Peek at My Week: Braille, Bubble Gum, and Laundry

I'm excited about this coming week.  I guess I say that a lot, but I really mean it.  

To start off the week we are celebrating Cinco de Mayo on Monday by using my Fiesta Centers.  For ELA the kids review Contractions, Prepositions, and will write using the journal prompts.  For Math, the kids review Double Digit Multiplication, Place Value, and Subtraction/Addition with Regrouping.  It's a fun bit of time - kids move around in their groups while I'm pulling kids to check fluency levels.  Some years I pull out a piñata and head outside, this year we're staying in & having chips and salsa.  :)  

In Reading, we are wrapping up our Communication unit.  Our story shares about Louis Braille and how he came about developing his alphabet.  The story itself is interesting because the kids all know about Braille.  I enjoy it because the activities that we do with it.

For example creating the pushpin alphabet.  Kids lay down on the ground with a pushpin and the braille alphabet.  They go over the dots and push down with the pushpin on their paper to create their own braille alphabet to take home.  By this time of the year the kids are really responsible with pushpins, and I can trust them.  :)

Another activity is using split peas on a Braille grid paper to create their own names.  I use the blank grids by J. Gray (found on TPT) and give kids the amount of grids as their names. The kids use the alphabet in their books to color in the dots first, and then glue the split peas right on top.  Their names are hung up on the bulletin board to create a fun display for our upcoming Open House.

     

In Math we have reached our final chapter.  It's time for Probability!  I'm having a fun day on Thursday (in honor of my birthday) and everything will revolve around Bubblegum!  We are going to use AMC's Bubblegum Probability activity, Jivey's Bubble Gum Day, and making up this writing activity that involves them blowing up a balloon & writing about Bubblegum by Working for the Classroom.  I love this idea of having numerous writing all about gum (especially since it's not allowed at school)... History (Timeline), Facts & Opinions, How to, Compare/Contrast... So many options!  

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/10977592812200579/

I know I mentioned Open House - well, we have 2 weeks to go until that blessed evening... basically a lot of projects to tackle before then.  :)  This week we will also be reviewing Equivalent Fractions and creating this clothesline activity.
  

Nick from Sweet Rhyme-Pure Reason created this clip art as part of his new math center pack.  The kids enjoyed it last week, so this week we will be reviewing (again) by making up our own clothesline of equivalent fractions.  Fun time ahead!  

For art we are making up our Mother's Day projects and forming our clay poppies.  :)  It's going to be a fun week!  

Linking this all up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings!

Busy Day - Dollar Deal, Lesson Plans, and Field Trip

Did you like all the freebies yesterday?  Didn't know about the Surviving Spring to Welcome Summer Hop?  It's not too late to grab the tips, freebies, and enter the giveaway!  I loved all the ideas from my BBB's (Best Blogging Buddies).  After a year of talking on a daily basis - brainstorming, gathering ideas, venting about our difficult days, and celebrating the achievements, I can honestly say we are all very close friends.  I am so blessed by this whole bloggy world!

Speaking about venting...being an adult sometimes stinks!  I already had a broken ice maker, which we can live with because who really needs ice in their sweet tea... (I'm being sarcastic), but as of yesterday afternoon the AC in my car decided to quit and it's supposed to be in the 90's this coming week.  Stinky, sweaty boys in a hot vehicle make for a grumpy family.  Anyway - long story short, I need your help.  My family needs your help.  

I have put these 4 wish listed items up for $1 in hopes that they will fly off the virtual shelves.  My Pay Pal account has been drained between fixing the fridge in December and February, replacing our broken washer in January, and taxes in April... I'll keep them for $1 until Monday night.

Onto this next week's Lesson Plans... what are those??  I have end of the year teacheritis... I did end up grading my huge stack of papers the other day - ended up taking 2 episodes of House Hunters, and the HGTV Dream Home Behind the Scenes Special to get through them.

