3rd Grade 10/1

It has been a short, but busy, two weeks!

In reading, we are learning ways to become successful readers. First, we find a good reading spot which is quiet and free from distractions. Next we find books that we love or that are just right for us. We know they are just right books because we find less than 5 challenging words on a page, can understand and retell the story, and are interested in reading. Last week we looked through the classroom library to find just right books. We also keep track of our reading habits by recording the title and minutes read on our reading log. Next week, the reading log will go home as part of their homework. We also talk about books and recommend them by leaving a post it in a book we’ve read.

In writing, we set up our writer’s notebook and decorated the cover. We begin the writing process by jotting down ideas. We thought of a person that matters to us and wrote 3 ideas for stories with that person. Then we thought of a place and wrote 3 ideas for stories about that place. We will continue to gather as many ideas as we can before choosing one story to publish.

In social studies we looked at the continents and oceans. We named and labeled them on a map. We learned two songs about the continents and oceans; you may have heard your child singing them! We zoomed in a little and identified different landforms and bodies of water. Finally, we created our own islands with 3 landforms! Ask your child about their island! We will zoom in even more next week as we look at the Hudson River.

Math
Over the past two weeks, we have been focusing on ordering and comparing numbers. Continuing from Second Grade, we use the image of an alligator (or Pacman) eating the greater number when comparing two numbers. In Third Grade, we expand on this by explaining the order of the words. Students are understanding that we answer greater/less than questions by comparing the left number to the right number. For example, if we are comparing 3,795 to 5,379, we would say “3,795 is less than 5,379” or “3,795 < 5,379.” The students are also learning how to round to the nearest tens place and hundreds place to enhance their estimation skills. Ask your third grader how to round a number to the nearest 10s or 100s place!

Science

We have only had 2 classes so far due to the holiday schedule, but the third graders have begun their “What is a Scientist?” unit. To start, they worked as a table to list at least 10 qualities of a scientist. After, we created a giant list as a class. Then they used the cards to build the tallest tower they could. After building the towers, I was able to point out things that each group did that demonstrated the qualities they possessed that made them scientists. For example, many groups showed perseverance when they rebuilt their tower after it fell down.

I look forward to having 2 days of science next week with the 3rd grade!

Judaics: Celebrating Sukkot and Simchat Torah

Third graders had the chance to celebrate Sukkot and Simchat Torah along with the rest of the school. We learned the names of the four species and played a “Simon Says” type game where we made shapes of the species with our bodies to practice their names. Each student also had the chance to hold the Lulav, say the blessings, and shake the four species in six directions. We visited the school sukkah and made decorations for it. Kids loved working together to try to make a super long paper chain. Some students chose to make hamsas, as we learned that they can be a symbol of welcome and protection.

On Monday we had our first buddy time with our 7th grade buddies! We learned a verse from the creation story about all people being created in the image of God and found things that we share in common or differences that we have with our buddies. We also danced with the torah with our buddies in the outdoor yard. Today we continued our torah study by viewing photographs of museum artifacts associated with the torah such as torah crowns, finials, and breastplates. Students identified motifs in the objects designs, and created their own art that will adorn our class’ Aaron Kodesh, the ark that stores our torah.