Shhhhhh.........It's A Secret (CTP Style)!

You have stumbled upon some secret inside information!

Yep - that's right!

The new school year is months away but Creative Teaching Press is ready to release new products to inspire and invigorate teachers everywhere!

 I am thrilled to be one of a group of exclusive bloggers privy to the newest products yet to be released by Creative Teaching Press. And we are allowing all of you to get a sneak peek 

at these amazing, trend-setting items! 

First up - I love this poster that I plan to use to introduce my traditional literature unit on Fables!

I love the colors and patterns in the artsy poster, and the quote will set the stage for our reading of 

The Lion and the Mouse.

My intent is to share the poster at the beginning of the unit, and have a variety of Aesop's Fables available for students to read.

I want them to infer on their own which fable is being referred to in the quote.

This poster will also fit in nicely with our PBIS lessons on kindness and generosity!

Next - like many of you I am big fan of all things chevron!

Remember last summer when we all wanted the hottest chevron borders in our classroom?

I remember having to wait while my border was on back-order because it was so popular.

Don't let that happen to you this summer!

Order your chevron letters as soon as they are available!

Hop on over to Jennifer's blog at First Grade Blue Skies for a sneak peek at more innovative products from Creative Teaching Press.

 

And stop back to my blog for information about other unique items (and a GIVEAWAY) from CTP!

Stay tuned!!!

Peek At My Week First Timer!

Hi All -

I've been absent from the blogging world because I moved about two weeks ago.

I love my new place, and am still organizing, buying, and rearranging, but wanted to jump back into blogging by joining up with my fellow Wisconsinite, Mrs. Laffin, for for her Peek at My Week linky.

We are starting a unit on Social Issues.

This is our second year of teaching this unit during the last month of the year.

It seemed to make an impact on the students last year, and I'm hoping the same happens with my current class.

We start by looking up the words "social" and "issue" in the dictionary to give the third graders an idea of what this topic involves.

Then I use this fantastic book as a mentor text:

After hearing the story, I ask the students to list the social issues that were addressed in the book.

Last year I found the ebook version of the story on our district's Mackin list.

I was able to show the story on my Interactive Whiteboard, and we referred to the text for multiple lessons.

I have put together "I can....." statements for each of the lessons in the unit, and will post them on TpT soon.

It really is an eye-opening unit for the students, and encourages lots of higher level thinking.

I hope you'll stop back to my blog tomorrow for some EXCITING news from a major teacher supply company!!

You don't want to miss it!  

Have a great Monday!

Monday Made It

It almost feels like summer when I think of Monday Made It!

I love seeing all of the ideas that people share on Tara's site.

Mother's Day is about a month away, and if you're like me, you're always on the lookout for new ideas for student projects.

We have made these Treasures and Trinkets boxes, and they turned out really cute.

The boxes can be purchased at Michaels or JoAnn Fabric and Crafts, and we decorated them with sticker flowers and border.

My students put coupons for Mother's Day in the box, but you could put any treasure or trinket inside.

We've also created envelopes from scrapbook paper for the coupons, too.

I've created a template for the envelopes, and then ran the scrapbook paper through our school copier (shhhh).

Students can fold and glue the scrapbook paper into the envelope shape and add sticker embellishments.

These ideas (and more) are part of the Mother's Day Craft/Gift Ideas and Writing Activities packet available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Hope you're all having a good week!

April Currently and Tried It Tuesday - Earth Day Activities

No foolin'!  It's April!

Time for Farley's Currently Link-Up!

I am on Spring Break this week, and love watching all 4 hours of the Today Show while I'm doing this and that.  Today I saw some funny photos about why kids cry, that have gone viral.

On that same note, I love having no time parameters this week.  I can stay up and read and not worry about being a zombie the next day.

It's another day of cold here in WI.  Usually I go away somewhere warm during Spring Break, but have a big move coming up next week so needed to spend the time (and money) on that.

Sure would be nice to have a warm, sunny day here, though.

I'm looking into washers and dryers - any suggestions???

Teachers in my district have what's called "Professional Hours".

This means we can arrive and leave around the student hours. 

So, I am not a morning person and arrive around 8:05, but don't leave each day until about 5:15.

They're called "Professional Hours" because our district assumes you'll be a professional - deciding which time frame works for you.  We do have to attend scheduled morning or after school meetings, though.

