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Thursday, March 1, 2012

Valentine Centers with Learning Buddies


This is the third set of parent manned centers that we have done with our first grade learning buddies.  We did Halloween themed centers, Christmas centers, and now Valentine centers.  This is a great time when my third grade students get together with our first grade learning buddies.  We had several game centers, a few craft centers, a couple math centers, a Valentine writing center, and of course a snack center.  It was a great day.
Yummy heart cinnamon rolls.


Everybody loves a good cinnamon roll.

Chopstick steal my heart race

conversation heart graphing

heart animal art

Valentine make a word

Valentine Bingo

Gateway to fun!!!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

This was a picture post that was a draft from way back in October.  I have been absent from posting my blog since then.  I have had a busy and productive year in 3rd grade.  Thanks to all of you out here in cyber space.  I feel like I have been able to function in my new grade because of all of your wonderful ideas and freebies that you, my fellow teachers, have kindly blogged about and shared.  I feel like everything I do is a total rip off.  Imitation is the highest form of flattery.  You are all so talented and again I thank you for your unknowing support.

  Such a stressful year, but I hope to be posting again soon!
Thanks to The Teacher's Wife, my kids made a haunted version of Even and Odd Street

Monday, October 10, 2011

Halloween Number Stories

This isn't anything fancy, but I created a Halloween worksheet of number stories.  For those of you not in the habit of Everyday Math jargon, It is a worksheet of Halloween story problems.  I'm not sure why every few years they feel the need to give math stuff new names. Oh well.

Click on the picture of my beautiful daughter and it will take you to the Google Doc.
Enjoy!!!



The Creative Apple is having a great giveaway. 
Hurry on over there and see if you can snag a freebie!

Friday, October 7, 2011

UH-OH OREO!!!


Welcome to our O.R.E.O. Project Fall 2011!
(
Our Really Exciting Online Project)


I love this time of year.  Each year my class and our first grade learning buddies stack Oreo cookies and gather data.  This is a online project hosted by Project By Jen.  I have done this project for the last 6 years.  The kids have a blast collecting their data.  They also like eating their results.

These were the guidelines we were required to follow…
You will measure the COUNT of cookies used to stack --
NOT height of stack.
Each participating class needs at least
1 bag of Nabisco's Oreo® Chocolate and
Crème Sandwich Cookies.

(classrooms need to use the REGULAR Oreo cookie --
not double stuf or triple double for their average.)
Students will observe how many Oreos
they are able to stack before the Oreos
® tumble.
Students are encouraged to predict
how many Oreos® they think they will be able to stack and then compare actual results.
Students are NOT to use anything to stabilize the cookie and they are NOT able to adjust cookies as they stack. (i.e....once they have placed the cookie and their hand has left the cookie, they may NOT adjust that cookie again.)
Each student will have TWO attempts to stack Oreos® and
will record the highest amount they were able
to stack before tumbling.



Teachers will need to explain to their students that this is a project with schools all over the world and also explain what information this project is attempting to collect. They also need to discuss that at the end of the project, all results will from their classroom will be averaged and posted!

Once the entire class has stacked their Oreos®, they will average all their results to turn in ONE class amount.

Click below to see all of the classrooms across the world who have joined in this project and posted their results online.
map

The link below will show you the results of all of the classrooms that have participated.


Enjoy some pics of my kiddos and thier learning buddies.








Sunday, October 2, 2011

You Know You Teach Third Grade When . . .

Let me start by saying, I normally teach 5th grade.  This year I am teaching 3rd grade.  As part of our state's curriculum, I have to teach fairy tales and fables, so I started this last week by reading a different fairy tale each day.  On Thursday, I read Puss in Boots.  I would have never been able to read this to my 5th graders and say the main character's name 15 different time without hearing snickers and giggles.  The 3rd graders were enthralled, without so much as a strange look or a giggle.

