Powerful Persuasive Pieces

Our class just finished our Persuasive Writing Unit. The kids did a wonderful job trying to convince someone to agree with their opinions. Here are a few examples of what we published. Enjoy :)

Dear League Director,
     Isn't it boring when football season is over? I think there should be more than 16 pro-football games in a season. Having more football games keeps you active, you get to hang out with your friends and it is fun to watch!
     First of all, I am a football player. So I know it keeps you active! We run a lot in football and work hard! We have practice at least one hour a week. Don't you think if you were more active you could be much more healthier?
     Second, you get to hang out with friends that aren't in my class during football. It's fun to hang out with them. Football is a team sport and you encourage your friends to play hard.
     Finally, football is fun to watch. It gets you excited and you get to watch your city play. For example, my city has the Jacksonville Sharks for arena football. I got to go and watch them play. It was pretty fun and they won!
     I want you to increase the amount of games in a football season now! This way people will become stronger and have more fun playing and watching football! Also, a lot of people will thank you like me. Thank you!
                                                                                                                      Sincerely,
                                                                                                                       Dylan

    Hello! I'm a Christmas tree. Are you looking for a Christmas tree? If you are, then pick me! Pick me! I'm the biggest, tallest, most prettiest Christmas tree you've ever seen!
     First of all, I'm big. Really big! But not too big that I will take up a lot of space in your house. I'll work perfectly if you have a lot of ornaments in your house that you don't know what to do with.
     Second of all, I'm tall. Tall enough to almost reach your roof! Lots of people buy small Christmas tress because they can't find trees tall enough. If you buy me, I will solve your problem!
     Last, but not least, I am really pretty. I have a bright green glow that I'm sure you and your family will love. I look even brighter with ornaments and a star on top. Your house will look fabulous with me in it. I also don't have that many sharp spines on me so that if you have kids, they won't get hurt if they touch me.
     I think that you are going to love me the minute you put me in your house. I'm big, I'm tall and I'm pretty. What more could you ask for? Pick me for your Christmas tree if you want to have a real good Christmas!
                                                                                             
                                                                                                                      by Shreya

                                                                                                             

Promise to Kate

Our class will be supporting "Promise to Kate" for our "Seasons of Giving" project this year. Kate was born with myotonic muscular dystrophy which is an inherited gene that laid quietly in their gene pool. Kate's parents, Elizabeth and Dave Conte, founded "Promise to Kate," a foundation that embodies their promise to raise money to cure the disease. The money they raise goes to fund research but also helps families who need services of Wolfson Children's Hospital. Elizabeth is a teacher here at Chets Creek and she came with Kate to speak to our class about their organization. Our students were quite impressed when Kate signed the whole alphabet for us :). Our class made special ornaments that will be on display in the front lobby. In receipt of your donation to this wonderful cause you will receive one of these special ornaments. 

Oreo Turkeys :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Persuasive Writing

This week we have been working on our Persuasive Writing unit. We started our unit reading books with persuasion in them. We read I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff. We talked about the reasons Alex used to persuade his mom to let him have the iguana. Then we discussed whether or not those were valid reasons. Next, we learned that in order to write a powerful, effective persuasive letter, it is important to write about something you really care about. So then we brainstormed ideas we were passionate about through a heart map. Students came up with some great ideas! They then created a T-chart about what they wanted to persuade someone to do and gave reasons why they should agree with them. Finally, we used a planning sheet to organize our writing. We will continue to work on our Persuasive Letters and  then turn them into powerful persuasive essays. Stay tuned for our published work!

Author's Purpose

We have been working on the reading concept: Author's Purpose. Writers always have a purpose, or a reason, for writing. This week we learned how to pay close attention to clues in what we are reading to figure out the author's purpose. It was as easy as P.I.E.E :).

Literary Pumpkin

One of our favorite traditions here at Chets Creek is the Litarty Pumpkin. Each class choses a book and then decorates a pumpkin to represent that book in some way. This year our class chose Frindle by Andrew Clements. Frindle was our first chapter book read aloud this year. It is a story about a boy named Nick whose creative troublemaking causes an uproar in his school and then throughout the nation. Frindle is a word Nick makes up just to bug his fifth-grade teacher who is a dictionary expert. Nick is determined to get everyone to use his new word as Mrs. Granger is to stop it. This prank spirals out of control as the word catches on all over the town. Our class gives this book 3 stars! Ask your child what the word Frindle means :).

