Collaborative Writing Celebration
This year’s collaborative writing project was especially meaningful to me, as some of the ninth-grade writing buddies were the first students to participate in this project as third-graders. The ninth-grade students warmly welcomed the third-grade students today, reading their completed stories aloud and sharing a special treat with their buddies. It was so special to […]
Exploravision Invention and Research Project
Third-graders are participating in an interdisciplinary invention unit and competition called Exploravision. To begin this project, students first identified a problem that they would like to solve. This week in Social Studies and Science, students narrowed their ideas to determine the foundation of their project. In Technology, students learned how to use keywords in web-based […]
Diving into Informational Texts
Third-graders are building their comprehension and analysis skills by reading engaging informational articles. This week, students read an article entitled Can Robots Be People Too? about robots that were invented to help older people with health and companionship. First, students worked on determining the main idea and found evidence to support their thinking. Then, they […]
Santa Barbara History
Students are beginning their journey through Santa Barbara’s history. This week, students began by brainstorming the plentiful natural resources available in our local region. They then read about how the Chumash people were the first inhabitants of the area and how they used the natural resources to live. Students also learned about the process of […]
Multiplication Madness
Third Graders are beginning their second unit on multiplication and division this week. This unit reviews basic fact patterns and extends their practice of multiplication facts. I highly encourage students to practice their multiplication facts each day at home until they achieve mastery. I will be assessing students on the automaticity of their facts this […]
Design a Disney Story Workshop
Third graders enjoyed an amazing field trip to Disneyland CA Adventure to participate in the Design a Disney Story workshop. Students expanded their knowledge as writers by learning about the role of different characters in stories, such as the hero, villain, companion, and fool. They were also introduced to the animation pipeline to learn about […]
Literature Circles
Students are engaged in literature analysis in Literature Circles. Working in small groups, students ask questions, make connections, discover character motivation and development, analyze conflicts, and notice author’s craft through discussions. In this session, students selected a book in the realistic fiction genre: Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner, No Talking by Andrew Clements, or […]
Verbs: Ready, Set, Action!
This week, students have been taking a close look at verbs. As students embark on the creative writing process, it is critical that they have a solid understanding of parts of speech in order to understand sentence structure and build sentence fluency. I have been enjoying working with the students through the creative writing process […]
Multiplication and Division
This week, students began Unit 4: Multiplication and Division. This unit will help students develop a conceptual understanding of these operations. It has three areas of focus: solving multiplication and division number stories, solving multiplication and division facts, and exploring the inverse relationship between multiplication and division. Students have also begun to practice their math […]
Linear Measures and Area
Students will begin a unit on linear measures and area next week. In this unit, students will explore the need for standard units of measure, measure lengths using customary and metric units, develop the concept of area, and investigate the relationship between diameter and circumference. Next week, students will build an understanding of U.S. customary […]