Math Problem Solving Posters

I have had a very busy day filled with cleaning and organizing.  All in an effort to cross things off my gnarly to-do list.  I was happily crossing off and then I came to "Finish Math posters" and ugh... I really had to force myself.  I have been working on these for a little while and I have even deleted and started all over once or twice because they just didn't look right.  I am pretty happy with the final product and can't wait to print these babies out and hang them up tomorrow for my thirdsters. Click HERE to get your posters!  Don't forget to let me know what you think.  Toodles!

Daily 5 Work on Words... and freebies!

Ok it is all kinds of embarrassing that it has taken me this long to blog about my Work on Words setup and activities.  My BFF Marisa over at Glitter and Giggles linked me up Saturday and here I am just now posting.  Shame on me!  However, I wanted my pics to be a little better so I had to take them all over again ( and I still hate them). 

First of all implementing the Daily 5 has been the best decision I have made in my entire teaching career thus far.  Spending hours upon hours every 2 weeks (which is what I used to do) to prepare for stations has been replaced with quality engaging activities that are relevant and VERY low maintenance.  Not to mention my thirdsters LOVE that they get to be all grown-up and CHOOSE which activity they want to do for the day. I haven't posted many pics of my classroom yet so I want to start by showing a snapshot of my Daily 5/CAFE board.

This huge bulletin board is the focal point of my classroom so I decided to make it my Daily 5/CAFE board all in one.  Easy to see and access.  The kids move their clothespin to show their choice for each round on a mini clip-chart.  This makes it super easy for me to see when they are avoiding (as if they ever do that!) Work on Writing haha!

My Work on Words set-up is nothing fancy but here it is.  It sits right below my leveled classroom library.  My kids currently have 7 choices for word activities. 

• Scrabble Spelling
• Magnet Words
• Type-it
• Stamp-it
• Game Boards
• Boggle
• Shake It Up!

My students each have a word ring that contains spelling words, word wall words, and content vocabulary (differentiated according to their needs) that they use with each activity.  This is the lifeline of Work on Words in my opinion!

Scrabble- so simple and they never get tired of it.  I created a recording sheet for this activity.  It's an easy way for me to hold them accountable for their work. You can grab the recording sheet  HERE!
Just pick up some tiles and you are set!

Magnet Words- I thought that this would be way too young for my 3rd graders but they seem to still love building the words on the cookie sheets.  That's good enough for me.  I have them build the word and then record it in their Work on Words journal (a spiral).

Type-it is one that they race for.  I just took an old keyboard and fancied it up with cutesy stickers.  They "type" their words.  I get a kick out of watching them do this.  Some of my girls take it so seriously and act like they are at the office. 

Stamp-it- definitely not a new idea but again they seem to love it.  I have them stamp the words in their journals and then write a sentence using the word. 

Game Boards- For this fab activity head over to First Grade Glitter and Giggles and read all about.  Serious cuteness factor!

Boggle- This is by far the most popular in my room.  I got this amazing activity from Create-Teach-Share and my kids go bananas for it.  I just change the letters weekly to reflect our spelling pattern focus and they go on a word making frenzy.  LOVE it!

The newest addition is Shake It Up! I have always loved Discovery Bottles and just never got around to making any... until I was reminded on Pinterest (oh how I love thee) of how much fun they can be.  Here is the PIN by the way!
I found the jar and the poms at Dollar Tree (where I also finally found the materials I needed for my Pinterest Cake Stands I have been dying to make... which has absolutely nothing to do with this here post...sorry!) I printed up the 3rd grade Fry words (required for our district) added a fancy label and... Voila!

They find the words, read them, and record them in their journal.  When they find all 100 words they get a prize.  There is a whole lotta shaking going on let me tell you! 














There you have it- this is what goes down during Daily 5 Work on Words in my classroom.  I hope you find some of these activities useful.  I am always on the look out for new ideas and am so stinkin' addicted to blog stalking that I sometimes forget to blog myself.  Next up is a blog devoted to Math Workstations and how we roll with that in my room.  Fun, Fun, Fun!!
Thanks for stopping by! Toodles!

