Reading is Thinking!

I’ve noticed over the years that my students are great summarizers, but not so great at connecting with, talking about, and thinking through their reading. Their discussions are mostly limited to summaries and retellings. Focused lessons on thinking deeply about reading help push us to the next level.

When we’re ready to move to written responses in our reader’s notebook, I have my students underline their responses using colored pencils. We use red for statements that are just within the book and green for statements that are thoughts extending the book. The goal is to include just enough red statements to provide a basic understanding of the book.

Over time, my students have learned to be great thinkers and use more green than red in their responses. I love that! You can download our Reading is Thinking chart for FREE in my store, so click on over to get one for your classroom. =)

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Leap Day Sale!

Teachers Pay Teachers is hosting a sale in honor of Leap Day. Many sellers (like me!) are offering an additional discount to bring your total percent-off to 28%. I know, I know... it's not 29%, but it's as close as the TpT format will allow.  


Here's how it works:

• Items in my store will be on sale for 20% off automatically on Leap Day. That's Wednesday in case you've been stuck in your classroom too long. (just kidding!) While you're there, be sure to "Follow" my store too.
• Enter coupon code L2P9Y at checkout for a bonus 10% off the discounted price for ALL items throughout the entire TpT site.
• This brings your TOTAL discount in my store to 28%.

Click here to visit my store

PS- If you aren't already following me on Facebook, click on over to do that. A FREEBIE is on the way for followers only in March.

Here's a linky party for Leap Day Sales too!

Linky Party

National Geographic Explorer

I'm sure you've heard of National Geographic Magazine, but did you know they have student editions too?  A few years ago I requested to switch to National Geographic Explorer from our previous classroom subscription. I decided to create a packet to go with each magazine that would activate background knowledge and provide extension activities.  After the first year, I only had to plan every third one since my grade level teachers are now taking turns planning the packets.

Here's what I love:

• The magazines integrate reading, writing, science, and social studies.
• The students are excited about our National Geographic week every month and get to take the magazines home when we're finished with them. 
• The online teachers' edition has lesson plans, worksheets, and interactive whiteboard lessons for free. You can also use the digital edition for projectors.
• It comes in two reading levels. They both look alike and have the same topics and pictures, but one is written at the second-third grade level and one is written at the fourth-sixth level. You can mix and match to create differentiation within your classroom this way. Because I teach third grade, I use the Pioneer Edition for all of my students. It challenges my higher readers, but my lower readers are able to participate with extra support.
• Each magazine comes with a two-sided poster in the Teacher's Edition. I display the posters during the week and then put them in our classroom auctions.
• The website has ecards, games, videos, vocabulary challenges, and related articles that update to match the magazine each month.   

If you're looking for a new way to engage your students with nonfiction, I'd suggest National Geographic Explorer.  Click on over to check it out for yourself.

Permission to Pin

I'm breaking the Good Blogger rules to post a second time today. Sorry!

There's a new issue going around with Pinterest because of a line in their terms that says you agree to only pin your OWN images or those images you've been given permission to pin. Teachers bloggers and store owners are granting permission through their blogs and the red pin button you now see over on the right side of my page.  You can find out more by clicking the button.




I think Pinterest is a great way to share products, freebies, and ideas. However, I think it's wrong to pull pictures off of someone's page and post the pictures on a different blog before pinning them. I promote always pinning from the original source so it links back to the original creator.  So in order to avoid any confusion, YES you may directly pin away to your heart's content from my blog, Facebook, and store pages. 

Pin, pin, pin away! Have a great weekend, too! =)

Kids Say the Darndest Things Linky Party

Jeannie at Kindergarten Lifestyle is hosting a just-for-fun linky party about the funny things that happen in our classrooms every day.  I started a notebook my second year teaching so I could write down the cute things that happen in our room, but I'm not always the best about writing the moments down before I forget them. There are just too many things to do every day. I'm sure you can relate to that! =)


Here's one that just happened on Thursday.

Math Engagement

I have a confession to make... math is not one of my favorite subjects to teach.  Our school uses the Saxon worksheet kits. I like their spiraled review, but it just feels so boring (especially for my high-ability group).  The hands-on ideas fall flat and are spread too far apart in the lessons.  We all know how time-consuming it is to create your own materials, games, lessons, and activities from scratch though.  
 
That's a big reason why I love TeachersPayTeachers so much.  It's a place where hard-working teachers can buy and sell their products, which I see as a win-win.  I get paid for the items I'm creating on my own time for our classroom and other teachers can save that time by purchasing my resources for a small price.  I've also purchased great materials from other teachers.  In case you missed it, here's a linky party of math resources. 

You can purchase this in my store.

Our class loves playing the math PowerPoint games that I created. A whistle blows to signal the start of each new problem and a countdown begins to encourage students to work quickly (but accurately!).  The answer is revealed to a round of applause before starting all over again.



See it in my store

What students don't love an occasional sweet treat?  I use Marshmallow Mateys for this data sorting and graphing lesson each year.










