During this month’s inquiry lessons we explored how states of matter can change if you add or remove heat.

First we learned how to read a thermometer. We did a temperature exploration where we measured the temperature of a cup of water. We added ice cubes and watched the temperature drop. Then I poured in hot water and we watched the temperature rise.

Next, we predicted what would happen if we put liquid (water and fruit punch) in the fridge and freezer.  Then we observed and recorded our results.  We predicted that the liquid in the freezer would change to a solid, so we poured juice into dixie cups with popsicle sticks in the hopes of making popsicles. We were excited to eat our results!

Finally, we experimented with adding heat to solids to see if they change their state of matter.  We used a double boiler to add heat to an ice marshmallow, some gummy bears, and some chocolate.  All three solids melted to liquid.  Then we melted some more chocolate and put it in pumpkin shaped molds.  We removed the chocolate from the heat and the chocolate returned to a solid state for us to enjoy. Yum!

We are learning about Matter during Inquiry. We have done 2 cool experiments so far.

Mixing Solid and Liquid

Students experimented with adding drops of liquid (vinegar) to solids (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda). They used a pipette (dropper) to drop a little liquid at a time. We took time to observe and record what happened.  The most exciting step was watching the gas bubbles created when the vinegar was added to the baking soda.

    

Balloon Blow-Up

Our next experiment was to see if we could harness the gas created by mixing vinegar and baking soda and use it to inflate a balloon.  It worked! We tied off the balloon and noticed that the gas was very dense because the balloon dropped quickly to the floor compared to a balloon filled with air. We repeated the experiment a second time using more baking soda and inflated the second balloon slightly bigger!

Today for math learners worked in groups on a Thanksgiving themed Escape Room.  The “Thanksgiving Thwarter” (an evil villain) locked the turkey, pies, and side dishes in the oven and they had to solve clues to unlock all 5 locks.  Only two groups rescued dinner in the one-hour time limit. Applying math skills in a problem solving setting can be harder than you think.  Also, working together well and communicating can be a challenge if everyone is passionate about their own idea.  As the year goes on we will have other escape room activities for learners to practice their collaboration and math skills in a fun way.  Hopefully your Thanksgiving feast is delicious and not burned.  If it is, blame the Thanksgiving Thwarter!

“Because Brecknock Cares” the third-grade classes made crafts to contribute to the Keystone Military Families Stockings for Soldiers campaign. All craft supplies were donated by Art of Recycle. The third graders made washcloth teddy bears that will brighten a soldier’s day and can then be dismantled and used as a washcloth, something many soldiers say they need.  The finished crafts were donated to be placed in stockings that Keystone Military Families will distribute to soldiers serving all over the world.

Today we started our Multiplication unit.  Students will learn about the concepts of multiplication and how to use skip counting, repeated addition, multiple groups and arrays (diagrams of rows and columns) to solve multiplication problems.  A few learners have already started memorizing multiplication facts while others have worked on reviewing addition and subtraction, but everyone will begin Multiplication Math Racers on Monday 11/1.  Today we listened to this book during math class to kick off our unit.

The main character loves to count and doesn’t think she needs to memorize her multiplication facts. After a crazy dream where she tries to count everything and realizes it takes too long, she is convinced to learn multiplication.

All the children seem so excited to begin this new learning! They will be setting monthly goals for how far they hope to progress with their math facts. Thank you in advance for all the time you will set aside to help your third grader practice flashcards and meet these goals!

Please sign up for a parent/teacher conference on either 11/11 or 11/12. You can choose to meet in-person or virtually.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F094FA4AE2FA1F94-mrs8

Yesterday the Bowmansville Fire Company and Fivepointville Ambulance Company came to Brecknock for Fire Prevention Day.  The fire fighters shared some important safety tips with us and then everyone was invited to climb through the fire truck and ambulance to check them out. Every learner got to take home a bookmark, cup, and fire helmet too.

Here are the important fire tips that were shared.

• Campfire safety: Remember to Stop, Drop and Roll if your clothes catch on fire near a firepit or campfire. No rough housing near the fire.
• Make sure you have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors at your house.
• Have a fire extinguisher on hand for small fires.
• Clean out your chimney. Lots of fires start as chimney fires.
• Close bedroom doors to keep fires from spreading easily through the house.
• Make sure to have a designated meeting spot outside your house in case of an emergency.

Next Monday is the kick off of the Global Read Aloud. All around the world teachers are reading aloud the same book to students in different schools.  This year’s chapter book for third grade is Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott. We are looking forward to hearing the book and making connections with students around the country and world.

Today we did a Mystery Meet to figure out where the class is that we will connect with weekly. We connected via Zoom and took turns asking yes/no questions to narrow down the location of each school. We started with “Are you north of the equator?”  Next we asked “Are you in the United States?”  Once we knew they were in the USA we asked questions like “Are you west of ____?” or “Does your state start with the letter ____?” We looked at the big projected map and discussed and voted on our next question after hearing their response and then one of our learners asked their class through the Zoom connection. We narrowed it down and guessed correctly that they are in Michigan!  They almost got our location with their final guess of New York.

We will connect with Mrs. Bielecki’s Third Grade class at Horizon Elementary School in Holt Michigan via Flip Grid each week.  Ask your third grader to tell you about it!

Each day we have a class meeting during the half hour between lunch and recess. We start the meeting with a circle question where we pass a “talking item” and each have a turn to answer the question of the day. The questions might ask “What’s your favorite….” or “Would you rather….”  Today’s question was “Do you have an unusual talent?” It’s been fun to listen to everyone’s responses and it lets us get to know one another better.  Our class meetings end with a read aloud. Tomorrow we will finish our first chapter book, Third Grade Angels by Jerry Spinelli.

The middle portion of our class meeting focuses on a Positive Trait. Our first positive trait was Cooperation.  It is defined as “Working Together for Success”.  We use a reflection paper with each Positive Trait. On our Cooperation page we drew a picture of someone we cooperated well with and wrote what we did.  We listed three tips to help us cooperate in school.  We cooperated with a partner to draw an American flag. Also, we cooperated with a partner (and then the whole group) to see how many words we could make using the letters in COOPERATION.

This week’s positive trait was “Integrity: Doing the right thing, when when no one is watching.” Our reflection page had spots where we drew a comic book style reflection with a speech bubble or thought bubble to show how we could show integrity in certain situations (example: The teacher heard talking at your table and reprimanded your neighbor.  You were the one actually talking.  What could you do?) We also drew a picture and wrote about a time when we showed integrity. Here we are with our finished Integrity reflection pages.  Next week’s positive trait is “Empathy: Understanding and feeling other’s feelings (Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.)” Look for these reflection pages when they come home each week to continue discussions on these important life skills and positive traits.

During the last two weeks of school each learner chose a topic of interest to learn more about. Their task was to become a genius (or expert) on that topic and then share their learning with the class.  Learners could make a Google Slide Show, poster or book. Today was presentation day. We learned so many cool facts!