Writing Celebration

Multiplication

We finished our multiplication unit. I will be sending home the final assessment after break. 

Winter Break

Let me take this opportunity to wish you and your family a wonderful break and happy New Year.  I look forward to seeing you in the new year!

Please note that there is an optional reading graph for Winter Break.  Please encourage your child to read and practice multiplication facts over break.

We have had a busy few weeks finishing up a number of activities before Winter Break.  The third graders have been incredibly focused and productive even with the looming anticipation of vacation.  It has also been fun to share in their excitement as students think about seeing relatives and having time for new adventures over break.

 Third graders have been researching a biome. They worked in “research clubs” to learn more about the freshwater, marine, tropical rainforest, temperate forest, grassland, desert, or tundra biome. We paid special attention to how plants and animals survive in their particular biome with the unique climate. Third graders researched behavioral adaptations as well as physical adaptations that allowed plants and animals to have their needs met. After break each student will design an animal that can live in the biome they researched. They will then program their organisms to find food and protect itself in the Engineering and Programming Lab using Scratch. I would like to remind you that Scratch is a free program that can be downloaded and used at home. 

Third graders finished their information books! They particularly enjoyed adding in different text features to give the reader more information about their topic. Ask your third grader what text features he or she added to their finished book. We had a writing celebration complete with hot chocolate. Third graders read each other's books and left notes on stickies in the books.  It was wonderful to see the kind and thoughtful feedback they gave to one another.  

Saving Sammy

On Friday we had a fun engineering challenge called "Saving Sammy". Third graders worked with a partner to put a life vest (gummy life saver) on a Sammy (a gummy worm). They needed to work well with their partner since they were only able to use paper clips to touch the worm and the life vest. Ask your third grader how they were able to accomplish this fun challenge! 

Crayfish Experiments

Ask your child which one of these pictures is from his/her experiment. 

Grandfriend Day Visitors

Ask your chid what games they chose to teach the visitors.