Multiple Meaning Words

We learned that Multiple Meaning Words are words that are written the same and sound the same, but have different meanings. Check out all the fun, learning activities we did this week using Multiple Meaning (M & M) Words!

Peer Editing

This week in Writers' Workshop our students learned about the value of peer editing. Students got to sit with a partner and read and evaulate each other's Response to Literature pieces. They helped each other strengthen their writing by giving feedback about their peer's writing. Each student had a check list of what to look for in their peer's writing. The conversation heard around the room was wonderful!

Synonym Rolls

This week our class has been learning about SYNONYMS. We learned that synonyms are two words that have the same meaning. We are encouraging students to use "juicy" words in their writing so we did a fun activity to get rid of using the same old words all the time. Students were asked to pick a worn-out word and then find synonyms for that word. Students used the thesaurus as well as the computer to find synonyms for their word. We enjoyed some Cinnabon cereal as we worked :). Synonym Rolls 1. Pre-heat brain to 100% 2. Add 1 "worn-out" word 3. Stir in a pinch of juicy words that mean the same as your "worn-out" word 4. Mix in a dash of words from the thesaurus 5. Serve with your daily writing and enjoy!

Open House

A Day in the Life of a Third Grader on PhotoPeach We had a wonderful time at our Open House. Thank you to all the families who were able to join us. Take a look at our video to see a day in the life of a third grader :).

I Scream For Good Books

Have you read a book you really LOVED?? Want to recommend it to others?? Well you can by creating a "Book BUZZ". Our class is working on creating a "Book BUZZ" about a good book they have read. Students have to write a short summary about their book and tell friends why they liked the book. We "scream" for good books!!

Auction!!

Going once, going twice, SOLD to the highest bidder! Have you heard about our exciting auction?? Our auction is held every other Friday. Students with an A in conduct for the two weeks can participate. Our students bid on items according to the amount of behavior bucks that they have earned. Items range from candy, toys to lunch in the classroom. Thank you to all the parents who have donated items to be auctioned off. Our auction would not be a HUGE success without your help.

Oreo Writing

In Writer's Workshop, we are learning how to add details to our Narrative Writing. We started off with a fun activity to get our juices flowing :). Students used their five senses to come up with details about an Oreo cookie. They had to imagine that they were writing to someone who has never seen or tasted an Oreo before.
Yum, Yum! It's black and white. What is it? It's an Oreo! An Oreo has a black cookie on the top and bottom. In the middle, it is creamy and sweet. On the top it has a little pattern. The middle is soft and smooth but the cookie is rough. Crunch, Crunch, yum, yum is the sound you hear when you take a bite of this delicious cookie!
by Ansley
Yummy, yummy Oreo. Black with cream on the inside. Rough on the outside and soft on the inside. It smells like coffee and cream and tastes like a chocolate cookie.When I bite into it, it's hard and cruncy. Yummy, yummy Oreo.
by Jennifer

Cooking up Some Fun and Learning

Cooking Up Some Fun and Learning on PhotoPeach

Recipe for Success

During Writer's Workshop, students were asked to brainstorm ideas that would make our 3rd Grade year successful. They then created their own "Recipe for Success". Our students came up with excellent recipes. Here are a few examples.
Prep Time-180 days
Ingredients:
1 gallon of fun
a pinch of Intelligence
a pound of engagement
a hint of pride
a school full of happiness
a dash of helpfulness
a tblsp of hard work
and a little bit of teamwork
Mix together to make a successful dish in the kitchen of Achyutha
From the kitchen of Gibran
3 cups of help
1 handful of teamwork
2 tblsp of learning
a pound of hard work
Mix it all and enjoy the great year!
From the kitchen of Ava
2 handfuls of imagination
3 cups of creativity
a dash of friendship
a swirl of trust
1 cup of ideas
10 tblsp of hard work
a sprinkle of caring
a pound of smiles
11 cups of enjoyment
Mix all ingredients good. Bake it for 180 days. Bring it out and taste the sweet success of 3rd grade!

Back to School

Our first day of school was a huge success! We enjoyed getting to know a little bit about each of our students while establishing the rituals and routines of our classroom. We also enjoyed a fun assembly featuring "The Bug Chef". We watched as he cooked with bugs. Many students were called up to help prepare the food and some even got to taste it! He made fried meal worms, stir fry scorpions, and grilled grasshoppers. From the looks of the students faces that got to try the cooked bugs, they didn't seem to bad :).

Recipe for Success

Check out our new theme video!

Chets Creek has the Recipe for Success - 2012-2013 from Chet the Eagle on Vimeo.