Ah! Does anyone else get excited when the ALA announces the Newberry and Caldecott winners each year? I do! I've never participated in a Mock Caldecott or anything mainly because I'd just rather read the winner or winners--depending on how busy my book situation is ha! You can get a copy here! Here's the rundown on this years book: Jordan, a smart kid with crazy artistic talent, his going to be the new kid at a fancy private school. Yikes! It's always hard being the new kid. He is paired up with a friend to show him around and during his first day finds himself with Andy, not the nicest kid in school. Because he is quick on his feet, Jordan finds a nice friend group. Now while this is a surface skim summary, Jordan and his friend ___ struggle with the fact that teachers can never remember their names and assume their athletic abilities based on their skin color. There are in's and out's and up's and down's but the book portrays what it's like to be a regular African American kid in a rich white school. This year's Newberry Award Winner is New Kid by Jerry Craft and every page of this book eye catching and awesome! It is definitely worth reading. I am so glad that they chose this graphic novel (!!! what! what!) and I love the story. The main things that I love about this book is that they are 1. SO FUNNY--so of course you are going to keep reading 2. Relatable--Jordan (the main character goes through so many 3. SO much DISCUSSION--this book is jam packed with things that need to be discussed in today's classrooms. I also spotted this at the book fair--so keep your eye out for New Kid--it's completely worth it and your students will love reading this Newberry book!
A quick post today with a song you can use for upper grades. Add a body percussion pattern (patsch, clap) and raise fisted hand on "Hey" and add T (teacher) clapping/students echoing body percussion patterns (in the score). Create an additional section to create a rondo: C Section: T. plays 4 beat pattern on drum, students choose an adjective to describe themselves that is the same letter/sound as their name: I used Fabulous Pfitzner for myself, I had "Interesting Isaac", "Amazing Allison", etc. Four students, one at a time, say their adjective and name over 4 beats, next student says theirs over the next four beats, etc. My fourth graders LOVED this!
Tipp - Ganz neu gibt es von mir auch dieses Set an kreativem Material zum Thema: Unsere Erde 🌎, Umwelt, Umweltschutz & Nachhaltigkeit - PAKET&nb
Hey, there!!! I just finished my contraction unit.. so I’m going to show you everything that is included!! It’s also been added to the 2nd Grade Hands-on Reading LANGUAGE DOMAIN Bundle. This unit was created for second grade, but I think it would also work great for first! In fact, I’m using it with my […]
In previous blog posts, I talked about contemporary artists you may not have heard about before and I put together a round-up of blog posts about contemporary art projects. Today I have some more ideas to share. Don Masse said, “hey marcia! the majority of my lessons are based on living artists. i just did a fun lesson with my kinders inspired by the mosaics of jim bachor http://www.shinebritezamorano.com/2015/05/street-sweets.html and followed that up with them creating a real mosaic. Another … Read more... →
I love integrating art into my classroom whenever possible. This year, I was introduced to a great project by my 4th grade team. It's call...
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Elements & Principles Four Corner Foldable Definitions go directly under the Element flap Principles go in the center Cut Poster Board ...
