Dino Disco

The class has taken the next big step in their math career...learning multiplication! The students have been off to a strong start by learning their 0's, 1's, and 2's. They aren't to shabby on their 3's and 5's either! To mix it up a little, we played a multiplication practice game called Dino Disco. After the class answered  7 problems correct the Dino earned a new dance move. The kids really got a kick out of this and at the end of the game you were able to choreograph your own dino dance with all the moves you earned. This activity got the kids so excited to practice their multiplication. I had students asking me what the website was that they could go to at home. The second time we played the game, a student shared that she had been practicing at home and had explored other interactive math games as well. This was an awesome feeling as a teacher, to know you had inspired your students to not only practice their math at home, but to know they had fun doing it. These types of  small rewards you receive as a teacher, make it all worth it!
Here is the awesome webite: www.multiplication.com

What a Buggin' Week

The class has been learning about informational texts, specifically the features of non-fiction books. Throughout the week most of the informational pieces used had a bug theme to them.  This was unintentional on my part, but just seemed to workout that way. The topic was definitely of high interest for the students. One of the days I brought in a few of the bugs which the class had been learning about, such as the Goliath Beetle, Giant Walking Stick, and the Bird Eating Tarantula. The students are measuring the Giant Walking Stick with their ruler to see if the comparison in the book was a true statement. To their amazement it was!  I never fully appreciated my husbands bug collection, until I saw the look on the kids faces when they were able to see the real bugs! 

A Presidential Appearance

On Thursday October 3oth, Waterloo Elementary had two very special guests; Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain (impersonators)! It was a very exciting day that the students had been preparing for all week. Both third grade classes researched the main issues of the election and where the candidates stood using information from Time Magazine for Kids. Working in groups they then came up with question they would want to ask each Senator about the issue their group researched. The hot topics were; Education, Health Care, Economy, Iraq War, National Security, and Environment. During our "School Hall Meeting" students came up and asked the candidates the question their groups had generated. The kids were very professional and excited to participate. The Monroe Evening News was also at Waterloo that day taking pictures and interviewing students about their experience. Our special event even made the front page of the newspaper on Friday, October 31st! I want to give a BIG Thank You to Jacob Stamper (Obama) and Adam Rokas ( McCain) for doing such a great job. You guys are AWESOME! The kids learned so much through this authentic experience and had fun doing it!

Busy, Busy!

The students have been learning so much throughout our unit entitled, " The Road to the White House." Here they are photographed while working on an election process timeline. The students did a great job as they demonstrated their knowledge of what takes place on "The Road to the White House."
Last week was a challenge to say the least! I lost my voice! What does a teacher do without a voice? Thanks to Mrs. Shugarman taking over the class for the majority of the day, I was able to save my voice and still teach the lessons in my unit. The kids were the most well behaved, quiet, and considerate I've seen them all year! They're usually are all of those thing, but the class was especially considerate this week. A BIG Thank You to both Social Studies Classes!
My attention getter for the week was a tamborine, which I must say worked very well. I might continue the practice, anything that helps to save the voice is a great thing!