Seriously though - Here's the plan for this coming week (3 more weeks of grades):

Reading - Communication Unit - story: Koko's Kitten

I love this story, and I love teaching the kids sign language.  We start with the basics - just practicing the alphabet to learn their names.  We use the website: www.koko.org and watch the videos of Koko. So many of them are stories straight out of the text.

Math - We are finishing up a review of Area & Perimeter, planning on using my Zoo Maps (we ran out of time before break).  Kids design their own zoo by planning out the different enclosures, measuring area & perimeter, and using the enclosed clip art to decorate.

Science - Finishing up Magnetism, still using I {Heart} Recess' Magnet Interactive Notebook

My class has really enjoyed using file folders to create our interactive unit file folders this year.  We have made a file folder for every unit in Social Studies and Science this entire year, and now they will have all of them on their desks for Open House.  I'm still trying to figure out a good way to display all the folders on their desks... thinking of making treasure boxes with all their goodies inside...

It's a short week for us... only 4 days because Friday is a Staff Development Day.  On Tuesday my class also has our BIG field trip to Sacramento.  It's an all day trip... and it's supposed to be HOT, riding on a school bus with 64 kids.  The nice part about it though is that the the other 4th graders happen to be my son's class and my husband is chaperoning.  :)  I get to have a seat buddy!

Want to see what I pack in my field trip backpack?  Here's my post from 2 years ago.


Have a wonderful week!  Linking this all up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings as part of her Peek at my Week Linky.

   

This Week - Skipping the Teacher Editions

We have 4 days until Spring Break.  4 MORE DAYS... The kids are about to drive me nuts.  I'm about to drive myself nuts.  I NEED a break!  I'm dreaming about the ocean, sleeping in, and doing absolutely nothing.  No packing lunches.  No laundry.  No nothing.  I need a break!  Of course I know  that won't actually happen since I am a mommy to 3 very active boys.

The kids are so ready for break... so this week I'm skipping our normal weekly story and instead we are going to do shorter activities that keep us humming along.

Reading

We have different read alouds we are going to tackle - one per day, but for comprehension practice we will be using Jelly Bean Comprehension.  Easter reminds me of Jelly Beans - and I LOVE jelly beans...  On Monday, we will do vocabulary practice with the challenging words, Tuesday we will take non-fiction notes, and Wednesday the kids will do the comprehension page for a grade.

Grammar

I absolutely love the Grammar Review Books by Blair Turner.  She made up an Easter one that I picked up.  I chose 8 pages that I felt were the best fit for my group (that worked time wise), and then printed them 2 per side, back/front - so basically 4 sheets/page.  Works with my copy budget!

Math

We are going to be focusing on Perimeter and Area.  We have been working on it all year long, but it's time we actually start studying it in our math text.  For a fun activity to go with it, the kids will be creating Zoo Maps.  Kids design their own zoo - choosing animals to go into each space, and figuring out the space (area and perimeter) of the different enclosures.  :)

For a little extra fun on that Thursday before vacation (we don't have school on Friday), we'll be using Multiplying Our Peeps by Collaboration Cuties.  It's a freebie and such good review!  Also includes an answer key - bonus points!

Writing

Our writing this week is a narrative.  The kids are going to use this Peep pack from Forkin4th to write their own tale.  I only copied one of the templates, and the kids will use it to trace a peep pattern onto binder and copy paper.  It's a cute freebie!

Art

Our big art project is actually pretty easy - we will be making our Easter baskets out of a brown lunch bag.  The kids cut down about halfway, then open the bag, and fold in the outside flaps.  Then it's a quick staple for the handle, and they are ready to go for our Easter party.  The kids bring in candy (if they want), and then go and fill the bags.  I add a HW pass, bookmark, and pencil to the bags.

Science

We will be working with Magnets this coming week.  I'm going to use this pack from Jessica Scott to create my interactive file folder.  I love how it's a simple print and go - full of review activities that tie in perfectly with what they need to know. 

In addition to all the magnetism, we'll also we doing a science experiment involving Peeps.  I picked up a package and am hauling in some different liquids to see what causes them to break apart.

Don't forget about the Science Educents deal going on!  So many good products all in one download. I used the Rocks and Minerals one this past December for their interactive file folders - so easy to use!

