The Hour of Code! We Love Coding!

Last week 3B students participated in "The Hour of Code".  Information about the Hour of Code can be found at https://hourofcode.com/us.  This was a movement set up to get all students across the world to participate in at least one hour of coding.  3B was part of this great activity and we loved it!

It is believed that all students will have to have some understanding of coding to be an effective working member of society in the future.  Learning to code at our level involved some great apps and online sites.  Many great coding activities are also found on the "Hour of Code" website at https://code.org/learn.  Students did not want to stop once they figured out how to code.  It was really a great week-long activity that we will continue throughout the year.

Along with this, students also did some coding in TECH class.  They loved coding the cars and bugs to move and drive!

I am excited to say students in 3B can code!  Can you?

Multiplication Madness

Sorry it has been so long since I have made a blog post.  I find posting things and activities via Facebook and Twitter quicker and easier, but I also realize that many of you do not have Facebook or Twitter accounts.  So sorry for the lack of blog post lately. Be reassured that 3B has been a busy place.

Multiplication is what the focus is in math and students are working hard to build their multiplication and division facts.  Yesterday everyone learned a game called Baseball Multiplication which reinforced the need to know our facts.

Along with this, students have been building their multiplication facts by earning gumballs.  Starting with the 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s, students earn a piece of gum and start filling their gum ball machines by getting all the facts done on the page in 1 minute.  It is definitely a challenge as there are 25 problems. We will do these minute assessments every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Students will receive their gum the following day when they master a fact family.  I can definitely tell which students have been practicing and which need to keep practicing.  The first 4-5 students who master all their basic multiplication facts will get a gumball machine filled with bubble gum!

Just a reminder to parents that students can work on their multiplication facts at home as we do not spend a lot of time in class working on them.  We have some apps the students use during "Math Technology" to build recall of facts, but there are also many activities online listed on the side of my blog page students can access at home and play.

Book Orders Due Tuesday, November 24th

I am sending home another book order.  I hope to place this order over Thanksgiving break so the books will arrive early enough for Christmas.  If you are ordering books for Christmas and would like me to set them aside, please mark on the order or attach a note stating that they are Christmas books and should not be sent home with the student.

Here are some reminders about book orders:
1.  PLEASE be sure you write your child's name on the top of each order.  We had some last time without names, and usually I catch it but did not this time.  Please make sure the name is on the top of each individual order form.

2.  PLEASE be sure to remind your child to hand me the order. I have reminded them not to just set them on the table or put in basket as sometimes they get misplaced.

3.  PLEASE remember to write checks out to me, Mrs. Kerian, as I order the books online with my credit card.  This makes the ordering easier and books come faster.  Do NOT make the check out to the school or Scholastic book clubs.

4.  PLEASE have all orders in an envelope, money included, name written on order and outside envelope.

5.  Return student orders by Tuesday, November 16th.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.  There are some great books in these orders that will make wonderful Christmas presents!!

I Wanna be an Astronaut!!!!

Crestwood had the honor of hosting a real astronaut!!! Yes!!! A real astronaut!!!  Clayton Anderson is a astronaut who visited and spoke with groups of students, K-12,  throughout the day sharing his experiences and answering questions. He has taken many space travels and had so much to share with all of us!    Here is a cool video that Mr. Carver shared for the students to understand the impact of what Clayton Anderson has made in space research and discovery.



Mr. Anderson took us on a space travel mission! I was so impressed how he spoke to each group he presented to at different levels for the students to better understand and stay engaged.  He did super! For our space travel, he had the students buckle up their five buckles, put in their helmet and visor, control the gears and controls to launch, blast off, float around in space, take pictures in outer space, and return to the landing strip.  The students loved it!!!  As he was having us do all these things, he also shared facts for us to learn about space travel.  Following this, he answered some questions from the students.  It was a wonderful opportunity for all of us to experience!!!

I think I have some future astronauts in the 3B!!!

Veteran's Day - Thank You to All Veterans!

My brother, Ken, was a veteran and served in the US Army.  Going through the experiences of taking him to the airport to go overseas to Iraq and not hearing from him for days/weeks is something that I will never forget.  His dedication, as well as others whom we met through him, is something I admire and honor him for.  Thus, it only made sense to show our appreciation to our vets in my classroom by setting up a white table.

If you have not heard the story of America's White Table, it is one that is worth reading.  It is a super picture book about a girl who's uncle is a veteran and her family sets up a white table every year on this day.  The girl learns why and builds an emotional connection with her uncle as well as an understanding about Veterans Day.

To go with the story, a table was set up in our classroom with items to help us remember those who have served and those who never returned. Items on the table are:
* A small table for one's lonely battle against many
* A white cloth to honor a soldier's pure heart
* A lemon slice and grains of sale to show a captive soldier's bitter fate and tears from family
* An empty chair for missing soldier
* A black napkin for sorrow captivity
* A white candle for peace
* A red rose in a vase tied with a red ribbon for hope
* Hero written in the salt

Students were then encouraged to bring in items from relatives or friends who are veterans so that we can show an appreciation for them and thank them!  The table was set all week and students brought in objects, medals, clothing, etc. to share with the class.

