Why I Do What I Do {Showing Off Student Work}

It's that time again...

I'm changing it up just a smidge and connecting each "Why I Do..." with one of my beliefs about teaching and learning.

I have these posted on my closet door in my room and love having them displayed.  Everything I do ties in to these believes that I have...

Today I want to tell you about my belief that "Hard Work, Done Right, Feels Good"!  I have a "Star Effort" frame in my room.  It's a cheap-y plastic frame from Wal-Mart.  It's magnetic and I decorated it a few years ago with some stars and lettering so it says "Star Effort".  Whenever a student truly goes above and beyond on an assignment or project, their star work is displayed in the frame at the front of the room!

Students love to see their one shining great example displayed at the front of the room.  It stays there for a week or so and everyone can go up and see the hard work completed by a classmate.

How do you celebrate hard work by individual students?  Link up below and share!

An InLinkz Link-up

Weekly Homework Sheets {Why I Do What I Do Linky}

Welcome to "Why I Do What I Do" on my ol' blog!  Today I'm sharing about why I (we) use weekly homework sheets in my (our) 3rd grade class(rooms)!

The we/our/classrooms is in reference to the entire 3rd grade at my school.  Because we are departmentalized, it's important that everyone have access to the homework sheet that we send home so that all teachers can add necessary class info.

So... we have an easy solution... our weekly homework sheet is a Google Doc that we can all access, change, and print out for our individual classes!

It looks like this...

We print these off each Monday morning and kids take them home in their FALCON folder.  How we handle them in our own classrooms is our own choice.

I go around each morning to check for parent initials.  If a student doesn't have initials, I circle the box and students move their clips down.  Yes, yes, I know... this might sound harsh and could be a parent issue and not a student issue, which I have addressed with individual students (one student was allowed to initial his own sheet last year after completing homework).  But I also think students need to have some responsibility in showing their homework to their families and asking for their sheet to be signed.  Parents are such important partners in school success and this is one easy way for students to be accountable for involving their parents in classroom happenings.  After I implemented the "clip down" policy, it was extremely rare for a student to come in with their sheet un-signed.  If there are no initials two days in a row, the student writes a note home asking his/her parent to please sign their HW sheet.  I carry a clip board with these editable check-lists to check off who has brought their folder/HW sheet back and who has not.

On Fridays, I check the spelling homework that has been completed on the back while my students take their spelling test on Spelling City.

And, on Monday, they turn in the HW sheet from the previous week while taking one for the new week.

So... why do you do homework communication the way that you do?  And how do you do it?

Link up below to share why you do what you do when it comes to homework communication!

An InLinkz Link-up

Classroom Library Organization {Why I Do What I Do- Linky!}

New "series" coming on the blog for the next few weeks.  As I'm able to get into my room and start setting up, I'll be taking pics of different things in my room and sharing why I do things the way that I do.

Today I'm starting with my classroom library.  There are always debates and questions online about the best way to organize a classroom library and, over the years, I've tried all of them...

I used to have my library complexly organized by AR level.  This was in the pre-blog days, so I wasn't in the habit of taking billions of classroom photos.  My first year teaching, I had a small library.  I had baskets with labels on the front and all yellow and green dot books went in one basket.  All blue and red in another.  Orange and black and pink were together in one basket.  That year I collected so many books so, my 2nd year, I changed it up!  I spray painted baskets according to AR colors (yellow, green, red, blue, orange, black, pink) and books were just in their baskets by color.  I had this system for another year or so.

And then I had an epiphany.

When my library was organized by AR color, I was teaching my students that the very first thing we have to consider when choosing a book is the "color" or level we are at.  I wasn't teaching kids to be voracious readers because of things they liked or were interested in.  Instead, I was teaching them that enjoying a book is second to selecting one at your level.

So, then everything changed.

For years now I have organized my classroom library (which is now HUGE) by topic or theme.

Each topic or theme has its own basket, which is numbered.  Currently, I have 34 numbers... but some have more than 1 basket... for example, I have a TON of non-fiction animal books (#17), so there are 2 baskets with that label.  The 19s are all about historical figures.  So, 19A is historical men.  19B is historical women.  19C is historical events (Titanic, wars, etc...).  Within each basket are all of the books about that topic or theme.  Each book has a sticker with the matching basket number to make putting things away a breeze.  Books are also color coded for AR.

So now my students can first find baskets about things they are interested in reading.  Then they can easily find things at their own levels by looking at AR colors.

This has become a very "soap box" issue for me.  As someone who has a definite love/hate relationship with AR at times, I HATE when students ask "how many points" a book is before I even read it to them.  Or they are afraid to read a book because it isn't AR.  Or they'll read any book in their color, so long as they can take the quiz on it... not even caring whether they enjoy the read or not!  I have seen that, having my library organized like this, helps to take the emphasis off of colors and levels and really turn kids on to things they are interested in.

