Third Grade Moon Studies

As part of our unit learning about The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, third graders have been admiring the beauty and wonder of the moon, while also working hard to learn more through science and research.  In class, we have been practicing important skills for research, such as using the table of contents and index, and  learning how to read captions.  We've also been thinking about what makes certain captions or sections of a book informative, in addition to (just) being interesting.  Students had opportunities to choose books and chapters that were appealing  to them or that answered questions that they had about the moon. We also learned strategies for how to read nonfiction and how to retain important information.  Students learned how to ask questions that would lead to more in-depth reading and how to "hunt for numbers" that would contain vital facts about the topic of study.  We also practiced finding information and sections that would add on to and extend our current knowledge.  As we begin to think about collecting all of our research together and writing coherent and informative sections, we are continuously amazed by all of the incredible things we have already learned about the magical celestial being!