Hello.

In math we've split up a bit more than usual with 3s and 4s. Our 4s are now working on decimals, which is not part of the grade 3 Program of Studies. So, our threes have been working on developing their understanding of what fractions are, and have been relating fractions with similar denominators to each other (ordering 1/5, 3/5, 4/5, 2/5, etc.) using visual and manipulative strategies, as well as developing their mental math strategies.

Our 4s have been working on decimals, relating them to fractions, understanding place value to the right of the decimal point, as well as adding and subtracting numbers with decimals.



A few of our 4s wanted to push their limits, and have also been working on converting random fractions to decimals using division, representing that decimal as a new fraction (x/10, x/100, etc.), and then reducing it back to the original fraction they started with (see below).

For those students I gave a further of challenge of trying to do it with 1/3, and then we examined why it didn't really work very well (1/3 = .333333...) which led to a discussion of base-10, base-12 and some other ideas we discussed over the year).

If your student is struggling with the concept of place value with decimals, you can try using manipulatives (shown above) to help them visualize it. Here is a link to one way of doing it: decimals with base-10 blocks If you don't have these blocks (you probably don't!) you could use other objects such as lego. 

In science we are wrapping up our Rube Goldberg machines. We've had many challenges as well as successes in creating these. We'll have a bit of review on the Simple Machines unit and then a summative assessment (unit test) before we move on to some more plants and animals. Our room is a disaster area of cardboard, paper, and other items, so we'll all be glad to get this finished and cleaned up :).

You can see above some of our towers from our tower project. Next, as we move into collecting and graphing data in math, we'll create different graphs based around our towers (height, # of elevators, # of people they hold, etc.) to continue to tie in our math with our science.

In literacy, our grade threes have been working hard on mastering basic grammatical terms and concepts. Ask them about parsing sentences. We've been working on naming all the parts of our sentences, from prepositions and prepositional phrases, to subject, verb, noun, adjective, etc. These basic skills are foundational for good wri...sorry, I mean well writing ;).

We are also working on developing characters, plots, and settings as we work on creative writing. We also did some persuasive writing, with students selecting a superpower they would like to have and then arguing why they think it's the best one to have (on-going).

In social, we are in Ukraine now with Mrs. Wilson and are exploring the country through videos, images, and books.