So, there are my two cents.  And that's why I do what I do!  Feel free to grab the button up at the top, post about why you do what you do in your classroom library, and link up below!  I hope you'll join in and share your rationale behind your organization!

An InLinkz Link-up

Random Monday Meetup

Thanks for the fun linky, Teaching Tribune!

I can't wait to check out the random facts about my favorite bloggy friends!!!  Here's me...

Deck the Halls with TpT Linky Party

Happy Sunday!  Are you as excited as I am about the TpT Cyber Monday {and Tuesday!} sale?  My cart is full and so is my wishlist.  I can't wait to get my shop on!  EVERYTHING in my shop will be 20% off Monday and Tuesday... and if you use the code CYBER when you check out, TpT will give an additional 10% off of that... so everything's 28% off!!!!!

A bunch of bloggy friends are joining me in a fun linky to show off some TpT goodies to the tune of some favorite Christmas carols.  So... I bring you... Deck the Halls with TpT!

So... bring on the playlist!

I'm going to play three songs for you.

The first one is the seasonal favorite... The 12 Days of Common Core!

Find them all on TpT!

These Snapshots for grammar, comprehension, and math provide many more than just 12 days' worth of Common Core assessing!  Check them out for 1st (comprehension and math), 2nd (comprehension, math, and grammar), and 3rd (comprehension and grammar) in my TpT store.  Be sure to follow me on TpT to get updates when more subjects and grades are added!  I'm working on more Snapshots as we speak for other grades and subjects!

The next song is "I'm Dreaming of a Holiday Product".

Find the bundle and the individual banners on TpT!

This beautiful song is made even sweeter when the holiday product can help you decorate your classroom in less than 60 seconds.  This holiday bunting bundle helps me make my classroom festive and takes NO time now that I have made the banners.  Just print and assemble!

Check out these three laying on my living room floor!  The bundle includes banners for Christmas (and Winter!), Halloween (and fall!), Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter (and spring!), and a fun "Rock the Test" encouragement banner for testing days!

I'm not going to lie.  The next song on the play-list is actually a REMIX.  Originally I was going to share my Character Traits: Match It!  Prove It! pack... for the song "It's Beginning to Look a lot like Reading"... but {as I was driving home from buying my first ever pair of leggings yesterday} I started thinking about my writing packs and how much they have helped me organize and pin-point my writing instruction.  And how much I used to struggle with writing.  We always DID writing.  But I didn't TEACH writing.  Now I TEACH it and LOVE it!

So... the last song on my playlist is a REMIX.  It's called "It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Writing".

Narrative, Opinion, and Portfolio on TpT!

These packs are all Common Core connected.  The Narrative and Opinion provide lists of mentor texts, a basic instruction plan, activities to get students involved with the "nuts and bolts" of the type of writing, and opportunities for students to practice developing their writing and then write a final piece using everything they've learned during the study.

The "Write Stuff" is a year-long portfolio for narrative, opinion, and informational writing.  This is PERFECT to use after you've introduced each type of writing so that students can practice each type monthly.  Rubrics, student data sheets, and ways to get students involved in thinking about their writing all help make this pack a great way for students to see themselves grow as writers during the year!

Thanks for reading and "listening" along to my playlist... check out these other great blogs by clicking the links below!

What Are Your Students DIGGIN'? {A new linky!}

Ok... the first day of school is approaching quickly and I'm ready to do some (AKA- continue to do some) shopping!

But... I want to know what the winners in your classroom are.  What do your students really DIG that you have?

Link up and show us what you've got and where you got it so we can get it too!

If you click any of the pictures, you can grab these too!  If you link up, be sure to direct us to where we can get your goodies too!  My 3rd graders love...

...this book series... my reluctant readers can't wait to get their hands on this!

...our Eggspert!  This turns anything into a team game and my 3rd graders LOVE it!  We do Brainquest cards, grammar games, math facts... anything you can think of... and it is so fun!

...Choose Your Own Adventure books.  Did you ever read these?  OMG.  I did when I was a kid and I loved them!  There are new ones that are perfect for grades 2 and up and my students LOVE doing them during "read to someone".

...writing with Smencil Pencils as a reward!  Have you seen these pencils?  They smell... and they smell good!  This is a great reward in my classroom.  Students can borrow the pencil for the day!

...scratch off tickets!  I blogged about this last summer and it was a huge hit in my classroom!

