As Busy as Bees

We've been as busy as bees these last two weeks. 

From our first math test to getting into the routine of centers to diving into a big science project, our days fly by! 

This week we've been focusing on idioms, and the students think they are the funniest thing! It's amazing to me how quickly they can pick up on the figurative language and even recognize it in conversation and their own reading. Idioms are one of my favorite things to teach! 

In reading, in addition to idioms, we've been working on identifying the theme, or lesson, of a story. We've read several trickster tales with some very clear lessons, but identifying the theme is not an easy task! However, after some practice we were able to identify the theme of several stories we've read throughout the year and will continue to do so as the year goes on. 

In math, we've started a new unit on representing and interpreting data. This week we've spent our time focusing on picture graphs. The students have worked in centers to practice interpreting and creating their own picture graphs. 

Today we also started our first "Math Review Day". All of third grade came together in the media center and spent their time being retaught necessary skills or time enriching their understanding. 

In science, we've been working on a special project. Your child may have talked with you about our Project Based Learning activity taking place. After the activity with Kindergarten students a couple of weeks ago, our students have been given a special task. They are to design a structure that reduces the impacts of tornadoes. We had a guest speaker come in and explain the structure of our building and what makes it "tornado safe". Students have also researched facts about tornadoes and the damage they cause, and are now in the process of planning a presentation to share with the kindergarten students. I will be sure to keep you updated on their progress! :)

We were lucky to have a very special visitor for Mindset Monday this week! Mrs. Mays shared how her growth mindset has impacted her life with us during our morning meeting. 

We also got some new seats this week, we are loving getting to know our new teammates! :)