Photos from November & December

Just catching up from the end of the decade! Photos included in this slideshow include the following events at RES:

• Financial Literacy with Community Bank
• Author Visit with Diana Dunn
• MMUUSD Literacy Coaching with 3rd Grade Teachers
• SNOW!!
• Mystery Oreos -- What is that mystery flavor?
• Ice Skating (Thanks Mr. G!!)
• Small Moment & Graphic Novel writing celebration
• Mrs. Ayer's class leading the RES All School Meeting
• Dance Party PBIS Celebration
• Perimeter Exploration
• Pillow Polo Tournament in PE
• RES All School Holiday Sing-Along
• And so much more!!

 

The Gift of Words!

Today, we were the lucky recipients of our very own dictionaries, courtesy of a service project by the folks of Beacon Light Grange (#557).   Students were thrilled to learn that they can now figure out how to spell the world's longest word (it takes up an entire page!), learn more about each of our country's presidents, and even find the multiplication tables in their dictionaries!  Students have the choice of bringing their dictionary home or leaving it at school...but certainly ASK about something cool they found in it today!

Thank you members of Beacon Light Grange!

WORLD PREMIERE: Information Writing Celebration! #tcrwp

We've spent many weeks gathering ideas, drafting chapters, and editing to make our information books the BEST they can be!  To celebrate, we're sharing our favorite parts with YOU!

We hope you enjoy hearing our writing!

And just in case the video above doesn't work, here's the link!

RES Used Book Sale Tomorrow

Don't forget your quarters -- the annual RES Used Book Sale is tomorrow!

Students will have the opportunity to "shop" for new-to-them books collected from others in our community.

Coming Soon: RES Summer Library Book Checkouts

Once again this summer the RES library media center will be holding summer book checkouts! Scholars in kindergarten and grades one, two, and three will be able to check out up to 10 books from the library media center and take them home for the summer. Starting on Wednesday, June 14th, scholars will be bringing home “Carry Out a Good Book” bags with their summer library books. Each scholar will also get a note explaining the program and a list of books he or she has checked out for the summer. The books will be due back when school starts in the fall. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our librarian Mrs. Redford at 434-2461 or beth.redford@cesuvt.org

Celebrating Culture and Our Learning

A huge thanks to all the families that joined us today to celebrate the awesome learning of our students!  They worked hard to learn about how where you live impacts how you live by comparing and contrasting two countries.  Their writing was amazing and the breakfast foods this morning were very tasty.  

Breakfast Around the World!

Breakfast Around the World

Friday, April 21st

9:00-10:00 AM in the RES Cafeteria

For the past six weeks, students have been researching cultures around the world during Reading Workshop, and are using a variety of note taking strategies to gather and organize the information they've learned.  During Writing Workshop, students have been using this information to write articles about the cultures they've studied, working to find connecting ideas between two different cultures and writing to support their ideas with facts.  With all of this hard work under our belts, we're ready to celebrate!

If you're able, please volunteer to bring a breakfast (or snack) item from around the world on the Sign-Up Genius and join in celebrating all of the learning students have accomplished!

Reading without Walls ~ a Challenge!

In the month of October, third graders at RES will be participating in the "Reading Without Walls" Challenge by  National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Gene Luen Yang!

During the challenge, third graders are encouraged to expand their reading horizons by reading a book outside of their comfort zones!

1. Read a book about a character who doesn't look or live like you.
2. Read a book about a topic you don't know much about. (STEM, history, sports)
3. Read a book in a format you don't normally read for fun. (picture book, comic book, book in verse)

Throughout the entire month, third graders will get to check out an extra book from the RES Library to help meet the goals of this challenge.  We hope you have fun and enjoy finding new books to read with your family!

For more information, check out the website here!

Library Independence in Third Grade!

This is a guest post from our library media specialist, Beth Redford.

Third graders are learning skills to help them find books independently in the library. First they learned how to use the library's online catalog, OPALS, to find the call numbers for books.

Great teamwork searching for call numbers!

Then they practiced putting things in alphabetical order, including letters, words, and finally call numbers on students posing as books.

Are these "books" in alphabetical order yet?

After the alphabetical order practice, the scholars were able to find fiction books on the library shelves, because those books are in alphabetical order by the authors' last names. The third graders are so proud of their skills in searching and finding books independently!

Big Bad Bob...Another Storytelling Adventure! #tcrwp

Just prior to our holiday vacation, 3rd graders were treated to yet another story by our very talented Superintendent John Alberghini!  This time, he shared with us the much anticipated story of a bull frog he once met and named "Big Bad Bob."  

