Teaching in Wonderland

I'm back!

2013-06-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

So I had to take a long time out from my blog to focus on the madness that was my home life. We are all good now so I'm ready to plan for next year.

On the last day of school I got the fabulous news that I would be teaching 4th grade ELA and Social Studies. I am super excited to be moving up with my kiddos.

I also got approval to start an Art Club at our school for our 4th and 5th graders. I'm elated and can't wait to start in September.

So here are my summer school plans:
1. Redo my room to add more art
2. Plan a CCSS unit for Percy Jackson and the Olympians
3. Research Lit Circles
4. Research Inclusive Practices

If you have any suggestions or ideas I would love to hear them!

Measuring in milliliters and liters...

2013-04-04T09:06:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I finally got to use my new Animal Hospital pack on Teachers Pay Teachers. The students had a great time giving medicine to the animals and it was great practice measuring in milliliters. Check out my previous post on the activity.

Here are some pictures of my future Veterinary Technicians!

I hope everyone is have a great week! We are gearing up for State Testing next week so I won't have much to share =(. Come on SUMMER!!!

Measuring Capacity in the Real World

2013-03-25T20:06:00.002-07:00

I can't wait to get back to school and use my new measurement packet on Teachers Pay Teachers! Okay that's not 100% true, but I am really excited to do this activity next week.

I recently received my informal observation from my Principal and she came in to see my Area and Perimeter Zoo.

She gave me high praise for always making my lesson real life and relevant. She said I always draw the kids in with my lessons and she was really impressed! Oh buddy was my head bigger than hot air balloon by the time I left that meeting! But she does have a point. My partner in crime (my co-teacher Stephanie) and I do spend time thinking of way to make learning relevant. I always try to tell my students when they might actually use the skill I'm about to teach them. My philosophy is what's the point in learning something if I'm never going to be able to use it.

So when my math cohorts and I sat down to plan our capacity unit my wheels began to spin. I kept thinking of when we ever actually use milliliters. I mean liters is easy every time you go to buy a 2 liter drink you use liters, but everyday people don't really measure in liters. Then I began thinking of my daughter and how I give her medicine in the droppers. That was it! I'll have all my kids pretend to be parents!

Yea like that's relate able to a nine year old. I'm thinking some of my boys would have rolled quite a few eyes at me.

So instead I thought about the 4 years I spent as a Vet Tech to get me through college. Kids love animals so why not make them Veterinary Technicians!! This Animal Hospital packet has got it ALL. I'm planning on working this packet in stations.

Station 1: The milliliters and liters measurement game. Students will play the game to test their knowledge of what we measure in milliliters and what we measure in liters.

Station 2: Welcome to the Animal Hospital. Students will use the patient chart and information cards to give medicine to the puppies and kittens. Cute right? I've been saving my Vitamin Water bottles for a week so I could make some for my self and my cohorts.

Station 3: Will be where the students come to write about their experiences. I have included an article with real life facts about what it takes to be a Vet Tech. Using my new best friend the OREO (state your opinion, support it with reasons and evidence, restate your opinion) my kids will write a paper on this precious paper to tell me whether or not they would want to become a Vet Tech when they grow up.

This activity will give me a grade for math and writing. How cool is that!? Plus I will get a snazzy Bulletin Board display out of it as well.

I will be teaching this lesson next Wednesday so I can't wait to share pictures with you guys. Head on over to Teachers Pay Teachers to get a copy!

My Favorite Nouns

2013-03-24T16:15:00.003-07:00

I'm linking up with Flying into First Grade again for her

Ok for the new linky this week we are doing................................

The NOUN Game

The noun game is where you simply just name your favorite person, place, thing, and animal.

Heres mine.....

Person

My favorite person is my daughter, Katie Ann. She is an amazing little girl. Watching her learn and grow each day is the most wonderful experience. Right now her favorite song to sing is the "Pinky, Pinky, Pinky" song which is actually "Skina-ma-rinky Dinky Dink".

Place

My favorite place in the world is anywhere where we are having a good time. I like to be in the woods, in a boat, or at a nice restaurant eating good food and having a couple of drinks. If friends and family or involved I'm there.

Thing

Out of all the things I have I would say my art supplies are my most favorite. I have doodle ADD. I can sit still, but my hands have to be doing something. My notes from our facutly meetings are covered in doodles. My Principal is allowing staring and smiling at me. I told her I self diagnosed with doodle ADD. I have numerous journals with doodles and drawings. My newest facination is with fonts. My pinterest journal board is full of things I'm trying to recreate.

