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    Week 5 — full print packet

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    Quarter 1 · Weeks 1–9

    Week 5 Lesson Packet

    Foundations: Place Value, Stories, Forces & Communities

    Day 1 · Monday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can use a map key, the compass rose, and a scale without help.

    Standards: D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.3.3-5

    Builds on: Needs the Week 3 lessons on map keys, directions and scale. One-minute check: ask, "What do we call the map symbol that shows north, south, east and west?" (A compass rose.)

    1. Day 21 — Flex: Reteach Map Skills — Big Question Warm-Up (5 min) — Before you start, draw the Pine County map on the plain paper. Put a compass rose in a corner with N at the top. Write the scale: 1 inch = 10 miles. Draw a house in the middle for Home. Draw a book 3 inches east of Home and a tree 1 inch north. Draw a blue crayon oval 4 inches west and a barn 2 inches south. Add a key: book is library, tree is park, blue oval is lake, barn is farm. Spaced review from Week 3. "Which way is east on this map?" (Right.) "What does the book stand for?" (Library.) "How far is 2 inches on this scale?" (20 miles.) Today's big question: "Could you read this map with no help at all?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Reteach directions and the key. Write N, S, E and W on the sticky notes. Stick each on the matching wall. The sun rises in the east, so use that to choose. Say: "North is at the top of most maps. East is on the right. South is at the bottom. West is on the left." Your child points to each wall as you name it. Say: "Before I look for anything, I read the key. Where is the park? The key says the tree is the park. I see the tree. It is above Home, so the park is north of Home." Ask: "What does the barn stand for?" (The farm.) "What direction is the farm from Home?" (South.) "What direction is Home from the lake?" (East.) If stuck, say: "Put your finger on the starting place. Which way does it move to reach the other place?"
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Scale work. 1) Show the ruler. Find the zero line and mark it with a pencil dot. 2) Say: "Zero goes on the middle of the first symbol." 3) Your child measures from Home to each place. 4) Your child fills in a chart with three columns: Place, Inches, Real miles. 5) Your child counts by tens for each inch. Expect these results. Park: 1 inch, 10 miles. Farm: 2 inches, 20 miles. Library: 3 inches, 30 miles. Lake: 4 inches, 40 miles. 6) Change the scale. Say: "Now let 1 inch = 20 miles. Count by twenties." Ask: "How far is the farm now?" (40 miles: 20, 40.) 7) Ask one two-step question. "You drive from the park to Home, then on to the farm. How far?" (30 miles.) If a measure is a little off, round to the nearest inch.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child writes My Map Rules with one example each. "1. Read the key first. 2. North is at the top. 3. Each inch on the scale stands for ____ miles." Sample example: "The tree means park. The park is north of Home. The park is 10 miles away."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Your child may use the ruler but not your help. If one is missed, repeat that step in tomorrow's warm-up. Praise answers that include a direction word or the word miles.

    Watch for: Reading the scale correctly but measuring from the end of the ruler instead of the zero line.

    Try: Mark the zero line with a dot. Your child lines it up three times before measuring anything.

    Exit ticket:
    1. A map has north at the top. The pool is drawn to the left of the school. What direction is the pool from the school?
    2. Why must the zero line of the ruler sit on the first place you measure from?
    3. A scale says 1 inch = 20 miles. A road on the map is 3 inches long. How long is the real road?

    Answers: 1) West. 2) So the measurement starts in the right spot. If it does not, the distance comes out wrong. 3) 60 miles. Count by twenties: 20, 40, 60.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can fix my mistakes when adding and subtracting with regrouping.

    Standards: 3.NBT.A.2

    Builds on: Needs Week 2 Days 3 and 4 and Week 3 Days 3 and 4: regrouping to add and to subtract. One-minute check: your child solves 53 − 27 (26) and tells where the trade happened.

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review. Your child solves 268 + 125 from Week 2 (393) and 562 − 138 from Week 3 (424). Then make 100. Say a number; your child says its partner to 100. Use 60 (40), 35 (65), 82 (18), 49 (51).
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you are the teacher. You will find mistakes and fix them." Write 347 + 285 in columns with the wrong answer 522. Say: "This answer is wrong. Let's find out why." Estimate first: 350 + 290 = 640. Ask: "Is 522 close to 640?" (No.) Rework it with the colored pencil. Ones: 7 + 5 = 12. Write 2 and a small 1 above the tens. Tens: 4 + 8 + 1 = 13. Write 3 and a small 1 above the hundreds. Hundreds: 3 + 2 + 1 = 6. The sum is 632. Ask: "What was the mistake?" (Both small 1s were left out.) Now your child does more. Show the first card: 603 − 248 with the wrong answer 445. Your child checks by adding: 445 + 248 = 693. Ask: "Is that 603?" (No.) Your child reworks it and names the mistake. (5 hundreds, 9 tens, 13 ones; 355. Smaller digits were taken from bigger ones.)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Use the other two cards, then write the third problem. Your child finds each mistake and fixes it. 1) 456 + 278 with the wrong answer 624. (The small 1s were left out; 734) 2) 524 − 176 with the wrong answer 452. (Smaller digits were taken from bigger ones; 348) 3) Write 700 − 236 with the wrong answer 474. (After both trades the tens are 9, not 10; 464) If stuck, say: "Check with an estimate or by adding. Then rework one column at a time. Which column is different?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child solves each, then checks subtraction by adding and addition with an estimate. 1) 538 + 276 (814). 2) 709 − 352 (357). 3) 465 + 389 (854). 4) 800 − 463 (337). 5) 624 − 187 (437). 6) Draw squares, sticks and dots for 304 − 158. Show the trades (146). 7) A library has 415 picture books and 398 chapter books. How many books in all? (813) 8) A hall has 900 chairs. 645 are taken. How many are empty? (255) Your child reworks any problem that does not check.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the cards away; your child answers on grid paper and checks question 2 by adding.

    Watch for: Treating 0 tens as 10 tens without taking 1 from the hundreds, so the answer comes out too big.

    Try: Your child writes the regrouped top number before subtracting. For 600, write 5, 9 and 10 above the digits.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Solve 486 + 357.
    2. Solve 600 − 274.
    3. What mistake do you need to watch for most when regrouping?

    Answers: 1) 843 2) 326 3) Answers vary. Look for: a named step, such as adding the small 1 or trading from the hundreds when there are 0 tens.

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can tell the difference between what happens in a story and its central message.

    Standards: RL.3.2, RL.3.1, L.3.1.C

    Builds on: Needs Week 4 Day 2, stating the moral of a fable. One-minute check: ask, "What is the moral of 'The Ant and the Grasshopper'?" (Get ready today for what you will need later.) If your child retells events instead, today's lesson is the fix.

    New words:
    • abstract noun – a noun that names an idea or a feeling you cannot see or touch, like courage
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, flex review of Weeks 1–4. Write hop, cape, paint, snow, shark, table. Say: "Each word shows a pattern we know." Your child reads each word and names its pattern. (hop: closed, short vowel. cape: silent e. paint and snow: vowel team. shark: r-controlled. table: consonant-le.) Spaced review, Week 4. Ask: "What does a myth explain?" (Something in nature.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "What happens in a story is its events. The central message is the lesson we learn from them." Read aloud the fable "Fox and the Cracked Jug": [Fox borrowed Heron's blue water jug. On the path home he slipped, and the jug cracked from top to bottom. Fox hid it under a bush. "The wind must have blown it away," he told Heron. All night Fox tossed and turned. At sunrise he carried the broken jug to Heron's door. "I cracked it, and then I lied," he said. "I am sorry." Heron looked at the jug, then at Fox. "A jug can be mended," she said. "I am glad you told me." Together they patched it with river clay.] Think aloud and write: "What happens: Fox breaks the jug, lies, and then tells the truth. Message: Telling the truth takes courage, and it keeps a friendship strong." Say: "Truth, courage and friendship are abstract nouns. They name ideas or feelings. You can touch a jug. You cannot touch courage. Some abstract nouns are built with endings: sad, sadness; brave, bravery; friend, friendship." Your child circles the three abstract nouns in the message.
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Write six index cards: "Fox slips on the path." "Honesty brings peace." "Fox hides the jug." "Forgiveness mends a friendship." "Heron and Fox patch the jug." "Courage means owning up." 1) Your child sorts them into What Happens and Message. (Events: slips, hides, patch. Messages: the other three.) 2) Ask: "How can you spot a message card?" (It names no character. It is true for anyone.) 3) Ask: "Which words show that the lie bothered Fox?" ("All night Fox tossed and turned.") 4) Your child circles one abstract noun on each message card. (honesty or peace; forgiveness or friendship; courage) If stuck, say: "Does this card tell what a character did? Or what all of us should learn?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child writes in the reader's notebook. 1) For "Stone Soup," write one What Happens sentence and one Message sentence. 2) Do the same for "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." 3) Do the same for their own book or a favorite story. 4) Circle one abstract noun in any message. Look for: event sentences that name characters; message sentences that fit anyone and could start with "People should." Sample: "What happens: A traveler gets a village to add food to his soup. Message: Generosity helps a whole village."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers in the notebook in full sentences. The fox fable may stay open.

