3rd Grade
Mrs. Wanstrath
BIO
Hello. My name is Therese-Anne Wanstrath. I am thrilled to be the Third Grade teacher for my third year of teaching here at St. Dorothy School. I have been teaching for 16 years in Catholic Education. Beginning in 2004, I became a Catholic school educator teaching 6th grade at SS Felicitates and Perpetua after receiving my Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from CSUSB. God brought me to St. Louise de Marillac in 2007, where I became the Reading Resource Specialist. I love teaching and working with a variety of learners. Inspired by my students, I went back to school and earned my Master of Arts degree in Education with an emphasis in Reading and Language Arts. Also in 2009, I earned my Reading Specialist Credential. I also received my California Catechist Certificate through the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2016. I am a Google Certified Educator Level 1 which means that I have been trained and certified in all Google Suites Apps. My students will have access to and will learn the Google Suites Apps within my classroom.
I am blessed with a beautiful family. My husband Dave grew up and attended St. Dorothy School. We are pleased to say that our two children, Emma and Daniel are St Dorothy Bruins. My daughter graduated from St Dorothy School this past year and my son is currently a 4th grade Bruin.
When I am not teaching, I love to spend my time hiking with my family. Scrap-booking, playing the piano and singing are my hobbies. My favorite children's book is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Also, I enjoy being an independent skincare consultant for Rodan and Fields. . I have a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and are very close to the Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Class Zoom Meetings
Distance Learning Successes
In March 2020, due to COVID-19, our school was closed and distance learning began for the remainder of the school year. During this time, I created interactive lessons in all subject areas taught through videos and through Zoom class meetings. Students were able to interact with me as their teacher along with their classmates daily. Assignments were posted and turned in through Google Classroom. Through online curriculum and platforms such as Freckle, Studies Weekly, Wonders digital and Mystery Science, students were able to explore and learning a number of skills and strategies in a new and exciting way. Students created Digital Mindset Journals on their experiences and personal feelings from home during the lock-down. We even took a virtual field trip to space through NASA experimenting the affects of slime in space.
I am looking forward to returning to school in the classroom and continuing to use the implementation of technology within my classroom. My students will have one-on-one IPad access this year.
Mrs. W's Teaching Philosophy:
I BELIEVE THAT...
· All children CAN and WANT to learn. When teachers and parents work together as partners, the potential for learning is increased significantly. I will communicate in a variety of ways to the parents of my students and work together as a team to help the child achieve to their best potential.
· Students learn best by being actively engaged, so I incorporate active learning strategies daily. I truly believe in the statement "Hands-On, Minds-On" and strive to incorporate daily activities that embrace this pedagogy.
· Students have their own unique learning style(s) and it is my responsibility as their teacher to discover how my students learn best. I teach my students that each of them are indeed smart in their very own way (Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory) and what really matters MOST is not how smart they are, but how they ARE smart!
· Students learn best from teaching one another, so in my classroom, students are constantly paired up with a partner and are in a small group to discuss their learning. These daily cooperative learning experiences allow my students to work together and teach each other. In my eyes, this is when true learning occurs.
· My teaching instruction needs to be differentiated in order to meet the diverse needs of classrooms today, so I use a variety of whole group, small group, and individual instructional strategies daily.
· "Practice makes permanent" not perfect, so my students have opportunities daily to practice what they have been learning during the year. Students practice their learning with partners and individually.
Google Classroom Assignments
Please click on the icon to the left to log into your Classroom classes using your school email and password.
3rd Grade Hybrid Schedule
Third Grade Hybrid Schedule 2021.docx
Resources
Resources:
Multi-Subject Learning Games: Turtle Diary
Religion: Blest Are We Textbook Student Online Resources-
Catholic Kids:Catholic Kids
EWTN Kids Interactive: EWTN Kids
Saint Fun Facts: Saint Fun Facts
Reading: AR Home Connect Log In: Check your current AR goal and quiz scores AR Home Connect
Grammar: Wordville English Language Arts Learning Games: Wordville
Spelling: Spelling City- A great tool to help students study their spelling words : Spelling City
Math: Khan Academy Khan Academy
Math Playground Math Playground
Create a Graph: Create A Graph
Social Studies: Digital History- Digital History
Science: Science News For Kids: Science News
Science Kids: Lots of fun science games and exploration videos: Science Kids
