Day 2 · Tuesday

Objective: I can review the year's geography and map skills.

Standards: D2.Geo.1.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.4.3-5, D2.Geo.6.3-5

Materials: U.S. map with a key and a scale (an atlas page works), Ruler, Colored pencils, Notebook, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 11. Ask: "Name the five regions of the United States." (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West.) Ask: "Which region do we live in?" (Answers vary. Check on the map.) Then ask the big question: "How does the land around us shape the way we live?"

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "Today we review a year of geography. I will name the week where each idea was first taught." Say: "Week 3, map parts. You learned the key, the compass rose and the scale. A good map also has a title." Ask: "Which part tells how far apart places really are?" (The scale.) Model it. In the notebook, write "1 inch = 5 miles." Draw two dots 4 inches apart. Say: "Put the zero of the ruler on the first dot. It is 4 inches. Count by fives: 5, 10, 15, 20. The towns are 20 miles apart." Read the next lines aloud. Your child answers. "Week 4, landforms. What do we call low land between mountains?" (A valley.) "Week 4, climate. What is climate?" (The usual weather of a place over many years.) "Week 10, U.S. landforms. Which mountains are in the West, the Rockies or the Appalachians?" (The Rockies.) "Week 12, people and land. Why do thick adobe walls help Pueblo families in the desert?" (They stay cool by day and warm at night.) "Week 29, special maps. Name the three kinds." (Resource, population and climate maps.) "Why do many big cities sit beside water?" (Sample: drinking water, ports for trade and jobs.) If stuck, say: "Find it on the map first. Then tell me what you see."

3. Activity / Source Work · 15–20 min

   Map skills challenge. Use the U.S. map. 1) Your child finds your state and one neighboring state, then says which direction the neighbor lies. 2) Your child finds the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. Ask: "Which is farther west?" (The Rocky Mountains.) 3) Your child reads the key, finds one symbol on the map and says what it means. 4) Your child uses the scale two times, for two pairs of cities. Start at the zero of the ruler. Measure to the nearest inch. Count by the scale's miles for each inch. 5) Your child names your region and its climate. Then your child gives one way the climate shapes homes, clothes or jobs there. Record the work in the notebook: Task | My answer | Evidence on the map. Check each answer against the map. Answers vary by map and by state. Look for evidence your child can point to.

4. Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Your child draws a small map of your neighborhood with colored pencils. It needs a title, a key with at least three symbols and a compass rose. Then finish: "Geography affects life here because ___." Sample: "Geography affects life here because the river floods, so the houses sit up on the hill."

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Your child answers the exit questions with the map open. Praise pointing to evidence on the map.

Homework: Your child quizzes a family member on the four map parts and the five regions. Look for your child fixing any miss kindly.

Objective: I can name, place, compare and find equal fractions using strips and number lines.

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

Materials: Fraction wall from Week 21 Day 1 (strips for 1 whole, halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and eighths). If it is lost, cut 6 paper strips 24 cm long. Mark halves every 12 cm, thirds every 8 cm, fourths every 6 cm, sixths every 4 cm and eighths every 3 cm., Centimeter ruler, Paper, Pencil, Crayons

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Day 1. Write 5 × 60. Your child says the tens sentence (5 × 6 tens = 30 tens = 300). Then practice ÷2 and ÷3 facts with no clock. Ask 14 ÷ 2, 18 ÷ 2, 21 ÷ 3 and 27 ÷ 3 (7, 9, 7, 9).

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "Today is fractions. We use strips and number lines, not rules." Equal parts and unit fractions came in Week 19 Days 1 and 3. Hold up the fourths strip. Say: "3/4 is three parts of size 1/4." Number lines came in Week 20 Days 1 and 2. Draw a line 12 cm long. Label the ends 0 and 1. Say: "Place 5/6. The denominator is 6, so make 6 equal spaces." Make a tick every 2 cm. Start at 0 and jump 5 spaces. You land 10 cm from 0. Say: "So 5/6 is here, one jump before 1." Equal fractions came in Week 20 Day 4 and Week 21 Day 1. On the wall, show that 1/2, 2/4, 3/6 and 4/8 end at the same place. Comparing came in Week 22 Days 1 and 2. Lay 5/8 under 5/6. Say: "Both have 5 pieces. Eighths are smaller pieces, so 5/8 < 5/6." Whole numbers as fractions came in Week 19 Day 4 and Week 21 Day 4: 4/4 = 1 and 3 = 3/1. Now your child does more. Your child places 3/4 on a new 12 cm line. (A tick every 3 cm; 9 cm from 0) Ask: "Which fractions on the wall equal 1?" (2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 6/6 and 8/8)

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   Your child draws two 12 cm lines, one under the other, with the 0s lined up. 1) Place 2/3 on the top line. (A tick every 4 cm; 8 cm from 0) 2) Place 4/6 on the bottom line. (A tick every 2 cm; 8 cm from 0) Ask: "What do you notice?" (Same point, so 2/3 = 4/6.) 3) Compare 4/6 and 5/6 on the bottom line. (4/6 < 5/6; same-size pieces, and 5 is more than 4) 4) Compare 2/4 and 2/6 with strips. (2/4 > 2/6; fourths are bigger pieces) If stuck, say: "Are the pieces the same size? Then count the pieces. Is the number of pieces the same? Then look at the piece size."

