Dear Parents,

Welcome to 3rd grade! I look forward to an exciting and rewarding year. I want to work with you in providing the best possible education for your child. I firmly believe that we can accomplish this by working together as a team.

Third grade is a wonderful time of challenges and satisfaction. I plan on making it fun and beneficial for the children. When children are engaged in learning, their interest, creativity, imagination and problem solving skills are enhanced.

This year we have much to look forward to:

Field trips: We visit Cabrillo National Monument to learn about shipboard life and early explorers; Old Town Heritage Tour- to learn about early settlers and the Kumeyaay; and the Author's Faire- to talk to an author and see other reading responses.

Religion: We prepare and receive the sacrament of First Eucharist.

Penmanship: We focus on cursive handwriting.

Math: The children tackle multiplication facts using different strategies based on their learning style; division with remainders; adding fractions; and calculating the volume, area, and perimeter of geometric shapes. We hang geometry mobiles in the classroom.

Literature: We enjoy book talks on "Gulliver Stories", "Shiloh", and "How to Eat Fried Worms". We compare the books to the movies, and even make "fried worm soil". Another highlight is meeting the author of the "Blast to the Past" historical novel series.

Language Arts/Writing: The children become fluent readers with critical reading skills. We have fun with Readers Theatre, shoe box dioramas, giant postcards to the author, and other reading responses. We begin the writing process with creative writing.

Social Studies: As we study communities across the U.S., we learn about the early settlers and Native Americans. A favorite activity is choosing a Native American tribe, doing the research, and presenting it to the class. The children are so creative in their presentations and artifacts.

Science: We become astronomers making the night sky of constellations in our classroom; look at the world through a microscope; conduct experiments using the scientific method; make pollution sensors.

These are just a few of the activities planned for us. Let's make this a wonderful year!

Mrs. Alice Gonzalez