OMG! Book Clubs on Steroids!

::Flashback to 2005::

It was the day of Parent Orientation (the Thursday before school began).  I was a third year teacher on a fourth grade team.  We were departmentalized and I was set to teach Math and Science...my LOVES...until {dun dun dun} one of the Reading/LA teachers accepted a position at another school leaving the team to hire a substitute-turned teacher in her place.  The curriculum coach turns to me and says, "I need you to teach Reading and Writing."  {insert tears}  I was beyond nervous, beyond scared, beyond bummed.  I understood why she "needed" me to teach Reading and Writing to these fourth graders - the state tests!

I had only taught kindergarten before teaching 4th grade Math/Science.  I didn't know WHAT I was doing.  This was before Pinterest, before blogs, before basically Facebook lol

The curriculum coach was so helpful.  I can never thank her enough.  She introduced me to Book Clubs and my kids fell in LOVE.  I still use them to this day...

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Thanksgiving Writing (gobble gobble)

So it's after school and I'm cutting out the sample for my next product.  I have a group of my students who stay in my class during aftercare because it's quite and they can do homework.  One of my fourth graders says, "OH!  Are we going to make THAT?!?"  (See below)  My response was, "Really?!?  You want to make this?"  I guess I forget these kids are still kids and like to make "kiddy" crafts lol.  With that, I added intermediate paper to my "primary craftivity"  Now it's for all grades ;).

Any thoughts?  Do any of you intermediate teachers out there do projects like this with your little artists?

For a copy of this "Craftivity" go to my Teachers Pay Teachers shop.

I also uploaded some FREE writing paper :)  I'm trying my hand at creating graphics!  Enjoy!

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Two weeks down... 34 to go!

*PHEW*

The second week of school is over... I made it... We had a tropical storm last week (Monday was a "hurricane day" so no school - then Labor Day yesterday).  Nothing like cramming in work unexpectedly...

I wanted to share some of the new things I've rolled out for this school year!

1) Mountain Math - If you haven't seen it, it is a great review of pretty much every math concept.  And it's for grades K-8!  The down side is it's not technically aligned with Common Core, but it's still good review nonetheless.

2) Weekly Work - for when the kids finish early... I made a worksheet of activities I'd like them to do.  I have these GREAT Reading Comprehension cards for grades 3-5.  They are leveled progressively.  So based on their last year's test scores, I will begin each student on a different card so as to avoid any of the "I can't find the card I need," whining.  The kids will have until Friday to read 5 cards and record their 5 answers on the worksheet.

Next, I have a place for them to read an Accelerated Reader picture book and take a quiz.  

Then, they make up four math problems and solve them (six digit addition and subtraction, multiplication, division).  

Finally, I have a space for Boggle words :)

*Phew!*  I've got them busy busy busy all day! ;)

What did you try new this year?

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Back to business peeps...

Greetings all!

I've been back in town for two weeks but as any of you know, sometimes you need a vacation from your vacation :)

Alaska was UH-mazing!  Glaciers, wildlife, and yummy food (oh my).  My husband and I ate THE best king crab!  As for Seattle, I think I've seen enough of Seattle to last me a lifetime.

Since I've been back, I've been making these writing task cards.  I don't know about you, but sometimes the writing prompts provided at my local "teacher store" are not what I'm looking for.  Thus, if you can't find - create.  Right?  So here they are...

I'm excited about them.  They will be an easy addition to a literacy center.

My next activity jumbling my mind will be coming down the line *rubbing my hands together*  Don't you just love when you come up with an idea that will just make your teaching that much easier?  Hint: I'll be going back to composition books next year (thank GOD - I hate those stupid spiral notebooks).

Oh!  And did I tell you?!?  I've decided on a theme this year (wait for it) Zebra and Neon.  I know, I know... it's been done before.  But let me tell you... my mom came to visit and she gave me her old sewing machine.  I made pillows for my reading nook.  SEE!  I'm so proud of my new-found hobby hehehe.  The green and pink even have sparkles!!

