Week Two Reflections

I had high hopes for blogging this week. But that didn't happen.  Life happened. Here's a recap of my week.

Monday:

We started homework this week, and even though the kids had to write it down in their agendas, I did post a picture on Class Dojo so parents could keep an eye out as well.  The last time these kids had homework was 18 months ago in third grade... they need some help with being responsible.  

I also taped up my computer cart with electrical tape so students could easily find their specific classroom laptop.  Tape went on the bottom groove where the computer slides in and also around the charging cord, I numbered it with sharpie. We also wrote our specific computer number in our agendas so they could "prove" it to others.  It's not sticking as great as I thought it would, but it's doing the job so I won't have to redo.  

Tuesday:

I'm back to using TEAMs again. I had added channels for a Class Chat, Helpful Websites, and Homework Help channels last week... but then added more...

*Workshop Activities has images of papers that I used to copy. Last year really proved the kids don't need their own copy to tackle it, so I just uploaded for the week, and will take it down on Monday and upload the new information.  I added their Math Spiral and list of spelling words for easy access.  

 *Absent Kids... I already have my first kid at home due to a cold... but since it's the same symptoms as something else, well I realized I needed a way for the kids trapped at home for weeks to keep up with in class students.  Or at least have access.  Every day that someone is absent I will now snap pictures of the math workbook and upload on a post in that specific channel. I let parents know they can look there. 

We started Workshop today! The kids had to do part of their math spiral, part of their Your Turn (Reading) workbook, and 1 spelling option per day Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Then on Friday we went over it all and they graded their own papers.  When they were busy working individually or with partners, I was calling kids over for Book Talks and Conferences.

These are the workshop resources I use:

Math Spiral

Spelling Options

Your Turn reading workbook is part of the Wonders curriculum.

Wednesday:

I moved the furniture around again during prep. So that picture above isn't exactly what it looks like anymore, but I forgot to take a new picture.  My brain is tired... Tried to make the outside edges a little more fluid since there are SO. MANY. KIDS. The big table on the right edge is now next to the paper towel holder, the back white bench is now where that table used to be... it opens the room so much better. The desks also got moved a bit.  I wanted to give kids a little more breathing room, so there is a small gap between table groups.  It's enough for the 4 kids by the gap to put their backpacks, or me to walk through. Feeling squished is not a pleasant feeling, and then being stuck inside due to air quality was feeling slightly claustrophobic.

Thursday:

Mrs. Granger (from Frindle) stopped by.  We were wrapping up our novel, and she tends to arrive right when the kids happen to need to do some dictionary drills aka the Dictionary Scavenger Hunt... Ha! I love how EVERY year there are kids that do not realize that it's me.  Throw a skirt over my capris, wear a cardigan, a gray wig, different glasses, carry around my college dictionary, and have an accent, and some are completely fooled.  Then I start preaching about the importance of the dictionary and my distaste for the word "Frindle" and it's a hoot.  

Friday:

We started Friday Fluency today. Something we learned last year with distance learning is that MANY of the kids did NOT practice reading aloud while at home.  So it'll be a weekly practice until our words per minute improve. I time them for a minute, they read aloud to themselves, hands over their ears they are able to hear only themselves speak, and then I yell "TIME" when done.  They circle the word that they got to in their workbook, then we do it again, the goal to pass by their first word.  I'm not worried about numbers at this point, I just want them to have that feeling of accomplishment.

I also found some Keto ice cream that really hit the spot now that I have to watch carbs and sugar... It was a NEED for chocolate ice cream kind of night.  It's been a doozy of a week. Here's hoping it doesn't affect my blood sugar that bad... I found it at the grocery store, and it was tasty.  

Hope you had a great week!

Tried It: Word Searches and Research Time

It's the end of the unit this week - so we are reviewing our spelling patterns, getting ready for our big spelling assessment.  I wanted to share a little something that I tried yesterday. Yesterday I had my students pull out their unit spelling list, and they created word searches with as many words as they could fit.  It looked something like below (this was my example on the board).  

Have you had your students make word searches?  It was super easy.  My class each started with a piece of binder paper, then used a ruler to make vertical lines.  They left the bottom 5 lines of the paper blank so they had room to make their word list.  Then they went through their spelling sheet and used as many challenging words as possible from all the 6 word lists.  Horizontal, Diagonal, Vertical... I had to remind them to write the words at the bottom of their paper.  Then they just filled in the extra squares with random letters, and switched with a partner to solve their word search using a highlighter.  They LOVED this activity, and I loved how they were reviewing those tricky words.

In other news... I have a plastic drawer in my classroom filled with word search books, courtesy of my dad when he was cleaning out my grandma's house.  My grandma was a collector of word searches... well, she was a collector of everything...  When the kids are completely done with an activity, I sometimes give them the option of tearing out a page to work on.

I also wanted to tell you that my students love researching, and with so many stories lately about winter, snow, and arctic animals, I wanted to take their interest and get them motivated to dive deeper!  Enter something that I created that I'm so excited about.  You know how I love making my students work, well - here's another research opportunity for them.

Included are 11 animals that students can choose from to research.  Usually I make them do the entire booklet when it's time to research, but this time around I'm planning on printing these off and adding them to my ELA workshop afternoon rotation.  Students can use the computers and books from the library to research the information.  I already know they want to learn about these animals (I see them reading animal information books and Zoobook Magazines during silent reading time), now I want to take that interest and give them something that I know they will eat up.  

