It's February!?!?

It's February!? How did that happen???  I know I've been a bad, bad, bad blogger.  Truly horrible, but for whatever reason this year I've felt like I have NO TIME for anything!  It doesn't help that my class this year is seriously tapping me out.  I know most of you out there can relate.  So, in saying that...blogging has helped me keep my sanity in the past and I'll be adding it back into my regular routine. 

Now...Currently hosted by Queen of Positivity, Farley! I love this lady...really puffy heart love her.  The energy she brings into the world through her classroom, blog, and Instagram is amazing! She inspires me to be a better teacher each and every day.

Listening: I'm obsessed with this Ellie Goulding song! It's been on repeat for a week now and I'm still not tired of it.  I'm not sure if I'll make it to the theaters to see 50 Shades of Grey...that may be something to watch from the comfort of home.  

Also, Chicago had a large snowfall last night (surprise....not) and I'm hearing the buzz of all the blowers clearing sidewalks for the Superbowl parties today.

Loving: I have some amazing teamies that I just adore! I've been having the best time planning and decorating for parties and showers at school with a teacher bud.  She's amazing and it's fun to gab to someone about your excitement over paper straws and tissue paper poms.  She gets me folks!!!!

Thinking: The January calendar and decorations are around the room and I forgot to pull out the February stuff....whoops! 

Wanting: My friend gave birth to the sweetest little nugget three weeks ago and of course I became sick at the exact same time! UGH! I've been surviving on daily baby pictures, but I can't wait to get my hands on that little sweetie and snuggle him! 

Needing: Peace. I'm not sure if that needs any more of an explanation....

Pageant Title: Miss Interpret -  Or at least that's what my students keep doing to my directions! Apparently instructions from the teacher are mere suggestions or loose 'guide lines' according to my class. Grrrr.  See why I need some peace of mind?!? 

I'm off to check out lots of Currently posts to help get me back into a blogging mood! 

I almost forgot...have you heard there is a sale going on??? Tons of teachers, including myself, have put there stores on sale today for Superbowl Sunday! Make sure you check them out! 

My Literacy Center packs are on sale for the next two days, including this newbie! My kids love the space theme while we are learning about the solar system in Science.  

Go Seahawks!!!! 

Tune Into Technology: Using Tech with Reading

It's baaaaaaack!
Aylin, Amanda, and Kristin have decided to bring back their Tune into Technology linky party. I am oh so greatful beacuse I am in need of a little technology inspiration or pinspiration if you will. 

So...last year I blogged about how I use Fotobabble with my students to make book recommendations, you can read about that HERE.

I'm fortunate enough to have had an entire set of iPads in my classroom for the past two years. We've been able to learn and create a lot with these wonderful tools!  I work closely with a fellow third grade teacher and my District's Techonogy Director to collaborate new ways to incorporate technology into the classroom.  My Director is a big proponent of using technology because it offers something better for my students, not just for the sake of using technology. 

 

I was SO thankful when she introduced me to Doctopus.  Doctopus is an app that helps make sharing documents with your students easier through Google Drive. The initial set-up was a tad time consuming my first time around, but I was able to speed-up once I got the hang of things!

 

The first thing I needed to do was create a master roster of all of my students' names and school e-mail accounts. Once I had all of this info in, I can just make a copy of the roster for the individual assignments, like my Animal Report above.

 

 

This project was a graphic organzier for my students to use while researching for their animal reports.  Initially I wanted to create the organzier with boxes, but Google Drive wouldn't allow that. 

:( Hopefully they'll update that!

 

Instead I have lines separating the different topics.  My students had learned a few different ways to take notes, but at the end of the day I always have them choose what's easiest for them to read and decipher. 

 

 

My favorite part of using Doctopus is from a teacher management position.  Whether I'm at my teacher table or home I am just a click away from seeing any of my students' progress on the daily assignment. 

 

To keep students focused on the task and motivated I'd also occassionaly pull up someone's work on our Smart Board for the class to admire. The kids LOVED this and would busily continue working in the hopes that they'd be the next featured writer.

 

I also loved leaving my kiddies little comments about their work during the day or in the evening.  It was always something exciting...who doesn't like getting a little note?!?

 

The comment feature is also great for the workshop model in my classroom.  It's inveitable in my classroom that there is almost always a student hovering by my desk...or blankly staring at their notebook because they have a question while I'm doing a one-to-one writing conference with another student. 

 

My kiddies, like Nick above, love to send me their questions while they're working.  That way they don't have to 'hold it in' and have a fear of forgetting it. 

 

 

After comleting their research my kids expanded their writing into paragraphs on these fun flip charts.  They loved the compacted space and their teacher LOVED that they were full of great information!

 

If you're interested in a full tutorial, I found one HERE that seems to be great!

Be sure to check out all of the other great tech ideas every Tuesday in July at Learning to the Core and I Teach 1:1!

