Like a Little Kid at Christmas!

Santa came early or late depending on how you look at it!  I GOT A PROMETHEAN BOARD!

I know...  I should contain my excitement, but I can't!  I have wanted one FOREVER and finally lucky me!  I have the best principal in the WORLD and I LOVE MY NEW SCHOOL!

I have spent the last two days learning how to use it and feeling so silly when I couldn't get it to work.  Then, I felt really silly when I asked someone to help me only to learn that I hadn't plugged it in.

We have been using it for everything.  I made a flip chart to replace my morning math board.  We have used it to compare fractions and put fractions on a number line.

Here is a picture of us trying to compare parts of a candy bar.  The kids love writing on it and are so engaged waiting for their turn.   

Now I am searching for the best materials to use with my board.  If you have a favorite, please share! 

Happy Teaching!
Tracy

Fun with Polygons and Comparing Fractions!

We took a little break from fractions to revisit polygons last week.  First, we created an anchor chart about polygons to revisit the concept.  Then, I gave the kids pieces of yarn and they used Elmer's glue to draw a shape and cover it with yarn.  When I came up with the idea it seemed really easy, but it took us a bit of trial and error to get the yarn stuck to the paper.  This was a case where more glue was something I encouraged!  Didn't think I would ever tell them that!  We didn't do really well with spelling, but sometimes it happens.   Try this out for a quick review of polygons!  The kids loved it!

We are back working on comparing fractions next week.  We love to play SCOOT in my class.  If you haven't ever played before, you have to try it out!  Before class, you post cards with questions around the classroom.  Each card has a number on it and the kids read it and come up with an answer.  They write the answer on their answer sheet.  When it looks like most of the kids have finished, you say SCOOT!  Then, they move to the next card.  They keep moving until they have answered all of the questions.

I like to have 20 cards for a game.  I pair the kids up with a partner and have them all pick a place to start.  I encourage the kids to talk through the problem before they write down their answer.  My kids love it!  It gets them up and moving and they usually do great on the problems!

Here is my latest SCOOT game!  Click on the picture to see a sample of the game.  Once you start playing SCOOT with your kids, they will beg you to play it all the time!

Happy Teaching!

Tracy

What was the title of that book?

How many times a day do your kids ask you about the title of a book you read to them so they can take the AR test?  Last year my kids drove me NUTS!!!!!!!  I knew I had to find a better way and easier way to make sure they knew the title without me writing it down 100 times!

This year problem solved!  As a read a book to the kids, I put it in a plastic sleeve.

Then I use push pins to stick it to the bulletin board above the laptops.  

Problem SOLVED!  No more writing the titles down and they seem to be taking a lot more tests on the books I read to them.

Speaking of these two books, they are some of my favorites.  The kids thought that Snowman at Night was just so funny!  It really got them thinking about what could snowman really do when no one was looking.  I don't think they had ever thought of that possibility before.  Of course one of them had to bust up their creativity by reminding us that snowman aren't real!  We wrote acrostic poems to show all of the crazy things that snowman did in the book.  

I love to buy stuff after Christmas when it is 50% and 90% off!  I've bought next years stockings, decorations, and enough ribbon to last for ages.  I bought a bunch of cute border paper so I gave them each a piece of "special" paper.  I don't know what it is about it, but they get so serious when they use it.  Here are some of the funny poems they wrote. 

If you haven't ever read Green Wilma.....  it is a MUST!  It's a really funny book about a girl that wakes up as a frog!  Cute as can be and so easy to ask text dependent questions about it.  So if you haven't read it yet, take a peek!  You won't be disappointed.

Enjoy every single minute with your kids!

Happy Teaching!
Tracy

Making Fossils!

My student teacher knocks it out of the ballpark AGAIN!  He is just wonderful and I can't wait until he has the chance to have his own classroom.  I can't tell you how much fun I have had teaching alongside him these past few weeks.

I told him to come up with something easy to review why/how a fossil is formed.  I figured he might find a book or a video clip to show.  We only set aside 15 minutes for the review....  and yes my class did this in 15 minutes!

He did a real quick review of how a fossil was made and why fossils are important.  I was stunned by how well the kids explained it and they used lots of text evidence terms in their descriptions.  He gave each of the kids a ball of clay that he had already rolled, a paper plate, toothpick, and a wooden leaf.  The kids rolled and stretched their clay until they had it thick enough and large enough to make an imprint of the leaf.  They used toothpicks to add veins to their leaves and he even thought to throw in a quick review of what purpose the veins have in a leaf!  Here are some pictures from this quick activity.

We let them dry for a few days and they turned out stunning!  The kids can't wait to take them home.  We used one tub of Crayola Model Clay - about $7.  You can buy it at Michaels - one of my MOST favorite stores.  FYI - my store gives a 15% off your purchase with your school ID.  

So if you have a few minutes and need a fun activity to review fossils this one was a HUGE HIT!

Happy Teaching!

Tracy