Argh, Really? I'm Done.Pooped.Growl.

Did that catch your attention?  Probably just to see what I'm complaining about {again}.

This is the only thing I will say: Valentine's Day at school can be CRAZY!  I had all of these lofty ideas about what I wanted to do.  I did some, but fussed all day long.  I'm sure my kiddos were like, "Chill, lady."

I did get a chance to do this fabulous math activity with them from Amber at Adventures of a Third Grade Teacher.

It used the Conversation Hearts that we all love to use on Valentine's Day, but what I loved most was how it reviewed math skills we have covered this year.  There are 4 student pages in all. It should have been self-directed with very little teacher involvement since it was made for 3rd graders and I teach 4th.  But...put candy in front of my lovelies and they forget EVERYTHING. Phew.

I saw this from her this morning and threw that in, too.   We both saw it on Hope's blog, 2nd Grade Shenanigans. {Love that name, BTW} I figured out how to download Amber's word document to my Google Doc at the last minute that I could retrieve at school...as I can't get to any blogs at school because they are blocked {ARGH}.   I downloaded it from my iPhone to Google.  I can open Google...so wah-la! {How do you spell wah-la?}

This picture is from Hope's blog: 2nd Grade Shenanigans

This is the document I could get from Google Docs from school-Yippee!!!

I actually enjoyed this quite a bit.  Make sure you head over to both blogs and check them out if you haven't already.  They rock!

The stories my kids came up with are pretty funny.  Sadly, I was too exhausted to snap any pictures before leaving school. I'll post that later. 


I was feeling rather sorry for myself...and then I came home to the best Valentine's Day present
in
the
whole
wide
world:

A CLEAN HOUSE!!  My husband SO rocks.

He's still cleaning as I write this blog.  How lucky am I?

OK, enough.  Tomorrow {or at least later this week}, I promise to blog about something where I don't complain and also give you a freebie of my own.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine Exchange and a FREEBIE!

Oh boy!  I was so excited when I got home on Friday and found that my Valentine Exchange package was in my mailbox:

Even the package was cute.

My gifts came from a sweet first year teacher, Kelly Pate.  She's not a blogger {yet}.

This is what I found inside:

She found just the right things for me!  I love, love, love everything.  I'm going to have to hide the Minnie Mouse water bottle from my daughter!

Now on to my freebie for you:

I made these a few weeks ago for my kiddos.

Since it was a Pinterest "Nailed It" {That's total sarcasm} I decided I needed to add a little extra somethin'.  My crew LOVES homework passes...it's not even like I give a ton of homework, either.

So, here you go!

Go to my TpT store to download for free!

Have a great Valentine's Week.

Hey Girl....all is good in the world again :)

OK, seriously, this Hey Girl site totally makes my day a little brighter.

Seriously.  It rocks.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Who doesn't just swoon over Ryan Gosling?

Need more?
I thought so.

Love them.  That man gets better with age. 

So, remember my last post when I was somewhat complaining?  I'm so sorry.  It was probably one of the worst days. Really.  Had a major melt-down that night, but I'm better now.

What's even better is this news:  MATH STATIONS WORKED!  This is what I'm using from Clutter-Free Classroom:

Now, I know it's only been two days, and by next week I'll probably throw out the plan and start with something new again.  OK, maybe I'll stick with it for at least 2 weeks.  I'm so thrilled, you have no idea.  Thanks for all of the encouraging comments.  It helped.

I'm so happy with it, that I think I'm going to use the CFC's idea of the acronym MATH and use it for literacy with the acronym READ.  When I get that all figured out, I'll come back and show you how it's going and probably offer some freebies to go with it. 

Stick around and have a great Friday!  TGIF!!!

Math Stations...Oh My What Have I DONE???

I'm skerd...that's scared. FYI.  {I can't seem to say FYI anymore without sounding like the honey-badger dude, can you?}

I just purchased this from Clutter-Free Classroom.  I'm sure you know of CFC...it's responsible for thousands of teachers getting organized {finally}.  I'm kinda involved...I'm trying.  Really.

Anyway.

