Builds on: Needs the issue statement and compelling question from Day 2, and Week 8 Day 1 (supporting questions). One-minute check: "Read your compelling question aloud." (Your child reads the "How can we ___?" question.)
Materials: Civic Action Project planner, Step 3 (or a notebook page titled Step 3), Clipboard or a hard book, with 1 sheet of paper for a tally, 1 index card (interview questions), A town newsletter or a posted sign about the place (optional reading source), Notebook, Pencil
Warm-Up · 5 min
Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "How do towns pay for services like parks and libraries?" (With taxes that people and businesses pay.) Then ask the big question: "What do we need to find out before we can help?" List two questions, such as "How often does it happen?" and "Who is in charge?" Say: "These are supporting questions. Each one helps answer our compelling question."
Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min
Say: "Research turns an opinion into facts. There are three kinds of sources." Say: "One: observe and count, as Amara did." "Two: interview. With an adult, ask a neighbor or librarian your written questions." "Three: read a posted sign or a town newsletter." Say: "A fact can be checked. An opinion is what someone thinks or feels. Facts make stronger evidence." Say: "People may disagree about an issue, so ask more than one person." Say: "Local problems often belong to a town department, such as parks, public works or the library. Taxes pay for most of their work." Fill in together: "The department in charge of our issue is ___. Our town's leader is called the ___." (For example, mayor, city manager or town supervisor.) Ask: "Which kind of source is a count you make yourself?" (Observing.) Ask: "Is 'This is the worst park in town' a fact or an opinion?" (An opinion. It cannot be checked.) Ask: "How will knowing who is in charge help answer our big question?" (We learn whom to ask for help.) If stuck, say: "Can we count it or check it? Then it is a fact."
Activity / Source Work · 15–20 min
Research time. 1) Read Amara's practice notes aloud. "Tally of children waiting for a swing: Tuesday 6, Friday 11. Interview: a parent said, 'Two swings have been broken since March.' A sign on the fence says, 'Report problems to the Parks Department.' A boy said, 'This park is boring.'" 2) Ask for evidence: "Which notes are facts? Which is an opinion?" (The tally, the parent's report and the sign are facts. "Boring" is an opinion.) Ask: "Which source would you trust most, and why?" (Sample: the tally, because Amara counted it herself.) 3) Your child writes two interview questions on the card. 4) Gather facts from two kinds of sources. Tally for 10 minutes at the place with an adult, on the clipboard. Interview someone who knows the place, or read a sign or newsletter. 5) Record each fact in the notebook in a chart with two columns: Fact | Source. 6) Check: every fact has a source, and at least one fact is a number. Real results vary. If the place is far, interview a family member now and tally later today.
Notebook Entry · 10 min
On Step 3, your child writes the two best facts with their sources. Add one thing still to find out. Sample: "The food bank sign lists 5 foods it needs (sign). Ms. Ortiz said Saturday is the busiest day (interview)."
Exit Ticket · 5 min
Your child writes the answers. Praise every fact with its source.
Watch for: Writing opinions as facts, such as "This is the worst park in town."
Try: Ask: "How do we know? What did we count, or who told us?" Rewrite it as a fact with a source.
Exit ticket:
Dan wants to know how many cars pass the school at 3:00. Which kind of source fits best? What would he do?
Why do you write the source next to each fact?
Which local department or group is in charge of your issue? What pays for most of its work?
Show answers
Observing and counting. He would tally the cars with an adult.
So others can check it and trust it, and so you can find it again.
Answers vary. Look for: a real department or group. Taxes pay for town departments. Gifts pay for most nonprofits.
Support: Use one 5-minute tally and one short interview with a family member. You write the facts.
Extend: Your child adds a third source. Write one sentence comparing what two sources said.
Homework: With an adult, your child asks one more person a research question. Add the answer to the chart. Look for the person's name or job in the Source column.
Practice page · Week 33, Day 3
Social Studies
I can research my issue with two kinds of sources and write where each fact came from.
Write observe, interview or read for each source.
1.
