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!

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.