Week of September 23

We have been reading a short story that uses many proverbs, so the students each wrote their own.  Here are some pearls of wisdom from the Stingray class! 

A horse will not go if you don't make it. 

You can't work hard if you're not thinking.

No one needs gold if you have heart.

If you work hard when you're young, you will not have to work as hard when you are older.

A gold egg still tastes like an egg. 

Beauty on the inside is better than beauty on the outside. 

Don't be afraid, keep on forward. 

A heart is better than power.

When you work hard, your dreams come closer.

The wind powers the sail.

We also began our stock market game.  The students are working in pairs for the game.  First they had to decide on a good name for their team.  Then they worked together to decide how to spend $100,000.  They can buy as many different stocks as they want, but have to buy at least 100 shares of each.  Every Friday we will check the status of our portfolios and will make informed decisions on whether to buy or sell.  Here are some photos of them working to buy their first stocks and their group names.

The Seabury Stockers:

 

 

 A.A.D:

 

 

 Lazers:

RGs:

 

 

 V-S-Stockers:

 

 

 J-K (not the full name for privacy purposes):

In Science, we discussed the 12 different types of finches that can be found on the Galapagos Islands.  Each type has a different beak type, so we experimented on how that difference would influence their diet.  Using popsicle sticks and pennies, we created 2 different sized beaks and used them to pick  up small and large seeds.  The students had to draw some conclusions about how the beak size affected the diet of the birds, both in a normal year, as well as a drought year when seeds are not as plentiful.

Week of September 16

We spent the week reading "The Story of Wang Li"  which contained many different proverbs.  We discussed the meaning of those sayings, some of them were difficult for the students to understand, and we had some great small group discussions about them.  The students will work on writing summaries and their own proverb next week as we finish up with this story. 

 

In math, the students worked very hard in their groups.  In each of the groups, they were able to play a math game to reinforce the concepts, so be sure to ask about the game they played. 

 

We continued working on our summer adventure stories for writing.  Some of the students are onto peer conferencing and editing, so we spent some time talking about how to proofread and mark mistakes, and we highlighted the punctuation and capital letters in our stories to show how often we used them. 

 

In science, we continued with our study of evolution.  We discussed how fossils are made and how scientist can tell just how old certain organisms are.  The students also made their own fossils using plaster and shells or beads.  Here are some great photos from the excavating of the fossils.

 

 

Week of September 9th

We had great week in the Stingray classroom!  We began Mindfulness training and learned how to be aware of our breathing, all while paying attention to the amygdala part of our brain.  Ask your child about how best to do that!  We will continue to practice this all year long, but will have the training with Sol Riou for 7 more weeks. 

We also began work on our study of Evolution and how the Earth was formed.  We made a HUGE timeline of the last 5 billion years and shared it during Gathering. 

Speaking of Gathering, we also shared our optical illusion art.  We did an activity that made our hands look 3-dimensional.  They are on display in our classroom if you want to stop by and take a look. 

 

 

We also began writing an adventure story this week.  We will be working on this over the course of many weeks.  Here are some pictures of the kids hard at work on their stories and what their stories are about. 

 

 

My brother, cousin and I fall through a hole we made and we land in the middle of a forest. There is a trail we follow and we find the Land of Monster Mermaids. -S.B.

 

Rose and DD are my characters. Rose throws DD in the pool and they go down to the bottom of the pool. They keep going and end up in the ocean. -G.H.

 

My story is about a family in Hawaii and we went out to a dance. We went swimming and surfing and the water gets higher and higher. -R.S.

 

My story is about me going to a cabin and I go on a hike, but my parents leave without me and I keep on hiking. -K.M.

 

My story is about 10 boys who go to the World Series. One grabs a ball and it is actually magic. -J.T.

 

My story is about boating on Lake Chelan and it flips. Dolphins come and carry the girl to Dolphin Palace and make her queen! (Oh, and she can breathe underwater). -A.M.

 

My story is about swimming in Lake Montgomery. I found a treasure chest and fell into a hole. I wound up in front of a house with lots of doors, rooms, and stairs. -V.K.

 

The teacher reads a story of summer vacation to the class. The story becomes real and then you are in a boat that capsized in a storm ending up in Nowhere Land! -A.C.

 

My story is about going to Cannon Beach and I am surfing. This big wave comes and I fall into the water and when I come up, I am in the movie The Princess Bride. -L.R.

 

My story is about summer vacation on an island in Texas! I swam in the ocean and a lot of other things happen. -Q.B.

 

 

While bouncing on his trampoline at his house, a boy has a dinosaur falls on his head... -J.L.

We ended our week with a cooking activity.  There is a huge apple tree in the back garden, so we took those apples and made an apple crisp.  YUM!   

Week of September 4

We had a great first week in the Stingray classroom!  The kids were excited to be back at school, start learning the routines, and play with friends.  Here are a few things they really like about 3rd grade:
 
"I love the Stingrays because this year we're doing: Language Arts, Astronomy, Science, Writing, Reading, and Xtra Math."  -S.B.
 
"I like 3rd grade because Mrs. Price is the best teacher ever!"  -A.C.
 
"3rd grade is awesome because we do awesome stuff and we have a good teacher."  -L.R.
 
"I like third grade because of Mrs. Price."  -J.L.
 
"3rd grade is great because you get to see all your friends and do a lot of fun things."  -A.M.
 
"I like third grade because it is fun." -R.S.
 
"I like 3rd grade because all of the special benefits."  -Q.B.
 
"I love 3rd grade because we are the stingrays and my friends and my teacher."  -G.H.
 
"3rd grade is great because we have Mrs. Price to teach us!"  -K.M.
 
"3rd grade is good because it is very organized and very clean."  -V.K.

"The Stingrays are awesome because my desk is BIG."  -J.T.

"3rd grade is great because we have a bean bag."  -D.F.