Today I'm linking up with
Doodle Bugs Teaching for a little
Five for Friday {on Saturday}. This link-up is perfect for me, because all you have to do is share 5 random things from your week - fits my personality perfectly...RANDOM! :) Head on over to Doodle Bugs Teaching and link up or visit more Five for Friday posts by clicking the button above.
Background Info: I live in Kentucky and in Kentucky we have what we call Snow Days. Well, normally we do. But we have had forecast after forecast after forecast for snow and have gotten NONE! This is a good thing for those of us who like to get out on time in May, but for those of us needing a snow day (snuggle on the couch in our PJs day), our snow dances have NOT been working. With that being said, snow days are always such a controversy in our county. The parents, teachers, and kiddos know all about it, so I like to turn that little slice of hometown drama into an awesome opinion writing piece. So we have been working hard at this authentic piece of writing that the students can really relate to. You can see the prompt below and it can be found in my
January Common Core Writing Activities in my TpT Store. You can also see a complete Q&A Blog Post about my Common Core Writing Activities {
HERE}.
We have also started a new novel study this week. We began The Mouse and the Motorcycle. This is such a cute book! I remember reading it as a child and it was always one of my favorites! On Thursday, we read Chapter 1 and then completed some comprehension questions and a graphic organizer that goes along with the chapter. The comprehension questions focus on basic recall, while the graphic organizer encourages the students to dig deeper and use text-based evidence to respond. You can see a little snippet below and my
Mouse and the Motorcycle Unit can also be found in my TpT Store.
We also spent this week finishing up some science experiments. We made edible rocks, excavated rocks, exploded volcanos, and much more in this science unit! The kiddos had a blast!
Wow, you guys, I have gotten some incredible feedback on my
Perfect Paragraphs One Step at a Time! I even had a fellow teacher tell me that they used my Perfect Paragraphs even in the 4th grade! I just love the way that these guide the students in creating a quality paragraph with an introduction, three details, and a concluding statement. The unique way that these paragraph prompts are laid out is the key, in my opinion, for helping young writers to get their details out FIRST, then come back and add an introduction and a concluding statement AFTER they write their details. As you all well know, students want to get right to the good stuff and this layout allows them to do so. You can check them out in my store {
HERE}. I have a pack for every month in the school year so far and will be creating for March through June/July as well.
I also listened to your requests and have added an extra, matching publishing page for those students who may get lengthy with their writing. I also have added a rubric for each paragraph upon request. I hope you guys enjoy! I will be going back to my previous packs and adding in the extra publishing page and the rubrics as soon as I can find the time! :)
You can see I have our Perfect Paragraphs all copied into packets for the entire month of February! You can check out my
Perfect Paragraphs One Step at a Time in my TpT store by clicking the picture below. I always include two seasonal and two generic prompts that can be used year-round.
Last, but not least, I have added a new math center to our rotations. My
Addition and Subtraction QR Codes - SO. MUCH. FUN! These are self-checking task cards that utilize QR codes to make them super engaging for the kiddos. Included are 4 different sets of task cards - Addition Without Regrouping, Subtraction Without Regrouping, Addition With Regrouping, and Subtraction With Regrouping. I have added this to my rotation of centers, because now that we're finished with the Addition and Subtraction to 1,000 unit, I don't want the kiddos to forget what they've learned! All you need is ONE iPod, iPad, or iPhone with a free QR scanner app and you're all set. You can see how they work in the pics below or check them out in my TpT store {
HERE}.
4 Different Sets of Self-Checking Task Cards
Solve the problem on the task card. Then use an iPod, iPad, or iPhone with a free QR scanner app to scan the QR code.
Check your work with the answer that is displayed on your device! So much fun! The kiddos just love it! :)
So there you have it! A little peek into our week! A little writing, reading, math, and science and a LOT of fun! Thanks for stopping by! :)
