Welcome to Grade 3!

 Do You Have Test Anxiety? It's completely normal to feel anxious before a test or big assignment, we all do it! Expecting success for your hard work isn't a bad thing, just as going into an assignment expecting yourself to perform well is not a bad thing. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to process and deal with their anxiety, and a small-stakes test or quiz can feel like the end of the world. The pressure and the idea of not doing well is overwhelming and, in some cases, debilitating.  So, how do we deal with this? Firstly, the best way to deal with test anxiety is to come prepared. There is no better path to success than being completely prepared. Knowing the materials and being confident in your knowledge of them is important for your performance level. Confidence plays a large role in performance in general- not specifically test performance. When a person goes into an activity, test, or performan ce with confidence the outcome will look much different than if the pers...

 Our First Unit:  Mountain Ranges  Our first unit this year for social studies will be geography focused, but more specifically it will be about the mountain ranges within the United States. I love the mountains and hiking in them so this unit is very special to me! We will start off by doing a brief introduction about the mountain ranges and then we will dive deep into five specific mountain ranges. The ranges we will focus on are The Appalachian Mountains, The Cascade Range, The Rocky Mountain Range, Sierra Nevada, and The Alaska Range. Each of these mountain ranges are vastly different from climate and agriculture to species and human accessibility. Some mountains are only hiked by the most elite of mountaineers where they risk their lives while others are easy Sunday strolls for a family.  On the other hand, one thing that all of the mountains have in common are their importance to the people, plants and animals surrounding them. They provide drinking water, food...

A Well Balanced Diet  Children are at the beginning of a long life of decision-making and it is our job as their role models and care takers to model and assist them in making the right choices when it comes to their diet. We are not here to shame children for decisions they make or to allow them to make all  of the decisions on their own; but, we can help steer them in the right direction. Encouraging a proper and nutritious diet can prevent children from developing some chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes. A well balanced meal doesn't have to be extravagant with the finest ingredients from all around, well balanced meals can be simple and cheap too!  Sharing meals together as a family is a great way to encourage nutritional eating. As a child watches their family members eat healthful and well balanced meals, they will want to do so as well- monkey see money do. As they might be thrown off by color or appearance, it is important to encourage children to t...

 The Importance of Outdoor Play In a world of video games and screens, it might seem difficult to find the time or the motivation to get up and get outside. Although children and parents may struggle to see the importance and the benefits from outdoor play, there are many! Outdoor play is fun, exciting, and an important part of growing up, but outdoor play is extra  important for the actual health and well being of humans! The sun's rays help to produce Vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D is essential in bone development- if you want to have big strong bones, get outside and soak up that sunshine! It doesn't take long, and people should always be mindful of the power of the sun. Research from Tri-City Medical Center in San Diego shows that 15 minutes a few times a week is enough time for the sun to have its positive affects on the body. Any longer and you should put some sunscreen on to prevent any damage from the sun's rays. To read more on Tri-City Medical Center's take ...

Extra Extra Read All About It! Building Classroom Community  We talk a lot about building our classroom community, but what does that mean? What does a classroom look like that has built their community and what does a classroom look like that needs help in building their community? In order to better build our community inside of our classroom, we must first learn all about it... let's go!  The Five W's  (and one H) What : What is classroom community? Classroom community is exactly what it says- the community inside of our classroom. Our class is made up of a small (small, but wonderful, smart, awesome and rockstar) community of third graders and one (pretty cool) teacher. We are all members of our classroom: third grade in room 206. Our classroom community consists of more than our desks and belongings- it consists of the emotions, actions and feelings of those inside as well.  Who:  Who is responsible for building classroom community? All of us! It is our res...

 The Role of Technology in Teaching and Learning Teaching For teachers everywhere, technology has both helped and hindered the way they educate the youth. Technology has helped teachers in more ways than we can fit on this blog post! Teachers no longer need to stand at the front to he classroom lecturing for the entirety of the day. Projectors, laptops, smart boards and other everyday technology uses in the classroom allow for more depth and accommodations in the classroom. Teachers can take students on a field trip across the world from their classroom, students can perform full biology class dissections online, and we can help to better meet the needs of all learners with the use of assistive technology.  I'm sure by this point, you're thinking how could technology possibly hinder a classroom, look at the good it has done? Often times, the overuse of technology can take away the face-to-face connection that students need with teachers. It is also very distracting for st...

 Internet Safety With the rise in technology and the access to it, it is of vital importance to talk and learn about internet safety. Laptops, cellphones and tablets allow for students to have the internet at their fingertips wherever they go! Your wonderful children are still learning to navigate the internet and the world around it, but we are here to help navigate and assist them in their discovery. By teaching and practicing internet safety, children can be less susceptible to fall victim to an internet scam or something potentially worse.  Students are growing up in the age of technology, and due to this they will face their share of hurdles along the way. Many of these hurdles students face, can be prevented or talked about and their hurdles will shrink and seem more passable. Firstly, online bullying or harassment is prevalent for younger generations now. Spend one day in a school and you'll hear "did you see what she posted", "he liked her picture", and ...