Field Trip!

We had such a great time on our 3rd grade field trip last week! I wanted to attach some of the great pictures and the informational write-up that Mr. Siptroth wrote about the experience.

All students, minus two, 1 parent, 1 grandparent, 1 school board member, 1 bus driver, and 2 teachers enjoyed the 3^rd grade field trip to Sweet Water Creek, old water wheel(as a demonstration, there are plans to restore it and light a display about water power), water tank for Remote Incubation Salmon Egg Tank, amphitheater, and trails. Students picked up litter to show their good citizenship [theme of our first unit in Journey’s]! We heard the birds and rushing water, the wind in the trees, and saw Big Leaf Maples and Western Red Cedars ( some new trees will be planted to control erosion (part of Water Unit in Science). We learned about Riparian Habitats and how they cool the creek for salmon. We also saw Bamboosa, an invasive species, plus English Ivy (terrible for trees).

Strolling through Theler Wetland Trails, we saw where Sweet Water Creek flows into the Hood Canal Estuary. We heard the big boom of the duck hunter’s guns. The classes were impressed by the skeleton of the juvenile Gray Whale-what would it be like as an adult? We noticed the estuary grasses and how the estuary restoration was encouraging new species of plants and animals like Mallard Ducks, Canadian Geese, and Killdeer, plus providing habitat for juvenile salmon. Students were impressed by the two bridges in the estuary [we studied bridges in Pop’s Bridge in Journey’s and students in Mr. Siptroth’s class built them {from recycled materials}!

At the Salmon Center, everyone ate lunch, enjoying the wind, another science investigation; much more wind in the open. After that, 4 groups visited the animals there, plus saw plants the Enviro Camp students grew and ate delicious kale! Several students chose to play tag in the meadow.

We continued to explore the Union River, noticing nursery logs and new trees which get their nutrients from the fallen trees or stumps. Students asked about Ash trees, rosehips, rushes, and saw many fish and read signs.

Everyone was impressed by how much they walked, how much they knew and learned, wrote notes in their science journals and/or drew pictures like scientists, and are encouraged to return with their families! What an awesome day; let’s do it again!

Upcoming Events!

Hello 3^rd Grade Families!                                                                                     October 24^th, 2017

Next Tuesday is the last day of October and Halloween! We have some great activities coming up that I wanted to make you aware of!

1.       Halloween: We will be having a small party in class on Halloween day the 31^st. Your student is allowed to wear their costume to school as long as it still complies with the dress code (no masks, inappropriate phrasing or sizing, and nothing scary or fake weapons). We will have a parade around the school in our costumes around 2:00 followed by a fun movie (The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown) and some treats. If you can send in treats, that would be great just please let me know what you can bring in. We will need plates and napkins as well.

(If you would rather have your child excused from this party and activity, please let me know.)

2.       We are having a Veteran’s Day assembly on Wednesday November 8^th at I believe around 2:15. You are all welcome to attend this special event where we honor the brave men and women who sacrifice so much for our country. You will see your students coming home with paper flags where they can write information about a veteran who is important to them and bring the flag back to school completed and cut out.

3.       State reflections are almost here! Students are working hard on their research and their rough drafts in class and I encourage you to ask your student about their research so they can share it with you. Please give them guidance in editing their rough drafts. The more people supporting them, the more confident they feel about their state. I will have a clear schedule of the presentation times by next week. Remember, reflections are the 17^th, 20^th, and 21^st  of November.

4.       Parent-teacher conferences are in three weeks. Please be on the lookout for conferencing times and dates for you and your student to come home next week. We have attempted to arrange schedules around siblings so please let us know as soon as possible if the scheduled time does not work. The conferences are from 12:30-3:30 on Friday the 17^th and Tuesday the 21^st. On Monday the 20^th, Conferences are from 12:30-7.

That’s all for now and as always, thank you so much for your constant support!

Hannah Nelsen

3^rd Grade Teacher

www.classwithmrsnelsen.blogspot.com

Grapeview School 

hnelsen@gsd54.org

Reflections!!

Hello parents! I have attached the reflection assignment and rubric below! If you need to get your student to Culture Grams, please go to Challenging Resources and follow the link and directions for Culture Grams.

The United States Reflection Assignment

Reflections for the fall term of the school year will be United States Reflections. Each student must select any state in the U.S. (except Washington) to research and answer the questions listed below in an artistic and well written reflection. The United States Reflections will be presented to the class on November 17^th, 20^th, and 21^st .

Friday 11/17	Monday 11/20	Tuesday 11/21

If you can, you are always welcome to attend your student’s reflection. We will schedule them when we get closer to the dates.

We will be expecting thorough research with complete sentences. We will give the students more research time in the computer lab in the weeks prior to the reflections. This is also counting as their Social Studies CBA (classroom based assessment) and so the presentation will include a bit more cultural information to meet these state based standards.

                                                                                   

Reflection Expectations

1. Each student must select a state.
2. Each student must thoroughly research their state and answer the following questions using at least one complete sentence for EACH question. (Some questions will require more than one sentence):

      a. What state did you choose and why?

      b. What is the population of the state?

      c. What is the capital city of the state and what is the largest city?

      d. What are two Native Tribes to inhabit this state?

      e. What are at least three cultural contributions (traditions still maintained today) that the Native Americans made to this state?

      f. When did this state join the United States?

      g. What is at least one geological landmark of this state (mountains, rivers, etc.)?

      h. Where is the state located geographically in the U.S. (East coast, West coast, etc)?

i. What is a really interesting fact about the state that you did not know before this reflection?

j. Please have one page dedicated to listing your sources. For example, if the students                  use a history book, they need to write the name of the book and the author. If they use     Culture Grams, they need to list that as well. Sources even include family who have information about the state. Each student should list at least 2 sources. Google is not a source, it is a search engine.