We also took some time to write thank you cards that will be mailed to a service woman from Cresco.  Her name is Bre Balk and she was recently deployed.  I will mail the cards this week to her.  

Veterans were also invited to have lunch with the students for free to show our appreciation to them.  It was great to see so many family members and friends have lunch in our cafeteria.  

And again, thank you to every Veteran for your service.  We can never thank you enough!

Parent Teacher Conferences - Wonderful!!

I had 100% turn out for parent teacher conferences! Yeah!  It is wonderful when parents and families work together with their child's teacher to benefit the child.  Isn't that what is most important?  So thank you to all the parents for coming to parent teacher conferences!  I loved sharing all the great things happening in 3B and talking about goals for each child to continuing building.  Please remember that communication is key and we are in this together!

As I mentioned at conferences, students are finishing up their science test - a hands on assessment applying learning to create a Videolicious video.  I told parents that most students would be done soon, and they are!  I will post 3-4 videos on our class Facebook page throughout the next few days as well as post some on this blog page. The video created is a connection to the "big ideas" in our science unit of "Plant and Animal Populations".   Stay tuned.  An assessment rubric was used to assess each video as well.  Those will be sent home as well.

 

Measurement Mania!

Wow!  I apologize for not making a post in a while.  The last two weeks flew by.  I post events from the classroom and information more frequently on my class Facebook page so please be sure to follow that for more information on a daily basis.

Measurement is the focus in math lately.  It is a short unit in which we work on measuring to nearest half and quarter inch as well as nearest half centimeter.  Now, measuring to nearest half or whole unit is a little easier than measuring to nearest quarter.  We have been reviewing quarter inch measurement the last few days and students are showing a better understanding each day.

Students also used their creative side to make Measurement Monsters.  They loved this activity because they had to make certain parts for their monster and measure those parts as accurately as they could.  It was fun watching them get creative!

Along with this, we are also working on perimeter and area.   Everyone loved working on perimeter using mini M & Ms.  Yum!

While we don't know our multiplication facts well, students are seeing a connection between area and multiplication.   We will work on reviewing the concept of area this week using Cheez-Its!  Who knew you could learn so much math while having a snack once and a while.

Parent Teacher Conferences.....Coming Soon!

I am excited that parent teacher conferences are coming up soon.  I checked the schedule and see that many of you have already signed up.  Remember that you must sign up online.  If you are having difficulty logging in to sign up, feel free to call Linda at 547-2300 and she will help you get set up.

Conferences are held next Tuesday, November 2nd, and Thursday, November 4th, from 2:30-8:00.  Conferences each run 15 minutes long.  We have lots to cover so I will be going through a variety of information in a short amount of time.  Please be sure to be prompt and not late for your conferences as that will delay all conferences behind you.

Because I have 27 students, if any parents or guardians would like to schedule conferences on a different day either before school, after school, or at lunch, that is fine.  Just contact me and we can set something up.

I am excited to share all the great learning happening the first quarter of school.  As one of my students said the other day, "We are SO busy in 3B...the day just FLIES by".  It was precious.....and true!!!

Picture Retakes...This Tuesday!

Just a reminder that picture retakes are this Tuesday, October 27th.  If anyone wants to have their school picture retaken, they need to bring back the picture taken originally in order to get new ones taken.

Inferencing....Reading Between the Lines

Last week we worked on a new reading strategy...inferencing.  It is a tougher strategy that students sometimes struggle with.   I am feeling like the students have a pretty good grasp on inferencing in videos and list of words so this week we will move onto inferring in reading.  

I wanted to show everyone a great video we used last week to talk about inferencing.  It is called "The One Man Band" and students did a great job inferring what was happening as well as the feelings of the characters.

What inferences can you make during this short video?

Quick Summary of What Has Been Happening and What is Coming in 3B

As usual, we are very busy in 3B.  I am so pleased with the routine the students have gotten into as well as how hard they are working.  Along with having some fun,  3B is doing wonderful!

Below is a quick summary of the activities, strategies, and events that have been happening in 3B or are coming up:

1.  Reminder that this coming week is Character Counts Week.  Students should have brought home a letter last week stating the activities for each day focusing on different pillars.  The information is also below in the picture.

2.  Our literacy focus on the strategies of determining important information and main ideas are wrapping up (for now) as we move on to inferencing this week.  Everyone worked hard on building their understanding of main idea and supporting details by working with a group to match supporting details with a main idea before working on the same idea individually with ice cream.  We then moved into reading passages to determine the main idea before checking our understanding through an assessment on Friday.   These assessments will be shared at conferences.

Everyone did an excellent job building a better understanding as well of author's purpose.  We used the following visual to remind us of the three main reasons author's write:  PIE.  P-persuade, I-inform, and E-entertain.

This coming week we will be moving into reviewing prefixes and the strategy of inferencing.

