Hello third grade families, What a fantastic warm week we’ve had in third grade! We celebrated Valentine’s Day, wrote multiplication and division story problems, and worked on a monster writing project. We also learned more about main ideas in reader’s workshop, and participated in a variety of science experiments. A special thank you to those of you that helped out with our Valentine’s Day party on Tuesday! The third graders had a great time eating frozen yogurt and watching The Reef. In math this week, third graders were challenged to create their own multi-step multiplication and division story problems. Once students created and solved their own, they typed them on a Google Doc and printed them out. We will use the story problems as a station during math work time. It will be so fun to solve the problems that classmates have written! We also continued our study of multiplication and division operations, specifically focusing on arrays as well as variables within equations. In writing this week, third graders wrote about a Valentine’s Day monster of their own creation. Students drew their self-made monster and wrote a description of its appearance, diet, habitat, adaptations, and movements. Students then wrote a warning to community members, detailing what to do if the monster was seen in the neighborhood. Luckily, all monsters were relatively tame, so no worries there! In reader’s workshop this week, stations centered on determining the main idea of both fiction and non-fiction passages, then recognizing the details that support it. Third graders read about reading dogs (dogs that sit with students while they read aloud), and also learned how guide dogs are trained. Next week, our focus will be on context clues. Science this week was full of experiments! Third graders have been learning about skeletons for the past week, and put their knowledge to the test while dissecting owl pellets. Students were challenged to name the bones found within the pellets. Some groups were even able to assemble the skeletons of the small rodent bones found inside. Later in the week, we took our experimentation outside, where we opened up an abandoned wasp nest (thanks Brown family!). Check out the pictures below. Hopefully you aren’t squeamish! Reminder: Conferences are just around the corner! If you have not already done so, please sign up. If none of the provided times work with your schedule, contact me and we can work something out.
Happy Friday to you all! This week in third grade, students were hard at work in all subject areas. In math, we continued our study of fractions, focusing on mixed numbers and improper fractions. In science, third graders began studying the human skeletal system. Reading cantered on determining author’s purpose, and in writing we finished our endangered animal projects! We also started a Valentine's Day project this week, 100 Acts of Kindness. By Tuesday (Valentine's Day), our class hopes to have committed 100 kind acts. We discussed the importance of being kind to one another, and talked about what kindness looks like. So far, we have 32! Our study of fractions wrapped up this week, concluding with third graders learning the difference between improper fractions and mixed numbers. In math stations, students practiced identifying mixed numbers from picture representations, and then focused on converting mixed numbers to improper fractions. Next week, we will be diving deeper into multiplication and division strategies, with Unit 5 of Bridges in Mathematics in full swing. Information on the unit went home this week. You can also click the link below for more information. Science this week centered on the human skeletal system, specifically the function of bones in different parts of the body. We also spent some time this week reading Who Was Helen Keller. Students practiced their note-taking skills whilst reading the book, which was great practice for their own biography project! Literacy this week focused on identifying an author's purpose. Students were tasked with determining why an author writes specific material, and the goal behind it. Third graders learned that purpose can be divided into three categories: Persuade, Inform and Entertain (PIE). They were then given example texts and asked to determine the author's purpose, whilst explaining their reasoning. We also wrapped up our endangered animals writing projects this week. Look forward to seeing those at conferences! One other important note: Spring Conferences are approaching. The sign up is available, so please click the link before and schedule yours before spots fill up! |
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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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