I've Been Boo-ed!

I have been Boo-ed by the fabulous Mrs. Poultney!

If you've been booed, copy and paste the above pic and these "rules" into your post.
1. Give a shout out to the blogger who booed you and link back to their site!
2. Share 3-5 October activities, books, products (yours or someone else),or freebie(s) that you love!
3. Share the Boo love with 5 bloggers- make sure you check this link to make sure you don't boo someone again:
http://toristeachertips.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/ive-been-booed-fun-october-linky.html

Here are a few of my favorite Halloween Activities:

I love this Multiplication Monster from Yay Third Grade.  I will be doing this activity with my kiddos this week and will post pictures when I have them.

We have been reading the Best Worst Hallowen Ever and I have made a packet on TPT to go along with it.

Another Halloween favorite easy read is
 I have this one for some of my struggling readers and they love it!

A few of my favorite blogs right now are:

Peacocks and Penguins

Sent From My IPad

Technology Tailgate

The Teaching Thief

Cooperative Learning 365

Being a Teacher and A Mom

Friday ended on a not so good note.  My three youngest boys come into my classroom after school each day while I finish up last minute odds and ends.  I am feeling completely swamped, and had planned on staying a little late on Friday.  My class had earned a root beer float party as a reward for Star homework, so my boys were excited to see if their were leftovers.  There were - and they made a few for themselves as I briefly spoke with a parent - I turned around to see a disaster.  While I was cleaning that up, I noticed them dragging chairs into the hallway.  They had gotten their football stuck in a tree outside, and then proceeded to get their shoes stuck up there trying to get the football down. The shoes are still in the tree as I type this!

Admist the chaos, I noticed this note on one of my desks written (thank God in dry erase marker) by my 6 year old.

It almost (*almost*) made up for the chaos!

How do you balance being a teacher and a mom?

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables - Expanding Our Horizons

Our school has been blessed with a grant from the USDA that provides our students fresh fruits and vegetables two days a week.  This week we were given the opportunity to sample starfruit and grapes on Tuesday and Jicama on Thursday.  It has been really fun tasting fruits and vegetables that are unfamiliar to the students (and often the teacher!). We research items that we have never heard of.  It is funny to hear some of the comments that the students make about the various food items and what they taste like!  I am thinking that it could make a great writing assignment!

My son's first grade class uses the snacks as a graphing lesson.  They vote on the fruits and veggies they like the best! 

Here are a few lesson plan ideas for learning about various fruits and vegetables.

How do you incorporate nutrition into your weekly lessons?

The Magical Product Swap - Learning About Main Idea! Giveaway!

I don't know about your class, but one thing that my class seems to really struggle with is finding the main idea of a passage.  We spent the last few weeks really working on main idea, and most of them still had difficulties on our common assessment (as did the other third grade classes on my team).  That is ONE of the many reasons that I was excited to participate in The Magical Product Swap hosted by Mrs. Stanford!

I was partnered up with the fabulous Brooke Conway from 3rd Grade Troopers! We were each allowed to choose an item from our partner's Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

I chose her Main Idea Task Cards , because as I explained, my third graders are really struggling with this concept. There are 24 task cards that ask students to read the passage and select a multiple choice answer that states the main of idea of the passage. These cards would be perfect for a learning center, an around the room game, or for morning work. They answer recording sheet is easy assess student understanding of main idea. The passage selections cover a variety of genres. A teacher answer key is included.

I printed out the packet and divided them into 6 groups of 4.  I hole punched them and clipped them together with a plastic black binder ring.  I had the students who were working independently during Daily 5 play a game of scoot with them where they moved from station to station. 

I also used them in a small group setting with some of my struggling readers who are not yet reading grade level text..

The kids really loved the owl theme on them.  They got a kick out of saying, "HOOOO! knows how to find the main idea?" I only wished I would have gotten a picture of them working on them, but I was working with a small group and ran out of time this week!

If you would like to purchase this main idea packet, head over to Brooke's teachers pay teachers store as they are very affordable and a great addition to any main idea lesson! You will also want to follow her blog 3rd Grade Troops as she has many great teaching ideas for all levels!  Head on over to read her review of one of my products as well!

And in honor of the swap, I am hosting a contest to win a $10 Starbuck's Gift Card and 3 items of your choice from my TPT store! 

I am also having a sale this weekend on all of my items in my TPT store! So head over and save!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gabbing About Giveaways October 5, 2012

Teacher Idea Factory is celebrating 1,000 followers with this great giveaway featuring a ton of great activities from a variety of teachers. 

 

Success in Second Grade is celebrating her birthday with a fabulous giveaway featuring six different prizes!

