Mentor Text- Poor Pluto

It is a rainy Sunday here is New York.  I am curled up on the couch watching TV and wearing my PJs.  I figured it was a perfect time to link up with the cute girls at Collaboration Cuties for their Mentor Text linky Party.  This we it is science books!

  

Science is my favorite subject to teach and my favorite topic is the Solar System.  I grew up and their were nine planets.   I was sad when Pluto was no considered a major planet any more.  I was introduced to the book Poor Pluto by a student of mine.  I read it to the class and they loved it!

This book was written by a third grade class in California as part of Scholastic Kids are Author's program.  The book is about a class who learns that Pluto is no longer a planet.  They wanted to make sure Pluto did not get to lonely out in space.  They decide to build a rocket and go get Pluto and bring him back to Earth.  Pluto soon gets sad and misses his friends, the class devise a plan to but him back in space.

My students loved this book because it was written by kids their age and they were also sad Pluto was no longer a major planet!  It is a fun book and I would suggest checking it out!

Make sure you check out Collaboration Cuties for other fun Mentor Text!

Rosie

Sparking Student Motivation- End of the Year Yard Sale

Today was a great day!  It has been a few weeks since I had nothing major going on and I could just run errands with my mom and relax!  We set out this morning with all intentions not to be out all day, but we were!  We started the day going to a neighborhood yard sale and we scored some great deals (I will talk more about it in a bit!).  We then ran some small errands: Target, Lowes, etc.  We had to get some things at my dads and we decided we would spend some time going through some of my stuff from when I lived in Florida.  We got carried away and ended up organizing all of it, which was wonderful because that was on my Spring Break to-do list and I never did it!  We came home and did some yard work with our neighbor.  It was amazing what we were able to get done in two hours outside and the difference it made!

Ok, now on to Sparking Student Motivation!  I am finally linking up with the ever fabulous Joanne from Head Over Heals for Teaching!

Jessica , my co-teacher, and I decided to count down the last twenty-six days of the school year with the alphabet.  The letter 'Y' is Classroom Yard Sale day!  We have been using tickets as a reward system for the students all year.  It has work well.  The students can use their tickets to buy school supplies, items from our prize boxes, homework passes and a favorite the teacher's chair.  Some students are very good at saving and others the tickets burning a hole in their pocket the minute they get them.  On Yard Sale Day, students will have the opportunity to use their tickets to enter into drawings and win prizes.  I have been collecting items like books and small toys at garage sales and through my Scholastic Book Order for this day.  We revealed this to the students this past week and they were so excited.  We told them that these prizes would not be just ordinary prizes from our prize box they would bigger and better!  I have heard some kids saying they are saving because they want to get a bunch of stuff!

When I was garage sale shopping today, I told my mom I needed one outragous item for this Yard Sale.  She pointed out an ear of corn hat and told me this would be a great idea!  When I saw it I knew it would be perfect!

I am not 100% sure on how I will use this as a prize.  I was brainstorming in the car today and I think I am going to reveal it to the kids on Hat Day (Wednesday).  I am going to have a special ticket they can earn for being good that will just be for this hat.  They can earn them from now until the Yard Sale, but these tickets will be for extra good behavior.  We will see!  I have a feeling once I reveal this hat everyone is going to want it!  

Before I go I want to share about two wonderful giveaways I am apart of!

First, Becky from Compassionate Teacher is celebrating 100 Followers and has a fantastic giveaway!

The Second Giveaway is my teaching partner in crime, Jessica, from Joy in the Journey.  She is celebrating 200 followers!!!

These are both great girls and you should enter because they have an amazing amount of items they are giving away!

Have a great night!

Rosie

Budding Blogger Linky Party and a Freebie!

It's Friday and Donut Day!  Two of the best things linked into one day!  We are counting down the last twenty-six days of the year with a letter from the alphabet.  Today is "D" day and we are celebrating with Donuts!

I am linking up today with I {heart} recess for her Buddy Bloggers linky party.  This is for bloggers who have under 200 followers.  I am excited to meet new bloggers and introduce myself to people who may not know me!

