Moving, Freebies, and Some Randomness

  

Check out this week's Five for Friday linky!

1

Gourmet Cook - I don't want to brag, but I am a bit of a gourmet cook as evidenced by the pic below.

My Newest Creation - Grilled Cheese and Pickle Sandwich -YUMMY!

See, I told you I was a gourmet cook!  If you would like to be a gourmet cook just like me, check out my affiliate link below to get the Orgreen Flip Jack Pan.  This is also great for making gourmet pancakes!  (FYI - I like it better than other products since it completely closes making it less likely for me to make a mess when I flip it over.)

Only about a minute on each side to make the perfect grilled cheese!

                                                                                   

2

Kids Say... - The setting - Summer School Student Breakfast
       Student: "I will divide my bagel into half see you each get a piece."
       Me:  "If you divide into four pieces, that's called fourths.  You each get 1/4 of the bagel."  -                           Proceeds to demonstrate why this is true.
       Student:  "Wait!  That's fractions.  How could you try to teach math right now?  It's breakfast."

I am such a mean teacher trying to sneak learning in whenever possible.

3

Fifth Grade - Are you a Fifth Grade Reading Teacher using Scott Foresman Reading Street?  If so, check out Red Kayak, the first story in the series for a complete reading and spelling packet.  Click the pic below to check it out.

4

Annual Make and Take - Today is the annual Make and Take of some of my teacher friends.  I have tons of projects I want to make today.  Let's see how many actually get done.

                                       

5

Packing my Bags - I am packing my bags and getting ready to move to a new blog address.  Don't worry!  The layout and everything will still be the same.  I am just changing to an address that matches the name.  Everything here will remain the same so you can come back and reference any of your favorite posts.

Please click the picture to check out my new site.  There, you will see a post for a freebie!  Check it out soon, because it won't last long!  I can't wait to see you there!

Five for Friday

  

Check out this week's Five for Friday linky!

1

Target Dollar Bins - I have been watching people post all their goodies from the Dollar Bins at Target.  I knew that I had to go.  I must say, I was a bit disappointed.  I didn't see anything like I saw people posting.  The only thing I got was Chalkboard Blocks.  I don't know how I will use them, but they look pretty cool!

                                                                                   

2

Wilton Warehouse Sale - My mom and I went on our second annual stock up to the Wilton sale.  It's incredible!  If you are a fan of Wilton products, I highly recommend it.  I didn't get much this year (probably because I got so much last year, I still haven't gotten through it all).  For $15 I got 2 - 9 x 13 covered pans, a 9 x 9 covered pan, and a few other things.  I can't wait to start baking.

3

Throwback Thursday - I participated in a new linky party this week called Throwback Thursday. Click HERE to check it out.

4

Show and Tell - I also participated in the Show and Tell link party.  Click HERE to visit.

                                        

5

Weekend - This is my first weekend with nothing really going on.  I am so excited to relax! Now to go enjoy my time off of from everything...

Five for Friday with Some Freebies

  

Check out this week's Five for Friday linky!

1

Summer School - First week of summer school is done!  Only 3 more weeks to go!

                                                                                   

2

Ideas Box - Are you looking for ways to teach engineering concepts to your students?  Check out the Ideas Box post I wrote earlier this week by clicking HERE.

You, too, can get all these things Free!

3

Rewards with QR Codes - If you checked out my Read-a-thon blog post, I mentioned that I used QR codes to reward my students.  This week, I finally finished the product so everyone can use them. Click HERE to get your FREEBIE! I also put them in the Google Drive of Freebies.

4

Summer PD's - I taught a fun Make and Take PD in my district on Tuesday.  Next week I am teaching a Reading PD.  I also signed up to attend a lot of PD's too.  Isn't summer supposed to be relaxing?

5

Happy Birthday Grandma - Today is my Grandma's 93rd birthday!  We are having a surprise birthday lunch for her.  I can't wait!

My grandma would probably kill me if she saw this!

Five for Friday: Summer Reading and Last Day of School

  

Check out this week's Five for Friday linky!

1

Summer Break - As of Monday at 2:45, I have been officially on Summer Break!  Woo-hoo!

                                                                                   

2

Wednesday - I had a 5 hour summer school training.  I start summer school on Monday.  I can handle it though.  It's only 15 days total - 4 days a week, only 5 hours a day.  I can do it...I can do it...I can do it...  At least that's what I am telling myself!

