Mrs. Rachael's Class

Bartholomew and the Oobleck

2011-03-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

On March 2nd, elementary schools everywhere celebrate the birthday of one of our favorite authors, Dr. Seuss. This "holiday" coincides with Read Across America day, when we celebrate the joys of reading. We completed a few morning activities such as a Dr. Suess crossword puzzle and reading several Dr. Seuss books.

In the afternoon, the students took turns reading from Bartholomew and the Oobleck. Once we completed the story, we decided to make a little "oobleck" of our own. Now this is a FUN, but extremely MESSY activity.

Just what is "oobleck" you may ask...

"Oobleck is a classic science experiment that's perfect for entertaining both kids and adults. If you haven't seen it in action, it's very fascinating stuff and before too long you'll have your hands covered with it, happily making a mess that can be washed away with water.

Oobleck is a non-newtonian fluid. That is, it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it. You can grab it and then it will ooze out of your hands. Oobleck gets its name from the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck where a gooey green substance, Oobleck, fell from the sky and wreaked havoc in the kingdom. "

Other fun facts about "oobleck"

applying a constant force to the Oobleck makes it behave like a solid
when the force is stopped, Oobleck becomes liquidy again
when Oobleck is heated or frozen it will harden
hardened Oobleck will melt and mix with regular Oobleck and turn back to normal
Oobleck dissolves in water
fast movements through Oobleck are difficult because the Oobleck becomes very thick whereas slow movements are easier because the Oobleck is more liquid.

The look on Bailey's face says it all!

We made enough "oobleck" for each student to take home a cup full. (Parents, you're welcome- haha)

Now if we have convinced you of how much fun this activity is, I am listing the "recipe" for you to make your own "oobleck" at home. The recipe can be doubled.

2 cups cornstarch

3 drops food coloring
1 cup water

You need to start by pouring room temperature water into a bowl. Slowly add the food coloring, then stir in the cornstarch.

This link will carry you directly to Seussville:
http://www.seussville.com/?section=home&isbn=&catalogID=&eventID=

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

by the incomparable Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!

Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

Southeast Region

2011-03-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

In Social Studies, we toured the southeastern region of the United States. We were able to board a riverboat and visit many exciting places such as the Florida Everglades, Memphis, Tennessee; Cape Cannaveral, Florida; and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

The Riverboat

Some of the things we did on our tour were as follows:

Watched a video of an air boat ride. (Also saw an alligator along the way)
Visited Kennedy Space Center and toured it online
Learned about coal mining and what a dangerous job this is
Visited the French Quarter in New Orleans and learned about Hurricane Katrina
Visited an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and learned how workers drill for oil
Viewed the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama
Listened to some Blues music and Cajun music
Visited Jamestown, Virginia and played an online game to see if we would have survived that first year in the New World
Visited Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and learned about the Wright brothers

Souvenirs from Kitty Hawk, N.C.

These are our "suitcases" that we made with folders, velcro, and some fun printed duct tape.

At each stop, students list information in their folders about the landmarks that we visit. We are diligently working on our map skills and leanring fascinating things about our wonderful country.

Touring the United States

2011-02-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

We began our tour of the United States last week by completing some fun actvities that I found online. One of our third grade history goals is to learn about the different regions of the United States.We loaded up on a "train" and went on a quick tour of the Northeast region last Wednesday. In order to earn their train ticket, students had to label all of the states and capitals in the northeast region, carve a shape out whalebone (Ivory soap), and find a "Plymouth Rock." Once they had completed these activities, they were given a train ticket and allowed to board. Zoe was our wonderful conductor. She did a great job of announcing each stop. We visited famous landmarks located in the northeast, and we even stopped at a few places to complete some activities. We made really cute suitcases to keep all of our papers in. I will post some more pictures when our United States tour hits the next place.

Did you know that in the northeast, sailors used to carve and sell treasures out of whalebone?

Trey and Shaw locating states and capitals.

We toured the Hershey factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania. We stopped and set up an assembly line. We had a contest to see who could wrap the most kisses (chocolate chips) in foil.

These guys won by assembling 62 kisses.