    Watch for: Writing an event as the message, such as "Fox told the truth."

    Try: Ask, "What should we learn from Fox?" Help your child turn the event into a lesson with no character names.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Write one event from the fox fable. Tell why it is not the message.
    2. Heron says, "I am glad you told me." How do her words help show the message?
    3. Use the abstract noun "honesty" in a sentence about Fox.

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Sample: Fox hid the jug. That is something a character did. It is not a lesson for everyone. 2) Answers vary. Look for: Heron cares more about the truth than about the jug, so telling the truth keeps the friendship. 3) Answers vary. Sample: Fox showed honesty when he told Heron what really happened.

    Science

    Objective: I can use arrows to show whether forces are balanced or unbalanced and predict what will happen.

    Standards: 3-PS2-1

    Builds on: Needs Week 2 Day 3, the penny tug-of-war, and Week 2's balanced and unbalanced forces. One-minute check: ask, "Two equal pulls in opposite directions: balanced or unbalanced?" (Balanced.)

    1. Flex Day 1 — Catch-Up: Balanced vs. Unbalanced — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 2. Ask: "One child pulls a wagon, and it starts to roll. Balanced or unbalanced forces?" (Unbalanced. Its motion changed.) Then set the book on the table. Ask: "This book is not moving. Are there any forces on it right now?" Take your child's idea. Say: "Today arrows will help us decide."
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A force arrow shows a push or a pull. It points the way the force goes. A longer arrow means a stronger force." Draw the book on the table with one arrow pointing down. Ask: "What pulls the book down?" (Gravity.) "Why doesn't it fall through the table?" (The table pushes up on it.) Draw an up arrow the same length. Say: "Equal arrows in opposite directions mean balanced forces. Balanced does not mean no forces. It means the motion does not change." Now draw a still ball with one long arrow to the right, for a kick. Ask: "Balanced or unbalanced? What will the ball do?" (Unbalanced. It starts moving right.) Ask: "A still chair has a long arrow left and a short arrow right. Which way does it start to move?" (Left, toward the stronger force.) If stuck, say: "Find the longer arrow. The motion changes that way."
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Safety: keep feet clear of the hanging cups. 1) Tape a string to each end of the car. Set the car in the middle of the table. 2) Run each string over an opposite table edge and tie on a cup. 3) Plan three rounds. Round A: 8 pennies in each cup. Round B: 8 pennies and 15 pennies. Round C: an empty cup and 8 pennies. 4) Before each round, hold the car still. Your child lays a paper arrow beside each string, short or long, pointing toward that cup. 5) Let go. Record in a chart: Round, Pennies left, Pennies right, Arrows, What the car did. Change only the pennies. Keep the same car, cups and start spot. Expect the car to stay still in Round A. Expect it to roll toward 15 in Round B and toward 8 in Round C. The empty cup still pulls a little, so it gets a short arrow. If the car sticks in Round B, say: "Real results vary. Friction is holding it. Add pennies one at a time." Ask: "Did your arrows match what happened?"
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child draws the car three times, once for each round, with its two arrows. Under each drawing, write balanced or unbalanced and what the car did. Sample for Round B: a short arrow toward 8 and a long arrow toward 15. "Unbalanced. The car rolled toward the 15 pennies."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions; your child may draw arrows to answer. Praise any answer that says a still object still has forces on it.

    Watch for: Saying a still object has no forces on it.

    Try: Your child rests a hand flat on the table, and you set the book on it. Ask, "Do you feel the book pressing down? Your hand pushes up just as hard."

    Exit ticket:
    1. A cat sleeps on a couch without moving. Name the force pulling the cat down and the thing pushing up on it.
    2. You push on a door, and a friend pushes back from the other side. The door does not move. What do you know about the two pushes?
    3. A toy boat has a short arrow pointing left and a long arrow pointing right. Are the forces balanced or unbalanced? Which way does its motion change?

    Answers: 1) Gravity pulls down. The couch pushes up just as hard, so the forces are balanced. 2) They are equal in strength and opposite in direction, so the forces are balanced. 3) Unbalanced. Its motion changes to the right, toward the longer arrow.

    Print Day 1 practice pages →

    Day 2 · Tuesday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can sort and explain community types, landforms, and bodies of water.

    Standards: D2.Geo.4.3-5, D2.Geo.5.3-5, D2.Civ.6.3-5

    Builds on: Needs the words from Weeks 1, 2 and 4. One-minute check: ask, "Is a farm town with miles of fields urban or rural?" (Rural.)

    1. Day 22 — Flex: Reteach Geography Words — Big Question Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Weeks 1, 2 and 4. Ask: "Name one community need." (Sample: safety.) "Does a stream flow or stay in one place?" (It flows.) "Which is taller, a hill or a mountain?" (A mountain.) Note which words gave trouble. Today's big question: "Can you describe a real place using geography words?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Reteach three tricky pairs side by side. For each pair, sketch both in the notebook as you talk. Say: "Suburban and rural. A suburb is near a city, with houses close together. A rural place has lots of land between homes." Say: "Mountain and hill. Both are raised land. A mountain is taller and steeper." Say: "River and lake. A river flows in a long path. A lake stays in one place with land around it." After each pair, your child gives one clue for each word. Ask: "I see a barn and no neighbors for a mile. Suburban or rural?" (Rural.) "The water moves past me toward the sea. River or lake?" (River.) "I can climb it in five minutes. Mountain or hill?" (Hill.) If stuck, say: "Tell me one thing you would see there."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Make and play Memory. 1) Your child writes these 12 words, one per card. Community, need, helper, urban, suburban, rural, mountain, hill, valley, plain, river, lake. 2) On the other 12 cards, you write these clues with the marker. People who share a place. Something a community must have. A person whose work helps others. A city. Houses near a city. Farms and open land. Very tall, steep land. Low, gentle raised land. Low land between mountains. Wide, flat land. Flowing fresh water. Water with land all around. 3) Mix the cards and lay them face down. 4) Take turns flipping two. Keep a pair if the word matches its clue. The player must say why they match. 5) After the game, your child sorts the word cards into three piles: community words, land words, water words. Expect 6, 4 and 2 cards.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child writes three sentences in pencil. Each sentence uses two of the words and tells about a real or made-up place. Sample: "Our rural town sits on a plain." Sample: "A helper drives the bus in our urban community."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Praise answers that give a clue or a reason, not only one word.

    Watch for: Saying a definition from memory but not being able to use the word in a sentence.

    Try: Your child describes a real place you both know, using at least two of the words.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Houses with yards sit in rows, and a big city is a short drive away. Is this place urban, suburban or rural?
    2. Which word does not belong: valley, plain, lake, hill? Tell why.
    3. Finish the sentence: A stream is like a river, but ____.

    Answers: 1) Suburban. 2) Lake. It is a body of water. The others are landforms. 3) Answers vary. Look for: it is smaller.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can round numbers and show multiplication with groups and arrays.

