Multiplication Math Games

Happy holidays to my Awesome Owls! As I spend my last Saturday of the holiday on the couch watching my San Francisco Giants in the World Series, I find time to catch up on some blog work. I published many new multiplication math games to go with our new EM unit. Click on the EM Math Game page and enjoy!

Also, I know many of you are trying to improve your basic math facts/number bonds/minute math. Here is a great game where you can practice your fast math.

 

Bake Sale Results!!!

Thank you to all of the families and students who helped bake goods for our CCBRT Bake Sale! It was a wonderful event. There were so many tasty treats and one of my girls even made some earrings to sell! The kids were thrilled to sell their goods and watched as their blue frosted cupcakes, chocolatey brownies and homemade breads slipped through their fingers in the name of a good cause.

Overall, we raised 422,500 Tsh for CCBRT. One generous grandmother from the US even sent a donation all the way across the oceans right into our collection can! After the baked goods were sold, Yuna and her mother took the left overs to CCBRT and gave the patients and their families some treats as a surprise. All in all, it was an amazing day and I am happy to be part of such a fantastic student led event. My class is truly.... electrifying!



 

Spending Money

This past week we began our unit on Economics. We are learning how we organize ourselves with economics and started with the concept of goods vs. services. Next week, students will be thinking about and predicting what their family spends money on and then working with their parents to determine and discuss what their family actually spends their money on. Using the list we created, will then discuss whether each item is a good or service, and then later on in the unit, whether each item is a want or a need.

For all of you teachers out there, I created this printable to guide this activity. Please feel free to download it and use it!

 

Unit Video In The Making

3R has been working extremely hard over the past few weeks putting together a stop-animation video all about the circulatory system. The video will be unveiled soon (thanks to our film producer, Mr. Mikey) but I realized that I had not shared the photos of us hard at work creating.

The kids decided what part of the film they wanted to work on and divided into groups. Some students wrote the script, others designed the human body and a few broke up into small groups and created the prop body parts and diagram labels. The kids have worked so hard on this and I can't wait to share it with everyone very, very soon!

Writing the Script

Creating the Blood Cells

Drawing the Heart (by Hand!)

Working on the Lungs

Designing the Set (the Body)

 

Student Action: A Bake Sale!!!

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS? Class 3R has organized a scrumptious (meaning yummy) BAKE SALE!!! The money from the bake sale will go to CCBRT which is an organization that helps people with disabilities. It would be awesome if you came and bought something. We are also trying to get donations. If you are interested in this, then come to I.S.T. Elementary at the 1/2 quad. It is this Friday, the 28^th of September. Thank you for your time!!!

                                                From: Saniya, Nora and Deborah

 

Thank You Doctor Erwin!

Last week, we had another parent come visit and share with the entire grade 3 team what he does as a doctor in Tanzania. Dr. Erwin runs the CCBRT Hospital here in Dar es Salaam. CCBRT is a hospital that specializes in helping individuals with disabilities. The students were fascinated about his job and the commitment he shows to patients and the community everyday.

The students were interested in all aspects of his job and loved looking at the x-rays and prosthetics he brought in. He told us about a child named Santino who was born unable to walk upright. At CCBRT Santino had treatment on his legs. Santino put in large amount of effort and commitment to strengthen his body. Through his hard work and persistence, Santino can now walk upright. The students were so surprised to hear that not only will braces and prosthetics help people walk, but after a while, some people can even play football!

After watching the video below, some of them even made a plan to take action by raising money for surgeries. Say tuned to hear about the plan that is in the works. Hopefully some time soon, 3R can help people in need with a donation for some surgeries.

Thank You Dr. Roland!

3R was lucky to have Dr. Roland, Louise's dad, come in and teach us more about the human body how the body systems are interconnected. He also talked to us about what doctors and nurses do for you when you are sick. He brought in some medical tools for us to explore and left a friend with us in the classroom. Harry the skeleton, our newest addition to the classroom, has fit right in and has been a gracious guest. He has helped us to learn about the skeletal system and given us a tool to use when determining where organs are located in the body in relationship to the bones. He has been keeping us company and watching over us as we learn. Everyone is happy to have Harry visit for a few weeks!

Each student got to go up and use the medical tools and learned what each specific tool was for. The faces they made when the first heard a beating heart or saw the inside of the ear canal was priceless!

Overall, the morning was wonderful and 3R sends a huge "asante sana" to Dr. Roland for giving us an hour of his time. Each student took a moment to write a thank-you letter to Dr. Roland to show our gratitude and appreciation. Below I included a wonderful letter showing lots of enthusiasm and creativity. Check it out.... all I can say is "WOW."

Thank you again Dr. Roland!

Thank You Susan Yates!

The year is off to a great start. Some classroom news is that I now have a Smartboard and just yesterday I turned it on and began to use it. I have to admit that it was first used as a glorified projector (since I forgot to plug in the USB port to the computer) but it still was really, really cool. Today our wonderful tech teacher, Mr. Mikey, happened to stop by and pop in during recess. I took the opportunity to ask for 5 minutes of his time to show me how to use it (step 1: plug it in) and next period I was up and running.

Earlier this year a colleague shared this amazing Everyday Math resource with our teaching faculty and I have been dying to use it. Today was the first day to give it a real shot. I want to send a huge, sincere thanks (or Asante Sana as we say it in Tanzania) out there across the internet to Susan Yates. She has created a spectacular website with all of the EM math lessons for the Smartboard available for download. Really and truly, it is a job well done and the generosity and commitment to do a project like this and share it is commendable. Check it out! I know you will be impressed.

Also, I would like to share with you that I published a new page at the top of my blog. It is a page with Everyday Math internet games organized by unit. It is a goal of mine this year to keep up with this and try to publish new games for each unit so stay posted!

 

New "School" Year Resolutions

1. Follow the "Under 1 Minute" rule. If it takes less than 1 minute, do it now. Answer those emails, put the supplies back, call those parents, etc.
2. Take a lunch break 2 times per week. (I am notorious for working straight through lunch every day.)
3. Take photos and blog 2 times per week.
4. Read the Daily 5 Cafe book.
5. Check-in each morning with every student as they come to the classroom.
 

Bodies PYP Unit

Can't...stop...working....
luckily I have my mom's warm comfy couch and some great T.V. on demand that I have missed this past year in Tanzania.

I have joined a few professional reading groups via my "blog sisters" and have been working away on my mac, mostly getting files organized and such.

But, gearing up for the next year, I have been creating some documents to use in the classroom, possibly with my new interactive whiteboard!!!! Can you tell I am a little excited?

So here is a health Can-Have-Are printable for you to download. I use Can-Have-Are charts a lot in my teaching, often as a formative assessment tool during teaching.

 Enjoy!
  
"Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com"