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    Quarter 4 · Weeks 28–36

    Week 29 Lesson Packet

    Synthesis: Area, Shapes, Research, Traits & Civic Action

    Day 1 · Monday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can read a resource map and tell where some important natural resources are found in the United States.

    Standards: D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.8.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Week 3 Day 2 (symbols and map keys) and Week 4 Day 4 (natural resources). One-minute check: "Name two natural resources." (Samples: trees, water, soil, oil or coal.)

    New words:
    • resource map – a map that uses symbols to show where natural resources are found or produced
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 3. Ask: "What does a map key do?" (It tells what the symbols and colors on a map mean.) Your child reads two symbols from the key of the U.S. map. Then ask the big question: "If you wanted to build a sawmill, how would you choose the place?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A resource map uses symbols to show where natural resources are found or produced." In the notebook, draw a key with five symbols. A drop means oil. An ear of corn means corn. A tree means forests and lumber. A fish means fishing. A black square means coal. Say: "Read the key first, then read the map." On the blank outline, draw three drops on Texas. Model reading it. Say: "I see oil symbols on Texas. So I can say that Texas produces oil." Ask: "What tells you what the tree means?" (The key.) Draw a fish beside Alaska. Ask: "What can you say now?" (People fish in the waters off Alaska.) Say: "A resource map shows the main places. It does not show every place." Ask: "Corn symbols sit on Iowa. Does that mean no corn grows anywhere else?" (No. The map shows only the main corn states.) If stuck, say: "Put your finger on the key first. Now find that picture on the map."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Make a Resource Map. Read this source box aloud. "Oil: Texas, New Mexico and North Dakota. Corn: Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska. Forests and lumber: Oregon, Washington and Georgia. Fishing: Alaska, Maine and Louisiana. Coal: Wyoming and West Virginia." 1) Your child copies the key onto the outline, using one color for each symbol. 2) Your child finds each state on the U.S. map, then draws its symbol on the outline. 3) In the notebook, fill in a table with three columns: resource, symbol, two states. 4) Ask: "Which region has the most corn symbols? What is your evidence?" (The Midwest. All three corn states are there.) 5) Ask: "Why are sawmills often built near forests?" (Logs are heavy, so a short trip costs less.) 6) Say: "Towns often grow where a resource gives people jobs." Ask: "Which states might have fishing towns?" (Alaska, Maine and Louisiana.) Check every symbol against the key. Keep this map for Day 4.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — Title the page "Resource Maps." Your child finishes three frames: "A resource map shows ___. One resource near my home is ___. People use it to ___." Sample: "A resource map shows where resources are found. One resource near my home is farmland. People use it to grow soybeans." Any real resource works, such as soil, a forest, a river or stone.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child writes each exit answer on a sticky note and places it on the map beside the resource it names. Praise your child for checking the key.

    Watch for: Guessing what a symbol means from its picture without checking the key.

    Try: Cover the map with paper. Your child reads the key aloud first, then uncovers the map and finds each symbol.

    Exit ticket:
    1. A key says a wheat stalk means wheat. You see many wheat stalks on Kansas. What does that tell you?
    2. Look at your map. Which resource do Wyoming and West Virginia share?
    3. A town grew up beside a large forest. What jobs might have brought people there?

    Answers: 1) Kansas grows a lot of wheat. 2) Coal. 3) Answers vary. Look for: cutting trees, working in a sawmill or paper mill, or building with lumber.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can multiply side lengths to find the area of a rectangle.

    Standards: 3.MD.C.7.a, 3.MD.C.7.b

    Builds on: Needs counting area by rows from Week 28 Day 3 and arrays from Week 4 Day 3. One-minute check: your child counts 4 rows of 2 squares by rows (2, 4, 6, 8; 8 square units).

    New words:
    • side length – how many units long one side of a shape is
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 28 Day 4. Say: "An L has a part of 9 squares and a part of 4 squares. What is its area?" (9 + 4 = 13 square units) Then practice ×7 facts with no clock. For 7 × 7, use 5 groups and 2 groups: 35 + 14 = 49. Ask 7 × 3, 7 × 6 and 7 × 10 (21, 42, 70).
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Last week we counted squares by rows. Today multiplication does the counting." Your child builds 4 rows of 5 paper squares, edge to edge. Count by rows together: 5, 10, 15, 20. Ask: "Which multiplication fact matches 4 rows of 5?" (4 × 5 = 20) Say: "A rectangle of squares is an array." Point along the left side. Ask: "How many squares long is this side?" (4) Point along the bottom. (5) Say: "These are the side lengths, 4 units and 5 units." Write 4 × 5 = 20. Say: "Side length times side length gives the area. So the area is 20 square units." Turn the rectangle a quarter turn. Ask: "Did the area change?" (No. 5 × 4 = 20 too.) Say: "Now try with no squares." Sketch a rectangle with the ruler. Label the sides 6 units and 7 units. Ask: "How many rows of how many would fit?" (6 rows of 7) Write 6 × 7 = 42. Say: "So the area is 42 square units." Now your child does more. Your child builds 3 rows of 6 squares, counts, then writes the fact. (6, 12, 18; 3 × 6 = 18 square units)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child sketches each rectangle, labels both side lengths and multiplies. 1) Build 3 rows of 7 squares first, then write the fact (3 × 7 = 21 square units). 2) Sides of 9 units and 4 units (9 × 4 = 36 square units). 3) Sides of 10 units and 6 units (10 × 6 = 60 square units). 4) Ask: "Is a 4 by 9 rectangle bigger than a 9 by 4 rectangle?" (No. Both are 36 square units.) If stuck, say: "Picture the rows. How many rows? How many squares in each row?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child sketches each rectangle, labels the sides and writes a multiplication sentence with the unit. 1) 2 by 9 (2 × 9 = 18 square units). 2) 4 by 4 (4 × 4 = 16 square units). 3) 8 by 8 (8 × 8 = 64 square units). 4) 7 by 8 (7 × 8 = 56 square units). 5) 9 by 9 (9 × 9 = 81 square units). 6) You outline a rectangle 8 squares long and 5 squares tall on grid paper. Your child multiplies, then checks by counting rows. (5 × 8 = 40 square units) 7) A tabletop is 3 feet wide and 4 feet long. What is its area? (3 × 4 = 12 square feet) 8) A notebook cover is 10 inches tall and 7 inches wide. What is its area? (10 × 7 = 70 square inches)
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the paper squares away. Read each question aloud; your child may sketch.

    Watch for: Adding the two side lengths, such as 4 + 5, in place of multiplying them.

    Try: Your child builds the rectangle with squares and counts. The count matches 4 × 5 = 20, not 9.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What is the area of a rectangle with sides of 5 units and 10 units?
    2. Why does multiplying the side lengths give the area?
    3. What is the area of a 6 by 6 square?

    Answers: 1) 50 square units 2) Answers vary. Look for: the rectangle is equal rows of squares, so rows times squares in each row counts them all. 3) 36 square units

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can take short notes and sort them by subtopic, not by source.

    Standards: W.3.8, RI.3.2, L.3.2.D

    Builds on: Needs Read, Cover, Write notes from Week 17 and the subtopic questions from Week 28 Day 2. One-minute check: ask, "Is a note a copied sentence or a short phrase in your own words?" (A short phrase in my own words.)

    New words:
    • source code – a short label, such as S1, that tells which source a note came from
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, possessives. Say: "A possessive shows who owns something. One owner gets 's. More than one owner ending in s gets only an apostrophe." Write dog's, baby's, teacher's, boys', players', farmers'. Your child sorts them under One owner and More than one owner. Ask: "The boys' bikes: one boy or more?" (More than one) Spaced review from Week 28. Ask: "What is a subtopic?" (One smaller part of the topic.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Read this text aloud while your child follows. "How Honeybees Make Honey. A worker honeybee visits flowers to sip a sweet liquid called nectar. She stores it in a special honey stomach and flies back to the hive. There, she passes the nectar to a younger house bee. House bees add substances from their bodies that begin to change the nectar. Then they spread it into six-sided wax cells. Next, they fan their wings over the cells. The moving air dries the nectar, so it grows thick and turns into honey. Finally, the bees seal each cell with a wax cap. One bee makes only about one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her whole life. That is why a hive needs thousands of workers." Ask: "What is this text mostly about?" (How bees turn nectar into honey.) Say: "Notes written in reading order make a messy pile. Sort them by subtopic instead." Head three notebook pages: Where bees get nectar; What happens in the hive; Why a hive needs many bees. Think aloud: "Sentence one. I read it and cover it with the paper. I write a short phrase: sips nectar from flowers. That fits page 1. I add S1." Say: "S1 is a source code. It tells which source a note came from."
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) Your child rereads the fanning sentence and covers it. Ask: "What is your note? Which page?" (Sample: fan wings, air dries nectar. Page 2.) 2) Your child reads and covers the last two sentences. Ask: "What is your note? Which page?" (Sample: one bee makes a tiny bit. Page 3.) 3) Ask: "Where does 'wax cap seals each cell' go?" (Page 2) 4) Ask: "Which notes are key details that support the main idea?" (The page 1 and page 2 notes tell how nectar becomes honey.) Your child adds S1 to each note. If stuck, say: "Cover the words. Tell me what that part said. I will write only what you say."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child heads one notebook page with each of their own subtopic questions. 2) Your child reads source 1 with Read, Cover, Write. 3) Your child takes 6 to 8 short notes and puts each on the right page. 4) Your child adds S1 after every note. 5) Your child writes one possessive phrase about the topic, such as "the otter's fur." Look for: phrases of 3 to 6 words; the right page; the code S1; your child's own words. A good note looks like "fur traps air S1."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three questions. Your child points to the notebook pages while answering.