It's back to school time and time to think about meaningful but fun back to school activities! In this post, I will share ten of my favorites. Watch for future posts because I've got lots more! 1 - TEACH CLASSROOM PROCEDURES Veteran teachers know that procedures can be taught on the first day, but need
Hey, guys! We’ve been having some major fun with factor rainbows this past week! I love using factor rainbows because they really help students not miss any of the factors for a number which often happens if they only try to list factor pairs for a number. Here’s a worksheet freebie in English and Spanish …
Hey hey there! I know that many of you are enjoying long and lazy summer days. I also know that many of you are still trucking away in your classrooms and my thoughts are with you! I wanted to give you some extra insight into Rooted in Reading and especially give you an idea of how I set up my interactive notebooks with my students. If you have NO idea what I am talking about when I say "Rooted in Reading" read THIS POST here to see all about the 2nd grade version. You can also look at the Bundle or the August unit by itself. Amy did an amazing job on the previews so we hope that answers a lot of your questions! If this is your first time using interactive notebooks, having them organized from the beginning can help you avoid a lot of headaches down the line. Most 8 and 9 yr olds need the extra help with organization (goodness my 34 yr old husband needs a lot of help with organization), and I think these notebooks will be a great way to scaffold this skill! Step 1: Clearly mark the covers of your notebooks. We always had several notebooks for different subjects so this helped lessen confusions. I have included a color and black and white cover that you can print on bright paper if you would like! Step 2: Print out tab dividers on Astrobright paper AND laminate. I promise the laminating step is key to having these bad boys last! Step 3: After cutting dividers out use clear packing tape to put your dividers into your notebooks. The order I chose was Anchor Charts, Comprehension Activities, Vocabulary Words, Daily Deep Dive, and Grammar. Before doing this you will want to think about how long you want to use the notebooks. I personally liked a notebook per semester so I would put enough pages between each divider to get me through the semester! I also suggest lining up the tabs so only the bold words stick out the side- cover up the cursive word with the clear tape. If you are using a standard size composition notebook AND all five tabs, you will also need to overlap them a little! Step 4: Glue in the book list to the inside of the notebook on the first page. Either one or two copies depending on how many books you plan on covering using this book. I LOVE this addition because I think students will love looking back over the list of books that they have so lovingly studied this year. I also think the genre column is a key component for test-taking skills! You can find all the materials I used in a freebie found in my store Here! If you have other great ideas for setting up notebooks, we would love to hear them! If you are on instagram use our hashtag "RootedinReading3rd" and Amy and I will definitely check you out! Phew now that we have those kids all set up, we can talk about YOU- the teacher! My personal favorite way to store my units is in binders. I spent a couple hours one morning and printed all four weeks of August out. I went a head and laminated my anchor charts and prepped the nonfiction mini-readers so the students can see an example. Don't they look pretty?!?! We even have binder spines for each books so you can feel extra organized! You can find everything you need for organizing your teacher binders in the freebie below from Amy! Other Blog posts you may want to check out to learn more about Rooted in Reading: 2nd Grade Complete Book List and Overview 3rd Grade Complete Book List Establishing a Kind Classroom with Picture Books September Rooted in Reading October Rooted in Reading Bats! The Rough Face Girl
Hey friends! I am so excited to share this new book with you! The Little Linebacker by Steven Tulloch and Maria Dismondy is such an adorable book of determination! It has a great message of never giving up on your dreams and goals, even when things set you back or you fail! This is […]
Learning journals are one of the best and easiest ways to make learning fun at home. This post breaks down what a learning journal is and how you can start one. It covers developmentally appropriate concepts to include in learning journals for different age groups, how to manage prepping and impleme
This post is part 1 in my inquiry series. To learn more about inquiry click through to see my many other posts about inquiry. If you are new to my blog,
Hey everyone!!! I hope everyone is having a great start to the NEW YEAR! It's always great to have a fresh start and a clean slate. (Although, is it just me or does your new year always begin in August?) : ) One of the things that I have been working on during my winter break is our lesson plans in science. By the way, we have a brand new standard this year in science!! (AND new standards are always exciting!) Drum roll...our new standard is... LIGHTS AND SHADOWS!! I know...so fun...kind of...except...I have never taught light and shadows, EVER!!! (Confession is good for the soul.) I mean, I have always taught first grade standards, AND light and shadows have never been one of our standards until now. So I definitely had to share what I learned with my first grade friends!! YOU! I have a lot of ideas, freebies, and links that you might be able to use, too. This blog post is part one of two...so hang tight...shadows will be coming next week!! We are going to launch our unit with Oscar and the Moth by Geoff Waring. He has a great collection of easy to understand books on science. This particular book is about light and shadows. Oscar the cat and his