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   Your child uses strips or drawings and writes each answer. 1) Draw a rectangle, split it into 3 equal parts and shade 2. Name the fraction (2/3). 2) How many 1/3 pieces make 2/3? (2) 3) Place 1/4 on a 12 cm line. (A tick every 3 cm; 3 cm from 0) 4) Fractions greater than 1, Week 20 Day 3. Draw a 0 to 2 line 24 cm long with a tick every 3 cm. Place 7/4. (21 cm from 0; three jumps past 1) 5) Use the wall. Name a fraction equal to 1/3 and one equal to 3/4 (2/6; 6/8). 6) Compare with <, > or =. Try 1/4 and 3/4, then 4/6 and 4/8. (1/4 < 3/4; 4/6 > 4/8) 7) Mia ate 2/8 of a pizza. Dan ate 2/6 of a same-size pizza. Who ate more? (Dan; sixths are bigger pieces, so 2/6 > 2/8) 8) Each pie is cut into thirds. Ray has 6 thirds. How many whole pies is that? (2; 6/3 = 2) For each miss, redo that item with the wall.

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Read each question aloud. Your child may use the fraction wall and answers on paper.

Fact fluency: ÷2 and ÷3 facts

Homework: Your child does three fraction tasks. Place 3/8 on a 0 to 1 line 24 cm long (a tick every 3 cm; 9 cm from 0). Compare 2/4 and 2/3 (2/4 < 2/3). Write 2 as a fraction (2/1).

Objective: I can review informative writing and research and explain cause and effect and science words in a text.

Standards: W.3.2, W.3.7, RI.3.3, RI.3.4

Materials: Writer's notebook, 6 index cards, Highlighter, The passage in this lesson, copied or printed, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Word study, about 3 minutes. Write enough, giant, animal and swimming. Your child marks the tricky part of each word. (enough: ough says /uf/. giant: g is soft before i. animal: the ending is -al. swimming: the m is doubled.) Spaced review from Week 17. Ask: "Which is the better research question: 'Is popcorn a food?' or 'Why does popcorn pop?' Why?" (The second. It cannot be answered with yes or no.)

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Read the passage aloud while your child follows along. "Why Popcorn Pops": A popcorn kernel looks like a hard little seed, but it hides a secret. Inside each kernel is a tiny bit of water and a lot of starch, the soft white food stored in the seed. Around them is the hull, a hard shell that seals everything in. When the kernel gets very hot, the water turns into steam, a hot gas. Steam needs much more room than water, so it pushes against the hull. Finally, the hull cannot hold it, and it bursts. As a result, the soft starch puffs out and cools into the fluffy white shape we eat. A kernel with a cracked hull will not pop, because the steam leaks out. Say: "First we review cause and effect from Week 7. A cause is why something happens. An effect is what happens." Think aloud. Say: "'When the kernel gets very hot, the water turns into steam.' The cause is the heat. The effect is that water turns into steam. The signal word is when." Say: "Next we review word clues. Starch is a new word. The text tells me right after the comma: the soft white food stored in the seed." Ask: "What is a hull? Where is the clue?" (A hard shell that seals everything in. The clue comes right after the comma.) Last, your child names the research steps from Weeks 17 and 28 in order. (question, sources, notes, draft, revise and edit, publish)

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   Make a chain of events on the index cards. 1) Your child writes one step on each card, in their own words. (Kernel gets hot. Water turns to steam. Steam pushes on the hull. Hull bursts. Starch puffs out. It cools into popcorn.) 2) With the highlighter, your child marks the signal words in the passage. (When, so, Finally, As a result, because) 3) Ask: "Why will a kernel with a cracked hull not pop?" (The steam leaks out, so nothing pushes the hull until it bursts.) 4) Mix up the cards. Your child puts them back in order and tells the chain aloud with so or because. If stuck, say: "Which happened first? Say it this way: 'Because ___, ___.'"

