The Daily 5
The Discoverers love when it is Daily 5 time! This is our literacy center time where we can read independently or with a partner, work on stories and plays or use the computer for spelling activities. Everyday Math Fact Triangles
The Discoverers are busy learning their multiplication facts. One great way is to use flash cards to review facts whenever you can. In the car, while making dinner, or add a few minutes to homework time to review facts. Have your students sort the facts by product or factor. Have your student make lists of facts or make a fact book. It is important that your child learn the fact correctly the first time. Once they are confident check the blog for websites where they can test themselves. Discussion Groups
After the presentation by Rory's mom, The Discoverers broke into discussion groups to talk about other famous buildings around the world. Some of them were already familiar to the class, especially the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. We used what we learned from the presentation to look closely at the buildings to determine the resources, why the architect designed it the way the did, and the function of the building.How we express ourselves
Today Rory's mom taught us all about the Wales Millennium Centre. We learned that the architect wanted to design a building that expressed the culture of Wales. He used materials from different parts of Wales including slate, glass, metal and wood. This ties in directly with our central idea that social structure, culture and the built environment have a direct influence on one another. 
SNOW!!!
In case you missed it, here are the pictures to prove that it really did snow at school!! We had a great view through our big window.
PYP Planner- Architecture
In our new planner, we are exploring the purpose of built environment, the cultural expression of architecture, and the planning, design and construction process. We began by taking a look at form and function and explored using shapes to build a dream house. Each design was truly unique. Everyday Math
The Discoverers enjoyed working together to build arrays. In this math workstation, students had to roll a die to determine the factors and then create an array with unifix cubes. The last step was to record the array and the equation. Bookmark Winner!
We almost forgot to mention that our very own Allison won the bookmark contest. Her bookmark design was turned into a bookmark for sale at the book fair. I heard thru the grapevine that it sold out!!!The Story of the Museum
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, The Discoverers started talking about a new PYP planner called, Attention Shoppers. Their teacher, Ms. Musters, showed them a German bill that she received from a student last year and the rest they say is history. The Discoverers started bringing in money from all over the world to share with the class. We started collecting so much money we had to put it in a box! We finally realized we had to find a way to display it and the idea for a money museum was born. However, our planner is not just about money - its about economic systems like bartering. The wise teacher, Ms. Musters, decided its time for a project! The students choose one vocabulary word from the planner (and that left one for Ms. Musters) and started researching what that word meant. Once we decided on a museum the ideas started flowing. First we needed jobs like cashier, docents and security. Second, if we were going to collect money what could we do with it? We learned last week about Juvenile Diabetes and decided to give all proceeds to that charity. Next, what would be in the museum in addition to all the coins and bills from around the world. That was the project. Each student (and their teacher) was responsible for creating an 'artifact' that would reflect the meaning of their word. The result was an incredible display of projects. We invited everyone we knew and not only taught others about economics, but in the process raised $80.00 for Juvenile Diabetes. The Discoverers were tired and hungry when the museum closed after three hours and so many visitors.
Discoverers Money Museum
Discoverers Money Museum on PhotoPeach
The Discoverers are ready for customers! The museum looks great and is filled with amazing pieces of work! Hope to see you there!
The Discoverers are ready for customers! The museum looks great and is filled with amazing pieces of work! Hope to see you there!
Juvenile Diabetes Walk
The Discoverers had a great time supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation with a walk IN the school! We will continue with the spirit of giving by donating all proceeds from The Discoverers Money Museum to Juvenile Diabetes. Remember the Money Museum will be opened Tuesday November 24th from 8:00-11:00AM. Hope to see you there!!! In the words of the Discoverers, "it's MONEYTASTIC!"Money Museum
The Discoverers Money Museum is coming soon! Hopefully you received your invitation this evening. We will be open next Tuesday from 8:00AM to 11:00PM. Look forward to seeing you there!Math Workstations
The Discoverers explore mathematical concepts with hands on experiences in math workstations.
Secret Elf
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I found this on my computer keyboard this morning. What an unexpected and wonderful surprise. What better gift could a teacher ask for?Measurement
Today we worked in small groups and studied the two different systems of measuring. Each group focused on one aspect and used the posters created to teach the rest of the class. Great Job, Discoverers!Student Led Conferences
The Discoverers did an amazing job presenting their portfolios and teaching their parents all about the classroom. It is always exciting as a teacher to watch your students in action. They had so much to say and were so proud to impart the information. Way to go, Discoverers!Student Led Conferences Part II
The Discoverers took their parents on a tour of their desk and the classroom. They even got out the math workstations!Assembly Lines
As part of the Economic planner we explored the concepts of supply and demand. We went to United Streaming to learn how products today are made and how the supply is affected by the assembly line. We looked at guitars, bubble gum, potato chips and even french fries. We saw how important human resources are when we watched someone who is not an expert try to work on an assembly line. The Discoverers then developed an assembly line for their own product. Next, we had to find a way to advertise the product to create a demand. Finally, the students presented their work to the class. The work is on display in the third grade hallway.Skyscraper, Skyscraper
Today we praticed a new reading comprehension strategy: mental images. We listened to the words of the poem Skyscraper, Skyscraper and visualized a picture in our minds. Using the mental image we created a picture using oil pastels. Ask Mr. Baker Contest
Congratulations to Rory and Colleen. They each submitted a question that they would like to ask Mr. Baker! They will both be featured on a special page in the Mark Twain yearbook.A circle does NOT have a perimeter!
