Learning about Mill Houses

Today third grade researchers traveled back 100 years to learn about Carrboro's own mill houses.  We took notes listening for important dates and interesting information. Researchers drew sketches and recorded questions for further research.

This Week in Room 207...

Check out this week's objectives!

Reading Objectives:

• Readers will learn strategies to use when the encounter new or unknown vocabulary words in their reading.
• Readers will learn how to work with a reading partner.
• Readers will practice thinking over stories with partners.

Math Objectives:

• Mathematicians will fluently add using a variety of strategies.
• Mathematicians will solve word problems using what they know about rounding and addition.

Project Objectives:

• Researchers will take walking field trips around Carrboro to learn about local historic sites.
• Researchers will take notes about what they learn and will take photos of what they see.

Writing Objectives:

• Writers will learn how to rehearse their stories and try out different leads.
• Writers will revise by studying an author’s craft, naming it, and trying it in their own writing.
• Writers will examine their own writing and revise by further developing the most important part of the story.

Writers Reflect, Make Improvements, and Receive Feedback

Third grader writers have been working hard at writing real true stories.  They have been working at using a storyteller's voice and being sure to tell the story bit by bit.

This week we looked back at our best stories and used our writing checklist to reflect on what is going well and where we can make improvements.

Later we went back to our drafts to revise and improve.  

This is the narrative checklist that 3rd grade writers are using.

 Writers are also receiving feedback from one another during our share sessions and in teacher conferences.

In our sharing sessions, students elect to share completed or in process pieces with the group.  Students ask questions of the writer and share compliments ("I like how you described the ice cream cone..." or "I could really hear you yelling at your little brother in your dialogue!").

In our conferences, the teacher shares a compliment with the student to reaffirm what the writer is doing well.  ("I really like the way you ended this story.  It was funny and surprising.  This will really stick with the reader and a lot of writers like to end stories like this.")

Then the teacher offers a suggestion that could help improve this piece and future pieces of writing. ("I think if you added dialogue to your story, it would really help the reader feel like he was right there with you when your dad was teaching you to float on your back.")
 

A student narrative with some feedback from the group on a sticky note.

Stories Hold the Universe Together

Third graders in Ms. Gutierrez's homeroom were learning about personal narratives from a master today - our own expert and author Ms. Bremer.  She prompted the students to think about where we hear stories.

The student responses were thoughtful.  Students reported that they hear stories in the books we read, during our project time, in our music, from our imaginations, when listening to advertisements, and even in our dreams while we sleep.

Ms. Bremer talked to us about personal narrative and shared her experience writing a memoir.  She showed the students that many times we find our stories in our moments of discovery - the times when we discover something about ourselves, others, or the world.

Next the students set to work creating "The first time I ..." narratives.  Students worked to keep their pencils moving and words flowing.  Afterwards, students shared their narratives with the group and received feedback.    

Khalil introduces our writing expert (and his mom) Ms. Bremer.

Lucky for us, Ms. Bremer will be back next Friday to work with Ms. Moorman's homeroom!

Using a Storyteller's Voice!

Writers are learning to use a storyteller's voice when they write!  We have been thinking about the difference between writing a summary of something that has happened and writing a story about something that has happened.  

We are getting really good at spotting the differences between summaries and stories.  
Here are some of the things we include when we are telling a story:

• descriptions of actions
• dialogue
• sensory descriptions (sounds, sights, smells, tastes)
• descriptions of images around the storyteller

Our third grade writers are doing a great job making their readers feel like they are right there in the story by including these elements in their writing!

Information about Bus Passes

What is a bus pass?

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools offers students who are having a play date with a bus rider, the convenience of getting a bus pass.  This allows a student who typically does not ride that particular bus the opportunity to do so in order to go home with a friend for a play date.  In order for us to obtain a bus pass for your child, we will need a note from both parents acknowledging the play date and transportation arrangements.    

That being said...

Every year the transportation department does not allow us to issue bus passes until October. There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, they want bus drivers to be familiar with the students and their stops.  Secondly, they want to make sure that every student that rides the bus during the year has a seat. If any bus is full, we can not issue bus passes for the rest of the year unless transportation tell us otherwise.  

If you have any questions, please contact me!

This week in Room 207...

Check out this week's objectives!

Reading Objectives:

• Readers will learn strategies to use when their book gets confusing.
• Readers will learn how to welcome books in their lives.
• Readers will learn how to make a book recommendation to others.

Math Objectives:

• Mathematicians will learn strategies to round to the nearest hundred.
• Mathematicians will add and subtract using rounding.

Project Objectives:

• Students will locate and map their homes and community locations.
• Students will make different types of graphs using survey information about Carrboro.

Writing Objectives:

• Writers will learn how to use a storyteller’s voice rather than writing summaries.
• Writers will learn how to reflect on their writing to consider what is going well and what needs work.
• Writers will learn how to do some editing as they go.

The Hard Parts of Writing!

The students became the writing teachers today as we talked about the hard parts of writing.  We made a list of challenges that we face when writing.

Then students worked in small groups to come up with a few suggestions that they would give to writers who were facing these challenges.  We compiled all of the suggestions and made charts and posted them in the room.  Now we can use our suggestions whenever we get stuck!

Students are writing long and strong.  We are enjoying everyone's real, true stories!

  

Writers are learning strategies so they can write real true stories!

Third graders are working hard at writing real, true stories.  Sometimes we have stories to tell, but when we don't we use strategies to get our ideas flowing!

