Half-sies {Completely Editable and Quick Note Templates!}

We've all been there...

Planning period.

You have to check homework, call two parents, answer your e-mail, scarf down your snack, and send home a reminder about the party in class tomorrow... not to mention trying to make it to the bathroom!

After the homework, phone calls, e-mails, and the snack, there are 5 minutes left.  And you STILL have to do the reminder note... so the bathroom will have to wait!

Well... not anymore!  Check out "Half-sies".  These are quick and ready to use parent notes... just add text boxes and type... and make it to the bathroom with seconds to spare!

Cute and easy!

They're $1 off for a few days!

End of Year Awards {Giveaway!}

It's almost that time... the End of the Year!  It's crazy... this year has FLOWN by.  I have an amazing class and I'm going to miss them all so so so much!

One thing I do at the end of each year is pass out awards to my students.  I use my pack on TpT, which literally has something for EVERY student!

I'm going to give away TWO copies of the pack!

You must leave a blog comment to enter but can get extra entries by checking out my blog's Facebook page too!

It ends next Friday, May 1!  If you just can't wait, I've got the pack on sale until the end of the giveaway too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{New Product Alert!} WAX MUSEUM KIT!

Did I mention that I love Wax Museum?  Like seriously love it?  Like... L to the O to the V to the E it?

Well, I do.

So much learning happens and it's amazing to see my kiddos SO excited about what they're working on.  They literally ask me every morning when they walk in if we'll be researching today for our project and earlier this week, they CHEERED when they came in and saw the iPad cart because they knew we'd be doing research!

I just put the finishing touches on a Wax Museum Organization Kit that has everything needed to organize this learning for your classroom... parent letter, pacing guide, student notes pages... it's all there!

Just click the pic for more info!

Adjectives, Adjectives, Adjectives {Just Add Marshmallows!}

Ok... if you're a TpT seller, you so get it.

I went into my binder and copied a fun activity for this week.

I made it a few years ago and haven't used it in the past year or so, so I pulled it out.

I cringed.

It looked un-cute.

And... gasp... it had COMIC SANS as the font!!!!!

We used it.  I winced as I watched my kiddos... they had a great time.  They laughed.  They enjoyed themselves!  They learned more about adjectives.  But I knew I had to fix it as soon as I got home!

So... a new, improved "Just Add Marshmallows" adjective pack was born!

SIX fun activities for working with adjectives!

Click the pic for more info {No Comic Sans included!}.

Free Online Must Check Out Learning Tool {LearnZillion}

Have you heard of LearnZillion?

It's awesome!  There are instructional videos for ELA and math that are all Common Core connected!

This week, we are working on transitions in our informational writing.  We call it "connecting words and phrases".  We added some pages to our Writer's Notebooks.  Students had to re-write a paragraph with no transition words to include transitions.  They did a great job!

Find this resource by clicking {HERE}!

Then we watched the W.2 "transitions" video on LearnZillion.  The video is in kid-friendly language and shows examples... and I loved that it showed a non-example too!

You should for sure check it out.  Click the image below to head over and sign up for your free account!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year {Wax Museum!}

We are starting our research for our 3rd grade wax museum and it is literally the MOST wonderful time of the year!

I LOVE this project.  The kiddos LOVE this project.

This is what my classroom looked like last week...

 Neil Armstrong found a video...

 Bessie Coleman and Laura Ingalls Wilder share new knowledge.

 Caroline Herschel works on her timeline.

My "Anne Frank" found a virtual tour of the home she hid in... everyone wanted to know if their person had any virtual tours too!  :)

Rosa Parks finds pictures.

Kids everywhere using the iPads to research the historical figure they have chosen... watching videos, searching images, reading websites... I LOVE IT!

Last week we researched dates for our timelines.  This week we'll be gathering info for our speeches.
If you have never done a wax museum, I'd highly recommend you look into doing one.  It covers SO many standards for starters... and it's just plain fun and full of learning.  Like literally SO much learning!!!!!

Here's a rough outline of how ours breaks down:

*gather dates for timeline (8 important life events)- 2 days
*gather info for speeches (students use a specific outline for notes)- 2 days
*write speeches using notes (4 paragraphs, following a specific plan)- 3 days
*We spend about a week in class working to memorize our speeches, though memorization isn't required.  Then all students will give their speech to the class the day before we do our for real wax museum.

We also make "buttons" that people can push to activate the speeches.  Last year we made them out of paper, but this year we're going to have students use PicCollage on the iPads to make their button.  Some of my kiddos have already started and one had the GREAT idea of including a quote from her person on the PicCollage, so I'm going to have my students all do that too!

Students make their timelines at home using the info gathered at school.  They can e-mail me pictures and I will print them at school or they can print at home or they can draw images for the timelines.  We supply paper for the timelines- it's an 11x18 piece of construction paper cut in half lengthwise and students attach the two halves.  But lots of students make their own timelines out of science fair boards, poster boards, etc...

Students also put together a costume at home.  I teach in a high poverty district and, the past two years that we've done this, students haven't had trouble with this.  We've seen everything from a George Washington wig made by gluing cotton balls to a baseball cap to Michael Jordan's jersey made by drawing the logo of his team on paper and taping it to a t-shirt!  The students and families have been so creative!

Did I mention I LOVE this project???!!!

Assess ALL RL Standards on ONE Assesment!

New product alert!

FIVE assessments.

Each assessment is THREE pages long.

On those three pages, all EIGHT 3rd grade RL standards are addressed through TWO original connected reading passages!

Click the pic for more info!

Midunderstood Minds- Understanding and Experiencing Learning Difficulties {This is a MUST do, teacher friends!!!}

We've been doing lots of training at school recently about utilizing technology in the classroom.  One session particularly caught my attention... understanding students with learning difficulties.

As a teacher, it's my job to teach all students and I strive to do just that... teaching how students learn... BUT, I'll admit that I have wanted to say things like, "Of has two letters... it isn't 'u-v'... it's 'o-f'... how is it that hard to know that?!" at times.  Not a proud moment... but a moment of genuine not understanding on my part.

And how about, "I'm only going to give this direction once, so make sure you pay good attention!"... I can't be the only teacher who has said that before!  After doing the module on listening attention {and feeling SO frustrated that I couldn't do it and SO determined to do it correctly!} I'm definitely re-thinking some things for those kiddos who struggle with oral directions.  You have to try out the "Auditory Activity" in the attention tab... and let me know what you think.  This one was so hard for me and I just wanted to do it so badly!!!!!

You HAVE to try these things out.  You can complete simulations for reading, writing, math, and attention difficulties and I promise you will think of kids in your classroom that fit in each of these categories... AND guarantee you will come away with a new understanding {and compassion!} about students' learning troubles!

Click the image below to go to Misunderstood Minds.  Then, click the tabs on the left to go to each type of learning difficulty.  You can complete a simulation for each one by clicking the "Experience Firsthand" links at the top.