Wednesday, August 26, 2015

South Carolina Regions

There are so many great things about our amazing state. One is our various types of regions and landforms within our one small state!
In SC History we are learning the six regions of South Carolina. Next week the students will work in groups to research. become experts, and present to their peers facts on their region. Stay tuned to see these amazing presentations.
Here is a map of our six regions:



We sing this song to help us remember the regions in order:
South Carolina, South Carolina
has six regions, has Six regions.
Blueridge, Piedmont, Sandhills,
Inner, Outer Coastal Plains
and Coastal Zone and Coastal Zone.





In Science we will begin our Landform unit. You will be surprise at just how many landforms are in our great state! Stay tuned!


Place Value

We are in our Place Value unit. The crew is loving building the numbers with base-10 blocks! We have played several games. It is always exciting to add a competitive spin on things.


The students will write the numeral in several forms: Standard, Word, Expanded, and picture form.



Here is a cute little wrap song for Place Value.
*Please note- the song goes to decimals- we do not learn that in 3rd.*




Fancy Place Value:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwHwsPq7DVY



Monday, August 17, 2015

First Day Fun!

It was a great first day in 3rd grade. We watched a Kid President Pep Talk video and responded by writing goals for the year. 
To share our commitment to work hard, as a team, the students contributed to an important piece of art work that will be displayed in our classroom. 
In the movie, UP, Carl's house is lifted to a wonderful adventure. Each balloon plays a significant role in helping lift the house.

Everyone added their thumbprint balloon, including our administrators and instructional team. We have a few more thumb prints to get before we can display it on our ceiling. It is definitely a team effort to go to limitless adventure. I am so thrilled to be on this journey with this fabulous group of kids! I'll share the finished piece soon. 







Sunday, August 16, 2015

Twas the Night Before 3rd Grade...

Butterflies are dancing all around my stomach tonight.

I've had many first days of school in my lifetime. It's hard to imagine for the students, but yes, I was once one myself. Like you, I was also privileged to build my foundation in education in District 2. It is a blessing that one should simply not take for granted.

After all these firsts, I still get nervous.

My thinking has shifted a little. I once pondered what my new teacher would be like, if we would have a lot of homework, would I still see my old friends and make new ones? Now I think about the little bodies that will fill up the room in the morning. I think about what kind of teacher they want and how I will strive to be a positive impact and a bright spot in their day.

Tomorrow morning, you will come in with a few first day jitters, just know that I have them, too. I promise, it will be great day to kick-off a fabulous year!

On the first day of school we will create a piece that signifies our goals and promises for a great school year. I was thinking of what I thought would define this year and one word continued to come to mind, adventure. Of course, I thought of the movie, UP, and the hundreds of balloons that carried Carl's home away to limitless adventures. Check the blog soon to see how we adopt this quote as our mantra, "Adventure is out there".

Image result for in the news clipart
Your child will have a weekly newsletter in the front of their homework binder. Please refer to this weekly for an overview of what we are learning, upcoming tests, and events. Our class blog will also be a great resource extending our classroom into your home. This will help with homework, studying, and seeing smiling faces during our exciting lessons!
Image result for back to school bash
Nothing says "Back to School" like a bunch of inflatables, line dancing, and fun times with friends! At least that's how Oakland does it! I look forward to seeing you all on Thursday night from 5-8pm. It is going to be a blast!
This is going to be a fantastic week!