Coin Toss Experiment

Third Grade mathematicians practiced collecting and organizing data during our Coin Toss Experiment this week! Scholars predicted the likelihood of a coin landing on heads or tails. Student pairs took turns dropping ten pennies and recording how many landed on heads and how many landed on tails, during 5 trials. After gathering all student results and comparing coin toss outcomes, they were able to draw the conclusion that the coin is equally likely to land on either side. Third Graders also agreed that a coin toss is a fair way to decide the order of play for games! Bravo, Third Grade mathematicians!

Folktales are Fun!

Third Grade readers launched an exciting new unit in Reading Workshop this week! Students have been reading and analyzing a variety of folktales. We learned that folktales are stories that teach a lesson and have been passed down from generation to generation, usually by oral retelling. In more recent years these tales have been passed down through written form. Third Graders spent time reading many different folktales and looking for the common characteristics in these stories. Students discovered that folktales often have characters that are animals with human-like characteristics. The characters are usually very simple and are divided into the good and the bad. We found out that most folktale settings take place a long time ago in places all over the world! Third Graders learned strategies to help them frame their thinking when reading folklore. They know that it is important to pay attention to each character and ask, “What lesson does this character teach us?” We will start to focus solely on Asian folktales next week!

An Attentive Audience for First Grade Friends

Third Graders had the special treat of joining First Grade friends for their Infmational writing publishing party this Tuesday. Third Graders were able to circulate the room and learn about a variety of topics that First Graders were teaching. After hearing a First Grade friend read and share their writing, Third Graders provided a written compliment to each student. It was so beautiful to watch Third Grade audience members shine and show attentive listening to their First Grade friends!

Radio Show!

Third Graders are thrilled to have parents joining them on Monday, December 12^th at 10:00 am for the Old Time Radio Show! They have been working hard with each other and Mrs. Hazel to put the finishing touches on this exciting production!

Pajama Program

“The Cooper School is participating with Pajama Program to donate new, unused pajamas to local 6-12 year old children in need of warm sleepwear during this holiday season! We are collecting pajama sets and nightgowns December 12-16. To find out more about about this incredible organization, please visit their website: www.pajamaprogram.org.”

Important Dates:

• December 12th           Third Grade Radio Show, 10am
• December 16th           Pajama Day, 11:30 Dismissal
• December 17-January 3rd   Winter Break
• January 12th    Parent Forum, 5:45 – 6:45
• January 16th              MLK Day, No School