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Ben B. was the second student in 3F to share his MA family visit! Since the class had heard a Quabbin Reservoir book read to them, they were very interested to hear what Ben knew about this famous MA reservoir! Many more students have shared their MA visit project this week as you will see in the slideshow. As students share their family visits, I’ve been hanging up their written work and pictures on the back bulletin board of the classroom. Also, outside of the classroom, I hung up students’ multiplication puzzles and MA stories. Stop by and read!
Last Friday, a park ranger came to talk to all of the third grade classes about what a “landscape architect” is and who Frederick Olmsted was. 3F had some great preparation before we visited his home today as a class, including a look at the tools Frederick Law Olmsted used in his office. Years ago I read an adult book about Frederick Olmstead and found him to be a fascinating man, not to mention how many areas of the United States and North America he made so beautiful! There is a book you can order from Amazon for your children to read: The Man Who Made Parks: The Story of Parkbuilder Frederick Law Olmsted by Frieda Wishinsky. I read it to the class. The trip to the Olmsted house was just amazing! The students participated in a lot of interesting “workshops.” Students “professionally” presented the landscaped models that they made to suit their clients’ needs. They were asked to turn their backs, and to 3F’s surprise, all of the models fit together like a puzzle and the landscapes were combined to make a GRAND landscape. Thanks to all of the chaperones and drivers!!!!!!! It takes a team to make school exciting and rewarding for our children! I cannot tell you how proud I am of the first memoirs the students in 3F wrote last week! Each had an opening paragraph describing the setting where the story took place in detail. All of memoirs were engaging, focused, and well developed. As individual students read their pieces of writing to the rest of the class, the class clapped with respect and happiness for the writer. This week, students read famous quotes regarding what memoirs are, and the students interpreted them. Tomorrow each student will write a six-word memoir about themselves. Literacy this week has been focused on reading “just right” mini-biographies about Patricia Polacco to find out how much of her real life has been woven into her stories. I can safely say that Patricia Polacco is one of 3F’s favorite authors! Her descriptions of her innermost feelings have helped 3F students write the “internal story” in their memoirs. Adding and subtracting has been the focus of math this week. Students have been practicing regrouping. Halloween math has been interspersed with Chapter Three of “Think Math,” and will continue to be woven into our math studies until Halloween is over! I am also weaving multiplication into the addition and subtraction of Chapter Three. Students will complete their BIG MAPS of their New England states tomorrow. Students had a lot of computer time on Monday to research their states and write notes. All through the week, students have read non-fiction books about their states to add to their knowledge. As a “final exhibition,” students will synthesize their own information to write individual brochures about their New England state. All will be hung up on display. |