I also use the Take It to Your Seat Math Centers in our room.  They took some time to put together, but I've noticed that they improve independence and engagement too.


What are your favorite math resources?  I'd love to hear all about them!

Upcycled Learning Board

While using math wrap-ups in class last week, I noticed how much one of my hands-on learners loved using the string. She's working on counting, AB patterns, and her alphabet.  The multiplication wrap-ups were far beyond her current skill level.  However, she wanted to be part of the class.  

After talking with my teaching assistant, I realized lace-up cards might be a good option for her.  However, I wanted her to work on her academic and fine motor skills.  My assistant and I discussed laminating poster board and then punching holes in it.  We could label the holes with numbers or letters and then wipe-them off and update as needed.  This would allow the particular student to participate in class at her own level by using string to connect the holes in order.

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I thought about the idea some more that night and came up with a better idea.  I have a ton of white boards at work that my husband cut for me out when I first started teaching.  (In case you haven't heard of that, you can get the Melamine material at stores like Lowe's or Home Depot and use it as whiteboards for your students.  They'll even cut it down for you at the store.)  Anyway, I had my dear husband randomly drill holes across the board.  We tied parachute cord to one of the holes (knotted on both sides so it can't be pulled off). and now we can use a dry-erase marker to label the holes as many different times as we like. How great is that?!

Happy President's Day!

I love finding other third grade blogs, so when Krista stopped by earlier today I was thrilled to connect with a new blogger. It's great timing too because she's doing her first ever giveaway.  But hurry, your chance to win ends Friday.  Click on over to visit Krista at Stellar Students.


I hope you've had a great President's Day.  I spent mine reading on the couch with my pups and adding a few new items to my TeachersPayTeachers store. I also finished updating all my old items. Glad that tasks is over!


I have several posts planned for this week, so check back soon. =)

Classroom Auctions

I believe that engaging instruction is the best way to keep your students on-task, but an effective classroom management plan is also important.  I use positive and negative reinforcement in our room, but I prefer to focus on the positive.  That's where our classroom auctions come in.

I run ours just like a traditional auction, but students purchase items using raffle tickets instead of money.  Students earn five tickets every Monday morning for returning a signed weekly report from their Friday Folder.  They can earn additional tickets for showing life skills (cooperation, responsibility, perseverance, etc.).  Students can also lose tickets in our room, but that doesn't happen very often.  At the end of each nine weeks, it's time to bid on prizes.

The prizes don't have to be anything expensive.  I auction classroom freebies like homework passes, sitting in the teacher chair for a day, extra recesses, writing in ink for a day, and anything else each particular group of students seems to like.  I also ask parents to contribute items from home such as gently used toys, books the family has outgrown, or dollar store items.  I also stockpile items for the auction throughout the year.  I'm always getting free stickers, posters, magazines, canvas totes, and other "teacher" stuff the students want.  Shells from the beach have also been a big hit in our room.  

If you're looking for a way to shake up your behavior management routine, you might want to consider classroom auctions.  The students always count down to the next one because they're so much fun!

Just One More Reason Why I Teach

I celebrated the start of a three-day weekend by updating items in my TeachersPayTeachers store most of the evening.  I've been working hard to switch everything over to offer preview downloads and update page counts.  After creating all the files I found out that their uploader was down.  Oh well, at least I have lots to update when it is working again. =)


I wanted to post this adorable picture too.  One of my students made a tutu for my dogs with her grandma.  The student instructed me that they would have to share and requested photographic evidence the following day.  How cute is that?!  I love how much my kiddos and I can share with each other; it makes learning so much more fun.

Check back soon for posts about our classroom auctions and a new learning tool I created for a student in our classroom with special needs. She loves it, and the best part is that it's upcycled too!

Upcycled Crate Seat Tutorial

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I love our classroom library! I've already blogged about my tshirt pillows, but promised to include a crate seat tutorial too.  They're really easy to make and the students love using the crates during reading workshop.  We use them in the hallway instead of sitting on the floor too.  It seems easier to manage when everyone has a spot and the crates encourage students to sit up too.

 You'll need: fabric, scissors, staple gun with staples, hammer, stuffing, and scotch gard. It helps if you have a second set of hands too.  My husband is the hand model in these pictures. :)

I cleaned up some old files and used a crate that I already owned.  You can also find these at Wal-Mart for around $5.  You'll also need plywood around 1/2 inch thick.  We used scraps that we already had in the garage and pieced them together.

Make sure you measure the INSIDE lip of the crate so your wood sits inside.

I prefer flannel to cover the board, but broadcloth or interfacing would work too.  Use a staple gun to staple around three edges of the wood.  We used 3/8 inch heavy duty staples.

Now that three sides are stapled, stuff polyfill under the flannel to create a cushion. You could also use an old foam mattress pad.

After stuffing most of the seat, I staple it almost shut.  I leave a small opening to adjust the stuffing or add a little more before closing.

