March 11th- March 15th

Friday was such a special night! The third graders did such a wonderful job with their tumbling performance. I am so proud of all their hard work and growth so far this year. Thank you Ms. Wunder for teaching them so much. One of my favorite things to watch, as they learn new routines, is how they work together and support each other. This week we were very busy wrapping up our Mystery Powder unit. The students completed the red cabbage juice test, the heat test, organized their notes, solved riddles for the big reveal, and then had their final assessment which meant figuring out what was in their mystery bag mixture. It was so much fun to again watch the science lab pairs work seamlessly together while problem solving and essentially, being scientists by making specific observations. In writing we spent some time specifically learning how to write a ‘yummy’ paragraph. Students focused on the importance of a topic sentence, a concluding sentence, and a variety of specific details that can be included in the middle as support(statistics, quotes, personal stories, analogies, or questions). In third grade math we focused on fractions by engaging in hands on activities. A favorite was the fruit snacks math where students took two bags of snacks and broke the contents into fractional parts. They were also engaged in discussions while grouping fractions by landmark numbers.

March 4th- March 8th

What an amazing time we had during Theme Week! The students learned so much about architecture, skyscrapers in general, Chicago skyscrapers, planning and design. It was so much fun to see the students of all age levels collaborating and helping each other out during this week. I especially loved the end product of Griffin City, which is now on the display in the hall. Hearing the students so proud of their contribution and sharing in the creation of the city was heartwarming. In third grade, when we were not in Theme Week groups, we continued to research our change seeker in social studies and learn more about our mystery powders in science. Students loved doing the vinegar test and seeing a reaction take place when the vinegar touched one of the powders. I wonder what that powder could be?