A quick post about a mentored text

Hello everyone!  I hope everyone had a fantastic Mother's Day.  I enjoyed spending time with my mom on this beautiful day!  This is a really quick post because it is late and I need to get to bed!  Five o'clock comes very early!  Once again I am teaming up with the cute girls from Collaboration Cuties for their mentored text linky party!  This week's topic Math!

This week I chose a book that is not your typical math mentored text.  This book is a chapter book that I read to my students while we are working on learning fractions.  The book is about a boy who does not do well with fractions.  He has a huge fraction test coming up and his mom gets a tutor for him.  Wilson thinks that having a tutor is the worst thing that can happen.  He keeps it a secret for as long as possible.  Most of the book talks about fractions, but the students in the book are working on a science fair project.  The book goes through the scientific method also.  My kids love to listen to me read during math.  I usually start the class off my reading a chapter.  They have been encouraged that fractions really aren't that bad and it is ok to have a tutor!  The author also has a book 7 x 9=Trouble!, which is fun when teaching multiplication facts!

Don't forget my 50 follower giveaway ends tonight.  Go HERE to enter!

Have a great week!

Rosie

Five for Friday...a day late!

Hello all!  I am so glad it is the week-end.  It has been a long week, but a good week! I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for their Five for Friday...I am just a day late!

1. This week I felt appreciated by my students and my school.  I was greeted each day with a little treat that had a special quote and message.  

I was also given so lovely cards and drawings.  I love receiving student's artwork.  This was one of my favorites this week.

2. My fifth graders went on their first field trip this week.  We traveled to the Newark Museum on Wednesday and we had a fantastic time! The students participated in two workshops one of Greek and Roman History and one of Forensic Science.  The students had a blast and learned a lot too!

Students studied their finger prints and then compared it to a fingerprint they lifted off a glass.

Students also learned about blood typing and were being detectives to try and figure out what type of blood they had.

Students learned the art of imprinting on sheet metal.  They made some very cool pieces of art.

Two of the pieces of artwork.

3. Last week, I introduced math game Fridays to my students.  I told them for the rest of the year we would play a math game on Friday, either as a whole class or in small groups.  Last week, we played a whole class math game with my ipad called Math Quiz Show.  It is by Lakeshore Learning and it is fantastic.  The questions were mind stretching for my students, but not to bad where they were getting frustrated.  This week we played games in partners.  Over the summer I bought, Mix and Match Games: Math from Mailbox.  It is a book that it has 10 game boards that can be mixed and matched with 10 different task card.  I have used the game boards for everything, but this Friday I broke out the task cards.  The students had a blast reviewing different concepts with these games!

4. I reached 50 followers!!!  I am actually at 60 followers!!  One of my May goals was to reach 50 followers by the end of May.  I never imagined I would reach it by May 6th!  I love to give things away so I am having a 50 follower giveaway.  Go HERE to enter.  You could win four book and two items from my TPT store! 

5. This week-end my helped out and attended a girls conference at my church. It was a one day event that was fabulous.  It was part of the reason why I am not getting this post done until now!  The theme was Chosen and the verse it was based on was Isaiah 62:5: And as the Bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.  We had the church decorated like a wedding reception.  It was beautiful!  Ladies from the church brought in their wedding dress and we had them hanging along the back for people to see.  It was amazing!

The sanctuary all decorated!

The Food and Dresses

This dress was worn in 1927!

It has been a long week!  Only six more weeks left of school and five Mondays! Hope you all have a great rest of your week-end and a Happy Mother's Day to all the blogging mothers!

Rosie

Tricks of the Trade & Giveaway!!!!

It is finally Thursday and I am very happy to see it!  Today, I am teaming up with two of my favorite girls, Jessica from Joy in the Journey and Becky from Compassionate Teacher, for their Thursday linky party- Tricks of the Trade.  Today's topic: Transitions and Attention-Getters.