Finish stapling around the edge of the cushion.  I pulled it out so you could get a good look at it.

Now you're ready for your decorative fabric.  16x18 inches is just about perfect.

Center the board (stuffing side down) over the fabric.  This board was made from scraps so there's an extra piece underneath for support.  My other seats only use the one 1/2 inch piece of wood.

Staple all the way around the board.  Be sure to keep your fabric pulled tight.

Pop the board back into the crate and you have a new seat for your library! If you decide to scotch gard your fabric, now's the time to do that.









This next part is optional and only needed if you don't want the cushions to come on and off.

Sometimes the cushions would pop off the crate so I decided to zip-tie them on.  Use a long zip-tie and bend it about 2 inches from the end.

Staple the zip-tie onto the crate, centered left to right.

Loop the zip-tie through the holes in the side of the crate.  Do this for BOTH sides before pulling them tight.  Trust me. =)

After BOTH sides have been looped with zip-ties, pull them tight.  I tuck the extra inside the crate instead of cutting it off.  The point can be sharp if you cut it.

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Tada!  Now you have a lid that will stay on.  My students love the crates and I've gradually added a few more to our library because of it.  










If you decide to give it a try, I'd love to see pictures!  Drop me an email.

Math Resources and Valetine Blog Hop Winner Too

Math Coach's Corner hosted a math linky with tons of math resources (free and paid) for primary teachers. The sign up is closed, but you can still download any resources you need.

Today is also the 15th, which means a winner for the Valentine Blog Hop Giveaway.  This blog's winner of a $10 TPT gift card was chosen by random.org.  Congratulations, Rachel!  Check your email for details, and thanks to everyone for playing!

The Little Blog That Could

I'm not new to blogging.  I blogged about life as a college student, I blogged about life as a first-year teacher, and I'm currently blogging about life as a newlywed over on my personal page.  However, something told me 2012 was my year to start the professional blog I had been kicking around in my head for a while.  With my husband's encouragement, I decided to go for it.  He was my first reader, but now you're here too!  Be sure to follow my blog using the links over to the right.  The best is yet to come!

Another new blogger, Tessa, over at Tales from Outside the Classroom awarded my blog the Liebster Award.  Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve.  The Liebster award can be given to new blogs with less than 200 followers.  Along with this honor, it's my duty to fabulously regift the Liebster to 5 other new bloggers.  =)

I chose 5 newer bloggers you might not follow yet.  The teacher in me put them in alphabetical order.  Without further ado, I bestow the Liebster upon:

Great {first grade} Expectations
Jen Maschari
Mrs. Ward's Teaching Journal
Positively Learning
Third Grade Teacher Files

Click over and check them out!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I contributed my first post over at Classroom Freebies Too yesterday in honor of Valentine's Day.  If you haven't visited the blog yet, you should definitely check it out.  There are a ton of freebies from lots of fabulous teachers.  You can sort them by grade level or search by keywords too.

Oh, and don't forget tomorrow's the last day to enter the Valentine Blog Hop Contests.  Winners will be drawn on Wednesday.  Good luck!

You Know You're a Teacher When...

Jeannie over at Kindergarten Lifestyle created a just-for-fun link up that was too cute to pass up.  Make your own slide and hop over to Pinterest to join in the fun.

Student Treasures Book Publishing

Are you looking for new ways to motivate your students to write?  Are you tired of publishing student work the same way each unit?  Have you heard about Student Treasures?  If not, Student Treasures is a company that will send you kits to turn your students into published authors.   Best of all, it's totally free!

There are several options, but we use the school-wide program.  Primary teachers create class books with their students.  In this project, each student contributes a single page to the class book.  One free copy is bound for the class.  Intermediate teachers create individual books.  In this project, each student writes an entire book.  The book is bound for free.  Extra copies can be ordered for both types of books for around $20, but teachers can purchase copies for much less.  I've purchased several over the years to use as examples for future classes.  Student Treasures can be used for any grade level, not just elementary.


I've found this unit to be an authentic way to teach the writing process.  While our class publishes one project each month, the unit that results in a hardback "real" book is always the best.  I typically start the unit in early December and wrap it up at the end of January.  In the sometimes chaotic Christmas season, Student Treasures keeps students motivated.  It's also proved to be a great way to teach time management because we're on a deadline to mail the books out for publishing.


The last few years I've used alphabet books for this project.  I use several mentor texts to show that alphabet books come in many varieties and aren't just easy books for developing readers.  We also create anchor charts and idea lists to generate quality writing.  Then the students select their theme and are off and writing.  Some of our past topics included  movies, sports, holidays, and school.  When the bound books return in the spring, we hold an Author Party to celebrate and share.  I love it!


If you're interested in Student Treasures, click on over to their website.  If you decide to try it with your class (or school!), I'd love to refer you and earn Scholastic dollars for our school library.  Drop me an email and we'll trade information.  Thanks, and happy writing!