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    Standards this week

    Social Studies

    • D2.Geo.2 Use maps, satellite images, and other models to explain relationships between places.Day 1, 3
    • D2.Geo.10.3-5 Day 1, 5
    • D2.Geo.4 Explain how culture influences how people modify and adapt to their environments.Day 2
    • D2.His.2 Compare life in specific historical time periods to life today.Day 2, 5
    • D2.Geo.11.3-5 Day 2, 4, 5
    • D2.Geo.3.3-5 Use maps of different scales to describe the locations of cultural and environmental characteristics.Day 3
    • D2.Geo.7.3-5 Explain how cultural and environmental characteristics affect the distribution and movement of people, goods, and ideas.Day 4

    Mathematics

    • 3.OA.A.2 Interpret whole-number quotients as equal sharing or grouping.Day 1, 5
    • 3.OA.B.6 Understand division as an unknown-factor problem.Day 1, 5
    • 3.OA.B.5 Apply the commutative, associative, and distributive properties.Day 2, 3, 5
    • 3.OA.C.7 Fluently multiply and divide within 100; know products of two one-digit numbers.Day 2, 5
    • 3.OA.A.4 Determine the unknown whole number in a multiplication or division equation.Day 2, 4, 5
    • 3.OA.A.3 Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems.Day 3, 4, 5
    • 3.OA.A.1 Interpret products of whole numbers as equal groups.Day 3
    • 3.OA.D.8 Solve two-step word problems using the four operations.Day 4

    English Language Arts

    • L.3.2.C Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.Day 1, 5
    • W.3.3.B Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events.Day 1
    • L.3.1.F Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.Day 2, 5
    • W.3.3.A Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence.Day 2
    • RL.3.7 Explain how illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story.Day 3
    • W.3.4 Produce writing in which development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.Day 3, 4
    • W.3.5 With guidance and support, develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, and editing.Day 3, 5
    • SL.3.4 Report on a topic or text with appropriate facts and relevant details, speaking clearly.Day 4
    • SL.3.2 Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media.Day 4
    • SL.3.3 Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.Day 4
    • L.3.2.B Use commas in addresses.Day 4
    • W.3.3 Write narratives with established situation, characters, and event sequences.Day 5

    Science

    • 3-LS4-3 Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
    • 3-LS4-2 Use evidence to construct an explanation for how variations in traits provide advantages.Day 2, 3, 5
    • 3-5-ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests of competing design solutions.Day 4
    • 3-LS2-1 Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.Day 5

    See what your state adds or places differently

    Suggested daily schedule
    8:30–8:45 AM15 minMorning Circle / Read-Aloud / Calendar
    8:45–10:00 AM75 minEnglish Language Arts
    10:00–11:00 AM60 minMathematics
    11:00–11:15 AM15 minSnack and Movement Break
    11:15–12:00 PM30–45 minScience (every day)
    12:00–12:45 PM30–45 minSocial Studies (every day)
    12:45–1:30 PM45 minLunch and Choice Time
    1:30–2:15 PM45 minSpecials: PE / Art / Music (rotating)
    2:15–2:45 PM30 minIndependent Reading & Journaling

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    Day 1 · Monday

    Social Studies

    I can fix tricky map skills from Weeks 10 and 11, like regions and landforms.

    D2.Geo.2.3-5D2.Geo.10.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Weeks 10 and 11: U.S. landforms and the five regions. One-minute check: ask "Which ocean is on the East Coast?" (The Atlantic.)

    Materials: Blank U.S. map (a hand-drawn outline is fine), U.S. map with states, for checking, 5 colored pencils, 10 index cards, Finished Social Studies Checks from Weeks 10 and 11, Notebook, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 3. Ask: "What does a compass rose show?" (The directions north, south, east and west.) Then look over the Week 10 and Week 11 checks together. Circle each missed item. Ask the big question: "Which two places do you mix up most?"

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Reteach two skills that often get mixed up. Skill 1, Southeast and Southwest. Your child puts a finger on the bottom edge of the map. Say: "That is south. Slide right, toward the Atlantic. That is the Southeast." "It is warm and wet, with beaches and swamps like the Everglades." Say: "Go back to south. Slide left. That is the Southwest. It is hot and dry and touches Mexico." Skill 2, the two mountain ranges. Say: "The Rockies are in the West. They are tall and jagged." "The Appalachians are in the East. They are much older, so wind and rain wore them low and round." Your child makes a tall pointed tent with two hands for the Rockies. Then make a low round hill for the Appalachians. Ask: "Florida is warm with swamps. Which region?" (Southeast.) Ask: "Arizona is hot and dry. Which region?" (Southwest.) Ask: "Which mountains are older? How does their shape show it?" (The Appalachians. They are worn low and round.) If stuck, say: "Find south first. Then ask: Atlantic side or Mexico side?" If neither skill was missed, review the Great Lakes and the path of the Mississippi.

    15–20 min · Activity / Source Work

    Region relay. 1) Your child colors the five regions on the blank map from memory, using the colored pencils. Check against the other map and fix any state in the wrong color. 2) Your child labels the Rockies, the Appalachians and the Mississippi River. 3) Play "Which region?" Write ten clues on cards. Your child places each card on the map and names the region. Everglades and Atlanta (Southeast). Detroit and corn (Midwest). Phoenix and mesas (Southwest). Boston and maple syrup (Northeast). Seattle and Alaska (West). 4) Keep a tally chart with two columns: Right on first try, Needed a second try. Ask after each card: "What on the map is your evidence?" (Sample: "Phoenix is in Arizona, near Mexico.") Expect at least 8 of 10 on the first try. Redo missed cards at the end. Your child's tally may differ. Look for the pattern: which region gets missed most?

    10 min · Notebook Entry

    Your child writes the right answer for every missed check item. Use the frame: "The answer is ___ because ___." Sample: "The answer is the Appalachians because they are worn low and round." If nothing was missed, your child writes both rules from today in their own words.

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Put the maps away. Read the questions aloud. Praise answers that give a clue as a reason.

    Watch for: Fixing a mistake by copying the right answer without understanding it.

    Try: Your child explains each fix aloud with a reason before writing it. Ask: "How do you know?"

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Savannah, Georgia, has mild winters and Atlantic beaches. Which region is it in?
    2. Which region touches Mexico and has deserts and mesas?
    3. You see tall, jagged peaks. Are you more likely in the Rockies or the Appalachians? How do you know?
    Show answers
    1. The Southeast.
    2. The Southwest.
    3. The Rockies. They are tall and jagged. The Appalachians are low and rounded.

    Support: Use a map with the region borders already drawn. Your child only names and colors each region.

    Extend: Your child labels your state, its capital and one neighboring state. Then name the region of each.

    Homework: Your child quizzes a family member with five "Which region?" cards and checks the answers. Look for: your child gives a helpful clue when an answer is wrong.

    Mathematics

    I can catch up on division by modeling sharing and grouping and using fact families.

    3.OA.A.23.OA.B.6

    Builds on: Needs the two meanings of division from Week 10 and fact families from Week 10 Day 4. One-minute check: ask 20 ÷ 4 and the multiplication fact that proves it (5; 4 × 5 = 20).

    Materials: 30 counters (dried beans, coins or buttons), 6 cups or paper plates, 4 paper triangles (cut 2 paper squares corner to corner), Notebook, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 13. Ask 6 × 0 and 9 × 1 (0, 9). Then try ÷3 and ÷4 facts with no clock. Ask 12 ÷ 3, 21 ÷ 3, 16 ÷ 4 and 28 ÷ 4 (4, 7, 4, 7). Your child names the multiplication fact that helped with one of them.

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "This week we catch up. Today is division. Division tells two stories." Count out 24 beans and set out 6 cups. Say: "Sharing story. 24 beans are shared equally among 6 cups. How many go in each cup?" Your child deals the beans one at a time. Ask: "How many in each cup?" (4) Write 24 ÷ 6 = 4. Ask: "What did the 6 tell us?" (The number of cups.) Tip the beans back into one pile. Say: "Grouping story. 24 beans go in piles of 6. How many piles?" Your child scoops piles of 6. Ask: "How many piles?" (4) "What did the 6 tell us this time?" (How many in each pile.) Say: "Same equation, two stories. So 24 ÷ 6 = 4." Ask: "Which multiplication fact is in the same family?" (6 × 4 = 24) Now your child does more. Say: "Show 15 ÷ 3 as sharing, then as grouping." (Sharing: 3 cups with 5 in each. Grouping: 5 piles of 3. Both show 15 ÷ 3 = 5.)

    10–15 min · Guided Practice

    Make fact-family triangles together. 1) Write 4, 6 and 24 in the corners of a paper triangle, with 24 at the top. Your child writes the two multiplication facts (4 × 6 = 24, 6 × 4 = 24). Then your child writes the two division facts (24 ÷ 4 = 6, 24 ÷ 6 = 4). 2) Make a triangle for 5, 8 and 40. Cover the 8. Ask: "Which fact finds the hidden number?" (40 ÷ 5 = 8) 3) Cover the 40 instead. Ask the same question. (5 × 8 = 40) 4) Read: "30 crayons go in boxes of 5." Ask: "Sharing or grouping? How many boxes?" (Grouping; 30 ÷ 5 = 6) If stuck, say: "Do we know the number of groups, or how many are in each group?"

    15–20 min · Independent Practice

    Your child works alone and checks each answer with multiplication. 1) 18 ÷ 3 (6). 2) 32 ÷ 4 (8). 3) 27 ÷ 3 (9). 4) Draw 12 ÷ 4 as sharing: 4 circles with dots dealt out (3 in each). 5) Draw 12 ÷ 4 as grouping: rings around every 4 dots (3 groups). 6) Make a triangle for 3, 7 and 21. Write the multiplication facts (3 × 7 = 21, 7 × 3 = 21). Write the division facts (21 ÷ 3 = 7, 21 ÷ 7 = 3). 7) 36 stickers are shared equally among 4 children. How many does each child get? (9) 8) 24 muffins go in boxes of 3. How many boxes? (8) Last, your child tells which story was sharing and which was grouping. (Problem 7 is sharing; problem 8 is grouping.)

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Put the cups and beans away. Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper and draws for question 1.

    Watch for: Mixing up which number tells the groups and which tells how many are in each group.

    Try: Before building, your child points to the divisor and says "cups" or "in each cup." Then your child builds it.

    Fact fluency: ÷3, ÷4 facts
    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Draw 20 ÷ 5 as sharing. How many are in each group?
    2. Write the two division facts for 6, 7 and 42.
    3. Sharing or grouping? 35 pencils go 5 in each cup. How many cups?
    Show answers
    1. 4 (drawing shows 5 circles with 4 dots in each)
    2. 42 ÷ 6 = 7 and 42 ÷ 7 = 6
    3. Grouping; 7 cups

    Support: Use 12 beans and 3 cups only. Your child says each equation aloud while touching the cups.

    Extend: Your child writes a sharing story and a grouping story for 42 ÷ 7, then draws both. Sample: 42 beads on 7 strings is 6 on each. 42 beads in groups of 7 makes 6 groups.

    Homework: Make a fact-family triangle for 4, 9 and 36. Cover one corner and quiz a family member. Answers: 4 × 9 = 36, 9 × 4 = 36, 36 ÷ 4 = 9, 36 ÷ 9 = 4.

    English Language Arts

    I can punctuate dialogue correctly every time (catch-up day).

    L.3.2.CW.3.3.B

    Builds on: Needs the three dialogue rules from Week 11 Day 4. One-minute check: write I found it said Pia. Ask: "Which words did Pia say?" (I found it.)

