Day 3 · Wednesday

Objective: I can explain how geography helped decide where my community was founded.

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

Materials: Notebook, Local map (a paper map, or a sketch you copy from any map), Highlighter, Week 4 landform and water notes, Local history source from Day 1, U.S. map, Pencil

1. Day 38 — Why Was It Founded Here? — Big Question Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 4. Open the Week 4 notes. Ask: "Name a landform, a body of water and a natural resource." (Sample: hill, river, trees.) Then ask the big question: "Why was our town built right here and not 10 miles away?" Write down your child's guess.

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "People chose a spot for a town because of the land and water there." Your child lists six reasons in the notebook as you teach them. Say: "A river gives water, travel and power for mills. A harbor is a safe place for ships. Flat farmland grows food. A mine gives something to sell. A crossroads is where roads or rail lines meet. A fort gave protection." Now use the U.S. map. Find Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Say: "Two rivers meet here and form the Ohio River. Boats could carry goods three ways." Find St. Louis, Missouri. Say: "It began as a trading post near where the Missouri River joins the Mississippi." Find Denver, Colorado. Say: "It grew fast after gold was found nearby in 1858. This was on Cheyenne and Arapaho homelands." Say: "The same rivers and trails mattered to Native nations first." Ask: "Why is a river useful to a new town?" (water, travel, power for mills) "What kind of place is good for ships?" (a harbor) "Why did Denver grow fast?" (Gold was found nearby.) If stuck, say: "Ask what people needed: water, food, a way to travel, something to sell."

3. Activity / Source Work · 15–20 min

   Study your own town. 1) On the local map, find the oldest part of town. It is often near the main street or the old station. 2) Your child highlights features near it: rivers, lakes, coast, rail lines, main roads, hills. 3) Make a chart with two columns: Feature, and Close to the oldest part? Write yes or no for each feature. 4) Your child picks one or two likely reasons the town is here. 5) Look in the local history source for one sentence that supports a reason. Your child reads it aloud. If you find none, write "our best guess" beside the reason. 6) Ask: "Was this feature here when the town started? What is your evidence?" Keep the question the same for every feature. The source may give a different reason than the map suggests. Record both and say: "Real places often have more than one reason."

4. Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Your child makes a "Why Here?" chart with two columns: Feature, and How it helped the town. Fill two rows. Sample: River: water for homes and power for a mill. Railroad: carried crops to cities. If your Week 6 notes tell how the Native nation uses this land or water, add one sentence about it.

5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Read the exit questions aloud; your child may point to the map. Praise reasons that were true when the town began.

Homework: Show a family member the feature that helped our town start, on a map or in person. Look for: your child explains how it helped.

Objective: I can use ×10 minus one group and the digit-sum pattern to find my ×9 facts.

Standards: 3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.B.5, 3.OA.D.9

Materials: Grid paper, Crayon, 30 counters (dried beans, coins or buttons), for extra support, Notebook, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 6. Ask 4 × 10, 7 × 10 and 10 × 9 (40, 70, 90). Then practice taking one group from a tens number. Ask 40 − 4, 60 − 6 and 80 − 8 (36, 54, 72).

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "Nine groups is 10 groups minus one group." Write 9 × 7. On grid paper, outline 10 rows of 7 squares. Ask: "How many squares are in 10 rows of 7?" (70) Your child crosses out the whole bottom row with the crayon. Ask: "How many rows are left? How many squares did you cross out?" (9 rows; 7 squares) Write 70 − 7 = 63. Say: "So 9 × 7 = 63." Now your child does more. Write 9 × 4. Ask: "What is the ×10 fact? What do you take away?" (10 × 4 = 40; 40 − 4 = 36) Say: "Now look for a pattern." Write the ×9 products in a column together: 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, 90. Ask: "What happens to the tens digit each time? The ones digit?" (Tens go up 1. Ones go down 1.) Say: "Each new group adds 9. Adding 9 is adding 10, then taking away 1."

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   Your child says the ×10 fact, then writes the subtraction. 1) 9 × 6 (60 − 6 = 54). 2) 9 × 8 (80 − 8 = 72). 3) 9 × 3 (30 − 3 = 27). 4) Point to the column of ×9 products. Ask: "Add the two digits of each product. What do you notice?" (They add to 9 each time.) Ask: "Why?" (One more ten and one fewer one keeps the digit total the same.) If stuck, say: "Say the ×10 fact first. Now take away one whole group. How big is one group?"

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   For problems 1 to 5, your child writes the subtraction. 1) 9 × 2 (20 − 2 = 18). 2) 9 × 5 (50 − 5 = 45). 3) 9 × 10 (100 − 10 = 90). 4) 6 × 9, turned to 9 × 6 (54). 5) 8 × 9, turned to 9 × 8 (72). 6) Your child outlines 10 rows of 3 and crosses out one row. Then your child writes the subtraction (30 − 3 = 27). 7) 9 tables seat 4 children each. How many children in all? (36) 8) A team has 9 players. There are 7 teams. How many players in all? (63) Last, your child adds the digits of each product as a check. A total that is not 9 means look again.

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Cover the column of ×9 products. Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper.

Fact fluency: ×9 facts

Homework: Your child writes the ×10 fact and the subtraction for 9 × 6 and 9 × 8, then checks the digits. Answers: 60 − 6 = 54; 80 − 8 = 72.