4. Each student should draw a picture of the state’s flag.
5. They should have a rough draft presented to their teacher at least one week before the presentation.  
6. Final drafts should have a cover and back page, and excellent effort in handwriting and detailed artwork or picture clippings for visuals. The presentation can also be presented on a poster board or Power Point presentation. As long as your student follows the directions and answers the research questions, the presentation can take any form.
7. Each student should feel like they are an expert in their state and be prepared to answer questions about their reflection. They are the teacher of that state and are educating the rest of the class!
8. Our school library is packed with excellent historical research books. We also have great school internet sites with helpful information. The students can find out a great deal of information for Culture Grams and by visiting their public library. To get to Culture Grams, please go to additional resources on our class website, and click on Culture Grams. Our username is grapeview and our password is cgrams.

The most important thing about Reflections is to make each student feel confident and proud of their work. If you have questions, please email me! That is the best way to get in touch with me during the school day. My email is hnelsen@gsd54.org  (Remember, to ensure that emails get to me, my last name is spelled “en” not “on”.

Thanks Parents and Grandparents! We appreciate all you do to help me help your child! We could not do it without you!

The 3^rd Grade Team

Washington State Learning Standards of this Project

W.3.2 Write to inform and explain ideas.

W.3.4 Write for different purposes, audiences, and topics.

W.3.6 Use technology to create pieces of writing and to interact and share ideas with others.

W.3.7 Organize short research projects.

W.3.8 Research and use experiences to gather information.

W.3.8 Take notes to help organize the research in writing.                            

W.3.10 Write on a regular basis with stamina for different tasks, purposes, and audiences.

W.3.5 Plan, edit, and revise writing with the help of peers and adults.

SL.3.6 Speak in complete sentences to make sharing clearer to others.

SL.3.5 Create visual displays to help listeners understand.

SL.3.4 Report on a topic and share important facts.

SL.3.4 Speak at a clearly and at a good pace.

SL.3.3 Ask and answer questions about information heard from a speaker.

SL.3.2 Figure out the main idea and details of what is being heard or seen.

SL.3.1 Explain thinking and ideas based on a discussion.

SL.3.1 Ask questions to create a focus on the discussion.

SL.3.1 Effectively participate in discussions.

SL.3.1 Come to a discussion with prepared ideas to share.

5.4.1 Draws conclusions using at least two clear, specific and accurate examples in a paper or presentation.

4.2.2 Understands how contributions made by various cultural groups have shaped the history of the community and world.

3.2.2 Understands the cultural universals of place, time, family life, economics, communication, arts, recreation, food, clothing, shelter, transportation, government, and education.

5.4.2 Prepares a list of resources, including the title and author for each source.

Rubric

Student ___________________________________________                                       Overall Grade ___________________________

State Reflection Rubric                                                                                    3^rd Grade Class Fall 2017

Task	Unsatisfactory  1	Below Expectations     2	Meeting Expectations  3	Exceeding Expectations   4
What state did you choose and why?	A state is given but no further detail.	A state is given and limited detail is provided.	A state is given with a reason why.	A state is given and excellent detail is provided as to why the student chose that state.
What is the population of the state?	No population is given.	Only a population is given but the student is unable to read it.	A population is given and the student read the population correctly to the class.	A population and demographics are given and the student read the population correctly to the class.
What is the capital of the state and what is the largest city in the state?	No capital or largest city or explanation is given.	A capital or a largest city is identified but not both.	A capital and a largest city is identified in a complete sentence.	A capital and largest city are identified with excellent detail.
What are two Native Tribes to inhabit this state?	No tribes are discussed.	One tribe is listed.	Two Native Tribes are identified in a complete sentence.	Two Native Tribes are identified and excellent detail with history of the tribe is presented.
What are some (three) cultural contributions the Native Americans made in this state?	No discussion on Native American contributions is made.	A limited explanation is given regarding cultural contributions.	A good explanation is given regarding at least three cultural contributions of the two native tribes.	An excellent explanation is given regarding more than three cultural contributions of the two native tribes with additional details.
When did this state join the United States of America?	No or very limited information is given.	A date is given with no additional information.	A date of when the state joined the U.S. is given in a complete sentence.	A date of when the state joined the U.S. is given and which order the state joined the U.S. and additional information is provided.
What is at least one geological landmark of this state?	No information is given.	Limited information is provided.	One landmark is provided with excellent detail.	More than one landmark is provided with excellent detail.
Where is the state located geographically in the U.S.?	No information is given.	Limited information is provided.	Geographical location is provided.	Geographical location is provided with additional geographic details.
What is a really interesting fact about the state  that you did not know before this reflection?	No interesting fact is given.	Only one minor fact is given with limited explanation.	One interesting fact about the state is given with detailed information.	More than one interesting fact about the state is given with detailed information and pictures and/or items are brought in to express the unique qualities of the state.
Sources	Sources are not given.	Incomplete sources are given.	N/A	All sources are clearly labeled and consistently identified.
Flag	No picture of the flag is presented.	A limited quality picture of the flag is presented with no information.	A well-drawn out picture of the state’s flag is presented.	A well-drawn out picture of the state’s flag is presented and information about the flag (i.e. colors, history) is presented.