Stickers - An Economy In Our Classroom

Are you looking for a super easy to implement classroom economy?  Try Stickers!

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.

I had wanted to implement an economy rewards system in my classroom, but most ideas I found seemed like a lot of work to me.  Like most teachers, my plate is overflowing already, so I wanted to make it simple.  It finally hit me one day - stickers! I LOVED getting stickers as a kid, but my kiddos love them even more because each one is worth $1 in our classroom economy.


Each student has a small notebook like this:

Whenever the student turns in an assignment, answers a "stretchy" question, or is "caught being good" I give them a sticker to put in their book.

At the end of the month we have a mini-store with various prizes (books, pencils, erasers, etc.) and they can "spend" their stickers.  I simply use a sharpie to cross them out as they spend them.

I love the way that MsKohlskids keeps her stickers on a binder ring!

Have you used a sticker economy in your classroom?  I'd love to see!  Comment below or tag me on Twitter or Instagram.

Before you go, head on over to our giveaway page to enter our current giveaway!  Every week one lucky winner gets a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card!

 I would love to hear from you! ❤️

Have a question? Idea for a resource you might find helpful?

Be so kind and leave a comment below.

Using Mad Libs In The Classroom

Mad Libs provide an entertaining and engaging way to teach kids about nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in a fun way!  They are also a great way to reinforce essential grammar, reading comprehension, and vocabulary skills.

Throughout the day when I have a few minutes to spare before recess or before dismissal, I pull out a book of Mad Libs. My kiddos love them and it is a great way to practice grammar skills. They BEG to do Mad Libs.

To make it a bit more interactive for all, I ask the category and tell them all to think of an answer, and put their thumb up when they have one.  I then pull a stick or randomly call on them to answer.  They have gotten really good at explaining to each other what verbs, plural nouns, adverbs, adjectives, and nouns are.
Now, they beg to be the Mad Libs readers:

A few of our favorites:

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love. 

 Have you ever tried Mad Libs? What other fun things do you do with those "extra pockets of time"?

More Resources for Teaching Parts of Speech

Thanksgiving Parts of Speech Color by Number

St. Patrick's Day Parts of Speech Color by Number

Win Gift Cards From Wal-Mart

You probably know that Wal-Mart has some great low prices on items that teachers need in their classrooms, but did you know that they also realize just how much teachers pay out of their own pocket for these supplies?  Realizing this, they give out tons of Wal-Mart gift cards to teachers in areas where their stores are located.  Our school was chosen in the area I live in and they gave out 20 $50 gift cards plus extra box top certificates.  I was lucky enough to win one of the gift cards!

Now, they are also having a contest just for teachers! The Classrooms by Walmart Sweepstakes! From now until November 4, if you register for Classrooms by Wal-Mart wish lists, you'll be automatically entered into daily drawings to win a Walmart gift card! Dozens of teachers will win $50 gift cards, and two lucky teachers will win our grand prize - a $500 Walmart gift card!

You can get extra entries by refering your teacher friends!

Enter Here

Hosting a Sale in Honor of Fall

In honor of the first weekend of fall, Second Grade Math Maniac is hosting a blog hop this weekend and I've decided to link up.

Click Here to go to Second Grade Maniac's page!

I have put all of my items on sale this weekend for 20% off!  Click here to visit my store!

Subtraction With Regrouping - An AMAZING teaching moment

We all have those great days in our teaching lives when we think, "THIS is the reason I became a teacher!"  I had one of those days last week when I was working on a subtraction with regrouping lesson.  I had about 6 kiddos who just couldn't get it, so we kept practicing and practicing.  I finally made it down to one little guy who just was struggling.

He was ready to give up, "I can't do this, I am stupid at math!" he told me.

"You are not stupid at math - you are smart.  You just need a little more practice and I will practice with you until we get you over this hurdle." I told him.

Problem after problem we practiced until the spark hit him and he realized he could do it!  Excited with his new ability he asked me to give him a harder problem.  We went from two digits to three, three digits to four until he was subtracting in the millions and billions.  Then we went to problems where he had to regroup more than once.

He BEGGED to take the whiteboard out to recess to practice.  My normally wiggly guy sat completely still during the entire 15 minutes solving problem after problem :)  Then he asked if he could teach the class!
Of course I obliged:

Here is a subtraction with regrouping freebie for you!

What great teaching moments have you had this week?

Daily 5 Is Underway In Our Class

Daily 5 is underway and going well in our classroom.  We usually manage anywhere from four to six rounds each day.  I use the time to individually conference with students in a CAFE style.  I haven't been able to squeeze in many small groups, but I kind of like it that way being able to give the students individualized attention.  I have three kiddos who are reading at a first grade level, so I meet with them daily.  The rest I meet with anywhere between two and three times per week depending on their needs.