I had THE WORST day ever during literacy stations.  Just when I think I've got it, I don't.  The organization of it all is KILLING me.  Really.

I swear this has something to do with my MATH purchase...keep readin'

Here's my dilemma.  I really want to know that my students are getting 100% out of stations.  I'm a 4th grade teacher, after all.  They  need to be accountable.  I've used ideas from several teacher friends, from bloggers and dear old Google.  I have my students write a reflection about the station that they went to each day.  So, on Monday, we organize our notebooks like this:

Page 1: Skill
Page 2: Vocabulary
Page 3: Word Work
Page 4: Poetry or Writing
Page 5: Partner Read
Page 6: Read to Self- This is the most important because I have them make connections to what they are reading with thinking stems that I have provided.  They have to highlight at least 3 stems.  (text-to-text, text-to-self connections).

So, at the end of our "stations" time, the students return to their seats to write their reflections. Seems like a fool-proof plan, right?

WRONG!
I go today to grade {accountability, remember?} one group's notebooks and two of my highest leveled students {the ones I thought would have it completed perfectly} had hardly completed anything?  What?

I. lost. it.

Sad.

Please, someone out there...tell me how to make it work!!!

I still can't seem to find my balance. 

Any who...I digress.

I had bought this {see WAY above} to start stations in math.  I thought they would be so great.  I was so excited.  Then, today happened.

Do I tackle this yet or put it on the side-burner?  Do I re-group literacy stations and find my balance there first, or dive into math.  Maybe I can get math to work first {'cause, folks, it's really easier to teach}, then I can find what works organizationally and apply that to literacy stations.

Please give me suggestions.  Books to read, blogs to check out....anything. 

February Currently and a Giveaway of a Giveaway :)

It's February already? Man. Shoot.

The beginning of the month calls for a celebration, of sorts. 
It's called Farley's "Currently".  If you haven't ever joined in on this, you should.  Check it out on her blog below:

So, here's my Currently:

Now for my giveaway of my giveaway...

You see my RAK above?
Well, last night I won a $25 gift certificate to Donorschoose  from The Loco Teacher.  Check her out, she's new to blogging so I'm sure she'd love some visitors. 

Anyway, I don't currently have a project in mind.  So, here's my giveaway...if you have a project already on Donorschoose or know someone who does then email me {right now}.  There's a new "Email Me" gadget to the side...over there........no there........under my button.

The catch is I need to know by tomorrow at 4:00 because it expires tomorrow night!  I will give the $25 to the first person who emails me a link to a project needing funding.

Happy February everyone.

Oh~ One more quick thing...I just mailed off my Valentine's Exchange...boo ya! 

It was so exciting :)  Ah, the little things, people, the little things.......

Valentine's Day Class List Freebie!

Each year, I let Valentine's Day sneak up on me...not this year!

I've got my class list ready to send home tomorrow for those over-zealous parents who have already bought Valentine's cards. {like me}

I'm using a cuter one this year, though.  Thanks to all of this blogging stuff I've been doing.  It helps my cutesy creative side shine :) Blah...that's so corny!

Anyway, hope you can use it, too.

Head on over to my TpT store to grab your freebie!

And...can I say, woo hoo 83!  I'm almost there.  I really want to make it to 100 before Valentine's Day.  Will I feel like I've accomplished something so totally monumental?  {probably} At least for me.  Spread the word, please!

I already owe one Diet Coke, I'm willing to buy a case :)

What Do You Love? Linky Party! Too Cute :)

Kimberly over at Funky First Grade Fun (Who wouldn't want to visit a blog with that name?) is having a sweet Linky Party.

It's a great little list of what are the things that you love.

So.
Here you go:

What do you love?  Head on over and link up!

Tagged again :)

So I've been tagged again.  In respect for the game, here we go again :)

But first: Sweet Amber from:

gave me the sweet Favorite Follower Award below:

I was so totally honored.
If you haven't checked out her blog yet, you need to do so RIGHT NOW.  She's that precious!

