Sunday Scoop {3/29/15}

The Sunday Scoop is based on the popular 3-2-1 graphic organizers so many of us use with our students. Tell us three things you HAVE to do, two things you HOPE to do, and one thing you're HAPPY to do. If this is your first time linking up, check out our Linky Parties page for details!

Here is what is happening on my calendar this week.

What is happening in your neck of the woods?

An InLinkz Link-up

Tech Thursday: Wonderopolis

Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Check out our Linky Parties page for details on how to link up!

Today I am sharing all about one of my favorite websites/apps. It is called Wonderopolis and it is a "must bookmark website"!

Okay... this is a super simple website to use. Every day, the post a "wonder of the world". This can range anywhere from a wonder like why is the grass green to what are LEDs. Every day there is a new wonder. Each wonder is complete with a short informative article and a video. The videos range from 2-15 minutes each. We use this site during free-choice time on our classroom devices. Students can go and find different wonders that they are interested in and investigate further.

As a teacher on Wonderopolis, you can research and search even further to find specific wonders that fit into what you are teaching. On the page, Educator Sandbox, you can search by subject or by grade level. They also break it down into popular videos for the month. So this month there are wonders for Daylight Savings, Rainbows, Maple Tree Tapping, Ides of March and Saint Patrick. The list goes on and on! Not convinced yet...?! Keep Reading. Introducing....

Do you have children at home?! If you answered yes... this website provides a way to continue learning all summer long! You can sign your child up for free for Camp Wonderopolis. At Camp Wonderopolis your child will investigate (virtually) 6 different tracks of science exploration. Click the photo above to check it out more details about that.

So basically... you need to go check out the website and see what the daily wonder is for today. It might just help you get your head out of the sand. :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Teaching Students How to Take Tests

Testing! Ugh! The most dreaded time in all of the school year.  I would rather have 100 Christmas parties than 1 testing week.  Really.  I mean it!  And that is saying something. So much stress! For the teacher and the students.  So much riding on tests that only show a small snapshot of what our students can do.

But, alas, testing happens every year. And every year we, as teachers, try to prepare our students as best we can. Unfortunately, we can't just teach content. We also have to teach students HOW to take a test.  As a third grade teacher, this is especially important since none of my students have never taken a high stakes academic test. I actually have to add "how to fill in a bubble" to my lesson plans! Not kidding.

I came to 3rd grade from teaching early childhood in Pre-K and then in 1st grade.  I had thought I understood what upper grade teachers went through with testing.  After all, I took the tests as a kid myself, right? And we assess our students in other grades, so no real difference...boy, was I wrong! Ha! I got an enlightening education real quick. Lucky for me, I was surrounded by great teachers willing to help me adjust to what it took to ready 3rd graders for academic achievement testing.

My friend, Lora, had already come up with a great idea for teaching students HOW to take a test. She created the Smart Family! Posters of a super smart family that tests horribly because they make simple mistakes such as ignoring directions or racing through the test.  She graciously allowed me to take her vision a step further so we can share it with other teachers.

Introducing the Smart Family! They are not as smart as they think they are! Posters, a PowerPoint, editable teacher-to-parent notes, higher order thinking student response sheets, and parent-to-student note templates help teach students how to take achievement tests.

My students learned so much- about themselves!

I am in love with the parent-to-student notes! Some of my parents even had sisters and brothers write to my students.  So uplifting for my kiddos! They absolutely loved reading these each morning.

You can find the Smart Family resources at my store Tech Crazy Teacher!

Spring Sunday Scoop {3/22/15}

The Sunday Scoop is based on the popular 3-2-1 graphic organizers so many of us use with our students. Tell us three things you HAVE to do, two things you HOPE to do, and one thing you're HAPPY to do. If this is your first time linking up, check out our Linky Parties page for details!

Here's what's up around my house today.

Link up with your own Sunday Scoop and share what's on your to-do list today!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

5 for Friday: Finally Spring!

After a very cold and snowy (for this area, anyway) February, it is finally SPRING! I don't know about you, but I am so happy that it is beginning to warm up, and we are able to go outside during the day. Here are five ways to get your class outside, while still learning.

Read!

Warm spring days are perfect for heading outside to read. This week, we spent time outside reading chapters of our current novel, The Westing Game. The kids loved getting out of the classroom, and were focused and engaged the entire time, even though we were outside. Whether you head outside for a book club, read aloud, or just Read to Self time, reading is the perfect outdoor activity.

Take a Walk!

If you're in the early grades, it's pretty easy to justify a Nature Walk with your class. (I miss those days!) But if you're like me, and teach in the upper elementary grades, it's a little harder to tie a Nature Walk in with your content standards. Fortunately, this is where The Walking Classroom comes in! If you haven't heard of them, this is a company that makes mp3 players loaded with standards-aligned educational podcasts for fourth and fifth grades. We haven't gotten started yet this year, but last year, my students LOVED our daily walks around the neighborhood. The mp3 players are quite expensive, but they have some amazing donors and frequently have grants available for class sets!