Here are two of the strategies students can look to when they get stuck.

Students are writing long and strong - trying to write at least one page a day.  They are working to tell their story from beginning to end by making a movie in their mind of what happened first, next, and after that.  Third graders are also bringing their story to life using dialogue and description.

Here are some examples of long, strong writing from our notebooks today.

                          

                     

This week in Room 207...

Bring a Guest to Lunch Day will be held in our school cafeteria on Tuesday, September 17th. Moms, uncles, aunts, friends, dads, grandmas, or just that special person can come eat lunch with their favorite Carrboro Cub.  Our lunch period is from 12:30-1:00!  See you in the cafeteria!

Check out some of this week's objectives!

Also, Picture Day is on Wednesday, September 18th! This is the only picture day we will have this year, so dress in your best color and smile, smile, smile!

Reading Objectives:

• Readers will learn how to read stronger and longer.
• Readers will learn strategies that they can use when the text gets confusing.

Math Objectives:

• Mathematicians will learn strategies for rounding numbers.
• Mathematicians will learn how to use a number line to round numbers.
• Mathematicians will find mystery numbers using a number line.

Project Objectives:

• Students will write short paragraphs to explain their origin story.
• Students will understand the relationship of Carrboro to the region, the state, the country, and the world.
• Students will locate and map their homes and other community locations.

Writing Objectives:

• Writers will learn strategies they can use to generate story ideas.
• Writers will learn how to use a storyteller’s voice rather than writing summaries.

Reading is Thinking!

Third graders have been reading long and strong in readers workshop.  We have been conferencing and talking about strengths and the ways that we can grow as readers this year.  Students have also been closely monitoring the thinking they do as they read.  As they read, they have used post its to record their thoughts, feelings, questions, connections, and predictions.  

Text to Text Connection

Questioning the Text

Recording thoughts and feelings

Text to Self Connection

Prediction

 At the end of each workshop, students have come back together to share what they are reading and thinking with a partner!  

 

Writers are revving up!

We have launched our writer's workshop this week and students are beginning their work in writer's notebooks.  

First we looked at a real third grade writer's notebook and figured out what third grade notebook writers do and don't do.  

Next, we had to be super self smart as we made writing resolutions for ourselves this year. We thought about what was easy for us to do as writers and what was more challenging. Then we made two resolutions that we will work on this year.  

This weekend students are going to personalize their writer's notebooks.  This means that they will add drawings, photographs, or other decorative items that will make their notebook special.

Here are the guidelines:

You must include:

• Your name somewhere on the front cover 

You might include:

• Picture of you
• Pictures of your family
• Pictures of places that you have been or want to go to
• Ticket stubs from movies, plays, sporting events, etc
• Drawings or decorations
• Pictures that represent your hobbies
• Pictures that represent your favorite things

*Anything you include should be appropriate for school

You can cover:

• Anything on the front and inside front cover
• Anything on the back and inside back cover

Here is an example of a personalized writer's notebook:

Students will be doing a lot of incredible writing in their notebooks this year!

This week in room 207...

This week third graders will be talking about how reading is thinking.  Students will be actively questioning the text, making predictions, and connections to the books they are reading. 

Students will be recording some of their thinking on post its to monitor themselves and share their thinking with a partner.    In math, we will be thinking about place value as they add and subtract.    For project this week, students will be thinking about how they came to Carrboro - their Carrboro origin story.   They will practice active listening as they learn about how their fellow classmates made it to Carrboro.

Check out some of this week's objectives!

Reading Objectives:

• Readers will continue to use reading logs to record their reading.  
• Readers will think when they read and record their thinking.

Math Objectives:

• Mathematicians can apply place value knowledge with addition and subtraction.

Project Objectives:

• Students research how they came to be in Carrboro. 
• Students will interview parents and present their Carrboro origin story.
• Students will begin to work in a writers notebook to collect their ideas.

Open House Tomorrow Night!

On Tuesday, September 10th, Carrboro Elementary will be hosting Open House.  This is a great time to stop in, see what your kiddos have been working on, and get a long range vision of the school year.

We will start with remarks in the auditorium at 6:00.  At 6:15, the first session will begin in the classrooms.  At 7:00, teachers will host the second session in the classroom to accommodate work schedules and families with more than one child at Carrboro.

Hope to see you at CES!

We are 100% Smart!

We have been looking at 8 different ways that people can be smart.  Students have thought about how they are body smart, people smart, self smart, music smart, picture smart, nature smart, logic smart, and word smart.  We have read about famous figures and watched videos about kids just like us and thought about the kinds of smart we see in them.  Today we made a pie chart to show the ways that we are smart.

This week in room 207...

We have much to do in this 4 day week!  Students will be learning about genres in reading workshop while continuing to select just right books in our classroom library.  In math, we will be exploring perimeter and practicing ways to organize our data.  For project, students will continue to celebrate our classroom diversity and discuss ways in which we are smart.   Check out some of this week's objectives!

Reading Objectives:

• Readers will continue to use reading logs to record their reading.  
• Readers will differentiate between fiction and nonfiction.
• Readers will identify genres of fiction and nonfiction books.

Math Objectives:

• Mathematicians can define perimeter.
• Mathematicians can find the perimeter of different shapes.
• Students can work in a organized way to find all dimensions for a fixed total perimeter.

Project Objectives:

• Students will learn about how the brain is a muscle.
• Students will begin to explore different ways to be smart.