tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56124265118916511722024-03-05T13:13:57.172-08:00Ladybug's Lounge Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-43382394400320842702014-05-03T07:20:00.001-07:002014-05-03T07:24:19.604-07:00May CurrentlyEven though I've been reading people's Currently posts for a couple years, this is my first time linking up with Farley over at <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2014/05/may-currently.html" target="_blank">Oh' Boy Fourth Grade</a>! It was fun filling out the Currently, and it really got me to reflect on my life right now! <br />
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<b>Listening</b>: I am the only morning person in my apartment, and I absolutely love my peaceful morning time. All I can hear right now is the tapping of my laptop keys and the hum of the refrigerator. </div>
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<b>Loving</b>: My 4th graders turned in their project proposals for their passion projects on Friday. They get to choose any topic they are interested in learning more about. Over the next couple of weeks, they will have time to research their topics and create products to present to the class. Here are some of their topics:</div>
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September 11th</div>
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World War II</div>
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The History of Wrestling</div>
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Pioneer Days</div>
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The Amazon Rainforest</div>
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Egyptian Pyramids</div>
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Volcano Eruption in Pompeii</div>
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It was so thrilling for me to watch each and every student light up with excitement as they began learning about their topics in the computer lab. I really believe that this project will inspire them to become lifelong learners!</div>
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<b>Thinking</b>: I'm really going to miss this bunch of students. I had most of them 2 years in a row because I moved up with them from 3rd to 4th grade. Their little personalities have become such a big part of my life, and I've loved watching them all show so much growth over two years. Not just academically, but also their in their stamina and maturity.</div>
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<b>Wanting</b>: It's time. I need to get the process started to get my Master's to be a Reading Specialist. I miss the classroom environment and discussing professional literature. And I'm excited about the job opportunities that could come along with that degree. My heart belongs to reading and writing! </div>
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<b>Needing</b>: It's been too long since my last massage - a couple months I think. Massages are the one luxury I provide myself, because I hate shopping for clothes, I don't wear makeup, and I rarely get pedicures. What I need is someone working out those knots around my shoulder blades and in my neck as often as possible! </div>
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<b>Surprise</b>: I chose <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?blog=7258523&group=0&frame_type=b&link=aHR0cDovL3d3dy50aGV0ZWFjaGVyc3R1ZGlvLmNvbS8&frame=1&click=0&user=0" target="_blank">The Teacher Studio</a>. I always make sure to read Meg's blog posts because I know it will be valuable information. I love how she gets her students to think deeply about math topics and also encourages creativity in her classroom. Here are a couple of her products that are my favorite of her ideas:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Concept-Sorts-A-Set-of-5-Angle-Sorts-for-Grades-4-and-5-1085001" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Concept-Sorts-A-Set-of-5-Angle-Sorts-for-Grades-4-and-5-1085001/original-1085001-1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Open-Ended-Math-Challenges-Set-2-Grades-3-6-774927" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Open-Ended-Math-Challenges-Set-2-Grades-3-6-014980700-1374015364/original-774927-1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Well, my peaceful morning time is about the end. Need to get my day started. Maybe I''ll go for a stroll because it looks like it's a nice sunny day out! Looking forward to reading other people's Currently posts and finding some new blogs to follow!</div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-67813604280925384412014-04-28T17:04:00.000-07:002014-04-28T17:07:06.796-07:00My Weekend Read-a-ThonI'm linking up with Teaching Maddeness for Must Read Monday.<br />
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So I have three boxes full of books for my classroom, which I either bought at Half Price Books or ordered from Scholastic. For several reasons, I am trying to read all the books first before I actually take them in to my classroom. I want to be able to recommend the books to certain students based on who I think will like the books after I read them. I need to check to make sure some of the books are appropriate. And, let's be honest, I just love reading children's literature and want to read them myself before they get lost in my <strike>classroom library</strike> students' backpacks and houses. <br />
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I'm trying to get through as many books as possible as quickly as possible because there are only 6 weeks left of school! So I had myself a little read-a-thon this weekend! Here's what I thought of each book.<br />
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<a href="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n61/n307190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n61/n307190.jpg" height="320" width="237" /></a></div>
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This book has a pretty overused idea (the same day repeating itself), but the author does have a couple creative twists to the story. The writing isn't the best, but it is still a story that my 4th grade kids would get into. When I introduced it to the class, everyone was interested in reading it, so I pulled a random card and gave the boy who won a week to finish it so we can pass it on to someone else. </div>
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<b>My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars</b></div>
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This isn't going to become a classic piece of literature, but it will reel in some of your reluctant readers with an interesting storyline.</div>
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<a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRrQv36l41gql7ufMLmf7I4YNOPRrPvRwWnowsH1qd-AoXOibtbpw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRrQv36l41gql7ufMLmf7I4YNOPRrPvRwWnowsH1qd-AoXOibtbpw" /></a></div>
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This book is a fun-filled introduction to Greek Mythology. It gives an overview of all the gods and goddesses, as well as information about the monsters, muses, and other figures in Greek Mythology. I love how it gives Pop Culture facts about where we see influences from Greek Mythology today. The illustrations are bright and eye-catching. I know my students are extremely interested in learning about mythology, so I might consider reading parts of this as a reward throughout the day when my students are behaving. </div>
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<b>My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars</b></div>
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This book is a great nonfiction choice for students to have fun while learning something new. </div>
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This is a great book to integrate Math into your read aloud time. The boys in the book become "numbed" by a robot, which means they forget how to do all math. In order to gain their math skills back, they have to complete a series of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. Then they have to solve some stumper word problems. Kids will enjoy trying to figure out the math in the book before the characters do. The writing isn't that great, but the math conversations will be abundant.</div>
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<b>My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars</b></div>
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I rate this book highly based on how excited I am to find a book that tells an interesting story and also incorporates a ton of opportunities for rich math discussions. </div>
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/33/The_Fabled_Fourth_Graders_of_Aesop_Elementary_School.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/33/The_Fabled_Fourth_Graders_of_Aesop_Elementary_School.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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Oh my goodness, this book has so much potential. It is like a mixture between Aesop's Fables and the Wayside School books. Each little chapter is based on one of Aesop's Fables, but it is adapted to be about the kids and teachers of Aesop Elementary School. They are really humorous stories, and each chapter even ends with a moral. The book takes you through one school year, from the first to the last day. I could see myself using this book as a read aloud and also reading aloud the corresponding fable. We could discuss similarities and differences between the two. In Writing, students could write their own spin-offs of fables.</div>
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<b>My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars</b></div>
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This book is so clever and kids will definitely appreciate the humor the author weaves throughout every little story. It has the potential to really turn kids on to reading!</div>
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Have you read any of these books before? Do you agree with my ratings? I can't wait to have another read-a-thon soon. So many books, so little time!</div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-71292624385491636532014-04-27T06:14:00.000-07:002014-04-27T06:20:45.344-07:00Peek at My Week - Fun Stuff!Woo Hoo! I am so excited for everything I have planned for this week, now that our state testing is over. We still have 4 days of national-normed testing coming up at some point, but I don't plan on doing much (if any) test prep for that. It's actually the kind of test where good teaching should lead to good scores. (Unlike our state test, which asks questions where the kids don't even understand what half the words in the questions mean)! Enough about testing. Let's get on to my plans for the week! I'm linking up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings.<br />
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Writing</span></h2>
Last week, we had bubblegum day, which I posted about <a href="http://ladybugslounge4teachers.blogspot.com/2014/04/five-for-friday-testing-and-bubblegum.html" target="_blank">{here}</a>. One of the activities was for the kids to write about getting trapped inside a gumball machine. On Friday, I told them that not only would we be publishing our stories on the hallway bulletin board, we would also be publishing them in a REAL, HARDBOUND BOOK! They got super excited. I told them our deadline to get our work to our publisher is this coming Friday. So this project is our top priority this week. I'm using Student Treasures. The whole class will get one free copy of our book, and parents can order their own copy for $19.95. I'm curious to see how many parents order a copy. Click the picture to go to their website.<br />
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<a href="http://www.studentreasures.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.studentreasures.com/studentreasures/site/images/studentreasures-logo.png" height="55" width="320" /></a></div>