    Watch for: Copying long sentences word for word in place of short notes.

    Try: Cover the source and ask, "What did that part say?" Your child writes only the words they say aloud.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Your notes are in the order you read them. What problem will you have when you write?
    2. On which bee page does the note "house bee takes the nectar" belong?
    3. Read me one of your own notes. Which page is it on, and why?

    Answers: 1) The facts for one paragraph will be scattered. Sorting by subtopic keeps them together. 2) What happens in the hive. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a short phrase and a page whose question it helps answer.

    Science

    Objective: I can identify inherited traits that a living thing is born with.

    Standards: 3-LS3-1

    Builds on: Needs Week 28 Day 2: traits pass from parents to offspring. One-minute check: ask "What are offspring?" (The young of a living thing.)

    1. Day 141 — Inherited Traits — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 28. Ask: "What is variation? Give one example." (Small differences among living things of one kind, such as bean lengths.) Now the wonder. Ask: "What is something about you that you never had to practice? You just have it." Accept answers such as eye color or curly hair.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "An inherited trait is passed from parents to offspring. A living thing does not learn it or practice it." Give examples. People: eye color, natural hair color, curly or straight hair. Animals: a cheetah's spots, a giraffe's long neck, a beaver's large front teeth. Plants: the color of a rose's petals, the shape of an oak leaf. Say: "A giraffe calf is born with a long neck. It did not stretch it by reaching." Say: "Some inherited traits show up later, like adult teeth or a deer's antlers. They are still inherited." Write the test question on a card and stand it up: "Did it come without teaching or practice?" Ask: "A beaver kit grows big front teeth. Did it practice?" (No. The teeth are inherited.) "A rose bush has pink flowers like its parent plant. Is that inherited?" (Yes.) "A girl can whistle a song. Is that inherited?" (No. She practiced.) If stuck, say: "Did anyone teach it? Did it take practice? If not, it is likely inherited."
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Inherited Trait Cards. 1) Your child writes 8 inherited traits, one on each card, with the marker. They write 3 for people, 3 for animals and 2 for plants. The pictures give ideas. 2) For each card they say: "This is passed from parents to offspring." 3) Shuffle the 8 cards. Your child sorts them into People, Animals and Plants. 4) Evidence check: for each animal and plant card, your child finds a picture that shows the trait. Record in a table with three columns: Card, Living thing, How I know it is inherited. Nothing is changed in this study. Keep the same test question for every card. Expect every card to name a body feature. If a card names something learned, such as reading, set it aside for tomorrow. If you disagree about a card, say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern: no teaching, no practice." Store all the cards in the envelope for Day 3.
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child writes the heading "Inherited Traits" and copies the meaning from the mini-lesson. They list their 8 traits in three groups: People, Animals, Plants. They draw a small picture beside 2 of them. Then they finish the frame: "One inherited trait is ___. I know because ___." Sample: "One inherited trait is a cheetah's spots. I know because cubs are born with them."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Praise answers that use the test question: no teaching and no practice.

    Watch for: Thinking animals get traits by using a body part more, such as "giraffes got long necks by stretching."

    Try: Say: "A giraffe calf has a long neck on the day it is born." Ask where the long neck came from. (Its parents.)

    Exit ticket:
    1. A lion grows a mane when he is older. Is the mane still an inherited trait? Explain.
    2. Give one inherited trait of an animal and one of a plant.
    3. A porcupine has sharp quills. Did it learn them or inherit them? How do you know?

    Answers: 1) Yes. It came from his parents. He grew it without teaching or practice. 2) Answers vary. Look for: spots, stripes, a long neck or webbed feet; flower color, leaf shape or thorns. 3) It inherited them. Quills are part of its body, and no one taught it to grow them.

    Print Day 1 practice pages →

    Day 2 · Tuesday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can read a population map and explain why many people live in some places and few live in others.

    Standards: D2.Geo.6.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Day 1 (reading a key) and Week 2 Day 1 (urban and rural places). One-minute check: "Which has more people living close together, an urban place or a rural place?" (An urban place.)

    New words:
    • population – the number of people who live in a place
    • population map – a map that shows where many people live and where few people live
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 4. Ask: "Name two landforms and one body of water." (Samples: mountain, plain, valley; river, lake or ocean.) Then ask the big question: "Where do most Americans live: in high mountains, in deserts, or near coasts and lakes?" Write down the guess.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Population is the number of people who live in a place. A population map shows where people live. Darker colors or more dots mean more people in each area." In the notebook, draw two squares of the same size. Put 20 dots in one and 3 dots in the other. Ask: "The land is the same size. Which square is more crowded?" (The one with 20 dots.) "Which would be darker on a population map?" (That one.) Point to these crowded places on the U.S. map. Say: "Many people live along the Northeast coast, from Boston to New York City to Washington, D.C. Many live in southern California around Los Angeles. Many live around Chicago, beside Lake Michigan. Many live in the big Texas cities of Houston and Dallas." Say: "New York City has more than 8 million people, more than any other U.S. city." Say: "Few people live in the Nevada desert, the high Rocky Mountains and most of Alaska." Ask: "What might crowded places have that empty places lack?" (Water, flat land, ports, jobs or milder weather.) If stuck, say: "Count the dots. More dots mean more people."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Population Detective. 1) On the outline, your child shades the four crowded areas darkly with pencil. Find each city on the U.S. map first. 2) Leave the Nevada desert, the Rocky Mountains and most of Alaska white. Add a key: dark means many people, white means few. 3) Highlight the water beside each dark area: the Atlantic, the Pacific, Lake Michigan and the Gulf of Mexico near Houston. Ask: "What pattern do you see?" (Many crowded places are near water.) 4) Read this source table aloud. Alaska: the largest state, more than 700,000 people. Wyoming: a large state, more than 500,000 people. Rhode Island: the smallest state, more than 1 million people. New Jersey: a small state, more than 9 million people. 5) Ask: "Does the biggest state have the most people? Give evidence." (No. Alaska is the largest, but small Rhode Island has more people.) 6) Beside two white areas, write one reason, such as "very cold" or "dry desert." Printed population maps show more detail. Keep this map for Day 4.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child finishes three frames: "Many people live near ___ because ___. Few people live in ___ because ___. About ___ people live in my town." Leave the town number blank until tonight. Sample: "Many people live near coasts because ports bring jobs. Few people live in high mountains because building there is hard."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child points to the map or the source table before answering each question. Praise answers that give evidence.

    Watch for: Thinking the biggest states must have the most people.

    Try: Put Alaska and Rhode Island side by side on the map. Ask: "Which looks bigger? Which has more people, by the source table?"

    Exit ticket:
    1. Two counties are the same size. One has 900 people and one has 90,000 people. Which is darker on a population map?
    2. Wyoming has much more land than New Jersey. Which state has more people? What does that show?
    3. Give one reason few people live in a high, steep mountain area.

    Answers: 1) The county with 90,000 people. 2) New Jersey. It shows that the size of a state and its number of people are different things. 3) Answers vary. Look for: it is hard to build, farm or travel there, or it is very cold.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can solve real-world area problems by multiplying.

    Standards: 3.MD.C.7.b, 3.OA.A.4

    Builds on: Needs multiplying side lengths from Day 1 and a letter for the unknown from Week 15 Day 2. One-minute check: your child solves 3 × n = 24 (n = 8).