Objective: I can use linking words to connect my opinion and reasons.

Standards: W.3.1.C, L.3.6, L.3.1.H

Materials: Your child's opinion, reasons and example from Day 2, The 'Game Night' mentor paragraph (Day 1), 1 index card, Reader's notebook, Pencil

1. Warm-Up · 5 min

   Word study, dividing words. Dictate: "The rabbit ate a muffin at the picnic." Your child writes it, and you check it together. Ask: "Where do you divide rabbit, muffin and picnic?" (rab|bit, muf|fin, pic|nic) Spaced review from Week 1. Ask: "What three parts does a story retelling need?" (Beginning, middle and end.)

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Read two versions aloud. "I like dogs. They are loyal. They are fun." "I like dogs because they are loyal. Also, they are fun." Ask: "Which sounds smoother?" (The second.) Say: "You used linking words in Week 7. In opinion writing, they connect an opinion to its reasons." Write a chart on the index card: because, since, also, another reason, in addition, for example, therefore. Find the linking words in "Game Night" together: First, Another reason, For example, For these reasons. Say: "Some linking words are conjunctions, or joining words. And, but, or and so join two complete sentences. Put a comma before them." Write: Many kids like chess, but our school has no club. Say: "Because, since, when and if begin a part that is not a sentence by itself." Write: We need a chess club because rainy recesses are boring. Cover the first five words. Ask: "Is the rest a sentence by itself?" (No.)

3. Guided Practice · 10–15 min

   Read this choppy draft aloud: "Dogs make the best pets. Dogs are loyal. Dogs get you outside. My dog Pepper waits by the door for her walk." 1) Ask: "Which linking word could start the first reason?" (First, or One reason is that.) 2) Ask: "Start the second reason a different way." (Also, In addition, or Another reason is that.) 3) Ask: "Which phrase fits before the Pepper sentence?" (For example.) 4) Your child joins two ideas with a conjunction. (Sample: Dogs are loyal, and they get you outside.) Your child reads the new version aloud. If stuck, say: "Look at the chart. Which word adds one more reason? Which adds an example?"

4. Independent Practice · 15–20 min

   Your child drafts an opinion paragraph in the notebook, using the Day 2 page. 1) The opinion sentence. 2) Reason 1 with a linking word. 3) Reason 2 with a different linking word. 4) One example that begins "For example." Model: "I believe every kid should grow a plant. First, growing a plant teaches you to care for something every day. In addition, it lets you watch how living things change. For example, my bean plant grew two new leaves last week." Checklist: at least three different linking words. A comma after First, In addition and For example. One sentence with because, and, but or so. The conclusion comes on Day 4.

5. Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Read each question aloud. Your child answers the first two aloud and uses the draft for the third.

Homework: Your child reads the draft to a family member and points to each linking word. Look for: three different linking words.

Objective: I can carry out my fair test carefully and record my data.

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

Materials: Materials from the plan (toy car, 3 same-size books, ramp board), Tape measure, Masking tape, 3 paper slips, Notebook with the results table, and pencil

1. Day 38 — Run the Investigation — Wonder Warm-Up · 5 min

   Spaced review from Week 3. Ask: "Which usually has more friction for a sliding book, a rug or a smooth table?" (A rug.) Then your child reads the steps aloud and points to each item on the "keep the same" list. Ask: "Will every trial give the same number?" (Probably close, but not exactly the same.)

2. Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min

   Say: "Run every trial the same way. Write each result right away. If something goes wrong, write a note and redo that trial." Show how to measure. Put the tape measure's zero at the bottom of the ramp. Read the number at the front of the car. Say: "If the car stops between two inch marks, choose the closer one." Next, teach the middle value. Write 31, 27 and 30 on three paper slips. Your child puts them in order: 27, 30, 31. Say: "The middle value is 30. It stands for all three trials." Ask: "The car stops between 18 and 19, closer to 19. What do you write?" (19 inches.) "What is the middle value of 12, 9 and 10?" (10.) "The car hits a chair leg. What do you do?" (Write a note and redo the trial.) If stuck, say: "Put the numbers in order, smallest to biggest. Touch the one in the middle."

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

   Change: the ramp height. Keep the same: the car, the board, the start line, the floor and the release. Measure: distance in inches. 1) Set up 1 book. 2) Your child holds the car at the start line and lets go without pushing. 3) Measure to the front of the car and record it at once. 4) Do 3 trials. 5) Repeat with 2 books, then 3 books. Table: Height | Trial 1 | Trial 2 | Trial 3 | Middle. Sample data only: 1 book: 22, 25, 24 inches. 2 books: 41, 38, 40. 3 books: 55, 58, 57. Expect the car to roll farther from higher ramps most of the time. On a very steep ramp, the car may bump the floor and roll less. Say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern." Keep the rolling path clear of feet.

4. Science Notebook Entry · 10 min

   Your child finishes the table and circles the middle value in each row. For the sample data, those are 24, 40 and 57. Then: "One thing I noticed was ___." Sample: "One thing I noticed was that the three trials were close together."

5. Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket · 5 min

   Read the three exit questions aloud; your child answers on paper. Praise careful, same-way trials more than big numbers.

Homework: Your child tells a family member the results so far. Look for: real numbers, and whether they match the prediction.