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Reading</span></h2>
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Awhile ago, I purchased <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Book-Clubs-Literature-Circles-Made-Easy-432265" target="_blank">Laura Candler's Classroom Book Clubs</a> product. It is the perfect starter kit for doing book clubs. And I will finally have the time to do our book clubs starting this week! Here are the books that I am going to let my students choose from:</div>
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Monday, I'll introduce the books and let students browse through them and rate their choices. I'll look over their ratings Monday night and we will get started reading on Tuesday. If a book is above a child's reading level, I'm going to have them buddy read with someone on a higher level in their group. I'm hoping that the kids are going to really enjoy this new format for Reading Workshop as we wrap up the year. </div>
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Math</span></h2>
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No more test prep Math! Those are such beautiful words to say! This week, we are going to be working on a fun, challenging problem via The Teacher Studio's Open Ended Math Challenges. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Open-Ended-Math-Challenges-Set-1-Grades-3-6-467242" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Open-Ended-Math-Challenges-Grades-3-6/original-467242-1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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According to the product, one problem can take 2-3 days to solve. My students can always use more problem-solving skills, and it will be nice to be able to let them loose on a problem without a strict time limit. If students finish the problem while others are still working, I plan on having them practice their 2 digit multiplication, as well as their long division. I will even start challenging them with 5th grade multiplication and division.</div>
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Science</span></h2>
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We are going to start learning about animal adaptations. I plan on showing a few videos this week, starting with this one:</div>
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It is all about camouflage, which should be an interesting introduction into adaptations. After a short video and discussion each day, I plan on having my students do adaptation rotations from The Science Penguin.</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adapt-A-Science-Stations-Unit-1070020" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Adapt-A-Science-Stations-Unit-1070020/original-1070020-1.jpg" height="244" width="320" /></a></div>
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My kids LOVE Science, and I plan on fitting it in every single day to make up for losing Science time during test prep. </div>
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In Texas, 4th graders learn all about our state history. At the end of May, we're going on a field trip to San Antonio to see the San Jose Mission and, of course, The Alamo! I definitely have some catching up to do before that field trip. So far, we've learned about TX Native Americans and European exploration. This week, we will be reading in our Social Studies books about how the TX Revolution got started, which will lead us up to the Alamo. I also plan on using some read alouds like these:</div>
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Genius Hour</span></h2>
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As if all that weren't enough, I just can't resist the chance to try out some Genius Hour this year. I know that my kids would love the chance to research any topic they're interested in. Some things we've talked about this year, but haven't gotten into much, are rainforests, World War II, the 4th dimension, endangered animals, and so much more. I really want to ignite their passion for learning by letting them explore any topic they want to. We won't be doing much this week - I will just be introducing the idea to them and having them brainstorm topics. I want them to have their topics chosen by Friday so we can get started next week. I'm using some planning pages from this pack:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Genius-Hour-Starter-Pack-1142662" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Genius-Hour-Starter-Pack-1398139264/original-1142662-1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Looking forward to this week! Thanks for looking at my plans. What fun things are YOU doing to keep your students motivated the last weeks of school?</div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-43510228245526309522014-04-25T15:31:00.000-07:002014-04-25T15:32:20.733-07:00Five for Friday - Testing and Bubblegum Day!<div>
I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share 5 random things from my week.</div>
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We had our state STAAR testing this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it already seems like forever ago! This is what my room looked like for those days. We had to cover all bookshelves, remove everything from under our desks, and take everything off the walls. All the stress has just melted away, and all that's left behind is the torture of waiting about 3 weeks for the scores to come in. I feel strangely calm about it this year because I could just feel a different energy from my kids during the testing days. They seemed more motivated than any class I've had before, and they kept the test at least 3 hours each day. Some of my students who had extra time accommodations kept working until 3 o'clock dismissal both days! </div>
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The day after testing, I wanted to give my students a fun-filled day. I was so excited to read about Bubblegum Day over on <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?post=2694689085&group=0&frame_type=b&blog=5219835&link=aHR0cDovL2lkZWFzYnlqaXZleS5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vMjAxNC8wNC93b3Jrc2hvcC13ZWRuZXNkYXktcHJlcGFyaW5nLWZvci10ZXN0Lmh0bWw&frame=1&click=0&user=0" target="_blank">Ideas by Jivey</a>. I went straight to her store and bought her Bubblegum Day product. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bubble-Gum-Day-for-3rd-4th-Graders-737112" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Bubble-Gum-Day-for-3rd-4th-Graders-1398075602/original-737112-1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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My kids absolutely loved it. I bought two types of gum - watermelon and tropical island - and let them chew one piece during the morning while they did the math activities. Then I let them chew the second piece later in the morning during their reading and writing activities. It was the perfect way to get 2 days of testing out of our systems!</div>
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I was so surprised to get this sweet present from one of my boys today! It's a candle, and it smells delicious. I love candles, so can't wait to find a spot for it at home and enjoy the scent. </div>
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My students had their Pep Award Ceremony in the gym today. We were the first class there, and one of my students asked if they could read. I said sure, and next thing I knew, my whole class got their books out and started reading. Even when the other classes noisily walked in, my class kept reading. This was such a proud teacher moment for me, I had to snap a picture!</div>
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I finished both of these books this week, and they are two of my new favorite books. Each one had a big WOW moment for me. I really want to share both as read alouds with my class, but I don't think there will be time left this year. So I am going to have my students vote next week as soon as we finish our current read aloud, <u>Harriet the Spy</u>.</div>
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There you have it! My 5 random things from this week. I'm off to have a movie and pizza night with my boyfriend. Enjoy your Friday evening!</div>
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Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-34847946439290642762014-04-18T19:48:00.000-07:002014-04-19T09:32:27.474-07:00Five For FridayEven though this was the week before our big state test (STAAR) for my 4th graders, it has really been one of my favorite weeks of the year! I'll link up some of my reasons why for this week's Five For Friday linky over at <a href="http://www.doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2014/04/five-for-friday-linky-party-april-18.html" target="_blank">Doodle Bugs</a>. <br />
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For one thing, getting dressed for work this week was really fun. We had a "testing tips" dress code. My favorite days were Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, we wore our PJ's to represent getting a good night's sleep before testing days. The kids loved these slippers I wore around all day with my pajama set.</div>
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=69204939" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=69204939" /></a></div>
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Tuesday we wore bright fruity colors to represent eating a healthy breakfast. I loved getting to wear extremely bright colors all together at the same time and not caring if they matched or not because it was for a fun reason!</div>
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I feel like the biggest part of making sure kids work their hardest next week is the MOTIVATION piece. I still did whole group and small group review every day this week, but I also made sure to include some inspiration every day. One day, we watched <u>Thank You, Mr. Falker</u> by Patricia Polacco on storylineonline.net. We discussed how we could use Patricia's story of starting off as a struggling reader to growing into one of the most famous children's authors as inspiration for working our hardest on the test. </div>
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Another day, I used an article about bristlecone pine trees from this book:</div>
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The article describes how this type of tree has been alive for 5,000 years, even though it struggles in harsh conditions, such as strong winds and little rain. It grows slowly, which helps make it dense and strong. We applied this to testing, making connections like that we need to work slowly on the test in order to make our final scores stronger.</div>
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Today, I used an idea from this test prep pack:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Test-Prep-101-for-Grades-3-5-576688" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Reading-Test-Prep-101-Mini-Unit-for-Grades-3-5/original-576688-1.jpg" height="320" width="246" /></a></div>
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I showed the kids an online video version of "The Tortoise and the Hare." We decided that we want to be like the tortoise when we take the test: stay focused on our goal, work slow and steady, and believe in ourselves. </div>
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I told the kids that they have 3 role models to keep in mind during testing next week, especially if they find their energy levels or motivation dropping. They can think of Patricia Polacco, the bristlecone pine tree, and the tortoise!</div>
