As the school year draws to a close, we have been reflecting on our time in Grade 3 and taking note of our triumphs and challenges. We have been thinking about both the progress and the memories we have made together in 3A. Looking back, we realize that we have accomplished a great deal and we have so much to be proud of.
As a class, we unanimously agreed that one of the biggest highlights of our year was preparing and presenting our How We Express Ourselves End-of-Unit Performance. This performance provided an opportunity for us to develop and demonstrate the attitudes, learner attributes, and transdisciplinary skills that we have been learning throughout our PYP school lives. The performance also allowed us to show off our talent as dancers, actors, puppeteers, magicians, and circus entertainers.
If you were unable to attend our performance, we warmly invite you to view the videos below.
Last week, the students in Grade 3 demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of forces and motion to create compound machines for their How the World Works summative assessment task. Students worked in small groups to create a machine that would make work easier.
In addition to demonstrating their knowledge and understanding, the third graders also demonstrated some very positive PYP attitudes. They all showed great independence, cooperation, creativity, and commitment. They were also reflective and amazing thinkers and communicators.
For their How the World Works unit of inquiry the students in Grade 3 have been learning all about how simple machines use force and motion to make work easier.
This past Monday, the third graders went on a field trip to the Science Museum to see first hand how forces create motion and how simple and compound machines reduce the amount of force required to do work.
Students had a ton of fun in the museum's Machine Room, where they used a variety of levers, pulleys, screws, inclined planes, etc. to move some massive steel spheres around the room.
Students came away from the field trip with a greater understanding of simple machines and the ways in which simple machines can be combined to create compound machines.
How much do you know about simple and compound machines?
Can you identify the simple machines in these photos?
Leave us your answers in the comment section below.
For their Where We Are in Place and Time unit of inquiry, the students in Grade 3 have been inquiring into inventions and inventors.
Students kicked off the unit by attempting to answer the question:
Why Do People Invent?
Next, the students were given pictures of different inventions and asked to sort them in a variety of different ways.
Students worked collaboratively in small groups to arrange the inventions in order of age, importance, and usefulness.
After estimating the age of each invention, the students used their research skills to search books and the internet to try and identify the actual year each invention was created.
The students in Grade 3 were recently introduced to the concepts of supply and demand through a fun and interesting marketplace simulation activity.
This provocation activity had students buying, selling, and trading different coloured pencil crayons in order to become the first to finish colouring a series of four pictures.
Each student began the activity with $100 and the opportunity to purchase one pencil crayon at the opening auction. A range of strategies were employed at the opening auction with some students paying up to $95 for an in-demand pencil, and others holding on to their money until the end of the auction, where they were able to purchase a pencil for just $5.
Following the opening auction, students were given just one minute to use their purchased pencil. They were then given the chance to sell their coloured pencil to another student during a one minute trading period.
As students continued to alternate between one minute working and one minute trading periods, they found that some colours were easier to get than others.
All four pictures required the colour blue, but with just two blue pencils in circulation, many students had to pay a high price for the colour, and some were unable to buy it at all. On the other hand, only one picture required the colour orange, and there were several orange pencils in circulation, so many students struggled to sell the colour.
The activity continued until one student successfully completed all of their colouring.
Immediately after the simulation ended, students counted their money and discussed what they had learned from the activity. The top earners shared the strategies they used to make a profit, and the bankrupt and near bankrupt shared their shortcomings and mistakes.
