Here is a glimpse of the upcoming week:
Science: We had a solar oven mishap last week when we set our ovens outside to heat our s'mores on a windy day. Even though we secured most of the ovens with rocks, we had lots of our boxes flip over, and one flew away. We only had a few with s'mores still inside the box, and most of those were too smushed to eat. So...we are trying again this week even though we will be moving on to a new unit. Monday we will take the unit test after a quick Kahoot review. Tuesday we will begin learning about earth's forces, with a focus on fast changes to earth including volcanos, earthquakes, and landslides. Reading: This week we will finish our poetry unit. We'll review features of poetry as well as types of poetry as we read and discuss more poems. There is never enough time for all the great poems I want to share with the class! Math: Our focus will be on twos and fours facts. Last week we noticed you can double twos facts to determine fours facts just like you can double fives facts to determine tens facts. We also practiced the reverse-halving. The strategy of doubling and halving not only helps with facts, but also with number sense. Understanding doubling and halving as well as other strategies for multiplication help students understand the concept of multiplication, (which is different than memorizing facts). This week we'll continue to solve problems involving multiplication. Our unit test will be next Monday. Also, we'll spend a bit more time on spiral review this week as we review fraction concepts in preparation for our next unit on fractions. Writing: We'll wrap up our poetry writing this week. On Tuesday, students will write a poem based on a nature sketch. We will observe objects from nature, sketch and record observations, and then write a poem based on the object. Then, students will choose 2-3 poems from their collection to revise and publish. I LOVE reading all of their poems. We have some poets among us, so I can't wait to see some of their published poems! Upcoming Events This week we are collecting for Coins for Coats. Please place donations in a bag and record the amount of money on the outside of the bag. This will help me count the total donations for our class each day. See below for the daily themes.
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Exploring Sound with Straws Who knew straws could be an instrument! We watched a short clip from the show Zoom and discovered how to make a straw into a kazoo. First we cut one end into a triangle and and noticed it made a sound we you blow on the triangular side. Then, we cut pieces of the end as we blew on it to make different pitches. Everyone was super excited about this discover and the classroom was buzzing with sounds!. I hope some of the kiddos demonstrated this at home. If not, ask your child to show you how to make different sounds with a straw. Making Music and Exploring Sound with Glasses We learned that different levels of water in a glass produce different sounds. After discovering the different pitches we could make, I challenged each group to try to play a song using the glasses. A few groups were successful! This might be a fun exploration to try at home. Designing Solar Ovens Everyone worked really hard to create a solar oven that would produce heat energy to cook s'mores. I was impressed with how well everyone worked together! Each group designed a unique box just for them. We were soooo excited to test our ovens and eat the s'mores. Unfortunately, when we put our ovens out, the wind gust blew several of them over, and some flaps on the boxes blew so much the s'mores were smushed. We repaired our ovens and will try again next week on a day that isn't windy. Our Mock Trial It was fun acting out a trial to learn how citizens serve on a jury and what a trial is like. Some kiddos had parts and others were the jurors. Practicing for the 3rd Grade Choir Concert I got a sneak preview of the choir concert and was able to snap a few photos close to the stage. The kiddos did an amazing job! Using Nearpod to Practice Multiplication Noticing and Wondering about Arrays Students observed different images of arrays to discover doubling. We practiced doubling and halving while solving multiplication problems involving twos and fours facts. Exploring Energy and Engineering with Littlebits Meeting with Kinder Buddies
We finally met our kindergarten buddies! So exciting to be the big buddy this year. We got to know our buddies a bit while making a Little Buddy, Big Buddy book together. It's the first week of the second grading period. All grades are in home access for the first nine weeks. Report cards will go home next Thursday. The next grading period is actually only eight weeks, as it ends on December 21st, the last day before winter break. Don't forget, it's Red Ribbon Week. Check the list of activities I emailed so your child can participate if they desire. Also, remember Wednesday evening is the 3rd grade choir concert. I plan to attend, so I'm sure I'll see many of you there. The kiddos have been working hard in music class to prepare for the event, and they will be practicing Tuesday morning during science, so I'm sure it will be a great performance. Here is a glimpse of our learning this week: Science: We'll continue to learn about forms of energy that we use in our daily lives. We'll conduct investigations to learn more about light energy, sound energy, and heat energy. The kiddos are very excited to make our s'mores. We are a bit behind, but hopefully we will be able to make them on Friday. Reading: I am really enjoying reading poetry with the kiddos, and I think they are enjoying it too! We'll continue reading various forms of poetry, responding to poems, making