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Week 23 — full print packet

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Quarter 3 · Weeks 19–27

Week 23 Lesson Packet

Reasoning: Fractions, Opinion Essays, Weather & Government

Day 1 · Monday

Social Studies

Objective: I can fix the trickiest ideas about the levels and branches of government.

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

Builds on: Needs Week 19 Day 1 (three levels of government) and Week 20 Day 1 (three branches). One-minute check: ask "Which branch makes laws?" (The legislative branch.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 20. Ask: "Which plan, written in 1787, set up the three branches?" (The U.S. Constitution.) Then look over the scored Week 19 and Week 20 checks. Your child circles any missed item. Say: "Today's question: who does what, and at which level?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Two ideas get mixed up: levels and branches." Lay out the nested circles. Say: "Levels tell how big an area a government serves: local, state or federal." Lay out the branch tree. Say: "Branches tell the kind of job. Legislative makes laws. Executive carries them out. Judicial decides what laws mean in cases." Say: "The same three jobs repeat at every level." Say: "Federal: Congress, the President, the Supreme Court. State: the state legislature, the governor, state courts. Local: the council, the mayor, a local court." Say: "Titles differ from place to place. Many Native nations have their own governments too, with their own leaders, councils and courts." Ask: "Which group makes laws for a state?" (The state legislature.) Ask: "A town council and Congress do the same kind of job. What is it?" (They make laws.) Ask: "What is different?" (The level: a town or the whole country.) If stuck, say: "First ask how big: town, state or country. Then ask the job: make, carry out or decide."
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Government grid. 1) On the large paper, your child draws a grid with three rows and three columns. Label the rows Federal, State, Local. Label the columns Makes laws, Carries out laws, Decides cases. 2) With a marker, your child writes nine cards, one for each name in the Mini-Lesson list. 3) Shuffle. Your child places each card and says its level and job aloud. Look for at least 8 of 9. 4) Play "Who handles it?" Read six problems. Your child points to the box. Record each in a notebook chart with two columns: Problem, Level and job. "A pothole on our street." (Local, carries out: the mayor's road workers.) "A new national holiday." (Federal, makes laws: Congress.) "Repairs to a state highway." (State, carries out: the governor's road department.) "Two neighbors take a fence disagreement to court." (A local or state court decides.) "A new rule about dogs in the town park." (Local, makes laws: the council.) "Does a new national law follow the Constitution?" (Federal, decides cases: the Supreme Court.) Look for 5 of 6. Answers can vary by town.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child copies the finished grid. For each item missed on the Week 19 and Week 20 checks, write the right answer and why. Use the frame: "I mixed up ___ and ___. Now I know ___ because ___." Sample: "I mixed up the governor and the mayor. Now I know the governor leads the whole state because a state is bigger than a town."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud. Praise answers that give both the level and the job.

Watch for: Fixing a mistake by copying the right answer without understanding why it is right.

Try: Your child explains each correction aloud, as if teaching a younger child. Ask: "How do you know?"

Exit ticket:

A mayor and the President work at different levels. What kind of job do they both do?
Your state wants a new law about school bus safety. Which group writes and votes on it?
A streetlight on your block is broken. Which box on your grid handles it? Name the level and the job.

Answers: 1) Both carry out laws. Both lead an executive branch. 2) The state legislature. 3) Local, carries out laws: the mayor's workers fix it.

Mathematics

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

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

Builds on: Needs Week 20 Day 3, where fractions greater than 1 went on a number line. One-minute check: ask "How many sixths make 1 whole? How many make 2 wholes?" (6; 12)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 19 Day 2. Say: "Write two sixths as a fraction." (2/6) Ask: "What does the 2 tell you?" (We mean 2 of the equal parts.) Then practice ÷6 facts with no clock. Ask 18 ÷ 6, 30 ÷ 6, 42 ÷ 6 and 54 ÷ 6 (3, 5, 7, 9).
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Build a floor number line. Lay 8 sheets of paper in a row with short edges touching. Run masking tape along the row. Mark the tape at every paper edge, 9 marks in all. Take the paper away. Stick notes on the first, fifth and last marks: 0, 1 and 2. Say: "Each whole has 4 equal spaces. Each space is 1/4." Your child hops from 0 and counts: "one fourth, two fourths," up to "eight fourths." Together, label the marks 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4 and 8/4. Ask: "Which labels sit at 1 and 2?" (4/4 and 8/4) Now find 5/4. Say: "The denominator is 4, so each whole has 4 spaces. The numerator is 5, so I make 5 jumps from 0." Hop 5 jumps. Say: "I landed 1 jump past 1. So 5/4 is greater than 1." Now your child does more. Your child hops to 6/4. Ask: "How many jumps? How far past 1?" (6 jumps; 2 jumps past 1)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Move to grid paper. Your child draws each line and marks the point. 1) Draw a line 8 squares long. Write 0 at the left end and 1 at the right end. Tick every square. Your child places 5/8 (5 jumps from 0). 2) Draw a line 12 squares long. Write 0, 1 and 2 at squares 0, 6 and 12. Tick every 3 squares to show halves. Your child places 3/2 (3 jumps; 1 jump past 1). 3) Draw the same 0 to 2 line. Tick every square to show sixths. Your child places 7/6 (7 jumps; 1 jump past 1). 4) Ask: "On the sixths line, which fraction sits at 1?" (6/6) If stuck, say: "The denominator tells the spaces in each whole. The numerator tells the jumps from 0."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child draws each line on grid paper, 1 square for each space. 1) How many equal spaces are between 0 and 1 for eighths? (8) 2) Your child places 2/6 on a 0 to 1 line in sixths (2 jumps). 3) Your child places 6/8 on a 0 to 1 line in eighths (6 jumps). 4) Your child places 9/6 on a 0 to 2 line in sixths (9 jumps; 3 jumps past 1). 5) Your child places 11/6 on the same line (11 jumps; 5 jumps past 1). 6) On a 0 to 2 line in halves, which fraction sits at 2? (4/2) 7) A frog starts at 0 and makes 9 jumps of 1/8. Where does it land? (9/8, which is 1 jump past 1) 8) A bug crawls from 0 to 2/4 on a line marked in fourths. How many jumps of 1/4 is that? (2) Last, your child circles every fraction greater than 1 on the page (9/6, 11/6, 4/2, 9/8).
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud; your child answers on grid paper.

Watch for: Starting the count again at 1, so the mark after 1 is called 1/4, not 5/4.

Try: Keep hopping and counting aloud past 1 without a stop: "four fourths, five fourths."

Exit ticket:

How many jumps of 1/8 from 0 reach 10/8?
Is 10/8 less than 1 or greater than 1? How do you know?
On a 0 to 2 line in eighths, which fraction sits at 2?

Answers: 1) 10 2) Greater than 1. 8/8 is 1 whole, and 10/8 is 2 jumps past it. 3) 16/8

English Language Arts

Objective: I can tell a reason from evidence and add strong evidence to my essay (catch-up day).

Standards: W.3.1.B, W.3.5, RI.3.1

Builds on: Needs Week 20: a reason tells why, and evidence proves the reason. One-minute check: say "Opinion: Kids should drink water. Is 'Water is healthy' a reason or evidence?" (A reason. It tells why.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, Week 23: review sort. Write taller, longest, readable, movement, rainy, snowman. Ask: "Which words compare?" (taller, longest) "Which three have a suffix that makes a new kind of word?" (readable, movement, rainy) "Which is a compound word?" (snowman) Your child underlines each suffix. Spaced review from Week 22. Ask: "What is the inference formula?" (Text clue + what I know = inference.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "This is a catch-up week. Today we fix the hardest part of an opinion essay: evidence. A reason tells why. Evidence answers 'How do you know?' It is a fact, an example or an experience." Play Prove It. You say a reason, then model the proof. 1) "Helmets keep bike riders safe." Proof: "A helmet has a hard shell with thick foam inside." (fact) 2) "Trees make a playground more comfortable." Proof: "For example, the Oak Street playground has no shade, so the slide gets too hot." (example) 3) "Reading before bed is relaxing." Proof: "Last night I read and fell asleep in ten minutes." (experience) Now show weak evidence: "Helmets keep riders safe because they are safe." Say: "That only repeats the reason. Test it. Could someone check it or see it? Did it happen?" Your child proves one: "Pets need exercise." (Sample: "Our dog sleeps better after a long walk.")
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Write these on the six index cards. Reasons: "A class pet teaches kids to be responsible." "Walking to school is healthy." "Board games are great for families." Weak evidence: "A pet teaches responsibility because kids get responsible." "Walking is healthy since it is good for your health." "Games are great because they are so great." 1) Your child matches each weak card to its reason. 2) Ask of each weak card: "Does it prove anything new?" (No. It repeats the reason.) 3) Together, rewrite each one on the back as real evidence. (Samples: "Our class hamster needs fresh water every day, and we take turns." "Walking makes your heart and legs stronger." "Last Friday we played a game and laughed for an hour.") 4) Your child labels each rewrite fact, example or experience. If stuck, say: "Tell me about one time you saw this happen."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Start with this sample, then move to the real essay. "More Time at the Park": I think our park visits should be longer. First, kids need time to warm up. Warming up takes time because it takes a while. Another reason is that playing outside is good for you. Playing is good because it is really good. 1) Your child points to and reads the two weak evidence sentences in the sample. 2) Your child rewrites each one in the notebook. (Sample: "Last week we had to leave just as our game began.") 3) Now open the essay. Underline each reason with one colored pencil and each piece of evidence with the other. 4) Every reason needs evidence. Add what is missing, and add a second kind where you can. 5) Rewrite one improved body paragraph neatly. Checklist: each reason has evidence; no evidence repeats its reason; each piece could be checked, seen, or really happened.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child answers aloud or in writing, with the revised essay open.

