Third Grade 2/5

Social Studies

The past few weeks we have reviewed what we have learned about the Hudson river, and now are learning more about who it is named for. We have been delving into the Age of Exploration, focusing in on Henry Hudson. Third graders have discussed the benefits and challenges of exploring during that time, the English and Dutch rivalry, and the effects European explorers had on the Native American tribes who were settled along the Hudson river. We have studied maps and all four of Henry Hudson’s routes to find the northwest passage to Asia.

Over the weekend, research other European explorers during the Age of Exploration!

Writing

We know these third graders can be persuasive when they want something, but now it is time to practice writing persuasively to make a change. We have learned about how to write a thesis statement, separate our reasons into paragraphs, and we have just begun learning about how to write to our audience. We have written about why we should still have snow days and what changes we think should be made in the school to improve it. It is not enough to make a claim- we need to have logical reasons and examples to prove our point.

At home, brainstorm problems in the world and solutions. Have your child write down their claim, and reasons to support this.

Hebrew

Music

Now that Third Graders have three chords under their belts, they can play so many songs! So far, we have been practicing We Shall Not Be Moved, Three Little Birds, and this week we started La Bamba. We have also continued our work on reading chord charts and sheet music. Reminder: Students are expected to bring home their ukulele every Tuesday and bring it back in tune for music class the following Tuesday. They have been asked to 1) practice their ukuleles for five minutes a day, 2) watch the video(s) of the week in our Third Grade Music Seesaw Classroom and 3) post one video a week on Seesaw of what they’ve practiced. If you find that your child needs some extra assistance, please get in touch with me.

Science

Over the last month, students have been learning about the scientific method and putting it into practice. While remote in January, we worked on the “Sink or Float Experiment”. While it is a simple experiment at its heart, we had wonderful conversations as we searched to find a way to make an orange sink. The third graders really embraced their curiosity and brought a ton of ideas to the table! Back in school, we moved onto the “Drops on a Penny Experiment”. In this lab, students were finding out how many drops of water could fit on a penny. As they did this, they worked on being consistent with their trials, recording results in a chart, and making detailed observations. This continued in “Drops on a Penny Part 2” where they tested other liquids and compared them to the water’s results. We are really focused on detailed observations this year!

For Tu B’shvat, the students also did an activity in science focused on trees. Using an online simulation called “Explore Learning” students were able to investigate trees in a forest as they grew. The 3rd-grade scientists counted the tree rings to discover the age of the tree, measured the height, measured the diameter, and measured the circumference of the trees. The students were also able to adjust the precipitation in the forest to see how that affected the growth rings over time.

Up next… the gummy bear experiment!