Our current science unit is Soils, Rocks, and Landforms. This week students investigated different types of soil and worked to determine what type of habitat each soil sample came from. Students learned what "humus" is (not hummus), although we still have trouble pronouncing it correctly. :) Next week students will learn about physical and chemical weathering and will get to perform an experiment to see the effects that weathering has on rocks. 
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These last couple weeks we have been working on a lot of projects/assignments where students are using technology and innovation to assist in their learning and help them collaborate. Here are just a few of the things we have completed or are currently working on:

• Google Slides Presentation for the Midwest Region of the United States​
  • ​​The links for the projects are on the "Home" page of this website
• Saving the Sea Turtles Breakout Box
  • ​Last week the students participated in another breakout box session to kick off our Endangered Animal Research Project. It was so fun to see how well the kids worked together to solve the clues. Since this was the second time the kids did the breakout boxes, they knew what to expect and how to collaborate successfully. All of the groups solved the first clue in just a few minutes!
• Adobe Spark project on a Famous Civil Rights Figure
  • Last week students learned about the Civil Rights Movement. We created a large timeline of the important events of the movement and students researched an important figure who contributed to this movement. After completing research, students learned how to use Adobe Spark to create a webpage with a brief description of their historical figure.​The links for these projects are on the "Home" page of this website.
• Endangered Animal Research Project using Adobe Spark ​(work in progress)
  • Last week we kicked off our big, third grade research project on endangered animals. Students did some preliminary fact-finding and then chose the animal they wanted to research. Today, students began researching their animals. Students were given a structured notes packet to help them organize all of the information they find. After completing the research, students will turn their notes into a 5 paragraph essay AND an informative web page using Adobe Spark!

Last Friday students received their very first RACE homework. We have been working on RACE reading responses in class all year and I showed you examples at your child's Fall Conference. Now, students will have RACE homework every week. They will receive the homework every Friday and it will be due the next Friday.

Students will read a passage and then answer a comprehension question about the passage using the "RACE" method.

• R - Restate the question
• A - Answer the question
• C- Cite evidence from the text to support your answer
• E - Expand/Explain how the evidence you cited supports your answer.

Please let me know if you have any questions! :)

​Dates to Remember...​​​

• Friday, January 25th - Unit 4 Math Test
• Tuesday, January 29th - iReady Reading Test
• Thursday, February 7th - 4th Grade Music Program 6:30pm
• Wednesday, February 13th - Cottonwood Spaghetti Dinner 6:15pm & 7:15pm​
• Thursday, February 14th - Valentine's Day Movie Party
• Thursday, February 28th - Jump Rope for Heart during Specials Time​

Dates to Remember...​​​

• Friday, December 21st - Last Day of School Before Winter Break! :)
• Tuesday, January 8th - First Day Back to School!
• Monday, January 21st - No School!

BREAKOUT BOX FUN!
Have you ever participated in an "escape room" activity? Well, on Thursday, all of third grade got to participate in a Breakout Box activity, which is very similar! With a breakout box, students work together and think critically to "break into" locked boxes. They must solve challenging puzzles and follow directions carefully to succeed. Breakout box games require critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. Students get to practice their problem-solving skills and cultivate "grit". Students faced failures, but they had to continue to persevere in order to be successful. The best news - ALL STUDENTS BROKE OUT! Take a look at the pic above to see how excited the kids where after the activity!

Math
This week students spent time reviewing the concepts we've learned so far in this unit, including telling time, calculating elapsed time, and units of measurement (metric system). To conclude our review week, students worked collaboratively on a project-based learning opportunity where they created a schedule for their perfect birthday day. For this project, students had to tell time, draw hands on a clock, calculate elapsed time, and then work together to create their final project (poster) to present their schedule of their ideal birthday to the class.

When we return from Winter Break, we will dive into the lovely world of fractions! As third graders, students will learn about fair shares, unit fractions (a fraction with a "1" as the numerator), and comparing and ordering unit fractions on a number line.

Reading
This week we finished up reading and discussing our books in our Book Club groups. Some of the main teaching points from this week were:

• understanding the role that secondary characters play in a story
• understanding how the challenges that a character faces impact their journey
• noticing how a character is being tested during the climax of a story

Next week we will finish up our unit on character studies, and when we return from break we will begin a nonfiction unit that focuses on main idea and supporting details.

