tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37028172260495095162024-02-02T01:17:26.617-08:00Lifelong learningThird grade and beyond...Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.comBlogger174125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-25842674400499671152013-07-16T09:01:00.002-07:002013-07-16T10:37:57.278-07:00Tweet! Tweet! A reading response option<br />
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In an earlier post, I shared that I am working to mix up my reading response options for my students. One of the options that I am giving students this year is Twitter.<br />
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I used Twitter in the classroom two years ago successfully, but with last year's craziness, I kind of dropped it. I am planning to really make it work this year.<br />
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I have a class account for Twitter, and that is what the students will use. Even though all will have access to their own computer, I pull our account up on our classroom computer, and that is where they post their tweet. <br />
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This year, I will recommend that everyone try to do one tweet every two weeks. When they think they know what they want to say (about a book they are reading independently or one that we are looking at as a class) they will write the tweet into their Reading Notebook. Once I give it the okay, they will be allowed to put it out there on Twitter. So that I can keep track of who has tweeted, students will be asked to put their initials at the end of their tweet.<br />
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I am even thinking that we may find a way to keep track of retweets, quotes, and responding tweets. We found two years ago that there are a lot of other classrooms on Twitter. It was cool to connect with students around the world. This year, I am really going to encourage our parents to follow us on Twitter, too.<br />
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We will also use our account to create class tweets after learning new accounts or to share other things we are doing in our classroom. It is a great way to focus on main ideas and determining importance!<br />
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Do you have other ideas for using Twitter with your class? I would love to hear them!<br />
<br />Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-49739438062269034382013-07-06T20:13:00.000-07:002013-07-07T18:23:25.546-07:00Independence Day + Close Reading<br />
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I have been motivated by my patriotic spirit....I am so incredibly blessed to be part of this fabulous nation, and weekends like this remind me of all of the great things that our country has to offer.<br />
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One of the most difficult things I am finding with all of our new initiatives is being able to find time to teach social studies and science. Many people are okay with pushing them aside in favor of more reading time, and while I am a huge proponent of reading, I also believe that we need to expose our students to necessary background information in the content areas. <br />
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I think what I have created will help in a couple of ways. It will allow me to incorporate more exposure to history and geography while also exposing students to more reading of nonfiction. In addition, the hope would be that kids will begin to pick up on key words in the text to help them solve the question.<br />
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What I am attaching is a sampler of what I made for my class. It is an activity called "What's My Name?" I will display it in my room by revealing a clue each day of the week and offering students the chance to guess who/what they think it is. I have seen commercial versions of things like this before, but I think they typically are just people. In my version, I am also including cities and landmarks.<br />
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Feel free to use if you wish. It is nothing fancy, but it is good information. I learned some new things preparing these pages. I hope you and your students enjoy!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8J913sg2qs2OExqUi02TTNMN0k/edit?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXU427jwOVRwmTpWf2Yahi_-bbwx-P8CdVbyN6kqfQBMFD6Pyym6e0eKb4Mgc0DsMO2_kip0swADudMBl5MI6f_t89y-IUYtoSp7xl_GObUb50C3FNn8fyGMSPDjggx3mho8awkWap_0/s1600/AmericanFlagAnimated-Moving.gif" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the flag for the link to the What's My Name Sampler</td></tr>
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Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-75911638497605074872013-07-02T18:50:00.003-07:002013-07-02T18:50:50.086-07:00Notebook Connections<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPLOx_RrYkQ6daRWMAM4lcJv2HcBy-Pfq8C1oNt6Kas-GHhK72C9nQxeOaK9cnJdo5WqXxXOyPG2-eeHMZKx2Upnr0DnA7ZV906EVvd3G7H1YULGMx2zEN-5OfpkYzaDadlIu82uHcQ8/s640/notebookconnections.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPLOx_RrYkQ6daRWMAM4lcJv2HcBy-Pfq8C1oNt6Kas-GHhK72C9nQxeOaK9cnJdo5WqXxXOyPG2-eeHMZKx2Upnr0DnA7ZV906EVvd3G7H1YULGMx2zEN-5OfpkYzaDadlIu82uHcQ8/s640/notebookconnections.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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While traveling last week, I had the time to read Aimee Buckner's book <u>Notebook Connections</u>. As I stated earlier, I am really looking to "beef up" my student's reading responses this year. I have done workshop for a long time, and I have had my students respond to their reading, but not to the level that will help them to meet the CCSS. This book was a great read and really broadened my ideas!<br />
I am still considering having the students choose from a variety of writing choices as I discussed in my <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3702817226049509516#editor/target=post;postID=6168948925676865797;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=3;src=postname" target="_blank">earlier post,</a> but instead of having them choose one response for me to score, I think that I will use Ms. Buckner's more holistic approach and collect their notebooks every two weeks and give them a grade for variety and depth of entries in the notebook. I will score the notebook and make one response in general to the four-five entries they have written.<br />
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Another goal for this year's reading workshop is to do a better job of using the notebooks while conferencing with students. I work hard to meet with students quite frequently, but I do not do a great job of reviewing and discussing their notebook entries with them. I want this to be an area where I grow this year.<br />
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I am now going to read Ms. Buckner's writing notebook book called <u>Notebook KnowHow</u>. I am sure that, while it focuses on writing workshop, it will still help me to continue to fine-tune my thoughts on student responses to reading.<br />
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Have you read either of these books? Do you have any ideas to share?Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-58850071202625577762013-06-24T07:19:00.000-07:002013-06-24T07:19:59.714-07:00Words Their Way Game Freebie This fall, I will begin my 3rd year using Words Their Way in my classroom. It will be the first year that it is district curriculum.<br />
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I am glad that I have used it for a couple of years, as I have been able to become more comfortable with it and make changes to my plans as I go. In general, I think it is a good program. I have found parents relatively receptive to it although some still struggle with understanding how it works.<br />
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This game I made for Monday Made It with Tara. It is a pretty easy game, and I will continue to develop it for more sorts as the year continues. So far I have made the game for sorts 1-15 in Book 3. The majority of my 3rd graders have been falling into the Syllables and Affixes stage, so I decided this was a good place to start.<br />
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I started with some of those little gems that you use in the bottom of vases. I got these at Michaels.<br />
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I used circle labels to mark some as Free Choice, Lose a Turn, and Oddball. These will be able to used throughout the year for all of the sorts I create.<br />
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Next, I began with Unit 1 in the above book, and I put the headers for the Unit 1 sorts onto other gems. As we start sorts, I will pull out the gems the kids need to complete the sort. Most sorts have about three headers. That will mean 3 gems plus one free choice and lose a turn gem making a total of about 5 gems for the game.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgoLYCpU94bInUWpNeeGowutVFkt9sj7yg3ZSFbWY9lhfq2QJBo5E90JP2MDt5Li7n28bYHO3ZfQdLVgslc-LLFKWa3H54TaakmxIPsJ7EwOWJoFMZoMiRPZAdtMmHlfv7jir965Uagw/s1600/WtW4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgoLYCpU94bInUWpNeeGowutVFkt9sj7yg3ZSFbWY9lhfq2QJBo5E90JP2MDt5Li7n28bYHO3ZfQdLVgslc-LLFKWa3H54TaakmxIPsJ7EwOWJoFMZoMiRPZAdtMmHlfv7jir965Uagw/s320/WtW4.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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These gems will be placed in a bag or cup in the middle of the two players. The students will take their sort cards and lay them in a pool face up. (Each player will have their own pool.) They will then put their sort headers onto a piece of paper in front of them. They will follow <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8J913sg2qs2TlBTcTZ2WXBkX00/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">these directions</a> to then play the game.<br />