On Friday, I read Rapunzel.  It talked about how the prince climbed up Rapunzel's hair, they fell in love, and performed their own marriage ceremony.  After a few months Rapunzel's dress began getting tight around the middle and her step-mother became angry with her and cut off her hair and threw her out of the tower.  One little boy looked at me and said,"I don't get why was her step-mother so angry?"  Holy cow! I didn't know that sex-ed was part of Fairy Tales 101.


Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Put Down the Pencil and Walk Away

Somebody should stop me before I volunteer again.  Please!  I swear I need an intervention.  The note goes up on the board in the office, you know the one, "We need someone to volunteer for ________ (you fill in the blank)  please let me know if you are interested. "    I am like a crack addict and volunteering for a committee seems to be my fix. 

I will say I have gotten better.  Now instead of outright putting my name on the list I say,  if you can't find anyone else I will do it.  Who am I kidding.  Once I say that, they stop looking and Bam! another serving for my plate.  It's called boundaries and apparently I seem to lack them.  Does anyone else out there have this problem?  Or am I alone? 

Happy Tuesday!!!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Yay Me!!!


Ok, first let me say I am soooo excited to be awarded with this Versitle Blogger award.  However, I am not feeling like I derserve it this week.  I have been stressed to the max and have not been decent enough to thank Patti over at "A Series of Third Grade Events"  The thought of needing to tell you all 7 things about me and pass the award onto 15 others seemed daunting.  After a day out of my classroom for meetings today, I feel destressed enough to sit down and blog.  So here goes.  Thank you so much Patti!  I am honored that you have bestowed this upon me and my little blog.  (Let's just say I started this post on Thursday and now it is Saturday and finally I am actually going to post instead of saving as a draft.) 

Now for the rules.  When you receive this award, you must thank the person who gave you the award, tell seven things about you, and pass this award onto 15 blogs that you feel deserve this award.

Thank you again Patti!

1.  I love to sing.  I was in concert choir in college.  I was part of my churches worship team for several years.  I sang, and got paid I maight add, in several weddings.  However, the moste memorable wedding I sang in was my own.  I held my husband's hands, looked into his eyes, and sang to him.  It was awesome; not a dry eye in the house, except for my husband, I told him if he cried while I was singing, I would kill him.  He didn't cry and 17 years later we are still going strong.  Then I was given the opportunity to sing the same song when my mom and dad renewed their vows on their 25th anniversary.
2.  In that same vein, I always wanted to be a rockstar.  When I turned 40 is when I realized that was probably not going to be my reality.  Oh well.  I am a teacher, and isn't that kind of the same thing?

3.  I love to watch television, and my guilty pleasure show is America's Top Model.  If you tell anybody I will have to deny it.  Holy cow, I don't know why I love it so, but I do.  Deep down, I probably always wanted to be a model too.  I did take a modeling class when I was 12 and got to model clothing while I walked around a department store encouraging people to visit the girl's department.

4.  My sister owns her own custom cake business, Stephanie's Sweets, and I get to help her make these edible creations.  I  very much enjoy spending time with her and getting to explore my creativity in this way.

5.  I love to travel and have visited many interesting and diverse locations in the past, present, and even the future through the pages of books.  One day,  I would actually like to travel to some of these places in real life.  I have two fantasy vaction spots:  Australia and Japan.

6.  I have written 2 grants in the last 2 years and have received $1700 to use for technology in my classroom and to go on a field trip.  This year I plan on writing a grant to see if I can get ipod touches or ipads to use in my classroom for "Listen to Reading".

7.  I love to cook and try new things in the kitchen.  I have been working on a recipe to submit to the Pilsbury Bake-off next year.  I think it would be fun to compete in food contest.


And Now My Winners Are. . .
I have to say, picking just 15 was hard.  There are soooo many great blogs out there who have sparked enthusiasm and creativity for me.  I feel blessed to have found this community of teachers to collaborate with this year.