We visited the following landmarks:

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse- We got to listen to the foghorn and see pictures of the lighthouse.
Mt. Washington, which is the highest peak in the northeast. (6,288 feet) We learned about the wild weather they experience.
We stopped by Plymouth, Massachusetts and even did an online tour of the Mayflower. We used a map to trace the Pilgrim's journey.
We stopped by the Boston Common, which is the oldest park in the country. It is also the starting point of the Freedom Trail. We also learned about the Boston Tea Party, and we all received a teabag to help us remember what we learned.
The next stop was the Erie Canal, which was the first transportation system between New york City and the Great Lakes region.
In Hershey, Pennsylvania, we learned about one of the great wonders of the world- chocolate! We learned how candy bars are made, and we sampled a couple of fun-size candy bars.
Independence Hall in Philadelphia is where the Second Continental Congress convened and where the Declaration of Independence was debated and adopted.
In Washington, D.C. we visited the White House.
In New York, which was our final stop, we visited the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. We did a litlle math to figure out how long it would take us to climb the stairs to the top.

We had a great visit, and luckily we made it back to SCA in time for dismissal.

Next stop- Southeast...coming soon.

Boxtop Competition/ Spirit Week

2010-11-07T07:07:00.000-08:00

WE WON the boxtop competition!! We strategized every day. We did not have the most boxtops for the week; just a really great, top-secret plan. What does that mean for students? -one week of Friday dress code! What does that mean for parents? -one week of not having to iron khakis!
Our class posing with the spirit banner-

Here are a couple of pictures from pajama day and jersey day-

And finally, meet Rockstar- the bull who "donated" for the "Moo-poo" competition.

Our class pet has arrived

2010-11-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

After polling the crowds, we decided on a guinea pig as a classroom pet this year. The students enjoy taking him out to "graze" at recess, and sneaking in little bits of lettuce from the cafeteria as a treat for him. We have learned all about the good, the bad, and the stinky when it comes to caring for a pig. He has adapted well to his new environment and enjoys all the attention he gets. The students get to alternate weekends taking him home. We couldn't unanimously agree on a name, but we knew we wanted a Bible name. It was either Joseph (for his coat of many colors) or Daniel (for his bravery). We compromised on the name Joseph Daniel (J.D. for short).

Farm Day

2010-11-07T05:55:00.000-08:00

Every third grader in Hardin County is invited to the fairgrounds to participate in "Farm Day" each October. This is a fun event in which students learn about things such as pollution, electricity, wildlife, and farming. Our class had the opportunity to attend this year. Here are a few pictures of what we did.

Storming the Bastille

2010-11-07T05:43:00.000-08:00

Recently, we have been learning about the French government and the inhumane conditions that the common people in France had to endure. The people of Paris did not like the Bastille, as it represented the power that the king had over them. We decided to use any "recyclable' products that we could find around the school and make replicas of the Bastille. We used everything from coke cartons to fishing worms.
Here is what they came up with..

Team 1-

Team 2-

Classroom Book

2010-11-07T04:44:00.000-08:00

We are writing a classroom book in 3rd grade this year. Sure, the reactions were not so great when I first told the students about this assignment...

However, they quickly warmed up to the idea and began working away. We are learning about Christ-like character traits in chapel this year at school. Students have chosen a trait, and they are writing about a person who displays their character trait. They are doing exceptional, and I can't wait to share the final products with you.

Fun times in third grade

2010-10-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

We have started using a classroom economy. Students receive credits and debits throughout the day. They keep track of these in their “checkbooks.” They also earn a “salary” for completing their classroom jobs. Different jobs earn different amounts according to difficulty. They rotate jobs each week so that every child has a chance to try various things. At the end of each week, students bring their checkbooks to me, and I write their “paycheck.” They take their check to the classroom bank, where it is cashed, then head over to the classroom store to shop. We are learning all about the economic principles of saving, spending, and giving this year.

Here is a picture of our classroom bank...

Our fall fundraiser had an interesting motivator. The winner of the weeble wobble race won a gigantic red snake. And the winner of the gigantic snake is...

The Gallik boys

Mrs. Vicki teaching about the parts of the flower

Kathryn brought her puppy in to share all of the tricks that she has taught him.

Our class loved Bailey, the puppy.