    Materials: Narrative draft, 4 index cards, Two colored pens, 4 sticky notes, Notebook

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Flex week, catch-up day 1. Word study, about 3 minutes: review un-, re- and dis-. Ask: "What does each prefix mean?" (Un-: not or the opposite. Re-: again. Dis-: not or the opposite of.) Write unlock, untie, redo, replay, disobey and distrust in the notebook. Your child reads each word and sorts it by prefix. Spaced review from Week 13. Ask: "Is adding a missing period revising or editing?" (Editing.)

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Today we fix the trickiest skill from Week 11. Dialogue is a sandwich. The two quotation marks are the slices of bread. The filling is the spoken words plus their comma or end mark. The speaker tag stays outside the sandwich." Write four patterns in the notebook. 1) "The bus is here," said Theo. 2) "Is that my seat?" asked Theo. 3) "Hold on tight!" yelled Theo. 4) Theo said, "The bus is here." Think aloud on pattern 1. Say: "Theo's words get bread on both sides. The comma is filling, so it sits inside. The period waits until the very end." On patterns 2 and 3, say: "The question mark or exclamation point is filling too. The tag still starts with a small letter, unless it starts with a name." On pattern 4, say: "The tag comes first, so a comma follows it. The first spoken word gets a capital." Your child points to every comma and end mark.

    10–15 min · Guided Practice

    Write one spoken line on each of four sticky notes. Note 1: I lost my boot. Note 2: Where did you leave it. Note 3: It is floating away. Note 4: Grab the net. Write one tag on each of four index cards: said Jo, asked Dad, yelled Jo, Dad said. Your child pairs a note with a tag. Then they write the sentence, with spoken words and marks in one color and the tag in the other. Check each one against these answers. 1) ("I lost my boot," said Jo.) 2) ("Where did you leave it?" asked Dad.) 3) ("It is floating away!" yelled Jo.) 4) (Dad said, "Grab the net.") If stuck, say: "Read only the words that come out of the mouth. Put bread around those."

    15–20 min · Independent Practice

    1) Your child finds every line of dialogue in the narrative. They check each line against the four patterns and fix mistakes. 2) They write a new 6-line conversation in the notebook. Two cousins hear a strange noise in the attic. Each pattern appears at least once, and each new speaker starts a new line. Short model: "Did you hear that?" asked Ravi. Lin said, "It came from the attic." 3) They check every line for three rules. Quotation marks hug the spoken words. The comma, question mark or exclamation point sits inside them. The first spoken word has a capital.

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Write the first two items with no marks. Your child rewrites them, then answers the third aloud.

    Watch for: Forgetting the comma when the tag comes first, as in Mom said "Come in."

    Try: Your child says "pause" aloud where the speaker tag ends. That pause is where the comma goes.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Punctuate: can we go now asked Mei
    2. Punctuate: Coach said tie your shoes
    3. In "We made it," said Ruth, why is there a comma after it and not a period?
    Show answers
    1. "Can we go now?" asked Mei.
    2. Coach said, "Tie your shoes."
    3. The sentence is not finished, because the tag still follows. The period goes at the very end.

    Support: Keep the four model sentences in view in the notebook. Your child copies the matching pattern while writing each line.

    Extend: Your child writes a 6-line conversation with no "said". Each tag uses an exact verb, such as whispered or groaned.

    Homework: Listen at dinner. Write 3 things a family member says as dialogue. Look for: quotation marks, the right mark inside them, and a speaker tag.

    Science

    I can sort producers, consumers and decomposers and draw food chain arrows the right way.

    3-LS4-3

    Builds on: Needs Week 10 Day 3 (food roles) and Week 12 Day 1 (food chains). One-minute check: ask, "How does a producer get its food?" (It makes its own from sunlight, air and water.)

    Materials: 11 role cards from Week 10: oak tree, grass, sunflower, rabbit, deer, hawk, raccoon, honeybee, mushroom, bread mold, earthworm (remake on index cards if lost), 9 food chain cards: sun, clover, rabbit, fox, grass, grasshopper, frog, snake, hawk (reuse the role cards where names repeat), 3 paper plates labeled Producer, Consumer, Decomposer, 6 paper arrows cut from scrap paper, Soft ball or rolled-up sock (the energy), Scored Week 10 and Week 12 checks, if you kept them, Science notebook and pencil

    5 min · Day 66 — Flex Catch-Up: Food Roles and Arrows — Wonder Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 10. Name six living things, one at a time: oak tree, robin, mushroom, deer, sunflower, bread mold. Your child points to the right plate for each. (Producer, consumer, decomposer, consumer, producer, decomposer.) Note any misses. Then the big question: "What does a food chain arrow really carry?"

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Today we fix the two trickiest ideas. First, roles. A producer makes its own food from sunlight, air and water. A consumer eats other living things. A decomposer breaks down dead things and returns nutrients to the soil." Hold up the grass, deer and mushroom cards. Your child names each role and tells how it gets food. (Producer, consumer, decomposer.) Say: "Second, arrows. An arrow shows where the energy goes. It points from the food to the eater." Lay clover, rabbit and fox in a row with arrows between them. Say: "The rabbit gets energy from the clover. The fox gets energy from the rabbit." Ask: "Which way does the arrow point between clover and rabbit?" (Toward the rabbit.) "Who gets the energy?" (The rabbit.) "Is an earthworm a producer?" (No. It is a consumer that eats dead leaves.) If stuck, say: "Point to the eater. The arrow's tip touches the eater."

    15–20 min · Investigation / Hands-On

    Energy Toss. 1) Lay four cards in a line on the floor: sun, clover, rabbit, fox. 2) Your child holds the ball, the energy, at the sun. They carry it to each card and say: "The sun gives energy to the clover. The clover is eaten by the rabbit. The rabbit is eaten by the fox." 3) Your child lays a paper arrow along each path the ball took. 4) Mistake hunt. Turn one arrow backward while your child looks away. They find it and fix it. 5) Your child builds a new chain: sun, grass, grasshopper, frog, snake, hawk. They repeat the walk and lay the arrows. 6) Role sort. Your child sorts the 11 role cards onto the plates. (Producers: oak tree, grass, sunflower. Consumers: rabbit, deer, hawk, raccoon, honeybee, earthworm. Decomposers: mushroom, bread mold. The earthworm eats dead leaves, which helps the decomposers.) Look for two things. Every chain starts with the sun and a producer. Every arrow tip touches the eater.

    10 min · Science Notebook Entry

    In the notebook, your child draws one food chain that starts with the sun and has three living things. Above it they write: "The arrow carries the energy." They label each living thing P or C. If you kept the Week 10 and Week 12 checks, they redo missed items in another color. Sample: sun → grass → grasshopper → frog.

    5 min · Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket

    Read the three questions aloud, and let your child draw for question 2. Praise any idea they missed before and get right now.

    Watch for: Pointing arrows backward by reading the arrow as "eats."

    Try: Your child says "is eaten by" while tracing each arrow. Then repeat the ball walk.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Bread mold grows on an old orange. Is the mold a producer, a consumer or a decomposer?
    2. Fix this chain: cat → sparrow → seeds.
    3. In the chain grass → rabbit → hawk, what does the arrow between rabbit and hawk tell you?
    Show answers
    1. A decomposer.
    2. Seeds → sparrow → cat.
    3. Energy moves from the rabbit to the hawk, because the hawk eats the rabbit.

    Support: Sort only producers and consumers first. Add the Decomposer plate once those two are solid.

    Extend: Your child builds a chain with five living things, then adds a decomposer after the last consumer. They explain where the nutrients go.

    Homework: Draw two food chains from your yard or kitchen. Label each part P, C or D. Look for arrows that point to the eater.

    Day 2 · Tuesday

    Social Studies

    I can fix tricky ideas from Weeks 12 and 13 about Native nations and trade.

    D2.Geo.4.3-5D2.His.2.3-5D2.Geo.11.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Week 12 (Native nations by region, living today) and Week 13 Day 4 (trade). One-minute check: ask "Name one thing a Native nation does today." (Sample: it runs its own government or schools.)

    Materials: Fact cards from Week 12 (in the notebook), Finished Social Studies Checks from Weeks 12 and 13, U.S. map, 5 index cards, Product cards from Week 13 Day 4, 1 sticky note, Notebook, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 7. Ask: "What is a treaty?" (A written agreement between nations.) Then look over the Week 12 and Week 13 checks. Circle each missed item. Ask the big question: "Which word is stronger for a living nation, was or is?" (Is.)

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Reteach two trouble spots. Trouble spot 1, past and present. Say: "Native nations are living nations." "When we talk about today, we use today words: is, has, live, speak." Write: "The Hopi lived in pueblos." Say: "This is true of long ago, but it stops too soon." Write the fix: "Hopi people built pueblos long ago, and Hopi families live in Hopi villages today." Ask: "Which word shows today, lived or live?" (Live.) Ask: "Fix this: The Lakota were a Plains nation." (The Lakota are a Plains nation today.) Trouble spot 2, why trade happens. Point to Kansas and Florida on the map. Say: "Kansas grows wheat but not oranges. Florida grows oranges but little wheat." "When they trade, both get bread and orange juice." Ask: "Why doesn't Kansas grow oranges?" (Its winters are too cold for orange trees.) If stuck, say: "Add the word today. Does the sentence still sound right?"

    15–20 min · Activity / Source Work

    Part 1, sentence fix-up. Write five past-only sentences on cards. Your child rewrites each to tell about today. Your child checks each fix against the Today row of a Week 12 fact card. 1) "The Wampanoag had their own leaders." (The Wampanoag have their own tribal governments today.) 2) "The Navajo lived in the Southwest." (Many Navajo people live in the Navajo Nation today.) 3) "The Tlingit carved totem poles." (Tlingit artists carve totem poles today.) 4) "The Haudenosaunee were six nations." (The Haudenosaunee Confederacy has six nations today.) 5) "Plains nations hunted bison." (Many Plains nations are bringing bison back to their lands.) Ask: "Which fact card backs up your sentence?" Wording will vary. Look for a present-tense verb in every fix. Part 2, trade puzzle. Your child picks two product cards from different regions and explains one trade. Ask: "Who has what? Why there? What does each side gain?" Sample: "Maine has lobster and Georgia has peanuts. Each sells to the other, so both have both."

    10 min · Notebook Entry

    Your child writes the right answer for every item missed on the Week 12 and 13 checks. Then write two sentences about Native nations today. Use the frame: "Today, the ___ Nation ___." Sample: "Today, the Navajo Nation has its own government."

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Read the questions aloud. Your child answers in the notebook. Praise every present-tense verb you hear.

    Watch for: Still describing Native nations as people who "used to" live here.

    Try: Write "Still here today" on the sticky note and keep it on the table. Point to it when your child uses only the past tense.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Tipis could be taken down and moved quickly. Which region's nations used them, and why?
    2. This sentence stops in the past: "The Zuni made pottery." Say it so it is true of today.
    3. Michigan builds cars and Florida grows oranges. Explain a trade that helps both.
    Show answers
    1. Plains nations. Many followed the bison herds, so their homes had to move.
    2. Answers vary. Look for a present-tense verb, such as: Zuni artists make pottery today.
    3. Answers vary. Look for: each state sells its product to the other, so each gets what it does not make.

    Support: Do the sentence fix-ups aloud first. Then your child writes only two of them.

    Extend: Your child writes a short paragraph comparing how two nations from different regions used their land. Add one sentence about each nation today.

    Homework: Your child tells a family member one present-day fact about a Native nation from Week 12. Look for a present-tense verb, such as "has" or "live."

    Mathematics

    I can catch up on hard facts by breaking them apart and using a missing factor.

    3.OA.B.53.OA.C.73.OA.A.4

    Builds on: Needs break apart from Week 13 Day 3 and unknown-number equations from Week 12 Day 4. One-minute check: ask 5 × 6 and 2 × 6, then 6 × ? = 30 (30 and 12; the unknown is 5).

