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    Quarter 4 · Weeks 28–36

    Week 36 Lesson Packet

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

    Day 1 · Monday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can review the year's economics and money ideas and explain each key term.

    Standards: D2.Eco.1.3-5, D2.Eco.3.3-5, D2.Eco.4.3-5, D2.Eco.9.3-5

    Builds on: Needs the economics weeks: Weeks 24 to 26, 28, 30 and 31. One-minute check: your child names one need, one want, one good and one service. (Sample: food, a toy, a pencil, a haircut.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 24. Ask: "What is the difference between a need and a want?" (A need is something people must have to live and be safe. A want is nice to have.) Then ask the big question: "Which money idea from this year will you use most as a grown-up?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we review a year of economics. I will name the week where each idea was first taught." Read each line aloud. Your child answers. "Week 24, opportunity cost. You pick swimming over a bike ride. What do you give up?" (The bike ride. It is the opportunity cost.) "Week 25, producers and consumers. You buy bread. Who is the consumer?" (I am. The baker is a producer.) "Week 25, interest. What is it?" (A little extra money a bank pays to savers.) "Week 26, scarcity. Why can a town not buy everything it wants?" (Its money is limited, so it must choose.) "Week 26, supply and demand. A farm stand has heaps of corn and few buyers. What often happens to the price?" (It often goes down.) "Week 28, interdependence. Name two workers you depend on for breakfast." (Sample: a farmer and a truck driver.) "Week 30, banks. What do we call taking money out of a bank?" (A withdrawal.) Now use play money for the three-jar plan from Weeks 25 and 31. Say: "Mia has $14. She saves $6 and gives $2." Your child counts out 14 ones and moves the two piles away. Ask: "How much can she spend?" ($6. 14 - 6 = 8, and 8 - 2 = 6.) If stuck, say: "Which notebook week taught this? Open to that page and read the first line."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Card sort. 1) Write one word or phrase on each index card. Goods: bread, a bike, a pencil, a coat. Services: a haircut, a piano lesson, a dentist checkup, mail delivery. Producers: a farmer, a baker, a carpenter, a teacher. Money words: income, deposit, interest, budget. 2) Shuffle the cards. Your child sorts all 16 onto the mat. 3) Your child explains three choices aloud. Ask: "Why is a piano lesson a service?" (Someone does work for you. You cannot put it on a shelf.) 4) Your child picks up each producer card and says what that worker makes or does. (The farmer, baker and carpenter make goods. The teacher gives a service.) 5) Keep a tally in the notebook: Group | Right on the first try. 6) Your child sorts any missed cards again. Expect 13 or more right the first time. Scores vary. Look for a pattern in the misses, then reread that week's notebook page.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child writes one sentence for each of five terms: opportunity cost, interdependence, income, interest and budget. Frame: "___ means ___. For example, ___." Sample: "Income means money a person earns. For example, my aunt earns income by fixing cars."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child answers the exit questions in writing. Praise answers that give an example.

    Watch for: Calling a service a good because a tool is used, such as scissors for a haircut.

    Try: Ask: "Can you take it home and keep it?" If not, it is a service.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Why does scarcity make people and towns choose?
    2. Sort these two: a sandwich and a car wash. Which one is a good, and which one is a service?
    3. Jay earns $9. He puts $4 in the bank and spends the rest. Which amount is a deposit? How much does he spend?

    Answers: 1) There is not enough money, time or material for everything, so they must pick. 2) The sandwich is a good. The car wash is a service. 3) $4 is the deposit. He spends $5 (9 - 4 = 5).

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can round, add, subtract, multiply and divide to review place value and operations.

    Standards: 3.NBT.A.1, 3.NBT.A.2, 3.NBT.A.3, 3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.D.8

    Builds on: Review of Weeks 1 to 18. Each skill below names the week and day that first taught it. One-minute check: round 62 to the nearest 10 (60). Then ask 4 × 20 (80; 4 × 2 tens = 8 tens).

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 35 Day 3. A graph shows 70 red leaves and 45 yellow leaves. How many fewer yellow leaves? (70 − 45 = 25) Then practice ×7 and ×8 facts with no clock. Ask 7 × 6, 7 × 9, 8 × 4 and 8 × 6 (42, 63, 32, 48). Your child names the strategy for one.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "This week we review the whole year. Today is place value and the four operations." Rounding came in Week 1 Days 4 and 5. Draw a line from 400 to 500 and mark 450. Ask: "Is 438 before or past halfway?" (Before, so 438 rounds to 400.) Ask: "What does 450 round to?" (500. Halfway numbers round up.) To the nearest 10, 438 sits between 430 and 440. It is past 435, so 438 rounds to 440. Subtracting across a zero came in Week 3 Day 4. Write 602 − 375 in columns on grid paper. Draw 6 squares and 2 dots. Say: "No tens. Trade 1 hundred for 10 tens. Then trade 1 ten for 10 ones." Now there are 5 hundreds, 9 tens and 12 ones. Subtract: 12 − 5 = 7, then 9 − 7 = 2, then 5 − 3 = 2. Say: "So 602 − 375 = 227." Check by adding: 227 + 375 = 602. Multiples of 10 came in Week 16 Day 3. Write 4 × 70. Say: "70 is 7 tens. 4 × 7 tens = 28 tens = 280. So 4 × 70 = 280." Division uses fact families from Week 10 Day 4. Write 72 ÷ 8. Ask: "8 times what number is 72?" (9, because 8 × 9 = 72) Now your child does more. Round 765 to the nearest 10 and the nearest 100 (770, 800). Solve 801 − 256 and 5 × 30. (545; 5 × 3 tens = 15 tens = 150)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child names the week for each kind, then solves and checks. 1) Adding with regrouping, Week 2 Days 3 and 4: 357 + 286 (643). Check: 643 − 286 = 357. 2) Subtracting across zeros, Week 3 Day 4: 500 − 164 (336). Check: 336 + 164 = 500. 3) Division facts, Week 11 Day 3: 63 ÷ 7 (9). Check: 7 × 9 = 63. 4) Two-step problems, Week 5 Day 5 and Week 15 Day 1. Zara plants 4 rows of 9 seeds, then 8 more seeds. How many seeds is that? (4 × 9 = 36; 36 + 8 = 44) If stuck, say: "Which week taught this? What did we do first there? Draw squares, sticks and dots."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child works alone and shows the steps. 1) Round 584 to the nearest 10 and the nearest 100 (580, 600). 2) Round 245 to the nearest 10 and the nearest 100 (250, 200). 3) 467 + 285 (752). 4) Draw squares, sticks and dots for 403 − 157. Show both trades (246). 5) 9 × 40 and 3 × 80 (360 and 240; 36 tens and 24 tens). 6) 48 ÷ 6 and 81 ÷ 9 (8 and 9). 7) A shop sold 436 red apples and 289 green apples. Estimate the total to the nearest 100, as in Week 2 Day 2. Then find the exact total. (400 + 300 = 700; 725) 8) Ben bakes 5 trays of 8 muffins and sells 26. How many are left? (5 × 8 = 40; 40 − 26 = 14) Mark the page together. For each miss, name the week to revisit. Weeks 1 to 3 cover rounding, adding and subtracting. Weeks 6 to 11 cover the facts. Week 15 covers two-step problems.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers on paper with no help.

    Watch for: Getting stuck at the empty tens place in a problem like 602 − 375, or guessing.

    Try: Draw 6 squares. Trade 1 square for 10 sticks, then 1 stick for 10 dots. Write 5, 9 and 12 above the digits.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Round 867 to the nearest hundred.
    2. 805 − 437 = ?
    3. What is 6 × 90? Say the tens sentence.