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 26 Day 4. Say: "A box of books has a mass of 5 kilograms. What is the mass of 6 boxes?" (6 × 5 = 30 kilograms) Then practice ×8 facts with no clock. For 8 × 3, double three times: 6, 12, 24. Ask 8 × 2, 8 × 5 and 8 × 10 (16, 40, 80).
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Real things have area too. We sketch, label the sides, multiply and name the square unit." Read: "A garden is 8 meters long and 5 meters wide. What is its area?" Sketch a rectangle with the ruler. Label the sides 8 meters and 5 meters. Write 8 × 5 = 40. Say: "So the area is 40 square meters." Ask: "Why square meters?" (The sides are in meters, so each square is 1 square meter.) Say: "Sometimes we know the area and one side." Read: "A floor has an area of 42 square feet. One side is 6 feet. How long is the other side?" Sketch it. Write 42 inside and 6 on one side. Label the other side n. Write 6 × n = 42. Ask: "6 times what number is 42?" (7) Say: "So n = 7. The other side is 7 feet." Check: 42 ÷ 6 = 7. Ask: "Is the answer in feet or square feet?" (Feet. A side is a length.) Now your child does more. Read: "A door is 3 feet wide and 7 feet tall." (3 × 7 = 21 square feet) Then read: "A table has an area of 36 square feet. One side is 4 feet." (4 × n = 36; n = 9; 9 feet)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child sketches in the notebook or on grid paper, labels what is known and writes an equation. 1) A photo is 5 inches by 5 inches. What is its area? (5 × 5 = 25 square inches) 2) A patio is 10 feet by 7 feet. What is its area? (10 × 7 = 70 square feet) 3) A wall has an area of 72 square feet. One side is 8 feet. How long is the other side? (8 × n = 72; n = 9; 9 feet) 4) A sandbox has an area of 20 square meters. One side is 5 meters. How long is the other side? (5 × n = 20; n = 4; 4 meters) If stuck, say: "Sketch it and label what you know. Is the unknown the area or a side?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child sketches and labels each one, writes an equation and names the unit. 1) A garden is 3 meters by 10 meters. Find the area. (3 × 10 = 30 square meters) 2) A photo is 4 inches by 5 inches. Find the area. (4 × 5 = 20 square inches) 3) A tile is 9 centimeters by 9 centimeters. Find the area. (9 × 9 = 81 square centimeters) 4) A mat is 7 feet by 8 feet. Find the area. (7 × 8 = 56 square feet) 5) A rectangle has an area of 49 square units. One side is 7 units. Find the other side. (7 × n = 49; n = 7; 7 units) 6) A banner has an area of 18 square feet. One side is 2 feet. Find the other side. (2 × n = 18; n = 9; 9 feet) 7) A field has an area of 64 square meters. One side is 8 meters. Find the other side. (8 × n = 64; n = 8; 8 meters) 8) Sketch a rectangle with an area of 12 square units and one side of 3 units. Label the other side. (3 × n = 12; n = 4; 4 units)
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child sketches, answers on paper and writes the unit.

    Watch for: Giving the area again as the answer to an unknown-side problem, or writing square feet for a side.

    Try: Your child writes the equation with a letter. Your child says what the letter stands for before solving.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What is the area of a rectangle 10 units by 4 units?
    2. A sticker is 6 centimeters long and 3 centimeters wide. What is its area?
    3. A rectangle has an area of 50 square feet. One side is 5 feet. How long is the other side?

    Answers: 1) 40 square units 2) 18 square centimeters 3) 10 feet

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can record my sources and use research words like source, author and cite.

    Standards: W.3.8, L.3.6, RF.3.3.B

    Builds on: Needs the source cards from Week 28 Day 4 and the notes marked S1 and S2. One-minute check: ask, "What does S2 after a note tell you?" (The note came from source 2.)

    New words:
    • cite – to tell where you got a fact or an idea
    • publisher – the company or group that printed and shared a book or article
    • Sources page – the last page of a report, which lists every source you used
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, possessives. Write teacher's, friend's, sister's, girls', students', birds'. Your child underlines the owner in each word and circles the apostrophe. Ask: "Where does the apostrophe sit when many girls own something?" (After the s.) Spaced review from Week 28. Ask: "Name two questions from the trust test." (Any two: Who wrote it? Is it made to teach? Is it recent? Does another source agree?)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Write "bees fan wings" on a notebook page with no code. Ask: "Where did this fact come from?" (I can't tell.) Say: "If you can't say where a fact came from, you can't check it. You can't give credit either." Review one word. Say: "The author wrote it." Teach two new words. Say: "To cite means to tell where you got information. The publisher is the company or group that printed and shared it." Say: "Today we make a Sources page at the back of the project section." Write a model entry: S1. Honeybees at Work, by R. Lin. Meadow Press, 2021. Book. Ask: "Who is the author? Who is the publisher?" (R. Lin; Meadow Press) Say: "To cite inside your notes, add the code and the page." Write (S1, p. 12). Say: "That means source 1, page 12." Word parts. Write citation. Think aloud: "I see -tion at the end. It says shun. I split before it: ci|ta|tion. I can hear the base word cite. A citation tells where a fact came from."
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) Write information. Your child splits it and names the base word. (in|for|ma|tion; inform, to tell facts) 2) Write illustration. Your child splits it and names the base word. (il|lus|tra|tion; illustrate, to show with a picture) 3) Open source 1 to its title page. Ask: "Where are the title, the author, the publisher and the year?" (Your child points to each. The year is often on the back of the title page.) 4) Your child says one sentence with cite and one with publisher. (Sample: "I will cite my source beside every note.") If stuck, say: "The author's name follows the word by. The publisher is a company name, often at the bottom."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child makes the Sources page and numbers the sources S1, S2 and S3. 2) For each one, your child records the title, the author and the type. Add the publisher and year when they are easy to find. If no author is named, write the title alone. 3) In colored pencil, your child adds the code and page number beside every note. 4) Your child adds publisher and cite to the word bank. Look for: titles copied exactly with capitals; an author, not a publisher, after "by"; a code beside every note. Check by pointing to any note. Ask: "Show me the page this came from."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three questions. Your child uses at least two word-bank words in the answers.

    Watch for: Writing the publisher where the author belongs, or leaving the author out.

    Try: Open to the title page together. Your child puts a finger on the name after "by," then on the company name.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What does it mean to cite a source?
    2. Write the code for a fact from page 20 of your third source.
    3. Who is the author of your source 1? Where in the book did you find the name?

    Answers: 1) To tell where you got your information. 2) (S3, p. 20) 3) Answers vary. Look for: the name from the Sources page, found on the cover or the title page.

    Science

    Objective: I can identify behaviors that living things learn by practice or by being taught.

    Standards: 3-LS3-2

    Builds on: Needs Day 1: inherited traits come from parents without practice. One-minute check: ask "Name 2 inherited traits of an animal." (Sample: a cheetah's spots, a duck's webbed feet.)

    New words:
    • learned behavior – something a living thing does that it learned by practicing, being taught or watching others
    1. Day 142 — Learned Behaviors — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 11. Ask: "What is an instinct?" (Something an animal does without being taught, such as a bird flying south.) Now the wonder. Ask: "Could you read when you were a baby? How did you learn?" Talk about who helped and how much practice it took.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A learned behavior is something a living thing does that it learned. It learned by practicing, by being taught or by watching others." Say: "It is not passed from parents to offspring." Give examples. People: reading, speaking a language, tying shoes, swimming. Animals: a dog learns to sit on a signal. A young chimpanzee watches its mother catch termites with a stick, then tries. A bear cub follows its mother and learns where food is. Say: "A baby learns the language spoken around it. No one is born knowing words." Now show it. Tie a shoe slowly while your child watches, then they copy you. Say: "You watched, then practiced. That is learning." Ask: "A sea otter pup watches its mother crack clams with a rock. Then it tries. Inherited or learned?" (Learned, by watching and practicing.) "A horse comes when its owner whistles. Inherited or learned?" (Learned.) "Could you tie shoes on the day you were born?" (No. It was learned.) If stuck, say: "Who taught it? How much practice did it take?"
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Part 1, Learned Behavior Cards. 1) Your child writes 8 learned behaviors with the marker, one on each card. They write 5 for people and 3 for animals. 2) For each card they tell who taught it or how it was practiced. Sample: "swimming, lessons at the pool." Add the cards to the Day 1 envelope. Part 2, Practice Test. 3) Set the bowl on the floor. Your child stands 5 big steps away and tosses the rolled socks 5 times. Count the hits. 4) They practice 10 more tosses. 5) They toss 5 more times, and you count the hits again. Record in a table with two columns: Round, Hits out of 5. Change only the amount of practice. Keep the same socks, bowl, distance and number of tosses. Expect more hits after practice, though not every time. If the score drops, say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern over more rounds." Ask: "Is tossing into a bowl inherited or learned? What is your evidence?"
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child writes the heading "Learned Behaviors" and copies the meaning. They make a 2-column chart: Behavior, How It Was Learned. They fill in at least 6 rows from their cards and add the sock toss. Then they finish the frame: "I know tossing is learned because ___." Sample: "I know tossing is learned because I got 1 hit before practice and 3 hits after."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Praise answers that name how a behavior was learned: practice, teaching or watching.

