3rd Grade

Reading

• Find books that spark their interest, talk about them and introduce them to others (TEKS 3.5A & 3.7A)
• Increase the volume and the length of time they can read fluently at once TEKS (3.4A &3.5A)
• Set learning goals and make plans to achieve them  (TEKS 3.6A)

Fiction

• Monitor comprehension by generating questions about the setting and the characters, making predictions based on the character’s story, and connecting new story parts to previous ones (TEKS 3.6B & 3.6C & 3.6I)
• Retell stories while synthesizing their thinking(TEKS 3.7D & 3.6H)
• Tackle complex texts by using text clues to figure-out meaning of unfamiliar words (3.3B)
• Analyze the main character and their relationship with all other characters (TEKS 3.8B)
• Collaborate with others to make inferences by analyzing the plot elements, looking at patterns, and identifying misleading clues (TEKS 3.8C & 3.6F)

Nonfiction

• Differentiate fiction and nonfiction texts (TEKS 3.9A & 3.9Dii)
• Explain the author’s purpose to distinguish their opinion from that of the author (TEKS 3.10A)
• Analyze and explain how new information fits or changes what they think about a topic (TEKS 3.6H)
• Seek underlying ideas in nonfiction text and how they connect to their personal experiences (TEKS 3.6E)
• Preview nonfiction texts and use the text’s structure to figure out the central ideas and supporting details (TEKS 3.9Di & 3.9Diii)
• Reread and differentiate between the most important ideas and supporting details to retell and summarize a nonfiction text (TEKS 3.9D &3.7D & 3.6H)
• Identify hybrid/multimodal nonfiction texts (TEKS 3.9F)

Writing

Correspondence (3.12D)

• Write letters to important people about what we are reading (TEKS 3.12D)
• Personal Narrative (3.12A)
• Find ideas to write about (TEKS 3.11A)
• Write personal stories and poetry (TEKS 3.12A)
• Edit to ensure others can read the student’s writing (TEKS 3.11D)
• Study what other authors do and rearrange ideas for coherence and clarity  (TEKS 3.11C)

Informational Writing (3.12B)

• Write texts that convey information about a topic (TEKS 3.12B)
• Use writing to teach others about a topic, balancing facts and ideas (TEKS 3.11A)
• Organize and reorganize text to engage the reader (TEKS 3.11B)
• Use text features to make learning easier for the reader (TEKS 3.11C)

Grammar (3.11D) 

ENGLISH

• End Punctuation (3.11Dx)
• Simple and compound sentences (3.11Di)
• Plural Nouns (3.11Diii)
• Verbs (3.11Dii)
• Adjectives (3.11Div)

SPANISH

• Proper Nouns (3.11Dix)
• Plural Nouns (3.11Diii)
• Adjectives (3.11Div)
• Verbs (3.11Dii)
• Commas in a Series (3.11Dx)

• English Language Arts TEKS: https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Vertical%20alignment__K-12_English_06-2019.pdf
• Spanish Language Arts TEKS: https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Vertical%20alignment_K-12_Spanish_06-2019.pdf

Questions to ask your child (Reading and Writing):

• Why did you choose the books in your bookbag at school?
• What do you love about [specific book]?
• What goal are you currently working towards reading and writing at school?
• Based on what we just read, what do you think might happen next?
• Why do you think [character] did that?
• Has this ever happened to you?
• How do you think this is going to end?
• What do you already know about [topic]?
• What is the most important thing about what you just read?
• What is something new you learned while reading [book]?
• How does the text structure help you?
• What are you wondering right now?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Build time in your child’s routine for daily reading.
• Visit the public library to allow your child to access a variety of books based on their interests.
• Have meaningful conversations about your child’s reading life. Inquire about the books they have read, the characters they have gotten to know, and what they have learned through reading.
• Provide opportunities for your child to write about what sparks their interest.
• Help your child put themselves in the place of the main character and look for clues, create theories, and justify them with evidence in the text.
• Encourage your child to dig deeper into the topics of interest and engage in conversations about the information on the text and the author’s intentions. Use what you have learned to create theories and discuss them.