Attention-Getters:

1. I use a whole brain teaching attention-getter.  I say, "class" and the students respond, "yes".  If I change my voice in any way, the students have to mimic my voice when they respond.  I sometimes will say, "class, class, class" and they will have to respond, "yes, yes, yes".  Or I will say it really soft to see who is listening.  This works well, I even have told the special teachers about it and they use it with my class.

2. A bell.  I sometimes change up my attention-getting.  I will use a bell.  When the students hear the bell, they must freeze and focus their eyes on me.  It works very well when they are being extremely noisy.

Transitions:

1. Music.  Last year, I would have a morning meeting with my students everyday.  We would go over the plan for the day, do some math review and a little language arts review.  I found that my students were lingering completing their morning tasks and needed a gauge as to when they needed to be at the rug.  I found a song that was 4 minutes and 30 seconds long and that became our cue that we needed to get to the rug.  I would play the song with about five minutes left to go and when it came on they knew they had to be at the rug when the song finished.  It worked great.  When we first started, students would be at the rug right away.  After a while, they knew the song so well and would gauge their time more wisely to be at the rug. 

2. Timer. A timer is a teacher's best friend, I think.  I will often time my students to take out their books or when we are packing up in the afternoon.  I will sometimes in the morning project a timer on my board for the kids to see, showing them how much time is left to complete an assignment.  I will also use individual timers for students who take a long time and need help with time management.

Now for a very exciting opportunity....

I have decided since I passed my May goal of 50 followers way before I every thought I would.  The only way to repay all of you was to have a 50 follower giveaway!  You have the opportunity to win four books and two items from my TPT store!  You have until Sunday night to enter and I will choose one winner and announce it on Monday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Well, that is all folks!  Have a great rest of your Thursday!

Rosie

Motivating Students to Write

Happy Wednesday!  I cannot believe today is only Wednesday...I was hoping it was at least Thursday! Today, we went on a fabulous field trip to the Newark Museum.  They place was so well organized and the students had a blast!  I will share more on our experience another day.  

Today, I am linking up with Ideas by Jivey for her Wednesday Workshop. Today's topic: Motivating Students Write!  I am not teaching writing this year, so once again I am pulling from what I did when I taught third grade last year! 

Last year, I got the idea of a class mascot.  I had a stuffed animal that as a class we named, Ducky Mo Mo.  Ducky Mo Mo would go home with a different student each week.  They would play with it, take it on adventures, it even traveled to California and Portugal with different students.  The students were always excited to take Ducky Mo Mo home with them.  Part of their responsibility of having Ducky Mo Mo, was to fill out an adventure page on what they did with Ducky Mo Mo.  They would tell the class what they fed Ducky Mo Mo, what they did with it, I even had a student measure Ducky Mo Mo.  They loved it and they did not mind writing this journal entry.  If they did not complete the adventure page, they would lose a turn of having Ducky Mo Mo.

Most of my students did not mind the writing part of this activity because having Ducky Mo Mo was special to them and they did not feel the pressure of making it perfect.  I would not grade their journals.  I used this as more of away for them to just write.  Ducky Mo Mo had his own backpack that would go home with the child each week.  I included Ducky Mo Mo and a binder.  In the binder was a direction sheet and all of the adventure pages.  I have given you a copy of my direction sheet and my adventure pages.  Students would read their adventure story to the class during our morning meeting.

Adventures of Ducky Mo Mo

Well, that is all folks!  I hope you have a great rest of your night! 

Rosie

Tried it Tuesday- A delicious dinner option

Hello Friends!  I hope you had a great Tuesday.  I am happy to announce I passed 50 followers!!!!  I am not sure how that happened, but it did!  I am honored that you all chose to follow me.  I will be doing a small 50 follower giveaway in the next few days, be on the lookout!  I just love to give things away!

Today, I am teaming up with Holly for Tried it Tuesday!
Today, my idea is not a classroom idea.  I am going to the kitchen for this Tried it Tuesday.  