Other randomness of the week?

On Wednesday the entire school has a Relay Recess for Relay for Life.  The kids are collecting sponsors and all donations go toward Cancer research.  It's so much fun to walk together with the music blasting!

On Thursday during Reading Buddies we will have the kids complete an Egg Hunt.  Last year we got smart and numbered the plastic eggs - the kids had to search for their specific classroom numbers.  It made it a little trickier than just grabbing any of them (and took a little longer).  This year we are thinking of having activities for kids to do inside the eggs instead of candy.  The kids would have to do an "Amazing Race" type egg hunt - having to complete a certain amount of activities before they reach the finish.  Should be fun!  My 4th graders love helping their 1st grade buddies with everything!
 

Linking this all up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings!



Hope you have a wonderful week!  

I'm Ready for Spring Break!

Sadly though, Spring Break is still 7 weeks away... and now with the beautiful 3 day weekends of February behind us, it's going to be a very long couple of months.

Anyway, here's a Peek at my Week!  Linking up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings to share.  :)

The kids don't have school tomorrow, but I do!  We actually have Professional Development planned.  The district decided to do half day options, so in the morning I'm going to one workshop that will work with Social Studies & English (turning units into CCSS topics), and the afternoon will be spent learning more about the new math curriculum.  

Tuesday will be spent attending a play in the morning - Beauty in the Beast to be exact.  A couple of my kiddos are in it this year, so that will be extra fun.  :)  

The rest of the time will be spent learning a tsunamis in our weekly story, The Big Wave.  We'll be watching the Brain Pop movie in addition to the normal weekly activities in order to build connections.   

In the afternoon we will start working on our Gold Rush Mining Journal.  I updated it yesterday with the new clip art I bought during the sale.  The download still has the old version too (in case someone liked that better).  If you have bought either this or my big CA bundle make sure to go redownload!  

On Wednesday we are celebrating Dr. Seuss' Birthday at school at NIGHT.  I'm one of those people that always sign up to help out that night - and I have my red & white hat all ready to help serve birthday cake.  Usually I celebrate in class on his actual birthday, but with the weekend, I bumped it to be today too.  

In class I always have a PJ Read In.  Usually I also turn it into a Technology Fundraiser, but this year I really can't ask my families for anything else... so it's just going to be a Read In.  Pillows, blankets, books, and PJs.  We will read in the morning, we will read in the afternoon.  We will use our favorite Dr. Seuss books to identify figurative language examples (which we put on a copy of his striped hat). It will be all about Reading!  

This week in math we are focusing on decimals.  I wasn't worried about fractions since we had been working on them for months - but I am soooo (can't emphasize that enough) nervous about decimals. I'm probably worried for nothing though, I tend to do that.

This week I'm introducing these fun activities to help them with the initial concept:

Decimal Scoot Game by Joanne Miller (Head Over Heels for Teaching)

Jivey's Diving for Decimals

Nicholas Reitz' Addition and Subtraction of Decimals

Ever feel like all you do on Fridays are tests?  Between the story test (with vocabulary separate), the spelling test, grammar, and some type of math quiz - it's all I can do to just breathe when looking at the mountain of grading. 

One little tip that works best for me is to have our Reading Buddies scheduled on Fridays (after testing is completed and I have that 30 minute block of time that I can get a couple of the stacks completed) before lunch.  My reading buddy partner is a first grade teacher - and she came up with the idea of splitting our kids - so we weren't trying to fit 64 kids quietly reading in one room.  Half my class goes to her, and half her class comes to me.  She has time to prep in her room, and I can tackle a bit of the grading in between wandering around the room too.  

For buddies we don't have them just read to each other anymore.  My 4th graders help her kiddos with their math facts, writing, graphing, etc.  There is always a library book that we read to them, and they in turn read their decodable to their buddy.  When we had buddies on Thursday afternoons, my kiddos would also help them with a spelling practice test.  I LOVE buddy time! 

Do you have Reading Buddies too?  

Have a wonderful week!