Math

• Use rounding to estimate solutions to addition and subtraction problems (TEKS 3.4B, 3.2C)
• Use compatible numbers to estimate solutions to addition and subtraction problems (TEKS 3.4B)
• Solve addition and subtraction word problems up to 1,000 (TEKS 3.4A)
• Represent addition and subtraction problems up to 1,000 with equations and pictures (TEKS 3.5A)
• Solve perimeter problems (TEKS 3.7B)
• https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/laws-and-rules/texas-administrative-code/19-tac-chapter-111

Questions to ask your child (Math):

• When would it be best to use estimation to solve a problem?
• Why did you choose this operation to solve the problem?
• Can you explain your representation to me?
• Can you explain how to find the perimeter of a shape?
• Why would someone need to find the perimeter outside of math class?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Encourage your child to act out & draw out word problems prior to solving them. Let your child solve using whatever strategy is most comfortable for them. If you have a question about a strategy, ask your child’s teacher!
• Have your child use a ruler to measure the perimeter of rooms or objects around the house.
• If you know the perimeter and all but one side length (such as a tabletop), ask your child how they would find the length of the missing side without using a ruler. Then let them check their answer with a ruler.

Science

• Describe and explain the physical characteristics of environments and how they support populations and communities within an ecosystem. (TEKS 3.9A)
• Identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain and predict how changes in a food chain affect the ecosystem such as removal of frogs from a pond or bees from a field (TEKS 3.9B)
• TEKS http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter112/ch112a.html#112.15

Questions to ask your child (Science):

• Do living organisms have basic needs?
• Do non-living things have basic needs?
• What parts of an ecosystem are living?  …nonliving?
• Where does the energy in a food chain come from?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Have your child describe the basic needs of living organisms. 
• Have your child identify  the non-living organisms in an ecosystem
• Have your child analyze various food chains and determine how organisms would be affected if one organism is removed. 

Social Studies 

• Understand how individuals, events, and ideas have influenced the history of communities (TEKS 3.1)
• Identify reasons why people form communities (TEKS 3.2A)
• Understand the common characteristics of communities, past and present (TEKS 3.2B)
• Learn about the three branches of government (TEKS 3.7A)
• Celebrate Constitution Day (TEKS 3.8A)
• TEKS https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=5&ti=19&pt=2&ch=113&sch=A&rl=Y

Questions to ask your child (Social Studies):

• Why is obeying laws important?
• In what ways do volunteers serve their local community?
• How is voting an example of being a responsible citizen?
• How do organizations such as the Red Cross help people in need?
• What are the three branches of government and what are the responsibilities of each?
• What is the Constitution?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Celebrate with your child when they display characteristics of good citizenship and name the characteristics they showed.
• Celebrate Freedom Week is in September and Constitution Day is September 17. Share with your student what freedom means to you and discuss why the Constitution is such an important document for our country.

English Learner/Emergent Bilingual Students

Overview:

If this is the first time your child attends a Texas school, the first nine weeks will be the time your child becomes accustomed to the new environment as they learn.

How does the school know that my child is an English Learner/Emergent Bilingual student?

When you register your child in school for the first time, you are asked to fill out a home language survey that asks two specific questions: (1) What language is spoken in the child’s home most of the time? and (2) What language does the child speak most of the time? If the survey indicates that your child speaks a language other than English and/or the home language is other than English, he/she will then be tested at the Multilingual Department’s Welcome Center. If the assessment indicates that your child is not yet proficient in English, the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) will make a program recommendation for your child.

How will my child learn English?

Dual Language programs are designed to make grade-level academic content accessible to English learners through the development of literacy and academic skills in the child’s primary language and English. English as a Second Language program (ESL) targets English language development, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, through academic content instruction that is linguistically and culturally responsive.

Questions to ask your child?

• What was one interesting thing you did at school today?

• Who did you sit with during lunchtime?

• Who did you talk to the most today?

• What is your homework for today?

How may I support my child?

• Encourage your child to use a bilingual dictionary.

• Encourage your child to read daily in his /her home language and/or English. In the primary grades, read to/with your child.

• Schedule time every day for your child to do homework.

Resources:

Parent Guide: https://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/resources/parent-guide-el-english.pdf

U.S. Department of Education - English Learner Tool Kit: https://ncela.ed.gov/files/family_toolkit/EL-Family-Tool-Kit-All.pdf

U.S. Department of Education - Especially for Parents: https://www2.ed.gov/parents/landing.jhtml?src=pn

Supporting English Learners in Texas: 

https://www.txel.org/Parents-And-Families

Reading

• Find books that spark their interest, talk about them and introduce them to others (TEKS 3.5A & 3.7A)
• Increase the volume and the length of time they can read fluently at once TEKS (3.4A &3.5A)
• Set learning goals and make plans to achieve them  (TEKS 3.6A)

Fiction

• Monitor comprehension by generating questions about the setting and the characters, making predictions based on the character’s story, and connecting new story parts to previous ones (TEKS 3.6B & 3.6C & 3.6I)
• Retell stories while synthesizing their thinking (TEKS 3.7D & 3.6H)
• Tackle complex texts by using text clues to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words (3.3B)
• Analyze the main character and their relationship with all other characters (TEKS 3.8B)
• Collaborate with others to make inferences by analyzing the plot elements, looking at patterns, and identifying misleading clues (TEKS 3.8C & 3.6F)

