We’ve been talking quite a bit about deadlines – what that term means and what happens when you miss them.  The children are beginning to understand that missing a deadline doesn’t mean less work – it means more work with less time or sometimes a lost opportunity.  We have floats to build, a class magazine to publish and books to create.  We have portfolios and student led conferences to prepare for.  We hope everyone uses his or her time wisely so that everyone is able to participate and feel good about his/her work in each.  Your kind reminders at home to curb chatting will be very helpful.

Humphrey Book Clubs

The children have been working to read and discuss four different Humphrey books.  This is a first time this year that your child has been asked to think about what it means to be responsible to a small group.  It is difficult to discuss what has been read and to answer questions if you haven’t read, or if you haven’t spent time thinking and jotting some notes on the chapter bookmark.  Reading is thinking because without time taken to reflect readers do not have as much opportunity to grow and learn.  The thoughts don’t stick if time isn’t taken.  We are learning that with this activity.

Because Skyler Caron and Matt Long, two eighth graders, are helping us with this, the children feel a different responsibility toward the work.  (The 8th graders have chosen to miss their lunch to meet with us.)  I have seen many of the children step up to bring their books home for homework to be prepared.  They have talked about working to make sure they are ready with thoughtful comments and questions.  You may want to ask your child how he or she is contributing to his or her club and how time management and responsibility is going.  I am guessing some will say they don’t know, but even the question will remind them of their obligations and help them begin thinking about how reading helps them grow and understand more.

Learning With the Berenstain Bears

A few months ago I read an article in the Huffington Post entitled, If All Adults Reread ‘The Berenstain Bears,’ the World Would Be a Much Better Place.  It made me smile and think.  I hadn’t read those books since they had been my daughter’s favorites twenty or so years ago.  Looking back at the titles – Bully Trouble, Too Much Pressure, The Trouble with Teasing, Friend Trouble, The New Neighbors, The Gimmies, The Blame Game – reminded me of the lessons we could learn in 3E from those books.  This week teams of students read and created posters and presentations to share the messages from the books with the rest of the class .

Together last week, before this work, we realized that the teachings from the Bear Family would have to be a little different for our classroom.  After all, we do go home at the end of the day but we are a learning family of sorts, working to help each other grow.  The book teams shared some great posters and plays with the class to remind us of the importance of trust, acceptance, down-time, treating others as we like to be treated and the power of compromise. These lessons will be a reminder of how we will need to work and behave in last portion of our year as we reflect on what the Bears would do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fractions

We are having fun exploring fractions.  They are a different kind of challenge.  We have been working to learn equivalence and to understand how fractions are related – twelfths, sixths, thirds and halves go together, while eighths and fifths do not.  We have been working to see how fractions can be added and combined in certain ways.  The children have been enjoying using tools like geoboards, pattern blocks and cuisenaire robs to build a conceptual understanding of fractions and how they are related.  Check out Hajna’s latest blog post to see how she is challenging herself and her classmates to think about fractions and how they are used.

 Bits and Pieces –

• Many of the children have completed their first and second drafts of book reviews to share with a 3rd grade in Ohio.  They have been working on adding evidence and details to how readers and convince them this is the best book.
• Information writing second drafts were due today and most of the children have met that dead line.  We are hoping our classroom magazine will be published in mid-May.
• We hope you’ll keep checking the student blogs.  It is very motivating when the students know they have been read.  They do love comments.  As a reminder, the children can work on their blogs anytime as long as they remember their log-ins.  Some of the children might enjoy posting to their classmates over the vacation if they have permission from you.
• The Parade of the States will be on May 22.  Please make sure to save the date.

Have amazing vacations!  See you in a week!

Another week – another memo – so much has been done – so much remains to be done.  We have many projects in process, and it is challenging to keep them all moving forward.  It really became noticeable that time must be spent on task, rather than chatting when we had to fill out the blueprint homework sheets and only half of the children had identified their 7 State Wonders.  The children knew they were not done because they hadn’t used the time given for this work wisely.  We talked some of responsibility and privilege.

This is an important lesson to learn.  Please remind your child that multi-tasking is a myth if you are expecting quality work.  You can talk or you can work, but you cannot talk and work at the same time.  The children also need to be reminded that talking about work, is not working.

Working on Organization and Wise Time Management – S.E.L.

This week we created a rule saying that video games can only be talked of at lunch and recess.  They can no longer be a topic in the classroom – not even during snack or transitions times and not in the hall as we move “respectfully” (sadly too many doors are shut when we pass by) through the hall.  I am hoping this rule ends what seems to be a tremendous time drain in our school day.  If your child has connected with classmates through various games, you may want to check to see how it is going.  In the classroom I was hearing concerns of exclusion, inappropriate language, and uncomfortable screen names.

I am guessing though, that with the removal of one topic, others will arise.  So we will have to remain vigilant with how our time is used. We have many deadlines to meet this spring.  Every minute must be used carefully if we are to complete our book reviews (final persuasive writing piece) by April 18, the writing for the class magazine by May 1st, prepare and present our State Wonders for May 22 along with our science exploration of habitats and food-webs and prepare and present final work portfolios sharing what students have worked on and accomplished.