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   In the notebook, your child turns the cards into a two-paragraph informative piece in their own words. 1) Write the heading "Inside a Kernel" and 3 or 4 sentences under it. 2) Write the heading "The Pop" and 3 or 4 sentences under it. 3) Reread and check. Checklist: there are at least four facts. One science word is explained. Each paragraph has a linking word. No sentence is copied from the passage. Sample opening: "Every popcorn kernel holds a little water and soft starch. A hard shell called a hull keeps them inside."

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Ask the three questions aloud. Then plan the Quarter 4 Review for Reading & Writing. It is on the Assessments page and takes about 30 minutes. Give it later today, after a break, in its own sitting. Any other day this week is fine, but not the same day as the unit test.

Homework: Teach a family member why popcorn pops. Use the words hull and steam (10 minutes). Look for the steps told in order.

Practice page · Week 36, Day 2

English Language Arts

I can find cause and effect and figure out science words.

Show answers

Where Do Puddles Go?

After a rainstorm, puddles cover the sidewalk. When the sun comes out, it warms the water. As a result, the water slowly changes into an invisible gas called water vapor. This change is called evaporation. The vapor rises into the air. Puddles in the shade last longer because they get less heat. Finally, the sidewalk is dry again.

Use the text above.

1. 1.

   What causes the water to change into a gas?
2. 2.

   What is the effect of shade on a puddle?
3. 3.

   Circle two signal words that show cause or order.

4. 4.

   What does evaporation mean? Write the clue.
5. 5.

   What is water vapor?

   ○ an invisible gas○ a kind of rain○ a puddle

Add the ending. Change the spelling if you need to.

1. 6.

   swim + ing = ____
2. 7.

   cry + ed = ____
3. 8.

   hop + ed = ____

Challenge: Write a good research question about puddles or rain.

Objective: I can explain life cycles, groups, habitats and adaptations.

Standards: 3-LS1-1, 3-LS2-1, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4

Materials: Science notebook pages from Weeks 10 to 18, and a pencil, 8 index cards, Animal and plant pictures in a book or magazine, for ideas, Colored pencils

1. Day 177 — Review: Life Cycles, Ecosystems and Adaptations (Q2) — Wonder Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 12. Ask: "In a food chain, which way does each arrow point?" (From the food to the eater. It shows energy moving.) Your child finds the Week 15 bean life cycle page. Now the wonder. Ask: "How are a bean plant, a frog and a wolf alike?" (All grow, make young and need a habitat.)

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "Today is Quarter 2, the living world." Your child finds the page for each idea. Week 10: an ecosystem is the living and nonliving things in one place and how they affect each other. Week 11: a habitat gives food, water, shelter and space. An adaptation is a body feature or behavior that helps a living thing survive there. Say: "In any habitat, some living things survive well, some less well, and some cannot survive." Week 12: a food chain starts with the sun and a producer. Week 13: groups help some animals find food, stay safe, raise young and keep warm. Week 15: every living thing has a life cycle. It is born or sprouts, grows, reproduces and dies. Weeks 12 and 17: when a habitat changes, some living things stay, some move away, some move in and some die. Ask: "A cactus has a thick stem that stores water. Is that a body feature or a behavior?" (A body feature.) "How does a school help a small fish?" (Many eyes watch for danger, and one fish is harder to catch.) "Which animal we studied has a pupa stage?" (The butterfly.) If stuck, say: "Find that week's page. Read me one line."

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

   Card Review. 1) Your child writes the bean plant's stages on 4 cards. They are seed, seedling, adult plant, and flower and fruit with new seeds. They shuffle the cards and lay them in a circle, in order. 2) They pick 4 animals, using the pictures for ideas, and write one on each remaining card. 3) For each animal they fill in a table with four columns: Animal, Habitat, Adaptation, How it helps. Sample row: owl, forest, large eyes, sees in dim light. 4) They name one animal that lives in a group and tell how the group helps. 5) Ask: "A pond dries up in a long drought. What might happen to the frogs, the tadpoles and the herons?" (Frogs may move or die. Tadpoles cannot live out of water. Herons may fly off to find food.) 6) Ask: "A town protects a wetland nearby. How does that help? What is its limit?" (Animals have somewhere to go. Tadpoles cannot travel there.)

4. Science Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Your child makes a one-page Quarter 2 review with colored pencils. It has a labeled life cycle circle and 2 animals with their adaptations. They add one sentence with this frame. "Living in a group helps ___ because ___." Sample: "Living in a group helps wolves because a pack can catch bigger prey."

5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Ask the three exit questions aloud; your child answers with the notebook closed. Praise answers that tell how a feature helps.

Homework: Teach a family member one Quarter 2 idea with a drawing. Look for: stages in order, or an adaptation and how it helps.