Presentations of

Types of Communities

This week, the third graders presented their group projects about the types of communities: urban, suburb and rural. They were able to explain the main characteristics of each type of community so that their classmates got a clear understanding of the community described. Each group clearly stated the types of services and resources available in the community and what types of jobs people might do. They also explained where people might live and the types of housing they may live in. Each group presented clearly and articulately about their community type. Well done everyone!

 Rural Community

 Suburban Community

 Urban Community



Many Thanks!!!

I would like to extend a great big heartfelt thank you to all the parents and students of grade 3 for making my birthday a very special day on Friday. The cake was delicious, as all the students would agree and we had fun lighting all the candles!!! Surprisingly, we did manage to get them all lit before the first had burnt out! There was some concern that we might set off the fire alarm, but the students were convinced that the fire department would know that it was my birthday and it would be okay! So sweet! The stuffed owl is well loved by the whole class and the gift card will go to good use to buy a book or books at Orell Füssli.

Again, many thanks! J

 A Great Celebration!

Carousel Activity

The grade 3 students worked in groups of three and participated in a carousel activity where they rotated through a series of stations where one of the key questions from our inquiry was located. They brainstormed together and recorded their ideas on the paper provided. Then they switched, read the ideas from the previous group(s) and added any new ideas to the list. This continued until they had a chance to add ideas to each of the four questions. When they returned to the original group where they started, they were responsible for presenting all the ideas for that question to the group for further discussion. It was a great way to find out what the students already know about communities. We can now build on this knowledge.

Types of Communities

The third graders have been learning about the types of communities.  They went to the Media Center and watched a video and completed activities using BrainPop Jr. They were able to identify the three types of communities: urban, suburb and rural. Back in class, they completed Venn diagrams to describe similarities and differences between urban, suburb and rural communities.

Literature in the Units of Inquiry

Literature is a great way to enhance a unit of inquiry. It helps the students make connections to what they are learning. For our Communities unit the third graders are reading The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden. It gives us a look at the difference between living in the country and the city.

After Chester, a cricket, arrives in the Times Square subway station from his native Connecticut via a picnic basket, he takes up residence in the Bellinis' newsstand. There tiny Chester is lucky enough to find three good friends:  a little boy named Mario, whose parents run the unsuccessful newsstand; a fast-talking Broadway mouse called Tucker; and Tucker's pal, Harry Cat. Between escapades in New York City, the four somehow manage to bring success to the almost bankrupt newsstand.

Communities: Tension Engagement

We have begun our new unit of inquiry entitled Communities.  The students took part in a tension engagement to get them thinking about the topic. They worked in groups and were simply given a large sheet of paper and asked to design a community, no further instructions. They went straight to work and discussed their ideas with their groups. Before long, the creativity was flowing and they designed very interesting presentations of what they thought a community might be. They presented these communities to the class with very convincing explanations of why they thought it was a community. Their classmates were given a chance to question their ideas or agree with them. We discovered that there are indeed many types of communities.

                                                             Planning of Communities

                                                  

                                                      Presentation of Community Designs