    New words:
    • missing factor – the unknown factor in a multiplication equation, such as the ? in 9 × ? = 63

    Materials: 4 fact cards (index cards or paper slips): 6 × 7, 7 × 8, 8 × 9, 6 × 9, 4 more fact cards (index cards or paper slips): 42 ÷ 6, 56 ÷ 8, 63 ÷ 7, 54 ÷ 6, Grid paper, Crayons (two colors), Notebook, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 12. Read: "40 cards are in 5 equal piles. How many are in each pile?" (8) Then lay out the 8 fact cards. Your child answers each one with no clock (42, 56, 72, 54; 7, 7, 9, 9). Sort the cards into two piles: "know it" and "still building." A fact is known when the answer comes without counting. Slow facts are fine today. They show us what to practice.

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Two tools help with hard facts. The first tool is break apart." Write 8 × 7. Your child outlines 8 rows of 7 on grid paper. Color the first 5 rows one color and the last 3 rows another color. Ask: "Why split 8 into 5 and 3?" (The ×5 facts are easy to find.) Ask: "What is 5 × 7?" (35) "What is 3 × 7?" (21) Your child writes each product inside its part. Write 35 + 21 = 56. Say: "So 8 × 7 = 56. The 5 rows and the 3 rows make all 8 rows, so nothing is lost." Say: "The second tool is a missing factor." Write 63 ÷ 9. Say: "Division asks a multiplication question. 9 times what number is 63?" Write 9 × ? = 63. Ask: "What is the unknown?" (7) Say: "So 63 ÷ 9 = 7. Every hard division fact turns into a multiplication fact this way." Now your child does more. Write 6 × 8 and 48 ÷ 6. Your child breaks 6 into 5 and 1, then writes the missing-factor equation. (40 + 8 = 48; 6 × ? = 48, so 8)

    10–15 min · Guided Practice

    Your child names the tool first, then writes the steps. For break apart, your child may outline the array on grid paper. 1) 7 × 6, breaking 7 into 5 and 2 (30 + 12 = 42). 2) 72 ÷ 8 (8 × ? = 72, so 9). 3) 9 × 6, breaking 9 into 5 and 4 (30 + 24 = 54). 4) 49 ÷ 7 (7 × ? = 49, so 7). If stuck, say: "Is it multiplication? Split the rows into 5 and the rest. Is it division? Ask: times what?"

    15–20 min · Independent Practice

    Your child shows the steps for each one. 1) 6 × 9 (45 + 9 = 54). 2) 7 × 7 (35 + 14 = 49). 3) 8 × 8 (40 + 24 = 64). 4) 56 ÷ 7 (7 × ? = 56, so 8). 5) 81 ÷ 9 (9 × ? = 81, so 9). 6) Outline 7 rows of 9 on grid paper. Color 5 rows and 2 rows. Write the sum (45 + 18 = 63). 7) A baker fills 9 trays with 8 rolls each. How many rolls? (72) 8) 48 pencils go in boxes of 8. How many boxes? (8 × ? = 48, so 6 boxes) Last, your child tries the "still building" cards again and moves any that now feel easy.

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Read each question aloud; your child writes the steps on paper. There is no clock, and the fact cards stay face down.

    Watch for: Adding the factors instead of the two products when breaking apart, such as adding 5 and 7.

    Try: Your child writes each product inside its colored part of the array before adding the parts. Ask: "How many squares are in this part?"

    Fact fluency: ×6–×9 and ÷6–÷9 facts
    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Break 9 × 9 apart and solve.
    2. Write a missing-factor equation for 54 ÷ 9 and solve it.
    3. What is 64 ÷ 8? Tell the multiplication fact that helps.
    Show answers
    1. 81. Sample: 5 × 9 = 45 and 4 × 9 = 36; 45 + 36 = 81
    2. 9 × ? = 54; ? = 6
    3. 8, because 8 × 8 = 64

    Support: Use only 4 cards: 6 × 7, 7 × 8, 42 ÷ 6 and 56 ÷ 8. Your child outlines an array on grid paper for each one and colors the two parts.

    Extend: Your child breaks 9 × 8 apart two ways and tells which is easier. Samples: 5 rows and 4 rows, 40 + 32 = 72; 10 rows minus one row, 80 − 8 = 72.

    Homework: Practice the "still building" cards for 10 minutes with a family member. Say the tool first. Sample: 7 × 8 is 40 + 16, which is 56. Try one division card the same way. Sample: 56 ÷ 8 asks 8 times what number is 56, so 7.

    English Language Arts

    I can fix subject-verb agreement and build a story problem that grows (catch-up day).

    L.3.1.FW.3.3.A

    Builds on: Needs subject-verb agreement from Week 13 Day 3 and rising action from Week 12 Day 2. One-minute check: ask, "The kids laugh or laughs?" (Laugh.)

    Materials: 8 index cards, Notebook, Narrative draft, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Flex week, catch-up day 2. Word study, about 3 minutes. Write these base words in the notebook: tie, safe, play, fill, honest, trust. Your child adds un-, re- or dis- to build untie, unsafe, replay, refill, dishonest and distrust. They draw a line between each prefix and its base word. Then they say one of the words in a sentence. Spaced review from Week 12. Ask: "Name the three kinds of story problems." (Person against person, person against nature, person against self.)

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Today we fix two hard skills. First, agreement." Write: "The dog runs. The dogs run." Say: "Think of a seesaw. When the noun has the -s, the verb usually does not. When the noun has no -s, the verb usually does." Write: "Ben and Lily are home." Say: "And makes a plural subject. Swap in they to check: 'They are home.'" Ask: "The bells ring or rings?" (Ring.) "Ava and her dog walk or walks?" (Walk.) Second, story problems. Say: "A problem must matter to the character. It must get harder before it gets better." Read this model aloud. "Milo's Boat": Milo's paper boat drifts away from the edge of the pond. He reaches with a stick, but the stick is too short. Then the wind pushes the boat toward the ducks. Now the paper is getting soggy, and the boat starts to sink. Ask: "How many times does the problem get harder?" (Three times: the stick is too short, the wind pushes the boat, the boat starts to sink.)

    10–15 min · Guided Practice

    Make 8 cards. Subjects: the baby, the puppies, Dad and I, my teacher. Verb pairs: naps or nap, is or are, has or have, sings or sing. 1) Your child matches each subject with a verb form and reads the sentence aloud. (Samples: The baby naps. The puppies are. Dad and I have. My teacher sings.) 2) Ask: "Which one word can replace 'Dad and I'?" (We. We are, we have.) 3) Reread the rising action in the narrative together. Your child draws an up arrow beside each sentence that makes the problem harder. (Look for: at least two arrows.) 4) Ask: "Where could it get harder one more time?" (Your child points to a spot.) If stuck, say: "What is the worst thing that could happen next? Write that."

    15–20 min · Independent Practice

    1) Your child fixes any agreement errors in the narrative with a pencil. 2) They add 2 sentences to the rising action. The problem must get harder at least twice before the climax. 3) In the new sentences, they underline each subject once and each verb twice. Sample: "The rope slips from my hands. My brothers shout from the bank." Checklist: each new sentence makes the problem worse. Every underlined pair agrees. The new sentences come before the climax.

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Write the first two items in the notebook. Your child circles a verb for each, then says a sentence for the third.

    Watch for: Thinking "Dad and I" is singular because I is one person.

    Try: Swap in we for "Dad and I". Your child hears that "we are" sounds right and "we is" does not.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Choose: Jo and her sister ___ (has / have) a plan.
    2. Choose: The kitten ___ (hide / hides) under the porch.
    3. Add one 'it gets harder' sentence to this: 'Lena's shoe is stuck in the mud.'
    Show answers
    1. Have.
    2. Hides.
    3. Answers vary. Look for: a sentence that makes the problem worse, such as "When she pulls, her sock comes off too."

    Support: Sort the cards into singular and plural piles first. Add the two-person subjects once that is solid.

    Extend: Your child writes a 5-sentence rising action. Each sentence makes the problem a little harder than the one before.

    Homework: Write 5 sentences about what people in your family do each day. Look for: every subject and verb agree.

    Science

    I can tell physical adaptations from behavioral adaptations and explain why a living thing fits its habitat.

    3-LS4-33-LS4-2

    Builds on: Needs Week 11: habitats on Day 1, physical and behavioral adaptations on Days 3 and 4. One-minute check: ask, "What is an adaptation?" (A body part or behavior that helps a living thing survive.)

    Materials: 10 paper strips, each with one statement (listed in the investigation), 2 sticky notes labeled HAS and DOES, Week 11 cards (remake on index cards if lost): animals polar bear, clownfish, frog, squirrel; habitats Arctic sea ice, coral reef, pond edge, forest, desert, Science notebook and pencil

    5 min · Day 67 — Flex Catch-Up: Habitats and Adaptations — Wonder Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 12. Ask: "Where does the energy in every food chain start?" (The sun.) Then the big question. Say: "A polar bear has thick fur. A goose flies south. Which is a body part, and which is an action?" (Fur is a body part. Flying south is an action.)

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "One question sorts every adaptation. Is it something the animal HAS, or something it DOES?" Say: "Things it has are physical adaptations, like webbed feet. Things it does are behavioral adaptations, like hunting at night." Touch your arm and say "has." March in place and say "does." Your child copies. Ask: "A turtle's shell?" (Has, physical.) "A squirrel burying nuts?" (Does, behavioral.) "A hawk's sharp beak?" (Has, physical.) Say: "A living thing survives well where its adaptations match the habitat." Say: "A polar bear's thick fur and fat keep it warm on Arctic ice. In a hot desert, that same fur would make it overheat." Ask: "Would a polar bear survive well in a desert?" (No. It would overheat and find no seals to eat.) If stuck, say: "Could you see it in a photo of a still animal? Then it is a HAS."

    15–20 min · Investigation / Hands-On

    Has or Does Sort and Habitat Rescue. 1) Read each strip aloud. Your child places it under HAS or DOES and says why. Strips 1 to 5: thick fur, migrates south, webbed feet, hibernates, long sharp claws. Strips 6 to 10: hunts at night, a porcupine's quills, buries acorns, large ears, plays dead. (HAS: fur, webbed feet, claws, quills, ears. DOES: migrates, hibernates, hunts at night, buries acorns, plays dead.) 2) Habitat Rescue. Lay out the Week 11 cards. Place four animals on wrong habitats. Put the polar bear and the frog on desert. Put the clownfish on forest and the squirrel on coral reef. 3) Your child moves each animal home. (Polar bear, Arctic sea ice. Frog, pond edge. Clownfish, coral reef. Squirrel, forest.) 4) For each one they name a need the wrong place could not meet. Sample: "The desert has no pond for the frog's eggs." Say: "In any habitat, some living things survive well, some less well, and some not at all."

    10 min · Science Notebook Entry

    In the notebook, your child writes about one animal: one physical adaptation and one behavioral adaptation. Frames: "The ___ has ___. This helps it ___. The ___ also ___. This helps it ___." Sample: "The Arctic fox has thick fur. This helps it stay warm. The Arctic fox also stores food. This helps it eat in winter."

    5 min · Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket

    Read the three questions aloud; if one is missed, ask the HAS or DOES question again. Praise answers that say how the adaptation helps.

    Watch for: Calling fur behavioral because animals "use" it, or hibernation physical because the body slows down.

    Try: Ask: "Could a photo of a still animal show it?" A photo shows fur. It cannot show migrating.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. A beaver builds a dam. Is that a physical or a behavioral adaptation?
    2. A giraffe has a very long neck. What kind of adaptation is it, and how does it help?
    3. A sea turtle is put in a desert. Name two needs the desert cannot meet.
    Show answers
    1. Behavioral. It is something the beaver does.
    2. Physical. It helps the giraffe reach leaves high in trees.
    3. Any 2: ocean water to swim in, its food such as sea grass or jellyfish, a wet place to live.

