A Week in our Shoes

 Literacy: Integrating Social Studies with Literacy!

We were able to investigate a historial source this week; Columbus's journal! We broke down the text to understand what he was saying, and then discussed perspectives. We realized his account may not be the actual full history of what had happened when he sailed to the small islands he thought were India. Once we looked at his perspective, we discussed the Taino people he met and what could have been their perspective. Through Encounter by Jane Yolen, we were able to get an understanding of history from their point of view. Then we discussed why one version has been passed down over the years, and their version wasn't. The Taino people were gentle and friendly. They welcomed guests and gave them gifts symbolic of friendship. Columbus's perspective was that he claimed the land for his king and queen fair and square, and that they were a simple people that could easily be made to take on the Spanish cutlure, religion, and language. Quite a different history.

Next week we will look at some timeline events of Native American rights and discuss how their people were treated. Did you know there was an "Indian Boarding School" in Minnesota? It closed 110 years ago. We will read a book and discuss. Our history isn't pretty, but we have to acknowledge that in order to truly understand. It's empowering for these learners to hear that they are the future leaders, lawmakers, and decision makers of our country and to hear about their ideas! I am very confident in the direction they will take us and the world! :)

Math: Investigating the MCA Online Item Sampler and Showing What we Know! OH- and FARKLE!

These mathematicians worked hard at showing the strategies they have learned this year; such as checking their work, drawing pictures, solving another way, rereading, and breaking down the problem! There is so much more to math than just completing an operation! We have reiterated that these tests do not have to do with their grades, do not truly assess all their skills, and do not define them. However, do to the safety precautions we have to take for the tests, it still can seem overwhelming and a "big deal." I am so proud of the third graders for showing grit and working through these in a positive manner. Therefore we had to have a "Poppin' Proud of You!" celebration!

Thank you for your feedback through the optional homework survey and the communication survey! As we have been given some flexibility with how we assign, or if we assign homework, I have been able to make some changes. I discussed my purposes with the students on Friday (I let them know there were a lot of adults debating homework views as well ). I also talked to them a bit about the research in regards to the traditional view of homework. My "homework" over the last couple weeks has been to show the work we did in math to a parent/family member and explain their understanding of it.

I have made challenge math packets available and I let students know this is a tool some families have asked for and they can use it in whatever way their family decides. Some may complete it by a date, or do a problem a night, or what have you. Again, thank you for your feedback and feel free to continue to provide it!

 

A Peek into This Week:

• Tuesday is a schoolwide Wacky Hair or Hat Day! Ask your MB student how the school earned it!
• Applying our favorite strategies to multiply larger numbers!
• Our first Bakken Museum Residency Lesson is on Friday!
• Investigating expository mentor texts in order to write our own!
• Showing and appreciating Integrity! May is Curiosity Month!
• There are NO MORE LATE STARTS this year.

A Week in our Shoes

 Literacy: Poetry, Figurative Language, and Showing What we Know!

We reviewed more figurative language and worked through some of the MCA Item Samplers together with partners and as a class. I am truly proud of these students for giving their best efforts. It's one day and one test, but they were able to show their true colors and that is what we hope for. :)
Way to go!
In the coming week we will continue to expand on expository nonfiction resources and begin reading about inventors to prepare for our Engineering Unit!

Math: Practicing Multiplication and Learning Something "Our Parents Actually Recognize!"

Not only have we learned the area model to multiply bigger numbers, but we were introduced to the traditional algorithm, which has us adding products as we go! Students were thrilled to hear their parents would know this type of math!😉 We will continue to practice it into thie week, and then will be taking our Math MCA Tests on Wednesday! One thing I have noticed with any "online" math work, is that kids (and adults) immediately do more of the work in their head instead of working it out. Often the multiple steps math can require creates more of a test on memory if we try to keep everything straight in our heads! Encouraging your mathematician to use their paper and pencil to work out the math in order to TRULY show their capabilities would be helpful!

Thank you for your feedback through the optional homework survey and the communication survey! As we have been given some flexibility with how we assign, or if we assign homework, I have been able to make some changes. I discussed my purposes with the students on Friday (I let them know there were a lot of adults debating homework views as well 😀). I also talked to them a bit about the research in regards to the traditional view of homework. My "homework" over the last couple weeks has been to show the work we did in math to a parent/family member and explain their understanding of it.

I have made challenge math packets available and I let students know this is a tool some families have asked for and they can use it in whatever way their family decides. Some may complete it by a date, or do a problem a night, or what have you. Again, thank you for your feedback and feel free to continue to provide it!

A Peek into This Week:

• Math MCA Test on Wednesday the 24th!
• Multiplying larger numbers!
• Investigating expository mentor texts in order to write our own!
• Showing and appreciating Integrity!
• There are NO MORE LATE STARTS this year.

