January News

Wow!  I can't believe that January is almost over!  It has been a month of crazy weather.  Lots of snow and freezing temperatures.  In class we have been very busy.  We wrapped up our Sound Unit with a review game of Jeopardy.  Tomorrow the children will be taking their unit test. 

In Math we have been working really hard learning our basic math facts as well as using multiplication and division to solve problems. We will continue to learn and practice our facts while we begin a unit on Geometry.

In Writer's Workshop we have been planning our Realistic Fiction stories.  We have spent time getting to know our main characters and constructing a Story Mountain Map that will guide us in telling our stories.  The are coming along quite nicely.

Mrs. Richards visited our classroom at the beginning of the month to introduce the ELA MCAS exam to us.  We've reviewed what to expect and how to work through both the multiple choice questions and the Open Response questions.  We will take time every week to practice using an actual MCAS selection from previous years.  Please not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. 

On Friday, February 14th we will celebrate Valentine's Day with Snack in a box and have time to exchange Valentine's Cards.  A letter with specifics was sent home with a list of classmates.  If you need a new notice please let me know.

Martin Luther King jr

In class this week we watched "Our Friend Martin" and discussed the impact that Martin Luther King jr had and still has in our world :
http://www.ovguide.com/our-friend,-martin-9202a8c04000641f800000000073b257

The third grade students wrote their "dreams for the world".  They are displayed in the lobby.

The following is a link to Martin Luther King jr's famous speech:

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Sound Program

 

Kinetic Katie from High Touch High Tech of NE visited our classroom to teach us about Sound Energy.  Through a number of hands on activities and experiments students learned

• Sound is energy produced by vibrations of molecules
• Sound travels at different speeds through solids, liquids and gases
• what vibrations look like in high pitched, low pitched, loud and soft sounds
• the parts of the ear and how we hear
• all about the speed of sound and what it would take to break the sound barrier

The students even made thier own musical instruments!

This was a wonderful program.  We learned so much and had a blast !  Thank you to the PCC for funding this amazing program.

 

Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.

We're definitely back in the swing of things here in Room 5.  The children completed their All About Informational pieces before vacation.  They did a wonderful job teaching us about everything from spectacular vacation spots to how to take care of your favorite family pet.  Our next unit of study in Writer's Workshop will be Realistic Fiction.

This week we are also starting a unit on Sound Energy.  We will be having a very cool program called Vibes this week sponsored by the PCC.  During this program the students will be conducting a number of experiments as they explore Sound. 

In Math we are continuing with Multiplication.  The students should be practicing their x2,x5 and x10 at home every day.  We will not be having timed tests, however, the students will be accountable for learning these facts.