LITERACY
This week we read A Symphony of Whales by Steve Schuch. This fictional story told a tale of more than 3,000 Beluga whales who were trapped in Siberia, as the channel to the open sea froze over. Glashka, a young girl who can hear the "songs of Narna" in her dreams, led her people to the distressed whales, and ignited the spirit around their rescue.
The students did great job on their Reading Response Essay this week, as they examined the ways in which Glashka's people depended on the whales, and the whales depended on Glashka's people.
READER'S WORKSHOP
This week in reader's workshop we continued to work on our Close Reading Skills --using post-it notes to record our thinking while reading (questions, comments, reactions, connections, main ideas, etc.)
These post-its can show evidence of comprehension and the level of interaction students are having with their book.
CHARACTER PORTRAITS
On Friday we combined reading and art as we took a creative approach to showing our understanding of character analysis.
First, I introduced the concept of creating art on the pages of a book.
The above examples are small paintings we will be completing later this spring on the pages of an old Harry Potter book.
I decided an appropriate twist on this project would be for each student to locate a page from their novel that shows evidence of their main character's personality. This provided a clear purpose for their reading on Friday.
Once they were finished with their reading session, they submitted their page number to me, and I made a quick photocopy of that page from the text. This page then became the background for their character portrait. The students then had an additional task of incorporating the words from the page that show us the character's personality, into their art - essentially highlighting the evidence in the text, demonstrating their understanding of reading while at the same time making art.
I will post finished pictures of our "Character Portraits on Book Pages" next week. Here are some pics of the start of this project.
WRITING
Our second informational article is underway.
Research topics have been finalized, and
all students have received a new writing planner and have begun the process of filling in their main ideas and looking up information online.
Students will have several days to gather information before they are expected to begin their rough draft this week. As the week goes on, ask your child how their research is going. See if they can talk about their topic, main ideas, and any supporting details they are learning from their research.
MATH
Unit 4
We began our Multiplication and Division Unit this week. Your child should have brought home a set of multiplication flashcards which they should begin using to practice their multiplication facts at home. They brought home their x2, x3, x4, x5, and x6 cards. The next series of facts will be sent home later in February.
It is very important for your child to master their multiplication facts. It is the foundation for also mastering division, and for solving higher level calculations in the upper grades. Please spend regular time at home doing flashcards with your child.
We also began our timed tests this week as we completed our 0's, 1's. If you see practice pages coming home that look like a timed test, that means your child needs to study that group of facts. Please look for and discuss regularly, how your child is doing on their multiplication timed tests!
We will be charting our progress throughout the next month or so, as we begin to show mastery of our facts!
In addition to our first timed test, we also got started on our Unit 4 curriculum. Our first lesson in this unit was intended to build on the conceptual understanding of what multiplication is. We began with a brainstorm of things that come in groups. Most students come into 3rd grade with a pretty good understanding that multiplication involves equal-sized groups, so the students brainstormed all of the things they could think of that could inherently represent a multiplication situation.
Once we had our class chart created, each student chose an item and created a poster, visually demonstrating the “growing pattern” that results from multiples of their object.
Oops! I see a mistake on the growing pattern above.
To extend this activity, I added a step which required students to translate the growing pattern from their picture, into a T-Chart.
This step was logical and accessible to most students, and lays the groundwork for algebraic thinking.
To add even greater challenge, I added another step which had the students begin to identify the multiplication and division problems that were “hiding” in their growing pattern.
Most students were not able to complete this step without instruction, but for a few who already understood the relationship between multiplication and division, they were able to complete this task with some direction, and demonstrate their understanding of multiplication and division.
Differentiated math activities in this unit will be very opportunistic, as we begin to master our multiplication and division facts at our own pace --always preparing to go to the next level of personal challenge. With that said, please feel free to communicate with me if you think your child needs to move more quickly, or slowly, through the mastering of their facts. I am always willing to individualize classroom practice and expectations.
SCIENCE
We completed our two final experiments this week focused on the presence of a chemical reactions. The students learned that in order for there to be a chemical reaction taking place, a new substance must be created.
In the first experiment, the students were given two cups of baking soda and two mystery liquids. After examining and recording the physical properties of the baking soda and mystery liquids, they wrote down their hypothesis, materials, and procedure.
"Is a chemical reaction taking place?"
Ask your child what new substance was created in this chemical reaction?
Our second experiment in search of chemical reactions involved looking at rust. The students were given two pieces of steel wool, vinegar, and water. They recorded their hypothesis, predicting which liquid would create a chemical reaction with the steel wool. After leaving the steel wool to sit overnight, we returned to school to see the results below.
I introduced students to the idea that vinegar is acidic, which can be corrosive to some metals. This corrosive property caused a chemical reaction with the steel wool, forming rust overnight.
Many students wondered why the water did not do the same, considering what they know can happen to metal objects left outside in the rain. This curiosity led to a wonderful discussion about what may have impacted the results of the experiment, such as amount of time the steel wool was given to react with water. The big take away was that the vinegar is much more corrosive and unstable compared to water. Ask your child to share what they learned.
ART
On Friday afternoon we began one of my favorite art projects of the year, titled "Winter Bird on a Wire". This year, this project is being used as our Auction Art Project. The finished pieces will be mounted together to make a single unified art piece for the Llewellyn Auction.
Friday's session involved the creation of the background meant to look like a winter sky.
We created our sky using square inch paint samples, which we used to create a mosaic sky background. Next week each student will create a silhouette of a bird that will be perched on a wire that will run across the backgrounds. Stay tuned for the results of our Auction Art.
IMPORTANT DATES
February 3- Teacher Planning Day - NO SCHOOL
(2nd Quarter Report Cards)
February 7- PTA Meeting 7:00 pm
February 10- Small-Tall-Ball 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