I'm also hooking up with Holly for her Tried It Tuesday linky.

I've been working on organizing my series books. In third grade we do a whole unit on series books, and I wanted them to stand out in my classroom library.

I got green boxes (which match my gray chevron/green/black color scheme) from Steps to Literacy.

The cute labels are from Creative Teaching Press!

I just ran the book series titles on sticky back paper, and attached them to the CTP stickers.

Are you looking for some fun standards-based Earth Day activities for your literacy groups?

I created this packet with skits, scrambled sentences, cause-effect sheets, and more!

My kids love acting and skits, so I knew I wanted to include a planning sheet for that.

The packet includes 24 Earth Day tips that students use as a theme for their skits.

The goal in the skit is to persuade others to observe that Earth Day tip.

Hope you'll check it out in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

Happy April!

Unbelievable Teacher Bargains and Folktale Mentor Texts

Hooray for Spring Break!  

I am so happy to have the week off but a little sad that I am not traveling to a warm place.

I am moving in 10 days so will spend the time packing.

And also........blogging!

This past Saturday a friend and I found unbelievable teacher bargains at a sale held by a local company to benefit Habitat for Humanity.  

Have you heard of School Specialty?  

They run this sale every year but it's usually in November.

There are always good deals, but this year seemed to be especially good.

When I got to the check out I pulled out a twenty dollar bill, and the clerk said, "That will be $6.75."

WHAT??

Here's an overview of my purchases:

Big Books for a quarter???

I picked up a couple extra for my Kindergarten teacher friend.

Yes! Those are complete bulletin board sets - 2 for 25 cents!!

I teach a class for beginning educators at Concordia University so grabbed some goodies for them, too!

I'm also happy to be joining Collaboration Cuties for their Mentor Text Linky!

We worked on Folktales recently and I found some great reads for my third graders.

The trickster tales by Gerald McDermott have colorful illustrations and easily explain lessons that Folktales are know for.

These trickster tales are great for comparing and contrasting texts.

We also loved the illustrations in the book The Polar Bear Son - such a heartwarming book.

We used the Folktale Exploration Booklet from my Teachers Pay Teachers store to reflect on and analyze the Folktales.

One of my students said, "I love these books!"

That's an endorsement any teacher would love!

  

Check out the Collaboration Cuties' blog for more great mentor texts!

Tried It Tuesday - Skype with Scientists at ExxonMobil and Sunshine Award

It's time to join Holly and other innovative bloggers for Tried It Tuesday!

 

This past week my class was lucky enough to have a Skype session with 6 scientists from ExxonMobil!

In 2012 I attended the Mickelson/ExxonMobil Teachers Academy, and as a result of that experience my class has been able to Skype with a group of scientists each year.

The kids are so excited to ask their questions - it really is an enlightening experience for them!

We were given bios of the scientists beforehand, and brainstormed questions for them.
They were given the list of questions two days before, and called students up to the camera/microphone to ask their submitted questions.

The students were nervous and excited to be able to talk to real live scientists!

I created an iMovie review of our and Skype and posted it on YouTube.
You can view it by clicking here.

Last week I was honored to be nominated by my sweet friend Alison at Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin' for the Sunshine Award.

The rules of the Sunshine Blogger Award are:


1. Post 11 random facts about yourself


2. Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you


3. Nominate 11 bloggers you think bring sunshine to the world


4. Make up 11 questions for your nominations to answer.

 

Eleven facts about me:

1. I eat gumdrops everyday.

2. I like to golf!

3. I can't miss the shows Survivor, Amazing Race, Scandal, and Nashville.

4. I have taught in 4 different rooms in my school, and last year returned to the room I started in, although at a different level.

5. I bring my dog to school 2-3 times a year.  My students love it!

6. I have been to the Jimmy Fallon show twice - love him!

7. I was able to arrange a visit by one of our senators to our school.

8. My grandma loved teaching third grade, and I do, too!

9. Most of my family lives at least two hours away from me. :(

10. I am not a morning person.

11. I like the Big Apple as much as the Little Apple.

 

Eleven questions from Alison:

 1) How long have you been teachin' and what is your absolute favorite grade to teach? (I know that's two questions, but they go together) I have been teaching over 20 years, and I have loved every grade I’ve taught.  Right now I teach third, and love this age group!
2) If you had an opportunity to change one county, state, or national law about teachin', would you change anything? Wow- great question!  We’ve had some major change in education laws here in WI during the past few years. I would repeal the cap on our salaries which was put in place a few years ago.
3) Have you ever thought about teachin' abroad? If so, where? No – I have visited Europe and loved it,  but never really thought I would want to teach there.I couldn’t be away from home that long.
4) If you could go on a shoppin' spree for one day and buy anything you wanted(money would be no object), what would you buy? Right now I would buy new furniture for my new house!  I’m moving in a month!
5) What is your favorite "me time" activity to do? I love getting pedicures!
6) What is one food that you could eat every single day and not get sick of? Chocolate!!
7) What is your all time favorite children's book title and why should I read this book? I have so many favorites, but one I found in college was called “Sometimes I Worry” – it lets kids know they’re not alone in worries they have, and it explains this in a humorous way.
8) What is one app or piece of technology that you could not live without? I cannot live without my laptop.  It does everything!
9) If you were in charge of your school for one day, what would you plan for that day? I would plan for a little music, a little gym, and a little art – all related to academic topics.  All day long!
10) What made you decide to start bloggin'? I wanted to share ideas and connect with other dedicated teachers.  I have really loved the invigorating tone of the blogging world!

11) Where should I go on vacation and what should I do there?  I love San Diego!  Of course go to the beach, but also hit the Seaport Village shops right near the ocean.

 

Eleven bloggers I nominate for this award:

 

Eleven questions for these bloggers:

Mrs. Bartels School Family

Teaching Maths With Meaning

Mrs. Bentins Blackboard

Happiness is Watermelon Shaped in Third Grade

Third Grade Doodles

Tales from a Very Busy Teacher

Third Grade Bookworm

Third Grade Cupcakes

Paula's Place

Swinging for Success

A-B-Seymour

 

1. What's your favorite snack food?

2. What was your favorite class in college?

3.Is anyone else in your family a teacher?

4. Would you change the length of the school day if you could? How?

5. Do you eat lunch in the teacher's lounge or somewhere else?

6. What's your favorite thing to do on a Saturday morning?

7. Do you have a nickname?

8. What's the last thing you bought at a store?

9. Have you ever met a celebrity? Who?

10. Would you change your birthday month? If so, to what?

11. What is the most important tip you would provide to others who blog?

 

Thanks friends!

 

 

Five for Friday - CTP Responsiblity Board

It is sunny here today and the temp is above the freezing mark, so I'm celebrating by hooking up with the Five for Friday linky, which I haven't done for ages!
1.
I updated my "Be Responsible" board.
Each student has a small shape with their name on it.
The black sheet lists weekly responsiblities.
If the students forget one of the responsibilities, his or her shape is taken down.
The students whose shapes are remaing at the end of the week earn a Behavior Buck (our version of PBIS bucks) and some other reward (this week it was a 15 minute technology pass).

I love the look of the new letters I got from Creative Teaching Press!  I had the chevron border from CTP, and have a black, gray, and lime green color scheme in my classroom.

I updated this last week to reflect some responsiblities students had been forgetting lately.

2.
We started a unit on Fables this week, and l love using this book!
There are such great word choices and dialogue.

Make sure you change your voice for each of the characters when reading!

3.
Our district used FOSS Science, and I really love the lessons.  We are currently doing the Earth Materials unit. Although it was a pain to make the mock rocks for this unit, the students loved chipping away at them to find the minerals.

The safety were glasses were a huge hit!

4.
Our PTO organized a fundraiser to obtain more laptops for our school.
It turned out to be fantastic!
Each class had a theme basket, and the families donated items to put in their child's classroom basket.
My class's theme was chocolate - oh my!
(I may or may not have snuck out a dark chocolate candy bar after school one day!)

Someone even donated chocolate lotion!

5.
My nephew plays college basketball and they made it to a championship game last weekend.
It was a very exciting game - they were ranked 7th but made to play the team ranked first.
Unfortunately they lost, but we are all proud of him and the team.
Can't wait until next year!

Check out Doodle Bugs' site for the Five For Friday linky.

 

Currently March and Hockey Science!

It's that time again - a new month brings Farley's Currently link-up!

I am praying (as the snow falls here) that Spring will come soon!

 

I couldn't live without Sirius XM - I hardly ever listen to local radio anymore.

