Cause and Effect... And Doing GREAT!

We're wrapping up cause and effect, ya'll.  This is a skill that used to give me fits.  It's so difficult!  I don't know what I did differently this year, but my kiddos SO get it!

We read passages from Readworks.org and then found cause and effect relationships.  Kiddos wrote them on their dry erase circles, which they LOVED!  {Find them here!}

I was one proud teacher!  And, if you haven't checked out Readworks.org, rush there and sign up for your free membership!  It's great!

We've also been using these monthly cause and effect passages.  Last year I used them whole class, but I've been using them in my small groups.  The kiddos enjoy them and we get lots of practice with this tricky skill!

Christmas Around the World... {Goodies and Freebies!- Blog Post Rewind!}

Click the tape to rewind and check out old posts featuring Christmas Around the World products in my shop and links to freebies in my TpT store and my class website!  Trust me... it's a treasure trove!

We're Proud of OurELF! {Freebie!}

This is actually more of a re-beeie, than a freebie since it's one I've shared before.  BUT, it's one of my favorites and we use it all year long!

I have a Zip-lock Baggie quilt in my hallway and every month, we add a photo and a bit of writing to our quilt to make a festive display...

We just made our December page.  Each kid's picture was taken, as usual, and then we used an app on my iPad called "Make Me Santa" to elf up our pics.  The kids had SO much fun!  Then I just printed them on the color printer at school and we added them to our "I'm so proud of myELF" page!

You can get a copy of the page we created.  We do one a month and put them in the quilt... at the end of the year, each kid will have all of their pages.  We bind them together to make a great memory book/keepsake!

Click the pic for your freebie on TpT!

12 Days of Christmas HUGE GIveaway!- Day 5

Thanks, Zippy, at Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah Designs for organizing this FABULOUS giveaway!

Enter to win great prizes using the Rafflecopter below!  Hurry... it's just a few more hours!

You can win TpT store credits from Nicole, Molly, and Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah and my new idiom book from me!  Not to mention a $30 Target gift card!  Hurry and enter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's a CYBER WEEKEND SALE! {A.K.A.- A few of my favorite things!}

Thanks to Michelle, the 3AM Teacher, for the cute button!

Happy Weekend, bloggy friends!  Today kicks off my sale at TpT and, tomorrow and Tuesday, you can get an EXTRA 10% off by using the code TPTCYBER when you check-out!

I wanted to get my sale started early for anyone who wants to buy today to plan for the upcoming week, so I'm at 20% off from today until WEDNESDAY!!!  Woot woot!

So... 

Here are some of my personal 'must haves' for the coming month and all year long too... Click any pic to learn more!

Christmas Around the World!  Powerpoints, flippy books, scrapbook, and loads of freebies too!

SNAPSHOTS!  I have shared about these several times before.  I LOVE THEM.  I use the grammar and comprehension Snapshots every Friday.  I can grade them in about 5 minutes and get a clear picture of where each of my kiddos are at on one standard only.  Make figuring out what and who I need to re-teach a snap!

Writer's Notebooks... these have made a huge impact in the focus of my writing instruction and the engagement of my students.  We LOVE adding pages to our Interactive Writer's Notebooks!  They are available for grades 1-2, 3-5, and have extra grammar add-on packs for those grades as well!

The newest addition to my shop...

This product has 6 different reading passages, written at three different levels.  Teach, assess, assign homework to your kiddos where they can all practice the same skill and read about the same thing, just at a level appropriate for them!

Homework Club!  This is a staple in my classroom and my kiddos LOVE it.  They take it so seriously and love being part of "the club" each month!  Even though it's the end of the year, it's not too late to start!

This is another new one... Idioms!  Twenty-four different idioms to learn in the context of reading passages... colorful posters explaining each idiom included!  My kiddos are now experts at finding and understanding idioms literally everywhere.  They love this!

And... one more... Show What You Know!  We're LOVING this for morning work this year!  Currently they are available for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade grammar and 3rd grade math... with other math on the way!  We use the 3rd grade math/grammar copied back-to-back.  Kiddos do each day quickly, we go over it as a class, and they get a spiral review of important concepts all year long!