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

Try: Ask, "How do you know?" If the answer repeats the reason, ask for one fact, example or experience.

Exit ticket:

Read your revised paragraph. Which sentence is your strongest evidence? Is it a fact, an example or an experience?
Reason: Music lessons are worth the work. Weak evidence: "Lessons are worth it because they are worth the work." Write real evidence.
Opinion: Dogs need exercise every day. Reason or evidence? "Our neighbor's dog walks two miles each morning."

Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a sentence that proves its reason, named with the right kind. 2) Answers vary. Look for: proof someone could see or check, such as "After six lessons I could play a whole song." 3) Evidence. It is an example someone could check.

Science

Objective: I can read weather tools correctly and record a full weather observation.

Standards: 3-ESS2-1

Builds on: Needs Week 19: reading the thermometer, the rain gauge and the wind streamer. One-minute check: your child holds up each Week 19 tool and tells what it measures (temperature, rainfall, wind direction).

Day 111 — Flex Catch-Up: Weather Tools and Data — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 22. Ask: "The Arctic is covered with ice and snow. Why is water still hard for living things to get there?" (Most of the water is frozen.) Then hold up the thermometer. Ask: "What does it read right now? How did you find the number?" Wonder: "How can two people read one tool and agree?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "This is a catch-up day for the two trickiest tool skills." Skill 1: reading between the numbers. In the notebook, draw a thermometer scale with 70 and 80 labeled and 4 small marks between them. Say: "Count the spaces from 70 to 80, not the lines." Your child counts 5 spaces. Say: "10 degrees shared by 5 spaces is 2 degrees each." Draw the liquid 2 marks above 70. Ask: "What is the reading?" (74°F. Count 72, 74.) Ask: "Now the liquid is 1 mark below 80. What is the reading?" (78°F.) If stuck, say: "Put your finger on the labeled number. Hop one space at a time and count by 2s." Check the spaces on your own thermometer too. Skill 2: naming the wind. Say: "A wind is named for where it comes from." Ask: "A flag flaps toward the south. Where does that wind come from, and what do we call it?" (From the north. It is a north wind.) If stuck, say: "Turn and face the wind. Which way are you looking?" Ask: "Why do we empty the rain gauge after reading it?" (So the next reading starts at zero.)
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Weather Station Practice. 1) On the 3 sticky notes, use the ruler to draw three pretend thermometers. Each mark is 2 degrees. Note A: labels 40 and 50, liquid 3 marks above 40. Note B: labels 20 and 30, liquid 1 mark above 20. Note C: labels 80 and 90, liquid 2 marks below 90. Your child reads each. (46°F, 22°F, 86°F.) 2) Go outside. Keep the thermometer in the shade for 2 minutes, then read it. 3) Find north with the compass. Your child holds up the streamer and names the wind by where it comes from. 4) Read the rain gauge at eye level, in inches, then empty it. An empty gauge reads 0 inches. 5) Record one full report in the weather log: date, time, temperature, rain, wind direction and strength, clouds. 6) Compare it with one report from Week 19. Ask: "What is different now? What might explain it?" (Sample: "It is warmer because the season has changed.") If your reading and your child's differ, look again together at eye level. Real results vary from day to day. Look for a complete report.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child writes two fix-it notes about past mix-ups. Frame: "I used to ___. Now I ___ because ___." Sample: "I used to count the lines. Now I count the spaces because each space is 2 degrees." Then check that today's report is complete in the log.
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud; your child may sketch a scale to help. Praise careful counting.

Watch for: Counting the lines instead of the spaces, so each mark gets the wrong value.

Try: Your child puts a finger on the labeled number and hops space by space, counting by the mark's value.

Exit ticket:

A thermometer shows 50 and 60 with 5 spaces between them. How many degrees is each space worth?
The marks on a dial count by 2s. The needle rests two marks below 60. What temperature does it show?
The weather report says the wind is from the northwest. Toward which direction will your streamer blow?

Answers: 1) 2 degrees. 2) 56°F. 3) Toward the southeast.

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Day 2 · Tuesday

Social Studies

Objective: I can fix the trickiest ideas about rights, responsibilities and voting.

Standards: D2.Civ.2.3-5, D2.Civ.3.3-5

Builds on: Needs Week 21 Days 2 and 3 (First Amendment freedoms, responsibilities) and Week 22 Day 1 (voting rules). One-minute check: ask "Is helping to keep your street clean a right or a responsibility?" (A responsibility.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 21. Ask: "Which amendment lists freedom of speech?" (The First Amendment, in the Bill of Rights.) Then your child circles any missed item on the scored Week 21 and Week 22 checks.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Lay out the T-chart. Say: "A right is a freedom the law protects for you. A responsibility is something you should do for others and your community." Say: "Voting is both." Say: "The First Amendment protects five freedoms. Here is a memory clue: RAPPS." Write the letters down the notebook page. "R is religion: follow any religion or none. A is assembly: gather peacefully. P is press: report the news." "The second P is petition: ask the government to fix a problem. S is speech: say what you think." Say: "Now the voting rules. A voter must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18. Almost every state asks voters to register. Each voter gets one vote, on a secret ballot." Say: "Jaden is 9. He cannot vote yet. He can still learn about the plans and go along when an adult votes." Ask: "Neighbors hand the council a signed request for a dog park. Which freedom is that?" (Petition.) Ask: "Why is voting on both sides of the T-chart?" (The law protects it, and the community needs it.) If stuck, say: "Ask: Is this something I am allowed to do, or something I should do for others?"
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Scenario sort. 1) With a marker, your child labels three mats: Right, Responsibility, Voting rule. 2) Read each scenario aloud. Your child writes two or three key words on a card, places it and gives a reason. "A news site reports that the town pool will close." (Right: press.) "A driver stops at a red light on an empty road." (Responsibility: following laws.) "A voter marks her ballot behind a screen." (Voting rule: secret ballot.) "Neighbors hold a peaceful march for a safer bridge." (Right: assembly.) "A 16-year-old must wait two more years to vote." (Voting rule: age 18.) "A shop owner pays taxes that help pay for the fire department." (Responsibility.) "A family chooses a place of worship, or none." (Right: religion.) "A student picks up litter at the playground." (Responsibility.) "Residents sign a request for a bike path." (Right: petition.) "A man who voted this morning may not vote again today." (Voting rule: one vote each.) 3) Your child counts the cards on each mat in a chart: Right, Responsibility, Voting rule. Expect 4, 3 and 3. Look for at least 8 of 10. Sorts vary. Accept another mat if the reason is good.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Under the RAPPS letters, your child writes one example of their own for each freedom. Then rewrite any missed check item correctly, with a reason. Sample: "R is religion. A family may follow any religion or none."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud. Your child answers without the mats. Praise examples your child made up alone.

Watch for: Calling anything they like a "right," such as "the right to dessert."

Try: Ask: "Does the Constitution or a law protect this for everyone?"

Exit ticket:

What five freedoms does RAPPS help you remember?
A citizen has just turned 18 and wants to vote. In almost every state, what must she do first?
Sort these two: returning a lost wallet, and speaking at a town meeting. Which is a right and which is a responsibility?

