Builds on: Needs Days 1 to 4: the founding card, founder cards, Why Here chart and Then-and-Now chart. One-minute check: ask, "What year was our town founded?" (The year on the founding card.)
Materials: Stored Week 8 check and its answer key, Founding card, Why Here chart, and Then-and-Now chart, Pencil, Notebook, Large paper, Markers, Local map, highlighter and town photos from this week (for reteaching)
Day 40 — Week 8 Check: Our Community's Story — Big Question Warm-Up · 5 min
Spaced review from Week 7. Ask: "Name one peaceful way Cherokee people tried to stop removal." (Any one: a petition, court, a newspaper, sending leaders to Washington.) Then tell the story in four fingers. Hold up one finger for each part and your child says it: when, who, where and why, and one change.
Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min
Review the week, then practice making a claim. Lay out the founding card and both charts. Your child touches each and says one fact from it. Say: "A claim is an answer you can back up. Evidence is the facts from sources that back it up." Model with the made-up town from Day 2. Say: "My claim: Harlow Springs is where it is because of the spring and the wagon road. My evidence: the history page says families stopped at the spring. An old map shows the road." Ask: "Which sentence is the claim?" (The first one.) "How many sources gave evidence?" (Two: the history page and the old map.) Then practice one item: "A town began where two roads crossed near a copper mine. Why was that a good spot for a town? Give two reasons." (Travelers and goods passed through. The mine gave jobs and something to sell.) If stuck, say: "Say the claim first. Then say: my evidence is ____, from ____."
Activity / Source Work · 15–20 min
Give the stored Week 8 check now. It has 7 items and takes about 15 minutes. It includes a short reading, which you may read aloud. Your child works alone; then score it with the answer key. Choose a route by the result. 6 or more right: move on, and add an interview with an older neighbor to the poster. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 4 notebook page. Then compare one more pair of old and new photos. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 3 by highlighting rivers, roads and rail lines on the local map. Then rebuild the Day 1 timeline. After the check, begin a "Founding of My Town" poster on the large paper with markers. It needs four parts. Draw a timeline from the Native nation to today. Add the founders, a small map of the key feature, and one then-and-now pair. Finish it over the weekend.
Notebook Entry · 10 min
Your child writes a claim paragraph that answers the compelling question from Day 1: "Our community is here because ____. Before it was founded, the ____ people lived here, and they ____ today. My evidence is ____ (from ____) and ____ (from ____)." Use two different sources. Sample evidence: "the mill on the old map (from the library book) and the founding story (from the town history page)."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket · 5 min
After the check, read the exit questions aloud. Praise every answer that names its source.
Watch for: Mixing up the founding year with the year a building or school was built.
Try: Go back to the source together. Your child points to the sentence that gives the founding year.
Exit ticket:
Tell our town's story in four parts: when, who, where and why, and one change.
What is the difference between a claim and evidence?
Name two different sources you used this week. Which one told you about the people who lived here first?
Show answers
Answers vary. Look for: the founding year, the founders, a geographic reason and one then-and-now change.
A claim is your answer. Evidence is the facts from sources that show the claim is true.
Answers vary. Look for: two named sources, and one that tells about the Native nation.
Support: Read the check aloud. For the paragraph, your child says each sentence and you write it.
Extend: Your child finishes the poster and adds one sentence copied from a local source, with the source's name.
Homework: Tell a family member our town's story in four sentences: when, who, where and why, and how it changed. Look for: all four parts.
Practice page · Week 8, Day 5
Social Studies
I can get ready by reviewing how towns begin.
Get ready: circle the best answer.
1.
A town's founding is when:
○ people first lived there○ it officially became a town○ it got a bus line
2.
A good place to find local history is:
○ a cereal box○ the historical society○ a toy store
3.
A harbor helped towns grow because:
○ ships could bring goods○ it was very steep○ nothing grew there
4.
The people who started a town are its:
○ founders○ helpers○ explorers
Begin your poster plan.
5.
Sketch boxes for: timeline, founders, a small map and a then-and-now pair.
