Hugging is good...

Hello, third grade families...I hope you are enjoying your weekend and hugging your kids a little more than usual.  I sure am.  How blessed we all are for the health and safety of our little ones. 

Here is a brief update of our past week...we have accomplished so much!

In Language Arts we are working on poetry.  We have discussed figurative language, specifically similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia, alliteration, etc...we have found examples in poetry and discussed the meaning.  This past week we focused on haiku and diamonte poems...we read them and we wrote them...and what I have to say is....WOW.  Your children write beautiful poetry.  We also read and analyzed Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening...I loved hearing what the kids thought Frost meant by his words.  Then I attempted to share The Road Not Taken...yeah, that might have been pushing it a bit!  This week the students will be introduced to color poems and they will be writing their own.  We will also read and analyze Langston Hughes' poem Mother to Son, which may be one of my very favorite poems ever...I'll let you know about that discussion!

In Math we have been working on elapsed time...and those kids that already had that skill attempted some word problems using different time zones...they were tough!  One of the strategies that I used to teach elapsed time was using a number line.  And boy...those kids that were having a hard time...it was like a light bulb went off!!  This is a skill that you can continue to reinforce at home by having the kids record start times, end times, and find the time that has passed during the day.  The hardest problems are when the kids know the ending time and how much time passed, but have to find the start time!  This week we will be focusing on measurement...capacity and weight...and we will continue that the short week we return in January.

In Word Study we have changed the routine a bit!  For the next few months we will be working on prefixes, suffixes, and roots (greek and latin root words)...and for these units there will be packets for homework instead of the meaningful sentences.  The kids will be responsible for the spelling of the fifteen words in the packet...they will be responsible for knowing the meaning of the prefix itself, and also the meaning of at least one word for each prefix...so five words total.  If this does not make sense, I'm happy to try again....so please email me.  I have used these packets for the past couple years and they are a great tool to help the kids learn the meaning of the word parts...which is going to help them so much as they encounter words they haven't seen before...

In Social Studies we have begun our ENTREPRENEURS project!  We have four companies that have formed in our classroom....The Creators, Kra-Z-Kids, Puppet Masters, and C.E.J.J.  Here they are below...I just can't remember which company is which! ;-)

They have been given a $10 loan and have made many different economic decisions during the questioning and imagining phases...they have found they have limited resources...sometimes money, sometimes supplies, and often they have a scarcity of compromising ;-)!!

Now they are in the creating phase...not as many compromises have to be made at this phase...they are experiencing specialization and interdepence first hand as they split up the jobs and work towards our goal of Market Day on Tuesday.  Some students are working on the actual product, others are writing commercials, some are making fliers...and all are working towards making a big profit!  Pictures will be forthcoming!

This coming week, please help your children come to school each day ready to learn...there are so many wonderful distractions this time of year...but we will work right up until the 21st, so I aim to keep them focused...your help is greatly appreciated!

Hug your kids for me this weekend...hugging is good.

Better late than never?

 
I do hope you'll forgive me...I'm sorry I've been absent from the blogging scene...as I'm sure it is in your home, December is nutty in the Wills' house. That being said, you may be thinking, "Then why on Earth did you assign a project?"  I have been helping the kids manage their time on this project, so that hopefully, it will not be more than an extra 15 minutes each evening.  Each evening their agendas have a new step to work on.  So if they can keep up with the nightly steps, they will be more than ready come December 17th!

That being said...we have been incredibly busy and productive lately.  Where to begin?

Language Arts
We finished up our "Reading Social Studies textbooks" unit and have moved into POETRY...one of my very favorite units.  In our initial lesson I asked the kids, "Is poetry important?" and "Are you good at writing poetry?"  Most kids argued that poetry is NOT important and that they are not good at it.  I told them I would change their mindset on both!  I explained that poetry is a wonderful way to communicate thoughts, feelings, and stories...plus I let them know they'll be analyzing it for the next TWELVE years or so...and then I let them know that not only will they be writing poetry, but they will write a poem they are amazed came out of them!  Stay tuned for that!

The kids continue to publish stories in Writer's Workshop...there are quite a few hanging in the classroom and many others awaiting a Teacher Conference...we work on many different writing skills during the mini-lessons and the Teacher Conferences.

