Aaaaaand...We're back! Hopefully everyone had a fun and relaxing winter break! Third graders had lots of stories to share about their time off. Students also did an amazing job jumping back into classroom routines and working hard. I am so proud of them! This week in Reader's Workshop, our focus was on tracking character change in fictional stories, all of which featured themes related to attitude. To start things off, we read The Bad Seed (If you haven't read it, I highly suggest doing so!). As a class, we discussed how the main character's attitude and disposition were impacted by events in his past and those around him. We then read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. We compared the main characters from both books, noting how they are similar and different. We then discussed how a willingness to change impacted their overall disposition... were their attitudes positive or negative? Next, we watched the Pixar Short, Boundin'. The video's theme song features the phrase "Bound and Rebound." In groups, third graders developed and shared strategies that they use to move from a negative attitude to a more positive one. To round out the week, third graders were asked to determine the meaning of the Helen Keller quote featured below. They did a wonderful job finding the underlying theme and had many insightful responses! The focus on maintaining a positive attitude proved to be a great way to transition back into our work as third graders. We will continue to focus on maintaining positivity and what strategies we can use to do just that! Starting this week, third graders will be assigned ACE (Answer, Cite, Explain) response homework on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. In short, an ACE response is typically a paragraph in length and is a strategy implemented when a question asks for "evidence from the text." ACE responses are used in the upper grades, as well as standardized testing. Third graders practiced writing responses in class (with guidance), and are bringing home their first ACE response homework today. It is due back on Friday, January 19th. In math, third graders reviewed time concepts like reading an analog clock and solving elapsed time problems. We also started work with fractions, specifically focusing on equivalency. Next week, third graders will continue learning and experimenting with fractions, as well as measurement with mass, volume and length.
We were also lucky viewers of a presentation courtesy of the History Colorado Center! Third graders learned about the impact of water on the state of Colorado, specifically the purposes it serves and how Colorado natives have relied on it. Comments are closed.
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Mrs. Minatta is a third grade teacher at Cottonwood Creek Elementary. See and read all about what third graders are up to throughout the school year! Archives
March 2021
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