Pairs of Pears: Having Fun with Homophones

My kiddies have been working on homophones, which I have to admit was trickier for some of my ELL students than I had anticipated.  So, I just HAD to share with you two great resources that helped in my classroom while teaching homophones!

First up is Gene Barretta's Dear Deer picture book.  This was not a new addition to my classroom library, but I was reminded by how helpful and fun it is for my class to read.  The illustrations help my students connect the two different meanings.  I read this story underneath my document camera, so all of my third graders could read the text and spot the two different spellings.  They LOVED it!  Click on the picture to find the book being sold on Amazon...I ordered mine through Scholastic. Hello Bonus Points! 

My second find is new to my classroom this year...Pingo! It's from Sarah Cooley's great Homophone Activity Pack and my kids LOVE it.  They're literally begging me to play Pingo any chance they get.  What is Pingo you ask? Well, it's a homophone Bingo and a whole lot of fun! Follow Sarah's name to pick up your Pair of Pear pack now...how say that three times fast!!! 

XOXO

Trying to Squeeze it All In!

I know I'm not alone in feeling frustrated and overwhelmed this time of year.   When the teachers are feeling a little worse for wear and kiddies are a tad overwhelmed, you know it's Standardized Testing Season! 

This sweet little board inspired by One Lesson at a Time reminds both my students and I that we love to learn!  The last few weeks we've been trying to squeeze in as much as we can until that big monster of a test arrives.  Here are some of the fun activities we've been doing throughout the day...

First up is Polygon Post-Its! I borrowed this rug from our Math Enrichment Teacher, threw down a cup of markers, and some Post-Its and told the kids to go to town during their snack break.  The kids had fun counting up the sides and identifying the different polygons. 

 

These story cubes were a lot of fun to make and a simple organizer.  After reading independently students filled out the six sides of the cube with the following:

1. Title & Author

2. Characters

3. Setting

4. Problem

5. Solution

6. Theme/Lesson

 

Next up we had a polygon hunt with our iPads and snapped about 1,000 pictures in 10 minutes! Ha! They just LURVE to use that camera!  Afterwards, we used Show Me as a way to organize our photos and identify the different polygons in our classroom. 

My students have LOVED getting to play Piece of Cake an idiom memory matching game! I'm so thankful for this product, it's been especially helpful for my population of ELL students who so often struggle with figurative language.  You can purchase a copy for yourself HERE.

 

Last, we had fun making these rainbow fraction tiles.  I laid out the strips and had pre-folded the thirds and sixths for my kiddies.  It was time a time consuming, but worthwhile project! I liked having the kids make the tiles instead of using printed out fraction tiles I've used before.

So, there you have it! We've been trying to have some fun during this stressful time of the school year and soon we will be able to breathe a sigh of relief! It'll be all over soon!

Wishing you peace of mind and serenity during this time,

XOXO

Organizing Your Classroom Library...

Whenever I think about organizing my classroom library...I cringe, I shudder, and I break out into a sweat.  (I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in that!)  We teachers have SO many books that we like to make available to our kiddos, but organizing and keeping track of those books can seem like a daunting task.  I'm always on the hunt for new organization tips and tricks, so I'm linking up with Fun in Room 4B and Ladybug's Teacher Files to share what I plan on doing in my library.

 Here is a shot of what my library looked like last year.  I kept this area as simple as I could, in hope that it would help keep it organized! My little monsters did pretty well, although I did have a classroom librarian, who was in charge of keeping the library in order at the end of each day.

I wish I had a close up of my labels, but they stated the genre of books and weather or not they were considered informational or literature.  On the back of each book in my library was a label sticker that matched the bin it belonged in.  Also, I used those circular garage sale stickers to identify the reading level of each book. (Again, sorry for not having a picture)  I do not organize my books by reading level.  I like my students to shop for books as they would in a library, practicing identifying what genres they enjoy reading, and then checking to make sure it's a 'good-fit book'. 

This summer I decided to spruce up my library bins with a nice clean look! I used these adorable gray labels from Elementary Organization and am happy with the results!   I plan on printing them on cardstock and laminating first.  Originally, I had thought  I would adhere them to my using Velcro tape, however after reading Ladybug's great post about hot glue I'm rethinking my process.  :)

 

If you'd like to purchase these book labels, head over to my TPT store by clicking on either image and check them out.  There are 118 labels in the pack, so there should be plenty of choices for everyone!

 

 

Books that Build Character

I'm participating again in Deann's picture book linky party at First Grade and Fabulous, although I don't think my Amazon cart can fit anymore books in it!

This past year my class and I would have what they named, "Friendship Circle Time" on Friday afternoons.  During this time I would read a character building picture book and then raise questions for discussion.  My students favorite time was at the end of our discussion, they would move into a circle.  Each student plucked a name stick from my cup and thought of a positive compliment for that class member.  We would go around sharing our compliments and leaving school for the weekend with 'full buckets'! 

