We are back, and what a week it’s been! In reader’s workshop, our focus has been on developing deeper theories about characters based on the patterns we perceive. As a class, we discussed how theories are often like icebergs, it’s easy to see the top 10%, but we need to look deeper to see the remaining 90%. Often, readers develop what we refer to as ‘surface level’ theories, based on simple observations. To successfully dive deeper, readers must track patterns and truly know a character’s personality traits. Readers must move beyond asking ‘what’ and transition into the ‘why’. This is very much a complex way of thinking, and we will keep practicing in the weeks to come. This week, we began Unit 4 in math, Measurement & Fractions. To start things off, third graders reviewed how to properly read an analog clock and worked on elapsed time problems. Time remains an abstract concept for many students. Luckily, there are mini-clocks available to practice with in our classroom, and there are some computer applications to help solidify time-based phrases. Students have been encouraged to practice reading the clock at home. After all, it is a life skill! In science, third graders wrapped up their study of energy and conversion. We also had a local scientist, Rich Martinez, come in and demonstrate experiments with a focus on solids, liquids and gases. Third graders had a ton of fun witnessing and participating in his wacky demonstrations! Business:
We have been busy in third grade! For the past couple of weeks in third grade, students have actively been working on mapping out plot in a variety of fictional stories. After practicing as a whole group, third graders broke up into groups of three to both map story plot and target collaboration and cooperation with one another. After work time, small groups joined together and reviewed their stories and responses. It proved to be a great way to solidify understanding, and groups worked so well together! In reader’s workshop, a teaching point this week has also been getting to know characters. Rather than just listing facts about what a character does or says, third graders are working on thinking more critically—using their observations to grow ideas and track patterns in their characters’ behaviors. We will continue targeting this into next week. With the Thanksgiving holiday on the horizon, now is as good a time as ever to talk about gratitude in third grade! We started our discussion off with a video read-aloud of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. We talked about how Sylvester changed (literally and figuratively) throughout the story, and ultimately what he realized by the end. Third graders were then asked to consider their own definitions of gratitude and recorded them on Flipgrid. Third graders did a great job recording their videos and were thoughtful about their responses. We continued on the gratitude train, reading Those Shoes, and writing about instances where students helped someone even though they didn’t necessarily want to. We will keep talking about gratitude/being grateful into next week, and target why the feeling is so important. This week was certainly a week filled with new technology opportunities! Students recorded themselves on Flipgrid and responded to questions on Google Classroom. Students have done an awesome job practicing patience and working hard to improve their typing skills. Can’t wait to see what they conquer next! It’s been a fun-filled week in 3rd grade! Students not only celebrated Storybook Character Day (and some snow that came with it), but also wrote fall-themed poetry and learned about common superstitions across cultures. During Writer’s Workshop this week, third graders pushed the pause button on RACE responses for a bit and tuned into their creative sides. Students created fall-themed poems with a focus on descriptive language. Third graders continued on the creativity train by formatting their poems so they folded into the shape of an actual pumpkin. The project proved to be a fun one! Next week, we will jump back into practicing RACE responses, and answer the question, “Should sweets be banned from school parties?” 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: 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 math, we continued to practice rounding to the nearest 10, 100 and 1,000. Third graders also worked on solving problems by first estimating the answer, and then finding the actual answer. Students noticed that most of the time, their estimated answer and actual answer were pretty close, which proves to be a great way to check their work! Next week, we will continue with these concepts while adding in multi-step, multi-operational problems. Business:
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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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