We are memorizing the Preamble to the Constituition. We took white paper and soaked it in tea for a few hours. Once it dried, we were able to make our own Preamble on parchment paper.

Maycee brough her state quarter collection to share with the class.

We are working on a classroom book, which we will have published. Here are the students working diligently on their first drafts.

Grocery Shopping

2010-10-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

Recently our third grade class went "grocery shopping" without ever leaving the classroom. (Special thanks to our neighborhood grocery store, Gardner's in Corinth, who donated the bags and advertisements)
Since we are learning to add and subtract money, we decided to do a little "real-life" math to practice. Each student had a grocery list, a grocery ad, and a grocery bag. They were instructed to find the items on their list, cut and glue them to their bag, and figure out how much they spent. After they totalled their amounts, they had to figure out how much chage they would receive if they had taken $50.00 to the store. Here are a few picture of the students working...

The finished product

3rd Grade Photos

2010-09-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

The boys sharing a story in the reading tent.

Steven with his invention

The girls making chain designs

Just last week, Mr. Morris came to the school to talk about archery. The students were so excited to get a chance to shoot a bow.

Mr. Morris demonstrating how to pull back the string.

The students all had a chance to shoot.

Not bad!

Multiplication

2010-09-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

Third grade is almost synonymous with multiplication. We start learning our facts early in the year, and we practice them the rest of the year. To introduce the concept of multiplication, we used pennies. Each student had to demonstrate a multiplication fact by grouping their pennies.

Below are a few unique creations that the students came up with...

Show and Tell

2010-09-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

Last week we had our first show and tell. Some students brought interesting things from home, some brought valuable treasures, and some brought their talents. Here are a few pictures...

Sydney explaining the healing power of the aloe vera plant

Kelsie and her bunny

Trey and his popsicle stick creation. He made this all by himself!

Kathryn and Shelbie sharing their special talents with us.

Connor and his Scooby Doo

Maycee's snowglobe

Kelsey with a picture of her brother and a special military bear that he gave her.

Aaron and the DS game

Molly's wallet from Vegas

Zoe with her zsu zsu hamster.

We had a great time listening to the student's presentations and sharing their special treasures with them.

2010-2011 Meet the Team

2010-09-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

We are off to a great start in Mrs. Rachael's class this year. We have adopted the following mission statement for our classroom:
The mission of Mrs. Rachael’s third grade class is to promote, preserve, and practice Godly principles by learning organization both in the classroom and outside of the classroom.
We are utilizing a sports theme for the year. Please meet the team...

#1 Sydney

# 2 Kelsie

# 3 Steven

#4 Zoe

#5 Kathryn

#6 Trey

#7 Maycee

#8 Connor

#9 Bailey

#10 Aaron

#11 Shaw

#12 Shelbie

#13 Kelsey

#14 Molly

Civil War

2010-04-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

We are at war in the 3rd grade! Not literally, of course...we all love each other. But we have been studying the conditions that led up to the Civil War. Today we spent some time on a few activities to get us thinking.

Students split up into groups of two. One person in the group represented the Union, while the other person represented the Confederacy. The scenario was this: You are best friends and you have been sent to battle. You are on opposing sides. Each group was assigned a battle. They were to research facts about their battle. They had to write a letter to their friend explaining the battle from their perspective (North or South). They had to discuss things they agreed with, things they didn't agree with, and fears they may have. They also made a list of fascinating facts about their battle.

They did an amazing job. I love the way this group thinks. They come up with such great information and present it in such unique ways. We learned about the Battle of Antietam, Shiloh, Fredericksburg, Fort Sumter, and Bull Run.

Caroline and Emma researching

Tatum and Vivian writing their letters

Katey and Karley hard at work!

Caleb decided to sketch a comic strip wuth his ideas about the battle. Great job!

Asis listing his ideas

John Mark and Abram working on a comic strip.

Carson drawing a battle plan

Christian and Bailey working on the Battle of Shiloh

Random Photos

2010-03-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

Carson, Bailey, and Tatum working on a center game

Karley and Asis checking over their final product

Abram and Katey working on soaring synonyms

Caleb, before he realized I was taking a picture

Once he realized the camera was on him, well, you see what happened

Farm Day

I think they may be a little nervous about the turkeys.

