Follow an astronaut!

A friend of Nash's dad is an astronaut who is on his way to the International Space Station.  You can follow him...

https://twitter.com/astro_reid

If you have any questions you'd like to ask him, let me know!  Wouldn't it be cool to communicate with someone in space!

Thanks to Nash and his family for sharing this twitter account with us.

Fourth Quarter News!

MATH	We are wrapping up our study of measurement.  It’s always helpful to reinforce these skills at home.  Students should be able to estimate and find length (metric and customary), volume (metric and customary), and mass (metric) or weight (customary).   We are beginning our study of probability and data collection.  We will be collecting, organizing and displaying data.  Students will be using bar graphs, pictographs, and line plots.  Students will learn that statistics is about asking and answer questions in our world.  They will conduct probability experiments and use mathematical language to communicate their findings.
SCIENCE	We are beginning to study soil and have some interesting projects in the works.  Stay tuned.  Students may ask to bring in some compostable items from home including coffee grounds or egg shells as we get our compost started.   We will also be studying cycles including seasons, day and night, phases of the moon (first quarter, full, last [third] quarter, new), tides and life cycles.  At home you can get outside as a family and observe the moon each night.  If you can get down to the beach and observe differences in high and low tides it would certainly reinforce our discussions in class!
LANGUAGE ARTS	We are continuing our focus on writing.  The best practice for writing at home is for students to use writing in meaningful ways.  Have your child make the shopping list as you dictate.  Have your child keep a journal and set aside daily journaling time to reflect on the day.  This might be a fun practice to start as a family.  Children can write thank you notes or letters to family members or find a pen pal.  Writing should be meaningful and fun! As you know, we are working on a novel study.  Students chose books to read and formed their own groups based on reading level and interest.  Books include Wonder, Hatchet, Number The Stars, The Toy Inventor, and The Mysterious Benedict Society.   We are also beginning a unit on poetry. Students should always have a great book on hand to enjoy on their own!

Explorers

We had Brain Trek visit today to teach a hands on interactive lesson about explorers. Students got to dress up and act out the discovery of land for their sponsor countries! Students came with a great deal of knowledge about explorers and are excited to learn more! 

European explorers

Christopher Columbus 

Ponce de Leon

Jacques Cartier

Christopher Newport

Explorers Unit

We are getting ready to begin a unit on mapping and exploration. I have been wanting to set up a geocache for our class since the begining of the year, but I haven't quite gotten it off the ground. I am wondering if any parents have experience geocaching, or orienteering? I would like to set it up for one of our Saturday make up days in March or April so we can get outside in the courtyard! Let me know if you are interested in helping!

Fractions in Room 8

We are studying fractions in Math.  Students will

• name and write fractions and mixed numbers to include halves, thirds, fourths, eighths, tenths, and twelfths as represented by a model
• model fractions and mixed numbers to include halves, thirds, fourths, eighths, tenths, and twelfths and write the fractions' names
• compare fractions with words and symbols <, >, = having like and unlike denominators
• add and subtract proper fractions with like denominators

Any real world conversation or experiences using fractions will support our classroom learning.  Doubling or halving recipes, and equating fractions to money or time are all hands on ways to apply math to the world around us!  Have fun!

Invitation to view the Rube Goldberg project

Dear Parents,

We wanted to let you know our schedule for working on the Rube Goldberg project in case you would like to drop by and check on the progress the students are making.  We have found that this project requires a great deal of patience, team work and collaboration, and creative thinking.  For the most part, the students have agreed to follow Destination Imagination rules of operation.  In other words, they want to do it themselves without adult help!  So if you do drop by, which we hope you can, be in the mindset of asking questions only!  

Monday 2:00-2:45

Tuesday 2:00-2:45

Wednesday 1:00-1:15

Thursday 12:15-1:00

Friday 10:00-10:30

Rube Goldberg Takes Over Room 8

Thank you to Mrs. Restrepo for helping to sort through all the goodies sent in by third graders to build our Rube Goldberg!

One of the groups getting started!

What is the difference between an inclined plane and a wedge?  This solidified our understanding!

Anti Bully Spray

Do you know all the strategies to using "Anti-Bully Spray"?  This stuff really works!

Hands on Equations Equals Fun

Hands on Equations introduces students to the world of algebra.  I am so amazed by these materials!  From the text:   "In these lessons, the students will reinforce their basic computational skills, develop their problem-solving skills, and gain confidence in algebraic reasoning."  The basic equations they are able to solve with this understanding are not usually presented until middle school.  Look for this work to come home next week!  I am so excited to share this with them and can't wait to see how they grow!  See the research section of www.borenson.com for the latest research on this great program.  I sure wish I had this when I was in school.  Lucky for me, I get to enjoy it now!  I love my job!!!!

Black History Month

Today we accessed the Smithsonian Museum's African American Cultural Heritage Tour online to learn about history through artifacts! Follow the link below at home to learn more together! 

http://heritagetours.si.edu/bhm.html

Simple Machines kick off and materials request!

