Third graders are comparing the effectiveness of different brands of paper towels. This experiment originated from students complaining about how the school's paper towels do not absorb spills. We decided to test how much water they absorb compared to store-bought paper towels and then calculate the cost effectiveness of each brand of towel.

This week, third graders measured and cut equal-area sample sizes from each brand of paper towel. We discovered that even though manufacturers typically list the amount in each roll in terms of square feet, that paper towel rolls are actually only 11 inches in height. The school's towel rolls are 7 inches in height. We had to do some division to find an approximate length so that our sample sizes would each be one square foot in area.

The next step in this experiment is to test absorption by thoroughly soaking each sample and then comparing its wet weight to its dry weight.

I introduced a new class-starter activity this week -- analogies. We discussed how analogies work and looked at several common types of analogies. Each week, we will examine a new type of analogy at the start of GATE class.

All grades were introduced to the Game of SET. This is a card game where students must find sets of cards based on attributes. Students quickly caught onto the rules of the game and jumped right into playing each other. Some were exceptionally quick at finding sets!

• SET daily game
• SET instructions video
• SET cards​