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Week 6 — full print packet

Quarter 1 · Weeks 1–9

Week 6 Lesson Packet

Foundations: Place Value, Stories, Forces & Communities

Day 1 · Monday

Social Studies

Objective: I can explain that Native nations were the first people in my area and name the nations whose homelands include where I live.

Standards: D2.Geo.3.3-5, D3.1.3-5

Builds on: Needs Week 1 communities and Week 3 map skills. One-minute check: ask, "Name two communities you belong to, from smaller to larger." (Sample: my family and my town.)

New words:

Native nation – a Native people with its own government, land, history and ways of life
homelands – the land where a people has lived for a very long time

Day 26 — Who Lived Here First? — Big Question Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 3. Ask: "A map has a small anchor picture. Where do you look to learn its meaning?" (The key.) Then ask the day's wonder: "Who lived here long before there were towns, roads and cities? Where are those people now?" Take every idea. Do not correct yet.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Lay out the U.S. map. Sweep your hand across it. Say: "Long before there was a United States, Native peoples lived on all of this land. They were the first people here." Say: "They are not one group. They are many nations. Each Native nation has its own government, language, history and ways of life." Say some names together slowly. "The Cherokee Nation. The Navajo Nation, whose people call themselves Diné. The Haudenosaunee, a group of six nations. The Lakota. The Ojibwe." Say: "Native nations are not only part of the past. They are living nations today, with leaders, schools and businesses." Say: "The land where a people has lived for a very long time is called its homelands." Ask: "Who were the first people on this land?" (Native peoples.) "Are Native peoples one nation or many?" (Many.) "Do Native nations have governments today?" (Yes.) If your child says "they lived" for today, say: "Try it with 'live' or 'are.' They are here now."
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Source work. Read this source aloud twice. "Native peoples have lived on this land for many thousands of years. They formed many nations. Today the United States government recognizes more than 570 Native nations. Each one governs itself. Some nations still live on part of their homelands. Others were forced to move far away long ago, and they keep ties to their homelands." 1) Ask: "Which words tell you Native nations are here today?" (Sample: "Today," "recognizes" and "governs itself.") 2) Ask: "What happened to some nations long ago? Give the words." ("Others were forced to move far away.") Say: "That was unfair and painful. We will learn more in Week 7." 3) Share your prep notes. Say the nation's own name together. 4) In the notebook, your child makes a fact card in pencil. It has three rows: Name, Where its government is today, One fact about today. 5) On the U.S. map, your child marks your home and the nation's government with colored pencils. Ask: "Is it near us or far? Which direction?" (Answers vary.) Some areas are homelands of several nations. Name each one you found.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child finishes these frames. "The homelands of the ____ include the place where I live. Today the ____ has its government in ____." Sample: "The homelands of the Osage Nation include the place where I live. Today the Osage Nation has its government in Pawhuska, Oklahoma." Your child then sketches a small map showing both places.
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Praise the nation's name said correctly and sentences that use "is," "are" or "has."

Watch for: Speaking about Native peoples only in the past tense, as if they no longer exist.

Try: Practice the frame "The ____ Nation is ..." and reread the fact about today from your prep notes.

Exit ticket:

About how many Native nations does the United States government recognize today?
Why is a nation's own website or book a good place to learn the name it uses for itself?
Finish this sentence about the nation you learned about today: "The ____ is ____."

Answers: 1) More than 570. 2) The nation knows itself best, so the name comes from its own people. 3) Answers vary. Look for the correct name and a true fact in the present tense.

Mathematics

Objective: I can use doubles to know my ×2 facts.

Standards: 3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.A.1, 3.OA.D.9

Builds on: Needs Grade 2 doubles to 20 and the turned arrays from Week 4 Day 3. One-minute check: ask 6 + 6 (12) and 9 + 9 (18).

New words:

double – a number added to itself, like 7 + 7
even number – a number that splits into two equal groups with none left over

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 2. Your child solves 248 + 248 (496). Ask: "What do we call adding a number to itself?" (Doubling.) Then count by 2s to 20 together. Ask: "What comes after 16?" (18)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we learn the ×2 facts with doubles." Write 2 × 7. Ask: "What does this tell us to build?" (2 groups of 7.) Build 2 rows of 7 beans on the paper. Write 7 + 7 = 14. Say: "2 groups of 7 is 7 and 7. That is double 7." Write 2 × 7 = 14. Turn the paper a quarter turn. Ask: "How many rows now? How many in each row?" (7 rows of 2.) Write 7 × 2 = 14. Say: "Turning never changes the total. So 7 × 2 is double 7 too." Next, write the facts from 2 × 1 to 2 × 10 in a list. Your child says each double and you write the product. Ask: "What do you notice about the products?" (They go up by 2. They are all even.) Say: "A double is two equal groups. So every ×2 product is even." Now your child does more. Your child builds 2 × 6 and writes 6 + 6 = 12 and 2 × 6 = 12. Then your child turns the paper and writes 6 × 2 = 12.
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child says the double first, then the product. Keep the beans close. 1) 2 × 4 (double 4 is 8). 2) 2 × 9 (double 9 is 18). 3) 8 × 2 (double 8 is 16). 4) Ask: "2 × 3 = 6. What is 3 × 2? How do you know?" (6. It is the same array turned.) If stuck, say: "Which factor is not the 2? Add that number to itself."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child writes the double and the product for each fact. 1) 2 × 5 (5 + 5 = 10). 2) 2 × 8 (8 + 8 = 16). 3) 4 × 2 (8). 4) 3 × 2 (6). 5) 2 × 10 (20). 6) Your child draws 2 rows of 3 dots. Then your child writes two sentences (2 × 3 = 6; 3 × 2 = 6). 7) Mia has 6 pairs of socks. How many socks? (6 × 2 = 12) 8) 2 spiders have 8 legs each. How many legs in all? (2 × 8 = 16) Last, make fact cards. Your child writes each ×2 fact on a card and its product on the back. Sort the cards into "know it" and "still building" piles. Use no timer.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the beans and cards away. Read each question aloud; your child writes the answers.

Watch for: Adding 2 instead of doubling, such as saying 2 × 7 is 9.

Try: Build 2 rows of 7 beans. Say: "2 groups of 7 is 7 + 7." Your child counts both rows before writing the product.

Exit ticket:

What is 9 × 2? Which double helps?
What is 10 × 2?
Why is every ×2 product an even number?

Answers: 1) 18; double 9, or 9 + 9 2) 20 3) Answers vary. Look for: it is a double, so it makes two equal groups.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can tell the difference between informational text and a story.

Standards: RI.3.10, L.3.6

Builds on: Needs the story skills of Unit 1: characters, setting and events. One-minute check: ask, "Was 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' a true report or a made-up story?" (A made-up story that teaches a lesson.)

New words:

informational text – writing that gives true facts about the real world
nonfiction – another name for writing that is true and about real things
fiction – a made-up story
fact – something true that you can check

