Mr. Jon Fazzaro and Mr. Matt Noggle Brings Coding to the 3rd Graders!

On March 16, Mr. Jon Fazzaro and Mr. Matt Noggle came to our school to talk to us about and show us how to code on a computer.  Both gentlemen work at Aptera which is a business that creates apps and software.  They told us that in order to create software, you need to know how to code first. Their goal was to encourage kids to learn how to code and to start at an early age.

After a couple of quick introductory videos about coding (which can be found at code.org), we were on our way to coding-- Star Wars style!  :)  We did "pair coding" in which one person was the driver and one was the navigator.  Then we would switch.

We even got Mr. Arnold in on the action.  Who ever said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks? ;)

Mrs. Noggle and 3A's Tower Garden :)

In March, Mrs. Erica Noggle came in to teach us how to get our seeds ready for planting in our Tower Garden (which is in the background).  She helped us plant just a few seeds in each Rockwool block.  Then we added some little pellets which act like the soil.  Next, she told us to sprinkle a little water on top of each of the Rockwool blocks.

Then, we have to put the container (with the lid open) on top of the Tower Garden so that the light could start the germination process.  Next, we waited to see how they would grow...

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Just three weeks later, when we saw roots growing, we were able to plant the Rockwool blocks in the actual Tower Garden.  

More pictures coming soon!  :)

3rd Grade's Fractured Fairy Tale VIP Day!!!!!

We have been working VERY HARD on getting ready for our Fractured Fairy Tale VIP Day.  We read several different fractured fairy tales.  Below are just some that we read:

We also watched several fractured fairy tale short cartoons from "back in the day" when Saturday morning cartoons ruled!  :)  (Dating myself just a bit...)

Next, we filled out a graphic organizer and wrote our very OWN fractured fairy tale.  Then we typed it onto a power point in which we added pictures.  

We learned how to customize the pictures in order to use them in our illustrations better and not just have them look like we just "copied and pasted."

Finally, the big day arrived!  Please click on the link below to watch a video about our Fractured Fairy Tale VIP Day.  Enjoy! :)

https://youtu.be/cvf7gn7kFAM

We LOVE Books!!!

Last week, we completed a book report over our favorite AR books that we have read so far this year. Below are some of our reports:

Candy Bar Rocks?

In Science, we have been learning about the three main rock types: sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous.  So, for fun, we decided to observe different candy bars to see if they looked somewhat like that type of rock and why.

We observed a Kit Kit, a 3 Muskateers, a Milky Way, and a Rice Krispie square.

We used our book and a chart to help us.

This is the Kit Kat. We thought it reminded us of a sedimentary rock due to the layers.

This is the Milky Way. We thought this was similar to a metamorphic rock because it looked like "heat and pressure" was applied.

This is the 3 Muskateers. We thought it looked like lava that cooled slowly; therefore, it would be an igneous rock.

Finally, this is the Rice Krispie treat. We thought it was more like a sedimentary rock due to its larger pieces of rock being stuck together.