Then they can write about them.  :)  LOVE IT!  Another fun activity that will get them thinking and working on those important research skills that they will need for their futures.

This new pack is over at TPT and I have put it on sale through January 29th for only $2.  

Hope this helps someone!  

   

Tried It Tuesday: Spelling Sorts

Today I changed up our spelling activity.  This is the 3rd spelling week of school - the past 2 we have sorted the patterns in our spelling spiral notebook.  Because it is a short week, I decided to combine some spelling activities this week and pulled these sorts out for my class to do full group.

  

They worked with a partner, cutting the sorts, gluing them onto the paper (front and back), then cutting out our spelling patterns, and identifying them.

Usually on Mondays we sort the patterns, then take a little practice test as they write the words in their agendas.  After the practice test, they check over their words, and practice writing them in cursive.  In past years I put these sorts into a workshop/Word Work station - but we just aren't there yet.

What spelling activities do you complete at school in your intermediate classrooms?  

Head on over to visit other ideas with Holly over at Fourth Grade Flipper!  

Game Board Templates = End of Unit Fun!

We finished up the end of Unit 4 this week in reading - so it was time to review vocabulary. I gave the kids the option of how to review by letting them choose what game template they wanted to use. Everyone had the same 15 vocabulary words (we did this over 2 days - so 30 words total).

The options I gave them were playing GNOME (like bingo), 

scrabbling the words, 

creating a hide the word drawing, 

making a board game, and creating a word search. 

They chose their specific activities and after they created their templates, worked with others (switched papers to complete the activities) to review the meanings of the specific words in the templates. They had fun!

This is over in my store if you are interested.

January Monday Made It

It's that time again!  Monday Made It with Tara.  I enjoyed it so much this past summer - those Mondays that I could just blog hop from one website to another pinning all those fabulous ideas.  Then school started and I can't just relax in my pj's anymore - yes, I'm still sad about that - Christmas break was wonderful!

Well this past month I have been filling up my little store on Teachers Pay Teachers.  That's mainly what I've made.  I've created quite a few things for my kiddos - and they seem to be appreciative.  The other day we were playing Scoot with our Mid Year Math Review and they asked me where I got the game from.  I told them that I made it myself (since for the majority of the fall my answer was from other fabulous teachers).  They actually thanked me!  After I picked up my jaw off the floor, I decided that I WAS a creative type of person who really does enjoy making things.  Yes, I finally convinced myself. 

Okay, so here is some of the stuff I've been making:

  

Banners for Whole Class Incentives - They spell the words on those special weeks to earn a class prize.  

 

Math Review - Double Digit Multiplication, Long Division, Math Facts, Mid Year (Factors, Rounding, Place Value, Division, Multiplication)

There are other things that I've uploaded too over at the store.  

Thank you for your support and encouragement!  

The other big thing that I did for school was changing around a wall and creating a brand new word wall.  In the past 2 1/2 years that I have been in this classroom I have despised this section of the wall.  They moved my TV over to this area 2 years ago and it has always been a weird set up as some of it is tucked behind it.  Not to fear though - what a difference it has made with bright paper.  The ABC cards on it are actually Tonya's Portable Word Wall from TPT.  I had bought it planning on making it portable, but then they were the perfect size. 

I hope you have a wonderful day!   

Blending Up Blends and Day 6 of Vacation

I'm sure you have those students in your classroom that need a little bit of extra support with spelling.  I can relate.  My students have a hard time using blends and digraphs, so I "blended" up this activity for them.  30 different blends and digraph ice cubes with 2 sets of alphabet ice cubes for them to manipulate.  I'm going to add this to the spelling station coming back from Winter vacation.

I posted it over at TPT where I added to it my very first SALE going on...

In other vacation news... it is so nice to just relax! Thursday was spent recleaning (it says recleaning is not a word - autocorrects to reclining - I wish!) my house since my boys decided to build a fort and pull out all their toys, I made pancakes for dinner, we took the boys for "real" bowling to help them earn a belt loop for Cub Scouts, and then I took my middle son to his pack meeting to decorate gingerbread houses - to which he said it wasn't a gingerbread house since they used graham crackers instead of gingerbread...  I also filled out the registration forms for my toddler since he will "graduate" to the district's SDC Preschool for their speech program when he turns 3 next month and we filled out the ADHD screening forms for one of my older boys... trying to figure out the best way to help him...learning is tough!

Maybe it was a tad busy after all... tomorrow is date night though!

Hope you had a wonderful day!

Upper Grade Spelling Patterns

I've been busy, but today I don't have much to say...and I'm running out the door to my son's winter choir concert, so I'll just show off what I made.  :)
Last night I was thinking about all those fun games that I know the kids get a kick out of doing.  It's those word sorts that they really enjoy!  So, I made up some that have to do with our spelling patterns - 20 words for each to sort.  I posted them at TPT if you are interested in checking them out.  

 The /ch/ one is a freebie - it's the preview for any of the other ones.  

Grab it if you need. 

If for some reason you don't need ALL of the ones in the bundle pack, 

I also posted them individually.

 All the above pictures are links to the specific sorts.  I also made up ones for the Long vowels, BUT I'm not quite done with them yet... they will be going up soon.