    Watch for: Saying a skill is inherited because "I was always good at it."

    Try: Ask: "Could you do it on the day you were born?" If not, some learning or practice was needed.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What are three ways a living thing can learn a behavior?
    2. Give one learned behavior of a person and one of an animal. Tell how each was learned.
    3. A young elephant watches older elephants dig for water in a dry riverbed. Later it digs too. Inherited or learned? How do you know?

    Answers: 1) By practicing, by being taught and by watching others. 2) Answers vary. Look for: reading or swimming, learned by lessons and practice; a dog sitting on a signal, learned by training. 3) Learned. The young elephant watched the older elephants and then copied them.

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    Day 3 · Wednesday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can read a climate map and explain why places in the United States have different climates.

    Standards: D2.Geo.10.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.4.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Week 4 Day 3 (weather, climate and the equator). One-minute check: "Our winters are usually cold. Is that weather or climate?" (Climate. It tells what is usual over many years.)

    New words:
    • climate map – a map that uses colors to show the usual weather in different places
    • climate zone – an area where the usual weather is much the same
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 12. Ask: "How do thick adobe walls help people in the hot Southwest?" (They keep rooms cool by day.) Then ask the big question: "In January, people in Miami swim outdoors. People in Minneapolis skate on frozen lakes. Why?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A climate map uses colors to show places with the same usual weather. Each colored area is a climate zone." Hold the globe. Teach three causes. Cause 1. Run a finger from the equator to Florida, then on to Maine. Say: "Places closer to the equator are usually warmer. They get more direct sunlight." Cause 2. Point to an ocean. Say: "Water warms up and cools down slowly. So places beside an ocean have milder summers and winters." Cause 3. Find the Rocky Mountains on the U.S. map. Say: "High land is colder than low land. Tall mountains can also block rain clouds. The land on the far side stays dry." Ask: "Which is closer to the equator, Texas or Montana?" (Texas.) "So which is usually warmer?" (Texas.) Ask: "Two towns are equally far north. One is beside the ocean. Which has milder winters?" (The town beside the ocean.) If stuck, say: "Find the equator. Is the place near it or far? Is an ocean close by?"
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Make a Climate Map. Read this source box aloud. "Southeast: hot, humid summers and mild winters. Southwest desert: hot and dry. Northern states from Montana to Maine: warm summers and cold, snowy winters. California coast: mild, with dry summers. Hawaii and the southern tip of Florida: tropical, warm all year. Northern Alaska: very cold." 1) Your child makes a key with six colors, one for each zone. 2) Your child colors each zone on the outline. Rough edges are fine. Printed maps show more zones. 3) Find your home. Ask: "Which zone is nearest to us?" 4) In the notebook, make a chart with three columns: place, climate, how people adapt. Fill in three rows. Phoenix: hot and dry; people use shade and air conditioning. Minneapolis: cold, snowy winters; people use snow plows and warm coats. Your home: your child decides both. 5) Say: "People also build in ways their community has passed down. Pueblo peoples have long built thick adobe walls that stay cool. Many builders in the Southwest still do." 6) Ask: "Which zones are closest to the equator? Are they the warmest? Give evidence." (Hawaii and southern Florida. Yes, they are warm all year.) Keep this map for Day 4.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child finishes two frames: "I live in a ___ climate. In my climate, people ___." Then draw your home in summer and in winter. Sample: "I live in a climate with cold, snowy winters. In my climate, people wear boots and heat their homes."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child writes the answers to questions 1 and 2 and says question 3 aloud. Praise the word usually in any answer.

    Watch for: Mixing up weather and climate, such as saying "our climate is rainy" because it rained today.

    Try: Ask: "Is that true most years, or just today?" Only what is usual over many years describes climate.

    Exit ticket:
    1. On a climate map, two states are the same color. What does that tell you?
    2. San Diego is beside the ocean. Phoenix is far inland and about as far north. Which city has milder summers? Why?
    3. Name one way people where you live adapt to your climate.

    Answers: 1) They have the same kind of climate, or usual weather. 2) San Diego. The ocean keeps places beside it from getting as hot. 3) Answers vary. Look for a match, such as warm coats for cold winters or shade and air conditioning for hot summers.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can split a rectangle into two smaller rectangles to find its area.

    Standards: 3.MD.C.7.c, 3.OA.B.5

    Builds on: Needs the distributive property from Week 13 Day 3, area models from Week 21 Day 2 and multiplying side lengths from Day 1. One-minute check: ask 5 × 4, 2 × 4 and 20 + 8 (20, 8, 28).

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 13 Day 3. Your child breaks apart 9 × 3 and writes one equation. Look for 9 × 3 = (5 × 3) + (4 × 3) and 15 + 12 = 27. Then practice ×9 facts with no clock. For 9 × 4, use 10 groups minus 1 group: 40 − 4 = 36. Ask 9 × 2, 9 × 5 and 9 × 10 (18, 45, 90).
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "In Week 13 you broke a hard fact into two easy facts. Today a rectangle shows why that works." Use the ruler to outline 7 rows of 6 squares on grid paper. Say: "In Week 21 an area model showed a fraction. This area model shows 7 × 6. The factors are its side lengths." Draw a line under row 5. Your child colors the top 5 rows red and the bottom 2 rows blue. Ask: "What is the area of the red part?" (5 × 6 = 30) "The blue part?" (2 × 6 = 12) Write 7 × 6 = (5 × 6) + (2 × 6). Write 30 + 12 = 42. Say: "So the area is 42 square units, and 7 × 6 = 42." Cut along the line, then push the parts back together. Ask: "Was any square lost or added?" (No.) Say: "The two small areas add up to the whole area. That is the distributive property." Now your child does more. Outline 9 rows of 8. Your child splits it into 5 rows and 4 rows, colors and writes the equation. (9 × 8 = (5 × 8) + (4 × 8); 40 + 32 = 72 square units)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child outlines each rectangle, draws the split line, colors and writes the equation. 1) 6 rows of 6, split into 5 rows and 1 row (30 + 6 = 36 square units). 2) 8 rows of 7, split into 5 rows and 3 rows (35 + 21 = 56 square units). 3) Write 7 × 7 = (5 × 7) + (n × 7). Your child finds n and the area (n = 2; 35 + 14 = 49 square units). 4) Outline 2 rows of 9. Split it with an up-and-down line into 5 columns and 4 columns. Ask: "What are the two products?" (2 × 5 = 10 and 2 × 4 = 8) Your child adds them. (10 + 8 = 18 square units) If stuck, say: "Cover one color. What fact do you see? Now the other color. Add the two."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child draws each split, writes the two products and adds. 1) 8 rows of 8, split into 5 rows and 3 rows (40 + 24 = 64 square units). 2) 9 rows of 4, split into 5 rows and 4 rows (20 + 16 = 36 square units). 3) 7 rows of 8, split into 5 rows and 2 rows (40 + 16 = 56 square units). 4) 6 rows of 7, with a split your child chooses (sample: 35 + 7 = 42 square units). 5) 3 rows of 7, split into 5 columns and 2 columns (15 + 6 = 21 square units). 6) Write 7 × 7 = (4 × 7) + (n × 7). Find n and the area (n = 3; 28 + 21 = 49 square units). 7) A quilt has 8 rows of 9 squares. Each square is 1 square foot. Split it to find the area. (sample: 45 + 27 = 72 square feet) 8) A floor has 9 rows of 9 tiles. Each tile is 1 square foot. Split it to find the area. (sample: 45 + 36 = 81 square feet)
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the scissors away. Read each question aloud; your child may sketch on grid paper.

    Watch for: Splitting the rows but changing the row length too, such as (5 × 8) + (2 × 7) for 7 × 8.

    Try: Your child points to each colored part and reads its own two side lengths aloud before multiplying.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Split a rectangle with 8 rows of 5 squares into 5 rows and 3 rows. What is its area?
    2. Fill in the unknown: 9 × 2 = (5 × 2) + (n × 2)
    3. A rectangle is cut into two parts. Why do the two areas add up to the whole area?

