Happy Valentine's Day

Today was a surprise when everyone showed up with their Valentine box creations! Jonathan's was the most unique one I have ever seen!  You can tell from these actions shots that we had a great time sharing treats with each other.  I received a plethora of lovely cards, gifts and candy!  Thank you to everyone! 

 A special shout-out to Gaby's mom for providing those delicious cupcakes.

Earth Chips??

Today, we found a fun way to explore a non-fiction book about the planet, Earth.  First, students were required to read the book to determine what the big idea was.  They wrote a summary that would include the beginning, middle and end.  Next, they created a name for their 'bag of chips"  something that would also reflect the big idea of the book.  The third and final step was to fill their bag with interesting 'chips'! 

 After all that hard work, The Navigators took a break and shared their 'chips.'  

Germy Potato Experiment

Yes, The Germy Potato Experiment has begun.  The Navigators went outside for Garbage Gorilla Detail (that's where we clean up our playground) and began our experiment.  We are trying to determine how helpful it is to wash hands and therefore kill germs.  One potato was only handled by clean hands and the second potato was touched by everyone's hands after they picked up garbage on the playground!  We have been observing the results and they are pretty gross!

Completed Goals

Here is a sampling of the finished product!  We actually used the pieces to build a quilt of goals. 

Come by and see all the pieces.  You can find it hanging next to our door.  

Goals for 2013

The Navigators have been developing goals to accomplish for 2013!  Together we brainstormed what we need to work on as a team.  The process took several days as we perfected our goals and the illustrations to match them.  Here we are hard at work painting our creations. 

Extension Menus

The Navigators are hard at work using their research skills!  Each student receives an Extension Menu for the current planner.  An Extension Menu is a menu of choices based on the gifted and talented icons.

 I have created the menus to meet the differentiated needs of my students. 

 A student chooses based on their individual interests.  

Next, they have to research and compile information that answers the question.

  The final step is to use the information gathered to create a product.  

The product is then used to teach the others in the classroom through presentation.  

This week we will make our final presentations for How We Organize Ourselves 

and then ... on to the next planner.  

As you can see from the pictures, we are having a great time learning!!

SuperSpeed Math

Students work with a partner learning math facts.  Each student creates their own goal and tracks their progress.  The partner is there to help and to kept track of your time.  

The Navigators love this fun way to practice math facts.

Angle Legs

The Navigators work with partners during math workstations exploring new concepts or working towards a goal such as mastering multiplication facts for nine. 

Domino Monday

Have you heard of Domino Monday?  Every Monday, I check to see how 

the Navigators are doing on completing their homework. Every student who does complete it, 

can reach into the magic bag and pull out a domino.  

 If you have dominoes that have a total of 20 or more - You get to eat with the teacher!

Coupons!

Apparently, the coupons from Musters' Unique Market were a huge success.  Students keep asking about sitting in my chair, homework passes and if they can bring a pillow to school!

The third grade teachers put together a breakfast for all teachers this past Friday. 

 In order to make it extra special (and since it is the beginning of February) The Navigators made hearts for ALL the teachers.  We had lots of help from other third grade classrooms. 

 You can see that we made a big difference and brought smiles to a lot of faces!

Rodeo Contest Winner

Congratulations Jonathan!  Love your rodeo cowboy!

BASH

The Navigators classroom Project!  Thank you to Emilie's mom for this amazing idea.  I have not seen the finished project, but if the picture is any indication - it is FANTASTIC! 

Museum of Fine Arts

HISD sends third graders to the Museum of Fine Arts every year.  Our field trip had a few glitches this year!  First, they only sent us two buses!!  This was an oversight-somehow they thought Mark Twain only had 104 third graders when we actually have close to 150.  We found a solution to that problem and headed to the museum.  The next glitch occurred when the museum realized

 they did not have enough docents to accommodate 150 students!  

Well, we banded together and split into larger groups and the tour began.  

The docents are amazing and did a great job under the circumstances.   They enjoyed visiting with the Navigators and only had complimentary things to say about our students. 

p.s. We got to see a Van Gogh painting!

M.U.M. LIVE!