Sensory Bags: Personal Narrative Writing Activity

We are working on one of my favorite writing units; personal narratives! I feel like at this age, my kiddos have so much they want to talk about in regards to their daily lives, they just don't always know how to share it! I am thrilled to be teaching them the importance of detail in their writing. I feel that they are really starting to see the value in it.

One of the pieces we have focused on in composing our personal narratives is sensory details. I wanted to do something fun and engaging for my kiddos at this point in the year. I brought out 5 paper bags, filled them with random objects around my room, labeled them, and then presented my kiddos with a mystery! 

"I am going to walk around and let you reach into each of these bags without looking. You need to tell me whats in this bag without saying what it is. You may know what it is, you may have no idea! Either way, you need to use your sensory details and start writing!"

My kiddos went to town on this activity! We wrote a chart in our journals and left a space to brainstorm words used to describe what was in each bag. They were shocked when they learned the contents of some, and not-so-shocked when they learned others. This was an awesome and engaging lesson that had my kiddos sitting on the edge of their seats!

P.S. I was doing some quick shopping at Meijer and I came across this gem. I have been thinking about it ever since.... I need to go back and purchase this beauty. It would make a wonderful reading chair in my chevron-themed classroom. How cute is this chair?!

Fraction Pizzas

As I said in an earlier post, we have been working a lot with fractions in our room lately. The challenging part about fractions is it is a ever-building phenomenon. From now on, they will constantly be building upon what they know about fractions and how they use them.

I explain it to my students as a giant game of Jenga. In kindergarden, students put the first few pieces of their "game" out, this includes numbers, adding, counting, etc... As they learn new material in other grades, they simply build upon what they know! However, it is important that you have a good hold on the information before you add it to your "tower" otherwise you have a rocky foundation. 

I constantly explain math this way to my students and they really seem to get it. They even refer to it! They ask questions like, "Are we adding this to our Jenga tower?"

This week, we made fraction pizzas! I know this is a project that has been done many times, I just loved how they turned out and my kiddos really impressed me with how awesome they turned out so I had to share.  I love seeing them really grasp a concept; it makes my teacher heart smile. 

Math Manipulatives For All!

The summer is so fast approaching and my time with my third and fourth graders is dwindling. It is so incredible to me that my first full year of teaching has already come and gone. Where has time gone?! I feel like just yesterday I was walking into the school, nervous for my first day, and now I am beginning to wrap up our year. I have learned so much this year and my 26 little ones have taught me some of the most valuable lessons of my life.

I have decided to continue my teaching throughout the summer with a summer tutoring program (more on that later) but for now I have begun to create a wealth of math manipulatives for my collection!

I had to wrap up my lesson on time and measurement. My friends had a hard time with clock reading. For third grade, it is something that my students struggle with. I created a real clock to help them. So often my kiddos come up to me and ask, "how much longer until we go to special?" I always point to my labeled clock behind my desk and say, "You tell me!" 

The problem with this clock is in order to reach it, I have to scale my heating vent to reach it. Not exactly ideal for math group teaching. I ventured my way to Target and purchased a clock! $4.99 friends! I printed off labels, got out my hot glue gun, and went to work! I put some string on the back and I hang the clock on my whiteboard so that the students can actually get up and touch it, see it divided into quarter hours, count elapsed time one, and all that good stuff! It has worked wonderfully and its a great edition to my math materials!

(Excuse the silly background of this picture)

While my third graders were working on time, fourth graders were working on fractions! We have been using our kidney shaped table a lot lately for math groups and I am loving the small group atmosphere it adds to my classroom. It really allows me to work one-on-one with my kiddos and see who needs some extra help and who gets it. 

I recently purchased a large magnetic whiteboard and easel to put behind my table. Eventually, I plan to mount the board onto the wall, but for now this works perfectly. Buying a magnetic whiteboard meant that i needed some magnetic math materials! I searched on Amazon but none of the materials were exactly what I had envisioned. I decided to create some of my own.

For this project, I downloaded some fraction circle clipart and copied it onto heavy neon card stock. I bought some magnets, brought out my hot glue-gun, plugged in my laminator (*ahem* best purchase of my entire life) and VOILA! 

These can be used in so many ways. I taught improper fractions, decimal relationships, mixed numbers, and I even threw a few up on the board for a mini quiz the next day. The kids love them!

I also created these lovely little things as a very necessary edition to my classroom. On a recent trip to  a teacher store I found the other version of these and was disappointed with the price. I decided to do my own spin on them.

During the testing season, my friends really need their own little workspace. They surprised me with how much they love these things! They beg to use an "office"!

All this project takes is two file folders, double sided tape, and a laminator. I decided to spice mine up a bit with washi tape and my Circuit machine. I am in love with the result. 

I picked up the container on sale at Target and threw on a cute chevron label!

