2017 Reflections; 2018 Wishes

In the spirit of reflection, 3C took a moment this week to pause and consider the impactful events of their lives in 2017, and to make several wishes for the New Year.  Please enjoy the following Green Screen Videos, and feel free to pass the link along to family and friends. 
We wish you and your families a very merry holiday season, wherever in the world you may be, however (or if) you are celebrating. May your final days of 2017 be filled with joy, wherever in the world you may be when the new year dawns!

Welcome to 3C!

Dear Third Graders and Parents,

Welcome to third grade in 3C!  I am truly looking forward to our year together, as we have wonderful learning ahead of us.  Be prepared to inquire, collaborate, and explore!

On this website, you will find various resources for our class, as well as student e-Portfolios (soon to come).  For daily updates and photos in our classroom, please follow the classroom Instagram (Condors3C) and Twitter (@Condors3C) accounts.  I will email you directly regarding any important announcements, dates, and information.

What's in Store for Week 1?

This week, we will take time to learn all about our friends in the classroom, establish classroom norms and routines, and begin reading and math class structures.  We will also begin to set class goals and learn what it means to have a student-led classroom.  That's right, third grade - you are in charge of your own learning!

A quick note about homework:  

There is none!  Aside from reading each night at home for 20 minutes, third grade at Lincoln will not have assigned homework.  However, you are welcome to get some extra practice via IXL and/or Khan Academy.  We encourage you to use this time after school to participate in after-school activities, practice home languages, pursue passions, and enjoy quality time with your families.

However, since it is the first week of school, this week is a bit different.

Monday's SPECIAL Requests:

By Friday, please complete the Student Survey and return to school.  Please remind your parents to do the same!

My door is always open to you.  Should you have any questions, please email me at christine.hodges@lincoln.edu.ar.  I truly look forward to knowing each and every one of you, as we grow together throughout the year as a supportive community of learners!

Sincerely,

Ms. Hodges

Perseverance

Dear 3C Students and Learning Community,

If you haven't seen this video already, press the play button to hear a beautiful voice, and more importantly, a beautiful message about the power of perseverance. If you have seen it, I'm sure you'll want to watch it again!

As we conclude the school year, let's remember to persevere, believe in ourselves, and support others. 

Best,

Ms. Hodges

Poems in Two Voices

Good morning!  Please click here to enjoy Poems in Two Voices, which 3C recorded with Ms. Voracek yesterday in the library!

Answers for Mr. Cross' Class in South Africa

Over April, we had the opportunity to Skype with 10 different countries from around the world (check out our Twitter account for photos, and stay tuned for our website coming on June 2!). Mr. Cross' class in Johannesburg was so kind in leaving us videos on their blog to answer our questions for them, and they also had questions for us.

Please click HERE to view our answers to the questions that Mr. Cross' class asked us!

Culture Videos

As part of our inquiry units on culture, 3C watched these videos.

What do they make you think?  

What puzzles you?  

Based off of what you have learned, what are you going to explore?

What is Culture?

Major Elements of Culture

March 3 Goal Reflection

Please click HERE to view my Visible Thinking Goal.

Books, Books, Books!

The writers of 3C were busy in February, producing both instructional texts and math books.  Check out their projects below to learn how to do something new, and to challenge yourself in geometry:

3C's Instructional Texts

3C's Math Challenge Books

Multiplication Songs

We are back to memorizing multiplication facts in order to prepare for fourth grade!  This week, we are practicing multiples of 8.

To help with this, feel free to watch the video below:

We will continue throughout the next few weeks with more of Have Fun Teaching videos, studying multiples of 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 5, and 10.  Go ahead and find the videos on YouTube for additional practice at home!  Just search "Have Fun Teaching Counting by ___."

Enjoy!

Mystery Skypes

Wow, our first month back has flown by!  We've been busy in class engaging in invigorating new learning activities.  Specifically, throughout the month of February, 3C has been begun to engage in Mystery Skypes.

What are Mystery Skypes?

Mytery Skypes are critical thinking games that 3C takes part in while Skyping with another class from somewhere - anywhere - else in the world.  The students do not know the location of the other class, so their goal is to use yes or no questions in order to guess the other school's location (the country, city, or maybe even the school's name!) before the other class guesses ours.

For more information on Mystery Skype, please the Skype website.

3C's Experiences:

Kaya has been busy blogging about our experiences during Mystery Skypes over the past month.  To see her summaries, please visit her blog!