Raney's Rock Stars: Week of January 11 & Week of January 19, 2021

The past two weeks have been filled with memorable learning experiences.

Last week, we took a closer look at landforms, finished our second math unit around multiplication and division, and continued looking into Hartford's history, discussing the importance of natural resources when settling into a community.

This week, students presented their outstanding landform dioramas. Each third-grader had a chance to share what they created, how they built their landform, and what successes and challenges they had along the way. Students did an outstanding job on their first formal presentation. They were well-prepared for public speaking, knew their topics, and asked specific questions to engage their classmates. On Friday, students took home their diorama rubrics, but we will be holding onto the physical dioramas a little longer in hopes of creating one more project with them.

During ELA, our reading groups continued to meet each day. Just a quick PSA: Please continue to read with and/or have your child reading at home every day. This is such an important skill and every kiddo could use more time turning this skill into a lifelong habit.

During their other ELA rotation, students spent time learning more about the indigenous people of Vermont, the Abenaki Indians. On Friday, we were fortunate enough to host a local Abenaki presenter in our forest classroom. Luckily the weather was the warmest it had been all week and the sun decided to grace us with her presence. The third-grade crew was so attentive and respectful during his presentation. I hope they were able to share some insight with you about this wonderful experience. Kudos to everyone for sending their kiddo in with a camp chair. They looked very comfy on Friday.

Here are some questions to spark conversation:

-Tell me about the Abenaki story of how maple syrup came to be so watery? What lessons did the native people learn about hard work and life?

-Why might a forest tree have a bent arm/limb?

-When looking over your Unit 2 post-assessment, what math skills are you proficient in? What skills still need a little more practice?

-What book are you currently reading in your reading group? Tell me about it.

Here are some pictures from the past two weeks:

Started our week with a flooded bridge first thing...

...so we problem-solved, broke up the blockage, built a higher platform, and continued on with our day. There are so many lessons the forest teaches us each day- never give up, things don't always come easy, fight for what you believe in (just to name a few)