Summer Is Here!

We have worked hard all year long and it's time to CELEBRATE! I have enjoyed being your 3rd grade teacher and I will miss all of you! What are your summer plans?

Shapes in Our World

Take a look around you...what do you see? There are 2D and 3D figures EVERYWHERE! In the photo is a picture of a 3D solid called a square pyramid. It's called a square pyramid because it has a square base. This solid is also made up of 4 triangles. Can you guess how many faces there are on a square pyramid? That's right...It has 5 faces! We can also classify this solid using other properties. A property is a word to describe a shape. Here are the properties of a square pyramid...It has 5 faces, 5 vertices, 8 edges, and it is a polyhedron. Polyhedra are three dimensional shapes which contain straight edges that connect. If you are thinking the word "polyhedron" sounds a lot like the word "polygon"...you are right! These words have very similar meanings. The only difference is a polyhedron is 3D and a polygon is 2D. A polygon is a two dimensional figure with 3 or more straight sides that connect. For example: An equilateral triangle is a polygon with 3 equal straight sides, 3 vertices, and 3 equal angles. Over the weekend go on a "Shape Scavenger Hunt". Take your friends or family on a walk around a park or neighborhood. See if you can identify and classify 2D and 3D shapes around you. Record your observations in a notebook or bring your camera along and take photographs of the shapes you discover! Here are some links to learn more about "Shapes In Our World"!
Shape Lab
Sorting Triangles
Sorting Quadrilaterals
What 2D Shape Am I?
Solid Shapes: Matching Game
Shapes Game
Buried 3D Shapes
Polygon Playground
3D Shapes-Net
Polygon Playground: Matching Game

Up and Down the Number Line

In math class, I like to incorporate writing as much as possible. It deepens the child's understanding of the math concepts and it allows children to express themselves in a more creative mathematical way! We are currently exploring using positive and negative numbers to go above and below zero. To help understand this concept, we have been using skyscrapers and elevators. These skyscrapers are very unique because every floor is created just for kids! Here is a story called "The Elevator Power" written by Johnny who is one of the students in my third grade math class.
I'm Johnny...I live in a hotel that's NOT normal. There's an elevator that has super powers. I live on the 12th floor and there are 15 floors in all. Today, my buddy Coleman and I, have to run errands so we can go to a very cool place! We had to go to the 14th floor (12 + 2 = 14). When we got to the 14th floor, the elevator door opened and we were at the "floating flop, candy stop". Everything was floating...the candy, the tables, chairs, and even we began floating! When we found what we were looking for...super caramel power bars. Now it's time to go 7 floors down (14 - 7 = 7). We had to pick up our uniforms for the very cool place, so we stopped at the "flame fire clothes drier". Our clothes were on FIRE! When we finally put the flames out we decided to leave immediately...this place was too HOT to stick around much longer. Our next stop was "the come to life art studio". It was 3 floors up (7 + 3 = 10). When we got there, all the pictures were alive. We painted ours for the team. Mine was a bunch of monsters having a race. In the painting, the monsters ran all over my painting...COOL! Coleman's was a painting of him and a monster having a race with the monster on his back...COOLER! Now it was time to go to the 2nd floor (10 - 8 = 2). We arrived at the "Big BOOM Weapon Store". We would need battle back gear for the cool special place. Our last stop was on the 3rd floor (2 + 1 = 3). We bought monster seat belts at the "protection store for monster dudes". It was finally time to head to our special place! (3 - 2 = 1). There were monsters EVERYWHERE!!! We weren't scared because we were prepared! Here is the number sentence to represent his changes along the way: 12 + 2 - 7 + 3 - 8 + 1 - 2 = 1. The net change of the sequence of numbers equals +1.
Click on the image to view his illustration that matches his mathematical adventure!

Don Brewer's Reading Celebration

I wanted to say "Congratulations" to all of the students who met their reading goal this year. The Reading Celebration was a big success! The students enjoyed dancing, playing, eating, laughing, and movie watching! Check out this video clip to see how much fun we had!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Do stars really twinkle? Are stars all the same size and same color? Is the Sun the largest star? What are constellations? These are all questions we have been exploring in our science unit about stars. May is the perfect time of year to go outside with your family and look up into the night sky. To make the experience even better...bring a telescope! A fun game to play is "I Spy"; for example, I spy the Big Dipper. Then, see if any of the children can spot the specific constellation in the sky. To learn more about stars, I have included stellar websites that you won't want to miss!
Kids Astronomy
NASA: Make a Star Finder

Odyssey Software At Home

Are you looking for a way to actively engage your child at home? This program is designed specifically to meet your child's needs at their appropriate learning level for math and reading. To get started, click on this link: http://odyssey.duvalschools.org and save it to your "Favorites". The username and password for your child will be the same as their "Log In" on the school computers. Your child's information is on a label in the front of their planner. If you are having trouble locating it, let me know! This is a new resource for teachers, parents, and students...I would love to hear your feedback!

Fraction Fun!

In math, we are currently exploring "Fair Shares". This unit is ALL about fractions. A fraction is a part of a whole. To better understand fractions, the students and I have been working with paper brownies. Sometimes we share 7 brownies between 4 people, 5 brownies between 2 people, and 9 brownies between 5 people. This was a challenge for some students because there were an odd number of brownies and an even number of people. Many students asked, "What do I do with the extra brownies?". That's where fractions came into play. Working with the brownies made learning more fun and it helped students overcome their fear of fractions. Challenge your child to use fractions while cooking dinner, sharing food items, or even dividing money. Check out this fantastic fraction website that I know you'll enjoy! Here you will be sharing brownies and cookies with friends...but these sweet treats you may not eat!
Kids and Cookies: An Interactive Fraction Game