Thursday, January 3, 2013

Rockin Day!

Wow! What a improvement today! Total 180 from Wednesday!!! I was so impressed by the way students listened to and followed directions quickly, the way students completed their work, and the positive attitudes. We'll just call Wednesday our "holiday hangover" day. :)

Here's a look at what we are jumping back into this week!

Math: Decimals! Yikes, that's brand new! Although, we are seeing the light turn on for many and are really getting a great grasp on things. Right now we are studying tenths and hundredths, which we often relate to dimes and pennies.

Writing: Building the paragraph. This is a huge skill for 3rd graders that works on taking our current stories and "beefing" them up a little.

Science: Magnetism! So far we have learned the magnets possess a special property of attraction, called magnetism. We've also learned that magnets attract only two kinds of metals: _____ and _____ (ask your child to fill in those blanks!). One of the most exciting discoveries has been that iron can take on induced magnetism from being in contact with a magnet, and it can become a temporary magnet itself! By sticking a nail to our magnet, the nail was then able to pick up a paperclip (even though the nail itself is not normally magnetic), and when we gently removed the magnet the paperclip stayed stuck to the nail! Next investigation...how do we measure the force of attraction between two magnets?

Social Studies: Moving on to Unit 3 and learning about how people affect a community. The students have already had some VERY interesting conversations with Mrs. Farkas in only 1 day.

Reading: We are moving transitioning several of our reading groups into a "Book Club" format, which means students will spend more time reading on their own and then regroup to discuss or respond to their story.

Quick reminders:

  1. Fargo Force reading calendars for December need to be returned ASAP! January calendars and Fargo Force Calendars were in mailboxes today!
  2. Snow gear needs to come to school every day. :-) It's cold out!!!

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