I'd like to pass it on to Danielle at:







I love that she didn't completely condemn me for wearing Pink Velour Sweat Pants while making my Tic-Tac-Toe Review Game :)

On to the Tagging Game:

Here are the rules again:

1. You most post the rules.

2. Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 12 new questions for the people you tagged.

4. Tag 12 people and link them on your post.

5. Let them know you've tagged them.

First from:

 1. What is the most rewarding part of being a teacher? See this post.  I love my kids.

2. What is your go to school lunch? Salad (when I take the time to make it)

3. If you could teach any grade, what would you choose and why? 4th (the one I'm teaching now)

4. Are you a morning or night showerer? Night...unless I'm just too tired.  Then, I crash and take one in the morning.

5. When did you know you were going to be a teacher? When I was in the 3rd grade...

6. What is your biggest life accomplishment?  My children (my own children) and a strong marriage

7. If you were not a teacher, what would you be? I have NO IDEA :)

8. Where is your favorite place to shop at? Tar-jay (Target)

9. What teaching blog do you stalk the most? I love TBA because so many of you post there...but really I just LOVE my Google Reader.  So.Much.

10. What is your favorite technology that you have in your classroom? My SmartBoard...but I'm thinking I'm going to be lovin' my iPhone soon...see above.

11. Who has influenced you the most as an educator? (I really liked this question and wanted you to answer it too!)  My teaching partner.  She's awesome.  (Plus, if she reads this then maybe she'll buy me a Diet Coke).  Just kiddin'

12. What is your favorite subject or class to teach?  Social Studies...I've learned so much being a part of the Teaching American History Grant my county received three years ago :)

and next from:

1. Will you watch the Superbowl? Yes, but only for the commercials :)  This year, I'm actually going to a party.  I usually just hang out at home because I'm an early to bed girl. 

2. Coffee or Tea? Both??!!  I love my fru-fru coffee in the morning.  But, as any respectable southern gal, I love my sweet tea (pronounced swe-e-t tay)

3. The Daily 5? Yes, but not exactly the way the sisters do it.  I use the daily 5 as my stations (Read to self, read with partner, word work, writing, etc. while I work with small groups.).  Because I have so much I feel like I have to teach (standards), I can't commit completely. {Sigh}

4. Do you have a favourite type of pen? Hello- Flair pens {Holla}

5. What's your must see TV show? Really only one: Parenthood.  It's the only thing on TiVo.  I'd rather blog stalk hunt and blog or read.

6. If you could go anywhere tomorrow where would you go? Disney World.  My husband would be mortified by that answer...oh well.

7. Winter or summer? Duh....summer.  (Not necessarily for the break and chance to re-energize.  But, I hate the cold...I'm from the south, right?)

8. What hobbies do you have? Blogging, crafting, reading

9. Shoes or purses? Can't I have both?  Shoes probably.  I splurge on a really nice purse every few years.

10. Mac or PC? PC. Nuf Said.

11. iPhone or Blackberry? iPhone...but only since about Jan. 15th.  Still getting used to it...have droooooled over my husband's iPhone for years.  Did you know that you can get a cord to hook up your iPhone 4Gs to your projector????  I'm so excited. 

12. Describe yourself in three words.

Yikes- only 3?

you is nice

you is kind

you is important......Is there anything else?

Now on to the 12 people to tag.  Let's just say I'm tagging out.  I'm sorry!   Contact me through email if you want me to tag you (but don't want to feel like you asked for an invitation to the party).  I kinda feel like that about the Super Bowl Party that I'm going to, so I know how that is...but seriously, I'm too tired to search for people who haven't been tagged.  


Now, If you read all of this, Bravo!  I'll buy you a Diet Coke if you leave me a comment. 


(OK, maybe I can't do that...but I'll figure out something.)

Friday Freebie Honoring Pam from The Vintage Teacher

Pam was one of the people in this community that I first started to follow.  What I loved about her was her dedication to share.  Today we honor Pam Woods of The Vintage Teacher.



You have probably already seen her blog button everywhere our here in bloggy land. Everything in her TN store is free to all teachers to honor her memory.  You can visit her store here.  If you are interested, you may leave a message for the family on Pam's last blog post here.

