Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Emma's Baypath Humane Society Project
Friday, March 5, 2010
Matt's Mom Surprises Us (... and Matt!)
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Moon Phases and the Mobile Lab
This week in science class we started our observation of the moon phase cycle, beginning with the new moon on February 14th. Using links from our class website, we viewed and logged the moon phases for the week of vacation up through today. The children are encouraged to look for the moon when they are at home or just driving around town. Many children were surprised to see the moon out of our classroom window yesterday afternoon -- a waxing gibbous! The moon has a different rise and set cycle than the sun, so it is often visible during the day and night. Using these links from our class website, the class also chose Apollo 11 videos to view from the NASA website. On these original videos from the 1960s, the boys and girls saw Neil Armstrong take his first step onto the moon and heard his famous "One step for Man, one giant leap for Man Kind" proclamation. Thank you to our new Technology Integration Specialist, Mrs. Mack, for helping us access these resources while using the mobile laptop lab right in our classroom!
Kailey's Mom Comes to Read
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Compare and Contrast Reports
For this project, we followed the writing process and first compared the stories on a chart. After this analysis was finished, the children wrote drafts of each paragraph using a graphic organizer. Then, after revising and editing, we began our final copies. In the compare paragraph, the students individually analyzed how the stories were similar and used words such as also, both, too, similar and for example in their writing. For the contrast paragraph the children wrote about how the two tales were different while using words such as but, however, and although.
Be looking in your child's backpack for these reports to come home this week. I am particularly impressed with the development in their writing since the beginning of the year. Once again, a marvelous job by the boys and girls of Room 29!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
"How to Draw" Books
How to Draw ..... frog, double star, smiley face Red Sox Fan, pig, dog, running pencil, violin, erupting volcano, turtle, Massachusetts, globe, sun, hockey stick and puck, tree, flower, fish, "Eye Grow", Snowman, Tow Truck, Stick Person, Tree House.
Uthman's mom as Mystery Reader
Plimouth Plantation
Friday, January 22, 2010
Our Camilla Wins Third Grade Bookmark Contest
Our very own Camilla won Elmwood School's Third Grade Bookmark Contest. Mrs. Weldon announced this to the whole school this morning. Our whole class erupted in applause and cheers for Camilla, who had just learned the big news too. Camilla's bookmark will go on to the state competition sponsored by the Massachusetts School Library Association. If Camilla wins the state competition, she will get to meet Governor Patrick and tour the State House in Boston! We are so proud of Camilla who worked on this project out of school and created such a creative contest entry!
Billy came to read to us ...
Mrs. Oldach's son, Billy, finished his finals at Hopkinton High School on Thursday morning and then headed over to our classroom to be our Mystery Reader. He read us Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner. Ever wonder why your snowman may look a little disheveled in the morning? Well maybe he was out with his friends sledding or having a snowball fight!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Camilla's Mom Comes to Read
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Erosion Explosion!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The "How To" Files
The hallway outside of our classroom has been transformed into a "How To" Information Center! The children chose their own topic for this writing project. Would you like to know how to make a mushroom and shrimp pizza, the proper way to bat a ball, or how to set up a fish tank? Then stop by sometime before or after school and check out our display. Using the writing process, the children incorporated time order transition words and effective topic and clincher sentences to carefully explain how to perform a task. The expanded paragraphs are complemented by a colorful, detailed illustration. Another job well done by the boys and girls of Room 29!
Patrick's Brother Visits Too!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Invention Convention Success!
Check out the slide show "gadget" to the right for a slide show of all of our students with their creations.
Playing Four Corners with SWOOPS!
Yesterday our class played "Four Corners" with our school mascot, Swoops, the Elmwood eagle. Playing a game with our feathered friend was the award the children voted to receive after winning a class pompom award. The pompom award is earned after the class receives 25 unsolicited complements (ask your child what this means! ) from school staff for things such as working hard, listening well, supporting each other or extra good behavior. For every compliment, a pompom is moved into the award container. Once all of the pompoms were earned, we held a class vote for the special award the children wanted to receive. This two stage voting process is a lesson in democracy !
Playing Four Corners with Swoops won by a landslide victory with a 4 to 1 margin (math is everywhere!). Four Corners is a favorite indoor recess game and it is also the game that our class plays to celebrate student birthdays. A special thank you to Swoops and his handler, Ms. Wiggin, for making this award come to life. Watch the video for a look at our celebration!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Our First Recorder Performance
One of the highlights of being a third grader at Elmwood School is playing your recorder at the Meeting of the Eagles. Here is a video of our class in their first public performance playing the all time favorite "Pepperoni Pizza" at the November Meeting of the Eagles last Wednesday. Take a bow boys and girls!
Mystery Reader Double Header
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thank You Mr. Kilduff !
Native American Legends
Mystery Reader ... Emily's Mom
Our mystery reader read us ... a mystery! Last Friday, Emily's mom read us a new library book called What Really Happened to Humpty? Did Humpty fall off the wall or was he really pushed?! Was Miss Muffet involved? Or the Big Bad Wolf? Ask your third grader how the plight of Humpty Dumpty is solved in this fractured fairy tale.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
First "Lunch Bunch" with Mrs. Silver
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Mystery Reader - Grace's Mom
Pumpkin Blowout
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The Strongest One
This week in reading we will be exploring fables from different cultures. The story in our anthology reading book is The Strongest One, a traditional tale of the Zuni people. Who says the smallest can not be the mightiest? The Zuni (pronounced Zun-yee) people are still living in New Mexico today. This Zuni Facts Page for Kids answers questions that the Zuni are most often asked by children.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Beverly Cleary and "Muggie Maggie"
Who is Muggie Maggie? What does "Muggie" mean ???
Maggie Schultz is a third grader that is just beginning to learn cursive, just like all the children in Room 29. But Maggie does not think cursive is very important ... or maybe she is a little worried about learning something new? Ask your child how Mrs. Leeper and Mr. Galloway put together a plan to convince Maggie that she can do whatever she sets her mind to. We use this story to define different connections to a story (text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world), analyze character traits vs. physical traits, and to develop story sequencing.
As a final assignment, the children are choosing a Journal Project which can be either a description of a favorite scene, a diary entry of a time when they had to overcome a challenge, or a persuasive letter to convince me to teach (or not to teach!) cursive to my class next year.
Visit the World of Beverly Cleary to take a quiz about Maggie and to meet other beloved Cleary characters
Gear Activities
"Gear City" by Room 21
Friday, October 16, 2009
Mystery Reader This Week -- Emma's Mom!
Emma's mom surprised us during Library today as the Mystery Reader. She read us two Dr. Seuss favorites. One of the books And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was Seuss's first children's book in 1937. Mulberry Street" is the name of a street in Springfield, Massachusetts, not far from Dr. Seuss' boyhood home on Fairfield Street. Our class connection to this story is that "29 Mulberry Street" is our classroom Wee Deliver address here in the "East Whoville" part of Elmwood School!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Techsploration Videos
Pulley Tug of War
Launch those Goldfish!
Grace has a new Baby Sister!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Our First Mystery Reader
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Gear It Up!
Thank you also to the HPTA funded program "Techsploration" : a fantastic, upfront, zany exhibition of how simple machines trade distance for effort to make work easier. Perfect for third graders!
Math and Money
We will soon be moving onto Unit 2: Adding and Subtracting with Whole Numbers, which focuses on concepts leading up to the partial sums algorithm and trade first subtraction. The children have been doing a nice job on their timed tests! Please remember to practice those math facts at home -- this extra practice really does make a difference with their performance on these weekly tests.