We discovered today that you can not find the perimeter of a circle! Instead you must find the circumference. Did you know that the circumference of a circle is three times the diameter? Reading Comprehension
A fun way to learn about a book is through retelling. Students broke up into three groups to present the beginning, middle and end of the story.Aztec Dancers
The third, fourth and fifth graders headed to Pershing today to see a performance of Aztec dancers. I think the most exciting part was when they brought out the snake! Afterwards, Rory and Kristi and several other third graders got a chance to interview these dancers. (Video of that interview will be coming soon)
Everything you ever wanted to know about pumpkins...
The Discoverers (with the help of many parents) spent an hour on Friday exploring pumpkins! It was quite a learning experience (and fun too)! We measured using non-standard units of measure, we estimated, counted and examined the outside of the pumpkin. Next, we cut inside to see what we could find out! Some pumpkins were very gooey inside! One pumpkin had about 250 seeds and another pumpkin had over 600 seeds. It made us wonder how many seeds a smaller pumpkin would have.
The Goat in the Rug
We read a story about one woman's quest to weave a rug. We learned all the steps and gained an understanding of how long it takes to make the product. Next, we tried a little experiment: How many "rugs" could we weave out of paper? After 20 minutes we only had two rugs that passed inspection! The ensuing discussion led The Discoverers to conclude that the best way to create multiple rugs that could pass inspection is with an assembly line! We are going to try it this week. We will keep you updated on the results!
Measuring
The Discoverers are exploring ways to measure. We began by using non-standard units to measure different objects in the room. We quickly discovered that we all got different answers. Next we used standard units of measure to find the length in inches and centimeters of items in our classroom - including me! Everyone did a great job working together and discussing what they found out.
Getting ready for Pumpkin Math on Friday
If you only had six 6inch x 1inch strips of paper could you create a 2-Dimensional or 3-dimensional pumpkin? This Is Me!
Click on picture to enlarge
The Discoverers completed the writing cycle and published their first pieces. You can find the poems posted in the classroom. Here are a few excerpts:
The Discoverers completed the writing cycle and published their first pieces. You can find the poems posted in the classroom. Here are a few excerpts:- This is me doing my homework as fast as I can and then reading a chapter of a good book.
- My favorite colors are blue, red and green and I love the smell of pizza.
- Sacking the quarter back and buying Doritos packs this is me.
- This is me our on the field playing soccer in the rain, getting muddy, scoring goals.
- I like hiking and riding my bike. I like Legos and playing the violin. I like movies and Butterfingers. This is ME!
- This is me with my teddy bear dancing with him all day long and then I sleep with him at night and in the morning I hold him by his hand. This is me.
- Listening to my MP3, playing with my little sister, writing stories, and poems. That's just me.
- Once I enter school I go to violin practice to play a wonderful song. This is me.
Budgets!
We added some more vocabulary words to our economic planner: budget, savings, income and spending!Writer's Workshop
In Writers' Workshop, we write memories about our lives. We are reading books by other authors that inspire writing ideas. This week we read Tomie dePaola's 26 Fairmount Ave. and then wrote stories about our own addresses!
Economics Planner
The Discoverers are very enthusiastic about the new planner! We have collected many different kinds of bill and coins from around the world. We are discussing the difference between needs and wants and goods and services. Water Planner
We ended our water planner by working in small groups to discuss what we have learned. I overheard one student exclaim, "I never knew water was so important!" The students then decided on one fact to share with the rest of the group. Here are the important things you should know about water:- About 75% of the Earth is water
- We only have one percent of water to drink
- there are five parts of the water filtration system
- transpiration is when water evaporates from trees
- some people have to walk 3 hours to get water
- 65% of your body is water
LDC with Mrs. Gee
We had an exciting first week in LDC with Mrs. Gee. The students are doing a great job answering questions. The best part is listening to the discussions about the books using the questions designed by Mrs. Gee. They show that the students are really thinking about the characters and the plot of the story. Way to go, Discoverers!How we clean water
For his water project HK built a water filtration system and proceded to show us up close how it works.