inferences, and identifying sensory language/images. We'll also summarize and describe the characters' interactions in a narrative poem. Additionally, we'll identify characteristics of lyrical and humorous poetry. Writing: More poetry! I am impressed with the thought and effort the kiddos are putting into their poetry. We'll continue writing poems this week as we learn more about sensory images, poetic language, and conventions of poetry. Math: We are off to a great start with our multiplication unit. This week we will focus on the twos and fours facts while still working on fives and tens facts. One of the main strategies we will work on to solve problems involving fives, tens, twos, and fours facts is doubling and halving. We'll continue to represent multiplication in various ways including arrays, equal groups, tables, strip diagrams, and equations. We'll also learn how to double, double, double for the eights facts. Social studies: This week we will hold a mock trial to gain an understanding of the role a jury plays and the importance of being a good citizen. I know I said we were wrapping up citizenship last week, but there just isn't enough time for everything. We really are wrapping it up this week! Important Message!!!! Please read below if you plan to volunteer in any capacity throughout the year, including helping with parties or any other type of help where you would need to come into the school to work. Attention ALL Volunteers! Action required! Room Parents, Copy Helpers, Club Coaches, Club Helpers, PTA Volunteers, Field Trip Chaperones, Library Helpers, Mentors, Tutors, Academic UIL Coaches and Helpers - everyone who helps at school: you are all required to complete the Volunteer Application online or submit a paper copy for approval through the England Office. Until your approved status as a volunteer has been confirmed, you will not be able to volunteer or serve in any capacity at school or for school clubs. This is district policy and is for the safety of our students. Upcoming Events Wednesday, October 25-3rd Grade Choir Performance Thursday, October 26-Family Fitness Night I hope you enjoy the photos! I am combining two weeks of pictures since the previous week was a three day week. (I still have photos to add). Noticing and Wondering about Arrays Miss Pack taught a math lesson this week! As part of her lesson, students worked with a partner to notice and wonder about an image of an array. Then, they tried to answer their wonderings and solved math that they noticed. For example, one group used multiplication to find the number of eyes and another used repeated addition to find the number of legs. Each partnership had a chance to share some of the math they found in their image before working on a problem solving activity. Exploring Forms of Energy We discovered that energy is used all the time in our daily lives. Students rotated to different objects and determined the type of energy being used. They also recorded their evidence. It was tons of fun exploring! Sharing Math Strategies Mathematicians learn from other mathematicians. That's why we share strategies with each other. We are working on how to listen attentively, talk loudly and clearly, and express our ideas in a concise way. Practicing Fives Facts with a Game Everyone enjoyed playing Corners, a game involving multiplying by fives. Why I Write Graffiti Wall
Friday was National Why I Write Day! We created a graffiti wall in the hallway to share why we write. I was sooo impressed with insightful comments. It looks like the kiddos understand what writers do and that many of the kiddos actually enjoy writing! That warms my heart! The kiddos LOVED writing on the wall! This is the last week of the first grading period. Can you believe it! And it finally feels like fall! I'm hoping we don't see 90 degrees for a long time. I plan to take advantage of the nice weather and take the class outside to write poetry. See below for a glimpse of our week:
Science: We are starting a new unit on energy. We'll learn about heat/thermal, mechanical, light, and sound energy and how they are used in everyday life. Reading: More poetry! We'll continue reading a variety of poetry as we learn about characteristics of different forms of poetry. Also, we'll notice sensory images and how poets appeal to your senses. Students will respond to poems, make inferences, and draw their visualization this week. Math: On Monday, we will take the math test on addition/subtraction, place value, and data. Then, we'll begin learning about multiplication. This will be the first of several multiplication units as each one focuses on different facts. In this unit, we'll focus on fives and tens facts and using strategies to gain conceptual understanding. We'll work on representing multiplication using arrays, equal groups, equal jumps on a number line, skip counting, equations, and strip diagrams. Writing: Our focus this week will be on writing poetry. Last week we read poems for enjoyment during time, so we are ready to start writing poems. We'll learn how to use emotion, sensory images, line breaks, and figurative language when writing poetry. Social Studies: We'll wrap up our unit on citizenship by reading more about community members showing citizenship and brainstorming ways we can be good citizens. Upcoming Events: Tuesday, October 17-Picture Day @10:20 Friday, October 20-PTA sponsored Movie Night@ 6:30 Wednesday October 25-3rd Grade Choir Concert@ 6:30 Thursday October 26-Family Fitness Night@ 6:30 Red Ribbon Week-October 23-27 After a four day weekend, I hope the kiddos will be rested and ready to get back to learning. Our week will be super packed since we only have three days together. Here is a glimpse of what we will be doing and learning.