                                         

3

Shaving Cream Fun - One of my favorite last day of school activities is putting shaving cream on all the students' desks.  I have them practice their math facts, cursive, etc.  It's also a great way to clean the desks.

4

Summer Reading - I have already been diving into my summer reading.  I am definitely a book worm.  Check out my affiliate links for some of my summer reading.

Yesterday I finished the first book.  I can't wait to begin the other two!

This is just the start of my list.  I plan on reading a lot more books!

5

Netflix - I also plan on a few Netflix binges.  My current one is Making a Murderer.  It's slow moving but strangely fascinating.  I am curious how it ends.

Five for Friday: Field Trips, A Visit to the Principal, and More

  

One more day after today!  I have no idea why we are done on a Monday.  We didn't even have any snow days to push us further into June.  My district actually scheduled it.  Happy Five for Friday!

1

Read-a-thon - We had our Read-a-thon on Tuesday.  It was super fun!  Click here to check out more.

Here's a sneak peek...

                                                                                   

2

Shedd Aquarium - On Wednesday we went on a field trip to the Shedd Aquarium.  It was a pretty peaceful trip.  All our chaperones were back at the bus on time.  No one got lost!  All 99 third graders were accounted for!

Highlights include petting a starfish and sturgeon.  It was hilarious holding one of my boy's hands to touch the starfish.  He wouldn't do it alone.

Lowlights - One of my boys kept saying he wanted to eat all the fish...and turtles.  Apparently no creature was safe.  He also pretended to sleep during the Beluga whale show.

                                         

3

Principal's Office - On Thursday my entire class was summoned to the principal's office by an angry sounding principal over the intercom.  All the way down my thoughts were on why we were in trouble. Their behavior has been really good this week.  

It turns out he was messing with us.  He actually apologized to my students for not being able to make it to read during the Read-a-thon.  He then proceeded to read 2 books.

4

Packing - Every year I wonder and worry how I can get everything done on time.  It looks like a bomb has gone off in my room.  Hopefully I can get a lot done today.  If not, I have my mom on standby to come in on Monday to help.  Her school finished yesterday.  Thank heaven for moms!

5

Field Day - Today is field day.  It's going to be a long day!

Five for Friday: Math, Donors Choose, Storage, and More

  

Today will be interesting.  It's our - student - teacher for the day.  This is the reward our prinicpal came up with to get students to try their best on the PARCC test.  I can't wait to see what she has in store.  Happy Five for Friday!

1

Mathapalooza - I mentioned earlier this week having a Mathapalooza with my students.  It was amazing!  Click here to read about our day and get some freebies as well!

Here's a sneak peek...

                                                                                   

2

The Heat is On - This week was HOT!  My air conditioner at school is broken and we are on the second floor.  Every step up the stairs is miserable.

This was the thermometer in our classroom at the start of the day on Wednesday.  I never think of looking at the end of the day.  It would be too depressing!

                                         

3

Guided Reading Containers - I showed off the seats my dad made for my guided reading table.  I am finally using them for storage.

I figured since they are for guided reading, I should just store anything and everything I may need for groups.  So far, I have a dictionary, dry erase board, and a supplies kit in each one.

My supplies kits contain 2 dry erase makers, a highlighter, eraser for the dry erase board, mechanical pencil, post-it notes, index cards with highlighting tape (reusable this way), Wiki-stix, scissors, and a Popsicle stick with a googly eye on top.  I will put a glue stick in when we get back.  This should make life much easier when having groups!

4

Donors Choose Tip - I just posted a new project!  I am definitely in the mindset for next school year since this is the focus of my project.  Click here to check out my project.

On to the tip.  My project is already funded half-way because of Partner Funding Opportunities. When you get on this page, you click on your state.  They will let you know what opportunities are in your area.  If you word your project based on these, you may qualify for some or all of your funding.
I always check this before adding a new project.  Because of this, many of my projects have been funded!  For the project I created, all I need was to add a certain phrase to my essay.  I didn't change any of the materials I need/want.  You will be amazed how much this helps!

5

Reilly Visited - My old student, Reilly, came back for another visit.  He brought pizza for my students and played games with them on the playground.  The kids loved having him there!  

This summer he is planning on writing another children's book and is looking to me for ideas.  I need help!  Anyone have any great ideas for a children's book?

This is his book he wrote.  Check it out!  

Five for Friday: Google Forms, Finishing the School Year, and More

  

I am so glad it is the weekend!  Happy Five for Friday!

