6/6.) Your child checks problems 1 to 5 with the ruler on the wall. Ask: "Which ones sit exactly on the 12 cm line?" (problems 2 and 4)

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Put the wall away. Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper and may sketch a strip.

Fact fluency: ×6 facts

Homework: Your child sketches strips for 1/4, 4/6 and 3/8 and writes less than 1/2 or more than 1/2 under each. (less, more, less)

Objective: I can infer how a character feels from their actions, words and the pictures.

Standards: RL.3.3, RL.3.1, RL.3.7, L.3.5.B

Materials: Reader's notebook, Crayons or colored pencils, Plain paper, Pencil, A picture book or comic from your child's shelf

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Word study: dictation. Say this sentence twice while your child writes it: "I left my notebook on the bookshelf in my bedroom." Check it together. Your child touches each compound word and names its two small words. Fix any gap, such as "book shelf." Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "Three trees stand in a row. Is one the taller or the tallest?" (The tallest. Use -est for three or more.)

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Cross your arms and frown. Then jump and clap. Ask: "What feeling did each one show?" (Angry; excited.) Say: "Authors rarely write 'Kofi was sad.' They show it with what a character does and says. Pictures add more clues." Read this aloud. "Kofi's Kite": Kofi gripped the string with both hands as the red kite climbed higher and higher. "Look at it go!" he shouted. Then a gust of wind snapped the string. Kofi's mouth fell open. He watched the kite drift over the rooftops until it was a tiny dot. He sat down on the grass and pulled his knees to his chest. His sister Ama dropped down beside him. Without a word, she pressed her own kite string into his hand. Kofi wiped his eyes and slowly stood up. Draw two columns: What Kofi Does or Says | Feeling I Infer. Model row 1: "He gripped the string and shouted, 'Look at it go!' People shout like that when they are thrilled. I infer Kofi is excited and proud." Write it in the chart.

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   1) Read: "Kofi's mouth fell open." Ask: "What feeling is that?" (Shocked or surprised.) 2) Read: "He watched the kite drift until it was a tiny dot." Ask: "What feeling?" (Sad, or wishing it would come back.) 3) Ask: "Does Kofi feel the same all through the story?" (No. Excited, then shocked, then sad.) Draw arrows between the feelings. 4) Open the picture book to any picture. Ask: "What does this picture tell about a feeling that the words do not?" (Answers vary. Look for a face, a body shape or a color named as the clue.) If stuck, say: "Do that action with your own body. How do you feel?"

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   1) Add a row for "pulled his knees to his chest." (Sad, disappointed or wanting to be alone.) 2) On plain paper, draw the moment the string snaps. Use the crayons to show the feeling in Kofi's face, his body and the sky. 3) Under the drawing, finish this sentence: "My picture shows ___, which the words do not say." Sample: "My picture shows a huge gray sky, so Kofi looks small and alone." 4) Real-life link. Write one sentence each for two feeling words: disappointed and proud. Sample: "I felt disappointed when rain canceled my party." Look for a drawing that matches the text. Look for a real event for each word.

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Ask the questions aloud. Your child answers in the notebook with the story in view.

Homework: Read for 15 minutes. Find one picture in a picture book or comic that shows a feeling the words do not say. Tell a family member the clue. Look for a clue in the picture, not the words.

Objective: I can describe a temperate climate's four seasons and how living things change through the year.

Standards: 3-ESS2-2, 3-LS4-3

Materials: 1 sheet of plain paper, Crayons, Science notebook and pencil, A window or doorway with a view of a tree or yard

1. Day 108 — Temperate Climates — Wonder Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Day 2. Ask: "How is a savanna different from a rainforest?" (A savanna has a long dry season. A rainforest has rain in every season.) Then look out the window together. Ask: "What season is it now? What clues can you see?" Wonder: "Why do some places have four seasons?"

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "A temperate climate has four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter. Summers are warm and winters are cool or cold." Draw this table in the notebook for a sample temperate town. Winter: usual high 40°F, about 9 hours of daylight. Spring: 62°F, about 13 hours. Summer: 86°F, about 15 hours. Fall: 64°F, about 11 hours. Ask: "Which season has the most daylight?" (Summer.) "Which season is warmest?" (Summer.) "What pattern do you see?" (More daylight goes with warmer weather.) Say: "In summer the sun also climbs higher, so its light is less slanted. Longer days and more direct light warm our part of Earth." If stuck, say: "Think of the flashlight. Which light warmed a spot more, straight or slanted?" Now living things. Say: "Many trees here are deciduous. Maples and oaks drop their leaves in fall and grow new ones in spring. Dropping leaves saves water while the ground is frozen." Ask: "What might animals do before winter?" (Sample: store food, grow thick fur or fly south.) Say: "Many geese fly south. Squirrels store nuts."

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

   Four Seasons Tree. 1) Fold the plain paper into four boxes. Label them spring, summer, fall and winter. 2) With crayons, your child draws the same deciduous tree in every box. Spring has buds and small leaves. Summer has full green leaves. Fall has colored leaves falling. Winter has bare branches. 3) Read six clues one at a time. They are blossoms, frogs calling, swimming outdoors, ripe apples, geese flying south and snowflakes. Your child draws or writes each in the season that fits best. 4) Check with this table. Spring: blossoms, frogs calling. Summer: swimming. Fall: ripe apples, geese flying south. Winter: snowflakes. 5) Ask for evidence: "Pick one change. What causes it?" (Sample: "Geese fly south because food is hard to find under snow.") 6) Your child circles today's season and adds one clue seen from the window. Seasons arrive at different times in different places. Accept a match that fits where you live.

4. Science Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Title the page "Temperate Climates." Give the frames: "A temperate climate has ___. In fall, deciduous trees ___. In summer the days are ___ and the weather is ___." Sample: "A temperate climate has four seasons. In fall, deciduous trees drop their leaves. In summer the days are long and the weather is warm." Keep the folded tree page inside the notebook.

5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Read the three exit questions aloud; your child answers on paper. Praise answers that connect daylight, temperature and living things.

Homework: Your child lists three signs of the current season seen outdoors. Look for things they really observed, such as bare branches, buds or birds.