First and foremost...WE FILLED THE MARBLE JAR AGAIN!! Our celebration will take place on Tuesday...they have voted to bring a pillow, blanket, or sleeping bag, and do all of their classwork in the horizontal position...should be interesting! :-) So please help your third grader remember his/her things on TUESDAY the 28th!
Language Arts...we are in the middle of our Short Stories unit...we have read fairy tales, folktales and now we're heading into fables! This past week our focus was folktales, specifically "Anansi the Spider" tales. Anansi is the main character in West African folktales...he is a sneaky, sometimes clever spider who tries to trick other characters, but often gets tricked himself! The kids wrote wonderful cinquain poems about Anansi, and I will try to make these into a movie and get it on the blog...I guess you know by now that I gave up on the other movie...but never fear...I will win the battle of the blog video!!
Math...the kids took a test on Monday (will come home this Monday) and spent the rest of the week problem solving and delving into other numeral systems. After learning the Roman Numeral system, they researched, practiced and taught each other about the Babylonian, Greek, and Egyptian numeral systems. We will tie this all together on Monday and then move into a fun unit on data collection. The kids will be making double bar graphs, line graphs, stem and leaf plots, and much, much more!
Science...we are having so much fun in Science! We continue to gather as much information as possible about our unknown substances. We will be testing the powders with vinegar, iodine, and red cabbage juice this week! Last week we did a filtration experiment and found interesting things in our petrie dishes three days later. Some children observed crystals and were very interested in this phenomenon...hence a homework assignment that will come home on Monday. It is optional, but will give your child extra credit in Science if completed. See the take home folder for details! Also...be thinking about a science fair project...each third grade magnet student will be required to do a science fair project...so stay tuned!
Social Studies...we decided to take advantage of the timing and do a little learning about our political system and voting. Last week we focused on the history of voting, and this week we will be learning about the electoral college and how voting takes place in our country. We are thinking about having a mock election on Friday, but we will see how the week plays out. We have not talked with the kids about the candidates themselves, but we know they have their opinions and a mock election might be fun!
A few reminders:
1. Your child may bring a blanket, pillow, or sleeping bag on Tuesday, Oct. 28th to celebrate filling the marble jar. Some kids asked if they could wear their pjs...and bring a stuffed friend...that is fine with me!
2. Your child is to come to school on Friday dressed as a book character. They should have a written summary of the book they've been reading. HINT...this is not a retelling...just a summary...a paragraph will suffice! (Summar: who the book is about...what the main problem in the story is...how it is solved.) They will receive a speaking grade and a writing grade on this assignment.
3. You are welcome to enjoy our Fall Festival party on Oct. 31...it's from 1:30-2:30. If you are able to make a donation to the party, please place it in an envelope and label it Fall Festival. I will pass this on to Ms. Kim who is organizing a fun time for the kids!
4. Your child does not have school on Monday, Nov.3 and Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Have a great rest of the weekend!
Enjoy your families!
