by Jake
This week in math we learned how to multiply 2 digit numbers by 1 digit numbers. So let's say you are trying to solve 27 x 8. First, you do 20 x 8. (Not 2 x 8 because the 2 is in the 10s place.) That equals 160. Then you do 7 x 8. That is 56. So now you do one final thing to get the answer... You add the 2 products together. So the answer much be 216!!! (The way I found the products is a secret trick I learned. Ssssh!!)
by Jake
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This week in p.e. we played a game called Cone of Life. It's a game with two sides with four pins and two hula-hoop satellites. The game works like this. The people on the other side have to try to knock down the pins and their satellites with a ball. To win you have to knock down the pins and the satellites on the other side and yours have to be up.
by Annie These past 2 weeks in art have been fun and frustrating! We are making 3D clay animals! It's frustrating because I'm really bad at making the legs and head. The animal doesn't have to have legs, but mine has four of them because mine is a horse. To make a leg or head, you pretty much have to pinch and twist and pull. If your animal doesn't have legs, then you don't need to do that. But we made a base and when the animals is standing on its own, it needs to have a space under the body you can stick your finger through.
Doing this was fun because it was challenging for me and it gives me experience. I can't wait to show you my horse! Wow! Your third graders have grown as writers! I'm always impressed with the strategies and techniques they are trying out. I'd like to show off more of that writing to you. As you know, each member of the Room 221 community writes a letter home to a family member on Fridays. I've put forth a new challenge to them! Each week I will choose 2-3 letters to make public on the blog. Be on the lookout for your child's writing. I bet you'll see it soon!
We have learning lots about the history of our town!
Ask your third grader: Why did the settlers from Northern Dedham want to separate and make their own town? In what year did Needham officially become a town? Where was the first town center located? What was the first kind of school used to teach children in Needham? Why did the colonists want to fight against the British? Where did the colonists from Needham hide the guns they used to fight against the British? Room 221 readers have grown tremendously! They can read far more words than they could when they entered third grade. Just as important, they understand the meaning of far more words. Despite this growth, if our fantastic readers are engaged in "just-right" texts they will continue to encounter words with which they are unfamiliar. Therefore, it is important to infer the meaning of unknown words. Today we practiced with a fun book by Elise Broach and Richard Egielski titled "Gumption!" I reminded students that readers use background knowledge and text clues to make an inference. For example, if a paragraph I read describes a woman carrying a bouquet of balloons into the house, I might infer that the woman was getting ready for a birthday party. My background knowledge tells me that balloons are often for parties.
We can also use text clues and our background knowledge to solve unknown words. Room 221 readers looked at the cover of the book "Gumption!." We looked carefully at the illustrations on the cover and made some smart guesses about the meaning of the word gumption. As we continued our way through the book, the word gumption was repeated five times. Each time, we used our background knowledge and the text clues to infer the meaning of the word. At the end of the story, third grade thinkers were asked to make their final inference. They wrote, "I think gumption means ___________________ because...." They explained their thinking using evidence from the text. Be sure to ask your third grader about their inference. Don't forget to ask them the "dictionary" meaning of the word! 221 has an exciting day coming up on June 10! We will be visiting The Little Red Schoolhouse as part of our study of Needham's history. The students will pretend to be one of the actual students from a school in Needham in the 1850s. I will pretend to be a teacher from that time.
Please look in your third grader's folder this afternoon for more details. You may also click here to see examples of clothing and lunch that may help you plan for the day. As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions. Third graders did a fabulous job at the assembly on Friday! Room 221 wrote a beautiful poem about compassion led by Mr. Andrew Green of Potato Hill Poetry. Our powerful poets recited their poem in small groups and in unison. Brooke and Christine from The Island Moving Company taught our community two dances. The first dance reflected the theme of compassion. The second was a grade-wide dance that reflected the theme of perseverance. Your third grader should be so proud of their performance.
Thanks so much to the Cultural Arts Committee for bringing this wonderful experience to our third grade! Did you hear? We finished our all time favorite read aloud on Thursday. "Poppy" by Avi was a huge hit in Room 221. The kids were enthralled by the humor of Ereth (the porcupine) and the suspense of Mr. Ocax.
You should know that this book is just one in a series. The books are Level S, so some third graders can read them independently, but all children will enjoy them as a read aloud. I promise that you will enjoy the books too if you choose to snuggle up to share them with your child. Perhaps you can read them all this summer! The titles are: "Ragweed" "Poppy & Rye" "Ereth's Birthday" "Poppy's Return" "Poppy & Ereth" Avi has written many other fabulous books (apart from the Poppy series). Some are perfect for 9 year olds, some are more suited to older readers. Check them out at your local bookstore or library. You can also check out Avi's website! On Friday afternoon, Room 221 had the pleasure of visiting Mrs. Maxwell's second grade restaurant. There, we were greeted by 25 waiters and waitresses who gave us a chance to order from their unique and creative menus. After "eating" third grade mathematicians had to "pay" their bill and check to be sure they received the correct change from their second grade server. The third graders were respectful and supportive customers. They were very excited to help the second graders with this learning experience.
Click here to check out the pictures of this fun event. |
AuthorMrs. Sullivan wants you to feel informed! Check out this blog to learn about what's happening in Room 221. Feel free to leave a comment. Let us know what you think or ask a question. Archives
June 2018
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