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, Unit 1 review of syllable types. Write kite, cube, rain, sleep, farm, apple. Your child sorts them under Silent e, Vowel Team, R-controlled and Consonant-le, then reads them. (Silent e: kite, cube. Vowel team: rain, sleep. R-controlled: farm. Consonant-le: apple.) Spaced review, Week 5. Ask: "Which is an abstract noun, lantern or courage?" (Courage. You cannot see or touch it.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Hold up the storybook and the nonfiction book. Say: "Fiction is a made-up story. Informational text, also called nonfiction, gives true facts about the real world." Read aloud this page from a nonfiction book. Say "heading" and "caption" as you reach them. A heading is a small title over one part. A caption tells about a picture. Words in capital letters stand for bold print. [How Honeybees Make Honey. Heading: Gathering Nectar. Worker bees fly from flower to flower. They sip a sweet liquid called NECTAR. One bee may visit dozens of flowers on a single trip. Heading: Back at the Hive. At the hive, the bee passes the nectar to other workers. They fan it with their wings until much of the water dries out. Then they store the thick honey in HONEYCOMB, which is rows of six-sided wax cells. Caption: A worker bee carries yellow pollen on its back legs.] Now read this story opening: [Zuzu the bee was late for the Flower Dance. "Wait for me!" she buzzed, tying her tiny yellow shoes.] Think aloud: "A fact is something true that you can check. The first text teaches facts. Real bees do sip nectar. The second has a bee who talks and wears shoes. That is made up, so it is fiction."
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Draw a T-chart in the reader's notebook: Informational | Fiction. 1) Ask: "What is each text for?" (Informational text teaches about a topic. Fiction tells a story about characters.) 2) Ask: "What parts did the bee page have that the story did not?" (A title about a topic, headings, bold words and a caption.) 3) Ask: "What does the story have instead?" (A character with a name, talking and a problem.) 4) Your child adds one example from each text. (Sample: "Bees fan nectar with their wings." "Zuzu tied her shoes.") If stuck, say: "Could a scientist check this sentence? If yes, it goes under Informational."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child flips through their own nonfiction book and lists five clues that it is informational. (Such as photos, headings, captions, bold words, a diagram or an index.) 2) They read two pages and write two facts they learned. 3) They write one sentence using the word informational and one using fiction. Look for: clues that are features or facts, not "it has animals"; each new word used correctly. Sample: "My shark book is informational. It teaches real facts about sharks. A story about a talking shark is fiction."
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers in full sentences, aloud or in the notebook.

Watch for: Thinking any book with animals is fiction, or any book with pictures is nonfiction.

Try: Ask, "Is it teaching true facts or telling a made-up story?" Your child decides from the purpose.

Exit ticket:

What is another name for informational text?
Give two clues from the honeybee page that show it is informational.
A book tells about a dragon who opens a bakery. Is it fiction or informational? Why?

Answers: 1) Nonfiction. 2) Any two: it gives true facts about real bees; it has headings; it has bold words; it has a caption. 3) Fiction. Dragons are not real, so the characters and events are made up.

Science

Objective: I can observe a pendulum's motion and describe its repeating pattern.

Standards: 3-PS2-2

Builds on: Needs Week 1 Day 4 (forces start, stop and turn motion) and time on a playground swing. One-minute check: ask, "What pulls a swing back down after it goes up?" (Gravity.)

New words:

pendulum – a weight that hangs from a string and swings back and forth
motion pattern – a movement that repeats the same way, so you can tell what comes next
full swing – one trip out and back to where the weight started

Day 26 — Repeated Motion Patterns — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 3. Ask: "A swing slows and stops if no one pushes. What slows it?" (Friction where it hangs, and air pushing on it.) Then tie the weight to the string, hold the top and let it swing. Ask: "What do you notice? What will it do next?" Say: "Today we look for motion that repeats."
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "This is a pendulum: a weight that swings from a string." Swing it gently. Say: "It moves the same way again and again. A movement that repeats is a motion pattern." Ask: "After it swings left, what comes next?" (It swings back to the right.) Say: "Because the pattern repeats, we can predict it." Test that. Your child holds a flat hand where the weight should return, without touching it. Ask: "Did it come back to your hand?" (Yes, or almost.) Say: "One full swing is out and back to the start." Count three full swings aloud together, saying each number as the weight returns. Ask: "Is going across once a full swing?" (No. It must come back.) Ask: "Name another motion that repeats." (Sample: a playground swing, a rocking chair, a bouncing ball.) If stuck, say: "Watch one spot. Count only when the weight comes back to that spot."
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Safety: keep faces back from the swinging weight. 1) Tape the string firmly to the table top so the weight hangs past the edge. Measure 24 inches from the edge to the middle of the weight. Use a counter if the weight touches the floor. 2) Draw a chart with two columns: Trial, Full swings in 30 seconds. 3) Pull the weight one hand-width to the side. Let go without pushing. 4) You time 30 seconds. Your child counts each return to the start side. 5) After two trials, your child predicts the third count, then tests it. Change nothing between trials. Keep the same string length, weight and one-hand pull. Look for counts that match. Expect about 19 full swings each time, give or take one. If your counts differ more, say: "Real results vary. Check that we counted only the returns." Ask: "Why was your prediction so close?" (The motion follows a pattern.)
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child sketches the pendulum and draws its path as a dotted arc. Write the three counts. Then finish the frames: "The pattern is ___. I can predict ___." Sample: "The pattern is the same back-and-forth swing, about 19 times in 30 seconds. I can predict the next count."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise the word predict, and any prediction that uses the earlier counts.

Watch for: Counting each crossing as a full swing, which doubles the count.

Try: Your child keeps a hand at the start side and says the number only when the weight returns to it.

Exit ticket:

What counts as one full swing of a pendulum?
A rocking chair rocks back, forward, back, forward. What comes next? What do we call a motion like this?
A child on a playground swing is at the top of the back swing. Where will the swing go next? How do you know?

Answers: 1) Out and back to where it started. 2) It rocks back. It is a motion pattern, because it repeats. 3) Forward and down, then up the front. A swing repeats the same back-and-forth pattern.

Print Day 1 practice pages →

Day 2 · Tuesday

Social Studies

Objective: I can describe how different Native nations met their needs for food, clothing, and shelter using the land around them.

Standards: D2.His.2.3-5, D2.Geo.4.3-5

Builds on: Needs Week 4 natural resources and climate, and yesterday's lesson. One-minute check: ask, "Name one natural resource and one thing made from it." (Sample: trees, a wooden spoon.)

New words:

longhouse – a long home with a wooden frame covered in bark, shared by several families
tipi – a cone-shaped home of poles and a cover, made to move easily
bison – a large, shaggy animal of the grasslands, sometimes called buffalo
source – anything that gives us information, such as a book, a map, a photo or a letter

Day 27 — How Native Nations Used the Land — Big Question Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 4. Ask: "What is a natural resource?" (Something useful that comes from nature.) Then ask the day's wonder: "Long ago there were no stores. Where did people get food, clothing and a home?" (From the land around them.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Each Native nation used the resources of its own region with great skill. So homes and foods were different from place to place." Point to the Northeast on the map. Say: "The Haudenosaunee homelands are here, in a land of forests. Long ago, Haudenosaunee people built longhouses. A longhouse had a wooden frame covered with bark. Several families lived in one. They grew corn, beans and squash together, and many still do. They call these crops the Three Sisters." Point to the Great Plains. Say: "The Lakota homelands are here, on wide grasslands with few trees. Great herds of bison lived there. Lakota families made tipis from poles and bison hides. A tipi could be packed up to follow the herds." Say: "Today Haudenosaunee and Lakota people live in houses like yours. Longhouses and tipis are still used for gatherings." Ask: "Why bark in the Northeast?" (There were many trees.) "Why hides on the Plains?" (There were many bison and few trees.) If stuck, say: "What grows or lives in that place?"
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Source work. Say: "A source is anything that gives us information, such as a book, a map or a letter." Read this source aloud. "Hopi people live on high, dry land in what is now Arizona. Long ago they built homes of stone and clay, and many families still live in those villages. Hopi farmers plant corn deep in the soil to reach water. Tlingit and Haida people live along the rainy Northwest coast. They built large houses from cedar planks and caught salmon. Cedar and salmon are still important to them today." 1) In the notebook, draw a chart with five columns: Nation, Region, Home long ago, Food, Resource used. 2) Your child fills four rows. Use the Mini-Lesson for two and the source for two. Expect these answers. Haudenosaunee: Northeast, longhouse, the Three Sisters, bark and wood. Lakota: Great Plains, tipi, bison, hides and poles. Hopi: Southwest, stone and clay home, corn, stone and clay. Tlingit and Haida: Northwest coast, plank house, salmon, cedar. 3) Ask: "Which words show Hopi people are here today?" ("Hopi people live" and "still live.") 4) Your child colors each region on the U.S. map with colored pencils.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — In the notebook, your child writes this frame in pencil for two nations. "Long ago, the ____ used ____ from their land to build ____." Sample: "Long ago, the Tlingit used cedar from their land to build plank houses." Then add one sentence about today that starts "Today."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Praise answers that link a home or food to a resource of that region.

Watch for: Thinking all Native people lived in tipis.

