Day 1 · Monday

Objective: I can explain what civic action is and name the steps of a civic action project.

Standards: D4.7.3-5, D2.Civ.2.3-5, D2.Civ.14.3-5

Materials: Civic Action Project planner from the site's Civic Action Project page (or a notebook page titled Step 1), 10 index cards, Noticing list from Week 32 Day 5, Notebook, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 21. Ask: "Citizens have rights and responsibilities. Tell me one responsibility." (Following laws, helping the community, or voting when grown up.) Then ask the big question: "What could you do to make our community a little better?"

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "Civic action means doing something, alone or with others, to help solve a community problem." Read two examples aloud. Long ago: "In 1955, Montgomery, Alabama, had unfair bus laws. Black riders had to sit in the back and give up seats to white riders. Rosa Parks refused and was arrested. Thousands of Black residents then stayed off the buses for more than a year. This was a boycott. In 1956 the Supreme Court ruled that separate seating on buses was against the Constitution." Today: "Amara is a made-up third grader. Two of the four swings at her park were broken. She counted the children waiting for a swing on three afternoons. Then she wrote a polite letter to the parks department." Say: "A democracy needs people who take part. Big and small changes start with people who act." Teach the cycle. Say: "Civic action has six steps: identify a problem, research it, plan, act, reflect and share." Say: "Civic action is not about picking sides in an election. Children always do it with an adult." Ask: "What problem did the people of Montgomery act on?" (An unfair bus law.) Ask: "What did Amara do about the swings?" (She counted, then wrote a letter.) If stuck, say: "Listen again. What did the person do about the problem?"

3. Activity / Source Work · 15–20 min

   Civic action sort. 1) Write one action on each card. Five are civic action. "Picking up litter at the park with a parent." "Writing a polite letter asking the library for more graphic novels." "Collecting canned food for a food bank." "Making a Slow Down sign for the street with an adult." "Reading to a younger child at the library." Five are not. "Buying a toy." "Complaining but doing nothing." "Watching TV." "Playing a video game." "Taking a nap." 2) Make two headings: Civic Action | Not Civic Action. 3) Your child sorts each card and explains why. 4) Ask for evidence: "Which words on the card show it helps the community?" (Sample: "at the park" or "for a food bank.") 5) Ask: "Complaining names a problem. Why is it not civic action?" (Nothing is done to solve it.) 6) Your child predicts a result for two civic action cards. (Sample: "Drivers may slow down near the sign.") Look for reasons about helping the community.

4. Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Open the planner to Step 1, or title a notebook page "Step 1." Your child writes the six cycle steps in order. Then your child lists five civic action ideas from the noticing list, one sentence each. Sample: "We could pick up the litter by the bench with Dad."

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Your child answers the three questions in writing. Praise ideas that are small, real and close to home.

Homework: Your child tells a family member what civic action means and shares two ideas. Look for an idea that is close to home.

Objective: I can name flat shapes by counting their sides.

Standards: 3.G.A.1

Materials: 12 index cards. Before the lesson, draw one shape on each with a ruler. Triangles: one thin and one wide. Quadrilaterals: a square, a long rectangle and a lopsided 4-sided shape. Pentagon: a house shape. Hexagons: a metal-nut shape and an L-shape. Octagon: a stop-sign shape. Not polygons: a circle, a half circle, and 3 lines that do not join up. Keep the cards for Day 5., Ruler, Crayons, Grid paper, Notebook, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 32 Day 2. A rectangle has an area of 24 square units and one side of 4. Your child finds the other side (6). Then practice ×3 facts with no clock. Ask 3 × 6, 3 × 8 and 3 × 9 (18, 24, 27).

