These Books Kick it up a Notch!

Two of the  books I have read this spring break really "kick it up a notch!"  The first one I read was by John Grisham, Theodore Boone:  Kid Lawyer.

I do not typically read books written for adults, but I am aware of John Grisham, so I bought this book earlier in the year because of his name on the cover.  I ripped through it over break.  It was a good story, and really broke down the law system for kids.  It reminded me a lot of Encyclopedia Brown (he was always one of my favorites!) but had a much more serious crime that Theo pursued.  Throughout the story, Theo's classmates came to him for law advice, and his knowledge was enough to set them on the right path.  I liked it so much, that I headed off to the bookstore to see if there was a 2nd.  They didn't have the 2nd one in.  It is called Theodore Boone:  The Abduction.  I will have to look for it this summer!

The second book that I read was very short, but pretty intense.  It was called On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer.



This is not a new book, and you may be aware of it because it was a Newbery Honor Book.  It is a book that really spotlights character vs. himself conflict.  The entire book is told from the point of view of Joel who "gave his honor" to his dad that he would ride his back right to the park and back, but he doesn't, and tragic events incur.  It really made me sad to think of how this boy struggled with this one little decision and the effect that it had.  This book really emphasizes "Wrong is wrong even if everyone else is doing it and right is right even if no one else is doing it."  Serious book with a strong message about our actions and how they affect others.

Two of the books that I have read this break.  Life is good.  :)

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

The winner of the $25 Target gift card is Miss B., Alysia Battista! Thanks so much for following this blog!  You forgot to get me your email address, though!  Get it to me, and I'll send you your giftcard!

Now, it is off to the rest of my spring break!  :)

Solar System and last day for Giveaway!

I am spending parts of my spring break getting ready for my units when we return.   I have had a student teacher the last couple of years at this time, so I haven't taught the solar system myself.  I am using the student-interest model for this unit.  I will teach core lessons/activities 2-3 times per week, but on the other days, students will be able to drive their own learning by exploring what interests them.

I am going to use ClassConnect to post a variety of articles and activities for them to access during this time, plus I will have a lot of books for them to use, too.  All of it will end with in-class projects which have clear guidelines but allow them to focus on the material they found most interesting.

Anyway, I'll give more specifics later.  Today, I wanted to share this awesome resource that I found today. 

KidsAstronomy.com offers games, interactives, teacher resources, and online classes for kids!  It covers all of the material that I am asked to cover (moon phases/constellations/the planets) and more!  It is a great starting point for students and is written in an easy way that they will be able to understand! 

I'll post more as I put together the details of this unit. (in between books and naps.)   :)

Finally, don't forget my Target gift card giveaway ends tomorrow morning.  I plan to pick the winner by 10 am, so get your entries in before then!

Daily Differentiation and fractions

I try to work to differentiate daily.  I have students with learning disabilities in my room as well as students who are identified as gifted and talented.  I began this process years ago, and I find that inch by inch.....I can meet my kids needs.  If I can add one or two differentiated activities to a unit per year, then eventually, I will be there, right?




Well, I keep trying.  I enjoy the challenge, and my students do, too.  I have come to the conclusion that it doesn't all have to be a totally new lesson.  In fact, in my district, we are encouraged to extend the lesson rather than teach a different lesson.  Below is an example of what I did with Mrs. Bainbridge's fraction kite idea.

I love to color and have lots of those cool design books. I took those design books and used them to design my kites.  The simpler kite ( top design) is made up of 100 equal pieces, and the students had to use 6 different colors.  The more complicated kite did not have equal pieces.  Using the smaller size as a unit, the kite had 650 pieces.  Students then had to use at least 4 different colors for their design, and then had to count and convert the big pieces into small pieces.

Here are examples of what the grids looked like:

The students received a kite shape already made out of these patterns, and they were told how many equal parts there were.  The kids had fun, and it was an appropriate challenge for those kids who needed it.  When the students were done writing their fractions under the kite, they had to check their work by adding the numerators of each fraction to be sure it equaled the appropriate denominator (100 or 650).

Last week, we also used Mary from Pitner's Potpourri idea.  We looked at Ed Emberley's Picture Pie and created our own picture pie.  Differentiation was natural on this one.  Certain kids were told they must use 4ths and 8ths in a certain number of colors while others just used 4ths.  The artwork created was fun and beautiful!

Both of these were great activities that I received from my blogging world.  They show that all of the time I spend in blogland is worth it!





Everyday Math Algorithm Powerpoints

Have you seen this site with great Powerpoint presentations of Everyday Math algorithms?  The site was put together by South Western School District in Pennsylvania.  I like to use them at some point during our instruction of these skills in class, but I also like to use them as a reference tool for parents.  It makes it much easier for them to understand what their child is learning.

Click on the pic below to go to the home page which contains Powerpoints for partial sums, partial products, trade first, lattice multiplication, and partial quotients. 

Must be time for a GIVEAWAY!

Thanks to Lorraine's 3,4, and 5 linky party, my followers have gone over 200!  Wow.  I can't believe it.  But--to celebrate, I figure I need to have a giveaway! I am going to give away a $25 dollar Target card to one lucky reader!

So, if you want a chance for a little extra spring spending at Target (who doesn't?), then  you can join in a couple of ways.  Please put a comment below for each of the ways you enter (up to 3 comments).  Please leave an email for me to use to reach you, too.

1)  Become a follower of this blog.
2)  Follow this blog by email
3)  Blog about this giveaway.



I will pick a random number on the morning of Wednesday, March 28th.  So if you are feeling lucky, enter before then!

Thanks so much for reading my little blog!  :)

A GREAT read aloud!

I have read Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett to my class for the last couple of years.  It is always a favorite, and a great way to incorporate some art history into our classroom.

The book trailer above will give you some basic ideas of this book if you are unfamiliar.  It is a mystery written for late elementary kids, but it acts as a great read-aloud for my 3rd graders.  As we read, we not only contemplate the mystery, but we also learn more about Vermeer and have fun with pentominoes.

The characters in this book are very likable, and they are great role models for learning, curiosity, and perseverance.  My students often like them so much that they can't wait to read the follow-up mysteries, The Wright 3, and The Calder Game. 

If you or your students are looking for still more information on this great book or the other two in the series, Scholasic has a great page on it, too!  Click HERE to access it.

I love read aloud.  :)