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Week 24 — full print packet

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Quarter 3 · Weeks 19–27

Week 24 Lesson Packet

Reasoning: Fractions, Opinion Essays, Weather & Government

Day 1 · Monday

Social Studies

Objective: I can explain what economics is and give examples of choices people make with money and time.

Standards: D2.Eco.1.3-5

Builds on: Needs everyday experience of choosing, and Week 19 Day 3 (towns use tax money for shared services). One-minute check: ask "You have time for one game before bed. Can you play two?" (No. Time is limited.)

New words:

economics – the study of how people use limited money, time and materials to get what they need and want

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "What do taxes pay for?" (Services everyone shares, such as schools, roads and parks.) Say: "Money is one thing people must choose how to use. Time is another." Then ask the big question: "Why can't we have everything we want?" Accept any answer.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Economics is the study of how people use limited things to meet their needs and wants. Limited means there is only so much." Draw a clock in the notebook and shade one hour. Say: "Priya has one hour after school. She can practice piano or ride bikes with friends. She cannot do both." Say: "Every choice has benefits and costs. A benefit is a good thing you get. A cost is what you pay or give up." Draw a chart with three columns: Option, Benefit, Cost. Fill it in together. "Piano: she is ready for her lesson, but she misses her friends." "Bikes: she has fun and exercise, but she gets less practice." Ask: "What is limited for Priya?" (Her time.) Ask: "Name one benefit of riding bikes." (Fun or exercise.) Ask: "Is choosing piano right or wrong?" (Neither. She weighs the benefits and costs.) Say: "Families, businesses and towns make economic choices too. A town may choose between fixing a road and building a park." If stuck, say: "Ask two things: What do I get? What do I give up?"
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Choice hunt. 1) Your child remembers five choices from this week. At least two are about money and two about time. 2) Write one per sticky note: the two options, with a circle around the one chosen. Sample: "Saved my dollar or bought gum." 3) Your child sorts the notes into two columns: Money choices, Time choices. 4) Pick two notes. For each, your child names one benefit and one cost of the option chosen. 5) Source work. Open the flyer or receipt, or set out the two priced items. Your child picks two items with prices. 6) Draw a chart with four columns: Item, Price, Benefit, Cost. Fill in a row for each item. 7) Ask: "If you could buy only one, which would it be? What evidence from the flyer helps you decide?" (Sample: the price, the size or how long it lasts.) Your child chooses and says what is given up. Choices vary. Look for a benefit and a cost named for each item.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child finishes: "Economics is ___." Then list the five choices and star the hardest. Add: "It was hard because ___." Sample: "Economics is how people use limited money and time to get what they need and want. The hardest choice was soccer or the party because I wanted both."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud. Your child answers in full sentences without notes. Praise answers that name both a benefit and a cost.

Watch for: Thinking economics is only about money, not about time.

Try: Ask: "If you play a game for an hour, what else could you have done with that hour?"

Exit ticket:

Why do people have to make choices about money and time?
Ben can spend his allowance on a comic book or save it for a soccer ball. Name one benefit and one cost of saving.
Mia has 20 minutes. She picks drawing over reading. Is that an economic choice? Tell why.

Answers: 1) Because money and time are limited, and we cannot have everything we want. 2) Benefit: he gets closer to the soccer ball. Cost: he has no comic book now. 3) Yes. Her time is limited, so she must choose how to use it.

Mathematics

Objective: I can split shapes into equal parts and name each part as a unit fraction.

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

Builds on: Needs Week 19 Day 1, where a fraction named equal parts of one whole. One-minute check: ask "A ribbon is cut into 3 equal parts. What fraction is one part?" (1/3)

New words:

partition – to split a shape into equal parts
area – the amount of flat space a shape covers
by (as in 4 by 2) – a short way to name a grid rectangle: 4 squares long and 2 squares tall

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 22 Days 1 and 2. Your child compares 2/6 and 4/6, then 1/2 and 1/8 (2/6 < 4/6; 1/2 > 1/8). Then practice ÷6 facts with no clock. Ask 12 ÷ 6, 36 ÷ 6, 48 ÷ 6 and 60 ÷ 6 (2, 6, 8, 10).
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "To partition a shape is to split it into parts with equal area. Area is the flat space a part covers." Fold one paper square side to side. Fold the other corner to corner. Cut each square on its fold with the scissors. Stack the two parts of each square. Say: "They match, so the areas are equal. Each part is 1/2 of the area of its square." Next, draw a rectangle 4 squares long and 2 squares tall on grid paper. Say: "I want 4 equal parts." Draw a line down after every square. Ask: "How many squares are in each part?" (2) Say: "Every part covers 2 squares. So each part is 1/4 of the area of the rectangle." Now your child does more. Your child draws a rectangle 6 squares long and 2 squares tall. Your child partitions it into 3 equal parts. Ask: "How many squares in each part? What fraction is each part?" (4 squares each; 1/3)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Say: "A 4 by 2 rectangle is 4 squares long and 2 squares tall." Your child uses the ruler for straight lines. 1) Your child partitions an 8 by 2 rectangle into 8 equal parts (2 squares each; 1/8). 2) Your child partitions another 8 by 2 rectangle into 2 equal parts (8 squares each; 1/2). 3) Your child folds the paper circle in half, then in half again. Ask: "What fraction is each part?" (1/4) 4) Draw a bar 8 squares long. Draw lines after squares 1, 4 and 6. Ask: "Is each part 1/4?" (No. The parts cover 1, 3, 2 and 2 squares.) If stuck, say: "Count the squares in each part. Do they all match?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child draws each shape on grid paper, partitions it and labels every part. 1) A 4 by 3 rectangle into 2 equal parts (6 squares each; 1/2). 2) A 3 by 3 square into 3 equal parts (3 squares each; 1/3). 3) A 4 by 4 square into 8 equal parts (2 squares each; 1/8). 4) A 6 by 6 square into 6 equal parts (6 squares each; 1/6). 5) A 4 by 2 rectangle into 2 equal parts, in two different ways (4 squares each; 1/2). 6) You draw a bar 8 squares long with lines after squares 2, 4 and 6. Ask: "What fraction is each part?" (1/4) 7) Dad splits a garden bed into 3 equal parts. What fraction of its area is one part? (1/3) 8) A pan of cornbread is cut into 8 equal pieces. What fraction of the pan is 1 piece? (1/8)
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud; your child answers on grid paper.

Watch for: Drawing parts by eye, so one part is clearly bigger than the others.

Try: Your child counts the squares along the edge and marks it before drawing any line.

Exit ticket:

A circle is partitioned into 8 equal parts. What fraction of its area is one part?
How can you prove that two parts of a paper shape have equal area?
Partition a 6 by 3 rectangle into 3 equal parts. How many squares are in each part?

Answers: 1) 1/8 2) Look for: stack the parts, or count the squares in each. 3) 6 squares (each part is 1/3)

English Language Arts

Objective: I can name an author's purpose and tell how my own view is different from the author's.

Standards: RI.3.6, L.3.6

Builds on: Needs Week 16: telling how a writer feels about a topic and giving your own view. One-minute check: say "A sign says 'Best pizza in town!' Whose view is that?" (The pizza shop's. It is the view of whoever wrote the sign.)