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We had the most amazing STAAR pep rally at my school today. I've taught at this school for 6 years, and we have never done anything like this before. It was the highlight of my week. Grades K-2 made huge signs and held them up while the upper grades entered the gym. All the younger kids were cheering for us, and there was lively music playing. Our Dance teacher taught some of the 2nd grade girls some STAAR cheers that they performed on stage. The teachers were called out to go do the Cupid Shuffle in front of everyone. Student volunteers were chosen to have fun dancing to The Wobble. There was even a relay race to see who could bubble in these 2 huge bubbles the quickest (to represent bubbling in our answer documents completely haha!) The principal gave a speech about thinking about the people who love us and care about us instead of feeling scared or nervous. </div>
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Best part of my day - his speech brought 2 of my sweet boys to tears. At first, I thought they were feeling scared for the test. Turned out, they were just overwhelmed by the principal's words. They were full of joy and inspiration. Cutest thing ever! I was there to pat them on the back and tell them my emotions get the best of me all the time too!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeoNMekTINedPabSd1E6gIasRV66Du7n5vpq1qrC6kdafKOCP7kT7jvmkMM4FR31E0F5mkUCQkn4nkXtR44sRUt0acramvWK3MIs-ShwMfbSFfTjP0BF5QtACHias_AdA8QH7ftZKy7ZE/s1600/STAAR+Care+Package.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeoNMekTINedPabSd1E6gIasRV66Du7n5vpq1qrC6kdafKOCP7kT7jvmkMM4FR31E0F5mkUCQkn4nkXtR44sRUt0acramvWK3MIs-ShwMfbSFfTjP0BF5QtACHias_AdA8QH7ftZKy7ZE/s1600/STAAR+Care+Package.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>Besides cheering for us at the pep rally, our reading buddies also made us the sweetest little STAAR care packages. They wrote their buddies encouraging notes with the cutest pictures, and they gave each of my students a blow pop (You're going to blow this test out of the water), some cookies (You're one smart cookie), and some Smarties (You're a smarty pants). These care packages really brightened up my students' day and they felt so supported.</div>
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Finally, something un-test related. My boyfriend's birthday was this week. I made him my BBQ chicken pizza that he absolutely can never get enough of. The recipe is inspired by California Pizza Kitchen's version.</div>
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<a href="http://www.thegourmetgadgetblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bbq-chicken-pizza-the-gourmet-gadget.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.thegourmetgadgetblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bbq-chicken-pizza-the-gourmet-gadget.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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I buy a store-bought pizza crust. For the toppings, I crisp up some bacon and chicken. I mix BBQ sauce in with the chicken. Then I put BBQ sauce on the crust, top it with chopped red onion and jalapeno, as well as the bacon and chicken. Last, I pile on smoked gouda cheese. Pop it in the oven according to the directions on the pizza crust, and there you go. I promised him I'll make it again soon...he wanted 2 whole pizzas this time and they only lasted him about a day and a half! It's a real treat for him when I make this pizza because I'm vegan and really don't care for handling meat. So that makes him appreciate it even more.</div>
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I also got him tickets off of Living Social for 2 private dance lessons. Can't wait to go to them!</div>
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Whew, that was a long post! Now to start my relaxing weekend and rest myself up for 2 full days of testing next week. I hope my students feel as calm and confident as I do!</div>
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Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-89142449115341142642014-04-13T17:02:00.002-07:002014-04-13T17:23:53.458-07:00A Peek at My Week - Last Week Before TestingThe last week before STAAR testing is finally here. That means the last week of staying later than usual for after school tutorials - yay! That's a definite positive, although a negative of this week is that we were supposed to have Friday off. But Houston actually had 2 ice days this winter, and we have to make them both up. Oh well, that means one extra day to review before testing, right? :)<br />
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For this week, I am actually really excited about a product I found on TPT to help review for the reading test. <br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Test-Prep-101-for-Grades-3-5-576688" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Reading-Test-Prep-101-Mini-Unit-for-Grades-3-5-1397183703/original-576688-1.jpg" height="320" width="246" /></a></div>
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It's made by Teacher Trap, and it is one of my favorite things I've ever bought on TPT. It is really going to help kids analyze the structure of the Reading test and its questions. I also love the last couple activities that will be like a last minute "pep talk" for my kids. As you can tell from the cover, one of the activities involves using the story of "The Tortoise and the Hare" and comparing it to being a good test taker. Such a simple idea, but something I had never thought of before - genius!</div>
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Along with activities from this unit, I also plan on continuing to review some of the skills that show up on the test the most - summarizing, context clues, and making inferences. One new product I found for context clues is this one by Logical Lex:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Context-Clues-Cards-3-third-set-608245" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Context-Clues-Cards-3-third-set/original-608245-1.jpg" height="320" width="246" /></a></div>
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I already blogged about some of the other products I'm using to review the other skills <a href="http://www.ladybugslounge4teachers.blogspot.com/2014/04/peek-at-my-week-2-weeks-until-state.html" target="_blank">{here}</a>.</div>
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I've also already written a lot about how we're reviewing for the Math STAAR using a math scrimmage game. You can read more about that <a href="http://www.ladybugslounge4teachers.blogspot.com/2014/04/spark-student-motivation-math-scrimmage.html" target="_blank">{here}</a>. It is hands down the most motivational math test review I've ever done with a class. They absolutely love it! </div>
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And what I'm most excited for this week is the fun testing dress code our school is implementing based on information I found at <a href="https://www.connectionsacademy.com/blog/posts/2013-03-11/How-to-Prepare-for-State-Test-Taking.aspx" target="_blank">Connections Academy Blog</a>. Tomorrow is PJ day to remind students to get a good night's sleep the nights before testing. I found these cute and comfy PJ's from Target this weekend that I'll be lounging around in during test prep tomorrow!</div>
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<a href="http://www.target.com/p/gilligan-o-malley-reg-women-s-knit-pajama-set-assorted-colors/-/A-14895494#prodSlot=large_1_20" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://Img3.targetimg3.com/wcsstore/TargetSAS//img/p/14/88/14887834_201311291258.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm linking this post up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings for A Peek at my Week.</div>
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<a href="http://mrslaffinslaughings.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-peek-at-my-week-4-13-14.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEnNHyiupcu_DSK8L6Epz8aKIvWInND9CU3QVanH6yDDLBtvSg87Adn381tQ6DO7jsx5O0VYPvnQLevFJN6dz-h5zEUReQvzklR7vim2rjHEiBG5yyWVfIBOAEytXeJ_cU4csDoheUTk/s1600/Slide1.PNG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm off to make my salad lunches for the week (I make all 5 salads on Sunday) and watch the MTV Movie Awards. Love a lazy Sunday!</div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-49947927854198046882014-04-10T04:20:00.002-07:002014-04-13T17:23:24.152-07:00Positive Thinking Thursday - Fun Dress for the Week Before Testing!I have a VERY positive thought for today to link up over at Mrs. Laffin's Laughings Positive Thinking Thursday!<br />
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<a href="http://mrslaffinslaughings.blogspot.com/2014/04/positive-thinking-thursday-bringing.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheil99CFchAC1z79kMjVnigwXfU8sM_9SDMW8JeyuQYIdYax_Y8UBGsVxdF7FbdLqWnKewam7hVBP9BOl_g9FjCmoBuZlM5fzV6pHALrdgXxIlFm6T0rdEDz9mVfIiIzrp6pnuedNqjt0/s1600/Positive+Thinking+Thursday+Button.PNG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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My positive thought is about...standardized testing! Wait, what? Yes it's true! While searching around on the internet for ways to motivate my students and lessen the stress of testing, I came across the <a href="https://www.connectionsacademy.com/blog/posts/2013-03-11/How-to-Prepare-for-State-Test-Taking.aspx" target="_blank">Connections Academy Blog</a>. They have this amazing, super creative idea for a fun dress code that ALSO reinforces testing tips for every day of the week before your school's tests. For example, "Wear pajamas on Monday" reinforces the testing tip of getting a good night's rest the day before any test. </div>
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I didn't want to break any copyright laws by posting all of the days of the week right here, but if you click the picture below it will take you right over to their page. </div>
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<a href="https://www.connectionsacademy.com/blog/posts/2013-03-11/How-to-Prepare-for-State-Test-Taking.aspx" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieeu8-upNqs_KmalNv3AvQ77KENd39U9CfctjFnjlbku1bGzIJww5VE70mMSTRYqjdEMHZ4KBDwmxM_PDwnYwnk-YjvD3FUIOpmEolgM3amkzBKkPxfrFsMDtsuTq_oKwyVVR4Ja08XSzv/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I found this idea last night, got approval from my Dean of Instruction (in fact, he wants to share it with all the other testing grades in my school), and typed up a quick flyer this morning. And just like that, my positive thought for today is that next week I know my kids will be excited about the idea of "testing" because it now involves a really fun week's worth of clothing! Yay! </div>
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I am still on the lookout for other fun ways to motivate my class next week, so let me know if you have any other ideas you use with your class. Can't wait to see more positive thoughts over at the linky!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wKwNxLDWC6CQ3MG-r5QQuwue213kO15Aq9jAKJ_xzPqEnKNel-oTXfwtbDj_5XDar-RHGgxamyyoJcG_AVAVo9anRg29KthYQLmQRtJKXKRENtlMZbsR3uvYBLeHT_yJBx75NuWfeJ85/s1600/Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wKwNxLDWC6CQ3MG-r5QQuwue213kO15Aq9jAKJ_xzPqEnKNel-oTXfwtbDj_5XDar-RHGgxamyyoJcG_AVAVo9anRg29KthYQLmQRtJKXKRENtlMZbsR3uvYBLeHT_yJBx75NuWfeJ85/s1600/Signature.png" /></a></div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-52088251544552575112014-04-09T18:12:00.002-07:002014-04-09T18:47:00.349-07:00Wordless Wednesday - Mastering Multiplication Facts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am linking up with Sugar and Spice's Wordless Wednesday linky. This is the perfect linky for today because my boyfriend and I had a movie night, and now there is not much time left before bed starts calling my name! :) Click the picture below to see what pictures others have linked up.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?post=2625471247&group=0&frame_type=a&blog=5245235&link=aHR0cDovL3NlY29uZGdyYWRlc3VnYXJhbmRzcGljZS5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vMjAxNC8wNC93b3JkbGVzcy13ZWRuZXNkYXktbWF0aC1tYW5pcHVsYXRpdmVzLmh0bWw&frame=1&click=0&user=0" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4euCyAnsXyezHbGlpgUXDSfi6mxVfh3ECc7dHDpbxPkoTn6MdYPPIITL7w9hzXJhlqthwXg9L4FrJAj5Z67nQ9CDKiOP36E6LDbyvvSW1ckq5fGGs2O_XdcqIlsmUikZi4nYGhNTWb4/s1600/WordlessWednesdayLinkyPic.png" height="256" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is my blurry shot from today...(my hands were a little shaky because it was lunchtime and I was hungry, but I wanted to remember to take this picture before I forgot)!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmva5mUC2AFoRh_hKnZzIzd57fGQFODNYvrhGVf4TW_F3POblz4IwrB0x7Z1ErCGX-4nSxk3_ekpKLjEyDu_azCVFiOnBVAJzBG_ybqdXDqQzCAaV520faaQ4lBBahhahbyf65Wjnow6L/s1600/Math+Fact+Trains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmva5mUC2AFoRh_hKnZzIzd57fGQFODNYvrhGVf4TW_F3POblz4IwrB0x7Z1ErCGX-4nSxk3_ekpKLjEyDu_azCVFiOnBVAJzBG_ybqdXDqQzCAaV520faaQ4lBBahhahbyf65Wjnow6L/s1600/Math+Fact+Trains.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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Have all your students learned all their multiplication facts yet? How do you motivate them?</div>
