Thursday, May 19, 2016

Five for Friday


Hey there! I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday! We've had an exciting week in 3rd grade and I'd love to share some of our highlights!


BABY QUAIL! I REPEAT- BABY QUAIL!!!



These little pip squeaks didn't hatch until Wednesday and Thursday! We're only up to 4.. out of 10.. so there may be an issue with the incubator :( But at least we have some babies! Both blocks were able to witness a baby come out of the shell! I hooked up the document camera so they could watch on the smartboard instead of crowding around the incubator. Some kiddos got really emotional! They have such big hearts, it was an awesome experience and so magical to watch :)


Our aquaponic garden above the fish tank is out of control!! The lettuce is really coming in. The kids want to have a salad party... but our bearded dragon has another plan..


Salad party just for Stubs!


We're OK with sharing though.


It's the last week before the big test and the last thing we're reviewing is area and perimeter. This smart kiddo wanted to share her strategy for finding area. I loved how she used math vocabulary as she spoke and broke down all the steps. I see a teacher in the making!


At this point in the year when we're reviewing I love for the students to take over and teach the content. That shows me if they understand what they're doing and if there's any misconceptions I need to clear up. It's also awesome to watch them mimic my teaching style :) I mean you have to sound excited about area and perimeter.. it's kindof COOL like ALL MATH THINGS! hehe. Makes my heart happy!



We started learning about the human body this week using "Kiki's Classroom" product you can check out here! We started reading the passages and taking notes on the "organ-izer" (haha the kids loved that pun). Next week about our EOG's are done we will make the life-size human body model!



Farm update!


The photography class took fancy pictures of our farm soap! I have some of the pictures posted on my etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/RandRFarm
I told them I'd give them some soap, but now that I think of it I doubt some middle schoolers want my soap.. I'll have to think of a good little thank you gift for them.

So that's my week before testing! A little wild, but these kiddos have worked hard all year so they deserve button size quail fun :)

Be sure to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching and share your week as well!

Rock on,

Diana



Monday, May 16, 2016

Math Test Prep



Oh it's that lovely time of year when you've taught all of the standards so the kiddos think it's time to kick back and relax until schools out.... NOT. It's crunch time to review and prepare for the "lovely" EOG! We've been spiral reviewing all year, but these past couple of weeks have been going back to the big topics of multiplication, division, and fractions. Here's some things we're doing to get ready!

Practice Tests


We've been taking practice EOG's and then going over them in groups and as a class to get used to the question stems and vocabulary, but also to build the stamina to sit and answer 50+ questions! We've taken 4 practice tests, one each week on a Monday before the big day. We then spend a little time each day for the following week going over the problems.




What I do is have them get in small groups and discuss their answers one page at a time. I've done it where they just have a discussion, or play "Showdown" and determine one answer as the correct one with proof, or have them take turns teaching each other. This is much less intimidating in a group of four than as a whole class. The first time we did this we did it during my "math with teacher" group to model how this should look and how to nicely disagree and support your answer with evidence and showing work!


Four practice tests seems like a lot.. and it is. After our third I had my class take a vote if they wanted to take one last practice test. The fourth test won 40-5. Sorry 'bout it you five kiddos LOL! I actually was impressed by my students reasons for wanting to take another one- they knew it wasn't for a grade so there was no stress involved, and it also gave them more practice. They also liked to set a reasonable goal and try to beat it each time with their scores :) I also think the Mr. Sketch markers had an impact here.. we never used them until we took the practice tests and they were able to check their answers and show work with them. Wow.. if they could use Mr. Sketch on the test I have no doubt my kiddos would show work for every single problem just to smell fruit punch! HA!

Besides the practice tests I've also gotten out the task cards with some multi step questions and deeper thinking! These have been great in my teacher group and for discussing strategies. Here's a set of multiplication and division task cards (set of 24) that we worked a lot with, being a big focus of third grade!





"I can" games with bubble sheets

I bought the "I Can" bundle from the One Stop Teacher Shop on TpT at the beginning of the year. She has these math games for all math standards grades K-6. You just print, cut, and put in a pringles can!



As we learned each topic we played the game that went along with it. Students answered questions that were grouped by standards, multiple choice, and they were able to self check by scanning QR codes! I love the technology integration there. I took these games out again these past few weeks but this time my students played it and bubbled their answers. We've had some practice bubbling but we needed a reminder of what a nice dark bubble looks like :) These were great practice and also helped them make sure they were not misaligned! I use Zipgrade to scan bubble sheets in seconds. Click here to see how much I love zipgrade and all the ways it can save you time with grading!!

Fluency games 

To break up the day as we take practice tests, complete task cards, and bubble, we like to play quick fluency games to review and get us moving.

Fast facts

Fast facts are just that- answering math facts fast. You can use flash cards read out loud or under a projector, you can write them on the board, or you can make a PowerPoint with a timer! We do this with multiplication facts on the smart board. I just typed a bunch into PowerPoint. Every now and again I'll stop and whatever the product is they have to do that many jumping jacks or toe touches. I also let them sit on their desk to play, just to add more fun.

Sparkle

Sparkle is a game often used for spelling, where students pass a ball spelling a word letter by letter. After the word is spelled the next person says "sparkle" and is out. They are also out if they miss a letter. We took this game and did a math spin. We play by multiples. So if I say "multiples of 6" they will pass the ball and count 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, SPARKLE! We stop at the 10 fact. We have also done this by fractions. If I say count by fourths, they'll go 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 1, 1 and 1/4, 1 and 2/4, 1 and 3/4, 2. Every child that says a whole number must sit. You keep going until one person remains!