Answers: 1) Religion, assembly, press, petition and speech. 2) Register to vote. 3) Speaking at a town meeting is a right. Returning a lost wallet is a responsibility.

Mathematics

Objective: I can find equivalent fractions and compare fractions with models.

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

Builds on: Needs Week 21 Days 1 and 2 (equivalent fractions) and Week 22 Days 1 and 2 (comparing). One-minute check: ask "Which piece of the same strip is bigger, 1/3 or 1/8?" (1/3)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 20 Day 2. Ask: "A 0 to 1 line shows sixths. How many jumps from 0 reach 4/6?" (4) Then practice ×6 facts with no clock. Ask 6 × 4, 6 × 7, 6 × 8 and 6 × 9 (24, 42, 48, 54). Your child names a strategy for one fact.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Equivalent fractions name the same amount. Today we fold to find them." Fold a strip in half. Shade one part with the crayon. Ask: "What fraction is shaded?" (1/2) Fold it in half again and open it. Ask: "How many equal parts now? How many are shaded?" (4; 2) Say: "The shading did not change. Its new name is 2/4." Fold once more and open. Ask: "What is the name now?" (4/8) Say: "Same amount, more parts, new name. So 1/2 = 2/4 = 4/8." Now compare. Fold a second strip in half. Hold it beside the eighths strip. Say: "Both strips are the same whole." Point to one part of each. Ask: "Which is bigger, 1/2 or 1/8?" (1/2) Say: "More parts means smaller parts. So 1/2 > 1/8." Point to 2 parts, then 5 parts, of the eighths strip. Say: "These parts are the same size, and 5 is more. So 2/8 < 5/8." Now your child does more. Your child folds the third strip into fourths. Ask: "Which is bigger, 1/4 or 1/2? Which is more, 1/4 or 3/4?" (1/2; 3/4)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Draw bars on grid paper. 1) Draw a bar 6 squares long. Draw lines to make 3 equal parts. Shade 2 parts (2/3). Now draw a line at every square. Ask: "What is the new name?" (4/6) 2) Draw a bar 8 squares long with 4 equal parts. Shade 2 parts (2/4). Draw a line at every square. Your child names it in eighths (4/8). 3) Compare 2/8 and 7/8 (2/8 < 7/8; same-size parts, and 7 is more). 4) Compare 1/3 and 1/4 (1/3 > 1/4; thirds are bigger parts). Check with two bars 12 squares long. Mark thirds every 4 squares and fourths every 3 squares. If stuck, say: "Are the parts the same size? Or is the number of parts the same?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child may fold or draw for any item. 1) 1/2 = ?/4 (2) 2) 1/2 = ?/8 (4) 3) 4/8 = ?/4 (2) 4) Draw a bar 6 squares long. Shade 3 squares. Name the shaded part in sixths and in halves (3/6 and 1/2). 5) Compare 1/6 and 4/6 (1/6 < 4/6). 6) Compare 3/6 and 3/8 (3/6 > 3/8). 7) Rosa and Tim have granola bars of the same size. Rosa eats 3/4 of hers. Tim eats 3/8 of his. Who eats more? (Rosa; fourths are bigger parts than eighths) 8) Kim paints 2 of 4 equal parts of a fence. Ben paints 4 of 8 equal parts of a same-size fence. Who paints more? (They paint the same amount; 2/4 = 4/8)
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the strips away. Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper and may draw.

Watch for: Saying 1/8 is greater than 1/2 because 8 is more than 2.

Try: Hold one part of each folded strip side by side. Ask which piece of a snack bar your child would pick.

Exit ticket:

A strip has 2 equal parts with 1 part shaded. Each part is cut into 3 pieces. What fraction is shaded now?
Compare 3/8 and 7/8 with < or >.
Compare 1/2 and 1/3 with < or >. Tell why.

Answers: 1) 3/6 2) 3/8 < 7/8 3) 1/2 > 1/3. Halves are bigger parts than thirds.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can make inferences and figure out word meanings using clues (catch-up day).

Standards: RL.3.1, L.3.4.A, RI.3.4

Builds on: Needs Week 22: the inference formula and context clues. One-minute check: say "Ming's cheeks turned pink, and she stared at her shoes while the class clapped. How does Ming feel?" (Shy or embarrassed.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: mark the parts. Write cleaner, readable, movement, rainy, cried. Your child underlines each base word and circles the ending. (clean + er, read + able, move + ment, rain + y, cry + ed.) Ask: "What happened to the y in cried?" (It changed to i before -ed.) Spaced review from Week 13. Write "The kittens naps in the sun." Ask: "Fix the verb." (The kittens nap in the sun.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we practice inferring again, this time with detective steps." Write the four steps. Step 1: find a clue. Step 2: say what you know. Step 3: make the inference. Step 4: check that every clue fits. Read this aloud. "The Mystery at the Pond": When Rosa reached the pond, the water was still. Then small V-shaped ripples slid across it, and a stick floated past with its bark chewed off. On the muddy bank, the edge of the pond, stood a stump with a pointed top. Wood chips lay all around it. Rosa smiled and whispered, "You've been busy." She sat down on a log to wait, as still as a stone. Model the first two steps: "A stick with its bark chewed off. I point to it. I know some animals chew wood. I am not ready to infer yet. One clue is not enough, so I look for more."
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Run the steps together. 1) Your child points to three more clues. (Ripples, the pointed stump, wood chips.) 2) Ask: "Which animal chews trees and swims? What do you infer?" (A beaver. A beaver lives at this pond.) 3) Check it. Ask: "Would a duck fit every clue?" (No. Ducks swim, but they cannot chew wood.) 4) Find the word ripples. Ask: "What do you think ripples are? Point to your clue words." (Small waves. Clues: "V-shaped" and "slid across" the water.) Write the inference and the word meaning in the notebook. If stuck, say: "Which animal from last week gnaws on trees?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child writes one clue from the story on each of the five sticky notes. 2) Sort the notes under two headings in the notebook: Clues About the Animal, Clues About Rosa. 3) Write one inference for each heading. Start with "I infer ___ because ___." 4) Read your child's own book for the last ten minutes. Jot one inference with two clues. Look for at least two clues for the beaver. Look for Rosa's feeling (happy, pleased or excited) backed by her smile and whisper. Sample: "I infer Rosa is pleased because she smiled and whispered to the beaver."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child writes the answers with the story in view.

Watch for: Naming the animal but not the clues that prove it.

Try: An answer counts only when it has "I know because" plus two clues.

Exit ticket:

Why does Rosa sit "as still as a stone"? What can you infer?
What does "bank" mean in this story? Which words are the clue?
A reader guesses that a fish made the clues. Which clue does a fish not fit?

Answers: 1) She hopes to see the beaver and does not want to scare it away. 2) The land at the edge of the pond. Clue: "the edge of the pond." 3) The pointed stump or the wood chips. A fish cannot chew a tree on land.

Science

Objective: I can tell weather from climate and explain the safety plan for severe weather.

Standards: 3-ESS2-2, 3-ESS3-1

Builds on: Needs Week 20 Day 1 (weather or climate) and Week 21 (watches, warnings and the family safety poster). One-minute check: ask, "Which one is about many years, weather or climate?" (Climate.)

