It’s been an awesome week back in 3rd grade! Students did an amazing job of picking back up where we left off! This week, we started a new math unit: Introduction to Multiplication & Division. Third graders realized that multiplication is simply repeated addition... It's just a more efficient strategy to use. For example, rather than write 6+6+6+6, we can simply write 4 x 6 or 6 x 4. As a warm-up this week, third graders analyzed groupings of dots and were asked to voice the strategies they used to determine the total amount. While sharing, students drew connections to how repeated addition is very much what multiplication is all about. Feel free to check out the examples below. How are you solving? In writing, third graders wrapped up their real estate listings and had time for some fun, fall-themed poetry! Third graders wrote verses centered on the sights, smells, and the overall feeling of the fall season. Third graders then typed their verses in a Google Doc template, cut them out, and bound them together to make their own pumpkin poems! Reader’s workshop was all about book clubs this week. Students started their first book club books, and many were excited to get things going! Currently, our class has four book clubs going and each is focused on having meaningful conversations about their reading. All books are works of fiction, which allow for ample inferences, character study, and analysis of author’s purpose! In science, we wrapped up our study of energy with a focus on renewable vs. non-renewable choices. Third graders learned about the formation of fossil fuels and determined pros and cons of all energy sources. Next week, we’ll transition into our study of states of matter: solids, liquids, gases, and plasma! Business:
It’s been an awesome week in 3rd grade! As our classroom community continues to grow and learn, this week felt like a great time to take a step back and talk about the difference between fair vs. equal when it comes to learning. As a class, we discussed how student learning styles can look different, often depending on the activity/day. However, one constant remains: To be a successful student, one must understand their individual needs as well as the needs of others. In small groups, third graders collaborated to define fair vs. equal and what that might look like at school. Our class decided to define fair as getting exactly what you need, whereas equal is everyone getting the exact same thing. Throughout our school day, we are often switching between fair and equal learning opportunities, which is what’s necessary to support every third grader. The activity turned out to be a great avenue for students to share their own learning styles. It was an eye-opener! Students also jumped into a new writing project this week with a focus on descriptive and persuasive writing. The project asks third graders to take on the role of a real estate agent. Students must choose to either write a listing for an old, possibly haunted house or a new, top-of-the-line mansion. Listings must be descriptive enough to entice possible buyers! As a class, we talked about the power of adjectives, and the difference between mild vs. spicy descriptive words. Third graders were challenged to develop listings with descriptions that help potential buyers visualize the property and want to buy it. Check out the project explanation below. In math, we continue to work on triple digit subtraction word problems and rounding. Particularly, third graders were focused on how to use multiple strategies to solve a subtraction problem. Possible solving techniques include number lines, getting to friendly numbers and the classic algorithm. We will be wrapping up our current unit next week, and transition onto multiplication and division!
We also started our science unit, Matter & Energy. Third graders had the opportunity to learn about sources of energy and how energy can be converted from one form to another. We will continue with this into next week, where we’ll work more with solar panels, batteries, motors, and flashlights! |
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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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