Daily 5 in Action

Students participating in Read to Self.

Students have begun developing independent reading and writing skills through a literacy framework known as Daily 5. The Daily 5 is a series of literacy tasks (read to self, read to someone, listen to reading, work on writing and word work) that students complete each day while the teacher engages in small group instruction. This framework helps students develop the daily habits of reading, writing and working with peers. The goal is to foster these good habits and develop lifelong skills of independent literacy.

Working on writing in our writer's notebooks

To see more pictures of our student engaging in Daily 5 activities check out the class pictures link on the main page of our blog!

First Day Fun!

After days and weeks of waiting the day is finally here and past! Our first day is now complete and not without lots of fun and excitement to ring in the new year. The day began as students arrived at  school greeted by super heroes. Balloons lined the sidewalk and black and orange streamers decorated the hallways as students entered the building. Smiles awaited them as they finally entered the classroom for the first time this year, ready to learn and embrace the fun their teachers had waiting for them. Weeks of planning culminated in an assembly where students participated in games, cheers and chants, and our annual whistle dance. While back in the classroom students completed getting to know you activities while doing a Kahoot. During this activity students became acclimated to the iPads. Before we knew it the day was already over and it was time to go home. To my surprise student groaned stating that they would rather stay at school than go home. They were reassured that they would be able to do it all over again tomorrow and for the next 9 months to come.

Thanks for a great first day!

Calling All Third Graders...

Hey all, it’s that time of year again! Another year, another round of fun with friends and fellow classmates, with plenty of time for new explorations, discoveries, and learning opportunities for everyone!

In addition to our annual Homecoming walk and weeklong list of school-spirit festivities, students will also take part in our yearly third-grade Sleepy Eye walking history tour where we’ll not only visit local sights of interest but also learn about city government. Then, as part of our biography/autobiography genre studies, students will spend some time delving into our Wax Museum project which has students first choosing a person of historical significance and then conducting research on that individual using multiple media sources. Once all the research has been compiled and completed, students will then dress up as that character and present a first-person speech to the class, sharing what they’ve learned about that person. Later on in the year, students will also explore the benefits of animal adaptations, via our Alaskan Animal science unit.

Additionally, as an integral part of our regular third-grade classroom studies, students will do a lot of first-hand learning and experimenting with a whole range of ipad apps, too, including “Nearpod”, “Yak It”, “Aurasma”, “Showbie”, “Explain Everything”, “Comic Life”,  “Imovie”, and “Kahoot”. The latter of which is an especially true favorite of former third-grade students! By the end of the year, students will not only become adept with using each of these individual apps in a single application, but they will also become familiar with a complementary technique known as app smashing, which incorporates using more than one app at a time in order to achieve a particular outcome. Look forward to the results, as they are always a source of celebration and sure to impress!

So get ready to wear your Sleepy Eye Pride as we kick off another fantastic year for third-grade students and parents alike!