Ms. Malings

 

This is my third year at OLL teaching third grade.  I studied to become a teacher at Hofstra University! I taught many students on Long Island and I even taught students in Peru and Tanzania. When I am not teaching you can find me at the beach, hiking or riding my bike! My home parish is St. Bernard’s in Levittown, where I played CYO basketball for 5 years and won TWO championships!

Favorite Saint:
Saint Christopher

Favorite Bible Verse:
"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you. Speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea tell you." - Job 12:7

Favorite Books:
Hunger Games, Save Me a Seat, Oh the Places You'll Go

Reading

We use the Into Reading series for our ELA curriculum. Each week consists of a different spelling list and vocabulary words, as well as a focus story.  Various reading comprehension skills are highlighted in each of the stories, and is practiced throughout the week.  In addition to the Into Reading series, we also engage in a few novel studies throughout the year.  Some of the novels we will read include Third Grade Angels, Because of Winn Dixie, and Jake Drake Know It All! 

 Writer's Workshop
Daily journal writing and writer's workshop strategies are utilized to develop writing skills.  Just like real authors, we practice the necessary steps of the writing process, such as planning, prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and publishing.

  Math
For math, we utilize the Into Math curriculum. As students follow along with the lessons in workbooks, those skills are enhanced with interactive SmartBoard lessons, as well as hands-on activities with math manipulatives.  Some of the new topics that are introduced and studied in 3rd grade are multiplication, division, and fractions.

  Science
The Inspire Science series is used to address various topics within Life Science, Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, as well as STEM. This curriculum consists of interactive SmartBoard lessons, as well as hands-on activities.  Here is a list of some topics covered in each area:

• Life Science - Plant and Animal Life Cycles, Ecosystems
• Physical Science- Matter, Simple/Compound Machines
• Earth and Space Science - Weather Patterns, The Water Cycle Geography and Landforms, Moon Phases
• STEM - The Engineering Process

  Social Studies
Each lesson in the  Into Social Studies curriculum utilizes individual student magazines, as well as, an online component.  The magazines provide various informational text features for students to read about, while the online component provides videos and activities to supplement the reading.  Some of the Social Studies topics addressed in 3rd grade include:

• Maps and Geography,
• Communities
• People and Interactions with Resources
• Ancient Civilizations
• American Settlement
• United States Government.

 
   Religion
Every day begins with a school-wide morning prayer and announcement from our principal Mrs. Cotilletta.  Our Virtue of the Month Ceremony emphasizes the moral excellence and behavior we should all strive to achieve.  Each month, a different virtue is introduced and becomes the focus.  At the end of the month, one student from each class who displays this specific behavior of high moral standard is awarded with a certificate.  For religious instruction, we use the Sophia Insitiute series.  This program is technology-based and contains interactive daily lessons.  Each lesson begins with a prayer and a word of God.  After a reading and discussion, students have an opportunity to play an instructional game and answer assessment questions.