Friday, August 31, 2012
Curriculum Night
There was a wonderful turnout at Curriculum Night last night! Thank you all for taking time to come and learn about your child's classroom and what to expect from this third grade year. I am looking forward to continuing to work with all of you to make this an amazing year for the students!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Continents Film
To help prepare for their first social studies test on map skills, the students created this short film featuring the continents:
Friday, August 24, 2012
Life Lessons
Today students learned two important life lessons:
1. Picking a perfect book can be just like choosing the right pair of shoes.
When choosing a pair of shoes you need to make sure that they are the right size and that they meet the purpose for why you are wearing them. Similarly, when selecting a book, you can tell that it is a "good fit" if it is the appropriate reading level and goes along with the reason you are reading. For example, if you are trying to learn true facts about a dog, it is important to find a book that is nonfiction and is at a reading level appropriate for a third grader. Ask your child to tell you more about our fun shoe activity!
2. When we speak it is like squirting toothpaste on a plate.
If we are not careful with our toothpaste and squeeze it without thinking we can end up with a big mess. This is also true with our words. If we open our mouths and speak words that are hurtful, disrespectful, or mean, it can make a huge mess. Several students volunteered to squirt out some toothpaste on a plate, but discovered that it was impossible when I asked a child to put the toothpaste back in the tube. He did manage to smear the toothpaste around and make an even bigger mess though! It is just as difficult to put words back in our mouths. Even if we apologize or try to explain that it was a joke, it is impossible to take back those hurtful words. The students were really able to understand the comparison and agreed to think carefully about the words they are choosing to use.
1. Picking a perfect book can be just like choosing the right pair of shoes.
When choosing a pair of shoes you need to make sure that they are the right size and that they meet the purpose for why you are wearing them. Similarly, when selecting a book, you can tell that it is a "good fit" if it is the appropriate reading level and goes along with the reason you are reading. For example, if you are trying to learn true facts about a dog, it is important to find a book that is nonfiction and is at a reading level appropriate for a third grader. Ask your child to tell you more about our fun shoe activity!
2. When we speak it is like squirting toothpaste on a plate.
If we are not careful with our toothpaste and squeeze it without thinking we can end up with a big mess. This is also true with our words. If we open our mouths and speak words that are hurtful, disrespectful, or mean, it can make a huge mess. Several students volunteered to squirt out some toothpaste on a plate, but discovered that it was impossible when I asked a child to put the toothpaste back in the tube. He did manage to smear the toothpaste around and make an even bigger mess though! It is just as difficult to put words back in our mouths. Even if we apologize or try to explain that it was a joke, it is impossible to take back those hurtful words. The students were really able to understand the comparison and agreed to think carefully about the words they are choosing to use.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Welcome to Third Grade!
We had a wonderful first day of third grade today! I was excited to be greeted by so many smiling students who were eager to be back at school. We have a wonderful class and I know that we will have a terrific year together. I look forward to seeing all of the parents at Curriculum Night next week.
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