We have all gotten back into the swing of things since spring break!
Mrs. Danley's math class: We are finishing up our unit on multiplication extensions and will be taking our test this week. The kids have learned about recognizing fact families and applying them to extensions in the 10's, 100's, and thousands. I encourage them to memorize those math facts! Our next unit will be on fractions and is one of the more challenging units. In reading, we have read about the Hindenburg using a Storyworks article. The class watched real footage of the disaster as well as a National Geographic video about theories for possible causes. The class has learned to analyze photos and captions and how they add to the tone of information presented. It is poetry month! We have begun learning about the different characteristics of poetry such as rhyme patterns, rhythm, alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia- to name a few! After we have finished learning about different components of poetry, we will apply them to writing different types of poems throughout the month. We have been working in groups to learn more about the colonists in social studies. We have been working in centers to use technology, maps, reading, and pictures to enhance our understanding. Next we will be learning more about author's perspective when we read conflicting information about our hero, John Smith. Uh Oh. Could we have the wrong impression of him? In Social Studies, we have finished learning about explorers traveling to the New World. The students researched different explorers and read closely to support who they would most like to travel with and who they would least like to travel with. They put their information into an essay. They have also been creating a visual presentation about one of the explorers using different types of technology: iMovie, google presentation, or a Fakebook page.
The class has really been enjoying continuing on in our historical fiction book, Blood on the River. They are learning about the relationship between the settlers of Jamestown and the natives as well as the roles of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith. In writers' workshop, we have been finishing up our response to fiction pieces by including text examples to support chosen character traits. We will finish up the unit by having a publishing party, giving all the students an opportunity to read and respond to others' papers. In Mrs. Danley's math class, we have finished up our unit on geometry and are going to begin our multiplication unit. Please encourage your child to memorize his/her multiplication facts as this will help them when applying those facts throughout the remainder of the year. In Mrs. Danley' reading class, we have finished Pedro's Journal by doing a compare and contrast with a native boy in the book, Encounter. The class worked hard on applying "perspective" by writing a poem from the point of view of any of the following: Columbus, Pedro, the native boy, and the native man. They did a fabulous job!
We have finished our science unit on matter, and all the kids did great on the assessment. It was so much fun exploring all the different states and properties of matter. We have now moved back into social studies, studying famous explorers of the "New World" and discussing the importance of the artifacts they have collected on their journeys. In Mrs. Danley's writing class, we have finished reading James and the Giant Peach and have been working on supporting our responses to the text using evidence in the form of characters' actions and words. We are learning how to punctuate dialogue and indent effectively when expressing our ideas. Mrs. Danley's math class has begun its unit on geometry. We have been learning about angles, lines, rays, segments, and the different polygons. Mrs. Danley's Reading Class: We have just finished our historical fiction novel, Pedro's Journal. The class has done a great job responding to what they are reading using Kidblog. It has been interesting reading about Columbus's voyage through the eyes of a young boy. We are going to compare and contrast a picture book, Encounter, told through the eyes of one of the native boys who interacted with Columbus and his group of explorers.
Mrs. Danley's Math Class: We have just finished our unit on large numbers and decimal numbers, writing and reading numbers anywhere from the millions down to the thousandths. Our next unit with focus on geometry. In writing, we have been reading and responding to literature, specifically Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach. It has been interesting getting to know the different characters and their personalities as we get through the book. Learning about "matter" has been the theme in science. The class has been learning about the three different states of matter, volume, density, and weight. Ask your child about our mystery substance called, Oobleck. We hope you get a chance to check it out for yourself at open house! We've been having a blast in social studies and writing these past two weeks. The class has been learning about the Mayflower pilgrims, how many travelled to the new land, those that were lost, and how they established their colony. The students have been working in their own "colonies," experiencing different fates as they cross the Atlantic to the America. They have been keeping a personal log, checking for good content and writing mechanics in order to apply what we have learned in writing. In reading, we have been reading Andrew Clements' books and noting our thinking about text by tracking on post-its. The students have been sharing through book chats and posting some of those chats on their blog pages. Check them out! In third grade math, we have started on unit on multiplication. I am encouraging the class to start working on memorizing their multiplication facts. Halloween was cold . . . brrrr! The kids looked great in their costumes, and the party was a great success! Thank you to everyone that helped in some way. Everyone had a wonderful time.
Mrs. Danley's reading class created movie trailers for their books. The kids enjoyed making them and then evaluating themselves when we watched them in class. Be sure to check them out on our website page. We have also learned about a new signpost, "Words of the Wiser." When a character gets important advice from someone older and wiser, you should ask yourself, "What is the life lesson, and how might it affect the character?" We have been working hard typing our first published narrative pieces on the chrome books. The class has been learning how to identify sentences that need more detail or should be replaced by highlighting and adding their changes. They also learned about adding a good lead and closing as well as editing their pieces before they get printed. Next week, the students will conference by looking at teacher comments on their pieces. Science has been a blast! We have been learning about weathering--even creating our own river tables(be sure to check out our video!) and erupting volcanoes(be on the lookout for a video next week!). This unit has a great deal of hands-on activities which all of us have been enjoying. We have finished our unit 2 in Mrs. Danley's class by learning different methods for subtracting. We have now started unit 3 and are learning about perimeter and measurement. |
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