Five for Friday

Happy Friday! I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday! It's been a fun week in 3rd grade so here's some of the highlights from the week. 

I've been battling a cold and on Tuesday I completely lost my voice. This was a problem because I ha to introduce the distributive property the next day... only one of the trickiest 3rd grade concepts! Luckily I had planned on teaching it with a ninja theme, so we took a ninja vow of silence and boy did these kids get into it!

I first introduced it with drawing equal groups and "slashing" those groups into two smaller groups. This seemed to work better than slashing the arrays for us. 

 

We made little ninjas to hang in the hall showing the distributive property without picture support the next day!

We also couldn't be ninjas without headbands (black cloth from walmart cut into strips) and ninja star erasers! I'm so proud of my little ninjas in training!

All week we have been preparing for our Math & Science night at school. Each table group made a science fair project board showing how we've been using STEM bins in our classroom! The Stem bins are from Brook Brown and you can check them out here!

 

After students built different designs from the challenge cards they responded to prompts about what their challenges were using different building materials and what they would try next time. I highly suggest these STEM bins for a fun way to integrate STEM in your classroom! We plan on using them at least once a week or every other week.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner so next week we'll be doing this Thanksgiving Division activity! I finally finished it for TPT and added worksheets to go along with the activity. Included is clipart of food to practice the concept of division by sharing the food over several plates. After a few rounds students start to see the pattern of how it's multiplication flipped, and they get faster! I added the worksheet so after the activity I can check for understanding without the hands-on portion.

Check out the product here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Division-2871812

Are you a lularoe addict? I admit I have a problem. Such a problem that I even blogged about all the ways teachers can wear lularoe here

This is a new style called Carly and I'm loving it! I had to take a quick pic and share the lulalove.

Farm update- Meet Captain Hook!

Captain Hook is the dad to Indie, the baby we had this past summer. He's a handsome fella and we're hoping for more beautiful kids to come. He's just staying for a month... or maybe forever. I'll see how my talk with hubby goes :)

That's all folks, thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a great and relaxing weekend. Short week next week- we can make it!

Rock on,

Diana

Five for Friday

Happy Fri-yay! I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share five highlights from the week! Be sure to check it out and link up yourself to share your week :)

Dog walking!

Since summer break has started I've been thinking of ways to make extra money this summer. I recently made a profile on care.com to be a pet sitter! I have already done several jobs through the site and have watched adorable dogs, chickens, and gotten lots of steps in on the fitbit while dog walking! I blogged about this and other ways to make summer cash that you can check out here!

Science resources- getting my nerd on! 

I've really been buckling down and working on my science units. I already have a heat transfer unit available in my TPT store, but next on my lists are forces and motion, then eco systems. I'd love to get all of our science units done this summer with a "unit at a glance" page so we're ready to go! We'll see if I can keep the momentum going :) So be on the lookout for those if you're a 3rd or 4th grade science teacher!

So many pictures to take!

I've been playing around with my mother-in-laws Nikon D70 and it's the first DSLR camera I've ever used. I love how sharp these pictures turn out and the pop of color! I'm not used to seeing quality photos since my iphone has done the trick up till now :) I took the plunge and ordered the Nikon D3300 and should have it by next week! YAY!

National Board Certification

I'm all about taking plunges this week.. as I'm going to sign up and become a National Boards Candidate this year! I was eligible last year as a fourth year teacher, but was in a new grade level and new school. I believe this year is the year! EEK! Of course I've already made a binder.. I love a good binder.

Farm Update! Hot mess will pop any moment now!

I'm patiently waiting for my goat Hot Mess to have her baby. She is due Saturday, but I've been watching her like a hawk! We have a security camera set up in her pen and an intercom so we can hear her and monitor from the house. I can also talk back to her! Naturally in preparation for this big day I did a maternity shoot with the DSLR camera.. I know.. I really need to be back in school already so I stay busy LOL!

OK time for me to get back to those units before my girl goes into labor! Once there's baby goats here I know I won't be productive. Be sure to link up and share your week!

Rock on,

Diana

Summer Gigs for Teachers

OK so I know us teachers should be floating in a pool of all our money but lets be real.. Summers can be tough without that check coming in and it's the time to take a vacation and treat yo self! So I found myself thinking of ways to make some extra money. However, it's not as easy as putting in applications around town- because if you're like me, you only want something until mid-August. I've come up with some ideas and would love to share them with anyone else looking for some ways to make money this summer with minimum commitment! If you love dogs this is a bonus because there's ways to play with puppies and make money!!

