Five For Friday - Draft Style!



Hello!  It's time to link-up with Doodle Bugs for:


http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2016/08/five-for-friday-link-up-august-19th.html
.

This week I decided to go back and check all my drafts.  I picked some of the highlights that could be helpful now that it's Back to School.





Here's a post about teaching plants:

Check out these anchor charts that cover the information studied so far.  I love anchor charts!  To review for the quiz that the kids have this Wednesday, I use a web site called Quizlet that allows you to generate review questions for any material, and it's FREE!  Check out this link to learn more:  http://quizlet.com/






 On the rug, the kids are sharing stories about a memorable time when they lost a tooth.  A few weeks ago, we read the book:  Throw Your Tooth on the Roof:  Traditions from Around the World by Selby B. Beeler.
  This book is very informative - I know that I learned quite a lot about different tooth traditions.  In some countries, people bury their teeth, use their teeth to make jewelry, and yes, some people actually do throw their teeth on their roof.  Here are some student work samples:
 I have to give credit for this idea to a third grade teacher in Whitman, MA who posted the idea on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Here is the link so you can download her lesson:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREEBIE-Throw-Your-Tooth-on-the-Roof-Reading-Organizer-287099.  Also, I have added a link to Third Grade Cupcakes so you can visit this talented teacher's blog to get more of her creative ideas.









  I started reading a new chapter book - The New Kid by Mavis Jukes - while the kids eat snack.  One of the extra projects the teacher in the book assigns is to make a list of 75 onomatopoeia words and put the words in alphabetical order.  As a reward, the student can earn a homework pass.  Consequently, I offered to do the same because I honestly thought that the assignment would be much too challenging.  Well, I stand corrected - several of my students are compiling a list of these words, and I will very gladly award them a homework pass for their hard work.




Original Post Date = September 14, 2013

Last week I read a terrific, new book - Clark the Shark - by Bruce Hale.  I did try to get the book from my local library, but since it's so new, I had to buy it.  I will say, however, that this book is worth the price because it's funny, and most importantly, it teaches a worthwhile lesson.



As you can tell from the cover, Clark is a big shark. He causes problems at school due to his large size and appetite.  The other students in class try to give him advice so he'll stop eating their lunches or pushing them too high in the swings, but Clark can't help himself.  Additionally, Clark has a very kind teacher who tries to advise him on how to change his behavior.  Eventually, the students in the class meet up with a group of bullies, and Clark comes to the rescue and becomes a hero. 

My students LOVED this book! 

As a follow-up activity, we made a class book called - We Follow The Rules.  I found this activity on TPT, and you can check it out here:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lets-Learn-the-Rules-with-Clark-the-Shark-A-Class-Book-841887

I highly recommend this book as a read-aloud for any time when kids need a reminder/review of rules.  Enjoy!



I just got my flu shot from my son, Andrew, who is a pharmacy intern at CVS.  He says it takes two to three weeks to kick in, and I go back to school in two weeks.  Perfect!

Enjoy this beautiful summer weekend!




p.s.  I'm looking to update my blog template.  Do any of you have any recommendations for a blog designer?  Thank you!
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Five Books To Pick Up Now!

I'm late again, and I've mostly been cleaning this week.  I call this type of cleaning - profound cleaning - because I only do this once a year - washing windows, cleaning under the beds and couches,...It's time consuming and thankless, but someone has to do it. 

This week I'm sharing some new book discoveries.  I get most of my books from the library, but I've included links to Amazon (just click on the picture of the book) so that you can read more detailed summaries and reviews of each book.  That's why I am linking up with five books for Doodle Bugs':

http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2016/08/five-for-friday-link-up-august-12th.html


I just finished this book and enjoyed reading every page:

https://www.amazon.com/Truly-Madly-Guilty-Liane-Moriarty/dp/1250069793/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471121258&sr=1-1&keywords=truly+madly+guilty

Liane Moriarty's book flow so nicely, and she reveals information bit by bit so you can't put the book down.  This book tells the tale of two best friends:  Clementine and Erica.  Erica's mother is a hoarder, and as a result, Erica had a difficult childhood.  Luckily, Clementine's family unofficially adopted Erica, but both friends have challenging situations to overcome.  This book is definitely worth reading!

Ever since seeing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar speak at the Democratic National Convention, I've been impressed with his speaking, and now I discovered today that he is an author:

https://www.amazon.com/What-Color-World-African-American-Inventors/dp/0763664421/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471121385&sr=1-2&keywords=kareem+abdul-jabbar+books


I love learning about inventions because inventors have the creativity and perseverance to solve problems.  Also, Alfred Cralle invented the ice cream scoop in 1897, and what would we do without this important invention?  This book is full of fun and interesting facts!


Olympig is a timely book, but it tells an inspiring and hopeful story for any time of the year.  Boomer the Pig keeps on losing races, but he maintains a positive attitude.  This would be an excellent book to share after recess or physical education when winning becomes an issue.

https://www.amazon.com/Olympig-Victoria-Jamieson/dp/1101997796/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471121808&sr=1-1&keywords=olympig




You can't go wrong with a great collection of poetry!  I love incorporating poems into my Morning Messages, and this book is chock full of interesting poems that would be perfect for fluency practice and just for fun!  The illustrations are colorful, too!

https://www.amazon.com/Forget-Me-Nots-Poems-Mary-Ann-Hoberman/dp/031612947X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471122078&sr=1-1&keywords=forget+me+nots

The person in charge of selecting these poems is Mary Ann Hoberman.


