Grade 3

May & June 2022

We measured our plants and recorded how high/long they’d grown. We’d planted 1, 2, 4, or 8 seeds in each cell. We also organized our data using digital spreadsheets and calculated average growth.

We used bees to pollinate our plants. Later, we harvested the seeds.

Weeks of 9 & 16 May

We began an investigation with to see how population density might affect plant growth. We’re planning and documenting our investigation using digital tools.

We also use hand lenses and microscopes to observe bees up close. Charles Henry Turner studied bees, too. We will eventually use the bees to pollinate our flowers.

Weeks of 18 & 25 April

We used Charles Henry Turner's experiments with pollinators and other insects to draw pathways for our Ozobot robots. For instance, an ant would zigzag as it searched for its way home. Or a bee would be drawn to specific colors. The Ozobot can zigzag, search for pathways, and respond to color codes.

Week of 4 April

We began to learn about pollinators and other insects through the research of Charles Henry Turner. First, we read some of the findings from a paper that Turner published in 1907 about ant behavior. Next, we analyzed a 1908 diagram that Turner drew as to explain what he observed when he experimented with an ant. We discussed what he learned and how he communicated it with his diagram. Then, we listened to a picture book being read about Turner and wrote down things we learned. We will learn more about Turner as we explore how to conduct science investigations and learn about pollinators.

Week of 31 January 

We modified two more animated stories in Scratch. This time, we used repeat forever, move, and rotate blocks to make flowers spin in creative patterns. We also explored what happens when we use conditionals (if/then blocks). You can check out our remixed projects here and here.

Week of 10 January 

We practiced creating animated stories in Scratch that would show a plant growing. To animate the story, we changed which sprites to show and hide. We also added wait blocks alongside the show and hide commands to ensure that only one sprite would be visible at a time.

Week of 20 December 

We explored how we can use fewer bits to encode images using a compression technique called run-length encoding.

Week of 13 December 

We explored how to encode images and patterns using binary code (0s and 1s) using the Pixel Widget in code.org. First, we recreated simple patterns. Then, we made our own patterns and designs.

Week of 6 December 

We practiced sequencing and problem-solving using a coding site called Tynker.

For Computer Science Education Week (December 6-10), we also contributed to a secret pixel message. Each student placed five Post-its based on horizontal and vertical coordinates. All digital images are made up of pixels. And some programming languages, like Javascript, use horizontal and vertical coordinates to place objects on a digital page.

Week of 29 November 

We checked our plant investigations one time. We measured the growth and added notes and photos to our digital journals. Then, we updated our graphs with our new data.

Week of 15 November 

We again checked in on our investigations with corn, radish, barley, pea, or lima bean seeds. We measured the growth and added notes and photos to our digital journals. Then, we learned how to show our plant growth in a bar chart using Google Sheets. We added the bar chart to our digital journal.

Week of 8 November 

We checked in on our investigations with corn, radish, barley, pea, or lima bean seeds. We noticed a few things:

• Plants on the windowsill didn't grow as much as we thought they might. The soil in these cups also was very dry. We inferred that the heater right below the window, which doesn't turn off, likely dried out our cups.

• Plants in the cabinet grew, even though there was no sunlight! We wondered how that might be possible since we thought plants need sunlight. Mr. Smith told us that seeds often have their own food so that a plant can grow early on without sunlight. This is important because plants that grow from seeds in the soil all start out without sunlight because they're underground.

• Some of our seeds grew in sand—but not very much.

• Some of our seeds didn't sprout at all. Mr. Smith told us this may have been because he noticed that some of the seed packets (peas) were expired.

We added notes and photos to our digital journals.

Week of 25 October 

We took our dried corn plants out of the cups and observed the roots. We noticed that:

• The roots grew in circle.

• Smaller roots branch off from thicker roots.

• Roots looked like spiderwebs and threads.

• The roots could hold dirt when we picked them up.

Based on what we learned from our initial corn investigation, we decided to plan some new investigations with seeds. We chose an independent variable that we would change (e.g., how much sunlight the seeds will get, how much water). We then decided on a dependent variable that we would measure (e.g., how tall the plant grows) to see if there was a difference due to the independent variable we changed. We wrote a materials list in our digital notebooks.

Week of 18 October 

We completed our digital journals for our initial corn investigation. We added photos and notes from our observations. We also practiced adding slides, selecting a slide layout, changing text properties, inserting images, and formatting lists using bullets and numbers.

Week of 4 October 

We continued to record observations about our corn in cups. We began to create a digital journal in Google Slides that we can use to document and share our investigation with others. We practiced adding slides, selecting a slide layout, and formatting lists using bullets and numbers. We continued practicing setting up cameras, taking photos using a backdrop, and inserting the photos in a digital document.

Week of 27 September 

We were surprised at how much some of our corn had grown. Most of the kernels had sprouted. We measured the height of the leaves. Some were 20 and 25 cm tall! We also noticed that the roots grew long and started to circle around the bottom of the cup. Not all of the kernels sprouted, though. We wondered why not and had some ideas.

We will be using digital tools to document and share our investigations. So, we practiced setting up cameras, taking photos using a backdrop, and inserting the photos in a digital document. We will practice our digital photography more throughout the year.

Week of 20 September 

We were surprised at what happened to the corn that had been in water. It sprouted! We saw green leaves and white growths that we thought might be roots. We noticed that some of the corn had begun to fall off the cob. The growth seemed to be coming from the kernels. We also noticed that the corn and water gave off a stinky smell. We recorded our noticings and wonderings in our investigation journals.

We decided that we would plant some of the corn that had been wet and some of the corn that wasn't in water to see if they both would grow in soil.

Week of 13 September 

We started our school year by discussing what we think we already know about plants. Then, we closely observed some harvest corn that is typically used for decoration in the fall. We recorded our noticings and wonderings in our investigation journals. We wondered: Is it fake? 

We developed some ideas for investigation. One idea we had was to put it in water. Mr. Smith agreed to put some ears of the corn in water and show us what happened next week.

We'll be conducting and documenting investigations with plants all year in our third grade digital literacy class!