ALL lowercase cursive letters have been taught and we begin cursive capital letters this week...they have at least one homework assignment a week (usually word study) to do in cursive and we will continue to add more as the quarter progresses.

Math
My gosh they are amazing mathematicians!  We have been working on multiple strategies to show explain multiplication, we have been working on "fantastic" responses when asked to solve word problems...we have been working on the multiplication algorithm.  Everyone in the class was ready for three digits times one digit and has successfully mastered that!!  Many kids were then taught to multiply two digits times two digits...that was just an extension, but one that many were ready for.  The problem these days with the algorithm is that many people think that if the child can do that well, then they are better mathematicians.  But this couldn't be further from the truth.  It is INCREDIBLY important that the kids understand WHY they are regrouping a ten to the next column and what exactly it stands for...the strong their concepts at this age, the more successful they will be when faced with PRE-CALCULUS as a SOPHOMORE...that's right...you heard me...we are preparing them to be successful in high school and beyond.  This is why when the kids are asked to answer a question they are asked to show TWO strategies...because after the algorithm, the next strategy needs to be one that shows their conceptual understanding...such as using the distributive property when solving for area or a larger multiplication problem.

STEM
Have your kids been talking about a marble ramp?! OMG...what an amazing project we just completed...the amount of problem solving, engineering, and physics that went into it was UNBELIEVABLE!!  Let me break it down...we are having quarterly STEM challenges at UES...as a class we were given a toilet paper tube and a clothespin and told that we were to create a marble ramp/candy dispenser using any "school" materials, recyclable materials, and the clothespin and toilet paper tube.  We discussed the STEM process, started a journal, and recorded our initial ideas. The second day we polished our ideas making sure the sketches had labels.  We got into triads and shared our ideas.  Then the group had to decide which of the three was the best model...they were able to take parts of each others and create a different one so that they all had a part in it...this was a very difficult step because they each thought their model was best...but they really did a great job compromising.  We talked about the fact that if we worked for a company and we wanted to make the most money, even if we loved our own idea, we'd be open to an even better one in order to create the BEST product...many kids could roll with this idea...others, not so much...but we still came up with SIX great models.  We were planning to vote on just one, but we realized that we really couldn't vote until we saw the results...just because a model looks great on paper, does not mean it's going to work...plus, I couldn't figure out how 18 kids were going to build ONE model!! ;-)  Soooo we started the fun part...the triads built six marble ramps...it was soo fun to watch them work.  They argued constructively, revised their plans, edited their models, and worked their tails off!  In the end we had four working models and two others that were great plans, but ended up not working.  Each group presented their model (working or not) and then we voted on the one that would represent our class.  It was a REALLY close vote...BECAUSE ALL OF THEM WERE AWESOME!!

See what I mean?  In the end, the class voted on the one we called "LONG"...it has the Fruit by the Foot box.  Once each group was finished, the kids completed a STEM reflection...a written piece that will receive a grade.  This project received two grades...the cooperative work/building/creating piece and the written piece.  I'm pretty sure every kid will tell you they loved this project....they were so engaged!  Our school will display all classes' marble ramp/candy dispensers the week before Winter Break.  I can't wait to see what other classes came up with!

SOCIAL STUDIES
We are working on an Economics unit...and this coming week we will begin an in class project titled "ENTREPRENEURS" where the kids will use the economic concepts we've been studying, in a real world situation.  They will develop companies, create products, advertise, and attempt to make a profit.  Pictures to come!

REMINDERS
- Early Dismissal this Wednesday, December 12th...two hours early....magnet dismisses at 12:30
- Cultural Project due Monday, December 17th
- please send recyclables...especially paper towel/toilet paper tubes, egg cartons, and cardboard...nothing with food stains, please...
- I know the weather is unpredictable, but please help your child remember hats, gloves, and COATS on the really cold days. 

As always...send an email if you have a question or concern.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

Meet Speedy!

Our high school intern, Miss Johnson, will go away to college in the Fall and was looking for a new home for her pet turtle...guess where he lives now? IN OUR CLASSROOM! She has had him for ten years...he was originally the size of a quarter! The kids are not allowed to touch Speedy, but they help feed him. Everyone is enjoying having Speedy in the classroom.

We had a great week!

