A Week of Investigation!

Dear Third Grade Families,

It was great seeing many of you at conferences yesterday and we look forward to meeting with the rest of you on Monday.

Social Studies

In Social Studies this week we continued our exploration of the Lenni Lenape tribe, delving deeper into what day to day life was like. After reading different articles about the separate gender roles within the tribe, and the different types of clothing worn by men and women, third graders had the opportunity to put on their teacher hats, teaching each other about the topic they read about. Students were excited to take on this leadership role, reveling in the opportunity to be experts. The following day, we watched videos about hunting and gathering (including fishing, garden, foraging). Students recognized that unlike our ability to go to the grocery store and find a wide variety of foods, the Lenape people’s diet was determined by the animals and produce in the area. For the Lenape, corn, beans, and squash, otherwise known as “The Three Sisters”, were major staples of their diet, along with fish, deer meat, and berries. As part of our investigation, students asked questions such as, “Why was it called the three sisters? Why not the three brothers”, and “Were there specific times that the men went hunting?” Other students asked, “What did the Lenape use for an oven?”, and “Why did the boys do different jobs from the girls?” As we move into our new unit on informational writing, students will be investigating these topics further.

Reading

In Reading, third graders met with their book clubs and began reading the first couple of chapters of their books. Some students experienced reading out loud through “Round Robin Reading”, where each member takes a turn reading a section out loud, while everyone else follows along. Children also read portions independently or one-on-one with a teacher. We are beginning to dive deep into these very interesting characters, thinking about why they make the choices they make, and what their like as people, both physically and internally.

We ended our week with a reward for all the hard work students have put in over the course of the week. Students bundled up and played out in the side yard. Soccer, imaginative play, chalk drawing, and running races were just some of the types of play chosen by students.

Activities you can do with your student:

• If you’re interested in watching the videos we watched in Social Studies follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/user/LenapeLifewaysVideos/videos

• Ask your student to describe the characters in a book they’re reading, specifically identifying personality traits

• Try to add items from a receipt, such as a restaurant receipt or grocery list, to practice addition stacking

Dates to know:

• Conferences: Monday, November 13
• Field Trip: The American Museum of Natural History → Wednesday, November 15
• No School: Thursday, November 23; Friday, November 24 (Thanksgiving)

Shabbat Shalom!

Best,

Hilary and Alisa

Judaic Studies with Aliza

It was wonderful seeing and getting to know some of you yesterday at conferences. I look forward to meeting the rest of our third grade parents on Monday! This week Judaics was centered on learning our Shoreshim. Students convened with their Chavruta partners to make sure their lists and flashcards were missing nothing, and quizzed each other on the meanings and spelling of the word roots. They also practiced their skills with Shoresh crossword puzzles and word searches! Next week, we will begin learning the story of Avraham and Sarah, and third graders will play their very first Shoresh quiz game!

Shabbat Shalom!