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April 13 – The Science of Bridges!

Dear Third Grade Families,

Welcome back! After a week off from school, students have been back at it — working on bar modeling, writing, the Brooklyn Bridge and book clubs.

Math:

We started our return by reviewing addition and subtraction bar models. One student mentioned that bar models are used to help us organize word problems, and help us know what type of math we need to do. After that, we inferred what a multiplication bar model would look like based on strategies we already know. A multiplication bar model is a mix between drawing a picture of equal groups and an array. For drawing multiplication bar models, students need to divide the horizontal bar model into equal groups, each box representing the same number. Drawing bar model supports students in: slowing down in their computations; reading through a word problem multiple times; and checking over work.

 

Writing:

Third graders had more time to delve into their information writing this week. We looked at how to organize our work, be it the table of contents or paragraphs within a chapter. Students had the opportunity to share excerpts from their piece, showing a moment they were specifically proud of. All of the work we are doing is preparing the class for our upcoming Biography Study, which integrates reading and writing.

 

Social Studies:

This class is now an expert at the steps it takes to build a bridge — specifically the Brooklyn Bridge. From caissons to towers to cables to anchorages, so many innovations were used to create this bridge. Did you know that it was the first suspension bridge to be made with steel? Due to its success, ALL future bridges started using steel as well! On the bridge, there were 4 cables, where each cable had 19 bundles, and each bundle had 278 strands of steel wire. Basically, the four cables were spun together to create a REALLY big cable! When it comes to safety during the construction of the bridge, it had much safer working conditions than the Erie Canal construction had — only 21 people died with this project over the 24 years it took to build it. We are VERY excited to see it in person on Monday!  

 

Book Club:

On Wednesday, we launched our new books for book club! In small groups, students will be exploring one of four different books, investigating characters, settings and inferencing skills. We started by students making independent predictions about what their books could be about, first just based on the front cover and then based on what they learned from the back cover. Third Graders know that when making a prediction, we take what we know and made educated guesses about what will follow. Many students were surprised by how far off their initial predictions were after reading the back cover. Making predictions and inferences are skills we will continue to practice throughout the rest of the year.

 

End of Day Fun:

Some of our 3rd graders have been building fabulous pattern block creations during dismissal and asked to send pictures home. Enjoy!

Topics to  discuss with your student:

  • How can a bar model help us compare two numbers?
  • How is PT Barnum connected to the Brooklyn Bridge?
  • Why is steel the best material for a bridge?

Best,

Hilary and Talia

Dates to remember:

  • Monday, April 16 — RESCHEDULED field trip to the Brooklyn Bridge
  • Wednesday, April 18 — Yom Hazikaron, Israel Memorial Day
  • Thursday, April 19 — Yom Haatzmaut, Israel Independence Day
  • Wednesday, May 23 — ORANGE GROUP trip to Ellis Island
  • Wednesday, May 30 — PURPLE GROUP trip to Ellis Island

Judaics with Aliza

Welcome back! This week in Judaics, the third grade got back into learning Chumash, and we have really turned up our speed and efforts! We discussed the story of Avraham and Sarah being visited by three messengers who tell them that they will soon have a son. We also learned about Avraham’s negotiation with Hashem on behalf of the city of Sedom. Our class game this week was a Brachot Bee, which the students greatly enjoyed. Some have even asked for some added challenges! Our Jewish hero of the week was Maimonides, aka Rambam, the Medieval philosopher, physician, and commentator. Shabbat Shalom!

Science with Sammi

This week in science the 3rd graders expanded on their understanding of caissons and cables. We started by creating a list of questions they had about caissons, and what a wonderful list it was!  Some main points students wanted to focus on included how the workers got in and out of the caissons, how the workers kept the water out of the caisson, and how the caissons got into place. To start answering these questions, we examined a photo, acted out the process of entering a caisson (this included pausing in the chambers to regulate our breathing), and tested out a caisson model. The caisson model allowed us to explore density and the importance of controlling the rate of compressed air entering a caisson. To expand their understanding of cables, we discussed cable math. One wire is about the size of a pencil, 278 wires make up one bundle called a strand, and 19 strands make up one main cable. That’s 5,282 wires!

 

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Art with Iviva:

Third graders have started a multi-week project designing their own products — sneakers, logos for sportswear, toys, stuffed animals, shoes, clothing. After working on sketches, students will explore a range of media to either make the design as a sculpture (sewing and stuffing; paper maché; cardboard model), or will make a small book or collection of sketches.

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