Science....Insect Inquiry Continues

It was another busy week in science.  We observed even more insects as part of our Plant and Animal Populations unit.  Last week I talked about how we observed predator - prey relationships.  All of our aphids quickly disappeared when they were introduced to the lady bugs.  Chomp! Chomp!

This week we observed the life cycle of fruit flies.  While I hate to ever have those in my house, they are a great example of observation of the various stages of egg, larva, pupa, and fruit fly.  Students could observe all the stages in one vile of fruit flies.  Very cool!

We also have set up an ant farm in the classroom.  Students are watching the ants dig their tunnels and do various jobs.  It is interesting to see that the ants bury their dead (yes, some have died).  They have also done a little research on ants, gathering at least 5 facts about ants, that we will share this week.

With both of these insects, students have learned about the characteristics of insects.  In conjunction with this, Angela, the Howard County Naturalist, will be stopping in Tuesday to do an Insect Inquiry activity with the 3rd graders and see what they have learned.  I am excited to have her stop in the classroom and share more learning with the students.

CADET Time...What is That? Focus on Fluency Last Week

Teachers spend a lot of time analyzing data, working with students in small groups, large groups or independently, and making observations.  This information is used to make decisions on what are each child's strengths and weaknesses.  We all learn at different paces and can't expect to be taught everything the same way and the same time.  This is why the district has created "Cadet Time".

Cadet Time is a 30 minute period of the day where teachers use data and observations to target and work with students in the areas they demonstrate a need in reading.  This can be a specific skill or strategy.  In the past, students in all classrooms moved between teachers as each teacher focused on a different skill/strategy.  We will not be doing that this year, but I will be using the idea of Cadet Time to build student's strengths and weaknesses.  If you think about it, that is what an educator should be doing all day anyway.  Right?

Through observation and assessments, a lot of 3B students have shown they struggle with reading fluency.  Last week during Cadet Time, I introduced a procedure revolving around building fluency and recording words per minute throughout the week for one passage.  I introduced it to all students, so they know the routine, but starting this week only students struggling with fluency will work on the passages.  The routine goes something like this:

1.  Students are given a passage.  They practice reading the passage with a whisper voice and highlight words they are unsure of or struggle with.  They can also write questions on the side about the reading (this will be introduced this week). 

2.  Teacher discusses passage with students.  Students share words highlighted and the group discusses the meaning of those words and how we can use accuracy strategies to determine those words and their meanings.  The teacher also orally reads through the passage out loud.

3.  Students have a partner who times them and records how many words per minute their partner gets.

4.  Students practice whisper reading the passage again for 3-5 minutes

5.  Students get with their partner and again read the passage, recording their words per minute.

6.  If we have time, students practice choral reading the passage with their partner and discuss the meaning behind the passage.

We use the same passage all week, focusing on the idea that repeated readings help build fluency and accuracy when reading. 

I will be sending out information asking for parent volunteers during Cadet Time.  Look for that to come out this week.  Due to the varying levels and needs of students, it would be nice to have some parent volunteers to help out.  

To kick off our work on fluency, students read silly poems with partners and practice "reading the punctuation" to present their poem choice to the class.  Super fun!

Genius Hour! What is Your Passion?

A new push in education the last few years has revolved around students recognizing their passions and deciding their own learning.  This is part of what we call "Genius Hour".  One of my favorite consultants in education, Angela Meiers,  goes around the US presenting to teachers and students encouraging them to share their passions.  She tells them, "You are a genius and the world expects your contribution".  Very powerful message if you think about it.

Genius Hour was a favorite of the students last year as well as the year before.  It is a time where students can decide what they would like to learn about, do research and hands on activities, and create something to share their learning with the class.  Their learning will revolve around key questions.

I kicked off genius hour by sharing two videos.  One is by my favorite, Kid President, in which he encourages students to go out and be awesome!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do in 3B.  It is titled "A Pep Talk from Kid President to You!".



The other video that I shared was about a boy who took his passions for arcades and created something wonderful.  This video is called "Cane's Arcade".



After reading some books about presenting the idea of Genius Hour, the students started their own "Wonder Wall" in their Genius Hour notebook.  We have a "Wonder Wall" in the class that we started writing questions an things that come up during the day that we wonder about.  The students also have done this in their notebooks.