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And I know this is supposed to be "wordless," but I have to give credit to the amazing Laura Candler and her <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mastering-Math-Facts-Multiplication-and-Division-Aligned-with-the-Common-Core-63175" target="_blank">Mastering Math Facts</a> program for the train tracker idea and templates in the pic!</div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-68294161880147895672014-04-07T18:19:00.000-07:002014-04-07T18:19:39.409-07:00It's Monday, What Are You Reading? - Pinocula<div>
I'm excited to have found a linky I haven't seen before. It's called, "It's Monday, What Are You Reading?" Can't wait to read some of the other posts and discover some new books!</div>
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This school year, I decided to try to read EVERY book that I get for my classroom from Scholastic. If I read the books first, then I can recommend them to particular students AND when I ask them what the book is about, I can make sure they are comprehending it. This goal of mine has led me to read some books that I normally would have just passed along to students. The one I'm reading now is one that never would have interested me at first glance. It is called <u>Pinocula</u> by Obert Skye. <div>
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This book came free in a 10-pack of books from Scholastic because my class had spent so much money. This book would definitely not be on my top list of books to read at first glance. However, I'm glad that my goal of reading every book before I take it to my classroom is exposing me to new types of books I wouldn't normally try. This book is actually very funny and clever. I figured out pretty quickly that it's actually the second book in a series. I've learned so far that the main character has a closet with leftover lab supplies and books inside it. When characters from the books get mixed together, creatures are formed! In this book, Pinocula is formed from <u>Pinocchio</u> and <u>Dracula</u>. </div>
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The author mixes drawings with text, and his drawings are full of humorous details that you might miss if you don't pay close attention. I'm almost halfway through the book now, and I would say that I will be recommending it to some of my higher readers. I have some <u>Big Nate</u> fans in my class, and I think this book will be right up their alley. I teach 4th grade, and I think this book would actually be perfect for 5th and 6th graders. But a few of my kids will definitely be interested in the funny title and concept of the book.</div>
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I'm going to get back to finishing this book now so I can hopefully take it in to my class tomorrow and recommend it to someone - I have the perfect student in mind for this one! Then, I'm on to the next book in my huge pile of children's literature that I need to get through :)</div>
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Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-64254543149208558522014-04-06T10:51:00.002-07:002014-04-06T11:06:38.546-07:00Peek at my Week - 2 Weeks Until State Testing!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am linking up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings to share what I have planned for this week...with only 2 weeks to go until Texas state testing for my 4th graders, I needed to have a solid plan for every minute!</div>
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In Math, I started by creating a plan for Whole Group and Small Group review based on which objectives my students need more practice with. Click the link to view a google doc showing how I organized my Whole Group and Small Groups review.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B56e4qIWf3SKOXZ4MlZtZHRkWXM/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Math STAAR Review Groups</a> <br />
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In the mornings, the whole class will participate in our Math Scrimmage competition that I blogged about <a href="http://ladybugslounge4teachers.blogspot.com/2014/04/spark-student-motivation-math-scrimmage.html" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">HERE</a> yesterday. In the afternoons, I will use the information on the google doc to review a skill with the whole class. Then, I will work with a couple small groups on their targeted objectives while the other kids either do fact practice, a spiral review worksheet, or STAAR task cards. This time will be a Math Workshop, with students assigned to what they are supposed to work on. The task cards they will be using are these by Gina Kennedy:<br />
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For Reading, I only had 9 kids fail the practice Released STAAR test we took a couple months ago. So my main small group focus is going to be on them during the next couple of weeks. I plan on doing a short whole group review every day. One resource I will use during this time is these Paired Reading Selection cards by Rosie's Resources:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Text-Connections-Paired-Reading-Selections-480486" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Text-Connections-Paired-Reading-Selections/original-480486-1.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
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I will also review summarizing with the task cards from my Summarizing unit:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summarizing-Pack-375323" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://datax.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Summarizing-Pack-1396806601/original-375323-1.jpg" height="307" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then, in small groups with the 9 students who failed the benchmark, I will use various short passages with questions and task cards. I plan on meeting with 2 groups per day (5 students in one group and 4 in the other) every day for the next two weeks. Here are some of the task cards I plan on using:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Literal-Vs-Inferential-Comprehension-Task-Cards-Inference-in-Passages--562072" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Literal-Vs-Inferential-Comprehension-Task-Cards-Inference-in-Passages-/original-562072-1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Inference-Task-Cards-24-Cards-with-Short-Stories-and-Questions-192996" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Inference-Task-Cards-24-Cards-with-short-stories-and-questions/original-192996-1.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, as you can see, I have a LOT of small group time planned for this week. Last chance to get as many students as possible over the "Passing" line for the big test! If you teach a testing grade, how do you plan out your last couple weeks before the big day(s)? Link up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings to share...I'd LOVE to see what others are doing!</div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-2741554178136914942014-04-05T06:57:00.000-07:002014-04-05T11:35:29.987-07:00Spark Student Motivation: Math Scrimmage <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yay!!! My class has one state test (Writing) down! In Texas, 4th graders have a 2-day, 4-hours-each-day Writing test, and I am sooo relieved it is done. I am also SO proud of my students because I heard from their test monitors that they were working very hard the whole time. Nothing makes me prouder as their teacher :) *Happy Dance!!*</div>
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So that's one sigh of relief. BUT, before I get too excited, there are still the state Reading and Math tests to prepare for...which are coming up fast in only 2 weeks! How is a teacher supposed to keep her students motivated to work hard after just having a 2-day testing marathon? Well, I have an answer for that, so I'm linking up with Head Over Heels for Teaching for her linky Spark Student Motivation Saturdays.</div>
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In order to prepare for the state Math test, everyone knows that a lot of spiral review is good. But how good is it if the students aren't trying their hardest or aren't paying attention? Enter....Math Scrimmage! Math Scrimmage is a way of turning spiral review into a group competition. Luckily, my class is already divided into groups: Giraffes, Zebras, Crocodiles, Toucans, Lions, and Anacondas. So I made a class chart that looks like this:</div>
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Included on the chart are places to put scores for daily scrimmages and homework, and a weekly "Game" (quiz). The scrimmages are 10-question worksheets with review problems. The homework includes 4 questions each night. And the Game is a 10-question quiz with review from the whole week. Every day, I grade students' homework and quizzes immediately and tally up the average scores for each group. And here's one of my favorite parts: If a student doesn't show their work on any or all of the problems, they lose 10 points for their team. However, if a student gets a 100%, they earn 10 extra points! The winning team at the end of the week gets a special prize from me, as well as from our Dean of Instruction. I also gave prizes to the 2nd and 3rd place teams. I'd be happy to explain any more of the details if you have questions, but that's the gist of it. </div>
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The important thing is, I have NEVER seen a class so motivated to show their work, take their time, and do Math review worksheets! We did the scrimmage 2 weeks ago, but not this week because of the Writing test. But on Thursday, after the testing was over, my students were already asking when we could do Math Scrimmage again. When I said we'd get back to it this coming week, they literally cheered! So needless to say, I am feeling confident that these next 2 weeks before the Math test are going to be extremely productive.</div>
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I also transferred the same idea to Reading practice. When the kids take a reading quiz, I calculate the groups' average scores to determine a winning group. This idea can be used for any subject. Thank you to our school's Math Interventionist, who found this Scrimmage idea! </div>
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On a side note, I am offering my Spring Summarizing Sort (Grades 2-4) over at my store today for FREE! Its normal cost is $4. Head to my Facebook page for the link if interested :) <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LadybugsTeacherLounge?ref=hl" target="_blank">Ladybug's Teacher Lounge</a></div>
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<a href="http://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Spring-Summarizing-Sort-Fiction-and-Nonfiction-1396703650/original-668195-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Spring-Summarizing-Sort-Fiction-and-Nonfiction-1396703650/original-668195-1.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
