Somebody...Wanted...But...So...Then

Third graders have been working hard this week learning how to recount stories, which is another way of saying that they are learning to summarize.  A great trick they learned was to use the key words "Somebody" (Who is the story about?) "Wanted" (What is the main character trying to do?) "But" (What is the problem in the story?) "So" (How is the character trying to solve the problem?) "Then" (How is the problem solved in the end?).  It was amazing how expertly the children were able to summarize fiction stories using this technique.  They are bringing home fiction stories in their Book-in-a-Bag this weekend and should be able to demonstrate this new skill for you!

In Science this week the children continued their observations of Rocks and Minerals.  They are getting really good at using descriptive words as they record their observations!  They learned that there are different types of rocks called Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic and each type of rock is formed in a different way.  Next week they will be observing 12 different minerals and recording their observations of specific properties such as the mineral's luster, magnetism, and hardness.

Did you know that Australia served as a British Prison Colony back in the 1700's?  In Social Studies we read a book called You Wouldn't Want to be an 18th Century British Convict: A Trip to Australia You'd Rather Not Take by Meredith Costain.  This book was both informative and amusing, as the author mixed history with funny cartoons and speech bubbles.  The children recorded a fact they learned, a question they were wondering about, and their thoughts about what they heard in this book.

Next week we will begin integrating Social Studies, reading, and a non-fiction writing unit as the children will research an unusual Australian animal and create a non-fiction book about their animal. Their writing pieces will include non-fiction text features, which we started learning about last week.  I look forward to being able to share more with you about these books.  We have wonderful writers in third grade, so I know their published books will be amazing!