This non-fiction picture book tells what really happened to Ivan. 


https://www.amazon.com/Ivan-Remarkable-Story-Shopping-Gorilla/dp/0544252306/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471125010&sr=1-1&keywords=ivan+the+remarkable+true+story+of+the+shopping+mall+gorilla

If you've read the chapter book, The One and Only Ivan, this book pairs perfectly with it.  In the back, there are even real pictures of the real Ivan.

Can anyone recommend a blog designer who can fix/update my blog?


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Show and Tell - August

Happy Tuesday!  It's a perfect time to link up with Stephanie from Forever in Fifth Grade for: for:


http://foreverinfifthgrade.blogspot.com/2016/08/show-tell-tuesday-heading-back-to-school.html

We don't start school until after Labor Day where I teach so I'm still focused on vacation - that's why I'll be talking more about summer vs. back to school.




Last year my sister told me about cairns (pronounced Karens), and I had never even heard of them.  Now that I know what they are - piles or towers of rocks - I see them everywhere!  When we went to Acadia two weeks ago, we saw cairns everywhere:



Check out the cairn on the left - it's an amazing example of a keystone.  The family who made this cairn told me that they had spotted the triangular rock, and they knew it would be a perfect rock to hold up their tower.


According to my sister, cairns were built to memorialize someone, but I just read a whole article on Wikipedia and learned so much more about these rock structures.  Cairns have been around for a LONG time and were used to help people find their way in areas where there are few landmarks or where there is a lot of snow.  Since cairns are tall, people can see them above the snow.  Cairns are also used to memorialize people.  Plus, now that it's summer and beach weather, you can see these cairns everywhere!




Ben Franklin was the youngest son and his sister, Jane, was the youngest daughter in a large colonial family in Boston.  Their family nicknamed them Benny and Jenny.  When they grew up, Ben and Jane wrote letters to each other, and this book details many of their letters.  My favorite parts of this book occurred when Jane lived through the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere's Ride, the Battle and Bunker Hill and the Declaration of Independence.  What an amazing time to be alive!  If you love history and primary source, check out this non-fiction book by Harvard history professor Jill Lepore:



https://www.amazon.com/Book-Ages-Life-Opinions-Franklin/dp/0307948838/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470686982&sr=8-1&keywords=book+of+ages+the+life+and+opinions+of+jane+franklin+by+jill+lepore

Click here or on the book to read more about this book on Amazon.






Finally, I have to admit that I do think about Back to School; after all, it's the second week of August, and all the stores are full of school supplies,...I did manage to snag a few items:






My favorite purchase is the pencil banner from the Target Dollar Spot - it's as cute as you've heard.  The bear, book and fox notebook will go home with the Line Leader for the week. Students write in the notebook about their adventures with the bear.

That's it for now!  Thanks for checking in!




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Five For Friday For The First Week Of August!

Hello there!  Summer is the season that passes the quickest, and with good reason - there is so much to accomplish.  I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs to highlight this week's accomplishments!


http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2016/08/five-for-friday-link-up-august-5th.html


 My biggest accomplishment was completing my paper for my Mapping Boston In the American Revolution course.  My lesson centered around mapping the Boston Tea Party - the route from the Old South Meeting House to Griffin's Wharf:



 This is an enlarged section of the Bonner Map of Boston (click here to see the whole map).  The Old South Meeting House is at the corner of Cornhill and Milk Streets.  Griffin's Wharf got cut out in this picture.  The lesson plan would involve mapping the route the Sons of Liberty took.

If you want to see the location of the Old State House, it's on the upper end of King Street.

As a follow-up activity, I'd love to recreate colonial Boston.  Here's the display from the Old South Meeting House:



Click here to see a Boston Tea Party diorama on Pinterest.

I read about this great book in another blog, and I had to buy it for myself:


The Animal Planet Animal Atlas is amazing and colorful.  It's full of fascinating facts and close-up pictures of so many animals.  I picked the pictures of the moose and the puffin because I want to see those animals in real life - maybe some day!  Click here to check it out on Amazon!






When we were at Old South Meeting House, I visited the gift shop to get book ideas:


My favorite book was the Freedom Trail Pop-Up Book, but I just checked on Amazon, and it costs $25.  Maybe I'll save that purchase for when/if I get a gift card. 


On Thursday I went to visit a friend in York Beach.  We went to Short Sands Beach.  It was high tide with BIG waves! 

Last, but not least, I went shopping at TPT!  I bought five items, but I'll only share two:

Readers Workshop 3rd Grade Units of Study BUNDLE

Readers Workshop 3rd Grade Units of Study BUNDLE

Click on the picture to check it out!
AND
 Emergency Substitute Plans for 3rd Grade BUNDLE (3 Sets)
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