    Answers: 1) 25 + 15 = 40 square units 2) n = 4 3) Answers vary. Look for: the two parts cover the whole rectangle with no overlap, so no square is lost or added.

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can figure out tricky science and history words and then say an idea in my own words.

    Standards: W.3.8, RI.3.4, L.3.4.A, L.3.4.C, L.3.4.D

    Builds on: Needs context clues from Week 22 and paraphrasing from Week 17. One-minute check: ask, "'The weary hikers sat down to rest.' What does weary mean?" (Tired. The clue is that they sat down to rest.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, possessives. Dictate this sentence: "The teacher's dog ran to the players' bench." Your child writes it. Check it together. Ask: "How many teachers? How many players?" (One teacher, so 's. Many players, so s then an apostrophe.) Spaced review from Week 28. Ask: "Is 'Do bees sleep?' open-ended or yes/no? Make it stronger." (Yes/no. Sample: How do bees rest?)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Plagiarism means using someone's words or ideas as if they were yours. There are two honest choices. Quote the exact words in quotation marks and cite. Or paraphrase in your own words and cite." Say: "You can't paraphrase a sentence until you understand its important words." Read this text aloud. "A Hive Is a Busy Town. A honeybee colony is a highly organized community. Each worker has a specific task, or job. Young workers are nurse bees that feed the larvae, the wormlike baby bees. Guard bees defend the entrance, so wasps and other robbers cannot get in. The oldest workers are foragers. They leave the hive to search for nectar and pollen." Write four steps. 1) Find the tricky words. 2) Work them out. 3) Cover and say it your way. 4) Check the meaning. Think aloud on sentence one: "Colony. The whole text is about bees in one hive. A colony must be a group that lives together. Organized. I know the root word organize, to arrange in a plan. So organized means arranged in a plan." Look up colony in the dictionary. Say: "My guess fits." Cover the sentence with the paper. Say: "Bees in a hive live as a group with a plan." Uncover and compare. Say: "Same meaning, new words."
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child highlights each tricky word first. 1) Ask: "What are larvae? Which words tell you?" (Baby bees. The clue is "the wormlike baby bees.") 2) Ask: "What does defend mean? What is the clue?" (Guard or keep safe. Robbers cannot get in.) 3) Ask: "What root word hides in foragers? What do foragers do?" (Forage. They search for food.) Your child checks forage in the dictionary. 4) Your child covers the guard bee sentence and paraphrases it. (Sample: "Guard bees keep wasps and other thieves out of the hive.") If stuck, say: "Close the book. Tell it to me as if I were five. Now write that."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child chooses three sentences from their own sources, each with a tricky word. 2) In the notebook, your child writes each word, its meaning and the clue used. Clues can be nearby words, a root word, or the glossary. 3) Your child paraphrases each sentence on an index card with the four steps. 4) Your child adds a code to each card, such as (S2, p. 9). 5) Your child rereads all notes and puts quotation marks around any copied words. Look for: the meaning stays the same; the words and the sentence shape change; a code on every card.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three questions. Your child may look back at "A Hive Is a Busy Town."

    Watch for: Swapping in a few synonyms but keeping the author's sentence shape, which is still too close to copying.

    Try: Your child closes the book and explains the idea aloud before writing a single word.

    Exit ticket:
    1. You paraphrase an idea and cite the source. Is that plagiarism? Why or why not?
    2. In "A Hive Is a Busy Town," what does task mean? Which words are the clue?
    3. Paraphrase this sentence: "Young workers are nurse bees that feed the larvae."

    Answers: 1) No. The words are my own, and I told where the idea came from. 2) A job. The clue is "or job" right after the word. 3) Answers vary. Sample: "The youngest worker bees give food to the baby bees."

    Science

    Objective: I can sort traits and behaviors as inherited or learned and explain my choice.

    Standards: 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2

    Builds on: Needs the trait cards from Day 1 and the behavior cards from Day 2. One-minute check: hold up one card from each day. Ask "Which is inherited and which is learned?" Both should be right.

    1. Day 143 — Sorting: Inherited or Learned? — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 4. Ask: "What happens when the north poles of two magnets face each other?" (They repel, or push apart.) Now the wonder. Ask: "A spider spins a web, and nobody showed it how. Is web-spinning inherited or learned?" Take one guess and save it.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "To sort, ask one question. Did it come from the parents with no teaching, or did it take practice, teaching or watching?" Model two cards aloud. "Curly hair: no practice needed. Inherited." "Making a sandwich: someone showed you. Learned." Say: "Here is a surprise. Some things animals do are inherited too. In Week 11 we called them instincts." Say: "A spider spins its web without lessons. A newborn piglet finds its mother's milk." Say: "So an action is not always learned. Ask whether it needed teaching or practice." Lay the two labeled sheets side by side. Put the curly hair idea on Inherited and the sandwich idea on Learned by pointing. Ask: "A baby cries when it is hungry. Inherited or learned?" (Inherited. No one taught it.) "A child says please. Inherited or learned?" (Learned.) "A cat's whiskers?" (Inherited. They are a body feature.) If stuck, say: "Could it do this with no teacher and no practice?"
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Card Sort. 1) Take the 16 trait and behavior cards from the envelope and mix them. Leave the test question card out. 2) Your child writes 4 new cards with the marker, two of each type. 3) They sort all 20 cards onto the Inherited and Learned sheets. For each card they say "came from parents" or "had to learn." 4) You write 3 challenge cards: a spider spinning a web, a rabbit's long ears, a horse coming when called. Your child sorts them. (Web: inherited, an instinct. Ears: inherited. Horse: learned.) 5) Count each pile. Record in a table with three columns: Pile, Number of cards, Hardest card. Nothing is changed here. Keep the same sorting question for every card. Expect about 12 cards on Inherited and 11 on Learned. A card that is partly both may sit between the sheets. Counts may differ, so say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern, and tell me your reason."
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child copies the final sort into a 2-column notebook chart titled "Inherited or Learned?" They place at least 12 items and circle the hardest one. Then they finish the frame: "The hardest card was ___. I decided it was ___ because ___." Sample: "The hardest card was the spider web. I decided it was inherited because no one teaches a spider."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Return to the spider guess from the warm-up, and praise reasons that mention teaching or practice.

    Watch for: Marking every action as learned, such as "a spider spinning a web," just because it is something an animal does.

    Try: Ask: "Did the baby spider have a teacher?" Explain that spiders spin webs without being taught, so some behaviors are inherited.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Inherited or learned: a hedgehog's spines? Tell how you know.
    2. Inherited or learned: playing the drums? Tell how you know.
    3. A newborn kangaroo crawls into its mother's pouch with no teaching. Is this action inherited or learned? Explain.

    Answers: 1) Inherited. Spines are a body feature passed from its parents. 2) Learned. It takes lessons and practice. 3) Inherited. It is an instinct, because the newborn had no teacher and no practice.

    Print Day 3 practice pages →

    Day 4 · Thursday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can use several maps together to explain why many people live in a place.

    Standards: D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.6.3-5, D2.Geo.8.3-5, D3.3.3-5

    Builds on: Needs the three maps made on Days 1 to 3. One-minute check: hold up each map. Your child names it and tells what it shows. (Resource map: where resources are. Population map: where people live. Climate map: usual weather.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 6. Ask: "What is a claim?" (An answer that you can back up with evidence.) Then ask the big question: "Phoenix sits in a hot desert. Why do more than a million people live there?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Geographers lay maps side by side, like clues." Model with Phoenix. Find it on each map. Say: "The climate map shows a hot, dry desert. The physical map shows a wide, flat valley. The Salt River runs through it." Add a dark dot for Phoenix on the population map. Say: "Water is the missing clue. Long ago, ancestors of today's O'odham people dug canals from the Salt River to water crops. O'odham communities live beside the city today. Now rivers and a long canal from the Colorado River bring water." Write the claim in the notebook: "Many people live in Phoenix because water is brought in and the land is flat." Ask: "Which map shows that the land is flat?" (The physical map.) "Which map shows that the place is hot and dry?" (The climate map.) "Can these maps tell us when Phoenix was founded?" (No. We would need another source.) If stuck, say: "Which map shows that? Put your finger on it."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Map Detective. The question is: "Why do so many people live in Chicago?" 1) Your child finds Chicago on the physical map and writes one clue. (It is on flat land beside Lake Michigan.) 2) Find Illinois on the resource map. (Corn symbols show farmland all around.) 3) Find it on the population map. (It is a dark area.) 4) Read this source box aloud. "Chicago sits on the flat shore of Lake Michigan. Rich farmland surrounds it. In the 1800s, many railroads met there. Trains and lake ships carried grain and meat in and out. Today more than 2 million people live in the city." 5) In the notebook, your child makes a table with two columns: clue, where I found it. Write four rows. 6) Your child says a claim with two pieces of evidence. Sample: "Many people live in Chicago because it is a place for trade. The physical map shows the lake. The source box says railroads met there." Look for a map or the source box named with each clue.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child writes the answer in this frame: "I think ___ because the ___ map shows ___, and the ___ shows ___." Then add one thing these maps cannot tell, such as what languages people speak. Sample: "I think Chicago grew because the physical map shows a lake for ships, and the resource map shows farms."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Your child checks one answer by pointing to a map. Praise evidence that names its map.

