Math Tips & More

Hey Guys!
We've finished up the 2nd quarter and are officially half way through the 3rd grade year! I wanted to take the time to share with you some awesome resources I've found to help your child be successful.

In Math, we are beginning our study of fractions. Students should already be familiar with identifying simple fractions and explaining the functions of a numerator and denominator. In 3rd grade, students are expected to model fractions with fraction bars and on number lines. Students are also expected to find equivalent fractions using models and number lines. Comparing and ordering fractions on a number line is also a 3rd grade standard. We primarily work with 1/2s, 1/3s, 1/4s, 1/6s, and 1/8s.  Below are some teaching videos that might help you as you help your child practice these skills at home.

Ordering Fractions on a Number Line

Source: youtube.com via Emily on Pinterest

We are also continuing to practice multiplication facts. Third graders are participating in a mastery program called "Multiplication Masters" that allows each individual student to work at his or her pace. We have these timed tests about 2-3 times a week. Click below to see a video of another teacher using this program.

Source: vimeo.com via Emily on Pinterest

6, 7, 8, 9 Times Tables Trick
The narrator is somewhat boring on this video, BUT the trick he has to share is awesome! Stick through with it and it might just help with mastering those tables!

Source: youtube.com via Emily on Pinterest

And......of course, I can't make a post that doesn't include pictures of your OWN kids at work! :)

In Language, small groups explore using sensory adjectives to describe their Mystery Candy! 

(The lesson is always more exciting if it involves candy!)

 Once we finished the activity, this anchor chart was filled with great examples of sensory adjectives.

In Social Studies, students have been learning about local government and the three branches of government. Below, Kaila works hard to complete her 3 Branches Mobile Project.

Our new theme for Reading is Imagination. Throughout this theme, we are reading literature that features characters using their imaginations, imaginative writing through poetry, and biographies about people who became famous for being creative. In workshop, students read about how every day items were invented and were inspired to create their own inventions.

 Collin demonstrates his cleverly made sling shot, made from popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and a plastic cup!

 Carlos invented an interesting contraption to help us know the wind direction!

And finally...(my favorite)! We had an ENTIRE week of rain...which means no outdoor recess. Sooooo...instead of the normal games or a movie, we pulled up some Just Dance videos and had a classroom dance party. My classroom looks like a dance club! HA! So much fun. :)

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013!! Wow. Too much time has passed since I've updated this page. Believe me! It's proof of just how busy we have been! I hate to make excuses, but truly...Making time in the day to update a blog is HARD! But I have so many pictures and things to share, that I've got to do it! 

Below is a quick photo journal of some "milestones" in 3rd grade. 

 Look at all these AWESOME compass rose projects on display before the 2nd-3rd grade music program! I was very proud of the creativity and effort put into these projects!

 2nd and 3rd graders shared some things they have been learning in music class with Mrs. Burns. Always a pleasure!

 The students listen to the manager of Krispy Kreme Doughnut Factory to gain insight on running a business and how to work together. This field trip correlated to our topic of economics and helped students prepare for Snowflake Cafe.

 Collin and Nicholas worked as cooks in our Snowflake Cafe. They kept the plates coming for our customers!

 Great customer service is key! Jorge serves one of our Kindergarten customers.

 The hostess(es) with the mostest!

 

The cashiers had an extremely important job. They learned first hand that it's important to pay attention in math class!

 Congratulations to our Classroom Spelling Bee Participants! 

Parker, Caleb, Alex, Kaya, Aiden, Christina, Jamia, and Diarra were our top spellers in our classroom bee. Congrats to Christina, Jamia and Diarra who represented Ms. Fox's class in the Forsyth Academy School Bee! Christina Jones came in 4th place! WOO HOO! :)

October 2012

Hey guys!

Wow, it's been a great start to the year! We just finished our 6th week of school! It's crazy how quickly the weeks pass us by. In third grade, we are getting much more acquainted with our procedures and routines. We are also learning the expectations of 3rd grade, not only in our behaviors, but also in our academics.

Students have learned that my favorite question to ask this year is: "WHY?" and my favorite response is:  "PROVE IT!" I am thrilled to hear some of the complex thoughts that your children are sharing with one another. Below are some pictures of some activities that have taken place in the first several weeks of school.

 Manny shares his Rock Star Bio Bag with us the second day of school.

Alex and Parker work together in Partner Work

 Arinyah and Kaya work together to sort Linking Verbs and Action Verbs

 The students debate about whether companies should provide the public with the amount of sugar in their foods with Mrs. Clayton during HOT (Higher Order Thinking) SKILLS Class.

Anderson shows us how to PROVE a multiplication sentence by creating vertical and horizontal lines with spaghetti noodles.

In conjunction with what we are doing in class, I encourage you to challenge your child at home. Here is a link to a GREAT resource to review and practice things we've discussed in class. www.ixl.com

Happy New School Year Class of '12-'13!

To Parents and Students of Ms. Fox's '12-'13 Third Grade: Welcome! I'm so happy you found our own little spot on the world wide web. :) I look forward to this new year that we get to share with each other! I'm so excited to meet each and every one of you. This year will be a year of many new challenges and opportunities and I am grateful to have each of you with me on the ride!

