Learn More About the Earth, Moon, and Solar System!

We have been learning some interesting and exciting things about our Earth and moon.  We know what the back side of the moon looks like, what causes day and night, what causes seasons, why the sun and stars appear to move across the sky, and why the moon appears to change shape, just to name a few.  We've also expanded our vocabulary with rotate, revolve, orbit, axis, appearance, and sphere.  Several students have been searching on the internet for more information about space on their own time.  Below are just a few student-friendly links.  If you find any other great websites for kids, let us know!

Star Child
Solar System Tour
Astronomy for Kids
See Phases of the Moon at any Date and Time

Arts, Inc.

Last week we attended a marvelous assembly put on by Arts, Inc. and Altara's 4th grade students.  Through song, dance, games, maps, etc. we learned all about the history of Utah. Next week, we also have a few students participating in the after-school spelling bee and science fair.  Way to get involved and stretch yourselves!
Remember to keep practicing your math facts (and reviewing them, so they stick in your long-term memory:) and continue to prepare for your biography poster book reports, which are due next Thursday. Have a great week!

Biography Book Reports

We are learning so many things through the eyes of the people who lived them! January and February will be full of biographies as we study polar explorers, African Americans, famous women, and many other people who made a difference for good in the world.  Students should choose books on their reading levels about people they are not already familiar with.  Above is a picture of biography book reports completed by past third grade students.  Below is a list of things that should be included on each child's poster.  Biography book reports are due Thursday, January 26th.  Happy Reading!

Requirements: 

• On a poster board, draw a large picture/caricature of the individual whose biography you read. 
• The illustrations must be done by hand, by the students, and neatly colored. 
• Outline everything with a darker color or a black fine tip marker.
• Along the sides of the character, write or type sentences and draw a line to each of the following body parts:

Forehead (Mind):    Write something the person thought.  
Eyes:                       Write something the person saw.  
Ears:                        Write something the person heard.  
Heart:                      Write something the person felt or believed.  
Hands and/or Feet:  Write something the person did.

New Student Dictionaries

Thank you, Sandy Rotary Club, for donating personal dictionaries to Altara's third grade students!

Happy Holidays!

We hope you all had a wonderful Winter Break!  Here are some highlights from last month.

Polar Express Day!

 

This Friday, December 16th is our class Polar Express Day!  Students get to wear pajamas to school, hear some excellent reading fluency from a great storyteller, play the chimes, watch the Polar Express movie and enjoy hot chocolate and other brunch goodies, in addition to some other fun curriculum activities.  They are welcome to bring slippers, but please leave larger items, such as pillows and blankets, at home.  Look for a December movie of the students posted to the blog over Winter Break.  Have a great week!

6th Grade Buddies and Stained Glass Windows

Last week we met with our 6th grade buddies for the first time!  Each partnership read a brief story about Ellis Island immigrants, then made a Christmas cube about what the holidays might have been like during that time.  Our buddies helped us with our fluency and higher level thinking skills.  We also got a lot of practice with speaking and listening skills. We're excited to meet with them again this week!

We've also been doing some stained glass art projects.  We looked at pictures of some buildings in Salt Lake City that use stained glass to tell a story or remember a special event.  Then we made two different kinds of stained glass on our own - one with tissue paper and one with markers on transparencies.

There have been quite a few updates on the blog lately.  Check out the calendar of events for current event due dates and Polar Express Day.  Scroll down to see our birthdays, student of the week and current curriculum.  Also, click on "Exploring Enrichment" and "Read and Write with Ease" for Christmas Around the World and KidBlog, in addition to several other new links.  Happy Holidays!