1. Sit

Don't you wish you could sit and rake in the dough?! HA! Well you can do some sitting and do pretty well for yourself. Babysitting, pet sitting, and house sitting are all great ways to make some extra income this summer and they do not require large time commitments. You also control your schedule and when you're available. A great website that I like to use is care.com. You can sign up on here and make a profile for all kinds of care including the ones I mentioned but also senior care and house keeping. I absolutely love animals so I made one for pet sitting and it has been a blast! Since signing up in the beginning of June I've gotten 4 petsitting jobs, two of which lasted 2-3 weeks. Care.com is great because it's free to sign up and free for the people looking for sitters. You also set your rate and can either be paid directly or through the site.

2. Seasonal Jobs

Great part time jobs for teachers are employers that need people just for the summer months. Pools, summer camps, amusement parks/water parks, tanning beds, ice cream shops, and anything specializing in swimming, hot weather, or kids. I know lots of summer camps reach out to the school employees first to find counselors because hey.. we kinda know what we're doing. Also a local parks and rec department could probably help out with other sports camps and things of the like going on in your area. The other jobs such as the pool as a lifeguard (usually requires training/certifications), parks, tanning beds and ice cream shops probably have a regular staff but could use someone for the busier months. Since you'd be a temporary employee definitely harp on the fact that you're a fast learner! They do not want to spend forever training someone who will be gone in 3 months. These are great though and usually have pretty consistent hours!

3. Teacher Supply Store

Come on.. how great would it be to know when things go on sale, have an employee discount, and be surrounded by school supplies!!! You're already pretty qualified for the job seeing as you know the products and brands. If you have any cashier experience then I'd say you've got a good shot at getting a job like this! Knowing me, if I started working at our teacher supply store I would probably continue into the year working weekends and it would get dangerous.. hmm... I may see if they're hiring... :)

4. BLOG or TPT!

I have loved blogging and making things for TPT! If you've ever thought about it but don't know how to start send me an email or leave a comment, I'd love to help you get started! It's been a lot of fun and through ads, affiliate links, and sponsors you can make some money. This would not be as quick as the others, but definitely worth it! TPT is also a great way to share your work and resources to help other teachers but also support your efforts! This takes a little start up costs for clip art and fonts, but then you're good to make resources and turn a profit. There's quite a few blogs and tips out there for stating, but I would also love to help you start out!

There you have it folks. Hope you find these ideas helpful and you can make some extra cash this summer! Please share any other ideas for summer jobs for teachers!

Work hard, play hard ;)

Diana

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!

Check it out here!

"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

Five for Friday with Freebie!

It's finally FRIDAY!!! AHHHH I've been looking forward to this day all week. I know you shouldn't live for Friday, but hey, I really need a nap so that's my plan right after school :)

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share all of the fun things we've been up to this week.

SEAT POUCHES!!!!!!!!!

NOT JUST ANY SEAT POUCHES........

SEAT POUCHES THAT MATCH OUR COLORS!!!!!!!!

Anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about things matching. These adorable seat pouches were made by my cousin who is an amazing seamstress as a wedding gift. BEST GIFT EVER!

This week we're working on perimeter and had a fun time building pens for our favorite animals! The kiddos got really into this, and then we beefed it up by changing the shapes with the same perimeter. I just love their adorable drawings too.

This one ALMOST made me want a pet mouse :)

A turtle, butterfly, and snake living in blissful harmony! In a 6x6 pen LOL

With spring break on the horizon we've been doing a little more of reviewing rules and being plain nice. It can't hurt to be plain nice :) So it made my heart happy to see this sticky on our "class shout out wall" <3

We've been learning all about the solar system!! I posted last week a picture of me dressed as Mrs. Frizzle for a character day- check it out here! I loved chanelling my inner Mrs. Frizzle and we took a trip to outer space to visit the inner planets and the gas giants. It was pretty convenient that the planets were right on my dress for a reference :)

We're currently working on solar system projects where each child is presenting a planet with a model for the class. Check out the freebie project here, rubric included! I can't wait for presentations next week. My students have been so excited and coming in sharing new facts they learned from their research. I love their enthusiasm!

 

Farm update! Nothing too much going on with my fur babies and feathered friends. We're hoping one of our does is pregnant, which means adorable baby goat pictures to come in June! Since she may be, I've been trying to use natural things to clean and reduce chemicals and processed things in their diet and environment. I couldn't have made this natural cleaner without the help of my healthy students! Several of my kiddos graciously donated their orange peels to me, which I put in a jar with vinegar. In two weeks I'll strain it and dilute it with water for a natural all purpose cleaner with a citrus scent! This will be perfect to use in the goat area, in the coop, in the house, and I promised to clean the desks with it so my students could see it in action! One kiddo called me a hippie this week.. I loved it.

That's all folks!

-Diana