Hopefully by now you have seen your child's chocolate commercial...we sure do have a lot of actors and actresses amongst us!! That was a very fun unit...speaking of fun units...we are saying goodbye to all of our aquarium friends as we transition from science back to social studies for awhile. We all had a lot of fun while learning with our snails, fiddler crabs, and newts. Our next social studies unit focuses on economics...and the kids will learn new concepts and apply them while becoming Entrepreneurs...this, too, is a wonderful unit and project!

This past week the kids had a homework assignment about Veteran's Day. They had to determine whether or not the statements were facts or opinions. The following day the kids had to use those facts to write a well-written paragraph. They used a rubric we all developed together. I was very pleased with their writing!! That graded paragraphs came home on Friday.

In math we have been very busy with fractions. The kids have measured equal parts on a number line, explored equivalent fractions, created monsters using parts of a whole, and solved TOUGH word problems! This week they also took the Quarter One post test...this test does not come home, but I'm more than happy to share their scores with you. Send me an email right after Thanksgiving and I will share it with you. Speaking of sharing scores...your child's basic fact test scores will come home with the report card tomorrow. Please review those and let me know if you have any questions.

We had fun this week with "Upside Down Day". This was a theme chosen by the class as a way to celebrate meeting our "Soaring With Pride" goal. The kids worked under their desks, the schedule was upside down on the board, the morning work was upside down on the screen, we had math first (it's usually last)...stuff like that. The kids LOVED laying on the floor and working on the underside of their desks. It was quite funny! There are a few pictures below...enjoy!

As I gather with my family this Thursday, I will be thankful for so many things...and 18 of those things are your children. I am blessed to teach such a great group of eager learners and really cool kids. Thank you for sending them ready to learn each day. Happy Thanksgiving!!

HOORAY...all videos are uploaded!

 WOOHOO!!  

(I'm going to have to find a new way to do that next year!)

More!!

Four more commercials...hope you're in the mood for candy!!

So I emailed ALL of the remaining videos to my home email and only FOUR made it through!  Now I am trying to upload those four from home.  Some of the videos are so big that I guess they won't go through email...AIYAIYAI...the saga continues!  Well, I hope you enjoy these...and don't worry...I won't give up until they're ALL on here!!

WARNING...do not watch if you are craving CHOCOLATE!!

Hungry!? Try Our Chocolate Bars!!

You have NO idea how long it is taking to load these commercials...but I decided it made more sense to go ahead and publish three...and keep you coming back for more!  If I can do three a day...we may have them all up by Thanksgiving!  Unfortuantely, they are saved at school so I can't work on them at home...

I apologize for no blog update this weekend.  I was insanely busy and never got to it.  We had another three day week, but again, got a lot accomplished.

We took a fractions pretest in math and have been working with fractions...of a whole, of a group, on a number line, ordering fractions, etc.  Today we read a book called Picture Pie and then the kids created creatures or designs using parts of a circle.  They will record all of the different fractions they used tomorrow and compare and order the pieces.  Boy, do they LOVE to create!

They have brought quite a few graded papers home recently. The final draft brochure grade sheet, the chocolate unit grade sheet, the science test...to name a few.  Please take time to go through these papers with your child...this helps them improve!  If you ever come up with questions, don't hesitate to contact me!

Today the kids took the facts about Veterans Day from their homework last night and wrote paragraphs.  We made a list of what an A+ paragraph should have and then they went to work.  I am very impressed with the kids writing...and they are going to have more and more of it, so again, discuss the grade sheets when they come home.

Tomorrow is UPSIDE DOWN DAY!  This was voted on...the kids want to work under their desks instead of on top...we will turn the schedule upside down some...and a few more fun surprises thrown in.  They are celebrating 25 more Soaring With Pride stickers!

Thursday the kids can dress up like their future careers in celebration of American Education Week...we will be discussing how education plays a big part in their future plans.  Friday we will meet with our Buddy Class to finish up our American Education Week Celebration!

I will continue to load videos...so check back every few days...and enjoy!!

Fall Fun 2012

Well, Hurricane Sandy sure did make our week crazy...but as usual, we got a TON accomplished! 

Not only did we finish our final drafts of our candy bar commercials, we ALL finished our state brochures, and most of the kids finished publishing their Ella drafts.  We also had a wonderful morning exploring the circumference, diameter, heigh and weight of pumpkins, and all the fun a pumpkin can bring to math!  Thanks to the parents who joined us for that activity!!

