Mrs. Cybriwsky's Third and Fourth Grade at 405 Third Street , Paintsville, KY 41240 US - Home

Third grade marks the beginning of transition from primary to intermediate grades.  The children begin to complete assignments that are more “grown-up”.   We are very exited to start this year –it should be a great one!  This year, we will complete the following writing pieces:  memoir, vignette, persuasive letter, “how-to” paper, short story with dialogue, and a feature article.  In addition, there will be daily journal writing, and other practices to reinforce correct English/grammar.  On writing assignments, you will see in the left margin the acronym “CUPS”.  C stands for an error in capitalization, U is a word usage error, P is a punctuation mistake, and S represents a spelling error. 

In spelling, there will not be words from an assigned list to memorize each week, but there will be words that follow a specific pattern.  The children should learn the rules for the words that they are sorting, and then apply the rules to new words.  This is a different method of spelling instruction:  the goal is to have the children learn new words each week, then generalize that knowledge to additional words.

We will be very busy in Social Studies as we tackle the following units:  Archaeology, Ancestors, Underground Railroad, Communities, Brown vs. Board of Education, Immigration, Famous symbols of Government, and Westward Expansion including the Gold Rush, Lewis and Clark, and the Pony Express.

Science will be taught in the afternoons by Mrs. Cindy Halliday, while I wear the principal hat.  Topics will include a year-long study of the  scientific method and trees and seeds.  We are going to delve into ecosystems in August and September as we explore rainforests, then tackle electricity  and magnetism in October.  November and December will focus on the heart and lungs.  When we return after the holidays, we will learn about the oceans, followed by Newton’s Laws in February.  We will learn about sound in March, and in April and May we will approach Archaeology from the scientific side.

There will be a work folder sent home on Thursdays (not every week).  A Reading Log will come home on Thursday for the upcoming week.   Each child is expected to read for 30 minutes each evening, Monday-Thursday.  Students will have to turn in their log on Friday morning, or they have to read for 30 minutes over the weekend.  Please allow the students to be responsible for their own reading logs – it is an excellent exercise to develop responsibility!  These logs are a significant part of the reading grade assigned on report cards, so it is essential that they be turned in.

As far as class supplies, we need tissues, wide-ruled loose leaf paper, and prayers!