Addition Strategies

In math class, we have been working on being more flexible with our thinking when it comes to addition strategies.  Students are looking at problems before they start solving. We know that there is not one strategy that is perfect for every problems. Sometimes we can make problems MUCH easier if we just take a quick look at them before solving.

Mystery Plant Petting Zoo

Today we began our unit about plants.  Students spent time observing different kinds of plants using the sense of touch, smell and sight.  Students recorded their work in their science journal.  We are very excited to get this unit kicked off in such a fun way.  A BIG THANK you to the following families for the donations that made it possible to purchase these awesome plants for our class: Nash family, Zou family, Hurtado family, Lambert family, Nolan family, Miller family, and Barry family.

What was your favorite plant? Leave us a comment below. :) 

Gravity Rules!

Recently in science, we have been learning about a noncontact force called gravity. In this experiment, we used the force of the air from a hair dryer to overcome the force of gravity.  At the point where the two forces (gravity and the air) balanced, the ball "floated" in the air.

Words you should know: 
force- a push or pull
mass- the amount of matter that in in an object
weight- the affect of gravity pulling on a mass
gravity- a noncontact force that pulls objects towards one another 

Addition and Subtraction Work

Currently, we are working on strategies for addition and subtraction.  Students have been using related problems to help them solve more difficult problems.  Check out our class charts below:

Spirit Week Fun

We had a blast getting ready for the FSA by dressing different ways for these past few Spirit Days.  Our favorite was today, Wacky Tacky Wednesday.  Our students are definitely wacky but in an AWESOME way! Your teachers are little wacky too by the looks of this picture.

We are so very excited for all of you to shine on the FSA. You are all so bright and you've already made us proud as your teachers.  Now, it's time to show everyone else just how smart you are. 

We love you! :) 

Test Taking Tips

On Thursday and Friday of this week, students will take the FSA Reading Test.  Next Tuesday and Wednesday, students will take the FSA Math Test.  Today students brainstormed test taking tips for the Math FSA.  Check them out below:

Leave us a comment below with the top 3 test taking tips that you think are the most important. 

Chets Creek Spirit Days

As we prepare for the upcoming FSA, we are getting excited by dressing up for Spirit Days. Here is the Spirit Days Schedule: 

Monday, March 23rd: Munchkin Monday! (Dress up like there's no place like how! Any character from the Wizard of Oz or you can even just wear all your green to represent the Emerald City.)

Tuesday, March 24th: Team Up Tuesday! (Dress up to support your favorite sport or sports team!) 

Wednesday, March 25th: Wacky Wednesday! (Dress up in the wackiest, tackiest outfit you can put together.)

Super Secret Project for Parents

Parents-
You have a super secret project that you should be working on at home. Details came home today on a pink sheet of paper. It is due by March 13th. If you missed this paper, please email your child's homeroom teacher! :)

Organizing our Math Work

This week in math, students have been solving multi-step problems. For example,
 Miss Russell baked 3 pans of cookies. Each pan has 10 cookies.  She dropped 12 of them and her dog ate them! (Bad Enzo!) How many cookies does she have left? 
Solve this problem and leave us a comment.

They have been working hard to write the information as expressions and equations. In skills block, students have learned how to solve problems containing parentheses.  Check out our classroom charts below:

Can you solve the problems on the second chart? Leave us a comment with your answers. 

Stars Perception Lab

This past week in science, students started studying about stars.  One of the very first concepts that we learned about is that stars APPEAR to be very small points of light, when in reality they are actually just very FAR away.  In order to better understand this idea, students went outside and did a little experiment.  Students worked in teams to measure the size of a science book at different distances across the basketball court.  Students found that the closer the book, the larger it seemed. The further the science book, the smaller it seemed.

When we plotted the information on a line plot, we noticed that the data shifted.  

How does this experiment relate to our study about stars? 

(Leave your answer in a comment below. Don't forget to include your name in your comment.) 

Line Plots

This week in math, students have been working on making and interpreting line plots. This is an example of a line plot that we made in class today. Line plots show the frequency of data.

Look at the line plot below. Using the data from the line plot, answer the following questions:
A) How many boys liked either SS, Writing or Reading?
B) How many more boys liked math than girls?
C) How many students voted in all?

(Leave your answers and name in a comment below for a special treat!) 

You can practice making a line plot by playing this fun game!

Measuring using Inches

This week in math workshop, students have been practicing measuring items to the nearest inch, half-inch and quarter inch. This work goes beautifully with all that we have learned with fractions on a number line.  This is also an easy skill for students to practice at home. All you need is a ruler! Students can go on a scavenger hunt around the house and measure different items!

You can also practice your measuring skills online with this fun Ruler Game! 

Attributes of Quadrilaterals

This week in Math Skills Blocks, students will be learning about attributes of quadrilaterals.

The third grade standards for this skills is as follows:
Students will understand that shapes in different cateogories (ie- having four sides) and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (ie- quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories.

For extra practice, try this fun Quadrilateral Sort Game!

We completed this activity in class to get familiar with quadrilaterals and their attributes. 

In order to learn about different quadrilaterals, students were taught some other important concepts such as angles, parallel line and the meaning of congruent sides.

Guess My Shape: What quadrilateral has congruent four sides, four right angle two pairs of parallel sides? (Leave a comment with your answer for a treat in class! Offer expires 2/20- Don't forget to add your first name only!)

Comparing Fractions to Landmark Numbers

Today, students used their knowledge of fractions equivalent to 1/2 and a whole to help them compare fractions to landmark numbers.  Students were given about 40 fractions to place on a chart.  Students were engaged in Accountable Math Talk to discuss the size of fractions.

This is what we overhead one student saying during this activity:
"I think 3/8 is less goes between zero and one-half because 4/8 is a half so 3/8 is just 1/8 less than a half."

The third grade standards requires students to work with fractions with a denominator of: 2,4,8,3, and 6.  Also, any improper fractions will only have a denominator of 2 or 4.  This activity is easy for you to work on at home!

Where would 3/4 and 7/8 go on our chart? (Leave a comment below!) 

Southwest Region

Two weeks ago, we began our "United States Regions" unit. In this Social Studies unit, students will learn about the landforms, culture, important landmarks, natural resources and placement of each state in each region.  This week, we will begin studying the Southeast Region.  We will study this region for two weeks.

Students use materials in class to study each region. If you are interested in a digital copy of these materials, please email Miss Russell.

Capture Fractions

Recently, students have been learning about many different ways to compare fractions. One fun way that we have been doing this is by playing a game called "Capture Fractions." This game is similar to war.

Fraction Gizmo Fun!

Today students worked on a Gizmo called Fraction Garden. This is a fun way for students to learn about fractions on a number line. You are welcome to use this Gizmo at home too!

What's your favorite Gizmo? (Leave a comment below.)