Try: Point to each of the four regions and ask, "What grows or lives here?" Then name the home that fits.

Exit ticket:

A nation's homelands have thick forests and no bison. Which would be easier to use for homes there, bark or bison hides?
Why was a home that packs up quickly useful for families who hunted bison?
Pick one nation from today. Name one thing that is the same as long ago and one thing that has changed.

Answers: 1) Bark, because forests have many trees. 2) The bison herds moved, and the families followed them. 3) Answers vary. Same: growing corn, fishing for salmon or living in their homelands. Changed: modern houses, cars or schools.

Mathematics

Objective: I can use place value to know my ×10 facts.

Standards: 3.OA.C.7, 3.NBT.A.3

Builds on: Needs Grade 2 place value: 10 ones make 1 ten, and counting by 10s. One-minute check: ask how many tens are in 60 (6) and in 90 (9).

New words:

10 times as many – 10 groups of the same amount

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 1. Your child rounds 348 to the nearest 10 (350). Then ask two facts from Day 1: 2 × 6 (12) and 8 × 2 (16). Count by 10s to 100 together.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we multiply by 10 using tens." Write 3 × 10. Ask: "What does this tell us to build?" (3 groups of 10.) Draw 3 sticks. Say: "Each stick is one ten." Count them: 10, 20, 30. Write 3 × 10 = 30. Say: "3 groups of ten is 3 tens. 3 tens is 30." Write 3 in the tens column and 0 in the ones column. Ask: "Why is there a 0 in the ones place?" (There are 3 tens and no extra ones.) Next, write 10 × 3. Say: "This is 10 groups of 3. It is the same array turned, so it is 30 too." Point to the chart. Say: "10 × 3 is 10 times as many as 3. The 3 ones became 3 tens. The digit 3 shifted one place to the left." Now your child does more. Your child draws 7 sticks, counts by 10s and writes 7 × 10 = 70. Your child writes 7 in the tens column and says, "7 tens is 70." Then your child writes 10 × 7 = 70.
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child says each fact in tens. 1) 4 × 10 (4 tens is 40). 2) 10 × 9 (9 tens is 90). 3) Lay out 6 dimes. Ask: "Each dime is 10 cents. How many cents?" (6 × 10 = 60) 4) 10 × 10 (10 tens is 100). Count all ten dimes by 10s to check. If stuck, say: "Draw one stick for each ten. Now count the sticks by 10s."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child writes each product and says it in tens. 1) 2 × 10 (20). 2) 5 × 10 (50). 3) 10 × 8 (80). 4) 10 × 1 (10). 5) 9 × 10 = ? Draw sticks to show it. (90) 6) You draw 8 sticks. Your child writes the multiplication sentence (8 × 10 = 80). 7) A pack holds 10 pencils. Ana buys 4 packs. How many pencils? (4 × 10 = 40) 8) 6 children each hold up 10 fingers. How many fingers in all? (6 × 10 = 60) Last, your child makes fact cards for the ×10 facts. Sort them into "know it" and "still building" piles. Use no timer.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the dimes and chart away. Read each question aloud; your child writes the answers.

Watch for: Adding 10 instead of making tens, such as writing 16 for 6 × 10.

Try: Lay out 6 dimes. Your child touches each dime and counts: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60. Say: "6 tens, not 6 and 10."

Exit ticket:

What is 10 × 6?
What is 9 × 10? Say it in tens.
Explain why 5 × 10 is 50. Use the word tens.

Answers: 1) 60 2) 90; 9 tens is 90 3) 5 × 10 means 5 tens, and 5 tens is 50.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can use headings, captions and bold words to find information and figure out word meanings.

Standards: RI.3.5, RI.3.4, RI.3.1, L.3.4.A

Builds on: Needs yesterday's lesson on informational text. One-minute check: ask, "Name two clues that a book is informational." (Any two: true facts, headings, captions, bold words, photos, an index.)

New words:

text feature – a part of a page, like a heading or a caption, that helps you find and understand information
heading – a short title over one section that tells its topic
caption – the words beside a picture that explain it
bold word – an important word printed in dark, thick letters

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, Unit 1 review. Write slide, boat, corn, turn, candle, maple. Your child underlines the vowel pattern or splits the word. (slide: i and silent e. boat: oa. corn: or. turn: ur. can|dle. ma|ple.) Read the words together. Spaced review, Week 4. Ask: "What is a moral?" (The lesson a fable teaches.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Text features help readers find information fast. A heading tells the topic of a section. A caption explains a picture. A bold word is important vocabulary." Read aloud this page. Words in capital letters stand for bold print. [The Saguaro Cactus. Heading: Storing Water. The saguaro grows in the Sonoran Desert. Its tall stem is covered in folds called PLEATS. After a rainstorm, wide, shallow roots soak up water quickly. The pleats stretch out like an accordion as the stem fills. Heading: A Desert Apartment. Gila woodpeckers peck nest holes in the stem. The cactus seals each hole with a hard shell called a BOOT. Later, tiny elf owls may move in. Caption: A Gila woodpecker peeks out of its nest hole.] Think aloud: "PLEATS is bold, so it matters. I reread the sentence around it. It says the stem is covered in folds called pleats. So pleats are folds in the stem." Point to each heading and the caption, and name its job.
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child points to the sentence that proves each answer. 1) Ask: "What does BOOT mean here? Which words told you?" (A hard shell the cactus makes around a nest hole. "A hard shell called a boot.") 2) Ask: "You want to know how a saguaro gets water. Which heading helps?" (Storing Water.) 3) Ask: "What does the caption add?" (It tells what the picture shows: a woodpecker in its nest hole.) 4) Ask: "Why is the second heading 'A Desert Apartment'?" (Different animals live in holes in one cactus, like neighbors in a building.) If stuck, say: "Put your finger on the bold word. Read the whole sentence around it."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child works in their own nonfiction book or magazine. 1) Mark two headings, one caption and two bold words with sticky notes. 2) In the reader's notebook, write what the section under each heading is about. 3) For each bold word, write its meaning from the sentences around it. 4) Write one question the caption answers. Look for: meanings that fit the sentence; headings matched to their topics. Check meanings in the book's glossary if it has one. If the book has no bold words, your child picks two new topic words.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers in full sentences with the saguaro page open.

Watch for: Skipping the headings and captions and reading only the main paragraphs.

Try: Use one routine on every page today: heading first, picture and caption second, then the paragraph.

Exit ticket:

Under which heading would you look to learn which animals live in a saguaro?
The page says the pleats "stretch out like an accordion." What happens to the stem as it fills with water?
What is the job of a caption?

Answers: 1) A Desert Apartment. 2) It gets wider, because the folds open up to hold the water. 3) It explains what a picture shows.

Science

Objective: I can run a fair test to find out what changes how fast a pendulum swings.

Standards: 3-PS2-2

Builds on: Needs Day 1 (counting full swings for 30 seconds) and Week 3 Day 4 (a fair test changes one thing). One-minute check: ask, "About how many full swings did our 24-inch pendulum make in 30 seconds?" (About 19, or your own count.)