New words:

author's purpose – the reason an author writes something
persuade – to try to get someone to think or do something
inform – to teach facts or explain how to do something
entertain – to give readers a good story or a laugh

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, Week 24: Unit 4 review sort. Write faster, highest, washable, agreement, windy, sidewalk. Ask: "Which words compare?" (faster, highest) "Which word ends in a suffix that makes a noun?" (agreement) "Which is a compound word?" (sidewalk) "Which describes the weather?" (windy) Your child reads all six and underlines each suffix. Spaced review from Week 22. Say: "Dana blew on her fingers and stamped her feet at the bus stop." Ask: "What can you infer?" (She is cold.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Hold up the recipe, the flyer and the storybook. Ask: "Why was each one written?" (To tell how to cook; to get you to buy; to tell a story.) Say: "The reason an author writes is the author's purpose." Write PIE down the page. Persuade: get you to think or do something. Inform: teach facts or explain how. Entertain: tell a story or make you laugh. Say: "Authors also have a view. You may have a different one." Read text 1 aloud. "Three Short Texts": 1. Octopuses have three hearts and blue blood. They can change color in less than a second to hide. I think the octopus is the cleverest animal in the sea. Think aloud: "Hearts, blood, color change. These are facts, so the purpose is to inform. The last sentence is different. 'I think' shows the author's view. My view is that dolphins are cleverer, because they can learn tricks." Write the frame: The author thinks ___. I think ___ because ___.
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Read texts 2 and 3 together. 2. Join the Saturday park cleanup! It takes only one hour, and our park will shine. Everyone should help, because the park belongs to all of us. 3. Pip the penguin wanted to fly. He flapped and flapped, then landed beak-first in a snowbank. "Flying is overrated," he said, and waddled home. 1) Ask: "What is the purpose of text 2? How do you know?" (Persuade. It tells you to join and says everyone should help.) 2) Ask: "What about text 3?" (Entertain. It has a funny character and a story.) 3) Ask: "Whose view is in text 2, and what is it?" (The author's. Everyone should help clean the park.) 4) Your child says the frame for text 2, then writes it. (Sample: "The author thinks everyone should help. I think helping should be a choice, because some families are busy on Saturdays.") If stuck, say: "Does the author want you to do something, learn something or enjoy a story?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child labels the recipe, the flyer and the storybook P, I or E in the notebook. Use one colored pencil for each purpose. 2) Write one sentence for each that tells why. 3) For the flyer, write the author's view and your own view with the frame. 4) Your child finds one more text in the house, such as game rules or a food package, and labels it. Good answers: the recipe informs because it explains steps; the flyer persuades because it wants you to buy; the storybook entertains. Look for the author's view stated fairly. Look for your child's own view with a reason.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child writes the answers alone.

Watch for: Calling any text with facts "inform," even when it is trying to sell something.

Try: Ask, "Does the author want me to do or buy something?" If yes, the main purpose is persuade.

Exit ticket:

What is the author's purpose? "Whisk two eggs. Then pour them into a warm pan."
Read: "Our lemonade stand has the coldest drinks on the block. Stop by today!" What does the author think, and what does the author want you to do?
Do you agree with the lemonade stand's author? Tell the author's view, your view and your reason.

Answers: 1) To inform. It explains how to do something. 2) The author thinks their lemonade is the coldest and wants you to come and buy some. 3) Answers vary. Look for: the author's view, then your child's own view with a reason. Sample: "I think ours is colder because we add extra ice."

Science

Objective: I can define an engineering problem by naming what my weather instrument must do and the limits I have.

Standards: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-ESS2-1

Builds on: Needs Week 7, where your child wrote criteria and constraints for a magnet latch. Also needs the Week 19 weather tools. One-minute check: ask, "What does an engineer do?" (Designs things that solve problems.)

New words:

instrument – a tool made for measuring something

Day 116 — Define the Problem: Build a Weather Instrument — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 23. Ask: "A thermometer has 5 spaces between 60 and 70. How much is each space worth?" (2 degrees.) Then the wonder. Hold up the Week 19 streamer. Ask: "It shows wind direction, but you must hold it. Could an instrument show the wind all by itself?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Engineers solve problems by designing things. They start by defining the problem." Read the problem: "Our family needs a homemade instrument that measures one part of the weather." Review two words from Week 7. Say: "Criteria tell what the design must do to succeed. Constraints are the limits, such as materials, time or cost." Try both on a lunch box. Ask: "'It keeps a sandwich cold until noon.' Criterion or constraint?" (Criterion. It tells what the box must do.) Ask: "'It must cost under five dollars.' Which is that?" (Constraint. It is a limit.) If stuck, say: "Does it tell what the design does, or what limits us?" Say: "Good criteria can be tested." Ask: "Which can we test: 'looks cool' or 'turns in a light breeze'?" (Turns in a light breeze.) Show the choices. A wind vane points to where the wind comes from. A cup anemometer spins faster in stronger wind. A better rain gauge is the third choice. Say: "This week's lessons give full steps for the wind vane. Choose it if you are unsure."
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Problem Definition Page. 1) Your child studies the Week 19 rain gauge and streamer. Ask: "What job does each one do? What would make it better?" 2) Your child chooses one instrument to build. 3) In the notebook, they rule two columns and write three criteria that can be tested. Wind vane sample: points to where the wind comes from, turns in a light breeze, stays standing in the wind. 4) They write three constraints. Sample: only materials we already have, 30 minutes to build, no money spent. 5) Beside each criterion, they write how to test it. Sample: "Blow from the side and see if it turns." 6) Search the recycling bin and the house for parts. A wind vane needs a drinking straw, thin cardboard and a straight pin. It also needs a pencil with an eraser and a cup of sand or pebbles. Put the parts in the box. Look for criteria that say what the instrument does and constraints that set limits.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Give the frames: "The problem is ___. My instrument will measure ___. Criteria: ___. Constraints: ___." Sample: "The problem is that we need to know the wind direction. My instrument will measure where the wind comes from." Then your child makes a first rough sketch with labels.
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud; your child answers on paper. Praise criteria that can be tested.

Watch for: Listing wishes, such as "it will look cool," instead of criteria that can be tested.

Try: Ask: "How would we test that?" If there is no test, reword it together until there is.

Exit ticket:

Sort these two: 'Spend no money' and 'Shows where the wind comes from.' Which is the criterion, and which is the constraint?
What will your instrument measure? How will you test whether it works?
How does your list of criteria help after the instrument is built?

Answers: 1) 'Shows where the wind comes from' is the criterion. 'Spend no money' is the constraint. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a matching pair and a test, such as "wind direction; compare it with the weather report." 3) It tells what to test, so you can see whether the design succeeded.

Print Day 1 practice pages →

Day 2 · Tuesday

Social Studies

Objective: I can sort things into needs and wants and explain items that could be either.

Standards: D2.Eco.1.3-5

Builds on: Needs Day 1 (people choose because money and time are limited). One-minute check: ask "Name one thing every person must have each day." (Sample: food or water.)

New words:

want – something people would like to have but can live safely without

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 22. Ask: "What do we call a person who runs for an office?" (A candidate.) Then ask: "You need water. Do you need lemonade?" Let your child explain. Say: "Today's question: how do we tell a need from a want?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Needs are things people must have to live and stay safe and healthy. They are food, water, shelter, clothing and health care." Say: "Wants are things that are nice to have. We could live safely without them." Draw a coat in the notebook. Say: "Some things can be either. It depends on the situation." Say: "A warm coat is a need in a cold winter. A fourth coat is a want." Say: "A phone may be a need for an adult's job. For a child, it is usually a want." Say: "Every person has the same basic needs. Families meet them in different ways." Say: "Wants are not bad. They just come after needs." Ask: "Water or lemonade: which is the need?" (Water.) Ask: "Shoes are a need. Is a third pair of sandals a need?" (No. It is a want, because the need is already met.) Ask: "What makes something a need?" (People must have it to live and stay safe and healthy.) If stuck, say: "Ask: Could a person live safely and stay healthy without it?"
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Card sort. 1) With markers, your child writes or draws one item on each card. The first six are bread, drinking water, a warm blanket, a home, a doctor visit when sick, and soap. The other six are a skateboard, candy, a board game and a movie ticket. Add a fancy cake and a second pair of sneakers. 2) Shuffle. Your child places each card on the Needs plate or the Wants plate and gives a reason. 3) Expect the first six on Needs and the other six on Wants. 4) Your child counts the cards in a chart with three columns: Needs, Wants, Could be either. 5) Pick two cards your child was unsure about. Ask: "When could this be a need? When is it a want?" Sample: "Sneakers are a need when the first pair no longer fits. A second pair that fits is a want." 6) Ask: "What is your evidence that soap is a need?" (It keeps people clean and healthy.) Sorts vary a little. Accept the other plate if the reason is sensible.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child draws a T-chart with five needs and five wants. Then finish: "A tricky item is ___. It is a need when ___ and a want when ___." Sample: "A tricky item is a coat. It is a need when winter is cold and a want when I already have one that fits."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud. Your child answers without the plates. Praise reasons that start with "because."

Watch for: Calling anything they love a need, such as "I need that game."

Try: Ask: "Could you live safely without it for a month?" If yes, it is a want.

Exit ticket:

Sort these four into needs and wants: rice, a toy robot, a place to sleep, stickers.
Milk or a milkshake: which is closer to a need? Tell why.
A raincoat can be a need or a want. Give one example of each.