I love seeing the kids engrossed in their books!

Word Work is another favorite in our classroom:

So far I have been able to let them make their own choices, but I have a few squirrely ones who may need more teacher direction, or at least a log like this one. This one was made by Susan at Mrs. Gorbe's Kinderlittles.

How has Daily 5 been going in your classroom?

We Had A Little Visitor! (Plus a Freebie!)

Yesterday our class had a special visitor!

Yes - that is a baby snake.  One of the boys in the class next door found this on the playground - then brought it into their pe class and freaked out the sub.  I happened to be in the office when it was confiscated and asked if we could bring it into my classroom to share with my kiddos because they would love it!  They had the best time checking it out and asking questions.

The gentleman in the photo is the husband of our literacy coach who volunteered to find the snake a safer new home.

In honor of our new snake friend, I thought you might like this The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate The Wash themed find someone who.

I am linking up with Freebie Friday at the Teaching Blog Addict! Be sure to visit for more freebies!

Formative Assessment Task Cards Freebie

My students and I both get bored with the same old think,pair,share or exit tickets for formative assessment, so I was excited to find this set of formative assessment task cards with a ton of ideas.There are over 80 different strategies and ideas to try!

Formative Assessment Task Cards

Classrooms by Wal-Mart Wish List

I have been lucky enough to always have a parent or two that would like to donate to my classroom.  They often ask for wish lists during the book fair or during back to school night.  Well, did you know that you could also set up a wish list with Wal-Mart? You can create a supply list for student supplies as well as a wish list for miscellaneous needs and wants.

You can add the link to an email to your parents or on your class website.  Who knows?  Your wish list just might magically appear at your classroom door one day. 

ENTER HERE

Researching - Learning About The Things We Are Interested In

Ever since one of my students brought in a tomato horn worm, my kiddos have been begging to do "Research" as one of their Daily 5 Choices.  I love the idea that they are self-directing their learning and that they are seeking out informational non-fiction text (you know, one of those biggies in the New Common Core Standards).

But... (and this is a big But) I am finding that a lot of my kiddos really love watching videos about their topic of choice.  I am really ok with this, but these are some of the same kiddos who really need to work on their comprehension and writing skills.

Luckily I stumbled across this 3-2-1 Reading Strategy Sheet from Teaching With Love and Laughter!


I printed a ton of these off and have placed them next to my computer station for them to complete when they conduct their research.  A win win for both teacher and student!

I will probably also use this for reading informational text later on in the year as well.

Self Grading Timed Fact Tests

As part of our daily homework  using WBT's Three Star Homework model, the students practice their math facts (currently multiplication) each night.  I just found these great self-grading timed quizzes from Fun4theBrain that I am going to let the parents know about for an extra way for them to practice their math facts.  They can fill in their name, take the test, then print out the results.

I might also have this as an activity during our weekly computer lab visit.  If they don't pass a particular level, they can take it home to correct or complete.

I found this site while blog stalking 4th and 5th grade happiness.  She has a lot of great resources, so be sure to visit her blog as well! :)

Birthday Celebrations in the Classroom

I love throwing Birthday Celebrations in my classroom! It doesn't take a lot to make your students feel special and goes a long way in growing relationships with your students!

Here are a few ways to celebrate classroom birthdays with your students:

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.  

On each child's birthday I force ask them to wear this crazy birthday hat that I had picked up on one of our family vacations at Disneyland.  We then take their picture and sing to them. 

 I also give them a Smencil attached to a birthday balloon template that I got here from What the Teacher Wants.



 

1. Happy Birthday Wristbands

My students always love wearing bracelets and wristbands, so these birthday wristbands are a great gift that will let everyone know it is their birthday!

2. Birthday Pencils

If you are worried about your students having reactions to the  scented pencils, you could get these Happy Birthday pencils instead.

3. Birthday Crowns

These birthday crowns will help your student feel like royalty on their birthday!  They can wear them the whole day and then take them home to carry-on the celebration!

4. Birthday Color By Number Worksheets

I love using Birthday Color By Number Math Fact Activities during days when my students have birthdays to make them feel special while also having ALL of my students practice their math facts! I have them available for multiplication and addition.

There are 8 different sheets included, so you can use one at a time and re-use them throughout the year so your students don't get bored.

5. Homework Passes

You don't have to spend a lot of money to provide gifts to your students.  Consider printing out no homework passes for your students to receive on their birthday.

6. Decorated Desks

Celebrate your students' birthdays by decorating their desk with streamers, balloons, or butcher paper.

What do you do to celebrate birthdays in your classroom? Leave a comment below to let me know!  

And before you go, head on over to enter one of our giveaways!