So we ended up not coming back to school this year... who would have ever imagined! I am so thankful for the time I had with this group and will miss them dearly, but I know they are well prepared to move on to 4th grade! Although our last few months together we not traditional, we still learned so much. Distance learning allowed us to brush up on our technology skills and connect virtually, while reviewing concepts that we had learned already. We all used the smore to practice and many learned things above and beyond what we would have imagined. Here are some pictures that give a glimpse into our time at home!
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February moved along like always and March was well... you know! It is this time of year that the kids are really showing what they know and the progress is apparent. We spent time reading about, researching, and writing a focused essay about leaders of the past and present. It was really their first experience with this sort of task and they really did great with it! During the research part of the task we also dug into internet searching and how not everything you read on the internet it true or reliable, a true life skill for the 21st century. We spend time reading Chocolate Fever as a class in connection with studying structure in fiction (as well as informational). We learned how to summarize along the story arc and used a fun story called Creepy Carrots to practice. In math we practiced identifying and comparing fractions, then introduced them to fractions on a number line. It took some time, but they really got the hang of it! We learned our way around the NYS test with practice on the computer. Even though it never happened, they will all set for next year! Somewhere in between the months we had a fun valentines party where we enjoyed sweets and shared notes.We moved into adding and subtracting to 1,000 and at the end of school we were having some extra germ lessons as we prepared for what was ahead (although we really had no idea what that would be). I miss my wonderful, amazing, and hard working students dearly and hope to get back with them soon! We were so busy in January, I didn't even get a lot of pictures! We finished up our great read aloud: Saving Mr. Terupt. We read comic books to learn how to write dialogue and had an actor come visit our classroom. The 7th grade helpers also came in and helped us with Escape From Oz, which was all about character traits and making inferences (which the students found to be a lesson in perseverance too). We read about several leaders (MLK, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges) in reading groups, in preparation for the essay on leaders we are writing in February. We also spent time practicing multiplication and division, especially finding strategies for working with larger numbers. Sprinkled in there are also some fun days playing in the snow! Learning and fun, some of my favorite things!!
We are in the midst of many illnesses. Please be sure to keep your child home when s/he has a fever or has vomited. Once the child is symptom-free for 24 hours, then they may come back to school. This helps to keep germs from spreading. Thanks so much for helping everyone stay healthy!
On Friday, April 3rd, all of the children at VPS will participate in a “Put Your Hearts In The Arts” experience where they will attend 3 different sessions in the morning. The purpose of this studio day is to provide children with various creative experiences in an effort to cultivate an appreciation for all artistic pursuits. Sessions will serve to create greater understanding and appreciation for many forms of expression. Examples of sessions that could be offered include (but are not limited to): Instrumental Experience, Dance Experience, Interior Design, Candle Making, Soap Making, Balloon Artistry, Cake Decorating, Music, Theater, Photography, Culinary Arts, Sewing, Crafts, Jewelry Making, Writing and Lettering, Quilting, Knitting, Floral Arrangement, Visual Art (Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Etc.), Other Creative Disciplines. If you are interested and willing to be part of one or both of these opportunities, please contact Carolyn Strahs at (585) 924-3252, ext. 3405 or at [email protected]. Thank you for any consideration you can give to joining in this effort and sharing your knowledge and/or experiences!
December is a whirl wind of a month, both inside and outside of school. We have three weeks to wrap up anything we have started as well as enjoy the holidays and celebrations that swirl around us. We practiced multiple strategies for adding and subtracting and identifying complete sentences. We focused on our google slide presentations so that we could present them at conferences. I enjoyed meeting with each student and their families to discuss the great progress everyone has made! We did an experiment with germs to learn how gross they really can be and learned how to play Prodigy on the computer. Then we also had some holiday fun, starting with discussing the character traits of the Grinch and practicing kindness to grow his heart. We played in the snow and enjoyed the 3rd grade holiday concert (not ours). Went down to Mr. Schmidt's room to make candy canes and practiced elapsed time by tracking Santa Claus. But I think my favorite part of this month is our travel that happened with Globe Trot Scott. We learned about so many different traditions and cultures in our travels and had so much fun doing it! This all culminated in a great Grinch themed holiday party before break. We left for two weeks on such a good note! The month of November had us in a great groove and also brought us the first snowfall of the year. We started out learning about the character traits of the heros of our country, veterans, coming up with things like strong and persistent and loyal. In reading and writing we have been studying precise language. We played a few rounds of headbands to work on our descriptions and created a Who Am I? hallway display. We also talked about synonyms and the shades of mean between those words by moseying and trotting around the room instead of walking and creating a craft using the thesaurus and paint strips. Based off our read aloud, we started collecting wonderous words and dollar words, a fun challenge for the kids. In math we are improving our number sense and understanding of place value working with numbers up to 1,000. They are learning and practicing multiple strategies to add and subtract numbers, including showing them on a number line. We have also done some health lessons around germs and some STEM opportunities while planning a Thanksgiving meal or saving our turkey's by constructing a boat. At the very end of the month we also got a chance to share our learning at one of the community morning meetings and they did amazing! And of course they also continue to request pictures of their buildings in the morning, so enjoy! We are into the swing of things and another month has gone by already! You see many pictures of the students fun creations from our morning time with Mr. Fish's class, they are so proud of their work! In October we learned about how to use a dictionary and what our WIN time would look like, which includes opportunities to practice spelling in various way. We learned about the geography of our earth and delved into weather and climate, experiencing measurement tools, listening to a meteorologist, testing engineering models like stilts and levees, and creating flipgrid presentations on the climate of a particular area. In math we covered multiplication, practicing arrays and the "easier" facts of 2, 5, and 10. We also enjoyed the measurement and data unit, spending a day wearing mustaches for "I mustache you a question!" In writing we studies authors like Jerry Pollatta, who use their personal experiences as a base for their stories, then spent some time trying out that type of writing. In reading we studied books that are mirrors of our own lives and windows into other lives. The students are gaining great perspective on the world through the books they are reading, both in school and at home! And of course we enjoyed some Halloween festivities at the end of the month. Welcome to 3rd grade and our first update of the school year. We are already off to a great start! We are getting to know each other and creating a wonderful classroom family. We got to check out the scientific method through testing magnets and learned about how to pick good books to read during independent reading time. We jumped right into math by learning how to multiply and divide. We learned about how to use the library and already saw an interesting play that took place in Puerto Rico. The play went right along with the geography lessons we are doing in social studies. We have learned so much already and have so many month to go! |