    Answers: 1) 900 2) 368 3) 540; 6 × 9 tens = 54 tens

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can write an opinion piece with a clear opinion, reasons, linking words and a conclusion.

    Standards: W.3.1, W.3.1.A, W.3.1.B, W.3.1.C, W.3.1.D, SL.3.1

    Builds on: Needs the four parts of an opinion paragraph from Week 8 and the essay plan from Week 19. One-minute check: ask, "What are the four parts, in order?" (opinion, reasons, linking words, conclusion)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, about 3 minutes. Say: "This week we review spelling patterns from the whole year." Write enjoy, crawl, city, wagon, cried and careful. Your child reads each word and names its pattern. (enjoy: oy. crawl: aw. city: soft c. wagon: schwa ending -on. cried: y changes to i. careful: suffix -ful.) Spaced review from Week 8. Ask: "Fact or opinion: 'Blanket forts are the best rainy-day fun.' How do you know?" (Opinion. Someone could disagree.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we review opinion writing. You learned each part in Week 8. Day 1 was the opinion sentence, and Day 2 was reasons. Day 3 was linking words, and Day 4 was the conclusion. In Weeks 19 to 21 you stretched it into an essay." Write a linking-word list on paper: because, since, for example, also, another reason, in addition, therefore. Read this paragraph aloud, "Screens Off at Dinner": I believe families should turn off screens at dinner. One reason is that people talk more when no one is looking at a phone. For example, my dad told us a funny story about his first job last night. Another reason is that food tastes better when you pay attention to it. Since dinner lasts only about thirty minutes, the shows can wait. Therefore, every family should make dinner a screen-off time. Think aloud. Say: "The opinion is the first sentence. The first reason is that people talk more. The story about Dad is an example that backs it up. I hear the linking words one reason and for example." Ask: "What is the second reason?" (Food tastes better when you pay attention to it.) "Which sentence is the conclusion? How do you know?" (The last one. It says the opinion again in new words.)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Plan an opinion piece together on this question: "Should kids choose their own bedtime on weekends?" Your child draws the organizer. 1) Your child picks a side and writes the opinion sentence in the top box. 2) Your child writes one reason in each reason box and adds an example to each. Ask: "Does this reason tell why, or does it just repeat the opinion?" 3) Your child picks a linking word from the list for each reason. 4) Your child writes a conclusion that restates the opinion in new words. Listen for a plan like this. Opinion: Kids should choose their weekend bedtime. Reasons: there is no school in the morning; kids learn to make choices; there is time to finish a good book. Conclusion: That is why weekend bedtimes should be a kid's choice. If stuck, say: "Finish this: 'I think ___ because ___.' The part after because is your first reason."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child writes an opinion piece in the notebook on a topic they choose. Ideas: the best season, or whether kids should have a weekly chore. 1) Draw a new organizer and fill it in. 2) Write one full paragraph of 7 to 9 sentences. 3) Circle each linking word. Checklist: an opinion sentence comes first. There are three different reasons, and at least two have an example. At least three different linking words are circled. The conclusion restates the opinion in new words. Look for a reason sentence such as: "Another reason is that fall has the best weather for bike rides."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three questions aloud. Your child keeps the new paragraph and "Screens Off at Dinner" open. Plan for this week: give the Quarter 4 Review on Day 2, in its own sitting. Day 5 has the weekly check and the first sitting of the Unit 6 test. The second test sitting comes on the day after.

    Watch for: Reasons that repeat the opinion in other words, such as "Dogs are the best because they are great."

    Try: Ask: "Why are they great? Tell me something a dog does." Your child uses that answer as the reason.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Read your opinion sentence and your conclusion. Which words did you change?
    2. In "Screens Off at Dinner," which sentence is an example? Which reason does it support?
    3. Reason or repeat? "Soccer is the best sport because it is great." Fix it.

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: the same opinion told in new words. 2) The sentence about Dad's funny story. It supports the reason that people talk more. 3) A repeat. Sample fix: "Soccer is the best sport because everyone on the team keeps moving."

    Science

    Objective: I can explain forces, balanced and unbalanced forces, and magnets.

    Standards: 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-2, 3-PS2-3, 3-PS2-4

    Builds on: Needs the Quarter 1 notebook pages from Weeks 1 to 9. One-minute check: ask, "Which force slows a book sliding across the floor?" (Friction.)

    1. Day 176 — Review: Forces, Motion and Magnets (Q1) — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 3. Ask: "Why is a box harder to slide on carpet than on a smooth floor?" (Carpet is rougher, so there is more friction.) Then your child flips through the Quarter 1 pages and describes one favorite investigation. Now the wonder. Ask: "Which Quarter 1 idea do you use every day without noticing?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "This week we look back at the whole year. Today is Quarter 1." Review five ideas. Your child finds the notebook page for each one. Week 1: a force is a push or a pull. A force can start, stop, speed up, slow or turn a thing. Week 2: balanced forces are equally strong and point opposite ways, so motion does not change. Unbalanced forces change motion. Show it. Each of you pushes one end of the toy car with one finger, equally hard. It stays still. Then you push harder, and it moves. Week 3: friction pushes against sliding, and rough surfaces usually make more. Week 4: magnets attract iron and steel without touching. Opposite poles attract, and like poles repel. Static electricity also pulls and pushes without touching. In Week 7 your child used that idea to design a latch. Week 6: a motion pattern repeats, so we can predict what comes next. Ask: "A book rests on a table. Are the forces balanced?" (Yes. Gravity pulls down and the table pushes up.) "The car speeds up. Balanced or unbalanced?" (Unbalanced.) "Is every metal magnetic?" (No. Aluminum is not.) If stuck, say: "Find that week's page. Read me one line."
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Four-Station Review. 1) Pushes, Week 1. Your child pushes the car gently, then harder, from the same spot. Ask what changed. (It went faster and farther.) 2) Arrows, Week 2. They draw a tug-of-war with two equal arrows, then one with a longer arrow. They label each balanced or unbalanced. 3) Friction, Week 3. They give the car the same gentle push on bare floor and on the towel. 4) Magnets, Week 4. They predict, then test the clip, coin, spoon and foil ball. They sort them into Attracted and Not attracted. Then they push like poles together to feel them repel. Record in a table with three columns: Station, What happened, Force idea. Expect the car to stop sooner on the towel. Expect only the steel clip to be attracted. United States coins are not, but some other coins contain steel. Say: "Real results vary. Test, do not guess." Safety: keep magnets away from mouths, phones and bank cards.
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child makes a one-page Quarter 1 review. It has the meaning of force, the two arrow drawings, and a magnet sketch labeled N and S. They add one sentence about a magnet at work. Sample: "A magnet strip holds the fridge door shut."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud; your child answers with the notebook closed. Praise every answer that names the force.

    Watch for: Thinking magnets attract all metals, such as coins and foil.

    Try: Test the foil and the coin again. Say, "Magnets attract iron and steel, not all metals."

    Exit ticket:
    1. A soccer ball is rolling. A player kicks it from the side. How does its motion change? Are the forces balanced or unbalanced?
    2. A sled slides far on snow but stops quickly on bare pavement. Why?
    3. A swing goes forward, back, forward, back. What comes next, and why can you predict it?

    Answers: 1) It changes direction. The forces are unbalanced. 2) Pavement is rougher than snow, so there is more friction to slow the sled. 3) Forward. The motion repeats in a pattern, so we can tell what comes next.

