3rd Blog – 12/2
Lenape, Lenape, Lenape! We have been engrossed in our research on one aspect of Lenape culture. Though learning never ends, we had to end our research after looking at various sources from books and articles to videos online. Once compiled, we realized we had a lot of information. The next step was to organize our information. We cut out each fact and sorted them into categories and then put them in an order that made sense. Then it was time for writing. Looking at our notes, we found a way to make a paragraph that made sense, rather than just... Read More
3rd Blog – 11/11
We have been very busy these past few weeks! It was so nice getting to chat with you all about your children! We love gushing about the wonderful work they’ve been doing in class. To celebrate our personal narrative stories, everyone had a chance to read their stories aloud. We then toasted with “champagne” to our first published pieces! We started a new reading unit and a new read aloud! We started by looking at non-fiction books. We know that they are about facts, teach you something, provide definitions, and has photographs. We then looked at all of the features... Read More
3rd Grade – 10/21
We completed the second half of Stone Fox! We were finally introduced to the character of Stone Fox. As this book was written in 1980, the character has many flaws, and we had discussions about voice and perspective. For example, what happens when a character has no voice? What impact does it have on the story we’re reading and on the way we view that character? We also talked about stereotypes and what we’re supposed to infer about Native Americans from this character. In this particular story, Stone Fox is not written as a positive character and the students acknowledged... Read More
3rd Grade: 10/7
Happy New Year! Though we’ve been through 2 short weeks (and we have 2 short ones coming up), we have been very busy! We are already engrossed in our first class read aloud, Stone Fox. It is about a 10 year old boy who lives on a potato farm with his grandfather. While reading, we stopped and did a comprehension check and asked who is in this part, what happened, and does this fit with what already happened or is it new. We also talked about what mind work the author is asking us to do: is this a part... Read More
3rd Grade: 9/23 – Chag Sameach!
It’s been a very exciting two and a half weeks! We started our year getting to know each other, playing games and asking questions. We’ve also spent a lot of time getting to know our new routines. In 3rd grade, students move around to different classrooms. It was a little overwhelming in the beginning, but so far, we’ve been doing a great job! In reading, we have been preparing ourselves to be successful readers. First we thought about the right space for reading. Some said they liked to read outside, some in bed or on the couch, some like to... Read More
Welcome to Third Grade!
Dear Third Grade Families, We hope you had a wonderful summer! Welcome to an exciting year of learning in third grade! The first day of school is fast approaching and we are busy preparing the classrooms. This year, the third grade team includes a cohesive group of returning teachers. Shannon Berkowsky (General Studies Teacher), Justin Schwaber (3rd and 4th Grade Math), Rimma Berenshtein (3rd and 4th Grade Hebrew), Shira Becher (3rd and 4th Grade Judaic Studies), and Sammi Butwin (3rd and 4th Grade Science and Technology) are excited to continue their work in third grade, and integrating curriculum and community... Read More
3rd Grade: 6/15
What a year this has been! Our study of New York, from the original inhabitants, the Lenape, to the Dutch, the construction of the Erie Canal and Brooklyn Bridge, and finally to immigrants coming through Ellis Island, culminated in an amazing and exciting production! The kids did a fantastic job and I am so proud of them! They’re still repeating their lines and singing the songs in class! We read Stone Fox and were devastated at the ending (no spoilers!), Because of Winn Dixie and sympathized with Opal’s journey, and The One and Only Ivan and learned about friendship and the meaning... Read More
3rd Grade: 5/20
Play, play, play! Students have been practicing for our end of year celebration and the New York play. We are working on learning our lines, following cues, and remembering song lyrics and dance moves. It’s coming together so nicely, we can’t wait to share it with all of you! In between practices, we completed our poetry study! Connecting poetry to our social studies unit, we examined the poem by Emma Lazarus that is on the Statue of Liberty. Students then wrote their own poem for new immigrants. After reviewing all the poems they wrote, students chose three poems to publish.... Read More
3rd Grade: 5/6
As we approach the end of the year, we take stock of what skills our students have gained and how they’ve progressed throughout the year. For the next few weeks, students will have the chance to demonstrate these skills independently. In writing, we are doing a brief unit on poetry. We examine a specific style and then create our own poems based on that style. So far we’ve written one in the style of William Carlos Williams, a poem showing personification, an acrostic, a poem using our five senses, a poem about ourselves using similes, and a poem about things... Read More
3rd Grade: 4/8
Is Spring here? The weather has been a little up and down lately, in true March fashion, but now that April has begun, hopefully there is only warm weather ahead! Our highlight these past two weeks was our trip to the Brooklyn Bridge. In school we learned all about the construction of the bridge, looking at old photographs and figuring out the order that the different parts were built. The story of the building of the bridge took one unexpected turn after another. First John Roebling dies from injuries sustained to his foot while scoping the land before the bridge... Read More