Animal

My favorite animals are my own. I do have a thing for owls, but as far as real animals I love my 2 boxers and our cat. They may be a pain in the neck some days, but they are always there to love me when I'm down. Taffy and Kane are our boxers and Buttons is our cat.

Well there you are. Head on over to Flying into First Grade to link up and share you favorite nouns.

2 truths and a lie revealed!

2013-03-24T07:49:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who commented on my 2 truths and a lie. The winner is...... I'm not from the UK, but I wish I was. I love nothing more than to curl up in front of the tv and watch my BBC Netflix shows. From Doctor Who, The IT Crowd, and Little Britain I just can't seem to get enough of the accents and the slang. I hope to visit there one day.

I do have 4 tattoos. I have one on my wrist, one on my shoulder, one on the inside of my foot, and one on my neck.

My husband and I have been together since we were in high school. He's been with through it all and I love him more everyday.

Hope everyone is have a restful weekend. I'm looking forward to not having to get up for work tomorrow morning.

Spring Cleaning!

2013-03-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

Hello to all my new followers! I'm so excited to know I'm not blogging to the air. I hope you find what I share on my blog both entertaining and valuable to use in your classroom.

Please excuse my blogging mess. I'm in the process of doing some spring cleaning! I have the week off and I'm working on my blog. Its my newest addiction. Do you guys have any cool blogging tips or tricks you would like to share?

Some Bunny Loves Putting Words in My Mouth!

2013-03-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge is hosting a bunny blog love fest. How cool is it to let others know you like what their putting out into the blogsphere.

I just had to join in to share my amazing friends blog, Putting Words in Your Mouth by Mia.

Mia and I work together and she was the reason I got into blogging and making my own stuff on Teachers Pay Teachers. She is full of creative ideas to use in the classroom. I love everything about Mrs. Mia. She is an amazing teacher and friend. You have to go check out her blog. She is one creative cookie!!

2 Truths and a LIE! My first linky party with Flying into First.

2013-03-21T08:22:00.002-07:00

I've been blogging for a month or two now and receiving lots of hits, but no followers =(. So I decided to try and join in on linky parties to get some more viewers and possibly a few followers.

Over at Flying into First she decided to have some fun with 2 truths and a lie.

I will tell you 2 things that are true about me and 1 lie. In the comment section below, tell me which one you think is the lie.

             1. I am originally from the UK.
           2. I have 4 tattoos.

3. I have been with my husband for 13 years. (We've been married for 5)

I would love to hear what you think!

How tall, how high, how wide: Measuring Length

2013-03-20T18:25:00.001-07:00

Our 3rd grades have been hard at work measuring length. Our state is in a common core limbo right now so our kids still have to know how to use all of the customary and metric systems. We started off the week measuring in inches. Last year it was a bit of a challenge to get my 3rd graders to measure in quarter inches, but this year it was super easy. I think it is because with the new shift to the core we had to teach fractions on a number line.

As with all of my lessons, I started off with an anchor and notes in our interactive notebooks. (Picture coming tomorrow)

After the students got a grasp on how to read the ruler we played my Scoot! game. The kids loved it even though its really just a worksheet cut up into problems. Hey! Let them move and its magical! You can grab your copy from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

During day 3 of our unit we started measuring in inches and plotting on a line plot. To make this lesson fun I created a Monster Math Measurement packet. The kids loved all the different monster designs. I posted the monsters around the room and had a small group walk around and measure them. They recorded their measurements on their monster math tracker sheets. I then had them get together with a group and compare their measurements. I always try to get my kids to hold those educational conversations and help each other out.

The students then used the line plot to graph their monster's measurements. They even had their own versions of the monsters to spif up their graphs.

The last bit of our week was spent choosing which unit to select when measuring items. To help the kids remember which units were customary and which were metric we created an anchor chart.

Tomorrow is our last day before Spring Break and we are all measured out! When we get back from break we will move on to measuring capacity. I have a ton planned for that unit! Venterniary Nurse to measure in ml, baking a cake, making our own juice, and the list goes on and on. Can't wait to share with you all!

Why is the Blue Dog Blue?

2013-03-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

This week in art my students paid tribute to a famous Louisiana artist, George Rodrigue. Since we are from Louisiana our 3rd grade social studies curriculum focuses on our culture. I love living in Louisiana. I love our food, the architecture, the hunting and fishing, and so much more. One of my favorite things about living here is being close to New Orleans. For me, it is a beautiful city to visit. I love seeing the various artists in the French Quarter. Over the Christmas break I had the pleasure of bringing my two sister-in-laws down there for a visit. They had never been before and its a city you have to see.
Here we are strolling through the French Quarter.

