The Line: Third Grade

Third Grade read The Line by Paula Bossio to discuss how various lines form various pictures. We talked about the importance of being able to draw various lines well. The students practiced drawing various lines by creating an eight part foldable. In each section of the foldable, they drew one type of line and repeated it for a total of three lines per section. They then water colored each section. We talked about spacing out the colors to create visual interest. Once the students were finished, they commented that their work kind of looked like quilts.

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.

Comparing David Shannon Stories

After reading A Bad Case of Stripes and Too Many Toys by David Shannon, the students created Venn Diagrams to compare the stories. After creating their diagrams in small groups, they independently created foldables to show their understanding. On the top flap, they wrote the title "Comparing Stories by David Shannon." On the second flap, they wrote one thing that was the same for both of the stories. On the third and fourth flaps, they wrote how the two stories were different. But, the things that they chose as different had to relate back to how they were both the same. For example, if they chose that they both had a setting, they had to then explain how the settings were different from one another. If they chose that both books had problems, they had to explain the problems for both books. The purpose of this lesson was to build a deeper understanding of the elements that make up fiction stories.

The Copycat Fish

We read The Copycat Fish by Marcus Pfister and then the students retold the story in order as a class using a Flow Map. The students then individually retold the story on a foldable focusing on the beginning, middle, and end. They also colored a Rainbow Fish to go along with their work.

 

 

Time Foldables

The students were given various times in both digital and analog forms. They created a foldable to sort and match the times. They put the analog times on the top flap and then glued their matching digital time on the bottom.

Place Value Comparisons

The students were each given four number cards to model in a drawing as tens and ones on a foldable. They then wrote comparison sentences to determine which number was the greatest and which was the least.

 



Lisa's Daddy and Daughter Day

We read Lisa's Daddy and Daughter Day to practice making predictions and retelling a story. Before reading, we took a picture walk and charted the students' predictions. After reading, we checked off the predictions that were true and wrote down the text evidence that supported the prediction. We then retold the story on a Flow Map. The students individually created a foldable to retell the beginning, middle, and end in their own words.

All Kinds of Farms

The students read All Kinds of Farms using the free books from www.wegivebooks.com. If you haven't used this website before, look it up! It is full of wonderful books and is a great way to give back as well. After reading All Kinds of Farms, the students created a foldable to record the topic, main idea, and supporting details of the story.

Ducks: See How They Grow

In reading, the students have been learning how to compare and contrast the features of fiction and expository texts. During these lessons we read Ducks: See How They Grow. After reading, the students created a four-flap foldable to write the topic, main idea, and two supporting details.

Comparing Eric Carle Books

In addition to reading The Mixed Up Chameleon, we also read The Grouchy Ladybug. The students created three-flap foldables for this book as well to write the beginning, middle, and end of the story. They also created Story Maps for the book. As a class we compared The Mixed Up Chameleon and The Grouchy Ladybug on a Double Bubble Map. The students then created their own Double Bubble Maps. They used their own Double Bubble Map to create a four-tiered foldable to write one way the books were the same and two ways they were different.

Ocean Zones Foldable

Ms. Willemin, our student teacher, taught the students about the various ocean zones. To help the students further understand the different depths of the ocean, they created a four tiered foldable to show the different ocean zones. They colored each part a darker shade of blue to show that the farther away from the sun, the darker it gets. They then read about the different zones and the animals that live in each zone.

Birthdays: Making Economic Choices

In Social Studies we have been learning about the need to make choices based on economics. The students made a list of things that they would want to do, want to eat, want to play, and other things they would like to have their birthday party. I then explained that each item would cost them $10 dollars but they only had $40 total. Therefore, they could only choose 4 items. We discussed that they would need to choose just four items. This led to a discussion of choosing all four items from one group versus spreading out the choices across all four categories. They decided it was better to spread out the choices across the categories in order to meet all needs of the party. Each student then chose one item from each category that they would want at their party to illustrate on a foldable.