I haven't written in a bit so there's quite a lot to report. Term 2 has ended and we are now in our last term of the school year, which is incredible! Time goes by so quickly! I'd like to catch you up on what has been happening in Room 8 these days, so....
Reading
February was all about Traditional Literature! In class, we learned to identify the elements of folktales, fables, legends, and trickster tales. We read stories from different parts of the world and discussed how and where these elements appeared. Students also worked on sequencing skills and how to recognize the beginning, middle, and ending of a tale. Many discussions focused on character traits, theme, and lessons that can be gained from reading these stories.
March is dedicated to poetry. Students will not only be reading various types of poetry, but they will be writing it as well. In class, we will be exploring how poets express their ideas and feelings - sometimes with rhyme and sometimes not. As you know, poets often express their thoughts in a manner that is not obvious to readers, so we will discuss how to infer meaning. The children are already excited to explore this genre! Monday, students worked in pairs to practice reading various poems. When we return to school, these pairs will present their favorite to the class!
Writing
Second term focused on opinion writing. Students needed to be able to form an opinion on a given topic, support it with 2-3 reasons, and then then use facts or details to further explain their reasons. In class, students wrote about the best classroom pet, whether they should have school work on snow days to avoid making them up in June, winter vs. summer, and to tie in with social studies, a piece about the Wampanoag. With this writing, students are encouraged to use strong, purposeful language to transition their thoughts. Everyone did a wonderful job with this!
As I stated above, this month we will be working on poetry! Students will be learning about rhythm and rhyme patterns, of course, but also looking at different types of figurative language like alliteration, similes, metaphors, and onomatopoeia. Students love writing poetry because it allows them some freedom in how they can express their ideas. Monday, we read from Hailstones and Halibut Bones, which is a beautiful book about color. Students then chose a color and brainstormed ideas for a poem of their own. I suspect these are going to be just beautiful!
Math
Last month we worked through our division unit, which gets quite complicated for third graders. In this chapter, students learned to divide multiples of 10s and 100s, they divided with remainders, and they even did a bit of long division, which is a skill that third graders do not need to master at this point. This unit was challenging, and I am so proud of students in Room 8 for their hard work and perseverance.
We also just finished Chapter 9, which focused on using bar models to solve one- and two-step word problems for multiplication and division. This was yet another very challenging unit. In class, we practiced analyzing patterns of language in these problems to determine: 1) which operation the problem called for, 2) whether the problem was a one- or two-step problem, and 3) what type of bar model would be needed to solve it. These types of problems often have many components to them, and it requires students to read for comprehension. We are currently taking our Mid-Year test, but we will be moving on to fractions when we are finished.
We just finished our study of the Wampanoag. Students loved this unit and learned so much about their way of life. Classroom reading, discussions, and activities centered around how they used their natural resources to meet their needs for shelter, food, clothing, and other daily necessities.
Our next unit on Pilgrims will tie in closely with what students have learned in the Wampanoag unit.
Science
We have been studying weather over the last month, and students are learning about the four major elements: air pressure, moisture, temperature, and wind. Each of these elements are being looked at closely so students gain a better understanding of how each impacts our daily weather. In class, we are using our nonfiction reading skills to explore related articles and books. We are making flipbooks to help us remember important concepts, and we are learning about the weather instruments that meteorologists use to predict changes and track patterns.
At home, you can encourage your child to watch weather reports on TV and to observe changes in the weather at home. We've certainly had some wacky weather over the last couple of months!
I will be in touch soon to arrange conferences for Term 2. Stay warm everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment