Happy Amazing April!

Happy April!  Today I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites!

National Poetry Month!

I love April because it is the gateway to spring.  Of course, here in Massachusetts, winter lasts throughout April (it was actually snowing last Tuesday), but there is hope in the air.  In addition, it is National Poetry Month.  Click here to check out a web site that is full of great poems and to get a free copy of this poster!

Click here or on the poster to download for free!

One of my very favorite poets is Doug Florian.  His poems are wry and colorful.  He has many books.  Here is one example:

Click on book cover to read more at Amazon.

Books to Check Out!

Some other books I have read recently and would recommend include:

Click here or on the cover to read more at Goodreads.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which you should read before seeing the movie (I saw that, too).  The book explains about Dr. Ryland Grace and scientists' quest to save the Earth from "astrophage" ~ a bacteria that is taking the heat from the sun and will cause Earth to freeze and die.  The book explains the whole process in details which are not explained in the movie.  Plus, Dr. Grace meets and collaborates with an alien, Rocky, who is also trying to save his own planet from the same fate as Earth.

Click here or on the cover to read more at Goodreads.

With all that is going on in the world and in Iran, this book is very of the moment.  I loved reading about how life was in Iran in the 1950's and 1960's. 

This book tells the story of two childhood friends:  Ellie and Homa.  They both grow up in Tehran and end up at the same high school.  Ellie ends up moving to the United States where her husband becomes a college professor while Homa stays in Tehran and becomes a political activist.  I really enjoyed the story of friendship and how Ellie and Homa help each other out in ways they could never have imagined. 

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

This is the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War.  I always loved teaching all about the reasons for the American Revolution like the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party:

I recently updated and improved a slide deck titled:  Massachusetts in the American Revolution which you can check out here!

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:

Click here or on the picture to watch the video.

That's it for this week ~ have a wonderful week!  Thank you so much for visiting today!  Make sure to click on the below graphic to check out more great blogs!

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Currently ~ Awesome April!

Happy April everyone!  I am delighted to link up with Anne in Residence for:

Sharing 
  
I have settled on a Google Classroom routine.  Every morning I share a Morning Message; a Google Forms questionnaire; a math activity and a reading one.  Here is my latest Morning Message:

 
Writing

I used to write often in my dog's blog, but then I just stopped.  Thanks to my students requesting more blog posts, I finally wrote a new and timely post that you can read here.

Even our pets need to practice social distancing!









Wishing

My wish for myself, my family and
all for friends is staying healthy.
That's what I am thankful for every day.







Investigating

I am trying to decide what to read next and where to buy the book.  I am so sad that I can't go to the library, and I NEVER buy books.  I had a gift card to Barnes and Noble, but they charge for delivery (unlike most retailers who now offer free delivery!).  Right now I'm reading this book:

I'm enjoying it, but I'm trying to read it slowly until I have a new book on the horizon.  

Do you have any must-read books to recommend?


Buying

Well, I'm going to have to buy a book, but other than that I've been buying groceries on line.  My husband and I went to pick up my daughter who works in New York City.  Due to that excursion, we are quarantining and isolating for 14 days ~ which we should be doing anyway.  I actually enjoy ordering from Whole Foods IF I can get a delivery window!  That's not very easy with everyone deciding/having to order food online.  

Well, I'm hoping that you are all surviving in this strange, new world!  Thank you for visiting the blog today and checking in!

 

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone!  It's an exciting week with a lot of family and food to look forward to!  I'm excited to share some news from my neck of the woods!

Decoupage Plate


Right now there are endless Holiday Fairs which include crafts, baked goods and White Elephant Tables.  Yesterday I picked up this most adorable plate:

Here's the best part ~ if you're crafty ~ unlike me ~ you can make these plates on your own!  Click here to check out the directions!


Poetry That Makes Sense!

Last week I was looking for a poem for a Morning Message when I came across this delightful site: Treecards


We created treecards to help enrich the act of sharing and receiving greeting cards. The purpose of this blog is to share poems, sentiments and ideas that will help you express yourself each time your share a greeting card.
If you would like to contact us feel free to send us an email at martin@tree.cards.



Poetry and Traits

I am a HUGE fan of Doug Florian's poetry.  His poems are witty and wry.  I use them frequently in my Morning Messages, and last week I used two of them and connected them with what we're learning in Science:

I got the above poems from the book, Beast Feast (click here to check it out on Amazon)!

 Today I'm linking up with:

As always, thank you for visiting and enjoy this short week and Thanksgiving!
 

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Long time, no blogging, but I'm finally back!

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend!  I'm so happy to be blogging as well as linking up with Anna Nuttall's Bloggers Link-Up and The Blended Blog for Friday Features!

Super Artist Rob Surette Visits!

On Friday our PTO treated our school to an amazing assembly in which extremely talented artist Rob Surette painted and put on an inspirational and moving assembly:

How can you make the longest paper chain?

We've been working on measuring and drawing lines using rulers.  One afternoon I gave each student a piece of 8.5 by 11 inch paper.  Then I told them to make the longest paper chain possible.  Several students used their rulers which made me so happy!

Click here to get FREE directions for this activity.

Welcome Winter ~ Whether We Like It Or Not!

As I sit here writing, the first snow of the winter is starting to fall.  I always enjoy incorporating poetry by my favorite poet, Doug Florian, in my morning messages.

It's Nice To Be Important....


The day after I used this Morning Message, I asked the kids to tell me what their parents always tell them.  The next day, many of my students came back with the following answer:  "Clean your room." 

Did your parents ever tell you the same message over and over?  I always heard this one, too:  "Freckles are a sign of beauty."

Please feel free to leave me a message to let me know!  

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Looking Back on Favorites ~ 2017 in Review!

Happy Boxing Day!  Today I'm linking up with Andrea of Momfessionals fame for:

All Time Favorite ~ January Currently Link-Up

I'm always on the lookout for a good link-up, and the one hosted by Anne In Residence is worth checking out!

In this post I talk about my annual resolution ~ keeping my desk neat at school.  Of course, I'll be making the same resolution again...

Next Up ~ The Commonwealth Museum = State Museum of Massachusetts!

Last year, the third graders at my school visited this amazing museum for free!

Most states have a state museum or historical society that could provide free field trips or resources for you and your students ~ check this out to make sure you're not missing out on any opportunities!

Read the original post here.

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.

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:

Click here or on the picture to watch the video. 

It's really a great video if you're studying the Boston Massacre!  

Click here to read the whole post!

Favorite Conversations From The Classroom (a Collaborative Blog) Post

Last January, I wrote a post about National Braille Literacy Month!

In addition, I made the above graphic on Canva which is a perfect and easy to use site to make any type of graphic!

The Last Favorite Post Goes To Unicorn Day 

This fun post highlights one of my favorite poets - Doug Florian:

Going back to check out past blog posts was a perfect opportunity to look back over 2017 to see all the great activities and opportunities we had.  I hope you'll link-up or check out Andrea's Momfessionals blog and link-up!

What is a favorite memory you have from 2017?  Please let me know in the comments!

Thank you for visiting the blog today!

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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:

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:

Click here or on the picture to watch the video.

Enjoy your weekend!                 

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