Building More Simple Machines to Learn about Force & Motion Break Out Boxes Designing Compound Machines Investigating Magnetism as a Force Proving the Divisibility Rule when Dividing by Two Final Design Challenge-Rescuing a Tiger
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I can't believe it is only two weeks until winter break. My how time flies! We have a lot to pack in before the break as we are finishing up units. Read below to find out what we are working on this week.
Science: Last week, we finished our glider explorations as part of our unit on forces and motions and we started a new Project Lead the Way module that incorporates simple machines. We are exploring ways to build a pulley, wheel and axle, lever, and inclined plane in preparation of our tiger rescue project. Also, we'll investigate magnetism. Each group will design a compound machine out of Vex building materials that can lift and move a tiger. The machine must include magnetism. I'm hoping to finish the final projects on Friday. I can't wait to see what the kiddos design! Our unit test on forces and motion will be next week, (hopefully Tuesday). PLEASE let me know if your child won't be at school next week so I can have them take the test this week. Reading: We'll continue to read nonfiction texts. Last week we worked hard on making inferences! This week, we will learn how to infer the meaning of unknown words. Also, we'll learn how to summarize nonfiction texts. Writing: We'll finish our expository drafts Monday and then spend a few days revising and editing before writing our final pieces. As we revise, we'll learn how to write a conclusion, add voice, vary sentence beginnings and length, and add transition words. Math: Our focus this week will be division of the eights facts, representing division using a table, and the divisibility rule for even numbers, (understanding that if a number ends in an even number it is divisible by two). We will take the unit test on Friday which will include the fraction concepts from our previous unit. Throughout the week, we'll review fraction concepts in preparation for the test. Social Studies: We have a little more to learn about government, and then we will spend the rest of the week and next week working on mapping skills. Upcoming Events Thursday, December 14: Chick Fil-A Spirit Night 5:00-8:00 Thursday, December 21: 3rd grade Winter Party @ 1:30 Designing Gliders for a Disaster Relief Problem The kiddos had lots of great ideas for their gliders, and it is evident that they have learned a lot about flight and forces. Each "flight team" designed a glider that could air drop supplies to a remote area. The cargo/supplies will be binder clips during our flight test. We won't actually be dropping our supplies, just attempting to fly our gliders at least 12 feet into the remote area, (carpet in the common area). I was impressed with their designs and teamwork. I'm trying out slideshows this week, so the three sets of photos are slideshows. This might be a better way to share photos when there is a large number of pictures for one activity. Click on the image below to start the slide show. Building and Testing Glider for our Disaster Relief Challenge Time to test out our gliders! The flight teams assembled their gliders and tested the distance of each flight as they added cargo. Almost every team was successful on at least one flight! The flight teams worked together to adjust their gliders, measure, and launch the gliders. Everyone enjoyed the challenge and I enjoyed watching the teams collaborate and apply what they have learned. Building Simple Machines We are learning more about force and motion through simple machines. This is also a Project Lead the Way module where students will use their knowledge of simple machines to solve a problem. We started by exploring wheel and axles. Working on Division Saying Goodbye to Miss Paek Miss Paek had her last day as an intern this week. We are sad to see her leave. She has been a part of our classroom community two days a week since September. Luckily, we will still see her next semester as she will be student teaching in kindergarten. Exploring Division Using Nearpod to Practice Division We worked on using doubling and halving to divide. As you can tell from the photos, my mathematicians are really thinking and engaged. Choir Concert We enjoyed an watching the 4th & 5th grade choir concert! Having Fun With Dash Robots for Enrichment Time
Hope you had a great weekend! Here is a look at the week ahead...
Science: We are off to a great start learning about forces and motion as we work through a Project Lead the Way module. Last week we explored forces in flight while launching propellors and different glider designs. This week, we'll use our knowledge to design gliders that can carry cargo, (binder clips), for a simulation of disaster relief. Then we will begin the next PLTW module by exploring simple machines in preparation for another problem to solve. Should be loads of fun! Reading: This week we'll continue to read and learn about nonfiction texts including procedural texts. Also, we'll work on making inferences and using context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words. This week I'll be conducting middle of the year reading tests during our independent reading time so I won't be conferencing with students, (meeting with individuals/small groups to teach a strategy). Writing: We'll continue writing expository essays as we learn how to write an effective lead/introcuction, add supporting details, and use transition words. Additionally, we'll learn how to combine sentences. Math: Last week we started our new unit on division. We used math tools to discover how to divide a group into equal parts and we connected division to multiplication. Our focus this week will be on using the think multiplication strategy to solve division problems as well as using equal groups, arrays, and number sentences. During this unit we will work primarily with tens, fives, twos, fours, and eights facts. Social Studies: We'll continue to learn more about government. Upcoming Events Tuesday, December 5: Picture Retakes Thursday, December 7: England Choir Performance @ 6:30 Science Presentation-Sharks We enjoyed learning about sharks from expert divers and were surprised that the body of the shark is similar to an airplane. Reading Workshop-Author's Purpose Students choose a topic and read several different books about that topic with a group.. Then they discussed the author's purpose. We noticed that even though the set of books were about the same topic, the authors had different purposes and messages. Exploring Fractions with Fraction Circles Author Visit-Don Tate What an inspirational story from Don Tate! He was a captivating speaker and we enjoyed hearing his story about how he became an illustrator and author. Exploring Force with Propellers You can't tell from the pictures, but the kiddos were exploring force by spinning propellers to make them glide through the air. Loads of fun! Designing Gliders We learned about the forces of flight and designed gliders. Discovering Division through Problem Solving We watched a short video clip of three characters sharing 18 pieces of candy, but they each ended up with a different amount. I challenged the kiddos to act out the story so that each person received an equal share. Each group successfully solved the challenge-most using multiple strategies. Glider Flight Tests Flight teams worked together to test three different glider design to determine which design flew the farthest. This was soooo much fun! All the flight teams worked cooperatively while testing and recording results. Division Stations My mathematicians worked hard to solve various open ended division problems using different math tools to model the story situation. The kiddos realized there were multiple solutions to the problems even though there was a set number of items in each scenario. For example, one of the problems consisted of 24 horses that needed to be placed in corrals. The kiddos used craft sticks and cubes to represent the different ways the horses could be arranged. Enjoying Birthday Treats and E-slot
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November 2019
Mrs. Swyers3rd Grade Teacher |