- We miss you - I.A.
- We wish you could come back - A. O. C.
- We miss playing with you, - LA
- We wish that you were still in our class - SL
- I wish you could play tag with us again - GA
- I wish we could restart and go back to 2nd grade - IE
- I wish you could come back so no one would forget you - JT
- We hope that you are getting along with the new people there - JS
- I miss you, I wish I could see you again - DH
- I wish you never left and you would still help us make clay and art (we're doing that now) - LL
- I wish you could come back, we all miss you - AM
- Mr. Alex says "hi" "bye" and "I hope I see you again!
- This is Happy Birthday, have a good birthday - I hope you have a good one. JE
- Hi K, it's me, JJ. I miss you so much!!!
- I really miss you so much, K! Please come back - JF
- Miss trading Pokemon cards with you - NG
- You were the smartest one in our group - VC
Aloha K!!! We miss you, too! Class isn't the same without you. Here are a few notes from your friends.
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Right before Spring Break, our class studied Westward Expansion. Students learned about everything from Manifest Destiny to the Oregon Trail. From Lewis and Clark to the Trail of Tears and the Transcontinental Railroad. We had some great conversations about what pioneer life was like (most of us agreed it was too hard for us). This topic was great because it allowed us to revisit several other concepts we've studied this year. For instance, we were able to look back to our study of immigration in the United States and remember how immigrants came to America and helped work to build the railroads. We also talked about another story we'd read about the inventor, Elijah McCoy, who made improvements to railroad travel. We were even able to revisit our study of landmarks and make the connection that the St. Louis Gateway Arch was built to remember the pioneers who set off for the West, starting in Independence, Missouri. For the students though, the favorite part of this unit of study was definitely playing The Oregon Trail game online. Through the game, students are able to vicariously live the life of a pioneer out on the trail. Pretty soon, our class was full of conversations about who had gotten bitten by a snake or who had cholera on the trail and many kids were coming in before school for the chance to play the trail. During one rainy day recess, a group of kids even created a model of the Oregon Trail using small, colorful blocks. And, although it's hard to see from the picture below, one of my self-proclaimed DIY-girls even went home and made a replica covered-wagon, based on our discussions. I love their passion for learning. Standards Addressed in these Lessons
I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who contributed to my DonorsChoose.org projects! Thanks to your generosity, our classroom now has a cozy reading corner, a well-organized library and new books and two new laptops on the way for students to read! Before these items arrived, most of my students wouldn't have put the words "reading" and "for pleasure" together. Now, reading in the bean bag chair on the rug is one of the top activity choices in our classroom.
While this is a great start to our classroom library, we are still in need of more books, more places to read and gather and more comfy pillows to help make reading a cozy and enticing activity. If you are able to contribute to our latest classroom project, it would be much appreciated: DonorsChoose. Also - Enter in the code: SPARK by March 15, 2015 when donating, and Donors Choose will match your donation, dollar for dollar! Every Friday afternoon this quarter, we have been treated to a dance/motion class at school. This fantastic program is put on by the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Not only do the kids have fun, but they are learning vocabulary, being introduced to different cultures as experienced through dance and learning about the body's muscular and skeletal systems.
We recently enjoyed a field trip to Kealia Pond where students learned about wetlands and local ferna and fauna. The students had fun using binoculars to check out the nearby birds, fishing for small minnows with fishing nets and catching moths and butterflies.
We recently studied the solar system. Students had a great time learning about the different planets and how they orbit our sun, or "sol." We also learned about stars, constellations, the moon and talked about astronomy and NASA's astronauts.
We had a great time visualizing the scale of our solar system by using a toilet paper model to help give a sense of perspective about how far various planets are from the sun. Enjoy the pictures of students modeling a planet's orbit by running around the various lengths of toilet paper - or planetary orbital paths, if you prefer ;) Our class was recently quite busy learning all about the Civil Rights Movement. We talked about how slavery led to the Civil War, which led to the end of slavery, which then led to a long period of segregation. We also talked about how that would have felt for African-Americans during the time period. Students learned how Martin Luther King Jr. and other brave leaders like Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Abraham Lincoln, the Little Rock Nine and others worked together to bring about change in our country. Students worked together in pairs to research a famous Civil Rights Leader. They then created posters about their leaders and made short videos presenting key information about their leaders, which were later shared with the class. The students loved having the chance to videotape each other and watch those reports on the screen. Additionally, students each researched a momentous event in the Civil Rights Movement. They created a short caption box, highlighting why the event was important and drew an illustration of the event. These captions and illustrations were added to a large map of the U.S., which the students created. This allowed us to see where these events took place and helped us put them in context. Finally, the students created a timeline of these important events so we could visually see how certain events impacted future events in history. Afterwards, the students each wrote an opinion piece, stating which civil rights leader they found to be the most inspiring and giving reasons why they felt that way. Standards Addressed in this Project:
Last week was Shark Week in our class! First, the students each picked two, different kinds of sharks to research online. (They are currently writing opinion papers about which of those two kinds is the most interesting). Then, we read a short informative text about sharks. Next, and definitely most thrilling to the students - we had a guide from the Digital Bus come to our classroom and work with the students to dissect a small Dogfish Shark in our room! I think the students were hoping for more blood and less smell, but they were quite into it. Our guide also provided the class with a lot of information about sharks. The next day, we had a field trip to the Maui Ocean Center, where we got to see live sharks (and other fish). Finally, once back at school, we used some of the art techniques we learned at the MACC to create shark art, which will be displayed along with our opinion writing about sharks. Pictures of the art work and writing will be posted once complete. Standards Addressed in this Project:
The theme of this year's field trip to the MACC was, "Waves." Students learned about how waves are created, and how waves impact shipping and humans. Students were able to recreate the movement of waves through dance and abstract art. Students recreated historical lessons of ships battling waves in the ocean during a drama session. We had a great field trip -- even if the pictures don't do it justice. Once back at school, we worked on writing opinion pieces. Each student wrote about what their favorite part of the field trip was and provided reasons why it was their favorite. Standards Addressed in This Project:
I hope everyone's enjoying the start of winter break. When we return to school in January, we will be busy learning and participating in some very fun and exciting activities. Here's a reminder of some of the important dates to note:
First Day of School: Monday, January 12, 2015 Tuesday, January 13 - Field trip to the MACC
Wednesday, January 21 - Field trip to Maui Ocean Center (Shark Exploration)
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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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