Answers: 1) Needs: rice and a place to sleep. Wants: a toy robot and stickers. 2) Milk. It is a basic food. A milkshake is a treat. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a need when you have none and it rains often; a want when you already have one that fits.

Mathematics

Objective: I can show that equal parts can look different and that the same fraction of different wholes can be different amounts.

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

Builds on: Needs Week 24 Day 1: partition a shape into parts with equal area. One-minute check: ask "A rectangle has 8 equal parts. What fraction of its area is one part?" (1/8)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 20 Day 4. Ask: "On a 0 to 1 line in fourths, which fraction is 2 jumps from 0?" (2/4) Ask: "Which equivalent fraction sits at that point?" (1/2) Then practice ×6 facts with no clock. Ask 6 × 3, 6 × 5, 6 × 6 and 6 × 8 (18, 30, 36, 48).
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Draw two 4 by 2 rectangles on grid paper. Ask: "How many squares are in each?" (8) On the first, shade the 4 squares of the top row with the crayon. On the second, shade a 2 by 2 block. Ask: "How many squares are shaded in each?" (4) Say: "Both parts cover 4 of the 8 equal squares. So both parts are 1/2 of the rectangle. Equal parts need the same area, not the same shape." Next, fold the small circle and the large circle in half. Say: "Both are 1/2. But half of the big circle is more paper. A fraction tells an amount compared with its own whole." Now your child does more. Your child draws a third 4 by 2 rectangle and shades 1/2 in a new way. Ask: "How do you know it is 1/2?" (4 of the 8 squares are shaded.)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) Your child draws two 4 by 2 rectangles and shades 1/4 of each in different ways (2 squares each). 2) Your child draws two 4 by 3 rectangles and shades 1/3 of each in different ways (4 squares each). 3) Hold up one half of each circle. Ask: "Which 1/2 is more paper?" (the large one) 4) Ask: "Two squares are the same size. Is 1/4 of each the same amount?" (Yes. The wholes are equal.) If stuck, say: "Count the squares in the whole. Then count the shaded squares."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Draw a 4 by 3 rectangle. Shade 1/2 of it (6 squares). 2) Draw two more 4 by 3 rectangles. Shade 1/4 of each in different ways (3 squares each). 3) Draw one more. Shade 1/6 of it (2 squares). 4) You draw two 4 by 2 rectangles. Shade 2 squares in a different place on each. Ask: "Does each show 1/4?" (Yes. Each is 2 of 8 equal squares.) 5) Draw a 2 by 2 square and a 4 by 4 square. Shade 1/4 of each. Which 1/4 is more space? (the one in the large square; 4 squares, not 1) 6) Can two parts of one shape look different and both be 1/2? (Yes, if the areas are equal.) 7) Mei and Omar each paint 1/3 of their own wall. Mei's wall is bigger. Who paints more wall? (Mei) 8) Lin and Raj have same-size pies. Each eats 1/4, cut in different ways. Who eats more? (the same amount)
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud; your child answers on grid paper.

Watch for: Believing equal parts must have the same shape.

Try: Your child counts the squares in each part. If the counts match, the areas match.

Exit ticket:

A grid has 16 equal squares. How many squares make 1/8 of it?
Two parts of one rectangle look different. Each covers 3 of its 12 squares. Are both 1/4?
Is 1/2 of a small pizza the same amount as 1/2 of a large pizza?

Answers: 1) 2 2) Yes. Both cover 3 of 12 equal squares. 3) No. Half of the large pizza is more.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can use clue words and text features to find an author's purpose.

Standards: RI.3.6, RI.3.5, RI.3.4

Builds on: Needs yesterday's three purposes: persuade, inform and entertain. One-minute check: say "Don't miss our huge shoe sale!" Ask for the purpose. (Persuade.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: mark the parts. Write slowest, agreement, excitement, funniest, windy. Your child underlines each base word and circles the ending. (slow + est, agree + ment, excite + ment, funny + est, wind + y.) Ask: "What changed in funniest?" (The y changed to i.) Spaced review from Week 22. Say: "The path was slick, or slippery, after the rain." Ask: "What does slick mean? What kind of clue is it?" (Slippery. A synonym clue.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Authors leave clues about their purpose. Some clues are words. Some are text features." Write three lists. Persuade clues: should, must, best, you'll love, join, buy. Inform clues: facts, numbers, headings, numbered steps, captions, diagrams. Entertain clues: characters, talking, a problem, feelings. Read this aloud and show the layout. "How to Plant a Bean Seed": What You Need: a cup, soil, one bean seed, water. Step 1: Fill the cup with soil. Step 2: Push the bean seed about one inch deep. Step 3: Water it until the soil is damp, and set the cup in a sunny window. Step 4: Keep the soil damp. In about a week, a sprout, a tiny new plant, will push up through the soil. Caption: A bean sprout bends toward the light. Think aloud: "I see a heading, numbered steps and a caption. I see numbers: one inch, a week. No one says 'you should.' The purpose is to inform." Point to each clue as you name it.
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Use the bean text. 1) Ask: "Which feature lets you find what to do second, fast?" (The step numbers.) 2) Ask: "Where would you look to see what to gather first?" (Under the heading "What You Need.") 3) Ask: "Find sprout in Step 4. What is a sprout, and how does the text tell you?" (A tiny new plant. It is a definition clue.) 4) Ask: "Does the author share a view about beans?" (No. The text has only facts and steps.) If stuck, say: "Run your finger down the left side. What starts each line?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child reads this alone. "Grow Something Green": Our school should give every third grader a bean seed this spring. Growing a plant is the best science lesson there is. You'll love checking your cup each morning. Beans grow fast, so nobody gets bored. Seeds cost only a few cents, so there is no good reason to wait. Ask your teacher today! 1) Write the purpose and three clue words. (Persuade: should, best, you'll love, ask.) 2) Write the author's view and your own with yesterday's frame. 3) Write a two-sentence entertain version about a bean seed. 4) Write a two-sentence inform version with a number or a heading. 5) Label one clue in each version. Samples: "Benji the bean hated the dark. 'Let me out!' he yelled." "Bean Facts: A bean plant needs water, light and air." Look for clues that match the purpose in each version.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child writes the answers with both texts in view.

Watch for: Deciding purpose from the topic: "It is about gardens, so it informs."

Try: Your child underlines at least two clues before naming the purpose.

Exit ticket:

In "How to Plant a Bean Seed," which fact appears only in the caption?
Read: "Lima the bean peeked out of the soil and gasped, 'It is bright up here!'" What is the purpose? Name one clue.
The author of "Grow Something Green" says growing a plant is the best science lesson. Is that a fact or the author's view? How do you know?

Answers: 1) A bean sprout bends toward the light. 2) Entertain. Clues: a talking bean character and its feelings. 3) The author's view. "Best" is a persuade clue word, and people could disagree.

Science

Objective: I can draw two possible designs, compare them against my criteria and choose the best plan.

Standards: 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-ESS2-1

Builds on: Needs the Day 1 page with criteria and constraints, and the box of parts. One-minute check: your child reads one criterion and one constraint aloud and says which is which.

New words:

scoring chart – a table that shows how well each design meets each criterion

Day 117 — Plan and Compare Designs — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Day 1. Ask: "'Use only parts from our box.' Criterion or constraint? Why?" (Constraint. It limits the materials.) Then lay out the parts from the box. Ask: "Which of these could become part of your instrument? What job would it do?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Good engineers think of more than one solution before they build. Then they compare." First, test an idea. Your child holds the index card by one edge with its flat side toward you. Blow on it. Then your child turns its thin edge toward you. Blow again. Ask: "When did the card get pushed more?" (When the flat side faced the moving air.) Say: "A big flat tail catches the wind. So a wind vane needs a tail bigger than its point." Now compare two designs. Design A: a straw arrow that spins on a pin stuck in a pencil eraser. Design B: a cardboard arrow taped tightly to a stick. Draw a scoring chart: designs down the side, criteria across the top. Ask: "Turns in a light breeze?" (A yes, B no. B is taped still.) "Stays standing?" (Both can, with a heavy base.) "Points to where the wind comes from?" (Only A, because it can turn.) Your child counts the checks. (A has 3. B has 1.) Say: "The best design meets the most criteria and stays inside the constraints." If stuck, say: "Go one box at a time. Can this design do this job?"
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Two-Design Plan. 1) Your child sketches Design A and Design B for their own instrument, with labels. The two must differ in at least one real way, such as tail size or base. 2) With the ruler, they draw a scoring chart with their three criteria across the top. 3) For each box they ask, "Is this design likely to meet this criterion?" They mark a check or an X and say why. 4) They test both designs against the constraints. A design that breaks a constraint is out unless it can be changed. 5) They choose the design with the most checks and tell you why. 6) They write at least five numbered build steps. Wind vane sample: cut the point and tail, slit the straw ends and slide the pieces in. Then find the balance point and pin the straw to the eraser. Look for a choice that matches the chart and steps in a sensible order. A tie is fine. Your child picks one design and gives a reason.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child keeps both sketches, the scoring chart and the build steps in the notebook. Frame: "I chose Design ___ because ___. One thing I am unsure about is ___." Sample: "I chose Design A because it earned three checks. I am unsure whether the base is heavy enough."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud; your child answers on paper. Praise reasons that name a criterion.

