It has been quite the week in third grade! Students wrapped up Unit 4 of Bridges in Mathematics, experimented with chemical weathering, learned about a baby elephant’s survival, and continued working on their endangered animal projects! This week marked the end of our study in Unit 4 of math. Third graders have made amazing progress! They are now experts at reading the analog clock, can solve elapsed time problems with ease, and are comfortable determining fraction equivalency. Third graders can also place fractions on the number line, and understand units of measure related to mass, length and volume. We concluded Unit 4 with our post assessment, and those results will be discussed at our upcoming conferences. Moving forward, we will continue working with fractions and will start Unit 6 of Bridges…Geometry! We’ll circle back to Unit 5 after studying geometry. In science, third graders learned more about physical weathering, chemical weathering, and erosion. Our experiment this week centered on chemical weathering, specifically how acid rain can alter rock formations. Students observed 4 different types of rock: basalt, marble, limestone and sandstone. We simulated acid rain (with vinegar) and observed how the rocks had changed. Next week, we will be learning more about the rock cycle! We continued to work with non-fiction text in reader’s workshop this week, using the article “How to Save a Baby Elephant” to discuss how humans can be both harmful and helpful toward animals. The article itself is about a baby elephant that was rescued and rehabilitated, but also speaks to why animals end up in difficult predicaments to start. The article proved a great way to solidify our learning of non-fiction text features, and also brought on discussions regarding the impact of humans on other animal species. Many students voiced their compassion not only for the baby elephants, but all endangered animals. In writing, we are chipping away at our endangered animal reports. Most students have completed their appearance, habitat and diet paragraphs. Next week, we will work on paragraphs explaining why these animals are endangered, and what humans can do to help. We will then begin typing up our reports! Woohoo! Friendly reminder that Valentine’s Day is this upcoming Wednesday, February 14th! We will be celebrating in class with a movie, frozen yogurt, and other fun activities! If your student would like to participate, we will be passing out valentines that afternoon. Third graders should bring 24 valentines (candy is also allowed). The valentines should have the “from” section filled out with your child’s name, but do not need to be addressed. Feel free to bring extras for students in other third grade classes! Valentine boxes are not necessary. 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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