Hello, Science!

There are so many ways to make science more fun by teaching lessons outside! One of my favorites during our Force & Motion unit is the Water Bucket Experiment. (There's no way you'd ever get me to do that one inside, anyway!) Of course, everyone loves a good Vinegar & Baking Soda Volcano for teaching chemical reactions or Bottle Rocket Launch. Think through what you're teaching in science, and try to get out for as many activities and experiments as you can!

Do some Math!

It's easy to come up with ways to get outside during reading class, but it is often harder for me to remember to incorporate outside learning time into math or other subjects. Any time you have planned a lesson that is mostly student practice or exploration, rather than lots of teacher-directed instruction, you can easily do this outdoors. Give everyone a clipboard, toss your manipulatives in a basket, and head outside! I teach math first thing in the morning, when our playgrounds are usually empty, so we often sit on the rubber mat and the playground equipment to do our math practice. 

Bribe them!

Last, but not least, every teacher knows the value of a good bribe, especially during these last, trying, months of school. Whether you do Teacher vs. Student, or the more traditional "O-U-T-S-I-D-E" letters on the board, extra recess time is the #1 choice in whole class rewards for the spring! After being cooped up all winter, my class will do just about anything for a little extra recess time at the end of the day!

How do you incorporate some outdoors time into your school day?

Tech Thursday: NO Technology?!?

Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Check out our Linky Parties page for details on how to link up!

It is time for Tech Thursday! This post is just a little different...a little on the "tech crazy" side of things...Ha!

Do you freak out like I do if the electricity is off or the network is down?  I totally wig out!

An InLinkz Link-up

Sunday Scoop {3/15/15}

The Sunday Scoop is based on the popular 3-2-1 graphic organizers so many of us use with our students. Tell us three things you HAVE to do, two things you HOPE to do, and one thing you're HAPPY to do. If this is your first time linking up, check out our Linky Parties page for details!

Here is what I am up to today!!!

Have To Do:
1- I had a ton of stuff laminated for pretty much the rest of the school year... I really need to get it cut out so that I can bring it back to school. I think the husband is getting sick of it being in our guest bedroom. Oops.
2- Report Card Comments. Nuf Said.
3- I am super excited about my newest product {Fraction Action}. There are 6 sets of task cards to practice all things "fraction". The sets will all be posted individually and in a bundle! They are all done, just need to get them posted.

Hope To Do:
1- I have like 10+ products in the works. Many of them that are just missing a few parts. Do any of you get completely sidetracked and start working on something else before finishing what you have started? #storyofmylife
2- It is supposed to be 61 degrees here today! All of the snow has melted already and I am super excited to get a few things done outside today (AKA play with my fur-children). It is supposed to cool back down again next week... so I should probably play today... RIGHT?!

Happy To Do:

Super excited to continue planning my sister's bachelorette party. It is two months away and I am so excited! Today we decided on exactly what we will be doing AND booked the limo. Wahoo! Now I need to get my craft on!

So what are your plans for today/this week?! I would love to read all about them so that I can avoid doing my report card comments for just a little longer. #keepinitreal

An InLinkz Link-up

Five for Friday!

I am linking up with Doodle Bug's Five for Friday Linky! So much fun!! Check out what we have been up to in the classroom over the last week!

My brother-in-law had surgery on his cleft lip at the end of last week. My husband and I traveled with him and my in-laws to Minneapolis for his surgery. It was a long few days, but he is healing very well now. He is always so much fun to be around and I love him so so so much.

This week we were focusing on sequencing events of a story. An impromptu lesson ended up being my absolute favorite thing we did all week. We used fairytales and sentence strips to practice our sequencing skills. My students had such a fun time and I saw tons of engagement and learning happening! You can read more about the activity here.

Okay... this photo looks disgusting. I totally get that. But, it is actually a really cool science experiment in the works. Basically we made a mush out of cereal that was fortified with iron. Then we put a strong magnet in a small bag and the mush in a larger bag and mixed away. After about 10 minutes of mixing small specks of iron started to appear on the outside of the magnet bag! How cool (and messy all at the same time).

We also investigated iron filings. If magnets is one of your standards, this is a must do activity. Take a piece of white computer paper and dump some iron filings on the top. Then lift up the paper and hold a magnet underneath. Students can move the filings around on the paper. When they put the magnet flat against the paper and gently gave the paper and filings a little shake, the magnetic field would appear with the north and south poles.

The last thing we did was investigate water and magnetism. During one of my science lessons, my students were convinced that water has a major affect on magnetism. This nifty little lab allowed for discovery. I had 4 different tubs set up with water and students got to bring in items from home to test out! They had a blast and it brought up some great conversations.

Make sure you head over to Doodle Bugs Teaching to see other Five for Friday Posts!!

If you haven't seen it yet, I posted a quick multiplication practice FREEBIE in my TPT store. Click the photo below to check it out.