Counting cars that pass the crosswalk for 10 minutes
2.
Asking the librarian how many kids visit on Saturdays
3.
Looking at the town website with an adult
Research Time: write each fact you find and its source.
Fact
Source
4.
Ming counted 17 pieces of litter on Tuesday and 26 on Thursday. How many in all?
5.
How many more pieces were there on Thursday?
6.
Which local department or group is in charge of my issue?
7.
Why should you write down where each fact came from?
Challenge:Write one thing you still want to know about your issue.
Materials: clipboard and tally sheet · interview question card
Mathematics
Objective: I can split shapes into equal areas and name each part as a unit fraction of the whole.
Standards: 3.G.A.2, 3.NF.A.1
Builds on: Needs Week 24 Day 1 (partition a shape into unit fractions) and Week 28 Day 3 (area by counting squares). One-minute check: ask "A shape is split into 2 equal parts. What fraction is one part?" (1/2)
Materials: Grid paper, Crayons, Ruler, 1 paper square (about 6 inches on each side), 8 square tiles or 1-inch paper squares (for support), Notebook, Pencil
Warm-Up · 5 min
Spaced review from Week 24 Day 1. Your child folds the paper square corner to corner, then corner to corner again, and opens it. Ask: "Do the 4 triangles match? What fraction of the square is each one?" (Yes; 1/4) Say: "Parts that match have equal areas." Then practice ÷4 and ÷6 facts with no clock. Ask 24 ÷ 4, 32 ÷ 4, 24 ÷ 6 and 48 ÷ 6 (6, 8, 4, 8).
Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min
Say: "To partition means to split into parts. Parts are equal when they have the same area. On grid paper we can prove it by counting squares." Draw a rectangle 6 squares long and 4 squares tall with the ruler. Ask: "What is its area?" Write 4 × 6 = 24. Say: "We want 4 equal parts. Share the 24 squares among 4 parts." Write 24 ÷ 4 = 6. Draw a line under rows 1, 2 and 3 to make 4 strips. Count 6 squares in each strip and label each strip 1/4. Say: "So each part is 1/4 of the rectangle, and each part has 6 squares." Draw the rectangle again. Draw lines under row 1 and row 2. Then split the bottom two rows with one line straight down the middle. Ask: "The parts have different shapes. Are they still fourths?" (Yes. Every part has 6 squares.) Now your child does more. Your child draws a rectangle 6 squares long and 2 squares tall and makes 3 equal parts. (12 ÷ 3 = 4 squares each; each part is 1/3)
Guided Practice · 10–15 min
Your child draws each shape, colors each part and labels it with a fraction. 1) A rectangle 6 squares long and 4 squares tall, in 6 equal parts. (24 ÷ 6 = 4 squares each; 1/6) 2) A rectangle 8 squares long and 2 squares tall, in 8 equal parts. (16 ÷ 8 = 2 squares each; 1/8) 3) A 4 by 4 square in 2 equal parts, split by a zigzag line. (16 ÷ 2 = 8 squares each; 1/2) 4) You split a rectangle of 12 squares into parts of 2, 4, 3 and 3 squares. Ask: "Are these fourths?" (No. The parts do not have equal areas.) If stuck, say: "Find the area first. Divide by the number of parts. Each part needs that many squares."
Independent Practice · 15–20 min
Your child draws each rectangle on grid paper and splits it. Your child writes the squares in each part and the fraction. 1) 4 long and 2 tall, in 2 equal parts. (8 ÷ 2 = 4 squares each; 1/2) 2) 3 long and 3 tall, in 3 equal parts. (9 ÷ 3 = 3 squares each; 1/3) 3) 6 long and 3 tall, in 6 equal parts. (18 ÷ 6 = 3 squares each; 1/6) 4) 4 long and 4 tall, in 8 equal parts. (16 ÷ 8 = 2 squares each; 1/8) 5) 4 long and 3 tall, in 4 equal parts that are not all the same shape. (12 ÷ 4 = 3 squares each; 1/4; sample: two columns of 3 and two L-shapes of 3) 6) You draw a square cut into 4 strips of different widths. Ask: "Is each strip 1/4?" (No. The strips do not have equal areas.) 7) A garden bed is 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. Four children share it equally. How many square feet does each child get, and what fraction? (8 × 4 = 32; 32 ÷ 4 = 8 square feet each; 1/4) 8) A quilt is 9 squares long and 2 squares tall. Three colors cover equal areas. How many squares is each color, and what fraction? (18 ÷ 3 = 6 squares each; 1/3)
Exit Ticket · 5 min
Read each question aloud; your child draws on grid paper and counts squares to check each part.
