Mr. Gierhart's Blog

I have so many plans during our two-week Christmas break. First off, you should know that my daughter just had her tonsils and adenoids removed. Therefore, we will not travel to see family like we have in previous years. She needs to rest and recover from her surgery at home and not be around many other people who could potentially spread germs and get her sick. Since we are staying home, we will try to do as many fun Christmas activities at home as possible. We will watch classic Christmas movies such as Christmas Vacation  and Home Alone . My daughter and I will put cookies and milk out for Santa on a special plate on Christmas Eve. Finally, we will open gifts on Christmas day and listen to carols on our Alexa devices. If my daughter heals up on time, we want to take her to an indoor waterpark near Utica, IL. This will be something fun she can look forward to and will allow her to get out of the house for a bit after being inside for so long. They have fun slides and water acti

I am an expert at teaching third grade, because I have done it as my job for the past six years. To teach third grade well, you must help the students when they struggle, plan fun activities, and communicate very well. First , third grade teachers must help students when they struggle with their work. Sometimes , math work like multiplication and geometry can be hard, so show the students several examples. Additionally , post examples of how to write essays so they can succeed even when you are home with a sick child. 😛 Next , a good third grade teacher must plan fun activities so the students enjoy coming to school each day. For example , you must plan fun science experiments, such as having them make their own thermometers. Furthermore , they will enjoy making gingerbread houses around Christmastime so they can share holiday cheer! 😁 Finally , teaching third grade involves communicating well with others. As an example , if you are home with a sick child, you should post instr

Our planet Earth is covered with an important resource for all living things: water. First of all, three-quarters of the planet are covered with water. Also , 97% of all of the water contains salt. A lot of the freshwater on our planet is actually frozen. #LetItGo A small portion of the freshwater is in liquid form as well . Freshwater can be found in many places on our planet. For example , it can be found underground (as groundwater) or in lakes and rivers. Water is a very abundant resource across our entire planet.

We read the story The Harvest Birds  this week. There was a character named Juan Zanate. He wanted to have his own land to plant and his neighbors made fun of him. In my opinion, Juan Zanate's neighbors are incredibly rude and insulting. For example, they teased him at the seed store and made him feel like there was no way he could be successful as a farmer. Additionally , Don Tobias made fun of him when Juan asked him for help, which just made Juan feel even worse. On top of all of that, when Juan's' field grew a great harvest, all the neighbors that had made fun of him now acted greedily and wanted him to work for them. That shows how selfish they actually are! For all of these reasons, I feel that Juan Zanate's neighbors in The Harvest Birds  are mean people! The Harvest Birds       The Harvest Birds

I feel that the best kinds of books are the ones with illustrations. I find pictures helpful for understanding what I read. For example, in Ramona Quimby, Age 8 , they wrote about an old guy that Ramona met. I thought he sounded creepy, but when I saw his picture, it helped me know that he was actually very sweet. I also enjoy the artwork and creativity of illustrators. As a matter of fact, I could just look at Eric Carle's colorful collage illustrations everyday and not even read the words! I know that books with pictures are the best kind and after reading this...I bet you agree with me!!!

Today in class, the students and I each voted for our favorite ice cream flavors. The results are shown in this bar graph.

My favorite place that I went this summer was Las Vegas, Nevada. We stayed in a fancy hotel that looked like an Egyptian pyramid. All around Las Vegas, you can see tall fancy buildings and bright, twinkling lights. Everywhere you go, you hear dance music. If you go downstairs at your hotel, you may hear the splashing from the large pool. Since the airport is so close, you may hear airplanes and helicopters flying by all the time. That is why I loved traveling to Las Vegas this summer.

I have been playing tennis for 25 years. This is a fun sport that gives you a lot of cardio exercise and allows you to compete against friends or even on a team. To be successful as a tennis player, athletes will want to get the proper equipment , follow the official rules , and pay close attention to tips of more experienced players. You need to have several important pieces of equipment to play tennis. EQUIPMENT Don't forget to follow these important rules so you can play tennis the right way. RULES Make sure to follow these tips in order to be the best player you can be at tennis. TIPS Tennis is such a wonderful sport. All athletes should definitely give it a try at some point in their lives. When you do, make sure you get all of the necessary equipment , follow the rules , and remember my tips . I wish you the best of luck in your tennis endeavors.

I have been teaching elementary students for a decade. By the end of the school year, they begin to go absolutely mad. Luckily for them (and me) I am an expert at teaching young students at the end of the school year. To teach third graders in May, you will need ChromeBooks, an A-Z countdown, a field trip plan, and fun activities.  First , before May even arrives, you should create an A-Z countdown.  Therefore , the students will have something to look forward to each day as the year winds down, such as Dance Day, a Spelling Bee, and Kickball Day.  Next , try to have the students use their ChromeBooks to be creative and make sure to give them choices in how they do this work.  Recently , my students were able to choose which app they used to log data in a science lab about fruit seeds. Some groups choose Google Sheets, while others used Docs or Slides. Being a teacher is a lot of fun, but do make sure you are prepared to work with these crazy kiddos at the end of the school year when t

I will be teaching a group of new third grade students next year. I don't know these new kids very well yet, and I am worried that they will be too talkative and crazy! I have seen these students in the hallway and sometimes, they are loud and pesky like Caleb in Sarah, Plain and Tall . One time, one of them growled at me like a lion...for no reason at all! To solve this problem, I will set expectations with my new students on the first day of school next year. For example, I will read aloud books that show good and bad examples of how to work and be respectful at school. Additionally , my students and I will create lists of expectations we all must follow in our classroom. On top of that, we will have discussions about the type of classroom community we want to have and figure out how we should treat each other to learn, be safe, and feel great about each day we spend together. Even if my new students next year are loud or wild, setting expectations from Day #1 will help make s

My brother Adam and I are quite different but also have a lot in common. Both  Adam and I like to cook. For example , we grill and enjoy sautéing fresh produce for our family meals. We are also alike  because we have children. I will tell more about them in my next paragraph. Adam is the same as  me because we each like to go to music concerts. Many years ago, we saw Ozzy Osbourne together. Even though we have much in common, Adam and I are two very different individuals. Adam has two sons, however  I have a daughter. Although  Adam is a hunter and likes guns and bows, I am freaked out by that stuff and prefer to watch wrestling. I teach third graders at an elementary school. On the other hand , my brother is a graphic designer for a financial institution. Even though my brother and I have many differences, we are similar in many ways too.