Writing
Even though it's sunny and 55 degrees outside, we are still in the middle of December! In an effort to remember all of the wonderful things that come with the month of December, I read the book Snow Day by Lester Laminack to the class. We discussed how wonderful it would be to have an unexpected snow day during this time of the year. We discussed all of the fun activities we could do during a snow day, and how great it would be to get extra time to spend with our families. As the ideas from our discussion started dancing around in our heads, I thought, "Let's write a letter to the principal to persuade her to give us a snow day!" The students were so excited about this opportunity. Students worked to incorporate persuasive techniques into their writing, and we reviewed the different parts of a letter. After we finish typing up our final drafts, we will present our book of letters to the principal. :)

Science/Social Studies
We are in the middle of out southeast region unit. This past week students learned about the geography, products and natural resources, and climate and culture of this region. Next week we will take a "tour" of these region, and make different stops at important/famous landmarks around the region.

Math
We are well into Unit 4 - Time, Measurement, and Fractions! In this unit students will tell time and calculate elapsed time (how much time has passed), measure mass and volume to solve problems, and model and compare fractions in different ways.

We have been working hard on telling time to the nearest minute and solving elapsed time problems. Telling time is a difficult concept and any extra practice or support with this concept at home would be wonderful! Here are some ways you can help your child master reading a clock:

• ask your child what time it is during different parts of the day
• time flash cards (I have a few sets of these if you'd like to borrow one)
• time apps (there are a few free ones and many for purchase)

Reading
In our character study unit we have learned how to pay attention to the characters thoughts, feelings, and actions to help create a theory or big idea about the main character. We've also learned how to make higher-level predictions based on the character's past actions. This week we are focusing on noticing how the character reacts to challenges they come across, and then using those observations to form a theory about what type of person that character is. We will also discuss the roles that secondary characters play in the main character's journey.

Students are practicing the strategies mentioned above as a whole class with a mentor text, as well as with their book club books. The conversations that kids are having around the characters in their book club books have been so insightful and deep. I am really proud of them!

Writing
One of my most favorite books to read this time of year is In November by Cynthia Rylant. The illustrations are beautiful and the use of descriptive and sensory details makes it a perfect mentor text for writing using the 5 senses. After reading the story, each child chose a month that is special to them. We brainstormed ideas for each one of the 5 senses, and students used these ideas to write a short, descriptive "book" about the things you would taste, smell, see, hear, and feel during their chosen month. These illustrated books will be coming home this week.

Science/Social Studies
To complete our unit of matter and energy, we invited a scientist from the EPA to come do an engaging and informational demonstration for the students. Students saw experiments involving dry ice and liquid nitrogen that showed them how matter changes from one state to another. Ask your child what their favorite experiment was!

We are now shifting gears back to social studies. We will begin learning about another region of the United States - the southeast! This week students will learn which states are part of this region, and we will complete a geography challenge to familiarize ourselves with this part of the country. We will also begin to dive into the land and water use, climate, products and natural resources, as well as the famous landmarks and culture of this region.


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​Writing Workshop
Students have written a few opinion pieces this year, but this week we began steps for writing our first persuasive essay of the year. We read an engaging article in our Storyworks magazine titled, "Should Sweets Be Banned From School Parties?" The kids have some very strong opinions on this issue! :) After reading the debate, we discussed the issue and made a list of reasons that support each side. Students then determined their own opinion, and began planning their arguments. For this writing piece, students will work hard to persuade their audience to agree with them. To do this effectively, students will work to include persuasive techniques in their essay, including:

• using personal experience
• addressing the reader by using the word "you"
• including a quote from someone

As we get to closer to the end of this project, students will type their final drafts and learn how to upload an image into their document. Students will also prepare a speech and present their argument to the class.

Science/SS
We finished our unit on the northeast region of the United States, and students worked collaboratively to create and present a poster on a specific "stop" that we made along our "train tour." I was not only proud of how informational each group's presentations were, but I was also thrilled to see how each group organized and practiced their presentations beforehand. The students had great eye contact and loud speaking voices during their presentations. These posters are hanging up in the classroom, so feel free to take a peek when you are in next week for conferences!

After finishing up with social studies, we started a new science unit on matter and energy. We will be developing the idea that matter is the stuff from which all common and familiar objects and materials are made. Our study of matter will extend to phase change, including melting, evaporation, and condensation. In this unit we will also explore sources of energy, such as the Sun, batteries, fuels, and food, and identify forms of energy, such as electricity, heat, light, sound, and moving masses. To wrap up our unit, a scientist from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be coming in to do a demonstration on how different forms of matter change state. This engaging presentation will be a great way to end our study.

