What a fun week we had studying the Albuquerque Balloon Festival! Our Wordly Wise story was filled with rich vocabulary and cool facts about hot air balloons and the hard work that goes into an event this big!

Here are a few cool facts we learned:

• Biggest Balloon Party in the World! – Over 600 balloons fly in the sky at once.

• Magic Winds – Albuquerque has special wind patterns called the “Albuquerque Box” that help balloons float around and land safely.

• Balloon Glow – At night, the balloons stay on the ground but light up like giant lanterns.

In addition to learning about the Albuquerque balloon festival, we put our creativity to the test and made our own hot air balloons using a paper mach’e mix of flour and water. This art project took us 30 minutes each day this week. 3 layers of mach’e were applied and then students painted them to personalize it. I will definitely do this project again next year!

September 11

Although my 3rd graders do not remember, I will never forget. In honor of this sad day in history, we talked about how these events brought people together all over the country and why we are proud to be Americans!

Our Lima bean plants were transferred to pots! But before we planted them, students observed the life cycle as the beans were in the germination stage!

Our Lima bean plants are growing at a rapid pace!! Maybe we’ll get a chance to see our plants produce Lima beans! So exciting!

Students learned how to play Quizlet Live focusing on our Wordly Wise vocabulary study.

Why We Use Quizlet Live in Our Classroom

Quizlet Live is an exciting and interactive way for students to review and master content. It transforms traditional studying into a fun, team-based game that keeps everyone engaged. Here are some key benefits:

• Encourages Active Learning

• Promotes Teamwork

• Increases Engagement

• Provides Immediate Feedback

• Improves Retention

• Supports Different Learning Styles

Quizlet Live turns review time into an engaging, collaborative experience that helps students succeed while having fun!

“We’re All Weird”, by Kristen Heath, which promotes inclusivity by teaching children to accept and celebrate differences was a hit! This moral-based story teaches acceptance and embracing uniqueness. To follow up, we all talked about our differences and how we are all weird in our own way! Of course I had to tie an art project to this story! Hand dot art is pictured below!

We finished our first chapter book study! “The Chocolate Touch”. In our classroom, we loved seeing John’s funny mistakes and thinking about what we would do if we had the chocolate touch. The story taught us an important lesson: balance is key, and it’s good to enjoy treats in moderation!!

We are so excited to begin an amazing year together in 3rd grade! This year will be filled with learning, laughter, and growth. Our classroom will be a place where everyone feels safe, respected, and encouraged to do their very best.

In 3rd grade, we will dive into exciting topics like multiplication, fractions, science experiments, creative writing, and so much more. We’ll also work on building strong reading skills and becoming confident problem solvers.

We started off our year practicing 2nd grade math skills, studying the 7 continents and 5 oceans, writing an opinion piece, and started our 1st chapter book, “The Chocolate Touch”.

Goal: to create a positive, engaging, and safe space where everyone feels valued and excited to learn every day.

We are also studying plant life cycles in science. Students have “planted” Lima beans and we are watching them grow daily!

Check back each month to witness our class grow academically and see what outcomes our bean plants produce!

Field Day

Our field day is a cherished tradition, held at the end of the academic year, designed to celebrate students’ accomplishments and foster a sense of community. This event features a variety of outdoor games and activities that promote physical fitness, teamwork, and fun!!

STEM Sailboats

A STEM sailboat activity for elementary students is a fun, hands-on project that integrates science, technology, engineering, and math concepts.

What Is a STEM Sailboat Activity?

Students are challenged to design and build a small sailboat using basic materials. The goal is often to make it float and travel across water using only wind power (like a fan or blowing air).

This was the perfect activity for a brain break between testing days. It’s also great for encouraging creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration in an engaging, hands-on way.