    Support: Sort 6 strips, not 10. Your child acts out each one to decide HAS or DOES.

    Extend: Your child writes 3 new strips for a family member to sort. One should be tricky.

    Homework: Quiz a family member with 5 HAS or DOES examples of your own. Mark their answers. Look for a correct answer key.

    Day 3 · Wednesday

    Social Studies

    I can build a salt-dough map that shows U.S. landforms and regions.

    D2.Geo.2.3-5D2.Geo.3.3-5

    Builds on: Needs the Week 5 relief map of your state and the Week 10 landforms. One-minute check: ask "On a relief map, what do the raised parts show?" (High land, such as mountains.)

    Materials: Salt dough made ahead (2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, about 3/4 cup water) or modeling clay, Cardboard base, about 12 by 18 inches, U.S. map that shows landforms, 8 toothpicks and 8 small paper flags, Tape, Ruler, Markers or paint (for the next day, when the dough is dry), Notebook, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 4. Ask: "What is a plain?" (A wide area of flat land.) Then ask the big question: "If you ran your hand across the whole country, where would it bump?"

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Today you are a mapmaker. You will build a map that shows high land and low land." Plan in pencil on the cardboard. Your child copies the outline of the United States from the map. A simple shape is fine. Then mark the plan together. Draw zigzags in the West for the Rockies, from Canada toward New Mexico. Draw small humps in the East for the Appalachians, from Maine toward Alabama. Write "plains" in the middle. Draw a line for the Mississippi from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Draw five small shapes for the Great Lakes. Say: "Rivers start on higher land and flow downhill to bigger water." Ask: "Which range will you build taller?" (The Rockies.) Ask: "Why are the Appalachians lower?" (They are older and worn down.) Ask: "Where does the Mississippi end?" (At the Gulf of Mexico.) If stuck, say: "Point to it on the printed map first. Then mark the same spot on yours."

    15–20 min · Activity / Source Work

    Safety: do not taste the dough, because raw flour is not safe to eat. Wash hands afterward. 1) Your child presses a thin layer of dough over the whole outline. 2) Pinch up the Rockies, tall and pointed. 3) Build the Appalachians, low and rounded. 4) Smooth the Great Plains flat. 5) Draw grooves with a toothpick: the Mississippi, the Missouri joining it from the west, and the Colorado in the Southwest. 6) Press five small dents for the Great Lakes. 7) Tape flags to toothpicks. Label the five regions, the Great Lakes and both mountain ranges. Stand them in the dough. 8) Measure. Hold the ruler beside each landform and fill in a chart with two columns: Landform, Height on my map. Rows: Rockies, Appalachians, Great Plains. Expect the Rockies to be tallest and the plains lowest. If not, add or press down dough. Heights will differ from map to map. Look for the pattern: West high, middle flat, East low hills. Check that every river groove runs toward bigger water.

    10 min · Notebook Entry

    Your child writes a map key for the 3D map. Tell what each shape and color will stand for. Sample: "Tall points are the Rockies. Low bumps are the Appalachians. Grooves are rivers. Blue is water." Then finish the frame: "Building in 3D helped me see that ___." Sample: "The West is much higher than the middle of the country."

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Read the questions aloud. Your child points to the 3D map, then writes a short answer. Praise correct landform names.

    Watch for: Building all the mountains the same height, or drawing rivers that start at the sea.

    Try: Hold the ruler beside each range and compare. Then your child traces a river from high land down to the sea.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Point to the highest land on your map. What is it called, and which region is it in?
    2. Which landform did you keep flat, and where is it?
    3. Trace the Mississippi with a finger. Where does it start, and where does it end?
    Show answers
    1. The Rocky Mountains, in the West.
    2. The Great Plains, in the middle of the country.
    3. It starts in Minnesota and flows south to the Gulf of Mexico.

    Support: You draw the outline and the plan marks. Your child builds with modeling clay on top of them.

    Extend: Your child adds the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade mountains near the West Coast. Use the printed map to place them.

    Homework: When the dough is dry tomorrow, your child colors it with markers or paint: brown mountains, green plains, blue water. Then show a family member. Look for: your child explains the key.

    Mathematics

    I can use arrays to plan equal groups in the Party Planner Challenge.

    3.OA.A.33.OA.A.13.OA.B.5

    Builds on: Needs arrays from Week 4 and switching the order of factors from Week 13 Day 1. One-minute check: your child draws 2 rows of 6, then turns the paper. Ask what both arrays total (12).

    Materials: 40 counters (dried beans, coins or buttons), Grid paper, Notebook, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 13. Ask: "If 3 × 9 = 27, what is 9 × 3?" (27) Then try ×4 and ×6 facts with no clock. Ask 4 × 7, 4 × 9, 6 × 6 and 6 × 5 (28, 36, 36, 30). Your child tells how one answer was found.

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "This is the Party Planner Challenge. It takes two days. You plan a party for 24 guests. Every table must seat the same number." Count out 24 beans as guests. Say: "Try tables of 4." Your child makes rows of 4 beans. Ask: "How many tables?" (6) Write 6 × 4 = 24. Say: "So 6 tables of 4 seat all 24 guests." Say: "Now try tables of 5." Your child makes rows of 5. Ask: "Does this plan work?" (No. 4 guests are left without a full table.) Say: "A plan works only when every guest has a seat and every table matches." Now your child does more. Say: "Try tables of 8." Ask: "How many tables? Which equation fits?" (3 tables; 3 × 8 = 24) Ask: "What if the room had 8 small tables instead?" (8 tables of 3; 8 × 3 = 24)

    10–15 min · Guided Practice

    Find more plans for 24 guests. No table may seat more than 10. The room holds at most 10 tables. Your child tests each plan with beans. 1) Tables of 6 (4 tables; 4 × 6 = 24). 2) Tables of 2 (12 tables; too many, because the room holds only 10). 3) Tables of 7 (does not work; 3 guests are left over). 4) Your child draws two working plans as arrays on grid paper and writes each equation. If stuck, say: "Make rows of that size. Is any guest left without a full table?"

    15–20 min · Independent Practice

    Now plan for 36 guests with the same two limits. Your child tests with beans and writes each answer. 1) Tables of 9 (4 tables; 4 × 9 = 36). 2) Tables of 6 (6 tables; 6 × 6 = 36). 3) Tables of 4 (9 tables; 9 × 4 = 36). 4) Tables of 8 (does not work; 4 guests are left over). 5) Draw the plan with tables of 6 as an array on grid paper. Label it. (6 rows of 6) 6) Tables of 3 need how many tables? Why does that plan break a limit? (12 tables; the room holds only 10) 7) A smaller room fits only 6 tables. Which plans still work? (4 tables of 9, or 6 tables of 6) 8) Each of the 4 tables of 9 gets 2 balloons. How many balloons? (8)

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Put the beans away. Read each question aloud; your child answers on paper and may sketch.

    Watch for: Listing a plan that leaves guests out, such as 4 tables of 5 for 24 guests.

    Try: Your child builds the plan with beans. Every bean must sit in a full row, and every row must match. Count the beans left over.

    Fact fluency: ×4, ×6 facts
    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. 20 guests sit at tables of 5. How many tables?
    2. Name two other ways to seat 20 guests at equal tables.
    3. 28 guests sit at 4 equal tables. How many guests are at each table?
    Show answers
    1. 4 tables
    2. Any two of these. 5 tables of 4, 2 tables of 10, 10 tables of 2. Also 1 table of 20, or 20 tables of 1.
    3. 7 guests

    Support: Plan for 12 guests and build every plan with beans. Plans: 2 tables of 6, 3 of 4, 4 of 3, 6 of 2.

    Extend: Your child finds every plan for 40 guests, then for 32 guests, with the same limits. Answers for 40: 4 tables of 10, 5 of 8, 8 of 5, 10 of 4. Answers for 32: 4 of 8, 8 of 4.

    Homework: Draw a plan to seat 18 guests at equal tables and write its equation. Sample: 3 tables of 6; 3 × 6 = 18.

    English Language Arts

    I can plan a picture book version of my narrative where the illustrations add to the words.

    RL.3.7W.3.4W.3.5

    Builds on: Needs the revised narrative from Week 13 and the picture work from Week 10 Day 3. One-minute check: ask, "What can a picture show that words might skip?" (A feeling, the setting or a small detail.)

    Materials: One picture book from your child's shelf, 2 sheets of plain paper folded together into an 8-page booklet, Colored pencils or markers, Final narrative draft, Notebook, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Flex week, enrichment day 1. Word study, about 3 minutes. Dictate this sentence: "Do not untie the boat, or it will disappear." Your child writes it in the notebook. Check it together. Ask: "Which two words have a prefix?" (Untie and disappear.) Your child fixes any misspelled word. Spaced review from Week 13. Ask: "How do you capitalize the title 'a walk in the rain'?" (A Walk in the Rain)

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Today you start publishing your story as a picture book. In a good picture book, the pictures do not just repeat the words. They add things: a feeling, the setting or a detail the words never say." Open the picture book. Cover the words on one page with your hand. Your child tells what is happening from the picture alone. Uncover the words. Ask: "What did the picture tell you that the words did not?" (Answers vary.) Now read this model page aloud. "The Wobbly Cake", page 2. Words: Nora carried the cake to the table. Picture: Nora's tongue pokes out. The cake leans to one side. Under the table, the dog waits with its mouth open. Think aloud. Say: "The words tell what Nora does. The picture adds her feeling. She is working hard to keep the cake steady. It also adds the dog, which the words never mention." Ask: "What mood does this picture make?" (Tense or funny. Something is about to go wrong.)

    10–15 min · Guided Practice

    Plan the booklet together. 1) Your child splits the narrative into 6 or 7 chunks of one or two sentences. They draw a pencil line at each break. (Look for: one moment in each chunk.) 2) Save the first booklet page for the title. Your child lightly pencils one chunk at the bottom of each page after it. 3) For each page, ask: "What will this picture show that your words leave out?" Your child writes a tiny note in the corner. (Samples: show my shaking hands; show rain on the window.) 4) Ask: "Which page has the strongest feeling? How will the face and body show it?" (Look for: one body clue.) If stuck, say: "Close your eyes and stand inside that page. What do you see that you never wrote?"

    15–20 min · Independent Practice

    1) Your child sketches the pictures in pencil for at least 4 pages. 2) Each sketch adds at least one detail beyond the words. 3) Your child revises any page where the words now repeat the picture. They cut or change that sentence. Example: if the picture shows a red umbrella, cut "It was red." Look for three things. Each picture adds a feeling, a setting detail or a surprise. The words and the picture do not say the same thing twice. The story still reads in order.

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Ask the three questions aloud while your child holds the booklet and points to the pages.

    Watch for: Drawing pictures that only repeat the sentence, so the pictures add nothing.

    Try: Cover the words. A family member guesses the page from the picture. Then your child adds one detail they could not have guessed.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Name two kinds of things a picture can add that the words leave out.
    2. On one page of your book, what does your picture add?
    3. Which words did you cut or change because the picture now shows that idea?
    Show answers
    1. Answers vary. Look for two: a feeling, a setting detail, an action or a funny detail.
    2. Answers vary. Look for: one clear added detail, such as a face or the weather.
    3. Answers vary. Look for: one sentence that was cut or changed, or one that could be.

    Support: Your child plans only 4 pages and draws stick figures. Keep the focus on what each picture adds.

    Extend: Your child hides one secret detail in the background of every picture, such as a cat that follows the story.

    Homework: Finish and color 2 pages of the picture book. Look for: one added detail in each picture.

    Science

    I can investigate how an animal's color can help it survive in its habitat.

    3-LS4-23-LS4-3

    Builds on: Needs Day 2: adaptations help a living thing fit its habitat. One-minute check: ask, "Is an animal's fur color something it has or something it does?" (Has. It is physical.)