The next step was to think about what we are passionate about.  Students created a page that they will continue to add on to, listing their passions and what they would love to learn more about.   Next week we will talk about asking questions to set the stage for learning as well as internet safety.  The students will then be ready to decide their passion and learning.

This is a powerful time that I am always amazed at what the students can do. We will have Genius Hour every Friday morning from 10:00-10:45.   Last year I had students build wind turbines, lava lamps, video movies, and so much more through Genius Hour.  It is a powerful time of learning!

Below is a picture of students writing their passions in their writing notebooks.

Guided Reading is Rolling!

Now that our district assessments are done, we are back in the routine of Daily 5 and have kicked of guided reading!! Yeah!!!  Everyone is so excited to start guided reading, and so am I!!!

With our first unit in literacy, the skills and strategies we will focus on are:

Determine Important Information

Author's Purpose

Inferencing

Drawing Conclusions

Nonfiction Helpers: Table of Contents and Number List

Prefixes of "not",

context clues

inflected endings

Synonyms

We will work on these strategies throughout the next 4 weeks.  This week the main focus will be on Determining Important Information, Author's Purpose, Synonyms, and Context Clues.  

MAPs and FAST Testing.....Done!

Besides a few students who were absent or need to finish, almost all of 3B has completed the MAPs assessments over reading, language, and math as well as the FAST assessments for the state of Iowa that cover fluency and reading.  It was a busy two weeks of testing, but the students were troopers and tried hard.

Information and scores from these assessments will be shared with parents at conferences in November.

To celebrate having these assessments done, I brought donuts Thursday morning for everyone to enjoy!  Nice job 3B.  I am very proud of you.....and glad those are done (for the most part).

Daily 5 in Full Motion, Mini Lessons, and Kicking Off Guided Reading!

Everyone, including myself,  is excited that we are in full Daily 5 routine and starting guided reading!  The plan was to start guided reading today, Tuesday, but our MAPs assessments took longer than planned.  No problem!  We will start sometime this week.  I am very proud of how hard the students are working through the different components of the Daily 5.  If you are not familiar with the Daily 5 and CAFE, please look below at previous post where they are explained.  Feel free to contact me as well if you have questions.

Our mini lessons during literacy the next few week will cover author's purpose, determining important information, and synonyms.

I mentioned last week that I would be sending home "At Home Reading" information.  Parents....I did not get that done last week with Dot Day but am planning to send that information by October 1st.  Look for that information soon!

I took these two great panoramic pictures of the students during the Daily 5 as well as writing when they were sharing their pieces with a partner.  Just wanted to share them.

Celebrating Creativity! Dot Day was a Hit!

Last week people all around the world celebrated International Dot Day.  This is a day in which people are encouraged to elebrate their creativity and be proud of what they can create.  It is a day based on the book by Peter Reynolds titled The Dot,  which we have read in the classroom.  I will post the online story below so you can check it out if you have not heard of it before.



Students in 3B spent Friday showing their creativity through various activities and stations. Here are some of the activities:

Students went on a "dot hunt" in the room and created a collage of their pictures using the app "Pic Collage".    They then posted their collage on their student blog pages so be sure to check them out.

Everyone contributed something to a class dot by painting on it to show his/her individual creativity.

We did some augmented reality using an app called Quiver.  Students colored a "dot" using marker and then used the app to make the "dot" pop off the page and move.  It was very cool, and the students loved it!

Using construction paper, students created layered dots to hang around the classroom.

By coloring on a coffee filter with markers and spraying it with water, the colors are forced to spread and create a stained glass look.  This was another favorite activity.  Our window in the classroom looks very cool because of these creative dots!

Yes, we also enjoyed some yummy "dot treats".  You can't have a celebration without food right?!

It was a fun way to end the week and remind ourselves to be creative!  And remember....when you create something....sign it!  Be proud!

Meet Mrs. VerMeer!

3B is so lucky to have Mrs. VerMeer join us for an hour of literacy a day to do some coteaching.  Many times, Mrs. VerMeer and I will teach a mini lessons together and then work with individual students or small groups.  It is nice to have another adult in the room as well as limiting the time some students are pulled out of the room.

So if you hear a 3B child talking about Mrs. VerMeer, you now know who she is.  Welcome Mrs. VerMeer!

