THIRD GRADE PEAK NEWS~Wednesday
March 18, 2015
Showcase~Wednesday, May 6, 5:00-6:30
Our PEAK Showcase will take on a new format this year. We will meet in a smaller, more personal space...in our classroom and PEAK hallway at Alexander Doniphan. Each class will showcase their learning on their last day of PEAK. They are going to be so excited to show off all of their hard work! We will be the only third graders here that night. There will be two other grade levels showcasing at the same time (2nd and 4th) and your family is invited to browse and enjoy projects and presentations from each of those grade levels as well. This is an Open House so feel free to come and go as it works with your schedule. If it works for your family, I invite you to follow this format:
5:00-5:30 Open Viewing
5:30-6:00 "Talk to an Expert"...meet in our classroom to hear all about your child's various studies and then spend some time with other classmates presenting and celebrating their learning.
6:00-6:30 Open house continues
You will take all of your student's work home with you as you leave that night. I look forward to seeing you all again and am always so excited to share the amazing things our kiddos have accomplished!
Our PEAK Day
Theme Study
The kids have synthesized all of their notes in to a lovely letter and postcard back home to you, as they "visited" the country they have been studying this year. We incorporated some wonderful writing skills to put all of this information together and make it sound like each child is really in that country. They have learned so much about their country's culture and done a terrific job sharing that with you in a creative way.
Enrichment Centers
Topic Study: Students continue to work through their independently chosen topic studies. We will display this work on the trifolds at our May Showcase. The kids are trying to answer their essential question about their topics while completing projects in each level of thinking in Bloom's Taxonomy: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. They are also striving to complete quality products.
Science: Students have created their own knife, push button, slide, rotary, or toggle switch that will actually operate a circuit. They used random supplies such as thumbtacks, pipe cleaners, clothespins, aluminum foil, etc. They worked through the entire scientific method as they created the experiment to make and test their switches. It took a lot of perseverance but was so much fun to see what they created in the end! We can't wait to show you these at Showcase!
Personal Growth and Development/Creativity
Creativity: Our favorite thing of all...is a great Team Challenge! Each group is given the same supplies and a challenging task to complete practicing creativity, communication, critical thinking, and cooperation. Such great thinking and teamwork skills come out of these!