Griffin led his author study kahoot twice! Thank you! @NancyKrulik 🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/ltP0WKEzI9

— Mrs.Gleason-MBGrade3 (@gleasonMB3) April 12, 2019

A Week in our Shoes

 Literacy: Poetry, Figurative Language, and more!

What an interesting week! We have been working on identifying figurative language and what the author actually means! After these poets completed a pre-assessment on Monday, I learned that many students didn't read the poem prior to completing the questions... Many completed it based on their own schema. So what would any teacher do? Write a misleading poem about a horse and see just how many students used the poem to answer the questions versus what they know about horses.

The correct answer was NONE OF THE ABOVE! 😩 We had a great talk about this and I hope it was a lesson well learned!

We used "written conversations" in order to investigate and discuss the poem, Search for My Tongue by Sujata Bhatt. This poem uses a lot of figurative language! It will also build into our next Social Studies lessons.

What type of figurative language are we discussing? Similes, metaphors, personification, common idioms, hyperboles, etc. My goal is for students to understand what the author is trying to say, and not match figurative language terms to definitions. However, we will practice simply identifying metaphors, personification, and similes on Monday.
We have worked all year at using context clues, root words, affixes, etc. to determine possible meanings and solving for unknown words. I hope these readers feel confident in their abilities as we have been practicing all year!

Math: Discovering a new Strategy to Multiply Large Numbers!

What do you think this person is trying to do?

We were shown pictures with varying uses of the "area model" or "break apart" strategy and discussed what we thought could be happening, or how the strategy worked. We ended the week practicing breaking about 3 digit numbers in order to multiply it by a one digit number! In the coming week we will learn the traditional strategy and how it relates to the break apart!

This is WAY different than I grew up learning, so here is a video to show you how it works!

Thank you for your feedback through the optional homework survey and the communication survey! As we have been given some flexibility with how we assign, or if we assign homework, I have been able to make some changes. I discussed my purposes with the students on Friday (I let them know there were a lot of adults debating homework views as well 😀). I also talked to them a bit about the research in regards to the traditional view of homework. My "homework" over the last couple weeks has been to show the work we did in math to a parent/family member and explain their understanding of it.

I have made challenge math packets available and I let students know this is a tool some families have asked for and they can use it in whatever way their family decides. Some may complete it by a date, or do a problem a night, or what have you. Again, thank you for your feedback and feel free to continue to provide it!

A Peek into This Week:

• Reading MCA Test on Wednesday the 17th!
• Multiplying larger numbers!
• Figurative Language!
• Investigating expository mentor texts in order to write our own!
• Showing and appreciating Integrity!
• Our Reading MCA test is April 17th, Math is April 24th!
• There are NO MORE LATE STARTS this year.

A Week in our Shoes

 Literacy: Text Features and Poetry!

We investigated how nonfiction text features help you learn and find information! We investigated our Social Studies textbook: Communities from Scott Foresman. After an initial exploration of the book, we used text features to help us learn about some tribes, like the Iroquois had a way of life, government, religion, and traditions prior to European Explorers coming to America. Third graders practiced a "mindstreaming" activity where they read a section with a small group and wrote down their thinking/learning. After that, they taught another student their section, and then learned about what their new partner read.
We then put all our learning together to discuss cause and effect of European Explorers coming to the Americas. We also discussed how different cultures and way of life may affect how you interact with new people. This coming week we will learn from the point of view of the indigenous people, and how perspective can change history. Whose history is told? Why is that?

As we work with figurative language, we looked at "poems." We each had a stanza of a poem. These poets looked at their stanza and tried to determine what the author was trying to say through figurative language. We discussed how it was tricky considering the stanzas were separate and we didn't have context. We shared and learned about the stanzas our partners had, and then had to figure out which stanzas were from the same poem as ours! This was pretty interesting and a fun experience to see! Guess what, each poem WAS ACTUALLY A SONG! I took out the chorus from each song, so students had a great discussion about how the chorus can really share the author's main message!

Poetry stanza inferring and putting together stanzas... “Wait, this is a SONG?!l” how the chorus restates the main message! pic.twitter.com/Q8bvttbqCs

— Mrs.Gleason-MBGrade3 (@gleasonMB3) April 5, 2019

Through this unit, we will continue to address MN English Language Arts standards 3.1.1.1/3.1.3.3: ask and answer questions referring to the text and describe characters in a story, as well as 3.1.2.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. Through our Making Meaning curriculum, we have also been focusing on social emotional goals as well. We have been reflecting on how to be a fair partner, listen respectfully, and analyzing the effect of their behavior on others and on the group work. Students will continue to share, take responsibility for their sharing/learning, and refer to the text to prove ideas and thoughts.