Dates to Remember...​​

• Monday, October 15th - Friday, October 19th - FALL BREAK!
• Friday, November 2nd - Report Cards Go Home
• Friday, November 9th - No School (Conference Week)
• Wednesday, November 21st - Friday, November 23rd - Thanksgiving Break

WHAT WE'VE BEEN LEARNING...

Math
We have completed Unit 2 and the students were given the post-assessment this past week. When we return from Fall Break, we will begin Unit 3 - Multi-Digit Addition and Subtraction. In this unit, students will:

• Continue to practice addition and subtraction strategies, including using the standard algorithms for both operations
• Round multi-digit numbers and estimate their sums and differences

Reading Workshop
The students have really embraced their book club responsibilities and are deep into their book clubs now! We have had great discussions around character analysis, author's craft, and theme. I am looking forward to continuing this work when we return from break. We will also begin our second reading unit of study when we return to school, which focuses on character studies.

Writing Workshop
Students have been working hard on a fun, descriptive writing piece. We created a make-believe real-estate company and each student wrote a listing to sell either a spooky house or a beautiful mansion. We were also able to collaborate with the art teacher, Ms. Thompson, and she guided the students through a drawing project where they were able make the house they wrote about come alive! These projects are hanging up in our classroom right now, but you will get to see them during conferences.

Science/SS
Students have been working to further develop their map skills. We learned how to read different types of maps, including physical maps, population maps, and political maps to name a few. Using this knowledge of maps as a basis, we began a study on our first region of the United States - the northeast. This week we have been taking a "train tour" through the northeast region, and making stops at famous landmarks and important cities. Some of the stops we have made so far include: the Erie Canal, Boston, MA, The Empire State Building, and Hershey, Pennsylvania (my favorite of course!). After we finish our tour, we will dive deeper into the climate, natural resources, land use, and culture of this region.

Dates to Remember...​​​

• Friday, October 5th - Cottonwood Carnival (3:00-6:00pm)
• Monday, October 10th - Cardboard Challenge (Smoky Hill High School @ 4:30pm)
• Monday, October 15th - Friday, October 19th - FALL BREAK!

Denver Landmarks - Green Screen Project
​Our green screen videos are up and running! Click on the "Photo Gallery" tab at the top of the page to access them.


WHAT WE'VE BEEN LEARNING...

Math
Students have been working hard on practicing their basic multiplication facts and using different strategies to solve facts that we don't have memorized yet. Some of the strategies we have been using are:

• repeated addition
• drawing a picture
• doubling strategy (use 2x4 to solve 4x4)
• ratio tables

Please remember students should be practicing their multiplication facts at home each week. Have the students focus on one group of facts (for example x4 facts) at a time. There are tons of free apps available to help. Just each "math facts" in the app store!

Reading Workshop
Last week students took a post assessment focusing on the comprehension strategies we have learned in Unit 1. This week, students will begin "book clubs." The children will read a book with a group of students and participate in discussion about story elements, character development, etc. This is always a great motivator for the students and makes reading time engaging and fun!

Writing Workshop
Students have been working hard typing their “Are Trampolines Safe?” opinion piece. Since this is the first time students have typed their writing, it is a long process, but it provides much needed typing practice! Also, towards the end of last week, we began writing a fall poem that focuses on descriptive writing and the changes we see from summer to fall.

Word Work

• Spelling Homework (due Wednesday) - Lesson 7 (homophones for long o)
• Wordly Wise - we will take our Lesson 3 test on Friday.

Science/SS
Students worked in groups to write about their favorite Denver Landmarks after seeing them in person during our field trip. Then, using the awesome new innovation space and green screen, students worked collaboratively in groups to create a video about their favorite building. The videos are posted on the "Photo Gallery" page of this website.

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Today was Run4Funds Prize Day and the entire school earned an Inflatable Party, a Foam Party, and Sandy Candy! The kids had a blast! Take a look at some photos below (sorry they are sideways!)

Dates to Remember...​​​

• Monday, September 24 - Student Leadership Speeches and Election
• Friday, October 5th - Cottonwood Carnival (3:00-6:00pm)
• Monday, October 10th - Cardboard Challenge (Smoky Hill High School @ 4:30pm)
• Monday, October 15th - Friday, October 19th - FALL BREAK!

