Read for first week of school ideas and get a First Week Feels Student Survey Freebie!

Grab these states of matter worksheets to learn about solids, liquids, and gases with no-prep printables. Perfect science for kids!

Wondering what to do on the first day of third grade? Plan for the first day of school like a pro with these detailed first day lesson plans including math, reading, and writing activities, easy

Third grade! Yay! I survived the first two weeks of third grade and finally have the time/energy to tell you a little bit about it. I won’t be going into total detail, so please leave a comment if you have a question! (UPDATE: I created a much more detailed post in 2018. Read it here: ... Read More about The First Week of Third Grade

Not sure what to teach the first week of 3rd grade? Here's what we did!

FREE What Do Scientists Do? activities and first week of science lesson plans ideal for 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms and distance learning.

Fun and engaging ideas to get to know your students at the beginning of the school year. Build a strong classroom community with these free resources.

Need some fresh first week of school activities? Check out these day-by-day plans for the first week of third grade.

Back to School Activities that are great for an online classroom or inside a classroom.

Reader's Workshop is an important part of elementary school! Learn how to organize the first week of reader's workshop for year long success!

Third grade! Yay! I survived the first two weeks of third grade and finally have the time/energy to tell you a little bit about it. I won’t be going into total detail, so please leave a comment if you have a question! (UPDATE: I wrote a much more detailed post with more links and full ... Read More about The First Week of Third Grade

Looking to learn about the great white north, eh? You will love this free printable Canada for Kids reader to color, read, and learn!

Kids will have fun learning about the European country GERMANY with these free printable coloring pages that teach and are fun.

We had our first day of school with students Wednesday and I forgot how utterly exhausting and mind blowing that first day is! We did lots ...

Have fun learning about France with these printable coloring pages for kids of all ages to learn about this amazing country known for the Eiffel Tower.

Musings of a Third Grade Teacher

Not sure what to teach the first week of 3rd grade? Here's what we did!

Learn about Ancient Greek civilization with FREE printable Greece Coloring Pages for kids! Read, color, & learn about acropolis, Olympics, and more!

Have fun learning about France with these printable coloring pages for kids of all ages to learn about this amazing country known for the Eiffel Tower.

Which Back to School Activities Elementary can I use for Building Community in my Classroom? Which All About Me Activities are most engaging for my students?

The panemic in italy is all over the news. Help kids learn more about this amazing country with this FREE Italy for Kids Printable Book.

Check out these great back to school activities for elementary teachers! Students will be engaged, learning, AND having fun on those first days.

Read for first week of school ideas and get a First Week Feels Student Survey Freebie!

We've begun writing in our third grade classroom and to my delight, my students are way into it! We have set up our writing notebooks and w...

Not sure what to teach the first week of 3rd grade? Here's what we did!

Kids will be WOWED with this hands-on, fall science experiment where they will explore Why do Leaves Change Color for kids! Fun Leaf Activity!

Teaching economics elementary doesn't have to be difficult! Teach all the basics in a week with these fun activities.

Get set for the first week of science in third grade with engaging activities and back to school science experiments to start the year right!

In order to boost virtual classroom participation and reduce achievement gaps, it is essential that teachers explore different strategies to see which ones motivate their students to learn.

Hi everyone! The rain has finally arrived here in Portland, Oregon. Usually we have months and months of rain, starting in October and pret...

Kids will have fun learning about other countries, famous landmarks, and geography with this France for Kids FREE Printable Mini Book.

Fun activities to help you get to know your students and build community at the beginning of a new school year.

Ready to learn about the second largest country in the world? Grab these printable Canada Coloring Pages to learn about Canadian wildlife, Mounties,hockey, and more!

These FREE Human Body Emergent Readers are a fun way for kids to learn about the systems of the body like organs, muscles, bones, and more.

Learn about Japan for Kids with this printable book to read, color, and learn about Mt Fiji, charming gardens, and sushi without leaving home!

Nearly 400 teachers weighed in on their favorite back-to-school activities and ice breakers - and here are their top picks! The most popular, practical, and unique back-to-school activities loved by teachers around the world!

As you begin to plan activities for back to school, you definitely should consider spending time learning and celebrating students’ names. Students come to us from many different places, cultures, and backgrounds, and their names say a lot about who they are. In this post, I share some books and activities that will encourage students…

Back to School Activities that are great for an online classroom or inside a classroom.