Day 112 — Flex Catch-Up: Weather vs. Climate and Safety — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Day 1. In the notebook, sketch a scale with 30 and 40 labeled and 5 spaces between. Draw the liquid 2 marks above 30. Ask: "What is the reading?" (34°F.) Then the wonder. Ask: "Weather alerts use the words watch and warning. Which one means act right now?" Take a guess.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Clue 1: time words. Say: "Weather words tell about one short time: today, now, tonight, tomorrow, yesterday. Climate words tell the long pattern: usually, most years, every summer, all year." Say: "It is windy this afternoon." Ask: "Weather or climate? Which words told you?" (Weather. This afternoon.) Say: "Our falls are usually cool and dry." Ask the same. (Climate. Usually.) If stuck, say: "Cover the weather word. Is the sentence about one time or many years?" Clue 2: alert words. Say: "A watch means dangerous weather could happen, so be ready. A warning means it is happening or about to happen nearby, so act now." Ask: "The radio says 'severe thunderstorm watch.' Is it time to get ready or to act?" (Be ready. Sample: plan where to go indoors.) Ask: "It changes to a severe thunderstorm warning. Now what?" (Act now. Go indoors and stay away from windows.) Say: "Watch means get set. Warning means go."
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Clue-Word Sort and Alert Drill. 1) Write these 8 sentences on cards with the marker. "Sleet is hitting the window right now." "Tonight will be clear and cold." "Yesterday a strong wind knocked over our trash can." "It is 85°F at the park this afternoon." "Our town usually gets about 40 inches of snow a year." "July is our hottest month most years." "This desert gets very little rain in a normal year." "Winters on this mountain are always long." 2) Your child underlines the clue word on each card in pencil and sorts the cards into two piles. Expect the first four under weather and the last four under climate. 3) Write four alerts on cards: flood watch, winter storm warning, high wind watch, tornado warning. 4) Hold up one at a time. Your child says "Be ready" or "Act now" and names one action. Use the safety poster for ideas. Samples: flood watch, know the way to higher ground. Winter storm warning, stay indoors and off the roads. High wind watch, plan to bring loose things indoors. 5) For the tornado warning, your child walks to your family's safe place from Week 21.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child makes two lists, Weather clue words and Climate clue words, with at least four in each. Then give the frames: "A watch means ___. A warning means ___. If I hear a warning, I will ___." Sample: "A watch means be ready. A warning means act now. If I hear a warning, I will go to our safe place."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud; your child answers on paper. Praise answers that name the clue word.

Watch for: Sorting by the weather word, such as snow or hot, instead of the time clue.

Try: Cover the weather word with a finger. Ask: "Is this about one time or about many years?"

Exit ticket:

Weather or climate: 'Most Januaries here bring deep snow.' Which word is the clue?
The radio announces a winter storm watch. Does that mean be ready or act now? Name one thing to do.
Write one climate sentence about your own town. Underline your clue word.

Answers: 1) Climate. The clue is 'most.' 2) Be ready. Sample: check supplies and plan to stay home. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a long-pattern clue word, such as "Our summers are usually humid."

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Day 3 · Wednesday

Social Studies

Objective: I can work with others to propose a solution to a local problem in a Town Council Challenge.

Standards: D2.Civ.9.3-5, D2.Civ.11.3-5, D2.Civ.13.3-5, D1.1.3-5, D1.4.3-5, D1.5.3-5, D3.3.3-5, D3.4.3-5

Builds on: Needs Week 19 Day 4 (the four steps of a local decision) and Week 8 Day 1 (compelling and supporting questions). One-minute check: ask "What is the first step of a local decision?" (A proposal: someone suggests an idea.)

New words:

policy – a plan a government makes to solve a public problem
benefit – a good thing that comes from a choice

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 8. Ask: "What makes a question a compelling question?" (It is a big question that people can answer in different ways.) Then say: "Today you are the town council."
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A policy is a plan a government makes to solve a public problem." Read Source 1 aloud. It is about a made-up town. "Notes for the Cedar Hollow town council. Pine Park has two trash cans, both beside the gate. On Saturday, volunteers counted 46 pieces of litter along the path. A new can is bought one time. A worker must be paid to empty cans every week. Some neighbors say more cans attract raccoons. The soccer league offers to help clean up after games." Say: "Our compelling question is: How can Cedar Hollow keep Pine Park clean?" Ask: "Why does this question matter to other people?" (Families, players and neighbors all use the park.) Say: "Supporting questions are smaller questions that help answer the big one. Here is one: Where is most of the litter?" Your child writes two more in the notebook. (Samples: "How much does a trash can cost?" "What have other towns tried?") Ask: "How does each small question help?" Ask: "What source could answer it?" (A litter count, a park worker or a neighbor.) Say: "Ask people who disagree too, such as the neighbors who worry about raccoons." If stuck, say: "Start your question with How many, Where or Who."
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Town Council Challenge. 1) With markers, your child sketches Pine Park on paper. Show the gate, two cans, the path and a soccer field. Mark where the litter was counted. 2) Read Source 2, a note from a park worker. "I empty both cans every Monday. By Saturday they are overflowing." 3) Your child writes one affected group on each index card: families, soccer players, neighbors, town workers. Ask: "What does each group want?" 4) Draw a chart with three columns: Solution, Benefit, Cost or worry. Use three solutions: two new cans along the path, a monthly volunteer cleanup, or signs with a fine for littering. Sample row: new cans; litter has a place to go; a worker must empty them. 5) Discuss as a council. Each person speaks once before anyone speaks twice. Then choose one solution, or join two. 6) Your child writes the proposal on the second sheet: "We propose ___ because ___. It will help ___. One cost or worry is ___. Our evidence is ___ (from Source 1) and ___ (from Source 2)." Proposals vary. Look for the problem, the people, a solution, a cost and evidence from both sources.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child copies the proposal into the notebook. Then finish: "The group that might disagree is ___ because ___. I would tell them ___." Sample: "Neighbors might disagree because of raccoons. I would tell them we will choose cans with lids."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud. Praise evidence that comes from a source.

Watch for: Proposing a solution without thinking about cost or about who might disagree.

Try: Before the proposal is finished, ask: "Who pays for this? Who might not like it?"

Exit ticket:

A town makes a plan to plant shade trees along its hottest sidewalks. What is a government plan like this called?
Name two groups affected by the litter in Pine Park. Tell what one of them wants.
Why should a proposal tell a cost or a worry, not only the good parts?

Answers: 1) A policy. 2) Answers vary. Look for two of: families, soccer players, neighbors, town workers, and a sensible want such as a clean path. 3) So the council can compare benefits and costs fairly and plan for problems.

Mathematics

Objective: I can design a fraction quilt and name each color in more than one way.

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

Builds on: Needs Week 21 Day 2, where an area model showed equivalent fractions. One-minute check: your child draws a rectangle with 2 equal parts and shades 1. Draw a line across. Ask for the new name (2/4).

New words:

quilt – a blanket made of many sewn squares

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 21 Day 4. Say: "A rectangle has 8 equal squares. All 8 are shaded." Ask: "What fraction is shaded? What whole number is that?" (8/8; 1) Then practice ×8 facts with no clock. Ask 8 × 3, 8 × 6, 8 × 7 and 8 × 9 (24, 48, 56, 72).
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you design fraction quilts. A quilt is a blanket made of squares." Draw Quilt A on grid paper: a rectangle 3 squares long and 2 squares tall. Ask: "How many equal squares? What fraction is one square?" (6; 1/6) Give the rules: 1/2 green, 1/3 blue, the rest yellow. Say: "For 1/2, I split the quilt into 2 equal parts." Trace the line under the top row. Ask: "How many squares are in each part?" (3) Color the top row green. Write 3/6 = 1/2. Say: "For 1/3, I need 3 equal parts. The quilt has 3 columns of 2 squares. So 1/3 is 2 squares, wherever they sit." Color 2 squares of the bottom row blue. Write 2/6 = 1/3. Color the last square yellow. Say: "Yellow is 1/6. Check: 3 + 2 + 1 = 6 squares. So the quilt is full." Now your child does more. Your child draws Quilt B: 4 squares long and 2 squares tall. Rules: 1/4 red, 1 square yellow, the rest blue. Ask: "How many squares are red? How many are blue?" (2; 5)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child colors Quilt B with the crayons, then labels each color. 1) Red: how many squares, and what two names? (2 squares; 2/8 and 1/4) 2) Yellow: what fraction? (1/8) 3) Blue: what fraction? (5/8) 4) Ask: "Do the colors fill the whole quilt?" (Yes. 2 + 1 + 5 = 8 squares.) If stuck, say: "Count all the squares first. That number is the denominator."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child answers on grid paper and may draw each quilt. 1) A quilt has 6 equal squares, and 2/3 of it is orange. How many squares are orange? (4) 2) A quilt has 8 equal squares. 3 are white. What fraction is white? (3/8) 3) A quilt has 4 equal squares. 1 is gray. What fraction is not gray? (3/4) 4) A quilt has 6 equal squares, and 1/3 of it is pink. How many squares are pink? (2) 5) Which is more of the same quilt, 1/6 or 1/8? (1/6; sixths are bigger squares) 6) Gran's quilt has 8 equal squares. 5 are dotted and the rest are plain. What fraction is plain? (3/8) 7) Sam's quilt has 6 equal squares. Half are blue. How many squares are blue? (3) 8) Design Quilt C, 2 squares long and 3 squares tall, with three colors. Label each color. (Answers vary. The squares must total 6.)
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper and may sketch a quilt.

Watch for: Writing the number of colored squares as the denominator, such as 1/3 for 3 green squares.