    New words:
    • camouflage – colors or patterns that help a living thing blend in with its surroundings

    Materials: 45 pieces of yarn or paper strips, each about as long as a finger: 15 green, 15 brown, 15 red, A patch of lawn, or a green or brown rug, towel or blanket, Timer, Science notebook and pencil

    5 min · Day 68 — Flex Challenge: Camouflage Hunt — Wonder Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 11. Ask: "Name one physical adaptation and one behavioral adaptation." (Sample: thick fur; migrating.) Then the wonder. Say: "A green caterpillar and a bright red caterpillar sit on a leaf. Which one might a bird find first? Why?" Take one guess.

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Animals of one kind are not all exactly alike. Some have colors that blend in with their habitat better. Blending in is called camouflage." Say: "Many birds hunt by sight. They find the animals that stand out. The ones that blend in are more likely to live and have young." Say: "Peppered moths come in a light form and a dark form. On pale bark, birds have trouble seeing light moths. On dark, sooty bark, dark moths are harder to see." Hold one red and one green yarn piece against today's background. Ask: "Which is easier to see?" (The one that does not match.) "On dark bark, which moth is safer?" (The dark one.) "Did the moth choose its color?" (No. Its color came from its parents.) If stuck, say: "Squint your eyes. Which piece disappears first?" Say: "Today you are the hungry bird."

    15–20 min · Investigation / Hands-On

    Yarn Worm Hunt. Safety: afterward, pick up all 45 pieces so no pet or bird swallows yarn. 1) Your child predicts which color will be picked most and which least. They write it down. 2) Your child looks away. Scatter all 45 worms across the lawn or rug. 3) Set the timer for 30 seconds. Your child, the bird, picks up worms one at a time with one hand. 4) Sort the catch by color and count it. Table: Color | Round 1 picked | Round 2 picked | Total. 5) Scatter all 45 again and repeat. 6) Your child draws a bar graph of the three totals. Change only the worm color. Keep the same number of each color, time, place and picker. Expect the color most like the background to be picked least. If not, say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern." Ask: "Which color survived best? What is your evidence?" (The shortest bar.)

    10 min · Science Notebook Entry

    Your child records the prediction, the table and the bar graph in the notebook. Then they finish: "The ___ worms survived best because ___. This shows that camouflage ___." Sample: "The green worms survived best because they matched the grass. This shows that camouflage helps animals hide from predators."

    5 min · Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket

    Your child answers on paper and uses the data table for question 1. Praise comparing the result with the prediction, even if the prediction was wrong.

    Watch for: Thinking an animal picks or changes its color on purpose to match its habitat.

    Try: Say: "Most animals are born with their color. The ones that happen to blend in get eaten less often."

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Which color of worm was picked least in your test? Why?
    2. A green frog and a yellow frog sit on a green lily pad. Which one is a heron more likely to see? Why?
    3. Does an animal choose its color to match its habitat? Explain.
    Show answers
    1. Answers vary. Look for: the color most like the background, because it was hard to see.
    2. The yellow frog. It stands out against the green pad.
    3. No. Most animals are born with their color. The ones that blend in are more likely to survive.

    Support: Use only the green and red worms, 15 of each. Count the catch together.

    Extend: Repeat on a different background, such as a brown blanket. Your child predicts the change before starting.

    Homework: Find one camouflaged animal in a book or outdoors, such as a moth on bark. Draw it on its background. Look for matching colors.

    Day 4 · Thursday

    Social Studies

    I can trace where my breakfast comes from and show it on a map.

    D2.Geo.7.3-5D2.Geo.11.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Week 13 Days 3 and 4: how goods travel and why regions trade. One-minute check: ask "Which carries big loads across an ocean, a truck or a ship?" (A ship.)

    Materials: Four breakfast items with labels, such as cereal, milk, a banana and orange juice, U.S. map and world map, 4 pieces of string or yarn, about 12 inches each, 4 sticky notes, Tape, Notebook, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 10. Ask: "Name two of the five Great Lakes." (Any two of Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.) Then ask the big question: "How many places helped make your breakfast?" Write down your child's guess.

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Each item on your plate took a trip. Today you are a detective who traces those trips." Model one item, a wheat cereal. Point to Kansas and North Dakota on the U.S. map. Say: "Wheat grows on the Great Plains, in states like these. A mill grinds the wheat into flour." "A factory bakes the flour into cereal. Trucks carry the boxes to a warehouse, then to our store." Write the steps: farm, mill, factory, warehouse, store, home. Now teach label reading. Say: "Product of or Grown in tells where a food grew." "Packed in or Distributed by tells where it was boxed, or where the company office is." "If the label does not say where it grew, we write a question mark." Ask: "A juice carton says Distributed by a company in New Jersey. Did the oranges grow there?" (We cannot tell. Write a question mark.) Ask: "A banana sticker says Guatemala. What does that tell us?" (The banana grew in Guatemala.) If stuck, say: "Find the words Product of or Grown in first."

    15–20 min · Activity / Source Work

    Breakfast detective. 1) Your child reads the label on each of the four items. 2) Write each item's name on a sticky note. Stick it where the item grew or was made. Use the U.S. map or the world map. 3) Tape a piece of yarn from each note to your town. 4) Rank the trips from shortest to longest. Compare yarn lengths only on the same map. Items from another continent traveled farthest. 5) Ask: "Which item traveled the farthest? What is your evidence?" (Sample: "The sticker says Guatemala, and the yarn is longest.") Ask: "Which U.S. region sent the most items?" 6) Count the different places. Compare the count with the guess from the warm-up. Expect three or more places for most breakfasts. Your results will differ from other families' results. Look for the pattern: fresh milk and eggs often make short trips, and fruit often travels far.

    10 min · Notebook Entry

    Your child makes a Breakfast Journey chart with four columns. Item, Where it came from, How it probably traveled, Region or country. Sample row: "Banana, Guatemala, truck then ship then truck, another country." Then finish the frame: "My breakfast connects me to ___ places."

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Read the questions aloud. Your child uses the chart and the map. Praise answers that point to a label as evidence.

    Watch for: Assuming the place on the label is where the food grew, when it may only be where it was packed.

    Try: Point out "Packed in" and "Distributed by" on a label. Your child marks those items with a question mark on the map.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Which of your breakfast items traveled the farthest? What is your evidence?
    2. A label says "Packed in Ohio." Does that prove the food grew in Ohio? Explain.
    3. Why can't one place grow everything we eat for breakfast?
    Show answers
    1. Answers vary. Look for: an item and place from the chart, backed by the label or the yarn.
    2. No. It tells where the food was packed. It may have grown somewhere else.
    3. Different places have different land and climate, so they grow different things.

    Support: Trace two items, not four. You read the labels aloud while your child finds each place.

    Extend: Your child adds a fifth item from another country. Ask: "Did it cross an ocean or come by land? Which ocean?"

    Homework: Your child reads the labels on two dinner foods tonight and adds them to the Breakfast Journey chart. Look for a place copied from each label.

    Mathematics

    I can solve two-step party problems in the Party Planner Challenge.

    3.OA.A.33.OA.D.83.OA.A.4

    Builds on: Needs two-step problems from Week 5 Day 5 and equations with ? from Week 12 Day 4. One-minute check: your child solves 8 × ? = 32 and tells what the ? stands for (4; the missing factor).

    Materials: 30 counters (dried beans, coins or buttons), Notebook, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 12. Read: "28 stickers go 4 to a page. How many pages?" (7) Then try ×8 and ÷8 facts with no clock. Ask 3 × 8, 6 × 8, 40 ÷ 8 and 56 ÷ 8 (24, 48, 5, 7).

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Party Planner, part 2, is shopping. Many shopping questions take two steps." Read: "6 tables each get 4 cups. Cups come in packs of 8. How many packs do we buy?" Ask: "What must we know first?" (How many cups we need.) Write Step 1: 6 × 4 = 24. Say: "We need 24 cups." Ask: "What do we find next?" (How many packs of 8 make 24.) Write Step 2: 8 × ? = 24. Ask: "What is the unknown?" (3) Say: "So we buy 3 packs of cups." Say: "Check it. 3 packs of 8 is 24 cups, and we need 24." Say: "Reread the question. Did we answer it?" (Yes. It asked for packs.) Now your child does more. Read: "Each of 6 tables gets 3 balloons. 5 more balloons go by the door. How many balloons?" Your child writes both steps. (6 × 3 = 18; 18 + 5 = 23 balloons)

    10–15 min · Guided Practice

    Your child writes Step 1 and Step 2 on separate lines. Before each one, ask: "What must we know first?" 1) 4 tables each get 9 napkins. Napkins come in packs of 6. How many packs? (4 × 9 = 36; 36 ÷ 6 = 6 packs) 2) Each of 5 tables gets 4 cupcakes. 3 extra are baked. How many cupcakes? (5 × 4 = 20; 20 + 3 = 23) 3) We need 40 forks. Forks come in packs of 8. 2 packs are at home. How many more packs? (40 ÷ 8 = 5; 5 − 2 = 3 packs). If stuck, say: "What must we know before we can answer? Find that number first."

    15–20 min · Independent Practice

    Your child solves each one and shows both steps for the stories. 1) 8 × ? = 48 (6). 2) 7 × 8 (56). 3) 72 ÷ 8 (9). 4) Draw 3 packs of 8 juice boxes as circles with dots. How many juice boxes? (24) 5) 24 guests each get 1 party hat. Hats come in bags of 6. 1 bag is at home. How many more bags? (24 ÷ 6 = 4; 4 − 1 = 3 bags) 6) 7 tables each get 2 candles. 6 more candles go on the cake. How many candles? (7 × 2 = 14; 14 + 6 = 20) 7) 5 packs hold 6 plates each. 24 guests each take one plate. How many plates are left? (5 × 6 = 30; 30 − 24 = 6) 8) 9 tables each get 3 flowers. Flowers come in bunches of 9. How many bunches? (9 × 3 = 27; 27 ÷ 9 = 3 bunches). Last, your child rereads each story question and circles the number that answers it.

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Read each question aloud; your child shows both steps for questions 1 and 2.

    Watch for: Stopping after Step 1 and giving that number as the answer, such as 24 cups instead of 3 packs.

    Try: Your child underlines the question first. After solving, ask: "Does your answer tell what the story asked?"

    Fact fluency: ×8 and ÷8 facts
    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. 8 tables each get 2 bowls. Bowls come in packs of 4. How many packs?
    2. 6 tables each get 5 flowers. 4 more flowers go by the door. How many flowers?
    3. Write an equation with ? and solve it: 9 equal packs hold 54 plates in all.
    Show answers
    1. 4 packs (8 × 2 = 16; 16 ÷ 4 = 4)
    2. 34 flowers (6 × 5 = 30; 30 + 4 = 34)
    3. 9 × ? = 54; ? = 6 plates in each pack

    Support: Use beans for each story. Your child builds Step 1, counts, then builds Step 2 with the same beans.

    Extend: Your child plans a party for 32 guests and lists 3 items to buy in packs of 4 or 8. Sample: 32 cups in packs of 8 is 4 packs.

    Homework: Solve this party problem and show both steps. 3 tables each get 8 spoons. Spoons come in packs of 6. How many packs? Answer: 3 × 8 = 24; 24 ÷ 6 = 4 packs.

    English Language Arts

    I can share my published book, and as a listener I can retell what I heard and ask good questions.

    SL.3.4SL.3.2SL.3.3W.3.4L.3.2.B

    Builds on: Needs the booklet from Day 3 and the retelling practice from Week 12 Day 4. One-minute check: ask, "Which three parts go in a short retelling?" (Who it is about, the problem and how it ended.)