    Standards: 3.NBT.A.1, 3.OA.A.1, 3.OA.A.3

    Builds on: Needs rounding on a number line from Week 1 Days 4 and 5. Also needs equal groups and arrays from Week 4. One-minute check: your child counts by 10s from 340 to 400, then builds 2 groups of 3 beans (6).

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 1. Your child writes <, > or = between 678 and 687 (<), then between 505 and 550 (<). Then count by 5s to 50 together. Ask: "What comes after 35?" (40)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we practice two things: rounding, then multiplication pictures." Draw a line from 600 to 700. Mark 650 in the middle. Say: "650 is the halfway point." Your child puts a bean where 649 belongs. Ask: "Is it before or after halfway?" (Before.) Say: "649 is closer to 600, so 649 rounds to 600." Move the bean to 651. Ask: "Now which hundred is closer?" (700) Say: "Find the two hundreds. Find halfway. See which side the number is on." Next, write 4 × 6. Ask: "What does this tell you to build?" (4 groups of 6) Your child builds 4 groups of 6 beans, then slides them into 4 rows of 6. Count by rows: 6, 12, 18, 24. Write 4 × 6 = 24. Say: "Groups or an array, the product is the same." Now your child does more. Your child draws a line from 360 to 370 and rounds 362 to the nearest 10 (360). Then your child builds 3 × 7 both ways and writes 3 × 7 = 21.
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child draws a line for each rounding. 1) Round 362 to the nearest 100 (400). Ask: "Which two hundreds? What is halfway?" (300 and 400; 350) 2) Round 95 to the nearest 10 (100). 3) Round 238 to the nearest 10 (240) and the nearest 100 (200). 4) Your child draws 2 groups of 8, then an array with 2 rows of 8. (2 × 8 = 16) If stuck, say: "Draw the line. Write the two ends. Mark halfway. Which side is your number on?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child draws a line for each rounding and a picture for each product. 1) Round 184 to the nearest 10 (180). 2) Round 184 to the nearest 100 (200). 3) Round 527 to the nearest 10 (530) and the nearest 100 (500). 4) Round 865 to the nearest 10 (870) and the nearest 100 (900). 5) Draw 5 groups of 3. Write the sentence (5 × 3 = 15). 6) Color an array for 4 × 4 on grid paper (16). 7) A store has 449 apples. About how many is that, to the nearest 100? (400) 8) A box has 3 rows of 6 crayons. How many crayons? (3 × 6 = 18)
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the beans away; your child answers on paper and may draw number lines.

    Watch for: Rounding 449 to 500 by first rounding to 450 and then rounding up again.

    Try: Always start from the original number. Your child marks 449 on a line from 400 to 500 and sees it sits before 450.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Round 248 to the nearest 100.
    2. Round 248 to the nearest 10.
    3. Draw an array for 2 × 9. How many in all?

    Answers: 1) 200 2) 250 3) 18 (drawing shows 2 rows of 9)

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can prove a character trait with evidence from the text.

    Standards: RL.3.3, RL.3.1

    Builds on: Needs Week 2 Days 1–2, naming a trait and inferring it from actions and words, and Week 3 Day 3, quoting. One-minute check: ask, "Name one character trait and one word that is only a feeling." (Sample: Patient is a trait. Sleepy is a feeling.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, flex review. Write plane, beach, short, bird, puzzle. Your child underlines the letters that spell the vowel sound or the last syllable. (plane: a and silent e. beach: ea. short: or. bird: ir. puzzle: zle, split puz|zle.) Read the words together. Spaced review, Week 3. Ask: "When you copy a character's words, where do the quotation marks go?" (Around the exact words.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we play Prove It. I name a trait. You find the exact words that prove it." Read aloud "The Kite in the Maple Tree": [Dev's red kite dipped, spun, and stuck high in the maple tree. His little sister, Lena, stamped her foot. "Just leave it! I want to go home," she groaned. Dev shook the trunk. Nothing happened. He tossed his shoe at the branch and missed. "I am not giving up yet," he said. Mrs. Alvarez leaned over her fence. "Borrow my long rake," she called. Dev hooked the string and pulled the kite down gently. "Thank you," he said. "I will wipe the rake clean and bring it right back."] Think aloud: "My claim is that Dev is determined. Now I hunt for proof. He says, 'I am not giving up yet.' Those words show the trait." Write the stem on the index card: I know ___ is ___ because the text says, "___." Fill it in for Dev while your child watches.
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child says each answer with the stem and points to the line. 1) Say: "Lena is impatient. Prove it." ("Just leave it! I want to go home," she groaned.) 2) Say: "Mrs. Alvarez is helpful. Prove it." ("Borrow my long rake," she called.) 3) Say: "Dev is responsible. Prove it." ("I will wipe the rake clean and bring it right back.") 4) Ask: "What happened because Dev kept trying?" (He was still there when Mrs. Alvarez offered the rake, so he got his kite back.) If stuck, say: "Read only Lena's lines. Which one sounds like someone who cannot wait?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child writes three Prove It sentences in the reader's notebook. 1) One about Lena or Mrs. Alvarez, using the stem and an exact quote. 2) Two about a character in their own book, with a quote in each. 3) They reread each quote and ask, "Does this show the trait, or only tell what happened?" Look for: an inside trait, not looks; a quote copied exactly inside quotation marks; a quote that truly shows the trait. Sample: I know Lena is impatient because the text says, "Just leave it! I want to go home."
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers in the notebook with the kite story open.

    Watch for: Choosing a quote that tells what happened but does not show the trait.

    Try: Ask, "Does this line make you think she is ___?" If not, your child looks for a better line.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Prove that Dev is polite. Use words from the story.
    2. Is "Dev's red kite stuck high in the maple tree" good proof that Dev is determined? Why or why not?
    3. Dev shook the trunk and tossed his shoe before the rake worked. What do these actions show about him?

    Answers: 1) I know Dev is polite because the text says, "Thank you." 2) No. It tells what happened to the kite. It does not show what Dev is like. 3) Answers vary. Look for: he is determined, because he keeps trying new ways.

    Science

    Objective: I can test and correct two common mix-ups: "all metals are magnetic" and "smooth means no friction."

    Standards: 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-3

    Builds on: Needs Week 4 Day 2 (testing objects with a magnet) and Week 3 Day 2 (the rubber band pull-meter). One-minute check: ask, "How does the pull-meter show a stronger pull?" (The rubber band stretches longer.)

    New words:
    • evidence – something you observe or measure that helps show whether an idea is right
    1. Flex Day 2 — Catch-Up: Magnets, Metals and Friction — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Weeks 3 and 4. Say two claims, and your child answers true or false. "All metals stick to magnets." (False.) "A very smooth floor has no friction at all." (False.) Ask: "How could we test each claim?" Take ideas. Say: "A claim needs evidence. Today we collect some."
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Evidence is what we observe or measure. Scientists use evidence to check a claim." Write Claim 1: All metals are magnetic. Ask: "What would show this claim is wrong?" (One metal thing that a magnet does not attract.) Say: "Magnets attract iron and steel. Many other metals, like aluminum and copper, are not attracted." Write Claim 2: Smooth means no friction. Build the pull-meter: tie the string around one book and loop the rubber band onto the string. Lay the band beside the ruler without pulling. Ask: "How long is the band at rest?" (Your child reads it in centimeters. They show a small stretch better than inches.) Say: "Suppose the band stretches longer while the book slides. Then a force is pulling back on the book. Which force?" (Friction.) Ask: "What would no friction look like?" (The band would not stretch while the book slides.) If stuck, say: "Evidence is something you saw or measured, not something you think."
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Station 1, metals. 1) Draw a chart: Object, Prediction, Attracted? 2) Your child predicts all 6 objects, then tests each with the same magnet. Change only the object. Expect the paper clip to stick. Expect the foil and the can tab not to stick. The spoon, key and coin depend on their metal. Station 2, smooth surfaces. 3) Draw a chart: Surface, Band at rest, Band while sliding (centimeters). 4) Pull the book slowly and steadily across the towel. Read the band's length while the book slides. 5) Repeat on the smooth surface. Change only the surface. Keep the same book, band and slow speed. Expect a longer band on the towel and a shorter one on the smooth surface. Expect both to be longer than at rest. If the stretch is too small to see, set the second book on top. If results differ, say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern." Ask: "Did the band stretch on the smooth surface? What does that tell you?" (Yes. Friction is still there.)
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child writes two evidence sentences. "Not all metals are magnetic because ___ did not stick." "Smooth surfaces still have friction because the band stretched from ___ to ___ centimeters." Sample: "Not all metals are magnetic because the foil did not stick. The band stretched from 6 to 8 centimeters."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise every answer that uses something your child saw or measured.

