Colossal Facts About the Coliseum!

Earlier this year, Mrs. Ranney's class read a story that took place in Italy. One of our own classmates, Aidan, has traveled to Italy and has some great experiences to share!

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During spring break of last year, I went to Italy for vacation.  We spent most of our time in Rome and then went to Pompeii, Sorrento, and the Island of Capri.  I learned a lot about ancient Roman art, architecture, and engineering marvels.   

 In this blog post, I will take you on an online tour of the Roman Coliseum!

The Coliseum in Rome is a giant, elliptically-shaped amphitheatre that is built out of travertine stone.  It can hold about 50,000 spectators.   The coliseum is 615 feet long and 510 feet wide. The height of the outer wall is 157 feet!  The inside area is about 6 acres, or about the area of 6 football fields. The construction of the coliseum was completed in 80 A.D.  

 I think it’s amazing that it took only 10 years for the whole structure to be built – and that was without any modern machinery or equipment. 

The Coliseum got its name from the colossal  statue of Emperor Nero, which was next to it.  The statue was removed once Emperor Nero was no longer in power.  This colossal structure is still considered one of the greatest examples of Roman architecture and engineering.   It was a really interesting site.  

 

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Has anyone else ever traveled to Rome or any place else in Italy?

 If you have traveled to Italy, what did you think was the most interesting place you visited?

 

Can you add any facts about the Coliseum or other sites in Rome?

Multiplication/Division Pixie Problems!

Mrs. Ranney's third graders have been working with the computer teacher, Mrs. Minicozzi, to write multiplication 
and division story problems. 

First, students chose a X/÷ fact family and wrote the 
four equations. 

Example: 

6      7     42

6 x 7 = 42

7 x 6 = 42

42 ÷ 7 = 6

42 ÷ 6 = 7

Second,  students selected one of the fact family equations.

Third, students wrote a story to match the math equation. Fictional characters were used as the main characters.

Finally, students used the computer program called Pixie to illustrate their story problems. 

Enjoy!

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What was the most difficult part about creating your Pixie pages? 

What advice would you give others who are using Pixie?

Make up another word problem in the comment section!

 

Luminous Light!

Mrs. Ranney's and Mrs. Yollis' Third Graders

have been learning about the science of light and color!

Check out our slide show and see what we have learned!


Fun With Light and Color on PhotoPeach


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What did you enjoy most during our study of light and color?

What other facts can you share about light and color?

What investigations have you tried at home?

What is Plagiarism?

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary:

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Now that Mrs. Ranney's class is learning to research using the World Book Encyclopedia Online generously purchased from the PFC, it is important for everyone to understand how to share learning without just copying.

It is wrong to copy and paste! 

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How to share learning without becoming a plagiarist is tricky.

Step 1:   Read the passage completely.

Step 2:   Take notes on the interesting parts.
                  (IMPORTANT - Only write facts. Do not copy sentences.)

Example:

• California
• largest population
• 33,871,648 people

Step 3:    Use the facts to compose your own sentences.
                   Now is a good time to add your opinion as you share.

Here are my own sentences using my California facts:

I was surprised to learn that my state, California, has the largest population of all fifty states. There are approximately  34 million California citizens. 

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Next week, our school will have National Geographic's

Giant Traveling Map of Asia. Use World Book Online to

 research some information about the Asian continent. 

How big is Asia in square miles?

What is the population?

How many countries? 

Pick an Asian country to learn about.

What are the highest and lowest points on the

 continent?

What languages are spoken?

What bodies of water border Asia?

What animals are found in Asia?

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What would you like to learn about Asia? 

What did you learn about Asia from World Book?

Remember, to put the facts in your own words!