Try: Ask: "How many squares are in the whole quilt?" Your child writes that number as the denominator first.

Exit ticket:

A quilt has 6 equal squares. 5 are gold. What fraction is not gold?
In a quilt of 8 equal squares, what fraction is one square? How many squares make 7/8?
A quilt has 4 equal squares. 2 are tan. Name the tan part two ways.

Answers: 1) 1/6 2) 1/8; 7 squares 3) 2/4 and 1/2

English Language Arts

Objective: I can plan an opinion speech and give it in a family 'Opinion Fair' (enrich day).

Standards: W.3.1, SL.3.1, SL.3.4, SL.3.3, L.3.3.B

Builds on: Needs the finished opinion essay from Weeks 19 to 21. One-minute check: your child says the essay's opinion and one reason from memory. (Answers vary. Look for an opinion sentence and a matching reason.)

New words:

speech cards – small cards with short notes that help a speaker remember what to say

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: dictation. Say this sentence twice while your child writes it: "On the rainy day, we ran across the pavement to the playground." Check it together. Your child names the parts of three words (rain + y, pave + ment, play + ground). Spaced review from Week 21. Ask: "What three things does a strong conclusion do?" (It restates the opinion, sums up the reasons and ends with a call to action.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "This week ends with a family Opinion Fair. Tomorrow you give your essay as a speech with a poster." Say: "Your speech lasts one to two minutes, about as long as reading your essay aloud." Teach four speech moves: opinion at the start and the end, short sentences, eyes up, steady pace. Give this model as a speech. "Learn to Swim!": Have you ever sat on the edge of a pool and wished you could jump in? I believe all kids should learn to swim. Why? I have three big reasons. First, swimming keeps you safe near water. Second, it's great exercise. Your arms, legs and lungs all work. Most of all, swimmers get to join the fun. So ask a grown-up about lessons this summer. Every kid should learn to swim! Ask: "What did you hear that an essay would not have?" (Short forms such as it's, very short phrases, the opinion twice.) Say: "In a speech, your voice and pauses do the work of punctuation. In an essay, every sentence needs a capital and an end mark." Show card 1 for the model as notes: "Pool edge question. Every kid, swim!" Say: "Cards hold notes, not sentences."
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) Together, make card 1 from your child's introduction: the hook and the opinion in a few words. 2) Your child says card 1 aloud while you glance at the clock. Give one tip, such as "Pause after your opinion so it sinks in." 3) Your child picks one long essay sentence and says it as a speaker would. (Sample: "In addition, swimming is excellent exercise" becomes "Also, it's great exercise.") 4) Plan the poster in pencil: the opinion in big letters, three reason boxes and one picture. If stuck, say: "Tell me your opinion as if I just asked at dinner."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Make card 2: the three reasons as short notes, each with one piece of evidence. 2) Make card 3: the conclusion and the call to action. 3) Finish the poster with markers. 4) Practice the whole speech twice with the cards. 5) Write one question a listener might ask, and plan an answer. Sample: "What if a kid is afraid of water?" "Lessons start in the shallow end." Checklist: opinion at the start and the end; notes only on the cards. Eyes up at the end of each card; one planned pause.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child answers aloud with the three cards in hand.

Watch for: Writing full paragraphs on the cards, then reading them without looking up.

Try: Limit each note to a few words. Your child looks up at the end of every card.

Exit ticket:

Where in your speech do you say your opinion?
Read card 2. Why does it have short notes instead of full sentences?
Show one place where you plan to pause. Why there?

Answers: 1) At the start and again at the end. 2) So the speaker can glance at the card and look up, not read word for word. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a pause after the opinion or before the strongest reason, so listeners can take it in.

Science

Objective: I can observe the sky over a day and look for patterns between clouds and weather.

Standards: 3-ESS2-1

Builds on: Needs Week 19: the five parts of weather and reading the thermometer in the shade. One-minute check: your child reads the thermometer and says the number with its unit (sample: 58°F).

New words:

sky cover – how much of the sky is hidden by clouds

Day 113 — Flex Challenge: Cloud and Weather Journal — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 22. Ask: "In a temperate climate, what do deciduous trees look like in winter?" (Bare. They dropped their leaves in fall.) Then look out the window. Your child describes the clouds with shape words: puffy, flat, wispy or tall. Wonder: "Do clouds give clues about what the weather will do next?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you are a sky scientist. Scientists find patterns by observing again and again." Plan the day. Teach this lesson in the morning. Two 5-minute sky checks come later, near noon and in mid-afternoon. Finish the notebook entry and exit ticket after the last check. Teach four cloud looks. Say: "Thin, wispy streaks float very high. Puffy white heaps with blue between them often mean fair weather. A flat gray sheet can bring drizzle or light snow. Tall, dark towers can bring showers or thunderstorms." Your child learns the cloud names in Week 25. Teach sky cover. Say: "Sky cover is how much of the sky the clouds hide: none, a quarter, half, most or all." Draw a circle and shade half. Ask: "What sky cover is this?" (Half.) Ask: "What if the sky is one gray sheet from edge to edge?" (All.) Ask: "Why make three checks instead of one?" (One look cannot show a change or a pattern.) If stuck, say: "Pretend the sky is a pizza. How many slices do the clouds cover?" Safety: never look straight at the sun.
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Sky Journal. 1) In the notebook, draw a table with three rows and five columns. The columns are Time, Cloud sketch, Sky cover, Temperature in °F, and Wind and precipitation. 2) Choose one outdoor spot with a wide view. Keep the spot the same all day. 3) Check 1, now: your child looks up for 30 seconds and says three describing words. 4) With the notebook on the clipboard, they sketch the clouds in crayon and write a sky cover word. 5) Read the thermometer after 2 minutes in the shade. Hold up the streamer. Note the time from the watch and any rain or snow. 6) Repeat steps 3 to 5 near noon and again in mid-afternoon. 7) After check 3, your child reads down each column. Ask: "What changed? What stayed the same?" Many days are warmest in mid-afternoon, and clouds may build or clear. A clear sky all day still counts: write "none." Real results vary. Look for the pattern in your own table.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — After check 3, your child writes under the table. Frames: "During the day the clouds ___. The temperature ___. I predict tonight will be ___ because ___." Sample: "During the day the clouds grew thicker and grayer. The temperature rose 6 degrees, then dropped. I predict tonight will be rainy because the sky is all gray."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — After the notebook entry, read the three exit questions aloud. Praise details that came from looking, not guessing. Tomorrow morning, check the prediction together.

Watch for: Drawing clouds from imagination, such as a row of matching puffs, instead of the real sky.

Try: Your child looks up for 30 seconds and says three describing words before picking up a crayon.

Exit ticket:

Why should all three sky checks be made from the same spot?
At noon, small puffy clouds cover a quarter of the sky. By 3 p.m., tall dark clouds cover most of it. What might happen next?
What do you predict for tonight? Which clue from your table did you use?

Answers: 1) So the checks can be compared fairly. 2) A shower or thunderstorm may come, because the clouds grew tall, dark and wide. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a prediction backed by a cloud, sky cover or temperature clue.

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Day 4 · Thursday

Social Studies

Objective: I can present my council proposal and write a respectful letter to a local official.

Standards: D4.7.3-5, D4.8.3-5, D2.Civ.12.3-5, D4.1.3-5

Builds on: Needs the proposal from Day 3 and Week 21 Day 2 (the right to petition). One-minute check: ask "Which First Amendment freedom lets people ask the government to fix a problem?" (The right to petition.)