    Watch for: Deciding an object is not magnetic because a weak magnet cannot lift it.

    Try: Slide the magnet up beside the object on the table. Ask, "Does it tug or slide toward the magnet, even a little?" A tug counts as attracted.

    Exit ticket:
    1. A friend says, "This ring is metal, so a magnet must stick to it." What would you tell your friend?
    2. A hockey puck slides a long way on smooth ice, but it finally stops. What does that tell you about the ice?
    3. What is evidence? Give one piece of evidence you collected today.

    Answers: 1) Not all metals are magnetic. Magnets attract iron and steel, so you have to test the ring. 2) The ice still has a little friction. Friction slowly stopped the puck. 3) Something you observe or measure. Sample: the foil did not stick; the band still stretched on the smooth surface.

    Print Day 2 practice pages →

    Day 3 · Wednesday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can plan a 3D map of my state that shows landforms and bodies of water.

    Standards: D2.Geo.1.3-5, D2.Geo.5.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Week 4 landforms and bodies of water, and Week 3 directions. One-minute check: ask, "Which goes up from the land, a mountain or a valley?" (A mountain.)

    New words:
    • relief map – a map you can feel, with high land raised up and low land kept low
    1. Day 23 — Flex: Salt-Dough Relief Map, Part 1 — Big Question Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 4. Ask: "Name two landforms that are low places." (A valley and a canyon.) Then ask the day's wonder: "If you were a bird flying over our state, what land and water would you see?" Your child lists five features from memory. Check them on the physical map.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A relief map shows how high the land is. Mountains stand up. Valleys dip down. Plains stay flat. Today we plan and shape one. Tomorrow we paint it and add a key." Open the physical map. Point to its key. Say: "On many physical maps, green shows low land. Tan and brown show higher land. Blue shows water. Always check the key, because maps differ." Ask: "Where is the highest land in our state? How do you know?" (Answers vary. Look for the color the key gives for high land.) "Where is the lowest land?" (Answers vary. Often near a coast or a big river.) "Find one river. Which direction does it run?" (Answers vary. Check with the compass rose.) If stuck, say: "Put your finger on the key first. Now find that color on the map."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Plan, mix and build. 1) Your child draws the state's outline on the cardboard in pencil. A rough shape is fine. 2) Using the physical map, your child marks two landforms and two bodies of water inside the outline. Your child says each one's place with a direction word. Sample: "The mountains are in the west." 3) Mix the flour and salt in the bowl. Add water a little at a time until the dough holds together. 4) Press a thin layer of dough inside the outline, about as thick as a pencil. 5) Build up mountains and hills. Pinch a valley. Press a finger line for each river and a dent for each lake. 6) Check each feature against the physical map. Ask: "What is your evidence that this river belongs here?" (It is in the same place on the physical map.) Safety: salt dough is not food. Wash hands after. Keep the dough and the map away from pets, because the salt can make dogs very sick. Leave the map in a warm, dry spot overnight.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child sketches the plan: a small outline with each feature labeled. Then your child lists six symbols or colors for tomorrow's key. Sample list: blue for water, green for low land, brown for high land, a star, a dot, a tree.
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud while your child looks at the map. Praise features that match the physical map, not neat dough.

    Watch for: Placing features by guessing instead of checking the physical map.

    Try: Before pressing any dough, your child points to the feature on the physical map and says its direction.

    Exit ticket:
    1. On your relief map, how can a person tell where the highest land is without reading any words?
    2. You see a dark brown patch on a physical map. What should you check to learn what it means?
    3. Name one body of water on your map and tell where it is, using a direction word.

    Answers: 1) The dough stands tallest there. 2) The map key. On many maps brown shows higher land. 3) Answers vary. Look for a real river or lake and a correct direction, such as "The lake is in the north."

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can use place value clues to solve number riddles.

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

    Builds on: Needs Week 1 place value and rounding, and adding or subtracting 10 or 100 in your head. One-minute check: your child tells the value of each digit in 835 (800, 30, 5).

    New words:
    • clue – a fact that helps you find an answer
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Weeks 2 and 3. Your child solves in the head 350 + 250 (600) and 700 − 450 (250). Then add and subtract 100. Say a number; your child says 100 more, then 100 less. Use 340 (440, 240), 615 (715, 515), 892 (992, 792).
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you are a number detective. Clues lead to a secret number." Read one clue at a time. "I am a 3-digit number. My hundreds digit is 4. My tens digit is 2 more than my hundreds digit. My ones digit is 0. Who am I?" Put the 4 card in the hundreds column. Ask: "What is 2 more than 4?" (6) Put the 6 in the tens and the 0 in the ones. Say: "The number is 460. A good detective checks every clue." Reread each clue; your child makes a checkmark for each. Now your child does more. Read: "My digits are 2, 7 and 5. My ones digit is 5. I round to 300 when rounded to the nearest 100." Your child builds both numbers and tests them. (275 and 725; only 275 rounds to 300.)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child uses the cards and checks every clue. 1) "I am 100 more than 563." (663) Ask: "Is that also 10 less than 673?" (Yes.) 2) "My hundreds digit is 8. My tens digit is 0. My ones digit is 4 less than my hundreds digit." (804) 3) "I am between 500 and 600. My digits add to 6." (501 or 510) Ask: "Why are there two answers?" (Both fit every clue.) 4) "I am a 2-digit number. My ones digit is 5. I round to 70 when rounded to the nearest 10." (65) If stuck, say: "Put down the digits you know. Test each card in the empty place."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child solves each riddle, with cards if needed. 1) "My hundreds digit is 3. My tens digit is 3 more. My ones digit is 1 less than my tens digit." (365) 2) "I am 10 more than 295." (305) 3) "I am 100 less than 407." (307) 4) "My digits are 6, 2 and 8. I am the greatest number they can make." (862) 5) "Add 125 to 250 to find me." (375) 6) "My digits are 4, 5 and 6. My tens digit is 6. I round to 500 when rounded to the nearest 100." (465) 7) "I am the greatest 3-digit number with all odd, all different digits." (975) 8) Your child writes 2 riddles on index cards, with the answers on the back.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud; your child answers without the cards. Then you solve your child's two riddles and your child checks you.

    Watch for: Ignoring one clue and stopping at the first number that fits the others.

    Try: After solving, your child rereads every clue and makes a checkmark beside each one the answer fits.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What number is 100 more than 829?
    2. My digits are 3, 9 and 1. I am the smallest number you can make with them. Who am I?
    3. Write one clue that would help someone find 642.

    Answers: 1) 929 2) 139 3) Answers vary. Look for: a true clue, such as "my tens digit is 4" or "I am 100 more than 542."

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can plan my own fable with animal characters, a problem and a moral.

    Standards: W.3.3, W.3.3.A, RL.3.2, RL.3.7

    Builds on: Needs Week 4 Day 2, stating a moral, and Week 2 Day 1, naming inside traits. One-minute check: ask, "Name a fable from this unit and its moral." (Sample: "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." Nobody believes a liar.)

