Goodbye Ladybugs! It has been fun observing our ladybugs, but since they emerged from their pupa's weeks ago, it was time to set them free. Halloween Estimating and Polygraph Desmos Game: Identifying 3D Figures We explored 3D shapes throughout the week, and ended the week by playing a game similar to Guess Who involving 3D shapes. The interactive program on Desmos partnered students up and then they had to ask questions to guess their partners shapes. This involved using attributes and math vocabulary specific to geometry. There was so much excitement in the room as mathematicians tried to eliminate shapes. On Halloween, we practiced our estimating skills with Halloween images of party favors and candy. I took photos of packaged items at Target and the kiddos had to estimate how many were in the package. There were also a few problems involving finding a fraction of the package. Great spiral review! Our First Book Club Meetings Our book clubs are off and running! We met with our groups last week to share thinking and questions from the first chapter. As students read the first chapter, they recorded what they know and wonder on a chart in their notebook. We did this as a class with the book Stone Fox. By creating the chart, it helps the kiddos slow down and pay attention to the characters, setting, and other important details that are often revealed at the beginning of a chapter book. I'm so excited to hear all the great discussion about their books in the next few weeks! Skeleton Clues Game As part of spiral review for math, we Halloween/Fall themed problems to earn skeleton bones. The kiddos didn't know why there were earning bones-it was a secret. On Halloween, I hid the skeleton parts and gave groups clues to find their bag. When all the groups found their bags, they opened them up and were surprised to find skeleton bone cookies. Everyone had fun building their skeleton, and of course eating the bones. (Our friends from Mrs. Lipe's class were not part of the game as we did it after recess, not during math.) I did give them all a cookie though-just didn't have enough cookie bones to make that many complete skeletons. I had to buy 4 packages of cookies just to make 6 full skeletons.
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Finding Area and Perimeter Which chocolate bar would you want? That was the question I asked before we began exploring area using images of different sized Hershey bars. Students then decided which one they would want, and estimated which one had the most chocolate. We worked in groups to determine the area of the chocolate bars and order them from greatest to least. Also this week, learned how to find the perimeter of a polygon with a missing side length. I put various shapes around the common area for students to determine the missing side length. This was a great way to practice applying a math concept and getting some movement. Crazy Hair Day! We really enjoyed seeing the crazy hats, socks, and hair during the week as part of Red Ribbon week. Thanks to everyone who participated! Exploring Perimeter with Exploragons After learning about perimeter, we played a game to reinforce the idea that perimeter is the distance around a figure. The kiddos played in groups and had to create shapes that had a perimeter that was longer or shorter than the benchmark shape. I love the Exploragons for perimeter, because you can take the shape apart and compare the lengths. This helps students understand that perimeter is a measurement of length. Publishing Celebration The day finally arrived! All of our nonfiction writing pieces have been published, so we celebrated by eating Smarties and reading our peers published work. I was amazed at how much the kiddos were engaged and enjoying reading. They also loved giving compliments to the authors in our class. The final products are impressive and I am so proud of their hard work. Kinder Buddies We were so excited to work with our kinder buddies! They planned a fall craft for us to make together-a pumpkin and bat made from paper strips. Everyone had a good time. My kiddos were very helpful, patient, and calm while working with their buddy. I'm so proud of them! Animal Visitors We are really enjoying observing our animal friends, especially the turtle which we named Turbo. Most days we have taken Turbo outside at recess so he can get exercise and we can observe him moving around. Also, we have been lucky to watch Turbo eat crickets-very cool. Our lizard friend also snatched a cricket and ate it right in front of us. During science, we observed the lizard, turtle, tarantula, and a dwarf frog from another class. As we observed, my scientists recorded observations as well as the structures and functions of each animal. Asking Questions We read news articles about deforestation and/or the Amazon Rainforest. These were challenging articles, so we had to read with questions in mind to help with comprehension. The kiddos were SO engaged and had tons of questions. They were able to answer some of their questions as they read. The next day, we looked for details and used text features to determine the big ideas in the articles. Students shared the big ideas with the class. So much deep thinking happening! Fractions on a Number LIne During math, we discovered there are many numbers between zero and one as we explored number lines. We used rods to partition number lines into equal parts and then labeled the fractions. Area Models of Fractions To gain a better understanding of area models, students looked at a variety of images representing area models. They wrote what they noticed and tried to determine the fractional part each color represented. Observing Cactus Scientists in our class really enjoyed observing different cactus during science after reading a book about giant cacti. We discussed and recorded the