    Print Day 1 practice pages →

    Day 2 · Tuesday

    Social Studies

    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

    Builds on: Needs map skills from Week 3, U.S. geography from Weeks 10 and 11 and special maps from Week 29. One-minute check: your child names the four cardinal directions. (North, south, east and west.)

    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.

    Watch for: Measuring from the end of the ruler and not from the zero mark.

    Try: Line the zero up with the first city. Your child says the scale aloud for each inch counted.

    Exit ticket:
    1. On Ana's map, each inch stands for 2 miles. The lake is 7 inches from her town. How far is the real trip?
    2. Name two U.S. regions and one feature of each.
    3. Give one reason few people live high in very cold mountains.

    Answers: 1) 14 miles (count by twos seven times, or 7 x 2 = 14). 2) Answers vary. Sample: the Midwest has wide plains and farms; the Southwest has deserts and mesas. 3) Answers vary. Look for: it is hard to farm, build or travel there.

    Mathematics

    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

    Builds on: Review of Weeks 19 to 22. Each skill below names the week and day that first taught it. One-minute check: ask, "In 3/8, what does the 8 tell?" (8 equal parts in the whole.) "What does the 3 tell?" (3 parts are counted.)

    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.

    Watch for: Thinking 5/8 is greater than 5/6 because 8 is greater than 6.

    Try: Lay a 1/8 piece beside a 1/6 piece. Say: "More parts in the whole means each part is smaller."

    Exit ticket:
    1. Name a fraction equal to 2/8. Use the wall.
    2. Compare 3/6 and 3/8 using <, > or =.
    3. Write 4 as a fraction.

    Answers: 1) 1/4 2) 3/6 > 3/8 3) 4/1 (8/2 is also right)

    English Language Arts

    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

    Builds on: Needs cause and effect from Week 7 Day 4 and using clues to find word meanings from Weeks 6, 7 and 22. One-minute check: say, "The dam blocks the stream, so a pond forms." Ask: "What is the cause?" (The dam blocks the stream.)

    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.

    Watch for: Mixing up cause and effect, such as saying the pop makes the kernel hot.

    Try: Ask: "Which happened first?" Your child says the pair with the frame "Because ___, ___."

    Exit ticket:
    1. What causes the hull to burst?
    2. What is steam in this passage? Which words help you know?
    3. You wonder why some kernels never pop. Write a research question and name one place to look first.

    Answers: 1) Steam needs more room than water, so it pushes against the hull until the hull cannot hold it. 2) Steam is water that has turned into a hot gas. The clue words are "a hot gas," right after the comma. 3) Answers vary. Look for: an open Why or How question and a real source, such as a library book about food or corn.

    Science

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

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

    Builds on: Needs the Quarter 2 notebook pages from Weeks 10 to 18. One-minute check: ask, "What four things does a habitat give a living thing?" (Food, water, shelter and space.)

    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.

    Watch for: Saying an animal decides to change its body when its habitat changes.

    Try: Say, "An animal is born with its adaptations. It cannot grow one by wanting it." Point to one adaptation in the table.

    Exit ticket:
    1. A beaver has large front teeth. Geese fly south before winter. Which is a body feature, and which is a behavior?
    2. Which stage comes right after the tadpole in a frog's life? Name one way the body changes.
    3. A forest is cut down for a road. Name two different things that could happen to the animals that lived there.

    Answers: 1) The teeth are a body feature, a physical adaptation. Flying south is a behavior. 2) The froglet. Legs and lungs grow, and the tail shrinks. 3) Any two: some move away, some stay and survive nearby, some die, and some new animals move in.

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    Day 3 · Wednesday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can review civics, history and the steps of civic action.

    Standards: D2.Civ.1.3-5, D2.Civ.2.3-5, D2.His.4.3-5, D4.7.3-5

    Builds on: Needs government from Weeks 19 to 22, history from Weeks 6 and 7 and your child's own civic action project. One-minute check: ask, "What are the three levels of government?" (Local, state and national.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 6. Ask: "Name one Native nation in the United States today and where its homelands are." (Sample: the Navajo Nation in the Southwest, the Lakota on the Great Plains or the Tlingit in southeast Alaska.) Then say: "In Week 7 we learned that English settlers built Plymouth on Wampanoag land in 1620." Ask: "How might each group have seen that?" (Settlers saw a new home. Wampanoag people saw newcomers on their homeland.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we review government, citizens and civic action. I will name the week each idea was first taught." Say: "Week 19, levels of government." Ask: "Which level fixes our streets and runs our library?" (Local.) Fill in your own facts: "Our state capital is ___. Our local government is a ___." Say: "Week 20, the three branches." Point to the chart. Say: "The legislative branch makes laws. The executive branch carries them out. The judicial branch decides what laws mean." Say: "Power is split so no one group has too much." Ask: "Congress belongs to which branch?" (Legislative.) "Judges belong to which branch?" (Judicial.) Say: "Week 21, rights and responsibilities." Ask: "Is following the law a right or a responsibility?" (A responsibility.) Say: "Week 22, voting." Say: "Citizens 18 or older can vote." Ask: "Why does a democracy need people to vote and stay informed?" (The people choose the leaders, so their choices shape the laws.) Say: "Week 33, civic action." Ask: "Say the six steps in order." (Identify, research, plan, act, reflect, share.) If stuck, say: "Legislative sounds like laws. Executive means carries out. Judicial sounds like judge."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Match and label. 1) Write one term on each of ten cards: citizen, law, vote, right, responsibility, legislative, executive, judicial, local, civic action. 2) Write one meaning on each of the other ten cards. A member of a country. A rule made by a government. A way to choose, with one for each person. A freedom the law protects. Something a citizen should do. The branch that makes laws. The branch that carries out laws. The branch that decides what laws mean. Close to home, like a town or county. Working to solve a community problem. 3) Shuffle both sets. Your child matches each term to its meaning. The meanings above follow the order of the terms. 4) Open the planner. Your child labels each step of their own project with its cycle word. Sample: "Counted litter on two days: research." 5) Ask for evidence: "Which planner page shows your research step?" Scores vary. Look for the pattern. The three branches are the most common mix-up.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child writes the six steps of civic action in order. Beside each step, your child adds one sentence from their own project. Frame: "Identify: I noticed ___." Sample: "Identify: I noticed the shelter needed socks. Research: I interviewed a shelter worker."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child answers the exit questions in writing. Praise clear branch names and present-tense sentences about Native nations.

    Watch for: Mixing up the executive and legislative branches.

    Try: Your child points to the chart and says: "Legislative makes laws. Executive carries them out."

    Exit ticket:
    1. The President leads one branch of the national government. Name that branch and tell its job.
    2. Is freedom of speech a right or a responsibility? Tell how you know.
    3. Which step of civic action comes right after you act? What do you do in that step?

    Answers: 1) The executive branch. It carries out the laws. 2) A right. It is a freedom the law protects. 3) Reflect. You look back honestly at what worked and what did not.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can solve problems with time, mass, liquid volume, line plots, area and perimeter.