So, that about sums up my month of creations. I will be so sad to see this year go. I am so lucky to be doing something I love so very much. I am reminded everyday why I love what I do, I started my week off with a little third grader at my door this morning, 

"I picked these from my garden for you!"

 Roots attached and all, she held up the most beautiful bouquet of disheveled flowers I have ever seen. My heart melted. I went inside only to find that the only container I had was my math measuring cups. I love this picture, I love my students, I love my job.

The Rainforest

We just completed a huge unit on the rainforest. It just so happened that our theme for "March is Reading Month" this year was the rainforest. So we decided to incorporate many of our lessons with it! At the beginning of the month I put up a giant tree on our bulletin board outside of our classroom. Throughout the month, we added to it!

In its earliest stages, it was merely a leafless tree. However, after we started our unit on poetry it began to come to life! 

I find that so often my students love reading poetry, writing poetry, and learning about poetry but really struggle when it comes to understanding the pentameter an rhythm of a poem. It is definitely one of the hardest things to grasp!

To start our unit, I had them each find a poem that had to do with the rainforest. they were asked to copy it word for word in their neatest cursive handwriting onto a leaf. They needed to pay special attention to the stanzas and spacing that the writer uses. 

After they had completed their leaf, they read the poem out loud to the class during our poetry coffee house. We enjoyed hot chocolate, cookies, and awesome poetry. It doesn't get any better than that!

After the students got practice verbalizing poems, it was time to start writing. In social studies students were asked to research an animal in detail and complete a graphic organizer about that animal. Eventually they turned this research into a poem! I shared many different types of poems and students each chose a type they wanted to create. They then had to draw an animal to add to our rainforest. I have MANY artists in my classroom. It is truly amazing how gifted they are. They were also allowed to trace the animal if they felt that would be easier for them. Our tree (and river for the amphibians) turned out amazing! I dread taking this beautiful board down. It has become quite the focal point in our hallway!

Math Madness!

Ahhh spring break.... the sounds of birds chirping outside my window, getting plenty of work done, and lounging in sweats all day. Most importantly I get the opportunity to blog again! It is oh-so-nice to have some "me time" this week.

This post contains math, math, and some more math. I love thinking of new ways to teach concepts to students who are struggling. I think be creative and teaching a concept a new way can really help a student grasp a concept that they may not have otherwise!

We have been hard at work with geometry in third grade. We learned a lot about quadrilaterals and the attributes that make them unique and different from one another. I had the students create "quadrilateral quotes". 

In this assignment, the students were each assigned a quadrilateral. Parallelograms, rectangles, rhombi, squares, and kites were all in the mix. They were then given a quote bubble. In that quote bubble they needed to list things that made that shape what it was. On the last line, they told the name of the shape. Next, the students needed to draw the shape. It is important to stress that they use a ruler to measure and a straightedge to make straight lines. 

The students LOVED this assignment and loved making their shapes unique. (I had some rockstar rhombi hanging on my wall! Mohawks and all!)

My kiddos are also working on memorizing their multiplication facts! This can be quite a challenge for some. I really find that making learning the facts fun is key to learning them. Students tire of reciting the "8's" off of a piece of paper. 

I have tried to think of some new fun ways to get them practicing! 

One of the thing my students love most is our multiplication towers. 

This is a very popular idea on Pinterest. It is a fast paced game in which students stack dixie cups with facts on the bottom of them as fast as they can. The key is that they cannot ad the cup to the stack unless they know the fact on the bottom. (If they need a reminder the answer is written on the inside of the cup). 

My students literally beg to play this game. They battle to make the tallest tower in the shortest amount of time during indoor recess. They have even created adaptations to the game were a third player must write down the answers while the others stack the cups. I LOVE THIER CREATIVITY! Aren't kids the best?!

My next math tidbit for this post is about area and perimeter. My fourth grade friends have been working on area and perimeter for some time now. I wanted to think of a way to let them review what they knew. I wanted to do something tangible and fun! 

I used Cheez-Its as a way for students to visualize 1 square inch. It worked wonderfully and the students really enjoyed it! 

I began by giving the students the area (25 Cheez-Its) and having them find the length and width of the rectangle. Then, I reversed it giving them the dimensions and having them find the area. I did the same with perimeter. I even threw in some "missing-side" problems at the end! The possibilities are endless!

Lastly, since I came into the classroom as a long term sub, I really had wanted a way to gauge my students full understanding of the topics that had been taught thus-far in the school year. I wanted to do something fun! I created a bulletin board and what we call problem of the week. Once a week, the students get one math problem. Because it is only one problem, they are expected to do their absolute best. The problem requires a model, a equation, and a written explanation in which they must highlight their mathematical vocabulary. The problem gets turned in at the end of the week.

