Science

Third Graders have learned about the ways that temperature affects water. Warm to hot temperatures cause water to change from a liquid to a gas. This is called evaporation! Cold temperatures cause water vapor to turn to liquid water. This is called condensation! After conducting experiments and observations of these two processes, students were able to clearly understand the way the Water Cycle works. Then, they built their own Water Cycle in a cup to observe these reactions and to see if they could cause precipitation. You could even try this at home!

 

 

Reading

This week we started our class book clubs! This is a favorite every year and allows students to share series books and conversations about their reading. Students are reading books in a series, either “Time Warp Trio”, “Boxcar Children”, or “Lemony Snicket’s a Series of Unfortunate Events”. They began by working out how much they would have to read each day in order to finish the book by the end of the week.

 This allows students to take responsibility of their reading and hold each other accountable for doing their reading each day. They then discussed different story elements each day, such as characters, setting, and relationships. Shared reading is what makes reading so enjoyable and the Third Graders are loving it!

 

 

Math

Third Graders were really excited to begin learning all about multiplication and division in math this week. We began by exploring real world applications of multiplication and division through number stories that require equal sharing. This helps students understand the need for these skills as well as have concrete ideas to connect to these concepts. Students also learned about arrays and how arrays can help to solve multiplication and division. These foundational skills are important as Third Graders progress into more challenging math.

Important Dates:

• Friday, December 8^th            Concert at the Circular Church (1:30pm)
• Thursday, December 14^th    Parent Coffee (8am)
• Thursday, December 21^st    Pajama Day, 11:30 Dismissal
• Friday, December 22^nd         Winter Break Begins