    Standards: 3.MD.A.1, 3.MD.A.2, 3.MD.B.4, 3.MD.C.7.b, 3.MD.D.8

    Builds on: Review of Weeks 24 to 31. Each skill below names the week and day that first taught it. One-minute check: ask, "How many minutes are in one hour?" (60) "How many minutes from 3:00 to 3:25?" (25)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Day 2. Ask: "Which is greater, 1/6 or 1/4? Why?" (1/4; fourths are bigger pieces.) Then practice ×5 and ×9 facts with no clock. Ask 5 × 6, 5 × 8, 9 × 4 and 9 × 7 (30, 40, 36, 63).
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today is measurement: time, mass, liquid volume, line plots, area and perimeter." Elapsed time across an hour came in Week 25 Day 3. Say: "A show starts at 2:40 and lasts 45 minutes. When does it end?" Draw an open number line. Mark 2:40 at the left. Say: "Jump to the hour first." Jump 20 minutes to 3:00. Ask: "How many minutes are still left?" (45 − 20 = 25) Jump 25 more minutes to 3:25. Say: "So the show ends at 3:25." Mass and liquid volume came in Week 26 Days 1 to 3. Say: "Grams fit a pencil. Kilograms fit a dog. Liters fit a bucket of water. A mug holds less than 1 liter." Area by multiplying came in Week 29 Day 1. Perimeter by adding sides came in Week 30 Day 3. Draw a rectangle 7 squares long and 4 squares tall. Write 7 × 4 = 28 square units for the area. Write 7 + 4 + 7 + 4 = 22 units for the perimeter. Now your child does more. Lunch starts at 11:40 and ends at 12:15. How long is lunch? (20 + 15 = 35 minutes) Find the area and perimeter of a 5 by 4 rectangle. (20 square units; 18 units)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Solve these together. Your child names the unit before solving. 1) Telling time, Week 25 Day 1. Set the minute hand 3 small marks past the 7. Set the hour hand between 4 and 5. What time is it? (4:38; 35 minutes and 3 more) 2) Practice starts at 5:35 and lasts 50 minutes. When does it end? (6:25; 25 minutes to 6:00, then 25 more) 3) Word problems with units, Week 26 Day 4. One bag of rice has a mass of 5 kilograms. What is the mass of 4 bags? (4 × 5 = 20 kilograms) 4) A tank holds 42 liters. Tom pours it equally into 6 buckets. How many liters go in each bucket? (42 ÷ 6 = 7 liters) If stuck, say: "What is being measured? Name the unit. Then choose add, subtract, multiply or divide."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child works alone and writes the unit in every answer. 1) How long is it from 9:20 to 9:55? (35 minutes) 2) A walk starts at 7:50 and lasts 25 minutes. When does it end? (8:15; 10 minutes to 8:00, then 15 more) 3) Choose grams or kilograms for a bicycle, then for a grape. (kilograms; grams) 4) Line plots came in Week 24 Days 4 and 5. Leaf lengths in inches are 1, 1 1/4, 1 1/4, 1 1/2, 1 3/4, 1 3/4, 1 3/4 and 2. Rule a line from 1 to 2 marked in quarter inches. Draw an X for each leaf. Which length is most common? (1 3/4 inches; 3 Xs) 5) How many leaves are longer than 1 1/2 inches? (4) 6) Draw a rectangle 8 squares long and 4 squares tall. Find its area and perimeter. (32 square units; 24 units) 7) A garden is 3 meters by 8 meters. How much fence goes around it? (22 meters) 8) A jug holds 12 liters. Ana pours out 5 liters. How many liters are left? (12 − 5 = 7 liters)
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers on paper and may draw a number line or a rectangle.

    Watch for: Treating an hour as 100 minutes, so 2:40 plus 45 minutes becomes 2:85.

    Try: Your child jumps to the next hour first on the number line, then adds the minutes left.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What is the area of a rectangle 7 units by 5 units?
    2. What is the perimeter of a rectangle 9 cm by 2 cm?
    3. A class starts at 1:45 and lasts 30 minutes. When does it end?

    Answers: 1) 35 square units 2) 22 cm 3) 2:15

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can review story skills and answer questions about a story using evidence from the text.

    Standards: W.3.3, W.3.3.A, W.3.3.B, W.3.3.C, W.3.3.D, RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3

    Builds on: Needs central message from Week 1 Day 4 and text evidence from Week 3 Day 2. One-minute check: ask, "What is a central message?" (the big lesson a story teaches)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, about 3 minutes. Dictate this sentence: "The unhappy giant cried." Your child writes it. Check it together: un- plus happy, a soft g before i, and y changed to i before -ed. Spaced review from Week 3 Day 4. Ask: "In 'The Lion and the Mouse,' how does the mouse solve the lion's problem?" (The mouse chews through the ropes of the net.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Read the story aloud while your child follows along. "The Kite Contest": Imani had spent all week building a kite out of newspaper and straws. On the morning of the contest, a gust of wind snapped one of the straws. Imani's shoulders drooped. "It's ruined," she whispered. Her friend Wen dug through his backpack and pulled out two pencils and a roll of tape. "Don't quit yet," he said. Together they taped the pencils where the straw had been. When the whistle blew, Imani's kite wobbled, dipped, and then soared higher than all the others. She did not win the prize for the prettiest kite. She won something better: the Never Give Up ribbon. Say: "Today we review three story skills. You learned central message in Week 1 and how a character changes in Week 2. In Week 3 you learned to answer with evidence." Write the two steps: answer, then prove it with "In the text it says ___." Think aloud. Say: "How does Imani feel when the straw snaps? She feels crushed. In the text it says her shoulders drooped and she whispered, 'It's ruined.'" Highlight those words. Say: "A character's actions move a story along. Watch what Wen does next." Ask: "What does Wen pull out of his backpack?" (two pencils and a roll of tape)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) Fill in the story map together. (Characters: Imani and Wen. Setting: the morning of a kite contest. Problem: the wind snaps a straw. Events: Wen brings pencils and tape, and they fix the kite. Solution: the kite flies high.) 2) Ask: "How does Wen help solve the problem?" Your child marks the evidence with the highlighter. (He gives pencils and tape, and they tape the pencils where the straw was.) 3) Ask: "What is the central message?" (Do not give up. A friend can help you solve a problem.) 4) Ask: "What does soared tell you about the kite? What is the clue?" (It flew up high. The clue is "higher than all the others.") If stuck, say: "Put your finger on the sentence that proves it. Read it to me."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child answers two questions in the notebook with evidence. "Why did Imani win a ribbon?" "How does Imani change from the beginning to the end?" Sample: "Imani won because she fixed her kite and flew it anyway. In the text it says the kite soared higher than all the others." 2) Your child writes a short story of 6 to 8 sentences about a time they almost gave up but kept going. Checklist: a clear problem. Events in order with two time-order words from Week 10, such as first and finally. One line of dialogue with quotation marks, as in Week 11. An ending that shows how the problem turned out.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three questions aloud. Your child may look back at the story and at their own writing.

    Watch for: Answering from their own ideas without going back to the text.

    Try: Ask for a highlighted sentence before your child writes any answer.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Which of Wen's words show that he believes the kite can still fly?
    2. Why is the ribbon "something better" than the prize for the prettiest kite? Use the text.
    3. Read the line of dialogue in your own story. What does it show about your character?

    Answers: 1) "Don't quit yet." 2) It honors not giving up, which matters more than looks. In the text it says the ribbon is called Never Give Up. 3) Answers vary. Look for: quotation marks and a feeling or trait the words show.

    Science

    Objective: I can explain weather, climate, forecasts and ways to reduce weather hazards.

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

    Builds on: Needs the Quarter 3 notebook pages from Weeks 19 to 27. One-minute check: ask, "What does a forecast tell us?" (What the weather will probably be.)

