Spring Fever

We are in the home stretch...for spring break that is. Sadly, summer is still 11 weeks away. Today the weather in Tennessee felt like such a tease. It was a beautiful day...sunny and warm. It made me READY for spring.

3rd grade has so much to still cover before our state assessments in April. All these snow days have left my head spinning! Our 3rd grade team is having to plan very strategically to get in all the skills we still need. Can anyone else relate?

One of our skills this week is sequencing. There are a ton of great resources out there for this skill. I just needed a very simple graphic organizer to use in my small groups with our leveled readers. I just made this organizer real quick to share. It is free in my TPT store. If you download it, I hope that you find it to be helpful in your classroom.

You can grab it for FREE here.

Spelling Lists

Over this past summer, I worked hard on creating resources in preparation for a brand new reading series I knew we would be getting in the fall.

One of the things I wanted to have was a weekly spelling sheet. I wanted parents to have a list of the words and the skills that their kids were practicing at school and were responsible for studying at home. I use weekly Spelling Menus to help my kids practice their spelling words. Having these lists made it easy for them to practice their spelling skills. Both of these were very time consuming!

Both of these are available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

You can find the 3rd Grade spelling lists here.

My monthly spelling menus are here.

VCCCV Practice

All these snow days have required a bit of "creativity" in our planning as a 3rd grade team! We are having to combine some skills in order to get everything in before testing. Don't you just love standardized testing?

One of our phonics/spelling skills is the VCCCV syllabication pattern. I do not anticipate my 3rd graders struggling with this skill too much, but I made this center for my kids to practice this pattern. It provides a good assessment of the skills pattern. This goes along with the story Fly, Eagle, Fly! from the Reading Street series.

If you want to use this in your own classroom, you can find it here.

Simplifying Fractions Made Easy (I hope...)

Every year I have 3rd grade friends who really struggle to understand how to simplify fractions. I made this to help my kids understand how to find the greatest common factor.

There is a chart with factors below the fractions where they can mark out and circle the appropriate fractions. I am hoping that it will help them in the beginnings of simplifying so that it becomes routine for them when they are doing it on their own.

I hope that this is helpful to some of your kiddos who are struggling to simplify fractions!

Get it for free in my TPT store.

You can get it here.

More Snow Days

Living in Tennessee, we get very little snow. With all these crazy snowstorms across the Southeast, we have had a very odd winter. So far we have used 7 snow days and we have potential for another one tomorrow. I was shocked how much snow we really got yesterday. Here in Tennessee we are used to being disappointed by our weather reports. They were right on it this time! Sadly, it is melting quickly, but there is potential for refreezing tonight. Teachers and students are loving all these unexpected breaks!!

I have been working all morning on Fact and Opinion. Our 3rd grade team was told NOT to teach the skill because it would not be tested. WRONG. We got the specific skills that will be on our end of year assessment (TCAPs) and surprise, surprise...fact and opinion is tested! Not just that, but several other skills that we were told not to teach. Gotta love it. Needless to say, we are a little stressed about making up time and getting in those skills.

Here is what my morning is looking like on this beautiful snowy day!

(Of course the Olympics are on in the background!)

I have been looking for any resources I can find on fact and opinion.

Here are some good freebies!

Fact and Opinion Freebie by Adventures of a Third Grade Teacher
Fact or Opinion Reading Center Station Activity Game by Workaholic NBCT
Facts and Opinions Sort Freebie by Speechy Musings
Also check this out from ReadWorks

I have a random teacher question...hopefully someone can help me out. Does anyone know how to lock your text and graphics into a flip chart in ActiveInspire? I want to share this with my teammates and TPT, but I am not sure how to save it so it opens with my fonts? I do not want to totally lock the flip chart because there is an interactive part for the kids to sort facts and opinions. Any suggestions? THANKS!

The Olympic Spirit

If you were in my 3rd grade classroom, you would know just how in the "Olympic Spirit" I really am. My kids are reading all about the Olympics (reading and finding text-based evidence as they go). They have an Olympic Reading challenge they are doing. We are tracking the medals. I am loving it.

One of our skills this week was narrative writing. I, of course, had to pull in the Olympics. I made a quick, easy writing paper. You can grab it for free in my TPT store. I hope that your kids enjoy it!!

Go grab a FREE copy here!

Winter Blues

I have a serious case of the winter blues. It is pretty pathetic really. Our Christmas break was extended by 3 days because of severe cold weather and damage it caused across our county. I told you...it is pathetic. I have only been back at work for 10 days and I am WORN OUT already. Part of it has to do with observations hanging over my head, part of it has to do with TCAP's being right around the corner, and A LOT of it has to do with getting married in May. I love my kids, I love teaching, and I love getting to inspire little learners, but...I just have wedding/marriage on the brain! I am trying to balance it all and make sure I am my best for my kids everyday.