Nonfiction

• Differentiate fiction and nonfiction texts (TEKS 3.9A & 3.9Dii)
• Explain the author’s purpose to distinguish their opinion from that of the author (TEKS 3.10A)
• Analyze and explain how new information fits or changes what they think about a topic (TEKS 3.6H)
• Seek underlying ideas in nonfiction text and how they connect to their personal experiences (TEKS 3.6E)
• Preview nonfiction texts and use the text’s structure to figure out the central ideas and supporting details (TEKS 3.9Di & 3.9Diii)
• Reread and differentiate between the most important ideas and supporting details to retell and summarize a nonfiction text (TEKS 3.9D &3.7D & 3.6H)
• Identify hybrid/multimodal nonfiction texts (TEKS 3.9F)

Writing

• Informational Writing (3.12B)
• Write texts that convey information about a topic (TEKS 3.12B)
• Use writing to teach others about a topic, balancing facts and ideas (TEKS 3.11A)
• Organize and reorganize text to engage the reader (TEKS 3.11B)
• Use text features to make learning easier for the reader (TEKS 3.11C)

GRAMMAR

English 

• Simple Sentences (3.11Di)
• Compound Sentences/Coordinating Conjunctions (3.11Dviii)
• Adjectives (3.11Div)
• Capitalization-Month/Day (3.11Dix)
• Apostrophe/Commas in a Series (3.11Dx)

SPANISH

• Verb Tense (3.11Dii)
• Commas in a Series (3.11Dx)
• Subject/Verb Agreement (3.11Di)
• Conjunction ‘y’ (3.11Dviii)
• Capitalize Pronoun (3.11Dix)
• Prepositions (3.11Dvii)
• Comparative/Superlative Adjectives (3.11Div) 

• English Language Arts TEKS: https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Vertical%20alignment__K-12_English_06-2019.pdf
• Spanish Language Arts TEKS: https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Vertical%20alignment_K-12_Spanish_06-2019.pdf

Questions to ask your child (Reading and Writing):

• Why did you choose the books in your bookbag at school?
• What do you love about [specific book]?
• What goal are you currently working towards reading and writing?
• Based on what we just read, what do you think might happen next?
• Why do you think [character] did that?
• Has this ever happened to you?
• How do you think this is going to end?
• What do you already know about [topic]?
• What is most important here?
• What is something new you learned while reading [book]?
• How does the text structure help you?
• What are you wondering right now?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Build time in your child’s routine for daily reading.
• Visit the public library to allow your child to access a variety of books based on their interests.
• Have meaningful conversations about your child’s reading life. Inquire about the books they have read, the characters they have gotten to know, and what they have learned through reading.
• Provide opportunities for your child to write about what sparks their interest.
• Help your child put themselves in the place of the main character and look for clues, create theories, and justify them with evidence from the text.
• Encourage your child to dig deeper into the topics of interest and engage in conversations about the information on the text and the author’s intentions. Use what you have learned to create theories and discuss them.

Math

• Represent multiplication facts with objects and pictures. (TEKS 3.4D, 3.4E)
• Recall multiplication facts up to 10 X 10. (TEKS 3.4F)
• Multiply a two-digit number by a one-digit number.(TEKS 3.4G)
• Find a missing value in a multiplication or division equation. (TEKS 3.5D)
• Divide a set of objects into equal groups. (TEKS 3.4H)
• Explain why a number is even or odd. (TEKS 3.4I)
• Use multiplication to find the answer to a division problem. (TEKS 3.4J)
• Represent and solve multi-step, real-world multiplication and division problems. (TEKS 3.4K, 3.5B)
• Describe multiplication expressions (TEKS 3.5C)
• Find the area of a rectangle. (TEKS 3.6C)
• Find the area of composite figures that are formed by rectangles. (TEKS 3.6D) 
• Represent and explain real-world patterns in a table. (TEKS 3.5E)
• https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/laws-and-rules/texas-administrative-code/19-tac-chapter-111

Questions to ask your child (Math):

• How does knowing multiplication help you with division problems?
• Which strategy did you use to solve the problem? Why do you think this is the best strategy for this problem?
• How do multiplication facts help you with larger multiplication problems?
• When might someone need to know the area of something outside of math class?
• How do you find the area?
• How is the area different from the perimeter?
• Where can we find math patterns in everyday life and how does this help us?
• Multiplicative Example: Legs on an animal 1 cat:4 legs, 2 cats:8 legs, etc.
• Additive Example: Difference in ages John is 6: Amy is 9; John is 7: Amy is 10, etc.

