Excited about Next Week!

So I know I was just on Spring Break last week, but after a week back in class, I think I am already ready for another rest!  Fortunately, my district planned for that by giving us next Friday off school too!  Can't get much better than that...but that's not the only reason I'm excited for next week.  I just finished my lesson plans, and I have some fun stuff planned.  I'm also really enjoying Math lately because I recently switched to a Math Workstation model so I have more time with small groups for test prep.  I love the workstation model so much more than whole-group.

Here are some of the activities I have been using/will use for Math Workstations (click on the picture to go find that product on TPT):

   

I'm really excited to start a fun how-to writing unit next week also, beginning with discussion cards where students practice orally giving direction before they try writing.  Then they will try their first how-to paper about how to go down a slide, and I will try to follow their directions out on the playground to see who did the best job!  Here is the unit I will be using:

And in Reading class, we are reading Because of Winn-Dixie (which the students are loving), so next week we are doing a "10 Things I Learned about my Classmate" interview and news article project.  I think my students are going to love it!  I am using the project from this amazing unit:

To end on a high note, I will share something that made me laugh (on the inside so as not to cause embarrassment)!  My 3rd graders were reading a passage about simple machines.  You know, levers, wedges, and whatnot.  After reading over this passage, working through some questions, and discussing simple machines for a couple days, we were working on a question about what simple machine they think is most important.  I called on one sweet girl who just has the hardest time focusing/comprehending/giving answers that aren't from la-la land :)  She said that the most important simple machine is.....wait for it......SNACK machines!  Oh goodness, how much time do I have to prepare these kids for state testing again....?!?! Happy almost-Friday everyone!