Lots of Testing Going on at Crestwood

Last week the students completed their first FAST test.  This is a test that is given to all students in the state of Iowa to measure their individual fluency and reading comprehension/skills.  The fluency assessment is given to the students by myself, the teacher, one on one, and the other part, titled AReading, is done individually on the iPads.  These scores are then used to determine which students need interventions in the area of literacy.  Scores from these assessments will be shared with parents at conferences in November.  Students will retake the same FAST assessments mid year and at the end of the year.

This week we will be taking the MAPs testing.  Hopefully everyone is familiar with these assessments as the students have done them since 1st grade.  We will be taking Reading on Tuesday, Language on Wednesday, and Math on Thursday.  These assessments are not timed, students work at their own pace, and scores are analyzed by teachers upon completion.

The students will also be taking their first math assessment on Friday for unit 1.  It is a review unit that the 3rd grade teachers have revised to match the Iowa Core.  This assessment will cover recognizing time, counting money, making change, recognizing patterns in numbers and basic beginning skills.  I have worked with a few students on advanced skills, such as elapsed time, so a those students may have this on their assessment as well.

So it is a busy week for 3B.  I know they are going to knock my socks off with their great effort.  Parents at home, remember to make sure your child gets a good nights rest and eats a great breakfast every morning to help them be successful at school not only on assessments but daily activities.

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

Last week our critters arrived!  Students observed and learned about aphids.  Sadly, our bean plants did not grow enough since we planted them a few weeks ago so we could not transport the aphids from the container to our bean plants so we had to observe them through a clear glass that they arrived in.  Students talked about the idea of "population" and what can change their population.  We learned about their body parts and their exoskeleton, which they thought was very cool!

The next day I introduced the concept of "predator-prey".  Students then put some lady bugs in with the aphids and watched them enjoy a quick lunch.  

Following our observation and discussions, students blogged about predator and prey.  They also posted pictures of a food chain.  Students would love comments from friends and family.  Check them out on their student blogs.

Student Blog Pages! Check them Out!

Just a reminder that the students in 3B each have their own blog pages.  Many of the students have made various posts already this year and are slowly learning the many capabilities of having a Kidblog page.    Some of the activities they may have posted about include:
1.  Picture in honor of September 11th using Pic Collage
2.  Telling about our read aloud of The One and Only Ivan and posting a picture with it
3.  Writing about a book they are reading in Read to Self
4.  Posting a picture (this was when they were learning how to post pictures) from our Number Hunt around the school

Please remember that these are beginning posts and are usually done without the help of a teacher as I want the students to have ownership in what they post.  There are errors within the post, but I want each student to feel like it is their blog, not mine, so therefore it must be their writing.

Be reassured that I do look at all post as well as comments.  Comments have to be approved by me, online, before they will show up on the student pages so it is a very safe and regulated online blog page.  So if you do make a comment, realize it will not show up immediately as it is sent to me for approval. 

Here is the link to access the student blog pages:

https://kidblog.org/class/mrskerians3b/posts

The blog posts are usually listed in order in which they were published and/or made public.  You can search and read all of them or access a specific child by looking on right side of blog page and seeing individual students listed.  Click on the student you would like to read, and the site will take you to his/her blog posts.  

Realize when a student is absent or still working on a post, they may not participate in that blog activity or it just is not done yet. 

This week I will be teaching the students how to "comment" correctly.  Right now, they are just posting their own comments without being really shown how to comment correctly.  That is coming up this week.  

Enjoy!  Remember students love to read comments from family and friends so please share our blog page link with relatives as well!

Great Article about Homework!

We are off to a great start in 3B and the first month has flown by.  Pretty soon it will be Halloween and then comes the dreaded.....SNOW!  Maybe if we don't talk about it, it won't happen because I truly hate snow.

I wanted to make a quick comment about homework in 3B.  While I encourage students to read every night, parents of my 3B students will soon find that there is not a lot of homework in third grade.  Reading is a must!  That is what is important and more information this week will be sent home about that.  Yes, there will be random times when I will send some math information or practice home or science to study, but rarely is there anything I ask the students to do at home except be sure to read.

Instead of going on and on about the research to support my thoughts about homework in 3rd grade, I encourage everyone to read the article listed below.  You will have to click on the link and read it only.  It is a good article about the role of homework and how it fits in today's school settings.

http://www.brilliant-insane.com/2015/07/8-questions-parents-ask-progressive-teachers.html

Working Hard to Build Stamina!