New words:

variable – anything in a test that could change, such as length or weight
data – the numbers and notes you collect in a test

Day 27 — Pendulum Fair Test — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 4. Ask: "Is gravity a contact force or a non-contact force?" (Non-contact.) Then hold up yesterday's pendulum. Ask: "What could we change to make it swing faster or slower?" List your child's ideas. (Sample: the string length, the weight, how far we pull it back.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Each thing we could change is called a variable. Our pendulum has three: string length, weight, and how far we pull it back." Ask: "Suppose I shorten the string and add weight together, and the count changes. What caused it?" (We cannot tell.) Say: "So in a fair test, we change one variable and keep the others the same." Show it. Hold up a 24-inch pendulum with 1 washer. Say: "To test length, I change only the string." Ask: "What stays the same?" (The weight and the pull-back.) Say: "To test weight, I change only the washers." Ask: "What stays the same now?" (The string length and the pull-back.) Your child writes a prediction: "Which will change the number of swings: a shorter string, a heavier weight, both or neither?" Do not give the answer yet. If stuck, say: "Point to the one thing that is different. Everything else must match."
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Safety: keep faces back from the swinging weight. 1) Draw a chart: Test, String length, Washers, Trial 1, Trial 2 (full swings in 30 seconds). Say: "The numbers we collect are called data." 2) Test A: 24 inches, 1 washer. Pull back one hand-width and let go. Count full swings for 30 seconds, twice. 3) Test B: 12 inches, 1 washer. Use the same pull and do two trials. 4) Test C: 24 inches, 3 washers taped flat together. Use the same pull and do two trials. Always measure from the table edge to the middle of the weight. Expect about 19 swings for A, about 27 for B and about 19 for C. A shorter string usually gives more swings. More weight usually changes the count very little. A difference of one swing can come from counting. If results differ, say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern." Ask: "Which variable changed the count?" (The string length.)
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Under the chart, your child finishes two frames. "When I changed ___, the number of swings ___." "When I changed ___, the number of swings stayed about the same." Sample: "When I changed the string length, the number of swings went up. When I changed the weight, the number stayed about the same."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise your child for trusting the data, even where the prediction was different.

Watch for: Predicting that a heavier weight swings faster, then doubting the data.

Try: Repeat Tests A and C once more, counting together. Say, "The data came out the same twice. Scientists trust data they can repeat."

Exit ticket:

What was the only difference between Test A and Test B? Why did everything else have to match?
Predict: will a 6-inch string make more or fewer full swings in 30 seconds than a 12-inch string?
Ava counted 19 swings with 1 washer and 20 swings with 3 washers. What should she conclude about weight?

Answers: 1) The string length. Everything else matched so we could tell that the string length caused the change. 2) More. A shorter string swings faster. 3) Weight made almost no difference. The counts are about the same; one swing apart can come from counting.

Print Day 2 practice pages →

Day 3 · Wednesday

Social Studies

Objective: I can explain how Native nations gained and shared deep knowledge of their land over many generations.

Standards: D2.Geo.4.3-5, D2.His.2.3-5

Builds on: Needs Day 2, when your child linked homes and foods to the land. One-minute check: ask, "What three crops do Haudenosaunee people call the Three Sisters?" (Corn, beans and squash.)

New words:

elder – an older person who is respected for what they know and teach
generation – the people in a family or nation who are about the same age, such as grandparents, parents or children

Day 28 — Knowledge of the Land — Big Question Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 4. Ask: "'Our springs are usually cool and rainy.' Is that weather or climate?" (Climate.) Then ask the day's wonder: "How did you learn to ride a bike or cook? Who taught you? How would you learn with no books?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Native nations have lived on their lands for thousands of years. Over that time they learned the land very well." Hold up three fingers. Say: "They learned by watching closely, by testing what works, and by teaching each new generation." Say: "This is careful knowledge. People learned which plants are food or medicine. They learned when animals move and when to plant." Say: "Elders pass this knowledge on. They use stories, songs and hands-on practice. Children learn by helping." Say: "This knowledge is used today. Many Native nations have scientists and land managers. They care for forests, rivers, fish and wildlife." Ask: "Name the three ways the knowledge grew." (Watching, testing and teaching.) "Who are elders?" (Older people respected for what they know.) "Is this knowledge still used?" (Yes.) If stuck, say: "Think of a family recipe. Someone tried it, fixed it and taught it."
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Source work. Read this source aloud. "Ojibwe people live around the Great Lakes. In early spring, families tap maple trees and boil the sap into sugar. In summer they fish and pick berries. As summer turns to fall, they harvest wild rice, called manoomin, from canoes. One person pushes the canoe with a pole. Another gently knocks ripe grains into it. Some grains fall into the water and grow into next year's rice. In winter, elders tell stories that teach." 1) Your child divides the paper plate into four parts and labels them spring, summer, fall and winter. 2) With crayons and pencil, your child draws and writes one activity from the source in each part. Expect these. Spring: maple sugar. Summer: fishing and berries. Fall: wild rice. Winter: stories. 3) Ask: "Why is it wise to let some grains fall into the water?" (They grow into next year's rice.) "Which words show this happens today?" ("Ojibwe people live" and "families tap.") 4) Go outside to your plant or tree. Your child looks for two minutes and writes three things noticed in the notebook. Ask: "What might you learn by watching it for a whole year?"
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child finishes these frames. "Knowledge of the land is shared by ____, ____ and ____. One way this knowledge is used today is ____." Sample: "Knowledge of the land is shared by stories, songs and practice. One way this knowledge is used today is harvesting wild rice."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Praise answers that give a reason and answers in the present tense.

Watch for: Calling this knowledge "magic" or lucky guesses instead of careful learning built over time.

Try: Compare it to a family recipe that was tried, tested and taught over many years.

Exit ticket:

What might happen to the wild rice if people took every grain?
Why are elders important teachers?
Name one thing about the land that a person could learn only by watching through all four seasons.

Answers: 1) No grains would be left to grow, so there would be less rice the next year. 2) They have many years of experience and pass on what they know. 3) Answers vary. Look for: when a plant is ripe, when animals move, or when to plant.

Mathematics

Objective: I can use patterns to know my ×5 facts.

Standards: 3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.D.9

Builds on: Needs the ×10 facts from Day 2 and Grade 2 counting by 5s. One-minute check: your child counts by 5s to 50, then tells 10 × 4 (40).

New words:

half – one of two equal parts
pattern – something that repeats, so you can tell what comes next

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 3. Your child solves 500 − 236 (264). Then ask 7 × 10 (70) and 2 × 8 (16). Count by 5s to 50 together.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Today we find patterns in the ×5 facts." Lay down 6 nickels one at a time. Count: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. Write 6 × 5 = 30. Say: "6 groups of 5 is 30." Lay down the rest and count on to 50. Your child writes all ten products in a row. Ask: "Look at the ones digits. What do you see?" (They go 5, 0, 5, 0.) Say: "Two 5s make a ten. So every second product ends in 0." Next, say: "Here is another way. 5 is half of 10." Color 10 rows of 6 on grid paper. Write 10 × 6 = 60. Fold the array in half so 5 rows show. Ask: "How many rows now?" (5) Say: "5 rows of 6 is half of 10 rows of 6. Half of 60 is 30." Write 5 × 6 = 30. Now your child does more. Your child colors 10 rows of 4 and writes 10 × 4 = 40. Then your child folds it and writes 5 × 4 = 20. Ask: "How did the ×10 fact help?" (Half of 40 is 20.)
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child picks nickels or half of the ×10 fact. 1) 3 × 5 (15). Count the nickels: 5, 10, 15. 2) 5 × 8. Ask: "What is 10 × 8?" (80) "What is half?" (Half of 80 is 40, so 5 × 8 = 40.) 3) 9 × 5 (45). 4) Ask: "Could 5 × 7 be 32?" (No. A ×5 product ends in 5 or 0.) "What is it?" (35) If stuck, say: "Think of the ×10 fact. Now cut it in half."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child writes each product and may use the nickels. 1) 4 × 5 (20). 2) 5 × 5 (25). 3) 5 × 3 (15). 4) 5 × 9 (45). 5) 10 × 5 (50). 6) 10 × 2 = 20. Use half to find 5 × 2. (Half of 20 is 10.) 7) A hand has 5 fingers. How many fingers are on 8 hands? (8 × 5 = 40) 8) Omar saves 7 nickels. How many cents does he have? (7 × 5 = 35) Last, your child makes fact cards for the ×5 facts. Sort them into "know it" and "still building" piles. Use no timer.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the nickels and grid paper away. Read each question aloud; your child writes the answers.

Watch for: Losing count while skip-counting, so the answer is one group too many or too few.

Try: Your child lays down one nickel for each count. The number of nickels must match the number of groups before your child says the product.

Exit ticket:

What is 9 × 5?
10 × 10 = 100. Use that fact to find 5 × 10. Tell how.
Which two digits can a ×5 product end in?