    New words:
    • Author's Chair – the special seat where a writer reads finished work aloud to listeners

    Materials: Picture book booklet from Day 3, Colored pencils or markers, Stapler or yarn for binding, A chair for the Author's Chair, An envelope, Pencil, Notebook

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Flex week, enrichment day 2. Word study, about 3 minutes. Ask each question aloud. "If you replay a song, what do you do?" (Play it again.) "A puppy that will disobey does what?" (It does not do what it is told.) "If you distrust a wobbly ladder, how do you feel about it?" (You are not sure it is safe.) Then your child uses unlock in a sentence. Spaced review from Week 13. Ask: "Fix this: The children is ready." (The children are ready.)

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Today you become a published author and sit in the Author's Chair. A speaker has three jobs: read clearly, keep a steady pace and show each picture." Read one page of the booklet two ways. First read it fast and flat. Then read it at a steady pace with expression. Ask: "Which was easier to understand? Why?" (The second. I could hear every word and the feeling.) Say: "A listener has jobs too. Look at the speaker. Listen so you can retell. Afterward, recount the story in three sentences: beginning, problem, ending. Then ask one question that starts with How, Why or What." Give a sample question: "Why did you show rain in that picture?" Last, teach the envelope. Write this sample in the notebook, with a new line at each slash: Ms. Ana Reyes / 12 Birch Lane / Madison, Wisconsin 53703. Say: "The name goes on the top line. The house number and street go in the middle. The city, state and ZIP code go on the bottom line. A comma goes between the city and the state."

    10–15 min · Guided Practice

    1) Your child makes the title page with a correctly capitalized title and the word "by" with their name. (Check the first, last and important words.) 2) Bind the book with staples or yarn. Any coloring left can wait until after the sharing. 3) Your child practices reading the book once, pausing to show each picture. 4) Your child addresses the envelope to a relative with a pencil, using the sample. It can carry an invitation to a second reading. Ask: "Where is the comma?" (Between the city and the state.) If stuck, say: "Point to the city. Point to the state. The comma sits between them."

    15–20 min · Independent Practice

    Hold the Author's Chair with at least one listener. 1) Your child sits in the chair and reads the book. 2) Each listener recounts it in three sentences and asks one How, Why or What question. Your child answers with a detail. 3) Switch roles. Read this story aloud once. "The Scarecrow's Hat": Every morning, crows ate the corn in Wes's garden. Wes built a scarecrow from a broom and an old coat. The crows landed right on its arms. They were not scared at all. Wes thought hard. Then he tied three pie tins to the scarecrow's hat. When the wind blew, the tins flashed and clanged. The crows flew off with angry squawks. That night, Wes counted every ear of corn. Not one was missing. 4) Your child recounts it and asks you one question. (Sample: Crows eat the corn in Wes's garden. His scarecrow does not scare them. He adds noisy pie tins, and the crows leave. Question: "Why did the tins scare the crows?")

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Ask the three questions aloud. For the second, your child writes the city and state in the notebook.

    Watch for: As a listener, asking a yes-or-no question or telling their own story instead.

    Try: Write question starters in the notebook: "Why did you...?" "How did you feel when...?" "What happened after...?"

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. You read too fast in the Author's Chair. What should you change, and why?
    2. Write our city and state the way they go on an envelope. Where is the comma?
    3. What question did you ask about 'The Scarecrow's Hat', and what was the answer?
    Show answers
    1. Slow down to a steady pace so listeners can understand every word.
    2. Answers vary by family. Look for: a comma between the city and the state, with capitals on both.
    3. Answers vary. Look for: a How, Why or What question and an answer with a story detail.

    Support: Your child reads to just one listener. For retelling, they hold up three fingers: beginning, problem, ending.

    Extend: Your child adds an "About the Author" page with three facts and a correctly capitalized heading.

    Homework: Read the published book to someone who missed the Author's Chair. Ask them one question about it. Look for: a steady pace and each picture shown.

    Science

    I can run a fair test to find out which habitat conditions pill bugs choose.

    3-LS4-33-5-ETS1-3

    Builds on: Needs fair tests from Week 8: change one thing and keep the rest the same. One-minute check: ask, "In a fair test, how many things do you change?" (One.)

    New words:
    • isopod – a small animal with a jointed shell and 14 legs, such as a pill bug

    Materials: Shallow tray, shoebox lid or baking pan, 2 paper towels of the same kind and a little water, 6 to 10 pill bugs, gently collected from under a log, stone or leaf pile, If no pill bugs can be found: a small cup of isopods from a pet store (keep these in their container afterward; never release them outdoors), or use the sample counts in the investigation, Spoon, Timer, Science notebook and pencil, Soap for handwashing

    5 min · Day 69 — Flex Challenge: Pill Bug Habitat Choice — Wonder Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 10. Ask: "Is a pill bug living, once living or never alive? How do you know?" (Living. It eats, grows and has young.) Then tell where the pill bugs were found. Ask: "What was that place like: wet or dry, light or dark?" (Usually damp and dark.) Big question: "Do pill bugs choose damp places?"

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Pill bugs are not insects. They are isopods, relatives of crabs and shrimp. They breathe with gill-like parts that must stay moist." Say: "Our question: do pill bugs choose a damp place or a dry place?" Say: "Remember the fair-test rule. Change only one thing. Keep everything else the same." Hold up the two paper towels. Ask: "Which one thing will we change?" (Damp or dry.) "What must stay the same?" (The tray, the kind of towel, the light, the starting spot.) "What will we count?" (The pill bugs on each side.) Say the care rules: "Move them with the spoon. Never squeeze. They go home today." Ask: "Why keep the light the same on both sides?" (So we know damp or dry caused the choice.) If stuck, say: "If two things differ, which one did the pill bugs choose? We could not tell."

    15–20 min · Investigation / Hands-On

    Damp or Dry Fair Test. Safety: handle pill bugs gently, and wash hands with soap afterward. 1) Wet one towel and squeeze it out. Lay it on half the tray. Lay the dry towel on the other half. 2) Your child writes a prediction. 3) Spoon all the pill bugs onto the middle line. Start the timer. 4) Every 2 minutes for 10 minutes, your child counts the pill bugs on each side. Table: Time | Damp side | Dry side, with rows for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 minutes. 5) Return the pill bugs to their log or leaf pile. Pet-store isopods go back in their cup. Expect more on the damp side by the end. Some may curl up or wander. If not, say: "Real results vary. Look for the pattern." No animals at all? Set up the tray anyway. Then use these made-up sample counts for 8 pill bugs, which show the usual pattern. Damp side: 3, 5, 6, 7, 7. Dry side: 5, 3, 2, 1, 1. Ask: "What might have changed our results?" (Uneven light, or pill bugs that did not move.)

    10 min · Science Notebook Entry

    In the notebook, your child records the question, the prediction, the table and a drawing of the tray. Then they finish: "Most pill bugs chose the ___ side. I think this is because ___." Sample: "Most pill bugs chose the damp side. I think this is because their breathing parts must stay moist."

    5 min · Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket

    Read the three questions aloud, and your child uses the data table for question 1. Praise answers that name the two things Sam changed.

    Watch for: Changing two things at once, such as putting the damp side in shade.

    Try: Before starting, your child points to each side and names the only difference. Fix anything else that differs.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. At the 10-minute count, which side had more pill bugs?
    2. Why do pill bugs need a damp habitat?
    3. Sam puts his damp towel in sunlight and his dry towel in shade. Why is his test not fair?
    Show answers
    1. Answers vary. Look for: an answer that matches the table, usually the damp side.
    2. They breathe with gill-like parts that must stay moist.
    3. Two things change, the wetness and the light. He cannot tell which one the pill bugs chose.

    Support: Count together at each check. Your child records tally marks, not numbers.

    Extend: Your child plans a second fair test: a damp paper towel against damp dead leaves. They list what changes and what stays the same.

    Homework: With an adult, lift a stone or log outdoors, then put it back gently. List the living things you find. Note whether the ground was damp or dry.

    Day 5 · Friday

    Social Studies

    I can review the hardest Quarter 2 ideas so far and reflect on my learning.

    D2.Geo.10.3-5D2.His.2.3-5D2.Geo.11.3-5

    Builds on: Needs Weeks 10 to 13 and this week's fixes. One-minute check: ask "Name one thing you fixed this week." (Any real fix, such as telling Southeast from Southwest.)

    Materials: 12 index cards for mixed review, 3D map and Breakfast Journey chart, Stored Week 14 Social Studies Check and its answer key, Notebook, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 2. Ask: "A place has farms and few people. Is it urban, suburban or rural?" (Rural.) Then your child gives a short tour of the 3D map: two mountain ranges, one river, one region. Ask the big question: "What can you explain now that was tricky two weeks ago?"

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Today's review mixes four topics: landforms, regions, Native nations and trade." Model a full answer. Ask yourself: "Why does Florida sell oranges to Maine?" Say: "Florida is warm, so oranges grow well. Maine is too cold. A full answer has a because." Then play the card game. Write these 12 questions on cards and mix them. Landforms: "Where are the Appalachians?" (In the East.) "Which river carved the Grand Canyon?" (The Colorado.) "Which Great Lake is the largest?" (Superior.) Regions: "Which region has Seattle?" (West.) "Which region has the Everglades?" (Southeast.) "Which region has Boston?" (Northeast.) Native nations: "What did Plains nations use bison hides for?" (Clothing and tipi covers.) "Whose traditional homes are hogans?" (The Navajo Nation.) "Name a Northwest Coast nation." (Tlingit, Haida or Chinook.) Trade: "What is the fastest way to ship goods?" (Airplane.) "Is a drought a push or a pull?" (Push.) "Name a product of the Southeast." (Oranges or peanuts.) Your child draws a card, answers aloud and keeps it if correct. Missed cards go back for a second try. Ask: "How do you know?" after two or three cards. If stuck, say: "Which topic is it? Find that page in your notebook."

    15–20 min · Activity / Source Work

    Give the stored Week 14 Social Studies Check now. It has 7 items and takes about 15 minutes. Do not time it. You may read any item aloud. Score it with the answer key and choose a route. 6 or more right: your child is ready. Finish the key on the 3D map and check its five region flags. Then give a tour to someone new. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 2 page on Native nations and trade. Then rewrite three more sentences in the present tense. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1. Color the five regions on a blank map and trace both mountain ranges by finger. If the missed items were about goods or labels, look again at the Day 4 chart. Go over each missed item together. Your child fixes it in a different color.

    10 min · Notebook Entry

    Your child finishes three frames. "This week I fixed ___." "The project I liked most was ___ because ___." "My goal for Weeks 15 and 16 is ___." Sample: "This week I fixed mixing up the Southeast and Southwest."

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    After the check, read these three questions aloud. Praise honest reflection and each answer that gives a reason.

    Watch for: Rushing through the reflection and writing "everything" or "nothing."

    Try: Say: "Show me one notebook page from this week that you are proud of." Your child writes about that page.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Which region has most of the Great Lakes shoreline and lots of farmland?
    2. Name one Native nation and the region of its homeland. Tell one thing about that nation today.
    3. Give one reason goods travel from one region to another.
    Show answers
    1. The Midwest.
    2. Answers vary. Look for a correct match and a present-tense fact, such as: the Navajo Nation, Southwest, has its own government.
    3. Answers vary. Look for: regions make different things, or people want things their region cannot make.

    Support: Play the card game with only the two topics your child found hardest. Read each check item aloud.

    Extend: Your child writes two new review cards for each topic and quizzes you. Your child checks your answers.

    Homework: Your child shares a favorite project from this week with a family member and explains one thing learned from it. Look for one clear fact.

    Mathematics

    I can review the skills from Weeks 10–13 and tell which ones I have mastered.

    3.OA.A.23.OA.A.33.OA.A.43.OA.B.53.OA.B.63.OA.C.7

    Builds on: Needs every skill from Weeks 10 to 13: division, fact families, word problems, unknown numbers and properties. One-minute check: ask 42 ÷ 6 and the fact that checks it (7; 6 × 7 = 42).

