First, a special thank you to Sunhee Chun for the Halloween pictures!!!
Before and after a special PowerPoint presentation of man-made structures, students brainstormed what a structure is, and what they noticed about each “structure” – materials, form, function/purpose. On Monday during Computer Lab, 3F researched some man-made structures that are famous all over the world. Students drew the structure he/she was assigned and recorded some “fast facts” about these structures. I am very impressed at the detailed hand drawings students made!
On Wednesday, students drew structures made from nature they have seen in their lives. We looked at the materials used, the form and purpose of natural structures. Using pictures, we categorized natural and man-made structures, considering why structures are made the way they are? We also discussed the attributes and characteristics structures have.
Tomorrow 3F will begin to build free-standing newspaper structures to make them TALL and STRONG. This is NOT an easy task. During this science unit, students will be building structures with a variety of materials. As we examine real structures to discuss what makes them strong, stable, tall, and durable, it is with “hope” that students will transfer this knowledge to their building.
Students finished their Patricia Polacco author studies this week! Pairs of students read a different books written by Patricia Polacco and recorded the setting, the characters of the books, their traits, the problem and solution, the true “memory” that Patricia was trying to convey to the readers, the theme, and descriptive language Patricia always uses.
Students began writing their second personal narrative/memoir this week. Again, Patricia Polacco’s depth of writing has had an impact on 3F’s writing. Students know and remember their experiences really well and they have real photographs or visual images to draw upon their experience, helping to make their writing detailed and descriptive.
On Tuesday, students began Chapter Four in Think Math. Students have been converting “units of measurement” into the fewest amounts possible. (120 minutes + 4 minutes = 2 hours and four minutes). Students also used base tens blocks to play a game called “Trading to 1,000.” The focus of this chapter is “place value” and “regrouping.” Students will begin to add with regrouping and solve many riddles to find “mystery numbers.”
Today is November 6th. Not only is it my daughter’s 31st birthday, but our salt maps were due! Like a “jigsaw,” students place one of their different salt map states on the tables. Students sat in front of their salt maps. The child who made his/her salt map was the “presenter” of his/her state. States’ names had to be presented, their capitals, other cities, and landforms within each state. Dr. Brown and Ms. Rodriguez-Hutson were there to listen and cheer us on!
At the end of all the presenting, students received blank New England States maps. Each child had to label each state, (from memory), the capitals of each state, and any landform they could remember. It was an amazing assessment to see that everyone in class knew so many states, so many capitals, and details they remembered from past months of discussions and reading, (the Connecticut River, the Quabbin Reservoir, Mt. Greylock, the Cape, etc.). What a fabulous culmination and “exhibition” of a social studies’ unit!
Before and after a special PowerPoint presentation of man-made structures, students brainstormed what a structure is, and what they noticed about each “structure” – materials, form, function/purpose. On Monday during Computer Lab, 3F researched some man-made structures that are famous all over the world. Students drew the structure he/she was assigned and recorded some “fast facts” about these structures. I am very impressed at the detailed hand drawings students made!
On Wednesday, students drew structures made from nature they have seen in their lives. We looked at the materials used, the form and purpose of natural structures. Using pictures, we categorized natural and man-made structures, considering why structures are made the way they are? We also discussed the attributes and characteristics structures have.
Tomorrow 3F will begin to build free-standing newspaper structures to make them TALL and STRONG. This is NOT an easy task. During this science unit, students will be building structures with a variety of materials. As we examine real structures to discuss what makes them strong, stable, tall, and durable, it is with “hope” that students will transfer this knowledge to their building.
Students finished their Patricia Polacco author studies this week! Pairs of students read a different books written by Patricia Polacco and recorded the setting, the characters of the books, their traits, the problem and solution, the true “memory” that Patricia was trying to convey to the readers, the theme, and descriptive language Patricia always uses.
Students began writing their second personal narrative/memoir this week. Again, Patricia Polacco’s depth of writing has had an impact on 3F’s writing. Students know and remember their experiences really well and they have real photographs or visual images to draw upon their experience, helping to make their writing detailed and descriptive.
On Tuesday, students began Chapter Four in Think Math. Students have been converting “units of measurement” into the fewest amounts possible. (120 minutes + 4 minutes = 2 hours and four minutes). Students also used base tens blocks to play a game called “Trading to 1,000.” The focus of this chapter is “place value” and “regrouping.” Students will begin to add with regrouping and solve many riddles to find “mystery numbers.”
Today is November 6th. Not only is it my daughter’s 31st birthday, but our salt maps were due! Like a “jigsaw,” students place one of their different salt map states on the tables. Students sat in front of their salt maps. The child who made his/her salt map was the “presenter” of his/her state. States’ names had to be presented, their capitals, other cities, and landforms within each state. Dr. Brown and Ms. Rodriguez-Hutson were there to listen and cheer us on!
At the end of all the presenting, students received blank New England States maps. Each child had to label each state, (from memory), the capitals of each state, and any landform they could remember. It was an amazing assessment to see that everyone in class knew so many states, so many capitals, and details they remembered from past months of discussions and reading, (the Connecticut River, the Quabbin Reservoir, Mt. Greylock, the Cape, etc.). What a fabulous culmination and “exhibition” of a social studies’ unit!