1. Why did you start blogging?

I was encouraged to start blogging by mom and my teaching partner Jessica from Joy in the Journey.  I had started a TPT store and they thought having a blog would get more exposure of my products.  They also encouraged me to share some of my teaching ideas.  I never thought I would do it, but it has been wonderful since I started!

2. What is your favorite subject to teach and why?
I love teaching science.  I was never a great science student in school, but I always loved the experiments and hands-on learning.  I love exploring the unknown with my students in science and discovering new and exciting things through experiments and hands on learning.
3. Describe your teaching style.
I like to make learning fun.  I like to take my students on an adventure with learning new things.  I feel each child learns differently so I need to make sure I am covering various learning styles to accommodate each student.  I do not mind a loud classroom, if my students are learning in the process.  We have fun!
4. Give three interesting facts about you.
- I went to five different schools from K-8th without moving once!
- I have over 1000 books in my classroom library that belong to me! (I have a slight obsession with books!)
- I have run three half marathons with my best friend Kate.  Two have been the Disney Princess Half Marathon and one was the Chicago Rock and Roll Half Marathon.  I would love to run a Marathon one day, but right now I am not in shape at all to run any long distance!

5. Do you have a TpT store? If yes, post the link.
I do have a TpT store.  It is not very big, but I have a million ideas in my head I am hoping one day to make products for.  Please check me out at: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Rose-Loiacono

Here is a freebie for you!

Summer Multiplication

This was lots of fun!  I cannot wait to meet some new friends through this!  I hope you all have a great week-end!

Rosie

Gifts, Gifts, Gifts Galore!

One more day in this week!  Before I link up with Jessica from Joy In the Journey and Becky from Compassionate Teacher for their Tricks of the Trade linky party I wanted to share a funny happening in my class today!  One of my students walked in and the first thing out of her mouth was you are dressed like Louie from One Direction.  The kids thought it was funny and I was a little confused...I was wearing a red skirt and a blue and white stripped shirt.  Apparently from what I was told...he wears red pants and a blue and white stripped shirt.  I was even wearing my blue shoes like he does.  My kids were crazy about it and at lunch I googled it and sure enough there was a picture of him dressed in a stripped shirt and red pants.  I want to assure you I do not choose my clothes to match the members of One Direction.  It made me laugh so I thought I would share!

Gifts...One of my Love Languages is Gifts.  I love to receive gifts as well as give gifts to other people.  It makes me happy!  When I am feeling blue, I go shopping and buy something for someone else. I just love to give!  This year I coached girls JV basketball and at every game no one had a water bottle, before our tournament the other coach and myself decided to give the girls each their own water bottle.  I purchased these at the dollar store and used my Circut to cut their names in vinyl.  The girls went crazy and could not believe their name was on it, especially if their name was unusual like, Jayda or Kamaria. 

For Christmas, I made a former co-worker and my principal the same gift because they are both big tea drinkers.  I saw this on pinterest and I thought it was the cutest idea.  A tea wreath!  After I made it, I thought you could substitute tea with hot chocolate packets or even dollar bills.  It was so cute and so easy!  HERE is the link to the original post on how to make this cute tea wreath!

I also love to receive gifts.  Some of my favorite gifts are gift card, especially when they are to my favorite places.  Last year, my students knew I loved to shop at the Loft and at the end of the year I received a few gift cards to that store.  I felt special because they went out of their way to think of me!  I also cherish my students' artwork.  If they draw or color me a picture I always hang it up and make sure their name is one it because I keep it all in a folder in my file!

I cannot wait to get ideas from everyone else.  I have no idea yet what I am planning for my students yet!  I still have a few more weeks to figure that out!

Hope you have a wonderful rest of your night, I am off to grade papers!

Rosie

 

Workship Wednesday: Using Food

Happy Wednesday!  We made it over the hump and only have two days until the week-end.   Today I am teaming up with Jivey for her Wednesday Workshop.  This weeks topic is math manipulatives.