Watch for: Choosing the favorite design without using the scoring chart.

Try: Count the checks together for each design. Then ask: "Which design does your own chart say is best?"

Exit ticket:

Design A earns 3 checks, but it needs a part you do not have. Design B earns 2 checks and fits every constraint. Which should you build?
Which design did you choose? Give one reason that names a criterion.
What is step 1 of your build, and which part does it use?

Answers: 1) Design B, unless A can be changed to use parts you have. A design must fit the constraints. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a criterion in the reason, such as "it turns more easily." 3) Answers vary. Look for: a clear first action, such as "cut the point and tail from cardboard."

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Day 3 · Wednesday

Social Studies

Objective: I can make a spending plan that meets needs first and stays within a budget.

Standards: D2.Eco.1.3-5, D2.Eco.2.3-5

Builds on: Needs Day 2 (needs and wants) and adding and subtracting within 20. One-minute check: ask "Name one need and one want from yesterday's plates." (Sample: bread is a need, and candy is a want.)

New words:

budget – a plan for how to use money
incentive – something that pushes people to do something or to avoid it, such as a reward or a fee

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 22. Ask: "Seven people vote. Is 4 votes a majority?" (Yes. 4 is more than half of 7.) Then ask: "You have $5. How would you use it?" Listen for spending or saving. Say: "Today you make a plan before you spend."
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A budget is a plan for how to use money. A smart budget pays for needs first, then wants. It saves some if it can." Work an example with the play bills. Say: "Elena has $15. Soap costs $2, oatmeal costs $5 and beans cost $3." Your child counts out 15 bills, then pays 2, 5 and 3. Say: "Her needs cost $10. She has $5 left for wants or saving." Ask: "Can Elena buy a $7 toy now?" (No. She has only $5 left.) Say: "An incentive is something that pushes people to act." Say: "A reward or a sale is a positive incentive. It makes you want to do something." Say: "A fee or a fine is a negative incentive. It makes you want to avoid something." Say: "'Buy one, get one half off' pushes shoppers to buy two. A late fee pushes people to pay a bill on time." Ask: "A parking ticket costs $30. Is that a positive or a negative incentive?" (Negative. It pushes drivers to park where it is allowed.) Ask: "A sign says 'Sale ends today.' What does it push you to do?" (Buy today.) If stuck, say: "Ask: Does it give me something, or take something away?"
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Shopping trip. 1) Your child makes six price cards with the marker. Three are rice $3, carrots $2 and eggs $3. Three are puzzle $8, comic book $6 and sticker pack $2. 2) Give your child $20 in play bills. Keep the $20 and the prices the same all through. 3) Shuffle. Your child sorts the cards into needs and wants. 4) Pay for the needs first. Rice, carrots and eggs cost $8. That leaves $12. 5) Ask: "Can you buy the puzzle and the comic book?" (No. They cost $14, and $14 is more than $12.) 6) Your child chooses wants, saving or both. Record it in a notebook chart with three columns: Item, Need or want, Price. Under it write Total spent and Saved. Sample: the puzzle and the stickers cost $10 more. The total is $18, and $2 is saved. 7) Add an incentive. Say: "The shop says stickers are $1 today only." Ask: "Does the sale change your plan? Should it?" Plans vary. Look for needs paid first, a total of $20 or less, and one thing your child chose to leave out.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child writes the plan: needs bought, wants bought, total spent and money saved. Then finish: "I chose ___ instead of ___ because ___." Sample: "Needs: rice, carrots, eggs, $8. Want: puzzle, $8. Total: $16. Saved: $4. I chose the puzzle instead of the comic book."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud. Your child may use the play bills. Praise a plan that pays for needs before wants.

Watch for: Spending on wants first and running out of money before the needs are bought.

Try: Your child sets the need cards aside and pays for them before looking at any want card.

Exit ticket:

Tom has $16. His needs cost $9. How much is left for wants or saving?
With that money, can Tom buy an $8 ball? What could he do instead?
A town charges a $5 fine for littering in the park. Is that a positive or a negative incentive? What does it push people to do?

Answers: 1) $7, because 16 minus 9 is 7. 2) No. $8 is more than $7. He could choose something cheaper or save for the ball. 3) A negative incentive. It pushes people to put litter in the trash cans.

Mathematics

Objective: I can measure lengths to the nearest half inch.

Standards: 3.MD.B.4

Builds on: Needs Grade 2 measuring to the whole inch and Week 20 Day 1, halves on a number line. One-minute check: ask "On a 0 to 1 line, which fraction is at the halfway mark?" (1/2)

New words:

half inch – one of 2 equal parts of an inch; its mark is halfway between two inch marks

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 20 Day 3. Ask: "On a 0 to 2 line in halves, where is 3/2?" (1 jump past 1) Say: "A ruler is a number line." Then practice ÷8 facts with no clock. Ask 16 ÷ 8, 40 ÷ 8, 56 ÷ 8 and 72 ÷ 8 (2, 5, 7, 9).
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Show the ruler. Say: "Each inch is split into 2 equal parts. The mark halfway between two inch marks is the half-inch mark." Point and count together: 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2, 3. Say: "1 1/2 means 1 whole inch and 1/2 inch more." Find the 0 mark. Say: "It may not be at the very edge." Lay the short edge of a sheet of paper along the ruler. Line up one corner with 0. Ask: "Where does the edge end?" (halfway between 8 and 9) Say: "That is 8 whole inches and 1/2 inch more. So the short edge is 8 1/2 inches long." Write 8 1/2 inches. Say: "If an end falls between two marks, pick the closer mark. That is the nearest half inch." Now your child does more. Your child measures the long edge of the paper. Ask: "Which mark is closest?" (11 inches)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Make a table in the notebook with two columns: object and length. 1) Your child measures the crayon to the nearest half inch and records it. 2) Your child measures the paper clip and records it. 3) Your child measures the eraser and records it. (Answers vary for 1 to 3. Remeasure each one yourself; your readings should match.) 4) Ask: "A ribbon ends halfway between 9 and 10. How long is it?" (9 1/2 inches) If stuck, say: "Put one end on 0. Slide your finger to the other end. Which mark is closest?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child keeps recording in the table. 1) Measure the key to the nearest half inch. 2) Measure the spoon. 3) Measure your pencil. (Answers vary for 1 to 3. Remeasure two of them yourself.) 4) Fold a sheet of paper in half, short edge to short edge. Measure the shorter side of the folded paper (5 1/2 inches). 5) Draw a line 2 1/2 inches long. 6) Draw a line 6 inches long. (Check 5 and 6 with the ruler.) 7) A toy car ends halfway between 1 and 2. How long is it? (1 1/2 inches) 8) A straw ends between 7 and 7 1/2, but closer to 7 1/2. How long is it to the nearest half inch? (7 1/2 inches)
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child keeps the ruler. Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper.

Watch for: Starting at the edge of the ruler or at the 1 mark, not at 0.

Try: Draw a small dot at 0. Your child sets the end of each object on the dot.

Exit ticket:

A spoon ends halfway between 6 and 7. How long is it?
Where on the ruler do you line up the end of an object?
Draw a line 4 1/2 inches long.

Answers: 1) 6 1/2 inches 2) At the 0 mark. 3) A line that ends at the half-inch mark between 4 and 5.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can tell who is telling a story and explain how my own point of view is different from the narrator's or a character's.

