School and the City

I teach in a great area of Metro Atlanta that is a true melting pot. The diversity in my classroom is truly amazing. I have learned so much about other cultures and languages from my students.  That being said, I can't do Christmas in my classroom anymore, so I thought I'd share an activity that I did a few years ago.  After Thanksgiving break, I chose Flat Stanley's Christmas Adventure as our read aloud. It's short and sweet, and the kids were thrilled to hear that they would get to take Stanley home! We were working on letter writing, and I thought it would be a fun way to learn more about my students and differing holiday traditions. It went so well!  I chose to use two notebooks, since I had 25 students and I didn't have 25 school days until Christmas. Split in half, it took a little over two weeks to get the project done.  I had a schedule taped inside the notebook, along with instructions and a pocket for Flat Stanley.  (I ha...

As you may know, I was "promoted" to third grade this year. Because of that, I'm not using Words Their Way anymore (GASP - shocker, I know!). My students have a new spelling list each week, and after a few weeks, I realized I HAD to do something to make spelling practice more engaging for them. I decided to shop with Oriental Trading because they offer a TON of fun alphabet things ! I was impressed with the selection and was excited that I could purchase everything in one place. First, I looked for some letter tiles. I had some plastic tiles that my students loved using at the beginning of the year, but I confiscated them because they made so much noise while other students were trying to read or write. These tiles are colorful and QUIET! They are just thin pieces of cardboard, but I think they'll last a while if my students treat them correctly. Plus, it came with so many pieces, I put many pages aside in storage to pull out later if I need to. Find ...

Yes, even you, upper elementary teachers! Earlier this month, my third graders took the ITBS. Before the testing week began, I had to completely cover or take down anything "academic" in my classroom that students could possibly glean answers from... even my alphabet. I decided that since I was taking down the alphabet anyways, it'd be the perfect opportunity for my students to make their own alphabet. I'd seen this done in younger grades before, but never in upper grades, so I spun the idea to make it work in my classroom. I did this by tying it in with our content , involving writing , and using cursive letters . First,  I just posted an anchor chart with the alphabet written on it. I told students that as they were learning about and researching Georgia, they could add something to the chart if they found a noun that started with one of the letters. (We were studying Georgia habitats AND working on nouns!) I told them that when we filled the alphabet, we wo...

I have been SO VERY BUSY lately (hello testing, conferences, and report cards) but I am SO VERY EXCTIED about this that I just can't hold it in anymore! So, I don't have whiteboards. I have two very large, very black chalkboards. They're magnetic (whooo) but other than that, they annoy me to no end. I don't like writing with chalk. It's messy! Chalk markers are EXPENSIVE and dry out so quickly... I feel like I've tried them all. And when I DO suck it up and write on the chalkboard, it's hard for kids to read.  Then came the day a few months ago that my friend Emily from Munchkins, Inc. shared an image on her Instagram   showing how she covered her chalkboards with dry erase contact paper. I thought about it for a while... Hers looks so good that I just had to try it myself!!  Here's the before... ... and here's the after! I did the first half with the help of a friend, but did the second half on my own. I used a credit card to...

Third grade! Yay! I survived the first two weeks of third grade and finally have the time/energy to tell you a little bit about it. I won't be going into total detail, so please leave a comment if you have a question! The first read aloud for third grade was How to Be Cool in the Third Grade . It was great and opened up the opportunity for discussions about bullying, "being cool," and friendship. The kids loved it so much that they gave it a standing ovation when we finished it on Friday! On the first day, we read The Crayon Box That Talked . Then students completed this (very challenging) team building activity that required them to build a tower of cups without touching them. Afterwards, we discussed kind and respectful language and made an anchor chart called "Meaningful Conversations." (See below.) One of my favorite back to school books for teaching respect and responsibility for actions is called What If Everybody Did That? I find myself re...

I was moved to third grade this year, so I needed a fresh batch of read alouds.  After all, I have some former students in my class, and I didn't want to reread any chapter books to them! After thinking back on books I loved as a kid and asking other teachers for recommendations, I purchased the following books for my classroom: How to Be Cool in the Third Grade Judy Moody is in a Mood The One and Only Ivan Because of Winn Dixie The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane The Witches Those may last me through this semester, but I already have some great options lined up for the spring semester! The following books were recommended to me by other 3rd grade teachers that I totally trust. (A * denotes books I have read and completely approve of!) How to Eat Fried Worms* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory* Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy Lemonade Wars Lone Bean The Wild Robot Third Grade Angels Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing * Did I leave any of yo...

I am completely exhausted but my heart is so happy. I survived Meet the Teacher today and I got to squeeze all of my sweet kids from last year! As you may or may not know, I was moved (promoted?) to third grade, so I have a few of my students that were in my class last year. All of my other former students will be right nextdoor or across the hall, so I'll still get to see their sweet faces every day. Yay! They were a wonderful class and I miss them tons. Anyways... on to the sneak peek... When new students and parents first walked in, they saw my math about me chart , a photo area, and instructions on the board. (I also had fun music playing... #ambiance). The YAY balloon is from the Target Dollar Spot, but I found a similar one on Amazon, found here . Most students bring their supplies with them, so I have them sort them for me. My bins are labeled with my supply labels , free in my TPT store. SPOTTED: pencil nametags , expectation posters , and team jobs On ...