    1. Day 178 — Review: Weather, Climate and Hazards (Q3) — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 19. Ask: "Name the five parts of weather." (Temperature, precipitation, wind, clouds and humidity.) Then your child reads the thermometer at a window. Now the wonder. Ask: "Is today's weather usual for this time of year here? How could we find out?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today is Quarter 3, weather and climate." Your child finds the page for each idea. Week 19: weather is what the air is like at one place and time. A thermometer measures temperature. A rain gauge measures rainfall. A wind vane shows where the wind comes from. Week 20: climate is the usual weather of a place over many years. Tables and graphs of weather data show its patterns. Week 25: tall, dark cumulonimbus clouds can bring thunderstorms. A forecast is a prediction made from data and patterns. Week 21: severe weather is a hazard, and people design ways to reduce the harm. Lightning rods, storm shelters and storm shutters are such designs. Model a claim. Say: "A lightning rod is a good design for a tall building. It carries lightning safely to the ground. Its limit is that it protects only that building." Ask: "'It snowed last night.' Weather or climate?" (Weather.) "'Winters here are usually mild.' Weather or climate?" (Climate. Usually means many years.) "A tall, dark cloud is growing. What might be coming?" (A thunderstorm.) If stuck, say: "Is it about one day, or about many years?"
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Weather Review. 1) Your child reads the thermometer outside in the shade and records the temperature and the time. 2) They check the rain gauge and record the depth, or write "none." 3) They read today's forecast with an adult and name the predicted high and the chance of rain. With no forecast, they make their own from the sky and wind. 4) Ask: "Is today usual for this month here?" A good answer thinks about many years. 5) They choose one hazard that happens in your area and name one design that reduces harm. They make a claim with "because" and give one limit. Record steps 1 to 3 in a table with three columns: Part of weather, Today's data, Tool. Expect your reading to differ a little from the forecast, which is a prediction. Say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern." Safety: stay indoors if a storm is near.
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child makes a one-page Quarter 3 review. It has the meanings of weather and climate, a labeled drawing of one tool, and one cloud type with its weather. They add one hazard and a design that reduces its harm. Sample: "Storm shutters protect windows from things blown by hurricane wind."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud and praise the word "usually" in climate answers. Then give the Quarter 4 Review: Science, found on the Assessments page. It takes 20 to 30 minutes and samples Weeks 28 to 35. Give it after a break today, or on any day this week. Your child needs a pencil and the ruler. Read questions aloud, but give no hints. Its scoring notes name the weeks to revisit.

    Watch for: Using "weather" and "climate" as if they mean the same thing.

    Try: Ask, "Is this about today, or about many years?" Today is weather. Many years is climate.

    Exit ticket:
    1. "The wind is strong this afternoon." "Autumn here is usually dry." Which sentence is weather, and which is climate? Name the clue words.
    2. The thermometer reads 5 degrees warmer than the forecast high. Was the forecast bad science? Explain.
    3. Choose a lightning rod, a storm shelter or storm shutters. Which hazard does it protect against, and how?

    Answers: 1) The first is weather: "this afternoon." The second is climate: "usually." 2) No. A forecast is a prediction from data and patterns. Real weather can turn out a little different. 3) Answers vary. Look for: the hazard named and how the design reduces harm, such as shutters stopping flying objects from breaking windows.

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    Day 4 · Thursday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can show what I learned in Quarter 4 on the Quarter Review and look back on my year of social studies.

    Standards: D2.Civ.1.3-5, D2.Eco.1.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.His.2.3-5, D2.His.4.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Weeks 28 to 35 and this week's three review days. One-minute check: your child names three Quarter 4 topics. (Any three: interdependence, special maps, earning and banking, saving and giving, civic action or the showcase.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 1. Ask: "What is a community?" (A group of people who live, work or play in the same place and share things.) Your child flips through the year's notebook and says one fact from each part of the year. The parts are communities and maps, Native nations and early history, government and citizens, and economics. (Answers vary. Look for four accurate facts.) Then ask the big question: "What can you do now that you could not do when the year began?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you take the Quarter 4 Review. It covers Weeks 28 to 36 and has four sections." Name them: depending on each other, reading special maps, money, and civic action. Say: "It is not timed. You may look back at its chart and its notes box as often as you like." Practice each kind of question with new examples. Ask: "Put these in order for a wool hat: store clerk, sheep farmer, you, hat maker." (Sheep farmer, hat maker, store clerk, you.) Write two rows in the notebook. Maple Hill: tree symbols, medium color, snowy winters. Clay Flats: corn symbols, dark color, warm summers. Ask: "What are winters like in Maple Hill? Give evidence." (Snowy. Its row says snowy winters.) Ask: "Rosa has $24 in the bank. She withdraws $6, then deposits $10. How much is there now?" ($28. 24 - 6 = 18, and 18 + 10 = 28.) Read: "Tally: 14 cars sped past the school on Monday. A neighbor said drivers here are rude." Ask: "Which part is a fact you can check?" (The tally of 14 cars.) If stuck, say: "Put your finger on the row or sentence that proves it."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Quarter Review. 1) Open the Quarter 4 Review for social studies on the Assessments page. It has 15 items. 2) Work in the quiet place. Put maps and the notebook away. Scrap paper is fine. Use no calculator, so you can see your child's work. 3) Allow 20 to 30 minutes. It is not timed. 4) You may read every item aloud. Your child may answer aloud while you write. 5) Do not teach, hint or correct during the review. 6) Your child may look back at the review's map chart and notes box at any time. 7) Afterward, score it with the scoring notes, add the points and find the level. If a section earns less than half its points, revisit the weeks listed for it. The review may run into notebook time. That is fine. This is a snapshot for the quarter report, not a grade.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child writes two sentences. Frames: "The topic I learned best this year was ___. One thing I want to learn more about is ___." Sample: "The topic I learned best this year was maps. One thing I want to learn more about is how laws get made." If the review ran long, do this entry tonight.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the exit questions aloud. Praise steady effort and looking back at the chart for evidence.

    Watch for: Answering chart questions from memory and not from the chart.

    Try: Before the review, practice with the Maple Hill chart. Say: "Put your finger on the row that proves it."

    Exit ticket:
    1. Which section of the review felt strongest? Why?
    2. How did looking back at the chart or the notes box help you on one question?
    3. What was your favorite social studies topic this year? Tell one fact you remember from it.

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: one named section with a reason. 2) Answers vary. Look for: your child went back to a row or a sentence to find evidence. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a named topic, such as maps or Native nations, and one accurate fact.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can review shapes, equal parts and scaled graphs for the Unit 6 test.