new friend the moth set out on a little journey to learn about shadows and light. Isn't Oscar a cutie? Light is energy and it makes objects visible and without it, we cannot see anything! So we are going to first discuss the kinds of light that we find in our world and list them by two categories: natural light and artificial light! We are going to use an anchor chart just like The Lesson Plan Diva's chart. Perfect! (You can check out her anchor chart by clicking on the photo above.) We are also going to be looking at all the different types of lights in real life. Would you include matches or a lighter? I am still debating. Since we don't have a real darkroom we are going to be using the restroom in our classroom. Hysterical! Just the thought of being in the restroom is going to crack my little firsties up! I am going to take them into the darkroom in groups cause my darkroom is tiny! My students who are not in the darkroom group will be working on the activity sheet below. You can find it free here! In the darkroom, I am hanging pictures of objects around the room. I want my students to see them when we shine the flashlight around the darkroom to make them visible because of light. We will discuss how light makes it possible for them to see the objects. And when I turn the flashlight off, the objects are no longer visible. (Yes...I totally expect some shrieks!! Eesh...but in the name of science, right?) In their science journals, they are going to record what they observed by drawing or writing what was visible in the darkroom. If you would like a copy of the pictures that I am going to use in my bathroom darkroom, you can find them here! We are also going to be looking at peep boxes. Have you ever used peep boxes? Kindergarten-Lessons.com is where I learned about peep boxes!! You should totally check out the website because they have some great suggestions and ideas for light and shadows! You can click here! They are not hard to make and you can easily make one for your students to see. Here is an example of one I made: Without light you can't see anything inside... But with light, you can see lots of things on the inside! I can't believe this box already had a peep hole!!!!! My students are going to record what they see inside the peep boxes in their science journals. You can find the scene that I used for my peep box here. It's so fun and exciting to look inside!!! I will be working on another one this week and I will let you know how it goes!! What kind of activities do you do for light and shadows? I am dying to know!! For the second part of our light and shadow unit, we will be talking about shadows and shadows will go along perfectly with Groundhog's Day. Yeah!! So come on back! I can't wait to show you what we are doing with shadows! Hoping you have a great week back!! An InLinkz Link-up
Welcome to one of my hundreds of character building posts. Today we focus on respect. These 20 ways to teach kids about respect include my previous lessons, crafts, activities, book collections and thoughts about teaching kids the importance of showing respect. I am also including other ideas I’ve found around the web so you are...Read More
These choice boards you can send home with kindergarteners during a break, holiday or as homework. Includes 6 different free example choice boards.
“Hey kids, it’s time to practice our new vocabulary words.” Can you hear the moans and groans?Practicing vocabulary is boring (according to kids) but when you add in dice, it becomes a game! I call it Roll a Word! It’s easy peasy to implement! For each vocabulary students roll a die. The number they […]
This summer, after attending a reading workshop, I've made it my goal to amp up and improve my guided reading and shared reading instruction. With this in
Looking for a new and engaging classroom management system for your classroom? I love Secret Student because all of my students buy into this system...
In today's Crochet 101 lesson, I'll teach you how to increase and decrease stitches. This is helpful when it comes to working on a variety of projects.
Hey, it's Hannah from The Classroom Key! Close reading is all the rage these days. The problem is, it seems to be about EVERY reading strategy all at once! How do you craft a close reading lesson that is focused and helpful to kids? Here is a planning page to help you use close reading with ANY text. Plan on reading the text three times. For each reading, choose a skill to focus on, set a purpose for the reading, and use suggested follow-up questions. Click the picture to download for free! Best of luck!
Blog mit selbst erstellten Unterrichtsmaterialien für die Grundschule/Volksschule zum Download. Mathematik - Deutsch - Sachunterricht
Hey, you can teach an old dog new tricks! I’ve been making bound buttonholes for years, but have often been frustrated at how large the “l...
This zentangle growth mindset project is one of my favorite activities for the beginning of the school year!
Do you teach grammar and language effectively? Do you want to? We have a magical grammar and langauge formula that we want you to try for FREE!
Looking for help on what to do about letter reversals with your students? Here is how one parent handled the issue in their homeschool.
Sit down in your seat, it’s time for math. Please sit down in your seat, Tashir cannot see the board. Alright, time to start our work why don’t you have
Hey y'all! I've got a fun little freebie for you to use when you teach comparing and contrasting! Friend-diagrams! Pair your students up and have them create their face and hair. They can also add their eye color by tracing around the black circle on the eyes with a crayon or maker. Afterwards, have them write how they are different from their friend on the outside circle of their face and how they are the same as their friend on the inside of their circle. You can download the craftivity for FREE on Teachers Pay Teachers HERE. I can't wait to use these this week!