It would be helpful if you could encourage your child to think and talk about some of this work so they have ideas and can more easily begin each project.  Some children are naturally thinking and devising plans for what they will do next.  They know how to organize their time.  Others need a boost.

 

Working with Fractions

This week we explored equivalent fractions.  Lily brought in a set of fraction cards that helped us understand this concept. (Thank you!)  We saw that 1/2=2/4=3/6=4/8.  We also worked with geoboards and pattern blocks to develop this understanding by exploring congruent eighths and finding all the ways a hexagon can be built.

Finally each student made a set of fraction bars.  With them we will explore the relationship between denominators.  Children can see how knowing multiplication helps in seeing how amounts are related.  For example 6/12 = 1/2 because 6×2=12.  It was exciting to see and hear all the great math thinking going on with fractions this week.

Moving Toward More Efficient Math Strategies

 Also with math we have been exploring an even wider variety of problems that challenged the children to follow different lines of logic and work as efficiently as possible.  For example if there were 98 balls in a shipment and each ball cast $2.00, how much would it cast to sent three shipments.  With this problem some children chose to use the standard algorithm while others multiplied.  Some found the total number of balls and then doubles while others found the cost of one shipment and tripled that.  It was interesting for the class to see all three approaches came to the same solution.  And each approach was evidence that the students had master new skills.  It was a concrete example of learning that is not always easy to see.

Bits and Pieces –

• We can’t wait for Katie to return!
• We shared the Berenstain Bears and The Blame Game this week.  This was to reaffirm the need for clear “I statements” and the need to care with one another.  We talked about how this is more challenging for us at school than it was for the Bears at home.  It was an interesting reminder.
• The blueprint planning sheets came home on Wednesday.  Please remind your child to think about that process and find time to get that done for next Tuesday.
• We are creating our animal wonders in art.  We are learning golf in P.E.
• We have continued on with book clubs.  I am proud of the children who took the responsibility to read and be prepared for discussion.  Their example reminded others of what it means to meet an obligation.  We are having fun with Humphrey.
• Again there are some great blog posts for you to read and comment on.  The children are really anxious to be read.
• The personal safety puppet show is this Monday.

This week was a tough one.  Our class is struggling with choices regarding the quality and effort put into both assignments and how we show respect and care for one another. It does take effort to be in third grade.  It should, because we are about learning.  That can sometimes mean effort is required even when you don’t feel like it.  Following through with that extra effort was challenging for many this week.  Unkind words were said, children were dishonest and work was hidden rather than completed.  These behaviors are not typical at this point in a third grade year.  It felt discouraging for all of us.

Thankfully we ended the week on a positive note.  We talked about responsibility and we talked about the target of their choices. The children began to realize they are only hurting themselves.  As we talked the class realized the responsibilities we had listed for school applied everywhere and they applied to everyone no matter what age.  That was an “ah-ha” for some.   Our hope as a class is that we will recommit to doing great work with less talking and little time wasting.  If you could find some time to talk to your child about his or her effort, willingness to focus on what needs to be done and attention to honesty and kindness it would be much appreciated.  Most of the children will know of choices they can make that will allow them to be even more successful.  Thank you.

Over and Under Challenge – Social Emotional Learning continued

That said we had a great day for an outside challenge on Tuesday.  It was one where we were required to be aware of our behavior and ourselves.  We all had to work together to make sure everyone felt safe and cared for.  For that activity we were able to focus so that each student could be lifted over and while a classmate crawled through if they so chose.  It was great to see so many of the class push themselves to take a risk and try something new and different.

Our State Research

            We spent time reading about our states and learning ways for use the many books and websites we’re exploring to uncover 7 Wonders from our state.  All of the children identified an animal that might be considered a wonder.  We learned that it might not be one of the state symbols – after all the white-tailed deer is the state animal for New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi and Nebraska.  Many of the children have also selected a structure that could be considered a Wonder – this could be a building or a monument or a bridge.  Many have also identified a famous person they consider to be a Wonder as well.

The children are learning how to work with multiple sources – some simple and some sophisticated.  They are learning how to pay attention to little details and to notice when something is mentioned many times.  This is likely to mean it is important.  It is exciting to hear the children sharing with one another, “Hey, listen to this…” Our country is a pretty amazing place.  The more we learn the more questions we have.

Learning More About Fractions

            This week after hearing the directions the children we asked to put labeled fractions out on a continuum from smallest to largest with no talking.  Children were allowed to move other pieces when it was their turn but were not allowed to make any comments.  It was a struggle did “smallest and largest” refer to the size of the piece or the size of the number.  By the time the last piece was place, the class was ready to burst.  We talked about the two different interpretations – both equally correct – and how that was something that made working with fractions a challenge.  We learned about numerators and denominators.  We are learning how to read fractions and working to identify congruence and equivalence.  Fractions are challenging, but fun.

Bits and Pieces –

• We are continuing to learn about the important elements that should be included in a summary.  We are practicing this in our daily reading responses, responses at read-aloud and with our work in our Humphrey book clubs.
• The children are continuing their information writing and working with different ways of formatting information so it is interesting and engaging to outside readers.
• We are in the middle of a persuasive writing piece.  Perhaps we’ll be able to convince you to read the book we think is best.
• Several of the children were able to complete new posts on their individual blogs.  We hope you’ll check them out and leave a comment.