The Water Project on PhotoPeach
The water projects were a huge success. The praise word of the day AMAZING was the perfect word. The presentations were informative and the audience was generous with its compliments. Afterwards we placed our masterpieces in the hallway for others to enjoy. The Discoverers went to other classes and asked students to join them for a museum tour. We were especially thrilled (and proud) when Mr. Baker took time out of his day to come and take the tour too!
*Remember to scroll down and turn off playlist before starting the clip.
The water projects were a huge success. The praise word of the day AMAZING was the perfect word. The presentations were informative and the audience was generous with its compliments. Afterwards we placed our masterpieces in the hallway for others to enjoy. The Discoverers went to other classes and asked students to join them for a museum tour. We were especially thrilled (and proud) when Mr. Baker took time out of his day to come and take the tour too!
*Remember to scroll down and turn off playlist before starting the clip.
Everyday Math
Dear Parents,
Please click on the following link to find out more about Everyday Math. This website includes family letters that explain the homework pages along with the answers!
http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/parents/family_letters/
Please click on the following link to find out more about Everyday Math. This website includes family letters that explain the homework pages along with the answers!
http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/parents/family_letters/
Classroom Social
Ms. Musters' Class Social will be Monday October 5th at 5:30p.m. Please meet at the Mark Twain Pavillion for a chance to meet and mingle with the parents and the cute kids in Ms. Musters' class! Dinner and drinks will be provided. Look forward to seeing everyone there.
Story Surgery
We are in the process of learning the writing cycle. In this picture we are performing story surgery! Revision is when we look at our writing again and think about how to make it better by cutting something out, exchanging words, rearranging words, or adding more. Water Experiment Day
How perfect was it that it rained all morning on our water experiment day! The day was a huge success and the students learned so much about the different properties of water. I hope they take the knowledge learned today and continue to try experiments at home. Each child had a file with recording sheets of all six experiments. Please take a moment to have them teach you what they discovered. A HUGE thank you to Grant G's mom for all your help. I couldn't have done it without you!!! Our Favorite Place in the Room
is none other than the reading area. The students will choose the reading center at every opportunity. Art A La Carte
Our first Art A La Carte with Mrs. Hively was a huge success. The students did a great job asking inquiring questions before beginning their own works of art. Everyone (as you can see) is working very intently on the project. Number Words
In order to write a number in word form we thought it would be best if we learned how to spell number words. That led to a cooperative group activity where each group had to find the numbers and make a poster that everyone could read. Math WorkStations
We are busy working independently in math workstations. In these photos, we are using Toss and Talk to learn about place value.Toys Go Out
I am sure you have heard by now that we finished reading, Toys Go Out. Everyone enjoyed the book immensely and I thought I would turn their love for the book into a learning experience. First, we all brought out favorite stuffed animal ( I did too!). Next, we mapped out a story about our animal. The last step is to use the map to tell the story. We are writing drafts in our Writer's Notebooks. I cannot wait to read these exciting stories. In the meantime, we have begun book two which is Toys Dance Party!Graphing
In math, we are exploring data in the forms of a bar graph, tally chart and line graph. The way you organize the information is helping in finding the minimum, maximum, mode, range and median. We used a coded alphabet chart to determine the value of each letter in our names. Next, we put the letter towers together and graphed the results in the hallway! One conclusion for these problem solvers was that we were not accurate in our counting. Which led us to discover that there be another way to count instead of by one's. Science
We love going to ancillary classes twice in a row. You can accomplish a lot! Today the students performed an experiment and recorded the results in their science notebooks. I couldn't resist taking a look....The Discoverers!
The Discoverers had a great time with the summer tee-shirt activity! We recognized that we are all unique and different, but we are still a part of one community. Everyday several students present their work to the class and we learn a little more about each other. The students ask questions and give each presentation a round of applause. Great work, everybody!
Everyday Math Boxes
You will be hearing and seeing the math boxes through out the year. There are found in the workbook for Everyday Math. There are usually six boxes on a page and each box has a different type of problem. They may be for practice or for review. Summer Fun
We continue to build our community through getting to know you activities. The students first created a pattern around the perimeter of the plate. Next, they sketched a picture (a mental image) that could be used to tell a story about an event that happened during the summer. Last, they explored the medium of watercolors by painting the image. The results are hanging in the hallway. The project continued with an oral storytelling time where the students sat together and shared using the picture plate as an object to help remember the story. The last part of the project will be the written stories(which I am typing upon request). The First Test!!
Yes, it's true after only one week we had tests!! One of the tests this week was an open book test where the students had the option of working together to discuss the answers. They did a great job. I loved walking around the room listening to them talking about the book and deciding together on an answer.Friday is the big test day. We normally have a reading test, spelling, states, math and grammar test. Your students should be well prepared if they have been in class and have completed their homework every night. I told the students they should review this work with their parents when it comes home in the Tuesday folders. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
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