Summer Learning!

I'm often asked by parents, "What should I do with my child over the summer to get him/her ready for fourth grade?"

The answer is simple. 

 READ! READ! READ! 

 Practice multiplication and division facts.

 Take advantage of the Steward School Portal.

 Keep a journal or blog about your summer adventures- even a rainy day can become an amazing story!

I'm sending home a book list and a Red Sox Pledge to Read- summer reading game. 

Again, thank you all for an amazing year!

Research Presentations

Dear Team Jordan Families,

I can't tell you how proud I am of our team!  The children did a wonderful job of bringing their information together.  While each child shared the others listened and took notes.  

It was a very special couple of weeks here at school.  As the children took ownership of their projects I couldn't help but think about how much they have grown both socially and academically.  We will leave all their work up so you can see it and take it home when you visit on June 5th.   Please read on to learn about everything from dogs to historical events.

                                                          

Here is Tessa teaching us about Laura Ingalls Wilder. She wrote many popular books that kids read today. Did you know that her daughter was her editor?

Ella shares her knowledge about sunflowers.  Did you know there are 120 different kinds?  They get their name because the flower always faces and and looks like the sun.

Kayla knows a lot about Koalas.  Although they are called Koala Bears, they are actually marsupials.

If you want to know about history, just ask Kevin.  Here he is teaching us about the Battles of Lexington and Concord

John shares his research on Bobby Orr.  You might not know that he had the same number jersey as  Eddie Shore's  before he went pro, so he had to pick a different one. He will always be known as number 4.

Shea spoke about the accomplishments of Neil Armstrong.  He changed the world by showing that travel to the moon is possible.

Haylie was very enthusiastic while sharing her Cockapoo report.  Did you know that this mixed breed can come in a shade of blue?  Just ask Haylie she'll tell you all about it.

Sophia demonstrates one of Bruce Lee's famous stances and one inch punch.  Needless to say, we were very interested in learning about this martial art master.

We got to travel to Paris through Olivia's eyes.  She taught us about the important monument, The Arc de Triumph and why it's important to the French people.

Katie shared her research about the African Elephant.  We enjoyed learning about the enormous diet of  largest land mammal.  

Marco bravely shared the accomplishments of The Wright Brothers.  We enjoyed learning about the impact that they had on airplanes.

We traveled to ancient Egypt with Taylor's tales of King Tut. She taught us about his diet of vegetables, figs, and dates.

Owen taught about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  

This Expedition lasted two years and cost 15 million dollars!

Owen also told us about the dangers of the wild.  Watch out for Grizzly Bears!

Avery pondered a thought about Vikings.  He taught us that the Vikings were nomadic conquerors.

Did you know that the viking helmet's did not have horns?  That was just a myth.

Ben shared the characteristics of Labradors. 

Did you know they are great swimmers.  Their skin produces a special oil that coats them so they are sort of water proof.  

Even shared facts about one of his favorite baseball players, Ted Williams. One of the most impressive things about him was that he beat Babe Ruth's record with a batting average of 406.

        

Emily enjoyed teaching us about the adorable bulldog.  It doesn't make a good pet for people who like to exercise a lot.  The bulldog prefers leisurely walks. 

Teresa taught us about one of our favorite authors, J.K. Rowling.  She shared how J.K.Rowling got her ideas for Harry Potter from her experiences.

         

Natalya taught us about the special characteristics of the Siberian Tiger.  They are perfect for living in Russia.  They need a lot of room to hunt and they have thick fur to keep warm.

Research Project Progress

Thank you families for helping us collect books and articles to use as references.  

Last week we gathered and organized our information.  We also wrote drafts, had conferences, revised, and edited our work.  

Our research reports are being typed this week, we are creating products to use as teaching tools, and we are planning our "lessons" about our topics.  Wow it's only Tuesday but we are getting a lot accomplished!

Here is a glimpse of Team Jordan planning, creating and collaborating.

Check back later for a sneak peek at our finish products!