Students have been working hard at building their stamina in four of the five areas of the Daily 5.  While they made it to 20 minutes in Read to Self last week, they did fall backwards and are working hard to build that stamina back to 20 minutes.  We launched Work on Writing this week as well continued building stamina for Read to Someone and Listen to Reading.  Along with this, students have started learning about and practicing strategies off our Cafe board, probably the most important aspect of the Daily 5.  Through my discussion with the students, I have determined they used a CAFE board in their classrooms previously but never really understood what it was for.  So before we started putting strategies on our CAFE board in 3B, we had a great discussion on why we use it and what it means.

This board is part of the Daily 5 in which strategies are taught to students in the areas of
      C -  comprehension
      A -  accuracy
      F -  fluency
      E -  expanding vocabulary
Just like you order off a menu when sitting in a CAFE, this wall is a menu of strategies and skills that we work on in 3rd grade to build reading.

Strategies are posted on the CAFE board under the area of reading they build and strengthen.  Thus far students have reviewed and practiced:
     Check for Understanding as a comprehension strategy
     Cross Checking as an accuracy strategy
     Reading with Expression as a fluency strategy
     Just Right Books for fluency and comprehension
     Go back and reread as a fluency strategy

We also have started reviewing and learning about what it means to use "coach or time" when reading with someone.  This entitles the student who is listening to take the role of a teacher and help give strategies to their reading partner when he/she is stuck on a word.  Thus, the listener and reader learn and apply various word attack strategies.

This coming week we will continue to build our "coach or time" strategies,  practice reading with expression,  and talk about what it means to be a "Voracious Reader".

I will also be sending information home about students independent reading at home sometime this week.  Look for information at the beginning of the week.

Remembering September 11th

Hard to believe it has been 14 years since the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City.  I remember the day very vividly as I have a cousin and an uncle who both work downtown Manhattan, one who worked in the Twin Towers.  Luckily, they were both out of the city that day on business, but such a sad day in our country's history.

We had a powerful discussion Friday morning about September 11th.  I shared pictures and memories of my visit to New York City just days after the attacks (I had planned a visit with my family and we had the opportunity to go down to Ground Zero.  It is a moment and visit I will never forget.)  We watched a "kid friendly" video that gave background about September 11th.  We read some books as well, one of which reminded the students that everything will be alright.  The students had so many questions and concerns.  It was really a touching moment.  I told them to each go home and ask their parents if they remember where they were Sept. 11th and what they were doing at the time of the attacks.  Hopefully some of them had that discussion with their parents.

The students then used their iPads to illustrate pictures in honor of September 11th.   While these 3rd graders were not alive on this horrible day in history, they did a nice job illustrating pictures and showing they will never forget what they learned today and what happened in New York City.   Check out all their illustrations on their student blog pages (link is on the right of my blog page).

Fuel Up for Fitness

The entire school district participated in what we called "Fuel Up for Fitness" last Friday.  This was a day in which students were reminded to eat healthy and stay active.  We spent almost an hour enjoying activities outside with four bouncy houses, attended a district wide assembly at the high school, and enjoyed watermelon and water at the end of the day to wrap everything up.  It was a fun day, and hopefully students will remember to eat healthy and stay active.

Plant and Animal Populations

Science is becoming a favorite time for 3B. They love to get into things, analyze objects, and are so curious about different activities.  It is a fun, yet "busy" time of the day.  Sometimes, I will be honest, the students have a hard time staying focused and controlling their excitement as science is at the end of the day.  But every day is getting better and better.

This week we prepared for some "visitors" that will arrive sometime soon.  The students are not quite sure what is coming, but we discussed how they needed a food supply.  So this week we planted different types of seeds: beans, peas, grass, and clover.  Let's hope the visitors will enjoy one of those and not be picky eaters.

We also spent some time dissecting seeds.  Everyone was fascinated to learn that a seed has what is called a "seed coat" to protect it.  We compared that to us wearing coats in the winter time.  The students then broke the seed apart to identify the starting of the "root" and "first leaf" (which we could not do in all seeds).  Great hands on learning.

Wonder what the visitors will be?  We will have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday to find out.  We will also be analyzing a "Mystery Object", taking a nature walk, and setting up an ant farm as well.  Busy week ahead.