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Basically, the first player to place all of their cards in the sort correctly wins. We will typically have about 20-30 minutes of word work each day, so I think that this game will be able to be completed during this time.<br />
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I am making three sets of gems for each unit which will allow 6-9 kids to play. Most of my groups do not have more than 9 students in them.<br />
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Well--There is my Monday Made It! Go check out Tara's website to find more great ideas!<br />
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<a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYWZNeBWY-QWbMkNpIWI9rGRu8aA9uBNhdhK0dICwkyMl8a8mJqDZfMwJKcq3FA3QpB99KlwHqCtmxKEiRpMCH1GxKljWqb0RCZABPCVVtE9NH9XDHqeELATqywjvan70zAkplDSS2f0/s1600/mondaymadeit2_240x240.png" /></a></div>
Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-61689489256768657972013-06-18T18:47:00.001-07:002013-06-18T18:47:05.926-07:00Writing about ReadingWhat do you do to have your students write about their reading? This is an important part of reading workshop, and I have tried many different ideas. I am working to merge what my district wants with what I feel best about for my students.<br />
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My district uses reading and writing workshop for our literacy instruction. I love it! I have implemented reading workshop (in a variety of forms) for about 20 years now. One piece that I am working to make stronger is my students' thoughtful entries. I was having them write one strong blog entry a week plus a comment on another person's blog. This worked well for most, but for some of my students it was just too much. <br />
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Last school year, I made it one thoughtful blog entry every two weeks. This seemed more manageable for most of my kids and allowed for more time for them to read! However, about midway through the year, we were told that our kiddos should be completing two thoughtful entries PER WEEK! Ahh! Not only is that a lot of writing, it could also equal up to a lot of grading! Upon further exploration, we were told one should be a thoughtful entry and another could be a graphic organizer or something else that shows good thinking.<br />
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SOooooooooo...here I am trying to figure out how to do this and keep my mind. (what little is left of it) I am a huge believer in student choice. So I am going to set my students up in a two week rotation. Every week, half of the class will be responsible for choosing one of the responses they have done in the last two weeks and turn it in to be scored.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd-7vG2LUeabQrwWSBAZTrw56TEmUIFVevoFUOzDwW3I8kIK5X7_CJb7jW7Zm-YDEDoeg9e9QXcEJp2VGRzWlQY1OXPl16f-vnZOG47MtaKZWYSEDf82IBoda4mF-iBiWbW6pFLbrli4/s1600/rdgresponse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd-7vG2LUeabQrwWSBAZTrw56TEmUIFVevoFUOzDwW3I8kIK5X7_CJb7jW7Zm-YDEDoeg9e9QXcEJp2VGRzWlQY1OXPl16f-vnZOG47MtaKZWYSEDf82IBoda4mF-iBiWbW6pFLbrli4/s1600/rdgresponse.JPG" height="328" width="640" /></a></div>
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My current plan is that each student will have one of these in their binder and will check off as they finish different responses in the two week period. When they choose which one they want to submit for me to score, they will mark it on this chart, too. That way they will be able to see if they are offering me diverse responses to score. (The tweets and book tree options will probably not be offered as scorable opportunities) The blank columns are for weeks when they are given a different type of response option.<br />
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This is TOTALLY still a work in progress. Thoughts? Ideas? Do you have a thoughtful response method that you find to be really valuable? I want this to be good learning for the students, but I also want them to have some control, too!<br />
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PLEASE...<br />
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Share your thoughts and ideas.<br />
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Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-90868758981655405962013-06-17T04:52:00.000-07:002013-06-17T04:52:05.530-07:00Monday Made it!<br />
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<a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2013/06/monday-made-it-61713.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYWZNeBWY-QWbMkNpIWI9rGRu8aA9uBNhdhK0dICwkyMl8a8mJqDZfMwJKcq3FA3QpB99KlwHqCtmxKEiRpMCH1GxKljWqb0RCZABPCVVtE9NH9XDHqeELATqywjvan70zAkplDSS2f0/s1600/mondaymadeit2_240x240.png" /></a></div>
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I really do try to make my summer projects be ones that are functional as well as cute, but this one is only for looks.<br />
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I am sure you have seen the ribbon chandelier on Pinterest. Well, I decided to make one to hang over my classroom library.<br />
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This was my beginning. I wasn't satisfied with its look though.</div>
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I had seen one on Pinterest using a hula hoop as a base, but I decided to use wire wreath frames so that I could layer it. I have a larger frame on the top and the smaller one suspended in the middle. My room colors are greens and blues, so I used green, white, yellow ribbon on the outside frame and blues and purple ribbons on the inner ring.</div>
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I decided to add more tulle to the tops of the frames to not only hide the frames better, but to give it a more finished look. I used fishing line to connect the two frames and to hang the entire thing. I think it will look cute in the classroom.</div>
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I will make sure not to hang it too low. Don't want to tempt any kids to pull on those ribbons!</div>
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Thanks again, Tara, for the motivation to get things done in the summer! I know it will make a big difference when school starts!</div>
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Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-4500208121757881402013-06-13T08:11:00.001-07:002013-06-13T08:11:25.675-07:00So....I have taken a more than HUGE hiatus from my blog. The last school year was a very trying one for me. Our district's initiatives and expectations required so much of my time that I had to step away from my blog.<br />
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I have begun summer by doing a lot of NOTHING. It has felt good to give my teaching brain a break. I have read<u> a lot</u> of books. Here are some I have enjoyed. <br />
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The Titanic series was a fun and easy one to read. I know many of my students will enjoy it. Even though I know a lot about the events of the Titanic, this gave me some new information, and I really enjoyed the characters. They would be good to help kids better understand the beginning of the 20th century.<br />
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I liked <u>As Simple as it Seems.</u> It was a "girl growing up" book. It had a voice that I enjoyed, and I can see some of my strong girl readers enjoying it, too.<br />
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<u>Masterpiece</u> is by no means a new book, but one that I had not gotten around to reading. I liked the mystery, but I enjoyed the art history lessons more. It reminded me of the Blue Balliet books that I love--<u>Chasing Vermeer</u>, <u>The Wright 3</u>, and <u>The Calder Game</u>. What better way to teach students art history than through a good mystery and strong characters?<br />
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I read <u>Ghost Train to Nowhere</u> because I thought some of my more reluctant readers will enjoy it.. It was probably too much for many of them, but I think I will have an audience for it. It kind of reminded me of a Scooby Doo episode. :)<br />
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<u>Adventures in Cartooning</u> was cute. Definitely good for my reluctant readers and for my students who enjoy writing cartoons. <br />
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You may remember from other posts that I am really enjoying the Theodore Boone series. <u>The Accused</u> is not the newest in this series, but it is new in paperback, and I don't typically buy hardback books for my classroom. Theodore Boone is a kid detective/lawyer who is easy for kids to understand. This book is actually a continuation of the first Theodore Boone book, but I don't think it is necessary to read the first to understand this. Another good thing about this series is that it is written by John Grisham. I like to expose my readers to authors that they can enjoy throughout their lives.<br />
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<u>One Amazing Thing</u> is not a book for my classsroom. It is a book that my son is being asked to read as part of his university's freshman reading program. It was a nice book to read, and I am glad that I read it to share my ideas with my son. He is not much of a reader, but I think that he will be interested to learn about the characters in this book. In the story, the characters are trapped in an office after an earthquake, and they decided to pass the time by sharing one amazing thing about their lives.<br />
