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February 28, 2014

Yep, My Store is on Sale!

To be honest, the fun of having a blog is diminished by making this into a business post.  I love sharing how things are going in my own classroom, and I have SO MUCH I want to show you from this past week (I remembered to take pictures).  I just wanted to also remind you of some of the products in my own store that might help you in your own classroom.

Whole Class Writing Journals {Starter Pack - 15 covers}Whole Class Writing Journal Bundle

My Whole Class Writing Journals are still the highest wish listed and sold item in my store.  I also have a bundle that puts both sets together - making enough for an entire class to work on them at the same time.

California History Bundle (8 Products)

My CA History Bundle is also on sale, another main wish listed & bestselling item.  These products I use all year long to help enrich my Social Studies units.  


Rainbow Edit Writing Process
I shared about Rainbow Edit a couple of days ago - It really does work!  I love having my kids look closely at their writing, and it makes it so easy to grade a paper & conference with a student.

Homonym Word Cards and Activity Pack (Gnome)

These HomoGnome (Homonym) Word Cards have helped my kids to learn different versions of the words and their definitions.  I always have some in my ELA centers for them to work with.  

I Love My Classroom

Okay - there you have it!  I know I have other task cards, bundles, activities, etc. that I could mention.  My sales pitch is done for the day though, and we can go back to our busy Friday schedules.  :)  

My store is on sale during the big TPT sale, but it's also extended through Sunday (for those of us that don't have time to shop on a Thursday and Friday).   The bundles are also additionally discounted too.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Pinkadots-Elementary
Yesterday I tried to check out during my lunch break (for the first round), and ended up getting to the Paypal screen before I remembered about the additional code (TPT3).  Remember the code!!

Have a marvelous day everyone!      

February 27, 2014

ELA Time - What's on my Wish List (Part 2)

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Pinkadots-Elementary

The other day I shared the things on my wish list that were math related, but I have even more that are ELA... I know, it's going to be a big shopping trip today!

Spring is in the Air - ELA Centers for Upper Elementary

Where the Red Fern Grows {A Comprehensive Book Study}

March Closed Reading Passages for 4-6 {Women's History & S
Reading Response Notebook Toppers

CreateTeachShare's Notebook Toppers

Wonder by  R.J. Palacio Novel Study Unit
Nicholas' Wonder Unit

Showers & Flowers: ELA Centers for Bigger Kids!
Christy's Showers and Flowers: ELA Centers for Bigger Kids

Reading Non-Fiction With Post-Its

Joanne's Reading Non-Fiction with Post Its

Yep, it's going to be a good weekend looking through all these goodies (and copying/prepping them in the months to come).  

What is on your wish list?  



February 26, 2014

Using Crayons in Writing

Writing... My kiddos have until the week of March 10th to practice their writing skills before the district test.  We have been writing so much lately.  They have conventions down pat - which I contribute to them using my Rainbow Edit on a weekly/daily basis.  


The kids write a rough draft and have to identify the different conventions using colors - each paragraph should be colorful, and if it's not then there is a problem.  
Rainbow Edit Writing Process
I stress to the kids that if someone can't read their writing easily- if they don't show pride in their work - then no one will want to give it much time of day (and the effect is that they will get a bad grade).  That by 4th grade they better be using indents, capitals, and punctuation correctly.  That they are capable of adding details for every fact and for every paragraph - details meaning adjectives and examples.  The talk seems to work every year, because they really are striving to do their best.  
    


Yesterday my class worked on making our writing less choppy.  We have been reading McBroom and the Big Wind this week (in addition to our Mentor Texts), and have a been identifying what causes the readers to be entertained.  We want to capture our readers attention, and figurative language does that.

Figurative Language Spring Templates (Graphic Organizers)

Reading McBroom, we made a list of some of the different types of figurative language we read.  The kids had their own rainbows (from my spring template set), and wrote them in the specific areas.  Personification, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, Metaphor, Simile, Hyperbole....  the kids have practiced so much using my task cards, etc that they got it.  


I think they turned out just perfect!  So many examples in the text, so many examples they were brainstorming.  I really think fun activities make learning this tedious type of stuff more fun - and anything that involves crayons is still a winner in their eyes.  :0)  

Do you use crayons in writing - other than to illustrate?  


Reminder - the Educents Bundle is almost over - don't wait too long to pick it up!  