 

Then I went online and found this on Pinterest

It's to help your little ones line up.  I teach fourth and let me tell you, my kids always line up in number order and this will help with the jam at the front of the line.  What is it?  They really want to get outta class THAT badly lol.  The comments on Pinterest say vinyl lasts longer so I found this website that I could use to create my OWN vinyl stickers!!!!!  I can't hold my excitement.  Anyone who knows me, knows I go all out - with everything!  So here is the site I found STICKER YOU!  Here are the stickers I made and ordered (I hope I don't have more than 24 kids this year...)

More exciting ZEBRAtastic fun to come!  Stay tuned :)

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Function Tables and Area & Perimeter

Happy Tuesday!

So we have two days of testing done *phew* Two more to go.  Math is tomorrow and Thursday and we've really been freshening up on our skills.  I completed two games (and tried them out on my beta group, i.e. my kids).

   "Mrs. Siegel, this is a fun game!" Elan smiles, snatching up a card and racing back to his seat.
   "Really? OK?" I shrugged.  "Glad you are enjoying math today."

This is the same kid who asked me at carpool if I could email him two of the area figures so he could figure them out at home...  Good thing the iPhone is so handy...

I don't know if it was the fact that the kids could get up and move around, work with a friend, or the actual math, but I don't care LOL.  They liked the game and reviewed at the same time.  Mission accomplished.

Here are two of my beauties working together.  I did a quick assessment by putting up one advanced area figure.  Those who got it, were paired with those who didn't.  By the end, everyone was able to do the work.  So here's how it went... I handed each pair a record sheet and one card.  On the card was a complex figure.  They were to determine the area and bring it to me (it's easier to just sit and have the kids come to me in these activities - plus, they get to move around).  If it was correct, they got a check, placed their card on the table, and picked up another card.  If it was wrong, I circled it and they went back to work on it until it was correct.  Once they completed all of the area problems, they got a treat.  Then they were to work on finding the perimeter.  They had a TON of practice today...

Also, on Friday, I had the kids do the same type of activity as above with Function Tables.  Boy, I don't know about you, but so many of my kids confuse patterns with function tables 8-0.  So I posted an infamous problem from one of our review tests.   

So many of my kids put 30!?!  What a good distractor!  After I posted this problem, we did the first function card and I had each student whisper the answer into my ear so I could get an idea of who knew and who didn't.  Once I had that info, I formed pairs and the activity commenced.  Again, lots of practice.  Hopefully it will sink in.  We shall see...

Summyr

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Freebie for 4th grade math teachers

So state testing is next week (FCAT in my neck of the woods) and my school is having a pep-rally on Friday. For this fun-filled event, each grade is to come up with a game (testing related) for the kids.

We use Go Math and decided to make one of my "Match Ups" games for the event. "Match Ups" are card games used to play games like concentration or Go Fish. We divided the work between the three of us. There are three Big Ideas and we each made 20 math questions and answers for the skills. On Friday, each student will get a question card and an answer card to a different question. They are to solve their question and search for the person with their answer. The person with their answer will have the question card that matches their answer card. (picture this as kids are running around a soccer field lol).

Well, I wanted to share this game with all my bloggy friends ;).

It was a collaborative effort, therefore I'm not sure how much was actually copied from the textbook. With that in mind, I'm not going to post it on my blog but rather, would send it to anyone who would like a copy.

If you think you'd like a free copy of the game, comment and leave your email address. I'll send you the three documents. Also, feel free to spread the word on your blogs to your friends.

Enjoy!
Summyr

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More Games and Inexpensive White Boards

Look how stinkin' cute my kids are playing this game.  These moments make me smile :)  They LOVE the I Have, Who Has games.  This is them playing my Angles/2-D Shapes game.  At the end of the day, after they write their agenda and pack, they meet friends on the carpet and play games.

