Weekly Update

All-Star of the Week
Hannah was our fabulous All-Star of the Week last week.  She enjoyed a special lunch with her mom at the beginning of the week.  We enjoyed all of the pictures she shared with us and loved listening to her story, Family Pack.  It was also fun to hear stories about Hannah from her mom and dad.  We thought the picture of her when she fell asleep on her mom's shoulder was adorable.  Hannah went home on Friday with many great compliments from her classmates!

Writing Workshop
Students worked so hard all week to publish their expert reports.  The spelling and sentence structure in the final books were edited by us.  Then students recopied their writing into the final booklets.  Their final booklets include a cover, table of contents, introduction, four chapters, conclusion, glossary, and about the author page!  The booklets are currently hanging in the hall but will come home at some point.  We think you will be impressed with your third grader's expert report!

Math
We have started Unit 4.  So far we have focused on understanding place value.  Students used Secret Code Cards to build numbers at the beginning of the week.  These cards helped students understand and visualize the worth of each digit in a number.  Students have learned to write numbers in standard form, word form, and expanded form.  Students have also practiced making place value drawings.  We taught how to round to the nearest hundred as well.  At the end of the week, students practiced Math Talk in small groups as they each took a turn explaining how they solved two word problems from their math journal.

Science
Students have done many investigations throughout our Light & Heat Unit.  After learning that light travels in a straight path, students discovered light bends or refracts as it passes from one material to another.  In one investigation students placed a pencil into a cup of water and noticed the pencil looks bent.  In another investigation students learned heat energy from our hands can be used to melt an ice cube more quickly than an ice cube melting in a cup.  Students have also discovered the difference between transparent, translucent, and opaque materials.  Students' favorite discovery, however, was optical illusions.  Optical Illusions can use color, light, and patterns to create images that can be misleading to our brains.  They trick our brains into seeing things which may or may not be real.  Students enjoyed watching the following YouTube video...