This week in third grade, students were hard at work learning about theme vs. main idea, reviewing geometric skills, and wrapping up their biography projects. We had a fun time celebrating St. Patrick’s Day together as well! Reading this week was centered on identifying the difference between the main idea and theme of a story. We learned that the main idea is what a story is mostly about, whereas theme is the lesson or moral behind a story. As a class, we read What Do You Do with a Problem, and analyzed the main idea and theme from within. Third graders then practiced these identifications during Reader’s Workshop stations. One station asked students to read illustrated books and use a graphic organizer to determine both the main idea and theme. While meeting with me, we continued this skill while reading short stories together in small groups. Third graders also practiced determining themes within music. We listened to the song, “The Climb,” and determined the underlying lesson/moral. Third graders did a great job throughout and we will continue this practice for the remainder of the school year! In math this week, we began Unit 6 in Bridges, which is centered on geometry. This week, we reviewed key geometric terms such as acute, obtuse, and right angles. We also learned more about parallel vs. perpendicular lines. We reviewed shape relations, working to compare and contrast the attributes of various shapes. Third graders also created their own tangram sets, and were challenged to put them together into one large square. This was tricky business, but third graders maintained growth mindsets throughout! Next week, we will target work with quadrilaterals and geoboards. Biography essays and Google Slide presentations are ready to go! Third graders worked on their Google Slides and practiced their presenting skills throughout the week. It will be great fun watching them present next week, as many are eager to share the life story of their specific individual. That being said, please help remind your third grader to prepare for their presentation and bring in their costume on their presentation day. Reminder that the third grade performance is Thursday, March 23rd at 2:30pm and 6:30pm in the Cottonwood gym. Hopefully you are as excited to watch as third graders are to perform!! Hello, readers! This week in third grade, students have been hard at work revising and typing their biography project final drafts. Next week, we will conclude the typing process and start gearing up for presentations! Information on this was sent home. You can also find a link to it below. During Reader's Workshop this week, third graders practiced using context clues to make inferences, read and discussed a fictional short story with their reading groups, and worked with soft /g/ and /c/ sounds in spelling. In math, we concluded our study of Unit 5 in Bridges, and took the post-assessment. Look for grade sheets headed home sometime next week on that! Our next unit focuses on Geometry. Wahoo! In social studies, we began studying the states in the Southwest region: Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. We will continue with this next week.
Separate from our academic learning, third graders worked with Dr. Waheed, our school psychologist, on executive functioning practices. Specifically, third graders learned about "time robbers," a way of identifying distractions that impact productivity throughout the day. Third graders were asked to determine their top three time robbers. We then graphed our data and sorted through it, looking at the answers that came up most often for us as a class. Our top three were: Socializing, feeling tired, and feeling hungry. Third graders brainstormed how to alleviate these time robbers, and came up with some great solutions! We even implemented a second snack time, from 12:15-12:25 to counteract hunger during the school day. Check out the tools we used throughout this process below. We will continue work with this in the coming weeks! Hello, readers! While parent-teacher conferences have been going on outside of the school day, these past couple of short weeks have given third graders some time to review story elements as well as using context clues in text. We have also been writing our biography rough drafts and learning about the Midwest region of the U.S. In math, we have continued to target multiplication and division concepts, and began learning about area and perimeter. The final trimester of third grade is upon us, and with that comes a “beef up” in vocabulary concepts. This past week, third graders have been working on using context clues in text to determine the meanings of unknown words. Specifically, rather than skip over an unknown word in our academic or free reading time, we can use clues that come before and after the word to determine its meaning. The picture above shows how students are determining word meanings while free reading! We will also be focusing more on prefixes, suffixes and root words for the next few weeks. Third graders also took some time to review story elements like: main characters, problem/solution, setting, main idea and theme. Third graders did great with this, and we will continue to talk about these concepts for the remainder of the year. Students have been working SO hard on their biography project rough drafts… They are coming along great! Conversing with third graders about their projects is certainly entertaining, as they are all experts on the lives of their chosen figures. Next week, we will begin typing final drafts on the computer and preparing for presentations. Stay tuned for more information on presentations coming your way in the near future! For the past couple of weeks, the Midwest region of the United States has been our area of focus in social studies. Third graders learned why the Midwest is nicknamed ‘America’s Heartland,’ and went on a virtual tour of sights like the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Next week, we will learn more about the Midwest’s main attraction: Farming! In math, we continue to focus on multiplication and division concepts. Third graders are doing well getting their multiplication facts down, and are working on division word and story problems during math stations work. We have also started learning more about area and perimeter. Students learned what area is, and experimented with it using square tiles and various shapes. Next week, we will continue this work and learn more about the differences between area and perimeter. Important Upcoming Dates/Events:
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Author
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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