SC Party With Sal And Amanda

WOW!!! As if we haven't had an awesome enough week, today was just icing on the cake. We were very honored to have special guest author, Dr. May Ann Solesbee and illustrator, Tony Waters hold their book reveal party here at WHES. They chose to debut their book with us because of the role WHES 3rd graders played in making the law that named the Spotted Salamander as our state amphibian. Miller and Mason played the part of Sal and Amanda, the 2 main characters of Dr. Solesbee's book all about South Carolina history. After the book reveal, the world famous Beacon Drive-In sponsored a a fantastic lunch for all of 3rd grade! The Herald Journal was here to take photos of the event so be sure to check out their website www.goupstate.com this afternoon, and look for us in the paper tomorrow morning!!! What a great week we have had celebrating our GREAT state!

Happy As Can Be!!!

I do not have my own children. Maybe one day I will, but today during the program I think I got a small glimpse of what it will be like to beam with pride over my kids. YOUR STUDENTS, were absolutely amazing today. They, along with the other 3rd graders, led the entire school through time to learn about the history of South Carolina and then encouraged every teacher here at WHES. The rest of our day was so full of encouragement we could hardly get anything done. People kept stopping by the classroom to tell us just how much they loved the program.

When I woke up this morning, I knew that it was going to be a special day! My stomach was filled with butterflies, as were the kids when they arrived. Once we were all together on the stage though, it all just came together. How awesome were they? Our bell player, our drummer, our actors, and all of the singers and dancers were so good. Every student asked me if I cried on the last song. I had to tell them all no, because all of my tears came out when I heard those sweet little voices singing "Swing Low Sweet Chariot."

I hope you liked the program as well. DVDs should be back soon! So glad we had so many of them ordered. I would love for y'all to leave a comment here to tell the class how proud you were of them today. I will put the comments on the Promethean Board for all to see!

Poetry Comes Alive

Thanks to generous donors at Donorschoose.org, our class received these awesome poetry books. Our figurative language and poetry unit is sure to come to life after I play some Hip Hop for the kiddos. If you would like to help our class get more cool stuff from Donorschoose.org click the link and donate today.

Robots Return

Today the robots returned and the level of intensity in the class was incredible. The students were so engaged and focused on every aspect of what we were doing. It was absolutely amazing. The kids already know more about this software than I do. Today they were programming the robots to perform specific actions. We are going to use those actions when we return from Spring Break to review what we know about force and motion. LOVE THESE KIDS!

Lego Robotics

Today your students became robotic engineers as they learned how to program robots. Mr. Webster, our district science coach, joined us today and will be back tomorrow for this incredible learning opportunity. Mr. Webster wrote a grant to bring Lego Robotics into our district. We are so lucky to have him with us for 2 days!

He walked the students through the computer software and trained them in programming the robots. Tomorrow, the students will program the robots all by themselves. They are going to be able to make the robot move, make noises, play music, and even have a frown face! They never cease to amaze me with their abilities. We will use the robots for some science learning for a few weeks after spring break. It was a great day in room 102!

Classroom Instrumentalists

Our 3rd grade program is coming so quickly. Next week we will perform a show that I wrote called "Captain Carolina." A magical super hero takes the entire grade on a journey through time to learn about our great state. The whole school will be there and hopefully lots of parents too!

These are two of the talented students with an instrumental part. They are doing an incredible job!!!

Artist In Residence

Many of you may not know that our school is an ABC school. ABC stands for ARTS in Basic Curriculum. We integrate and infuse the ARTS into every aspect of our school day. We rap during math, we act during Social Studies, We create in Science. We mime in Language Arts!

Part of the ABC program is inviting in guest artists to teach during 1 week periods throughout the year. Each grade level has their own artist for 1 whole week. It is pretty awesome, and the kids love it.

In 3rd grade this year, our artist is a poet named Mr. Sullivan. Click on his name there to read more about him and his work. As I type, he is teaching students to write their own amazing poetry. They are using figurative language such as metaphors and similes, not to mention stretching their creative minds.

A student just said, "A dream can be opened like a pickle jar. A dream can be lost like a glass slipper." LOVE IT! Here are a few more samples.

Tech Overload

My classroom is currently experiencing "tech overload," and we are loving every minute of it. As of today, we have a new blog, a new website, a twitter feed, and a brand new online classroom management system. My students have their own blogs, and from time to time they will be guest bloggers on here. It is sure to be a fun and exciting ride. I cannot wait to see what all my kiddos learn as I delve into this world of technology integration. I know am a bit behind many of you, but I am catching up in lightning speed... Who knows...Maybe I will pass you!