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

    Builds on: Review of Weeks 33 to 35. Each skill below names the week and day that first taught it. One-minute check: ask, "How many sides does a quadrilateral have?" (4) "What is half of 10?" (5)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Day 3. Your child finds the perimeter of a square with 5-inch sides (4 × 5 = 20 inches). Then practice ×6 and ×8 facts with no clock. Ask 6 × 7, 6 × 9, 8 × 6 and 8 × 9 (42, 54, 48, 72).
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we review shapes, equal parts and graphs for the Unit 6 test." Squares, rectangles and rhombuses came in Week 33 Day 4 and Week 34 Days 1 and 2. Hold up the square card. Check each corner with the index card. Measure each side. Say: "4 square corners make it a rectangle. 4 equal sides make it a rhombus. So a square is a rectangle and a rhombus too." Equal parts came in Week 24 Day 1 and Week 33 Day 3. On grid paper, draw a rectangle 6 squares long and 2 squares tall. Ask: "How many squares in all?" (6 × 2 = 12) Say: "Split it into 3 equal parts." Write 12 ÷ 3 = 4. Draw two lines so each part has 4 squares. Color each part. Say: "So each part is 1/3 of the rectangle." Scaled graphs came in Week 35 Days 1 to 3. Say: "A key says each picture = 5. Then 7 pictures show 7 × 5 = 35." Now your child does more. Your child draws a rectangle 4 squares long and 2 squares tall, then splits it into 4 equal parts. (2 squares each; each part is 1/4)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Work these together. 1) Your child sorts the 5 shape cards and gives each its most specific name. Check corners and sides first. (square, rectangle, rhombus, trapezoid, quadrilateral) 2) Ask: "Is every rhombus a square?" (No. Its corners do not have to be square.) 3) Draw a rectangle 6 squares long and 4 squares tall. Split it into 6 equal parts. How many squares are in each part? What fraction is each part? (24 ÷ 6 = 4 squares; 1/6) 4) Draw a bar graph of kites on a scale that counts by 10s. Red 30, blue 45 and green 20. How many fewer blue kites than red and green together? (30 + 20 = 50; 50 − 45 = 5) If stuck, say: "For shapes, check corners, then sides. For parts, count the squares. For graphs, read the key or scale first."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child works alone. 1) Polygons, Week 33 Days 1 and 2. Draw a hexagon and an octagon. Count the sides and vertices of each. (6 and 6; 8 and 8) 2) A quadrilateral has 4 square corners. Its sides are 5 cm, 3 cm, 5 cm and 3 cm. Name it. (rectangle) 3) Trapezoids, Week 34 Day 3. Draw a quadrilateral with exactly one pair of same-direction sides. Give its most specific name. (trapezoid) 4) A shape has 4 equal sides and 4 square corners. Give three names for it. (square, rectangle, rhombus) 5) Draw a square 4 squares long and 4 squares tall. Split it into fourths in two different ways. (4 squares in each part) 6) A key says each picture = 5. A row has 8 pictures. How many does it show? (8 × 5 = 40) 7) A scale counts by 10s. Monday's bar ends halfway between 50 and 60. Tuesday's bar ends at 30. How many more on Monday? (55 − 30 = 25) 8) A key says each picture = 2. Ana has 8 pictures. Ben has 5 and a half pictures. How many more does Ana have? (16 − 11 = 5)
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers on paper and may draw.

    Watch for: Counting pictures or grid lines on a graph and ignoring the key or scale.

    Try: Your child circles the key or scale on every graph before answering.

    Exit ticket:
    1. A quadrilateral has 4 square corners and 4 equal sides. What is its most specific name?
    2. A rectangle of 18 squares is split into 6 equal parts. How many squares are in each part? What fraction is each part?
    3. A key says each picture = 10. How many do 6 pictures show?

    Answers: 1) Square 2) 3 squares; 1/6 3) 60

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can review speaking, listening and grammar skills for the year-end test.

    Standards: SL.3.4, SL.3.2, SL.3.3, L.3.1, L.3.1.B, L.3.1.D, L.3.1.F, L.3.1.G, L.3.2, L.3.2.B, L.3.2.C

    Builds on: Needs the talk skills from Week 33 and the grammar rules first taught in Weeks 2 to 13. One-minute check: your child fixes, "She runned home." (She ran home.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, about 3 minutes. Say enough, careful, unhappy and enjoy. Ask: "Which word means as much as you need?" (enough) "Which word means not happy?" (unhappy) Your child says one sentence with careful and one with enjoy. Spaced review from Week 13 Day 4. Your child fixes the capitals: "we flew to florida in june." (We flew to Florida in June.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A clear talk has a main idea and details, a steady voice and eye contact. That is from Week 33. A good listener can recount the main points and ask a question. You have done that since Week 1." Now write six grammar rules on paper, each with its example. 1) Subjects and verbs agree, Week 13: "One bird sings. Two birds sing." 2) Irregular past tense, Week 10: go, went; eat, ate; bring, brought. 3) Irregular plurals, Week 9 word study: child, children; mouse, mice; tooth, teeth. 4) A comma between city and state, Week 8: Denver, Colorado. 5) Dialogue, Week 11: quotation marks around the exact words, with the end mark inside. 6) Comparing, Weeks 2 and 19: use -er or more, never both. Think aloud on one. Say: "'The puppies was muddy.' Puppies means more than one, so I need were."
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) Your child gives a talk of about one minute on a favorite book from this year. It needs the title, what happens and two reasons they liked it. 2) You recount the two reasons and ask one follow-up question. Your child answers with a detail. 3) Switch jobs. You give a short talk about a book you love. Your child recounts your main points and asks one follow-up question. 4) Ask: "What made that talk easy to follow?" (Sample: a clear main idea, or details in order.) If stuck on recounting, say: "Hold up two fingers. What did I say first? What did I say second?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child plans a book talk of 2 or 3 minutes on three note cards. Card 1 has the title and a hook. Card 2 tells what happens. Card 3 tells why to read it. They give the talk and answer one question with a detail. 2) Your child fixes the seven practice sentences in the notebook. a) My sisters walks to the park. (walk) b) Last night we eated soup. (ate) c) Three mans fixed the roof. (men) d) I brang my lunch. (brought) e) Grandpa lives in Tulsa Oklahoma. (Tulsa, Oklahoma) f) watch out for the puddle yelled Nico ("Watch out for the puddle!" yelled Nico.) g) My tower is more tall than yours. (taller) Check the answers together.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three questions. Your child writes the first two answers and says the third.

    Watch for: In dialogue, putting the question mark outside the closing quotation mark.

    Try: Your child traces the quotation marks around the exact spoken words, then puts the end mark inside them.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Write the past tense of bring and the plural of tooth.
    2. Fix the dialogue: are we there yet asked Mia
    3. Recount two points from the book talk you heard today.

    Answers: 1) Brought and teeth. 2) "Are we there yet?" asked Mia. 3) Answers vary. Look for: two correct points from the talk.

    Science

    Objective: I can explain inherited traits, the environment's effect on traits, variation and fossils.

    Standards: 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-1, 3-LS4-2

    Builds on: Needs the Quarter 4 notebook pages from Weeks 28 to 35. One-minute check: ask, "Inherited or learned: a dog that sits when told?" (Learned.)

    1. Day 179 — Review: Traits, Variation and Fossils (Q4) — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 29. Ask, with no rush: "Inherited or learned: a duck's webbed feet? Tying shoes? A dog fetching a ball? A rose's petal color?" (Inherited, learned, learned, inherited.) Your child explains one choice. Then the wonder. Ask: "Which Quarter 4 idea surprised you most?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we look back at Quarter 4: traits, variation and fossils." Your child finds the page for each idea. Week 28: a trait is a feature of a living thing. Inherited traits pass from parents to offspring. Offspring of the same parents vary, because each gets a different mix. Week 29: learned behaviors come from practice, teaching or watching others. Week 30: individuals of one species vary. Some differences give an advantage in surviving, finding mates and having offspring. Weeks 29 and 31: the environment can change how traits grow. Ask: "What did your two bean cups show?" Your child answers from the notebook page. Week 33: fossils are remains or traces of living things from long ago, often found in rock. They show what lived and what a place was like. Hold up the model fossil. Ask: "What can our clay model not show about real fossils?" (The very long time, and minerals slowly hardening into rock.) Week 34: a survey uses data to show variation. Ask: "A moth's wings match the tree bark. How is that an advantage?" (Birds miss it, so it is more likely to live and have offspring.) If stuck, say: "Born with it? Practiced it? Or did the surroundings change it?"
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Mixed Card Sort. 1) With the marker, write these on the 12 cards. A cheetah's spots. The color of a tulip's petals. Riding a bike. Speaking a language. A pine tree bent by steady wind. A dandelion that grows flat in a mowed lawn. Puppies of different colors in one litter. A moth that matches bark. Apples of different sizes on one tree. A dinosaur footprint. A fern fossil in Antarctica. A shell turned to stone. 2) Write five headings on the slips: Inherited, Learned, Environment, Variation, Fossils. 3) Your child sorts every card and gives a reason for each. 4) Missed cards go in a Practice pile. Find the notebook page for each and sort it again. Expect this sort. Inherited: spots, petal color. Learned: bike, language. Environment: bent pine, flat dandelion. Variation: puppies, moth, apples. Fossils: footprint, fern, shell. A card may fit two headings. Accept it with a sound reason.
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child makes a one-page Quarter 4 review with 4 boxes: Traits, Environment, Variation, Fossils. Each box gets one example and a small drawing. Sample for Variation: "Puppies in one litter have different fur colors."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud; your child answers with the notebook closed. Praise every answer that gives a reason. If the Quarter 4 Review is not done yet, give it later today or tomorrow.

