Curriculum Update

The school year may be winding down, but we have been very busy in Room 215.

Social Studies- The students recently learned  about Puritan life in Massachusetts and the role Massachusetts played in the American Revolution. The children learned about the Stamp Act, the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere's ride and the battles at Lexington and Concord. We have gone on two field trips in the past two weeks that tied directly to third grade social studies standards. On May 28th we took a tour of Topsfield. We learned about the settlement of Topsfield, the history of industry and transportation in Topsfield, the Parson Capen House and the Gould Barn. Thank you to Bill Whiting, Martha Morrison and Sarah and Anne Barrett for volunteering their time and sharing their knowledge of Topsfield with us!  After our Tour of Topsfield, the third graders and I loved seeing the musical, Honk!, at Proctor School. All of the children involved with the production were amazing! On June 4th,  we visited the Boston Tea Party Museum. The children were active participants in the Boston tea Party and even got to throw some tea in the harbor! The students are currently working in groups to report on our field trips. 

Reading- We just  finished an author study of Patricia Polacco. She is one of my favorite children's authors! Many of her books are autobiographical and tell stories of her childhood. She often emphasizes her relationships with her grandparents and the important roles they played in her life. The children enjoyed reading My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother, Babushka's Doll, Some Birthday! and The Keeping Quilt. Next, the class will be reading books by Roald Dahl. The children will be reading either The Twits or the Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Math- The class recently finished with our study of  area and perimeter. We learned that area is the amount of surface covered and perimeter is the distance around a shape. During the last few weeks of school, we will review geometry and measurement.