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!!