    Watch for: Mixing up variation that is inherited with changes caused by the environment.

    Try: Ask, "Did they grow in the same place with the same care?" If yes, the difference is likely inherited. If not, the environment may be the cause.

    Exit ticket:
    1. A cardinal has red feathers. A child can whistle a tune. Which is inherited, and which is learned?
    2. Some deer in a herd run a little faster than others. A wolf chases the herd. Which deer have the advantage? Why?
    3. Many fossils form in steps. Which happens first: minerals harden the bones into rock, or mud buries the animal?

    Answers: 1) The red feathers are inherited. Whistling a tune is learned. 2) The faster deer. They are more likely to escape, survive and have young. 3) Mud buries the animal first. The hardening into rock comes much later.

    Print Day 4 practice pages →

    Day 5 · Friday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can show what I learned in Unit 6 and celebrate my year of social studies.

    Standards: D2.Eco.1.3-5, D2.Civ.6.3-5, D4.7.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Unit 6, Weeks 31 to 35, and this week's review days. One-minute check: ask, "Name the three jars." (Save, Spend and Give.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 31. Ask: "Name one smart spending tip." (Any one: ask need or want, compare prices, wait a day, check quality, or spend only money you have.) Then ask the big question: "Which project from this year are you proudest of?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you take the Unit 6 test. It covers saving, spending and giving, civic action, a community project, and a look back at profit and trade." Say: "Two sections have source boxes. You may look back at them any time." Practice with new examples. Ask: "Zara has $3. She saves $4 a week for a $15 kite. How many weeks does she need?" (3 weeks. 15 - 3 = 12, and 12 is three fours.) Read this made-up source aloud: "Mai's notes. Issue: the path to the pond is muddy. People who slipped: Tuesday 4, Friday 6. The ranger said the park has had no gravel since spring." Ask: "What should the park do? Make a claim and give two pieces of evidence." (Sample: The park should add gravel. Ten people slipped in two days, and the ranger says there is no gravel.) Ask: "Where must the evidence come from?" (The notes, not an opinion.) Ask: "A bookmark stand spends $6 on supplies and takes in $14. What is the profit?" ($8. 14 - 6 = 8.) If stuck, say: "Put your finger on the sentence or number that proves it."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Unit test. 1) Find the Unit 6 test on the Assessments page. It has 19 items. 2) Set out play money or scrap paper for the money items. 3) Allow 30 to 35 minutes. The test will use today's notebook time too. 4) You may read every item and source box aloud. Your child may answer aloud while you write. 5) On the claim item, any sensible plan earns full points when its evidence comes from the notes. 6) You may split the test over two days. Give Sections 1 and 2 today and Sections 3 and 4 on the next day. 7) Score it with the answer key, then find the level. If a section earns less than half its points, revisit the weeks listed for it. Scores vary. Look for evidence taken from the source boxes.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — If time is left, your child writes a year-end reflection in the social studies notebook. Frames: "This year I learned ___, ___ and ___. In fourth grade I want to ___." Sample: "This year I learned to read a map scale, make a budget and run a sock drive. In fourth grade I want to learn my state's history." If the test used this time, write it later today.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Later today, hold a gallery walk of the year's projects and present the certificate. Give the stored Week 36 check later today or on another day. It has 7 items and takes about 15 minutes. 6 or more right: your child writes a letter to a future third grader. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 1 page. Then make a card sort with 8 new goods and services. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 2's map scale with a ruler. Praise a year of steady effort.

    Watch for: On three-jar items, subtracting the saving but forgetting the giving.

    Try: Your child counts out the whole amount in play money, then moves the Save pile and the Give pile away.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What is your proudest project from this year? Why?
    2. Name one habit from this year that you will keep.
    3. What is one goal you have for fourth grade?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a specific project and a reason. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a habit such as saving in three jars or noticing community needs. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a specific, positive goal.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can show what I learned in Unit 6 and in third grade math on the unit test and year-end check.

    Standards: 3.MD.C.7.b, 3.MD.D.8, 3.G.A.1, 3.G.A.2, 3.MD.B.3, 3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.D.8, 3.NBT.A.1, 3.NBT.A.2, 3.NF.A.3

    Builds on: Needs Weeks 31 to 36 for the Unit 6 test and the whole year for the year-end check. One-minute check: a key says each picture = 2. How many do 7 pictures show? (14)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Today has two parts: the Unit 6 test, then the year-end check. Plan about 80 minutes with a break, or use two days. The Quarter 4 Review, on the Assessments page, takes 20 to 30 minutes. Give it any day this week, apart from these two papers. Spaced review from Week 31 Day 2. Ask for two rectangles with an area of 16 square units, each with its perimeter. (Sample: 2 by 8, 20 units; 4 by 4, 16 units) No fact drill today. Your child says 6 × 6, 6 × 8, 7 × 7 and 7 × 9 calmly (36, 48, 49, 63).
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Spend 10 minutes on a calm routine called One of Each. Say: "We try one of each test kind first." On grid paper, draw a rectangle 6 squares long and 9 squares tall. Say: "Area covers, so I multiply." Write 6 × 9 = 54 square units. Say: "Perimeter goes around, so I add all four sides." Write 6 + 9 + 6 + 9 = 30 units. Say: "So the area is 54 square units and the perimeter is 30 units." Now your child does one of each. Unknown side: the area is 32 square units and one side is 4. (8, because 4 × 8 = 32) Polygons: name the polygon with 6 sides. (hexagon) Equal parts: a shape is split into 6 equal parts. What fraction is each part? (1/6) Graphs: a scale counts by 10s. A bar ends halfway between 10 and 20. (15) Line plots: what do 2 Xs above 1 1/4 mean? (2 objects are 1 1/4 inches long.) Say: "On the test, write the unit. Read each key or scale first."
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Give the Unit 6 test from the Assessments page. It has four parts and 51 points. Allow 30 to 40 minutes. The test has no time limit. Read the directions for each part aloud. Your child may use grid paper, tiles, string, the index card, crayons and the ruler. Do not teach or hint. If stuck, say: "Do your best, then we can move on." Score it with the answer key and find the level. Then choose a route. Part 1, area and perimeter: revisit Week 31 Days 1 to 4 and Week 32 Days 1, 2 and 4. Part 2, polygons and quadrilaterals: revisit Week 33 Days 1, 2 and 4 and Week 34 Days 1, 2 and 4. Part 3, equal parts: revisit Week 33 Day 3, first taught in Week 24 Day 1. Part 4, graphs and line plots: revisit Week 35 Days 1 to 3 and Week 36 Day 3.
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — After a 10-minute break, give the stored Week 36 check. It is the year-end check, with 8 items, beside the Week 36 lessons. Allow about 15 minutes, with no clock running, or give it tomorrow. Score it with the answer key. 6 or more right: your child is ready for fourth grade math. 5 or fewer right: use the missed items to plan summer practice. Item 1, rounding: Week 36 Day 1, first taught in Week 1 Day 5. Item 2, subtracting across a zero: Week 36 Day 1 and Week 3 Day 4. Item 3, comparing fractions: Week 36 Day 2 and Week 22 Day 2. Items 4 and 5, area and perimeter: Week 36 Day 3, Week 29 Day 1 and Week 30 Day 3. Item 6, quadrilaterals: Week 36 Day 4 and Week 33 Day 4. Item 7, picture graphs: Week 35 Day 1. Item 8, a two-step problem: Week 36 Day 1 and Week 15 Day 1.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask these three questions after the last paper, on whichever day that is. Your child answers aloud or on paper.