We walked to raise money for needy families in our county, too!  We did this with our kindergarten buddy class...it was really very heartwarming to watch the third graders take care of their buddies!  They chatted, told stories, and played hand games as they walked the mile for the homeless. 

And before we had our Fall Festival party, we had one of the best class discussions we've had so far...we prepared for the election on Tuesday.  The kids read two different articles (on a fourth/fifth grade reading level) about Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.  Then we looked for favorable characteristics for each of the two candidates. Regardless of which candidate each student wants to win, they had to search for facts that would make either one of them a good president. This was a very mature way of looking at the candidates and I was very impressed.  Then we had a lesson on the electoral college and discussed popular vote vs. the electoral college vote.  Third grade is a tad young to understand it all, but we put the map up on the screen and worked with the electoral college numbers quite a bit...they seemed to understand why California, Texas, Florida, and New York are such important states for a candidates to win. It was a tough lesson on Fall Festival Party day and the kids were SO into it!  I was thrilled!

Our Fall Festival Party was wonderful!  Our room parents set up three stations where the kids decorated mini pumpkins, played bingo, and ate yummy food!  Then I shared ONE MORE Cinderella tale...a Halloween themed version! Thanks to our fantastic room parents, Mrs. Filburn and Mrs. Canaday, and to all of the parents that were able to send in donations or help at the party!

And now...the kids have ANOTHER four day weekend...and I get them for only three days to get mountains of things done!!  :-(  But on a much happier note...we got the COW back!  WOO HOO!  I can't wait to put it back into play next week!!

And for your viewing pleasure, I put together a slide show of all the pictures I took over the past three days...enjoy the pix...click on the words "Fall Fun 2012" below! 

Have a wonderful LONG weekend.  I'll see your kids on Wednesday!

Fall Fun 2012

Oh, Sandy....

Of course a day off is great fun...but we've got things to do!  So, build a boat, and bring them on in!  Just kidding...but only about the boat thing...we DO have a lot to finish up!

We had a great week and one of the highlights was meeting our Buddy Class...we have been paired with Ms. Kaberle's kindergarteners...we met them and spent some time outside getting to know each other.  It is a really fun year for third graders because they get to be the "big kids."  I was so proud of all of them for the way they interacted with their buddies!  I put together a slide show below...click on the link and enjoy...

Our Buddy Class

In Language Arts this week our focus was fables.  We read fables and discussed the characteristics that define a fable.  We discussed PERSONIFICATION and located examples of it in the fables.  The kids answered comprehension questions about the different fables. I feel very certain that my class has a great handle on fairy tales and fables!  We also worked on descriptive writing this week.  The kids wrote 3-5 sentence commercials advertising their candy bars (more about the candy in the math summary below).  And of course, we were working on our Ella final drafts.  The kids are typing them and need one more computer lab session to finish up...one of the many things I need to do this coming week!!

In Math this week we continued with our candy production...the candy bars are made, ingredients and toppings added, the commercials are set, and then we worked on candy bar wrappers...they had to find the surface area of the candy bar wrapper, remembering that every square unit costs the company more...so the goal was to use as little as possible to create the wrapper.  Now we just need to film our commercials (another reason you must build a boat!)  We will be taking a unit quiz upon our return to school and heading into fractions...

We have been observing the parts of our organisms and discussing the scientific terminology for "the big claw" or the "hole from which the snail breathes"...your kids can probably tell you what the scientific names for those parts are, and how they help the organism survive.  This is one of the things they will have to know for their science quiz next Friday.  They have the drawings and labels in their science composition books.  The rest of the quiz is really designed to see what was learned in the classroom, so there is not a lot to study.

ANOTHER thing we need to finish...about 2/3 of the class is ALMOST finished their state brochures...tomorrow was going to be a big day for COMPLETION...alas, we must wait (or build boats).

This coming week my plan was do to an election mini-unit.  I  have some great articles about both candidates and we were going to explore the world of electoral votes...I guess we'll see how many days we are there this week, etc...but just so you know...I have no intention of making this mini-unit about WHO they should vote for...it will be all about the candidates (the age appropriate versions) and about the election process. 