    Materials: Stored Week 14 check and its answer key, 20 counters (dried beans, coins or buttons), Green and yellow crayons, Notebook, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 9. Your child solves 700 − 364 (336). Then try ×7 facts with no clock. Ask 7 × 3, 7 × 6, 7 × 8 and 7 × 9 (21, 42, 56, 63). Your child tells the strategy for one. Listen for: 5 groups and 2 groups.

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Say: "Today we mix every skill from Weeks 10 to 13. Before each item, name the tool you will use." List the tools together: division pictures, fact families, stories with × or ÷, unknown numbers and break apart. Say: "Good mathematicians also check their work." Write 35 ÷ 5. Ask: "What is the quotient?" (7) Say: "Now I check with multiplication." Write 5 × 7 = 35. Say: "So 35 ÷ 5 = 7, and my check agrees." Next, read: "36 stickers go in groups of 4. How many groups?" Ask: "Do we know the total?" (Yes, 36.) "So do we multiply or divide?" (Divide.) Write 36 ÷ 4 = ?, then the check 4 × 9 = 36. Say: "So there are 9 groups." Ask: "Was that sharing or grouping?" (Grouping. We knew how many were in each group.) Now your child does more. Write ? ÷ 4 = 6. Ask: "Which fact family helps? What is the unknown?" (4, 6 and 24; the unknown is 24) Your child checks by writing 24 ÷ 4 = 6.

    10–15 min · Guided Practice

    Do one of each kind together. 1) Your child writes the fact family for 4, 7 and 28. Look for two multiplication facts (4 × 7 = 28, 7 × 4 = 28). Look for two division facts (28 ÷ 4 = 7, 28 ÷ 7 = 4). 2) 6 × ? = 54 (9). 3) Your child solves 9 × 7 by breaking 9 into 5 and 4 (35 + 28 = 63). 4) Your child solves 2 × 6 × 5 the easy way. Listen for: 2 × 5 = 10, then 10 × 6 = 60. If stuck, say: "Which week is this from? What did we build or draw then?"

    15–20 min · Independent Practice

    Give the stored Week 14 check now. It has 7 items on this week's catch-up and party work. Allow about 15 minutes, with no clock running. Beans and sketches are fine. Score it with the answer key. Your child colors each item green for "got it" or yellow for "practice more." Then choose a route by the result. 6 or 7 right: move on to Week 15. 4 or 5 right: find each yellow item. For items 1 and 2, redo Day 1 Guided Practice. For items 3, 4 and 5, redo Day 2 Guided Practice. For item 6, redo Day 3 Guided Practice. For item 7, redo Day 4 Guided Practice. 3 or fewer right: reteach the Day 1 and Day 2 Mini-Lessons, one each day. Then give the check again. Was an older skill shaky in Guided Practice? Revisit Week 10 Day 4 for fact families and Week 12 Day 4 for unknown numbers. Revisit Week 13 Days 2 and 3 for the properties.

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    After the check, read each question aloud. Your child solves question 1 on paper and tells you the other two answers. Praise honest yellow marks. They show what to practice next.

    Watch for: Skipping the check, so a small fact slip stays, such as writing 7 for 54 ÷ 9.

    Try: Your child writes the matching multiplication fact beside every division answer. Here 9 × 7 = 63, so 7 cannot be right.

    Fact fluency: ×7 facts
    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Solve ? ÷ 3 = 9. Show your check.
    2. Which skill from Weeks 10–13 feels strongest now?
    3. Which skill will you keep practicing, and how?
    Show answers
    1. 27; check: 27 ÷ 3 = 9
    2. Answers vary. Look for: a named skill, such as fact families or grouping problems.
    3. Answers vary. Look for: a named skill and a plan, such as 3 problems a day with drawings.

    Support: Read each check item aloud. Let your child use beans and drawings on any item. Give the check in two short sittings if your child tires.

    Extend: Your child writes one new review item for each of Weeks 10 to 13, with answers. Sample for Week 13: solve 5 × 4 × 2 the easy way (40).

    Homework: Practice each yellow skill for 10 minutes with 3 problems copied from that day's lesson. No yellow items? Solve 63 ÷ 7 and 8 × ? = 64. Answers: 9; the unknown is 8.

    English Language Arts

    I can review the skills from Weeks 10–13 and reflect on my growth as a writer.

    W.3.3W.3.5L.3.2.CL.3.1.F

    Builds on: Needs the narrative skills from Weeks 10 to 13 and this week's catch-up days. One-minute check: ask, "How is revising different from editing?" (Revising is big changes. Editing is small fixes.)

    Materials: Stored Week 14 check and its answer key, Notebook, Published picture book, Narrative drafts from Weeks 10–13, Pencil

    5 min · Warm-Up

    Flex week, mixed review day. Word study, about 3 minutes: a quick spelling check with no clock. Say each word, then say it in a short sentence: untie, unsafe, replay, refill, disobey, dishonest. Add the challenge word disconnect. Your child writes all seven in the notebook. Correct them together, and your child rewrites any missed word. Spaced review from Week 11. Ask: "Show, don't tell. Give one body clue for cold." (Sample: My teeth chattered.)

    10–15 min · Mixed Review

    This block is the stored Week 14 English Language Arts Check. It has 8 items and one short picture book page to read. Say: "Read each direction twice. Take your time." Your child works alone with a pencil. Then score it with the answer key. 7 or more right: move on to Week 15. For more practice, your child makes a 4-page mini book with two lines of dialogue. 5 or 6 right: redo the Day 1 practice page. Then build four dialogue sentences with sticky notes and tag cards. 4 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 before Week 15. Cut bread shapes from paper for the quotation marks and build sentences together.

    10–15 min · Guided Practice

    Go over the check together. 1) Read each missed item aloud. Your child names the skill it tests. (Dialogue, agreement, pictures, address commas or prefixes.) 2) For each missed skill, your child finds one example in the drafts. They fix it or explain why it is right. 3) If nothing was missed, your child finds one line of dialogue in the picture book. They explain each mark in it. 4) Keep a tally in the notebook of skills that need another look. (Look for: an honest list of one to three skills.) If stuck, say: "Which rule helps here: the dialogue sandwich, the seesaw or the address lines?"

    15–20 min · Reflection

    Your child spreads out the drafts and the picture book. They write a reflection of 5 or 6 sentences in the notebook. It answers three questions. What is the strongest part of my best narrative? Which skill improved the most, and where can I see it? What will I work on next? Give these frames: "The strongest part of my story is ___ because ___. I got better at ___. In an early draft I wrote, '___.' Later I wrote, '___.' Next I will work on ___." Short model: "I got better at showing feelings. In an early draft I wrote, 'I was scared.' Later I wrote, 'My hands went cold on the ladder.'" Checklist: it names one skill. It copies one early sentence and one later sentence. It ends with one goal.

    5 min · Exit Ticket

    Ask the three questions aloud. Your child points to the drafts for the first one.

    Watch for: Writing a vague reflection, such as "I got better at writing," with no evidence.

    Try: Say: "Show me the sentence that proves it." Your child copies that sentence into the reflection.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Which skill from Weeks 10–13 improved the most for you? Show me a sentence that proves it.
    2. Fix: 'The cookies smells sweet.'
    3. What is one goal for your writing in the next few weeks?
    Show answers
    1. Answers vary. Look for: a named skill and a sentence from your child's own writing.
    2. The cookies smell sweet.
    3. Answers vary. Look for: a specific goal your child can act on, such as checking every dialogue comma.

    Support: Your child answers the reflection questions aloud while you write key words. Then they copy and finish the sentences.

    Extend: Your child writes a short letter to a new third grader with three tips for writing a narrative.

    Homework: Share the reflection with a family member and show your favorite page of the picture book. Look for: your child naming one skill that grew.

    Science

    I can review my Weeks 10–13 science learning and set a goal for the next unit.

    3-LS4-33-LS4-23-LS2-1

    Builds on: Needs Weeks 10 to 13 and this week's flex lessons. One-minute check: ask, "What does a food chain arrow show?" (Energy moving from the food to the eater.)

    Materials: Week 14 Science Check (7 items) and its answer key, 6 index cards for review cards, Science notebook from Weeks 10 to 14, Pencil and crayons

    5 min · Day 70 — Flex Review and Reflection — Wonder Warm-Up

    Spaced review from Week 13. Ask: "Name one benefit and one cost of living in a group." (Sample: lookouts; sharing food.) Then show and tell. Your child picks a favorite notebook page since Week 10 and explains it in one minute. Big question: "Which science idea do you know best now?"

    10–15 min · Mini-Lesson

    Before you begin, write the six review cards from the next activity. Say: "Today you visit six stations. Each has one big idea: food roles, habitats, adaptations, food chains, food webs and animal groups." Model one sample. Say: "Sort sunflower, hawk and mushroom into roles. I ask myself how each one gets food." Say: "A sunflower makes its own food, so it is a producer. A hawk eats animals, so it is a consumer. A mushroom breaks down dead things, so it is a decomposer." Ask: "What question did I ask myself?" (How does it get food?) "What is the question for adaptations?" (Is it something the animal has or does?) "Which way do food chain arrows point?" (From the food to the eater.) Say: "After each card, tell me how you know." If stuck on a card, say: "Find the notebook page for this idea and read it to me." Keep this part to 10 minutes.

    15–20 min · Investigation / Hands-On

    Mixed Review Stations. Lay the cards around the room. Your child walks to each one, answers aloud and tells how they know. 1) Sort fern, owl and mold into roles. (Producer, consumer, decomposer.) 2) Name the habitat with very little rain. (Desert.) 3) Has or does: a hawk's sharp claws, then a monarch's trip to Mexico. (Has, physical. Does, behavioral.) 4) Fix the chain hawk → mouse → seeds. (Seeds → mouse → hawk.) 5) Herons and big fish both eat minnows. The herons leave. What may happen to the minnows? (There may be more minnows at first. The big fish may get more food.) 6) Give one reason prairie dogs live in groups. (Watchers warn the others of danger.) Star any card your child should practice more. Keep the stations to 15 minutes.

    10 min · Science Notebook Entry

    Reflection page. Frames: "The science idea I understand best is ___. One idea I want to practice is ___. My favorite activity this week was ___ because ___." Your child adds one crayon drawing from the week. Sample: "The science idea I understand best is camouflage. One idea I want to practice is food chain arrows."

    5 min · Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket

    Ask the three exit questions aloud and praise answers that give a reason. Then give the Week 14 Science Check: 7 items, about 10 minutes, worked alone. Score it with the answer key. 6 or more right: start Week 15. 4 or 5 right: redo the Day 2 page, then sort 8 new adaptations into has and does. 3 or fewer right: reteach Day 1 with the Energy Toss and paper arrows.

    Watch for: Rushing the stations and giving one-word answers with no reason.

    Try: After each card ask, "How do you know?" Wait for a full sentence.

    Exit ticket (3 questions)
    1. Put these in a food chain with arrows: hawk, berries, mouse.
    2. A flounder is a flat fish with sandy speckles. It lies on the sea floor. How do its colors help it survive?
    3. What is one goal for your next science unit?
    Show answers
    1. Berries → mouse → hawk.
    2. It blends in with the sand, so predators do not see it as easily.
    3. Answers vary. Look for: a specific goal, such as "draw my food chain arrows the right way."

    Support: Do only stations 1, 3 and 4. Read each card and the check aloud.

    Extend: Your child writes a seventh review card with its answer for a family member to try.

    Homework: Teach a family member the camouflage hunt or the pill bug test. Look for the one thing changed and the result.

