It's official! The end of the school year is here and summer has officially begun. Third grade students are now fourth graders... And they are certainly ready for the transition! I am so proud of all the hard work and dedication this bunch of third graders has shown throughout the school year. They took on new concepts like multiplication and division, were challenged to think critically about complex texts, and even took on the PARCC test for the first time! Not only were third graders shining stars academically, but they developed and maintained friendships that will last well past this school year. They were thoughtful and kind toward one another, and learned what it means to be a true friend. A sincere thank you to parents, family members, and friends for consistently supporting students and always having their best interests at heart. My first year at Cottonwood has shown what an amazing 'Cougar Community' this is, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. Have a fantastic summer. Be seeing you! P.S. Students were sent home with summer reading and math booklets... If they are so inclined, they can take them out on a rainy day :) It has been a roller coaster of a week weather-wise. Despite the snow and rain, third graders managed to keep things right on track! This week, students worked on wrapping up a variety of projects in preparation for our last week of school (so crazy!). Third graders put the final touches on their poetry portfolios, wrapped up our last math unit of the year, and even helped pack up our science kits. Writing and reading this week centered on finishing up some lingering assignments and putting together poetry portfolios. In the past couple of weeks, third graders have studied a variety of literary devices like: simile, metaphor, alliteration, and personification. They have written poems ranging from acrostics to rhymes, and although I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again… They are SO creative! It has been an absolute pleasure reading student work and getting a glimpse into the minds of third graders. Look for those coming home next week! Third graders also wrapped up their study of Bridges Unit 7: Extending Multiplication and Fractions. This week, our focus was on comparing unit fractions and better understanding concepts of equivalency and simplification. Later in the week, third graders had a chance to play some fraction games on the Chromebooks. They loved them so much, that they’re now a permanent part of the “Student Resources” tab above! In the spirit of tying up loose ends, we also concluded our study of Matter & Energy this week with a discussion and reading about renewable vs. unrenewable energy sources. Third graders learned about fossil fuels, wind turbines and solar energy. We then switched gears and began learning about government, specifically its role in maintaining functioning communities. This upcoming Tuesday, May 23rd, is Field Day at Cottonwood Creek! 3rd graders will be participating in a variety of outdoor activities, including swimming at the Cherry Creek Vista Pool. To be allowed to swim, students MUST have turned in their permission form to me (emailed and sent home in a paper copy version). 3rd grade will be the first group to swim, so students should come to school with their swimsuit on underneath their clothes. The following is a list of things students should have/bring for optimal fun and comfort on Tuesday:
The cafeteria will be serving lunch on Tuesday, so students need not bring a lunch. FYI: Friday, May 26th, is a half day. Students will be released at 12:00pm. Please email me with any questions! Have a lovely weekend. It's been a quick, short week in third grade! Students were hard at work in all subject areas. In math, we have been working on double-digit multiplication strategies. Reading and writing centered on figurative language and incorporating it in poetry pieces. In Social Studies, we have been learning more about economics. We also had a presenter from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science talk to us about the geographic history of Colorado! In our Unit 7 study of Bridges in Mathematics, third graders are working to multiply single digits by multi-digit numbers (i.e. 4 x 28, 5 x 75). Many students already know the algorithm to use for these types of problems, and that is great! Right now, we are more focused on understanding number relationships, so we have been discussing partial products and the associative property (click the link to see what this looks like). Third graders caught on to this quickly, and the difficulty of word problems and multiplication-based projects has increased in difficulty to suit the needs of each mathematician! Reading and writing this week centered on figurative language, specifically similes and metaphors. Third graders were tasked with identifying both in written work like poems and short stories. Students then developed and incorporated similes and metaphors in their own poems. Third graders are in the midst of creating poetry portfolios that feature original work in a variety of forms. We have a class full of creative minds, and reading their poems is quite the experience! We will continue with this work next week.
Social Studies this week centered on our study of economics, specifically Wants vs. Needs and the resources we use to obtain both: Natural, Human and Capital. Many third graders had a difficult time coming to terms with video games and chocolate ice cream falling under "Wants" more so than "Needs." Who can blame them, though?! We also had a guest speaker from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science come teach third graders more about Colorado's geological history. Students were able to look at, touch, and even smell a variety of fossils dating all the way back to the Mesozoic Era. Check out the pictures below! Next week, we will switch gears and continue with our study of Matter & Energy in science. |
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
|