Number Sense & Numeration
Grade 3: Number Sense & Numeration
Representing and ordering numbers to 1000; representing money amounts to $10; decomposing and composing three-digit numbers; investigating fractions of a set; counting by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, 25’s, and 100’s; adding and subtracting three-digit numbers in a variety of ways; relating one-digit multiplication, and division by one-digit divisors, to real-life situations.
Nature Journaling: I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of...
Nature Journaling is an incredible tool for helping students to add numeracy to their observations by counting legs, petals, leaves and how many of something they see. Fractions can also be added by looking at an area and figuring what faction is covered in flowers, grass, a certain colour, etc.
At this age all three prompts "I notice..., I wonder...?, and It reminds me of..." become very intuitive. However, the last statement becomes very important for making the connections. Encourage students to begin writing using single words or simple sentences. Please note that spelling is not the focus in a nature journal. At this age you may start to see art fears - ensure you are re-iterating it is not about a pretty picture. It is about their observations. Please see the link below for tips on giving feedback. Using a combination of words, pictures and numbers allows the students multiple tools to document their observations. With permission Bethan Burton has allowed us to link to her website as she has written a blog post for Teaching nature journaling at all ages.
Here are some more of Bethan's ideas to get you started.
Engage the fives senses (whenever possible)
Make leaf prints ( paint the leaf and press the print into the journal)
Make leaf rubbings
Trace the items they are looking at
Add leaves into the journal using tape
Count the birds/squirrels/insects etc.
Here is a downloadable lesson from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. All resources shared with permission. "I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of..."
GIVING FEEDBACK here is a fantastic resource from Jack and Emilie
NOTE: You are encouraged to spend time in the outdoors Nature Journaling. However, you can also bring nature inside, look out your wonder window, have a refrigerator Safari or even observe a house plant or pet.
Nature Journaling: Comparison
In the activity Comparison from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren's book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. "Students observe two objects in the outdoors (e.g. flowers, trees, rocks) and sketch them side by side, noting differences and similarities."
All resources shared with permission.
Planting - Planning for Spacing
Go outside into the garden or use containers indoors to plant some seeds.
Read the seed packaging to determine the appropriate number of seeds to plant, at what distance to plant them from each other and the depth to plant the seeds. If you cannot find these details be sure to research online for best practices.
As you plant your seeds consider using your counting skills to:
Count by 2's, 5's, or 10's to organize your seeds and your planting rows
Use these skills to determine the number of rows to use based on the space you have and the distance each seed needs to grow
Multiply the number of rows by the number of planted seeds in each row, to determine the total number of seeds planted
Curriculum Links:
See Writing
See Measurement
See Life Systems
NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.