Third graders had quite the week! On top of working hard in class each day, they demonstrated their Cottonwood Creek spirit while participating in the Run4Funds on Friday. Our class theme was "Minatta's Mustaches!" Lap cards are coming home today, so you'll have a chance to see just how many laps your third grader completed! In the classroom, we have continued our work with addition strategies review and moved on to subtraction. Third graders are excellent at solving the daily story problem, and are consistently explaining their thinking in new and creative ways. After working on paragraph writing the first two weeks of school, next week we will be moving on to informational writing and research. The unit encourages students to experiment with notebook entries and leads to the creation of informational books. In reading, we will begin our Reader's Workshop, centering on nonfiction text. Students will analyze new vocabulary, monitor their comprehension of the text, and be asked to think critically--making inferences and predictions. We will also continue our exploration of Denver's History, focusing on noteworthy people and our capital city's historical buildings. Business:
Thanks for reading! -Mrs. Minatta With the first full week of school complete, third graders are really getting in the swing of things! Names have been learned, friendships have been formed, and teamwork is the name of the game. Academically, third graders have been reviewing addition and subtraction facts, working on topic sentences for paragraphs, building their reading stamina and analyzing the history of Denver. It's been a busy week!
One of our stand-out lessons involved third graders partnering up and drawing possible writing topics from a paper bag. Students had to collaborate with one another to develop topic sentences for their subjects, and eventually write a full paragraph about it in their writer's notebook. Third graders did an excellent job developing topic sentences, and many of their paragraphs highlighted their comedic abilities! Business:
P.S. It was great seeing many of you at Back to School Night! Thank you so much for coming. -Mrs. Minatta Third grade is off to a ROARing start, with students participating in a variety of team-building activities! On Thursday, third graders were separated into groups and challenged to build the tallest tower possible out of plastic and paper cups. It was great seeing third graders communicate and collaborate with one another. Some teams even took the time to draw out architectural plans! On Friday, we took time to discuss what it means to ROAR at Cottonwood Creek, specifically how that looks in the classroom. Third graders brainstormed expectations for themselves, Mrs. Minatta, and the class as a whole. This led to the development of a classroom promise. By signing a cougar paw, third graders agreed to keep their promises! Next week, third graders will be back in the full swing of things. Our goal is to begin establishing routines and jumping right into our academic material. We will start Wordly Wise lessons, begin Unit 1 of Bridges in Mathematics, and even have spelling homework. Third graders will be expected to complete their homework assignments and bring back their red homework folder whenever an assignment is due. Back to School night is Thursday, August 18th! Parents can choose between two time slots, 5:30-6:30pm and 6:40-7:40pm (both presentations are the same). Parents can meet in Mrs. Moore or Mr. Gaines' classroom. We will be discussing third grade curriculum as well as our Growth Mindset initiative. See you then! -Mrs. Minatta
Welcome back to school, third grade families! My name is Kelli Minatta, and I am eager to get this 2016-2017 school year started! This blog will serve as an information hub, a place where you can find all the latest third grade news and happenings. On it, students and parents can find important information on our curriculum, homework, upcoming projects, parent paperwork (permission slips, volunteering opportunities, etc.), and even a short bio about Mrs. Minatta. So take some time, explore the site, and get ready to have an awesome year!!! See you soon :) -Mrs. Minatta |
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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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