While there will be many forms of communication throughout the year, this blog is an easy, fun way for you to see what we are up to in class. It is also a way for you and other family members to be involved in our activities, lessons and projects. Please feel free to post comments to pictures and posts. If you have questions or difficulties accessing any part of the blog, feel free to e-mail me and we will try to troubleshoot together. :)

I hope that you all had a wonderful, restful (or busy) summer! In July, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Kenya, Africa for two and a half weeks. While on this trip, I was a part of a 25-person team who brought medical and school supplies to many Kenyans. We worked in a week-long medical clinic, visited and worked in several schools, held babies in orphanages, and most importantly created lasting friendships with people on the other side of the planet! As you can imagine, this experience has impacted my life in many ways. It reminded me of how little we truly are as one being, but when we join together, we can make a huge positive impact on those around us. It reminded me that no matter the situation, we are all a team and we must work together openly to reach one common goal.

Obviously, we all agree that the education of a child is one of the most beneficial and important gifts one can receive. It is my personal mission to positively impact the lives of each child I come in contact with. In doing that, it is also my goal to give 110% of my efforts to help educate in the best way that I know how. The new school year is the perfect reminder to us that we are all an important piece to the puzzle. How exciting to be a small part of something so big! :)

Thank you for all of the efforts and support you have already given your child! Get ready for an exciting year--It's going to ROCK! :)

Greetings from students at Wesley Mission School in Nakuru, Kenya!

Catching up from Jan-April

Oh my! It has been too long! We have been so busy in class, that I've gotten slack about posting on our blog. For that, I deeply apologize! However, I want you to see some awesome things your kids have been doing in the classroom!

First, during the months of February and March, 3rd graders studied sound and how vibrations create the things we hear. They learned about pitch, amplitude, and frequency and how different items can affect those things. As our final project, the students used household items to create their OWN instruments. We saw lots of guitars, drums, shakers, and even some new inventions! Check out our 3rd graders and their instruments!

In March and April, we discussed energy. Students went on an "Energy Field Trip" to search for sources of energy that surround our school. We also discussed ways that we can save energy, which went hand in hand with Earth Day on April 22. To show how we can Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, students used a brown paper grocery bag and made it their own. These grocery bags are now their own, unique bags that they can use when they go shopping with their parents. Take a look at their paintings...

 Alex was not even posing for this one! :)

 Things got a bit messy...but we had fun! :)

Our final products!

One of our last projects has been a culmination of our practice in writing and reading. To finish up our "Storytelling" unit in Reading, students read a story about Johnny Appleseed. While the story was entertaining, we wanted to take it a step further. I do believe we have some budding screenplay writers and puppeteers in our midst... This is what they did.

1. The students decided and agreed upon which facts about Johnny Appleseed's life were important enough that they NEEDED to be in the play. (This became their rubric for grading.)

2. The students worked together to choose characters and write the dialogue between the characters.

 

 3. They created the puppets (and even some stages) from craft supplies.

4. They had dress rehearsals.

5. AND FINALLY, THEY PERFORMED FOR AUDIENCES WORLD-WIDE! (well, maybe not world-wide, but school-wide. :))

I am most proud of the students because they did ALL of this themselves! They totally impressed me with their final projects. One thing you need to know: YOUR KIDS ARE AWESOME! AND I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM! :)

December Update

Lots has been going on in 3rd grade! Time to catch up on our posts!!


Reading Workshop is in full force! Students visit each of the following stations each week:

• Writer's Studio
  
• Buddy Reading Station
• Listening Station
• Content Area Station
• Word Work with Ms. Combs
• Story Elements with Ms. Fox

Writing Silly Stories in the Writer's Studio

Reading Two-Voice Poems in Buddy Reading Station

We are loving the latest theme in our Open Court Reading Series: Imagination. We are quickly seeing that imaginations are most important if we want our dreams to come true!

In math, students are continuing their work with multiplication tables. We are also learning about geometry. Students show their knowledge of polygons (and their creativity), by creating Polygon Pals.

Snowflake Cafe was a huge success!! For four days in a row, students worked together to run a real live business in our classroom! Students were servers, cooks, cashiers, and clean-up! Not only did we learn a lot about economics, we also made some money too! :)

Our fabulous wait staff

Counting Money as a cashier

Too many cooks in the kitchen?

In last few weeks before Christmas Break, we have been reading The Nutcracker. With all it's wonder and magic, this was the perfect way to end a wonderful first semester of school. So, we celebrated with Nutcracker Day on Dec. 20th. Students crafted their very own unique nutcrackers out of toilet paper rolls, made masks of the Nutcracker Prince and the Mouse King. We even had a math battle on a floor size coordinate grid between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King! To sum it all up, we enjoyed a viewing of the popular Nutcracker Suite Ballet. We enjoyed comparing and contrasting the written story to the artistic dance and music of the ballet.

Our Class Nutcracker and Mouse King, Liam and Alex

Liam and his life-size Nutcracker Prince

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe Holiday Season! See you next year! :)