If your middle school students' grammar skills could benefit from a quick review, read on to see how I've modified my parts of speech instruction to maximize engagement & mastery!
Introducing this innovative “Rhythm Math Foldable Game”, designed to enhance mastery of basic note durations in music theory. Ideal for elementary general music classrooms, your music students will love folding this origami rhythm game as they memorize essential note values. The objective: Memorize note durations of quarter, half, dotted half, and whole notes. This product includes: -Printable rhythm origami outline -Folding instruction page -Game play instructions By integrating math concepts into rhythm practice, this music game promotes cross-curricular learning. Students develop not only their musical skills but also their mathematical abilities as they explore rhythm through a mathematical lens. This game can be a yearly addition to your music curriculum! *DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW FOR TPT CREDIT! Follow my store for more projects and ideas: Music Is Life!
Negative leaf print by one of my second grade students earlier this year. Hey, guys! This post has been very popular on my blog...if you are interested in other leaf-y projects, look at my Leaf Relief project and my Pressed Leaf Project as well. Thanks! I don't know what it's like where you live, but here in Tennessee, we are experiencing spring-like weather. For the most part. I mean it did snow the last two Saturdays (and, in Tennessee, "snow" means just a few flakes and a couple of inches) but the other day it was 78 degrees. Crazy, right? For that reason, I've got touch of spring fever. You too? Well then you might enjoy this leafy printmaking project I did at the beginning of the year with my second graders. It's simple, scientific, beautiful and fun...okay, enough talking about me (!), on with the lesson. For this project, you'll need the following: gelatin, not Jell-o. Most grocery stores carry a brand called Knox which sells in boxes of 16 pouches. cookie sheets printmaking brayer, sold at most craft stores printing ink variety of leaves paper Print pulled from the same printing tray, this time the positive version. The night before you begin, you'll need to prepare your sheets of gelatin. To do that, bring about 3-4 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, whisked one pouch of gelatin into the pot. You don't want any clumps of gelatin, so whisk like there's no tomorrow. You'll end up adding about 12-15 pouches of gelatin into that one pot. Sorry, I'm not into exact measurements. Which could explain a lot about my cooking. If there are any remaining unwhiskable clumps, remove them with a spoon. Pour mixture into a cookie sheet filling it about 1". Leave uncovered over night. If you see any bubbles in the cookie sheet, pop them or remove with a spoon. For my class of 20 students, I made three trays. Pulling the first print always managed to get oohhhh's and aahhhh's aplenty. The following day, we were ready to print. The surface of the gelatin was squishy yet very firm, perfect for holding our printing ink. I think I can explain this best in steps, so here you go: Using a brayer and printing ink, cover surface of gelatin in ink. Place leaves onto the ink-covered cookie sheet with the veiny side down. I don't recommend using anything with pine needles because that will puncture the gelatin. But experiment, you never know! Once leaves are in place, lay paper on top of cookie sheet and rub (er, we call it "massage") the paper. Pull paper off, as you see in the above photo, and viola! You have your first print! Notice how clear the gelatin looks. All of the ink that was once on the tray is now on the paper. I love her dainty fingers pulling up the second print. So sweet. Now for the second print: Gently remove all of the leaves from the tray. It's best to pull them out by the end of the stem. Place a new sheet of paper over the now-empty cookie sheet and rub. Pull second print which will be a positive image of the first. Looks like a black and white photo, don't you think? Once both prints have been pulled, re-ink the tray and begin the process all over again. With a class of 20 students and 3 pans of gelatin, about 10 kids were able to print per half an hour class. The pans of gelatin can last about two days with an endless amount of printing. I tried to cover the gelatin and keep it for a little longer, but condensation droplets created strange little craters on the surface. If left uncovered for too many days, it begins to dry and crack. For that reason, if you plan to do this project for longer than a couple of days, you'll just need to prepare more gelatin pans the night before. Our second go-round of printing involved using white ink on black paper. Just as pretty. This project is so easy and the results so stunning that everyone is successful. I've now had a couple of craft get-togethers and this is always a hit. Once those leaves start growing in your neck of the woods, I do hope you'll give it a shot! I love the photo negative quality of this print.