Standards: RL.3.6, L.3.1.A, L.3.1.F

Builds on: Needs Week 10: the narrator is the voice that tells the story. Needs Week 13: a pronoun matches its noun. One-minute check: ask "Which pronoun fits? The boys rode ___ bikes." (their)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: dictation. Say this sentence twice while your child writes it: "It was so windy that I ran down the sidewalk faster." Check it together. Your child names the parts of three words (wind + y, side + walk, fast + er). Spaced review from Week 20. Say: "Opinion: Kids should ride bikes." Ask: "Reason or evidence: Biking is good exercise?" (A reason. It tells why.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say two sentences: "I tripped over the cat." "She tripped over the cat." Ask: "Who is telling each one?" (The person it happened to; someone watching.) Say: "The narrator is the voice telling the story. A narrator inside the story uses I, me and my. A narrator outside the story uses names and he, she or they. Those pronouns stand in for nouns, and each must match its noun." Read A aloud. "At the Aquarium": A. I pressed my nose to the aquarium glass. A shark slid past, so close I could count its tiny teeth. My brother squeaked and grabbed my sleeve. I think sharks are the best animals in the whole building. Think aloud: "I see I and my outside any quotation marks. The narrator is the child at the aquarium. The narrator's view is that sharks are the best. My own view can be different. I like the sea otters more." Write the frame in the notebook: The narrator thinks ___. I think ___ because ___.
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Read B together. B. Nadia pressed her nose to the aquarium glass. A shark slid past, and she gasped and grinned. Her little brother Sami squeaked and tugged her sleeve. "I want to see the turtles!" he said. 1) Your child points to and reads the pronouns outside the quotation marks. (her, she, Her, her, he) 2) Ask: "Who tells B?" (Someone outside the story. Clues: Nadia's name, she and her.) 3) Ask: "Sami says 'I.' Is Sami the narrator?" (No. His I is inside quotation marks.) 4) Ask: "How does Nadia feel about the shark? How does Sami feel? How do you feel?" (Nadia is thrilled: she gasped and grinned. Sami is scared: he squeaked. Your child's own view varies.) If stuck, say: "Cover the talking with your finger. Read only what is left."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child reads one page of the chapter book. 2) Write who tells it: a character inside the story or someone outside. Give one pronoun clue from outside the dialogue. 3) Write: "The main character thinks ___. I think ___ because ___." Use one colored pencil for the character's view and the other for your own. 4) Rewrite passage B as Nadia would tell it. It begins, "I pressed my nose." 5) Check each pronoun against its noun. Sample: "I pressed my nose to the aquarium glass. A shark slid past, and I gasped and grinned. My little brother Sami squeaked and tugged my sleeve." Look for every her and she about Nadia changed. Look for he kept for Sami.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child writes the answers with passage B in view.

Watch for: Mixing their own opinion into a character's, such as "Nadia thinks sharks are scary."

Try: Ask, "Where does it say what Nadia thinks?" Then ask, "And what do you think?" Write the two answers in two colors.

Exit ticket:

In passage B, who does "Her" stand for in "Her little brother Sami squeaked"?
Sami says, "I grabbed my sister's sleeve." Rewrite it the way a narrator outside the story would tell it.
Sami wants to leave the sharks and see the turtles. What do you think? Give your own view and a reason.

Answers: 1) Nadia. 2) Sami grabbed his sister's sleeve. ("He grabbed his sister's sleeve" is also right.) I and my change to match Sami. 3) Answers vary. Look for: your child's own view with a reason, kept separate from Sami's view.

Science

Objective: I can build a prototype by following my plan and solving problems along the way.

Standards: 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-ESS2-1

Builds on: Needs the Day 2 plan with numbered build steps. Week 7 taught that a prototype is a first working model. One-minute check: your child reads the build steps aloud and touches the part each step uses.

New words:

balance point – the spot where a thing rests level without tipping

Day 118 — Build the Prototype — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Day 2. Ask: "Why does a wind vane need a tail bigger than its point?" (The big tail catches more wind and gets pushed away.) Then ask: "Will your instrument work on the first try? What will you do if it does not?" (Change one thing and try again.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you build your prototype. It does not need to be perfect. Tomorrow we test it." Model how to follow a plan. Say: "Read one step. Do it. Check it. Then go on." Show the trickiest wind vane step. Lay the straw across one finger and slide it until it rests level. Say: "This is the balance point. The pin goes here so the arrow does not tip." Ask: "What happens if the pin sits far from the balance point?" (One end droops, and the arrow may not turn.) Teach the fix-it routine. Say: "Stop. Find the cause. Change one thing. Write it down." Ask: "The arrow will not spin. What might be the cause?" (Sample: the pin is too tight.) "What one change could you try?" (Sample: wiggle the pin to widen the hole.) If stuck, say: "Which part is rubbing or stuck? Look closely there." Safety: an adult pushes the pin and does any cutting with sharp scissors. Keep the pin's point inside the eraser.
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Build Time. Other instruments follow their own plan steps. Wind vane steps: 1) Measure with the ruler. Cut a cardboard point about 2 inches long and a tail about 3 inches square. 2) Cut a 1-inch slit in each end of the straw. Slide in the point and the tail, both standing straight up and down. Tape them. 3) Find the balance point with the point and tail on. Mark it. 4) An adult pushes the pin down through the mark into the top of the eraser. Wiggle it until the straw spins loosely. 5) Stand the pencil in the cup of sand. 6) With the marker, write N, E, S and W around the plate. Set the cup in the middle. 7) Indoor check: blow gently from one side. Look for the point swinging to face you. 8) Your child checks off each plan step and writes any problem and its fix. Many prototypes need a fix or two. Say: "Real results vary. A problem tells us what to fix."
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child draws the finished prototype with labels. Frames: "One thing that worked was ___. One problem was ___. I fixed it by ___." Sample: "One thing that worked was the big tail. One problem was the straw tipped down. I fixed it by moving the pin."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud; your child answers on paper. Praise honest notes about problems and fixes.

Watch for: Giving up or starting over when the first try does not work.

Try: Say that engineers expect problems. Ask: "What is one small change we can try?" Then write it down.

Exit ticket:

What did you build, and which part of the weather will it measure?
A friend's wind vane arrow droops at one end. What is the likely cause, and what one change would you try?
Which criterion will you test first tomorrow, and how?

Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: the instrument and a matching weather part, such as "wind vane, wind direction." 2) The pin is not at the balance point. Move the pin, or trim the heavy end. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a Day 1 criterion and a matching test.

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Day 4 · Thursday

Social Studies

Objective: I can explain opportunity cost as the next-best thing I give up when I make a choice.

Standards: D2.Eco.1.3-5

Builds on: Needs Day 1 (every choice has benefits and costs) and Day 3 (a budget). One-minute check: ask "What is one cost of choosing to save your money?" (You do not get to buy something now.)

New words:

opportunity cost – the next-best thing you give up when you make a choice

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 23. Ask: "Name two things a good proposal tells the council." (Sample: the problem, who it affects, a solution, a cost or a worry.) Then ask: "If you spend all your money on one thing, what happens to the other things you wanted?" Accept any answer.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Every time we choose, we give something up. Opportunity cost is the next-best thing you give up." Your child counts out 8 play dollars. Write on three slips: kite $8, book $8, paint set $8. Say: "Maya has $8. Each thing costs $8, so she can buy only one." Say: "Maya ranks them. The kite is first, the book is second and the paint set is third." Put the slips in that order. Say: "She buys the kite." Your child pays $8 and takes the kite slip. Say: "Her opportunity cost is the book. Only the book. It was her next-best choice." Ask: "Why isn't the paint set her opportunity cost?" (It was her third choice. She would have picked the book next.) Say: "Time has an opportunity cost too. Jamal watches a show for 30 minutes. His next-best choice was playing outside." Ask: "What is Jamal's opportunity cost?" (30 minutes of playing outside.) Ask: "Can a choice that costs no money have an opportunity cost?" (Yes. You give up another way to use the time.) If stuck, say: "Ask: What was my second choice? That one, only that one, is the opportunity cost."
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Decision chart. 1) Write three choice cards. Card A: "You have $8. Buy a jump rope or a puzzle book." Card B: "After dinner: bake cookies with Grandma or play a board game with a cousin." Card C: "Save $5 toward a bike or buy a $5 snack now." 2) Your child draws a chart with five columns: Choice, Option 1, Option 2, I chose, Opportunity cost. 3) For each card, your child names one benefit and one cost of each option. Then choose, and name the opportunity cost. 4) Keep one thing the same on every card: only two options, and you cannot have both. 5) After each card, ask: "What is your evidence that this was the better choice for you?" (Look for a benefit your child named.) 6) Try a family example together, such as a movie night or a game night this weekend. Add it as a fourth row. Choices vary. Look for the pattern: the opportunity cost is always the option not chosen.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — The decision chart stays in the notebook. Under it, your child finishes: "Thinking about opportunity cost helps me because ___." Sample: "Thinking about opportunity cost helps me because I compare what I get with what I give up before I choose."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three questions aloud. Your child answers aloud or in the notebook. Praise answers that name only the next-best choice.