 

Yes - I bought a new house and move in mid April.  I can't wait!

 

My nephew's college basketball team is playing a tournament game tonight in a city about 45 minutes away.  Word has it that the gym will be packed, so they're advising people to get there early.

My whole family sure loves watching him play.

 

I've had my eye on a bench at Target that is on sale this week.

Do I buy it now, and store it until I move?

I really don't have a place for it in my current house.

 

I still haven't made Spring Break plans but have an airline voucher that's just waiting to be used.

I may have to stay here and pack for the move though.

 

Can you guess the question to my answer??

 

Last week we did a fun science experiment that had the students really engaged.

We learned about the physics of hockey through an inquiry experiment.

 

Students use small sticks (like craft sticks) as hockey sticks, and small disks like buttons and/or coins to try different attempts at hitting a goal.

They experimented with angles, weight of pucks, and amount of force from the hockey stick to see which achieved the best results.

If you have hockey fans in your class, or need something for a "fun Friday" activity, you can try this  with your students by checking out this product in my TpT store.

It includes a reflection and data booklet, and links to a video as well as suggeted book resources.

 

 

 

Recipes - Tried It Tuesday and SALE!!

Have you ever gotten free recipe cards in the mail, and not know what to do them?

Well take them to school, and use them to teach sequencing, reading directions, and a whole bowlful of other yummy things!

 

I got these recipe in the mail multiple times years ago, and they always came with an opportunity to purchase a cookbook or monthly cards - you know, kind of like a birchbox for the chef of the family.

 

I decide to take them to school to use them for a literacy center.

 

As you can see in the picture below, the students choose a recipe, write about the steps, and illustrate it.

They love it!

The pictures on the recipe cards just make your mouth water!

I also let them choose one recipe that they want copied to take home.
It often makes me laugh at the ones they choose - some are quite complicated but sure look delicious.

I got a nice surprise this year when one of my families sent me a picture on a Sunday of dad and daughter making the pie from our recipe collection.

She even brought in a piece for me to try on the Monday after.
Just one of the perks of the job!
 

Is that not the cutest picture?  It made my day.

Be sure to stop by Holly's blog to get some other great ideas from her Tried It Tuesday linky.

 

And check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store this Thursday and Friday for the big sale!

This is my newest product!

 

 

 

 

O-Lot of Olympics - Monday Made It

My class has caught Olympic Fever!

About two weeks ago I introduced my students to the Team USA website (www.teamusa.org), and the students researched an athlete to create pages for a class guidebook.

My third graders were familiar with some of the athletes already because of the ads that have been on T.V.  It was funny that they knew Ted Ligety more for his cold medicine commerical than for his achievements in skiing!

This is the fact sheet students completed while researching an athlete.
Now that the Olympics has started we are tracking the number of  male and female athletes that have won medals.  My students are especially interested in the athletes that they had researched.  Some are even familiar with the athletes that their classmates researched. 
I hear comments like, "Sarah's guy won a medal!"

We also printed pictures of selected of athletes along with their names and events, and posted them in the hallway to spread excitement for the games.
The hallway banner and guidebook are part of the Olympic product I created.

My students are also doing independent study projects about an athlete of their choice.
Four years ago I had my students do independent projects about a current or former athlete, and they turned out great.
Most students mentioned how hard these athletes had worked and trained to qualify for the Olympics.
These are some examples of projects:

You can find this product in my TpT or TN store through the highlighted links.

My teaching partner and I discovered that the Reading A-Z site has some great resources for reading about the Olympics.

Sorry - it's a bit blurry but hopefully you can see there are many options to choose from.
They have leveled passages about the same athlete for three different reading levels.
We have a school membership to Reading A-Z.
Here's another sample page from this site about the Olympic mascots.

Check out Reading A-Z here.

 This is not a new idea - I saw it on Pinterest over a year ago (and please tell me if this your original awesome idea), and I'm sure many of you do the same thing but still thought I'd share.
It's so much better for my students to have a bookmark in their Reading Response Journals.  We certainly find our current spot much more quickly at this time of year.
I used some chevron ribbon I had left over from another project to make these.

Simply tape the ribbon to the inside of the back cover (I used heavy duty packing tape), and wrap tape around the edge of the ribbon to avoid fraying.

I am certainly inspired by all the great ideas on Tara's Monday Made It.
Check them out on her blog!