In honor of Pam, here is the first item I uploaded to my TpT store because of simple encouragement from teachers just like her.  It was the gift I gave my student intern when she finished her internship in my classroom.

You can click on the picture below to head over to my TpT store.

Thanks for helping honor Pam.  She will truly be missed.

And THIS is WHY I Teach

This happened today.
No lie.

I've got a beautiful little {well, big...he's bigger than me} boy in my class.  He's got some "issues" and is in resource and has lots of extra attention.  You get the background, right?

Well, today he had another little girl's pencil and said it was his "because he found it on the floor."
I explained to him that, "No, it's not yours just because you found it.  You see, {insert said child's name here}, if I found $5 on my desk, I'd try to figure our whose money it was...it wouldn't just be mine because I found it."

He then left the room to work with his resource teacher for math.  She brought me a note afterwards saying that {said child} told her that everyone was always out to get him.  I spent a little longer trying to help him understand that in fact, we are not out to get him.

The day progresses.  When coming back from PE, we see his resource teacher in the hall again.  She asks me if I had a chance to read the note.  I told her that I did and we proceeded to discuss his issue.  He was watching and getting upset.  I walked over and, AGAIN, tried to reassure him we are not OUT TO GET HIM.

We walk on.  I turn around and he's mumbling under his breath.  I walk over all ready to
LOSE IT.

I say, "{Said child}, what is wrong...we are OVER this".

He says, {and this is the ah-ha moment---I've been teaching plot and climax this week, can you tell}

"I was just praying."

Oh, sweet Jesus.  He was.  I begged for forgiveness at that moment.


But, wait...it gets EVEN BETTER.


Later in the day coming back from lunch, I've got something stuck in my teeth.  Gross! {Wait for it...I swear it's good}.

And, in the room I have tooth picks {double gross...but I just had braces 2 years ago...so it happens, people, OK?}.

Yes, I go to pick that piece of food out of the back two teeth. {sorry}


{Said child} says, "Teacher, are you OK?"


Me- "Yes, I'm fine, I just have to get something that is stuck in the back of my teeth out.  Give me a second."



{Said child}- "Well, I'll pray for you."


Oh again.  Make me want to cry, OK.


But no, another child turns his head to the ceiling to keep from laughing.  It's hilarious!  Tears are running down his face.  No lie.



I chuckle a bit at this point.


{Said child"} says, "What's so funny?"


What do you say to that???


So, I just say, "I guess I look kinda funny, huh?"


{Said child} says, "Yep, you sure do."

And THIS is WHY I teach.

The End.

Tic-Tac-Toe Review Game Freebie!

This is a bit long...but at the end you will be rewarded with a prize!

I found these beauties in Target!  Love that dollar bin area.  It's a killer, though.

In case you can't see...they are Xs and Os to use as table scatters.

Thought to myself {insert thought bubble}, "What can I do with those in my classroom?"

Duh, Tic-Tac-Toe! 

Next thought, "How can I make it generic so that I can use it over and over and over..."

Here's what I came up with....

At Christmas time, I had saved several Pringles cans to decorate and fill with cookies to give to neighbors....
oh, those best laid plans again...the neighbors got cookie tins instead.

So, I had these just hanging out in my laundry room.

Time to decorate:

Ignore the pink velour sweats.  Look away, look away!!!

Cute, huh?

Once decorated, I made the game board. 

My original plan is to use them each month for my kiddos to play a review game with their vocabulary flashcards in social studies.  But, this can be done with virtually any review flashcards.

To play: Lay the deck of flashcards face down.  Player one draws a card.  If he can give the word for the definition, then he gets to place an "X" or an "O" on his board.  If he does not get the definition correct, he loses his turn.  The play continues until one player has three in a row...however, if all flashcards haven't been reviewed, the students will clear the board and play again.

The label for the Pringles can and the game board are available now for FREE at my TpT store.  And, I have two versions for the label: red and purple, or purple and green.  Grab it up and review, review, review!

*Sad plug, but would you also consider pinning it?  I'd really like to reach 100 followers before Valentine's Day.  It's a little bitty goal of mine.