DASH

Thank you to all the parent volunteers who helped make DASH successful! The children were able to reflect on the program and this is what they thought.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re blind or deaf. You’re still the same as everyone else.”- Ella

“Learn to love yourself, even if you’re different” -Sophia

“People who are different can still do the same things as us” -Ben

“If people have disabilities, don’t try to change them”- Natalya

“Treat others the way you want to be treated.”- Marco

“You shouldn’t try to change who you are. You are perfect no matter what they say”

-  Katie

“You are perfect just the way you are”

“You are awesome.”

“Even if you are different you can still fit.” –Tessa

“I learned how to make a turtle in sign language.” -John

“People who grew up different than us are still the same as us” –Haylie

“You should admire who you are” -Emily

“Everybody is the same even if they have disabilities” –Avery

“Having a disability or being different is just another way of looking at life.”-Shea

“How to use communication with deaf people” -Owen

“People that have a disability can still do cool things” -Taylor

“You are awesome just the way you are”- Katie

“You are perfect just the way you are” -Evan

‘’Pain is just another reason to try harder” –Shea

“Even if you have a disability you can still do anything.” -Kayla

‘’ It doesn’t matter if you are different.  We are all different” –Katie

“You are fine the way you are. You don’t have to be like everyone else”-Olivia

“We are practically all the same” -Kevin

Learning About Decibels

        

How loud or soft is the sound?

      

What is it like to have a hearing impairment?

These are just a few of the questions we thought about.  The children also learned about the challenges a deaf person faces.  As you can tell from the quotes above, the impact of DASH is amazing.  Your children were very thoughtful and will continue to learn about sound for the next couple of weeks.

Introducing Mr.Titel

Hello, my name is Cameron Titel. I'm a Masconomet Senior interning in Mrs.Jordan's class for the next 6 weeks. I promise to try and help the kids and Mrs. Jordan in any way I can. I'm good at math and sciences so if they need any help, I'll be there. I'm excited for the next 6 weeks and I know I'll learn a lot about teaching from Mrs. Jordan and the students. 

Fun with Fractions

Our focus is fractions.

What can you do with these fraction resources? 

   I gave the children a variety of fraction cards, number lines, spinners, bingo cards and fraction diskes.  I told them to explore and make up games.  They were hugely successful! We had a lot of fun making up games, sharing our ideas, and learning about fractions. Ask your child about the game they made up.

Please mark your calendar!  Each class has a different schedule.  The PARCC schedule for our class is as follows:

March 17th        9:15    ELA

March 19th      11:00     ELA

March 23rd      9:15       ELA

March 25th      9:15     Math

March 30th      11:00     Math

March Enrichment Menu

                          3^rd Grade March Enrichment Menu

Why do they say, “March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb?” Write or draw to explain this expression.	March is women’s history month. Research a famous woman and create a timeline of her life.	This month we are trying to move more.  Create a 3 minute exercise routine to teach your classmates.	Dr. Seuss’s Birthday- create your own unique character that you think would fit in one of Dr. Seuss’s books.
What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book?  Create an award for that book.  Be sure to share why it earned the award.	Johann Sebastian Bach was born this month.  Bring in a musical instrument and perform for the class.	Make up a survey question to ask the class.  Bring it to school and collect the data.  Then create a graph to show the results.	Everything You Do is Right Day- write a paragraph on something that you are an expert about.
St. Patrick’s Day is this month.  Research and learn 10 new facts about the holiday or Ireland to share with the class.	The first day of Spring is this month!  Create a piece of art that represents SPRING.	Harry Houdini was born this month.  Learn a magic trick to perform for the class.	Measure snow.  Pick a spot in your yard to track the height of the snow. Set up a way to organize and share your data.
We have been reading nonfiction books.  What is your favorite nonfiction book?  Write a paragraph about it.	St. Patrick’s Day - Share your favorite recipe. It could be boiled dinner, Irish soda bread, green Jello, or anything that you enjoy on this holiday. Be sure to include measurements.	NUTRITION- What does this word mean to you?  Answer this question any way you want.  *Poster *Paragraph *Poem *Song *Puzzle	FREE CHOICE- Do something that shows one of your talents or passions! Have Fun!