1

Google Forms - I am doing some testing of Google Forms for some of my data for next school year. I created a form to record my students' missing work.  I currently have a binder for this.  I figure we could fill it out on the computer or use the Kindle and record answers on it.  Click here to view my copy of the form.  Feel free to download it and modify it for your purposes.

I eventually want to use Google Forms for my reading/math conferences.  I am still in the planning stages for them.

                                                                                    

2

End of School - As school winds down, I am getting excited about my end of school year books. Check out my affiliate links below to get your own copies of some of my favorites.

                                                                

This is the companion text to First Day Jitters.  The story is touching.  I love reading it the last day of school with a sad voice.  I usually get an outpouring of emotions from my students, especially once they here the end!

I am a huge fan of any Natasha Wing books.  They are simple enough for my low readers to enjoy on their own.

This is such an appropriate book as it features a third grade class.  Very cute book!

                                         

3

Plickers - During the past couple of weeks I have heard the word Plickers mentioned but had no clue what they were.  I did a little research and love them!   Once you create a class, you can create questions to give the class.  It records results for you!  I love that this is free to use.  It doesn't require a whole class of computers/iPads/etc.  Check it out!  Click here to try it yourself.

4

10 More Days - We are in the home stretch!  I have so many fun things I am planning for the next 2 weeks.  I actually am looking forward to it!

5

Ideas Box - This week we worked on The Ideas Box.  Stay tuned next week to hear more about it!

Five for Friday: QR Codes, Podcasts, and More

  

I know it's technically Saturday,but oh well.  Better late than never!  Happy (late) Five for Friday!

1

QR Codes - I have become obsessed with creating/using QR Codes for my class.  They are so much fun and a different way of using technology in the classroom.  I created a free download on TPT for some stories from Storyline Online using QR Codes.  Click here for your free download.

You can also click here for this download in Google Drive as well as see some other freebies.

                                                                                        

2

Podcasts - Another new obsession is listening to Podcasts.  I know that I am behind the times in that this is new for me and they have been around for such a long time.  Some of my favorites include Ted Talks, Free Teacher PD, and Happier with Gretchen Rubin.  Anyone have any other recommendations?

                                         

3

Area and Perimeter - I taped the tiles in different ways around the classroom, so my students could practice area and perimeter.  

4

Fat Ass 5K - Last weekend, I mentioned doing this walk.  It's so much fun!  There was live music throughout including a singing Fat Elvis!  There was so much food like donuts, trail mix, giant marshmallows, etc.  Along the way you could get pushed in a wheelchair, take pictures with clowns, and more!  I highly recommend this walk.

My Sister, Brother-in-Law, and Mom

5

Friday the 13th - I thought it would be a horrible day yesterday - the date, my co-teacher was absent, and it was Special Person's Day at school.  Instead, it was really nice.  My favorite part of the day was having the students write about their favorite memories from the school year and illustrating them.  They got really creative  by adding 3D effects, folding their papers to crate books, and lots of other fun things.

One student drew this one.  His favorite memory was me teaching him.  He even wanted to draw my shirt as accurately as possible!  Too cute!

Five for Friday - Teacher Appreciation, Math, and More

  

Happy Teacher Appreciation!  Thank you for all that you do!  Happy Five for Friday!

1

Teacher Appreciation - To thank the teachers that I know, I made labels to attach to popcorn, gum, and candy.  If you would like your own free download, click here.

                                                                                        

2

Math - I must admit that I love the end of the year, because I am really free to experiment with new ideas.  I'm not beholden to a test.  My big experiment now is math.  I threw out our textbook.  Instead, I have my students spend 15 minutes of fact practice, hold a math meeting, and then work in groups on a topic they choose.  For example, my students get to choose from addition, multiplication, fractions, area/perimeter, and geometry for the area they wanted to focus.  From there, I came up with different activities, homework, and an assessment for that group.  Each day, I pull groups that I want to work closely with.

Tomorrow is our big assessment.  I am hoping to see the results.  My students are excited, because as one boy said, "I love groups, because we learn so much."  I love that they are choosing what they want their focus to be.

Next week, I will introduce a new group but keep some of the old ones.  It's been a lot of trial and error to find what works.  At least I feel like giving my students a choice will help them to be more aware and interested in their learning.

                                         

3

Curriculum Corner - I am always on the lookout for interesting websites.  My new favorite is Curriculum Corner.  I really love it, because everything is free!  There are so many amazing resources to check out.  Click here to visit this site!