3.  Addition and subtraction of 2-3 digit numbers, along with estimating, problem solving, and fact extensions have been the focus of unit 2.  Students will be taking an assessment over these concepts this coming Friday.  I will not be sending home a review packet for students for this unit but will be working with them reviewing concepts and problem solving this week in preparation for the upcoming assessment.  Students can be working on addition and subtraction of 2-3 digit numbers, with and without regrouping, at home with parents as practice.

4.  Everyone is ready to apply the concepts to what they learned about plant and animal populations to their final unit assessment.  This is a project based assessment.  This week I will be introducing students to their project of making a video that focuses on a selected animal and highlights/demonstrates the understanding of the key concepts and vocabulary we have focused on during this unit.  

5.  Writing will continue to work on applying the writing process towards publication of a piece of writing that will be shared at conferences.  (see previous post below)

Word Works...What is It?

I am sure many of you have heard about Word Works?  It is a part of the Daily 5 routine that focuses on what many people call "spelling".  I like the name of "Word Works" because you are really focusing on the way words are created, how they work.

The process of Word Works in 3rd grade is similar to what the students told me they used to do in 2nd grade, with some changes.  Let me highlight some of those changes by explaining the five day routine.

Day 1:  Students work together as a class to create a class list that contains words focusing on a sound or family.  For our practice week/introductory week, we just did the short vowel sounds of /a/, /i/, and /u/.   I wanted the students to become familiar with the routine and rationale of Word Works before starting them on challenging words.  So the students create a class list with me on Day 1.  After we have a solid list of varying difficulties in words, students then select a given amount of words from the class list that becomes their "individualized list".  Just like we all read at different levels, students do not all spell at the same level.  Do you think they should have the same word lists?  I don't think so.  We discuss how it is important each student select words that are "just right" for them, not those that are too "easy cheesy" or "too challenging".  After students have selected their list and I approve it, they they record their words on the app titled "A+ Spelling".  This app allows for students to put in their individual list, record the words, and practice them in various ways once the words are put into the app.

Day 2:  Day 2 involves focusing on the sound or family of the week, not necessarily the words selected by students.  It is more important that students work on the sound/family than memorize a list of words.  Therefore, students work with the sound/family of the week using the app of "Spelling City".  I have put lists on this site in which students have words of varying difficulty in which to manipulate in different ways.  They love this site and there is so much to do!

Day 3:  I think this is their favorite day as here is where we get a little competitive.  Students get with their "Word Works" partner and play a little game called "Knights and Dragons".  Basically if they spell their word correctly, they get to make a line on a game mat with the goal of closing the box and winning over the "square" as the knight or dragon.  It is an awesome way to practice words selected for the week.

Knights and Dragons

Day 4:  Another favorite is this day as it focuses on manipulating the words selected through various kinesthetic modes.  Students can select which activity they would like to use to work on their words.  These activities include letter tiles, magnetic letters, wiki stix, rainbow writing, blue consonant red vowel, and others that will be introduced in the upcoming weeks.  When students manipulate the letters and words in one of these types of modes, their chances of remember the sound/family increases.  Here are a few pictures of some of the activities.

Magnetic letters

Triangle Spelling

Blue Consonant/Red Vowel and vice versa

Day 5:  The test.  Students once again get with their word works partner and give each other their individualized test over their words for the week.

The goal is to make this a process that occurs Monday thru Friday, but with crazy schedules, many times the process is off.  So we just call it by numbers, Day 1, Day 2, etc. instead of Monday, Tuesday. ....

I should also comment that students do not bring home their word lists to study during the week.  Again, the goal is not for them to memorize a list of words.  The goal is for them to work with the words and sounds/family to build a better understanding of how words work.  By working on the words/sounds daily in a five day process, the students should be successful at building and recognizing the sounds that make their words selected that week.  You will see their 'tests' from Day 5 come home.

Writing is Like Art!

The writing process is a big part of 3rd grade writing instruction.  That being said, it is a process that

many people, even adults, struggle with.  The best way to relay the writing process to 3rd grade minds was to connect it to something they know about....art.  Art is a process as well.  Starting with a vision, the artist creates something, takes pieces out, adds pieces, changes things, possibly starts over, ask opinions, and then presents his/her masterpiece for others to see and enjoy.  This is just like writing.

So to help my 3B students see the process they would begin working through with writing, I had them apply the same process an artist would to play dough.  Students started out with some play dough.  Their first direction stated that they had 8-10 minutes to create something, whatever they wanted.  After that time period, they were told they had 2-3 minutes to take something out.  Following that, students were told they had 2-3 minutes to add something.  Finally students were then told they had 2-3 minutes to change something.  All of these things are what artists do.  Then students titled their creations and classmates went around sharing compliments and thoughts on post-it notes for the artists to celebrate and read.

Connect this to writing.  Writers create something, edit by taking things out, adding things, changing things, starting over.  They also share their piece with someone else through peer editing and publishing, giving their piece a title.

My hope is that students will see how the writing process is similar to what an artist would do to create a masterpiece.  When a writer publishes a piece....isn't that a masterpiece as well?  It is to me and should be to them!