First Week Watercolor Portraits 7 comments Back to School, Bulletin Boards, Self Portraits, Tutorials Every year, my second graders paint a watercolor self-portrait. It is truly my most favorite first week activity of all time. After sharing this picture of this year's portraits on Facebook, a sweet reader asked if I had a blog post about them. Well, it dawned on me that while I have shared my annual self-portraits many times, I've never really shared them exclusively in a post. So, here goes! Every year, I have my students paint a self-portrait during the first week of school (an idea I learned while student teaching many moons ago). I hang these portraits in the room, for the entire year. They really brighten up our space and they are such a joy to look at (this is a picture of my students' portraits from last year). I am not an art teacher and I believe that kids should be encouraged to take risks, so when I task my students with painting their portraits, I pretty much let them "have at it." Don't worry, it isn't a total free for all. I do model the process and I also share examples from years past, like the ones shown below. I just make it very clear that I don't expect their paintings to look like an actual photograph. ;) I always begin by pointing out how much of their body/self they will be painting. I tell them to think about the pictures they see in their yearbooks and how those pictures only show people's heads and shoulders. I explain that they will include only their head and shoulders in their paintings. I then show them examples from previous years (sometimes students move and they get left behind, so I have a few on hand). Once the students understand what it is that they will be including in their portrait, I model the drawing process on the board. I discuss how large the head should be in relation to the paper and show them what this looks like. From there, I show them how I draw a neck and shoulders, hair, and facial features. I apologize that I don't have a photo of this, but essentially, I model and narrate the process, one step at a time. And, then...it's the students' turn. I give each student a piece of white card stock (8x10 inches) to work with. Card stock is brighter and thicker than construction paper, and it just seems to hold the paint better, in my opinion. Then, they start their drawing. Sometimes, I have them draw the outline of their pictures with a black crayon (see below). When I do this, there is NO pencil involved. This helps them to really slow down and visualize before they draw because they know that they can't erase. However, this year, I let them draw with pencil first and then they traced over their pencil lines with a Sharpie. Why did I do that? I have no idea, it was just what I decided to do when I was prepping the materials, but the end result was still fab! Once the students draw the outline of their portrait, they get to paint! Using watercolor is a tricky thing for many second graders. They have a hard time always gauging how much water to use, so a discussion about this (and a little modeling) ahead of time is a good idea. Tip: No matter how much explaining and modeling you do, you'll still have a student or two that uses too much water. Let them use a tissue to blot their paper if you notice this happening. I lay the portraits to dry on the floor, in an out of the way spot. They dry within minutes here in the desert. Once they are dry, I flatten them by stacking heavy teacher manuals on them overnight. I could iron them, but my iron and I do not get along. At all. The next morning, I hang them up and admire the sight before me...all year long. :) At the end of the year, it's always fun to repeat this process. You will be amazed at how much growth your students show. Here are a few examples from last year. Amazing, right? We always get lots of compliments on our portrait display, and the kids are always very proud of them. They love seeing if their parents can guess which one is theirs, and it's fun to see how many parents get it right! At the end of the school year, I send the portraits home as a keepsake. Many parents have commented how much they love them, and they are the perfect size for framing! First week self-portraits are a great way to encourage students to take risks, have fun, and learn to use materials. Beyond that, the students take great pride in their creations and enjoy them just as much as I do, and we have something truly magnificent (that they created!) to look at all year long. :) Share It:

These 6 posters are used all year long in 3rd grade during the ALL Block in EL (Expeditionary Learning) Literacy instruction. They're first introduced in 3rd grade lesson 3 (the FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL), and then referenced time and again throughout the year. I created these because I wanted something I could put up in my classroom quickly, something more permanent, and something easier to read than a hand-made anchor chart made on flip-chart paper. With the large amount of text, and lack of creativity in the 'suggested' anchor charts, I also thought it would be better for if the posters were printed neatly. You will get pdf files meant to be printed as 18x24inch posters. This is a great size for the classroom, as they're not going to take up too much space, but they'll be big enough to reference from the student workspace. The files you download have the crop marks and bleed for professional printing. I would NOT suggest trying to print larger than 18x24 inches, as the quality of the images will be reduced and you won't have the crisp edges. You should be able to print these with your school's poster maker, if you're lucky enough to have one! Downloaded Posters include: Group Work in the ALL Block (available FREE on my sales page) Additional Work with Complex Text Word Study and Vocabulary Writing Practice Reading and Speaking Fluency/GUM Independent Reading If you would like to check out the quality of my poster products, please see my " EL Literacy poster for "Group Work in the ALL Block" which I offer for free on my TPT sales page. I created these to make the EL Literacy lessons easier for us as teachers. Please remember these are my personal work, and I spent a lot of time on designing them. There is a good discount if you would like your team members to have them, so please look at the multiple license price if you need more than one set. Please make sure to give feedback and comments if you choose to use this resource! Thank you! Em