Science: We'll wrap up our unit on changes to matter and mixtures. We'll review with a Kahoot game and take the unit test on Thursday and Friday. Reading: On Wednesday we have library of course, and we'll also meet with our librarian to find out information about another author visit. Look for the order forms coming home in Thursday folders! Thursday and Friday students will be immersed in poetry! I LOVE poetry and I can't wait to share some of my favorite poems for kids. We will spend time reading poetry for enjoyment, noticing features of poetry, listening to and responding to poetry. Math: We'll apply our knowledge of addition and subtraction as we solve problems on Wednesday and Thursday. Also, we'll review data analysis and place value. On Friday, (or Monday if we aren't quite ready), we'll take a district assessment that includes data, place value, and addition & subtraction. Writing: I am so proud of the hard work the kiddos put into their personal narratives. Their final stories are impressive! This week students will illustrate a cover and write their final copy before beginning poetry-my FAVORITE genre to write. I can't wait to get started! We'll read lots of poems with a writers' eye before we begin writing our own poems. Group Problem Solving I love to see mathematicians woking together, sharing strategies, and justifying their thinking. Students had a multi-step problem to solve that involved addition and subtraction with regrouping. They used strip diagrams to organize their thinking which wasn't as easy as they thought. Working Hard on Our Narrative Drafts Collecting Data About Car Colors in the Parking Lot As part of our spiral review, we gathered data about car colors in the front and back parking lots. We wanted to know if there are certain car colors that are more popular, and if so, why? After recording data on both parking lots, we noticed there are a lot of silver and white cars. So far, the kiddos have a few theories including people want cars that aren't regular colors, (as in not blue, green, orange, purple, red, yellow, or pink). Interesting theory! Next week, we'll graph our results. Using Base Ten Blocks to Model Subtraction with Regrouping Exploring Mixtures We had soooo much fun observing and separating mixtures at our mixture stations. The kiddos noticed that all the mixtures were different and could be separated using different tools. This was a great opportunity to use the microscopes to observe a mixture up close, (it didn't look like a mixture at first). You might want to find some mixtures at your house with your child and think of ways to separate the mixture. Subtraction Number Talk Here is an example of a subtraction number talk that shows student thinking. You might notice that the student recorded in red revised his thinking as he explained. Hooray! We know mathematicians revise their thinking and that helps their brain grow and learn. The other two photos are creatures a few kiddos created during recess. No, they have nothing to do with the number talk, but they are cool and I didn't want to create a gallery just for them. Making a Yummy Mixture We learned that a mixture is a two or more substances combined where their physical properties stay the same. Everyone enjoyed eating their mixture after separating it and recording observations. Addition Strategies
Check out the captions to see the strategy each student is using. Science: This week we will explore and investigate mixtures. We will make a yummy mixture and determine the best way to separate it. As we investigate various mixtures, we'll discover that mixtures need to be separated differently depending on the matter in the mixture and understand that a mixture is formed when two or more materials are combined but their physical properties stay the same.
Reading: Our focus will be on the elements of fiction, how to write a summary about a fiction story, and character traits. We'll continue reading fiction stories and using our reading strategies as well. Math: We'll continue to use strategies to solve one-step and two-step problems involving addition and subtraction within 1,000 using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and the relationship between addition and subtractions. Students will use equations, number lines and pictorial models as they solve problems. Also, we'll learn to use strip diagrams as a tool to organize our thinking when solving addition/subtraction problems. Our spiral review will include place value, rounding/estimating, and data analysis. Writing: We have been working on our drafts and learning craft moves to improve the quality of our writing. This week, students will try out different endings to wrap up their piece as well as add sensory images. Then, we'll finish revising and editing our pieces. Additionally, we'll write a different personal narrative for a district writing assessment. Social Studies: We'll read about people who have shown good citizenship by making a positive change in their community or country. I am hoping this will inspire the kiddos to think of ways they can help and be change agents. Upcoming Events Monday (10/2)
Making Inferences On Monday, we partnered with Mrs. Lipe's class to work on our inferencing skills. Students formed groups to have a silent conversation. First, they observed the photo, then they wrote their inferences and their text evidence. Then, they rotated to another corner of the paper to respond to someone's inference. We did this several times until they read several different inferences and added their thinking. I was impressed with some of their deep thinking! Great way to practice using text evidence! Number Talks and Adding On Using a Number Line Some great thinking was going on during math during our number talk. These were two of the strategies explained by students after they solved 113+56 mentally. After our number talk, we practiced adding using the strategy of adding on using a number line. Making Inferences from a Photo Story We viewed a slide show of photos from Hurricane Harvey that told a story. The kiddos made inferences based on text evidence from the photos. Everyone was so engaged and worked hard to record their thinking. Observing Matter Changing States We headed outside to observe ice melting in the sun vs. in the shade. But...our plan didn't quite work out. As we headed outside hoping for the sun was out, we discovered it had turned into a rainy afternoon. We found a covered flat surface and decided to go for it, (I'm sure it took longer for the ice to melt). We recorded the progress of the ice melting every two minutes and observed how it changed. It turned out being more exciting in the rain since raindrops were splashing on us and the laminated page with the ice cube. A few groups tried to move their page out of the rain and the melted ice flowed off the page. Good thing there were many other groups to join. After 20 minutes, the ice completely melted, so we quickly recorded our final results and headed inside. Investigating Heat Changing States of Matter We used a special thermometer that connects to the Smartboard to observe changes in the temperature of a pot of ice as it changed from a solid to a liquid and then to a gas. Of course we also observed the changing states. You can see in the photos that the program records the data of the temperature in a table and on a line graph. It took a while, but it is really neat to see the data pop up on the screen. Enrichment Time Last week the kiddos met with their interest group during enrichment (E-SLOT) for the first time. They will meet with these groups for four weeks, (maybe five). I was able to sneak away from my group for a minute and catch some action shots of kiddos designing and building arcade games, cooking, creating art, painting kindness rocks, and using Google Earth to travel the world. One group was in the library using Scratch on the Ipads, so I didn't get any photos of them. Lots of creativity, collaboration, and fun happening! |
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November 2019
Mrs. Swyers3rd Grade Teacher |