4

Fitbit - I have been good all year (so far) and walked my 10,000 steps each day.  To reward myself (and stay motivated), I decided to upgrade my old Fitbit.  Check out my affiliate link if you are interested in getting your own.

I love the look of this one.  I also love how there is a clock feature on it.  

My old Fitbit.  This is a great one to get you started on a more healthy lifestyle.

I can't wait to really break in my new one this summer.  I think I am going to try to up my steps.

5

Fat Ass 5K - Sorry if this has seemed to be such a random hodge-podge of ramblings.  I am getting ready to walk in the Fat Ass 5K (and school today).  It's a charity walk where the focus is not on walking but on food.  I am sure that it will be interesting!

Happy Mother's Day!  Enjoy your weekend!

Five for Friday: Freebies, Reading Fun, Kahoot, and More

  

Happy Five for Friday!

1

"Wearable Work" - I was reading a blog on the Teacher Idea Factory.  She talked about making work that the students can wear.  Even though my students are older, I still loved the idea, so we tried it in class!

We made superhero capes that showed off their best sentences.  I wanted their sentences to be detailed.  We went through the question words to add these details.  They had to complete the work on a rough draft first.  I helped them edit their work.  Then they got poster paper.

My students got so into writing their sentences.  I planned on doing this in one day, but we had to carry it over into two days.  The engagement they had made it worth while.  As a bonus, my students were even able to relate what we worked on in class to a note that went home from the office.

Click here for a free copy of the rough draft paper my students filled out.  You will see the rough draft as well as the headings the students cut out for their posters.

                                                                                        

2

Kahoot! - I know that I wrote about this in the past.  I am revisiting it, because my students used it this week for a math review.  They love it!  This site is free for you to use.

Click here for teacher website.  This one allows teachers to either create their own game or use one that is already on the site.

Click here for the student website.  This is the one that students use for their answers.

                                         

3

Graffiti Board - I have wanted to try a graffiti board in the past but never got around to it.  Since we have been reading Sideways Stories From Wayside School, I thought I would finally get around to making one sooner.  

We wrote about our favorite characters, quotes, etc. from the book.  They were digging into the stories to find things to add to the poster.  I was just sad that I didn't try this sooner.

To make your own board, put a topic into the middle.  The students write thoughts/comments around the paper.

4

PARCC Testing - I know you are sick about hearing about this.  I am sick of talking about it!  I am officially done (with that test at least)!!!!!

How do you copy with the endless boredom of testing?  The teacher I tested with chose to stretch as he was running later in the day.  Since I am of the philosophy - Only run when chased! - I didn't understand it.  I preferred to walk laps around the double computer lab.  It made hitting my Fitbit goal a piece of cake!

5

Advice Needed - Lately my students seem so disrespectful of other people's property (mostly mine). Any advice on how you deal with this?  We are taking away things left and right, but nothing seems to help.  

Have a great weekend!

Five for Friday: Testing Freebie and More!

  

Happy Five for Friday!

1

Earth Day - Happy Earth Day!  I love doing activities and celebrating this day!  Too bad, I had to test all day.  Oh well, I got to wear my cute Lorax earrings, and my students got to eat dirt and worms (crushed Oreos and gummy worms).

                                                                                        

2

Fluency Through Music - I am super excited about this.  Click here to read more and score some freebies!  I will be adding more freebies to it before the weekend is over!

                                           

3

Panera - I was super excited to check my Panera rewards to find that I can get a free bagel each day for the rest of the month!  If you have a Panera card, check to see if you are a lucky recipient as well!

Dinner of champions!

4

Educents - I have been downloading files nonstop this week.  There were so many cute activities that I couldn't pass up.  If you haven't been on Educents yet, I highly recommend it.  It's like Groupon for teachers.  There are many free downloads available as well.  Please use my referral link by clicking here if you would like to try it out.

5

Testing - I feel like testing will never end!  I finished PARCC testing my class last week (7 days). This week I started testing a fourth grade class on PARCC (3 down and 4 next week).  We also started district testing.  My class had 2 days this week and 2 days next week.  The following week I get to test the fourth grade class on their district testing (4 more days)!  I am tired just typing all that out. 

Misery for me equals a freebie for you.    Click here for a testing freebie - Student Testing Brag Bracelets.  TPT is being fussy right now and not letting me show the images.  I will try to change it later.

Have a great weekend!