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So today's post is my effort to get back in the swing of things. I have a lot to share from the last school year plus things I have been working on this summer. I hope there are still people out there that are reading....:)<br />
Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-49047979960751817502012-09-23T17:32:00.000-07:002012-09-23T17:32:04.418-07:00A Chance to Catch my Breath!<br />
You would think after doing this for 25 years, it wouldn't still seem so overwhelming...however with writer's workshop, reading workshop, Words their Way, math workshop, and my own 4 children, IT IS!<br />
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I really do love the challenge of trying to meet all of my students' needs through the differentiation these approaches offer, but I need a secretary to keep track of all of the other "teacher stuff" I have to do. If I could just plan, teach, and assess, I think I could handle it all. It's all of the extras that have kept me away from my blog for the last month and a half.<br />
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Tonight, I am going to try to catch up on my blogs, and hopefully I can post some of the things we are doing later this week. (If anyone is still reading this blog. :))<br />
Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-67237616982002064362012-08-17T11:29:00.000-07:002012-08-17T11:29:35.163-07:00Classroom Reveal!This year, I have been going in to my classroom little by little, and it has seemed to be less stressful! Today, I got to a point where the room is pretty much done. I am still waiting for my class list. That will be more things to complete, but for now, here is what I have.<br />
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<a href="http://smilebox.com/play/4d7a49354d6a497a4f44553d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link" target="_blank"><img alt="Click to play this Smilebox slideshow" height="330" src="http://smilebox.com/snap/4d7a49354d6a497a4f44553d0d0a.jpg" style="border: currentColor;" width="420" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="http://www.smilebox.com/?partner=smilebox&campaign=blog_snapshot" target="_blank"><img alt="Create your own slideshow - Powered by Smilebox" height="46" src="http://www.smilebox.com/globalImages/blogInstructions/blogLogoSmilebox.gif" style="border: currentColor;" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">This <a href="http://www.smilebox.com/slideshows.html" target="_blank">free slideshow</a> personalized with Smilebox</td></tr>
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Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-16599764947382184662012-07-25T13:04:00.000-07:002012-07-27T09:22:00.640-07:00Math technology for the new school year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am starting to get into the mode of preparing content for school rather than just thinking about what my room will look like and organizational materials. I know those are important, but they tend to require less thinking than writing lessons. I am slowly trying to gear my brain up for lessons...<br />
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Anyway, I have come upon some fun math technology tools that I am hoping to use this year. I have <a href="http://3rdgradelearners.blogspot.com/2011/10/math-websites.html" target="_blank">posted before about math websites.</a> Most of these are new ones that I have recently found. I thought I would share with you!<br />
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You know I love <a href="http://www.sumdog.com/" target="_blank">SUMDOG</a>, so I'll just give them another quick plug in case someone out there still hasn't been to their awesome site. My kids love Sumdog!<br />
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McGrawHill has a great work site with math tools that you could use on your SMARTBoard or have students use on individual computers. Parents might even like to be able to use them from home.<br />
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<a href="http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/mathematics/ebook_assets/vmf/VMF-Interface.html">http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/mathematics/ebook_assets/vmf/VMF-Interface.html</a></div>
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Everyday Math has a very similar work site, too. Both have their tools setup by grade level.<br />
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<a href="http://everydaymath.com/EM_eToolkit_Demo/eTools_v1.html">http://everydaymath.com/EM_eToolkit_Demo/eTools_v1.html</a><br />
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This site from the UK has a puzzle each day. Love it!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mathfactcafe.com/" target="_blank">The MathFacts CAFE</a> is free and gives you access to math worksheets, factsheets, and flash cards...</div>
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Finally, I liked this resource from <a href="http://www.teacherled.com/resources/rainbowmulti/rainbowload.html" target="_blank">Teacher LED</a> will help students visualize the process of multiplication.</div>
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I know there are so many great sites! It is hard to pick which ones to share! If you would like to share your own math technology sites, I would love to learn about them!</div>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-52907199446422606912012-07-23T06:39:00.002-07:002012-07-23T06:39:11.954-07:00Another Monday Made-It!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have to give it to <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2012/07/monday-made-it-8-wowza.html" target="_blank">Tara</a>...I certainly would have had a hard time staying motivated all summer prepping my classroom if it wasn't for her Monday Made Its! Thanks so much!<br />
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This week, I made some stools for my guided reading table. These six little guys are going to give my crowded classroom a lot more seating options! I am very excited about them!<br />
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Here they are! I don't know why I decided to surround the pole in the dining room with them, but....</div>
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To make them was very simple, and pretty cheap, too. I bought the paint tubs and lids at Lowe's. 4 of them had permanent labels on them while the other two had removable labels. Because of the permanent labels, I decided to use the duck tape to help hide the imprints. They helped a little...thankfully, the labels are only on one side of the bucket.</div>
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I removed the handles from the paint tubs, and I used the lids as my pattern for cutting the material. (I used canvas. I alreday had the blue, and I picked up the bright plaid at JoAnn Fabrics. They will both match my room wonderfully!) I cut the material in circles with a 6 inch bigger diameter than the lid itself. It doesn't matter if it is perfect....just leave about 3 inches around from the lid to the size of the circle you cut.</div>
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Finally, I stuffed the lid by stapling the canvas to it and filling it. I decided to use a duck tape trim around the bottom edge of the seat cover. It helped to conceal the staples, and I liked the finished look it gave to the stools.</div>
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What do you think? As I said, I really like them. My sons have already tried them and decided that they were sturdy and comfortable. I can't wait to use them around the table, for partner work, and for just extra seating around our gathering spot.</div>
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Go check out all of the great ideas over at <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2012/07/monday-made-it-8-wowza.html" target="_blank">Tara's linky party!</a></div>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-87297495659213169562012-07-18T20:12:00.001-07:002012-07-21T19:43:02.685-07:00Welcome to Success!<div style="text-align: center;">
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What do you do in your classroom to help all students feel successful?</div>
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For many years, I used to have a banner in my room that read WELCOME TO SUCCESS! (a la Harry K. Wong) I really do believe that all of my students have something to offer our class. I want them to feel comfortable with themselves, and I want them to feel like they are contributing and growing in our class.</div>
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It has been a couple of years since I hung that banner. I may have to do it again this year. I wqant them to know that I believe that they are special and talented. I try to show them this in my language, by offering a variety of choice activities, and by pointing out my strengths and weaknesses. They need to know that very few of us are full of only strengths. We all have areas that are more difficult for us. When we work in groups, we try to "play to our strengths." We do it as adults, so I think they should learn to do it some as children, too. That doesn't mean we avoid trying to strengthen our weaknesses...</div>
