100th Day...Super Bowl Style

Today was the 100th day of school. Well actually, it was number 99...BUT...tomorrow my kiddos will be MAP testing, and I can just see them 100% focused when I am dressed like a football superstar and they are all decked out in their gear. So, we celebrated on the 99th day of school. They were totally fine with it, and we did an excellent job at pretending that it was day 100! Onto our 100th Day Celebrations! 

Yesterday, in preparation for the 100th day,  I stayed after school to do a little decorating in the midst of tornado watches, torrential downpour, and some crazy lightning. Ahhh...Life in the south. My sweet mama helped me make some gigantic footballs to hang from the ceiling. I bet the fire marshals would love this...

I am *sure* that they would meet code! My kids were obsessed. They tried to convince me to let them take some home. Hmmm...that could be a great incentive for later. I will keep that in mind.

After I left school, I should have been super worried about the weather, but instead I was determined to find a Ray Lewis jersey. No such luck. So I moved on to plan B, and I made one! 

This and some nice "eye black" {as my boys called it} gave me superstar status! Ha! 

Today on *our* 100th day, we began by watching some highlights of Ray Lewis during our morning work. He has some pretty inspirational speeches on YouTube. The kids were amazed by him which is why our Super Bowl predictions turned out like this...

Obviously, the Ravens are a favorite in our classroom. 

After our predictions were made, we used my Let's Talk Football Unit and began researching what football was like 100 years ago. There is an excellent little video on YouTube that the kids thought was hysterical. We also did a little partner research and worked on Venn Diagrams to use when writing our comparison essays. We found out some pretty cool facts from long ago. I am loving how these turned out! They had some really fabulous writings! I was super impressed!  

How cute are those little football superstars? You can check out more football themed writings in my Let's Talk Football Unit. 

Although we had a lot of fun during writing, I would have to say our math activity was the favorite of the day. We have been working our way through measurement, and today we had a 100th Day Championship Football Throw. They were pumped! We began with the Customary Units Championship, followed by the Metric System Championship. 

The kids each had their own football thanks to one of my cheer moms (not to be confused with dance moms). Those ladies are CAH-RAZY! 

During the competition, they had to throw their football 100 inches, 100 feet, 100 mm and 100 centimeters. We used tape measurers to find the correct distance of each. The kiddos then had to record reflections after each throw. 

I actually had one student who threw his football 100 feet. He was so proud! This was an excellent activity to help the students really understand each unit of measure and begin associating relative lengths with each. 

We had such a fun day together. Now, let's pray they are ready to score some major touchdowns on their MAP test tomorrow! Happy 100th {eh..99th} day, friends! 

Plot Like Woe Winner

I meant to post this last night and completely forgot! Better late than never, right? 

Thanks to all who entered! Since I was a little late, I will leave the unit at a discounted price until tomorrow. You can check it out by clicking below! 

Now, I must go get ready for the 100th day. Have a great night, y'all! 

Let's Talk...FOOTBALL!

Raise your hand if you are a football fan!!! My hand is so not raised. Ha! Basketball, I love! Football...not so much. My husband is not proud. So, will I be watching the Super Bowl?!? Probably not. I do like the commercials, and I typically pull for the team with the coolest outfit (jersey?)...I dunno. 

I know you are asking...then why did you make an entire football writing unit? Well, about that. Our 100th day is Thursday and Super Bowl is this Sunday...so I am definitely going to combine the two. Plus, my kids are all kinds of crazy about football. This year, our 100th day will be all about football and the kids couldn't be more thrilled! They are super pumped that they will be dressing like football stars on Thursday. We will be doing all sorts of measurement activities (our current math unit) centered around a football field {which is 100 yards...I think}. ;)  We will also be researching football 100 years ago and the kids will be working to compare the olden days to current trends. We are also working on capacity, so I thought about doing a Gatorade challenge. You know...who can drink 100 cups of Gatorade in 100 seconds! What do you think? ;) Maybe I should save that activity for another time. 

Anyways, I have put together a little football writing unit that we will be using for our 100th day. It includes 8 different writing prompts and will be perfect for all of your football lovers. Although we are using it for the 100th day and Super Bowl, this unit will work wherever and whenever you would like. Check it out below or by clicking {HERE}! 

I will be back Thursday to share our 100th Day Celebration! Until then, have a great night, friends! 

Plot Like Woe! {And a FLASH giveaway}

Happy, happy Monday! By happy, I mean are y'all as tired as I am yet? And/or do your kiddos have spring fever already? Ha! It is that time of year when I start pulling out the "goods" to really get my kiddos MO-TI-VA-TED! Especially since testing is just around the corner. We won't talk about that right now...will we? 

Last week, we finished up our big geometry study. During enrichment time, my kiddos worked on graphing ordered pairs. This is a forth grade standard for the state of SC, but I am all about pushing the limits just a bit here and there! The kiddos were so in love with this boring new little skill. Maybe that had a little something to do with the fact that they were practicing by designing superhero masks and playing a game of battleships! No, no...I am not that creative, but my hubby sure is. We used a unit that he designed for his 5th grade friends. It was perfect in every way. Plus, they were super pumped to find out that they were working on a 5th grade unit. It was a nice way to end a big geometry study! 

Here is a look at an intense game of "Sink the Plot"...

They liked it so much that they have been praying for rain so they can stay inside and play their new favorite game! I would much rather go outside! Indoor recess is not for me! ;) 

If you would like to check this unit out, you can pick it up in my TPT shop! It will be on sale until tomorrow at midnight. Click on any of the pictures below to check it out...

I will also be giving this unit to one lucky reader who has made it this far! All you need to do is follow my Facebook page by clicking {HERE} and leave me one comment below! Don't forget your email address! I will choose a winner tonight at midnight! ;) 

I am off to watch The Bachelor! ;) 

A Little of Last Week & Looking Ahead...

Okay, tell me that we have been in school for at least four weeks since break! Last week seemed like it took for.e.ver! I honestly feel like Christmas was at least a year ago! Ha! So glad that we are back into the swing of things! Anyways, here is a quick look at a few things that we did last week. I will be back tomorrow with a little geometry this and that! We are completing that unit this week, and we have had some serious fun! 

Last week, the kiddos wrote about their resolutions for 2013. I wish I could take complete credit for the display, but this belongs to the sweet Lesson Plan Diva. You can check it out {HERE}! So, so cute! {Please ignore my hallway. Our school was painted over break, and we have not yet received the approval to put things back onto our walls! That means I had to take EVERYTHING down. Sad day!} 

I *think* it is safe to say that we have our five paragraph essays down! Now, we are just working on refining some areas and strengthening our content...something you can never practice enough! 

So this week, we will be moving on to more informational writing. My kids are all about researching, especially animals. They are going to be thrilled to learn that we will be researching one of their favorite animals...the polar bear. I had to go to school today to get some things ready to go! You can check out more resources for polar bears in my Winter Writing Bundle! 

Since we began the month of January upon our return {and a new year}, we revealed one more of our "inspirational thoughts". Here is this month's food for thought...

This was the perfect start to our Monday morning together! We *all* {including the teacher} needed a little motivation! I also gave them their bracelet to keep that inspiration going strong throughout the day! You can find both of these resources in my Desire to Inspire and my Desire to Celebrate packs! 

Along with our inspirational quotes, each new month also brings new jobs! So tomorrow, the students will be applying for their January jobs as part of our classroom economy. You can check that out {HERE}. I have been amazed at how much their applications have improved over the past few months. I can't wait to see why they will be the perfect employee this month! 

Well, here we go...it is Monday once again! Have a great week, sweet friends!