    Watch for: Rushing graph items and counting the pictures or lines without the key or scale.

    Try: Your child circles the key on one practice graph and counts by that number.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What is the perimeter of a rectangle 4 units by 7 units?
    2. Which part of the test felt strongest?
    3. What is one math goal for fourth grade?

    Answers: 1) 22 units 2) Answers vary. Look for: a named part, such as graphs. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a named skill, such as quick ×7 and ×8 facts.

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can show what I learned in Unit 6 and across third grade ELA.

    Standards: W.3.1, W.3.2, W.3.3, RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, L.3.1, L.3.5.A, SL.3.4

    Builds on: Needs the review days this week and the reading-aloud work from Week 34. One-minute check: ask, "What do you do when a word you read does not make sense?" (Stop, reread and fix it.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, about 3 minutes. Give a quick spelling check with no clock. Say each word, and your child writes it: cloud, crawl, city, swimming, cried, enough. Challenge word: wonderful. Correct it together, and your child names the pattern in each word. Spaced review from Week 26. Say: "My brother is a night owl." Ask: "Literal or nonliteral? What does it really mean?" (Nonliteral. He likes to stay up late.)
    2. Review (10 min) — Give the stored Week 36 check as today's review. It has 8 items. Your child works alone for about 10 minutes. You may read the directions aloud, but give no hints. Score it together, and your child fixes each missed item aloud. Then choose the next step. 6 or more right: go on to the unit test today. 4 or 5 right: go on to the test today. As homework, redo the Day 4 practice page and fix five sentences a family member writes with mistakes. 3 or fewer right: revisit Day 3. Act out a short story with toys, and point to the words that show each character's feelings. Give the unit test on another day.
    3. Unit Test (about 50 min) — The Unit 6 test is on the Assessments page. It takes 50 to 60 minutes, so plan two sittings. It covers a play script, reading aloud with expression, presenting, publishing, editing, spelling patterns and one written reflection. Use this block for the first sitting: the script questions and the read-aloud and speaking items. Your child reads the script silently. You may read the questions aloud. For the read-aloud item, allow one practice read, then listen and score. Hold the second sitting after a long break or on the day after. It takes about 25 minutes: editing, word study and the written reflection. In those parts, read only the directions and do not spell words. Your child may look through the portfolio before writing. Do not help with answers.
    4. Reflection (10 min) — Your child writes a short note called "Dear Fourth-Grade Me" in the notebook, 3 or 4 sentences long. 1) Name your favorite book, poem or story from this year and tell why. 2) Name the skill that grew the most and give an example. 3) Name the first book you will read this summer and when you will read. Sample: "My favorite story was the one about the kite contest because Imani never quit. I learned to prove my answers with evidence." Then the family celebrates by looking through the portfolio together.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three questions to close third grade ELA. Your child answers in complete sentences.

    Watch for: Answering the script questions from memory without looking back.

    Try: Before the test, say: "You may look back at the script as often as you like. Find the line that proves your answer."

    Exit ticket:
    1. Which skill from this week's review felt easiest on the check or the test today?
    2. Which part of the test was hardest? What will you practice this summer?
    3. Read your "Dear Fourth-Grade Me" note aloud. Which sentence are you proudest of?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a named skill, such as answering with evidence or fixing verbs. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a named part and one specific way to practice. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a chosen sentence and a reason.

    Science

    Objective: I can show what I have learned in third-grade science and celebrate my growth.

    Standards: 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-3, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-1, 3-LS4-2, 3-LS4-3, 3-ESS2-2, 3-5-ETS1-3

    Builds on: Needs the four review days this week. One-minute check: ask, "In a fair test, what must stay the same?" (Everything except the one thing you change.)

    New words:
    • portfolio – a collection of your best work, chosen by you
    1. Day 180 — Unit 6 Test, Year-End Assessment and Celebration — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 35. Ask: "What are the three parts of a conclusion?" (Claim, evidence and reasoning.) Take two slow breaths together. Now the wonder. Ask: "What was your favorite science moment this year?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you take the last unit test. It is a snapshot of what you know, not a grade." Find the Unit 6 test on the Assessments page. Its five sections cover the environment and traits, fossils, the trait survey, the science fair and the whole year. Allow 45 to 50 minutes in all. Your child needs a pencil, and the ruler for one bar graph. You may read every question, table and choice aloud. Your child may answer aloud while you write. Please do not explain science words or give hints. Teach three tips. Say: "When a question says to use the table, read its headings first." Say: "Evidence means numbers or facts from the page." Say: "Skip a hard question and come back." Ask: "What goes in an evidence line?" (Numbers or facts from the table or the text.) "Why must a graph's scale go up in even steps?" (So each bar shows its true height.) If your child gets stuck during the test, say only: "Take a breath. Listen again. Write what you know."
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Take the Unit 6 Test. 1) Set a quiet table with the printout, the pencil and the ruler. 2) Your child works alone on Sections 1 to 3. Read aloud when asked. These take about 30 minutes, so use this block and the notebook time. 3) Take a stretch break between sections. 4) Give Sections 4 and 5, about 20 minutes, later today or the next day. 5) Your child rereads every answer once before stopping. 6) Score the test with the notes under each section, and give partial credit where they say so. The total is out of 43 points. 7) Record the result in a table with three columns: Section, Points, Weeks to revisit. Each section's notes name those weeks. For any miss, find the notebook page that teaches it and read it together.
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — After the test, today or tomorrow, your child writes a year-end reflection with three frames. "My best discovery was ___. The hardest topic at first was ___, and now I know ___. Next year I want to investigate ___." Then they choose 3 favorite pages from the science notebook. Those pages and the science fair display make a science portfolio.
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud and celebrate finishing third-grade science. Then give the Week 36 Science Check, which has 8 items. Allow about 10 minutes, after a long break or on the next day. With 6 or more right, your child plans one summer investigation with a question and a fair test. With 4 or 5 right, redo the Day 4 card sort with 6 new cards from the notebook. With 3 or fewer right, reteach the Day 1 to Day 4 reviews one at a time. Start with the topic missed most, and use that day's hands-on station.

    Watch for: Rushing through the last sections because the celebration is near.

    Try: Your child rereads each answer once. For open questions, they point to one piece of evidence before moving on.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What was your best science discovery this year? What evidence showed it?
    2. Which topic was hardest at first? Say one thing you now know about it.
    3. Write one testable question you would like to investigate next year.

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: an investigation named with one result or number from it. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a named topic and one correct fact about it. 3) Answers vary. Look for: one thing to change and one thing to measure or count.

    Print Day 5 practice pages →

    Worksheets

    • math — Day 176 — Year-End Self-Check
    • math — Day 177 — Year-End Computation Practice
    • math — Day 178 — Year-End Word Problem Practice
    • math — Day 179 — Year-End Geometry Practice
    • math — Day 180 — Year-End Reflection

    Assessments

    • math — Unit Assessment 16 — Year-End Cumulative