    New words:
    • storyboard – a row of boxes with a quick sketch and a sentence for each part of a story
    • turning point – the moment in a story when things change
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, flex review. Dictate: "We saw a bird hop on the beach." Your child writes it, then checks each word against yours. Look at ir in bird, the short o in hop and ea in beach. Spaced review, Week 4. Ask: "Name two features of a folktale." (Any two: a clever character, a pattern of three, a lesson, told aloud for many years.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Fable writers often choose the moral first. Then they invent a story that teaches it. Watch me plan one." Write each step as you say it. "Step 1, my moral: Look before you leap. Step 2, two animals with one trait each: a hasty frog and a careful turtle. Step 3, the setting: a pond in spring. Step 4, the problem: Frog jumps into a deep bucket without looking. Step 5, how the lesson is learned: Turtle tips the bucket over, and Frog starts looking first." Fold a sheet of plain paper into four boxes and label them Beginning, Problem, Turning Point, Ending. Sketch quickly with crayons and write one sentence in each box: [1. Frog and Turtle sat by the pond one spring morning. 2. Frog leaped into a bucket without looking and could not climb out. 3. Turtle pushed the bucket over, and Frog tumbled out. 4. After that, Frog always looked before he leaped.] Think aloud: "In box 2, I draw Frog's huge eyes and the tall bucket walls. My words never say he is scared. The picture adds that."
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child writes a plan in the writer's notebook: Moral, Animals and Traits, Setting, Problem, How the Lesson Is Learned. 1) Your child chooses a moral. Offer ideas if needed: Kind words open doors. Practice makes progress. Small helpers matter. 2) Ask: "Which two animals fit, and what is each one like inside?" (Sample: a boastful rooster and a quiet mouse.) 3) Ask: "What problem will make one animal learn the lesson?" (The problem must match the moral.) 4) Ask: "What will one picture show that your words will not say?" (A feeling, the weather or a setting detail.) If stuck, say: "Who needs to learn this lesson? What mistake would teach it?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child folds the second paper into four boxes and makes a storyboard. 1) Label the boxes Beginning, Problem, Turning Point, Ending. 2) Sketch each part. 3) Write one sentence under each sketch. 4) Star the picture detail that the words do not say. Look for: both animals and the place named first; events in a sensible order; an ending that teaches the moral. Keep the plan and storyboard for tomorrow.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers from the plan and storyboard, aloud or in the notebook.

    Watch for: Planning a story in which the moral does not match what happens.

    Try: Read the ending box aloud and ask, "Does this show the moral?" Your child changes the box or the moral until they match.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What is the moral of your fable?
    2. Who are your two characters, and what trait does each one have?
    3. How does your ending box show the moral?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a lesson stated as a sentence that fits real people. 2) Answers vary. Look for: two animals, each with an inside trait such as hasty, careful, boastful or kind. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a character acts differently, or faces the result of the mistake.

    Science

    Objective: I can build a marble run and use friction to control how fast the marble rolls.

    Standards: 3-PS2-1, 3-5-ETS1-3

    Builds on: Needs Week 3: friction slows moving things, and a fair test changes one thing. One-minute check: ask, "Which slows a rolling car more, a towel or a smooth floor?" (The towel. It has more friction.)

    New words:
    • engineer – a person who designs and builds things to solve problems
    • failure point – the place or moment where a design stops working
    1. Flex Day 3 — Challenge: Marble Run Engineers — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 3. Ask: "What is friction?" (A force that pushes against motion when two surfaces rub.) Then ask: "On a bike, when does friction help? When does it get in the way?" (Sample: brakes and tires need it; a rusty chain is hard to turn.) Show the marble and tubes. Say: "Today you are an engineer."
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Safety: marbles are a choking risk for young children, so pick them up afterward. Say: "Engineers design things to solve problems. Then they test and improve them." Say: "Your problem is to build a marble run from the chair seat to the floor. The marble should take as long as possible, but it must not stop." Give the rules: tape only, and the run touches only the chair and the floor. Tape one tube to the chair as a gentle ramp and roll the marble down. Cut a felt strip to fit with the scissors, tape it inside and roll again. Ask: "What did the felt do to the marble?" (It probably slowed it, because felt rubs more.) Say: "A spot where the marble stops or flies off is a failure point. Finding one tells you what to fix." Ask: "If you change three things at once, what is the problem?" (You cannot tell which change helped.) If stuck, say: "Change one thing. Test. Then decide."
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — 1) Build Version 1 with at least two turns. Keep the slopes gentle so the run lasts several seconds. 2) Draw a chart: Version, One change made, Time 1, Time 2, Time 3 (seconds), Failure point. 3) Let the marble go from the same spot without pushing. Time it to the floor in whole seconds, three times. Circle the middle time. 4) Version 2: add one friction strip to one section. Time three runs again. 5) Version 3: fix one failure point, or change one other part. Time three runs. Change one thing for each version. Keep the same marble, start spot and person timing. Expect the strip to add time, or even to stop the marble. If the marble stops, shorten the strip. If two versions tie, say: "Real results vary. A tie is a result too." Ask: "Which change added the most time? How do you know?" (Your child points to the chart.)
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Under the chart, your child sketches the best version and labels the friction strip. Then finish two frames. "Adding friction made the marble ___ because ___." "A failure point was ___, and I fixed it by ___." Sample: "Adding friction made the marble slower because felt rubs more. The marble flew off the first turn, and I fixed it by adding a wall."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Celebrate the slowest run that still finished, and praise testing one change at a time.

    Watch for: Changing several parts at once, then not knowing which one helped.

    Try: Before each test, your child writes the single change in the chart. No writing, no rolling.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Your marble flies off the track at a turn. Would you add a felt strip before the turn or after it? Why?
    2. Dev added felt and an extra turn at the same time, and his marble took longer. Can he tell which change did it? Explain.
    3. What was your longest time for a run that finished, and which change gave it?

    Answers: 1) Before the turn, so friction slows the marble before it gets there. 2) No. He changed two things at once, so he cannot tell which one added the time. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a time from the chart and the one change that went with it.

    Print Day 3 practice pages →

    Day 4 · Thursday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can finish my relief map with a key, compass rose, and labels and use it to teach someone.

    Standards: D2.Geo.1.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.8.3-5

    Builds on: Needs yesterday's relief map and the Week 3 lesson on map keys. One-minute check: ask, "Where on a map do you look to learn what a symbol means?" (The key.)

    1. Day 24 — Flex: Relief Map, Part 2, and Map Tour — Big Question Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 3. Ask: "What are the four cardinal directions? Which one goes at the top of most maps?" (North, south, east and west. North.) Then look at yesterday's map. Ask the day's wonder: "What would a visitor need in order to understand this map?" (A key, labels and a compass rose.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A map without a key is like a puzzle without the picture on the box." Show the finishing steps on one small part of the map. Color one river blue. Say: "Blue is water." Color low land green and high land brown. Tape a paper strip to a toothpick to make a flag. Write a star on it. Say: "A star stands for our capital city." Start the key on the index card. Draw a blue line and write "river" beside it. Say: "Every color and every symbol on the map goes in the key." Ask: "I painted a lake blue. What do I add to the key?" (A blue shape and the word lake.) "Where does the compass rose go?" (In a corner, with N pointing to the top.) "A flag has a dot. What might the dot mean?" (A town. The key must say so.) If stuck, say: "Touch it on the map. Now find it on the key."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Finish the map and give a tour. 1) Your child colors water blue, low land green and high land brown. If the dough is still damp, use markers lightly or color the cardboard around it. 2) Your child makes three flags in pencil. Use a star for the capital, a dot for your town and a picture for one natural resource. 3) Your child finishes the key and draws a compass rose in a corner. 4) Your child touches each color and symbol on the map, then finds it on the key. Add any that are missing. 5) Map Tour. Your child talks for about two minutes to a family member. The tour names each feature and uses one direction sentence. It also tells how one feature helps people. Sample: "The river is east of the mountains. Farms are on the plain because the land is flat." Ask one question: "Why do you think our town is where it is?" (Answers vary. Look for a reason such as water, flat land or a harbor.)
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child writes three sentences from the tour. "One landform in our state is ____. One body of water is ____. People use the land to ____." Sample: "People use the land to grow apples in the valley."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud while your child looks at the map. Praise a key that matches the map and reasons that link land to people.

