As we enter our last school week of 2013 and I reflect back on all that the children have accomplished already, I can say that I'm really proud of them and I look forward to seeing what 2014 brings!
One big focus for us these past several weeks has been improving our multiplication fact fluency. The children have been charting their progress as they tackle each set of times tables. It's been really wonderful to see the pride on each of their faces when they see that they have beaten their previous day's score or are ready to move on to the next set of times tables. The children have become really great at the routine- we spend only a few minutes at the beginning of math class practicing their facts and the payoff has been well worth it. It's my hope that these third graders will knock the socks off their fourth grade teachers when they see how strong they are with their multiplication facts!
In ELA we've been exploring literal and non-literal language. The children enjoyed learning idioms and reading Amelia Bedelia books- if you are not familiar with Amelia Bedelia, she's a housekeeper who takes her instructions very literally and hilarity ensues. This week we will be reading some poetry, which is also full of non-literal language!
I hope that your families have a safe and happy holiday season!
Monday, December 16, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Sneak Peek of 3C (Devin)
It's been a while since we've updated, but the children and I are here to catch you up on what we've been doing. When you see a student's name next to part of this post, you will know who contributed that idea!
Math- As we started using the textbook for math class we saw that we could use number lines to show a multiplication problem. When you look at a multiplication problem, like 10x3, you can show that on a number line by making 10 skips of 3 to get to 30. (Leo)
We also learned the 9's finger trick- when doing a multiplication problem by 9 you can use your fingers to help you get the answer. For example, when solving 9x3, you would put your 3rd finger down and look at how many fingers are up to the left of that finger (2) and how many fingers are up to the right of that third finger (7) and then you know your answer is 27. (Cooper)
Students are continuing to use their personal white boards to solve problems from the math book at their desks. Students can't write in their brand-new textbooks, so it's important for them to have these white boards to show their work. (Lauren)
Science- Students got Mineral Identification cards and had to read about the properties of specific minerals and then match the mineral described on the card with a sample of the mineral they had been studying during this unit. (Devin)
We finished our Rocks and Minerals packet and then had a test about it. The students had to study minerals that they had never seen before and use tools to perform tests on them. They described their minerals on new Mineral Profile Sheets. (Bella, Kassidy, Cooper)
Social Studies- As many people finished their Australian books they have been writing more about Australia in their writing notebooks. (Tyler)
Students finished their Australian Animal books and read them to second graders and fourth graders- and Mr. Bordick and Mrs. Yodis stopped by as well! (Missy)
Students also read about sports in Australia and the United States and filled out a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting sports in these countries. (Samantha)
Students took a quiz about what they had learned in class about Australia. (Cooper)
Reading- Students filled out lots of Read One, Win One slips and put them into the box in hopes of winning a prize. Mrs. Curran drew a slip out last Monday and Riley won a new book, Fly High, Fly Guy. (Lauren)
Students were working for two weeks on a green independent work packet. They had to complete activities about the books they were reading independently during reading. (Kaya)
We have been learning how to describe characters from the inside, which is called Character Traits. (Leo)
We've been reading different books and trying to describe the characters in the books using the list of character traits in our reading notebooks. (Lauren)
Stay tuned for the next report!
Math- As we started using the textbook for math class we saw that we could use number lines to show a multiplication problem. When you look at a multiplication problem, like 10x3, you can show that on a number line by making 10 skips of 3 to get to 30. (Leo)
We also learned the 9's finger trick- when doing a multiplication problem by 9 you can use your fingers to help you get the answer. For example, when solving 9x3, you would put your 3rd finger down and look at how many fingers are up to the left of that finger (2) and how many fingers are up to the right of that third finger (7) and then you know your answer is 27. (Cooper)
Students are continuing to use their personal white boards to solve problems from the math book at their desks. Students can't write in their brand-new textbooks, so it's important for them to have these white boards to show their work. (Lauren)
Science- Students got Mineral Identification cards and had to read about the properties of specific minerals and then match the mineral described on the card with a sample of the mineral they had been studying during this unit. (Devin)
We finished our Rocks and Minerals packet and then had a test about it. The students had to study minerals that they had never seen before and use tools to perform tests on them. They described their minerals on new Mineral Profile Sheets. (Bella, Kassidy, Cooper)
Social Studies- As many people finished their Australian books they have been writing more about Australia in their writing notebooks. (Tyler)
Students finished their Australian Animal books and read them to second graders and fourth graders- and Mr. Bordick and Mrs. Yodis stopped by as well! (Missy)
Students also read about sports in Australia and the United States and filled out a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting sports in these countries. (Samantha)
Students took a quiz about what they had learned in class about Australia. (Cooper)
Reading- Students filled out lots of Read One, Win One slips and put them into the box in hopes of winning a prize. Mrs. Curran drew a slip out last Monday and Riley won a new book, Fly High, Fly Guy. (Lauren)
Students were working for two weeks on a green independent work packet. They had to complete activities about the books they were reading independently during reading. (Kaya)
We have been learning how to describe characters from the inside, which is called Character Traits. (Leo)
We've been reading different books and trying to describe the characters in the books using the list of character traits in our reading notebooks. (Lauren)
Stay tuned for the next report!
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