    Friday Checks & Answer Keys

    Mathematics · Week 14 Mathematics Check

    3.OA.A.23.OA.B.63.OA.B.53.OA.C.73.OA.A.43.OA.A.33.OA.A.13.OA.D.8

    Goals

    • I can show division as sharing or grouping and use fact families.
    • I can solve hard facts and two-step party problems.

    Answer each question. Show your thinking in the box when there is one.

    1. Ella shares 32 crayons equally among 4 kids. How many crayons does each kid get?
    2. Write the two division facts for 7, 8 and 56.
    3. Break apart 8 × 6 and solve.
    4. Write a missing-factor equation for 72 ÷ 9 and solve it.
    5. 7 × 7 = ____
    6. 30 guests sit at tables of 5. How many tables?
    7. Each of 6 tables gets 4 napkins, plus 3 extra napkins. How many napkins?
    Show answer key
    1. 8 crayons
    2. 56 ÷ 7 = 8 and 56 ÷ 8 = 7
    3. (5 × 6) + (3 × 6) is 30 + 18, which is 48
    4. 9 × ? = 72; ? = 8
    5. 49
    6. 6 tables
    7. 27 napkins

    What to do next

    Most right
    If 6 or more are right: plan a pretend party for 48 guests with seating and a shopping list.
    Some right
    If 4–5 are right: redo the Day 2 page, then sort the Day 2 fact cards into "know it" and "still building" piles and say a strategy for each.
    Few right
    If 3 or fewer are right: reteach Day 1 with counters and cups, then Day 2 by coloring each hard fact as an array on grid paper.

    English Language Arts · Week 14 English Language Arts Check

    L.3.2.CW.3.3.BL.3.1.FW.3.3.ARL.3.7W.3.4W.3.5SL.3.4

    Goals

    • I can punctuate dialogue in different patterns.
    • I can make subjects and verbs agree.
    • I can tell what a picture adds and write an address line.

    A Picture Book Page

    Kat walked to the bus stop.

    The picture: rain is pouring down, Kat's boots are untied, and she is smiling.

    Answer each question. Show your thinking in the box when there is one.

    1. Punctuate: is it raining asked Leah
    2. Punctuate: Uncle Raj said the game starts at six
    3. Choose: The twins ____ on the swings.
      ○ swing○ swings
    4. Choose: My friend and I ____ hungry.
      ○ is○ are
    5. Look at the page above. What does the picture add that the words do not say?
    6. Add the comma: Denver Colorado 80202
    7. Add un-, re- or dis-: use again → ____
    8. Add un-, re- or dis-: not fair → ____
    Show answer key
    1. "Is it raining?" asked Leah.
    2. Uncle Raj said, "The game starts at six."
    3. swing
    4. are
    5. Any one: the rain is pouring, Kat's boots are untied, or she is smiling.
    6. Denver, Colorado 80202
    7. reuse
    8. unfair

    What to do next

    Most right
    If 7 or more are right: write and illustrate a 4-page mini book where every picture adds something new, with at least two lines of dialogue.
    Some right
    If 5-6 are right: redo the Day 1 page, then build four dialogue sentences with speech-bubble notes and tag cards.
    Few right
    If 4 or fewer are right: reteach the Day 1 dialogue sandwich lesson; use real bread-shaped paper cut-outs for the quotation marks and build sentences together.

    Science · Week 14 Science Check

    3-LS4-33-LS4-23-5-ETS1-33-LS2-1

    Goals

    • I can sort food roles and draw food chain arrows.
    • I can explain how adaptations and camouflage help living things.
    • I can describe a fair test.

    Answer each question. Show your thinking in the box when there is one.

    1. Algae in a pond: producer, consumer or decomposer?
      ○ Producer○ Consumer○ Decomposer
    2. Fix the chain: heron → frog → cricket → grass
    3. A walking stick insect looks just like a twig. How does this help it survive?
    4. Many bats hibernate through cold winters when insects are hard to find. Physical or behavioral?
      ○ physical○ behavioral
    5. A cactus has spines. Physical or behavioral?
      ○ physical○ behavioral
    6. Maya tests whether earthworms choose a dark place or a brightly lit place. What should she change? What should stay the same?
    7. Why did the pill bugs go back to their log after the test?
    Show answer key
    1. producer
    2. grass → cricket → frog → heron
    3. Birds have a hard time seeing it, so it is less likely to be eaten.
    4. behavioral
    5. physical
    6. Change only light or dark. Keep the soil, the container and the number of worms the same.
    7. Answers vary. Look for: so they could live in their habitat with the food and damp shelter they need.

    What to do next

    Most right
    If 6 or more are right: plan a camouflage test with paper moths on 2 different backgrounds and predict the result.
    Some right
    If 4–5 are right: redo the Day 2 page, then sort 8 new adaptations into has and does.
    Few right
    If 3 or fewer are right: reteach Day 1 (food roles and arrows) with the energy toss game and paper arrows on the floor.

    Social Studies · Week 14 Social Studies Check

    D2.Geo.2.3-5D2.Geo.10.3-5D2.Geo.4.3-5D2.His.2.3-5D2.Geo.11.3-5D2.Geo.3.3-5D2.Geo.7.3-5

    Goals

    • I can use map skills to find landforms and regions.
    • I can describe Native nations by region, long ago and today.
    • I can explain why people and goods move.

    Answer each question. Show your thinking in the box when there is one.

    1. Which region is the Grand Canyon in?
    2. Is Chicago in the Midwest or the Northeast?
      ○ Midwest○ Northeast
    3. Name the five Great Lakes.
    4. Which home was built by Eastern Woodlands nations: longhouse, tipi or pueblo?
      ○ longhouse○ tipi○ pueblo
    5. Rewrite in the present tense: "The Cherokee spoke their own language."
    6. Washington grows apples and Texas raises cattle. Why might they trade?
    7. Name one reason a family might move to a new town.
    Show answer key
    1. Southwest
    2. Midwest
    3. Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior
    4. longhouse
    5. Answers vary. Look for: "Many Cherokee people speak the Cherokee language today."
    6. Answers vary. Look for: each state makes something the other wants.
    7. Answers vary. Look for: a job, family, school, climate or safety.

    What to do next

    Most right
    If 6 or more are right: Add a legend and five region flags to your 3D map, then give a tour to someone new.
    Some right
    If 4–5 are right: Redo the Day 2 page (Native nations and trade), then rewrite three more sentences in the present tense.
    Few right
    If 3 or fewer are right: Reteach Day 1 (map skills): color the five regions on a blank map from memory and trace both mountain ranges with your finger.

    Week 14

    Home Connection

    Big ideas

    • Party planning uses arrays and two-step problems.
    • Pictures and words work together in a picture book.
    • An animal's color can help it hide and survive.
    • Even breakfast connects us to places far away.

    Mathematics

    Try it (10 min): Plan a pretend party for 24 guests: arrange chairs in equal rows, share 48 crackers equally among 6 tables, and find how many cups you need if each guest gets 2.

    Talk about it: How many different arrays could you make with 24 chairs?

    English Language Arts

    Try it (10 min): Fold paper into a small book and help your child turn a story they wrote into a picture book, with art that adds details the words do not say.

    Talk about it: What does your picture show that your words do not?

    Science

    Try it (10 min): Cut small shapes from different colors of paper and scatter them on a patterned rug or on grass. Have someone find as many as they can in 15 seconds and see which colors were hardest to spot.

    Talk about it: How could an animal's color help it stay safe?

    Social Studies

    Try it (10 min): Pick three breakfast foods and read the labels or look them up to find where they come from. Draw a simple map with arrows from each place to your table.

    Talk about it: How many people do you think helped get your breakfast to you?

    This week’s words

    array · illustration · camouflage · adaptation · trade

    Celebrate

    Name three things to celebrate: a party problem you solved, a page you illustrated, and a hidden color you tested.

    This week's read-aloud

    Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen by Debbi Michiko Florence

    In this flex week, a family New Year tradition gets your child ready for next week's study of culture.

    See the five daily prompts →

    Math catch-up · 3.OA.C.7

    Find the Missing Factor

    Many division slips come from not seeing a division fact as a multiplication fact with a missing factor. Hiding a factor makes that link easy to see.

    Builds on: 3.OA.B.6

    Materials: 45 counters · a small towel or cloth · paper and pencil

    1. Make 5 rows of counters with the same number in each row, 40 counters in all. Cover all but one row with the towel. Ask, "5 rows, 40 in all. How many in each row?" Lift to check: 8.
    2. Write 5 × ? = 40 and 40 ÷ 5 = ?. Both have the same answer: 8.
    3. Repeat with 9 rows and 36 counters, then 7 rows and 42 counters. Write both equations each time.
    4. Each day, your child is the one who hides the counters, and you find the missing factor.

    Try again

    1. ? × 7 = 42
    2. 48 ÷ 6 = ?
    3. ? × 9 = 27

    Reading About Our World · Week 14 · Science

    Who Eats Whom?

    Food chains & food webs · This week's Science lessons

    A meadow food chain: grass, a grasshopper, a frog, a snake and a hawk in a row under the sun, with arrows pointing from each food to the animal that eats it.

    Read it aloud first while your child follows along. Then read it together, and let your child read the parts they can. Talk about the words in the word box.

    Energy from the Sun

    Every living thing needs energy. For almost all ecosystems, that energy starts with the sun. Plants and other producers use sunlight, air and water to make their own food. When an animal eats a plant, some of that energy moves into the animal.

    A Food Chain

    A food chain shows how energy moves from one living thing to another. Here is one from a meadow: grass, grasshopper, frog, snake, hawk. The grasshopper eats the grass, the frog eats the grasshopper, and so on. In a drawing, the arrows point from the food to the eater, the way the energy flows. The hawk, at the end, is the top predator in this chain.

    A Food Web

    Most animals eat more than one kind of food, and many are eaten by more than one predator. A mouse might be eaten by a snake, a fox or a hawk. When we connect many food chains, we get a food web. A food web gives a truer picture of how an ecosystem works.

    A Kelp Forest Story

    Off the Pacific coast, giant seaweed called kelp grows in underwater forests. Spiny sea urchins scrape and eat kelp. Sea otters eat sea urchins. Where sea otters are plentiful, they keep the number of urchins down, and the kelp forest grows tall. Where otters disappear, urchins can multiply and gobble up the kelp.

    Why It Matters

    The kelp forest is home to fish, crabs, snails and many other animals. So when otters are missing, many living things lose their home and food. This shows how one change in a food web can spread to many other parts of an ecosystem.

    Draw Your Own

    Think of a place you know, such as a backyard or a park. What plants grow there? What eats those plants? What eats those animals? Draw the living things and connect them with arrows to make your own food web. Make sure every chain starts with a plant.

    Word box

    • energy: the power living things need to grow, move and live
    • A food chain: arrows point from grass to a rabbit that eats it, and from the rabbit to a fox that eats it.food chain: a path that shows how energy moves from one living thing to another
    • A food web: arrows connect grass to a rabbit and a mouse, and connect the rabbit and the mouse to a fox and an owl.food web: many food chains connected together
    • kelp: a giant seaweed that grows in the ocean

    Questions

    1. Where does the energy in almost every food chain start?
    2. What do sea otters eat?
    3. What do you think would happen to fish in a kelp forest if all the sea otters disappeared? Explain.
    4. In a food chain drawing, which way do the arrows point?

    Week 14 spelling words →

    This week's specials page

    Kitchen Helper

    • Art: Catch-up week: finish a project or redo a favorite.
    • Music: Catch-up week: sing a favorite song again.
    • PE: Dribble a ball with your feet.
    • Health: Be safe in the kitchen.

    Try it (Health)

    1. Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds.
    2. Rinse fruit under running water. Stay away from the stove and knives.
    3. Help a grown-up make a fruit and yogurt cup.

    Think about it: A job I can do safely in the kitchen is ____.

    See this year's specials plans