    Watch for: Adding symbols to the map that are missing from the key.

    Try: Your child touches each symbol on the map, then finds it on the key. Add any missing ones.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What would be confusing about your map if it had no key?
    2. Give one direction sentence about two places on your map.
    3. Why do people often build farms on plains and not on steep mountains?

    Answers: 1) A visitor would not know what the colors and symbols mean. 2) Answers vary. Look for a correct direction, such as "The lake is south of the capital." 3) Flat land is easier to plow, plant and build on.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can design a garden using arrays and multiplication.

    Standards: 3.OA.A.1, 3.OA.A.3

    Builds on: Needs Week 4 Days 3 and 4: arrays and multiplication sentences. One-minute check: your child builds 3 rows of 2 beans and writes 3 × 2 = 6.

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 4. Ask: "How many are in 5 groups of 4?" (20) Your child draws 2 rows of 6 dots and writes the sentence (2 × 6 = 12). Then count by 3s to 30 and by 4s to 40 together.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you plan a garden. Each kind of plant grows in its own array." On grid paper, color 3 rows of 4 squares red. Say: "These are tomato plants. One square is one plant." Ask: "How many rows? How many in each row?" (3; 4) Write 3 × 4 = 12 beside the array. Check by counting rows: 4, 8, 12. Next, color 2 rows of 5 squares green for bean plants. Your child writes the sentence (2 × 5 = 10). Ask: "How many plants in all?" Write 12 + 10 = 22. Say: "We multiply to find each array. We add to find the whole garden." Now your child does more. Your child colors 4 rows of 3 carrots and writes 4 × 3 = 12. Ask: "How many plants are in the garden now?" (22 + 12 = 34)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Plan three more plant beds together. Your child writes each sentence first, then draws. 1) Peppers: 2 rows of 6 (2 × 6 = 12). 2) Sunflowers: 5 rows of 2 (5 × 2 = 10). 3) Say: "Corn needs 24 squares. Try 4 rows of 6, then 3 rows of 8." Your child draws both and counts (4 × 6 = 24; 3 × 8 = 24). 4) Your child adds the three beds: 12 + 10 + 24 = 46. If stuck, say: "How many rows? How many in each row? Write the rows number first."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child draws a new garden on a clean sheet of grid paper. 1) Choose 4 kinds of plants. 2) Outline one array for each with the ruler. Use 2 to 6 rows. 3) One kind must have 24 plants. Pick 4 rows of 6 or 3 rows of 8. 4) Write a multiplication sentence beside each array. 5) Check each product by counting the rows. 6) Add the four products to find all the plants. Sample: 24 + 10 + 12 + 15 = 61. 7) A farmer plants 5 rows of 4 pumpkins. How many pumpkins? (5 × 4 = 20) 8) Another garden has arrays of 16, 20 and 9 plants. How many plants in all? (45)
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Your child shows you the garden, reads two sentences aloud, then answers the three questions on paper.

    Watch for: Drawing an array with uneven rows, so the picture does not match the multiplication sentence.

    Try: Your child outlines the whole rectangle with the ruler first, then counts the squares in every row before coloring.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Write the multiplication sentence for 3 rows of 5 plants.
    2. Name two different arrays that each have 18 plants.
    3. A garden has arrays of 12, 10 and 15 plants. How many plants in all?

    Answers: 1) 3 × 5 = 15 2) Answers vary. Look for two of these arrays. 1 × 18, 2 × 9, 3 × 6, 6 × 3, 9 × 2, 18 × 1. 3) 37

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can share my fable aloud, answer questions about it, and retell a fable I heard.

    Standards: W.3.3, W.3.3.B, W.3.3.C, W.3.3.D, W.3.5, RL.3.7, SL.3.2, SL.3.3, SL.3.4, SL.3.5, RF.3.4.B

    Builds on: Needs yesterday's fable plan and storyboard, and Week 3 Day 3, punctuating a speaker's exact words. One-minute check: write Turtle said Look first. Your child adds the comma and quotation marks. (Turtle said, "Look first.")

    New words:
    • dialogue – the words characters say to each other in a story
    • audience – the people who listen to you or read your writing
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, flex review. Ask: "Which word names something a hero might wear?" (cape) "Which word is the opposite of tall?" (short) Your child uses plane and puzzle in one sentence each. (Sample: The plane flew over our house. This puzzle has fifty pieces.) Spaced review, Week 4. Ask: "How is a fable different from a myth?" (A fable teaches a moral. A myth explains nature.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today you write your fable and share it. First, listen to mine. Then retell it." Read aloud "The Frog Who Leaped": [One spring morning, Frog and Turtle sat beside Willow Pond. Frog spotted something round and green. "A new lily pad!" he shouted, and he leaped without looking. Thump! He had landed in a deep bucket. First, Frog jumped at the walls. Then he tried to climb. Nothing worked. "Help!" he croaked. Turtle pushed and pushed until the bucket tipped over. At last, Frog tumbled out onto the grass. From then on, he always looked first. Moral: Look before you leap.] Your child retells it in three sentences. (Frog jumps into a bucket without looking. He cannot get out, so Turtle tips it over. Frog learns to look first.) Write this checklist and find each point in the fable together. 1) The opening names the characters and the setting. 2) One line of dialogue has quotation marks. 3) Two time words, such as first, then, later, at last. 4) A closing sentence, then the moral by itself.
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child drafts in the writer's notebook, using the storyboard. 1) Ask: "Who is there, and where are they?" Your child writes the opening. (One sentence naming both animals and the place.) 2) Ask: "What does your first animal say that starts the trouble?" Your child writes it as dialogue. (A comma after the speaker words; quotation marks around the exact words.) 3) Your child writes the problem in two sentences with a time word. 4) Ask: "What happens at the turning point?" Your child says it aloud, then writes it. If stuck, say: "Look at your next storyboard box. Tell me that part aloud, then write it down."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child finishes the draft: 6–10 sentences in all, ending with the moral. 2) Check the four checklist points together. Your child changes one thing to make the fable better, such as adding a time word. 3) Your child practices reading the fable aloud, with a different voice for each animal. 4) Your child reads it to a family audience and holds up each storyboard picture at its part. One listener is enough. 5) Each listener asks one question, such as "Why did the rooster brag?" Your child answers with details from the fable. Look for: a clear voice at an easy pace; answers that come from the story.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask each question aloud. Your child answers aloud while pointing to the draft.

    Watch for: Answering a listener's question with "I don't know."

    Try: Before answering, your child points to the sentence or picture that holds the answer.

    Exit ticket:
    1. What is the moral of your fable, and which sentence shows it?
    2. Read me your line of dialogue. Where are the comma and the quotation marks?
    3. What question did a listener ask, and how did you answer it?

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: the moral as one sentence, and an ending sentence that matches it. 2) Answers vary. Look for: a comma after the speaker words and quotation marks around the exact words spoken. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a real question and an answer that uses details from the fable.

    Science

    Objective: I can test whether a magnet's force can pass through different materials.

    Standards: 3-PS2-3

    Builds on: Needs Week 4 Day 4: a magnet's pull works across a gap and gets weaker with distance. One-minute check: ask, "Is magnetism a contact force or a non-contact force?" (Non-contact.)