New words:

hearing – a public meeting where people may speak to leaders about a plan

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 22. Ask: "Five council members vote. How many votes make a majority?" (3 or more.) Then ask: "How does a plan reach the people who decide?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "People can act alone or together." Draw two columns in the notebook: Alone, Together. Say: "Alone, a person can write a letter or speak at a hearing. Together, people can sign a petition, hold a cleanup or form a group." Ask: "Which might a council notice more: one letter, or a petition signed by 50 neighbors? Why?" (The petition. It shows many people care.) Say: "This is how people change rules. They speak, write and vote until leaders act." Say: "A respectful civic letter has six parts." Your child writes the list: greeting, who you are, the problem, your solution, one reason with evidence, a thank-you. Model a letter aloud. "Dear Council Member Lopez, I am a third grader who rides my bike to the pool. The bike rack there is broken. Please replace it. Last week, twelve bikes were lying on the grass. Thank you for your time." Ask: "Where is the evidence in that letter?" (Twelve bikes were lying on the grass.) Ask: "What is missing if a letter starts, 'Fix it now'?" (A greeting, who you are and polite words.) If stuck, say: "Point to each part on the list and say it in one sentence."
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Council hearing. 1) Family members play council members. One is the chair and holds the spoon. 2) The chair taps the spoon and says: "This hearing is open." 3) Your child presents the Day 3 proposal for about one minute. 4) Each council member asks one question. Your child answers with evidence from the two sources. 5) One member plays a worried neighbor and speaks against the plan. Your child answers respectfully. 6) The council votes Yes or No by secret ballot. Your child counts the slips and fills in a chart: Yes, No, Result. 7) Ask: "If the council says yes, what happens next?" (Action: the town carries out the plan.) Ask: "If it says no, what could you do?" (Gather more evidence, ask neighbors to sign a petition and try again.) 8) Your child says the six letter parts aloud for the litter problem or a real local problem. Results vary. Look for respectful answers that use evidence.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — On writing paper, your child writes the letter in 5 to 7 sentences and checks off the six parts. Record the council vote in the notebook. Sample opening: "Dear Mayor ___, I am a third grader who plays at ___ Park." Fill in the official's title and name together. If the letter is about a real problem, your family may mail it in the envelope.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud. Praise a calm, polite answer to the worried neighbor.

Watch for: Writing a letter that only demands, with no reason and no polite words.

Try: Read the letter aloud as if you were the official. Ask: "Would this make you want to help? What would make it better?"

Exit ticket:

The slide at your playground has been broken for a month. Name one way to act alone and one way to act together.
A letter says only, "You must fix the park now!" Name two things that would make it better.
What was the result of your council vote? Predict what would happen next.

Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: alone, write to the town or speak at a hearing; together, neighbors sign a petition. 2) Answers vary. Look for two of: a greeting, who the writer is, a reason with evidence, a polite thank-you. 3) Answers vary. Look for: the vote result and a sensible next step, such as action by the town or trying again.

Mathematics

Objective: I can use measuring cups to show fractions of one cup and find equal amounts.

Standards: 3.NF.A.1, 3.NF.A.3.A, 3.NF.A.3.C

Builds on: Needs Week 19 Day 3 (unit fractions build other fractions) and Week 21 Day 4 (whole numbers as fractions). One-minute check: ask "How many 1/6 pieces make 1 whole?" (6) Your child writes it as a fraction (6/6).

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 22 Day 1. Ask: "Which is greater, 1/8 or 6/8? Why?" (6/8; the parts are the same size, and 6 is more.) Then practice ÷4 facts with no clock. Ask 12 ÷ 4, 24 ÷ 4, 32 ÷ 4 and 36 ÷ 4 (3, 6, 8, 9).
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Set the cups, the bowl and the rice on the tray. Say: "The 1-cup measure is our whole. The small cups are unit fractions of it." Hold up the 1/4 cup. Ask: "How many of these will fill 1 cup? Make a guess." Scoop rice with the 1/4 cup and pour it into the 1 cup. Count each scoop aloud: "one fourth, two fourths, three fourths, four fourths." Say: "4 scoops fill the cup. 4 parts of size 1/4 make 1 whole." Write it. Say: "So 4/4 = 1." Tip the rice back. Now your child does more. Your child guesses, then fills the 1 cup with the 1/3 cup. Ask: "How many scoops? What do we write?" (3; 3/3 = 1)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child guesses first, then tests with rice and writes each result. 1) How many 1/2-cup scoops fill 1 cup? (2; 2/2 = 1) 2) How many 1/4-cup scoops fill the 1/2 cup? (2; 2/4 = 1/2) 3) Which holds more, the 1/3 cup or the 1/4 cup? Pour one into the other. (The 1/3 cup; it overflows the 1/4 cup.) 4) Hold the 1 cup over the bowl. Pour in 5 scoops of 1/4 cup. Is 5/4 more than 1 cup? (Yes. The cup is full after 4 scoops, and scoop 5 spills over.) If stuck, say: "Count the scoops aloud. Each scoop is one equal part."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child writes a guess, tests with rice, then writes the answer. For 2 cups, fill the 1 cup twice and tip it into the bowl. 1) How many 1/3-cup scoops make 2/3 cup? (2) 2) How many 1/2-cup scoops make 2 cups? (4; 4/2 = 2) 3) How many 1/4-cup scoops make 2 cups? (8; 8/4 = 2) 4) Which holds more, the 1/2 cup or the 1/3 cup? (the 1/2 cup) 5) Write 1 cup as a fraction in halves, in thirds and in fourths (2/2, 3/3, 4/4). 6) Pour 6 scoops of 1/4 cup into the bowl. How many 1/2-cup scoops is that? (3; 6/4 = 3/2) 7) Dana's recipe needs 3/4 cup of oats. She has only the 1/4 cup. How many scoops does she need? (3) 8) Sam pours 2 scoops of 1/4 cup. Jo pours 1 scoop of 1/2 cup. Who has more? (They have the same amount; 2/4 = 1/2)
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the rice away. Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper.

Watch for: Thinking the 1/4 cup holds more than the 1/3 cup because 4 is more than 3.

Try: Pour a full 1/3 cup into the 1/4 cup over the tray. Watch it overflow.

Exit ticket:

How many 1/3-cup scoops fill 3 cups?
Which holds more rice, the 1/4 cup or the 1/2 cup? Why?
You pour 7 scoops of 1/4 cup. Is that more or less than 2 cups?

Answers: 1) 9 (9/3 = 3) 2) The 1/2 cup. Halves are bigger parts than fourths. 3) Less. It takes 8 scoops, or 8/4, to make 2 cups.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can present my opinion speech, listen to others and ask good questions.

Standards: SL.3.1, SL.3.1.A, SL.3.1.B, SL.3.1.C, SL.3.1.D, SL.3.2, SL.3.3, SL.3.4, SL.3.6

Builds on: Needs yesterday's speech cards and poster. One-minute check: your child names the four speech moves. (Opinion first and last, short sentences, eyes up, steady pace.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: meaning. Ask: "Which review word means 'can be read'?" (readable) "Which means 'more happy'?" (happier) "Which names the hard top of a road or path?" (pavement) Your child uses one of them in a sentence about the fair. Spaced review from Week 9. Ask: "What is the plural of puppy? Of mouse?" (puppies; mice)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you are a speaker and a listener. Good listeners take notes, retell and ask a question." Your child draws a listening sheet in the notebook with four lines: Opinion, Reason 1, Reason 2, My question. Give this model speech, or have a family member give one. "Saturday Hikes": Saturdays should be for family hikes. First, hiking is good exercise for everyone, even the dog. Second, we notice things outside. Last month we saw a hawk, three deer and a frozen waterfall. Most of all, hikes give us time together. We tell jokes all the way up the trail. So lace up your boots this Saturday. Let's hike! Your child fills in the sheet while listening. Then model the listener's jobs. Retell: "You think Saturdays should be for hikes because hiking is exercise and we notice things." Ask a question that starts with Why, How or What if: "What if it rains?" Link to what was said: "You said hikes give us time together, and I would add that we sleep better afterward."
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Hold the Opinion Fair. 1) Review the rules: come prepared, wait for your turn, look at the speaker, one voice at a time. Your child rereads the speech cards once. 2) Your child gives the speech with the poster. 3) Each listener retells one reason, then asks one question. One question checks understanding: "Did you mean ___?" 4) Your child answers each question in a complete sentence, using a reason or evidence. Then your child finishes aloud: "Now that I have heard your questions, I think ___." If stuck on an answer, say: "Look at card 2. Which reason helps you answer?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child writes a recount of "Saturday Hikes" or a family member's speech in three or four sentences. Include the opinion, two reasons and one piece of evidence. 2) Write the question you asked and the answer you got. 3) Write one glow and one grow for your own speech. Sample recount: "Dad thinks Saturdays should be for hikes. He says hiking is good exercise and we notice things outside. Last month the family saw a hawk." Look for the opinion the speaker really gave. Look for reasons in the speaker's order. Look for a specific glow and grow, such as "I looked up" and "I will slow down."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the questions aloud. Your child answers in complete sentences.

Watch for: Asking a question the speaker already answered.

Try: Before asking, your child checks the listening sheet: "Did the speaker already tell us this?"

Exit ticket:

What was the opinion in the speech you listened to, and what was one reason for it?
What question did you ask the speaker? Did it start with Why, How or What if?
What is one thing you will do differently in your next speech?