For all of you with the winter blues, here is a new product that I hope you can find helpful in your classroom.

To motivate my kids to read, I made AR punch cards. When they earn points, they get a punch in their cards. When they fill a card they get to retire their card and get a small prize. They have worked really well in my classroom this year! I have been very pleased. I have a lot of kids working really hard to get their next card.

I hope that this is something that helps get your kids motivate to read!

You can grab these in my Teachers Pay Teachers store here!

Happy [almost] Friday!

Thanksgiving Freebie

I think I might officially be the worst blogger...ever. It is so hard for me to keep my blog up to date without feeling completely guilty. There is just never enough time in the day. I promise I do not neglect my sweet students like I do my blog.

While I am keeping busy with school, I figured I would share a Thanksgiving freebie. I made this optional reading challenge for my kids over the break next week. I know that not all will participate, but my kids who need that extra challenge will eat it up! They love anything that will give them a chance to be rewarded for their hard work. I know I will have several excited kids the Monday after break. Anything to get my kiddos to read!

Visit my Teachers Pay Teachers here store to grab this freebie.

Whirlwind

This year has been a whirlwind already! Our county went back to school 4 weeks ago and the craziness has yet to end. This is my 4th year teaching and I have never felt this frazzled so early in a year. I feel like I am running a never ending, always quickening race. There is just so much going on outside of actual teaching. I am sure that most of you can relate! It seems that it gets a little crazier each year.

Despite this craziness, we have lessons plan and to teach! Our third grade team has found an awesome resource that we buy for each Reading Street unit. I LOVE these packets that Sarah Kirby makes. They are so helpful for making my focus wall each week. It saves me SO much work each week to have these pre-made for me. If you are interested in checking Sarah's work out (and I highly suggest you do), then you can find it here for Unit 1 and here for her Teachers Pay Teachers store. She also has a great blog...Permanently Primary.



While I like to buy what others have created, I sometimes have a little spare (Ha! Spare, right?) time to create some of my own activities for my classroom. This afternoon, I had some time to myself and my school work, so I made a little math freebie. In math we have been working on rounding. Most of my kiddos are doing really well with it, but some of my little guys need a little extra practice. I made this freebie to practice rounding to the nearest 10. You can find it here.

I hope that you all are enjoying this weekend! We have had some beautiful warm weather here in Tennessee. Perfect game day weather for the Vols!

Have a great week!

Getting a Little Mushy

So you know the saying, "It takes a small village to raise a child..."? Well I have come to the conclusion that it truly takes a small village to set up a classroom. Every year, without fail, my entire family plays some part in helping set up my room.

Today, my sweet mom came by (and brought me lunch I might add) to help cut out all the dreaded laminated "stuff." I used to like to cut out all the glossy laminated paper. I got really tired of it really fast. Thankfully, I have a mom who still likes to cut it all out for me. Not only did she sit and cut it out, but she took a huge bag home with her to finish.

In all seriousness, I am so very thankful that I have the support of my family. They cheer me on all year. They are especially encouraging when I am discouraged. I am so blessed and so thankful for all their love and support.

Teachers could not do it without the support of loved ones. Thank you to all those who support us and cheer us on!

Some Reading Resources

As I look through all the reading skills I have to teach, I am feeling overwhelmed with all I need to create. Then I realized that I do not have to create everything.

Here are some great freebies from other teachers that I use in my classroom. Click on the links to be directed to these awesome resources!



[From Pitner's Potpourri]




[From The Third Grade Gridiron]




[From One Extra Degree]



[From Classroom Compulsion]

Feeling a Little Overwhelmed

So I have truly been avoiding going into my classroom this summer. I just have not been able to bring myself to go into that building quite yet...until today. I finally worked up the energy to go in and get some work done.

Our amazing custodians have worked so hard to get our rooms ready for the kids coming back on August 12th. My floors are sparkling! I am so thankful for all their hard work.

When I went in today, I realized just how much I have to do before all my kiddos come back for the year. I had planned to do LOTS of laminating to get centers prepared. Unfortunately, both the machines were jammed. Instead, I started reorganizing my furniture to get it the way I wanted. It always is like a puzzle getting all the furniture to fit just the way it should.

Thankfully, I left my room feeling motivated. I have spent the rest of my day making my plans for reading. Thankfully we have full access online to our new reading program (Reading Street). I wish we had out textbooks in, but I will settle for the online access for now.

With all this motivation (maybe just stress), I have made another activity for a reading center.

This goes with Reading Street Unit 1, Story 3 (Kumak's Fish).