Challenge:One founding fact I will remember:
Materials: large paper
Mathematics
Objective: I can show what I know about ×7, ×8 and ×9 facts (Week 8 check).
Standards: 3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.A.3
Builds on: Needs everything from Days 1 to 4. One-minute check: your child names the strategy for ×7, ×8 and ×9 facts. Listen for: 5 groups and 2 groups; double the ×4 fact; 10 groups minus one group.
Materials: Stored Week 8 check and its answer key, Playing cards, aces through 10s, 3 paper slips marked 7, 8 and 9, Grid paper (for reteaching), Scrap paper, Notebook, Pencil
Warm-Up · 5 min
Spaced review from Weeks 6 and 7. Ask 6 × 6, 4 × 8 and 3 × 7 (36, 32, 21). Then ask 7 × 5, 8 × 5 and 9 × 5 (35, 40, 45). Your child tells how one answer was found.
Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min
Play Flip and Solve for 10 minutes. Place the three slips face down. An ace is 1. Say: "The slip is the number of groups. The card is how many in each group." Model one turn. Draw the 9 slip, then flip a 2. Say: "9 groups of 2. Ten groups is 20. Take away one group." Write 20 − 2 = 18. Now your child takes every turn: draw a slip, flip a card, name the strategy, write the steps, say the product. Ask each turn: "How many groups? Which strategy fits?" A correct turn wins the card. There is no clock. Play about 8 turns.
Guided Practice · 10–15 min
Do three check-style problems together. 1) 7 × 7 (35 + 14 = 49). 2) 8 × 9 (36 doubled is 72). 3) Jamal reads 4 pages a day for 8 days. How many pages in all? (8 × 4 = 32) If stuck, say: "How many groups? How many in each group? Which strategy fits?"
Independent Practice · 15–20 min
Give the stored Week 8 check now. It has 8 items and no clock. Your child works alone for about 15 minutes, then you score it with the answer key. Scrap paper for strategy steps is fine. Choose a route by the result. 6 or more right: move on to Week 9. Your child can play Flip and Solve with the 7, 8 and 9 slips for fun. 4 or 5 right: find the kind of item missed. For ×7 facts, redo Day 1 Guided Practice. For ×8 facts, redo Day 2 Guided Practice. For ×9 facts, redo Day 3 Guided Practice. For word problems, redo problems 7 and 8 from Day 4 with a sketch. Then your child makes a fact card for each missed fact, with the strategy on the back. 3 or fewer right: reteach the Day 1, 2 and 3 Mini-Lessons on grid paper. Your child colors each fact as an array to see the easier facts inside it. Teach one each day, then give the check again.
Exit Ticket · 5 min
After the check, your child answers these three questions; then go over any missed check items together.
Watch for: Adding the two numbers in a word problem instead of multiplying, such as 8 + 7 = 15.
Try: Your child sketches the equal groups first. Ask: "How many groups? How many in each?"
Fact fluency: ×7, ×8 and ×9 facts
Exit ticket:
What is 7 × 9?
What is 8 × 6?
Which table felt strongest this week, and why?
Show answers
63
48
Answers vary. Look for: a named table and a reason, such as a strategy that makes sense.
Support: Read each check item aloud. Let your child draw the strategy on grid paper before writing an answer.
Extend: Your child writes and solves a two-step problem with a ×8 fact. Sample: 8 bags of 6 apples, 10 eaten; 48 − 10 = 38.
Homework: Play 10 turns of Flip and Solve with a family member. Say the strategy each turn. Sample: the 8 slip and a 4 card make 8 groups of 4; 16 doubled is 32.
Practice page · Week 8, Day 5
Mathematics
I can get ready for my weekly check on ×7, ×8 and ×9 facts.
Get ready: mixed facts.
1.
7 × 10 = ____
2.
8 × 1 = ____
3.
9 × 10 = ____
4.
2 × 7 = ____
5.
8 × 4 = ____
6.
9 × 1 = ____
Solve.
7.
Rafa reads 9 pages each night for 5 nights. How many pages?
8.
