Teachers Pay Teachers: Bishop's Blackboard

Check out my store on Teachers Pay Teachers! You will find many general education resources for math, science, and reading along with decorative art items.

Third Grade Texture Snowmen

Although the drawings/paintings themselves look simple, the students had to measure and mix tempera paint and baking soda to create a snow-like texture to paint their snowman:

Third Grade Pollack Inspired Owls

Animal and Plant Habitats

We used PebbleGo to look at different habitats and ecosystems. As a class we made a Tree Map of facts learned for each habitat including what it looks like as well as what animals and plants could live there. The students then used the Tree Map to draw picture representations of each habitat along with at least one animal and one plant that could live there.

Safari Sunset Art

As a part of our lessons on various habitats and ecosystems, we talked about the desert and what animals must have to survive in the desert. We also talked about grasslands and the need for larger animals to have a wide space to roam. To extend our learning, I taught the students how to paint a sky to look like a setting sunset. We worked on mixing white into colors to make them lighter and then worked on blending the colors to fade into each other. After the paintings were dry, I helped the students trace various animals that would be found in this habitat as well as trees on black paper. They added these silhouettes to the paintings. They turned out fantastic!

Dallas Heritage Village Field Trip

Last Thursday we visited Dallas Heritage Village. The students were able to see how people lived in the past. They viewed an old school, hotel, house, bank, and a blacksmith. They visited gardens and observed animals such as chickens, sheep, and donkeys. It was rewarding to see how excited they were about history! Thank you to PTA for making this trip financially possible and to the parents who took a day from work to help us chaperone.

Chicken Life Cycle

In science the students have been learning about and comparing various animal life cycles. One of the animals they have learned about is the chicken. Using an egg template, the students drew the life cycle of a chicken. For those who finished early, they colored the large chicken drawing to display with their life cycle models.

Frog Life Cycle

We have been observing the changes in tadpoles over the last several weeks in our science lab. Unfortunately they were not doing well in their environment so they had to be released into the neighboring pond before we got to see them develop into adult frogs. But, at least they did get to see the beginning stages. As a part of our lessons on life cycles, the students learned that frogs lay eggs, the eggs become tadpoles, the tadpoles become emergent frogs, and the emergent frogs become adult frogs. They created these life cycle models to demonstrate their understanding.

Terrariums

During our study of plants, we built a terrarium using a 2L Coke bottle. I cut the bottle in half and then the students added rocks and soil. The students then poked holes in the soil and added seeds. They then covered the seeds with soil and added water. I then added the top. As we built the terrarium, we discussed what plants need. We also discussed what would happen when the water heated up; it evaporates. We connected this back to our lesson on precipitation and how clouds hold water. We placed our terrarium in the science lab so it can get sunlight. After building the terrarium, the students created a foldable to write about and illustrate the steps that they took. We have been visiting to watch the changes in the plant and to see the water droplets forming at the top.

Carrot Descriptive Writing

Since we were learning about the parts of plants and it was close to Easter, we decided to write about carrots. The students created a carrot and then used a Tree Map to answer questions about it. They wrote about what parts it has, where you can find it, and what you can do with it.

Research Posters

The students made posters of flowers to show what they learned through their garden habitat research. They added facts to the middle of each flower. They then presented their facts and posters to their classmates.

Celery Experiment

To demonstrate that stems carry water from the roots to the leaves, we conducted a celery experiment. We placed stalks of celery with the leaves still attached in water with red food coloring. The students observed the changes in the celery over a few days to see the celery stalk, or stem, and the leaves change colors.

Garden Expert

As a part of our research over the garden habitat, we invited a  garden expert to come talk to the students. Mrs. Flowers (yes, that is her real name) from Pat's Plants in Grand Prairie, brought various types of plants for the students to learn about. She talked about the parts of the plants, their needs, and their purposes. She then answered questions which the students then added to their research notes in class.

Parts of a Plant Technology Diagrams

The students used Pixie 2 to create computer based plant diagrams. They filled the background with a sky background using the fill feature. They then used the paint feature to paint soil, grass, the stem, and the roots. They then used the search feature on the stickers section to add leaves and a flower. They had to resize the flower and flip the leaves to make them fit the stem. Then, using text boxes, they labeled each part and at least one function of that part.

Parts of a Plant Diagrams

The students made flowers and then labeled the parts with their name and function. Their diagrams were added to our class garden bulletin boards.

Parts of a Plant: Vegetable Sort

Last week we began our research over the garden habitat in reading and our study of plant parts in science. As a part of these lessons, the students learned the parts of a plant and their function. For hands on experience, the students worked in groups to sort the part of vegetables that we eat by their parts. They were surprised to learn that some of the vegetables they eat are actually roots.

Dory Story: Ocean Food Chain

We spent two weeks on our ocean theme. To start our theme, we read Dory Story by Jerry Pallotta. As we read, we talked about food chains and animals interdependence on one another. After reading, the students wrote the order of the food chain on a Flow Map. They then illustrated their favorite part of the story.