Third graders have successfully made it through the PARCC exam! They completed the mathematics portion this past Thursday. Like last week, I was so proud to see most students putting in 100% effort and challenging themselves to do their best. With the test behind us, we can get back in the swing of things with our daily schedule.
When we weren’t testing this week, third graders were hard at work completing Unit 6 of Bridges (geometry) and editing their narrative stories. Students also spent some time in the library with Mrs. Sianko learning about fables and writing their own. To round out the week, third graders witnessed a “Science Matters” presentation from Rich Martinez, where students learned more about solids, liquids and gases and how they can be transformed in a variety of experiments. Next week, we will begin our poetry unit of study and type our final drafts of narrative stories. In science, third graders will begin learning more about energy. We will use batteries and mini motors to discover how energy can be converted and used to help us in our everyday lives! Students also begin our 7th unit in Bridges: Extending Multiplication and Fractions. Important Dates/Info:
It has been quite the week in third grade. Students completed their first round of PARCC testing (English/Language Arts), and did a fabulous job! I was very proud to see most students putting in their best effort and taking on challenges. When third graders were not in testing mode, we were working on solving area and perimeter math problems and planning a class trip to Hawaii! Before the PARCC assessment began, third graders spent some time on Monday writing letters of motivation to one another. This being the first year students participate in state testing, a few were understandably nervous about what was to come. Before taking the assessment on Tuesday, third graders opened their letters and read the positive messages classmates had written. The letters not only motivated students to rock the test, but also demonstrated the sense of community our class has developed throughout the school year. Math this week was centered on understanding the difference between area and perimeter, and how to find each when given a specific shape. Students utilized a variety of tools throughout this process. Base ten blocks and rulers were classroom favorites! We will continue with this work next week, specifically focusing on finding the area and perimeter when a side length is missing or the shape is irregular. Social studies this week was centered on our study of the Western states. Third graders were given a scenario in which our class had won a trip to Hawaii. Some students were sad to learn that the trip was just pretend, but were excited to plan it anyway! Third graders broke up into groups of 3-4 and were given a budget of $400. Their task was to plan visits to 4 Hawaiian Islands, with 3 excursions each day. They could not go over budget and had to ensure that the excursions would be fun. When complete, groups presented their itineraries to the class, and students voted on which sounded the most fun. The lesson was a success, and many third graders now have their hearts set on a Hawaiian vacation… Sorry parents! Next week, third graders will participate in the PARCC Mathematics assessment. We will begin on Monday and end on Thursday. Third graders know to get plenty of sleep, eat healthy foods, and bring two snacks to school on testing days (and everyday, for that matter). Important Reminders:
Crazy hair day was a crazy success! Many third graders came to school showing their Cougar spirit in a "crazed" way. This week in third grade, students started a new narrative writing project and discussed how illustrations impact our understanding of a story. We also began our final regional study of the West and continued work with geometrical concepts. In between, we began preparations for the PARCC assessment (that starts next week).
Narrative story-telling is our newest writing project, and third graders have hit the ground running! We are using the mentor text, Dog Breath, to guide our own writing. 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 cheetah that’s too slow, 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 reader’s workshop this week, third graders discussed and experimented with how illustrations can impact our comprehension of a story. Not only do they help us understand what’s going on, but they depict setting, character traits, and mood. We sorted through a variety of stories to test this theory, and it was proven! This week, third graders also began their study of the Western region of the United States. They embarked on a geography challenge, looking for important landmarks and cities within the regions. Next week, we will continue with this study, focusing more on the history/founding of major cities in the West. We will also start our science unit on rocks & minerals! In math, third graders also took some time to refresh their knowledge of shapes, specifically parallelograms and quadrilaterals. We focused on how the attributes of specific shapes are alike/different, and worked more with angles and parallel lines. Students completed a checkpoint to assess their knowledge thus far, and those are headed home today! Important dates/ Information:
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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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