Our Week – August 30

Thank you.  It was wonderful to meet so many of you prior to the start of school at interviews and the Open House.  We’ve had a smooth, though melting, start to our year.  We are getting to know how we’ll work together and (in the words of Goat from Unicorn – he thinks he’s so great!) become an unstoppable team.  Thank you also for sending in the supplies.  We are already putting them to good use.  We appreciate your help and support.

Community Building

We’ve begun to learn about each other and figure out what we can each do to make our class a fun place to learn and grow.  We created a plan for establishing our Open Circle(see the Open Circle note for more information).  This is an opportunity for us to learn how to become even more respectful, kind and cooperative.  We’re learning how to celebrate what makes us different and unique, while also discovering how we are the same.  We’ve shared books like We Don’t Eat Our Classmates and It’s Okay to be Different. We’ve played the Name Game.  On day 1 we were able to successfully toss two balls around the circle.  On day 2 we were able to successfully toss three balls around the circle – more than one time each.  Accomplishing this takes focus, patience and concentration.  WOW!

Another part of the Community Building process is this newsletter and the blog.  On the last day of the school week, I’ll send home a weekly summary.  The same note will be posted on the blog, but illustrated with photographs of the classroom in action.  I hope you’ll visit the blog – pictures really are worth a thousand words. (3enews.edublogs.org) I will also make posts during the week with book suggestions, math problems or writing prompts for the children. Sometimes I’ll share an exciting happening of the day.  Through these, I try to keep you informed and involved with our classroom.  I hope this information will spark conversations with your child about what’s happening in the classroom.  These connections help bring learning to life.

Exploring What it Means to Be a Scientist

One of our first explorations this year is to think about what it means to be a scientist.  We watched a Mystery Doug video to discover why scientists seem so smart.  He helped us discover that one of the ways scientists seem so smart is because they are curious, ask lots of questions and make careful observations.  We did some wondering too.  I’ve copied those sheets to send home this week.  (I won’t always do that, but I wanted to you see some of what your child’s been doing this week.  I’m not sure of how well and/or willingly school activities are shared.) Each of the children observed and drew their hand.  At first it seemed a little odd.  Who would wonder about a hand, but then we began thinking and wondering.  We came up with some rather interesting questions about joints and veins, fingernails and knuckles, skin flexibility and sizes.  We discovered that once we began wondering, we noticed more.  Staying curious and open to ideas is part of what leads scientists on to new discoveries. Many of the children chose objects from nature – shells, stones, feathers, nests, flowers – to observe and wonder about as well.  Living life as a scientist is full of wonder!

Weather is a new science topic for third grade.  We’ve started gathering the facts we think we know.  We’ve illustrated our favorite types of weather.  We’re learning how to read the thermometer and about other weather forecasting tools.   We’re learning about cloud types and the water cycle.  Soon we’ll be exploring all different types of weather, both day-to-day and extreme storms.

Bits and Pieces –

  • Our first chapter read aloud is Dragons and Marshmallowsfrom the Zoey and Sassafras series. It combines science and magic. Ask your child what’s happening with the story – we’re just getting to the exciting part.
  • We’ve done a little reading and a little writing.
  • We’ve learned two different math games, done some Quick Imaging with cards and chosen problems to solve.  Because I am just getting to learn who your children are and how to support them as learners, you may see some work coming home in your child’s folder that you feel is either too easy, or too hard.  That may certainly be so at this point.  It won’t stay that way.
  • We’ve created name patterns, and explored different ways to organize one hundred things.
  • We’ve worked as partners and in small groups and found ways to listen to each other and share ideas.

3E feels like a fun place to be. 

Have a wonderful weekend. It will be great to be back together again on Tuesday!

It’s Wednesday – here are some problems to solve

December had 108 books to move from the living room to the bookshelf in her bedroom.  She could carry nine books at a time.  How many trips did she make to move her all books?

Willow was planted some flower pots with morning glories for her yard.  One package of seeds planted three flower pots.  How many packages of seed did Willow need to plant all 18 of her flower pots?

Izzy created a riddle about a pool party she went to over the summer.  She wrote:  There were some people and some dogs at the pool party.  There were 30 legs altogether.  How many people were there?  How many dogs were there?  How many different correct answers can you find?

Alex spilled a bin with 156 markers in it.  They dropped out of their boxes as they fell.  Alex had to put them back into the boxes when she picked them up.  If each box held 12 markers, how many boxes did Alex fill when she finished putting all the markers away?

Quick Writes – today’s topic – making changes

I just sent the letters to the members of a new 3E.  That’s exciting, but I’m wishing for more time with you.  You, I am guessing, are looking forward to discovering whether you are part of 4D, 4H, or 4L – but also longing for the security of continuing on where we left off.  Starting and stopping can be challenging (I feel it too), but learning and wondering and discovering continues from year to year to year.  I’m still working on that! That’s exciting! We can always change and grow!  So here are some quick write suggestions that might help you think and dream of things you’d like to accomplish… someday…

Read through the prompts, think about them for a bit and when you’re ready, find ten quiet minutes to begin…  It’s okay if you finish one idea, begin another, just try to keep writing for the whole ten minutes.  It’s okay if you don’t finish when the time is up… you decide:  stop, or keep writing.   Post your Quick Write as a comment, or on your own blog. Have fun writing!

If you wake up tomorrow and everything has changed for the better, what will have changed?

If I had three wishes, I would…

The joy of today is…

What is your favorite song and why?

What is your favorite time of day?  Why?

Five things I’m good at are…

How could I encourage people around me to do more kind things for one another?

Or, write about whatever you choose. Write about what makes you happy.  Enjoy!  It would be fun if you shared your writing in a comment, or on your own blog.  Happy Writing!

Quick Writes – today’s topic trips and vacations

I’m creating this post while sitting at Midway Airport in Chicago. I’m waiting for my flight to Denver where I’ll be camping in the mountains near the Colorado Trail.  Mr. Eaves is hiking the whole 500 mile trail this summer – he’s been walking for 3 weeks already, with 3 weeks more left to go.  This has me thinking about you and your summer trips.

Read through the prompts, think about them for a bit and when you’re ready, find ten quiet minutes to begin…  It’s okay if you finish one idea, begin another, just try to keep writing for the whole ten minutes.  It’s okay if you don’t finish when the time is up… you decide:  stop, or keep writing.   Post your Quick Write as a comment, or on your own blog. Have fun writing!

If you could go on a summer vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?  What would you hope to see and do there?

Summertime is great for being outdoors.  Go for a walk.  Write about where you walked and what you saw while walking.   It will be interesting to compare walks in different places.

What important things have you done this summer right at home?  Sometimes everyday things are actually pretty magical.  What things are you thankful for each day?

What’s your favorite thing to do when you play outdoors in the summer?

What’s your favorite thing to do when you play inside in the summertime?

Or, write about whatever you choose. Write about what makes you happy.  Enjoy!  It would be fun if you shared your writing in a comment, or on your own blog.  Happy Writing!