Watch for: Naming everything that was not bought as the opportunity cost, or naming the thing that was chosen.

Try: Ask: "What was your second choice?" Say: "That one, only that one, is the opportunity cost."

Exit ticket:

Leo has time for one after-school club: chess or art. He picks art. What is his opportunity cost?
Ava ranks three snacks: grapes first, crackers second and yogurt third. She picks grapes. What is her opportunity cost? Why is it not the yogurt?
Sam naps instead of reading. No money is spent. Is there an opportunity cost? Explain.

Answers: 1) The chess club. 2) The crackers. They were her next-best choice. The yogurt was only her third choice. 3) Yes. He gives up the reading time.

Mathematics

Objective: I can measure to the nearest quarter inch and record my data.

Standards: 3.MD.B.4, 3.NF.A.2

Builds on: Needs Week 24 Day 3: measure to the nearest half inch. One-minute check: ask "A ribbon ends halfway between 10 and 11. How long is it?" (10 1/2 inches)

New words:

quarter inch – one of 4 equal parts of an inch; the same as 1/4 inch
data – facts or measurements that we collect
line plot – a number line with an X above it for each thing measured

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 20 Day 3. Your child counts by fourths from 0 to 8/4. Ask: "Which whole numbers are at 4/4 and 8/4?" (1 and 2) Then practice ÷4 facts with no clock. Ask 8 ÷ 4, 20 ÷ 4, 28 ÷ 4 and 40 ÷ 4 (2, 5, 7, 10).
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Show the ruler. Say: "Each inch is split into 4 equal parts. Each part is a quarter inch, or 1/4 inch." Count the marks from 1 to 2 together: 1 1/4, 1 1/2, 1 3/4, 2. Say: "The 2/4 mark is the 1/2 mark. It is a little longer." Fold the sheet of paper in half, long edge to long edge. Lay its short side on the ruler from 0. Ask: "Where does it end?" (at the first quarter mark after 4) Say: "That is 4 whole inches and 1/4 inch more. So the folded paper is 4 1/4 inches wide." Now your child does more. Draw a line that ends at the third quarter mark after 3. Your child measures it. (3 3/4 inches)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) Your child measures a crayon to the nearest quarter inch (answers vary). 2) Your child measures a pencil (answers vary). Remeasure both yourself. 3) Say: "Data are measurements we collect. A line plot shows data as Xs above a number line." Write this data. Pencil lengths in inches: 6, 6 1/4, 6 1/4, 6 1/4, 6 1/2, 6 3/4, 6 3/4, 7. Draw a line and mark 6, 6 1/4, 6 1/2, 6 3/4 and 7 at equal spaces. Add the title "Pencil Lengths" and the label "Length in inches." Together, draw one X above the line for each pencil. 4) Ask: "Which length has the most Xs? How many Xs in all?" (6 1/4 inches; 8) If stuck, say: "Count the small marks after the whole inch. One mark is 1/4. Two marks are 1/2."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Name the quarter-inch marks between 7 and 8 (7 1/4, 7 1/2, 7 3/4). 2) Which mark is halfway between 1 and 1 1/2? (1 1/4) 3) Measure 10 crayons or pencils to the nearest quarter inch. Record each length in a table. (Answers vary. Remeasure 3 yourself.) 4) Draw a line plot of your 10 lengths. Add a title and the label "Length in inches." (Check: 10 Xs, each above its length.) 5) Which length has the most Xs on your plot? (Answers vary. Check against the plot.) 6) Draw a line 1 3/4 inches long. (It ends at the third quarter mark after 1.) 7) A leaf ends at the first quarter mark after 3. How long is it? (3 1/4 inches) 8) A nail ends at the second quarter mark after 2. How long is it? (2 2/4 inches, which is 2 1/2 inches)
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child keeps the ruler. Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper.

Watch for: Reading a tiny eighth-inch mark as a quarter mark on rulers that show eighths.

Try: Dot the 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 marks in each inch with the pencil. Your child reads only the dotted marks.

Exit ticket:

Which mark is halfway between 8 and 8 1/2?
A ribbon ends at the third quarter mark after 9. How long is it?
On a line plot, what does one X stand for?

Answers: 1) 8 1/4 2) 9 3/4 inches 3) One thing that was measured.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can explain what a character knows and thinks, compare it with my own point of view, and recount a story I heard as one of its characters.

Standards: RL.3.6, SL.3.2, W.3.3

Builds on: Needs Day 3: the narrator, each character and the reader all have their own view. One-minute check: say "We packed our tent and drove to the lake." Ask: "Is the narrator inside or outside the story? Which word tells you?" (Inside. We or our.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: meaning. Ask: "Which review word means 'the most funny'?" (funniest) "Which names a room for sleeping?" (bedroom) "Which names a deal that two people both say yes to?" (agreement) "Which names the happy feeling before a party?" (excitement) Your child uses one in a sentence. Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "What does a hook do in an introduction?" (It grabs the reader's attention.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A character knows only what they see, hear and think. The reader often knows more." Read this aloud. "Where Is Mittens?": Leah looked under the bed, behind the couch and inside every closet. She called her cat's name again and again. No Mittens. "She ran away," Leah said, and her eyes filled with tears. She began to draw a LOST CAT poster. Meanwhile, Mittens was curled up in the laundry basket, fast asleep under a warm towel. Think aloud: "Leah thinks Mittens ran away. I know something Leah does not. Mittens is asleep in the basket. The word 'Meanwhile' showed me what Leah could not see." Write the frame: Leah thinks ___, but I know ___. Ask: "How do you feel about Leah's worry?" (Answers vary. Sample: "I feel sorry for her, but I am not worried, because the cat is safe.")
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Say: "Now listen to a traditional fable from Aesop. Do not read along." Read it aloud once. "The Tortoise and the Hare": A hare laughed at a tortoise for being slow. "Race me, then," said the tortoise. The hare shot ahead until the tortoise was out of sight. "I have plenty of time," he said, and he lay down under a shady tree for a nap. The tortoise never stopped. Step by step, he plodded past the sleeping hare. When the hare woke, the sun was low. He sprinted to the finish line, but the tortoise was already there, and the other animals were cheering. 1) Your child recounts the main events in order and tells the lesson. (Slow and steady wins the race.) 2) Ask: "What does the hare know when he lies down? What does he not know?" (He knows he is far ahead. He does not know the tortoise will pass him.) 3) Ask: "Who knows the tortoise passed him?" (The tortoise and the reader.) 4) Your child finishes: "The hare thinks ___. I think ___ because ___." (Sample: "The hare thinks a nap is safe. I think it is a mistake, because the tortoise keeps going.") If stuck, say: "Close your eyes like the hare. What can you see now?"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child writes the race as the hare would tell it, in 5 to 7 sentences. 1) Start with: "I could not believe how slow that tortoise was." 2) Use I, me and my. 3) Tell only what the hare saw, heard and thought. 4) End with how the hare feels at the finish line. 5) Below the story, add two sentences: "The hare thinks ___. I think ___ because ___." Checklist: I, me and my; events in order; nothing the hare could not see; a feeling at the end. Sample ending: "When I woke up, the sun was low. I ran my fastest, but he was already there. I felt foolish."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child answers with the hare retelling open. Listen for the difference between the hare's view and your child's.

Watch for: Putting events in the hare's retelling that the hare could not have seen.

Try: After each sentence ask, "Could the hare see or know this right then?" Cross out anything he could not.

Exit ticket:

Read your retelling. Which sentence tells something only the hare could know or feel?
Name one event your retelling had to leave out. Why?
The tortoise thinks going slow and steady is enough to win. Do you agree? Give your own view and a reason.

Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a thought or feeling in the hare's voice, such as "I felt foolish." 2) The tortoise plodding past during the nap. The hare was asleep and could not see it. 3) Answers vary. Look for: your child's own view with a reason, kept separate from the tortoise's view.

Science

Objective: I can test my instrument outdoors, compare its reading with a trusted source and make an improvement.

Standards: 3-5-ETS1-3, 3-ESS2-1

Builds on: Needs the finished prototype and the Day 1 criteria. Also needs Week 19: a wind is named for where it comes from. One-minute check: your child blows on the prototype from one side and tells what it shows.

New words:

accurate – close to the true amount or to a trusted reading
trusted source – a careful place to get information, such as the local weather report

Day 119 — Test and Improve — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Day 3. Ask: "What is a prototype for?" (To test the idea and find what to fix.) Then ask: "How could we tell whether your instrument gives a correct reading?" Take ideas. (Sample: compare it with the weather report.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Engineers test in a fair way. Then they use the results to improve the design." Say: "A reading is accurate when it is close to a trusted source. Our trusted source is the local weather report." Check today's report together and write down its wind direction. Ask: "Suppose the report says west, but a vane points east. Is that vane accurate?" (No. Check that N on the plate faces north.) Say: "A fair test keeps things the same: same spot, same height, same way of reading. Stand in the open, away from walls that bend the wind." Ask: "Why take three readings instead of one?" (Wind shifts. Three readings show the pattern.) Say: "A failure point is the part that stops working, such as a base that tips. Fix one failure point at a time." Ask: "We change two things and it works better. What is the trouble?" (We cannot tell which change helped.) If stuck, say: "Which change would you thank?" The report covers your whole area, so a near match counts. Next-door directions, such as west and northwest, are close.
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Test, Improve, Retest. 1) In the notebook, draw a table: Test, My reading, Report, Match (yes, close or no), Notes. 2) Set the instrument outdoors in an open spot. Use the compass to turn the plate so N faces north. 3) Test 1: take three readings, one minute apart by the watch. Your child reads where the point aims and records each one. 4) Compare with the report. 5) Find one failure point or one way to be more accurate. Samples: the base tips, the straw sticks, the tail bends. 6) Write one change on the sticky note. Make only that change, using the tape and spare parts. 7) Test 2: same spot, same way, three more readings. 8) Ask: "Did the change help? What is your evidence?" On a calm day, fan the vane with the notebook from one yard away, on four sides. Look for the point facing the fan each time. For a rain gauge, compare with the reported rainfall in inches. Real results vary. A change that does not help is still useful evidence.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Under the table, your child writes from these frames. "My failure point was ___. I changed ___. After the change, ___." Sample: "My failure point was the tipping base. I added pebbles to the cup. After the change, the vane stayed up and matched the report twice."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud; your child may use the table. Praise evidence from the before and after readings.

Watch for: Changing several things at once, so nobody knows which change helped.

Try: Use the sticky note rule: only the one change written on the note is allowed before the retest.

Exit ticket:

What did your instrument read in Test 1, and what did the weather report say?
A vane points north. The report says the wind is from the northeast. Is that close enough to call accurate? Explain.
What was your failure point, and what one change did you make?

Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: both readings and a comparison, such as "mine said west; the report said northwest." 2) Yes, it is close. The two directions are next to each other, and the report covers a whole area. 3) Answers vary. Look for: one specific part and one specific change.

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Day 5 · Friday

Social Studies

Objective: I can show what I know on the Week 24 check and the Unit 4 test on government, citizenship and economic choices.

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

Builds on: Needs the notebook pages from Weeks 19 to 24. One-minute check: ask "Which notebook page would help with a question about branches?" (The branch tree or the government grid.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 20. Ask: "Name one job of each branch." (Legislative makes laws. Executive carries them out. Judicial decides cases.) Then your child looks quietly through the notebook pages from Weeks 19 to 24 for two minutes. Say: "Today you show what you know about Unit 4."
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "The Unit 4 test covers Weeks 19 to 24. It has four sections: local government, the three branches, rights and voting, and economic choices." Say: "Section 1 starts with a map of a made-up town and notes from a council meeting. You may look back at that box any time." Practice with a tiny made-up source. Read it aloud. "Elm Town notes: The basketball court has no lights. After sunset, nobody can play. Thirty players signed a request for lights. The town would pay for electricity every month. Some neighbors want dark, quiet evenings." Ask: "Should Elm Town add lights? Make a claim and give two pieces of evidence." (Either claim can be right. Sample: "Yes. Thirty players asked for lights, and nobody can play after sunset.") Say: "A strong answer has a claim, then evidence from the box." Ask: "Where does the evidence come from?" (The box.) Ask: "Who might disagree with your claim, and why?" (Sample: neighbors who want quiet evenings.) Ask: "May you use scrap paper for money questions?" (Yes.) If stuck, say: "Put your finger on the sentence in the box that proves it."
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Unit test. 1) Find the Unit 4 test on the Assessments page. Read the adult directions first. 2) Allow 30 to 35 minutes with no rush. That is longer than this block. 3) So split it over two days. Give Sections 1 and 2 today, about 20 minutes. Give Sections 3 and 4 tomorrow, about 15 minutes. If your child is fresh, give the whole test today and do the notebook entry tomorrow. 4) You may read every item and box aloud. Your child may answer aloud while you write. 5) Offer scrap paper or play bills for the money and vote-counting items. 6) Do not teach or hint during the test. The test asks how government works, never about parties or real leaders. 7) Score it with the notes under each section and find the level. If a section earns less than half its points, revisit the weeks it lists. Scores vary. Look for claims backed by evidence from the box.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Keep this short today. Your child finishes two frames: "The Unit 4 idea I know best is ___. One question I have about economics is ___." Sample: "The Unit 4 idea I know best is how a bill becomes a law. One question I have is how stores set prices."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Give the stored Week 24 check after a break or later today. It has 7 items and takes about 10 minutes. 6 or more right: move on to Week 25. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 3 page and play store with new price cards. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 2 and Day 4. Sort real objects and act out two-choice decisions. Praise steady effort.

Watch for: Rushing a written answer and giving only one word.

Try: Before the test, practice one answer aloud with the frame: "I think ___ because ___. For example, ___."

Exit ticket:

Which Unit 4 topic feels strongest to you: local government, the branches, rights and voting, or economic choices? Tell why.
Give one smart money tip you would teach a friend.
What is one question you have about economics for Unit 5?

Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: one named topic and a reason. 2) Answers vary. Look for: pay for needs first, save some money, compare prices or think about opportunity cost. 3) Answers vary. Look for: one specific question.

Mathematics

Objective: I can make and read a line plot marked in halves and quarters, and show what I know about Unit 4.

Standards: 3.MD.B.4, 3.NF.A.1, 3.NF.A.2, 3.NF.A.3, 3.G.A.2

Builds on: Needs Weeks 19 to 24. One-minute check: ask "A string ends at the first quarter mark after 2. How long is it?" (2 1/4 inches)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Today has two parts: the Week 24 check, then the Unit 4 test. Plan about 75 minutes with a break, or use two days. Spaced review from Week 21 Day 4. Ask: "Write 1 whole as a fraction in fourths." (4/4) Then count quarter inches aloud from 8 to 9: 8, 8 1/4, 8 1/2, 8 3/4, 9.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Spend 10 minutes on one line plot. Write this data in the notebook. Feather lengths in inches: 7, 7, 7 1/4, 7 1/4, 7 1/2, 7 3/4, 7 3/4, 7 3/4, 7 3/4, 8. Draw a line and mark 7, 7 1/4, 7 1/2, 7 3/4 and 8. Add the title "Feather Lengths" and the label "Length in inches." Say: "The first feather is 7 inches. So I draw an X above 7 and cross out that value." Now your child does more. Your child plots the other 9 values and crosses out each one. Check the Xs from left to right: 2, 2, 1, 4 and 1. Ask: "Which length is most common?" (7 3/4 inches) Ask: "How many feathers are shorter than 7 1/2 inches?" (4) Ask: "How many more feathers are 7 3/4 inches than 7 inches?" (2; 4 − 2 = 2)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Give the stored Week 24 check now. Find it with the Week 24 lessons. It has 7 items. Allow about 15 minutes, with no clock running. Score it with the answer key. 6 or 7 right: take a 10-minute break, then give the test. 4 or 5 right: reteach the missed kind first, then give the test later or tomorrow. Item 1: Day 1 Guided Practice. Items 2 and 3: Day 2 Guided Practice. Item 4: Day 3 Mini-Lesson. Item 5: Day 4 Mini-Lesson. Items 6 and 7: the line plot above. 3 or fewer right: reteach Days 3 and 4, and give the test another day. If stuck, say: "Skip it for now. Draw it, then come back."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Give the Unit 4 test from the Assessments page. It has four parts and 46 points. Allow 30 to 40 minutes, with no time limit. Read the directions for each part aloud. Your child needs the ruler, a pencil and crayons. Your child may draw models and number lines. Put away the fraction strips. Do not teach or hint. If your child is stuck, say: "Do your best, then we can move on." Score it with the answer key and find the level. Then choose a route by part. Part 1, naming fractions: Week 19 Days 1 to 4 and Week 24 Day 1. Part 2, number lines: Week 20 Days 1 to 3 and Week 23 Day 1. Part 3, equivalent fractions and comparing: Week 21, Week 22 and Week 23 Day 2. Part 4, measuring and line plots: Week 24 Days 3 to 5.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask these three questions after the test. Then go over missed items together.

