We survived the skyscraper challenge! Students needed to design and test a skyscraper using paper, craft sticks, and tape. It needed to be at least 18 inches tall, and able to withstand the wind for 10-15 seconds. After many attempts, revisions, and discussions, students were able to come up with a model of their own design that worked. Here are the results:

We are wrapping up our weather unit with a study of extreme weather. Students partnered up and researched one type of extreme weather. They focused on defining the weather, what the causes were, effects of the weather, safety tips, and interesting facts. Our topics included: Thunderstorms, Drought, Heat Wave, Big Freeze, Tornado, Hurricane, Flood and Blizzard. Now they are using this information to create a live weather report. Stay tuned…

We made a mini-weather station. First, we made homemade thermometers and tested them using cold and hot water. Then we broke into small groups and made a barometer, wind vane, anemometer, and rain gauge. We are recording daily observations using our knowledge of clouds, temperature, and wind to guide us. Onto extreme weather next!

We started our unit on Weather. We made mini-water cycles and started learning about clouds. Ask your child what the three main types of clouds are, or try to figure them out from our pictures.

We had our first read-a-thon of the year. We wore our comfy clothes and snuggled into our sleeping bags for a day of reading. We read independently, with buddies, had a guest reader, and performed a reader’s theater. What a fun day!

We wrapped up our rocks and minerals unit by creating teaching posters about what we learned. We had topics of: What is a Rock?, Sedimentary Rocks, Metamorphic Rocks, Igneous Rocks, Fossils, Volcanoes, and Layers of the Earth. Each pair of students focused on key concepts to “teach”, and then supported their ideas with photos and pictures. Next, we shared. They are on display in the front hall.

Here it is! We made the “ring of fire” and erupted our volcanoes today. What fun we had!

We have been very busy studying rocks and minerals. We learned about the three types of rock- sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous- and that you can find fossils in sedimentary rocks. We made sand slides from around the world and looked at them under microscopes. We talked about why sand looks different and how sand is related to rock. We are learning about natural events that are caused by the movement in our Earth’s crust like volcanoes, geysers, earthquakes, and tsunamis. After learning about the three main types of volcanoes, we are making model volcanoes out of paper mache. When we get ready to erupt, we will make the “ring of fire” and videotape the event. Look for the video soon!

We are well into our study of rocks and minerals now. We learned what a mineral is, how different minerals make different rocks, and went rock hunting. We used our new found rocks to do some experiments on to learn about hardness, color, texture, and luster. We tried to get our rocks to float,(no luck), and tried magnets on them to see if they had iron. Then I shared a rock that was magnetic and one that did float! Ask your child about those rocks and if they remember what they were called.

Ms. Lacey shared some of her special rocks with us too!

We had a great start to third grade. We played some games, learned some songs, chose independent reading books, and shared about our summer. Ask your child about “Go Noodle”. It’s one way we take a movement break in class.