Friday, September 14, 2018

Week 3!

Our first full week in third grade! I think we might have some tired kiddos. I know my two girls are definitely ready for a weekend!
In third grade this week we started science! We are currently working on a unit titled, “Stormy Skies.” This week we talked about how clouds are made and made our own gas trap in a clear cup! We learned how water shapes our planet. Perfect timing to pull in talking about Hurricane Florence. Next week we will be talking about how to be a storm spotter and how to tell if a storm is coming our way!
In Social Studies we learned about 9-11. We talked about heros. We also started our states/capitals unit this week by learning what states make up the Northeast region. This is the first region we will be studying. Next week we will make states/capital flashcards that will come home to practice. Be studying - Flashcards will come home on Wednesday!
In math, we finished our unit on rounding to tens and hundreds. Next week we are going to focus on some games/activities to sharpen our math fact fluency. That is, how quickly we can recall math facts.  Flash cards at home are ALWAYS a great option. A deck of cards works good too! There will be homework choices for this as well!
Lastly, I wanted to take a minute to make a shout of thanks out to Connor Archer with the Courageous Steps Project. If you have not heard of him, or this great foundation, please look them up. Go to my class website to read more about why I am so thankful to this organization! They have made a huge donation to our classroom!
All seems to be going well with the homework choice sheet. As a parent, I know that some nights homework is just not in the schedule. I love giving you all the opportunity to incorporate this into your evenings or weekends - or not at all some nights if it just doesn’t work. Feel free to leave me feedback if this is going ok at home! ~ Mrs. Haulk


Connor Archer and the Courageous Steps Project for funding a wish list for my third graders! 

I recently noticed a need in my classroom for flexible seating choices. I have students who love these different options of seating. In my classroom students are allowed to move around as needed and find seating that "fits" their body and makes them successful learners. I have found though, that I don't have enough choices! After bringing up the idea of a Donors Choose project, someone reminded me that the project has to get fully funded in order for donors' money to come to my class. If the project isn't funded, the money goes elsewhere. Sooo...I backed away from Donors Choose and was given a link to the Courageous Steps Project by a parent who happened to see a Facebook post from this organization. They were looking for classrooms who had a need for sensory items! Perfect! I filled out the wishlist, stated why I felt my classroom would benefit and within hours Connor had emailed me to tell me what I wanted was fully funded....nearly $500 donated to our class! THANK YOU!

Our items will be arriving in the next few weeks - we will be getting more exercise ball chairs, bungee bands for the bottom of their desks and some new wobble stools. I cannot wait!

After our new seating arrives I'll be onto my next project which is new desks - in the form of tables. I'd love to have a "pub" style table in the back of my room for kids who would much rather stand and write. If you're getting rid of one, let me know! Here is something similar to what I'm looking for...long and skinny! Writing Table we want... and then I'd love to get a few rectangular tables instead of desks to put at different heights to match the new seating options. There, of course, will still be some of the traditional seating available as well. Stay tuned!


See the books we read this week for our #picturebookaday challenge!





This week's newsletter...



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