As we learned about sharks these past few weeks, we also did a fun art lesson about sharks. We learned about tinting and shading colors and had a great time swirling the paint around. Alas, I forgot to take pictures of the final products, but they turned out great, as I'm sure families saw when they came home. We had some visitors in our class the last week before break and got many compliments on the paintings.
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In preparation for our field trip to the Maui Ocean Center, Mr. Dav from the Digital Bus came to our class and taught us about sharks and talked about which sharks can be found in Hawaiian waters. Then, he helped the students dissect a small shark. Most of the kids loved it, but a few others were a little unsure... It was a pretty incredible experience all around and so great to learn about these fascinating creatures that we share our waters with.
We've started working in the school garden, which is a great experience for everyone. The kids had a great time learning about seeds and how they are the start of a plant's life cycle. Students were able to look at and touch different kinds of seeds. Kids were also able to read seed packets to see what depth different seeds should be planted at before getting the chance to plant some seeds themselves.
We just finished a unit studying inventors. We talked about how inventors solve problems and come up with new ideas that make our lives better. Students broke up into small groups to become experts on various famous inventors, including Louis Braille, George Washington Carver, Samuel Morse and Thomas Edison. The teams worked together to create posters about their inventors and presented their posters to the rest of the class, teaching everyone else about these famous and important inventors.
We just finished studying about famous U.S. landmarks. Students were particularly interested in learning more about the U.S.S. Arizona on Oahu, the Grand Canyon and Old Faithful Geyser. Each student was assigned a different landmark to research. They created small pictures of their landmarks and made captions to go along with those pictures. The pictures and captions were added to a large map of the United States that the students had created. Not only was this a fun Social Studies project, but it addressed some important reading standards as well.
Members of the Kihei Sunrise Rotary Club came to school yesterday and gave each third grader at our school a free dictionary. We'll be using these in class during library time for some projects. Later on, students will have the option of keeping them at school to use or bringing them home.
I'm so excited that we will be having computer class every other week this year! On Friday, our computer teacher led the kids through a typing lesson, which is a great skill for them to develop. The program they used is called Dance Mat Typing. It's a free program that kids can practice at home if they like. There's a link to it on the Websites for Students page on this site, along with a number of other fun and educational websites they might want to access at home.
Library Our school library is currently being remodeled! During the remodel, students won't be able to check out books from the library. However, I am letting them check out a book from our classroom library to take home. Please remind your child to return his or her book on Monday morning so that a new book may be checked out. During the remodel, our new school librarian will be coming to each classroom to lead kids through library activities. In the past, students had library time once every three weeks. This year, I'm pleased to say we will get library time every other week. PE PE classes will be held every other Wednesday this year. Our first PE class will be this coming Wednesday, Sept. 2. Please remember to have your child wear tennis shoes and bring lots of water on PE days. Hawaiian Studies We will have Hawaiian studies classes every week this year. Garden Every other week, students will have the chance to work and learn in our school garden. I will be sure to post pictures here after our first, fun outing in the garden. It was a pleasure meeting this year's class of third graders today. I believe we have a great group of students and I'm excited for us all to share a year of learning and fun together. Parents, please feel free to check back here for updates and photos of our studies and adventures.
Additionally, students may find the "Websites for Students" page on this site helpful in easily locating fun and educational websites to use at home. We recently studied folktales in our class, including myths, fables, tall tales and legends. We learned what types of settings, characters, plots and lessons make each of these unique genres their own. We also learned about how all of these genres can be found in cultures around the world. We had the opportunity to read a number of folktales, including some tall tales that took place during Westward Expansion -- we always love it when we get to revisit subjects we've already studied, but in a new way.
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About Mrs. Macario
Aloha and welcome to 3rd grade! Third graders and their families are welcome to check in here frequently to find out what's happening in our class. Archives
August 2016
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