February Currently

This morning I am linking up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for her monthly Currently Linky.  As I was working on this, I realized I hadn't done one of these in a really long time!  I really had to think about my answers!

Listening:  My two boys have started begging me to take them to the new movie "Mr. Peabody & Sherman".  One of the previews uses this song and I have been humming it ALL weekend!  

Loving:  I just started a new book series called "birthmarked".  I began the first book last night and I had to force myself to go to bed once the clock showed 12:00.  Birthmarked is a story of a dystopian/eutopian society where midwives help deliver newborns of mothers from the slums and hand them over to the wealthy and privileged on the other side of the wall. 

Thinking:  My small town of 1,000 people is reeling after the sudden loss of two of its members.  The first was a former classmate of mine.  He was a kind and gentle man who will be greatly missed.  I had the honor of teaching his step-daughter, whom he loved as dearly as if she were his own.  

The second loss was the father of another former student of mine.  He was killed in a snowmobiling accident.  His wife used to work in our school district so many of the teachers here knew him personally.  He leaves behind a wife and two children.

Wanting:  Well, duh!  Here in Illinois I have come to accept that the winters are cold and harsh.  But I could do with a tiny warm-up.  We have not had a full week of school since we returned from Christmas break!  Either extreme sub-zero temps or inches and inches of snow have kept us away!  I'm not asking for the tropics but c'mon!

Needing:  Last year I discovered winter sowing and it worked out so well for my garden last year that I need to get it going again.  Winter sowing consists of planting seeds in small containers like milk jugs or rotisserie chicken containers and setting them outside to germinate.  And yes, you set them outside in the freezing temperatures of January and February.  The semi-sealed containers act like a greenhouse.  By the time you are ready to plant your garden, the seedlings are already hardened off to the cold and ready to plant a least 3 weeks sooner than if you had started the seeds in the garden.  

2 Truths & A Fib:  I think I'm going to keep this one a mystery.........

~Stacy

Tried-It-Tuesday - Groundhog Day! {Craft Freebie}

Today I am linking up with the Fourth Grade Flipper for her Tried It Tuesday.  I know I'm a couple days late but we had two snow days this week so it really does feel like a Tuesday.  The weather has not been very nice here in Northwest Illinois.  We've used 6 snow days so far and will be attending school well into the first week of June.  Thankfully, we only need make up 5 of those days because the forecast for the next week looks a bit daunting.  

   

With Groundhog's Day coming up, I began digging for some great units on TpT.  I found three goodies that I couldn't decide on so I used bits and pieces from each!

By the way . . . all three are FREE!

The first comes from Amy Murdock - Groundhog's Day: Mini-Writing Pack.  You can click on the image to take you to her TpT page.

The second pack that I found is by Nicole Johnson - Groundhog Day: Mini Book.  She also has her own blog.  You can click on the blog button below to check out her offerings.  

And finally, the last pack I found is by First Grade Blue Skies (Jennifer White) - Groundhog Day! A Fun Freebie.  Jennifer also has her own blog. 

In addition to these great packets, I also visited Groundhog.org to learn more about Punxsutawney Phil.  We read about the history of Groundhog Day, past predictions, and fun facts about the common groundhog.  

To help my students make their own predictions, we looked at the weather forecast of Gobbler's Knob, because the weather can effect whether Phil sees his shadow or not. 

Below are a few shots of my kiddos and their finished products.

I also happened to have a story book in my library that I read to my class.  It was called Good Morning, Groundhog! by Abby Klein.  This was from my many orders from Scholastic.  

We couldn't help noticing that the ground was covered in green grass and the characters wore nothing more than sweatshirts outside.  Coming from Northwest Illinois, buried under at least a foot of snow and suffering through -35 degree temps, we didn't see why Freddie was so concerned about Spring.  

Since this theme lends itself so well to crafting, I pulled out a groundhog craft that I have had for years.  I figured I had better share that with you as well.  They just turned out so cute!

Click on the groundhog picture below to get your own copy of patterns.

So that's it.  Be sure link back up with the Fourth Grade Flipper to see other great Tried-Its.

~Stacy

It's Decorah Eagles Time!

Meet the Decorah Eagles.  This duo is the crown jewel of the Raptor Resource Project which specializes in the preservation of falcons, eagles, ospreys, hawks, and owls. They create, improve, and directly maintain over 40 nests and nest sites, provide training in nest site creation and management, and develop innovations in nest site management and viewing that bring people closer to the natural world. 

Through streaming video, we are able to observe the bald eagle during it most exciting time: nesting and hatching of the next generation!  In late January, the eagles begin to ready their nests in preparation for their eggs.  By mid-February to early March, the cameras go in for a close-up for a glimpse of a new eaglet hatchling!  

Last year we were unable to view this amazing sight because the eagles had built a second nest and the RRP couldn't get a camera installed.  It appears they are continuing to use the new nest this year and the cameras will be rolling!

Soar on over to UStream TV and check out the live feed from the nest.  The feed is intermittent right now, but will be going to full time on February 17th.  If an egg is laid prior to the 17th, they will begin filming immediately.

This is also a great time to let you know about the unit that I created to follow the Decorah Eagles!  This unit teaches the kids about scientific observation, as well as, the bald eagle as a national symbol.  The kids will love watching the eagles and we even do some great math and writing activities.

Perhaps my favorite is the final craft.