Watch for: Thinking parts must be the same shape to be equal, or calling any 4 parts fourths.
Try: Count the squares in each part. Equal counts mean equal areas, whatever the shapes of the parts.
Fact fluency: ÷4 and ÷6 facts
Exit ticket:
A rectangle of 12 grid squares is split into 6 equal parts. How many squares are in each part, and what fraction is each part?
A rectangle has 12 squares. Two parts have different shapes, but each has 6 squares. Is each part 1/2? Why?
Draw a rectangle 8 squares long and 2 squares tall. Split it into 4 equal parts and label each part.
Show answers
2 squares; each part is 1/6
Yes. The two parts have equal areas.
Each part has 4 squares and is labeled 1/4.
Support: Use a rectangle 4 squares long and 2 squares tall. Your child covers it with 8 tiles, then deals the tiles into 2 equal piles (4 tiles each; 1/2).
Extend: Your child splits a 4 by 4 square into 4 equal parts that are not rectangles. Sample: four L-shapes of 4 squares each.
Homework: Your child draws a rectangle 5 squares long and 2 squares tall two times. Your child splits each into 2 equal parts in a different way and labels the parts. (10 ÷ 2 = 5 squares each; 1/2)
Practice page · Week 33, Day 3
Mathematics
I can split shapes into equal areas and name each part as a unit fraction.
Look: 8 squares into 4 equal parts
8 ÷ 4 = 2, so each part has 2 squares.
Color each part a different color.
Each part is 1/4 of the whole.
Draw each grid rectangle. Split it into equal parts. Write the squares in each part and the fraction.
1.
A rectangle of 12 squares split into 4 equal parts
2.
A rectangle of 18 squares split into 6 equal parts
3.
A rectangle of 16 squares split into 8 equal parts
4.
A rectangle of 9 squares split into 3 equal parts
Answer each question.
5.
A hexagon is split into 2 equal parts. What fraction is each part?
6.
A square is cut into 4 strips of different widths. Is each strip 1/4?
○ yes○ no
7.
Explain your answer about the strips.
Challenge:Split a 3 by 4 grid rectangle into 4 equal parts that are not all the same shape.
Materials: grid paper · crayons
English Language Arts
Objective: I can make or choose a visual aid and plan exactly when to show it.
Standards: SL.3.5, SL.3.4, RI.3.7
Builds on: Needs the report visual from Week 31 and the note cards from Day 1. One-minute check: ask "What three things does a report visual need?" (A title, labels and a caption.)
New words:
visual aid – something you show during a talk to help listeners understand
Materials: Report visual, Poster board or large paper, Markers, Note cards, Writer's notebook, Pencil
Warm-Up · 5 min
Word study (about 3 minutes). Dictate this sentence: "I draw a cloud over the town." Your child writes it in the notebook. Check it together, one word at a time. Your child circles aw in draw, ou in cloud and ow in town. Ask: "Why is it aw in draw?" (The sound comes at the end.) Spaced review from Week 29. Ask: "What does it mean to cite a source?" (To tell where your facts came from.)
Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min
Say: "A visual aid is something you show to help listeners understand. It follows three rules. It is big enough to read from across the room. It is simple, with a title and three or four labels. You show it at the moment you talk about it." Name three choices: hold up the report visual, make a poster, or show a real object. A piece of fleece could show how dense fur feels. Read aloud this model, "Poster Plan and Card 3": Poster title: HOW OTTERS STAY WARM. Picture: one large otter floating on its back. Labels: DENSE FUR, TRAPPED AIR, LOTS OF FOOD. Card 3 with a star: densest fur, water can't reach skin. Spoken words: "Sea otters have the densest fur of any animal." Show the poster and point to DENSE FUR. "The hairs are packed so tightly that water never reaches the skin." Look back at the listeners. Think aloud: "The star on card 3 tells me when to show the poster. I hold it beside me, not in front of my face. I point to the label. Then I look back at my listeners." Act it out once with any sheet of paper.
Guided Practice · 10–15 min
1) Ask: "Which part of your talk is hardest to picture?" (Answers vary. That part needs the visual.) 2) Your child draws a small star on the note card for that part. 3) Stand across the room while your child holds up the report visual. Ask: "Can I read every label from here?" If not, your child will make a larger poster. 4) Practice the show and point move three times: hold it to the side, point, look back. Check that your child does not talk to the poster. If stuck, say: "Which card tells about parts, steps or places? Put the star there."
Independent Practice · 15–20 min
Your child gets the visual aid ready. 1) Make the poster or choose the object. Write a large title in thick marker. 2) Add three or four big labels. Make letters at least as tall as a thumb. 3) Test it from across the room and fix any label that is hard to read. 4) Practice the whole talk twice and show the visual at the star. Look for: big letters, few labels, the visual held to the side, and eyes back on the listener.
Exit Ticket · 5 min
Ask the three questions. Your child holds the visual aid and the starred card.
Watch for: Holding the visual in front of the face, or turning away to read from it.
Try: Your child holds the visual beside the body and points with the nearer hand. Count "point, look back" together.
Exit ticket:
Which card has your star? What will you say as you show the visual?
Why did you choose only these labels for your visual aid?
Stand far back and look. Which label is hardest to see? How could you fix it?
Show answers
Answers vary. Look for: the starred card named and a sentence that matches the visual.
Answers vary. Look for: they are the most important parts, and too many labels are hard to read.
Answers vary. Look for: a real fix, such as bigger letters, a darker marker or fewer words.
Support: Your child enlarges the report visual by copying its main shape onto poster paper. You draw light pencil lines for the labels.
Extend: Your child adds an audience challenge to the visual, such as a question for listeners to answer at the end.
Homework: Give the talk with your visual aid to a family member. Ask if they could read every label from their seat.
Practice page · Week 33, Day 3
English Language Arts
I can make a visual aid and plan when to show it.
Look: three rules for a visual aid
Big enough to see from across the room.
Simple, with only a few labels.
Shown at the moment you talk about it.
Circle the better choice.
1.
Which poster is better for a talk?
○ tiny writing and 20 labels○ large title and four big labels
2.
When should you show your visual?
○ at the very start○ when you talk about it○ after you finish
3.
Where should you hold your visual?
○ in front of your face○ to the side of your face
4.
Where do you look after you point to your poster?
○ at the poster○ back at the audience
5.
Name one real object you could show for your topic.
Write aw or au to finish each word.
6.
The baby will cr__l.
7.
I y__n when I am sleepy.
8.
We watched the rocket l__nch.
Challenge:Draw a small star on the note card where you will show your visual. Which card is it?
Materials: poster board or large paper · markers
Science
Objective: I can explain what fossils tell us about living things from long ago.
Standards: 3-LS4-1
Builds on: Needs Days 1 and 2. One-minute check: your child names the four steps of fossil forming. (Buried, soft parts rot, minerals turn it to stone, uncovered.)
New words:
paleontologist – a scientist who studies fossils to learn about life long ago
extinct – no longer living anywhere on Earth
Materials: Model fossil from Day 2, Fossil cards from Day 1, 1 sheet of paper, pencil and scissors (footprint cutout), 4 small pieces of masking tape, Science notebook
Day 163 — What Fossils Tell Us — Wonder Warm-Up · 5 min
Spaced review from Week 11. Ask: "What is a physical adaptation? Give one." (A body part that helps a living thing survive. Sample: a sea turtle's flippers.) Hold up the model fossil. Ask: "Suppose a scientist found this print a million years from now. What could they learn?" (Sample: the animal's size and shape.)
Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min
Say: "Scientists who study fossils are called paleontologists. They read fossils like clues." Say: "Teeth are clues about food. Pointed teeth tear meat. Wide, flat teeth grind plants." Your child feels their own front and back teeth with their tongue. Say: "Your front teeth cut and your back teeth grind. People eat both plants and meat." Say: "Tracks are clues about movement. Footprints far apart can mean the animal moved fast. Deep prints can mean it was heavy." Say: "A trilobite was a sea animal with a hard outer covering and many legs. No trilobites live today. They are extinct." Say: "Some fossils look like living things of today. Others look very different." Hold up the leaf card and the ammonite card. Ask: "Which looks like something alive today?" (The leaf.) Ask: "A horse's back teeth are wide and flat. What do horses eat?" (Plants.) Ask: "Can a fossil bone tell us an animal's color?" (Almost never. Most fossils show shape, not color.) If stuck, say: "What do you see? What does that clue tell you?"
Investigation / Hands-On · 15–20 min
Paleontologist for a Day. Part A. Read three dig reports. Your child fills in a table: Fossil | Clue I notice | What it tells us. Report 1: "A pointed tooth as long as a banana, with edges like a steak knife." (A large meat-eater.) Report 2: "A flat animal the size of a cookie, with a hard covering in sections, found among seashells." (It lived in the sea. The covering protected it.) Report 3: "A row of three-toed prints that get farther apart." (An animal walked here and then sped up.) Part B. Track Test. Safety: clear the floor and wear shoes that grip. 1) Trace your child's shoe on paper and cut it out. 2) Your child walks 3 steps. Tape the toe spot of two steps in a row. 3) Count how many shoe cutouts fit between the tapes. 4) Repeat while your child jogs. Change only the speed. Keep the walker, floor and measuring the same. Table: Speed | Shoe lengths between steps. Expect longer steps when jogging. Real results vary. Look for the pattern.
Science Notebook Entry · 10 min
Your child copies both tables into the notebook. Then they finish the frame twice: "The clue ___ tells us ___." Sample: "The clue of sharp teeth tells us the animal ate meat. The clue of long steps tells us it was moving fast."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket · 5 min
Ask the three exit questions aloud; your child answers aloud or in writing. Praise every answer that names the clue behind it.
Watch for: Thinking fossils show an animal's color, or that every fossil is a dinosaur.
Try: Show the leaf and ammonite cards. Say that most fossils show shape, not color, and that plants and sea animals left fossils too.
Exit ticket:
A fossil jaw has wide, flat teeth with ridges. What did this animal most likely eat? How do you know?
Two fossil trails have prints of the same size. In trail A the prints are close together. In trail B they are far apart. Which animal was likely moving faster?
Woolly mammoths are extinct. What does that mean?
Show answers
Plants. Wide, flat teeth grind plants, like the back teeth of horses today.
The animal that made trail B. Longer steps usually mean faster movement.
No woolly mammoths are alive anywhere on Earth.
Support: Do only the tooth report. Compare pointed and flat teeth using your child's own front and back teeth.
Extend: Your child invents a fossil find and writes 3 clues. A family member tells what the clues show.
Homework: Tell a family member what a paleontologist does. Then walk 5 steps across damp sand, soil or snow. Look for: your child reads one clue from the tracks.
Practice page · Week 33, Day 3
Science
I can use clues in fossils to tell about living things from long ago.
Paleontologist for a Day. Write a clue you see in each fossil and what it tells us.
Fossil
Clue I see
What it tells us
Measure your own tracks like a paleontologist.
1.
My footprint length: ____ cm
2.
Distance between two walking steps: ____ cm
3.
Distance between two running steps: ____ cm
4.
Which steps were farther apart?
Challenge:A fossil skull has wide, flat teeth. What did the animal probably eat? Why?
Materials: pictures of fossils such as a tooth, a trilobite and footprints · ruler · model fossil from Day 2