I have used a variety of different math manipulative in the last couple of years.  Some of them are your standard ones like pattern blocks and base ten blocks, but I have also used some other items as manipulatives.  One of my favorite lessons was when I taught 3-dimensional shapes.  I found food items in the shapes and we identified the shapes of each piece of food.

  

Some of the foods I used were: Buggles, Hershey Kisses, Cheese Balls, Marshmallows and Jolly Ranchers.  The students loved this activity!  Everything is more fun with food especially in math!

I cannot wait to read all of the fabulous ways everyone else uses and stores their manipulatives!  Have a great rest of your evening!

Rosie

Tried It Tuesday that Failed!

Happy Tuesday! Today I am teaming up with the Fourth Grade Flipper for her Tried it Tuesday.  Today my my Tried it Tuesday...failed!



We have started a unit on the respiratory system in science.  There was a very cool activity in our book that used balloons, a straw and a bottle to make a model of part of the respiratory system.  Like a good teacher, I tried this activity out this morning and it worked perfectly.   This afternoon when I went to do it with my students, it failed. Most of the water bottles made today are made of a thinner plastic.  When we went to put the ballon on the bottem, they didn't hold their form and created opennings where air could come in.   
We tried placing masking tape and duck tape along the bottom, but nothing worked.  I learned this during my first science class and all of my students were disapointed that it was not working.  I have a few small soda bottles which I think will work so I am going to make four or five models and let them work in groups tomorrow to see how it works.  I was bummed because I thought this was a cool idea!
I would like to annouce my winner of my 50 follower giveaway! Drum roll, please!!!!  Mandy Breton from Caffeine and Lesson Plans!!  She won four books and two items from my TPT store!  Congrats! Thanks to all who entered and stay tuned because I love to give things away!
Rosie

Let's Get Acquainted and freebie!

Only four more Mondays!!!!  I don't know why I am getting so much joy in counting down Mondays!  Tomorrow there are 26 days left until school is out and my teaching partner and I have come up with a fun thing for each of the last 26 days of school.  We stole/borrowed this idea from the cute girls at Collaboration Cuties.  Tomorrow is Apple day for the letter A!  We are bringing in apples for all of our students!  

Tonight I am linking up with Flying into First Grade for her Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party.  I love learning about each of you each week.  Here is this week's questions...

1.  What made you decide to become a teacher?

I don't know what truly made me want to become a teacher.  I loved playing school and pretending.  I think I just thought it would be fun.  I was in band and we would go to competitions and I always wanted to be one of the teachers over on the side proudly watching his or her students. I just knew I wanted to teach.  I was one of the few in high school that declared a major going into college. 

2. What has been your most rewarding experience as a teacher?

I think some of my most rewarding moments happened last year.  I worked at a Christian school and I would start each day with a devotion from the kids version of Jesus Calling.  We would do it every day and the kids loved it.  When the end of the year came the only thing I wanted to get my students was this book.  It was going to be quite expensive to get 20 copies so I just prayed and looked for something else to get them.  I went to the Scholastic Warehouse sale with mom (if you have never been, GO it is awesome!) and was looking through their fill a box for $25 aisle.  I moved a box and their were a stack of the Jesus Calling books, the kid edition!  I was so excited and knew it was God. The rewarding part was receiving an email from a parent the week after school thanking me for touching her child's life and instilling quiet time with God each day.  She told me her daughter will not get out of bed in the morning without doing her devotion.  It made my heart happy to hear that!  If my kids learned nothing else, I hope they learned the importance of spending time with God.

3. If you were not a teacher, what would you be?

I would probably do some sort of Administrative work for a theatre company.  I love theatre and actually spent the first three years after college working in the education department of a regional theatre.  I would also love to not work at all and just volunteer at some non-profit organizations.  I am not sure that will ever happen!  

Here is a quick freebie for you!  I am getting ready to send out our mid-quarter warning notices and I made this form for students who are missing work.  I copy the slips on pink paper and we call them pink slips.  The students do not like getting them and I hate to write them, but I always have students who do not turn in all of their work.  I give them this one chance to make up this work or their grade will suffer.

Missing Work Form

 That's all for now!  Have a great evening!

Rosie