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "You met the word polygon in Week 30. A polygon is a closed flat shape with only straight sides. Today we name polygons by counting their sides." Draw one of each and name it as you go. Triangle: 3 sides. Quadrilateral: 4 sides. Pentagon: 5 sides. Hexagon: 6 sides. Octagon: 8 sides. Say: "Quadrilateral is a big group. Squares and rectangles belong, and so does any other shape with 4 sides." Now work one card fully. Hold up the L-shape card. Ask: "Is it closed? Are all its sides straight?" (Yes and yes.) Say: "So it is a polygon." Put a crayon tick on each side as you count them. Ask: "How many sides?" (6) Say: "So this L is a hexagon. The number of sides gives the name, not the look." Hold up the circle. Say: "It has no straight sides, so it is not a polygon." Hold up the 3 lines. Say: "They are not closed, so they are not a polygon." Now your child does more. Your child tests the lopsided card and the half circle card. (a quadrilateral; not a polygon, because one side is curved)

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   Use all 12 cards. Your child ticks each side with a crayon while counting. 1) Sort the cards into piles by number of sides. (2 triangles, 3 quadrilaterals, 1 pentagon, 2 hexagons, 1 octagon, 3 not polygons) 2) Ask: "Which pile holds the square and the rectangle?" (The quadrilaterals. Each has 4 sides.) 3) Ask: "The two hexagons look different. Why do they share a name?" (Both have 6 sides.) 4) Ask: "Why do the 3 lines not make a polygon?" (The shape is not closed.) If stuck, say: "Put your pencil on one corner. Count each straight side until you are back."

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   Your child draws each polygon with a ruler and writes its name and number of sides. 1) A triangle (3 sides). 2) Two different quadrilaterals (4 sides each). 3) A pentagon (5 sides). 4) A hexagon (6 sides). 5) An octagon (8 sides). 6) You draw a T-shape on grid paper. Your child counts its sides and names it. (8 sides; an octagon) 7) Maya's garden bed is closed and has 5 straight sides. What polygon is it? (a pentagon) 8) One cell of a honeycomb has 6 straight sides. What polygon is it? (a hexagon) Check each drawing by counting the sides together.

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper and may sketch.

Fact fluency: ×3 facts

Homework: Your child finds five flat shapes at home, sketches each, and writes its polygon name or "not a polygon". Sample: a book cover is a quadrilateral; a plate is not a polygon.

Objective: I can plan a 3–5 minute talk about my research with a hook, key facts and a strong close.

Standards: SL.3.4, W.3.4, L.3.3.B, RF.3.3.C, L.3.2.F

Materials: Published report, Five index cards, Highlighter, Clock, Writer's notebook, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Word study (about 3 minutes). Say: "This week two letters team up to spell one vowel sound. Oi and oy say /oi/. Use oi inside a word and oy at the end. Ou and ow say /ow/. Use ou inside a word and ow at the end or before a last n or l. Aw and au say /aw/. Use aw at the end or before a last n or l, and au at the start or inside." Write soil, enjoy, mouth, crown, crawl and launch. Your child reads each word and sorts it by sound in the notebook. Then your child splits the challenge words thou|sand and au|tumn and reads each part. Spaced review from Week 30. Ask: "What is a hook?" (An opening that makes people want to read or listen.)

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "A talk is shorter than a report. Listeners cannot reread, so you pick your best facts and say them clearly." Write the talk plan: hook, main idea, three key facts with one detail each, close. Say: "Each part goes on a note card in key words, not full sentences." Show these model cards, "Sea Otter Talk": Card 1, hook: ice-cold water, no coat? Card 2, main idea: otters have special ways to stay warm. Card 3, fact 1: densest fur, water can't reach skin. Card 4, facts 2 and 3: grooming traps air like a blanket; eats a quarter of its weight daily. Card 5, close: next time you shiver, think of otters! Think aloud with card 1: "The card has only a few words. I say two full sentences: Could you swim in ice-cold water with no coat? Sea otters do it every day." Next, compare speaking and writing. Say: "In a talk you may say, Okay, here is the cool part. In a report you write, The most surprising fact is this. In a talk you can point and say this part. In writing you must name the part." Ask: "Change this to written style: And, well, these guys eat tons." (Sea otters eat a great deal of food.)

