classroom newsletter

Third Grade News

Dear Respected Parents:

Asalamu Alaikum. I hope this letter finds you in the best of health and blessings from Allah (SWT). I wanted to give you an update on what we will be learning in Third Grade over the next couple of weeks.

Language Arts: This week we started Unit 3 in Language Arts and our theme for this month will be Incredible Stories. Some of the learning objectives that will be covered are fantasy and realism, asking questions, verbs, following directions and more. In writing we will be learning and practicing the writing traits voice and word choice. We will also continue using the writing process according to our new Blueprints program. Guided reading will continue twice a week and I will start my second round of DRA’s. The purpose of the DRA assessment is to see how much the students have grown in the area of reading and comprehension since the beginning of the year.

Math: In Math we will continue studying multiplication tables and problem solving. We will also go into division and learn the relationship between multiplication and division.

Social Studies: In Social Studies we are creating a timeline of Michigan’s statehood and putting the events of statehood in chronological order. We will be learning about the French explorers, the British and their conflict with the Native Americans. Eventually, students will be able to explain exactly how Michigan became a state and all of the events that led to Michigan Statehood.

Science: In Science we will be starting unit C that covers our Earth. We will be studying the layers of the Earth’s surface, minerals and rocks, soil, and land. Students will be able to the materials that make up our Earth and how the Earth’s surface changes over time due to weather, volcanoes, erosion etc.

Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles are welcome to share our learning experiences:

On December 22, before we left for our winter break we were blessed to have two special guests in our classroom. Sister Nuzmeya Elder (Jibril Abdrabboh’s grandmother) and Sister Amani (Jibril Abdrabboh’s cousin) joined us for an interactive lesson the importance of acts of kindness in Islam. The lesson was very meaningful and the students enjoyed it. Family members are welcome to come in any time and do a lesson in my classroom, I believe this enriches our students learning experiences and strengthens the family/school connection. Please let me know ahead of time if you are planning on doing this.

Our Classroom Wish list:

Kleenex boxes

Clorox wipes

Paper towels

If you have any questions comments or concerns I can be reached at (313)740-0546 or at maha.mustafa1971@yahoo.com. Also please don’t forget to visit our blog for helpful learning hints, study guides, spelling lists, slideshows and more. You can check out my blog at www.mahamustafa.blogspot.com. Thank you for your continuous and ongoing show of support.

Maha Mustafa

Spelling List for 1/3/2011

Spelling list for group Two: (Verbs)

Forgive                                             communicate

Spend

Speak

Understand

Know

Write

Highlight

Inform

Identify

Gather

Listen

Laugh

Observe

Practice

Multiply

Measure

Memorize

Analyze

Apologize

spelling words for the week of 1/3/2011

Group One spelling words:   (Verbs)

Spelling List for 1/3/2011

Stand                                                        build

Swim                                                        sell

Read                                                         ride

Run

Make

Learn

Bring

Buy

Choose

Drink

Draw

Eat

Find

Hand

Grow

Think

Hold

Human/Environment interaction

Human/Environment Interaction – Sample Answers

What were some ways the People of the Three Fires used their environment?	·       They used rivers and lakes for travel. ·       They used the land for farming. ·       They used trees for many different kinds of things including maple syrup, canoes, and housing materials.
What were some ways the People of the Three Fires adapted to their environment?	·       They ate foods that were around them like nuts and berries. ·       The Potawatomi moved their villages with the seasons. ·       They made their houses out of things they found around them like bark.
What were some ways the People of the Three Fires changed their environment?	·       They cleared land to create villages. ·       They cleared land to plant crops. ·       They cut down trees to make things like houses and canoes.

The Odawa

The Odawa

The Odawa, or Ottawa, lived along the eastern shores of Lake Michigan. They were known for being excellent traders. They used bark canoes to travel hundreds of miles in order to trade goods. The Odawa lived in villages. Their houses were small oval buildings called wigwams or longhouses which were like apartment buildings in which several families lived. They often built log walls around their villages for protection. They hunted and fished and sometimes farmed. They made sugar from maple sap. They were known for being very good weavers and wove beautiful mats, bags, and baskets. One of their most famous leaders was Chief Pontiac.

    

The Potawatomi

The Potawatomi

The Potawatomi lived at one time in the southwest section of Michigan. Then, they spread out and moved to other areas such as the land around what is now the city of Saginaw. Of the three groups, the Potawatomi were known as the best farmers. They grew more of their own food than the other two groups. Crops included squash, corn, melons, and beans. They also used maple sap to make syrup and sugar.  They lived in villages, but moved their villages with the seasons. In the warm months they lived near rivers and lakes in round wigwams or rectangular lodges. In the winter, the villages often broke up into small groups of families that moved into the forests where the hunting was good. The Potawatomi used canoes for fishing and going short distances, but they did not travel by water as much as the other two groups. Like the other two groups, the Potawatomi used sleds and snowshoes in winter. They were well known for their quill embroidery, basketry, and beadwork.

People of the three fires chart

People of the Three Fires

Completed Reference Chart

	Ojibwa	Potawatomi	Odawa/Ottawa
Where did they live in Michigan?	·      Southern shore of Lake Superior ·      Western shore of Lake Huron	·      Southwest Michigan ·      Later in area near Saginaw	·      Eastern shore of Lake Michigan
What were their houses like?	·      Small round wigwams	·      Wigwams ·      Rectangular lodges	·      Wigwams ·      Longhouses for many families
What did they eat?	·      Crops like corn and squash ·      Maple syrup ·      Wild rice ·      Nuts and berries	·      Squash, melons, corn, beans ·      Maple syrup and sugar	·      Maple syrup ·      Fish ·      Farming crops
What was special about them?	·      Excellent hunters, fishers, and trappers ·      Made excellent birch bark canoes	·      Great farmers ·      Moved to forests in winter	·      They were great traders ·      Had a great leader named Chief Pontiac ·      Built log walls around villages
What did they make?	·      Deerskin moccasins and bags with quills ·      Birch bark baskets and boxes ·      Beadwork	·      Quill embroidery ·      Baskets ·      Beadwork	·      Woven mats ·      Bags ·      Baskets