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Last Week in 3rd

Monday:

Writing: We meet with our kindergarten buddies in Mr. George's class to story tell our personal narratives to them. The kindergarteners also read us a story they wrote. This was a great learning experience. Some students realized that the story they were going to write about may not be a story worth writing. This is hard in 3rd grade to start to realize the importance of choosing a good story that will interest their audience. It was fun to hear all the stories flying through the air! 












Tuesday: Charlie and Crew took some time to teach us some Mindfulness Strategies that they are learning. It was very intersting what the students noticed when we stop and listen closely. Ask your child what they remember. 



Wednesday: Our class is working hard to develop a growth mindset. Students are in mindset groups and are working on answering questions about mindset individually and then coming together to talk about their answers. Then they have to find a way to include everyone's ideas in a final response. It is so challenging and worth it at the same time!













Thursday: Today we made cards for our friend Tyler who was sick in the hospital. It was so thoughtful and caring of them.





Friday: The crayfish came today! The kids were so excited! They were much bigger than we anticipated. We also had a "little"surprise....a baby crayfish came in the box too! We are excited to learn about their structures/functions and how these effect their behaviors. 





Harlem Wizard Assembly: Students got a chance to meet and hear an important message from 2 players from the Harlem Wizards. The assembly was interactive, exciting, fun and educational. Students heard about the importance of teamwork, hardwork, and dedication. The excitement in the room was intense. Later that evening,  myself, Mr. Aalfs, Mr George, and other teachers from the district played against the Harlem Wizards. It was a blast! 




Book talks: 2 fourth graders came back to 3rd to share books that they think the 3rd graders would like~ Flying Solo and True (sort of)
 



Top Chef: A great way to end the week: Emma and Karson share about themselves with the class. The questions the kids ask are getting better each week!
 















































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Take a look at some highlights from our week ~ It was busy and exciting!

Monday: Math:   We started our mental math unit this week! It is one of my favorite unit in math. Here are some reasons why: 3 Reasons to Use Mental Math I am a huge advocate of mental math. However, there was a time when I questioned what the big deal about mental math was. I was one of those teachers who firmly believed that students should learn how to add and subtract using carrying and borrowing, and that was that! Well, was I ever wrong. When I began teaching mental math, I was astonished at the growth that students experienced. Students who were not “mathematical thinkers” suddenly “got it!” And the students who were already mathematical thinkers became even quicker with their facts! For those of you who are wondering why you should start teaching it, here are three good reasons. 1.  Mental Math encourages actual understanding, not just memorization. When you teach students how to add an equation such as 19+23 using carrying, you are teaching a seri...