structure and function of each part in our notebooks along with a scientific drawing. Adaptations Research After lots of work, we finally finished our text features posters highlighting science concepts we learned while researching animal adaptations and challenges to survival. The final products are amazing! Enrichment Time For E-SLOT, students chose from a variety of math activities or coding with Ozobots. We had a very busy week with lots of engaging learning experiences and a special library visit for the Bluebonnet Book Kickoff. On Friday, some special animal visitors arrived which we will have for two weeks as we learn about animal structures & functions and life cycles, (our next science unit). Find out more about our week below. Counting Collections in Math These mathematicians enjoyed their first counting collections of the year by counting large quantities of various items such as paper clips, dots on dominoes, holes in buttons, and number of sides in a collection of shapes. This routine is a great way to develop and practice multiple math concepts including multiplication, addition, and place value. Animal Sort As an introduction to our science unit on structures and functions of animals and plants, students read cards with information about animals and sorted them into groups based on the ecosystem they would need to live in to survive. Solving Problems Involving Multiplication and Division Science Inquiry We visited the library to research how animals adapt to live in and survive in their environment and challenges to their survival. Each student chose one animal to read about and find answers to our inquiry questions. Next week, we'll create posters with information using various text features to share our learning. Answering Questions During Reading We read the book The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg and recorded many questions before, during, and after reading. One lingering question was...Who is the stranger? Readers worked in small groups to find evidence in the text to formulate a theory about the stranger. Each group had to present their evidence after looking for trends and patterns within the text. Math Playground Mathematicians around the world explore math in different ways to discover ideas and make connections. So, we had a math exploration time where students had time to use different math tools as inspiration for mathematical thinking. Dot Day Creations Did you know September 15th is International Dot Day? This day is dedicated to making your mark just like the character in the Peter Reynold's book The Dot. It was fun being creative with a dot theme. I had different stations available for creations including, dot painting, making coffee filter art dots, emoji dot drawings, and dot art using Google drawings. Boat Challenge During science as part of our unit on matter, we used the design process to build boats out of 6 inch square pieces of foil. The boat needed to hold at least 40 pennies without sinking. As students tested their boats, they used knowledge gained from the previous boat to improve their designs. By the end of the first round (3 boats) we discovered that the shape and size of the bottom of the boat made an impact on the number of pennies it could hold. We lined up all the boats in order of the number of pennies the boat could hold without sinking, and noticed many of the boats had a flatter, square shaped bottom. The next day, these young scientists improved their designs even more as they built more boats. One boat held more than 90 pennies. Using Bar Models & Strip Diagrams and Working on Division During math, I challenged my mathematicians to represent a division problem and a multiplication problem using rods. There were some creative representations. We made connections between some of the models and strip diagrams. Then, we practiced using bar models, (like strip diagrams) using a website called Thinking Blocks. This week, we also solved division problems using math tools, visual representations such as arrays, and equations. Exploring Magnetism After enjoying our Root beer/Coke floats, (I forgot to get pictures of the floats), and reviewing the states of matter, the kiddos explored the magnetism. I set out a variety of materials as well as different types of magnets and let encouraged the class to conduct their own investigation and discover concepts about magnetism. This was partially for science, but also part of ESLOT. There was lots of excitement throughout the room as new discoveries were made. I loved seeing the joy of learning in action! How Many Ways? A Multiplication Challenge Mrs. Weiler introduced a multiplication challenge that the kiddos could work on throughout the week. Be sure to ask your child how many ways they found! Investigating Physical Properties In science, we learned that matter can be measured, tested, recorded, and classified based on physical properties. Students rotated to different stations to test temperature, magnetism, ability to sink or float, and mass. Everyone worked collaboratively with their partner and showed responsibility with materials as well as recording observations. There was 100% engagement! Yay! Stemscopes We logged into Stemscopes, (our science resource), and conducted a virtual investigation. This is a resource we will use regularly throughout the year. Making Inferences During reading, I read the first part of a book by Chris Van Allsburg, Just a Dream. This is one of my favorite books because it encourages the reader to infer and make connections across the text. There is also a great message. Students recorded inferences during the read aloud portion and as they read independently while working with a partner. Coding with Ozobots For enrichment time, I pulled out the Ozobots, (tiny robots), and the kiddos wrote code with markers for the robots to