The kids write word acrostic poems and publish them with the uber-cute eagle peek-over, complete with wings!  When you hang these in the hallway, people will certainly take notice!  

This can be found at my TpT store.  Currently, this unit is not Common Core aligned but I am working on it and will have an updated one posted soon!  

~Stacy

Small Group Work and a FREEBIE!

Wednesday is always a day the kiddos look forward to because it is Small Groups Day.  Every Wednesday, I group the students and give them a full hour to "play games".  At least, that is how they see it.  Actually, they are working on special skills that need a little tweaking.

This week, I had the groups work on Parts of Speech (Nouns, Verbs, & Adjectives),

Place Value with Horse Race,

Spelling and Phonics skills with Versatiles,

and Computer Skills with ABC Ya!

One of the skills that I discovered very early on in the year that needed A LOT of work was Parts of Speech.  My sweeties really had a tough time naming nouns, verbs and adjectives within sentences.  So I pulled together this activity.

I pulled out my noun, verb, and adjective word tiles that I got from Wal-Mart a million years ago. 

The students were to draw a tile out of the bag and write the word in the correct section on a worksheet. 

Here is a sample of what the first group had going so far.  

Click the worksheet or here for the FREEBIE!

This shows a group working on Place Value using StrataDice from Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks.  If you would like to learn how to play the game the kids are playing, you can read a post I did on these last year.

This is a quick pic of a student working with VersaTiles.  I discovered VersaTiles (an ETA product) years ago when I was a tutor for Sylvan Learning Center.  These are a great way for your students to work on important skills without killing a bunch of trees.  I will be doing a post soon on this incredible product and it's uses in the classroom.  

Finally, the babes had a chance to get on the computer and play some learning games through ABC Ya!

This week I let them choose which games to do, but soon I will be giving them direction on what to be working with.

Like I said, we have an hour for these activities, so I usually give the groups 20 minutes to work and then we rotate to the next station.

That's all for now!  Be sure to grab that FREEBIE for your own parts of speech activities!

~Stacy

 

Paperless Math Practice

"This is so COOL!"  Those were the words repeated over and over by my studnets when I tried out a new, paperless way to practice their math facts.

 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I had my students write on their desks!!!!!!!

I actually found this idea from Pamela over at Teaching 4 Real via Pinterest.

 

  She was searching for a way to keep her morning kids busy without killing a bunch of trees in the process.  So she introduced the idea of using dry erase markers to write out their multiplication facts directly onto their desks.   For me, (and Pamela) this was a HUGE success!  The kids loved bing able to write on their desks because it is usually FORBIDDEN!       The dry erase wiped cleanly off, and as an added measure we all did a quick clean up with a Clorox wipe.    Since my kiddos are struggling with their math facts, this is going to be my quick go-to activity during those "I'm done, now what?" moments.    I also plan to take this further and have the kids practice place value, ( ie. tens and ones, expanded form, written form) weekly spelling words, DOL, word sorts, etc.  This could make a great formative assessment!!!!!!!  The possibilities are endless!  

~Stacy 

Monday Made It - Expanded Form Cups

 

Today I am linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for her "Monday Made It" linky. 

 

I am soooo excited to use this with my class this week!

These are a great way to get your kids working with expanded form.  I've see this idea on pinterest but I also spotted some easy to use directions at Sue Downing's TpT store for FREE!

 

The idea is totally simple.  You can make a number from 0 to 99 by turning the cups to line up the numbers.  To expand the number, just slide the outer cup to the right and you have an instant expanded form number sentence.   

 

Below, I show how I made marks onto a third cup so that I could space the numbers evenly around the rim.  Keep that cup (and make a few extras) so you can quickly make a 100's set.     

 

I bought a whole bunch of styrofoam cups this weekend and I plan to have my class make their own set of these. 

 

Now I just need to figure out a way to use this same priciple but use it to create more difficult expanded form number sentences like 30+14.  My kiddos are REALLY struggling with this concept...... gotta love Common Core!

 

So head back to 4th Grade Frolics to link up and share your latest creations!

~Stacy

 

 

 

 

 

The Return of the Quick Tips Linky - Yay!!!

 

I'm linking up with Jean at Diving into 2nd Grade to celebrate the return of her (and Angela's) Classroom Quick Tips Linky.  I loved this linky!  It gave me SO many ideas last year!

 

The quick tip I'm sharing today actually comes from another blogger but I have started using this year and my kids LOVE it!

This baby comes from Leslie at First Grade and Flip Flops.  She came up with a bunch of adorable and catchy attention grabbers.  The cool thing is that you don't have to use the same one all the time.  You can change it up to keep the kids on their toes!

 

So far our favorites are: "All set?  You bet!", "Red Robin . . . Yum!", and "Peanut Butter . . . Jelly Time!" 

 

So here is how I use it:

 

I have four tables in my classroom.  Each table has a bookshelf that holds all of the students' materials.  I posted this "Attention" sign in a sheet protector to the backside of each bookshelf.  If I use a grabber the kids don't know the response to, they just have to look at their own copy.

 

I use sheet protectors in other places in my room so that I can easily change out the paper while still protecting it from the sticky, grubbiness that is elementary school!

 

Here, I'm using it to show the students what level books they can get out of my classroom library.  As the year progresses, the kids move up in level.  So I just need to change the colors, print it out and stick it into the protector.

 

So head on back to Diving into 2nd Grade and link up!  I can't wait to steal borrow so great new classroom tips!

 

 

~Stacy