Learning About Sweden Practicing Fractions in a Set Our Guest Speakers from Break it Down We learned about recycling and composting from our guest speakers that work for Break it Down. Also, we learned the importance of composting & recycling, what can be recycled, and some tips about recycling. One fact that surprised us was that bottles can't be recycled if the cap is left on, so take those caps off before recycling plastic bottles/containers. Working o Talking about Science Vocabulary Exploring Forces of Magnetism This was SO much fun! The challenge was to make a paper clip float using the force of magnetism. Everyone had a great time trying to figure out how to make the magnet float without holding it. After we discovered how to make it float, students began creating structures to hold the magnet. Who knew string, a paper clip, and a magnet wand could be so exciting! All Dressed up for International Children's Week Cup Stacking Challenges All of the 3rd grade participated in cup stacking as part of a Guiness World Record for the most cup stacking in one day. We rotated to different challenges. It was lots of fun and a nice break from academics. The best part was that students had to think while moving fast to stack and unstack the cups. Coming Up Week of November 28-December 2, 2016I hope you had an opportunity to spend time with family over the break. It was so nice to have some time to rejuvenate. I spent the first half of the break at the beach in Port Aransas relaxing and hanging out with my family, and the rest of the time I was busy celebrating Thanksgiving, shopping, decorating for the holidays, and getting some much needed cleaning & organizing done.
Now that everyone is rested it's time to get back to school and learning. I am anxious to see the kiddos tomorrow and hear about their week. We have only three weeks until the next break, so we have lots to do. See below for a glimpse of our week. Writing: This week we'll spend the majority of our writing time conducting research for our PBL. Students will select an area of interest to research and will work with an inquiry group to collaborate and share their learning. Students will be reading websites and taking notefacts as they glean information about their topic. During our mini-lessons, we will review how to paraphrase, stay on topic, record sources, and determine important information. Reading: We'll continue to read nonfiction and learn about nonfiction text structures including cause and effect. Also, we'll read procedural texts and notice how it is organized differently than informational text. Math: More division this week! We spent lots of time the past week partitioning objects into equal groups and using multiplication to solve division problems. Everyone seems to have a good understanding of what division means. This week, we'll continue to solve division problems involving the twos, fours, eights, tens, and fives facts using various strategies. We'll also review fractions in a set and linear fractions. Science: We'll have lots of fun designing parachutes as part of our unit on force and motion. Students will test their designs to see how it reacts to the force of gravity. We'll also investigate how position and motion can change by pushing and pulling toy cars with a sling shot. Social Studies: This week we are wrapping up our unit on government. We'll learn about the judicial branch of government, and review the other branches of government. Also, as we research for our PBL we will find out the role of local, state, and the national government on environmental issues.
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Exploring Fractions with Cuisenaire Rods Fraction on a Number Line Our Mock Trip to the White House on Air Force One Fractions in a Set Natural Resources Exploration Planet Protectors Learning about Trash Coming Up Week of November 14-18We have had a great week, even with three days of indoor recess. Students have been busy researching Sweden, representing fractions with various math tools and models, and learning about natural resources. Next week will be extra busy as we celebrate International Children's Week. On Monday we'll have our kickoff assembly. Students will go to the cafeteria as soon as they drop off their backpack. We'll also have a presentation from Ellie's mom about Sweden and we'll attend another presentation about Iran given by Neeku's mom. International Children's Week will end Friday afternoon with a closing assembly.
Coming Up Week of November 14-18 Writing: Our focus will be on letter writing and research. We are writing letters to solders in honor of Veterans Day to thank them for their hard work and service. Also, we are writing to students in Sweden as pen pals. This is a great way to connect with others across the globe. Later in the week we'll begin our PBL research. Students will be grouped into inquiry groups for our research so they will be researching the area they are most interested in learning about. We are all getting excited about being Planet Protectors-that's our official PBL name. Some of the kiddos were disappointed that we aren't going to be Warriors. All the classes came up with name ideas and voted. I told the kiddos we can start a new legacy. Reading: This week we'll continue to read and learn about expository texts. Students will work on identifying the main idea & details, determining important information, and summarizing. Math: We are wrapping up our fraction unit on Monday with a short unit quiz and some problem solving. There isn't a district test for this unit, however, fraction concepts from the unit will be included on the next test along with division concepts. Can you guess the next unit? Division! Well, actually, the focus in on connecting multiplication & division and using division strategies for the fives, tens, twos, fours, and eights facts. Science: On Monday we are creating posters about natural resources explaining where our resources come from, how we use resources and why we need to conserve resources. Then we'll begin our next unit; Forces & Motion. Social Studies: Most of our social studies will include the activities for International Children's Week, but hopefully, we can squeeze in a little about the branches of government. Upcoming Events: Monday (11/14)
Monday: Stripes/Polka Dots Tuesday: Sparkle and Glitter Wednesday: Dress/Tie Thursday: Traditional outfits (at Family Night, too) Friday: Spirit wear We have had a great week, even with three days of indoor recess. Students have been busy researching Sweden, representing fractions with various math tools and models, and learning about natural resources. Next week will be extra busy as we celebrate International Children's Week. On Monday we'll have our kickoff assembly. Students will go to the cafeteria as soon as they drop off their backpack. We'll also have a presentation from Ellie's mom about Sweden and we'll attend another presentation about Iran given by Neeku's mom. International Children's Week will end Friday afternoon with a closing assembly.
