School and the City

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 ...

So you raided the Target Dollar Spot and stocked up on some blank books for your classroom. Now what? I love the blank books almost as much as my students do. I use them for almost every final draft writing project, and my students get so excited about "publishing" books. It truly increases motivation and engagement, and I always love the final products! First I created some blank, lined templates with lines of various sizes. (Why doesn't Target start making LINED books??) These can be used for anything and everything! With these templates, I usually pre-cut them for my students quickly with my paper cutter. It only takes a moment and cuts down on distractions. Want these templates delivered to your inbox for FREE? You got it!  Then I got excited and wanted to use blank books for ALL THE THINGS. My second graders needed some help with organizing their books and making them neat, so I created some templates. Here are a few templates that I have created an...

I got an exciting package recently - Oriental Trading! DID YOU KNOW... that Oriental Trading has an entire educational line called Learn 365? and that Oriental Trading's prices are really competitive, and cheaper than Amazon? I was so excited to discover Learn 365 this summer, and had to make some purchases that I think my students and I will love. First, I picked out some money dice. Counting and adding money is a big 2nd grade standard, and I'm always looking for more fun ways to keep my kids practicing. I thought these dice would be perfect for a math center - just roll, then add or subtract! Easy & engaging. money dice:  $4.49  on Oriental Trading Next, I picked out a box of 10-sided Dice in Dice . Yes, they're expensive, but I've had my eye on them for a while and I think it's a worthwhile investment for my classroom. With these dice, the opportunities are endless. I see myself using them for quick addition and subtraction fact practi...

Looking for an easy and fun back to school gift for students?  I found these glasses in the Target party section near the tassels and plates - 6 for $4! (If you don't have a Target convenient to you, here and here are some alternatives on Amazon.) I'm hosting the gift tags on Google Drive and am happy to share them with you: Join my newsletter & I'll send them for FREE! I promise I'll never spam you or share your email address.  Send me the editable gift tags!  We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered By Seva Enjoy!  Pin me:

Thank you SO VERY much for all of your compliments and kind words about my writing board. I love it too - It's one of my favorite parts of my classroom for three reasons: 1. It's pretty so that makes me happy. 2. It's so easy to hang papers. 3. I'm going on year three without changing out the board. Can I get an AMEN?! When I created this board, I hot glued pushpins to the back of clothespins. Then, I put hot glue on the back of the length of the clothespin before sticking it into and onto the board. They don't budge. They hold at least 30 papers throughout the year, no problemo. Yes, the hot glue will destroy the board when I try to pull them off... so I'm just not planning on doing that anytime soon! You know what they say... If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Many of you have been asking me how to make the pencil nametags. Keep reading: 1.   Click here to download this free clipart from Melonheadz. 2.  If y...