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Have a fabulous Saturday! I, for one, will finally be getting my taxes done...woohoo....!</div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-50256933806195024722014-04-03T16:39:00.000-07:002014-04-03T16:56:47.736-07:00My Top 3 YouTube Videos for Stress Relief During Testing Season (Or Anytime!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I used to get a headache Every... Single... Day my first couple years of teaching. Now, in my 6th year, I am finally beginning to find ways to manage my stress. But I have the most difficulty during this magical time of year called Testing Season! However, I have been mostly headache-free this year, and I credit it to many things. There is all the typical advice, like drinking plenty of water and eating snacks throughout the day; managing your home/work balance; and exercising. But I finally tried some new stress-relief ideas starting after New Years (My New Years resolution was to manage my stress).<br />
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I had heard about yoga and meditation plenty of times from plenty of people, but I always had excuses. "I don't have enough time. Yoga looks too hard. What difference can it really make? I'll wait until I can do it right by taking a class on it...." Well, I am here to tell you....it works! Even just 5 minutes a day of meditation or yoga helps me. And don't worry if at first you feel like you are no good at meditation, and all those pesky worries keep flooding your brain. Even starting with just a few seconds of successfully clearing your mind is going to help, and you will get better!<br />
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So, what are you waiting for? Check out my top 3 favorite YouTube videos for meditation, yoga, and stretching. <br />
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Yoga for Complete Beginners: I love this video because it is definitely for COMPLETE beginners! I would even consider it more of a full-body stretch/easy meditation video. All I know is, at the end of the video, I feel blissfully relaxed and peaceful!<br />
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Neck Stretch Exercises for Pain, Tension, and Stress Relief: When I get headaches, it always stems from the tension in the tops of my shoulders and neck. This video hits all my sore spots, including the back and sides of my neck. My muscles always feel a lot looser after doing this video.<br />
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Guided Meditation for Relaxation: I love how this video guides me through every step of meditating - the breathing, clearing my mind, releasing my worries, visualization, etc. The guide's voice is very calming and helps me relax. I feel like my mind is a clean slate after this video, and I definitely feel like it's time well spent for my health.<br />
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Trust me, if you also suffer from stress headaches and haven't tried daily stretching, meditation, or yoga, you've got to give them a try. I noticed a difference within the first few days of incorporating them into my routine! Let me know what you think if you give these videos a try!<br />
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-21482434154831996102014-03-31T16:17:00.000-07:002014-03-31T16:17:26.165-07:00What We Did the Day Before STAAR WritingIn Texas, 4th grade has the STAAR Writing test tomorrow and Wednesday. Today, I knew I wanted to spend all day reviewing. But I wanted to keep it light, fun, and relaxed. I feel really good about how it went and wanted to share what we did.<br />
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First, I wanted to expose my students to some idioms that they may be able to use in their writing. They are experts at similes, vivid vocabulary, onomatopoeias, and hyperbole. So if there were one literary element I wanted to review, it was idioms. Plus, I love this fun activity and haven't had a chance to do it yet this year! I wrote about 26 idioms on the board and we discussed what some of them meant as a whole class. Then, I let students each choose an idiom and illustrate the literal and figurative meaning. We shared as a class, and I feel confident that at least a few of them will incorporate idioms into their writing on the test. I heard a couple of them using "Hold your horses!" and "Keep your chin up!" throughout the day. I forgot to bring their pictures home with me, but here is an example of one I made:<br />
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Next, I knew I wanted to review revising multiple choice questions. These are questions for which students have to figure out where sentences should be added to a passage, what sentence should be the concluding sentence, the best way to combine sentences, etc. To make the review fun, we played Scoot with this set of revising task cards from <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/STAAR-Writing-Revising-Task-Cards-Bonus-Free-Quiz-494099" target="_blank">Rosie's Resources</a>:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/STAAR-Writing-Revising-Task-Cards-Bonus-Free-Quiz-494099" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/STAAR-Writing-Revising-Task-Cards-Bonus-Free-Quiz/original-494099-1.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
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We checked our answers and reviewed the cards students had questions on. They actually had questions on a lot of them, so I would definitely recommend this task card set as a rigorous review. </div>
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After lunch, we did a quick review of the steps we need to follow after we see the writing prompts tomorrow and Wednesday. We reviewed how to tell if it's a personal narrative or expository prompt (look at the label at the top of the page, personal narrative will have a picture, expository will say 'state your central idea'). Then I had them practice their brainstorming graphic organizer and the graphic organizers I taught them for each genre. </div>
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Finally, I wanted to pump them up and motivate them for the big day. I found this great book with the theme of perseverance at Half Price Books a couple months ago. </div>
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It is about a little boy who wants to climb a big hill at the park, but his mom says he's not old enough. Maxwell doesn't let that stop him! He decides to research mountain climbing, gather supplies, and train his body to prove to his mom that he can do it. She gives in, and as he's climbing the mountain he comes across many obstacles. But he never gives up, and he has such a feeling of accomplishment at the top. The kids automatically connected Maxwell's perseverance to how hard they need to work on the tests over the next couple of days. I recommend this book as a great read aloud before any testing that your class might have. It would probably be appropriate anywhere from grades K-5. </div>
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So that was our review day, and I can't wait to see how the kids do when we get scores back in a couple months! What things do you do to review before a big test? I would love to hear about them!</div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-53766790875145105582013-10-29T04:20:00.001-07:002013-10-29T04:20:20.785-07:00Guest Post at All Things Upper ElementaryI have a post today over at All Things Upper Elementary all about helping your student writers get impressive results with their revisions. Go check it out!<br />
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<a href="http://allthingsupperelementary.blogspot.com/2013/10/RebeccaHallockrevisiontipsinwritingworkshop.html">Revision Tips from Ladybug's Lounge</a><br />
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-27649369383446653372013-09-29T19:19:00.000-07:002013-09-29T19:19:47.321-07:00My Favorite Classroom Ever!I am so excited to finally get a chance to share pictures of how my room looked at the beginning of this school year. It still looks pretty much the same, except for the anchor charts all over the walls and bulletin boards :) Thanks to inspiration from blogland and TPT, I am more excited about this room than I ever have been before. It is such a colorful, happy place for me to step into every morning and always makes me feel peaceful. So let's get started with a quick tour!<br />
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This is my favorite part of the room - our classroom library. I bought the pink and green book bins from Really Good Stuff. The pink and green book tubs are from the Dollar Tree. The genre library labels are by <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Genre-Library-Labels-Consistent-Colors-769423" target="_blank">Ladybug's Teacher Files </a>and are a real lifesaver for keeping the library organized. The product came with large labels for the tubs, but also mini sticker labels for inside the books. Now, there is no excuse for not putting books back in the correct tubs! The number labels for the book bins are from <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Decor-Mega-Bundle-Wild-Things-Brights-745939" target="_blank">Hope King's Classroom Decor Wild Things.</a><br />
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This is the view from the door of my room.</div>
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I love this <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Jungle-Theme-Clip-Chart-Freebie-796162" target="_blank">Jungle clip chart</a> from Curriculum to the Core. I use this very consistently - students are moving up and down the chart all day, and I keep track on my clipboard. They can earn tickets if they end the day on green or above, and they redeem tickets on Fridays for class coupons.</div>
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This is the view of the front of my room. The kids come to the carpet for minilessons throughout the day, and the pink chair is our author's chair during Writing Workshop.</div>
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This is our Writing bulletin board and shelves with writing materials. </div>
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This is our word wall and shelves with tubs of community supplies. I love the tubs - also from Dollar Tree!</div>
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During the first week of school, we wrote our classroom mission statement and made construction paper faces of ourselves to hang on the wall. This greets me every morning when I get to school, and it always starts me off in a good mood!</div>
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I will be back soon to share what is going on in our classroom! Time to get to bed so I can catch up on some sleep before school tomorrow.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7X2ptiOKWZpcAdDMe-Kf4vgUkqk5cyrIcF2Yx2bR4KjnfmR7O4KPfBumuSxrX7LUuENCRDOt0sXpOCg8zUzz1jnGDws4hYzlFz1wPOpWYySP0VPYc89_NIEYLoHY0wOQpkhxiOJafHFp3/s1600/Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7X2ptiOKWZpcAdDMe-Kf4vgUkqk5cyrIcF2Yx2bR4KjnfmR7O4KPfBumuSxrX7LUuENCRDOt0sXpOCg8zUzz1jnGDws4hYzlFz1wPOpWYySP0VPYc89_NIEYLoHY0wOQpkhxiOJafHFp3/s1600/Signature.png" /></a></div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-23362858847541130062013-07-26T19:17:00.001-07:002013-07-26T19:17:12.232-07:00Winner of My Pin It to Win ItThis is just a quick post to announce the winner of my Pin It to Win It contest - congratulations Cherie! I have already emailed the product to you. I used a random number generator website to choose the number. Cherie won my Summer Themed Writing Devices Practice pack. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqvFPt_0y0HYs5qcn6MTd5CrfnFAdNzzxdeTRZd34eQLfyfDep5-LzjfkM55xCCQPjqlp2OBTqxCap_4JqvXtU7HgAHXmk26Wk2amFLN6eHehyphenhyphentXbbAoCwTuNXhiOjn8nZqnUP7g54H8Q/s1600/demoSummerThemedWritingDevicesActivities.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqvFPt_0y0HYs5qcn6MTd5CrfnFAdNzzxdeTRZd34eQLfyfDep5-LzjfkM55xCCQPjqlp2OBTqxCap_4JqvXtU7HgAHXmk26Wk2amFLN6eHehyphenhyphentXbbAoCwTuNXhiOjn8nZqnUP7g54H8Q/s400/demoSummerThemedWritingDevicesActivities.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Thank you so much to the other THREE people who entered my contest - you made me and my little TPT store feel special lol! </div>