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What things do you do to help students feel talented and successful?</div>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-58067909347001427732012-07-16T14:52:00.002-07:002012-07-16T14:52:57.839-07:00Monday Made It!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week, I worked to make a tool that I can use in the classroom to know where students are all of the time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-YOb6WKQTWrSYikNQ6hYRf1MrfqzuIPlwEfbxRyoZzYoEwOnaQ8NgvdUurR6JG96CqHXmhKNPzmMHqMB-T4M1x3qgxPogxAjDyJbwDffYBAMPB3KCQvL13wIrXfopI0wPAKUGtAtNlk/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-YOb6WKQTWrSYikNQ6hYRf1MrfqzuIPlwEfbxRyoZzYoEwOnaQ8NgvdUurR6JG96CqHXmhKNPzmMHqMB-T4M1x3qgxPogxAjDyJbwDffYBAMPB3KCQvL13wIrXfopI0wPAKUGtAtNlk/s320/IMG_0373.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had seen one of these on Pinterest, but I didn't want to make one that was quite so big. I bought a pizza pan at the Dollar Tree, and used some cute scrapbook paper, a little Modge Podge, some buttons and magnet strip, and here we have it!</div>
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It is ready for 30 students. (But I am hoping to have a few less than that!) The kids will start each day in the classroom section, and then we will move the kids who are absent at the beginning of the day, and as students continue to move in and out throughout the day they will move their magnets as necessary...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtziW6u03RmR-kNbWbVdqBHMQRgJmJIwWYpqRKbGwuzUSRDwfK0vp43k-nwD4bd0pbaijV9GlRmG8imGJiFlsURTNttroiQhiDoUPdWfRoqDxO3AaayBCnk-ZWxx7AyqETdG-9FlKp4I/s1600/IMG_0374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtziW6u03RmR-kNbWbVdqBHMQRgJmJIwWYpqRKbGwuzUSRDwfK0vp43k-nwD4bd0pbaijV9GlRmG8imGJiFlsURTNttroiQhiDoUPdWfRoqDxO3AaayBCnk-ZWxx7AyqETdG-9FlKp4I/s320/IMG_0374.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is what it would look like with 2 kids absent, a student in the bathroom and one at the nurse. With so many kids in my room and so many in and out for various things, it will help me to keep track. I like the pizza pan because it will not take up much space. I placed little carets after each location to show students where to place their number. (I know that makes it slightly more confusing, but I think they will get used to it quickly.) The others I have seen are made on square cookie sheets, but I was just a little concerned for space.</div>
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I used the remaining paper to cover this cute little friends sign that I am going to place in my room.<br />
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I may still have to recover the paper holder I made last week so that it all coordinates better. :)<br />
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Go check out all of the other great creations at Tara's blog!<br />
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<br />Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-35390871076924189142012-07-13T07:24:00.000-07:002012-07-13T07:24:09.516-07:00QR Codes, Book Choice, and a freebieLast year, my students created QR codes to share their products with the class. This year, I am hoping to continue this, but to also find other ways to use QR Codes into our classroom.<br />
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What is a QR code? QR codes are the little boxes with black and white design that you sometimes find in advertisements or on products. They can be read by a smartphone or other devices (like an Ipad) when you have a QR reader app. (There are plenty of free QR reader apps.)<br />
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I have one outside my door of my classroom which directs parents to our class website.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ksjs42IPVuMj11EQJItBJziXnVHKQoZJW1PAui5aOhWiE0mHoqxnyuptW-cCxKHsFI_rUec4UGVNe2zPGlXstTMlYchHq2dpMp-0x_PrubGJAPGLWATH9v9BcxPblyE1hcDwA3wjVmY/s1600/ClassroomwebQR.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ksjs42IPVuMj11EQJItBJziXnVHKQoZJW1PAui5aOhWiE0mHoqxnyuptW-cCxKHsFI_rUec4UGVNe2zPGlXstTMlYchHq2dpMp-0x_PrubGJAPGLWATH9v9BcxPblyE1hcDwA3wjVmY/s1600/ClassroomwebQR.PNG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My class's website</td></tr>
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One of the ways I have decided to use them this year is to attach them to some of the books in my library so that kids can find out more about the book before they read the book. The QR codes I created take the students to websites, book summaries, or a book trailer (FYI--some are from YouTube).<br />
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I am excited about trying this with my students this year, and I hope to continue to "grow" my number of codes. I teach 3rd grade, and I tried to create codes for a wide range of books. The one thing I haven't done yet is create any for non-fiction books. I will have to work on that next! :)<br />
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I use the site called <a href="http://www.qrstuff.com/" target="_blank">QR Code Generator</a>. I find it very easy to use. Just paste in the URL for the site that you want the device to go to. For the document I am sharing today, I used my snipping tool to take a picture of the QR code and then I pasted it into a word document. <br />
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If you would like to have a copy of the 17 codes I have created so far, you can either scan the QR code or follow the link at the bottom of the post! <em>Leave me a comment</em> to let me know if you have other ideas for how to use these codes or other QR codes in your room!<br />
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Enjoy...I think your students will!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHau_8lReDrwhHqHO5tP48xOfUpS01EOCNwMr7qgKfyD64kbSsMcBxQG55nYVSTc81ThpNXxw8sclbi4Od2x48yZrqKR6nzRBb42_HyAftp2UNHxTYnHT7iEBlzm4qE-2ZJ6Wj5gSq8_c/s1600/BookQRCodes.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHau_8lReDrwhHqHO5tP48xOfUpS01EOCNwMr7qgKfyD64kbSsMcBxQG55nYVSTc81ThpNXxw8sclbi4Od2x48yZrqKR6nzRBb42_HyAftp2UNHxTYnHT7iEBlzm4qE-2ZJ6Wj5gSq8_c/s1600/BookQRCodes.PNG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QR code link to Google doc</td></tr>
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OR.....link to <a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B8J913sg2qs2UVhhSVVERXVXRGs" target="_blank">Google Doc.</a></div>
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You still have time to join the <a href="http://3rdgradelearners.blogspot.com/2012/07/find-your-voice-linky-party.html" target="_blank">Find your Voice Linky party</a> for mentor texts to use when teaching voice. C'mon...I know you can think of a picture book you use to cover this skill...<br />Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-39626649424173224272012-07-10T21:47:00.000-07:002012-07-10T21:48:34.063-07:00Story telling with Storybird.com<div style="text-align: center;">
<object height="274" width="436"><param name="align" value="lt"/><param name="scale" value="noScale"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="flashvars" value="book_slug=refrigerator-babies&size=large&configXML=http://storybird.com/storymaker/paths/"/><param name="src" value="http://media.storybird.com/embedplayer/bin/StoryplayerEmbed.swf"><embed src="http://media.storybird.com/embedplayer/bin/StoryplayerEmbed.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="436" height="274" align="lt" scale="noScale" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="book_slug=refrigerator-babies&size=large&configXML=http://storybird.com/storymaker/paths/" /></object></div>
<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 5px 0px 10px;"> <a href="http://storybird.com/books/refrigerator-babies/">Refrigerator Babies</a> <span style="color: #666666;">on</span> <a href="http://storybird.com/">Storybird</a></span><span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 5px 0px 10px;"><br />
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Have you tried <a href="http://storybird.com/">Storybird.com</a> yet? It is a fun online site for kids to use to write stories/books. The site provides sets of illustrations, the student chooses pictures from a set and writes a story to accompany the pictures.<br />
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My students last year liked it, and I liked that it was an easy way for them to share their writing with me, their classmates, parents, or grandparents!<br />
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On this site, you create a class and enter your students names. Students then use their username and password to access the site.<br />
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It was a great option for my students to use during their independent writing time. It also allows for the teacher to create an assignment for the class. I would recommend that you check it out as an option for the next school year!<br />
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Thinking of writing, you still have time to link up and share a mentor text to use when teaching students about voice. <br />
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<a href="http://3rdgradelearners.blogspot.com/2012/07/find-your-voice-linky-party.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2wx5ggJGOt3CWsL83bkQyUUDSuv1h6X9FVD5YapL-DuJN_GSuyksbFK7IQH0Nfa3jaItFrS9KJ_mGuARq0AWFvAuyleCiCTB7O81_oKJogDQ0B7Qrx8pGlWddEFJ3V2IatF-Dv-EUS8/s320/Untitled_1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
</span>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-49298601631258724242012-07-09T05:59:00.001-07:002012-07-09T05:59:22.139-07:00Made It Monday!Here I am linking up again with Tara's Made It Monday.<br />
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<a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2012/07/monday-made-it-6.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXao1rGgg2VNfz6y7wfCwuQwskS2wP2XOHl_xOZvDU5ZVxN8aD76oPjEVS4KGc29ZFwN1eBGHsJGOk1BLhygVYnr9YE__0LZVh5bmvO7jRvmK0_5uaji6Kh2e6DrS_bQ-_tlEAz_OtWU0/s1600/mondaymadeit2_240x240.png" /></a></div>