I've Been Cyber Tagged!

Oh, and I love it :)  I've been seeing this going around and now it's my turn!  Yay!
One of my absolute faves, Elisabeth, over at Twins, Teaching and Tacos {love that name} tagged me.  Elisabeth is so great...remember when she let me know I was a dork that hadn't left my email address on a giveaway and that's the only way I would have known I had won.  She's that Ah-Sum.  {totally stole that from her, by the way}
 
So here are the rules:

1. You must post the rules.
2. Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 12 new questions for the people you tagged.
4. Tag 12 people and link them on your post.
5. Let them know you've tagged them!


Fun Facts
1.  I've been married for 16 years and have two beautiful children.
2.  My dog was a gift to me from my family.  I wanted I small dog...I got a Lab.  {But, I do love him}
3.  I have been teaching for 17 years.  I can keep up with the total because it's one more year than I've been married.
4.  I've taught it all...Here's the break down:

1 year in fourth

6 years in first

3 years in second

3 years in fourth

3 years in fifth

2 years in fourth

I get moved a bit...is that because I'm good? {Or maybe because I'm easily moveable}.  I'm going with door #2
5.  I've taught both of my children {but only social studies}.
6.  I'm a coupon diva.  I've kinda fallen off the wagon over the past few months {blogging has taken over my obsession}.  But, I've gotta get back on......
7.  I love to do crafty things.  I'm currently into making wreaths.  I even sell them to teachers at my school :)
8.  I'm addicted to my Nook.  I love to read.  Lately, it's been mostly blogs.  Which I can do on the Nook because I have WiFi.  Oh, lazy me...I don't even have to get up and get my laptop.
9. I grew up all over the east coast.  But, mainly in Charleston, SC.  I was a Navy brat.
10.  I live for GNOs.  My most recent Girls' Night Out was last Wednesday and I'm ready for another.
11.  Josh Groban is my absolute favorite singer.  
12.  I've met Josh twice {yes, we are on a first name basis}.  Teaching has come in awfully handy for me...I taught his head bodyguard's children.
I
AM
DEAD
SERIOUS
{Jealous?}

Here are my questions to answer from Elisabeth:

1. Where is one place you would like to travel? 

New Zealand is my dream, but I'm also hoping for Paris, France.  My daughter has kept in touch with our French exchange student from last year and she has been invited to visit them during the summer.  It will probably be the summer of 2013 and I'm hoping to tag along for a few days :)

2. What is your favorite thing about teaching? 

I love the smile on a child's face when he/she "gets it".  Nothing is better than that!

3. What is one thing about teaching you would change?  

All of the unnecessary paperwork and unnecessary testing.  I swear we test these babies to death.

4. Do you have any hobbies? 

Hello- Crafts, reading, blogging...

5. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?  

Mostly I just enjoy hanging out with family and friends.  My family enjoys camping.  It's a nice way to get away from the hustle and bustle and just relax.

6. What book have you recently read? 

I'm almost finished with Cutting for Stone.  It's a 600 pager...

7. Do you have a hobby?  

Yep, crafts, reading and blogging...

8. What kind of technology do you have in your classroom?

I have a Smart Board.  I use my Nook on it, too.  Everyone if you get a chance, please check out my plea for advice here. 

9.  If you weren't a teacher, what career would you have?  

Sadly, I have no idea.  I've wanted to be a teacher since age 6.  It would have to be something that allows me to be creative and around people. 

10. What is your favorite topic/subject to teach? 

I love teaching reading but I'm better at teaching social studies. 

11. What is your favorite type of candy?  

ANY...fancy chocolates are like a secret gem in my house.  We hide them from each other.