Story Parent Sign Up
​Please click on the link below to sign up for a time to come read to our class. Bring your family's favorite picture books to share with us! :)
www.signupgenius.com/go/5080c49afab2ca31-2018199


WHAT WE'VE BEEN LEARNING...
Math
We began Unit 2 - Introduction to Multiplication. Students learned what is means to multiply and when to use multiplication. As students progress through Unit 2 , they will:

• solve multiplication problems that include number lines, arrays, and ratio tables
• develop efficient strategies for solving multiplication facts up to 10x10
• solve multiplication story problems

Students should begin to practice and memorize their basic multiplication (0-10). Students can use flash cards to do this, or there are tons of free math fact apps - just search "math facts" in the app store. The best way to practice is to focus on one group of facts at a time (for example: x3 facts). Once students have this group memorized, they can move on to x4 facts, etc.

Reading Workshop
We finished our first reading unit! Today we celebrated all of the learning and thinking about our reading we have done so far this year. Students reflected on the different strategies we have been learning and practicing, as well as how they have improved as a reader, and what they can still work on to continue to improve.

Our next reading unit focuses on character studies. As students become more proficient readers, the characters in their novels will become more complex. The characters come up against increasingly difficult challenges and heavier social issues, have mixed feelings, and change in significant ways.

In our second unit, students will:

• get to know characters by studying them deeply, first observing, and then investigating patterns that reveal deeper character traits and motivations
• use theories to make predictions as they follow characters on their journeys
• compare and contrast characters across books, examining their traits, motivations, the way they respond to problems, and the life lessons they learn and teach

Writing Workshop
Students have been working hard on writing a multi-paragraph opinion essay about whether or not trampoline parks are dangerous. After reading and discussing two articles about trampoline parks, students weighed the pros and cons and formed their own opinion. Students then planned our their writing, making sure they had solid reasons to support their opinion. We drafted our "sloppy copies," revised and edited, and began typing our final copies using Google Drive. The kids learned how to login to their Google Drive accounts and how to create and share a new document.

Word Work

• Spelling Homework (due next Wednesday) - Lesson 6 (homophones for long i)
• Wordly Wise - we will begin Lesson 3 next week. We do the Wordly Wise activities in class, but students are always welcome to bring their books home to study the words.

Science/SS
After our Denver field trip, students were asked to choose their favorite building or site that we visited. They wrote a short paragraph about why it is their favorite and the history behind the building. Next week we are going to do a fun green screen activity with their writing!

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Run4Funds RUN DAY was a fabulous way to end our busy week! The kids were so excited for their run! To prepare for our fun day, we created a poster to hang during our run to showcase our spirit and enthusiasm!
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Dates to Remember...​​

• Friday, September 14th - Run4Funds Pledges Due
• Monday, September 17th - Field Trip - Denver Walking Tour (permission slips came home this week)
• Friday, September 21st - Run4Funds Prize Day
• Monday, October 10th - Cardboard Challenge

Story Parent Sign Up
​Please click on the link below to sign up for a time to come read to our class. Bring your family's favorite picture books to share with us! :)
www.signupgenius.com/go/5080c49afab2ca31-2018199

Field Trip - Denver Walking Tour
We are very excited for our first field trip of third grade! We will be heading downtown for a three hour long walking tour. Our tour guide will lead us on an informative and fun tour of lower downtown. The tour guide will reinforce the students' understanding of how Denver got its start, and the students will also get to see firsthand many of the important buildings that we learned about in class, including the D&F Tower, Union Station, and the Oxford Hotel. 

Please sign and return your child's permission slip along with $3 cash, to cover the cost of the tour. As soon as I have all the forms back, I will choose chaperones for our class. In order to be fair when choosing parent chaperones, if you volunteered, I will put your name in a hat. If your name gets drawn, I will email you to confirm your availability. Please know that not every parent who volunteered will be able to chaperone this trip. If you aren't picked to go on this field trip, we will have another one later this year! :)

WHAT WE'VE BEEN LEARNING...
Math
This week we completed Unit 1 and took our Unit 1 assessment. These tests will be coming home next week. Students will be asked to correct any mistakes/errors and return their corrected tests back to me. As you know, we are working on fostering a strong growth mindset in your child and students learn a lot from correcting their own mistakes!