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I am truly going to work on organization this school year. It just is not something that has come very high on my priority list. I am committed to improvement though!<br />
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This week, I made a desk organizer for papers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsj2Ux82nizZl30mkbGnZh0UamRjEhOr9hboyICIwByDJcoixZLDfLnolQErPLfjGiD-GTG6bpsiYhh4eXmvI84THb8vWveS8w8RIG_yjl8Q0STm_C6wX0g-5c037TdZG6AvYOeJ4Mzo/s1600/IMG_0370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
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</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2CJltKeg4GX5c19MZuxcYoHYudT5SGkXl_syVTdEZ_-XoWJTRMJ004bikuRo7RPhijpikesGTZPvUOkYShOM_7fqnBEt63H4pet4NA4Vlkc4IJJK0bgSd6y5FEyPLluk1LWQkj9AWpg/s1600/IMG_0369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2CJltKeg4GX5c19MZuxcYoHYudT5SGkXl_syVTdEZ_-XoWJTRMJ004bikuRo7RPhijpikesGTZPvUOkYShOM_7fqnBEt63H4pet4NA4Vlkc4IJJK0bgSd6y5FEyPLluk1LWQkj9AWpg/s320/IMG_0369.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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I used a box about the size of a cereal box. I cut the box so that one piece was bigger than the other.<br />
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Then, I used glue stick and packaging tape to reinforce the box and attach the scrapbook paper.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsj2Ux82nizZl30mkbGnZh0UamRjEhOr9hboyICIwByDJcoixZLDfLnolQErPLfjGiD-GTG6bpsiYhh4eXmvI84THb8vWveS8w8RIG_yjl8Q0STm_C6wX0g-5c037TdZG6AvYOeJ4Mzo/s1600/IMG_0370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsj2Ux82nizZl30mkbGnZh0UamRjEhOr9hboyICIwByDJcoixZLDfLnolQErPLfjGiD-GTG6bpsiYhh4eXmvI84THb8vWveS8w8RIG_yjl8Q0STm_C6wX0g-5c037TdZG6AvYOeJ4Mzo/s320/IMG_0370.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here it is with some papers put in it. I know it is nothing too fancy, but it will work for me in my classroom, and it was the right price! :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYutGeOo53sm4GU7rFzaj8gKpWmrK3v1Gq0Od2tYg1Frbx0Y2IjTcXE5PdcVitqDFQoRyNkTZQqZLGHftrryQU_iwT75UAyOwSqiYjEWA73E6gycI6AMGl2dsaRK4h2tZ5tDWn77wilt4/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYutGeOo53sm4GU7rFzaj8gKpWmrK3v1Gq0Od2tYg1Frbx0Y2IjTcXE5PdcVitqDFQoRyNkTZQqZLGHftrryQU_iwT75UAyOwSqiYjEWA73E6gycI6AMGl2dsaRK4h2tZ5tDWn77wilt4/s320/IMG_0371.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />I think it has possibilities as maybe a student project for Mother's or Father's Day gifts or a Christmas card holder? It would be cute in Christmas paper!</div>
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FINALLY--Don't forget to link up with my Find your Voice Linky party! Link up and share a good mentor text for teaching voice! This is a to build our texts to use in the classroom when teaching voice!</div>
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<a href="http://3rdgradelearners.blogspot.com/2012/07/find-your-voice-linky-party.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kzp0-Wknxd7BjgeZ1YI3Ti54rqdiKfbTdoLbwkNOuWi5W0uRTHMn66PT6XULIPezqqg7AoOYuFJPM4iAI8g0AmInSFsudpmGuCyoCb9jF3Kg1S4JB1pkhj6Wnr0CUI61hAkELnmJtS0/s320/Untitled_1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-21950051425175037542012-07-08T08:19:00.001-07:002012-07-08T22:03:33.560-07:00Find your Voice! Linky party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey There! I am having a Linky party to develop a group of mentor texts for teaching kids about voice in writing. I hope you'll join me!<br />
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I am trying to work on my Writer's Workshop this summer. I feel like I am on the verge of making it happen, but I have to say, I feel like it is the blind leading the blind when it comes to writing. I think that it is because I don't remember being taught how to write until I was a senior in high school, and then, Mr. Meyer never stopped! Before him, we were just told TO write, nobody conferenced with us or talked to us about writer's craft. He helped me a lot, but I certainly can't teach my 3rd graders the same way he taught us!<br />
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So, I am working on some mentor texts, and I thought I would start with VOICE. I have two that I use, and I am sure you are familiar with them.<br />
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I LOVE <em>The True Story of the Three Little Pigs </em>by Jon Scieszka.<br />
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This book is the story of the 3 Little Pigs as told by the wolf. It is very cute, and the wolf's voice is very strong. </div>
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My kids love it, too, but it is one they are very familiar with. I like to use it for CAFE lessons, too, like point of view and author's purpose. So, while it works well for voice, I thinkit might be a little overused by 3rd grade.</div>
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I also love the story <em>Hey, Little Ant </em>by Phillip and Hannah Hoose.</div>
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This is a great story, too. It is the story of a boy who is trying to decide if he is going to smoosh an ant, and the ant's argument of why he shouldn't be smooshed. Very cute. It is written in rhyme. </div>
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Often, my kids aren't familiar with this book when they come to me, but I have so many ways that I like to use it! It is good because their are two voices, but it is also good as a persuasive mentor text, and for many CAFE lessons.</div>
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Do you have any mentor texts to share for teaching voice in writing? Please, please, please link up with me and share! I would love to find some new books to use for teaching voice, and this should give us plenty of time to find them before school starts! Just grab my linky button at the top of this post.</div>
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document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src=http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=171218&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>');
</script>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-55832601137612867692012-07-07T18:47:00.003-07:002012-07-07T18:47:56.239-07:00Word Work WebsitesOne of my many summer goals is to strengthen my word work choices for my students. I was pleased with the way my students worked their way through their Daily 5 Choices last year,but too many of them still view it as spelling practice. I really want them to get the idea and fun of playing with words. There is so much to be learned that way. With Words their Way, I have a number of sorts and other games, they can play with partners, but for many of my students, that is just busy-work. They already understand the word and spelling patterns.<br />
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For my students, I am going to put together a list of word work web options. They are typically assigned a word work goal for the week, so when they complete that task, they can move to a web activity if they wish.<br />
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Below are some sites that I think will be worth my students' while...<br />
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<a href="http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/frog/frog.html"><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span lang="">http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/frog/frog.html</span></span></span></u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span></span></a></div>
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This Word Frog game is a little easy for some of my students, but it will be a good review for many. They will like the animation and the game part of it. Arademic Skill Builders has some other good word games, too.</div>
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<a href="http://pbskids.org/lions/games/synsam.html"><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span lang="">http://pbskids.org/lions/games/synsam.html</span></span></span></u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span></span></a></div>
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This game is from Between the Lions and it is called Synonym Sam's lab. Again, it is a little simple, but I like the exposure it will give my students to words. It will be esp. good for those kiddos who are not really reading at grade level as well as my ESL students.</div>
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<a href="http://www.wordcentral.com/games/bigbot.html"><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">http://www.wordcentral.com/games/bigbot.html</span></span></u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span></span></a></div>
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This Merriam-Webster site offers a much more difficult set of vocabulary for kids to use in finding synonyms/antonyms. It will be great exposure to new words for some of my kds.<br />
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<a href="http://smarttutor.com/home/lessons/Vocab_PrefixSuffix_L3_V1_T3a.swf"><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">http://smarttutor.com/home/lessons/Vocab_PrefixSuffix_L3_V1_T3a.swf</span></span></u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span></span></a></div>