    Watch for: Writing evidence from what your child already believes instead of from the maps.

    Try: Ask: "Which map shows that? Put your finger on it." Accept only evidence your child can point to.

    Exit ticket:
    1. You want to know whether a place is rainy or dry. Which of this week's maps do you check?
    2. A city is a dark spot on the population map. The resource map shows tree symbols all around it. Write a claim about why people live there.
    3. Name one thing about a city that none of this week's three maps can tell you.

    Answers: 1) The climate map. 2) Answers vary. Look for: many people live there because forests give jobs in logging and lumber, as the resource map shows. 3) Answers vary. Look for: when it was founded, who lives there, what languages people speak or what jobs they have.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can find the area of a shape made of rectangles by adding the parts.

    Standards: 3.MD.C.7.d

    Builds on: Needs splitting L-shapes from Week 28 Day 4 and multiplying side lengths from Day 1. One-minute check: ask the area of a 3 by 3 square (9 square units). Then ask a 2 by 6 rectangle (12 square units).

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 28 Day 2. Ask: "Which unit fits the area of a bedroom floor: square inches or square feet?" (Square feet.) Then practice ×6 and ×7 facts with no clock. Ask 6 × 3, 6 × 10, 7 × 2 and 7 × 6 (18, 60, 14, 42). Your child tells the strategy for 7 × 6.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "In Week 28 you split L-shapes and counted squares. Today you multiply each part, then add." Say: "Each part is named long by tall." Use the ruler to outline a 7 by 2 rectangle on grid paper. On top of its left end, outline a 3 by 4 rectangle. Erase the line between them. Draw a split line to make the two rectangles again. Your child labels the side lengths of each part. Ask: "What is the area of the bottom part?" (7 × 2 = 14) "The top part?" (3 × 4 = 12) Write 14 + 12 = 26. Say: "So the area of the L is 26 square units. Split, multiply each part, then add." Now split the same L with an up-and-down line. Ask: "What two rectangles do you see?" (3 by 6 and 4 by 2) Write 18 + 8 = 26. Say: "A new split gives the same area." Now your child does more. Outline an H-shape: two 2 by 6 posts with a 2 by 2 bar joining their middles. Your child labels, multiplies and adds. (12 + 12 + 4 = 28 square units)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child sketches, labels each part, multiplies and adds. 1) An L-shaped room has a 10 feet by 4 feet part and a 3 feet by 3 feet nook. Find its area. (40 + 9 = 49 square feet) 2) A T: a 6 by 2 bar with a 2 by 5 stem under its middle. (12 + 10 = 22 square units) 3) Ask: "What goes wrong if two parts overlap?" (Some squares are counted twice, so the total is too big.) If stuck, say: "Trace one rectangle with your finger. What are its two side lengths? Multiply. Now the next one."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — You outline shapes 1 to 5 on grid paper, long by tall. Your child splits, shades, multiplies and adds. 1) An L: a 6 by 3 bottom part with a 2 by 2 part on top of its right end. (18 + 4 = 22 square units) 2) An L: a 9 by 2 bottom part with a 4 by 4 part on top of its left end. (18 + 16 = 34 square units) 3) A T: a 7 by 2 bar with a 3 by 3 stem under its middle. (14 + 9 = 23 square units) 4) Steps: 6 by 2, 4 by 2 and 2 by 2 parts, stacked and lined up on the left. (12 + 8 + 4 = 24 square units) 5) A U: two 1 by 5 posts with a 4 by 1 base joining their bottoms. (5 + 5 + 4 = 14 square units) 6) Your child splits shape 1 a different way. (sample: 4 by 3 and 2 by 5; 12 + 10 = 22 square units) 7) A room is made of a 9 feet by 4 feet part and a 2 feet by 2 feet closet. What is its total area? (36 + 4 = 40 square feet) 8) A garden has two beds that do not overlap. One is 5 meters by 5 meters. The other is 3 meters by 4 meters. What is the total area? (25 + 12 = 37 square meters)
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the colored pencils away. Read each question aloud; your child may sketch on grid paper.

    Watch for: Using a side length of the whole shape for one of the smaller rectangles.

    Try: After splitting, your child traces each small rectangle with a finger. Your child labels only that rectangle's own two sides.

    Exit ticket:
    1. An L-shape is made of a 6 by 2 rectangle and a 3 by 3 square. What is its area?
    2. Why must the rectangles not overlap?
    3. A room is made of a 10 feet by 3 feet part and a 2 feet by 3 feet part. What is its total area?

    Answers: 1) 12 + 9 = 21 square units 2) If they overlap, some squares are counted twice and the total is too big. 3) 30 + 6 = 36 square feet

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can combine facts from two or more sources and write a big-idea sentence.

    Standards: W.3.8, RI.3.9, L.3.4.B, RF.3.3.A, L.3.5.C

    Builds on: Needs comparing two texts from Week 25 and the notes with source codes from Days 1 and 2. One-minute check: ask, "When we compare two texts on one topic, what two things do we look for?" (What is the same and what is different.)

    New words:
    • synthesize – to combine ideas from different sources into one new understanding
    • big-idea sentence – one sentence that sums up what your notes on a subtopic say
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, possessives in meaning. Say each phrase. Your child says it shorter with a possessive, then spells the possessive. "The whiskers of the cat." (The cat's whiskers.) "The trucks of the farmers." (The farmers' trucks.) "The room of my sister." (My sister's room.) Ask: "The boys' boots: one boy or more?" (More than one) Spaced review from Week 17. Ask: "What is plagiarism?" (Copying someone else's words and calling them yours.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "To synthesize means to combine ideas from different sources into one new understanding." Read these two cards aloud. "Two Source Cards. Source A says: In summer, a strong hive may hold about 50,000 bees. Nearly all of them are female workers. A worker lives only about six weeks in summer. Source B says: A summer colony can have 20,000 to 60,000 bees. Summer workers wear out their wings and die after five or six weeks. The queen lays the eggs." Write the steps. 1) Match facts on the same point. 2) Check facts that two sources agree on. 3) Circle facts that differ or stand alone. 4) Write a big-idea sentence that fits both. Think aloud: "Hive size. A says about 50,000. B says 20,000 to 60,000. The number 50,000 is inside that range. They agree, so I make a check." Write: In summer, a hive holds tens of thousands of bees. Ask: "Does my sentence say anything that neither source said?" (No) Word parts. Write agree. Say: "Add dis- and you get disagree, to not agree. Add -ment and you get agreement, when two sides agree." Say: "Some words show how sure we are." Write wonder, suspect, know from least sure to most sure.
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) Ask: "A says about six weeks. B says five or six weeks. Do they agree or disagree?" (Agree. It is the same fact in different words.) 2) Ask: "Which fact is only in A? Which is only in B?" (A: nearly all are female workers. B: the queen lays the eggs.) Your child circles both. 3) Ask: "Where does believe go on our line of sure words?" (Between suspect and know.) Say: "For a fact in one source only, write 'one source says.' Then check a third source." 4) Together, write a big-idea sentence about a worker's life. (Sample: "A summer worker bee lives only five or six weeks.") If stuck, say: "Are they saying different facts, or the same fact in different words?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child works through each subtopic page. 1) In one color, check each fact found in two or more sources. 2) In the other color, circle facts that differ or stand alone. 3) For facts that differ, check a third source or write a range. 4) Write one big-idea sentence at the top of each page. Look for: the notes below support the sentence; it adds nothing new; it is in your child's own words. Sample for otters: "A sea otter's thick fur keeps cold water away from its skin."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three questions. Your child reads one big-idea sentence aloud.

    Watch for: Thinking sources disagree whenever the wording is different, even when the facts match.