Your kids continue to amaze me...when we were in the classroom this past week working on the laptops to publish the Ella stories, one student said, "I'm not sure which of these two projects we're working on right now is my favorite?!"  Music to my ears.


Stay dry...
-Mrs. Wills

Snails, Crabs, Newts...Oh My!

So...I attended the Maryland Educators of Gifted Students conference on Friday...time really well spent...and THEN I got away for two days of sunshine, good friends, and SHOPPING!  ;-) Drove from Rehoboth to my son's championship baseball game and I am just getting home now, hence the short post!  We had such a great week...lots going on, so I put together this video to share one of the fun things we did this week...it has Science and Language Arts all thrown together...they read complex text about organisms, identified the important information, webbed it, collaborated with each other on ways to teach their classmates that info, and then presented to one another while the other students took notes!  Wait 'til you see what they came up with!  Click on the words "Snails, Crabs, Newts...Oh My!" below to watch!!

Snails, Crabs, Newts...Oh My!

I promise a much more detailed post next weekend...and by the way, it was great conferencing with so many of you last Thursday...I have such an amazing class!

'Til next week....

Daphnia, Ella, Rectangles...Oh My!

No...I'm not speaking a made up language...those are some of the many things that filled our week...read on to find out more!

LANGUAGE ARTS
We are reading and writing a lot these days!  This week the magazine Storyworks has provided some in depth conversations and work with PLOT in fiction stories.  The story "Good Enough" was a wonderful example of an author's message, and although a few of the kids had trouble inferring all of the meaning, EVERYONE understood the author's message.  It allowed for a wonderful "life lesson" conversation about what really matters about people. It was one of my favorite parts of this week, actually!  In Language Arts/Science we are also reading for information about the organisms that have come to live in our room and about the ones we are expecting to arrive this week...daphnia, snails, fiddler crabs, and newts...I have found many articles that fit the reading levels of the kids in our room...and have been able to differentiate based on the rigor of the articles.

ELLA...is the theme in writing right now...your child is creating a wonderful ELLA tale...we have so many different versions in the classroom right now.  This has been a step by step process...as you know, we have read and listened to A LOT of Cinderella versions...then we listed the important/necessary elements of an ELLA story...next the kids and I mapped out Bubba the Cowboy Prince on a graphic organizer that focuses on the rising action, climax, and falling action of a story....the kids then took their own ideas and filled out that same organizer to help plan their story.  Now they are writing the story inserting all kinds of objects and dialogue to help showcase their THEME...this coming week they will meet with a peer to share stories and help shape each others writing...and then of course, we will publish these stories using the COW (have I mentioned how much I love the COW!!)  

MATH
While working on multiplication the kids and I have been very busy...our work with factors led to an activity involving rectangles...this activity started off fairly simply...each small group was given a few numbers and it was their job to create as many rectangles as possible for each number.  For instance, with the number 20 there would be six rectangles (1x20) (20x1) (4x5) (5x4) (2x10) (10x2)...we made rectangles for the all of the numbers 1-30...and then as we recorded the findings I was able to teach the definitions and SHOW them what perfect square numbers are...so we discussed square roots.  I was able to teach and SHOW the definition of prime numbers...and the kids began predicting which numbers above 30 were prime.  I like to tell you about these higher level discussions because when you see the rectangle papers come home you probably think..."my kid did this last year"...but a lot goes on with each assignment that you can't ever see!  On the same note...we have been using some simpler multiplication to teach the kids all of the steps in solving word problems and explaining their reasoning.  For instance, they solved a problem about soccer balls this week.  They had to show nine groups of five and then subtract three based on the word problem.  They could use any strategy to solve and different tools to check.  In their explanation, they had to tie the operation they used to the wording in the problem...for instance, if they subtracted they needed to tie it to "because the team lost three of the balls."  Or if they multiplied they had to mention that "there were nine groups of five so instead of adding nine five times, I multiplied."  May sound picky, but a deep and thorough explanation is necessary in order for the reader (me) to understand the inner workings of your kids' amazing minds....so often they just want to say, well I multiplied because I had to. ;-) IN CLASS we have been working on how to use the distributive property when multiplying numbers like 3,245 x 6!  And for those that have that mastered, next week we will be delving into 345 x 12 while the rest of us learn the most efficient way to solve these problems, the algorithm.  This is a very long update on Math, but I want to make sure that you are aware that I am working to challenge all levels within the classroom, even though the homework may not reflect that all the time!

