Round 'Em

Place value and estimation is where we start our third grade math standards.  We began by studying numbers and the place value patterns under 1 million.  We explored reading and writing numbers in standard form, base ten models, written form, and expanded form. We also learned important vocabulary like place, digit, value, and estimate. Exploring place value and developing number sense is foundational to all math concepts.  We practiced these concepts through games, paper pencil activities, iPad apps, whiteboard practice, and rich math discussions. 

If you want some extra activities to play at home, check out Math Slides.  There is a great place value version and one called numbers >1000.  Another great app is called Mystery Number.  It is similar to this the number riddle games we have been playing in class.  The app contains four different games that give students lots of opportunities to explore concepts of number and place value. The games can be played with one player or two.  Check out Mystery Number ($1.99) on the app store. 

Here is a list of interactive web based games.  Each game works on place value concepts. Your child can click on the links for extra at home practice.

Build a Hundreds Chart
Skip Counting, 10, 5, 2
Base Ten Fun

Shark Pool

Scooter Quest. Play until level 3.

Fruit Splat.  Play the hard level.
Hockey Play level 2.

As you probably know, we are a standards based school.  This means, students don't receive letter grades based on an average or their classwork and assessments.  Instead, we are looking for mastery of specific content standards.  In order to be considered proficient in the area of place value and estimation, by the end of third grade, students must demonstrate that they can do the following:

As you can tell by this proficiency scale, the majority of the skills deal with rounding.  Therefore, we spent  a majority of our time learning about rounding.  We started with number lines and rounding to the nearest ten. We color coded the decades.  Then we used the rounding rules to show which numbers round up and which round down.  Here are some pictures of our learning.



Later, we applied the same concepts to rounding to the hundreds place.  Finding the centuries proved to be a little more difficult than finding the decades.  However, after some practice, we started nailing the concept down.  Thank goodness, because we had to round up some piggies!  We came into class one day after lunch and their were pigs everywhere.  The students had to work in teams to round them up...or down...and get them back into their hundreds pens.  Look at these smiles!  Who knew rounding could be so fun?

Pirate Day

ARRRRR we Learning?!

Talk Like a Pirate Day 2018 was Epic!  ARRRRR!  In fact, we were having so much fun learning pirate style that we kept it going for three days!  Our classroom was transformed....complete with two pirate ships.  The students' faces when they walked in was priceless.

We started the day with a naming ceremony.  To be a pirate, you need a strong pirate name.  Students chose names by generating numbers and using different place values to generate the silly names.  The students had new names like Big Buckle Charlie and Fearsome Pegleg Patsy.  Some students even put their pirate names on all their papers.  Ha!  It sure made correcting their work interesting.

Pirates really know their place value.  They have to with all the counting of gold dubloons.  We had several activities where students had to count coins and figure out the place value of the treasure.  Gold sprayed Oreos help with pirate place value too!



Later, we found a mysterious note.  The notes said that we were captured by pirates that wanted our ship and treasure.  If we could follow the clues and answer a series of math problems, we could escape capture. The students had 60 minutes to "escape the room."  Thank you Teresa Kwant, an educator from Utah, for your fun and engaging lesson.  The students worked so hard!  Their cooperation, perseverance, and problem solving sure made this captain proud!

 The students escaped with just 4 minutes to spare.  They even found a chocolate treasure with pirate jokes attached.  The students enjoyed sharing their jokes with each other and eating chocolate treats.  They also had some time to read pirate stories.

On Friday, we responded to an inquiry questions.  Students made guesses about why pirates where eye patches.  We used a tool called padlet to record students' guesses.  Then, we read about why pirates wore eyepatches.  Ask your child if they remember this interesting fact!

We also did a breakout that was all digital and pirate themed.  In this breakout, students had to use their ELA (English Language Arts) skills to solve the clues.  They practiced and applied skills like identifying homophones, cause and effect, and inferring.

One last activity!  It's hard to do just highlights, I feel like I left so much out.  We did a S.T.E.M. challenge.  The students had a list of materials.   They had to use the materials to build a waterproof treasure box.  The students enjoyed the challenge; however, the groups were shocked to learn that only one of the groups successfully kept the treasure dry.  It gave us a lot to reflect on.

Open House

Thank you to all the families able to make it to the open house/ice cream social this week.  It is a busy time of year, and I appreciate you taking the time to visit.  If you were unable to come, any information that was handed out came home in your child's weekly envelope.

At open house, I had a "Helping Hands" table set up.  The table had volunteer opportunities, as well as donation suggestions to help with special projects.  I can't thank you enough for your generosity with time and donations.  Most of the "hands" were taken and some of the items have already come back.  Thank you!

Please know that you don't need an open house to "see" into our classroom.  Your child's SeeSaw Learning Journal is a great way to get a view into our day to day happenings.  You will need to download the free app.  Then, I have sent home a qr code that links you directly to your student's work.  At home, you will only be able to see and comment on your child's work.  At school, all the children can see your positive comments.  The app also allows you to message me directly.  Please, connect with us!  Parents and grandparents can connect to the same account.  Let me know if I need to send home the qr code again. 

Friends ~ Our Main Idea

At the beginning of the year, we certainly focus on making new friends and maintaining positive friendships.  Friendship and kindness will be a year long theme, something we need to constantly develop and enhance.  We, of course, also have third grade reading content standards to master.  I just love how beautifully the friendship theme and the important third grade standard of understanding main idea and detail come together in Nancy Carlson's delightful picture book How to Lose All Your Friends.

After a couple reads of the text, students got into teams.  They worked together to find the main key star ideas and the supporting details for the main ideas.



While the students loved the book, they were appalled by the girl's behavior.  We decided to do a rewrite!  Together the students put together the main ideas of how to be a good friend.  They came up with five main ideas: 

1. Smile

2. Share

3. Be Kind.

4. Use manners.

5. Stand up for others.

Students got back into their teams.  Each team took one of these new key star ideas and made supporting details for the main idea.  Then, they presented their ideas for the rewrite to the class.