I'm just here for the movie!

This week was a lot of fun! In reading, we focused on making inferences, which is a very tough skill for third graders to master. We started by using pictures in small groups. We also did this fun activity where I brought in an extra purse filled with 10 objects and they had to infer things about me based on those objects as evidence.

We read Two Bad Ants and filled out this anchor chart (click the picture for a free download)!

 We also played the inference riddle game you can find here: So much fun!

We read the paragraphs found in this slide show and practiced making and proving our inferences! Click the picture to download the slide show.

They also read a leveled reader and recorded inferences and evidence in their Readers' Response Journals. 

Another fun thing we did to practice was writing 3 clues of things they were packing in their suitcase to go somewhere. Then the class had to infer where they were going. Some of my favorites including the hunting lease, the rodeo, fishing, Paris, and College Station!

In grammar, they finished their Angry Verbs!

 Then we did a sort of past-tense verbs according to how you change the ending to make them past-tense.

 In math we spent another week on subtraction. It's always "fun" to teach subtracting three digits across zero for the first time. We spent a couple of days on it; about half of my kids got it the first day so on the second day I sent them to computers to do math activities. I pulled the other half into a "small" group and we practiced some more on dry erase. This was very effective and I plan to do it throughout the year. I didn't take many pictures of math this week. But we did a lot of dry erase work on our desks and white boards, and a lot of stations while I worked in small groups. Today we practiced deciding whether a word problem was addition or subtraction using a slide show (which I did not make an cannot share) and then we rotated around the room choosing operations and solving word problems on a recording sheet with elbow partners. Here is one fun station activity: Subtraction Cup Stackers. I also have it in Addition and Multiplication. Easy to make and a blast for the kiddos! They have to answer the problem correctly before they can stack the cup.

In science we are still working on solutions and mixtures. We did two really fun "labs," while staying in our classroom because it wasn't our week to go to the science lab. First, we separated a mixture! We used different tools and filled out our lab recording sheet. 

Another day, we made a solution of Crystal Light and water. This was a hit! We discussed how it's a solution because the powder dissolves into the water, and they even made a label for their water bottles to remind themselves of that fact!

In Social Studies we are doing a really fun election unit! We didn't want to get caught up in the drama of the candidates so we thought of our own, high-interest issues to vote on: rewards! On one side of the hall they are focusing on food rewards: cupcakes, doughnut holes, and candy. On our side we have non-food rewards: movie and popcorn, class picnic, and pajama day. Each side of the hall will hold a primary election where one food and one non-food item will be selected as the candidates. Then the students will vote again between these two rewards. We are journaling about the election process as we go. Eventually the students will hold a "debate" in the cafeteria, fill out voter registration cards, vote in the ballot box, and get "I voted today" stickers. Fun! This week we just introduced the concept and they made their initial choice, and then created a campaign poster to promote it. 

This poster seriously cracks me up. So many of my students were so creative with this and I was very impressed, but this one is just hilarious. it's for Movie and Popcorn, but the smiley face has braces so he can't have popcorn, so he's "just here for the movie."

All-in-all, it was another very busy week but a GREAT one!