I LOVED reading The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss to my class! I used this around Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a great way to talk about equality and fairness.

 

Munro Leaf's Ferdinand is an old classic!  I love to use this story to illustrate how we are each unique individuals and need to be true to ourselves like Ferdiand.

 

 

In Bob Sornson and Maria Dismondy's book The Juice Box Bully was a great read aloud for my class at the beginning of the year.  It depicts a school who has taken a stance against bullying by making a promise.  The characters in the story face challenges of standing up to bully. 

 

 

The Little Red Pen by Janet Stevens and Susan Crummel was probably my FAVORITE picture book purchase of last year (to be truthful I have A LOT of favorites)! Originally I purchased the book to use for a personification lesson, however the story has a great teamwork aspect! AND there were a lot of fun characters in the story, which means their teacher had a lot of fun voices while reading ;)  

 

Be sure to check out First Grade and Fabulous for other awesome picture book finds!

Fotobabble Book Recommendations

I am thrilled to be linking up with Kristin at Teaching 1:1 for her new linky party series "Tuning into Technology!" This week the theme is integrating technology into reading, so I thought I'd share a fun activity my kiddos LOVED this past year....Fotobabble Book Recommendations!  During the past few months of school I was fortunate enough to have a classroom set of iPads (SOOOO excited to get them again next year)!!!  One of the fun apps we explored during this time was Fotobabble.  Fotobabble is free app that allows students to take a photo of an image and then record their voice as a narration.  As a fun alternative to "Writing About Reading" I had my students write their book recommendation and then create an audio recording of themselves.  Instead of compiling the book recommendations as a class book like I normally would, I posted the videos on my classroom website for viewing.  Students were ecstatic to listen to one another's book recommendations through their iPads as were parents who viewed from home.   Be sure to check out Kristin's linky party for other amazing ideas on incorporating technology into your reading block!

Click the video below to hear one of my former student's book recommendation. (I apologize for the background noise...we are always VERY busy in Room 2! hehe!)

Picture Book Linky: First Week of School

I'm excited to link up with DeAnne at First Grade and Fabulous for her weekly picture book party!  DeAnne is fueling my picture book addiction with all of her great book picks and my amazon book cart is quickly filling up! Yikes! Below I've listed a few books that I used with my class last year.  *Please excuse the pictures, my books are packed up, so the following images have been taken from amazon.com*

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt was THE first book I read aloud to my class.  He's such an adorable little critter and makes the whole class giggle that we soon forgot how nervous we were that first day!  If you're not familiar with the story, Scaredy Squirrel is terrified of leaving his nut tree and has the same routine everyday.  Except, one day he accidently falls out of his nut tree and realizes being out into the 'unknown' isn't that scary and can be fun.  After reading the book we compared ourselves on the first day of school to Scaredy Squirrel.  Then we decided to "jump into the unknown" of third grade. 

I LOVE Scaredy Squirrel!!!

 

Another one of the first books I've read in the past is Mrs. Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't) by Barbara Bottner.  This story depicts a little girl who simply cannot find any books that she is interested in, despite her overly enthusiastic teacher.  The class laughs and cheers when the character finally finds a topic she is interested in reading about...warts.  It's a cute and fun story that gets us talking about Good Fit Books. 

 

 

I picked this up at a Scholastic Book Fair and fell in love with the hilarious illustrations.  The book was put together by a collection of amazing illustrators with a great sense of humor! Each page has a different location or scenario and manners.  My students' favorite page was the "It's Not Polite to Pick" page.  With rules like, don't pick your nose, don't pick your bellybutton lint, don't pick your....you get the picture.  :)

 

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear some of your favorite picture books for the beginning of the school year.  Be sure to check out DeAnne at First Grade and Fabulous!

 

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Yahoo! I've Arrived!

Currently...

I've been so inspired by so many of the terrific teacher blogs out there, that I thought I'd try out my own!  Thanks for visiting and I hope you stay!

I'm linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade with this currently!

  Listening: If you haven't heard of Alabama Shakes, then you NEED to check them out!  I just love her soulful voice :)   Loving: We've been having some crazy rainstorms here in Chicago area and I love falling asleep to the sound of the rain.    Thinking: School is out...right?!? Then why is it my To Do list keeps on growing?? Oh well, I guess that's the life of a teacher!   Wanting: I'm DYING for a bonfire night with friends, something about sitting around a fire and talking while the stars are out just screams summer!   Needing: To relax in the warm sun....   3 Vacay Essentials: iPod, I for sure can't be anywhere without my tunes! Sunglasses, I wear them even on overcast days, otherwise I get a HUGE headache.  My eyes are slightly dramatic that way! :)  AND flip flops to show off my new pedi!