SOCIAL STUDIES
The kids are in the final stages of their travel brochures.  I have 18 rough drafts in my bag to review this weekend...then the kids will put the finishing touches on their final drafts...they will hang in the classroom once they are finished, but the grade sheet will come home (just like the map project...it is hanging in classroom, but grade sheets came home this past week!)

SCIENCE
As I referenced above...we've started our science unit!  We started off the unit observing daphnia,  minute freshwater organisms!  We used hand lenses and the microscope to get a close look at all of its body parts.  We put them in vials and saw the changes in population of daphnia within just one week!  You can actually see the brood pouch through the daphnia's clear shell (carapace), so the kids knew they were going to have babies soon! We also now have aquariums set up...the kids added the duckweed, anacharis, daphnia, and the snails this week.  This coming week we will be receiving fiddler crabs and newts, and we will be discussing food chains, food webs and other organisms found in fresh water habitats.

FALL FESTIVAL AND PUMPKIN MATH
So...by now you have hopefully seen the letter informing you about our Fall Festival Party...thank you to all of the parents who have sent in the donation...our room parents and I really appreciate that!  This week you will receive information about the day AFTER October 31st...otherwise known as November 1st...haha...I make myself laugh.  Anyway...on November 1st from 9-10:30 we will have a fun activity called PUMPKIN MATH...and we need 4 or 5 parents to participate...the letter will ask if you are available and would like to come...it also lists some items we'll need donated for the activity...if you can't come, but can send in a pumpkin or one of the other items listed, please note that on the letter!  I will take tons of pictures of both days, so look for an animoto video sometime the first weekend of November.

CONFERENCES
This Thursday I will conference with all of the parents I wasn't able to meet with in September.  I look forward to sitting with you and discussing your child's progress.  If you have anything in particular you'd like to discuss, shoot me an email so I can have any and all information you are looking for...also, if you've forgotten your conference time, please email me and I 'll send you a reminder.

Hopefully I haven't left anything out...have a great weekend!!

A Picture Perfect Post...

I'm going to post pictures to tell the story of our week...

What I wish every desk in every classroom could look like this EVERY day...

oh, how I LOVE the COW!!

Mrs. Humerick's class joined us to research Maryland...it was the state we used to model taking notes and finding specific information using the online resource CultureGrams.

This week we continued listening to different versions of Cinderella.  On Thursday, Ms. Johnson read Bigfoot Cinderella...definitely a favorite!  Each student has read two to three versions independently and heard at least three others...we have dissected Cinderella like never before...we've discussed perspective, alliteration, theme, author's message, and every element of a short story...this coming week they will begin to write their own!

 

Then it was time to choose a state of their own to research.  Each student chose a different state! Their end product is a brochure encouraging others to visit their state.  They must include facts about physical geography, climate, and natural resources.  They must have text and pictures.  They must have a map and flag of their state.  I can't wait to see their final products!

  

 

I introduced a second source for gathering information. After using CultureGrams we went to Encyclopedia Britannica for Kids and found new information there!  The kids were very excited to visit different resources and gather information...you've never heard the room so quiet!! ;-)

 

In these photos, many kids are wearing headphones...they could listen to their state bird while researching their state.  This was a BIG hit!

 

What else did we do?  Well, one of my favorite lessons wasn't even planned. (I love it when that happens!!) We had headed to specials without putting away the computers, so when we returned from recess and lunch they still had them on their desks.  I decided we'd use them for math. Each student used CultureGrams and visited the "population" page to look at the bar graph representing the percentages of ethnicity/race in their state.  We had a great discussion about these bar graphs and then did a gallery walk to see how the different states compared and differed.  THEN the kids found the population of their states...they wrote that very big number on a file card, and WITHOUT any talking, they lined up from smallest population to largest population.  We made a circle around the room and then each student read the number aloud and told us the name of their state...from Rhode Island to California...our populations varied greatly!

I've been running different groups in math as we've delved into different strategies to use when solving multiplication word problems...I am so impressed at the work I'm getting out of your kids!

I hope you are warm and dry and having a great weekend!

We start Science this week...kids will be so excited!