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Encourage your child to use multiplication/division in everyday life. For example, have your child count the number of books on one shelf. Ask your child if the same number of books were on all of the shelves how many books there would be? Provide your child with a pen and paper to show their thinking.
• Practice multiplication math facts (up to 10 X 10) with your child. Instead of just memorizing, encourage your child to make connections between the facts to make them easier to remember. For example, if your child knows 2 X 3 = 6 then they also would know 4 X 3 must equal 12 because 4 is 2 groups of 2.
• Have your child use a ruler to measure the sides of  a room or other rectangular/square objects around the house; then use multiplication to find the area.
• Have your child find the area of room or object by counting squares (i.e. tiles on the floor)
• With your child, brainstorm math patterns found in everyday life. Make a table showing the relationships between the two things. See the examples above.

Science

• Describe environmental changes such as floods and droughts where some organisms thrive and others perish or move to new locations (TEKS 3.9C)
• Explain the importance of structures and functions of plants and animals necessary for survival (3.10A)
• Investigate and compare the orderly changes that occur in the diverse life cycles of plants and animals such as tomato plants, frogs and lady beetles (3.10B)
• Explore and record that soils if formed by weathering of rock and the decomposition of plants and animal remains (TEKS 3.7A)
• Investigate rapid changes that occur on the surface of the Earth including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides (TEKS 3.7B)
• Explore the characteristics of natural resources that make products and materials such as clothing and furniture and how resources can be conserved. (3.7C)
• TEKS http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter112/ch112a.html#112.14 

Questions to ask your child (Science):

• What happens to animals such as rabbits when it floods in Houston? 
• How do structures help an organism survive in its environment?
• What comparisons can be made between the life cycles of plants and animals?
• How does weather help with the formation of soil?
• How can forces cause the Earth’s surface to change rapidly?
• How can we use Earth’s resources to make products in our daily lives?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Have your child analyze various food chains and determine how organisms would be affected if one organism is removed. 
• Analyze how environmental changes impact organisms and their ecosystem.
• Have your child explain how the structures of various plants and animals are necessary for their survival in their habitat. 
• Have your child compare the life cycles of plants and animals.
• Have your child describe and explain how soil is formed
• Have your child explain how rapid changes affect the surface of the earth
• Encourage your child to explain how Earth’s resources are used to make items in our daily lives. 

Social Studies 

• What should my child be working on in the 2nd nine weeks of school?
• Learn about the three branches of government (TEKS 3.7A)
• Identify services provided by local, state, and national governments (TEKS 3.7C)
• Identify characteristics of a good citizen (TEKS 3.9A)
• Learn about people who exemplify good citizenship (TEKS 3.9B)
• Describe the importance of obeying laws, voting, and being informed about issues (TEKS 3.9C)
• TEKS https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=5&ti=19&pt=2&ch=113&sch=A&rl=Y

Questions to ask your child (Social Studies):

• What are the three branches of government and what are the responsibilities of each?
• Why is obeying laws important?
• In what ways do volunteers serve their local community?
• How is voting an example of being a responsible citizen?
• How do organizations such as the Red Cross help people in need?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Discuss the community you live in, how it was formed, why it is important, and what makes it unique..
• Share with your student why you vote.
• Seek opportunities to volunteer as a family or support a local charity.
• Celebrate with your child when they display characteristics of good citizenship and name the characteristics they showed.

English Learner/Emergent Bilingual Students

Overview:

Your child is becoming comfortable with Texas schools. The focus is now developing his/her English and supporting him/her to learn the core content.

How will my child learn English?

During this time, your child’s teacher is providing strategies in the classroom in order to help with Second Language Acquisition. Teachers report the strategies and linguistic accommodations they provide for the students in order to help the students be successful in acquiring the English language. 

Questions to ask your child?

• What did you learn in your_____ class?

• How did you ask for help?

• Who did you talk to the most in your classes?

• What is your homework for today?

How may I support my child?

• Check out books including audiobooks in English or in their home language from public libraries.

• Encourage your child to read and/or listen to audiobooks daily.

• Be sure to attend parent-teacher conferences scheduled by your child’s school.

• Schedule time every day for your child to do homework.

