Dear Team 22 families,
I hope you are all enjoying the crazy New England weather we have been having this February vacation. It has been a busy month for your third graders! Below, you will find an update of what we have been working on in each of our core subjects over the past couple weeks. :)
Reading
In Reading, we wrapped up our study on Native American myths. We did a brief introduction to Greek myths in which the students had an opportunity to learn about King Midas and the Golden Touch. The students loved this story. They were able to make connections to the characters in the story and sympathize with King Midas. They were also able to pick out the deeper message of the story with ease. (The students will have a chance to further dive into Greek mythology next year in fourth grade!)
We recently began our poetry unit. Students have now had a chance to free read poetry by themselves and with partners. Before vacation, the students spent time studying similes, finding similes in poetry with partners, and even had a chance to come up with some similes of their own! They did an amazing job with this! I was impressed with the critical thinking the students used to explain a number of the similes they found in their poetry books. On Valentines Day, many students even had an opportunity to write a poem of their own!
Math
In Math, the students have been comparing fractions. They have been busy naming which fractions are greater than, less than, and equal to other fractions. The third graders have been using fraction strips to understand that when a whole is partitioned into a large number of pieces, those pieces will be smaller in size compared to a whole that is partitioned into fewer pieces. The third graders also continue to practice their multiplication facts in class with a number of different games that are available to them during math workshop.
Science
Social Studies
In Social Studies, we have continued learning about the Puritans. Over the past couple weeks, the students spent time working in small groups completing readings on various aspects of Puritan schools. The third graders learned about how students were treated in school, what consequences were for misbehavior, who instructed Puritan children, what subjects were taught, and what kinds of resources were available.
Team 22 was fascinated, learning about this. After each small group completed their assigned reading, they worked together to pick out three key details they learned from their article and joined together to create a visual representation of the information written in their text. The posters that each group worked on came out beautifully! These are currently on display in our hallway.
Last Monday, we finally had our Wampanoag speaker come in to talk to the kids about his Native American ancestors and what it is like growing up a member of the Wampanoag tribe. Phillip, our speaker, brought in animal furs, dolls, toys, and games made from animal hide and bones. The students had a great time learning from Phillip and having a chance to participate in some of the beloved games Phillip still plays with his family today. Philip explained the value that the Wampanoag people place on conserving natural resources. The students were impressed seeing so many tools and toys that could be constructed from animals alone. After Philip left us to speak to the third grade class next door, each of the students took a moment to write down one piece of information they learned from Philip about the Wampanoag people.
Writing
In Writing, the students have started a unit on realistic fiction. We used the book, Too Many Tamales, as our mentor text. After reading this book, we discussed the characters, setting, problem, and solution. All of the students then had time to talk to a partner, share and then write down their response to the question, "What makes realistic fiction seem so real?" The kids' answers ranged from "Something that could actually happen" to "There are no mythical creatures and nothing can fly in realistic fiction".
I then shared a realistic fiction story I put together myself, as an example, and then had the students spend time coming up with ideas for their own stories.
The students have done a fantastic job with their realistic fiction pieces and have shown such enthusiasm in sharing their work with the rest of the class. Recently, we discussed how to organize our pieces, separating the beginning, middle, and end of our story.
On Wednesday, February 14th, we had a Valentine's Day celebration in our class. The students had a chance to end the day, handing out cards and gifts to their classmates, eating snacks, and participating in a number of Valentine's Day activities. A big thank you to all of the parent volunteers who helped out in room 22! Your time spent with us was greatly appreciated.
Best,
Miss Weinstein
