October 19 - 21

Week 9

What a short week we've had! We spent lots of time working on some free writing and reading, and also wrapping up module 1 of Engage NY! I believe that the best part of our week was the "We Pink We Can" talks! It's always so heart warming to hear the kids speak about breast cancer and to elaborate on their concerns and questions! 

The walk on Wednesday morning was also very refreshing and encouraging! It was nice to see the support of the entire school as we stomped, chanted, and cheered in our pink! Although the walk was fun and important, it was even more important for our kids to have a relative understanding of what caner is and how our walk and money supported finding a cure and also celebrated those who have been through it and survived! I hope that you all will continue these conversations with your kids at home! 

As we finished up Module 1 from Engage NY (conceptual understanding of multiplication and division) I noticed that the kids were doing a fantastic job with both the conceptual understanding and also fluency. However I noticed that some of the kids were struggling with their addition and subtraction skills. So we took some time to create a review lesson that they would then teach to the other 3rd grade classes! IN order to teach it they first had to understand it. Well knowing that would be teachers, each group dived into their lesson and begin planning, creating, and practicing the technique for the lesson. The other third grade teachers said that each group did a fantastic job! I hope that these lessons will stick with the kids as we continue our mathematical journey through 3rd grade!

October 12 - October 16

Week 8

It felt so good to have the kids back!! We’ve had a very busy and interesting week. With a full week off and a week of 2-hour delays we’ve been working hard to catch up to where we need to be. I’m extremely proud of the kids for working hard and staying focused despite the unusual week.

A little SC History

On Monday we had a visitor come speak to us about South Carolina; the geography, the history, and the economics of our fantastic state. The kids had some fantastic questions for him!

Reading from our Writer’s Notebooks

We write in our writer’s notebooks almost daily. As I’ve been reading through their writer’s notebooks I’ve been noticing some awesome author techniques that the kids have been using. The kids have started sharing their writer’s notebooks and also their author techniques with the class.

Book Buddies

We’ve all been touched in some way by the flood. Either we have been directly affected through our homes and cars or affected by the images we’ve seen on the news or that we’ve seen with our own eyes. During our book buddy session with Mrs. Luchsinger’s class on Friday the kids created thank you cards for the first responders who helped during the flood.

A Celebration to End a Wonderful Week

Our very own Chase celebrated his birthday on October 16. His mom came in with treats and cupcakes with the class. The kids enjoyed this social hour and having some time to just sit and hang with friends!

Next week we will be operating on a 1-hour delay! Hopefully this will help both the kids and myself transition back to our normal schedule.