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This balloon pop game practices 3rd grade prefixes and suffixes, but the site does offer similar games at other levels. This one looks like ones my kids will like, and I like the way it makes them think about the prefix on different base words. It will be a great reinforcer!</div>
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<a href="http://www.itsamadlibsworld.com/"><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">http://www.itsamadlibsworld.com/</span></span></u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span></span></a></div>
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I am going to probably let my kids do these Mad Libs with a friend. That is what makes them fun!</div>
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<a href="http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/pinball/vocabulary/pinballvocab1.htm"><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span lang="">http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/pinball/vocabulary/pinballvocab1.htm</span></span></span></u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span></span></a></div>
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Probably, a lot of kids have never played pinball, so this will be a novel idea for them! This pinball game is similar to hangman. As the kids send the ball over letters in the word, the letters are revealed at the bottom of the screen.</div>
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<a href="http://pbskids.org/lions/games/soup.html"><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">http://pbskids.org/lions/games/soup.html</span></span></u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span></span></a></div>
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Not only does this Between the Lions game practice making/spelling words, it offers some higher level thinking for my kiddos by using jokes. Jokes are often a difficult skill for student who are not familiar with our language and those who struggle with reading. Fun little game: Alphabet Soup!</div>
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<a href="http://www.quia.com/hm/114901.html"><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">http://www.quia.com/hm/114901.html</span></span></u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span></span></a></div>
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This hangman site reviews the 300 most common words in our language.</div>
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<a href="http://host.exemplum.com/hasbro/boggle/boggle.html"><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">http://host.exemplum.com/hasbro/boggle/boggle.html</span></span></u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span></span></a></div>
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This is just like the game Boggle. I plan to have a boggle board on my wall this year, but I think this will be a fun alternative. Besides, kids can practice at home!</div>
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<a href="http://www.abcya.com/letter_blocks.htm"><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">http://www.abcya.com/letter_blocks.htm</span></span></u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span></span></a></div>
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This Letter Blocks game on ABCYa is a fun challenge for all. It will add automatic differentiation for your kiddos.</div>
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<a href="http://www.vocabulary.co.il/"><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span lang="">http://www.vocabulary.co.il/</span></span></span></u><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span></span></a></div>
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This site offers something for all of my kiddos. Good games like Hangman aqd Crosswords for my higher students, and syllable games and homophones for some of my students who find these skills difficult.</div>
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<br /><strong>Do you have any good word websites to share? I would love to have a great set of choices for my students!</strong></div>
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</span></span></span>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-31688890416262752782012-07-05T07:32:00.002-07:002012-07-05T08:28:08.167-07:00A Day in My ShoesI am linking up with Ana from <a href="http://www.ingles360.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ingles360</a> as part of TBA's International Blog Hopping Day to share a day in my shoes....<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.ingles360.blogspot.com/2012/07/ruby-red-slippers_5.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Ruby Red Slippers" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmX1SyaA5ga1wdypud_48xqD9USj4K5I-aKba-wNgOIOIR5AfXjNx8KJbwN8ymrNxlCW5hHzm0-C0B75s4JjK94cBueo66w9SLuRma-HdGJoriLlNnADhdD4JZFDjtQonKv0D9S-J7cQ/s250/Slide8.JPG" /></a></center><center> </center>
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I am going with a Friday (on last year's schedule)<br />
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<u>6:00:</u> Alarm goes off for the first time....:) At some point I get up and shower. I am lucky because my WONDERFUL husband is a morning guy, and he takes care of getting our 4 sons up, fed, and off to school. (How about that?)<br />
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<u>7:00:</u> I grab some kind of breakfast (usually cereal or oatmeal) and if I need, fix a cup of Keurig.<br />
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<u>7:15:</u> I'm off to school and arrive by 7:25.<br />
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<u>7:25:</u> Final prep/get ready for kids<br />
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<u>8:25:</u> Kids arrive in my room. We do our morning activities to prep for the day. (lunch count, collect homework, announements, get laptops...)<br />
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<u>8:40:</u> We begin our LITERACY BLOCK with a Daily 5 option. Kids have a 20 minute block to read, blog, write, or work with words. I conference with students or meet with small groups.<br />
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<u>9:00:</u> Students share either reading or writing with the class.<br />
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<u>9:10:</u> CAFE Skill lesson: I typically introduce the skill and use a picture book or other short text to illustrate/practice skill.<br />
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<u>9:30:</u> Partner Read/Practice: Practice the CAFE skill with a partner using materials at their reading level.<br />
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<u>9:45:</u> Class practices oral reading of this week's poem, quote, or song. By Friday, our expression, fluency, rhythm and timing are pretty good. :)<br />
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<u>9:50:</u> Students conclude the LITERACY BLOCK with a Daily 5 option. They again have a 20 minute block that they can use as above <em>except </em>they are not to do whatever they did in the first block. We record our choices into our D5 Binder so that we can monitor how time was spent. I continue to meet with students.<br />
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<u>10:10:</u> We begin our MATH WORKSHOP with our 1st rotation/activity. Typically, students are divided into 2 or 3 groups working on materials at their level.<br />
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<u>10:25:</u> We continue with out 2nd rotation of MATH WORKSHOP.<br />
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<u>10:45:</u> ART Because of our building's overcrowding, my class has to have art in the classroom. This doesn't really bother them, but it makes my prep less than it could be. No matter, it is a nice break.<br />
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<u>11:25:</u> Art is done, so we do our 3rd rotation of MATH WORKSHOP.<br />
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<u>11:50:</u> We go to lunch. Because it is Friday, I often go with friends to Subway (our only real out of school option)<br />
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<u>12:40:</u> Students return and I read aloud to them. :)<br />
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<u>12:55: </u> This is our targeted instruction time. Students go to one of the third grade rooms to work on interventions, maintenance, or extension. I have the extension students. Last year, we learned Greek/Roman mythology, made book trailers, read Shakespeare, did readers' theatres, discussed and learned about the Holocaust and WWII, and studied and thought about the issues of slavery and civil rights.<br />
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<u>1:25:</u> Students return to the room and we have social studies.<br />
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<u>2:00:</u> We fill in our assignment notebook and get our bags packed to take home for the night. I post the assignment notebook page to our website.<br />
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<u>2:05:</u> Science<br />
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<u>2:35</u>: Writing Workshop: This is where I present a mini-lesson on writing. Hopefully, we have time for kids to practice, too.<br />
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<u>2:55:</u> Students grab their backpacks and hustle downstairs to PE. They are dismissed from PE. I am done teaching for the day.<br />
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<u>3:15</u> School day is done. I typically work with teammates, have meetings, and do school work until 4:30 or 5.<br />
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<u>5:00</u> I get somewhere to pick up one or more boys from activities.<br />
