Finally ~ Five For Friday ~ on the Last Day of April!

Hello there!  I'm so happy you're checking in today!  I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for Five For Friday!







Morning Messages


This week I've decided to put some full-size versions of my Morning Messages so you can see them more clearly and easily.  Also, I'm hoping to write a blog post about how I incorporate academics into every Morning Message.









Click here for the source of the poem about adding doubles.



MCAS Testing ~ Complete!

We had three days of state testing last week, and the kids worked so hard.  As I was walking around, I noticed several of them looking back in the story.  I really emphasized the importance of doing this during the test.  I'm so proud of my students that I made this graphic on Canva.




After I published it, I realized that I forgot the apostrophe after the "s," in "graders" ~ oh, well...



Massachusetts in the American Revolution ~ The Boston Massacre

Here's another slide from my new Powerpoint:

                          (THE PART ABOVE IS PART OF THE POWERPOINT.  CLICK THE 
                            LINKS BELOW!)

Here's the BEST news: click here to watch the perfect accompaniment to the Boston Massacre.  This video uses Legos, and it's really well done!


Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Our whole class is reading this book together because I have a class set of these books, and we're really enjoying it:




We've loved reading about Yard Ape and the Hard-Boiled Egg Fad. 
Dislocated Hip

My husband has had both of his hips replaced due to hip dysplasia (read more here.)  When you google this condition, most of the entries deal with dogs!

On Friday he was putting on his shoes when one of his hips came out of the socket.  He ended up calling 911 and ended up having the emergency room doctor putting the hip back in its socket.  In the meantime, I'm bringing him to see his orthopedic at the New England Baptist Hospital to see what the next step is:




In the meantime, he's supposed to use crutches and rest; and we're all waiting on him and giving him lots of attention.  I'll let you know what the doctor says next week. 

Make sure to head over to:

http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2017/04/five-for-friday-april-28th.html

for more great teaching news!


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Florida Style Five For Friday!

Hello from the Sunshine State!  I've enjoyed spending time in and around the Delray Beach area!  Now presenting:




Introducing My Aunt!

The real reason I'm here on vacation is to visit my aunt ~ my mother's sister:


I haven't seen my aunt for ages because she has Alzheimers and can no longer travel.  She is in a facility right here in Delray, and I've been visiting quite often.  She loves to jabber non-stop, and I try to pick up on one word so I can continue the "conversation."

My family and I used to come to this area during February vacation to visit my father-in-law and my aunt and uncle.  My aunt and I had a tradition of going to the Ross in Boynton Beach for a shopping spree.  I bought this hat there, and my aunt LOVES the hat!

It's such a gift and honor for me that I am having this opportunity to visit with her!


The Everglades

This is my third time visiting the Everglades, and I LOVE the whole experience:  the air boat ride, the scenery, the animals and birds:


The alligators in the alligator show include "nuisance" alligators who go into residential areas and need to be removed.  These people do not kill the alligators which is what other alligator control people do ~ these alligators get to participate in these shows.  According to the person, an alligator's brain is the size of a walnut, and "that's being generous."  In addition, the alligators eat chicken once a week.

I'm hoping to write a whole blog post about the Everglades because I'm so fascinated about this area.


Wakodahatchee Wetlands

This was the number one activity to do in Delray Beach, and we had never heard of this place which is a nature preserve.  The main attraction are the wood storks ~ threatened birds that make quite a bit of noise.  They have even managed to drive out most of the herons:


If you're ever near Delray, this is an amazing place to visit!


Puttin' Around ~ Mini Golf Fun

My husband and I played two full rounds of mini golf at this fun Florida-themed course.  I just love the Florida version of snowflakes!




Crocheted Trees

I found these cool crocheted tree coverings in front of the Delray Town Hall:


Some day, when I take up crocheting, I can crochet sweater for the trees in my yard instead of granny square afghans!

Right now I'm sitting at the airport waiting for my flight back home ~ which is delayed ~ of course!  We'll hopefully be leaving at 10:01 p.m.!

Make sure to check in for more Five For Friday news here:

http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2017/04/five-for-friday-april-21.html


Have a wonderful weekend!

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Show and Tell ~ April!