Resources

Parent Guide: https://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/resources/parent-guide-el-english.pdf

The 50 Best ESL Resources for Kids:   http://www.studentguide.org/the-50-best-esl-resources-for-kids/

Colorín Colorado (bilingual website):  http://www.colorincolorado.org/

PBS Kids http://pbskids.org/

Unite for Literacy: https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/

Supporting English Learners in Texas: 

https://www.txel.org/Parents-And-Families

Reading

Fiction

• Create and grow theories about a character by noticing how they talk, act and react to problems (TEKS 3.8B)
• Pay attention to the roles that secondary characters play in the main character’s journey (TEKS 3.8B)
• Think about the role illustrations play in a story, and how authors use them and other graphic features to achieve specific purposes (TEKS 3.10C)
• Prepare for and engage in mini-debates around the purpose and message of the author and the theme of a specific text (TEKS 3.8A & 3.10A)

Poetry

• Prepare to discuss the theme of a poem (TEKS 3.8A)
• Explain the structural elements in different works of poetry from a variety of authors (TEKS 3.9B)
• Understand how authors use sound devices and rhymes to achieve specific purposes and support the message (TEKS 3.9B & 3.10A)
• Think about how authors use literal and figurative language, imagery, and graphic features to enhance key elements (TEKS 3.10D & 3.10C)

Informational & Research

• Gather texts that relate to a subtopic to prepare for research (TEKS 3.13C)
• Preview texts and then read to confirm or revise expectations (TEKS 3.6C)
• Synthesize information across texts while researching a topic (TEKS 3.6H)
• Understand text structures and how authors use it to present information (TEKS 3.9D &  3.10C)
• Distinguish between two structures: cause and effect, and problem and solution (TEKS 3.9Diii)
• Ask questions to grow big ideas and develop evidence-based theories (TEKS 3.6B & 3.13A)
• Apply knowledge developed through research and use an appropriate mode of delivery to present results (TEKS 3.13H)

Writing 

• Literary Essay (TEKS 3.12C)
• Generate ideas about characters, lessons, or themes in a text and draft short essays about them (TEKS 3.11A & 3.11B)
• Structure writing to help interest and persuade readers (TEKS 3.11C)
• Rehearse and strengthen argument essays about stories using text evidence to support their claims (TEKS 3.11C)
• Poetry (TEKS 3.12A)
• Search for honest, precise words and use comparisons to clarify feelings and ideas (TEKS 3.11C)
• Use structure to make meaning and evoke feelings (TEKS 3.11C)

GRAMMAR

English 

• Adjectives- comparative forms (3.11D.iv)
• Adjectives- superlative form (3.11D.iv)
• Pronouns including subjective, objective and possessive cases. (3.11D.vii)

Spanish 

• Compound Sentences/Coordinating Conjunction (3.11Dviii)
• Reflexive Pronouns (3.11Dvii)
• Capitalization of Proper Nouns (3.11Diii)

• English Language Arts TEKS: https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Vertical%20alignment__K-12_English_06-2019.pdf
• Spanish Language Arts TEKS: https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Vertical%20alignment_K-12_Spanish_06-2019.pdf

Questions to ask your child (Reading and Writing):

• [Character] said this. What did he/she really mean?
• Why is [character] acting like that?
• How do you think [character] will solve the problem?
• What is the author trying to say? How do you know?
• What do you see/imagine when you read this part?
• Why does [topic] interest you?
• What questions do you have?
• How did you choose the texts for your research?
• What information are you looking to get from this text? How do you know where to find it?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Engage in deep conversations about a character’s actions, feelings, and motivations. Identify patterns in their behavior and build theories together that would explain why characters do what they do. Question your theories and test them against new text evidence.
• Read together a variety of poems. Discuss how the words make you feel and how the author is achieving that.
• Help your child think of topics that interest them and brainstorm what they would like to learn. They will also need help finding books they can use to research specific topics.

Math

• Represent the value of whole numbers using expanded notation. (TEKS 3.2A)
• Explain when you move to the right on the place value chart, the values are getting ten times smaller; when you move left on a place value chart, the values are getting ten times larger (TEKS 3.2B)
• Compare and order numbers up to 100,000 using <, >, or = (TEKS 3.2D)
• Round numbers. Use a number line to help. (TEKS 3.2C)
• Use objects and pictures to represent fractions. (TEKS 3.3A)
• Represent fractions using pictures. (TEKS 3.3E)
• Name a specified point on a number line as a fraction. (TEKS 3.3B)
• Show where ½’s, ¼’s, and ⅛’s would be on a number line. (TEKS 3.7A)
• Explain what a unit fraction is. (TEKS 3.3C)
• Compose and decompose a fraction into the sum of its unit fractions. (TEKS 3.3D)
• Decompose a shape into equal parts and identify each part as a unit fraction. (TEKS 3.6E)
• Recognize that equal parts of a whole may not have the same shape. (TEKS 3.6E)
• Represent and explain why two fractions are equivalent using objects and pictures, including number lines. (TEKS 3.3F, 3.3G)
• Compare two fractions, that either have the same numerator or the same denominator, using objects and pictures. (TEKS 3.3H)
• https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/laws-and-rules/texas-administrative-code/19-tac-chapter-111

Questions to ask your child (Math):

• Why can you change the way you represent a number but the value stays the same?
• When might you need to compare numbers outside of school?
• When might someone use fractions outside of school?
• Can the denominator of a fraction be zero? Why or why not?
• Are these two fractions equivalent? How do you know? Use a picture to show your thinking.

