M&M Pumpkins

3K's Pumpkin Project

Thank you to those that offered ideas for decorating our class pumpkin! 

 

3K boys paint the first coat on our peanut M&M.

3K girls do the same with their regular M&M.

Our finished M&M's. I think they turned out pretty well! 

3K posing with our finished M&M's. 

Mount Everest

Where in the World is 3K Today?

Mount Everest

We stopped for a quick picture at our second base camp before ascending to the summit. 

Did you know...

--Mount Everest was formed nearly 60 million years ago.

--It is the highest mountain in the world at 29,035 feet.

--Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach the top on May 19, 1953. 

--Over 2,000 people have reached the top of Everest so far. 

--The youngest person to reach the summit was 13 and the oldest was 70. 

Step-Up-To-Writing

Writing Paragraphs

 

Our main writing goal in 3rd grade is to write a complete 5+ sentence paragraph on one topic. We will be using the Stoplight Method with a graphic organizer to lay out sentences in a logical order. Please view the video to get a better idea of what students are doing in class. Next month students will start having writing homework that follows this same format.

Stoplight Paragraph Intro. 

Pumpkin Decorating Contest

This year each classroom from Freedom will be participating in a pumpkin decorating contest sponsored by the First National Bank branch in Harrisburg. Each class is responsible for coming up with an idea and then decorating a pumpkin in just one week. Next Monday all pumpkins will be on display at First National Bank in Harrisburg. There you can vote for your favorite pumpkin. To sweeten the pot, the winning pumpkin's class will receive a pizza party!

Here's our pumpkin. It's fairly round with a few "scars" on the front and back. 

Please give us a few ideas of how we can decorate our class pumpkin by submitting your idea below:

Where in the World is 3K Today?

This week 126 votes were cast for our virtual field trip. It was a close contest, but we decided to check out the Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast of Australia. 

Luckily we were able to snap a quick picture at the bottom of the ocean before we ran out of breath!

Did you know...

1.) The popular Disney/Pixar character Nemo is based on the Clown Fish, which can be seen all over the Great Barrier Reef. 

2.) Astronauts can see the Great Barrier Reef from the moon. Too bad we weren't looking for it a few weeks ago when we visited the moon!

3.) The Great Barrier Reef is around 1,616 miles in length. 

4.) The Great Barrier Reef is beautiful, but also contains some of the deadliest animals in the ocean, including the Box Jellyfish, the Blue-Ringed Octopus, and Stone Fish. 

Homework Log

3K Homework

I think 3rd grade is a big transitional year. Students are asked to take on more independence and responsibility with their school work, which can be a stressful change for some. Now that students have a full month of school under their belt, I wanted to comment again on homework expectations. I do think it's important for students to complete homework each weeknight. Research suggests that "homework can help students develop study skills and habits and can keep families informed about their child's learning." I follow the recommended guideline of 10 minutes of homework per grade level (i.e. 10 minutes for 1st grade, 20 minutes for 2nd grade, and 30 minutes for 3rd grade).

There are a number of different homework options each night. Most weeks students have 3 spelling activities to complete for their Tic-Tac-Toe spelling board (due Fridays). Occasionally a worksheet may need to be finished up at home and returned to school the next day. I also encourage students to play educational games on a computer, iPad, or other electronic device. If students do not have any other homework that needs to completed for the following day, I think it's important that they read a good-fit book for their required 30 minutes. Reading a chapter or two right before bed can help students wind down before bedtime. 

What happens if students do not complete their homework? I completely understand that families are busy. Kids are involved in a number of extra-curricular and family activities. If students are unable to complete their homework, please indicate so in the Homework Log in the S.T.A.R. folder (see below). Any unfinished worksheets can then be completed during recess the next day. Students will not be able to attend Friday Fun Time (even if they have enough "fries") until all homework is turned in for the week. 

Below is a good example of a completed Homework Log for September. Please use this as a reference when helping your child fill in the homework calendar.

Visiting the White House

Where in the World is 3K Today?

The votes for this week's field trip are in!

This week 3K flew to Washington, D.C., for a quick visit with the president.
He was kind enough to show us around the White House.

Did you know...
1.) There are 132 rooms and 32 bathrooms in the White House.
2.) Every president except for George Washington has lived in the White House. That's 43 presidents over almost 215 years.
3.) The White House receives approximately 6,000 visitors a day.
4.) About 570 gallons of white paint are used to paint the outside of the White House.

Please vote for our next location under the Surveys/Quizzes tab.

Google Earth

Today in class we kicked off our first social studies unit on communities and the history of Harrisburg. Our main focus will be on how communities change over time. Below is a picture from the Harrisburg development just east of Freedom Elementary. We used the Historic Imagery Button on Google Earth to look at this same spot from several different years to see how Harrisburg is growing. The link above will take you to the free download of Google Earth if you're interested in checking it out at home too.