February

February 25th- March 1st

It was a very busy place in the third grade room this week. Students continued to investigate their mystery powders by adding more liquid to the powder. In class the idea of a solution and a suspension were discussed and students made predictions about if each powder would dissolve in 10 ml of water. After the mixtures had been made, students then filtered out the liquid to see if anything would happen. This week we will look to see what happened with each powder. Students began to notice some crystals forming, so we took the time to make crystals of our own and learn about how they formed. We had a lot of fun! Students continue their investigations of fractions. Students were accountable for explaining their thinking as we had fractional debates in the classroom. They did an excellent job. Third graders also have been very busy reading and taking notes about their change seeker. This week, many will be ready to begin writing a rough draft. Students also got to go to the library for an extra time to learn about the genre of mystery. Ms. Fisher created a fun musical chairs game that allowed students to preview many different books available to them. They are about to begin a Mystery Book Project and I can’t wait to see what titles they chose to read.

February 18th- February 22nd

The third graders are truly becoming scientists. They have been learning to fine tune their observation skills with specific adjectives and phrases. They are growing in their ability to work collaboratively. They are learning to establish routines and are are keeping their science spaces clean and safe. It has been so much fun to watch. Students were introduced to the five powders last week and were able to complete a sight test and a water test. They are seeing how different powders react in different situations. Third graders have also been participating in creating a timeline that celebrates that many African Americans who have made important contributions to our society. Check out their work in the hallway. Students responded to the picture book Mr. Lincoln's Way by Patricia Polacco. It is a wonderful story that deals with bullying and racism. The students practiced their questioning skills to look at story and character changes before, during, and after. They then created birds to celebrate their own uniqueness. During our investigative math Thursdays, we practiced some algebraic thinking and evaluated some balance problems. The students had a lot of fun doing these problems, which brought about great discussions for our reasoning. Some students even decided to create their own problems!

February 11th- February 15th

We had a wonderful time ending the week with a joint Lower School party to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The students had so much fun sharing a treat and watching a video to celebrate the special day. The third graders also had fun decorating white bags and passing out valentines in the classroom. I was impressed with the thoughtful gifts students shared because we did not pass out candy. The students had a wonderful time on their field trip to the Adler Planetarium. We were able to see two exciting shows and explore all parts of the planetarium. In math, students began their fraction unit. We were able to start investigating halves by looking at crazy cakes. Students had fun sharing ideas with one another to prove their half. They were so excited to share the way they solved the problem, again solidifying the idea that there are many ways to get to one solution. In reading, third graders spent some time as active readers learning to question. They practiced questioning new words and character change. It is always fun to listen to the discussions they have when sharing their ideas, and watching as they make connections with each other. In morning meeting, we started a new theme of compromise. This is an important skill to practice as we collaborate with so many different people every day in all areas of our lives. Finally, students examined a “mystery goo” in science. They are practicing becoming scientific observers. Students thought about what chemicals are and were amazed to realize EVERYTHING is a chemical! Sometimes our assumption is that chemicals are only bad. I can’t wait to continue to learn more in our new science unit of Mystery Powders. Students also had a visit from Mrs. Bixby who taught them about the new compost bin in the room and what to feed the worms that will make compost for our garden. In social studies, the third graders learned the person they would research for their biography. They were very excited to start reading and taking notes!

February 4th- February 8th

Last week was so much fun! We celebrated the Lunar New Year with our Griffin Buddies and had a chance to have our parents in the room to observe our daily routines and learning. Students were very busy finishing projects to wrap-up a few different units. They finished their amazing planet posters! These posters had certain requirements to showcase the nonfiction text features we have been learning about (captions, illustrations, tables, diagrams, bold words, and interesting facts). They are now hanging in the hall with their amazing 3D replica of their planet. We had so much fun collaborating with the fourth grade. Students also finished up their units in math. We will be starting fractions on Monday, which is one of my favorite topics to teach because there are so many hands-on activities to interact with and deepen our understanding. Students continued to write summaries, not a retell, of stories we are reading during morning meeting. Student’s summaries focus on highlighting five ideas, one for each finger: someone, wanted, but, so, and then. This format helps students keep the summary short and general with only the main ideas. Students are also learning about grammar while using the same mentor texts from morning meetings as good examples. This week, we used Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull, to expand our understanding of vivid verbs. Using sentences from books we are already reading helps model good writing and grammar by putting the skills into a familiar context.