Reading Workshop
This week we focused on making higher-level predictions about the books we are reading. As third graders, our predictions should include what might happen next and why, factoring in the main character's influences (including other characters, external factors or resources, and also internal traits).

Writing Workshop
Our minilessons this week focused on writing complete sentences and identifying subjects and predicates. Students then applied their learning to their own writing from last week and went back and revised any incomplete sentences or fragments.

Word Work

• Spelling Homework (due next Wednesday) - Lesson 4 (homophones for long e)
• We took our first Wordly Wise test today. We will spend 2 weeks on each unit, so tests will be every other Friday.

Science/SS
This week students learned about Molly Brown and the impact she had on the city of Denver. Next week we will continue to learn about other people who were important to Denver's beginning.


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I have to say, I am loving your children!! Now that we are finished with our third week of school, the students have really embraced the expectations, routines, and responsibilities of third graders! We have had so many great conversations already and we are learning and growing our brains everyday! I am really proud of each and every one of your kids!
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Dates to Remember...​

• Wednesday, September 5th - Picture Day
• Friday, September 7th - Run4Funds Run Day
• Monday, September 10th - Cardboard Challenge
• Friday, September 14th - Run4Funds Pledges Due
• Monday, September 17th - Field Trip - Denver Walking Tour (more info to come)
• Friday, September 21st - Run4Funds Prize Day

​Thankful Thursday!
Last Thursday, students participated in our very first THANKFUL THURSDAY. This weekly activity is designed to foster a thankful and appreciative culture in our classroom. Our lives can become so busy and hectic that we sometimes forget to be thankful for what we have and for the people in our lives. Research suggests that there are tremendous benefits to practicing gratitude. Practicing gratitude:

• increases happiness and life satisfaction
• reduces anxiety
• makes us more resilient
• strengthens relationships
• promotes forgiveness
• creates a community where people feel connected

Every Thursday, students will write a thank you note to someone in their home or school community that they appreciate - teachers, parents, siblings, family members, friends, neighbors - the possibilities are endless! On Thursday, the kids were so excited to write their very first note and deliver it. It melted my heart! This quick, but meaningful activity is going to have a very big impact!

***I provided thank you notes for the kids this week, but our class will be in need of thank you notes throughout the year. If you have some extra thank you notes and envelopes lying around the house, our classroom would love to have them! :)

WHAT WE'VE BEEN LEARNING...
Math
Last week students worked on solving addition and subtraction word problems/story problems. We discussed and practiced how to "dissect" a word problem (take out the important information.) To assist us in doing so, we created a chart in our math notebooks that lists keywords that tell us when we should add and when we should subtract. On Friday, we began looking at ways to solve two-step word problems. We will continue this work this week.

*Students did a great job completing their math homework and bringing it back to school last week! :)


Reading Workshop
This week we learned that readers should not be passively reading a book. A lot of high level thinking should be happening as we read! One of the things that expert fiction readers do is give themselves a comprehension check after they finish a chapter. They use 3 questions to help them think about their reading:

1. Who is in this part?
2. What just happened?
3. Does this fit with something that already happened, or is this new?

Readers also learned how to look for signals in the the text for when to create a movie in their mind about what is happening, or for when they should be collecting important information. As expert readers, we should be able to point out where these different signals are in our books.


Writing Workshop
We finished our first writing assignment as third graders! Students planned, drafted, edited/revised, and wrote their final copies of their paragraphs about their favorite holiday or favorite sport. Now that I have a baseline for where all the students are as writers, we will begin to break down the important parts of a paragraph and learn how to make our writing even better. We began this work on Friday as students learned different strategies for writing more interesting topic sentences. Next week we will dive further into transition words/phrases, conclusion sentences, and how to add more details and "spicy" vocabulary to our writing.


Word Work
We finished Lesson 2 of our spelling program, and began Lesson 3 (long a pattern). Students should be practicing their spelling words each night to prepare for their weekly spelling tests on Thursdays.

Last week we also began our vocabulary program - Wordly Wise. We will spend two weeks on each lesson. Each lesson consists of 10 vocabulary words. Students will learn the meaning(s) of the words and complete multiple exercises for each lesson. Wordly Wise tests will be EVERY OTHER FRIDAY -so our first test will be this Friday.

Science/SS
Students finished their picture timelines and each group presented their project to their class. This week we will learn about people who were important to the history of Denver. Students will work in groups to learn about and research a famous person, and then present their findings to the class.



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