The skill is finding the meanings of unknown words.




Get your own copy of my activity here.

Thanks!

Getting Organized

So while I spend a lot of time working on planning and creating for my 3rd grade classroom, I also spend time trying to stay organized in my personal life.

One area where I am currently needing LOTS of help is in my menu planning/grocery shopping. I find that I am at the grocery store WAY too often. I really hate wasting my time being there. I need a way to streamline my planning and shopping to save time and money. I have been looking online and have found some really great stuff through Pinterest.

Here are some of my favorite freebies...

This one from the blog Artsy-Fartsy Mama is cute and simple.

You can get this here.

One set I like comes in 4 different colored chevron layouts. Super cute!! These 4 come from the Cupcake Diaries.

Grab these here!

There are so many great menu planners available online, but these are two that I thought seemed to be very helpful.


Of course I had to contribute! I made a couple of freebies as well. Hopefully these will be helpful to your planning and organization of meals!


Here are some weekly planners for you to use.

To get my freebies, click here.

Credits:
Font-Kevin and Amanda
Graphics-Clipart Cuties (find her things here and here)
More Graphics-The Wizard of Boz (find her things here)

Binder Cover Freebie

As teachers, we get a lot thrown at us. Every. Single. Day.

Sometimes I feel like I cannot keep up with all the paperwork.

I have a terrible fear that I am going to misplace something very important. Always.

In an effort to stay organized, I try to have binders that I keep up with and that are clearly labeled. Very important.

If you would like a freebie, I have one just for you! I always have a "Classroom Information" binder. I keep important papers/information on my students and my classroom routines here. Nothing confidential since I leave it out for subs.

So if you would like a colorful, cheery binder cover, go here to get your freebie!

[The download comes with the 3 color options.]

Free Printable

I love free. I love printables. I love chevron.

If you love all these things as well, then this is a freebie for you!

Grab it here if you would like!


[Please let me know if you have any trouble with it. I do not normally use GoogleDocs.]

Credits:
Font: Kevin and Amanda; Fonts by Kimberly Geswein
Chevron: Mel Stampz
Clip Art: Lettering Delights

Contraction Cupcakes

I am keeping myself busy making new goodies for my classroom next year!

Here is a simple activity to use as a center in your room. Just laminate and cut it all out (so fun, right?).

One of our 3rd grade skills is contractions. I made this colorful matching activity to reinforce this skill.

I have included 18 contraction cupcakes. The students match the tops (the contractions) to the bottoms (the two words) to form a complete cupcake.



You can grab your activity here.

A Little Spelling Activity

Here is a simple activity that can be used in a spelling center. I used the spelling words from Unit 1, Week 2 3rd Grade Reading Street.

Even if you do not use Reading Street, this activity can work great in your classroom! Understanding the endings -s, -es, and -ies are integral skills in 3rd grade curriculum.



To grab this activity, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store here.

I have been having a lot of fun making new things for my kiddos next year. I really hope that some of my ideas are helpful to you and your classroom.

Another Reading Street Freebie

Today I have been in the mood to do some school stuff, so I figured I might as well take advantage of it! One of the skills within the first week is homonyms. I made this matching game as a center for my 3rd graders.




To get this freebie, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store here and get the freebie. If you think of it, please leave your feedback. Thanks!

Common Core...All the Buzz

I am sure that you (like I am) are tired of hearing about Common Core. We have spent so much time and energy trying understand this shift within our district. This summer I have a 3 day training on Common Core within reading (happy summer break to me!).

I am in my 2nd full week of summer break, so I am slowly letting my mind start to think about school once again. The first week of break, I just cannot even go there.

Our county has adopted Scott Foresman Reading Street for next year. While we have not received our actual textbooks or teacher editions, we have online access. So far, I think I like the series. It is very technology integrated which I think is great!

As I have started planning for next year, I have been trying to develop some center activities for my room.

Unit 1, Week 1 (When Charlie McButton Lost Power) focuses on VCCV patterns for spelling. I developed some activities that I have listed on Teachers Pay Teachers. If you need some VCCV practice for your kids, check this packet out!



If you would like to check this packet out, click here!

Also, here is a little FREEBIE! I made spelling cards and a VERY basic spelling test.



Get your freebie here!

Pinterest

I use Pinterest everyday. A lot. Maybe a little too much. I use it for every corner of my life...but especially for my classroom. I find so many great ideas every time I browse.

If you teach 3rd grade, I have lots of good finds thanks to those I follow (hopefully some that are new to you). I love seeing what other teachers are doing in their classrooms! It is so fun to see the creativity of other teachers.

http://pinterest.com/hannahls87/for-my-3rd-grade-classroom/