Terrific Tuesday--We are DONE!

Today was our final session of the PARCC!  WOO HOO!

Students came in, used the restroom, and read quietly.  Once everyone, and every thing, was settled, we began the third, and final, session of the reading/language arts PARCC.  AS has been the case all along, I saw the students putting effort into their work and using strategies that were taught, and practiced, in class this year.  I was very proud of each and every child!!

After the testing session, the children enjoyed a snack break.

Next, we reviewed and practiced, Drop, Cover, and Hold, an earthquake drill.

Then, I addressed a couple of issues I have noticed in the student's realistic fiction rough drafts.  First, we discussed verb tenses.  A few students are shifting tenses within their story.  I remember doing this, myself, as a child.  :-)  The second topic was the use, or overuse, of transition words and phrases to create a smooth story.  I added a page to our daily flipchart with ideas and examples of various transitional words and phrases.

Following these mini lessons, the students resumed working on their rough drafts, using both my Educreations lessons and their own screen casts, while I worked with individual students.  I have added a new Educreations lesson to the third grade web site teaching and modeling the construction of the final two paragraphs.

After enjoying outdoor recess and lunch, the students returned to the classroom and participated in a school wide Drop, Cover, and Hold drill that was followed by a fire drill.

Then we began working on a science project.  The students began working in small, collaborative groups, to design and build a Keep-a-Cube...a device that will keep an ice cube from melting for 30 minutes.

Today, the children received their group assignments.  Then they joined a new Google Classroom page called Holman's Mad Scientists to access links which provided information about materials that can be used to insulate ice.  After that, the group worked together to define the problem, generate ideas, and create a design for their Keep-a-Cube.

Tomorrow we resume our regular routine AND homework!!