Coming Up Week of November 14-18 Writing: Our focus will be on letter writing and research. We are writing letters to solders in honor of Veterans Day to thank them for their hard work and service. Also, we are writing to students in Sweden as pen pals. This is a great way to connect with others across the globe. Later in the week we'll begin our PBL research. Students will be grouped into inquiry groups for our research so they will be researching the area they are most interested in learning about. We are all getting excited about being Planet Protectors-that's our official PBL name. Some of the kiddos were disappointed that we aren't going to be Warriors. All the classes came up with name ideas and voted. I told the kiddos we can start a new legacy. Reading: This week we'll continue to read and learn about expository texts. Students will work on identifying the main idea & details, determining important information, and summarizing. Math: We are wrapping up our fraction unit on Monday with a short unit quiz and some problem solving. There isn't a district test for this unit, however, fraction concepts from the unit will be included on the next test along with division concepts. Can you guess the next unit? Division! Well, actually, the focus in on connecting multiplication & division and using division strategies for the fives, tens, twos, fours, and eights facts. Science: On Monday we are creating posters about natural resources explaining where our resources come from, how we use resources and why we need to conserve resources. Then we'll begin our next unit; Forces & Motion. Social Studies: Most of our social studies will include the activities for International Children's Week, but hopefully, we can squeeze in a little about the branches of government. Upcoming Events: Monday (11/14)
Thursday (11/17)
Friday (11/18)
All England students, ICF volunteers, Parents, England Staff and Teachers are encouraged to join in the celebration of the week by participating in the following dress-up days: Monday: Stripes/Polka Dots Tuesday: Sparkle and Glitter Wednesday: Dress/Tie Thursday: Traditional outfits (at Family Night, too) Friday: Spirit wear We have two weeks before the Thanksgiving break! I can't believe it! During that time, we will be researching and learning about Sweden for the International Children's Fair. Ellie's mom has arranged for us to be pen pals with some students from Sweden. Lots of other fun learning experiences will be taking place as well. See below for a look at the upcoming week. Writing: This week we'll dive into research as we learn about Sweden. We'll spend a few days researching and then we'll create a poster about Sweden using Google Drawings. Also, we'll start writing letters to our pen pals. Reading: Our focus will be on reading expository texts and learning about the different structures that author's use for expository including description, cause & effect, sequential, and compare & contrast. We'll read articles and books related to our PBL as we learn about expository texts. Math: Last week we focused on area models of unit fractions. This week we'll learn about fractions on a number line, (length model), and fractions in a set. Students will use cuisenaire rods to partition number lines into fractional parts and represent fractions as distances from zero. We'll also use object such as two colored counters to determine fractions in a set. See below for the specific TEKS for this unit. Science: We'll learn about natural resources, (where they come from, how we use them), and the importance of conserving natural resources. Social Studies: We'll continue to learn about government. Since it's election week, we'll take a mock trip to the White House to learn all about where our president lives. This is always a big hit! We'll even have a pretend flight on Air Force One complete with a ticket! Additionally, students will go on an interactive online tour of the White House. Upcoming Events: Thursday (11/10)
Highlights from October 31-November 4Pumpkin Fun We had a blast observing, measuring, and comparing pumpkins and gourds. Thanks to those of you who sent in pumpkins! Investigating Light We used flashlights to explore light. We noticed that our hands block the light, and that light can travel through a hole and water. Also, we observed that light can reflect on a mirror or foil. Thanks for helping out our investigation by sending in flashlights. The kiddos really enjoyed discovering how light works. Learning about Fractions with Pattern Blocks
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November 2019
Mrs. Swyers3rd Grade Teacher |