Stillwater School Weekly Newsletter

PTA Valentine's Day Shop 2/3/25 to 2/7/25

Board of Education Meeting 2/10/25 at 7:00 PM in Library

PTA Snow Ball Dance 2/14/25

Presidents' Day - School Closed 2/17/25

Board of Education Meeting 2/24/25 7:00 PM in Library

PTA Meeting 6:00 PM 2/24/25

PTA Snow Ball Dance Snow Date 2/28/25

Third Grade Nonfiction Reading Strategies

Here are some effective strategies for young readers:

Before Reading

1. Preview the Text: Look at the title, headings, pictures, captions, and bold words to predict what the text is about.

2. Activate Prior Knowledge: Ask, What do I already know about this topic?

3. Set a Purpose for Reading: Encourage children to think, Why am I reading this? What do I want to learn?

During Reading

4. Use Text Features: Teach children to pay attention to headings, diagrams, charts, maps, and glossaries.

5. Stop and Think: Encourage pausing after each section to ask, What did I just learn?

6. Ask Questions: Have children ask themselves: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

7. Highlight or Underline Key Ideas: If possible, students can use sticky notes to mark important information.

8. Use Graphic Organizers: Help children organize information using charts or Venn diagrams.

9. Make Connections: Relate the text to personal experiences, other books, or real-world events.

After Reading

10. Summarize the Main Idea: Have children say or write a short summary in their own words.

11. Answer Questions About the Text: Use comprehension questions to check understanding.

12. Discuss and Share: Encourage children to talk about what they learned with a partner or group.

13. Reread for Understanding: If something was confusing, children can go back and read it again.

Third Grade Writing Strategy

The RACE strategy is a great way for third graders to answer questions using evidence from a text. It helps them structure their responses clearly and thoughtfully.

What is RACE?

R: Restate the question

A: Answer the question

C: Cite evidence from the text

E: Explain your answer

How to Use RACE:

1. Restate the Question (R)

Turn the question into a statement.

Example:

Question: What is the main idea of the passage?

Restate: The main idea of the passage is…

2. Answer the Question (A)

Give a clear answer in your own words.

Example: The main idea of the passage is that bees help plants grow.

3. Cite Evidence from the Text (C)

Find a fact or detail from the text that supports your answer.

Use sentence starters like:

According to the text…

The author says…

Example: According to the text, bees collect nectar and pollen, which helps plants grow.

4. Explain Your Answer (E)

Explain how your evidence supports your answer.

Use sentence starters like:

This shows that…

This means…

Example: This shows that bees are important because they help plants grow and produce food.

Mrs. Then

Fourth Grade News - Students have started a new science topic - Earth’s Landscapes. In this topic, students will identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time. They will use handmade fossil evidence to tell what kinds of events affect the layers of Earth. They will explore how an earthquake causes changes in the pattern of rock formations. One of their culminating activities will involve researching and presenting an informative speech on a world-famous rock or rock formation and its history. Examples may include Bryce Canyon National Park, Wave Rock in Australia or the Double O Arch in Utah as examples. I am looking forward to learning about various rock formations around the world!

Mrs. Celentano

The fifth graders have started a unit on fractions. Understanding these important vocabulary terms is crucial for success. The students will be adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions and mixed numbers with unlike denominators.

1. Fraction: A way of representing parts of a whole, written as one number over another (e.g., ¾).

2. Numerator: The top number of a fraction that shows how many parts are being considered.

3. Denominator: The bottom number of a fraction that shows the total number of equal parts the whole is divided into.

4. Proper Fraction: A fraction where the numerator is smaller than the denominator (e.g., 3/4).

5. Improper Fraction: A fraction where the numerator is larger than or equal to the denominator (e.g., 7/4).

6. Mixed Number: A number that combines a whole number and a fraction (e.g., 1 ¾).

7. Equivalent Fractions: Different fractions that represent the same value (e.g., ½ and 2/4).

8. Common Denominator: A shared denominator between two or more fractions.

9. Simplify/Reduce: To write a fraction in its simplest form by dividing the numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor (e.g., 6/8 simplifies to 3/4).

10. Reciprocal: The flipped version of a fraction, where the numerator and denominator are switched (e.g., the reciprocal of 2/3 is 3/2).

Visualize yourself as a bird in the sky flying over Stillwater Township. Looking down, you notice a

snowman on the ground. What does it look like from the sky? Our 3rd grade artists recently completed a lesson on perspective. A Bird’s Eye View of a Snowman introduces perspective while reviewing LINE,

SHAPE, COLOR, VALUE, FORM & SPACE with a mixed media technique. Students practiced the use of a drawing compass and discussed size relationship of the 3 circles they created to build their snowmen.

Chalk pastel and 3D-O’s were used to build their snowmen into a 3-Dimentional forms. A white crayon

resist with a watercolor wash was used to create a cool color background. Students enjoyed adding

details with collage techniques.

Mrs. Piazza