Answers: 1) 45 2) 50. Look for: 5 groups is half of 10 groups, and half of 100 is 50. 3) 0 or 5

English Language Arts

Objective: I can use a diagram to answer questions and explain steps in order.

Standards: RI.3.7, RI.3.3

Builds on: Needs yesterday's text features and the order words from Week 1 Day 3. One-minute check: ask, "What does a caption do?" (It explains a picture.)

New words:

diagram – a drawing with labels that shows the parts or steps of something
label – a word on a diagram that names a part or a step
cycle – steps that happen in order and then start over

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, Unit 1 review. Dictate: "Turn left at the farm to see the boat." Your child writes it, then checks each word against yours. Look at ur in turn, ar in farm and oa in boat. Spaced review, Week 2. Ask: "How do readers figure out a trait the author never names?" (They infer it from what the character says and does.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Some features teach with pictures. A diagram is a drawing with labels. It shows the parts of something or the steps in order. A map shows where places are. A chart puts facts in rows and columns." On plain paper, draw four boxes in a circle, joined by arrows. Label them egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa) and adult butterfly. Read aloud "A Butterfly's Life Cycle": [A mother butterfly glues each tiny egg to a leaf. A caterpillar chews its way out and eats leaves day and night. It grows so fast that its skin splits, and a bigger skin waits underneath. Next, the caterpillar hangs from a twig. Its skin splits one last time and uncovers a smooth shell called a chrysalis. Hidden inside, it grows wings. Finally, an adult butterfly crawls out and dries its wings in the sun. Later, it lays eggs of its own.] Think aloud: "The words give me details. The diagram shows the order at a glance. I put my finger on the egg and follow the arrows. The last arrow points back to the egg, so the steps repeat. That is a cycle."
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Your child answers with the diagram and the words. 1) Ask: "Which stage does the first arrow lead to?" (The caterpillar, or larva.) 2) Ask: "Which stage comes just before the adult?" (The chrysalis, or pupa.) 3) Ask: "Where does the diagram send you after the adult? Why?" (Back to the egg, because the adult lays eggs.) 4) Ask: "Why does a caterpillar need a new skin?" (It grows so fast that the old skin splits.) Then your child retells the cycle aloud with the order words first, next, then, finally. If stuck, say: "Put your finger on the egg. Follow each arrow and say 'then.'"
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) In the reader's notebook, your child writes the butterfly cycle in four sentences. Each starts with an order word: first, next, then or finally. 2) Read these steps aloud: [How Bread Is Made. A baker mixes flour, water, salt and yeast into dough. The baker kneads the dough until it is smooth. The dough rests in a warm place. The yeast makes gas bubbles, so the dough rises. The baker bakes the loaf in a hot oven.] 3) Your child draws a four-box diagram of the steps with labels and arrows, using colored pencils. 4) They write one question the diagram answers, with its answer. Look for: stages in the order egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, adult; boxes labeled mix, knead, rise, bake; bread arrows in a line. Sample: "What happens just before baking?" (The dough rises.)
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers in full sentences and may look at both diagrams.

Watch for: Reading a cycle diagram in the wrong direction or starting at the wrong place.

Try: Your child puts a finger on the egg and follows each arrow aloud, saying "then" at every arrow.

Exit ticket:

What does a diagram do?
In the bread steps, what makes the dough rise?
Why do the butterfly arrows make a circle, while the bread arrows make a line?

Answers: 1) It uses a drawing and labels to show the parts of something or the steps in order. 2) The yeast makes gas bubbles. 3) The butterfly steps start over when the adult lays eggs. The bread steps end with a baked loaf.

Science

Objective: I can measure bounce heights and use the pattern to predict the next bounce.

Standards: 3-PS2-2

Builds on: Needs Days 1 and 2: a motion pattern lets you predict, and a fair test keeps things the same. One-minute check: ask, "What does predict mean?" (To say what will happen next, using what you know.)

Day 28 — Bouncing Ball Patterns — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Day 2. Ask: "Which changed our pendulum's count more, the string length or the weight?" (The string length.) Then drop the ball and let it bounce until it stops. Ask: "What did you notice about each bounce?" (Each one was lower.) Say: "Let's measure that pattern and use it to predict."
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "A bouncing ball has a pattern. Each bounce is lower than the one before." Drop the ball again and count the bounces together. Ask: "Did any bounce go higher than the one before it?" (No.) Say: "Each time the ball hits the floor, it loses some of its bounce. You can hear part of it as sound." Write an example: a ball dropped from 36 inches bounces to 24, then 16, then 11. Ask: "Will the next bounce be higher or lower than 11?" (Lower.) Say: "The steps down were 12, then 8, then 5." Ask: "Is the next step likely bigger or smaller than 5?" (Smaller.) "So what is a good prediction?" (About 7 or 8 inches.) Say: "Here is a measuring trick. At the top of a bounce, the ball stops for an instant. So dropping it from that height acts like the next bounce." If stuck, say: "Look at the last two numbers. Go lower, but by a smaller step."
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — 1) Tape the yardstick upright on the wall with 0 at the floor. 2) Draw a chart with two columns: Bounce number, Height (inches). Make rows for bounces 1 to 5. 3) Hold the ball with its bottom at 36 inches. Open your fingers to drop it, with no push. 4) Your child kneels with eyes level with the bounce. Your child watches the bottom of the ball at its highest point and marks that height with tape. Drop twice more to check, then record bounce 1. 5) For bounce 2, drop the ball from the bounce 1 mark and record. Repeat for bounces 3 and 4. 6) Your child predicts bounce 5 from the pattern, writes it down, then tests. Change only the drop height. Keep the same ball, floor and no-push drop. Expect each height to be lower, with smaller steps down. The numbers depend on your ball. If a result looks odd, say: "Real results vary. Drop again and look for the pattern." Ask: "How close was your prediction?"
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Under the chart, your child circles the bounce 5 prediction and the measured height. Then finish two frames. "Each bounce was ___ than the one before." "My prediction was ___ inches off." Sample: "Each bounce was lower than the one before. My prediction was 2 inches off."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise a prediction that is lower than the last bounce and comes with a reason.

Watch for: Pushing the ball down instead of dropping it, which changes the start.

Try: Your child holds the ball with two fingers and simply opens them. Redo any trial that had a push.

Exit ticket:

A ball bounces 40 inches, then 30, then 22. Give a good prediction for the next bounce and tell why.
Why must you drop the ball instead of throwing it down?
Did any bounce go higher than the height you dropped the ball from? What does that tell you about the pattern?

Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for: a number below 22, such as 16, because each bounce is lower and the steps down get smaller. 2) A throw adds a push, so the start would not be the same each time. The test would not be fair. 3) No. Every bounce is lower than the one before.

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Day 4 · Thursday

Social Studies

Objective: I can describe Native nations today, including their governments, communities, and cultures.

Standards: D2.His.10.3-5, D2.His.2.3-5, D2.Civ.6.3-5

Builds on: Needs Days 1 to 3 and Week 1 ideas about community needs. One-minute check: ask, "Name one way knowledge is passed from elders to children." (Stories, songs or hands-on practice.)

