PARCC Update

Our class has two sessions of PARCC Testing scheduled for this week.

March 24th - Testing will begin at 9:15

March 26th -  Testing will begin at 11:00

I'm  happy to report the class worked hard during last week's testing. Everyone worked quietly and was respectful to their classmates during testing.

Tomorrow our class will take the second session of the English Language Arts PARCC Assessment. We will start at 11:00. Students may bring an extra snack.

Eruption of Color Science Experiment

Another experiment that we did in class was called Eruption of Color. The children loved this experiment and it's easy to do at home!

All you need is cooking oil, food coloring and water.

The students enjoyed learning about matter and conducting experiments. They were so enthusiastic about experiments we will definitely some more in the future,

PARCC tomorrow

Our class will be taking the first session of the English Language Arts PARCC Assessment tomorrow. We will start promptly at 9:15. Remember to bring an extra snack.

Balloon Experiment

What state of matter is produced when you mix baking soda and carbon dioxide?

On Friday, we used the scientific method to answer this question. Mrs. Corliss put vinegar in a bottle and used a funnel to put baking soda into a balloon. Next, she put the balloon on top of the bottle and tipped it. When the baking soda and vinegar mixed it bubbled and created a gas called carbon dioxide. 

We were very excited about the experiment! We wanted to see how big the balloon would get!

We know we created a gas because it filled up the balloon.

Today we were scientists!

PARCC Information & Schedule

From March 16 - 31 the Third Graders will be taking the PARCC test. The class has completed some practice tests in the computer lab over the past few weeks to help them learn to navigate the test. We did our last practice session today. The children appeared comfortable with the test format and tools.  I'm very proud of the effort and perseverance they have demonstrated!

The PARCC schedule for our class is as follows:

March 16^th                9:15               ELA

March 18^th               11:00              ELA

March 24^th               9:15               ELA

March 26^th               11:00             Math

  March 31^st               11:00              Math

Please be sure that your child arrives on time for school on the scheduled testing days. You can help your child do their best by making sure they’re well rested and have eaten a good breakfast each morning. The children may bring in two healthy snacks each day of testing, as we will have time for an extra snack.

Due to testing, homework will be reduced. Students should complete the required 15 minutes of reading each night, but are encouraged to do more if they are interested. Students are also encouraged to complete an activity of their choice from the March Enrichment Menu, which was sent home at the beginning of the month.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Spelling

The third graders began a new spelling program yesterday. This program is designed to help the children internalize the spelling words and write them with automaticity in their daily writing. The spelling words correlate with our Fundations program. 

 At the beginning of each week, the students will be given a pre assessment.   On Fridays, they will be given a post assessment.  Your child will be given several opportunities to practice the words in class each week. On the back of this paper is a spelling homework menu. Some nights this will be assigned homework. In addition, the children can choose to do these activities any night of the week to help practice spelling words.

I have added a spelling tab to my blog. On this page you will find the spelling words for the week and the spelling homework menu.

Finally, a few kids got 100% on the pre test and were asked to learn 5 challenge words of their choice.

If you have any questions, please email or call me.  Thank you for your continued support!

Read Across America Day

Today we celebrated Dr. Seuss's Birthday at Steward School!

After a whole school assembly, our guest reader was Mr. Walgreen.

We loved listening to Oh, the Places You'll Go! and Horton Hatches the Egg.

The whole school decorated doors to celebrate reading and Dr. Seuss. This is our door!

I am so proud of the students in room 215! They impress me every day with their curiosity and creativity!

We had such a great day today! Thank you to Mr. Walgreen for sharing his time with us!  There are more fun activities planned to celebrate reading this month. Please check back soon to share these events with us!

The Incredible Journey of Water

What type of matter can be found in nature in all three states?

The answer is WATER!

On Friday, February 28th, Mr. Prazar taught our class about the incredible journey of water. The children participated in a fun activity that got them moving through the water cycle just like a drop of water. As a drop of water, they traveled in oceans, rivers, clouds, glaciers, plants and even animals!

                            The children collected  a bead at each stop in the water cycle.

Then, they rolled the dice to determine their next stop in the water cycle.

 

In the end, their beads told a story of where they had been.

As a culminating activity, the students shared their data. The children shared information about where they spent the most and least amount of time. Mr. Prazar helped us discover why we got the results we did. For example, the ocean is where a drop of water spends a lot of time because the ocean covers so much of the Earth and it's so deep. 

Thank you to Mr. Prazar for teaching us about the incredible journey of water!

Click here to learn more about water

Click here to learn more about evaporation and condensation

Matter

The class has enjoyed learning about matter! We recently spent an afternoon making observations and discoveries about matter.

What are the three states of matter?

First, the children were given a bag containing a rock, water and air. They had to decide which kind of matter was in each bag. Then, they had to share and discuss their observation with their group.

Each student recorded their observations in their science notebook.

                                      What are properties of matter?

Next, each group was given a box containing different objects. The students were challenged to sort the objects in as many ways as possible.
           

                                  

The children made thoughtful observations and worked well together during our science workshop!


The standards addressed in this lesson are:
1. Differentiate between properties of objects (e.g., size, shape, weight) and properties of materials (e.g., color, texture, hardness).
2. Compare and contrast solids, liquids, and gases based on the basic properties of each of these states of matter.