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Look for numbers in the real world, particularly larger numbers) and encourage your child to read them in word form. Your child could then write these numbers in expanded notation and practice rounding them.
• Have your child record the activities he or she does during a certain time period (like between school and bedtime) and then write the amount of time they spend doing that activity. Have them draw a model that represents what fraction of the time they spend doing each thing. 
• For example, after school, they may play for 1 hour, do homework for 1 hour, and spend time with family for 2 hours. So they play ¼ of the time, do homework ¼ of the time, and spend time with family 2/4 of the time.

Science

• Observe, measure, record and compare day-to-day weather changes by observing, measuring and recording in different locations at the same time include air temperature, wind direction, and precipitation. (TEKS 3.8A)
• Identify the planets in our solar system and their position in relation to the sun. (TEKS 3.8D)
• Construct models that demonstrate the relationship of the Sun, Earth, and Moon, including orbits and position. (TEKS 3.8C)
• Describe and illustrate the Sun as a star composed of gases that provides light and thermal energy (TEKS 3.8B)
• Measure, test and record the physical properties of matter (temperature, mass, magnetism, and the ability to sink or float (TEKS 3.5A)
• Describe and classify matter as solids, liquids, and gases (TEKS 3.5B)
•  Demonstrate an understanding that liquids take the shape of their containers
• Predict, observe, and record the changes that occur to matter when it is heated and cooled (TEKS 3.5C)
• Recognize that a mixture is formed when two materials are combined and retain their What physical properties (TEKS 3.5D)
• http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter112/ch112a.html#112.14

Questions to ask your child (Science):

• How can we use Earth’s resources to make products in our daily lives?
• What are the eight planets of our solar system and what is their position in relation to the Sun?
• How can models be used to represent the paths of the Sun, Earth, and Moon?
• How do thermometers, wind vanes, and rain gauges help us measure and record weather?
• What are the physical properties of matter?
• How does heating cause matter to change state?
• What is a mixture?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Encourage your child to explain how Earth’s resources are used to make items that are used in our daily lives. 
• Have your child identify the planets in our solar system and their position in relation to the Sun. 
• Make models to represent the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
• Observe and record weather patterns and what tools are used to make weather observations. 
• Have your child classify matter (objects) by their physical properties.

Social Studies 

• Describe similarities and differences in the physical environment, including climate, landforms, natural resources, and natural hazards
• Read and create maps that have features such as a compass rose, legend, scale, and grid system (TEKS 3.4C)
• Use a scale to find distances and use cardinal directions (TEKS 3.4A, 3.4B)
• Explain the significance of various ethnic celebrations in our local community (TEKS 3.10A)
• TEKS https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=5&ti=19&pt=2&ch=113&sch=A&rl=Y

Questions to ask your child (Social Studies):

• What must be included when drawing a map?
• As you visit places throughout the year, ask questions about the landscape, landforms, climate, and/or natural resources seen.

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Display maps and globes as well as atlases so your child can explore all year long.
• Gather resources, such as blank maps, crayons, markers, etc. so your child can design their own. 
• Start first with creating a map of your home or your neighborhood. Make sure to include a legend and compass rose.

English Learner/Emergent Bilingual Students

How will I know when my child has learned academic English? 

Every year, your child will take an assessment called the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) to assess his/her English proficiency level in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. When your child meets the criteria for reclassification, he/she will not need to take the TELPAS any more.  However, the school will continue to monitor your child’s progress to make sure he/she is successful at school.

Questions to ask your child?

•  What book are you reading at school?

•  What did you do in your math class?

•  Did you ask for help when you didn’t understand?

• What is your homework for today?

How may I support my child?