...our interactive reading buddies from Hallmark!  My kiddos LOVE reading to these stuffed pups... if you haven't seen these, they are pretty cool.  You turn them on, read the book it came with outloud to the stuffed animal, and (if you're reading accurately and fluently) the dog whimpers, barks, pants, etc... at appropriate parts in the story!  It's really cool.  I wasn't sure about it because it's something I did in 1st and 2nd grade, but my 3rd graders LOVE it!  We have this one, but there are many others too!

one more...

...our favorite end of the day activity (when there's time!) is to play "Mummy Ball".  We have a Koosh ball and the students put on all their gear (backpacks, etc...) and stand in a spot in the room.  I say someone's name and toss them the ball.  They catch it, say someone else's name, and toss to them.  If anyone talks, they are out and sit down wherever they are standing.  If anyone drops it, they are out and sit down.  It usually takes about 8 minutes to get a winner... and we usually can only play for 3 or 4 but we try to do it once a week because they love it!

Have Your Cake and Inference Too!- Spotlight on Graphics by the 3am Teacher Linky Party!

Several fabulous clipartists and bloggers have come together for an amazing Clipart Challenge hosted by Primary Possibilities!  Each blogger is featuring a clipartist and a product they made using that artist's images!  This is a great way to discover new clipart creators for your summer creations.   So keep reading and following the linky at the bottom to head on to the next post!  You may even pick up some freebies along the way!

Thanks for stopping by today to see what I made with some amazing graphics from Michelle, better known as the 3am Teacher!

I knew right away this was a challenge I simply HAD to participate in and was even more excited when I got paired with Michelle.  She's SUCH a talented graphic artist and even better online friend.  She's so funny and always cranking out detailed, high quality, unique graphics!

The sets I used for this challenge are (click each pic to learn more!)...

And now... to show you what I made!!!!!

When I saw the cakes, I knew right away what to do with them and so... Crazy Cakes Bake Shop has had a mix-up and only your students can use their inference skills to figure out which cake goes with which cake order form!

The pack also includes an "I can" statement, sign about inferencing to display, and three different extension activities for students to design their own cakes and make their own inferences!

So, I hope you will check out this fun, unique inference activity and also Michelle's AMAZING creations!

You can get to her blog by clicking the button above and here's a link to her TpT store!

You can also hop along these other blogs below to see other great things created by other amazing clipart artists!

Loading InLinkz ...

Fabulous Feedback Linky Party... Is it YOU?

We're gearing up for the HUGE "Teacher Appreciation Sale" going on at TpT tomorrow and Wednesday, May 7 and 8.

Everything in my store will be 20% off and TpT is giving an EXTRA 10% off of that if you use the code TAD13 when you check out!  Teacher's Notebook is having a similar sale until the 10th, so if you like shopping there, here's my link if you want to check out my products!

Anywho, to celebrate the sale and to celebrate all of the teachers who have helped make my TpT store a success, I'm hosting a "Fabulous Feedback" linky party where you have a chance to win a product from my shop!

All you have to do is read on, see if I selected your feedback as one of my most fabulous, and let me know if I did and you get your choice of an item from my shop for leaving me such amazing feedback!  I really do love hearing how my products are making a difference for your students, so thank you thank you thank you!

After you see if you've won from me, you can check out the other links in the linky to see if you've won there too!  And, if you didn't win, feel free to check out the products that earned such high praises and get them for 28% off during this sale!

So... without further ado...

I got this amazing feedback from Jenna Frederick about my Fry Phrases Fluency Games Bundle Pack...

Check out this Fry Phrase pack on TpT

I've worked really hard on my collection of Classroom or Hallway Hunts since I teach only ELA this year.  I wanted to make grammar fun and interactive for my students.  I've gotten some great feedback on these hunts.  Third Grade Bookworm tried out my Galactic Past and Present Tense Verbs pack and she said...

Check out this Galactic Past and Present Tense verb pack on TpT

The last product with feedback that has really made me smile is my Partner Reading Comprehension pack.  This is one of my best sellers and has over 200 positive reviews.  When I got this feedback from TeaPro... well, I was one happy girl...

Check out this best selling Partner Reading pack on TpT

So... that's it!  If you are Jenna Frederick, Third Grade Bookworm, or TeaPro, let me know!  You can get a freebie from my shop!

One last thing... My "Fillable End of the Year Awards" with something for everyone are on sale too!

And...  I just have to brag about my  newest products while they are on sale...

 100+ Days of 3rd Grade CCSS ELA review

 

100+ Days of 2nd Grade CCSS ELA review

100+ Days of 1st Grade CCSS ELA review

Fourth grade coming soon!

Ok!  That's it!

Check out the other teachers who linked up below.  Some of them will also be giving the most fabulous feedback a free item from their shop... maybe it's you!