Watch for: Drawing the Xs in the order the data is listed, not above the matching length.

Try: Your child crosses out each value in the list as its X goes on the plot.

Exit ticket:

Four shells are 5, 5 1/2, 5 1/2 and 6 inches long. How many Xs go above 5 1/2?
Which part of the test felt strongest?
Which fraction skill will you keep practicing?

Answers: 1) 2 2) Answers vary. Look for: a named part. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a named skill.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can show what I learned in Unit 4: opinion essays, evidence, inference, author's purpose and point of view.

Standards: W.3.1, W.3.1.B, RL.3.1, RL.3.6, RI.3.6, L.3.4.A, SL.3.3

Builds on: Needs all of Unit 4, Weeks 19 to 24. One-minute check: your child tells one thing they know about inference and one about point of view. (Answers vary. Look for a rule or an example for each.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study: spelling check, not timed. Say each word while your child writes it: faster, highest, agreement, funniest, bedroom, doorbell. Challenge word: basketball. Correct them together, and your child rewrites any miss. Spaced review from Week 21. Ask: "Which linking word could add one more idea inside a paragraph?" (Also, or in addition.) Then your child shows one notebook page from Unit 4 that they feel sure about.
Review (10 min) — Today has three jobs: the weekly check, the first part of the unit test and a short reflection. Give the stored Week 24 weekly check now. It has 8 items and takes about 10 minutes. Your child works alone. Score it with the answer key. Choose a route by the result. 6 or more right: go on to the unit test today. 4 or 5 right: talk through the misses, then go on to the test. Tomorrow, redo the Day 1 practice page and sort five new texts by purpose. 3 or fewer right: stop here for today. Reteach Day 1 with the recipe, flyer and storybook. Reteach Day 3 by swapping names for pronouns in passage B. Give the unit test tomorrow. Before any test, say: "Read each question twice. Does it ask what the character thinks, or what you think?"
Unit Test (about 50 min) — The Unit 4 test is on the Assessments page. It takes 45 to 55 minutes and may be split over two sittings. A good split: your child does the two reading sections in this block, about 30 minutes. The language, word study and writing sections wait for a second sitting, later today or tomorrow. Say: "This test shows what you learned in Unit 4. Take your time. I can read the directions and questions aloud, but I cannot help with answers." Your child reads the test passages alone. For the opinion paragraph, read the prompt aloud and give one minute to plan. Do not spell words for your child. When a question asks for your child's own view, any view with a reason earns credit.
Reflection (10 min) — Your child writes 3 or 4 sentences about Unit 4 in the notebook. Give these frames: "The skill that grew most is ___. My proof is ___." "The hardest part was ___ because ___." "One question I still have is ___." Read this model first. "My Unit 4 Reflection": The skill that grew most is giving evidence. My proof is my essay, where I added a fact about bike helmets. The hardest part was telling my own view from a character's view, because I kept mixing them up. One question I still have is whether two characters can see one event differently. Then talk it over. You ask one follow-up question, such as "What helped you most with evidence?" Your child answers in a complete sentence with one detail.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask these three closing questions. Your child answers aloud with the reflection in hand.

Watch for: On point-of-view questions, giving the character's opinion when asked for their own, or the reverse.

Try: Your child reads the question twice and underlines "you" or the character's name before answering.

Exit ticket:

Which Unit 4 skill grew the most for you? Show the page that proves it.
In your reflection, which sentence gives evidence for your opinion about your own growth?
What do you still wonder about inference or point of view?

Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a named skill and a real page as an example. 2) Answers vary. Look for: the "My proof is" sentence, with a fact or example from your child's own work. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a genuine question, such as "Can a narrator be wrong?"

Science

Objective: I can present my weather instrument, explain how it meets the criteria, and show what I know on the Unit 4 test.

Standards: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3, 3-ESS2-1, 3-ESS2-2, 3-ESS3-1

Builds on: Needs the instrument, the Day 4 test table and the notebook pages from Weeks 19 to 24. One-minute check: your child points to one test result and says what it shows.

Day 120 — Present the Instrument and Unit 4 Test — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 22. Ask: "Which climate type lies along the equator, and why is it warm there?" (Tropical. Sunlight comes almost straight down.) Then the engineering steps relay. Your child touches one finger for each step: define the problem, plan, build, test, improve. Ask: "Which step was hardest for you this week?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Keep this part to 10 minutes. Say: "Engineers share their designs so others can learn from them." Model a one-minute talk with five parts. 1) Name the problem. 2) Show the instrument. 3) Tell how it meets each criterion. 4) Share one test result. 5) Say what you would improve next. Compare two sentences. Weak: "My wind vane works great." Strong: "My vane matched the weather report in two of three readings." Ask: "Which is stronger? Why?" (The second. It gives a test result.) Your child writes their own strong sentence on an index card. If stuck, say: "Look at your test table. Say what you counted." Then preview the Unit 4 test. It covers Weeks 19 to 24: measuring and graphing weather, climate regions, severe weather designs and the instrument project. Say: "A graph needs a title, labels and an even scale." Say: "When a question shows a table, use its numbers as evidence." Ask: "What will you do if a question is hard?" (Read it again, try it, then move on.)
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Presentation, then the Unit 4 test. 1) Your child gives the one-minute talk to the family and reads the index card sentence. 2) Each listener asks one question. 3) Begin the Unit 4 test, found on the Assessments page. It has four sections and 19 questions, and it needs the pencil and ruler. 4) The whole test takes 40 to 45 minutes, which is longer than this block. Splitting it over two days works well: Section 1 today and the other three sections next school day. Or give the whole test later today. 5) You may read any question, table or graph aloud. Do not explain science words or give hints. 6) Offer a stretch break between sections. 7) Your child rereads each answer once. Score later with the key. Use the key's notes to choose what to revisit.
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — After the talk, or after the test, give the frames: "My instrument met these criteria: ___. If I built it again, I would ___. Next I want to engineer ___." Sample: "My instrument met two criteria: it turns easily and stays standing. If I built it again, I would make the arrow easier to read."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions. Then give the Week 24 Science Check: 8 items, about 10 minutes, worked alone. Give it later today or with the rest of the test. Score it with the answer key. 6 or more right: build a second instrument for a different weather part. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 1 page, then write 3 criteria and 3 constraints for a bird feeder. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 4. Test the instrument again together, change one thing and record before and after readings.

Watch for: Presenting only how the instrument looks, not whether it worked.

Try: Ask: "What did your test show?" Your child points to the readings table and tells one result.

Exit ticket:

Which engineering step did you do first this week? What did you write for it?
Which criterion did your instrument meet best? Give evidence from a test.
What would you improve if you built it again? How would you test that change?

Answers: 1) Define the problem. I wrote criteria and constraints. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a Day 1 criterion with a test result as evidence. 3) Answers vary. Look for: one specific change and a fair retest in the same spot.

Print Day 5 practice pages →

Worksheets

math — Day 116 — Fractions of a Set: Halves
math — Day 117 — Unit Fractions of a Set
math — Day 118 — Non-Unit Fractions of a Set
math — Day 119 — Word Problems with Fractions of a Set
math — Day 120 — Fractions of a Set Practice

Assessments

math — Unit Assessment 11 — Fractions of a Set