Cafe Strategy Cards

I can't believe that I am on Christmas break and when we get back to school there are only 3 more 6 weeks left of my first year in 3rd grade.  We implemented the Daily 5 this year and it has been sooooo much easier to manage than stations.  Shout out if you do the CAFE in your classroom!  My kids really get excited about conferencing with me and then posting their name on the strategy they need to focus on.  I created some strategy cards to go on my CAFE board to match my polka dot motif because I'm too OCD to hand-write them (they would be all different and would throw me into a panic).
Check out my strategy cards and grab a set  HERE!  Merry Christmas everyone!
Toodles!

Spelling Intervention plus freebie...

One of my darlings was having major problems with spelling and failing the weekly spelling tests horribly so I was in search of some type of intensive intervention that would help him.  He was struggling with writing very simple words that I know were on the 1st and 2nd grade Word Walls.  I started doing some research and kept stumbling upon what was called the "Cover, Copy, Compare" method.  It is so simple to implement.  We started right away.  I made packets to keep at my small group table.  I also made some packets to send home for practice.  Basically, all you need is a copy of your spelling list, paper, an index card, and a pencil.  The student copies the first word directly from the spelling list, then covers the newly copied word (and the list), writes the word from memory, and then checks it for accuracy. If it is not correct the student just repeats the process until it is correct and moves on.  We did this every morning during our in-school tutoring block and replaced his current spelling homework with this activity to be done nightly.  Thursday he took a practice test and by Friday he had the words down.  He not only passed his first spelling test in the 3rd grade, but he made a 92.  I was so proud of him, but most importantly he felt successful and motivated to keep up this level of practice.  He was PROUD of himself.  That was my main goal.  
I think this would probably work beautifully in practicing math facts as well.  I can't wait to see what he scores this Friday!  I just love these moments when I am reminded in a big way why I became a teacher in the first place.  Makes it all worthwhile! 
PS- You can grab the cover to the packet here!   Toodles!   

sleepy post

I am "Friday Tired" (that's what I call the state of teacher exhaustion after a long week) but I wanted to go ahead and post a peek at my newest posters.  I just added them to my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Now I am off to bed.  First Grade Glitter and Giggles and I have acquired some awesome new graphics, so there are lots of ideas spinning in my head for new creations.  Can't wait to work on that tomorrow!  Toodles blog world!

The Hunger Games take a back seat to blogging...for a minute

OK, so who else is reading The Hunger Games series?  I started it today and can hardly stand to put it down.  Thanks to my assistant principal for bringing me his copy of the first book that is missing the front and back cover, (his 18 month old son was a fan too I guess) I am already an addict.  I did have time to make these multiplication and division signs for those of you lovelies that have been requesting them.   You can get them HERE in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.  I really appreciate all of the positive feedback and comments I have received and am so excited about all of the wonderfully talented and creative teachers I have "met" via blogging.  I am loving every minute of it!   Anyway,  here is a preview of the signs.  I'm off to read a little more before bed.  Toodles!

Owl Moon plus a Freebie

It is no mystery that I love OWLS.  In first grade I always did a Stellaluna/Bat theme unit.  This year I had the opportunity to use the Owl Moon Unit from Amanda over at One Extra Degree with my thirdsters.  It aligned perfectly with my TEKS (standards) and I just ran with it. My kiddos especially loved digging in to the owl pellets and sorting the bones they found.  They were so engaged and didn't want to stop to go to PE.  We even had the cutest little Owl Smores made for us by a very brave mom willing to take on a Pinterest project for me. 
My students loved the story so much that they begged me to read it to them once more on Friday because we had a little extra time while packing up to go home. I am sad that Owl Week has ended, but now it is on to some very fun and exciting holiday theme units!
PS- The poetry and prose in Owl Moon is among my favorites and I created this little print to share my favorite quote in the book.  Grab it here!