read as it moved along the path. This was so much fun! What a great way to end the week! Decorating Writing Notebooks Decorating our writing notebooks was so much fun! I enjoyed looking at all the photos and learning much about each student. The kiddos worked really hard and their notebooks look great! I'm sure the their personalized photos and decorations will inspire lots of writing throughout the year. Thanks for sending in decorations! Cup Stacking Challenges with Mrs. Lipe's Class 100 Face Challenge Can you create a face using cuisenaire rods with a value of 100? Students worked with a partner to make faces worth 100. Each color rod represents a different value, so lots of mental math was used to build different faces. Figure Me Out As another getting to know you activity, we created math posters with equations to figure out numbers in our lives. For example, you might have to subtract to determine how many people in your family or divide to figure out the number of siblings someone has. I was impressed with some of the challenging math problems that the kiddos came up with. Me Museums It was loads of fun learning about each other during our gallery walk to see all the "Me Museums". Everyone did a great job writing about each item and explaining why the item was important, special, or what it represented. I LOVED reading all of their cards! The kiddos were really interested in each others museums and they asked each other lots of questions. We discovered there are many friends in the class with similar interests. Shopping for Books Our reading workshop is in full swing now that everyone has books in their book box ready to read. There was sooo much excitement in the room about all the books and the kiddos were eager to find a spot and read. I quickly discovered that most of the class has a lot of stamina when reading. I think we read for about 35 minutes without interruption. That warmed my teacher heart! Making Paper Chains Mrs. Lipe's class partnered up with us for a paper chain challenge. The goal was to make the longest paper chain from one piece of paper. The kiddos quickly found a partner and worked cooperatively to construct their chains. It was interesting to see all the different strategies for cutting the paper. There were some pretty long chains! So much fun! Hundreds Challenge Throughout the year, students will often work with partners or small groups. The expectation during group work is that everyone participates, listens to others, and stays engaged on the task. To teach the class what working with a group should look like and sound like, I gave them a hundreds challenge, (finding the numbers 1-100 scattered on a page). Each person in the group had to count in order and highlight the next number when it was their turn. I snapped photos so that the kiddos could see the engagement and collaboration taking place during the activity. The class really loved this! They were begging for a 4th round, but we were out of time. Working on Real-World Relationships in a Table During math, students interpreted tables involving multiplication in order to determine the relationship. We also worked on a gumball problem using an online website called Desmos. At the end of the of the activity, students wrote their own table showing the relationship between the number of gumballs and the value. Touch and Talk Vocabulary I introduced our science unit on matter using a touch and talk vocabulary sheet. The idea is to get students talking and thinking about science terms & concepts we will use during our unit. Exploring Math Tools The first day of school should involve having fun, so we decided to explore math tools we will use throughout the year. I challenged them to think of math they could represent with the various tools. I couldn't believe all the creative ideas the kiddos had. They were sharing math concepts they know while creating neat designs, buildings, and even graphs. This was a great way to get students talking to one another. First Day Jitters Graph We read the book First Day Jitters and graphed how we were feeling. Lots of kiddos were excited or happy about going back to school. Later in the day, students wrote about their first day feelings using some emojis to inspire their writing. Math Norms Math is creative and mathematicians visualize! This is one of the math norms we are learning about. These norms will help us create a math culture that supports deep mathematical thinking and an understanding that mistakes help your brain grow. We noticed lots of patterns on number representations using dots. Getting to Know You Activity This activity involving finding a friend that matched a description such as someone who ate ice cream over the summer. It was fun talking with each other and getting to know a bit about classmates. Saving Fred This was by far the favorite of our first two days. We heard a short story about a worm whose boat capsized and needed to be rescued. The challenge was to save Fred, (a gummy worm), by getting him out from under the boat, (a cup), and putting a life preserver, (a gummy life saver), on Fred. The catch, you can't touch Fred, the boat, or the life preserver with hands, only paper clips. The kiddos worked together and had a blast trying to save Fred. Each group was successful! I loved seeing the smiles and cheers as they saved Fred! I am looking forward to meeting everyone during our Meet the Teacher/Supply Drop Off on Thursday, August 13, 2019 from 5:30-7:30. Classrooms will also be open between 8:30 am-11:30 am. I hope you have a chance to stop by our room, (C2016) to look around and drop off supplies.
Our third grade team is gearing up for a wonderful year full of engaging learning experiences. I'm excited to start the new year! |
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November 2019
Mrs. Swyers3rd Grade Teacher |