Spring Centers

I didn't go whole hog into Spring Centers this time, just because we had a field trip scheduled for that Friday. However, we celebrated a bit on Thursday, so I wanted to share what we did!

First, my team put together an egg hunt that was a review for Science and History. Students had a numbered sheet, 1-20, and had to work in partners and find each egg, read the slip inside, write the answer on their sheet, and put the egg back.

I don't know why...maybe it was the excitement, the fullish moon, the field trip the next day...but my students had the worst time putting the eggs back where they found them! Some would be holding clues in their hand, with no idea where the egg was! The bad thing was, we were FIRST! We finally got it all settled and taken care of but...whew!

Since it was our math time, we came in and did our usual math rotation, except with a twist. We usually do a group/independent/center rotation (the center this year being with my assistant, who does different activities with the students....when students finish their independent work at their seat, they have time for centers...each rotation is 30 minutes or so).

With my assistant, they created bookmarks with fun foam spring stickers (Dollar Tree!) and had to write on the back the fraction of what each item was (to emphasize parts of a set!). With me, they had two activities: Estimation Station and a fraction activity using spring erasers (also from Dollar Tree!). I've included them both here, and you can also click on them and find them as a free download on TpT!


So, know Easter's over, but if you'd like to use them after break or for next year ;) feel free! The kids had a lot of fun with them! It was a fun way to review fractions....I' m also going to be posting my fraction centers on TpT that we're going to use on Monday to ease us back in from a week off! If you'd like a free copy of the fraction centers, be one of the first three to comment and leave your email address!

The emphasis is on recognizing fractions, determining the denominator and numerator, and being able to represent fractions! Included are 4 different games that use fraction tiles, fraction dice, cubes/colored blocks, two-colored chips and a "graffiti wall." If you don't have those manipulatives, I've either included a link to a free download, or provided them in the packet.

Tagged Again :)

Jenny over at Luckeyfrog's Lilypad tagged me, so here I go again! (Can you tell its Spring Break? Of course, crazy ol' me is going into school tomorrow to get ready for next week and possibly clean my room....hah hah, kidding on that last one! Even when I try to clean/organize my room, it somehow doesn't last long!).

1. Did you take lessons in anything as a kid?
piano lessons...it taught me to read music, which helped being in the handbell choir at church!

2. What is the one book you would recommend to a new teacher?
Strategies that Work! (the first edition that's red...I'm not a big fan of the newest edition) That was a GREAT way to not only understand about the different reading strategies, but had some great examples! It was one of the few books I actually read cover to cover that was handed to me for a "professional library" (oops...did I just confess that?).

3. Who is your very favorite children's book author or illustrator?
Mo Willems.....you can do almost anything with his pigeon books, no matter the age...teach a strategy, characterization, etc. My favorite author to read aloud is Bill Wallace and his "talking animals" books...they are TOO FUNNY!

4. If you could only listen to one musical artist/group for the rest of your life, who would it be?
Rascal Flatts.....or would it be Maroon 5....or The Frey....hmmm.....have to think on that one!

5. What is your favorite dessert?
lately, anything with strawberries and chocolate!

6. What is your biggest strength as a teacher?
being adaptable....able to change the lesson when the kids give you the "deer in the headlights" look....I have learned to take a moment, recollect my thoughts, and come back to it in another way...that and teach with a sense of humor

7. What is your favorite piece of clothing?
pajama pants! wish we had pj day more often at school!!!!

8. What is the last thing you bought?
besides food? hmmm.....new tennis shoes/walking shoes...mine were downright embarrassing and falling apart!

9. If someone gave you $500 for your classroom right now, what would you buy?
oh my....cardstock, organizational things (such as drawers...I sadly have no closet in my room so I'm trying to make it look nice with decent containers/drawers to put my centers, etc. in )....and think that would take all my money! LOL....maybe take the rest and put it on a gift card for Dollar Tree (fave store!)

10. What is your favorite vacation spot?
Years ago, my family used to go to Sunset Island in NC. Would LOVE to take my family there! Quiet, family-oriented beach and only 30 min from the craziness of Myrtle Beach and close to Wilmington :)

*Since I've already tagged 10 people, I'll skip that part for right now :)

Field Trip Friday!