Emma and Abram

Christian and Bailey reading

Tall Tales

2010-03-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

My wonderful little class has been working so hard lately on their writing skills. They have tried to be patient as I teach them the steps of the writing process, when I know they really just want to get right to the final copy and be done with it. Here are a few pictures of our group working diligently.

We have been learning all about fables, folktales, and tall tales. Students had to write their own tall tale and illustrate it. They came up with some great ideas.

Our finished product..."The Tall Tale" written on extra tall paper...

Young Inventor

2010-03-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

This was such a great idea...
The white board in my classroom has decided that it does not want to come clean anymore with just an eraser. I keep having to spray board cleaner, then wipe clean. I mentioned to the class that I wished there was some invention that would combine expo cleaner and an eraser. With this class, ask and you shall receive. Karley came up with this nifty little invention that does just what I need it to. Check it out!

If you look closely enough, she has cut out a place for the small expo bottle to fit. She hot glued the bottle into the eraser, and left enough space at the top to refill the bottle. I'm thinking she should patent this. Pretty creative, huh?

Reading Fair Boards

2010-02-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

I wanted to show off the talent in the third grade! Below are pictures of each student with his/her reading fair project:

Bailey Bond- Stuart Little

Katey Claire Reid- Mabel on the Move

Karley Blackwelder- Junie B. Jones is a Beauty Shop Guy

Tatum Hogan- Junie B. Jones is (Almost) a Flower Girl

John Mark Wolfe- Blizzard of the Blue Moon

Christian Robertson- Tigers at Twilight

Carson Broadway- Leprechaun in Late Winter

Caleb Shank- Hank the Cowdog, It's a Dog's Life

Caroline Vinson- Junie B. Jones, Toothless Wonder

Emma Pierce- Junie B. Jones has a Peep in her Pocket

Abram Adkisson- Night of the New Magicians

Vivian Riddell- Junie B. Jones is a Party Animal

Asis Singh- Vacation Under the Volcano

Didn't they do a great job?

Magic Tree House

2010-02-23T20:18:00.000-08:00

Wow! We recently finished our reading fair projects, and I must say...they were amazing! The students all worked so hard that I decided to plan a "top secret" activity last Friday as a reward. I "borrowed" some great ideas that I found online and planned away. The hallway between the bathrooms was transformed into the magic tree house. We had a strobe light for the spinning effect, a fan for the wind, and a lot of imagination from all the children. We went in the hallway and turned off the lights. They had to imagine they were spinning and feeling the wind blow as they were transported to a historical period. Each time we stopped, we were at a new location from one of our favorite tree house books, and we had a special activity to go along with the story.

A view into the "tree house"

We made special "tree" treat bags to collect goodies at each stop. We also made signs and paper trees to hang around the room.

When we arrived in Egypt, we had a contest to see who could "mummify" their partner the fastest. (Mummies in the Morning book)

Our next stop went along with the Dinosaurs Before Dark. We had 75 balloons (dinosaur eggs) to pop (hatch) before the "Walk the Dinosaur" song ended. Needless to say, they popped all 75 balloons in time. I did not get any pictures because my hands were being used to cover my ears.

Our next stops were Afternoon on the Amazon and Knight at Dawn. For the Amazon activity, we shot poison dart frogs from the back of chairs with a nerf gun. For the medieval activity, we elected a king or queen. The students got to take turns being the court jester. They had 10 seconds to make the king or queen smile or laugh.

Caroline trying REALLY hard not to laugh.

For Pirates Past Noon, students hid compasses in the play room. They had to give their partner clues to help them find the compasses. For Hour of the Olympics, students played a game in which they all had to hold hands and get a hula hoop through the circle without breaking hands. Bailey was a good sport (as he always is) and joined the girl's team because we had an uneven number.

Our last two stops were High tide at Hawaii and Vacation Under the Volcano. When we "landed" in Hawaii, students received a lei and a nice little snack. For our volcano activity, we erupted a real (miniature) volcano.

Painting the details on the volcano

Thanks to my wonderful parent volunteers and the 7th and 8th grade girls for all of your help! We had a great day.