One of my favorite things about this is that if students don't get a problem I offer "mini-lessons" for help. I announce that I am holding a mini lesson and those students who feel like they need a little extra help are able to get a quick review on the topic. 

It is amazing to see how far their responses have come on these people! They have improved leaps and bounds and their written explanations blow me away. 

Mid-Winter Break Creations

Well, February break has arrived friends. 

A week full of creating, cups of coffee, and pajama-wearing-days is certainly in order! 

Even over break, I can't help but think about my kiddos. I have already made a trip to the used book store to shop around for some new additions to my library. My local book store had a awesome deal on all of their books this week! I bought a bunch of books and I was super impressed with their quality and selection. 

I find that once your library grows, it can be hard to remember which books you own and which you don't (of course there are some titles that owning more than one copy of is completely justified). Whenever I go on a book-buying binge, I utilize my all-time favorite library inventory app: Book Crawler. The app (available on iOS) allows you to scan the ISBN code right on the back of the book using your iPhone or iPads camera! Talk about simple! Immediately you can choose to add that book to your library. Whenever I am unsure of whether or not I already own a book, I simply pick up my phone and scan away. It tells me if I own the book, what other books I own by that author, and how many copies are already in my library. I LOVE IT! No more wondering, simply scan away!

On another note, all this cold and snow this winter has lead to many indoor recess days. My kiddos have games to play, but they are getting understandably restless. I made them a promise the week before we left for break: If they could show me they could take care of the materials that they have, I would add to their indoor recess inventory! Let me tell you, they did an AWESOME job. 

True to my word, I have created a indoor recess bin. I just love that everything fits neatly inside of this plastic crate! I can tuck it inside my cupboards and be sure that it is all in one place. OOOOOH THE ORGANIZATION!

For the outside of the bin, I found this adorable poem on another blog. I plan to read it during our morning meeting on monday when we go back. I'm hoping it really encourages them to clean up after they are done playing. Download this poem by clicking here!

I find that card games are a great way to keep them occupied and sitting down, however the boxes that they come in are constantly being torn up. Don't get my started on how many times I have found an Old Maid card lying on my classroom floor. I took a trip to the Dollar Tree and purchased tiny plastic containers. I bought two sizes to accommodate to the many sized card games. On the outside of the box, I hot glued the front of the package. On the inside, I glued the instructions. This is a simple way to simplify a game. The students simply snap the box closed when they are finished playing. As a side note, I absolutely love the bulky snap handles on the side of these boxes. They are perfect for little hands. 

Also: They stack! 

I can not wait to see this new system in action! I know my kiddos will love all of the new additions. 

Dreams Coming True

Although I recently ended one of the best experiences of my life, I have since been given a new opportunity. I have been asked to be a long term substitute teacher in a 3rd and 4th grade classroom!

This subbing opportunity is one of indefinite length. It could go as far as the end of the school year.
I am SO excited to be back at my school and working with such a wonderful staff and awesome students.

I have been hard at work creating things for my room. There are some things that I real wanted to implement and try out. I am thrilled to be starting soon! Now if it would just stop snowing..... *sigh*........ snow day #9.....

One of the first things I created was something that we used in the classroom that I student taught in. It is a very simple project, but it makes all the difference in the world. I purchased a large crate. It is important to find the ones that you can hand the file folders inside of. You will know by looking at the  ring that is inside of the perimeter of the crate. I then purchased hanging file folders. I needed 32 to complete this project.

The use of this crate is to store extra papers. So often we make "a few extras" when we are copying papers in order to ensure that we have some in case students make a mistake or lose them. Often times students are absent and are unable to get a copy until they return to school. This crate solves all of those problems! All of the extras from a particular date go into the corresponding numbered hanging file folder. For example, February 1st's papers would all go into the file folder labeled "1".

When absent students come to pick up their work, you simply go in to the labeled folder and retrieve their work. It truly takes the confusion out of finding extras!

I also created "Absent Folders". I store these in a hanging file folder at the back of the crate.These stay on the desks of absent students and go home with all of the work they missed while they were out. The students are pretty good about filling them with work for their absent friends. I'm in love with this system!  I bought these adorable folders on TPT!

I also created a No Name Board. This is a project that is all over Pinterest and I have been dying to make one for quite some time! I love the way it turned out.

I used a piece of MDF board cut from Home Depot. I glued black card stock on to the board and finished off the edges of the board with wide, neon washi tape. I bought the question mark clipart on TPT and glued them on to card stock for durability. 

I received a Circuit cutting machine for Christmas and have been putting it to good use! For the "No Names" text on the board, I used the Circuit Chalkboard Fonts cartridge. 

To finish it off, I hot glued clothes-pins to the question marks and then glued them on the boards. I then glued 1-inch ribbon to the back of the board! TA-DA! No more messy piles of no-name papers.