Picture Day!

Just a reminder that picture day is tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8th.  If you are ordering pictures, please return the envelope with your money.  If you are not ordering pictures, that is fine, but your child will still have his/her picture taken for the class composite.

Week 2...In the Books!

The students have been working so hard the first two weeks of school.  I am so impressed with their dedication and enthusiasm!!!  It makes my job so much easier!!!  Keep it up 3B!

We have been busy learning routines and establishing what we would like our classroom to look like and sound like.  Here are some snip-its of what has been going on:

Literacy:  We have been spending a lot of time building our Read to Self and Read to Someone stamina!  This will help set the foundation and routines for the rest of the school year.  Students have done a great job building their stamina for Read to Self up to 20 minutes already!!! Yeah 3B!!!  This was after they had time to explore books in the classroom, select books that were "just right" for them  and using the "I Pick" strategy that we learned about.  We have also spent some time discussing what reading is.  While students are reading to self, I have been doing some assessing and listening to them read in preparation for starting guided reading groups soon. We have practiced the strategy of "Check for Understanding" as well.   With only three days of Read to Someone, the students have build their stamina to 10 minutes.  We will keep working on this hoping to get to 20 minutes as well.  This week we will also throw in "Listen to Reading".

Math:  Math is structured similar to literacy.  In math, the students are doing the Daily 3.  Math with Someone, Math Technology, and Math by Myself.  I should call it the Daily 4 really as there is also Math with the Teacher.  Students have a great grasp of each of these areas and put it into motion last Thursday and Friday.  They have been introduced to a new math app called "ST Math".  This was awarded to Howard Winn through the STEM Scale Up grants.  Last week we also worked on reviewing telling time and showing time to the nearest minute as well as number grids.  There are many activities on the side of my blog page that I have shown the students.  Students are encouraged to access these online activities at home as well to review concepts learned in class.

Science:  Besides our STEM day (see previous post), students have been introduced to the Scientific Method.  We did a fun activity using chocolate kisses and chocolate hugs.  Students had to apply the scientific method to determine which melts faster in your mouth, the kiss or the hug.  It was a fun way to learn about science.  We will be moving into our first unit on Plants and Animal Populations this week.

Writing:  It always seems like the hardest part about writing for 3rd graders at the beginning of the year is getting ideas.  Students have listened to me read many picture books while setting up their own writing notebook full of ideas that they can write about.  We will continue working on ideas in writing as well as move into reviewing nouns and verbs this coming week.   We have also learned how to access our student blog pages and have made a few beginning post.  Be sure to check them out using the link on the side of my blog page.

So you can see we are very busy in 3B!  I love the end of the day when the students are shocked it is time to go home.  They are amazed how fast each and every day goes.  We are really having a lot of fun while learning so much!

Our First STEM Day....The Bubble Bonanza!

STEM....Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.......a movement in education that is becoming popular and important.  I was honored to be on the Governor's STEM NE Iowa Advisory Council for two years.  During that time, and currently, I look forward to days in which students can explore, create, discover, and analyze learning through STEM activities.  Learning that may not have happened otherwise.

We had our first STEM day involving bubbles.  We called it The Great Bubble Bonanza.  Supplies and lessons for this STEM day were given to 3rd grade through a STEM Scale Up Grant awarded to Crestwood 3rd grade teachers.   Students applied the scientific method and STEM learning to explore what bubbles can and can not do, how to make a wand that makes the smallest bubbles, the largest bubbles, and what materials work best for wands. Many other aspects of bubbles were discussed and explored as well.   It was a fun day that the students really enjoyed, and they came up with some great ideas and learning.

We will be doing STEM activities in 3B at least every other week.  Yeah STEM!!!

Parent Volunteers Needed

Friday, September 11th, is "Fuel and Fitness" Day at Crestwood.  Students will be involved in activities such as bouncy houses, walking the track, and enjoying watermelon.  This is a district wide celebration in which students are encourage to stay fit and get moving while eating healthy.

3rd graders will be enjoying the bouncy houses from 11:00-11:45.  I am looking for 1-2 volunteers to help monitor the bouncy houses during that time.  If you are interested and can volunteer, please email me or call me at school.  If I have more than two volunteers, I will put the names in a hat and draw two names.

Thanks so much!  Looking forward to a fun day!