    1. Flex Day 4 — Challenge: Can Magnets Pull Through Things? — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 4. Ask: "Name two non-contact forces." (Any two: magnetism, static electricity, gravity.) Then hold up the magnet and the notebook. Ask: "Can a magnet pull a paper clip through one page? Through the whole notebook?" Your child votes. Say: "Let's test it."
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A magnet's force works across a gap of air. Today's question: can it also work through other materials?" Lay the paper clip on the table and cover it with the sheet of paper. Set the magnet on top and lift both. Ask: "Did the clip come up? Did the magnet touch it?" (Your child reports. The paper was between them.) Now put the whole notebook between them and try again. Ask: "What changed between the two tests?" (More paper, so the magnet was farther from the clip.) Say: "We need two fair tests. First we change only the material. Then we change only the thickness." Ask: "In the first test, what must stay the same?" (The magnet, the clip, and the way we lift.) Say: "Engineers ask these questions when they design magnet latches and toys." If stuck, say: "Ask: what is between the magnet and the clip, and how thick is it?"
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Test 1, materials. 1) Draw a chart: Material, Prediction, Clip lifted? 2) Cover the clip with one thin material at a time. Use the paper, plastic bag, foil, cloth, craft stick and one cardboard piece. Set the magnet on top and lift. 3) Drop the clip into the cup of water. Hold the magnet against the outside of the cup and slide it upward. Does the clip follow? Expect the clip to lift through most thin materials and to follow through water. Foil is a metal, yet it does not block the magnet. Test 2, thickness. 4) Draw a chart: Cardboard layers, Clip lifted? 5) Add one cardboard piece at a time between the magnet and the clip. Stop when the clip no longer lifts, and count the layers. Change only the number of layers. Expect the pull to fade as layers are added. The number depends on your magnet. If results differ, say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern." Ask: "Why did more layers stop the magnet?" (They moved it farther from the clip.)
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child finishes two frames under the charts. "The magnet worked through ___, ___ and ___." "It stopped lifting the clip at ___ layers of cardboard, so the force gets ___ as distance grows." Sample: "The magnet worked through paper, foil and water. It stopped at 6 layers, so the force gets weaker as distance grows."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise answers that name distance, not just thickness, as the reason.

    Watch for: Thinking thick things stop magnets because they are strong, not because they add distance.

    Try: Use the ruler to measure the cardboard stack that stopped the magnet. Hold the magnet that high above the clip with only air between. The pull fails there too.

    Exit ticket:
    1. A magnet holds a drawing on the fridge door. What is the magnet's force passing through?
    2. The same magnet holds one sheet on the fridge, but a thick stack of papers slides down. Why?
    3. Leo says, "Any metal will block a magnet." Which test from today shows that is not always true?

    Answers: 1) The paper (the drawing). 2) The stack puts the magnet farther from the door, and the pull is weaker with more distance. 3) The foil test. Foil is metal, and the magnet still lifted the clip through it.

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    Day 5 · Friday

    Social Studies

    Objective: I can answer mixed questions from Weeks 1 to 4 and explain what I learned best.

    Standards: D2.Civ.6.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.4.3-5, D2.Geo.5.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Weeks 1 to 4 and this week's map work. One-minute check: ask, "What does a compass rose show?" (The directions on a map.)

    1. Day 25 — Flex: Mixed Review and Reflection — Big Question Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 2. Ask: "Give one clue that a place is urban." (Sample: tall buildings, subways or many people close together.) Then your child picks one fact from this week and teaches it to you, using the relief map. Today's big question: "Which topic do I know best, and which needs more practice?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today's game mixes six topics. The die picks the topic." Write the list in the notebook. 1 is communities and needs. 2 is helpers. 3 is community types. 4 is maps. 5 is landforms and water. 6 is climate and resources. Model one turn. Roll the die and name the topic. Answer a question aloud in a full sentence with "because." Sample for a 4: "West is on the left, because north is at the top." Say: "A full answer tells how you know." Ask: "Which number means landforms and water?" (5.) "What word should a full answer use?" (Because.) "What happens after a missed question?" (It goes on a practice card.) If stuck during the game, say: "Which day's notebook page could help? Let us look."
    3. Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Play Roll and Review for 12 rolls. Ask one question for the number rolled. Use these, then make up more like them. 1) "Why does a town need a library?" (For learning.) "Name two needs of every community." (Sample: safety and health.) 2) "Which helper meets the need for getting around?" (A bus driver.) "How does a sanitation worker help?" (By collecting trash and keeping the town clean.) 3) "Farms and few neighbors: which type?" (Rural.) "Where would you find a subway?" (In an urban place.) 4) "The scale is 1 inch = 10 miles. How far is 6 inches?" (60 miles.) "Which direction is opposite north?" (South.) 5) "Which is deeper and narrower, a valley or a canyon?" (A canyon.) "Is a sea salty or fresh?" (Salty.) 6) "What is glass made from?" (Sand.) "Is 'cold, snowy winters' weather or climate?" (Climate.) Each right answer earns a point. Write each missed question in pencil on an index card. After 12 rolls, redo every card together.
    4. Notebook Entry (10 min) — Keep this entry to about 5 minutes so the check fits. Your child finishes these frames. "The topic I understand best is ____ because ____. The topic I want to practice is ____. One question I still have is ____." Sample: "The topic I understand best is maps because I made one."
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Then give the stored Week 5 check, 7 items, about 15 minutes. A short break first is fine, or give it later the same day. With 6 or more right, move on to Week 6. With 4 or 5 right, redo the Day 1 scale chart with three new distances. With 3 or fewer right, reteach the Day 1 Mini-Lesson with the wall notes and the Pine County map. Praise full-sentence answers.

    Watch for: Giving one-word answers that do not show understanding, such as "sand" with no link to glass.

    Try: After each answer ask, "Can you say that in a full sentence with because?"

    Exit ticket:
    1. Is our own community urban, suburban or rural? Give one clue.
    2. How is a physical map different from a map of streets?
    3. Which landform would be hardest to build a town on: a plain, a hill or a mountain? Tell why.

    Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for the correct type and a real clue, such as farms, yards or tall buildings. 2) A physical map shows the shape of the land and water. A street map shows roads and places in a town. 3) A mountain. It is steep and high, so building and travel are hard.

    Mathematics

    Objective: I can review Weeks 1–4 and tell what I have learned and what I still need to practice.

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

    Builds on: Needs every skill from Weeks 1 to 4: place value, rounding, adding, subtracting and multiplication pictures. One-minute check: your child reads 608 aloud and tells the value of the 6 (600).

    New words:
    • two-step problem – a story you solve with two number sentences, one after the other
    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Weeks 1 and 4. Ask the value of the 5 in 352 (50). Your child rounds 718 to the nearest 100 (700). Ask: "How many are in 3 groups of 5?" (15) Then try ×2 facts as doubles. Say: "2 × 6 means 2 groups of 6, so 6 + 6." Ask: 2 × 6 (12), 2 × 4 (8), 2 × 7 (14), 2 × 9 (18). Your child may build each with beans.
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we mix every skill so far. First, a story with two steps." Read: "Lucía had 350 beads. She bought 145 more. Then she used 238 for bracelets. How many beads are left?" Ask: "What happens first?" (She gets more, so add.) Write 350 + 145 = 495. Ask: "What happens next?" (She uses some, so subtract.) Write 495 − 238 = 257. Say: "257 beads are left." Say: "Now check with an estimate." Write 350 + 150 = 500, then 500 − 240 = 260. Ask: "Is 257 close to 260?" (Yes.) Now your child does more. Read: "A shop had 420 muffins. It sold 180 in the morning and 125 in the afternoon. How many are left?" Your child writes two steps and solves. (420 − 180 = 240; 240 − 125 = 115)
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Do one of each kind together. 1) Your child writes <, > or = between 482 and 428 (>). 2) Your child solves 456 + 378 in columns (834). Estimate check: 460 + 380 = 840. 3) Your child solves 700 − 289 (411). Check: 411 + 289 = 700. 4) Your child draws 4 rows of 5 and writes the sentence (4 × 5 = 20). If stuck, say: "Which week is this from? What did we draw then? Draw it again."
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child solves all 8 alone in the notebook. 1) Write 527 in expanded form (500 + 20 + 7). 2) Round 264 to the nearest 10 (260). Round 851 to the nearest 100 (900). 3) 384 + 249 (633). 4) 562 − 315 (247). 5) 800 − 356 (444). 6) Write 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 as multiplication (5 × 2 = 10). 7) A tray has 3 rows of 6 muffins. Draw the array. How many muffins? (3 × 6 = 18) 8) Tariq has 615 points. Zoe has 478. How many more does Tariq have? (137) Check together. Your child colors each item green for "got it" or yellow for "practice more." Then give the stored Week 5 check. Find it with the Week 5 lessons. It has 7 items and no clock, so this block runs longer than usual. If your child is tired, take a break first. Score it with the answer key. Choose a route by the result. 6 or more right: move on to Week 6. 4 or 5 right: find the kind of item missed. For adding or subtracting, redo Day 1 Guided Practice. For rounding or arrays, redo Day 2 Guided Practice. For the riddle, redo Day 3 Guided Practice. For the garden problem, redo Day 4 Guided Practice. 3 or fewer right: reteach the Day 1 Mini-Lesson. Then reteach Week 2 Day 3 and Week 3 Day 3 with stick-and-dot drawings.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud; your child solves question 1 on grid paper and tells you the other two answers.