We managed to schedule a field trip the last day before Spring Break! :) Yep, good timing, I know! Our kiddos got to experience their first charter bus trip, literally going through the woods and over the mountain to the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, VA.

This is a FABULOUS place for a field trip! It focuses on the past and how early Americans settled in the area and their early life! In the "new world," it focuses on 1740s farm, 1820s farm, a one-room schoolhouse, and an 1840s farm. In the "old world," it focuses on the ancestry of folks who settled in the area, including an Irish farm, English farm, German farm, and African farm.

The interpreters are costumed and tell of life back then. Of course, my kids were wild about the animals they had there, especially the chickens! Don't ask me why...these are rural kids, so chickens are no big deal! :) Here are a few photos of our trip. If you ever have the chance to visit, this time of year is great! The weather was beautiful, and usually, there are baby lambs to see as well...so adorable! You can also visit the website and use the photos in your classroom, when you focus on past and present!

I've Been Tagged!

Melly over at Stapler's Strategies tagged me! Here are the rules:
1. You must post the rules.
2. Answer the 10 questions for the tagger who posted for you.
3. Create 10 questions of your own to ask the people you're tagging.
4. Tag 10 people and link the with your post. Don't forget to let them know they've been tagged!

So, here are Melly's questions (my answers are in blue):
1. How many grades have you taught during your career?
I started teaching 8th grade exploratory/6th grade writing, then 3rd, 4th, and now 2nd....so 5? :)
2. Are you where you'd like to stay until retirement?
I moved to another school (same district) and I LOVE it! I earned my certification in library media several years ago, but I'm still in the classroom (for now). So....I'll either be in the classroom or in a library when I retire! :)
3. What do you think about the new Common Core Curriculum?
Virginia hasn't adopted this, but we do have SOLs (Standards of Learning) that all public schools follow in the state. There are statewide tests in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and beyond to assess learning.
4. How many students do you have in your class this year?
Currently, I have 18 (wonderful number!), but I also had some students move recently...I was up to 20 (last year, I was up to 23 at one point).
5. Has the number of students grown in the past couple of years?
Last year, we had 4 teachers in our grade level, this year we have 5...so yes, the student population is growing (especially the boys!).
6. What is your favorite lesson/subject to teach?
I LOVE History, but I'd say Math is a close second, along with Reading
7. What is your favorite classroom management strategy?
We do a ticket system in our classroom (I've done this for many years) that works REALLY well with students...I'm so excited that last year, my new team adopted a grade-level ticket system! Students earn tickets for good behavior/good work habits, but can also lose them as well. They have to earn 100 tickets each quarter to go to the 2nd grade party. :) (Other years, I'd have stores, or they'd earn prizes, etc.)
8. How many teachers at your grade level in your school?
This year, 5
9. How many students in the school where you teach?
Around 650-700
10. Do you teach in a public or private school?
public

Okay, so here are my 10 questions for those that I tagged:
1. What are you most proud of in your classroom?
2. What is your favorite unit to teach (any subject)?
3. What inspired you to begin teacher blogging?
4. Teacher's Notebook or Teachers Pay Teachers?
5. What is the best field trip you've ever been on?
6. What inspired you to become a teacher?
7. What are you doing/did you do on your Spring Break?
8. What is your favorite book to use in the classroom?
9. Do you have a classroom pet? If so, what?
10. What frustrates you most about teaching?

I'm tagging:
Enriching Kinders
2nd Grade Rocks!
Mrs. T's First Grade Class
2nd Grade Pig Pen
Sweet Seconds
Forever in First
Adventures of a Student Teacher
The Second Grade Superkids
Inspired in Second
Wild About Second Grade

Okay, tag! You're it! :)

Life Cycles, Fractions, and Rounding...Oh My!

I have posted some different activities/games on Teachers Pay Teachers....I'm pretty proud of them! My class is sooo into Scoot, I find myself going and making new Scoot games for review in math, as well as branching out into our current Science unit! I try to make them versatile for every teacher, including cards up to 30 for those larger classes. My students are too cute...they are even requesting "Scoot" for reading! (One of my students even demonstrated during reading groups how we could do it!) I think my "to do" list for Spring Break is growing! :)

So, let me show off what I've done so far....click on any of the pictures to see more details.
Fraction Action includes suggestions for games to use the cards with, including recognition of fractions and equivalent fractions! I am so excited to have a set of cards to be able to use for different games in my classroom, as well as being an extra set of flash cards!