TELPAS Parent Tips (English): 

https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/TELPAS_Parent_Tips_English.APPROVED_FORWEB.pdf

TELPAS Parent Tips (Spanish): https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/TELPAS_Parent_Tips_Spanish.APPROVED_FORWEB.pdf

Resources:

Parent Guide: https://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/resources/parent-guide-el-english.pdf

Reading activities in English and Spanish: https://readconmigo.org/parents/activities

Colorín Colorado (bilingual website):  http://www.colorincolorado.org/

Unite for Literacy: https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/

Supporting English Learners in Texas: https://www.txel.org/Parents-And-Families

Reading

Fiction 

• Create and grow theories about a character by noticing how they talk, act and react to problems (TEKS 3.8B)
• Pay attention to the roles that secondary characters play in the main character’s journey (TEKS 3.8B)
• Think about the role illustrations play in a story, and how authors use them and other graphic features to achieve specific purposes (TEKS 3.10C)
• Prepare for and engage in mini-debates around the purpose and message of the author and the theme of a specific text (TEKS 3.8A & 3.10A)

Poetry

• Prepare to discuss the theme of a poem (TEKS 3.8A)
• Explain the structural elements in different works of poetry from a variety of authors (TEKS 3.9B)
• Understand how authors use sound devices and rhymes to achieve specific purposes and support the message (TEKS 3.9B & 3.10A)
• Think about how authors use literal and figurative language, imagery, and graphic features to enhance key elements (TEKS 3.10D & 3.10C)

Informational & Research

• Gather texts that relate to a subtopic to prepare for research (TEKS 3.13C)
• Preview texts and then read to confirm or revise expectations (TEKS 3.6C)
• Synthesize information across texts while researching a topic (TEKS 3.6H)
• Understand text structures and how authors use it to present information (TEKS 3.9D &  3.10C)
• Distinguish between two structures: cause and effect, and problem and solution (TEKS 3.9Diii)
• Ask questions to grow big ideas and develop evidence-based theories (TEKS 3.6B & 3.13A)
• Apply knowledge developed through research and use an appropriate mode of delivery to present results (TEKS 3.13H) 

Writing 

• Poetry (TEKS 3.12A)
• Search for honest, precise words and use comparisons to clarify feelings and ideas (TEKS 3.11C)
• Use structure to make meaning and evoke feelings (TEKS 3.11C)
• Fairy Tales (TEKS 3.12A)
• Plan and draft adaptations of fairy tales, revising early and often (TEKS 3.11A & 3.11B & 3.11C)
• Revise for more descriptive language and edit for sentence variety (TEKS 3.11C)

GRAMMAR

English 

• Adjectives- comparative forms (3.11D.iv)
• Adjectives- superlative form (3.11D.iv)
• Pronouns including subjective, objective and possessive cases. (3.11D.vii)
• Adverbs of time and manner (3.11D.v)
• Prepositions and prepositional phrases (3.11D.vi)

Spanish 

• Adverbs (3.11Dv)
• Conjunction ‘and’ (3.11Dviii)
• Conjunctions ‘neither’ & ‘nor’ (3.11Dviii)
• Dialogue (3.11Dx)

• English Language Arts TEKS: https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Vertical%20alignment__K-12_English_06-2019.pdf
• Spanish Language Arts TEKS: https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Vertical%20alignment_K-12_Spanish_06-2019.pdf

Questions to ask your child (Reading and Writing):

• [Character] said this. What did he/she really mean?
• Why is [character] acting like that?
• How do you think [character] will solve the problem?
• What is the author trying to say? How do you know?
• What do you see/imagine when you read this part?  
• Why does [topic] interest you?
• What questions do you have?
• How did you choose the texts for your research?
• What information are you looking to get from this text? How do you know where to find it?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Engage in deep conversations about a character’s actions, feelings, and motivations. Identify patterns in their behavior and build theories together that would explain why characters do what they do. Question your theories and test them against new text evidence.
• Read together a variety of poems. Discuss how the words make you feel and how the author is achieving that.
• Help your child think of topics that interest them and brainstorm what they would like to learn. They will also need help finding books they can use to research specific topics.

Math

• Explain the information represented on a frequency table (TEKS 3.8A)
• Explain the information represented on a dot plot. (TEKS 3.8A)
• Explain the information represented on a pictograph. (TEKS 3.8A)
• Explain the information represented on a bar graph. (TEKS 3.8A)
• Solve problems using data from a frequency table, dot plot, pictograph, or bar graph. (TEKS 3.8B)
• Classify and sort two-dimensional shapes. (TEKS 3.6A)
• Classify and sort three-dimensional figures. (TEKS 3.6A)
• Explain the similarities and differences between a rhombus, parallelogram, trapezoid, rectangle, and square. (TEKS 3.6B)
• Solve problems involving time by adding and subtracting minutes. (TEKS 3.7C)
• Explain when you would use liquid volume and when you would use weight. (TEKS 3.7D)
• Select the correct tool and unit of measure to determine the liquid volume or weight. (TEKS 3.7E)
• Explain why it is important to save money. (TEKS 3.9E)
• Explain the benefits of having planned spending versus unplanned spending. (TEKS 3.9C)
• Set up a budget using income, spending, savings, and money to give to charity. (TEKS 3.9F)
• Explain what a loan is. (TEKS 3.9D)
• Explain that the more you work, the more money you make. (TEKS 3.9A)
• Explain how the cost of a product relates to its availability. (TEKS 3.9B)
• Find the value of a collection of coins and bills (TEKS 3.4C)
• https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/laws-and-rules/texas-administrative-code/19-tac-chapter-111