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I'm off to get some sleep because I have out-of-town guests visiting and am getting up bright and early to meet them for breakfast and a trip to the children's museum with their little 2 year old! Good night!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FKPtpIOgQuvbmKpc8txM4PH-9kIEHgFKkRe4vEjH28sCOZfx3pIAicgVFgV9gLEwaY3cwsThli3mM8rwFXL4KxQ07ACeU-h-F4pVxv_eqcXy4Ib6TFvgl9i75fzBWfxTfk8eASdT-vTr/s1600/Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FKPtpIOgQuvbmKpc8txM4PH-9kIEHgFKkRe4vEjH28sCOZfx3pIAicgVFgV9gLEwaY3cwsThli3mM8rwFXL4KxQ07ACeU-h-F4pVxv_eqcXy4Ib6TFvgl9i75fzBWfxTfk8eASdT-vTr/s1600/Signature.png" /></a></div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-61429588883219388852013-07-23T13:20:00.002-07:002013-07-23T13:20:45.196-07:00Top Ten Linky: Classroom Must HavesWith less than 3 weeks to go before my school begins our preservice, I am slowly feeling ready to get back into work mode. I found this fun linky over at <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?post=1331749615&group=7715459&frame_type=b&blog=7715459&link=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zd2ltbWluZ2ludG9zZWNvbmQuY29tLzIwMTMvMDcvdG9wLXRlbi10dWVzZGF5LWxpbmt5LXBhcnR5Lmh0bWw&frame=1&click=0&user=0" target="_blank">Swimming into Second</a> that got me thinking about ten of the most important things in my classroom. <br />
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?post=1331749615&group=7715459&frame_type=b&blog=7715459&link=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zd2ltbWluZ2ludG9zZWNvbmQuY29tLzIwMTMvMDcvdG9wLXRlbi10dWVzZGF5LWxpbmt5LXBhcnR5Lmh0bWw&frame=1&click=0&user=0" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8P1i_QvCly-BQzlZlw8jbzETMjVFYvL8Y1mR7-j6VNylTcsCnKhz85YTqGEetd6L6qI6dUn5MwH07NUD1N0-U_J_D_L5UHdilADcx1Ik1TYjDHKZaVInewJum8Gtg0coJ4XBuknvZVZzq/s320/Top+Ten+Tuesday+1.001.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>1. My stopwatch</b></div>
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<a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSRY0wmwPvSnAa6qMtHJtzHb-KYw7TpGDAwTuQuCIjKnwERn2or" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSRY0wmwPvSnAa6qMtHJtzHb-KYw7TpGDAwTuQuCIjKnwERn2or" /></a></div>
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I use this when teaching procedures at the beginning of the year. I time my students to see how quickly they can get lined up, and we talk about the importance of not wasting a second of learning time. The stopwatch motivates them to go as quickly as they can, and I keep using it throughout the year. I also use it to time their restroom breaks (we have to go as a whole class at my school). Most years, my whole class can be done at the restrooms in 5 minutes or less.</div>
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<b>2. My easel</b></div>
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<a href="http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0112/1902/products/classic-reading-writing-cen_medium.jpg?0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0112/1902/products/classic-reading-writing-cen_medium.jpg?0" /></a></div>
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I use my easel almost every single time I bring my class to the carpet for a Reading or Writing minilesson. I use the dry erase board on it, but also put chart paper on it to make our class anchor charts.</div>
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<b>3. Mr. Sketch markers</b></div>
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<a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvfusemVxV1r6hffko1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvfusemVxV1r6hffko1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We make anchor charts for almost every new objective we learn, so I go through these fast. The kids love getting wafts of the smells coming from the markers!</div>
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<b>4. Post-it chart paper</b></div>
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<a href="http://images.office365.co.uk/pim/338649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.office365.co.uk/pim/338649.jpg" /></a></div>
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I love how easy it is to make an anchor chart on this paper, then just peel it off and stick it on the wall. It's expensive, but well worth it to me!</div>
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<b>5. Class data board</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidocmIJbhn-e2J_YJ7JIx_B-jAaxL2H8cbpknw9mwbvNJnbzMKzA5cVtHLQDyrvrrlbw9ql0cwxQKI1LP839A_tQE7dcIy7sWWyPeKkWLLHGzbt5dOyifjNpcLjJ823cwRmmR3nABWbtu4/s1600/IMG_2233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidocmIJbhn-e2J_YJ7JIx_B-jAaxL2H8cbpknw9mwbvNJnbzMKzA5cVtHLQDyrvrrlbw9ql0cwxQKI1LP839A_tQE7dcIy7sWWyPeKkWLLHGzbt5dOyifjNpcLjJ823cwRmmR3nABWbtu4/s320/IMG_2233.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It changes every year, but I love having some way for everyone to see their progress in math and reading via a class data board. On this one last year, I had their names on little monkeys that I moved up the chart as they progressed in their reading level and on Mad Minute. </div>
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<b>6. Pens and mechanical pencils</b></div>
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<a href="http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Staples/s0364428_sc7?$splssku$" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Staples/s0364428_sc7?$splssku$" width="200" /></a></div>
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It seems like I go through a pack of these things every week sometimes! I'm constantly grabbing for a pencil or pen throughout the day, and I don't know where they end up sometimes. So I always make sure to have extra packs on hand.</div>
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<b>7. Clipboard</b></div>
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Wood-clipboard.jpg/220px-Wood-clipboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Wood-clipboard.jpg/220px-Wood-clipboard.jpg" /></a></div>
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I carry one of these with me everywhere when I'm with my class. I always have a class list with me so I can gives checks to kids in the hallway if they are talking, running, etc. It is a big part of my classroom management. This year, I'm going to be having a clip chart, so this will help me remember if anyone has to move their clip (up or down) when we get back to the classroom.</div>
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<b>8. Student book boxes</b></div>
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<a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpnO2m2tZBpU7jJ3a1z3yOq_1QR2EDXvVnZeFZYbHTaDmyavPJpA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpnO2m2tZBpU7jJ3a1z3yOq_1QR2EDXvVnZeFZYbHTaDmyavPJpA" /></a></div>
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I am a big fan of individual book boxes for my students. This prevents them from constantly being in the class library getting new books. They can keep several at a time in their book boxes. It's a big part of my Reading Workshop setup. </div>
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<b>9. Magnetic dry erase board</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaOTK4RLOfyu1mzuNra0T2NAgcocT96-Y9qQIy5ScXEH5LiRMg12ES4s5cZ0bpRrbxABcqwqLdEScWgeyELAmdd1EHNlhztQ9VBC_V5Efsk8xEkaJ3qydviifNv0pyCx9N498rYFv90Hk/s1600/IMG_2483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaOTK4RLOfyu1mzuNra0T2NAgcocT96-Y9qQIy5ScXEH5LiRMg12ES4s5cZ0bpRrbxABcqwqLdEScWgeyELAmdd1EHNlhztQ9VBC_V5Efsk8xEkaJ3qydviifNv0pyCx9N498rYFv90Hk/s320/IMG_2483.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This was my first classroom that had a MAGNETIC dry erase board. In my old classroom, it wasn't magnetic. It made such a difference to be able to stick some magnet tape on the back of something and, "VOILA!" it sticks! I also loved being able to use magnetic clips to hold papers on the board.</div>
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<b>10. Mini dry erase boards</b></div>
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<a href="http://ak1.ostkcdn.com/images/products/7879726/P15262657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ak1.ostkcdn.com/images/products/7879726/P15262657.jpg" /></a></div>
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My students keep these in their desks, along with a dry erase marker and a washcloth (to use as an eraser). We pull them out during Math class all the time to do quick reviews and checks for understanding. </div>
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Well, there you have it! 10 items from my classroom that I would have a hard time doing without! Link up with your top ten if you get a chance; I'd love to see some of your ideas. </div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Also, if you stuck through this long post, I feel like you deserve a reward. I've been wanting to try this Pin it to Win it idea. Head to my store and pin any item that you would like to own (link to my store over on the right). Leave a comment below with the name of the item, a link to the pin, and your email address, and I will choose a random number as a winner on Friday, July 26th. Good luck!</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKfhiVVpIi_j_9idS2k7DukH8ok9EZql7g52HYnf_-zrmV1FKPq_8kcuPOVhUkXox3fXhA3RjhkDnVTA0IrkmgL3YRHb-lmuTplpIdZOwJ5jOlkKczV0cLPXyGlH8ZXTIYwnF21XTeciQ/s1600/Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKfhiVVpIi_j_9idS2k7DukH8ok9EZql7g52HYnf_-zrmV1FKPq_8kcuPOVhUkXox3fXhA3RjhkDnVTA0IrkmgL3YRHb-lmuTplpIdZOwJ5jOlkKczV0cLPXyGlH8ZXTIYwnF21XTeciQ/s1600/Signature.png" /></a></div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-27925158329586188332013-07-01T09:44:00.000-07:002013-07-01T09:59:14.195-07:00Let's Get Acquainted Linky I'm ready to link up with this fun Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party over at Flying Into First Grade!<br />
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<a href="http://flyingintofirst.blogspot.com/2013/06/lets-get-acquainted-linky-party.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnt52Y99VIs-KHWzoDNvBTgJ0VEhILlN7TJ-iJU87TC4DJxXTw1XwM3aaUmJg0vJA3L5j_GBKggyxjUrvN5w7DfhQYY8wqwtV4Kc7Lfkgm0M8nDI3OQN-QABbkV_VbM8BhiECi9e8HMis/s400/linky+party2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This week's topic is Tic Tac Toe. Look at the Tic Tac Toe board and choose three topics to write about. They have to be three in a row, either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. I love this idea!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyMxDO7HvWwXJVRRx9Dpjau9sDcGL3BVOn6HPvBYpCX7vwPbHXdqJxUdsLOX-o1I7YMe5NDxTNUp0dzvP7XzwNV-_rbD8SMGPmSS8dOfSNbe4_7f6NJH4xwpxFa1yJ_tAMTi46JFe9EU/s400/tic+tac+toe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyMxDO7HvWwXJVRRx9Dpjau9sDcGL3BVOn6HPvBYpCX7vwPbHXdqJxUdsLOX-o1I7YMe5NDxTNUp0dzvP7XzwNV-_rbD8SMGPmSS8dOfSNbe4_7f6NJH4xwpxFa1yJ_tAMTi46JFe9EU/s400/tic+tac+toe.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I will share horizontally across the middle of the board.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My First Year of Teaching</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In 4th grade in Texas, our kids have to take state tests in Reading, Math, and Writing. My 4th grade teaching partner and I were not from Texas, and we were not even told that our kids would be tested in Writing. I remember when we found out around December that our kids would be taking this big writing test in March! We had been teaching writing, but this test was focused on writing a narrative paper in a very specific way. We did the best we could, and actually most of our students ended up passing, but we definitely incorporated Writing Workshop from Day 1 the following year!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Favorite School Memory as a Kid</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> My 3rd grade teacher did something that I have continued as a tradition in my teaching career. At the end of the year, she spread out a bunch of books across the floor and let one student at a time pick a book as a gift. I picked a Steven Kellogg book, <u>Ralph's Secret Weapon</u>. That gift from my teacher was so special, and now I let my students choose a book from me every year at Christmas and the end of the year. I order Scholastic $1 books and write a message inside for each child. Hopefully it will be as special to some of them as it was to me!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Books I'm Reading</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The main reason I'm being so unproductive this summer is because I am trying to read all of this series before school starts:</span></div>
