Fall Into Literacy Centers {New Unit}

Just checking...Will anyone else be glued to the television screen tonight waiting to see who our next "Commander-in-Chief" will be??? Or am I alone??? It's a good thing that I have a lot of work to keep me busy! 

I am super excited about my newest unit that I *just* uploaded to TPT. There are so many skills that I want to cover/review before we take off for Thanksgiving break, and so I thought that literacy centers may be the best way to fit it all in (to our two measly weeks). Plus, they are all fall themed and will bring all of the wonderful things about fall into the classroom! An even bigger PLUS, I have also been trying to get my feet wet in all of this Common Core business, so I made sure that these activities will not only meet my kiddos needs as we work towards mastery of our state standards, but they are also aligned to the new CC standards too! What can I say...I feel accomplished! Be proud with me! ;) 

So...take a look! 

The ten skills in this pack reinforce:  

- Parts of Speech (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs), Spelling Strategies, Prefixes, Suffixes, Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences, Dictionary Skills, Character Traits/Inferences, First and Third Person Point of View, ABC Order,

Common and Proper Nouns

I can't wait to get this ready for my kiddos this week! You can click {HERE} to pick this up in my TPT shop!  

And just in case you need a little fall lovin' added to your math time, you can also check 

out my Gobble It Up Math Centers!

Okay, one final thing before I leave you tonight...so many of you have emailed about the post that I wrote about Reader's Workshop towards the beginning of the school year! I want you to know that I have been working on a *HUGE* file that will help you implement RWS into an elementary classroom! I am hoping to be finished with this in the next two weeks, but it is taking FOR.E.VER! FOREVER! I promise...I am working on it for all of you! ;) 

Coming Soon...

Happy Election Day, sweet friends! 

Kids Vote 2012

Well, friends...it is fall break for this teacher, and I must say that I am enjoying every single second. I *might* still be in my pajamas! Fall break feels super late this year, but I am not complaining one bit. It has definitely been nice to have a little break from my sweet loves. 

Since our fall break began last Thursday, we had to squeeze in a little election fun before we left. Since my kiddos have been all into data analysis and probability in math, we chose to do a little election analysis in the classroom. Let me just say...they were ALL about this activity. At our school, we held a mock election. Prior to the announcement of our results, my students polled a first, second, and third grade class to see if we could predict which candidate the majority of our school would select. I must say...we were spot on! Here are a few pictures of our activity.

Our Data Analysis Groups 

Each group reported the results from one grade level. In order to draw conclusions, they had to create two different graphs or tables of choice. I can honestly say that I have never turned my kiddos loose to draw graphs completely on their own, but y'all...they blew me away! Plus, I loved the variety that they used within their groups to represent the same data. 

And of course, they had to be precise! 

Once the students completed their graphs and charts, they had to write a paragraph to show which conclusions they were able to draw using their data. Then, we discussed the probability of which candidate we thought would win our school wide election. 

After all of that hard work, it was time to cast our votes! We have worked really hard over the past few weeks educating the students on both candidates. In our classroom, we held a small debate. Unfortunately, I was out of town during the debate, but my student teacher said that they completely rocked it! 

Some of my wonderful parents, along with my sweet student teacher, helped create and run our school wide election. The students were so excited about the opportunity to let their voice be heard! 

Such a great way to end the week! I can't wait to see them again on Wednesday, so that we can discuss what went down across our country during the "real" election.

I hope that you all had a fabulous Monday. Don't forget to get out and VOTE tomorrow! 

Right Before the Sugar High & a FREEBIE

Oh. My. Word! What a day. I just finished giving out candy to the last few trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood, and the bed is calling my name! I love...love...love Halloween, but I tell you...this holiday ranks right up there with Valentine's Day! Pure craziness! So, what did we do right before the sugar high??? 

We began the day with our riddle math! This has definitely become a favorite in the classroom and is PER-FECT right before a holiday. Today, the students had to figure out the following riddle: What do you call a witch that lives at the beach? They had to solve 9 different problems to find the answer. Each time they got a problem correct, they collected a letter tile. Once they had all nine tiles, they could solve the riddle. 