Questions to ask your child (Math):

• How are frequency tables, dot plots, pictographs and bar graphs alike? Different?
• What types of conclusions can you draw from the graph?
• Why is it important for us to organize data into a visual (graph) format?
• How can a collection of two-dimensional/three-dimensional figures be sorted in more than one way?
• How can we use the attributes of a figure to classify it?
• What tools can be used to measure time? How would you use them?
• When would a person need to measure liquid volume (capacity)? What tools would they use?
• When would a person need to measure weight? What tools would they use?
• How might a person pay for goods and services if they do not have enough money?
• What are some of the benefits of having a plan for saving?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Collect a data set and have your child create a frequency table, dot plot, bar graph or pictograph using the data. Then ask your child to draw conclusions or explain what they learned about the data from the graph.
• Have your child find two-/three- dimensional shapes in the real world and describe their attributes to you.
• Have your child practice telling time using an analog clock.
• Have your child add the minutes they spend doing different activities.
• Encourage your child to choose appropriate tools when measuring capacity or weight. Helping out in the kitchen is an opportunity for them to do this.
• Help your child create a budget and savings plan for money they have earned or could earn through work. If they do not have enough money to buy an item they want, encourage them to decide whether receiving a loan or saving money would be the best course of action to purchase the item & then let them try it out.

Science

• Investigate how energy is used in our everyday life (including mechanical, light, sound, and thermal energy ( TEKS 3.6A)
• Demonstrate and explain how position and motion can be changed by forces (TEKS 3.6B)
• Observe how magnetism and gravity affects objects (TEKS 3.6C)
• http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter112/ch112a.html#112.14

Questions to ask your child (Science):

• What are the different forms of energy?
• How are the different forms of energy used in your everyday life?
• How does a push or a pull affect the motion of an object?
• What physical properties are attracted to magnets?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Encourage your child to observe and record how energy is used in their everyday lives
• Make observations of how forces affect objects including a push or pull.
• Have your child describe how gravity and magnetism can affect an object.

Social Studies 

• Understand the concept of making a budget and how we earn, save, spend and donate money (TEKS 3.5A, 3.5B)
• Explore the concept of the free enterprise system (supply, demand, scarcity, cost of production) (TEKS 3.6A, 3.6B, 3.6C)
• Identify individuals who have discovered scientific breakthroughs or created or invented new technology such as Jonas Salk, Cyrus McCormick, Bill Gates, Louis Pasteur and discuss the impact of these discoveries (TEKS 3.13A, 2.13B)
• TEKS https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=5&ti=19&pt=2&ch=113&sch=A&rl=Y

Questions to ask your child (Social Studies):

• What are supply, demand, and scarcity?
• How do supply, demand, and scarcity affect the price of a good or a service?http
• What is a simple business and how does it operate in the U.S. free enterprise system?
• What do you think is the most important invention you have learned about this year? Why do you think that?
• What do you think is the most important discovery? Why?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• If your child has an allowance, receives money for birthdays or other celebrations, or earns money for chores done around the house, work with them to create a plan for what they will do with their money. 
• Use the resources below to start a conversation with your student about money and the topics of spending and saving.

English Learner/Emergent Bilingual Students

When your child has met the reclassification criteria, they will no longer receive English language development support (although they will continue to learn English with other students). Teachers will continue to monitor your child’s progress. Please continue to ask the teacher how your child is doing. If your child did not meet the reclassification criteria, he/she will continue to receive English language development support.

Questions to ask your child?

• What book are you reading at school?

• What did you do in your _____ class?

• Did you ask for help when you didn’t understand? Who helped you?

• What is your homework for today?

How may I support my child?

• Schedule an individual meeting with your child’s teacher to learn how you can continue to help your child succeed.

• Encourage your child to read and/or listen to audiobooks daily.

Resources:

Parent Guide: https://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/resources/parent-guide-el-english.pdf

Reading activities in English and Spanish: https://readconmigo.org/parents/activities

Colorín Colorado (bilingual website):  http://www.colorincolorado.org/

Unite for Literacy: https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/

Supporting English Learners in Texas:

https://www.txel.org/Parents-And-Families