As we transition into the month of February, third graders have been working hard across all subjects! We've been targeting our understanding of fraction equivalency, writing our endangered animal reports, studying non-fiction text features, and learning about soil and weathering. Our focus in math has been on fraction relationships. Specifically, determining fraction equivalency. We have been working with pattern blocks to solve equivalency puzzles, plotting fractions on a number line, and completed the "brownie pan challenge." The challenge, focused on dividing a pan of brownies equally amongst a group of 4, 6, 8, and eventually 12 friends, challenged students to come up with different representations of equivalent fractions. It invited all of us to strategize using our mathematical mindsets, and proved a great way to solidify our understanding of fractions. The challenge also served as a reminder that solutions don't always come quickly, and that it's okay to make mistakes when trying new things! Third graders are also in the midst of writing their endangered animal reports. They have developed their rough drafts for their animal's appearance and habitat, and will continue with this process next week. Third graders are doing a great job maintaining organization, and are demonstrating just how much they've learned in writing so far this school year! Our focus in reader's workshop this week was on nonfiction text features. Specifically, how we use them to better understand the text. We reviewed and targeted features that include: headings, subheadings, captions, graphs, diagrams, timelines, glossaries, and indexes. We explored nonfiction text features while reading an article, "Killer Smog", that speaks on The Great Smog of London in 1952. We will continue working with nonfiction text next week! To round out the week, our studies in science centered on learning about the pieces of rock that make up soil (pebbles, gravel, sand, silt, clay) and physical weathering. Third graders experimented with different soil samples, and developed hypotheses regarding where they came from. Check out the photos below from our experiment! We also had Overdrive training in class this week from our district librarian. Students can access Overdrive from home, via MyCherryCreek. The program allows students to check out ebooks and audiobooks online. Third graders were so excited to learn this, and are now experts at navigating the site! 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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