Third Grade Life Science

This month students have been studying living organisms.  We have completed science observations noticing how different organisms look, move, and respond to their environment.  We have learned that living things share certain characteristics: they move, breathe, need energy, have a life cycle, reproduce, and die.

Students are brainstorming characteristics that all living things have in common

Students were curiuos (some skeptical) if plants really moved .  So, we set up a simple science experiment to capture the movement of a plants leaves as they angle toward the sun.  We were able to see evidence of how a plant responds to its' environment.

 We worked to categorize various objects as living, non-living, or dead and realized that there is yet another category when we had disagreements about where to place our peas seeds.

We took our learning outside and worked to categorize organisms we encountered on our nature walk. 


This week students are using what they know about animal adaptations to create a "Creative Amphibian" model of an animal that has adaptations for living on land and water.  Students will combine features from their favorite animals to make a unique creature.

      

Room B-214 Sneak Peek

Hello Third Graders!

Only ten days until school starts and there is still so much left to do!  I have been at school all week rearranging and organizing our classroom so it's ready for us on August 30th.  Here is a sneak peek of our room. Of course, there are many "finishing touches" still left to complete. Everyone is working hard to get the school in tip-top shape for our first day.  GEMS continues to be under construction in the middle school wing; furniture is still being moved and floors are still being cleaned and waxed.  There is a flurry of activity as it all comes together in the final days.  I am so excited to welcome you to 3rd grade.  See you soon!

Cardboard Carnival

Just before April vacation our 3rd grade class, together with Miss Sikorky's class,  held a cardboard carnival inspired by Caine's Arcade.  Students imagined and planned different types of arcade and carnival games they could create, and used cardboard and other recycled materials to bring their plans to life.  Building their games presented many opportunities for students to practice patience and perseverance.  Lawrence recounts his experience with improving, "When we were building l didn't like my idea so I did some improvements on my game because when I flicked it (the football) would go flying into a friend's game."

When games were complete students wrote game directions which outlined the object of the game, materials, and the procedure for playing.  Their final drafts were typed using an iPad, and students learned how to take and embed a photograph in their document.  In art class Mrs. Hogg worked with students to design and create signs advertising the name of their game.

  

When the big day arrived we invited our Kindergarten reading buddies, parents, teachers, and other classes to play our games for a penny.   You could feel the nervous excitement.  Adeline recalls, "First, I was nervous because I didn't know if people would like my game, but when some people came to my game and liked it I became less nervous for the other people."  

Students had lots of opportunity to practice speaking and listening skills as they introduced their game and taught customers how to play.  Some students used creative methods to lure in customers.  Sophia explains, "At first no one was coming to my game so I started advertising, "Step right up to Kitten Drop!" I would say."  

As a class we worked together to find a grand total for all the money we collected.  Our class raised $66.05.  Together with Miss Sikorsky's class, we raised over $100.00 to benefit the Georgia Food Shelf.  Samara sums it up here, "Cardboard Carnival was fun, but had some very hard work!  Cardboard Carnival was exciting overall!!"

Forces and Interacions

Students are exploring forces in science.  They are using what they have learned about magnetism's repelling and attracting forces to  design a vehicle that levitates and transports washers along a magnetic track

Students work to improve their levitating vehicles.  "My first was too small so it kept tipping and sticking to the track," Drew said.  "I put cardboard on it because when it was plastic I needed it sturdier," Lawrence said.

Students gather to test their levitating vehicles by adding metal washers until it no longer levitates or glides smoothly along the track.  This was Ava's test; her vehicle held 28 washers.

Kindergarten Reading Buddies

In October we began our Kindergarten Reading Buddy Program with Mrs. Rowell's class.  We meet every other Wednesday to share some favorite picture books with our new friends.  

 This experience provides and authentic way for third graders to practice fluency through repeated readings of familiar books while also allowing them to assume a leadership role as they mentor their kindergarten partners.

 For kindergarten students it provides an opportunity to develop a positive relationship with with both a role model and with books.    

This Friday, students spent time creating "hands and feet turkeys" for their kindergarten friends.  

Our kindergarten buddies surprised us with a class book and "hand turkeys" that they had made! 

Mrs. Rowell and I enjoy seeing the genuine excitement on the faces of both the older and younger students when we have a chance encounter with our buddies in the hall.  This program helps to build a sense of community here at GEMS.

Life Cycles

This month we began our study of  life cycles. We have three essential questions guiding our learning during this unit:

• What characteristics do all living things have in common?
• How do organisms grow and change throughout their life cycles?
• What structures allow organisms to survive and thrive in their environment?

Students have had the opportunity to observe and illustrate a variety of plants and animals.

Students are observing plants in various stages of their life cycles.

 Students observed Jimmy the gecko and enjoyed watching him gobble up crickets and warm up by laying on his favorite rock.

 Students created germination bags to view our pea seeds in the first few days of planting.  This gives us a chance to see what is happening beneath the soil.

Students planted pea seeds so that they can observe a pea plant life cycle up close.

We learned that all living things...

grow and change

breathe

eat/drink to get their energy

move

reproduce

die

  Some students do not believe that plants move on their own, so we have designed an experiment to see if we can gather evidence to prove of disprove this.

Students went on an observation walk to gather and classify living, non-living, and dead things they found along the way.

This week students are designing creative amphibians.  These animals must have features to allow them to survive both in water and on land.  They are using what they know about real animals to decide how their creative animal will eat, protect itself, and move on land and water.

Book Lunch Bunch

We held our first Book Lunch Bunch on October 2, 2015! All students who read our Picture Book of the Month, What in the Wild? were in attendance.  We ate lunch together, discussed the book, and read it together for a second time.  Our group was small, but I hope it will grow in numbers next month. 

Our picture book for the month of October 
is by one of my favorite authors, Patricia Polacco.  It is called Thank You, Mr. Falker.