What a week it's been in third grade! This week, third graders embarked on a new writing project, worked on area and perimeter in math, and had a brief lesson on the meaning of 'luck', in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day being celebrated tomorrow. Writer's workshop this week was our chance to transition from informational writing to crafting narratives. As a class, we read Dav Pilkey's book, Dog Breath, and worked to analyze his use of detail and humor in developing an effective plot. The story is about a dog named Hally Tosis. She is a good dog, but has incredibly bad breath. Hally’s family is considering getting rid of her, but after a series of events, Hally is allowed to stay. Third graders are mirroring this type of storytelling with their own projects. They created an animal main character that has a big problem in need of solving. Some examples include: a hamster that’s too stinky, a unicorn with a horn that’s too long, and a lizard that can’t stop laughing. We will continue with the project for the next couple of weeks! In math, third graders began working with perimeter and area. Students learned that finding the perimeter means finding the length of the outline of a shape, whereas determining area means to measure the surface/space a shape takes up. We also dabbled in finding the perimeter/area of irregular shapes, and will continue working on this next week! In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, third graders also took some time to talk with one another about what the word 'luck' truly means. We discussed the different circumstances we've been in when saying the phrase "you're so lucky." Third graders talked about how luck, a lot of the time, is in reference to good fortune. Third graders talked about the things that make them 'lucky', and recorded them on clovers that are now displayed outside our classroom. We also experimented with the CMAS practice assessment in English/Language Arts this week. The state-mandated assessment is completed via the computer, so the goal was to get third graders comfortable with the format and buttons featured on the exam. Third graders can assess these practice exams via the 'Student Resources' tab. Our CMAS schedule is as follows:
Reminder: Our third grade program is this upcoming Thursday, 3/22! Students will be performing at both 1:45pm (for the school) and 6:30pm (for family & friends). Please encourage your student to study their lines at home! They can also access the songs via schoology. If you cannot make a performance or will be absent for both, please let myself or Ms. Herbert know. We are back in the swing of things, with our first full week of school in what seems like forever! Third graders were hard at work finishing their endangered animal essays and learning about the attributes of shapes. Students also started a folktales unit in reader's workshop, as well as some new book clubs! It's official... Third graders have finished their endangered animal essays. Wahoo!! Their hard work throughout the writing unit is evident, and their final drafts are all excellent representations of their endangered animals! Next week, third grader will be wrapping up their projects by recording part of their essays on FlipGrid. In math this week, our study of geometry centered on attributes of shapes. Specifically, third graders used geoboards to create a variety of shapes with specific characteristics. Third graders also compared and contrasted shapes with one another, and tried to stump each other when playing "guess my quadrilateral." Next week, we will begin working with area and perimeter. Reader's workshop this week was all about folktales... specifically fables. Third graders learned that a fable features talking animals, and typically has a theme/moral. We read the short story, "Ujiji" about a bird that teaches a rhino the value of helpfulness. We compared and contrasted the story with another popular fable, "The Lion and the Mouse." Both stories have similar themes, and third graders caught on quickly! This week, we also began book clubs! Third graders will be reading a third-grade leveled text in collaborative, small groups for the next two weeks. Students have a reading schedule to follow, and specific jobs to complete before each book club meeting. Third graders are given time in class to read and complete their assignments. If they don't finish, they are allowed to take their work home as homework. Our first meeting this morning went off without a hitch, so we're off to a great start! On a different note, please make sure your student is practicing their part for our upcoming third grade performance! Scripts were sent home with students on Monday with individual parts highlighted in blue. Business:
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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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