Enjoy Your Break!

Hope everyone is enjoying break so far! I wanted to share some pictures from Tuesday before break! We worked on some gingerbread house glyphs! 

Then we had a surprise assembly to kick off our over break reading challenge! Make sure you are reading and filling out your log! 

Sing Along, Measurement Fun and Publishing Party

 We have had a busy last two days! Thursday we got to enjoy the Sing Along! The third graders did a great job with their Jingle Bells dance! 

Obviously the highlight of the Sing Along was the parents' rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas! What a fun Summit tradition! 

In math, we have started a unit about measurement and fractions. We have been talking about the difference between mass and weight. We used the pan balance to find the mass of different lumps of clay, using items that have a known mass (1 gram cubes, 1 gram paperclips). We also tried to figure out how to make two lumps of clay have the same mass...what a puzzling situation. 

Lastly, today we had a publishing party for our informational text unit. The third graders produced some beautiful informational texts using Google Slides! They got to see them for the first time printed out today and it was very exciting! We spent the whole writing block sharing our writing and hard work with our friends! After vacation we will be starting a research writing unit! 

Look for their informational texts in their Friday Folders today!

Reminders and Dictionaries

Some reminders:
Tomorrow is the Holiday Sing-a-Long at 1:00pm! Please join us if you are free!

Mrs. Foley is trying to get a count before break of how many people will be joining us for the lantern parade. Follow the link below if you haven't sent in a form or filled it out yet:

http://summit.ccsuvt.org/lantern-parade-we-need-a-count-before-winter-break/


Today we got to celebrate the new dictionaries that were given to all third graders at Summit. Blue Spruce Grange graciously purchased new dictionaries for all the third graders to keep! They were very excited to look at all the reference information in the back, like the longest word in the world.

Random Acts of Kindness

Today we had a chance to spread some kindness throughout Summit. We made goodie bags for different people around the building. Then we walked around handing out our "random acts of kindness". The third graders did a great job today! 

Unit 4 Measurement and Fractions

Hello families! We are just starting Unit 4 in our math curriculum! This unit is all about measurement and fractions. We will be talking about different types of measurement like time, mass and volume. We will also be comparing fractions, as well as drawing and sketching basic fractions. 

After looking at the pre-assessment data today, our class could definitely use some help at home with telling time, as well as building the time on an analog clock. If you have some time in the car, or while you are making dinner, have some great conversations with your third grader about time,  how much time has passed (elapsed time) and why the clock is structured the way it is! We will be practicing at school but some practice at home would be much appreciated! 

We will also be diving into fractions. Fractions can be a challenging concept, so this would be another great place to have some support from home. Cooking and baking can be a great way to have conversations about fractions! We will be doing a lot of work comparing fractions!

Below is the family letter for Unit 4. This will also be coming home in Friday Folders this week! 

Kinder Buddies and Our New Friend

Today was an exciting day in third grade! We started off our morning with a whole school celebration for filling the sunband jar. We got to have a dance train around the school! I was so impressed with how safe, kind and responsible the third graders were while we were enjoying this celebration!

Mrs. Cole was a great "engine"!

This afternoon we got to show our Kindergarten Buddies how to make 3D snowflakes! 

Lastly, we welcomed a new third grade girl, Essence, to our classroom today!

Thank you to those families that joined us for the holiday dinner today! 

Mystery Skype

Today we got to Mystery Skype with a class from India. We got to ask questions to figure out what part of the world they were located in. The students from India asked us questions to figure out where we were located! Once we figured it out, they showed us some different parts of their culture like their traditional saris and some different dances and instruments. It was a very cool experience! We will be starting our social studies culture unit in the coming weeks. 

Mock Rocks

Today we got to take apart the "mock rocks" that Mrs. Cole made for us. First, we measured the diameter and height of our rocks. Then we drew a scientific drawing of the rock. After that, we broke apart them using a hammer and a paperclip. It was a great way to finish up our rock unit. 

Four Winds- Rocks and Minerals

Some important December dates: 

December 4th: Report Cards Go Home

December 10th 8:15am Assembly

December 17th 1:00pm Sing-A-Long Assembly

We had a busy first day back from break! Some brave Four Winds volunteers joined us first thing this morning to share an awesome lesson on rocks and minerals. There were three different stations where we got to try identifying fossils and rocks. We also got to make our own "fossil" with some clay!