    Try: Ask, "Different facts, or the same fact in different words?" Your child paraphrases both to test it.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What does synthesize mean?
    2. Source A says, "Bees dance to share news." Source B says, "A worker dances to show others where flowers are." Do the sources agree or disagree?
    3. Read one of your big-idea sentences. Which two notes support it?

    Answers: 1) To combine ideas from different sources into one new understanding. 2) They agree. Both say bees dance to tell other bees something. Source B adds a detail. 3) Answers vary. Look for: two notes on the same page that match the sentence.

    Science

    Objective: I can explain that some traits depend on what is inherited and also on the environment or practice.

    Standards: 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2

    Builds on: Needs Day 3: sorting inherited traits and learned behaviors. One-minute check: ask "Inherited or learned: a duck's webbed feet? A dog that fetches?" (Inherited. Learned.)

    New words:
    • environment – everything around a living thing, such as food, water, sunlight, soil, warmth and space
    1. Day 144 — Some Traits Have Two Parts — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 10. Ask: "Name three nonliving parts of an ecosystem." (Sample: light, water, air or soil.) Now the wonder. Ask: "Two seeds from one packet are planted in different places. Will the plants always grow the same?" Write down your child's prediction.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Some traits have two parts. One part is inherited. The other part depends on the environment." Say: "The environment is everything around a living thing: food, water, sunlight, soil, warmth and space." Example 1. Say: "A male house finch inherits feathers that can turn red. The red comes from colors in the berries and seeds he eats. With less of that food, his new feathers grow in yellow or orange." Example 2. Say: "A child inherits how tall they can grow. Healthy food and sleep help the body reach that height." Example 3. Say: "You inherit your muscles. Exercise makes them stronger." In the notebook, draw a chart with two columns: Inherited part, Environment part. Fill in the house finch row together. Ask: "Can food change a house finch's feather color?" (Yes.) "Can food change your eye color?" (No. The environment does not change every trait.) "A tree on a windy cliff grows bent to one side. What bent it?" (The wind, which is part of its environment.) If stuck, say: "What did it get from its parents? What around it could change that?"
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Two-Part Trait Evidence. 1) Show the two plant pictures. Ask: "What is the same?" (The kind of plant and its leaf shape, which are inherited.) "What is different?" (Size, color or drooping, caused by the environment.) 2) Read this made-up sample record aloud: "Six marigolds grew from one seed packet. All had the same soil, water and light. Three grew in a warm room and three in a chilly room." 3) Your child uses the ruler to draw a table with four columns: Room, Plant 1, Plant 2, Plant 3. Warm room: 30, 28 and 31 centimeters tall. Chilly room: 14, 17 and 15 centimeters tall. 4) Ask: "What was changed?" (The warmth.) "What was kept the same?" (The kind of seed, the soil, the water and the light.) "Which group grew taller?" (The warm room.) 5) Ask: "All six came from one packet. What most likely caused the difference?" (The warmth, part of the environment.) These numbers are made up for practice. Real plants give other numbers. Say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern."
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child makes a 3-column chart: Trait, Inherited Part, Environment or Practice Part. They complete 4 rows: house finch color, a child's height, muscle strength and marigold height. Then they finish the frame: "Some traits have two parts because ___." Sample: "Some traits have two parts because parents pass on the trait, and food, water or practice changes it."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Check the warm-up prediction together, and praise answers that name a part of the environment.

    Watch for: Thinking the environment can change any trait, such as eating carrots to change eye color.

    Try: Ask: "Could food change your eye color?" Then ask: "Could food change how tall you grow?" Compare the two answers.

    Exit ticket:
    1. A cactus grows in a pot on a windowsill. Name three parts of its environment.
    2. Two pumpkin vines grow from seeds of one pumpkin. One is in full sun and one is in deep shade. Predict one difference and tell the cause.
    3. Can the environment change every trait? Give one trait it does not change.

    Answers: 1) Any 3: sunlight, soil, water, air, warmth or the space in its pot. 2) The shaded vine will likely be smaller or grow fewer pumpkins. The cause is less sunlight, part of its environment. 3) No. Sample: eye color, the number of legs or the kind of leaf.

    Print Day 4 practice pages →

    Day 5 · Friday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can show what I know about resource, population and climate maps on the weekly check.

    Standards: D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.6.3-5, D2.Geo.10.3-5

    Builds on: Needs the three maps from Days 1 to 3 and the claim from Day 4. One-minute check: "Which map would show where coal is mined?" (The resource map.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 3. Ask: "What does a compass rose show?" (The directions north, south, east and west.) Then play Map Match. Name a job and your child holds up the map for it. "Plan a sawmill near forests." (Resource map.) "Find the biggest cities." (Population map.) "Pack for a trip in January." (Climate map.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Lay out the three maps. Skill 1, keys. Ask: "A map shows a small tree. What must you read to know its meaning?" (The key.) Skill 2, population. Ask: "Find a white area on your population map. Give one reason few people live there." (Sample: the Nevada desert is very dry.) Skill 3, climate. Ask: "'Our summers are usually hot and dry.' Is that weather or climate?" (Climate.) "Which color on your map shows the coldest zone?" (The color for northern Alaska.) Skill 4, maps together. Ask: "A company wants to build a paper mill with many workers nearby. Which two maps should it check?" (The resource map for forests and the population map for people.) Say: "A strong answer names the map it came from." If stuck, say: "Read the key first. Then tell me what you see."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Neighborhood Mini Map. 1) On the graph paper, your child draws your street and two or three streets nearby in pencil. 2) Add a title, such as "My Neighborhood." 3) Add a key with three symbols, such as a house, a tree and a store. Draw each symbol on the map in colored pencil. 4) Add a compass rose. If you are unsure which way is north, check where the sun rises. That side is east. 5) Add one special layer, as this week's maps do. Your child shades darkly where the most people live. Ask: "Why do more people live there?" (Sample: the apartment building holds many families.) 6) Your child touches each key symbol, then finds it on the map. Maps differ. Look for a title, a key that matches the map and a compass rose.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child finishes these frames: "The map I read best is the ___ map because ___. The one I want to practice is the ___ map." Sample: "The map I read best is the resource map because the symbols are pictures. The one I want to practice is the climate map."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Then give the stored Week 29 check: 7 items, about 15 minutes. To fit it, finish the mini map as homework or give the check later today. Score it with the answer key. With 6 or more right, move on to Week 30. With 4 or 5 right, redo the Day 2 page and highlight the three darkest areas on a population map. With 3 or fewer right, reteach Day 1. Cover a map with paper, read only the key aloud, then uncover it and find each symbol. Revisit any other day missed. Praise your child for naming each map.

    Watch for: Drawing a key with symbols that do not appear on the map.

    Try: Your child touches each symbol in the key, then finds the same symbol on the map. Erase any symbol that is not used.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Which of this week's three maps uses a darker color to show more people?
    2. Name the three things on your neighborhood map that help a reader understand it.
    3. Name one symbol in your neighborhood map key. What does it stand for?

    Answers: 1) The population map. 2) A title, a key and a compass rose. 3) Answers vary. Look for a symbol that is in both the key and the map, such as a house.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can find area with multiplication and addition on the Week 29 check.

    Standards: 3.MD.C.7.b, 3.MD.C.7.c, 3.MD.C.7.d, 3.OA.B.5

    Builds on: Needs everything from Days 1 to 4. One-minute check: your child tells the area of a 3 by 10 rectangle and names the unit (30 square units).

