TGIF - We Made It!!

We have had an amazing first week in third grade!!!  Things are really coming together!!  :-)

THis morning we had our first assembly.  It was a PBIS assembly to help teach us about the Wilson Wims ES expectations; be responsible, be respectful, be part of a team.  At the beginning of it, the school was presented with a bronze banner, the highest you can earn in your first year, for being an outstanding PBIS school.

When we returned to class, I reviewed and modeled today's independent work.  Students will finish their goal setting kites from yesterday.  Then they will re-watch Enemy Pie and, in their reading journal, they will identify and explain the most important part of the story.  This will serve as a baseline writing piece.  After that, the children will practice writing the letters "i" and "t" in cursive.  Finally, they will choose between visiting the media center, practicing keyboarding, reading to themselves, reading with a partner, or listening to reading.

We did take a Go Noodle brain break in between  explaining the independent work and getting started on it!  :-)

Prior to going to outdoor recess and lunch, we debriefed from our independent work block.  I addressed any questions and concerns.

After lunch, we returned to class, and I explained how math rotations work.  Then I showed the children today's math block flipchart and explained the activities.

When working with me we organized logins and I handed out math folders and math journals.

During math with a partner the students cut out their digit cards, put their initials on the back, and placed them in a baggy.  These should be kept in school, in their math folders, all year.  If they had time, they used the digit cards to create 2 and 3 digit numbers and then identify whether each was odd or even.  This was recorded in their math journal.

Finally, during the technology rotation, the students received their Sumdog logins and explored the site.

After our math block we had our first formal class meeting.  We will be having weekly meetings on Friday afternoons.  First we reviewed the purpose for the meetings (children to have a voice in the classroom, build relationships and trust) and the ground rules (listen to everyone, accept others ideas, no put-downs).   Next we began with our group share.  Each child had a chance to ask me a question...if they chose not to, they just said "pass".  Next we exchanged compliments and thank yous.  Finally, during the challenges portion, I introduced the issue bin and the reflection station.  The issue bin is a place for students to write notes on post-its if they need help, or my attention, when I am with a small group or individual students.  The reflection station is a place they can go if they need to calm down or regroup.

There will not be a weekly newsletter this week, due to Back to School Night.  I will let you know next week if homework starts on Tuesday or the following Monday.

Have a great weekend!!