You don't have to have the book to use this activity (but I find it's usually available in any school library or in a buddy's classroom...Pat Hutchins is VERY popular!).
Be sure to check them out on my TpT store! Right now, I have them priced CHEAP! Next up will be a Fact/Opinion Scoot and a Telling Time to the Nearest Five Minutes Scoot (as soon as I can get them done!).

Oh, quick question....I'm thinking of expanding into a"Teacher's Notebook" store. For a one-time fee of $19.95, you get 100% of your profits (minus any Paypal fees). Do any of you have a Teacher's Notebook store? How well does it do? I think TpT is more popular, but it sounds like Teacher's Notebook is friendlier. Just curious if anyone knows a difference or has a preference? Thanks so much for the input!!!!

April Currently

Yes, our house is still not quite fixed from last Fall's earthquake :( One, we weren't granted FEMA money until January, and then, replacing our sliding glass door (my dining room has looked like an episode from Hoarders with the table being on the subfloor and each and every piece of trash or riff-raff that is in the house has been attracted to this area!) for the THIRD time (they kept ordering the wrong door, the installer couldn't come, etc.)....so HOPEFULLY this Thursday, things will be FIXED! Well, that is, once my husband then replaces the laminate wood flooring....sigh, sigh, sigh. We won't mention the dogs and cat who kept thinking the exposed padding was some kind of invitation to a bathroom! :(

Okay, so Energy Boost....I guess that's kind of self-explanatory! I think all of us would like to have that...the days when we're dragging, our room is trashed, and all you want to do is go home and take a nap! Hmm, either that or a "motivation button"...but if I had energy, I'd have motivation, right?

I'll need that Friday! I'm in charge of this field trip to the Frontier Culture Museum and while it's a GREAT trip, I hate the whole stress of the $$$ and charter buses (which takes a $6 field trip to $27!). We did a "save the date" back in February, so parents would be aware of the cost, then gave them until this Tuesday to send in slips/money. So, it's nail biting time, to make sure we "break even"! Don't get me wrong...I LOVE field trips! I love exposing students to things they otherwise would never know about/experience. However, if I wanted to be a bookkeeper, I'd be one!

Whew! Thanks for reading my little rantings :) A big thank you to Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for posting this month's Currently. I still can't believe it's April!!!!

Spring Arts Festival

In our county, the Arts Festival is more than putting pictures up in a mall or community center somewhere. Louisa does it up BIG. Every Spring, the art teachers in the county work together and develop a theme, as well as decorate and select artwork from students (well, that's done throughout the year) to put in the festival. In addition, each school is responsible for an activity that goes along with this theme, and sets up a table with the activity, which is manned by volunteers.

This year's theme was "The Art of the Book" and featured a local artist, as well as a walk-through of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are." Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle were also featured as well. Of course, being a VERY proud mama, I was so pleased that both my kids had their art displayed in the festival, so of course I'm going to include it in the post! I just wish I had a moment while I helped out at my school's table to take a picture of the butterflies that the kids were creating! There was an option of two: fan fold magazine pages and put together with a pipe cleaner body of a butterfly or use pre-made butterfly bodies with coffee filters, where students decorated wings with markers. Both, when completed, were hot-glued on clothespins.

Other schools' activities included rainbow fish, bookmarks, creating shape books.....I didn't get a chance to get to the other tables, but annual events include the potter's wheel, face painting by the high school art students, and basket weaving. Performances by the chorus members from all the schools are also featured, as well as a "sneak preview" and advanced ticket sales of the high school musical.

So, as you can tell, it is very busy and very well attended each year. In fact, this year was the 25th year of the festival! Each year also features a different shirt to go along with the theme. It was a little different this year, since it was held at the middle school (our high school was badly damaged in the August earthquake), but kudos to our art teachers who managed to make the smaller space work well!

I remember growing up, our art work was featured at the mall, so it was a "go and see" type of deal. I have to say, I LOVE this idea and how involved the community gets! So, how does your system celebrate the arts? I'd love to hear about it, so please leave a comment below!