Also, this is something I use DAILY in my class - whiteboards!  This is a cheap and quick way to make them yourself.  I'm not sure who I got this idea from or if I conjured it up myself, but nevertheless, it's a worthwhile project.  Just buy a pack of plastic sleeves and insert card stock (paper makes it too flimsy when they display their answer).  Voila!  I use a ring clip to store them.  EASY!  You can even print lines or graph paper on the card stock if you find it useful.

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Angles and 2-D Shapes

*PHEW!*

I finished another game.  My kids are learning (hopefully most is a review from 3rd grade...) Angles and Two-Dimensional Shapes tomorrow.  I plan to finish before week's end so it's fast forward (cue tape deck sound).

I'm going to have this game printed and laminated to reinforce the vocabulary since that's where most kids miss the mark in this chapter.

Here's a link to my TN page if you'd like to take a closer look.  Pass it on ;)

What do you do to teach this unit?  I always love fresh ideas!

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Area Foldables and Models

Boy!  What a day!  I don't know about you but cramming in all this math when our state test (FCAT for those of you in Florida) is 14 teaching days away is a nightmare.  My team and I are on fast forward at this point.  At any rate, I wanted to share these 4 (yes, I said four - I must be CU-Ray-Zee O.o) foldables/models I did with the kiddos this week (three of which we did today).

For those of you who use the 4th grade Go Math text, we are just finishing Chapter 10 on area.


Started off with vocabulary... this is my model.  The kids had to make up their own examples in their foldable.

Today we did these three (in this order - it really was a Math-a-Palooza today *phew*)

front

back

Cut and paste with pictures from the internet...

Finally, we compared measuring tools.  Notice how we made the text from smallest to largest ;)  Then the kids searched the classroom for examples to write with each tool.

 Tomorrow's the test... we shall see how they do *fingers crossed*

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Decimals, Fractions, Percents Card Game

Ok, so I LOVE card games.  Must've been all the card playing I did as a youngster - before video games and reality TV.  This is my latest labor of love.  Not so original by looking at it, but my original thought was.  It took some time to get my visualization onto the computer.

Nonetheless, I finished the card game last night (120 cards *phew*).  Then, I decided to sleep on it before I published it to my TN page.  I still had some kinks with the directions.

After much consideration, I made my husband (who is VERY competitive) play with me.  "We gotta try this out first so I can make sure the directions are clear," my teacher's voice instructed.  My initial thought was to make it like a RUMMY game - since it is decimals, fractions, and percents.  I grew up playing RUMMY with my grandmother so, to me, it's fun.

After five minutes and no movement, we were bored to tears.  I tend to over-analyze things sometimes so we took out a third of the deck (the ones that needed some REAL thinkin').  Further, I had to give my husband a quick tutorial on fractions that can equal denominators of 100 (chapter 8 for those of you using 4th grade Go Math) and we were movin'.  We played a RUMMY version placing pairs down and either of us got the third, we played it on the pair.  The game lasted about 15 minutes.  He won.  And BTW, he never lets me win ;)  With that, I decided to just ditch the directions and let the teachers be as creative as they want to be.

I'm looking forward to using this in my class.  It will be a great way to review for FCAT.  I will NOT be using the hard cards lol - well maybe for my gifted group ;)

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Cause and Effect with The Lorax

What a great end to the week!  Well, the teaching part was great... The field trip part, not so much O.o (read on about THAT).

Super cute Cause/Effect Books.  Check it out. (Excuse the cursive - we are still practicing)

Cause and Effect Book - Freebie

We also made Lorax mustaches lol (found those on Pinterest).

I drew this and made a template.  Grab this freebie.

Now, about the field trip...

I made arrangements to see the 3-D version of The Lorax.  When we arrived there (on time, mind you - 30 min before show time), the three staff members (yes, I said 3) were just popping the first kernels of popcorn and placing the nozzles on the soda fountain.  Are you kidding me?!?  With 128 kids there, really?!?  We gave notice - it's not like it was "Surprise, we're here!"

