So That's What Our Country Looks Like!

 You may remember that last month, Ms. Bishop's third grade class started their adventure learning American history. At the end of that post, we told readers to stay tuned for the maps that the kids would be making next.   


So off they went to their geography unit.  The kids learned the continents and oceans, the compass rose and directions, and where they live in the world. Then they looked more carefully at the United States, after all, how can you learn its history if you don't know what the country looks like. 



Then to make the information feel more concrete, the kids worked in groups of three to create three-dimensional maps of the United States. Each day they added more information. They started by learning what borders the United States. Then they learned about the largest river, the Mississippi River, and two of the largest mountain ranges (the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains). The kids also put Washington, D.C. and Massachusetts on the map so they could visualize where we live within the United States. 

As they move forward in our history studies, these maps will serve as a reference tool. For example, when the kids learn about the Pilgrims leaving Europe and sailing to the United States, they will understand that the Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and reached the east coast. 

Before that, however, they will be using their maps in the Native American unit they have just started.  They are looking at the land features and climate in different regions of the United States and learning about how these features affected the way of life for Native American tribes within the region.

This is getting interesting, isn't it?  Start tuned...

Another Trip Around the World with Ms. Meadow's Class

If you remember, there's a big geography project going on in (and right outside) Ms. Meadow's room. Since people from all around the world are taking an interest in us by visiting our blog, these third graders are returning the favor. They are researching the countries that have shown up on our visitors list and writing down an amazing fact about each one.
Amazing facts about the world keep coming in...







Have you ever seen one? This is what it looks like:























Have you ever seen hieroglyphics? They look like this:


















Moving on to Europe, Mecca wrote about the view from a famous Paris monument.

There are lots of views, of course, but this one includes another famous monument, the Eiffel Tower.






We don't have an illustration of this last fact. Perhaps that's all for the best!

The World in Just One Classroom

If you remember, there's a big geography project going on in (and right outside) Ms. Meadow's room. Since people from all around the world are taking an interest in us by visiting our blog, these third graders are returning the favor. They are researching the countries that have shown up on our visitors list and writing down an amazing fact about each one.


They have learned some impressive things. Here is something Raymond learned about Japan:















It's an amazing fact, but also an amazing looking creature!



Talking about spiky things, Andrea found out about a medical use for needles besides giving shots:














What does that look like? Well, check it out. In China, doctors sometimes use acupuncture instead of drugs when patients have an operation. The needles block the pain completely.

















Meanwhile Molly went to the other side of the world to learn about the country of Brazil. It's a huge country, with a huge and long river called the Amazon. Here is one of the things that interested Molly the most:
















And, why not? Look at this guy!

The World in Ms. Meadow's Classroom

If you remember, there's a big geography project going on in (and right outside) Ms. Meadow's room. Since people from all around the world are taking an interest in us by visiting our blog, these third graders are returning the favor. They are researching the countries that have shown up on our visitors list and writing down an amazing fact about each one.

For example, did you know this?

















You would think that fortune cookies came from China because, in the United States, we usually get them in Chinese restaurants. Well, you learn something new every day!


On the other hand, the Chinese people managed to come with some pretty delicious things to eat. This is what Cladwyne discovered:












Speaking of snow...
Most of our readers come from the United States. The kids decided that there are plenty of interesting things to learn about our country. Check this out:











How about making that into ice cream!?!

Our International Readers

A while ago, we posted about a geography project taking place in Ms. Meadow's third grade class. The kids are learning about the different countries that have come to read our blog. There have been a lot of them too.

Yesterday, for example, most of the people who clicked onto the blog were from the United States. Nevertheless, we also had visitors from Columbia, Kuwait, Germany, and India.




Where are these places? What are they like? What and who lives there? These are the kind of things this third grade class is beginning to find out.

They haven't researched yesterday's countries yet. Here are some amazing facts they have discovered:






















































Just in case you were curious about what that Russian blue cat looks like, here it is!









What will the kids learn about next?

A Schoolyard is More than Concrete

Some people may see the Perkins schoolyard as a place to cross to get into the building. Others think of it as a basketball court. Still others use it to meet and chat with their friends.

Mrs. B's Wellness Warriors see our schoolyard as all these things and more!























To get the kids to see all the fun physical fitness opportunities in a field of concrete, Mrs. B asked them to draw their own maps of the schoolyard. In those maps, each kid charted some of the sports and games played in it.

If you click on the picture to make it bigger, you can see that different students think of different activities. Some draw a hopscotch court, others a basketball court. Hockey is listed on map, the track labelled on others. No matter, they all add up to running, stretching, jumping. That means physical fitness and fun!

Our Visitors Map is Done!

As you know, Ms. Meadows' third grade class has been tracking the foreign countries that our blog visitors come from. They have learned so much about geography and foreign cultures as a result.


And, now our map is done--for this year, at least. So far, people from 38 countries (not including the United States) have visited us: Canada, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Mexico, Germany, India, Iran, Australia, Malaysia, Ukraine, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand, Norway, Lithuania, Slovenia, Lebanon, Serbia, Aruba, Columbia, Egypt, Turkey, Singapore, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Philippines, Slovakia, Netherlands, Bangladesh, and Mongolia.

The kids have located every one and learned fascinating facts about them.



Nomar, for example, learned that Norway was called the "Land of the Midnight Sun." It is so far up North, near the Arctic Circle, that the sun never sets during the summer.








Gisselle discovered that the people of Japan practiced a very interesting type of gardening called bonsai. They grow miniature trees! As the years go on, these trees take on very interesting shapes.



We don't have room to list all the facts the kids learned but here are a few more cards they made on some of the countries.







Serbia, the raspberry capital of the world? Who knew!

Tracking Our Visitors: Another Geography Lesson

Here's the map again--the one that identifies where in the world our blog visitors come from. Perhaps you remember that the kids from Ms. Meadows' third grade class are researching each one of these countries and some of the amazing things that happen in them.



Georgia, for example, learned that the world's largest insect egg comes from this Malaysian stick bug. The egg is about the size of a peanut!





Angel learned that Spain has a national holiday on October 12th because it was the date that Christopher Columbus landed in the New World.






What other cool things have the kids learned about the world? Check it out!
(And remember to click on the pictures to make them bigger.)







And don't think this is the last post about this project. There are a lot more countries to go! By now, people in 33 countries around the world have checked out the Michael J. Perkins School Blog. How amazing is that?