Pic-ture Perfect Measurement

   Make measurement more exciting by incorporating a little technology with your math unit! As I've already mentioned (several times), Pic Collage is one of my absolute favorite apps. It's FREE and one of the MOST user-friendly apps that I've ever given my students.
  Today we used Pic Collage to complete a digital scavenger hunt for measurement. Students had to hunt for everyday objects that they could measure with customary units of measurement. We used rulers to measure to the nearest 1/2 inch.

    After completing a collage with standards units of measurement, we watched a short Brain Pop video about customary vs. metric units of measurement. Afterwards, my students measured the same objects using the metric side of the ruler. This allowed the students to compare the two units of measurement, while gaining a relevant understanding of metrics. These new measurements were added to the previously created collages and then uploaded them to our class Edmodo page. You can also share student collages by mirroring them with an Apple TV connected to your classroom projector.  

I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1912

    Shark attacks have both terrified us and fascinated us for decades.  As a young(er) child, I remember watching "Jaws" for the first time. The tension-building music and the gruesome story line instilled terror in my little mind. In fact, it scared me so much that I was terrified to take a bath for quite some time!

This is an amateur video of the actual location where the shark attacks occurred at Matawan Creek. 

It's a little slow moving,  but it may help your students visualize the story setting.

    "I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1912" by Lauren Tarshis intrigues young readers (without terrifying them senseless). My students read the "I Survived" novels together in book clubs. When they complete a novel, the students choose a culminating activity to complete from my Bloom's Revised Sentence Stem Cards.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Blooms-revised-Taxonomy-Sentence-Stem-Cards-694367

 Dive into "I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916" Mega Pack! This 42 page novel study is the perfect companion to the high-interest historical fiction and includes ALL the components of the individual chapter packs. I have also added a couple of additional bonus extensions! These text are fantastic to use for literature circles, whole group novel studies, or as enrichment projects.

The text for this novel study is an leveled for 4th grade but will also work well for 3rd-5th grade, and possibly with advanced 2nd grade readers.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/I-Survived-the-Shark-Attacks-of-1916-Mega-Pack-1045820

This product pack includes:

Higher-Level Reading Comprehension Short Answer Questions for ALL chapters

Chapter Quizzes for the entire text

Answer Keys for Comprehension Questions and Quizzes

Extension Activities

-Shark Attack KWL

-Character Traits

-Comparing Characters

-Making Connections Flipbook

-Story Cause & Effect

-Shark Attack Research & Writing Extension

-Decoding Characters

-Story Sequence

-Story Summary

   Give students the opportunity to research a variety of shark-related topics such as: sharks, shark habitats, shark attacks, the Matawan Shark attacks, or shark attack survivors, like Bethany Hamilton. DOGO News has a lot of great articles for your students to cut their informational text reading skills on.

Discovery Channel has a mouthful of sharp videos that will excite your students to dive into some informational text on the topic!

*Caution-Preview the videos! Some are too graphic for younger students.* 

The Rainbow at the End of the Year

This is it... the moment you've all been waiting for...

The end of the year countdown has begun!

    Okay, maybe you're kids have been on the edge of their seats more than you, but everyone loves the exhilaration of an accomplished year. :D

   At the end of every year my class enjoys a few of my little classroom traditions. One of the first things we do is tie-dye t-shirts. My class likes to sport the swirls of rainbow colors at the Field Day events. Somehow it's just more fun when you're wrapped in bright colors!

   In the past, I've used my document camera to go over some basic tie-dye instructions. But, this year I found an awesome video on YouTube (seriously, is there anything you can't learn on the web?!). It covers all the basic techniques that you'll need. As I pulled small groups to my back table to tie-dye, I let this video play on a loop. The students at their seats could watch the videos and follow the instructions to prep their shirts. Super time-saver!!!

FYI- Print off a 40-50% discount from your local craft store (Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc) before you shop for your tie-dye kit. And, PICK UP SOME EXTRA GLOVES 
(you're gonna need them! ;D)   

    During the last week of school we will all bring our shirts back to school to autograph. Last year I picked up some Crayola Fabric Markers on sale, but I've also used sharpies. The kids LOVE to leave little pick-me-ups or practice their Super-Star sigs on their friends' shirts. Usually we wear them again for our End-of-the-Year party too.
  Get colorful and enjoy the end of your year! :D


PS. For some more fun End-of-the-Year activities, visit my TpT Store and download my "Not-So-Bummer-Summer"pack!

Printable writing activities...

End-of-the-Year Memory Book...

& summer-themed fun stuff!

Save BIG on TpT!

Get ready to save big on all those items that you've been wishing for! 

       Thousands of great resources will be on sale, including items at my store. 

Fill your cart with all your goodies and then enter the promo code TPTXO at checkout. 