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<u>5:20</u> I am home to put dinner together. (although since it is Friday, we often eat out.) :)<br />
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<u>6:30</u> Football game? Basketball game? If so, we go. Otherwise, I get settled in on the couch or in my bedroom for a relaxing night of DVR'd shows, 48Hours Mystery, or Dateline.<br />
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<u>10:00</u> It is Friday, so I am off to bed early. I'm tired! <br />
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<strong>What does your day look like? Link up and let us know!</strong><br />
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<br />Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-72165199643897402162012-07-04T18:46:00.002-07:002012-07-05T05:28:08.885-07:00Time is Running Out!If you haven't entered the Kleinspiration HUGE giveaway, you had better get over there now!<br />
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<a href="http://www.kleinspiration.com/2012/07/biggest-give-away-yet-thank-you-readers.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJt9dBMgMg1-DUuB02foT_lbQMUCRaLHD-KGWEr9wPqgtU8YoRZnd-nHZKsLXfaME9oRzsUhITbuWbx9vF4W5TqA99sPouDPMg9GfKZGqK5aRORab2G3pGT4jn77B6en0qCauvYLbxIHM/s320/kleinspiration+1000+follower+give+away.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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It is a great blog, and it is truly amazing all that she is offering! I hesitate to let you know about it, because I really want to win!!<br />
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Click on the image above to go to the giveaway post.<br />
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<br />Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-59511722524798847292012-07-04T07:16:00.001-07:002012-07-04T07:48:26.091-07:00Hospitals and Monday Made-It (on Wednesday)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had so much fun doing Tara's Monday Made-It a couple of weeks ago, and I had really been looking forward to this week's. I worked on my project over the weekend, and was all set to post on Monday morning.<br />
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Well....the best laid plans...My youngest son had to go to the hospital on Monday morning for a blood test. I took him, and planned to come home and write my post. But, when I returned, my 15 year old son, who had been sick all weekend, was looking worse than he had when he woke up. Because we were supposed to leave on vacation at the end of the week, I decided I had better get him in to the doctor so we weren't dealing with that on vacation. Well, he only got worse and worse as we went to the doctor's office, the doctor did a couple of tests and determined that he needed more tests and observation. After getting him admitted to the hospital, and a 1 am CAT scan, we found out that he had a RUPTURED appendix! (We can't do anything easy at our house :)) So, 6 am on Tuesday morning, he underwent surgery. He is now in the hospital til at least Friday to monitor. We are so blessed that this didn't happen on our trip to Florida. It means that we won't be able to take our vacation to Nashville at the end of the week, but he is recovering nicely, and we are thankful of that! <br />
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So...that is the reason for my Wednesday Monday Made-It! Please excuse me this week. <br />
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I can't remember where I got this idea, so I apologize, but also thank you for it! Please feel free to let me know if you think it was you! I can't wait to make this happen!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhHfIM-uzEuTsKcHiFx293590kNNf7LO7_qsJQvSOVAxpaDYpLpaPdU9uocQxQsYsAe5k1QiaH8B-6vPFMttUeWLq9lNN7m_L-DJMWnf9pgYJim-xnmKapLNlRgFqGLGfybqFPL-Pdmw/s1600/IMG_0367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhHfIM-uzEuTsKcHiFx293590kNNf7LO7_qsJQvSOVAxpaDYpLpaPdU9uocQxQsYsAe5k1QiaH8B-6vPFMttUeWLq9lNN7m_L-DJMWnf9pgYJim-xnmKapLNlRgFqGLGfybqFPL-Pdmw/s320/IMG_0367.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This poster is all done except for lamination. It will be a great way for us to show what we have learned each day or week. I think right now I will have students be accountable for one post-it per week, but we'll see...</div>
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Here's how it works. The poster itself has 30 numbered squares where students will place a post-it note which shares what they have learned during the week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkX-4zEZU_9fkg77V8h175JNwOdZ1gCrYrc5C2uYhijmdCgyGghqvorb1QQ3acHfyLIfuX1NwpyRXobBWvgPBYEG9u7UQ3OYIKdOjJfbdlwTyClyvDAg_xxk3aQGwTzbbJltsWldZH18/s1600/IMG_0366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkX-4zEZU_9fkg77V8h175JNwOdZ1gCrYrc5C2uYhijmdCgyGghqvorb1QQ3acHfyLIfuX1NwpyRXobBWvgPBYEG9u7UQ3OYIKdOjJfbdlwTyClyvDAg_xxk3aQGwTzbbJltsWldZH18/s320/IMG_0366.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Isn't it genius? I love it! I made the title to coordinate with all of<a href="http://3rdgradelearners.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-first-monday-made-it.html" target="_blank"> my other classroom paperwork for next year.</a> Then I used the cute little bear paw prints (My school is the Bears.) and put numbers onto each one. We use numbers for our behavior management, so students will place a sticky note with something new they learned over their pawprint.</div>
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This will be a great tool for me to use to monitor their learning, and it will be good for them to take ownership of their learning. As we clear sticky notes, we are going to have a location in our Daily 5 Binders where we can store them. We will then be able to share them with parents during our springtime student-led conferences!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmMRD0gt2v48wQCjrvrWuLeLP8ahuFfgKayYb9UdblAwHcpIZez2WFfIsC1PGtikbwwM3PPA5qnZUswMQcAlJY_nos7OOUNRxP7p13djyLe4p7n6GuBqh5CPfh4dkCJJ7FL84Sms9o1o/s1600/IMG_0368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmMRD0gt2v48wQCjrvrWuLeLP8ahuFfgKayYb9UdblAwHcpIZez2WFfIsC1PGtikbwwM3PPA5qnZUswMQcAlJY_nos7OOUNRxP7p13djyLe4p7n6GuBqh5CPfh4dkCJJ7FL84Sms9o1o/s320/IMG_0368.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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What do you think? I hope you are as excited about it as I am! (Even if I am a couple of days late. :))</div>
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</div>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-11629146543634326472012-06-28T13:08:00.000-07:002012-06-30T11:26:51.197-07:00Surviving a Rainy Florida and planbook.comMy family and I just returned from a rainy trip to Orlando.<br />
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This was a big trip for us because a family of 6 at Disney and Universal is a lot of money, and I don't like spending a lot of money! More importantly, it was, most likely, our last trip there as a whole family because my oldest son is going to be a senior this year. (Wow!) We had only been one other time as a family, and my youngest son didn't remember it. We were very excited about it all, and had been planning for months. We couldn't wait to get there, and we were especially excited about the Harry Potter experience at Universal. We decided to make it a short and productive trip, visiting both parks in 3 days.<br />
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Well, Tropical Storm Debby decided to visit with us! Thankfully, she didn't wreak to much havoc, but we were unsure of what to expect day to day so it made things a little stressful, and very wet for the first three days! Finally, on Wednesday, we were rainfree. We had a great day at Epcot that day and a fun final evening reriding some of our favorites at the Magic Kingdom and watching the fireworks SPECTACULAR! <br />
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While I have found Disney to be MagICaL during both of our trips, I have to say the Harry Potter experience was more than fabulous! As a huge HP fan, I was really caught up in it all! The castle, the effects, the rides, and the Hogsmeade part of the park were all that I could hope for. I have so enjoyed these books with my sons, and I was so happy to share this experience with them, too! So, even though we were wet often, and our shoes and socks stink to high heaven, we had a great trip! (In fact, on our first day at the Magic Kingdom, we had almost no lines or waits because of the rain. :)) <br />
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<strong><em>And now for school stuff....</em></strong><br />
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Before I left, I contacted other teachers in my building about a site that my friend (who is moving to my building this year :)) showed me earlier in the summer. It is an online planbook.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://planbook123.appspot.com/signin.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2mJgZZ-7NRMWVhYbfYIOCkF5zht1PXzMqaQCOW8njrsfVj_RGpI4FkSWlGvE4x4MaIMHIjQxkBAVoDK69d15k3b9feUDJeE-ILv-5T1wvLd9xY7V_cEbCFBZtrardOBzEXJZkuqCovU/s320/planbook.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on image to go to website</td></tr>