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   1) Plan the hook two ways. Your child says a question hook and a surprising-fact hook aloud. Your child picks the one that makes you lean in. 2) Ask: "Does your hook lead to your main idea?" (Look for: the same topic in both.) 3) Your child reads one fact sentence from the report and shrinks it to six key words or fewer. (Sample: "bees fan wings, nectar dries.") 4) Plan the close. Your child chooses: tell what you learned, or ask the audience a question. If stuck, say: "Tell me the fact with no paper. Which three words must you remember?"

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   1) Your child highlights the three best facts in the published report. 2) Your child makes five note cards: hook, main idea, fact 1, facts 2 and 3, close. Each card holds key words only, about six for each fact. 3) Your child talks through the cards once while you watch the clock. The goal is 3 to 5 minutes. Under 3 minutes: add one detail to each fact. Over 5 minutes: cut a fact. Look for: five cards in order, key words only, and full sentences when speaking.

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Ask the three questions. Your child holds the note cards.

Homework: Give your talk once to a family member using only the note cards. Ask which fact they remember best.

Objective: I can explain what a fossil is and name different kinds of fossils.

Standards: 3-LS4-1

Materials: 6 index cards and a pencil (fossil cards), Hand lens or magnifying glass, A real shell or leaf, Science notebook, Library book with fossil photos (optional)

1. Day 161 — What Are Fossils? — Wonder Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 32. Ask: "What did the bean test show about light?" (Sample: beans in the dark grew pale and thin.) Then the wonder. Ask: "How can we know about animals that lived before there were any people?"

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "A fossil is the remains or traces of a living thing from long ago. Fossils are often found in rock." Say: "Remains are parts of the body: bones, teeth, shells, leaves and wood. Traces are signs it left: footprints, burrows and nests." Say: "Some fossils are not in rock. Insects are found in amber, which is hardened tree resin. Mammoths have been found in frozen ground." Say: "Fossils are very old. Scientists usually use the word for things older than about ten thousand years. Many are millions of years old." Say: "An ammonite was a sea animal with a coiled shell. Its fossil is a shell that slowly turned to stone." Hold up the real shell or leaf. Say: "This is a part of a living thing, but it is not a fossil. It is not from long ago." Ask: "A dinosaur tooth: remains or trace?" (Remains.) Ask: "A worm's tunnel in ancient mud that became rock?" (Trace.) Ask: "Is a chicken bone from last week a fossil?" (No. It is not from long ago.) If stuck, say: "Is it a piece of the body, or a sign the body left behind?"

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

   Fossil Sort. 1) Together, draw one fossil on each card. A mammoth tooth. A tree leaf pressed flat on stone. Three-toed footprints across a rock slab. A coiled ammonite shell. A tube-shaped burrow. An insect inside amber. 2) Your child studies the real shell or leaf with the hand lens. They name 2 details a fossil might keep, such as ridges or veins. 3) They sort the cards into two piles: Remains and Traces. (Remains: tooth, leaf, shell, insect. Traces: footprints, burrow.) 4) For each card they say "plant," "animal" or "sign of an animal." 5) They compare the ammonite card with the real shell. They name one way the two are alike and one way they differ. Table: Fossil | Remains or trace | Plant, animal or sign. Say: "The leaf was part of the plant's body, so it counts as remains." If you have the library book, match each card to a photo. Keep the cards all week.

4. Science Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Start a notebook section titled "Fossils." Your child finishes the frame: "A fossil is ___." Then they sketch 4 of the cards. Under each sketch they write "remains" or "trace" and what made it. Sample: "A fossil is the remains or traces of a living thing from long ago, often found in rock."

5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Ask the three exit questions aloud; your child answers aloud or in writing. Praise answers that give a reason.

Homework: Look outside for a trace of a living thing, such as tracks in mud or a chewed leaf. Draw it. Look for: your child tells what made it.