Happy Shopping!

Thanks for stopping by!


PS. Don't forget to follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers for 1/2 price discounts on all my newest items!

Cheez-It's Awesome: Area & Perimeter!

   

    Do you want to get your students excited about Area & Perimeter? Grab a box of Cheez-Its and get going! I've used these cheesy crackers as square unit manipulatives for a couple of years, but this year I added a little technology.
   The first thing you'll need is several boxes of crackers. A week or two in advance of the activity, send home a nice request for Cheez-Its. Generic crackers work just as well as name brand, which I am sure to tell parents in the note I send home. You'll also want to copy some Cheez-It grid paper (click on the photo below to download) for your students to use.

   On the day of the activity, prep crackers by placing one scoop of crackers per student in a sandwich baggie, or on a paper towel (I give my more advanced students a little bit larger scoop to allow them the opportunity to make larger shapes).

BE SURE TO TELL STUDENTS NOT TO EAT THEIR CRACKERS 

BEFORE YOU PASS THEM OUT!!!

After we pass out all crackers and graph paper, I model making the Cheez-It shapes and drawing them on the graph paper...

We also discuss the students goals for the activity. I always write the directions on the board to give my students a little visual support. 

During the activity, my students have to: 

• Create at least 8 Cheez-It figures with their crackers and draw them on their graph paper
• Find the AREA and PERIMETER of each shape
• (This year) I also asked my students to extend with technology... keep reading!

This activity was always fun, but adding technology made it AWESOME!

We use the Geoboard app (it's free!) on the ipad to recreate our Cheez-It shapes.

This app provides a screen that looks just like a traditional geoboard, and an extended board with extra "pegs". Students drag and drop virtual rubberbands on pegs to make geoboard shapes.  

After they've created at least three shapes on the Geoboard app, then my students take a screen shot of their work. Then they create a post with their photo on our class Edmodo page. 

In the comments section, the students write the area and perimeter of each shape that they created.

It was so much fun to watch my kiddos get engaged and excited about math!

Here are a couple of handy links for Area & Perimeter video tutorials you can use as needed:

• Khan Academy
• EduCreations

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Dojo Does More!

    

     Class Dojo just got even better! Now you can also message parents straight from the app. If you already use this app, make sure you download the newest update to access this fantastic feature.  

                                                                                                        

    What I love most about this add-on is that it streamlines some of my classroom management. Instead of using a separate messaging app/system (like Remind 101-which I also like), you can utilize the same tool with the management system you already use. Yeah!!! Anything that makes my day simpler is a winner in my book! Get started with the Class Dojo Messaging Guide:

                                                

                                                 

There are a couple of options with this new tool:

Send a whole class broadcast...

or send a message to a single student.

Thanks for stopping by!

Reading Reflections

  Last summer I was inspired to take a different approach to reading instruction after I read "The Book Whisperer" by Donalyn Miller. If you've never read this, I would highly recommend it to any educator!
  I began phasing out the reading program that our school had always traditionally used... You know the one. The students are required to read a specific range of text and then take a comprehension test for everything they read. Books were selected based on the number of points a student could achieve, and not by how interested they were in the text. You could see the dread in their eyes when reading time came. It was heart-breaking to see the joy of reading slowly leeched away from my kids, one text at a time.
   Instead, we started reading for... FUN. Shh! I know. It's a revolutionary idea in our test crazed educational system. I let my students bring small pillows to school so they could read around the room. There was a rug and floor cushions in my THIRD GRADE room! I'll admit that I felt kind of like an oddball stepping away from the tried and true system. And, I had more than one moment of doubt and fear about my students' success in this slightly less structured environment. 
   But, after a short time I noticed that my kids were actually looking forward to reading. They were more engaged in the texts they were reading. In fact, they were constantly trying to discuss their books. In order to make sure that students were managing their time effectively, I created a quick reflection tool for my kids to use.
   After my students finish reading, they complete a daily book note. This is just a short summary of what they've read for the day. After they finish their book note, the students reflect on the reading time for the day.  I printed these little mini-posters and hung them up in my room for students to use. 

    The students earn one point for each question that they can answer "yes" to each day. They add their points together for their daily total. The book notes are stored in a manila folder in the group's book basket. At the end of each week, I collect the Book Notes and review them to assess my students' understanding. They're also greet discussion starters for student conferencing!

This product addresses the following Common Core Standards:
R.CCR.2, R.CCR.10, RL.3.2, RL.3.10, RI.3.2, RI.3.7, RI.3.10, RF.3.4, W.3.2d, W.3.10, SL.3.1, SL.3.2, L3.2

   I also use a variety of other reading tools in my classroom including graphic organizers,  flip books, and other printable reading tools.