Then, we sent the kids into the theatre to sit and wait.  "I thought we were going to see a 3-D movie?" one child asked.

My blood pressure got a bit higher.

"My paperwork says you are going to see the 2-D movie," the "manager" replied.

Quickly, I whipped out my cell phone and dialed the corporate office.  But oh they are closed.  Colorado is 2 hours behind us. *Ugh*

Now it's creeping up to 10:00, an hour after our arrival (and 30 minutes after our anticipated start time).  Parents are racing back and forth with soda and popcorn to give to our kiddos.  The three __(insert colorful plural noun)__ behind the counter are scrambling to finish the snacks.

Meanwhile, I call corporate UH-gain and finally get a live person - actually the girl who helped me from day one.  I tell her the dilemma and she tells me that her records show that we are signed up for a 2-D movie.

"If I wanted to see a 2-D movie, I would've taken my kids to the theatre five minutes from our school.  We drove 30 minutes to get here.  I don't care what your computer screen says, I know what I asked for - a 3-D movie."

"Well you can see the 3-D movie but it costs extra," was her "textbook" response.

"This is what's going to happen: I asked for a 3-D movie, we are getting a 3-D movie and we are NOT going to pay extra."

"Is there a manager nearby?"

Problem solved.

So the drama fizzled and we started the movie (45 minutes late).  After all that, The Lorax was a GREAT movie.  The kids loved it and it was such a lovely rendition of the book and then some.

Oh, and did I mention that the Science Test was postponed yet ANOTHER day.  Good thing they are called lesson "plans".  Kids took it Friday :)

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I Have, Who Has with Horton Hatches the Egg

Here's the latest of my "I Have, Who Has" games...  It's available in my TN Store.

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Figurative Language Foldable

Today couldn't have gone better... wait... I take that back... impromptu soccer tournament on a "non" PE day = Science test delayed.  Out of my hands.  I could say, "No." but you know what, what's an extra homework assignment, right?  They'd choose more homework over missing the tournament any day of the week.

While this backs me up a day, The Lorax Unit was still full speed.

Check out their finished products for the Figurative Language Foldable (courtesy of Mor):

The kids LOVED it.  (plus they learned somethin' too :)  We started off by filling out this chart while we read the story.  It made it easier to create the end product AND we found ALL (or all I could find) of the examples not just one of each.

Download a free copy of this chart 

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Gone Fishin' Game Cards

Fill-in-the -blank "Gone Fishin'" Cards.  Can be used for ANY skill you want students to practice.

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Sketch-a-Story

Happy Monday!

So not only is it pre-Spring Break week, it's also Spirit week (thus the kids in pajamas).  This is the perfect week to do this Lorax Unit.

I started by having the students do a "Sketch-a-Story" about pollution (one a presenter used in a training in August).  I showed this on my Smart Board and uncovered each statement as they sketched.

Imagine a big lake.

Next to the lake is a huge factory.

Give your factory a name.

On the lake is a fishing boat with a fisherman.

Give your boat a name.

Suddenly, the factory begins to leak toxic waste into the lake.

The fisherman catches a fish.

The fisherman sells the fish to a nearby restaurant.

Give the restaurant a name.

Inside the restaurant is a couple, eating.

They eat the fish the fisherman caught.

When they leave the restaurant, they get sick.

Some of their sketches were really funny.

Afterwards students retold the story to their partner and we briefly discussed the cause and effect relationships.

Tomorrow we dive into the Figurative Language on The Lorax.  Thanks Mor for the Seuss Hat Foldable!   The kids LOVED making it today.  

Next we will find the examples in the story.  I'll use this chart to help students locate examples.  

Download this Freebie!

Then they shall choose the example they want to write into their Foldable.  

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Fishin' for Fractions Game

Just finished this game... Plan on using it Tuesday.  I'll let you know how it goes :)  It's in my TN store.

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