After concluding our investigative study of sky colors and various methods of applying them using oil pastels, we ventured into the topic of color temperatures. We began by analyzing paintings made by world renowned artist, Jim Dine, which generated many "ooh's" and "ahhh's". There was little doubt just how much, Jim Dine's, work inspired the kiddos as can be seen in these photos as well as the video below. To model after Jim Dine's work, students were asked to draw a heart and then use either warm color blends or cool color blends to design the inside of the heart. The area outside of the heart had to contain blends of an opposite color temperature. Just in case anybody was wondering, there were no templates or cutouts involved. Everything that you see is original work generated from scratch.....the way art class was meant to be. :) In science class, we concluded our investigation of the properties of rocks and minerals by divulging into the topic of carbonates. Students learned about where carbonates come from and how to test for them. Students tested rocks in the chemistry lab by dropping small amounts of vinegar on them. If fizzy bubbles formed, it was an indication that carbonates were indeed present. Place value continues to be our focus of study in math class. Students warmed up with a place value game involving Dixie Cups which allowed us to progress into the concept of regrouping unit blocks. Check out all of the action in the video below! Thursday Is A Big Day!
The wait is over! Our track and field is complete and it will all be official during our opening ceremonies this coming Thursday. To celebrate its completion, we will be holding house league events all day on Thursday. Every student from k-12 has been split up into 4 house teams and they will all be competing in various track and field events on that day. Raz-Kids Is Back! http://www.raz-kids.com A note stating all of your child's "Raz-Kids" login information was sent home last week. Please ensure that your child is reading at least 2 books a day off the website if they are at level P or higher and 3 to 4 books a day if they are below level P. Grade 3 is a crucial year in terms of a child's reading level. Studies continue to show that students who attain grade level reading by the time they finish third grade are much more successful in the following years. That would mean having each student finishing the year at a minimum of a level T. Utilizing Raz-kids on a daily basis will go a long way in helping us get there. No Newsletter This Week... :( Instead I have provided you with a general outline of what we will be covering. Math: Regrouping rods as well as combinations of units and rods. (Expect a quiz) Science: Review of all of the properties. Hardness chart data analysis. (Expect a quiz) L.A: Writing sentences involving the sense of sight. Reviewing sentence structure of all 5 senses. Venturing into applying these sentences to real world objects. Social Studies: Quality of Life in Peru. Phys-Ed: Track and Field Art: Contrasting color techniques with fall leaves. Health: Healthy Relationships.
0 Comments
Is it possible to "make" rocks? Absolutely! And the grade 3's got a first hand glimpse of what it takes to do so. Water, sediments, pressure and evaporation is the rock recipe. In nature, it takes millions of years to accomplish this. In Mr. Melhem's "Science Kitchen", it only takes 1 hour! Brilliant, you say? Yes, I agree....and so do the kiddos. In fact, my little scholars did such a tantalizing job that they attracted some of the high school kids to come in. Without notice, some of them began eating our muffin stones only to realize that the pound of sand in each batch didn't make them too edible. Sometime next week, we will study the effects that weathering and erosion have on our man made creations. Wait a minute! Erosion??? Does that mean we will transform the fruits of these children's labor back into sediment. Do I really have the heart to turn all of the work that they put into this project will turn back into dust?! Yes, but don't worry, the kids had made more than enough rocks to keep one for themselves as a souvenir. Definitely, however, I think the most impressive part of the entire experience was watching these little scientists clean up after themselves. You have to see it to believe it! All the action can be seen in this week's video highlight reel. Later on in the week, we divulged a little more in depth with the "Hardness Test" by having students perform more specific rock testing and then document their results onto a chart. Chart analysis was, therefore, a primary area of focus and we will continue elaborating on this early into next week. We will keep on "Rocking"! Good Manners Also Rock! Our well respected vice principal, Mrs. Tayyaba, had her annual meeting with the grade 3's last week to discuss the importance of proper social etiquette. Everything from proper bathroom practice to appropriate ways to walk in the hallways were mentioned. Mrs. Tayyaba also went into discussing strategies for maintaining and building friendships and then gathered valuable input from her audience. These kiddos were very engaged as you can see below. Wait!!!! Don't Forget About This Week's Newsletter. Click here to get instant access!
If the level of excitement this week was any indication, then we are likely looking at our future Archeologists. After investigating the various properties of rocks from the ones found in our school playground, many of these kiddos took it upon themselves to start their own personal rock collection and share them with me at school. They have become so addicted to rocks! The fact is, before this past week, most of these kids looked at a rock as "just a rock". Now if you ask them, a rock is so much more than that. Each rock has a story and my little geologist scholars are discovering just how fascinating these stories can be. Next week is even better! We will be recreating some of these stories in the foods lab as we start to bake our own rocks, investigate it's properties and then cause them to weather and erode away. Please remember to have your child bring the necessary ingredients as mentioned in the forms sent home last week.... (1.5 cups of flour, 1 cup of sand, half cup of salt and a medium sized jar). Counting to 1000! We spent the first week learning how to count to 1000 by investigating patterns found in the hundreds chart. The kids rotated in different learning centers, including a cup stacking station. The Dixie cups had numbers ranging from 100 to 1000 written underneath and the students were required to stack them in sequence as quickly as possible. The Weekly Newsletter is Back!!! Each week, the grade 3 team, Mrs. Ayesha, Miss Bishop, Miss Zahra and Myself, will be putting together a weekly newsletter. This will be another way for you to keep track of all the exciting stuff happening in grade 3. The newsletter will include upcoming topics of study for each subject, tests, quizzes and reminders. Click here to see this week's newsletter or click on the following link. Newsletter for Sept 16-20 After a well deserved summer, these kiddos came back to school in swarms. In fact, there were so many of them that we had to open a 4th third grade class. It was refreshing and delightful seeing them marching in with their fresh haircuts, pressed clothing and pearly white smiles. "Mr. Melhem, when are we doing gym?" asked one student, moments after walking in on the first day. "We're doing gym alllll day", was my response, which prompted a vibrant cheer from those in attendance. The first week, like most first weeks, was dedicated towards mastering the classroom routines. Many of the routines were practiced in the context of phys-ed and art. I must have worked them pretty well though as they were more than ready for the weekend after our 3 day work week. As noted in my introduction letter, which i sent home after the first day, we will be implementing the flipped classroom model this year. This involves the students learning most of the school material at home and then coming to school to do the more involved work. I have recorded a few math videos which are ready to be viewed. More videos will be posted in the coming days. You can access all of this by clicking on the tab called "Lessons (Flipped Classroom)", which can be found at the very top of this page. All of the lessons are accompanied by a video worksheet which I will provide the students with in class. You may also download and print these worksheets using the links that I have provided if needed. I am so happy to have this group of kiddos. It has also been a great pleasure to have met so many of you parents. I am very excited to meet you all again during our "meet the teacher night" this coming Wednesday. It is shaping up to be a great year, inshallah. I can't wait to get started! |