After the snow, there's always Five For Friday!

Hello there!  Welcome to my weekly edition of:

Morning Messages

Well, the groundhog saw his shadow which means six more weeks of winter, and now we are having QUITE THE WINTER!  Last week we got over a foot; a few more inches today (Saturday), and now they're predicting another foot of snow Sunday night.

Virtual Visit With Author Maria Dismondy

A huge thank you goes to the vivacious and entertaining author Maria Dismondy!  I won this virtual visit on Instagram, and the third graders enjoyed every minute of our visit.  Check out Maria's "spaghetti on a hot dog bun" hat:

Click on the hat to visit Maria's web site!

The book, Spaghetti on a Hot Dog Bun, has even been made into a musical!

Maria even read her new - only available by preorder - book to the third graders:

Click on the image to read more at Amazon.

This book tells the story of two children who bicker/argue/disagree all the time.  When they realize their lonely neighbor has such a quiet life, they invite her to their home for a dinner party.  This neighbor teaches the children how to make paczkis ~ Polish donuts.  By the way, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday (February 27th) is Paczki Day (you can read more here.)

Maria also shared that she was a teacher for twelve years.  During her teaching career, she had a student who spoke no English.  She tells the story of this students in Chocolate Milk, Por Favor.  Maria actually started writing books because she couldn't find books that met her needs as a teacher. Now she's an amazing and famous author!  WOW!

TIGER ( (Theater Integrating Guidance, Education, and Responsibility)Assembly

Plymouth State University has a non-profit theatrical group that performs a variety of feel empowered programs for students.  Check out this information from their web site:

TIGER offers original exciting professional productions created from the writings of children from across the state to your K-8 school.  I’ve Got Your Back, Just Between Friends, Let Your Star Shine, and Alex’s Story.  Each production is designed to help children deal with the difficult social issues faced in schools today through music, theatre, puppets, dance and lots of positive, affirming messages.

The kids were thoroughly engaged throughout the whole program which involved audience participation, singing and role playing.  Click on the picture or here to learn more!

Give Me Five Adjectives!

This is one of my favorite activities of the year ~ Hand Adjectives!  I saw this idea at a Haitian High School in Delray Beach, Florida, many years ago.  Of course, I borrowed it and made it my own.  You can download it for free here.

First, the students list five positive adjectives about themselves and give two reasons to support their adjective choice.  Check out the finished product:

Each hand is totally different.  Plus, this project boost self-esteem!

Tieks Giveaway!A Rafflecopter Giveaway!

I've saved the best news for last.  I'm participating in a $200 Tieks Rafflecopter giveaway!

Click here to read more on the Conversations in the Classroom blog or on the above image to enter this amazing raffle!

 Good luck!

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Four Day Week Five For Friday!

 Hello!  Thanks for checking in for another edition of Doodle Bugs':

Morning Messages

This week's messages focused on a variety of holidays:

 I get most of my holiday ideas on this site.  I then try to connect the holiday to what we're learning in class. 

 *On the day I wrote about Kid Inventors Day, we received our Dyson Ideas Box.  So far, we've read about how Mr. Dyson made over 5,000 vacuums before he finalized the design on his final product. 

*The popcorn poem fit in perfectly with our "I have, who has?" game because the questions were about matter and physical properties. (Click here for the Popcorn poem Pin.).

*We've also been reading books that are in the running for this year's Caldecott Medal (read more in this post).  

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Projects

We have been loving directed drawings!  This time we drew Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (click here to check it out). 

After drawing, we watched Movie of the Week on Brain Pop Jr.  Then we read about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (I used this resource.)  Finally, the kids wrote about Dr. Martin Luther King as we are working on informational writing.  I find that directed drawing is inspiring the kids to want to write ~ plus each drawing is so unique!

Clara Barton Assembly

We just loved learning about Clara Barton who was a strong woman ahead of her time.  She worked hard as a teacher and an advocate for disadvantaged and needy people.  Eventually, she founded the American Red Cross:

Sheryl Faye, the actress who portrayed Clara Barton, did an amazing job telling about Clara's life and achievements.  She made several wardrobe changes and even answered questions at the end.  If you'd like to read more about this excellent experience, check it out here.

Karate Demonstration

Sensei Herman and his crew delighted the third graders with a karate demonstration.  Two teachers - Ms. Aufiero and Ms. Verlhurst ~ even broke wood:

Thanks to Elite Freestyle Karate for this interesting and educational demonstration!

Dyson Ideas Box

When I went to the office on Tuesday, I found a BIG box addressed to me ~ how exciting ~ our Ideas Box had arrived.  Here's the information directly from the James Dyson Foundation web site:

By the time today’s students graduate college, the US will need 1.65 million engineers. To create the engineers of tomorrow, math and science class need to be exciting. But teaching engaging science lessons can be overwhelming for busy teachers.
The James Dyson Foundation developed the Ideas Box to challenge students to find inspiration in everyday objects and develop ideas. To identify problems and use their creativity to find solutions. The Box helps teachers nurture the skills needed for the next generation of engineers.
The Ideas Box is a product analysis and design kit to teach engineering. It also has links to literacy, math and business. It includes:

• 1 Dyson Air Multiplier™ fan as a case study
• Teacher’s Pack with lesson plans and instructions
• Posters for the classroom

The Box and training materials are available to classrooms completely free of charge. The Box is loaned to a school for 4 weeks at a time. It’s ideally suited for students in 4th-6th grade but can be adapted for any classroom.

If you want to request the Ideas Box, click here.

That's it for now ~ have a wonderful weekend!

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Five For Friday - December Arrives!

Happy December!  Welcome to another edition of:

with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

 Morning Messages

I only remembered to take pictures of three of my Morning Messages last week so I included a picture of the message that is on the whiteboard, too:

This week we are working on visualizing, and I think this poem has very vivid images - especially around here where the trees are bare, and the remaining leaves are crunchy!

On the half day, teachers had the opportunity to work on report cards which go home next Friday.  It's amazing that the first trimester is already over!

Thankful Turkey

I managed to forget to take a picture of this fun activity last week in which each student decorates a turkey feather and writes what he/she is thankful for:

I love how each student personalizes their turkey feather!


You can check this free activity here.

 Gingerbread Exchange

We are participating in a Gingerbread Exchange which involves writing a letter about our state and decorating a gingerbread person.  We then send off our creations to 22 other classes from around the USA, and they send us their creations.  So far, we have received one gingerbread from a school in Putnam, CT.

The kids wrote detailed and interesting letters - they even used their Social Studies books!

Here's the sad part - I was so busy marveling at their creativity that I forgot to take pictures!  Luckily, two students are still finishing up so I can take pictures of their letters and gingerbread person next week!

In the meantime, here are last year's examples:

Holiday Music From Around The World

We had an assembly about Holiday Music From Around the World put on by Bright Star Theatre based in Asheville, NC:

My favorite part was the Chinese New Year Dragon Dance (picture on bottom right).

December Style Challenge


To prevent getting bored with my clothes, I like to follow Wear What Where December Style Challenge on Instagram:

It's a fun way to pick out my outfits every day ~ try to check it out!

Have the most wonderful weekend for the most wonderful time of the year!

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