New words:

reservation – land set aside as a homeland for a Native nation, where the nation has its own government
citizen – a member of a nation
claim – an answer that you can back up with evidence

Day 29 — Native Nations Today — Big Question Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 1. Ask: "Name three needs every community has." (Sample: safety, health and learning.) Then ask the day's wonder: "Suppose a friend said Native nations are only in the past. What would you tell your friend?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Native nations are living communities today. In the 2020 census, about 9.7 million people said they are American Indian or Alaska Native." Say: "A reservation is land set aside as a homeland for a Native nation. There the nation has its own government. Not every nation has a reservation." Say: "Many Native people live on reservations. Many others live in cities and towns all over the country." Say: "Native nations meet community needs. They choose leaders, make laws, and run schools, clinics and businesses. They teach their languages." Point to northeastern Arizona and northeastern Oklahoma on the map. Say: "The Navajo Nation has its capital in Window Rock. The Cherokee Nation has its capital in Tahlequah." Ask: "Who governs a reservation?" (The Native nation whose homeland it is.) "Do all Native people live on one?" (No.) If stuck, say: "Think of our town. Who runs its schools and makes its rules?"
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Compare two sources. Read both aloud. Source A, a fact card written for this lesson: "The Cherokee Nation has its government in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It has more than 450,000 citizens. Citizens vote for a Principal Chief and a Tribal Council. The nation runs health centers, a language school and many businesses." Source B, a made-up letter written for this lesson: "I am a Cherokee Nation citizen, and I live in Tulsa. On Saturdays I take a Cherokee language class. Each year near Labor Day my family goes to the Cherokee National Holiday in Tahlequah. I like the parade best." 1) In the notebook, draw a chart with two columns: Source A and Source B. 2) Your child writes two facts about today under each in pencil. 3) Ask: "What does Source A tell that B does not?" (The number of citizens and how leaders are chosen.) "What does Source B tell that A does not?" (One child's daily life and a yearly gathering.) "Which words in B show Native people live in cities?" ("I live in Tulsa.") 4) Say: "A claim is an answer backed by evidence. My claim: the Cherokee Nation is a living nation today." Ask: "Give two pieces of evidence and name each source." (Sample: citizens vote, Source A; a language class, Source B.) 5) Say: "The United States forced the Cherokee from their Southeast homelands in the 1830s. You will learn more in Week 7."
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Your child makes a fact card titled "The ____ Today" for the Cherokee Nation or the nation in your prep notes. It has three rows: Where its government is, One thing the nation runs, One way it keeps its culture strong.
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Praise present-tense facts and answers that name the source.

Watch for: Thinking all Native people live on reservations, or that a reservation is not a real community with a government.

Try: Reread Source B, then Source A. Your child lists where the letter writer lives and what the nation runs.

Exit ticket:

Name two things a Native nation's government does or runs today.
How do citizens of the Cherokee Nation choose their leaders?
You read a fact card and a child's letter about the same nation. Why is it smart to read both?

Answers: 1) Any two: chooses leaders, makes laws, runs schools, clinics or businesses, teaches its language. 2) They vote. 3) Each source tells things the other does not. Together they give a fuller picture.

Mathematics

Objective: I can choose a strategy to solve mixed ×2, ×5 and ×10 facts.

Standards: 3.OA.C.7

Builds on: Needs Days 1 to 3: doubles for ×2, tens for ×10 and half of a ×10 fact for ×5. One-minute check: ask 2 × 6 (12), 10 × 6 (60) and 5 × 6 (30).

New words:

strategy – a plan for finding an answer you do not remember yet

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 2. Your child solves 427 + 386 (813). Then count by 5s to 50 and by 10s to 100 together. Ask: "Which count reaches 50 faster? Why?" (10s. Each jump is bigger.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Before you answer, look at the factors. Then pick a strategy." Write 2 × 8, 10 × 8 and 5 × 8 in a column. Point to 2 × 8. Ask: "Which strategy fits?" (Doubles. Double 8 is 16.) Write 2 × 8 = 16. Point to 10 × 8. Ask again. (Tens. 8 tens is 80.) Write 10 × 8 = 80. Point to 5 × 8. Ask again. (Half of the ×10 fact. Half of 80 is 40.) Write 5 × 8 = 40. Say: "Three facts about 8 needed three strategies." Next, write 9 × 2. Say: "The 2 comes second here. Turning an array keeps the total, so I can still double 9." Write 9 × 2 = 18. Say: "Look for the 2, the 5 or the 10 in either place." Now your child does more. Write 2 × 4, 10 × 4 and 5 × 4. Your child names each strategy and writes the products (8, 40, 20).
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Mix the fact cards. Your child names the strategy before the product. 1) 7 × 2 (double 7 is 14). 2) 10 × 6 (6 tens is 60). 3) 5 × 6 (half of 60 is 30). 4) 9 × 5 (count by 5s to 45). If stuck, say: "Which factor is 2, 5 or 10? What does that strategy tell you to do?" Then go through the other cards with no timer. Your child sorts them into "know it" and "still building" piles.
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Your child writes each product and the first letter of the strategy: D for doubles, T for tens, H for half. 1) 2 × 9 (18; D). 2) 3 × 10 (30; T). 3) 5 × 2 (10; H or D). 4) 8 × 5 (40; H). 5) 10 × 10 (100; T). 6) Your child colors 5 rows of 4 on grid paper and writes the sentence (5 × 4 = 20). 7) Ravi has 6 packs of juice with 5 boxes in each pack. How many boxes? (6 × 5 = 30) 8) Yuki buys 7 bags of 10 apples. How many apples? (7 × 10 = 70) Check each answer with a different strategy or by skip-counting.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Put the cards away. Read each question aloud; your child writes the answers.

Watch for: Using the wrong strategy for the table, such as doubling for 5 × 6 and saying 12.

Try: Your child circles the 2, 5 or 10 in the fact and says its strategy name aloud before solving.

Exit ticket:

What is 6 × 2? Name your strategy.
What is 3 × 5?
Which strategy helps with a ×5 fact you do not remember?

Answers: 1) 12; doubles (double 6) 2) 15 3) Answers vary. Look for: half of the ×10 fact, or counting by 5s.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can use a table of contents, glossary and index to find information quickly.

Standards: RI.3.5, RI.3.4, L.3.4.D, L.3.2.G

Builds on: Needs Week 1 Day 1, naming the parts of a book, and ABC order. One-minute check: your child puts owl, cactus and lizard in ABC order. (cactus, lizard, owl)

New words:

index – a list at the very back of a book that gives topics in ABC order with page numbers
key word – an important word you look up to find information
guide words – the two words at the top of a dictionary page that show its first and last words
sidebar – a box beside the main text that holds extra facts
hyperlink – a word or picture on a screen that you click to jump to more information

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study, Unit 1 review. Ask: "Which word names a tree with sweet sap?" (maple) "Which word names a solid shape with six square faces?" (cube) Your child uses slide and corn in one sentence each. (Sample: I went down the slide. We ate corn for dinner.) Spaced review, Week 5. Ask: "Is 'Honesty keeps friends close' an event or a message?" (A message. It is a lesson for anyone.)
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Three book parts help you find things fast. The table of contents is at the front. It lists chapters and their first pages. The glossary is near the back. It is a small dictionary of the book's special words. The index is at the very back. It lists topics in ABC order with page numbers." Show these parts of a book called Life in the Desert, or copy them before the lesson: [Table of Contents. 1 Hot Days, Cold Nights, page 3. 2 Desert Plants, page 8. 3 Desert Animals, page 14. Glossary, page 28. Index, page 30. Glossary. burrow: a hole an animal digs to live in. nocturnal: active at night. Index. cactus, 9–12. coyotes, 16. lizards, 15, 19. owls, 17. rain, 5.] Think aloud: "I want to read about owls. Owl is my key word. I find it in the index: page 17." Then sketch a web page on plain paper. Draw a main text box, a side box labeled Extra Facts, and one underlined word. Say: "The side box is a sidebar. The underlined word is a hyperlink. Clicking it jumps to more information."
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — 1) Ask: "The index says cactus, 9–12. What does the dash mean?" (All the pages from 9 through 12.) 2) Ask: "Where would you find what nocturnal means? What does it mean?" (In the glossary. Active at night.) 3) Ask: "Which chapter tells about lizards? How do you know?" (Chapter 3, Desert Animals. Pages 15 and 19 come after page 14.) 4) Open the dictionary. Say: "Guide words sit at the top of each page. One is the page's first word. The other is its last." Write the guide words cabin and camel. Ask: "Would cactus be on this page? Would candle?" (Cactus, yes. It comes between them. Candle, no. It comes after camel.) If stuck, say: "The glossary tells what it means. The index tells where it is."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — 1) Your child looks up apple and maple in the dictionary. They write the guide words for each page and check each spelling. 2) They look up burrow and compare its meaning with the glossary. 3) They answer in the reader's notebook from the Life in the Desert pages: Which chapter starts on page 8? What page tells about rain? Which part gives the meaning of burrow? (Desert Plants. Page 5. The glossary.) 4) In their own nonfiction book, they find the table of contents and look up one topic. Look for: guide words copied from the right page; page numbers checked by turning to them.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read each question aloud. Your child answers in full sentences with the desert pages in view.