And a huge THANK YOU to our Principal Michael Berry for capturing this story on video for us to watch again and again!

Words Are Forever #RESreads

Today, we welcomed Betsy Emerson & Anne O'Brien from Beacon Light Grange #557 to our classrooms. Each year, Grange members participate in a number of volunteer activities in our community including giving each 3rd grader a dictionary of their very own!


Scholars were delighted to find the longest English word (with over 1,000 letters!) among the treasures in their new books!

Thank you Beacon Light Grange members for "treating" us with dictionaries!!

Summer Reading Challenge Success #RESreads

Way back in June when we first met this year's third graders, we issued them a summer reading challenge:
Try to read as many genres of literature as you can over the summer and keep track on a reading log.

Here are the results:




As you can see, third graders love the fantasy genre! We look forward to a fabulous year of reading and learning together!

Learning to Use a "Storyteller's Voice" #resvt #tcrwp

On Wednesday, 3rd graders welcomed a surprise guest to our classrooms during Writing Workshop: Superintendent Alberghini!  In our first writing unit, we are writing true, small moment stories and learning to use a "storyteller's voice" in our writing.  We want our readers to see a mental movie of our moment in their minds while they are reading our story.  Lucky for us, Mr. Alberghini is an expert storyteller and jumped at the chance to help us out!



 

Even better, Mr. Berry was there to caption the entire story so that we'll be able to refer back to it as a "mentor text" throughout the year.  All students were eager to head back to class and get started writing (or continuing to write) their own small moment stories using their "storyteller's voice."

Thanks for the inspiration, Mr. Alberghini!  We can't wait until you return to tell us the muskrat story.


You can find a video of  Mr. Alberghini's story here.  And an interview about the story with Mr. Alberghini here.

And, the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education at the University of Vermont heard about our storytelling special guest and wrote their own blog about it!  Check it out here on their blog: The power of transmedia storytelling.

Listen Carefully as Third Graders Try to Convince You!

Students in Mrs. Ankerson's class have also been working on writing speeches in order to persuade or convince. Topics ranged from making a change, like having soccer goals for the playground or bringing in more box tops for our school, to appreciating people who make a difference in our lives. Click on a topic below to hear their speeches.

Soccer Goals       Soccer Goals4       Soccer Goals3       Playground Equipment

Lunch in Classroom       Eating Lunch Outside       Box Tops

Appreciating our Bus Driver       Appreciating Mrs. Redford        Appreciating June Banks

Soccer Goals2       playground equipment2       More equipment on Playground

Appreciating June Banks2

Students in Mrs. Ayer's class have been working for the last month on writing speeches. They explored a variety of topics before settling on one to publish.  Their topics range from getting different drinks in the cafeteria to trying to negotiate a later bedtime.  Click on a topic below to hear their speeches.  Have they convinced you?

Chocolate Milk                     Computers for Live Y'ers             Chocolate Milk 2                    A Later Bedtime                We Need More Sleds                               No Pledge in School     Longer Recess                     Places That are Noteworthy in London                                 No Chores on Monday and Tuesday                  More Percy Jackson Books  More Equipment on the Playground in the Winter          Lemonade in the Cafeteria                 More Equipment on the Playground Every Season                 Family Dinners Together        I Need a German Shepard

Groups of students in Miss Darby's class read articles, looked at advertisements and watched videos about the pros and cons of chocolate milk.  Then, they collaboratively wrote speeches to convince Mrs. Kent and Mr. Berry to offer chocolate milk in the RES Cafe.  What do you think?

Chocolate Milk is Good For You    Chocolate Milk Makes Happy Kids                      Chocolate Milk in Schools       Chocolate Milk is Good Good Good                                       It Doesn't Make a Difference             Super News for Kids

 

 

Follow Boo!

This fall, third graders read a fiction story in Scholastic's Story Works magazine titled "Following Boo."  In this story, while a family vacations in Florida, brother and sister find a lost dog in the swamp behind their camp site AND uncover a "fountain of life."  At first, they think they should leave Boo behind so he can continue to drink from the fountain.  However, Nate remembers what his grandfather said about having lived a good, long life and being with his family and decides that maybe Boo would want to be a loving family, too.  So, they bring Boo home with them.

After reading this story, third graders were given an opportunity to participate in a contest for Scholastic, writing a paragraph to explain how Boo helps Nate heal from the loss of his grandfather.

Congratulations to the winner from our class...one of only 10 winners in the contest!

Check out the Scholastic Story Works website here: Story Works!

Reading Time!

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