We are getting ready to kick off what we hope will be an amazing study of simple machines!  I don't want to give away too much, but we might be building something…..  We are looking for a donation of some supplies and things you may have around the house.  (This might be a good way to get your kids to clean out the junk drawer, game closet, or playroom!)  You may send them in with your child Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Monday.  

Random recyclable items such as:

toilet paper or paper towel tubes, clean plastic containers like frosting containers, nothing glass please!

Random things from your garage such as:

short pieces of pvc pipe, twine, screws, wire, small wood scraps, short pieces of wooden dowel rods, 

Random things from your playroom such as:

old pieces of games (jenga, dominos, dice, pieces that no longer make a set!), pieces of wooden or plastic railroad track, pieces from a marble run track, matchbox cars, ramps from matchbox tracks, small toys, bouncy balls, marbles, wind up toys, hopping toys, etc.

Random household items such as:

film canisters, spools, bells, rubber bands, twine, small pulley system, small dixie cups, duck tape, ping pong balls, tennis balls, tennis ball containers, empty cd cases or even VCR cases, cards from a deck or partial deck of cards, a few balloons (not blown up!),  spoons, magnets

You get the idea!​

Geometry

Our geometry vocabulary has grown immensely this week... Here are the terms your third grader must know:

Point, ray, line, line segment, angle, polygon, quadrilateral, vertex, edges, faces, plane figures, triangle, square, rectangle, solid figures, cone, cylinder, cube, rectangular prism, square based pyramid, congruent and non-congruent

Here are some terms some children may know:

Parallel, divergent, convergent, adjacent, opposite, rhombus, parallelogram, kite, Platonic solids, Euler's formula, circumference, diameter, radius, chord 

This week in room 8

This week we have much to do!

The museum: The first day went well! We are back to business as usual until Friday when we will be the docents for 3 groups of students coming to our museum. Please wear nice pants that day. We will be wearing our ODC shirts. Parents will celebrate with us on Monday, February 10th, and we will also have our Olympics. 

Math: Continue to work on math facts. Ask your child what table he or she is working on. All tables through the 12s should be memorized by the end of this quarter. Children have the opportunity to work on them daily in class orally, in written format, and on the computer. Most students need reinforcement at home!   We will be continuing our study of geometry. I will post a vocab list tomorrow! 

Writing: We are focusing on revision this week, specifically revising verbs and adjectives. Look for writing assignments to come home next week so that you may see your child's development in his or her writing skills! 

Social Studies: We will examine the basic principles that firm the foundation of a republican form of government by discovering contributions of famous Americans including (but not limited to!) Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Martin Luther King, Thurgood Marshall, & Rosa Parks, and describing how we can serve our community, state and nation!

Science: Our study of simple machines is coming up soon!!! Get ready to be amazed! 

Reading: Our American Studies unit will have us reading biographies. We will finish our novel studies and then read more Junior Great Books. 

Grand Opening of the Greco-Roman Museum for Family and Friends Friday, January 31

Mark your calendars for Friday, January 31!  

Grand opening of the ODC third grade Greco-Roman Museum

Room 8 students will give a tour of the museum to friends and family from 11:45-12:15

You are invited to join us in a Greek feast in our classroom from 12:15-1:00

All third graders will participate in the Olympics from 1:00-2:30pm in the gym

Look for an upcoming email for volunteer opportunities!

Room 8 Newspaper

I realized recently that I had not been keeping up with the Room 8 Blog as much as I had been at the beginning of the year!  Some of this has to do with how very busy we have been with preparing for the Greco-Roman museum, but some of it also had to do with the students' desire to communicate their learning via a newspaper.  Let me tell you about the process!

A small group of students suggested, after a conversation over lunch in the ODC cafe, that they would like to have a class newspaper.  The students approached me to ask what I thought about it.  It sounded like a great idea to me, but told them it would have to be the students' work and that it would have to be accomplished mostly during lunch, with appropriate time allowed during the writing period of language arts.  They also needed to be sure to be inclusive to all students and decided to invite anyone to submit an article to the paper.  Several classmates submitted articles about the museum and other happenings in PE and specialists.  Articles were typed at lunch time and the second edition was sent home in last week's Thursday folder.  

Next week I will include a link to the paper in our blog!

Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences

Mid Year Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences are going well!  Our fabulous guidance teacher, Mrs. McClellan, shared her Compass lessons with us to help students understand the importance of self-reflection and goal setting.  We then worked together to reflect and set goals for our class work.  We are in the process of sharing this with parents.  If you have not yet signed up for conferences you may do so by following the link below!

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4CACA72EA6FB6-midyear

Not only has this process helped the students to reflect and goal set, but it has helped me refine my teaching by understanding them better as learners.  It's going to be a great second half of the year!

 

Greco-Roman museum update

The third graders participated in a senate meeting today to discuss the structure of their Greco-Roman museum. To better understand the concept of direct and representative democracy each class sent a representative to the senate to bring the ideas their classmates voted upon. The rest of the "citizens" were able to watch the senate meeting on a closed circuit TV. 

3rd grade Senate