After a few days of doing research by using books, care sheets from pet stores, and websites, students' graphic organizers were looking pretty full. While collecting information on their chosen pet, students had to organize it correctly in their notes and put the information into their own words. Students then started writing their information into their pet flap books. Lastly, students will practice persuasive writing by writing a letter to parents, using some of their research findings to back up their opinion of why they should get their chosen pet.
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We had a perfect day at camp. There were hardly any bugs, perfect temperature, and every child was well behaved. The counselors were so impressed with their listening and ability to follow directions! We learned about the Native Americans, played some of the games they did, learned about an ecosystem and dug through the muck in the pond in hopes to find critters. And we did. A turtle, tadpole, leeches, dragon fly nymph, and other little critters were found. We canoed on beautiful big Blue Lake. We learned about the food chain through a game called Life in the Woods and learned about fur trade as we ventured into the woods looking for "furs" to trade. Some free time, lunch, an entertaining, crazy drinking fountain and snack. . . what a wonderful day! Thank you to the PTO for paying our way to camp! Because there were 145 pictures, I put them into a slide show. And I only got to hang around with my class during the day for the most part, so there aren't many pictures that include Mrs. Woller's class. Enjoy! This week on Wednesday, we went to the Frauenthal for the Link-up program. What a wonderful experience! Students were able to learn about a symphony and listen to them play, but it was in a very entertaining, kid-friendly way. It was amazing! I especially enjoyed the drum line. They came booming right down the aisles, without looking down at their hands at all. I could tell how hard the kids have been working on learning the songs on their recorders and the words to the songs they sang. I love hearing a group of kids sing! They also go to listen to the West Michigan Children's Choir, which is holding auditions soon! The program ended with confetti dropping down from the ceiling.
We have been discussing the power of adjectives in stories and poems that we read and in what we write. We have gone on an adjective hunt through our poetry binders and we played a fun adjective dice game where players listed adjectives as quickly as they could until their partner rolled a six. Then their partners grabbed the pencil and started their own list of adjectives while the other person tried to roll a six. The person with the longest, accurate list wins. I loved watching the students smile and watching them try to think of adjectives quickly and under pressure.
When faced with a tough decision, like picking a pet you would like, a decision tree can help. We brainstormed a list of common pets (common, so we could find kid-friendly sources on them) and then students picked their top two choices. I modeled how to use a decision tree to help with my decision. Students then filled out their own decision tree to narrow it down to their top choice. I wove some economic terms into our discussion, like scarcity and opportunity cost. After school, I then gathered books and care sheets for their pets. The next day, students started to research and take notes on their findings. Students are being graded on how independently and accurately they are able to gather and organize their findings. The graphic organizer has four columns- characteristics, habits, care, and other interesting facts. We also got out the Chromebooks and practiced using Kiddle, google's kid friendly search engine and a program called Pebble Go to learn even more about our pet. Two more days of research and then we will be turning our notes into paragraphs and creating flap book about our pets.
Before the students turned in their informational books, I wanted to give them a chance to share it and get some feedback on it. We discussed what positive feedback does for the author and how helpful the feedback is on things that need improvement. I am glad the students shared with some other students. They worked so hard on these books, that it just wouldn't be right if I was the only one that got to read them and see their illustrations!
Last week, April was our super hero of the week! This girl loves her purple and has such a beautiful poster. Way to go April!
Last Thursday we had DRA Day. During this day, all of the students from both classes are together in Mrs. Woller's room. They play math games, work on a reading activity, and do a craft. This time it was a Mother's Day craft. Meanwhile, in my room, there is a quiet place to work with soft music playing in the background. I get to listen to each student read, listen to their predictions, and have them work in a quiet place on answering their comprehension questions and writing a summary of the story they read. As you can see from the pictures below, Mrs. Woller's room is buzzing with activity!
I was able to get to most students, so ask your child if they have a new reading level! Trevin joined our class mid year and we are so glad he did! He is an awesome super hero who is safe, respectful, and responsible. Our class just wouldn't seem complete now without him! You rock, Trevin!
Will was our super hero a few weeks back, but somehow his picture never made it off my phone and onto our website. We have to celebrate his heroism publicly, so here is Super Hero Will!
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Mrs. Ellis's Class
Learning & laughing our way through third grade. Archives
June 2020
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