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We have a good number of teachers who plan to give it a try, and I can't wait to put it into action! It appears to be a useful, easy tool for us to use. I have played with it a little and watched the videos that support it, and I think it is going to be awesome. It even has a feature to help me mark the standards that are being addressed. :) Have you heard of it or used it before? Would love to know what you think.</div>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-570181496889809432012-06-22T21:45:00.001-07:002012-06-23T11:18:35.799-07:00Great Feature on SumdogSo, if you have followed my blog, you know that I am a big fan of the FREE math website, <a href="http://www.sumdog.com/" target="_blank">Sumdog</a>. Sumdog is a great math game site that allows my students the opportunity to practice math skills in a game setting. My students last year LOVED it! (and so did I!)<br />
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The site allows for me to set up challenges, join competitions, and to differentiate what skills my students practice. I am currently trying to decide if I am going to purchase the reporting option. <br />
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Well. I recently visited the stie, and they have made some nice additions/changes to the site. Today I am going to talk about the Lesson feature. When I logged on, I found a tab at the top that said lesson. I couldn't really tell what it was for, until I began playing the games myself. (I love to play the games!)<br />
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When I completed a couple of games, I clicked on the lesson tab again, and this is what I saw...<br />
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The lesson was set up for a half hour, and during that time I had played two games. What great information this will be when I have small groups or whole class time to work on Sumdog. It will really help to hold the students accountable for what they are doing, and it will give me good feedback on whether students are understanding the skill that we are working on.<br />
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Underneath that view, was this image...<br />
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This individual information will be awesome, too, and it happens in real time! What great formative assessment! This will really help me to zoom in on those kiddos who are having a tough time with a certain skill! I love it! </div>
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Of course, tonight's practice was with only me playing games, when I begin in the fall, I'll be able to monitor any of my students who are practicing. I'll also be able to monitor their work when I have given Sumdog practice as homework!</div>
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I think this is going to be an awesome feature for us!</div>
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Have you checked out Sumdog yet? Were you aware of these new features? I'd love to know what you think. I know people use other free and subscription math websites, and I am curious to know how you and your students compare them to Sumdog or other math sites. </div>
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Hands down, in my classroom, Sumdog is always the winner of choice!</div>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-52160415106738949022012-06-19T04:00:00.000-07:002012-06-19T04:00:06.150-07:00Happy Day and a freebie to celebrate!I am in an especially happy mood today because I found out that a good friend will be working in my building next year! I am so glad that we will have her and all of her awesome talent!<br />
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One way I have found to help struggling readers in my classroom is to have a joke each week. I have it hung by the door so they can see it when they line up. I have it set so that they lift the flap to see the punchline. This is good practice reading, but it is also an important comprehension skill. It makes the children think about WHY the joke is funny! All of my students look forward to each week's new joke.<br />
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So, I put some new ones together tonight, and I wanted to share them with you! Click on the image below to go to the document. Each joke is set to print on one page, but then you can just cut them apart and display as you wish!<br />
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Lots of laughs!!<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B8J913sg2qs2bmN0OTFZVEY1OHM" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TvHb8IJirnYK4-H1SbfyfLtnABOhpL41d7hhXH9m7U9J305b1OhjxxcW18sCZ-vSecp4vLvpqb8zDHFJ4q44Dt8wIQed7zyjt5HtqQMTlDRq7tGwHl_ggR0DwZMDMdJoI4yfY38zxLo/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3702817226049509516.post-89111404965209536152012-06-18T06:57:00.000-07:002012-06-19T06:44:23.103-07:00My First Monday Made-It!I have been enjoying watching everyone's ideas in Tara's Monday Made Its, so I decided to join in the fun this week. Click on Tara's button to go to the rest of the projects.<br />
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I have been busy making things for the new year. I just can't totally complete anything that I have yet because I won't receive my class list until the week before school. :(<br />
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I know everyone else is sharing cute, craftsy things, and that is my goal for next week, but here's what I have for this week...<br />
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I have been working on my "supporting papers" for the classroom. My school's mascot is the Bears, so that is kind of my theme...(I am not attaching a link to these, but if you would like to have them, just let me know...:))<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hAPIWZ4hT9rOiF1ZBzKFJuKJo8Z6b4GsiDQ38aKn7RpIuTMKqrNg1QxVI29Q3Jso7Sj548h_jKeovI_ld3cbufgxypl9Z56vatKEcajmrQl3GRNpGixzTNbTuGpiKI88ebyLFApMVGA/s1600/D5Binder.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hAPIWZ4hT9rOiF1ZBzKFJuKJo8Z6b4GsiDQ38aKn7RpIuTMKqrNg1QxVI29Q3Jso7Sj548h_jKeovI_ld3cbufgxypl9Z56vatKEcajmrQl3GRNpGixzTNbTuGpiKI88ebyLFApMVGA/s320/D5Binder.PNG" width="245" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCLg4w_bTmhyphenhyphenEApahRy2OQdrfzoRIm7OJoO86FbK59sppO4jQi088rErY0h7iCWXSpv9dToVRrHaURS_qA1QxCb969mDXvHI6XoeQQamF5NTew0R4tGxv3B5Hr5z-NsQaPg6raONQQ5A/s1600/BIGFOLDER.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCLg4w_bTmhyphenhyphenEApahRy2OQdrfzoRIm7OJoO86FbK59sppO4jQi088rErY0h7iCWXSpv9dToVRrHaURS_qA1QxCb969mDXvHI6XoeQQamF5NTew0R4tGxv3B5Hr5z-NsQaPg6raONQQ5A/s320/BIGFOLDER.PNG" width="246" /></a></div>
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These are inserts for the front of their Daily 5 BinderNotebook and their portfolio notebook.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMetJi3Y4a6xf_PETsmrARLaXG_YCEyRsXC_6MIs0M0_HoJ6OPRPZGfLXoccVFFv-9CfRlwHhhteUd5DCIqMJuXeo8rkjJ6YQGl6c9ivcLkB0boiV4DyzNfiCUodeEXNosTwBlo1UccZg/s1600/C.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMetJi3Y4a6xf_PETsmrARLaXG_YCEyRsXC_6MIs0M0_HoJ6OPRPZGfLXoccVFFv-9CfRlwHhhteUd5DCIqMJuXeo8rkjJ6YQGl6c9ivcLkB0boiV4DyzNfiCUodeEXNosTwBlo1UccZg/s200/C.PNG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdO_qPNw3QoSXJqHH5Bw48LKJAidPUuwlzv9OR5ltrCFZCrduBlMM7IPNMxec_-_XSsHVsuIoRcdElidioYcr4t63ruU8AVB_tE_pIPXisFTUbXLfUsc3MAgyPGqXkEFrWpfGtwiR_Fcg/s1600/A.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdO_qPNw3QoSXJqHH5Bw48LKJAidPUuwlzv9OR5ltrCFZCrduBlMM7IPNMxec_-_XSsHVsuIoRcdElidioYcr4t63ruU8AVB_tE_pIPXisFTUbXLfUsc3MAgyPGqXkEFrWpfGtwiR_Fcg/s200/A.PNG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wJ0Kl4o4CMCTgQn5VBk9sIQLJ2tXdo536qysOATrRCxe-jsxaz2kzhdnnfTfTP15zhssDBXRvFy_fkHUBJ_26ZjebRUCaFgsQakR4Ny4nz-cON1lTzPV18ndEO1EYGCo9C2rRpEXFoU/s1600/F.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wJ0Kl4o4CMCTgQn5VBk9sIQLJ2tXdo536qysOATrRCxe-jsxaz2kzhdnnfTfTP15zhssDBXRvFy_fkHUBJ_26ZjebRUCaFgsQakR4Ny4nz-cON1lTzPV18ndEO1EYGCo9C2rRpEXFoU/s200/F.PNG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbInOeh0VFmy2lcnHQvrwAkHcZfXeRTuC6ysYsSJnytvsV8SZVVuK8SNfywxVyjCRQOf4DLzkha2ljsCI5CQw7GkxuviWlnd2H7kamS9Zl8URWYq9b72G2ol-Mqhp45-ejSlecFFYS-8/s1600/E.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbInOeh0VFmy2lcnHQvrwAkHcZfXeRTuC6ysYsSJnytvsV8SZVVuK8SNfywxVyjCRQOf4DLzkha2ljsCI5CQw7GkxuviWlnd2H7kamS9Zl8URWYq9b72G2ol-Mqhp45-ejSlecFFYS-8/s200/E.PNG" width="200" /></a></div>
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These are my new CAFE title pages. I plan to make some for my 6+1 Writing Menu, too...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdZE1bSsgSRVJA8t9ScLFm8dQZjJILb6ia5OM279RhP_YRcvv03LdxhyFevaNqQHwL25kOJBYa9sgSSEVPgrOWmVo5hAU4T1GfGLTY2_CyS5DhMUvJwBBpNb-F-Lh8gyHn06lmPj4aQk/s1600/BookBasketLabels.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdZE1bSsgSRVJA8t9ScLFm8dQZjJILb6ia5OM279RhP_YRcvv03LdxhyFevaNqQHwL25kOJBYa9sgSSEVPgrOWmVo5hAU4T1GfGLTY2_CyS5DhMUvJwBBpNb-F-Lh8gyHn06lmPj4aQk/s320/BookBasketLabels.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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These are the labels for their book baskets.</div>
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As I have said before, <a href="http://3rdgradelearners.blogspot.com/2012/06/everyday-math-math-notebook-and.html" target="_blank"> I am going to try using a math notebook this year</a>. I made some wonderful little matching inserts using information that I got from Doris over at <a href="http://thirdgradethinkers8.blogspot.com/2012/06/effective-math-instruction-and.html" target="_blank">Third Grade Thinkers</a>. She had a great post with lots of journaling info and some freebies from her TpT store.</div>
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I still have to create some labels, and some other little things, but these were a great thing to get done and out of my hair! :) Not that they are really "out of my hair..." I still have to personalize them, print them and laminate some of them. :(</div>
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</div>Jennifer Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11864707311390588323noreply@blogger.com12