Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Week of November 4, 2019

Last week, we had a full morning in the woods, followed by a day off for Parent-Teacher conferences, and then reconvened Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Friday we were able to go on our first field trip. The weather was much colder than many of us have been used to, but we all managed to have a lot of fun.

In the woods, we were able to have our first fire. We talked about fire safety and what that looked like while in the woods. Mrs. Johnson joined us and hosted Library outside. It was a lot of fun to read in a different space. During exploration time, any students have begun to stretch their imaginations. They are beginning to develop complex story plots, making a variety of characters to act out. Other students have been busy building up their forts and teepees to accommodate the approaching winter.

In math, students have been working with multiplication, seen as repeated addition. Each student was given a number 2-12, and working with that number, they had to identify 10 multiples of that number. We will continue to build on this idea.

In writing, students are still working on their Halloween Treats opinion piece. Thank you to all of our families who allowed their children to bring in candy samples. It certainly helped when elaborating in our body paragraphs.

To end the week, we went to VINS. It was so cold, but we kept moving and had a great time. The third-grade class demonstrated great teamwork and strong listening skills when working with Ms. Michelle from VINS. We got to explore the canopy walk, see the birds, and learn more about how adaptations allow various birds to live within different levels of a forest.

Getting to see the fire for the first time

Library in the woods this week

Snack time for all

Some students have worked hard to build a "kitchen" within their fort.

Finding multiples along a number path

On our way to VINS Forest Classroom

Checking out the bald eagles up close

Finding fossils! What a great connection to our current science unit. 

Looking up at 3H as they learn on the canopy walk

Taking a closer look at a bird's wing in order to determine what adaptations that bird has

At the top of the canopy walk! It said we were higher than 4 giraffes, 83 feet in the air!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Week of October 28, 2019

I apologize for the scramble of photos this week. My computer is acting a little strange, and uploading images is becoming quite a challenge for me. 

This week the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) came to our school and posed the question, "How are animals perfectly adapted to their environment?" Through scientific discovery, students investigated various animal parts and made observations that could help answer this question. The following day we had planned to go to VINS, but the weather had a different plan. Our field trip has been rescheduled for Friday, November 8th. 

Another highlight of our week came from the design and making of our classroom door. Each student created a door design, which was then voted on by their peers. Students had to write their own proposals and write reasons to support why their door should be chosen. In the end, a combination of the top two door designs was chosen. We have a kindness tree filled with cats! We are now the "kind kittens of third grade". 

Reminder for all families: We will be spending all Monday morning in the woods. We have discussed the idea of needing winter gear even though there is no snow on the ground. We encourage our students to bring in winter pants, hats, gloves/mittens and boots for our morning in the woods. 













Week of October 21st

This week was full of excitement as our third graders earned another 4,000 otter bucks. To celebrate, we had an ice cream party! This week also focused on multiplication, finding changes in the woods and enjoying the warm weather of fall while it lasts. 








Sunday, October 20, 2019

Week of October 14, 2019

Fall is definitely upon us now! The weather has turned, and we were so fortunate to have another burst of warm weather on Tuesday afternoon. We had so much fun navigating through our "river of leaves" as well as building a large leaf pile with our own natural rakes. We noticed how much louder everything sounded in the woods this week too!

Unity Day on Thursday was one highlight of our week. We just finished reading "The Hundred Dresses"  by Eleanor Estes, which is about a girl named Wanda Petronski, who is an immigrant child living with her father and brother. They are not welcomed into a new town and eventually leave because of this. The story is told from the perspective of one of the bystanders, Maddie. Maddie witnesses the "having fun" going on but does nothing about it. After Wanda leaves, Maddie is ridden with guilt and pledges to never stand by and do nothing again. This story lent itself well to our Unity Day celebration and students created their own Wanda-inspired dress or shirt.

To end our week, we hosted our very first Writers' Celebration of the year, and boy did they rock it! I was incredibly impressed by the students' ability to host this celebration with minimal help from any adults. They worked tirelessly on their pieces, making finishing touches and practicing what it would need to look like in order to present their material well. They did a great job and it was beautiful to see the pride shine from within them all. A special shout-out to all of our families in attendance. Thank you for supporting all of our learners on this journey. 

Here are some questions you could ask  your kiddo to spark conversation:
-What changes have you seen in the woods lately?
-If I were sitting in your sit spot, what would I see? hear? smell? feel?
-Tell me about your two writing pieces, your informational and narrative piece. Which one did you enjoy writing more? why? Which one was more difficult for you? Why?
-After the Writers' Celebration, how did you feel?
-What are you most proud of about the Writers' Celebration? What do you hope to build on before the next celebration?




We love our time in the woods!











Week of October 7, 2018

This week was full of building sit spots, science fruits, and cider pressing! With the weather turning wet and cold, students began the week creating sit spot seats to use when in the woods on Tuesdays. Each student decorated their own mat before placing them inside an XL-ziplock bag. These will come in handy over the next couple of months. 

While in the woods, students had a wonderful time noticing all of the signs of fall all around them. The leaves were at their peak and the brook was flowing. 

In Science, students sorted various science fruit based on their traits. Students determined whether certain fruits were the same or of a different variety from one another. 

In Writing, students have wrapped up their Touch-A-Truck narratives and are beginning to work with their Writing partners to begin the editing process. 

A special shout out to any family who donated a bag of apples to our classroom. Mr. Patton was able to bring in a cider press and we had a wonderful time pressing apples on Wednesday afternoon. The cider was delicious!