Answers: 1) Answers vary. For "Saturday Hikes": Saturdays should be for family hikes, because hiking is good exercise. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a question the speaker had not already answered, tied to one reason. 3) Answers vary. Look for: one specific goal, such as pausing after the opinion.

Science

Objective: I can use evidence to describe the climate of a place and how living things fit it.

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

Builds on: Needs Week 22: the five climate types and how living things fit them. Also needs Day 2: climate clue words. One-minute check: your child names two climate clue words (sample: usually, most years).

Day 114 — Flex Challenge: Design a Climate Postcard — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Day 3. Ask: "What change or pattern did you find in your Sky Journal?" (Answers vary. Look for a change in clouds or temperature.) Check last night's prediction together. Then the wonder. Ask: "A friend lives in the Sahara. What might she write about her weather on a postcard?" (Sample: hot days and almost no rain.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you make a Climate Postcard from a place in a different climate region." Say: "A postcard describes the usual weather, so it needs climate words like usually and most of the year." Read this model aloud. "Greetings from Manaus, Brazil! It is warm and humid here all year. In the wet season it usually rains hard in the afternoon. Sloths climb slowly through the tall trees. Houses have wide windows to let the breeze in." Ask: "Which climate type is Manaus?" (Tropical.) "Which climate words did you hear?" (All year, usually.) "Which living thing fits, and why?" (A sloth. It lives in trees that stay leafy all year.) Now read a weak one. "It rained here on Tuesday. It is nice." Ask: "What is wrong with it?" (It tells one day's weather and gives no facts.) If stuck, say: "Would that sentence still be true next month?" Say: "Good postcards use facts as evidence. You will combine facts from a fact bank or a book."
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Climate Postcard Challenge. 1) Your child picks a place in a different climate type from home. Use this fact bank or the library book. Cairo, Egypt, arid: hot summers, mild winters, about 1 inch of rain a year; date palms grow by the river. Northern coast of Alaska, polar: winters far below zero, short cool summers; Arctic foxes and low mosses. Singapore, tropical: warm every month, about 90 inches of rain a year; orchids and monkeys. Paris, France, temperate: warm summers, cool winters, rain in every season; leafy chestnut trees. 2) Your child finds the place in the atlas. 3) In the notebook, they list three facts: usual temperature, rain and one living thing. 4) They draw the place on the front of the card with markers. 5) On the back they write four sentences with at least one climate word. One sentence tells how a living thing fits the climate. Look for facts that match the climate type.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Beside the three facts, your child writes where each came from, such as the fact bank or a book title. Then they finish the frame: "My place has a ___ climate. I know because ___." Sample: "My place has an arid climate. I know because Cairo gets about 1 inch of rain a year."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child reads the postcard aloud as if mailing it home. Then read the three exit questions aloud. Praise climate words and facts used as evidence.

Watch for: Describing one day's weather on the postcard instead of the usual climate.

Try: Ask: "Is it like that most of the year?" Then your child adds a clue word such as usually.

Exit ticket:

Which sentence belongs on a climate postcard: 'It snowed on Monday' or 'It usually snows all winter'? Why?
Name one living thing from your postcard place. How does it fit the climate?
A postcard says, 'We see snow on the peaks all summer, and the air gets colder as we hike up.' Which climate type is it from?

Answers: 1) The second one. 'Usually' tells the pattern over many years. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a real living thing and a matching reason, such as thick fur for the cold. 3) Mountain.

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Day 5 · Friday

Social Studies

Objective: I can review Unit 4 so far and reflect on what I learned in the flex week.

Standards: D2.Civ.1.3-5, D2.Civ.2.3-5, D2.Civ.5.3-5

Builds on: Needs the government grid from Day 1 and the RAPPS list from Day 2. One-minute check: say "Point to the box for the people who make state laws." (The state legislature.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 20. Ask: "Which court is the highest in the country?" (The Supreme Court.) Then your child tours the government grid for one minute, naming who is in each box.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today is a mixed review of Weeks 19 to 22. There are four topics: local government, branches, rights and voting." Say: "When a question feels hard, name the topic first. Then picture that notebook page." "Who leads a town's workers? Topic: local government. The mayor, or a manager in some towns." "Which branch settles what a law means? Topic: branches. The judicial branch." "Which freedom lets people gather peacefully for a cause? Topic: rights. Assembly." "What do we call a yes or no question on a ballot? Topic: voting. A ballot measure." Now your child tries. Ask: "Who signs or vetoes a bill? Name the topic first." (Branches. The President.) Ask: "Which RAPPS letter stands for asking leaders to fix a problem?" (Rights. The second P, petition.) If stuck, say: "Name the topic first: local government, branches, rights or voting."
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Mixed review game. 1) Write these 12 questions on cards, three per topic. Local: "Name the three levels of government." (Local, state, federal.) "Name two services a town provides." (Sample: parks, trash pickup.) "What is step two of a local decision?" (Discussion.) Branches: "Which branch does Congress belong to?" (Legislative.) "Which plan set up the three branches?" (The Constitution.) "What can a President do to a bill besides sign it?" (Veto it.) Rights: "Name two RAPPS freedoms." (Any two: religion, assembly, press, petition, speech.) "Name one responsibility children have." (Sample: follow rules.) "Is voting a right, a responsibility or both?" (Both.) Voting: "Is a sheriff a local, state or national office?" (Local.) "What happens in a debate?" (Candidates take turns answering questions.) "What must voters in almost every state do first?" (Register.) 2) Shuffle. Your child draws a card and answers aloud. Keep it if correct. A missed card goes back in the pile. 3) Tally in a chart with two columns: Topic, Right on the first try. Aim for 10 of 12. 4) Results vary. Look for the topic with the most misses, and reread that notebook page.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Keep this to 5 minutes today so the check fits. Your child writes: "This week I fixed ___. The project I liked most was ___ because ___. My goal for Week 24 is ___." Sample: "This week I fixed levels and branches. I liked the hearing most because I answered a hard question."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Then give the stored Week 23 check: 7 items, about 15 minutes. If your child is tired, give it later today. 6 or more right: move on, and add a county row to the grid with an adult. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 1 page and play "Who handles it?" with three new problems. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1. Build the grid on the floor with cards and place each leader together. Praise honest reflection.

Watch for: Rushing the reflection and writing "everything" or "nothing."

Try: Your child points to one notebook page from this week and tells what they learned on it.

Exit ticket:

Which topic was hardest in the card game? Tell one fact you now know about it.
A state court and the Supreme Court do the same kind of job. Which branch are they in?
Name one way a child your age can take part in government now.

Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: one named topic and one correct fact. 2) The judicial branch. 3) Answers vary. Look for: write a letter, speak at a hearing, learn about an election or help with a cleanup.

Mathematics

Objective: I can review fractions from Weeks 19 to 22 and reflect on what I learned.

Standards: 3.NF.A.1, 3.NF.A.2.B, 3.NF.A.3.A, 3.NF.A.3.D

Builds on: Needs Weeks 19 to 22 and Days 1 to 4 of this week. One-minute check: ask "How many 1/4 pieces make 3/4?" (3)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 19 Day 1. Say: "A shape is cut into 8 equal parts." Ask: "What fraction is one part? What fraction is five parts?" (1/8; 5/8) Then practice ×6 and ×8 facts with no clock. Ask 6 × 6, 6 × 9, 8 × 4 and 8 × 8 (36, 54, 32, 64).
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Play Flip and Prove for 10 minutes. Mix the 8 cards face down. Say: "Flip a card and answer it. Then prove it with a strip or a number line." Model one turn. Flip the 9/6 card. Draw a 0 to 2 line 12 squares long on grid paper. Tick every square to show sixths. Count 9 jumps from 0. Say: "6/6 is 1 whole. 9/6 is 3 jumps past 1. So 9/6 is greater than 1." Now your child takes every turn: flip, answer, prove. A correct turn wins the card. There is no clock. Ask each turn: "How could you show that?" Answers for the other cards, in the order listed in the materials: 3/6; 5 jumps; 4/2; 2; 4/1. The last two are 2/8 < 5/8 and 1/3 < 1/2.
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Do four check-style problems together. 1) Your child draws a 0 to 1 line 6 squares long and places 4/6 (4 jumps from 0). 2) Fold a strip into fourths and shade 2 parts. Fold it once more. Your child fills in 2/4 = ?/8 (4). 3) Compare 1/8 and 1/2 (1/8 < 1/2; eighths are smaller parts). 4) A quilt has 6 equal squares. 3 are blue. Your child names the blue part two ways (3/6 and 1/2). If stuck, say: "Draw it or fold it. What does the denominator tell you?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Give the stored Week 23 check now. Find it with the Week 23 lessons. It has 7 items. Allow about 15 minutes, with no clock running. Your child may draw number lines and fold strips. Do not teach or hint during the check. Score it with the answer key, then choose a route. 6 or 7 right: move on to Week 24. 4 or 5 right: reteach the kind of item missed. Items 1 and 2, number lines: redo the Day 1 Mini-Lesson on the floor line. Items 3 and 4, equivalent fractions: redo Day 2 Guided Practice problems 1 and 2. Items 5 and 6, comparing: redo Day 2 Guided Practice problems 3 and 4. Item 7, the quilt: redo the Day 3 Mini-Lesson. 3 or fewer right: reteach the Day 1 and Day 2 Mini-Lessons before Week 24. Last, your child finishes three sentences in the notebook: "I used to think ___. Now I know ___. I still want to practice ___."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — After the check, your child answers these three questions aloud or on paper. Then go over any missed check items together.

