Here's a glimpse of what's happening in our classroom this week.
Science: Since the weather is a bit warmer, we'll head outside to build volcanos out of rocks, dirt, sticks, etc. Yes, they will make a volcano from scratch using only natural resources and a dixie cup to act as the chamber. Sounds crazy, but it's soooo much fun and the kiddos love being outside working with nature. We'll build the volcanoes one day and then make them erupt the next day. Also this week we'll investigate how tectonic plates move and create earthquakes using graham crackers and frosting. Reading: Our focus will continue to be on reading and discussing poetry as we wrap up our unit. We'll review features of poetry, types of poems, and elements of poetry. This week students will select a favorite poem to practice reading fluently with expression. Also, we'll review text features as we read Time for Kids. Writing: We have read some great poems during reading, and now we are drafting some great poems during writing. We have some budding poets in our class! We'll continue learning about the craft of poetry writing and begin revising some poems. Math: Just a few more days of learning about fractions! We'll have our unit test on Thursday which will cover equivalent fractions, comparing fractions, area models, linear models, and fractions in a set. We'll review in class. Upcoming Events Early Release is Feb. 4th!
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Science: Students will continue their student led research on earthquakes, volcanos, or landslides. Each group will create a google presentation to teach the class information about their topic. Last week each group created a list of the big ideas they plan to teach the class, then planned a way to organize their research and began searching for information. They are very excited to take ownership of their learning and find out about these interesting science concepts. Reading: More, more, and more poetry this week! I think the kiddos are getting hooked on poetry as there were some giggles, smiles, and enthusiasm during our poetry reading time last week. As we read poems this week we will work on inferencing, (including inferring the meaning of unknown words), questioning, and imagery. Additionally, we'll practice fluency and expression through poetry reading. Writing: We will continue reading and writing poems and noticing elements of poetry. Students will work on adding sensory images, using line breaks, and using poetic language. Math: Last week we mostly learned about area models of fractions, so this week we'll add linear and set models to our schema. These are both more difficult to grasp and students will need repeated exposure and practice. It is especially important for students to use math tools so that they "see" what these models look like. For homework, I suggest using online fraction tools on this link http://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/content/hsp/math/hspmath/na/common/itools_int_9780547584997_/fractions.html Upcoming Events Author visit on Tuesday morning! All orders for Rump are due on Monday. Tuesday, January 13- Math Night for 2nd & 3rd graders @ 6:00 Monday, January 19- MLK Day, NO SCHOOL Hope everyone had a fabulous holiday break! I enjoyed spending time with my family, relaxing, shopping, and reading. It was nice to have time to rejuvenate and now I am ready to kick off the second semester of the school year. I was so happy to see all of the kiddos today and even more happy that some of them wanted to come back to school! What a thrill to hear that! We had a great first day back. This morning we shared stories from the break, reviewed our social contract, met with the librarian for a brief discussion about our upcoming author visit, and played a game to build classroom community. Did we learn anything? Of course! We started our poetry unity for reading and writing, and explored fraction during math. Here is a peek at our learning for the remainder of the week. Reading: We will be immersed in poetry-my favorite! Students will read a variety of poems, identify features of poetry, discuss and respond to poetry, and learn about different types of poetry. Writing: Students will read poems for inspiration and begin writing free verse poems this week. I am reading a book called Poetry Matters by Ralph Fletcher, a book that provides children with writing tips and strategies, which will help students get started with their first poetry pieces. Science: This week students will research volcanoes, earthquakes, or landslides as part of our next science unit. Math: We have started a new unit on fractions. Our focus this week will be on area models of fractions and exploring equivalent fractions. Highlights from DecemberStudents examined a mixture of birdseed and sorted the mixture by physical properties. Before and after observations were recorded in science notebooks. Students used colored chips and dry erase boards to make equal groups while solving multiplication and division problems. We had loads of fun investigating mixtures at stations.
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November 2019
Mrs. Swyers3rd Grade Teacher |