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Once school starts again, I won't have nearly as much time to read, so I am letting myself relax. These books are AMAZING! Extra bonus: watching the HBO TV series once I'm done.</div>
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Eventually, I will get around to reading these professional development books I purchased from Barnes and Noble (yay for 20% teacher discount)!</div>
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As you can see, most of them are Math books. I need to try something new to get my kids to be critical thinkers and problem solvers, and to motivate them to try their hardest on Math problems. Hoping that these books have some fresh new ideas (PLEASE!!!)</div>
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This was such a fun idea for a linky party! If you'd like to join in, click the button at the top of this post to head over and link up.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5295059/?claim=dz5rfnbkr69">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a></div>
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Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-2179980742763573022013-05-26T19:08:00.001-07:002013-05-26T19:08:14.167-07:00Summer Survival KitsA couple days ago, I posted about items I wanted to purchase this weekend for my students' end of year gifts/ Summer Survival Kits. After trips to two different Dollar Trees today, I have the kits all planned out! They have a camping theme, and here's what's included:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDF58Fm6xtLskqwyDQUWoPeLgBLORA83gdba-etA1ycK0ZcEOA9gfEbiiYf3symqa9s35mZXz_cPuY1bQuu1Sdt5nT9WNUEiDZcr8ILlVqZr6s6GFefzXCVjjo6G4sBF4eq9KmrE5zYPx/s1600/IMG_2682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDF58Fm6xtLskqwyDQUWoPeLgBLORA83gdba-etA1ycK0ZcEOA9gfEbiiYf3symqa9s35mZXz_cPuY1bQuu1Sdt5nT9WNUEiDZcr8ILlVqZr6s6GFefzXCVjjo6G4sBF4eq9KmrE5zYPx/s320/IMG_2682.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A folder with my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Survival-Kit-Camping-Theme-678891" target="_blank">Summer Survival Kit</a> on TPT, which includes "Tackle Your Multiplication Facts" flashcards, a "Catch Some Good Books" reading log, and an "I am Writing S'More This Summer" journal. Dollar Tree had packs of three colorful folders in bright pink, green, and purple. Perfect!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZH7yROo3jrQFYbgrO621Szc5HpmGM-47fe4x7pGBG88kXf0jiaXkS0co0TddQ-RHrxhM-yshxtIf3WoFZB6wa1ZTU5gJMXdnA8UH_T0G4Hn9esqsquNf6nJnASTQlLxh_n09wPQJEa7wW/s1600/IMG_2684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZH7yROo3jrQFYbgrO621Szc5HpmGM-47fe4x7pGBG88kXf0jiaXkS0co0TddQ-RHrxhM-yshxtIf3WoFZB6wa1ZTU5gJMXdnA8UH_T0G4Hn9esqsquNf6nJnASTQlLxh_n09wPQJEa7wW/s320/IMG_2684.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONWGQtJGbQCQuWmmS8uoEGb0BeYSHa0a2TnA8Hqd7t1kgi449HFxHECWWGQpq4MVGiHIUKAKE2YfVPCTxzZLowsCf5y_C3I5Q36HdGLYjqv9QzU1THZk0Coz_FGhty1l1tVM3c-Bjh-QN/s1600/IMG_2683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONWGQtJGbQCQuWmmS8uoEGb0BeYSHa0a2TnA8Hqd7t1kgi449HFxHECWWGQpq4MVGiHIUKAKE2YfVPCTxzZLowsCf5y_C3I5Q36HdGLYjqv9QzU1THZk0Coz_FGhty1l1tVM3c-Bjh-QN/s320/IMG_2683.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I found these LED booklights, batteries included! On the back, I taped this poem, which you can find for free <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Reading-With-a-Flashlight-696378" target="_blank">HERE</a>. I'm hoping this will really encourage some summer reading. I'm also including a brand new free book for everyone in their kit that I purchased for $1 from Scholastic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVM5xViW6tw3_Gzpfqx58pTXu3BOp9zT73Jhdf6r0bSl7_xfEKN4bp5jC7hCYk-ZtmwwVdFBBNmieppx6ti7-8bZ29P6E2-w14UiiksAdixRP5yeLF_1egGOAdkHXg7ph693wNq0-_SpU/s1600/IMG_2685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVM5xViW6tw3_Gzpfqx58pTXu3BOp9zT73Jhdf6r0bSl7_xfEKN4bp5jC7hCYk-ZtmwwVdFBBNmieppx6ti7-8bZ29P6E2-w14UiiksAdixRP5yeLF_1egGOAdkHXg7ph693wNq0-_SpU/s320/IMG_2685.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I was going to include a snack bag with the tag "You're O-Fish-ally in 4th grade," but I happened to find cheese whales at Dollar Tree, not goldfish. So, I improvised and made these cute tags instead. I think the message is "cheesy" enough for these cheese crackers :)<br />
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Last, Dollar Tree had these super bright and sparkly beach pails. I put everything inside, minus the free books (they are in my classroom), and added a label to the front of the pail. Here is what the finished product looks like:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkeCacl9svc7Lu7JKT_piM6LDFCyaKiTkw-XaeIjkdlAWc23jcqgtdsNp98sYLzOzBMLV1VtMU0UOaES9vkG6KdgiOTX8ZE1NPjKIReqfSG6wcTTCzGaLp9-SgBJ9ESKXa9YXr4GphFvm/s1600/IMG_2687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkeCacl9svc7Lu7JKT_piM6LDFCyaKiTkw-XaeIjkdlAWc23jcqgtdsNp98sYLzOzBMLV1VtMU0UOaES9vkG6KdgiOTX8ZE1NPjKIReqfSG6wcTTCzGaLp9-SgBJ9ESKXa9YXr4GphFvm/s320/IMG_2687.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqA0ydDuwOIY32wsr7luSu7Y5DOwlyI0iMeQrCCGdn239OUFpNvnZfjp6Ijo9NTl-O1SguTGpSlDMss_mVwifEfm85g1NEtWnLnswjR66clO1nKsUdVqtPnQ41_ypFhBi7EoMMzTzqhCu/s1600/IMG_2686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqA0ydDuwOIY32wsr7luSu7Y5DOwlyI0iMeQrCCGdn239OUFpNvnZfjp6Ijo9NTl-O1SguTGpSlDMss_mVwifEfm85g1NEtWnLnswjR66clO1nKsUdVqtPnQ41_ypFhBi7EoMMzTzqhCu/s320/IMG_2686.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I am planning on placing one on each desk the morning of the last day of school so they are there when the students walk in. All the different colors will look so pretty spread across the room! What are you making for your students' end of year gifts?</div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-49269268044702104232013-05-24T23:56:00.000-07:002013-05-24T23:56:07.886-07:00Five For Friday - Shopping Edition!I am happy to be linking up with Doodle Bug's <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/05/five-for-friday-linky-party-may-24th.html" target="_blank">Five For Friday</a> again after being too tired to post on Fridays for about the past 2 months! <br />
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But thanks to my 2 hour nap earlier today after an exhausting field day, I have a burst of energy now. I was just working on some end of year/ beginning of next year ideas and thought I'd put a little shopping twist on my Five for Friday post. Here are 5 things I am planning on buying this lovely, long Memorial Day weekend!<br />
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1. Sheet protectors so that I can make a coupon binder for the new reward system I'll be using next year. I bought these class coupons from Laura at <a href="http://www.peaceloveandfirstgrade.com/2013/05/appreciation-and-sale.html" target="_blank">Peach, Love, and First Grade</a>.<br />
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I want to display the large version of the coupons in a binder and have them as a reward option for kids who earn tickets.<br />
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2. Fun prizes from Oriental Trading - also as part of my new reward system. Kids will be able to earn tickets based on what color they are on at the end of the day. They can used their tickets for prizes, and the more tickets they save up, the better the prizes are that they can win. I've got my eye on these:<br />
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<a href="http://s7.orientaltrading.com/is/image/OrientalTrading/34_1781?$SEARCH_BROWSE$" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://s7.orientaltrading.com/is/image/OrientalTrading/34_1781?$SEARCH_BROWSE$" /></a></div>
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These little rubber duckies are too cute!</div>
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<a href="http://s7.orientaltrading.com/is/image/OrientalTrading/49_281c?$SEARCH_BROWSE$" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://s7.orientaltrading.com/is/image/OrientalTrading/49_281c?$SEARCH_BROWSE$" /></a></div>
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There are mini inflatable beach balls - I love miniature things like these and I know my students will too!</div>
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3. Items to include in my "<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Survival-Kit-Camping-Theme-678891" target="_blank">Summer Survival Kits</a>" that I'm working on for my students this weekend. So far, the kits will have everything included in this pack:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Survival-Kit-Camping-Theme-678891" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qtvuYmsKWbo4EVQnjNVrM7oDutZ9oL9QFa401GqbPtHWQdjeVdmOrCsCeHPQJQ086pLjuVkzn9m9i2jwe_8cP65ohgKomC1EkMmkjMPlrKKZLgVT-tdkaSx6xaiSljDiNMuiHAE8U2fm/s400/demoSummerSurvivalKitCampingTheme-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm also going to put some goldfish in baggies with these adorable tags (except they will say "4th grade.":</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ofishally-in-____-Grade-freebie-288810" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/550x/a4/63/c6/a463c63ff3ab41582eb1a9e852b4e715.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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Then to continue with the camping theme, I found this creative idea to buy mini flashlights and attach to this note:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Reading-With-a-Flashlight-696378" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/550x/96/7b/a4/967ba40c9765df8164288d4fa83d64b2.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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If you want to use any of these, I included links to the stores if you click on the pictures. I'm also going to put 2-3 books in everyone's kit. I'm really excited about the cohesive camping theme the kits will have; I think the kids will be motivated to read, write, and practice their math this summer!</div>
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4. Some new, bright book tubs for the books in my class library. Maybe something like these:</div>
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<a href="http://schoolingtheteacher.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-big-reveal.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/550x/bc/00/37/bc003767883485888602f01ed79a677f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've had my book tubs for 5 years now, and they are mismatched and getting dirty. I'm ready for a change! Going to try the dollar store and Target to see what I can find.</div>
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5. A formal dress to wear to our school's Red Carpet Awards Ceremony on Wednesday! I haven't gone shopping for a formal dress since prom, so this should be interesting. I love this dress:</div>