Quiz Quiz Trade

Quiz Quiz Trade is a Kagan game, and works well for any kind of flashcards you have, or vocabulary flash cards. Students will walk around the room and pair up. One will ask the other the answer to their flash card, then the other student will ask, and then they trade cards. We have modeled ways to help peers figure out an answer without giving away the answer. This is great for multiplication, and if someone is stuck help them by using distributive property or other facts they know. You can also do this with math vocabulary words and definitions or examples on the back of the card. I even have my kiddos make the flash cards for extra practice!



I hope everyone's testing goes well and this helps with some ideas to prepare! Best of luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor ;)

Rock on,

Diana

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Five for Friday


Hey there! I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching and I have lots to share for Five for Friday since I missed last week!



Last week was teacher appreciation and I feel so blessed to have such an awesome group of kiddos! Hubby started it off with flowers and candy :) and as much as I love the treats and goodies, it's the cards that melt my heart! 


This card just got me y'all! ❤️


This week we have been patiently awaiting the arrival of our quail chicks! 



Ok that's a lie we're not patient at all!! I want these little boogers to hatch already! I've done chicks in the past and wanted to spice it up with a tiny version that only needs 14 days :) We will hopefully have adorable button size quail on Monday! Pics will be taken!! Many many pics!



We had our field day last week which was a blast! I just had to share this to show how great my kids are. I know I'm bragging here, but look at this teamwork! They are literally carrying me to the next station! It only took like 15 of them to pick me up.. Time to revisit my workout/diet plan! LOL. 




During the Teacher Appreciation TpT sale I snagged this product for a multistep math "pick a path" activity. My kiddos worked in groups and read a story about being pirates trying to beat a rival pirate gang, the "multistep marauders" to a treasure. It was a blast!! I was a nice challenge for my third graders. They each chose different paths during the story and each group solved different multistep problems and found treasure at the end. They were begging to play again! Lots of giggles and excitement during this activity, and of course deep thinking!


Farm update!


This is "Hot Mess" who's just glowing with her beautiful baby bump and fresh hair cut! Can't wait to meet her babies in June!!

Hope everyone had a great Teacher Appreciation week and is hanging in there! Summer is so close!

Rock on,

Diana 




Social Media- the new PD

Ever feel like you get more out of an hour on Pinterest than a whole work day? It's hard to beat loads of info in catchy images with direct links and products that can be searched with key words within seconds!! Now we definitely still need PD with a person there actually "in person" to demonstrate and make it hands on- sometimes I need to just see it happen before me to "get it". However, social media has really become a competitive source of information for teachers! I'd like to share some ways I use Facebook, Twitter, and instagram to improve my teaching! 


If you already have an account for these I'd love for you to follow me and see some of the folks I follow to get a good start!

1. Facebook 



I believe Facebook is probably the most commonly used form of social media these days and until recently I didn't realize that a lot of the blogs and teachers I like to follow have Facebook pages! Often any time they post a blog, share a picture, or have a giveaway it's posted on their Facebook page. If you look up some of your fav bloggers in the search box you'll see their page show up along with other suggestions for you to "like". Then as you're scrolling along your newsfeed you will see these posts pop up! I like the convenience of clicking on a link and reading from the blog, or being linked to a product so I can add it to my TPT cart right from my phone. I'm also a very visual person so sometimes I just screenshot a post so I can look back at it later for inspiration or to remember what that idea was!

2. Twitter



I have a personal Twitter account from college, but I've made a Twitter just for following educators and companies that work with education so that when I scroll through my Twitter feed I'm just seeing things I can use in my classroom.. No Kardashian updates or Political posts :) 

You can also search people on Twitter, and similar to Facebook it will give you suggestions based on who you follow. I love this feature so I can follow more educators and get more ideas! You can also find people to follow and ideas by searching a hashtag. #edchat #learning #education #classroom #school are some of the top hashtags on twitter and also Instagram.


This is just a screenshot from my Twitter feed last night. As you can see, the first tweet has a link to a Facebook post about an inspirational article of teaching from the heart! I love those little stories you come across on the internet that just refresh your passion! 

Next tweet is a link to a product with a picture- love it! I can see quickly if it's something I'm interested in. I can directly click on it in that moment, or I can "favorite" it (similar to "liking" something on Facebook) or retweet it, so it shows on my Twitter (similar to sharing something on your own wall on Facebook). 

The last tweet is an online discussion about using the app "Remind" which I use. So, by following Remind on Twitter, I can see how other people use the app which is great! I love getting ideas by following some companies like Seesaw, Padlet, Tellagami, and Remind, just to name a few!

3. Instagram



I have just jumped on the Instagram train this year, and I LOVE IT! I had an Instagram in college, but again I made one just for following educators. I'm a very visual person so I love Instagram and seeing all the pictures that people post of products, science experiments, math manipulatives, and crafts. Many folks may also post a temporary link in their profile for people that see a pic of a product and want to check it out on TPT. 

Instagram has a feed just like Facebook and twitter, so you can just scroll to see what's posted that day. You can also search by a hashtag similar to twitter. Some of the hashtags I like to check out on Instagram are #teachersfollowteachers #iteachthird (or look up your grade level!) #iteachtoo and #teachersofinstagram 

Instagram has oodles and oodles of ideas that I like to screenshot also to go back to for inspiration! You can also double tap photos to like them, and go back to view all of the photos you like in order to keep track of your favorite ideas.

I hope to see you on one of these social media platforms, and that might even be how you found this post! :) Thanks for reading!

Rock on,

Diana