EPIC Readers

 Our iPads arrived on Wednesday. We took time from our learning plans to set them up from the factory settings. One of our first priorities was to have some time to read from the EPIC app. We love the sound of students reading!

Reading to the Wall

 This week, we are learning about fluency. Fluency is reading with pacing, pausing, inflection, and more to make your reading sound like your are naturally talking. Paying attention to fluency as you read can communicate the reader understands what they are reading when they change their voice to reflect what is happening in the text. 

A few years ago, Ms. Leom attended a high school speech meet, and she watched high school speech members lines the high school hallways to practice their speech. She was certain her students could do the same. It works very well in our social distancing efforts as well.

Hearing Screening

 On Wednesday morning, we had our annual hearing screening. Two nurses came into our room and screened all the students. The class had time to read while they worked.

We love being in school to be able to make this happen for all of our students!

Lines

 When it was time to learn about lines, we had to go outside. We had one student hold yarn. Then we had two students take an end, and told them to walk ...

Lines go into infinity. They are shown on paper with arrows on the ends.

Line segments is any section on a line.

Some of the best learning is hands-on and needs more space than a piece of paper.

Measuring

 In Math, we are working on Measurement including Geometry. We started with measuring and determining perimeters.

Then we took time for students to walk around the room and determine their own perimeters to measure. First, we picked what we wanted to measure. Then we made an estimate. Next, we measured. Finally we figured out the perimeter.

I enjoy watching students determine and extend their own learning!

Prefix re-

 

6:20 AM

 Some days, the school day starts early ... 

We will be ready for the new day and new week when the students arrive! Can't wait!!

Friday Fun Day

 Our our latest Friday Fun Day, we took a walk around the school. What I love about this group, as we were passing the school flag poles, the students climbed up on the bench, planters, and spaced themselves, and wanted their picture taken.

These moments of walking, talking, hopping, and skipping about, listening to the voices share their stories and thoughts are some of the highlights of each week.

And I continue to be in awe at how they just space themselves out and are ready for picture moments, even when I am not thinking of pictures.

Such a fun group of students!!

Prefix un-

 We continue to work on some review skills. One of the skills was the prefix un-. Students took some leadership to share their thinking with the class.

After we did some whole group practice, we moved to small group practice. Our groups are based on the students we sit near, and we continue to social distance as we share our work with the class.

Movement Breaks

 There is a moment when the class looks like their melting, and it is the perfect time for a movement break.

On this day, we started out as seeds ... 

Then grew into great big trees ... So fun to watch each student grow and stretch in the classroom sunshine.

Our Class Store

 In our first days of the new month, it is time to open our class store for students to spend their class Wolf Tracks.

Students earn Wolf Tracks for having their planner signed by their grown ups each night and other great work during the week.

Student of the Week

 Always so fun to learn more about each of our students and what matters to them!

Olweus Rule 3

 In the last week of September, our Olweus class meeting was focused on Rule 3: We will try to include those who are left out.

Our conversation included the story of The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig.

In our discussion, we talked about what being left out can look like ... and what we could do when we see it ...

We were challenged to keep this discussion in mind and put it into practice. 

The BEST part ... when I see students who notice someone is washing their desk for lunch last, and two classmates hang back to make sure the student isn't by himself. They did it cheerfully and naturally. It makes a heart swell. 

MAP Testing

 We took the MAP Math and MAP Reading Test last week. The test gives us data about student progress and helps us develop individual learning goals.

Signing in:

Our Assistant Principal, Mr. Meyer came into our room and helped us get our tests running smoothly and checking in. LOVE how involved and present our administration is IN our classrooms!

Annotating Over Text

 Last week we studied the biography genre. We learned about the six common features of biographies:

- hook

- born and place

- character

- impact

- quote

- why is the person important

We modeled how we annotate over text, using the margins to make notes, using underlining and brackets to support our work. 

Annotating over text is an important skill for third graders. When we are reading a text we can't write on, we can use sticky notes or a notebook to record our work and thinking.