If you would like to pick up a copy of this activity, click {HERE}. The cards are blank so that you can create your own math problems to match your current skill! 

As if they needed more sweets today, once they solved the riddle, they were able to eat Halloween Popcorn...my sorta healthy...sorta sweet Halloween treat for my kiddos! Yes...I made them earn it! 

Then...who plans a wax museum & South Carolina Explorers Talk Show to present to parents on Halloween?!? Guilty! It kept them busy, focused, and learning! 

We held a traditional wax museum, complete with a photographer to take pictures of our guests with our famous explorers and settlers! The kids were most excited about holding their pose, and they were super serious about it. Seriously, the funniest thing ever. Loved every single second! 

As a matter of fact, I am about 90% certain that the adults had more fun than the students! I think I will claim a wax museum more often in the classroom. These kids didn't move an inch! 

After performing our SC Explorers Talk Show and a little region rap for our parents, we got straight back to work! Continuing on with our Wizard of Oz Unit, we made these cute little witch crafts to display with our homophone stories. After I reviewed homophones, the students had to create a Halloween story with the eight homophones that they were given. This really allowed me to see who truly knew how to use these words in the context of a sentence. 

So...how did I get them to complete so much work today? I held our little EconoMONEY shopping day over their heads! Call me crazy...but it worked like a charm! At the end of the day, the students were able to go spend {or save} all of their hard earned cash! 

The CEO of EconoMONEY Enterprises even threw a little Halloween Sale!

Then, we ended the day with these sweet little treats...Perfect since we read about that Wicked Witch today! 

These cupcakes were made by one of my precious room moms and grandmas! Love them! 

It was such a great day! And...I am just throwing this out there...BUT...I think that it is a total crime to make us come to school tomorrow! Pray for me...and I will pray for you! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Halloween{ish} Activities & a FREEBIE!

Is it just me...or am I getting back into my groove?!? A blog post on a Monday night?!? I call that progress, people! ;) Okay, so just in case you haven't heard...Halloween is Wednesday! Call in reinforcements! A candy high is in our future! Not to brag or anything, but our fall break is just around the corner! Like...Friday! Can I get a PTL?!?

Alright...back to school! I love Halloween! It *may* even be one of my favorite holidays! Since I have had my kiddos for three years now, I had to get really creative this year for our Halloween week! We have had oh so much fun with pumpkins...and black cats....and ghosts....and everything else Halloween over the past two years! So, what is going on this week in our room?!? 

That's right...The Wizard of Oz! 

I have been DYING to read this book with them and just couldn't think of a more perfect time! Plus...witches = the perfect Halloween{ish} addition to the classroom! {Sorry the pictures are horrible...iphone style ;) } 

This morning when they walked in, our classroom was decorated with witch everything... paired with a nice, bright...Yellow Brick Road! At the end of the road waiting patiently, was their new guided reading book for the next two weeks! I couldn't decide if I wanted to read the story whole group, or in guided reading groups. Then, I found the perfect version at Kohls! It is challenging for my low group, perfect for my middle, and a little easy for my high group. So, I am simply modifying the reading skills to make it perfect for all! AND...they couldn't be more excited about our new book study! Not your typical "Halloween" activities, but just wait until you see our witch craftivities this week! More pictures and activities to follow!

Moving on.... 

As if my kids need any more candy this week!!!! Today, we dove a little deeper into probability! Well, what better way to practice than candy?!? 

We began with a few (notice...a FEW) pieces of candy corn and some sour pumpkins. The kiddos used the candy to demonstrate six different situations in probability! 

Easy...check! Fun...check! Halloween{ish}...check! 

If you would like to snag a copy of this freebie, you can pick it up in my shop right now! 

What activities do you have up your sleeve this week??? 

Spooktacular Savings!!!!

 

Click {here} to check out my shop! Don't forget to check out my Halloween Units located at the top! :)

Thanks to sweet Abby for the graphic!

 

TGIF...just sayin'!