    Watch for: Stopping after the first step of a two-step story and giving that number as the answer.

    Try: Your child underlines the question first. After solving, ask: "Does your answer tell what the story asked?"

    Exit ticket:
    1. Solve 645 + 287.
    2. Which skill from Weeks 1–4 feels strongest now?
    3. Which skill will you keep practicing, and how?

    Answers: 1) 932 2) Answers vary. Look for: a named skill, such as rounding to the nearest 100 or adding with regrouping. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a named skill and a plan, such as 3 problems a day with drawings.

    English Language Arts

    Objective: I can review the skills from Weeks 1–4 and set a goal for my reading.

    Standards: RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.5

    Builds on: Needs the story skills of Weeks 1–4: setting, order of events, traits with evidence and central message. One-minute check: ask, "What is a character trait?" (What a character is like inside, such as patient or brave.)

    1. Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study check, not timed. Say each word in a sentence, and your child writes it: cape, paint, snow, short, puzzle, middle. Challenge word: inside. Correct together, and your child names each pattern. Spaced review, Week 2. Ask: "A character is scared at the start and proud at the end. What do readers call that?" (A character change.)
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we review four story skills with one new story." Read aloud "Nico's Third Loaf": [On a snowy Sunday evening, Nico stood in Grandpa's kitchen with flour on his nose. His first loaf of bread came out flat as a plate. "I forgot the yeast," he groaned. His second loaf came out black on the bottom. Nico stared at it. "I am not quitting," he said. He set the timer, checked the recipe line by line, and waited by the oven door. The third loaf rose round and golden. Grandpa cut two warm slices. "Mistakes were your best teachers tonight," he said.] Write four questions in the reader's notebook, one for each skill. 1) Setting: Where and when does this happen? 2) Order: What happened to each loaf? 3) Trait: What is Nico like inside, and which words prove it? 4) Message: What lesson does the story teach? Think aloud for the first: "I look for place words and time words. Grandpa's kitchen. A snowy Sunday evening."
    3. Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child answers questions 2–4 aloud. Mark each skill Got It or Still Practicing. 1) Order. (The first loaf was flat. The second burned. The third was golden.) 2) Trait. (Determined. "I am not quitting," he said.) 3) Message. (Mistakes help you learn, or keep trying.) 4) Ask: "How does the ending build on the two failed loaves?" (Nico fixes both mistakes. He checks the recipe and sets the timer.) If stuck, say: "Find Nico's own words. What kind of person says that?"
    4. Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child takes the Week 5 English Language Arts Check alone. It has 8 items and takes about 15 minutes. Read the directions aloud, but give no hints. Score it with the answer key. 6 or more right: move on to Week 6. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 2 practice page and play Prove It with a picture book. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 with the event and message card sort. Then your child writes a reading goal from one Still Practicing skill. Frame: "I will ___ every time I ___." Sample: "I will reread the last page every time I look for a message." Look for: one exact action.
    5. Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers aloud in full sentences with the bread story open.

    Watch for: Choosing a goal that is too general, such as "read more."

    Try: Ask, "What exactly will you do, and when?" Your child rewrites the goal with the frame.

    Exit ticket:
    1. Why did Nico's first loaf fail? Use the story's words.
    2. Grandpa says, "Mistakes were your best teachers tonight." What does he mean?
    3. What is your reading goal, and when will you practice it?

    Answers: 1) He left out the yeast. The text says, "I forgot the yeast." 2) Answers vary. Look for: each failed loaf showed Nico what to fix, so he learned from his mistakes. 3) Answers vary. Look for: one exact action and a time, such as during daily reading.

    Science

    Objective: I can answer mixed questions about forces, friction and magnets and reflect on my learning.

    Standards: 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-3

    Builds on: Needs Weeks 1 to 5. One-minute check: ask, "What two things can a force be?" (A push or a pull.)

    1. Flex Day 5 — Mixed Review and Reflection — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review, a lightning round. Your child answers each in one word. "Opening a drawer toward you?" (Pull.) "Equal forces in opposite directions?" (Balanced.) "The force that slows a sliding book?" (Friction.) "North facing south?" (Attract.) "A rubbed balloon lifting paper?" (Static.) Then ask: "Which of these could you teach to someone else?"
    2. Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Keep this to 10 minutes and the teaching demo to 15, so the check fits. Say: "A strong science answer has two parts. It names the force, and it gives a because." Model one. Roll the ball across the floor and let it stop. Say: "A weak answer is: it just stopped. A strong answer is: friction slowed the ball, because the ball rubbed on the floor." Now your child gives strong answers. 1) Hold the ball still on your open hand. Ask: "Why does it stay still?" (Gravity pulls down and the hand pushes up equally, so the forces are balanced.) 2) Roll the car across the floor, then onto the towel. Ask: "Why did it stop sooner on the towel?" (The towel has more friction, because it is rougher.) 3) Hold a magnet a hand away from the clip, then bring it close. Ask: "Why does the clip move only when the magnet is close?" (The magnet's pull is stronger at a short distance.) If stuck, say: "First name the force. Then say because, and tell what you saw."
    3. Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Your child becomes the teacher. 1) Your child picks one demo. Choices: the car on towel and floor, or two magnets attracting and repelling. Two more: a magnet pulling a clip across a gap, or the balloon and tissue. An adult blows up the balloon; rub it on the wool sock. 2) Give 5 minutes to practice. Your child plans three things to say: what to watch, which force acts, and the because. 3) Your child teaches it to a family member in about 2 minutes. 4) The listener asks one question, such as "What would happen if you changed ___?" Your child predicts, then tests it. Change only that one thing and keep the rest the same. 5) Record in the notebook: Demo, Force, What I changed, What happened. Listen for the right force and a because. If the demo fails, say: "Real results vary. Tell what you expected, then try once more."
    4. Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child writes a reflection page with three frames. "The investigation I liked most was ___." "An idea I understand better now is ___." "A question I still have is ___." Sample: "I liked the marble run most. I understand that smooth things still have friction. Can a magnet work in the bath?"
    5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions. Then give the stored Week 5 science check: 6 items, about 10 minutes, working alone. Score it with the key. 5 or more right: start Week 6. 3 or 4 right: redo the Day 2 stations with 4 new metal objects and one new smooth surface. 2 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 with paper arrows and the penny tug-of-war, then Day 2. Praise answers that include a because.

    Watch for: Mixing up static electricity and magnetism.

    Try: Hold a magnet over the tissue bits, then a rubbed balloon. Ask, "Which one moved the tissue? Which one needs iron?"

    Exit ticket:
    1. A shopping cart sits still in an empty parking lot. Are the forces on it balanced or unbalanced? How do you know?
    2. Give a strong science answer: why does a bike slow down when you squeeze the brakes?
    3. What is one science question you still have about forces or magnets?

    Answers: 1) Balanced, because its motion is not changing. 2) Friction slows the bike, because the brake pads rub on the wheels. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a question that could be tested, such as "Do two magnets pull from farther away than one?"

    Print Day 5 practice pages →

    Worksheets

    • math — Day 21 — Flex Day 1
    • math — Day 22 — Flex Day 2
    • math — Day 23 — Flex Day 3
    • math — Day 24 — Flex Day 4
    • math — Day 25 — Flex Day 5