We will celebrate Valentine’s Day in our classroom on February 11th. Homework is to make a box or bag to
collect Valentines. Students can also make Valentines for their classmates if
they choose to do so. If they choose to
bring Valentines for their classmates, they need to bring one in for everyone.
We are in the
middle of another round of book clubs!
After hearing about eight different books, students selected a few books
they would be interested in reading and groups of 4-5 were formed based on
their interest. Students have specific
pages they need to read before each meeting. It is essential
children stay on pace so they can participate in the discussions and I am
impressed by how responsible they are with their reading. Book club preparation is part of their
homework. In addition to reading the
designated pages, children are responsible for answering questions to bring to
each book club discussion. These
questions give us a starting place for our book club discussions and allow us
to insure that third graders are monitoring their comprehension as they read.
One of the
essential questions that guides our year-long work in social studies is: How do a region’s geography, climate and natural resources affect the
way people live and work? We will start
investigating this question by learning about the geography, climate and
natural resources in three different regions in America. We have been doing some work with maps and atlases. Third graders worked in partnerships to look at rainfall, climate, and temperature maps. We will then look specifically at
different Native American groups and how they adapted to their
environment.
As a conclusion to our study of biomes, third graders completed a piece of informational writing about the biome they researched. These pieces of writing were compiled into a class book about biomes. Third graders loved reading their classmates' writing. It is an impressive collection of information. I hope you have a chance to look at the "Biome Book" that came home today.