Which table, ×7, ×8 or ×9, is strongest for you? Which needs work?
Challenge:Use 10 × 7 to find 9 × 7.
English Language Arts
Objective: I can show what I know about writing an opinion paragraph.
Builds on: Needs Days 1 to 4: the four parts of an opinion paragraph. One-minute check: ask, "What does a conclusion do?" (It tells the opinion again in different words.)
Materials: Week 8 English Language Arts Check and its answer key (find it with the Week 8 lessons), Reader's notebook, Linking-words chart from Day 3, Pencil, Your child's own book
Warm-Up · 5 min
Word study, dividing words. Give a spelling check with no timer. Say each word, then a short sentence: rabbit, basket, helmet, begin, fever, tulip. Challenge word: problem. Correct it together, and your child divides and rewrites any missed word. Spaced review from Week 7. Ask: "Simple, compound or complex: Because it rained, the game ended early?" (Complex.)
Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min
Recap the four parts on fingers. One finger: opinion. Two: reasons. Three: linking words. Four: conclusion. Your child says them while counting. Then write this paragraph in the notebook or read it aloud. Title: Pack Your Own Lunch. 'I believe kids should pack their own lunches. First, you get to choose food you will really eat. Also, packing teaches you to plan ahead. For example, I wash my apple and fill my water bottle the night before. That is why I pack my lunch every school night.' Think aloud: "I check the four parts. The opinion is the first sentence. The reasons are choosing your food and learning to plan ahead. The example shows planning ahead. I hear First, Also, For example and That is why." Ask: "Which words bring in the example?" (For example.) Say: "The last sentence is the conclusion, and it uses new words."
Guided Practice · 10–15 min
Use this practice prompt: "Should kids help cook dinner?" Talk it through, but do not write a paragraph. 1) Your child states an opinion aloud. Ask: "Could someone disagree?" (Yes, so it is an opinion.) 2) Your child gives two reasons. Ask of each: "Does it tell why?" 3) Your child says each reason again with a linking word from the chart. 4) Your child says a conclusion with a stem. (Sample: For these reasons, kids belong in the kitchen at dinner time.) If stuck, say: "Start with 'I think.' Then tell me why, twice."
Independent Practice · 15–20 min
Give the Week 8 English Language Arts Check now. It has 8 items. Your child works alone for about 15 minutes. Score it with the answer key, then choose a route. 6 or more right: move on to Week 9. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 3 practice page and the Day 3 Guided Practice. 3 or fewer right: reteach the Day 2 Mini-Lesson, then sort reason slips into "tells why" and "only repeats." After the check, your child reads their own book.
Exit Ticket · 5 min
After the check, your child answers these three questions in the notebook. Then go over any missed check items together.
Watch for: Writing a fact when the check asks for an opinion.
Try: Teach a self-check to use before writing: "Could someone disagree with my sentence?"
Exit ticket:
In 'Pack Your Own Lunch,' what is the example, and which reason does it back up?
Fix this weak reason: 'Summer is the best season because it is the best.'
Write a new conclusion for 'Pack Your Own Lunch' with a different stem.
Show answers
Washing the apple and filling the water bottle the night before. It backs up the reason that packing teaches you to plan ahead.
Answers vary. The fix needs a new idea, such as 'because the days are long and warm.'
Answers vary. Sample: 'For these reasons, every kid should try packing a lunch.'
Support: Read the check's questions aloud. Your child reads the paragraph alone and may say the short answers while you write.
Extend: After the check, your child writes a full opinion paragraph on the cooking prompt with all four parts.
Homework: Read for 15 minutes. Your child writes one opinion about the book with one reason. Look for: the word because, followed by a real reason.
Practice page · Week 8, Day 5
English Language Arts
I can get ready by reviewing opinion words and word division.
Get ready: answer each one.
1.
Fact or opinion? Winter has the shortest days of the year.
○ fact○ opinion
2.
Which word shows the writer is not sure?
○ I know○ I wonder○ I believe
3.
Join with or: We can walk. We can ride bikes.
4.
Fix the talking word: We gotta clean up.
5.
