Snowman Glyph

A glyph is a pictorial form of data collection.  We recently collected data about the students in our class and have used a snowman as our way to represent this data.  What can you learn about our class just by looking at our snowman?

Veterans Day

The third graders sang "Thank You Soldiers" during our annual Veterans Day assembly on Thursday. It was a moving tribute and was especially poignant because we had so many veterans in our audience.  Here is a link to the song that the children sang to our guests.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pfBUUZNbFM

Nutrition Detectives

A representative from the YMCA came in today to talk with the students about being nutrition detectives.  The students learned how to read ingredient lists and how to identify hidden amounts of sugar and salt in their foods.  They learned that foods with no labels, such as fruits and veggies, are the healthiest choices of all.  Ask your child what it means to "eat a rainbow" each day.

The results are in....

A huge thank you goes out to Mrs. Leidner and Mrs. Smith for creating our third grade voting booths.  The third graders were able to cast their votes today and the winner was Hillary Clinton.  The breakdown of the votes is below.

Hillary Clinton  79
Donald Trump   33
Gary Johnson    16
Jill Stein              9

Lego Multiplication

The students visited our Makerspace today to explore multiplication concepts using Legos.  The bricks can be used to model equal groups, as well as, multiplication arrays.

Native American Perspectives

Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring this wonderful program.  The children learned about the different tribes of our country and how each tribe used natural resources to survive.  They learned how to see different objects from a native american's perspective.  For example, the children saw how a native american might view a clam shell as a spoon, scoop or razor.  A deer antler could serve as a garden rake.  Ask your child to tell you about the four different animals represented in the picture below.  The native americans believed that all parts of an animal should be used in some manner to show respect for the life that was taken.

Fall Leaf Fun

Students used a variety of leaves to practice their graphing skills today.  Each student was given a handful of leaves to sort by color.  Using their color data, the students then created a bar graph, as well as, a picture graph.

Guided Math Centers

Each day the students participate in math centers.  After our group lesson, which introduces the new learning for the day, the students rotate through 3-5 activities.   I tell students where they need to begin each day and they cycle through the activities at their own individual pace.  The pictures below highlight the different activities.

checking off assignments on a math ticket

daily review

independent practice

problem solving

Roll to 100 - game

Name That Number - game

Reflex Math - fact fluency

Welcome to the Makerspace

Mrs. Lavallee and Mrs. Tucceri have put together an amazing space in which students can explore, invent and create using all sorts of technology. Ask you children about their experience in the space on Friday.  They can't wait for their next visit.

Seed Dispersal

Students worked in small groups this week to investigate how seeds disperse away from a parent plant. Each group was given a bag full of materials and a task card.  Using the materials and their knowledge of how seeds travel, the students created different contraptions to complete their task.

  

Collaborative Mural

Mrs. Mellick, our art teacher, has worked with the classes to create collaborative murals that feature a positive word.  Our class, along with Mrs. McFadden's students, created a mural for the word perseverance.  It's a beautiful addition to our locker area.

The Energized Guyz: Powered Up!

The students took part in an assembly yesterday about  energy.  Actors from the National Theater for Children presented four different skits to the audience.  Each skit focused upon four main topics:  where electricity comes from, sources of energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation.  Here are some photos from their presentation.  Please ask your child to tell you a bit about each skit and what was learned from viewing the presentation.  Each child was also given an activity book that goes along with the presentation.