Happy Cyber Monday sale!  I can't wait to fill my cart too!

Leveled CCSS Reading Passages!

Who's on break all week?  NOT ME!  We had class today and a full day tomorrow too... and I'm working away at home as well!

Hot off the presses...

This pack includes 6 different leveled reading passages (actually 12!) because each passage appears at two different reading levels!  Perfect for discussion during guided reading!  Each passage also comes on a page with comprehension questions OR print out the question cards and use them to facilitate group or partner discussion!

This pack focuses on 6 RL CCSS standards... RL 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7.

Grab it for $1 off until Wednesday night!

What We've Been Doing {Idioms, Main Idea, Letters... Oh My!}

It's been a BUSY week in 3rd grade!

We've been working on our idiom books.  This week we learned "You're the apple of my eye".  My kiddos really got the idiom after reading the passage in the book we're making.
 

We're also working on main idea and supporting details.  I have these file folder readers from Lakeshore Learning and L-O-V-E them!  Two of my groups have been reading the folder about animal adaptations.  We're using dry erase markers to write right on the folders... I know.  Crazy right?!  The kiddos were so pumped!  We're underlining the supporting details and having GREAT discussion!  I have the grades 1-2 set and the grades 3-4 set.

This one was all about animal adaptations.  We looked up pics of each of the animals on the iPad during our small group time.

And we're adding the friendly letter section to our Writer's Notebooks.  I LOVE our Writer's Notebooks.  It's so cool to see kids using them as a resource and it's made my writing instruction so deep... my kiddos are doing so well in writing this year.  I'm one proud teacher!  I can NOT wait to get to the narrative section later on in the year!

We completed some color-coding together via the Elmo projector...

And students color coded on their own in their notebooks.

Last... one of my files got a make-over!  Do you have "Graphic Organizers for Big Kids"?  If so, you'll definitely want to check it out... it's looking much better these days!

Want to find the products we used this week in class?  Click the links below!

It's Make-Over Time!

A few years ago, I blogged about the monthly calendar and diary we completed in my 1st and 2nd grade class...

And this file got a HUGE make-over today!  If you've purchased it... please re-download it.  It looks so much better!

Three fer Thursday... Grading 28 assessments in 4 minutes!

Grading.  It can be KILLER!

BUT... I use "Snapshots" each week to assess my students on a grammar concept and a comprehension skill... and I'm so happy to report that I can grade a class set of "Snapshots" in under 5 minutes... and, since each "Snapshot" is targeted to one Common Core standard, I can find out exactly who is successful and who needs more support so I can provide intervention right away!

So... here's the stack and the timer at zero...

And, here's the graded stack and the timer at 4 minutes and 21 seconds!

I teach ELA to two sections of third graders so, if it wasn't for these assessments, I think I'd spend every weekend grading!  I also love that students can complete these in about 4 minutes and 21 seconds too, so, even though we do two every week, they don't feel "assessed to death".

Since today is Thursday, it's a THREE fer THURSDAY!!!  I couldn't decide on which three "Snapshots" to place on sale at 20% off, so I'm sort of cheating... ALL "Snapshots" products are on sale today but I'm justifying it by saying that since they are available for three different grade-levels, I'm still staying with the rules of the three fer!

Click the banner below to check them out on TpT and snag them for 20% off... today only!  There are some sample packs available too- you can find them by clicking the link.  They're free and offer you a peek at one math, grammar, and comprehension snapshot for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades!

Three fer Thursday is BACK Tomorrow!

Stay tuned tomorrow for a...

Here's a hint... one of my favorite favorite favorite easy easy easy line of products is on sale for 20% off.

Need one more hint... find out what the papers and timer are all about tomorrow!

And... a new product was just added in my store!  It's an Interactive Grammar Notebook Add-on for the Writer's Notebook!  It CAN stand alone if you don't have the writer's notebook but is a GREAT addition to the grammar already in the writer's notebook if you DO have it!  Grades 3-5 is done now... look for the 1st/2nd add-on coming soon!  It's on sale for $2 off right now!