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 CMAS 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. Have a fantastic summer. Be seeing you! P.S. Below you'll find pictures from our last couple weeks together. Enjoy :) It's been a crazy week in third grade! Our field trip to the Denver Zoo was a wild success, and third graders had many fun stories to share about their adventures. Back at Cottonwood, students continued reviewing what makes a great summary, jumped into our study of muscles and bones, and took their final Bridges Unit 7 assessment!
This week, when studying what makes a great summary, third graders worked on summarizing non-fiction texts. They discovered that summarizing a factual article looks just like a summary for a fictional story, it simply lacks a conflict/resolution. With our review of summaries wrapped up, we will be moving onto something a little more abstract... Poetry! Also this week, students wrapped up their study of Unit 7 in Bridges, and their final assessment will be traveling home with them in the near future! This unit focused on solidifying multiplication and division concepts, plotting and comparing fractions on a number line, and even some 2x2 digit multiplication. In the weeks to come, we will be engaging in innovative math-based activities that call upon third graders to use the mathematical skills they've learned and implemented throughout the school year. Next week, we will also be discussing what it means to persevere. There have been a few current events as of late with inspiring stories related to overcoming adversity. Hopefully the lessons will help serve as an end of the year reminder that third graders can make it! Business:
We have officially transitioned into our last month of school, and third graders have been encouraged to finish strong! Despite the rescheduling of our Denver Zoo field trip, students did a great job maintaining positive attitudes and working hard. This week, students reviewed what makes a great summary, learned more about modern day superstitions, studied their sprouting seeds, and researched animal adaptations! Reviewing how to write a summary is a skill we've saved for the end of the year, as third graders have had a lot of practice with it in the past! Before jumping in, we worked as a class to determine the difference between a summary and an ACE response. Third graders found that summaries are more focused on retelling a story, and include only the most important details. ACE responses are different in that they require evidence from the text and sometimes ask for an opinion. We will continue with this work next week, working in both the fiction and non-fiction genres. This week, we also read and learned more about common superstitions, specifically how they came to be. It all started with a Storyworks article, "Volcano of Doom." The article talks about Pele's Curse, a fictional curse supposedly brought upon people for stealing rocks from Hawaii's Kilauea. Third graders then transitioned into learning more about modern day superstitions like: Friday the 13th, knocking on wood, breaking mirrors, walking under a ladder, etc. We discussed as a class which of these superstitions students believe in, and talked about why we do in the first place. We then read an article, "How Superstitions are Affecting Your Behavior." The article explains that superstitions provide people with a sense of control over the uncontrollable (hence the focus on good vs. bad luck). After reading the article, third graders realized that their superstitions aren't based on fact, but are sometimes still fun to believe in! In science this week, third graders continued to care for and observe their sprouting bean, corn, sunflower and pea seeds. Our seeds have turned into mini plants, and are now in our "hydrocare" planters! Third graders also prepared for their Denver Zoo field trip by studying animal adaptations. We learned more about the adaptations of camels and platypuses... Interesting stuff!
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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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