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Yes, this event is going to be fancy schmancy! A lot of the boys are planning on wearing tuxes, and the girls will be looking like princesses I'm sure. I can't wait to see how cute everyone is! </div>
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So there was my shopping version of Five for Friday, and I am looking forward to getting started tomorrow and Sunday! I had better go rest up so I have energy to hunt these things down tomorrow. Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone!</div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-55528587759245018662013-05-19T06:04:00.001-07:002013-05-19T06:05:24.153-07:00Growing Frogs Science Mentor TextI am linking up again with Collaboration Cuties and their Mentor Text Linky, this time with a Science focus. <br />
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My class just finished up our Science unit of life cycles, which offers SO many opportunities for fun activities. I used three read alouds during this unit, but the one I want to share with you is <u>Growing Frogs</u> by Vivian French. </div>
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This story is about a little girl who collects frog spawn with her mother and takes it home to observe the frog life cycle. I like that this book is a mixture of nonfiction and realistic fiction, because as we read the little girl's story, there are a lot of informative pictures and information about the frog life cycle. I also like that this book encourages students to be responsible when it comes to collecting frog spawn, and tells us not to collect too much, and to be sure to return the frogs to their natural habitat when they are grown up. </div>
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After we read this story, my students created models of the frog life cycle with clay and paper plates. Some of them got really creative, and they definitely had a lot of fun with this. I am confident they really learned and will remember the frog life cycle the rest of their lives now!</div>
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If you have a fun Science mentor text, click the button at the top of this post to head over and link up! I would love to see your ideas. </div>
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Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-65689269600849552682013-05-13T18:22:00.000-07:002013-05-13T18:22:09.146-07:00Teaching Character with AnimalsSo sometimes to reward myself, I love to go browse around a book store. I have a Barnes and Noble literally next door to my apartment complex, and I recently had the bright idea to check out their Education section, which I had never done before (usually too busy browsing the fiction section or children's lit)! <br />
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I was really excited to find this book during my perusal of the Education section:<br />
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I am always on the lookout for new ways to teach my kids to be good people. My students LOVE anything to do with animals, and as I browsed through this book, it seemed like the perfect way to sneak some character ed into our days. Now is the perfect time, since we only have about 3 weeks of school left, and there is room to experiment with new ideas. </div>
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This book lets you find lessons based on the traits you want to teach. So I chose to focus our first lesson on "perseverance." Let's just say most of my students don't really have an "I'm going to keep trying until I get it!" attitude this year. Even after reading about Wilma Rudolph, an amazing woman who had polio as a child and was told she would NEVER WALK AGAIN, but went on to become a multiple-Olympic gold medalist, inspired my students for about 2 seconds before they were back to turning in lazy work! </div>
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So, the first lesson we did was based on coconut crabs. My students were hooked immediately when I showed them the picture of a coconut crab provided on the CD-ROM. Then, we read about coconut crabs and how they will sometimes climb up a palm tree over and over again, carrying a coconut, and drop it to the ground to try to shatter the shell. If that doesn't work, they will use their claws to work at getting the shell open until they finally succeed. We used this model to discuss perseverance and the kids made perseverance posters with their own slogans. </div>
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I was really impressed with the slogans these students came up with. Overall, I was very happy with the students' engagement throughout this lesson, and I am planning on fitting in as many more lessons from this book as I can. I would really like to work these lessons in sporadically throughout the year next year, because I believe that building good character comes from having these discussions over and over and over and OVER again until it becomes a part of your students. </div>
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I will let you know how any future lessons from this book go. I highly recommend it if you think you have time to fit in 20-30 minutes of character ed at least once a week. </div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-33006121154224160662013-04-28T11:48:00.002-07:002013-04-28T11:48:28.710-07:00Summer Survival Kit and Giveaway!Summer vacation is coming up for me in about 5 1/2 weeks, but I know for a lot of you it is a lot sooner. I wanted to make something to encourage my students to keep practicing their basic math, reading, and writing skills over the summer. So I just uploaded this cute camping themed <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Survival-Kit-Camping-Theme" target="_blank">Summer Survival Kit</a> that I will be helping my students put together the last week of school. Check it out if you are worried about your 3rd or 4th graders regressing over the summer, or if you want to get your 2nd graders ready for 3rd grade.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Survival-Kit-Camping-Theme" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQamOQBRdmKsoO8WLon7NfMPhyypHgWg_a_xZ07w4nqlGlbQvdLQno_6IpB5QROZndX0MdKfABfNgVZgeZc1FXaE_5jrFUKlQHZEdxGKL_OozFLmklVq84Rq1D8QmLk9jcAuCQHRXSPKW/s640/Slide1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Also, I am participating in a giveaway over at <a href="http://mrsmauroskinderverse.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mrs. Mauro's Kinderverse.</a><br />
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I am giving away my new <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Summarizing-Sort-Fiction-and-Nonfiction" target="_blank">Spring Summarizing Sort (Fiction and Nonfiction)</a> for grades 2-4. </div>
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Click the image or the title to go check it out and see if you'd be interesting in entering to win it plus 31 other items! </div>
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Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-34181155770407056302013-04-20T19:23:00.001-07:002013-04-20T19:23:17.701-07:00Book Recommendation: Drizzle<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">I recently finished reading a book to my students that they absolutely loved and had them hanging on the edge of their seats every single day shouting "Don't stop! One more chapter!"....seriously! Sometimes for read aloud time, I stick with oldies but goodies, like Ramona books or anything by Kate DiCamillo. But other times, I love browsing the new children's book section at the book store and finding something new. This time, it was a book called </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><u>Drizzle</u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"> by Kathleen Van Cleve.</span><br />
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It is about a little girl who lives on a magical farm that can grow chocolate rhubarb and where it rains at exactly 1:00 every Monday. But one day, it stops raining, and the farm is in danger of dying. The little girl, Polly, has to figure out a way to save it. There are so many twists and turns toward the middle and end of this book that I often found myself gasping out loud along with the kids. </div>
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I teach 3rd grade, and it was a little hard at first for my lower readers to understand what was happening, but it was no problem taking some time to explain. By the end of the book, they were just as in love with it as my higher readers. After finishing this book, we were on a field trip to the public library, and my students found this book. One of them checked it out and read the whole thing over again within a few days (quite a feat for a 3rd grader because it is a THICK book!)</div>
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If you're looking for a fun read aloud that also helps develop higher order thinking skills for your 3rd, 4th, or 5th graders, I highly recommend this one!</div>
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Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612426511891651172.post-36502715412880363782013-03-30T07:44:00.000-07:002013-03-30T07:44:14.956-07:00Mentor Text LinkyI just found a linky that I am super excited about! It is a new mentor text linky going on over at <a href="http://collaborationcuties.blogspot.com/2013/03/must-read-mentor-text-first-linky-we.html" target="_blank">Collaboration Cuties.</a> <br />
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<a href="http://collaborationcuties.blogspot.com/2013/03/must-read-mentor-text-first-linky-we.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjL9qx5OHovY7oid0eGy2zFM4-F-TlPmNbypGS4HnwbWNVu512z2K9mLzlHLHTyITTJCRbBwhfopDgsxHAE4ypoK0oe_-eBOnQs3q83ajLISBbDRww_88F2F0yLUJUPSkXfHuFCSA6kNn/s320/linky+button+sparkly.png" /></a></div>
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Every Sunday, people can link up with their favorite mentor texts. After this week, there will be a schedule to follow based on subject area, but this week, anything goes. I can't wait to see what everyone links up with!</div>
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Since anything goes this week, I will write about one of my favorite books to use at the very beginning of Writing Workshop, when kids think that they have absolutely no good ideas to write about. The book is called <u>Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street</u>. </div>
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qD-HXzrhL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_SX285_SY380_CR,0,0,285,380_SH20_OU01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qD-HXzrhL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_SX285_SY380_CR,0,0,285,380_SH20_OU01_.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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In the story, a little girl, Eva, has her writing notebook and is supposed to "write about what you know," according to her teacher. But Eva keeps thinking, "Nothing ever happens on 90th street." She's sitting out on her apartment steps, and we begin to meet her neighbors. They all stop by to give Eva some writing advice. We realize that Eva's neighbors are all very interesting people, but she is so used to seeing them every day that she doesn't realize they would be great writing topics. Also, the advice that her neighbors give her is all really good writing advice. When I read this story to my class, I like to write an anchor chart with them as we go titled: "Writing Tips from 90th Street." </div>
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If you need a fun, inspiring book to get your writing workshop started, or your students need a reminder throughout the year that writing topics are all around them, this is the perfect mentor text for you! Let me know what you think if you have also read this book to your class. What are some other books you like to use to get writing workshop started?</div>
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<br />Rebecca H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00101950435300447743noreply@blogger.com4