Inquiry – This week we travel to France, learn about world geography (with the aid of a very large blow-up globe!) and create a timeline of important events in Cayman.Math (Measurement) – We will have another week focused on length to consolidate their understanding of inches, feet and yards and mm, cm and m. Please check out Rainforest Math via the Mathletics website (www.mathletics.com) for some extra practice in this area.Literacy (Reading and Writing) – Children will be reading a variety of Folk Tales as a whole class and within their guided reading groups. The particular types of Folk Tales we will be looking at are Legend, Tall Tale, Fable and Fairy Tales. Children will be writing a Folk Tale based on the Three Wishes which is a combination of a Fairy Tale and a Fable.
Weekly Update
Inquiry – We start our new Inquiry unit. Our big overarching question is, What does it mean to be Caymanian? As well as getting a better understanding and appreciation for Caymanian culture, we will also be “travelling” to other countries to learn about their culture. Each child has been issued with a “passport” to record their journey’s. Also for homework this week, children have been asked to look into their family history and identify customs/traditions that are important to their family. Mathematics – We start our Measurement unit this week. Each week we will take a different area of measurement to explore e.g. length, weight, capactiy and time. This week we focus on length using both feet and inches and cm and m.Writing – This week we finish writing our first Folk Tale based story using the tale of The Fox and the Stork as a model. We will begin to analyse the tale of The Three Wishes. A focus will be made on writing a sequence of events which includes a build up and conflict. We will also look at how a story can tell a moral.Reading – This week’s comprehension focus is identifying fact from opinion.
Weekly Update
HEALTHY KIDS EXPO! This Thursday 5:30 – 8pm at FBCS. In class we have discussed and watched a movie from Brainpop to help us understand the food pyramid. For homework this week, the children need to complete the worksheet entitled Steps to a Healthier You.Writing – We have started a new writing unit. Children will be reading folktales from around the world and then writing their own folktales. A Strong focus will be made on writing within a narrative (story) structure (beginning, build up with conflict and climax, ending with resolution) and describing the characters and the setting. We aim to collate our best writing pieces into a Grade 3 Folk Tale book.Reading – Our whole class comprehension focus is comparing and contrasting. We continue to work on developing fluency and reading with expression.Math – Continued focus on quickly and accurately recalling basic facts. This week there will be a particular focus on subtracting larger numbers using standard written form, the traditional computation method.
Weekly Update
- Reading – We are at final rehearsal stages for our poem “Be Like an Animal” by Mabel Watts. We hope to have this filmed by the end of the week. This will then be put on display during our school Expo.
- Writing – FBCS has started a whole school letter writing initiative. Children will be writing letters to children in other classes as well as teachers and administrators in both the church and school offices. Each class will have their own mailbox and “address”. The Brownie girls will be our mail people. In Grade 3, we have started going over the structure of a letter and the purpose behind letter writing.
- Spelling – Children are reviewing their words for Unit 1. I will select 20 of these words to test the children on Friday during our weekly spelling test. Our school Spelling Bee will also be held this Friday at 8:30am in the chapel. The representatives from Grade 3 will be Nasim, Allan, James and Dinara.
- Math – We have started work on adding and subtracting 2 – 4 digit numbers. The children are enjoying using the Responders as part of Accelerated Math and Mathletics to help them improve their learning in this area.
Submarine Field Trip
For our end of unit Inquiry, Grade 3 joined up with the Grade 5/6 class to explore the ocean on one the Atlantis Submarines. A great time was had by all!
Inquiry Work
Grade 3 has been busy creating a class mural depicting the key habitats found in tropical seas – mangroves, sea grass and coral. Have a look at our great work!
Fun Learning Times in Grade 3!
Welcome to Grade 3 for 2009/2010!
It is my pleasure to welcome you to this 2009/2010 school year. This third grade class has 10 lovely and lively children. We’re all looking forward to our year together as we learn some amazing things!
Each grading period we will be focusing on a specific Inquiry. The Inquiry will be like a topic study with a specific “big question” that the children and I will investigate. Each Inquiry will have a specific curriculum focus such as Social Studies, Science/Technology, The Arts or Environmental Education. Where possible, the work we do in Literacy and in Math will link to the Inquiry. Our first Inquiry asks “Why is the Ocean important?” To answer this question we will be brainstorming, asking further questions and finding out about the ocean around Cayman and the world as well as the role it plays in our lives and in the ecosystem. We will be doing ocean inspired art, science experiments, reading and watching cool ocean things and planning some exciting field trips. More details and photos to follow so please check back here!
In Mathematics we’ve started our Statistics unit. We will be doing statistical enquiry investigations and using a variety of graphs to dispaly our data. We will also be using the computer program, Excel. Mathletics is also up and running for the year. This is a great place for children to compete against other children from around the world on different basic facts levels. As the teacher, I also set tasks for the children to complete in class and as part of their homework. Children earn credits for their work and then gain certificates which are printed out and displayed on our Wall of Honor.
Literacy – Our writing focus for this term is recounts (letter and journal writing) and descriptive writing (poetry). This will be linked to our Ocean Inquiry. We are in the process of setting up our Grade 3 Writing blog for this year. A link to this site will be placed here shortly. Reading assessments are being done in the first few weeks of school and then we will launch into our guided reading program. A strong focus on Oral language will be made this year. This includes speaking clearly and confidently and answering questions from their peers. It also includes being an active listener. The Current Events part of their homework has strong links with this Oral language component. (See homework page for more information about this).
Specialist Classes – Music will be 11:00am – 11:30am on Tuesday and Thursday. P.E will be 10:00am – 10:30am on Tuesday and 1:00-1:30 on Friday. Spanish will be 10:00am – 10:30am on Monday and Wednesday. Our computer suite time is 1:00pm – 1:30pm on Thursday. Library is Friday 11:30-12:00. Please ensure your child has the correct gear when going to their specialist teacher, especially for P.E.