Fact Masters

It is hard to believe that we are already half way through the year in third grade, but it is already here! At this point  we like to introduce the students to XtraMath, a computerized program that helps to build math fact fluency. The students each have their own account which they can access both at home and school. They begin with addition facts and attempt to master each operation by completing all of the facts in three seconds or less. Most students are very excited by this new program and have been asking to go on it daily. We already have some mathematicians who have received their first certificates of achievement!

We are asking our classes to get onto XtraMath as much as possible on the evenings when they do not have math homework. This would ideally mean that they are practicing their facts at least three times per week. We realize that some students do not enjoy the XtraMath program because it is time based and can make some feel frustrated. If this is the case for your student, please let us know and we will be happy to suggest some other fact fluency activities that you can do at home to support your child's computational development.

We have been applying our inquiry skills as we have jumped into a unit on forces and magnets. Over the past few days the students  have learned about Newton's laws of motion and have been designing and testing experiments around objects in motion and the forces that move them. This coming week, they will be using their engineering skills in combination with their new understandings to design a revolutionary ping pong paddle and they will work in groups to design and test their own pendulums. Stay tuned for some great photos of these creativ thinkers at work.

We are excited to head to the Flynn Theater to see A Light In The Dark: The Story of Helen Keller next week on February 5th. We will be doing some activities to build our background knowledge of this amazing woman before we enjoy the performance. 

With the cold temperatures, please be aware that we do go outside for recess everyday unless it is below zero (w/wind chill). This is just a reminder to be sure that your student has the appropriate winter gear with them everyday.

Thanks so much!

Jess and Liz

New Year, New Faces!

Welcome Back and Happy New Year!

We are so lucky to have two new faces on Mosaic this spring. Both third grade classrooms will be hosting an intern from St. Michael's College. These bright young ladies will have the opportunity to spend each day observing, learning, and practicing the craft of teaching. We look forward to working with them and helping them on their journey into their careers. Meet Sara and Kristyn:

Hello Everyone!

My name is Sara Monahan and I will be student teaching in Mrs. Eaton’s classroom from January until the end of April. To get started I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. Currently, I am a senior at Saint Michael’s College majoring in Elementary Education and Sociology. My family is from Hingham, Massachusetts and I have an older sister Alison, an older brother Billy, and a Jack Russell Terrier named Riley. For the past three summers I have taught swimming lessons to children and I have loved every second of it. During my junior spring semester of college I studied abroad in Florence, Italy and had the opportunity to volunteer in a fourth grade classroom and to travel to a variety of countries. In my free time I enjoy cooking meals, walking my dog, and spending time with family and friends. I love working with children and I am very excited and looking forward to a great experience teaching and learning with your children over the next couple of months! 

Hello all! My name is Kristyn Galligan, and I am Mrs. Parker’s student teacher for this semester. I am a senior at Saint Michael’s College and I am a double major in Elementary Education and Music. I am from Canton, Massachusetts and I have been traveling to Vermont since I was about 8 years old. I immediately knew Vermont would be where I wanted to attend college from the moment I started research on colleges. I am a very social and active person, and I knew Saint Michael’s College would be the best fit for me. It is hard to believe that in May I will be leaving a place I have called home for so long, but I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life. I have been in the teaching field since my freshman year at Saint Mike’s; my first placement was actually helping Mrs. Karla Kennedy at Williston Central! I love working with students and watching as their minds grow and seeing how they begin to form opinions about our world. I am looking forward to getting to know the third graders, and working with the rest of Mosaic house J. I am thankful for how quickly I am fitting in with the students and teachers alike and I am excited to learn alongside everyone. In my spare time I love to sing, act, as well as spend time with my cousins and friends.

This week we began a literacy unit on reading informational text. We are using the books of Steve Jenkins to look closely at nonfiction text features and explore how they are used, their purpose and how they help us as readers. Jenkins' books are so accessible to young students because of his focus on animals and his unique way of presenting fascinating information. His artwork is also amazing and the students will work with Ms. Demas to create their next project with inspiration from his cut paper technique. Stay tuned for their creative creations! 

 In math we are working on developing efficient strategies for 3-digit and 4-digit addition and subtraction problems. The students are thinking flexibly around ideas about removing and finding the difference and will soon begin to understand how to use the standard algorithm (the procedure that many of us were taught as kids). This is one efficient way, but does not always lead to accurate answers if students have not developed a conceptual understanding of why they "borrow or carry." Our goal if for students to have a procedure that works for them that they are able to explain clearly.

Next week we will begin a new NGSS (Next Generation Science) unit around forces and motion. The students will be engaged in several inquiry tasks around balanced and unbalanced forces, static electricity and magnetism. I can't wait to see what they discover!