Try the "Really Hard" version for a tough challenge!
Boy, today went fast! We spent the morning reviewing Word Wall Words and scoring papers. Scoring papers? Yes! We used the Ideas rubric from yesterday to read some old (and short) Pet Show stories from a LOOOONNNNNGGGGGGG time ago. We agreed that every single one of them was missing intriguing details. Go figure.
Why did we check these, you might be wondering? Well, this afternoon, during rotation, we wrote our first drafts and reminded ourselves that intriguing details were VERY important to add.
I also introduced the children to a site called Bitstrips. You can find it on the third grade page, or you can click the picture below to go there.
Type Sea Creature Story and Print
Leave three comments for classmates on Voicethread
Explore Bitstrips by making an avatar and trying to create a comic for fun
We will be using Bitstrips for a Manatee Blues project tomorrow.
During math today, we used a geoboard to create rectangles with specific perimeters. You can try an online geoboard here:
The worksheet that explains the directions for creating rectangles is located on page 67 of your math journal.
This afternoon, we held rotation. We worked on Pet Show stories and the seatwork mentioned above. I've also collected a thing or two you need to catch up on from last week.
We hope you feel a LOT better! Tomorrow is going to be so much fun!
:)Mrs. Neal
This morning, we talked about how stories are scored, using an IDEAS rubric. There are three basic categories of the rubric. They include:
*The main idea is easy to identify.
*You stick to topic from beginning to end.
*You have included intriguing details.
~OOOH! I love the word "intriguing", don't you? Click here to find out a few synonyms for it.
Here's the official rubric:
So, from there, we read a story written by a student (who will remain nameless...and is probably 23 by now, anyhow). Read for yourself below.
Not the most exciting story, I'll admit. While we agreed that the main idea was easy to identify and we also agreed that the author stuck to the topic...those details...well, they weren't so intriguing . So we worked together to help add some details to the story. Check out what we did:
Sentences that show the author stuck to the topic are highlighted in yellow. Sentences that added detail were highlighted in blue. We added details, which are typed in red. Does it sound better? Maybe not equivalent to earning a five on the rubric, but we felt our additions brought the "details" category up to a four.
After reading about Kya and Ginger, I decided to share a story I wrote about my old dog, Baby. Later this afternoon, we worked in small groups, planning our Pet Show stories. I'm excited to hear what your story will be about!
During Math, we talked about the likelihood that a pattern block (triangle, trapezoid, square) would land on its edge when tossed in the air. What if we tossed each block 50 times? How often would each block land on its edge. We took a vote, and only brave Clara thought that the triangle would be more likely than the other blocks to land on its edge. To find out, we actually tossed each pattern block 50 times to find out. Guess what? Clara was right!
Then we talked about how the results would change if I taped two triangle blocks together. Would it be more likely to land on its edge when tossed? So, I taped two triangle blocks together, two square blocks, and two trapezoid blocks. We tossed those blocks 50 times each, too. Guess what? The triangle STILL landed on its edge more than the other blocks. Go Clara!
We also talked about line plots and how to read them. We could tell the maximum, minimum, range, and mode easily. Finding the median was a bit more challenging. We crossed out each square (look below) in a specific order: lowest number, highest number, lowest number, highest number, etc. Can you find the number in the middle? Check out today's earlier post for help if you need it.
We visited the library this afternoon, too. Mrs. Edwards was dressed up in honor of Halloween and read us a great story!
Afterwards, we held rotation. Small groups worked on Pet Show stories and seatwork included:
*Finish typing your Sea Creature Story
*Log onto Voicethread. Listen to our class poems. Leave a positive comment for three classmates.
I also gave the class their first ever Caught Ya test! Oh boy! They really did a fantastic job, though. I'm sure you'll be impressed with how much you've learned so far this year, too.
Take care, rest up, and please come back tomorrow! We've missed you!
:)Mrs. Neal
Log into your Voicethread account on the third grade web page. Please listen to the poems from our class project. You must leave at least three positive comments for three of your classmates.
LANGUAGE ARTS: This morning, I introduced the Wordly Wise words for Lesson Four. You can do the same by viewing the flashcards located here.
We also talked about how great authors like Roald Dahl are able to "show" us what's happening in a book, rather than just telling us. He wrote a particularly interesting chapter in his book The Twits about how dirty Mr. Twit's beard was. It was pretty awful!
If you check out this slide show, you'll understand more about what we discussed:
MATH: We held a math test today as a review of Unit 2. You can complete that when you come back to school tomorrow.
READING: Students watched this slide show about how to complete the job "Word Wizard". Then, they silently read chapters 5 and 6 from Manatee Blues. Their job was to locate at least two words that were interesting or challenging to share with the class and after reading the selection, complete the Word Wizard worksheet which you will receive tomorrow.
SCIENCE: Tomorrow we will be creating a trading card for the ocean creature you studied last week in the library. I gave a brief overview of what will be on the card (a picture, title, a description of an adaptation the creature has, and any other interesting facts you learned). I also shared with the class the checklist you'll have on hand tomorrow to help keep you organized. I posted an example of mine right here. --------------->By clicking the picture below, you can review animal adaptations with a quiz.
This afternoon, Mrs. Driscoll got us started on our "All About Berkeley" film. Teams were developed and topics assigned. Groups worked together to begin their story boards...planning the order of their film. We are very excited to get to work!
Some of the students wanted to access this site and "play" at home. :)
Have fun!
National Geographic Fun