This is my little one being silly and sporting her Mardi Gras mask.

What would we be with Alligators and Swamp People?

The architecture is beautiful in the city.

My favorite moment was when my daughter and husband spent time throwing money in the fountain. She likes to make wishes.

This is my other sister-in-law enjoying the art of Mardi Gras.

Every time I go into the city I have to stop by George Rodrigue's studio to catch a glimpse of The Blue Dog. If I could pack up all of my 3rd grades and take them to the city I would. But for now they will have to settle with making their own Blue Dogs.

I started the lesson by showing them videos and examples from George Rodrigue's website .
Then we drew our dogs in pencil. Next the students painted their dogs starting with the light color. Then we added the white and black details. Next, we add the shadow with the dark shade and finished him off with oil pastels. This was a fun project that the kids really enjoyed.

Have you heard the word?

2013-03-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

I've been surfing on Pintrest and I came across this game called Scoot! Naturally my interest was peeked and I had to dig deeper. So I did what I always do and I YouTubed it. (yea that's a new word) Its a really simple game were the kids rotate around the room answer questions on cards and recording them on their sheet. How easy is that!? Best of all the wiggles can work their way out as they move around the room.

We will be starting measurement this week and I wanted a way to use Scoot. So, I made a game measuring in inches. I can't wait to try this with my kiddos. Be sure to grab a copy at my TPT store. It's normally $2.00, but for today I will have it listed for just $1.00!

On a side note I would love to build some more followers on my Facebook page. Just click to little button on my blog and follow me for blog updates, sales, and news about my TPT store.

Thanks for taking the time to read!

Round and Round We Go!

2013-03-11T07:32:00.001-07:00

I don't know about everyone else, but things have been crazy at school. Our students have been busy taking our 3rd Quarter benchmarks which means their little brains are mush by 1:00.

So what do you do with mushy brained children for the rest of the day?

You Circle Paint!

I found this activity last year while browsing through YouTube. I found this really cool video of this art festival and I loved how all the people at the festival contributed to this one giant piece of art.

So all my kiddos and I laid out a big roll of paper with paint and large brushes. We all got on either side of the paper, played some Vitamin String Quartet, and got to circling. My only rules were you could only draw dots, circles, or curved lines; and no pictures could be made like smiley faces or flowers. We had a blast! I think (as always) it turned out great!! Next week we will mellow out with some Blue Dog art.

Domo Arigato Mr.Roboto!

2013-03-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

So its Masterpiece Monday.....on Tuesday!

As usual school keeps me busy. This week the students worked on making robots. First we looked the the movie, Robots with Robin Williams. The kids got some good ideas on how different robots looked. Then we sketched them on large construction paper and outlined with black tempera paint.

Next, we mixed up some gray paint and painted the inside of our robots.

Lastly, we added in the white highlights and shadows. We used oil pastels and sharpies to add colorful details. I think they turned out really well.

Keep em' Good! Reward them often.

2013-03-03T16:31:00.002-08:00

How many of your schools follow the PBIS system?

Well at our school our students get to "cash-in" every 2 weeks using their "Colts Cash". Its our monopoly money system.

This is one of the most chaotic class interruptions. It takes at least 30 minutes to get my third graders to count their cash and then decide what they want to purchase. To make this experience even less of a headache I have created reward coupons so the kids can remember what they bought and they can turn them in whenever they are ready to use them. This is the one thing I LOVE most about this system. I don't have 21 kids doing the same thing the same day. The coupons sort of filter back in throughout the week.

Since Alice in Wonderland is one of my all time favorite books I designed a set of coupons to match. The kids will surely get a kick out of the bright colors and fun letters. You can grab a copy from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

If you're not a fan of Alice in Wonderland I also made an adorable monster set!

If you have different rewards you use in your classroom I would love to hear it. I can also make a custom set for you too!

It's a zoo in here!

2013-02-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

My students are studying area and perimeter this week in math. This is a really good skill to apply to real life. I created this adorable packet for area and perimeter. The kids really enjoyed designing their own zoo in anticipation of our upcoming field trip.

Here is a look at my area and perimeter zoo!

The packet includes a set of task cards for practice, the activity, and an extension activity for your higher level learners.

Here are some of my students' work.

Be sure to go to my teachers pay teachers store and grab a copy!

Anchors Away

2013-02-27T16:15:00.003-08:00

It's Anchors Away Wednesday and I'm here to share my latest anchor charts.

