Third Grade persuasive writers collaborated to form cause groups this week during writing workshop. Students chose topics that they cared deeply about and wrote about the reasons these topics needed change. Writers decided on their audiences and then researched to find facts that supported their opinions and made their writing more convincing. Scholars know that when they are being convincing it helps to have information and sounds like an authority on their topic Third Graders were able to combine what they previously learned about information writing to make themselves experts on their topics. Stay tuned for more petitions, editorials and letters coming your way soon!

Learning Centers have been buzzing with excitement in Third Grade this week! Curious scientists have been experimenting with creating and recording sound effects using various objects in the classroom at the Science Center. Students have created sound effects like rain by pouring rice onto a metal pan. Creative kids crumpled up wax paper to sound like a crackling fire and even experimented with creating bubbling sound using straws and water! At our Tinkering Center students created a “design–build” plan to create an instrument that makes sounds! They were challenged to explain the materials and ideas they had for creating sound with their “tinker”. Brave scholars found unique ways to repurpose items from the tinkering cart and had great success with their plans! In our Vocabulary Center, scholars used technology to create visual representations of vocabulary words using “Pic-Collage”. In this center students chose the words they wanted to use, wrote definitions and then got to work creating a collage of pictures and symbols to represent their vocabulary words. Ask your Third Grader about Learning Centers this week!

The Cooper School’s annual Art Walk was a huge success this morning! The building was transformed into a real art museum filled with priceless masterpieces all created by the creative artists at The Cooper School. Young artists were so proud to show off their hard work and beautiful art! At the art walk we were thrilled to find that some of our own Cooper School parents were fantastic artists!!! Parents enjoyed creating masterpieces and memories with their child while enjoying beautiful artwork. Thanks to all of our great parents that brought in tasty treats for us to enjoy!

Important Dates

• Saturday, February 6th                      Charleston STEM Festival 10:00am-3:00pm
• Monday, February 8th                       Third Grade Publishing Party 1:30
• Friday, February 12th                         Valentine’s Day Concert and Bake Sale
• February 15th & 16th                           February Break