School News: All-School Assembly

Go "Diving Dolphins!"

Last Friday we had an all-school assembly, and it was such a beautiful, Fall day outside. It was the beginning of the year assembly, and it was to welcome all the new students, faculty, and staff. It was so much fun watching students and teachers play flag football, as well as do sack races. The “Diving Dolphins” football team got the opportunity to sport their new jerseys, which have been sponsored by our local ice cream shop, “Spoon a Scoop.” All of students had much fun seeing their friends they have from different grade levels, especially during the all-school competition. It was a competition to see which grade could cheer the loudest when their grade was called. It was a close call between the 4th graders and the 3rd graders, but fortunately, THE 3RD GRADERS WON! Overall, it was a nice way to begin the school year, and it got all of our students excited to start learning about new things in school this year.

Student of the Week: Griffin

Griffin is eating some yummy ice cream!

Griffin is 8 years old, and he has three brothers and two sisters. He also has two dogs and a parrot named Pete at home. He loves to go to school because he loves to learn, and he loves playing with his friends. His favorite subject is math, and his favorite activity to participate in at school is the reading corner. When he grows up, he wants to be a firefighter because he wants to help save people. He loves to use his sense of humor to make his friends laugh. His favorite sport to play is football, but his favorite sport to watch is golf. If he had a million dollars, he would buy a sailboat to ride on in Florida with his family, and he would also buy a football stadium. He loves the colors red and blue because they remind him of his backyard at home. When he is outside playing on the jungle gym at recess, he loves to cross the monkey bars backwards. He is a joy to have in class because he loves to make people smile! :)

Classroom News: Wacky Hat Day

Balloon Hats!

We recently had “Wacky Hat Day,” which was so much fun! The idea behind “Wacky Hat Day” was to help students express their individuality and to help add a little bit of fun to the school day. The third graders really had fun with this day. Some of the students brought in crazy hats from home they already had and others made crazy hats that had different things that described their lives or interested them. We took time at the end of the day to have each student explain why s/he chose to wear the hat they did to school that day. It helped us learn more about each other and helped us understand that differences in each other can be a good thing. Embracing each other’s unique qualities is part of what makes a good classroom community, and “Wacky Hat Day” was a fun way to teach this to the students. 

Classroom News: "Flat Stanley"

Hello, my name is Flat Stanley.

The third graders are going to be starting something new this year: “Flat Stanley!” “Flat Stanley” is a fun way to be pen pals with other children from around the United States or other parts of the world. Our class is going to be writing back and forth with students in an English-speaking school in Morocco. The students in Morocco are in the fifth grade, and we are trying to help gain a global perspective of the world around us. We are going to be learning a little bit more about culture, especially a culture that is vastly different from that of the United States. “Flat Stanley” is not only fun for students, but it is going to help them with their literacy skills. We are very excited to write our first letters and draw our first “Stanley’s” and send them off to Morocco! 

Classroom News: Field Trip

We recently went on field trip to a pumpkin patch and apple orchard for the fall season. Thank to all the parents and guardians who took the day to come help chaperone the students. We had such a wonderful time seeing how pumpkins are grown and then having each student choose a pumpkin to take home with him/her. There were so many pumpkins in the field that it was like a sea of orange. There was also the second part of the field trip, which was talking a tour of the apple orchard. We took a hayride out to the middle of the orchard, and we learned about the various types of apples, their colors, and when they are typically in season for best eating. The student loved trying all the different apples and seeing which ones were their favorites, especially because many have never heard of most of the types of apples that can be grown. We all definitely learned a lot while on the field trip, and the students were all very excited to go home and carve their pumpkins with their families. 

Reading and Literacy: "Shiloh"

Shiloh is a Beagle.

We are going to be starting to read the book “Shiloh.” This is a book about a friendship that buds between a boy and an abused dog. The boy, Marty, is trying to find a way to rescue Shiloh from his abusive owner, but he runs into a series of obstacles along the way. I won’t give away the ending of the book, but the book is really good to help teach about different moral issues, animal abuse, and friendship. We will have many class discussions about what we are reading in the book, and we are going to do a project on the book as well. The project is going to be learning more about friendship and how we can help our friends better. Once we finish the book, we are going to watch the movie “Shiloh” and talk about the similarities and differences between the book and the movie. 

"Schoolhouse Rock": Multiplication by 5's

Math: Multiplication Basics

Multiplication Tables

We are learning the basics of multiplication. We are learning how to multiply with single-digit numbers, such as 8x5=40. Most students love multiplying by 1, 2, 5, and 10 because it is easy math for them. Many times 6’s, 7’s, and 8’s are the hardest because the counting is much trickier for them. Much of what we do is repetition with multiplication facts because this helps solidify them in their heads. One of the biggest ways our class repeats multiplication facts is by having relay races. There are two teams and two fly swatters. There are a variety of different numbers on the board, a member from each team comes up, the teacher, which would be me, calls out a number sentence, and the first team to slap the write answer on the board wins that round. The students really get into it, and I have found it to be an effective way to help them with repetition and multiplication tables. Another way we help learn our multiplication tables is by using buttons to complete number sentences, such as 8 groups of 3 buttons equals 24 buttons. I have found that hands-on learning is really useful when it comes to multiplication. 

Social Studies: Good Citizens

Don't litter!

Use the crosswalk.

In the third grade, we are learning what it means to be good citizens of our towns and cities. It’s never too early to learn how to be responsible for ourselves in our communities. Students are learning what it means to take care of the environment, by learning what it means to recycle and the importance of not littering. Students are learning about road safety: walking in the crosswalk versus jaywalking, the importance of following speed limits in the car, even though they cannot drive yet, and helping their siblings to learn to look both ways when crossing the street. During class, we role play to help see what the appropriate response would be in various situations. At the end of the unit, each student will write a list of goals they hope to achieve to help them be better citizens of their towns and cities. 

Nutrition/Health: Eat a Rainbow

Food Pyramid

We are going to be learning about the foundational elements of eating right: food groups. It is important for children to know what types of nutrients should go into their bodies to stay healthy. The biggest activity we are going to be doing is called “Eat a Rainbow.” Each color of the rainbow has specific foods in each food group that are healthy for children to eat. Students will be able to create their own rainbows, using foods they like but know are nutritious and healthy for them to eat.  This activity will be fun for the students because sometimes children are forced to eat foods they do not like, and this allows them to explore their own world and learn more about what foods interest them.