Quarter 3
March 2023 Update:
The Wax Museum was a huge success! Students did an amazing job showcasing their work and presenting their boards and speeches. Thank you to all of you who attended and for supporting this project at home. It's been a busy month in the third grade with owl pellet dissection and crayfish observations! We've had a lot of fun with our hands-on science projects. Aside from science, we've also been working on division strategies, estimating and finding the area of objects around the room, and recently started a new math unit that focuses on geometry. We've also been busy with various ELA activities, including a March Madness fictional stories bracket, novel studies, and vocabulary and spelling work. Last week we started a new social studies unit on ancient civilizations. So far we've learned about Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Hard to believe there's only two weeks left of this quarter!
Students showcased their work as they presented information about famous history-makers, both past and present.
We learned about...
Harriet Tubman Albert Einstein
Frida Kahlo Ben Franklin
Anne Frank Marie Curie
King Tut Ulysses S. Grant
Jane Goodall Wright Brothers
Babe Ruth Michelle Obama
Tom Brady JK Rowling
Roald Dahl Helen Keller
Dr. Seuss Louis Armstrong
Amelia Earhart Bill Gates
Pele Nikola Tesla
Hillary Clinton Clara Barton
Science: Living Structures & Adaptations
For three weeks we have had a group of crayfish in our classroom. We've observed their body structures and behaviors as we learn about animal adaptations. Students have grown attached and have even named them!
Flip through the carousel to see pictures of our week: the Friendship Party and our science labs
Week of February 13:
Math: We have wrapped up our unit on measurement, time, and fractions and dove right into unit 5. This unit focuses on division, multiplication, area, and perimeter. Students should continue studying their multiplication tables at home--being fluent with facts from 1-12 will help them with division and creates a solid foundation to be more successful in math. This unit also contains lots of practice solving and writing story problems.
Literacy: We are currently in the middle of unit 5, which is centered around inventions and technology. Students read a lengthy article about Thomas Edison and then worked in small groups to create a timeline focusing on a specific part of Edison's life. This practice should help them create the timeline for their Wax Museum project. The timeline guidelines are posted on Google Classroom, along with the other project requirements. Students should start compiling their tri-fold board within the next few days in preparation for the presentation on March 1 and 2.
Science: Our new science unit, Structures of Life, launched with groups working together to care for and observe different seeds (ask your child which seed they are: sunflower, corn, bean, or pea!). Each day we've recorded observations about the seeds and changes that have occurred. Next week we will talk about the different parts of a seed, germination, and hydroponics as we grow beans in water over the next couple of months.
We had very fun Friendship Party on February 14! The stations were all a hit and students loved passing out and receiving cards from each other. Students should keep logging their Read-a-Thon minutes until the last day of the month!
Week of January 30:
Wow~we are halfway done with the 2022-23 school year! The weeks are passing quickly. It was a cold and chilly start to third quarter with 4 of 5 days of indoor recess. Brr....Below is a quick update on what we are learning and working on here in room 102. Report cards for second quarter went home in students' backpacks on February 3. Please continue to have students log their minutes for the Read-a-Thon!
Math: Fractions! We started working on fractions this week by using number lines, paper folding, and shapes to help visualize what a fraction is and what it represents. Students practiced ordering fractions on a number line by determining if a fraction is greater than, less than, or equal to another fraction. For example, they used the shape tiles to see that 1/3 and 2/6 are equivalent fractions and that 5/6 is greater than 2/3. We are also getting into area and perimeter with our daily Number Corner activities and have continued reviewing that mass is measured in grams and kilograms, length is measured in centimeters and meters, and volume is measured in milliliters and liters. Check the Google Classroom for extra home connection activities and the workbook pages that go along with these skills for extra practice.
Literacy: This week students started a new Benchmark unit called Advancements in Technology. The unit kicked off through brainstorming and discussions on inventions and technological advancements that have changed our lives. Many found it hard to imagine a world without cell phones and video games! We talked about the negative aspects of technology, as well, and students were able to critically examine the downfalls of technology by citing great examples of how technology has an adverse impact on society. This week students read an article about Alexander Graham Bell and the invention of the telephone, working in partners to determine the main idea and supporting details of the text.
Wax Museum: Students have been working hard on their history-maker research and reports! We have completed most of the research and students have now written the rough draft of the first three paragraphs of their five-paragraph essay. Please see the Google Classroom "Wax Museum" tab for all of the details about the project and posterboard. If you have time to help your student edit their writing at home, that would be great! Families can help their child with spelling, content, and overall organization of the essay. The final presentation is about a month away!
Social Studies: We wrapped up our studies on map skills this week and are spending time each day to learn about a different influential figures in Black history. This week we have focused on MLK, Misty Copeland, and Barack Obama. February has only twenty-eight days, so of course there are many people we won't be able to cover, so I encourage families to take some time to learn about some of the lesser-known important figures in Black history through videos, articles, and the vast array of rich picturebooks available. Next week we will start a new science unit called Living Systems, which focuses on the structures of living things that help them grow, reproduce, and survive.