Welcome to Room 208 and third grade! I am looking forward to my 25th year of teaching and learning with my third graders and their families.
Third grade is an exciting year as we fully make the transition from 'learning to read' to 'reading to learn'. One hour per day is devoted to Reader's Workshop, where students actively participate in reading books at their level, as well as writing and sharing their responses to their reading. The focus during this time is to learn and practice the many different comprehension strategies good readers naturally use when they are reading. These include: making connections, questioning, visualizing, and making inferences. The basal reader is used as 'shared reading' during a specific time set aside daily for literacy skill practice.
Writing is integrated throughout the entire third grade curriculum. Dialogue Journals, Writer's Notebooks, and monthly research projects are just some of the many types of writing third graders are involved in. The daily Writer's Workshop is designed to support these efforts.
Everyday Math is used daily to reinforce familiar math skills as well as to introduce new ones. A major component of daily math lessons is the time provided for students to talk math, to share problem solving strategies, and to learn from each other. Students quickly realize how their learning in the Reader's and Writer's Workshop is directly related to what they are expected to do in third grade math.
Communication is the key to a successful year for all students! I make frequent phone calls to parents and send a weekly newsletter home so all families can be actively involved in school life. A 'weekly report' is also sent home every Friday with each child. I check my voice mail daily as well as my school email: laura.livingston@spps.org. I look forward to another terrific year at Chelsea Heights!