This week in reading we were studying personification. The students picked up on it really well. I purchased this fabulous packet at Teachers Pay Teachers by
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The kids LOVED the activities in the packet and it inspired our anchor chart.

We were also studying area and perimeter. To hook our students my co-teacher and I used the bread analysis. We gave them a slice of bread and asked them where they butter it. It definitely stuck!

What are some anchors in your class?

Masterpiece Mondays

2013-02-25T17:52:00.000-08:00

Today will be my first post in my series of posts called, "Masterpiece Mondays."

I LOVE art and I always find time in my day to teach it to my students. Now let me preface this by saying I am not a professional artist and I don't claim to be. I've just always had a passion for art and we teach what we love.

This week we were working on 2 and 3 dimensional solids in math. I saw this art on Pintrest and was inspired to try it in my class.

To start the activity off I reviewed with the kids our previous lessons on lines and angles. They loved saying "acute little angle" in a girly voice and "obtuse angle" in a fat monster voice.

Then I had the kids divide up their papers with the rulers. We then sketched the 3d shapes and erased our inside lines.

We used oil pastels and construction paper. The kids have really enjoyed using them this year.

Here are some of my kids hard at work.

I forgot to take more pictures of their finished products, but I shall leave you with this lesson.....

When drawing solids, always check your students cylinders.

Can you name the solids in this picture?

Sharing the Goods

2013-02-24T11:56:00.003-08:00

So I'm finally putting my stuff out there. I've been purchasing some fabulous teacher made activities for over a year now on teachers pay teachers. I just find that I don't always have enough time to make my own things, but there isn't always an activity that matches what I need. I figured I've just got to make time now. With all of the changes in our curriculum and my new baby (interactive notebooks), I need to be able to reach my students in rigorous and relevant ways.

My first download if for FREE!! So go and grab it. It's a foldable I used in my students interactive notebooks. If you haven't heard of interactive notebooks before check out my pinterest pages on reading and math. They are AMAZING! At the start of every new lesson my kids and I take notes in our notebooks. These aren't your boring everyday notes. No siree! They have color and action. I plan on featuring a section out of our notebooks every week. I will show your pictures and student examples. I swear you're going to love it!

So go grab my foldable at my TeachersPayTeachers store and get to writing!

“I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Let's talk Anchor Charts!

2013-02-23T00:10:00.001-08:00

One of the big things I've been doing in my room the past 2 years is using anchor charts. I must admit I never used anchors until I moved to 3rd grade. It was my fabulous co-teacher Stephanie who persuaded me to ditch the store bought and get creative. She was the one that showed me the light. (AAAAAHHHH, angel's singing)

So now with every new skill we introduce the kids and I create an anchor. My room is now plastered with posters of all the things we have learned so far this year. If you haven't tried anchors yet in your room you should give it a go. It really helps the kids "anchor" their learning. When I would post my store bought products around my room the kids would never read them. They just became fancy decorations. I don't see that anymore with our class anchor charts. Our kids are constantly referring to our anchors everyday and its so cool to see them making the connections.

Now I do get some criticism for my obsession with things being pretty and not letting the kids write one them, but in my defense we do create them together and I let them color them. Okay when I say on here it looks pretty bad, but they do the trick.

So in honor of my anchor obsession I will post my weekly anchors on Fridays. ( I'm sure I'll come up with a catchy name for it later.) I hope that you will find my examples helpful. I find alot of my stuff on Pintrest and then I make it my own. Here are a few of my anchors from this year.

Do you use anchors in your classroom? How do they work for you?

"If you don't know where you want to go, then it doesn't matter which path you take." - Alice in Wonderland

Down the rabbit hole we go......

2013-02-22T20:08:00.001-08:00

I've been an education blog looker and a blog stalker for quite sometime and I always find myself saying, "That teacher must have too much time on her hands!" or "I could NEVER do what she does."

Well..... I'm going to try.

I want to be Super Teacher. (insert theme song here)

I'm tired of the stress of our new rubric and evaluation systems making me feel like I'm a failure.

I'M NOT! Now I'm going to prove it!

I may not be the greatest speller or great with punctuation, but I can be very creative and crafty.

I've been teaching for 6 years now and I love every minute of it (okay that's an exaggeration).
I currently teach 3rd grade self contained. I think my students and I have a really good time and do some amazing things.

Now its my time to share with the educational blog-a-sphere.

Please join me in my creative journey in the crazy world that is education.

"There is no use trying," said Alice; "One can't believe impossible things."
"I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." -Lewis Carroll