Friday, January 30, 2015
Classroom Update: January 30, 2015
In reading, students continued reading fantasy books with
their book clubs. We practiced forming predictions using clues from the text. This
morning, we held “MCAS Training Day,” a brief introduction to some of the
test-taking strategies that we will be practicing over the next couple of
months. Students sang songs, completed dance movements, and played games
designed to help them remember the names of the strategies. We will practice
how to apply these strategies in reading.
In math, we have been working on understanding the concept
of a square unit. We’ve explored the difference between a square centimeter and
a square inch. This week, we also began a new round of “mixed-up” math. Mixed-up
math occurs on Thursday afternoons for a half hour and is designed around a
specific math focus. Our current math focus is multiplication. Students across
the grade meet in groups led by myself, the other third grade teachers, and our
math coach Mrs. Veader. The groupings give students a chance to collaborate with
teachers and peers that they might not work with on a regular basis. Working in
small groups allows us to better meet the unique needs of each student. .jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*)
In writing, some students worked on finishing up their
informational books, while others wrote poetry. Students practiced writing a
variety of different poetic forms, including haikus, acrostics, and odes. We
also discussed concepts such as lines, stanzas, rhyming, and imagery.
We have now finished our unit on the Pilgrims. I was
impressed by all of the facts that students remembered during a review game
that we played this week! Having wrapped up our study of the Pilgrims, we will
begin a science unit on the Solar System.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Classroom Update: 1/23/15
This week, students wrote letters from the perspective of Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower. This gave them a chance to demonstrate what they learned through our readings on the Pilgrims and to practice cursive letter writing. |
| Figures with an area of 4 sq. units. |
In math, we continue to explore area and perimeter. We have used tools such as "geoboards" to explore these concepts in greater depth.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Classroom Update: 1/16/15
In reading this week, students put the finishing touches on
their informational books about the Pilgrims. We added nonfiction text
features, such as a table of contents, index, glossary, and bibliography to our
books.
In writing, students are continuing to draft informational
books about topics of their choosing. Students are writing about a variety of
subjects, ranging from countries to famous athletes.
In math, we are
practicing calculating the area and perimeter of different objects. Here are
some games that students may play at home to practice these concepts:
Friday, January 9, 2015
Classroom Update: 1/9/15
In English Language Arts, we continued to read social studies texts
about the Pilgrims. We read about such topics as the Pilgrims’ first winter in
Plymouth and their relationship with Native Americans. We then wrote paragraphs
summarizing the main idea of the texts, incorporating supporting details.
In math, we did more work related to multiplication and division. We
also began a new unit on measurement and introduced the differences between the
metric system and US standard system of measurement. Additionally, we
calculated the perimeter of different objects around the room.
In writing, we are continuing to write our informational books. After
having planned out paragraphs in handwriting, we are now transferring the
writing into Google Docs.
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