Math: Multiplying Larger Numbers and Comparing and Ordering Fractions!


As we continue to address the MN State Academic Standards, we have been applying our knowledge of fraction concepts. We can compare and order fractions with like denominators, AND unit fractions. Students have been ordering them from least to greatest and vice versa, as well as solving number stories containing fractions of a set.

These mathematicians have been exploring how to multiply larger numbers. This week we will learn strategies to solve even larger multiplication problems. We will be multiplying one digit by 2 to 3 digits. One strategy that builds on the concept of place value, is the area model. This is WAY different than I grew up learning, so here is a video to show you how it works!

Through this unit we are addressing the following standards:

• Read and write fractions with words and symbols.
• Recognize that fractions can be used to represent parts of a whole, parts of a set, points on a number line, or distances on a number line.
• Understand that the size of a fractional part is related to the size of the whole.
• Understand what denominators and numerators are, use models to show them, and order/compare fractions with like denominators!
• Represent multiplication facts in a variety of ways.
• Use strategies such as mental strategies, partial products, standard algorithm, commutative, associative, and distributive properties.

Math homelinks should not be taking extended amounts of time, or causing extensive frustration. Please contact me if this is happening. We are learning the skills daily in class, and we have discussed what the role "learner" means. It is our job to ask questions for understanding as our community should be a safe place to ask questions and make mistakes. Sometimes learning is a healthy struggle; not everything comes easy! Learning this can be hard and frustrating, but that helps us become stronger!

A Peek into This Week:

• Multiplying larger numbers!
• Figurative Language!
• Investigating expository mentor texts in order to write our own!
• Showing and appreciating Integrity!
• Our Reading MCA test is April 17th, Math is April 24th!
• There are NO MORE LATE STARTS this year.

End of the day “Planner Time!” Dance, sit, chill, clean up, write in planners until the song is over for end of the day! pic.twitter.com/0i5KNVP7Al

— Mrs.Gleason-MBGrade3 (@gleasonMB3) March 15, 2019

A Week in our Shoes

Literacy:

Continuing our Biography Unit and Investigating History!
We learned about Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, and about the other first female supreme court justices! As March is Women's History month, it has been a wonderful way to integrate social studies!
We will wrap up this unit and learning prior to spring break.
We have also been focusing on tier 2 academic vocabulary words. These are words we may use in school, but not maybe not in our own everday conversations. Learning these words and understanding their multiple meanings helps us to unlock more learning! Words have POWER!

Through this unit, we will continue to address MN English Language Arts standards 3.1.1.1/3.1.3.3: ask and answer questions referring to the text and describe characters in a story, as well as 3.1.2.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. Through our Making Meaning curriculum, we have also been focusing on social emotional goals as well. We have been reflecting on how to be a fair partner, listen respectfully, and analyzing the effect of their behavior on others and on the group work. Students will continue to share, take responsibility for their sharing/learning, and refer to the text to prove ideas and thoughts.

Math: Assessing our Understanding of Basic Fraction Concepts and Multiplication!


This unit focused heavily on mental strategies and representing multiplication. We watched Mrs. Gleason solving problems and with our partners, had to determine if it was efficient or not!
We assessed our understanding through SeeSaw exit tickets. Students will be able to hear my thoughts and feedback on the activity one it has been graded. Prior to spring break we will work on more multiplication strategies in order to have a way of multiplying larger numbers. After break we will continue this and also circle back to fractions and representing them on numberlines, etc.

Through this unit we are addressing the following standards:

• Read and write fractions with words and symbols.
• Recognize that fractions can be used to represent parts of a whole, parts of a set, points on a number line, or distances on a number line.
• Understand that the size of a fractional part is related to the size of the whole.
• Understand what denominators and numerators are, use models to show them, and order/compare fractions with like denominators!
• Represent multiplication facts in a variety of ways.
• Use strategies such as mental strategies, partial products, standard algorithm, commutative, associative, and distributive properties.

Math homelinks should not be taking extended amounts of time, or causing extensive frustration. Please contact me if this is happening. We are learning the skills daily in class, and we have discussed what the role "learner" means. It is our job to ask questions for understanding as our community should be a safe place to ask questions and make mistakes. Sometimes learning is a healthy struggle; not everything comes easy! Learning this can be hard and frustrating, but that helps us become stronger!

A Peek into This Week:

• Multiplying larger numbers!
• Drumming, drumming, drumming!
• Continuing our research project & editing and revising our personal narratives!
• Defining and studying Empathy as our kindness trait for March!
• There are NO MORE LATE STARTS this year.