12. What type of music do you enjoy listening to?  

Well, besides Josh Groban, I'm actually very eclectic.  I enjoy Dave Matthews, Cold Play, Bruno Mars, John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan.  {But I love pop music, too...I'm almost 40 and can't get enough of the "bubble gum pop" of the times. SAD.}

Here are the people I tagged: 
1. Amber at Adventures of a Third Grade Teacher Now, Amber has already been tagged by Elisabeth, but I had to tag her.  She's always there to comment and help me out. 
2. Mandy at Cooperative Learning 365
3.  Cara at Teaching...My Calling
4.  Lindsay at My Life as a Fifth Grade Teacher
5. Tanya at A Class Act
6.  Miss T at Journey of a Substitute Teacher
7.  Stephanie at Teaching in Room 6
8. Danielle at LaSota's Little Learners
9. Kim at Finding Joy in 6th Grade
10. Haley at Following Optimism
11.  Erica at Shepherd's Shining Stars
12.  Erin at Creating and Teaching

My Questions for Those Tagged

1.  How much time do you waste spend online blogging and blog hopping per week?
2.  Pepsi or Coke?
3.  Are you addicted to Pinterest?  If so, what is your favorite board?
4. Do you have a Smart Phone?  Do you use it to take pictures of your class/classroom?
5. What is your favorite movie?
6. What are your hobbies?
7. If you were given $1000 to spend RIGHT NOW, what would you spend it on?
8.  What SHOULD you be doing right now, but can't pull yourself away from the computer to do?
9.  Are you teaching your dream grade level?
10.  What subject is your least favorite to teach?
11.  Do you have a TpT store? 
12.  How long have you been blogging?

I can't wait to read what you all have to say.  I like these kinds of posts because it introduces me to new bloggers.  I've really enjoyed becoming a part of this community.  

Happy blogging!

Kindles or Nooks in the Classroom Linky Party

Do you use a Kindle or a Nook in your classroom?

I have a Nook that I use at home ALL THE TIME. 

I love it because I can sit in my bed and read a book {sometimes}.  But mostly, I use is to catch up on my Google Reader feed.  I can star the posts that I need to come back to once I get off my lazy butt and go upstairs to the computer.

Hence, the reference to having 66 starred items in my Google Reader Feed yesterday. 

But, this is not about me and my obsession about my Nook.

I need help!

(not mental help either...although that might be necessary, too)

I use the Nook in my classroom, too.  I have downloaded our most current read aloud, The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman.

When I read it aloud, I show it on the Smart Board.  I can then highlight vocabulary, sentence structure, figurative language, author's purpose, etc.  It's great!

My question is this...do any of you have a class set of Nooks or Kindles?  If so, how do you use them?  Do you have to purchase the books individually for each Nook?  Do you have one Barnes and Noble (or Amazon) account or 25 different accounts for each device?

I'm looking at trying to get a class set, but don't know if it would be worth the effort to get a class set.  Any suggestions?  Would I be better off trying to get a class set of iPods?

So, this is a linky within a linky.  I'm linking up with the tech whiz Cara over at Teaching...My Calling.  She's so great.  Link up here to add what you do in your classroom over on her blog.

Really: I seriously need advice.
Please consider helping me and link up....

Teaching With M&Ms....mmmmmmmm

I began my unit on the American Revolution this week.  I get so excited when we get to this part because the kiddos get excited, too.  For some reason, they are more interested in this unit than Native Americans, Explorers and the Colonies. 

I start the unit with a simulation.  The kids love these.  I've used simulations several times in social studies this year.  What I love most is that the kids remember them later in the year.

For example, when learning about the land bridge theory, I had my students act out crossing the land bridge hunting wholly mammoths.  Awesome!  I've also used simulation while teaching about the Triangle Trade Route and the students were all bunched up side by side, lying on the hard floor, unable to move while hearing a story (a primary source, too) of a slave's journey to the new world.

For this simulation, we used M&Ms...yes, I'm still eating them because I bought too many {sigh}.

This idea is not mine, I found it in a Teacher Created Press book from eh-hem 1993 {double sigh...I'm that old}.  I liked the idea, but I have jazzed it up for me.

When entering the classroom after PE, each student drew a card from a stack.  On the card, the students were either assigned to be a colonist, a member of Parliament, a tax collector or King George III. 