Watch for: Rushing and mixing up the numerator and the denominator.

Try: Your child reads each fraction aloud in words before answering, such as "five eighths."

Exit ticket:

Compare 2/4 and 2/6 with < or >.
Is 6/6 less than, equal to or greater than 1?
Name one fraction skill you feel strong in.

Answers: 1) 2/4 > 2/6 2) Equal to 1 3) Answers vary. Look for: a named skill, such as placing fractions on a number line.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can review Weeks 19–22 and reflect on my growth as a reader and writer.

Standards: W.3.1, RL.3.1, L.3.4.A, W.3.1.C

Builds on: Needs Weeks 19 to 22: essay parts, evidence, linking words, inference and context clues. One-minute check: your child names one linking word and one kind of context clue. (Samples: First; definition.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: spelling check, not timed. Say each word while your child writes it: taller, longest, readable, movement, cried, notebook. Challenge word: comfortable. Correct them together. Your child rewrites any missed word and underlines the tricky part. Spaced review from Week 13. Ask: "What does the prefix re- mean in reread?" (Again.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "One short essay can review the whole unit." Read this aloud. "A Garden for Maple Street": I think the empty lot on Maple Street should become a garden. First, a garden would give neighbors fresh food. Last summer, Mr. Ortiz grew enough beans in two pots to feed six families. Also, a garden would bring people together. Right now the lot is desolate, empty and lonely, with only weeds and one bent sign. Most importantly, kids could learn how plants grow. Let's ask the city for the lot this spring! Model the first answer: "What is the opinion? I look for 'I think.' The empty lot should become a garden." Then your child takes over. 1) Ask: "Reason or evidence: Mr. Ortiz grew enough beans to feed six families?" (Evidence. It is an example someone could check.) 2) Ask: "Which linking words do you see?" (First, Also, Most importantly.) 3) Ask: "Find desolate. What might it mean, and what is your clue?" (Empty and lonely. A definition clue.) 4) Ask: "What can you infer from the weeds and the bent sign?" (Nobody takes care of the lot.)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) For any miss, turn to that week's notebook page together. 2) Your child explains the rule in their own words. 3) Your child makes up one new example. (Sample for evidence: "Our tomato plant grew six inches in a week.") 4) Ask: "Which reason in the essay has no evidence yet?" (Bringing people together, or kids learning.) Your child says one sentence of evidence for it. (Sample: "At my cousin's garden, neighbors trade vegetables.") If stuck, say: "Ask the sentence, 'How do you know?'"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Give the stored Week 23 weekly check now. It has 8 items. Your child works alone for about 10 minutes. Score it with the answer key. Choose a route by the result. 6 or more right: start Week 24. For a stretch, your child gives the speech to a new listener and answers two questions. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 2 practice page. Then your child infers from three new clue cards you write. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 and Day 2 before Week 24. Use Prove It and the four detective steps, with real objects as clues. 2) In the time left, your child writes a three-sentence reflection. Sentence one: the skill I am proudest of, with a folder page as proof. Sentence two: one skill that is still tricky and my plan for it. Sentence three: a favorite moment from the Opinion Fair. 3) Your child writes one goal for Week 24 and highlights it. If time runs short, finish the reflection as homework. Look for a named skill and a real page as proof.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child answers from "A Garden for Maple Street" and the reflection page.

Watch for: Vague reflections, such as "I got better at everything."

Try: Ask your child to point to one page that proves the growth they name.

Exit ticket:

What is the call to action in "A Garden for Maple Street"?
Who do you infer the writer is talking to? Which word is your clue?
Point to one page in your notebook or folder that proves the growth you wrote about. What does it show?

Answers: 1) Ask the city for the lot this spring. 2) The neighbors on Maple Street. Clue: "Let's" (or "neighbors"). 3) Answers vary. Look for: a real page and a named skill.

Science

Objective: I can review what I learned about weather, climate and severe weather and set a goal for the next weeks.

Standards: 3-ESS2-1, 3-ESS2-2, 3-ESS3-1

Builds on: Needs the notebook pages from Weeks 19 to 22. One-minute check: your child finds the page for one big idea, such as the weather log. They tell what it shows.

Day 115 — Flex Review and Reflection — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 21. Ask: "What is the eye of a hurricane?" (The calm center of the storm.) Then a mixed round, with no rush. "What does an anemometer measure?" (Wind speed.) "Which climate type is found on high peaks?" (Mountain.) "Weather or climate: 'A storm is coming tonight'?" (Weather.) Big question: "Which big idea do you know best, and which needs practice?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Keep this part to 10 minutes so the check fits. Say: "Today we look back at Weeks 19 to 22. We find what we know well and what needs practice." List six big ideas in the notebook. They are the five parts of weather, weather tools and weather versus climate. Add climate patterns in data, severe weather safety and climate regions. Ask one question on each idea before your child rates it. Samples: "Name three of the five parts of weather." (Any three: temperature, precipitation, wind, clouds, humidity.) "Take one reading with any weather tool. What does it show?" (Answers vary.) "A pictograph shows 7 suns for June. Each sun stands for 2 sunny days. How many sunny days is that?" (14.) "Which two climate regions are cold?" (Polar and mountain.) Your child then rates each idea: thumbs up, sideways or down. If stuck on a rating, say: "Could you teach this idea to a younger child?" Say: "Next week you become an engineer and build a weather instrument. Knowing the tools will help."
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Make-Your-Own Review Quiz. Keep it to 15 minutes. 1) With a marker or pencil, your child writes one question on each of the 6 cards. Each card covers a different big idea. The answer goes on the back. 2) Check each card against the notebook. Fix any answer that does not match. 3) Your child quizzes you. Miss one on purpose and let them correct you with evidence. 4) Mix the cards and quiz your child. 5) For each thumbs-down idea, your child rereads that notebook page and adds one new fact. Look for questions with one clear, correct answer. Sample card: "Why keep a thermometer in the shade?" Back: "Sunshine makes it read too high." Keep the cards for the Quarter 3 Review in Week 27.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Give the frames: "I am proud of ___. I still want to practice ___. My goal for next week's building project is ___." Sample: "I am proud of reading the thermometer. I still want to practice wind names. My goal is to build a tool that really works."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud and praise honest ratings. Then give the Week 23 Science Check: 7 items, about 10 minutes, worked alone. Score it with the answer key. 6 or more right: add a "Did you know?" card for each big idea and quiz a family member. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 2 clue-word lists, then sort five new weather and climate cards. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 by drawing pretend thermometers together and naming the wind outdoors with the streamer.

Watch for: Rating every idea thumbs up without checking.

Try: Your child answers one question on the idea first. A wrong or slow answer means sideways, and that is fine.

Exit ticket:

Which tool tells you whether tonight will be cold enough for frost? What number would you look for?
Give one weather sentence and one climate sentence about your town.
Which big idea did you rate lowest? What will you do to practice it?

Answers: 1) A thermometer. Look for 32°F or lower. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a short-time clue in the first and a long-pattern clue in the second. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a specific plan, such as "reread my wind page and name the wind each morning."

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Worksheets

math — Day 111 — Flex Day 1
math — Day 112 — Flex Day 2
math — Day 113 — Flex Day 3
math — Day 114 — Flex Day 4
math — Day 115 — Flex Day 5