Happy Tuesday from sunny Delray Beach, Florida!  In addition to enjoying a wonderful vacation, I'm linking up with Forever in Fifth Grade for:


http://foreverinfifthgrade.blogspot.com/2017/04/show-tell-tuesday-its-testing-season.html




Flamingo Love

Before I loved watermelons, I was obsessed with flamingos.  While walking down scenic Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach where I'm currently on vacation, I spotted this in a store window:






If I used an umbrella, I would definitely want this one!


Click here to see LOTS of flamingo gifts!  These would be great for Mother's Day gifts, too! 


Using Canva to Make Covers for TPT/Social Media

Yesterday was an official holiday in Massachusetts and Maine only ~ it was Patriot's Day ~ to celebrate the start of the American Revolution.  I'm also in the process of developing a new TPT product centered around this major event, and I made this cover product on Canva.




Worth Sharing

I do love my Instagram (click here to follow me).  This post by Guide~Teach~Inspire touched my heart so I wanted to pass it along:



In closing...

Today we're going on an airboat tour of the Everglades ~ this will be my third time going ~ have you been there?

Thanks for visiting today ~ have a terrific day!
 
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Happy Passover! Happy Easter! Happy Patriots' Day!

Just think ~ if you lived in Massachusetts or Maine, you would have an official Monday holiday to observe Patriots' Day to honor the first battles of the Revolutionary War.  In Wisconsin, schools are supposed to educate students about this important event in American history.  I'm feeling lucky to live in Massachusetts these days.

I'm also lucky to link up with Doodle Bugs for:

http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2017/04/five-for-friday-april-14th.html


Morning Messages

This week we continued on with suffixes and Douglas Florian poetry:




On Display in the Hallway

The kids made these adorable cloud/fraction crafts (you can check this activity out here):


To supplement, I cut out my Doug Florian poems from my Morning Messages ~ adorable!  Special thanks to Mrs. Borselli for hanging out the clouds!


Student Authors!

A few weeks ago I read New Nonsense from the North ~ a book written by third graders:


My students - Isabella, Sierra and Paige - loved this book so much that they made their own version at recess, no less!  I thought it was so original and creative that I had to feature it here!


Massachusetts in the American Revolution

We have started learning all about the reasons for the American Revolution like the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party:



I'm in the process of making a new Powerpoint to accompany this new chapter in Social Studies.



Amazing You Tube History Videos Using Legos!

Thanks to my students who have their very own You Tube channels, I decided to investigate myself and came up this perfect video about the Boston Massacre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxDV6frUnKc


Click here or on the picture to watch the video.

Enjoy your weekend!                 
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Unicorn Day ~ Five For Friday!

There are advantages to being late ~ especially since today is:

http://www.clipartlord.com/category/fantasy-clip-art/unicorn-clip-art/

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

http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2017/04/five-for-friday-april-7th.html


 Morning Messages With A Poetry Theme
I'm a huge fan of Poet Doug Florian and enjoy using his poetry in my Morning Messages:



These poem come from this book:

https://www.amazon.com/swim-Douglas-Florian/dp/0152024379/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1491758773&sr=8-13&keywords=douglas+florian
Click on book cover to read more at Amazon.

Opinion Writing ~ Planting the Seeds

Last week I introduced opinion writing with the acronym OREO:

O = opinion

R = reason

E = explain

O = opinion (restated)

We started out the day with an alphabetical paper with different pets which segued into the question "What is the best pet for you?"  Of course, some kids didn't want to choose a pet so I let them give an opinion on an animal.  Here's Taylor's piece:


You can tell we've just finished up our expert writing which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.

The next day I followed up with a Morning Message (again from a Doug Florian book) about Komodo dragons:






Top Secret Science

Thanks for our generous PTO, we had a Visit from Top Secret Science :

The kids had a blast making all kinds of experiments:


Here are two PTO moms waiting to help out with all the supplies:





Comparing Fractions

We continue to learn more about fractions every day.  Last week we learned how to compare them:


I got this marvelous idea on Pinterest!  You can check out the original Pin here!

My student, Ava, is getting this adorable puppy!

I just have to show this picture of my student's puppy.  His name is Charlie, and she'll be bringing him home soon:



How adorable and cute is he!

That's it for this week ~ have a wonderful week!  Thank you so much for visiting today!


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