May 9-13

With the 3rd graders completing their Exam on Monday the year's first  
trimester had ended and the second had begun.

The group jumped into the Relief Maps and following the teacher's  
overview and explanation and the students' copying of the key  
vocabulary in their notebooks, the groups completed pages 44, 45, and  
47 in this relatively simple unit.

Subsequently 3rd graders tackled Latitude. This was done with the help  
of the teacher's friend, "Mr. Blubberman" (a round fellow with a body  
resembling Planet Earth). Stressing to the students that with his rows  
of latitude, Mr. Blubberman had rows of "fatitude," the teacher drew  
Mr. Blubberman's belt--the Equator at 0 degrees, other latitutde rows,  
the North Pole--90 degrees North, and the South Pole--90 degrees South.

Mr. Blubberman is nothing without his family, however, and students  
were asked to use colored construction paper to draw a family member  
(or Significant Other). The teacher checked for creativity while  
focusing on the students' application of the Latitude rows and  
appropriate corresponding degree numbers.

One 3rd grade group next began practicing Latitude exercises in the
workbooks.

All groups will continue to work on their new skill before completing  
In-Class #1 in the middle of next week.