All of the colonists are given a tray of 20 M&Ms...and they are all like, "Woo hoo...candy".  And I'm all like, "Woo hoo, hold on a minute.  Those are going to be what you use to pay your taxes.  Remember when we were talking about the French and Indian War and how Britain was telling the colonists that they needed to pay for it?  Well, guess what...you are going to pretend to be those colonists paying taxes. But our taxes will be on things we do, wear or eat here at school."

And they are all like, "What?  I've got to give these M&Ms away?" 

And I'm like, "Yep, you sure do."

Then the tax collectors are all like, "Woo hoo, so I get to collect the M&Ms, right."  So, I have the tax collectors put in plastic gloves because although they are collecting the taxes they are not going to keep them.

Well, the tax collectors are excited non-the-less.

The king is put on his (or her) thrown and members of Parliament sit down next to the king. 

Then the fun begins.  I read a tax card aloud to the class.   It might say something like:

Pay 3 M&Ms if you ate a school lunch today.

Or, pay 2 M&Ms for wearing blue jeans today.

Or, pay 1 M&M if you own a pet.

This goes on for a good little while.

Some students are losing quite a few M&Ms.  Others, not as many.

 

So, the discussion leads to deciding whether or not they would then want to fight for independence.  Would they oppose the British government and laws, would they care as much as the neighbor who lost almost all of his M&Ms, etc.  How would this lead to war?

As all of the "taxes" are collected, I start to divvy them out to the tax collectors (for their fee), the members of Parliament (for being noble and all) and finally about half of them go to the king.   Man, do those colonists get mad when one student ends up with a bucket of M&Ms. 

In the past, I have let the students stew on this for most of the day.  (To get the debate even more heated, of course.) This year, however, I've got several special kiddos that would not have been able to handle that, so I let everyone off the hook right away.  And, being the nice teacher that I am, I gave back all 20 M&Ms to the colonists and the tax collectors, king and members of Parliament all got 20 as well.

I always start with this activity because I want to get my students thinking about the causes of the American Revolution. 

As I said before, I jazzed this activity up....you may get this at my TpT store.  It's on sale, too, for only $1.50 instead of $2 right now :) 

If you like it, let me know.  If there is something you think I need to change, let me know that, too.  I'm always up for feedback of any kind. 

I Have 66, Yes 66 "Starred" Items in Google Reader...Geesh!

Not to mention the Millions of Freebies that I need to download over at Classroom Freebies.

Holy macaroni, I love that forum!  There is no wonder that they are up to One Million Views!  Congrats to Charity and all of the over 100 contributors to Classroom Freebies!  Maybe one day, little ol' me will be a contributor, too.

My favorite part of this site is that you can search by grade level:  How organized is that...I guess Charity {The Organized Classroom Blog} is on to something:

By the way, if you are new to blogging and want to learn how everything works...I highly recommend Charity's Teaching Blog Traffic School.  I ordered it a while back and have not viewed all of the lessons, but already I have learned SO much. 

 OK- off to download my heart out. 

Oh, and remember that promise to post a second time the other day.  Whelp, that never happened, now did it. My best laid plans........

Maybe later today :)

Word Verification-Phonics Lesson? and a Giveaway

Is it just me, or do you all sound out the word verification when you post a comment in blogger???

So, this would be tic-iz {rhymes with whiz}.

Is that because I'm a teacher, or just plain weird brilliant for using my phonics skills? 

I'm going with brilliant.

 Now on to some giveaways that are running right now.

Herding Kats in Kindergarten

3 winners:

3rd place:

2nd place:

Above and...

1st place:

TpT Valentine's Day Unit and....

Clearly I LOVE this giveaway because of her awesome craftiness...remember this?

Made in the Shade in 2nd Grade 

2 winners will each receive a $25 gift card to their choice of the following:

Lakeshore

TpT

Amazon

Target

Good luck! {Secretly I hope you don't win}

Just kidding-geesh!

I'm going to blog later today about something else-so forgive me for breaking the do-not-blog-more-than-once-a-day rule.  Who made that rule anyway? 

 

Explorer Trading Cards

Wanted to catch your attention with the final product first.  Cute, huh?