Watch for: Using the glossary to find page numbers, or the index to find meanings.

Try: Teach the saying: "The glossary tells what it means. The index tells where it is."

Exit ticket:

Where in a book is the index, and what order is it in?
You want to read about coyotes in Life in the Desert. Which part do you use, and what page do you turn to?
A dictionary page has the guide words "mail" and "march." Is "maple" on that page? How do you know?

Answers: 1) At the very back, in ABC order. 2) The index. Page 16. 3) Yes. In ABC order, maple comes after mail and before march.

Science

Objective: I can use a pattern I observed to predict future motion and check my prediction.

Standards: 3-PS2-2

Builds on: Needs Days 1 to 3: the pendulum counts and the bounce heights. One-minute check: ask, "A ball bounced 30, then 20, then 13 inches. Will bounce 4 be higher or lower than 13?" (Lower.)

Day 29 — Predicting Future Motion — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 5. Ask: "Can a magnet pull a paper clip through a sheet of paper? Why does a thick book stop it?" (Yes. The book adds distance, and the pull gets weaker.) Then hold up the pendulum. Ask: "Can you tell me its count before I start the timer?" Say: "Today you predict first, then check."
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Say: "Once you know a pattern, you can predict what happens next. People predict sunrise times, ocean tides and where a planet will be this way." Model with the pendulum. Count full swings for 30 seconds, three times, and write the counts. Ask: "What do the three counts have in common?" (They are the same, or one apart.) Ask: "What is your prediction for trial 4?" (The same count, give or take one.) Test it. Ask: "Was it close? Why?" (Yes. The pendulum follows a pattern.) Say: "A prediction is not a wild guess. It comes from data." Say: "Some patterns stay the same, like these counts. Others change in a steady way, like bounces getting lower." Ask: "Which kind is a bouncing ball?" (It changes in a steady way.) If stuck, say: "What happened each time so far? So what should happen next?"
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — 1) Your child picks one motion. Car roll: lean one book on two stacked books as a ramp. Let the car go from the top and measure how far it rolls past the ramp. Bounce: tape the yardstick to a wall and measure the first bounce. Use drop heights of 36, 30, 24, 18 and 12 inches. 2) Draw a chart: Trial, Prediction, Result (inches). 3) Run and record trials 1 to 3. 4) Your child writes predictions for trials 4 and 5, with a reason from the data. 5) Run trials 4 and 5 and compare. For the car, change nothing: same car, ramp, start spot and floor, with no push. For the ball, change only the drop height. Expect the car's rolls to be close to each other. Expect bounce heights to step down as the drop height steps down. If a prediction misses, say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern." Ask: "How did the first three results help you?" (They showed the pattern.)
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — Under the chart, your child finishes two frames. "My predictions were ___ because the motion follows a pattern of ___." "Next time I would ___." Sample: "My predictions were close because the car rolls about the same distance each time. Next time I would do more trials."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud. Praise predictions that point to numbers in the chart.

Watch for: Predicting a favorite or random number instead of using the data.

Try: Cover the prediction column. Ask, "What happened each time so far?" Your child reads the three results aloud, then predicts.

Exit ticket:

A toy car rolled 30, 31 and 30 inches from the same ramp spot. Predict the next roll and tell why.
The sun set a minute or two earlier each evening this week. What do you predict for tomorrow evening?
What must you do before you can make a good prediction about a motion?

Answers: 1) About 30 inches, because every roll so far was 30 or 31. 2) It will set a minute or two earlier again, because that is the pattern. 3) Observe or measure it several times and find the pattern.

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Day 5 · Friday

Social Studies

Objective: I can show what I know about communities, geography, and Native nations in the Unit 1 test.

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

Builds on: Needs all of Unit 1, Weeks 1 to 6. One-minute check: ask, "Name one Native nation and one thing it does today." (Sample: the Cherokee Nation runs health centers.)

Day 30 — Week 6 Check and Unit 1 Test — Big Question Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review, one question per earlier week. "Name a community need." (Sample: safety.) "Name the three community types." (Urban, suburban and rural.) "Name the four cardinal directions." (North, south, east and west.) "Name one landform and one body of water." (Sample: a hill and a pond.) Today's big question: "What are the most important ideas in Unit 1?"
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Review this week's ideas with new questions. Say: "Native peoples were the first people here, and Native nations are living nations today." Ask: "Finish it: 'The Navajo Nation has its capital in ____.'" (Window Rock, Arizona.) Say: "Each nation used the resources of its own region." Ask: "Which resource did Tlingit and Haida builders use for plank houses?" (Cedar.) "What did Hopi farmers do so corn could grow in dry land?" (They planted it deep to reach water.) Say: "Knowledge of the land passes from elders to children." Ask: "Name one way it is passed on." (Stories, songs or hands-on practice.) Say: "Good readers compare sources." Ask: "Why read two sources about one nation?" (Each tells things the other does not.) If your child misses one, say: "Let us find that day's notebook page." Reread it together, then ask again.
Activity / Source Work (15–20 min) — Give the Unit 1 test. Find it on the Assessments page. It has five sections: communities, community types, map skills, land and resources, and Native nations. The whole test takes 30 to 35 minutes with no rush, which is longer than this block. So split it. Today, give sections 1 to 3, about 20 minutes. Give sections 4 and 5 later today or on your next school day, about 15 minutes. 1) Read the adult directions on the test first. 2) You may read every item and source box aloud. 3) Your child may look back at the map box and the sources at any time. 4) Give scrap paper for sketching the test's map. 5) Do not teach or hint during the test. 6) Score it when all five sections are done, using the scoring notes. They name the weeks and days to revisit for any weak section. Look for the section that needs more practice, not only the total.
Notebook Entry (10 min) — Keep this short today. In the notebook, your child finishes two frames in pencil. "The Unit 1 topic I know best is ____. One thing I want to learn more about Native nations is ____." Sample: "I want to learn more about how the Ojibwe harvest wild rice."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Read the three exit questions aloud. Then give the stored Week 6 check, 7 items with a short reading, about 10 minutes. Give it after a short break or later the same day. The reading is about the Makah Tribe of Washington State. Makah Tribe is the name the nation uses for itself. With 6 or more right on the check, move on. With 4 or 5 right, redo the Day 2 chart and match each home to its resource. With 3 or fewer right, reteach the Day 4 Mini-Lesson and reread both sources. Then list three things the nation does now. Praise present-tense sentences about Native nations.

Watch for: Slipping into the past tense when describing Native nations on the test.

Try: Before the test, your child says two sentences that begin "The ____ Nation is ..." or "The ____ Nation has ...".

Exit ticket:

Name one Native nation and the region of its homelands.
Why did Lakota families cover their tipis with bison hides and not with bark?
Why should we say "Native nations are" and not only "Native nations were"?

Answers: 1) Answers vary. Look for a correct pair, such as Lakota on the Great Plains or Haudenosaunee in the Northeast. 2) The Plains had many bison and few trees. 3) Native nations are living nations today, with their own governments and communities.

Mathematics

Objective: I can show what I know on the Week 6 fact check and the Unit 1 test.

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

Builds on: Needs Weeks 1 to 6: place value, rounding, adding and subtracting within 1,000, equal groups and arrays. Also needs the ×2, ×5 and ×10 facts. One-minute check: ask 2 × 9 (18) and which strategy helped (doubles).

Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review from Week 1. Your child rounds 563 to the nearest 10 (560) and the nearest 100 (600). Then count by 5s to 50 together.
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Play Strategy Sort for 10 minutes. Lay the three slips in a row. Mix the fact cards face down. Say: "Flip a card. Name the strategy. Say the product. Put the card under its slip." Model one turn. Flip 5 × 4. Say: "Half of the ×10 fact. 10 × 4 = 40. Half of 40 is 20." Put the card under Half. Now your child takes every turn. Ask each time: "Which factor tells you the strategy?" A fact such as 2 × 5 fits two slips; either is right. Stop after about 12 cards. Then warm up two older skills. Your child solves 456 + 287 (743) and 603 − 278 (325). Remind your child to estimate first and to check subtraction by adding.
Guided Practice (10–15 min) — Give the stored Week 6 check now. It is this week's fact check, with 8 items. Do not time it. Your child may draw, skip-count or use any strategy. Score it with the answer key and note each missed fact. Choose a route for next week. 6 or more right: move on to Week 7. 4 or 5 right: match each miss to a day. Missed ×2 facts: redo Day 1 Guided Practice. Missed ×10 facts: redo Day 2 Guided Practice. Missed ×5 facts or the last two items: redo Day 3 Guided Practice. 3 or fewer right: reteach the Day 1, 2 and 3 Mini-Lessons, one each day. If stuck, say: "Skip it for now. Come back and name the strategy."
Independent Practice (15–20 min) — Give the Unit 1 test from the Assessments page. Allow 30 to 40 minutes, so this block runs longer than usual. The test is not timed. Take a short break between parts if your child is tired. Read the directions for each part aloud. Your child may use counters and grid paper but no multiplication chart. Do not teach or hint. If your child is stuck, say: "Do your best, then we can move on." Score it with the answer key and find the level at the end. Then choose a route by part. Place value missed: revisit Week 1 Days 1 to 3. Rounding missed: revisit Week 1 Days 4 and 5. Adding missed: revisit Week 2 Days 3 and 4. Subtracting missed: revisit Week 3 Days 3 and 4. Equal groups and arrays missed: revisit Week 4 Days 1 to 3. Facts missed: revisit Week 6 Days 1 to 3.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — After the test, your child answers these three questions aloud or on paper. Then go over any missed test items together.

Watch for: Guessing a fact fast instead of using a strategy, then leaving a wrong product.

Try: Say: "There is no clock today." Your child whispers the strategy name before writing each product.

Exit ticket:

What is 6 × 5? Tell your strategy.
Which part of the test felt easiest?
Which skill will you practice next week?

Answers: 1) 30; count by 5s, or half of 60 2) Answers vary. Look for: a named skill. 3) Answers vary. Look for: a named skill and a plan.

English Language Arts

Objective: I can show what I know about text features on the Week 6 check and the Unit 1 test.

Standards: RI.3.5, RI.3.7, RL.3.2, RL.3.3

Builds on: Needs this week's text features and the story skills of Weeks 1–5. One-minute check: ask, "Which book part would you use to find the page about owls?" (The index.)

Warm-Up (5 min) — Word study check, not timed. Say each word in a sentence, and your child writes it in the reader's notebook: kite, slide, sleep, corn, candle, maple. Challenge word: thirsty. Correct together and name each syllable type. Spaced review, Week 3. Ask: "What stem do we use to give text evidence?" (I know because the text says, "___.")
Mini-Lesson (10 min) — Say: "Today has two parts: the weekly check and the first part of the Unit 1 test. Let's warm up." Play Which Tool? Ask: "You want the chapter about volcano safety. Where do you look?" (The table of contents.) "You want every page that mentions lava." (The index.) "You want to know what a photo shows." (The caption.) "You want the part of a page about ash clouds." (The heading.) Your child finds one heading, one caption and one bold word in their nonfiction book. Then your child explains each story term in one sentence: character trait, text evidence, central message, moral, myth. Model two test habits: "Before I answer, I look back and put my finger on the proof. If a question is hard, I skip it and come back."
Guided Practice (15 min) — Your child takes the Week 6 English Language Arts Check alone. It has 8 items and takes about 15 minutes. Read the directions aloud, but give no hints. Score it later with the answer key. 6 or more right: your child is ready for Unit 2. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 2 practice page, then hunt for text features in a nonfiction book. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 2, and Day 4 if the glossary or index items were missed. Give a five-minute stretch break before the test.
Independent Practice (about 30 min) — The Unit 1 test is on the Assessments page. The whole test takes 45–55 minutes and may be split over two sittings. Today your child does the fable section and the text features section, about 30 minutes. Finish the other sections in a second sitting, later today or tomorrow. Follow the adult directions printed on the test. You may read each set of directions aloud, and also the questions about the reading. The story and the text features page are for your child to read alone. Give no spellings and no hints. If your child finishes early, they read their own nonfiction book quietly. Score with the test's key. Its notes name the weeks and days to revisit for each section.
Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the questions aloud after the test sitting. Spoken answers are fine today.

Watch for: Running out of energy on the test after the weekly check.

Try: Take the stretch break, offer water, and stop after two test sections. The second sitting can wait until tomorrow.

Exit ticket:

What is the difference between fiction and informational text?
You want to know which page mentions roots. Would you use the glossary, the index or a caption?
Name a text feature that teaches with a picture, and tell what it shows.

Answers: 1) Fiction is a made-up story. Informational text gives true facts about the real world. 2) The index. 3) Any one: a diagram shows parts or steps; a map shows places; a photo with a caption shows a real example.

Science

Objective: I can show what I know about motion patterns and all of Unit 1: forces, friction and magnets.

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

Builds on: Needs all of Weeks 1 to 6. One-minute check: ask, "What is a force?" (A push or a pull.)

Day 30 — Week 6 Check and Unit 1 Test — Wonder Warm-Up (5 min) — Spaced review of Unit 1 words. Swing the pendulum. Ask: "What pattern do you see? What will it do next?" (It swings back and forth. It will come back.) Then say each word, and your child tells or shows its meaning. The words: force, balanced, unbalanced, friction, pole, attract, repel, static electricity, pattern. Reteach any shaky word in one sentence. Say: "Today you show what you know. Take your time."
Mini-Lesson (10–15 min) — Give the stored Week 6 science check now: 7 items, about 10 minutes. Your child works alone, and you may read items aloud. Do not go over answers yet, because the unit test comes next. If your child is stuck on an item, say: "Skip it for now. Come back to it at the end." Score the check with its answer key when today's work is done. 6 or more right: your child is ready for Week 7. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 2 fair test with one new string length. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 by counting swings aloud with a short and a long string. Then repeat Day 2.
Investigation / Hands-On (15–20 min) — Give the Unit 1 test, found on the Assessments page. It covers Weeks 1 to 6: pushes and pulls, balanced forces, friction, magnets, static electricity and motion patterns. Allow 35 to 40 minutes. That is longer than this lesson slot, so splitting it over two days is fine. A good split: 1) Today, do the first two sections, about 20 minutes. 2) On the next school day, do the last two sections. You may read every question, table and answer choice aloud. Do not explain science words or hint. No magnets or other materials are used, so put the pendulum away. Short answers in your child's own words are fine. Score with the notes under each section. They name the weeks to revisit. If your child tires, stop after a section and say: "Good thinking. We will finish this later."
Science Notebook Entry (10 min) — After the test, your child writes a reflection with three frames. "One thing I know well is ___." "One thing I want to keep practicing is ___." "An investigation I would like to do again is ___." Sample: "I know magnets well. I want to keep practicing force arrows. I would like to do the marble run again."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket (5 min) — Ask the three exit questions aloud as a calm close to the unit. Praise effort and careful thinking, not the score.

Watch for: Rushing, and mixing up attract and repel.

Try: Before the check, your child says the rule once: "Opposites attract. Likes repel." Remind your child to reread each answer.

Exit ticket:

A pendulum is swinging to the left. Where will it be a moment later, and how do you know?
Pick one Unit 1 word that was hard for you. Use it in a sentence.
Which Unit 1 investigation taught you the most? What did it teach you?

Answers: 1) Swinging back to the right, because it repeats the same back-and-forth pattern. 2) Answers vary. Look for: the word used correctly, such as "Like poles repel." 3) Answers vary. Look for: a named investigation and one thing learned from it.

Print Day 5 practice pages →

Worksheets

math — Day 26 — Multiplication by 2
math — Day 27 — Multiplication by 10
math — Day 28 — Multiplication by 5
math — Day 29 — Mixed ×2, ×5, ×10
math — Day 30 — ×2, ×5, ×10 Mastery