Also - my store will be on sale starting tomorrow through Sunday.  Thursday and Friday there is an extra 8% off using the code TPT3.  Don't forget the code!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Pinkadots-Elementary

Have a great day! 

February 25, 2014

Math Workshop... Fractions Continue On....

Ever just want to be DONE teaching Fractions?  It's not that it's hard, it's just that I'm DONE...  Thank goodness for another fun activity that kept my kids humming today.  

I decided to try another product from my Educents Tricky Math Bundle.


This product is from I {Heart} Recess and it was perfect for what my class is learning right now.  I want them to grasp the concept of how we use fractions all the time in real life - you know, the world outside of school.


The set includes recipes that the kids need to work with - doubling, tripling, etc.  Since we aren't there yet to multiply, I had them use them to add the fractions.



There are 4 recipes, so I made 4 copies of each and the kids worked in partners to solve.  They used the work mats provided to write the initial fraction, add the fraction to get the desired amount of servings, and then write the new fraction (simplifying if needed).

They really loved it!
Linking up with Holly and her Tried it Tuesday!  

February 24, 2014

Math Monday - What's on my Wishlist?


Did you hear the news????  There is a TPT Site Sale coming up THIS WEEK!  
Pinkadots Elementary is hosting a linky of different sellers that will be on sale during the BIG Sale over at TPT this coming Thursday and Friday.  I added my store to the mix.  I'm hoping there will be tons of stores on sale.  :)  To see everyone on sale, click the linky code at the bottom of this post - it will take you to the link up!  


Today though for Jessica's Math Monday, I wanted to link up the Math Products that are on my wish list.    

These are things I've been waiting (not patiently) for... Maybe you can get some ideas!  

Quick Checks: 4th Grade Common Core Math

Geometry Interactive Notebook Activities and Task Cards (L

Math FUNNIES - CREATE a MATHEMATICAL CONCEPT Comic Strip P

Decimal Scoot Game {Task Cards}

Fraction Puzzles: 80+ Puzzles!

Multi-Step Problem Solving Performance Task {Notebook}

Fraction Wildo {Plays like UNO}

Like in the past, I usually break up my purchases into a couple of different transactions - buying the more expensive things early so I can rate it/leave feedback and use the credits for my next transaction.  Looking at all these goodies I am SO EXCITED about my future math lessons.  :)

Hope you have a great day!  

February 23, 2014

Peek at my Week: Gold Rush, Tall Tales, Adding Fractions



Time for another link up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings, and sharing about what my class will be working on this week.



I can not begin to tell you how much I love this story.  McBroom and the Big Wind is the perfect story to work on figurative language, so I do.  It's also so much fun to read aloud.  :)    

Figurative Language Spring Templates (Graphic Organizers)

I use the rainbow template from my Figurative Language Templates and have the kids come up with examples using the text.  It's almost March, so I want them to cover my room with spring colors!  


We are adding fractions this week!  I know!  I said that!  The kids have a good grasp of the initial portion of it all, so we are moving onto adding fractions.  I'm actually going to use Jessica's Fraction Recipes to have them take a recipe and add to double, triple, and quadruple it.  She gives the option to  use multiplication, but we aren't there yet.  Soon enough...  

Fractions with Recipes 4.NF.4

I'll share how it goes later on this week!  This is just another resource in the Tricky Math bundle over at Educents.  It's still LIVE!



Guess what time it is?  It's time to learn about the Gold Rush!  I love learning about the Gold Rush!  I really do.  This week we are using the textbook and learning key facts about that time period.  I'm getting them ready to write their own Gold Rush Narrative next week, so we will be reading this story, Gold Fever.    


It's all about a guy going across country to find gold - leaving his family, running into obstacles, and then having to make the decision of what he's going to do.  Same idea as many of the miners way back when...  

 California Gold Rush Mining Journal

Here's what I'm prepping this week - My Gold Rush Mining Journal.  Next week the kids will be starting their narrative and writing an adventure about their trip out west.  



This week (because we are learning about Tall Tales) the kids will be writing their own adventure stories - focusing on Figurative Language and specifically exaggeration.  I made up a research mini book for the kids to work on, and added it to my research station.  They will be choosing a person, learning about him or her, and then writing another adventure about that person.  Here is the link if you want to check out a preview.    

Hope you have a great day!