Which linking word adds an example?
○ for example○ but○ finally
Split each word.
6.
pupil
7.
rabbit
Challenge:Write an opinion about the best season with one reason.
Science
Objective: I can present my investigation clearly and answer a question about it.
Standards: 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-2
Builds on: Needs Days 1 to 4: the question, plan, data, graph and conclusion. One-minute check: your child shows the graph. Ask, "Which bar is tallest, and what is its number?"
Materials: Notebook with the plan, data, graph and conclusion, Materials for one live trial (the ramp setup), Index card and pencil, Stored Week 8 Science Check and its answer key
Day 40 — Share Your Findings — Wonder Warm-Up · 5 min
Spaced review from Week 4. Ask: "Name two forces that act without touching." (Any two: magnetism, static electricity, gravity.) Then your child names the five parts of an investigation from Week 3. (Question, prediction, procedure, results, conclusion.) Ask: "How does a scientist get other people to trust a result?"
Mini-Lesson · 10–15 min
Keep this to 10 minutes and the talk to 15, so the check fits. Say: "A science talk follows those five parts. Speak clearly, show your graph and point to the evidence." Compare two sentences. Say the weak one: "The car went really far." Say the strong one: "My graph shows the car went 57 inches from 3 books but only 24 inches from 1 book." Ask: "Which sentence is stronger? Why?" (The second. It has numbers and names the graph.) "Which part of the talk tells what you did, step by step?" (The procedure.) "Which part answers the question?" (The conclusion.) Now your child writes their own strongest sentence on the index card, with two numbers. If stuck, say: "Find your tallest bar and your shortest bar. Say both numbers in one sentence." Your child practices the talk once, touching each notebook page in order.
Investigation / Hands-On · 15–20 min
Your child presents to a family member, or to you. 1) Give the talk in order: question, prediction, procedure, results, conclusion. Read the index card sentence during the results. 2) Run one trial live. Say first what the listener should watch for. 3) Invite one question and answer it. 4) Ask the listener, "What would you test next?" Look for the five parts and two numbers. If the live trial gives a new number, say: "Real results vary. Is it close to your other trials?" Keep the rolling path clear of feet.
Science Notebook Entry · 10 min
Your child adds to the lab entry: "My listener asked ___. I answered ___. If I did this again, I would ___." Sample: "My listener asked why I ran 3 trials. I answered that one trial could be an odd result. If I did this again, I would measure more carefully."
Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket · 5 min
Ask the three exit questions. Praise numbers used as evidence. Then give the stored Week 8 Science Check: 7 items, about 10 minutes, working alone. Score it with the key. 6 or more right: move on. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 2 plan page for one new testable question. 3 or fewer right: reteach the Day 1 Mini-Lesson by turning three opinion questions into questions you can measure.
Watch for: Reading the whole notebook page aloud instead of explaining the main result.
Try: Your child says the index card sentence first, then tells the rest from memory with the notebook closed.
Exit ticket:
Say your most important result in one sentence that has two numbers.
What question did your listener ask, and how did you answer it?
What one thing would you change if you ran this investigation again?
Show answers
Answers vary. Look for: two numbers from the data, compared. Sample: "57 inches from 3 books but 24 from 1 book."
Answers vary. Look for: the question and an answer that uses the plan or the data.
Answers vary. Look for: one specific change, such as more trials or a longer stretch of floor.
Support: Your child uses the notebook pages as a script and presents to one person. You point to each page in turn.
Extend: Your child gives the talk again to someone new and ends with a new testable question to try next.
Homework: Your child writes 2 sentences about what makes them a scientist. Look for: something they did this week, such as "I ran fair trials."
Practice page · Week 8, Day 5
Science
I can present my investigation clearly and answer a question about it.
Plan your 2-minute presentation. Write a note for each part.
Part
My note
1.
Write the five parts in order.
2.
One strong sentence that points to my graph:
After you present.
3.
The question my audience asked:
4.
My answer:
5.
If I did it again, I would change ____.
Materials: your notebook with plan, data, graph and conclusion · materials for a live demo