Kraft Fresh Take is a quick and easy dinner solution.  They are Kraft's take on shake and bake.  Each package is divided into two parts one side is cheese and the other side is bread crumbs and seasonings.  You open the package and combine the two parts.  You then add either chicken or fish or pork chops.  You coat the pieces in the bread crumb and cheese mixture and then you just bake it.  When my mom and I first tried these, she was a little skeptical and thought she could just recreate it.  After she tried it, she was sold.  The amount of flavor is perfect.  We have never made it with anything other than chicken, but Jessica, my co-teacher, made it with pork chops and she said it was fantastic.  The package calls for a pound of chicken, but we usually use a pound and a half.  They have many different flavors and we often find them on sale. They are located next to the shredded cheese.  We love them!  Just thought I would share a quick dinner solution because I know all teachers are crazy busy.  The packages also freeze very well and we often stock up when they are on sale!

Don't forget my Teachers Pay Teachers Store is on sale today and tomorrow only!  Check it out!  I added my divisibility rules task cards and enrichment task cards.  

I think that is all for tonight!  Have a great night!

Rosie

Five More Mondays! Teachers Appreciation Week!

Five more Mondays!!!  I don't know why counting down Mondays is getting me through the rest of the school year, but it is!  Happy Teacher Appreciation week fellow teachers!  Today, I was given the following gift by my school.

It was very thoughtful of the school..included was an apple stress ball and chocolate. My kids were a bit crazy today and the stress ball came in handy!

Don't forget my Teachers Pay Teachers store will be on sale tomorrow and Wednesday.  The whole store will be 20% off and if you use the code TAD13 you will get another 10% off.  I plan on cleaning out my wish list with some amazing products!

Today I tried something new to review for a math test.  I had been seeing all over different blogs the game scoot.  So I decided to try it with my kids.  It worked well.  A few things I need to work out before we do it again, but overall it went well.  I asked a few students what they thought and they said it was better than doing problems in the book.  I guess I will have to try it again!

Lastly, if you did not get my freebie from yesterday, make sure you grab it!  It is a student reference sheet on the divisibility rules. I also upload two new products on Divisibility to my TPT store!

Divisibility Reference Student Sheet

Well I think that is all!  Have a great night!
Rosie

Giveaways and freebies and sales!

Hello all!  I hope you have had a fantastic week-end!  I am sad to see it over, but I am ready to just finish.  We have seven more weeks, but only six more Mondays!  For some reason counting down Mondays has made after spring break a little better!

I want to thank everyone who has followed me.  Last week one of my May goals was to reach 50 followers by the end of May.  As of right now I have 39 followers!  I cannot believe it!  You all have been so supportive and encouraging of me in this adventure.  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I had the lovely pleasure of one of my products being included in the Teachers for Boston fundraiser.  We have raised over $5000 so far, which is just amazing.  We are holding a special Teachers Appreciation giveaway, where you have a chance to win one of the bundles.  

Teacher Appreciation Giveaway

You only have until May 8th!  Go and enter, it is a great bundle!

Last week, I was asking my kids if they new that next week was Teacher Appreciation week.  Most of them didn't remember, but when reminded they started talking about gifts they wanted to get me and cards they were going to make me.  One of my boys, who often gives me trouble, said how about instead of getting you a present, I just be good in class.  I told him I would take that over any present!  I am praying that he comes through on his offer!

In honor of Teacher Appreciation, I am holding a Teachers Pay Teachers sale on May 7th and 8th.  My whole store is 20% off and with the code TAD13 you can get an additional 10% off, which makes everything 28% off.  I am always up for a great bargin!  Click Here to check out my store!

Now for a freebie...I have been working this week-end on a Divisibility Rules pack with task cards and posters.  It is almost all done, but I want to give you a preview with a freebie.  I have made a student reference sheet that students can use or keep in their math notebooks to help them remember the rules of divisibility.

Divisibility Reference Sheet

Well, I think that is all for tonight!  I hope you have a fantastic week!

Rosie