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 25 Day 3. Say: "Practice starts at 3:50 and ends at 4:20. How long is it?" (30 minutes) Then practice ×8 and ×9 facts with no clock. Ask 8 × 5, 8 × 10, 9 × 3 and 9 × 10 (40, 80, 27, 90). For 9 × 8, use 10 groups minus 1 group: 80 − 8 = 72.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Play Sketch and Solve for 10 minutes. Mix the 6 game cards face down. Keep the model card out. Say: "Pick a card, sketch it, label the sides and solve. Always say the unit." Model a turn with the model card. Sketch a rectangle and label the sides 6 and 10. Write 6 × 10 = 60. Say: "So the area is 60 square units." Now your child takes every turn and may shade the parts with colored pencils. Answers: the 5 by 8 rectangle is 40 square units. The 9 by 9 square is 81 square units. The unknown side is 9 feet, since 4 × 9 = 36. The split gives 35 + 14 = 49 square units. The L is 18 + 8 = 26 square units. The room is 50 + 9 = 59 square feet. Ask each turn: "Is your answer a length or an area?" A correct turn wins the card.
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Do three check-style problems together. 1) A rectangle is tiled with 5 rows of 10 squares. Your child writes a multiplication sentence and tells why it matches counting. (5 × 10 = 50 square units. The tiles make 5 equal rows of 10.) 2) Split 6 rows of 7 into 5 rows and 1 row. (35 + 7 = 42 square units) 3) A shelf has an area of 21 square feet. One side is 3 feet. How long is the other side? (3 × n = 21; n = 7; 7 feet) If stuck, say: "Sketch it first. Label what you know. Is the unknown an area or a side?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Give the stored Week 29 check now. It has 7 items. Find it with the Week 29 lessons. Your child works alone for about 15 minutes, with no clock running. Your child may sketch on grid paper. Score it with the answer key, then choose a route. 6 or 7 right: move on to Week 30. 4 or 5 right: find the kind of item missed. Items 1 and 2 multiply side lengths; redo Day 1 Guided Practice. Items 3 and 4 are a real-world area and an unknown side; redo Day 2 Guided Practice. Item 5 splits a rectangle; redo Day 3 Guided Practice. Items 6 and 7 are shapes made of rectangles; redo Day 4 Guided Practice. 3 or fewer right: reteach the Day 1 Mini-Lesson with paper squares, then Day 2. Note any weak skill for the Week 32 flex days.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — After the check, your child answers these three questions. Then go over any missed check items together.

    Watch for: Mixing the steps for a shape made of rectangles, such as multiplying the two areas together.

    Try: Your child says the plan aloud before starting: "Split, multiply each part, then add."

    Exit ticket:
    1. What is the area of a 3 by 9 rectangle?
    2. Split 8 rows of 8 into 5 rows and 3 rows. What is the area?
    3. A shape is made of a 4 by 5 rectangle and a 3 by 3 square. What is its area?

    Answers: 1) 27 square units 2) 40 + 24 = 64 square units 3) 20 + 9 = 29 square units

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can show what I know about notes, sources and word meanings.

    Standards: W.3.8, RI.3.4, L.3.6

    Builds on: Needs all of Week 29: sorted notes with source codes, the Sources page, paraphrasing and big-idea sentences. One-minute check: ask, "What does paraphrase mean?" (To say an idea in your own words.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, possessives. Give a quick, unhurried spelling check. Say each word in a phrase that shows the number of owners. Say: "Dog's. One dog's leash." Go on with baby's, friend's, girls', students', farmers'. Challenge word: children's. Correct it together. Your child tells why each apostrophe sits where it does. Spaced review from Week 26. Ask: "'Her smile was sunshine.' What does it really mean?" (Her smile was warm and bright. It made people feel happy.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Review the week with new examples about sea otters. 1) Sorting. Say: "One page is Otter fur. Another is Otter food. Where does the note 'eats crabs and clams' go?" (Otter food) 2) Citing. Your child points to one note. Ask: "Which source and page did this come from?" (Your child reads them from the code.) 3) Word meaning. Say: "Otters groom their dense fur for hours. The hairs are packed so tightly that water can't reach the skin." Ask: "What does dense mean? What is the clue?" (Thick. The clue is "packed so tightly.") 4) Paraphrase. Say: "A sea otter floats on its back while it eats." (Sample: "An otter lies face up on the water to have a meal.") 5) Sure words. Ask: "Which is more sure: I suspect or I know?" (I know) Say: "You are ready to show this on your own."
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Give the stored Week 29 weekly check. It has 8 items. Say: "Show what you know. Use the clue words around a hard word." Your child works alone with a pencil. Read the directions aloud if asked, but give no hints. Score it together with the answer key. Your child fixes each miss in colored pencil and says the right answer aloud. Then follow this route. 6 or more right: move on to Week 30. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 3 practice page and revisit Day 3. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 by sorting notes again, then Day 3.
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child checks their own notebook to get ready for drafting. 1) Does every note have a source code? Add any that are missing. 2) Does every subtopic page have a big-idea sentence? Write any that are missing. 3) Are copied words inside quotation marks? Fix them or paraphrase. A fixed note looks like "fur traps air (S2, p. 5)." 4) Does each page have at least four notes? If not, read more in the three sources and add notes. Look for: your child finds and fixes at least two things without help. Say: "Next week these pages become your report."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three questions aloud. Your child answers aloud to close the week.

    Watch for: Guessing a word's meaning from the word alone and skipping the clue words around it.

    Try: Your child underlines the words on both sides of the tricky word before answering.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Paraphrase this sentence: "Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp so they do not drift away while they sleep."
    2. Pick one of your notes. What does its code tell you?
    3. Are your notes ready for drafting? What still needs work?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Sample: "Otters roll up in seaweed to stay in one place when they nap." 2) Answers vary. Look for: the source number and the page number. 3) Answers vary. Look for: an honest answer that matches the notebook check.

    Science

    Objective: I can sort and explain inherited traits, learned behaviors and traits affected by the environment.

    Standards: 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2

    Builds on: Needs the card sets and this week's notebook pages. One-minute check: ask "Name two parts of a pond fish's environment." (Sample: water, food, light or pond plants.)

    1. Day 145 — Week 29 Check: Inherited or Learned? — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 13. Ask: "Name one benefit animals get from living in a group." (Sample: safety, help finding food or care for the young.) Then a quick sort aloud, with no rush. Say each one: a turtle's shell (inherited), playing chess (learned), a bee's stinger (inherited), jumping rope (learned). Now the wonder. Ask: "Can one living thing show all three ideas from this week?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "This week had three ideas. Inherited traits come from parents. Learned behaviors come from practice, teaching or watching. Some traits have two parts." Lay out the three sheets: Inherited, Learned, Both Parts. Teach the "because" sentence. Say: "Scientists give a reason. A cheetah's spots are inherited because cubs are born with them." Model one more: "Swimming is learned because it takes lessons and practice." Now one animal, three ideas. Say: "A horse inherits its long legs. It learns to carry a rider. Its strong muscles come from its parents and from exercise." Ask: "Which sheet fits a horse's mane?" (Inherited.) "Which sheet fits a horse stopping at the word whoa?" (Learned.) "Which sheet fits how strong a horse's legs become?" (Both Parts. Exercise changes it.) If stuck, say: "Did it come from parents, from practice, or from parents plus the environment?"
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Three-Pile Sort and Explain. 1) Lay the three sheets in a row. 2) Your child shuffles the sorting cards and draws 10 without looking. They sort the 10 cards onto the sheets. 3) With the marker, you write 4 new cards. They say: a house finch's red color, a bean plant's height, strong leg muscles, a wind-bent tree. 4) Your child sorts them and names both parts for each. Sample: "The bean plant inherits its kind. Sun and water change its height." 5) They choose 3 cards and write one "because" sentence for each in pencil. Record in a table with two columns: Sheet, Number of cards. Keep the same question for every card. Expect the 4 new cards on Both Parts. The other piles depend on the cards drawn. Say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern in your reasons."
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child writes a notebook reflection with three frames. "My strongest idea was ___. My hardest idea was ___. One trait that depends on the environment is ___." Sample: "My strongest idea was learned behaviors. My hardest idea was traits with two parts. One trait that depends on the environment is a plant's height."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud and praise every "because." Then give the Week 29 Science Check, which has 7 items. Allow about 10 minutes, later today if time is short. Score it with the key. With 6 or more right, your child makes 6 new sorting cards from an animal book, one of them partly both. With 4 or 5 right, redo the Day 3 card sort aloud. With 3 or fewer right, reteach Day 2 by teaching a new hand clap.

    Watch for: Sorting "speaking a language" as inherited because the parents speak it too.

    Try: Ask: "A baby grows up in a family that speaks another language. Which language will the baby speak?" (The one it hears and learns.)

    Exit ticket:
    1. A foal stands and walks within hours of birth. Later it carries a rider. Which action is inherited and which is learned?
    2. Two oak trees grew from acorns of one tree. One stands in an open field and one in a crowded forest. They have different shapes. Tell the inherited part and the environment part.
    3. Which of this week's three ideas do you feel strongest about? Give one example.

    Answers: 1) Standing and walking are inherited, because no one taught the foal. Carrying a rider is learned through training. 2) Inherited part: both are oaks with oak leaves and acorns. Environment part: light and space changed how each tree grew. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a correct example of an inherited trait, a learned behavior or a two-part trait.

    Print Day 5 practice pages →

    Worksheets

    • math — Day 141 — Area = Length × Width
    • math — Day 142 — Multiplication for Area
    • math — Day 143 — Distributive Property in Area
    • math — Day 144 — Combined Areas (Adding)
    • math — Day 145 — Area Practice

    Assessments

    • math — Unit Assessment 13 — Area