Each year, we struggle with the "Informational Text" and "Research" Standards.  It's hard to teach little fourth graders about research.  It takes baby steps.

I have my students research explorers each year because this cross-curricular activity covers many standards all at once!

After I have already covered many explorers in social studies {Magellan, Polo, Balboa, Columbus, etc.} my students are ready to research.  I've helped build some background information so they know why we are researching these old dead guys.

First, I collaborate with my media specialist and she teaches several wonderful lesson on note taking, citing sources and finding resources.

Her lesson begins with how to take precise, accurate and thorough notes.  She covers a shelf of stuffed animals {about 43 or so of them...I wish I had a photo}.  She uncovers the animals and tells the students {without much guidance before-hand} to jot down what they observe.  Then, she covers them back up and asks for the students to tell her what they wrote down. It was interesting to see what they wrote:

Some listed animals by type.
Some counted all the birds and wrote a number, then did the same for other types of animals.
Some listed animals by color.
Some just started to write EVERYTHING they saw...only to run out of time after naming only about 10.

This led to a great discussion about "what should I write down" when researching.

Our next lesson was about how to and why do we cite sources.  The kids all had to cite a book source using correct MLA format.  That was E*X*H*A*U*S*T*I*N*G.  We ran around with chickens with our heads cut off trying to make sure that every comma, period, colon, etc. was in place on every card.  Why did we do this?
{Because we are CRAZY}

My thoughts are that students need to be taught at a young age this skill...it will follow them for-eva!

Finally, the students choose an explorer from the list that I generate based on the books in our library.  They cite this source and then begin taking notes about their explorer.  I provide the students with a guideline of information that they need to look for in the books (explorers research chart).

Next we move on to using Discus.  Do all states have access to this online encyclopedia?  There is an elementary level page that my students access.  They type in the name of their explorer and pull up a very organized summary of that explorer.

Here's a screenshot of what they see:

They click on Britannica Elementary to access the elementary level.

The best part of this source is that the citation is at the bottom of the page and all the students have to do is copy it letter-by-letter-colon-by-colon-forward slash-by-forward-slash...yadda, yadda, yadda.

Some students can find everything on the explorer research chart.  Others, not everything.  For example, exact birth dates and death dates are unknown for several explorers.  Sometimes the information in the book source is contrary to the information online.  This leads to a wonderful discussion of accuracy of the information, what is more current, etc. 

Here are some pictures of a student's citation cards and explorer research chart:

All three...

Book Source Citation

Online Encyclopedia Citation

Explorer Research Chart

Once all of the research is complete {this takes a few weeks because we don't go to our lessons in the library every day...we have an open library schedule and we have to schedule with the media specialist times for the lessons} they take their explorer research charts and use them to create Explorer Trading Cards!

These are the front sides of a few examples

Front/Back

 

 

 

 

I'll be adding this activity to TpT as soon as it cooperates.  I've been screaming at my computer waiting ever-so-patiently for it to upload and then it times out with a 504 error.  Does this ever happen to anyone?  I'll add it tomorrow...off to bed.

I'm glad that project is OvEr...on to the next project :)

Valentine's Day Gifts...thanks, Pinterest!

Saw this on Pinterest. {A freebie at the end of this post if interested.}

Figured, EASY.
Got my molds in the dollar section of Target.  Gotta love Target.  These molds were sold in a set of two for $2.50.  Well, OK.

My son helped...he had a ball.  He was able to pound things and not get in trouble. Imagine.

Please ignore the fact that he needs a haircut. Badly.

Pound away and then add to molds.

Put in an oven preheated to 230 degrees and "bake" for 15 minutes.  

Once cooled, pop those babies out.

I strongly suggest you don't try to bake real food in these later....hehe.
Here's what they look like.  Not quite what I saw on Pinterest, but whatever. {Sigh}

At least it wasn't as far off as this:

How hilarious is this?

Here's the finished product:

It looks better with better lighting...but it's raining here...no great light and I'm not really sure how to make my daughter's camera work.  Lame, I know.

I created that "card" and you can pick it up here at my TpT store for FREE.  

Enjoy...maybe yours will turn out better.