Summer Bucket List

8 MORE DAYS!

Am I excited?  Yes!

The next few days are going to fly by

and so I need to start planning for summer.

This linky will give me a good start.

 

 

1.  Get My House Organized

This becomes a goal every summer,

but this is the year!

I need to go through closets and get them organized.

My plan is to get the small closets done first

and then move to the larger walk-in closet.

 

2.  Plan Ways to Rearrange My Classroom

I took some pictures of my room as inspiration.

These are the main areas I want to work on.

Any thoughts?

 

3.  Enjoy A Family Vacation

We are going to N.C. Outerbanks again!

I love this place.

We like to rent a house with other family members.

Each morning we visit the ocean and the afternoon is for the Pamlico Sound.

I can't wait for this trip.

 

4. Update TpT Items and Papers

I have a bunch of school papers in my home closet.

Many of them are ideas I have for TpT products.

I'm hoping to get through the all

and get some new items in my store.

 

5.  Relax and Spend Quality Time With My Two Girls!!

I don't think I need to explain this one.

 

Summer....Here we come!!!



Some Laughs and Third Grade Summer Review

I found these on Pinterest and I couldn't stop laughing.

Can you relate to these?

It's coming to the end of the year and 

I'm trying to find anything to help me through it.

The kids are starting to check out and I'll admit that I'm starting too as well.

 

I've already had four parents request work for

their children to do over the summer. 

I decided to put something together that I can use this year

and make slight changes for each year after.

 

 

This has 12 weeks worth of summer review for students

leaving third grade and entering fourth grade.

 

 

There is a day of math review and another for math facts.

 

 

There is also grammar practice,

writing prompts,

sentence review and

reading responses.

 

I know the parents at my school will

 LOVE this summer structure.

I'm also going to add on a little incentive for the kids.

Anyone that returns a completed packet in August

will be invited to a pizza party in my room.

I'm pretty sure this will encourage a lot of them

to complete all of the activities.

 

How are you dealing with the last days of school?

 

 

Optimum Organization - Calendar and Desks

I love organizing and therefore I've been waiting all week for this linky party!

Please join Kristin and Elizabeth for

Calendar:

My calendar is one that is laminated and you can write directly on it.

I love it because I don't need to worry about finding small calendar numbers
figuring out patterns to use.

The kids enjoy filling in their birthdates and other special school events.

This calendar has been in my room for about 10 years now.

I'm going to change it next year by getting a smaller one because

I need more room for math vocabulary.

Shoe Boxes in Desks:

This is a little tip that has helped to keep our desks organized.
Each student is given a plastic shoe box.
All of their supplies go in it!
You will need to occasionally have a cleaning day
so the kids can clean out the box.

Also, make sure you get a size that fits in your classroom desks.
Not all sizes fit.


Be sure to link up and share your own ideas!

Tried It Tuesday...but need to keep trying it?

Let me start by saying that my thoughts are with the families in Oklahoma.

I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through right now.

I feel so lucky and grateful for all that I have.

 

On a completely different note,

I'm linking up with Holly from Fourth Grade Flipper

for her weekly

 

Last week I tried a new behavior incentive that I read on another blog.

During each transition period, I would time the kids.

At the end of the day, we needed to add up all the lost time.

If it was less than the day before, everyone would get five minutes of game time.

 

It sounded great!

My kids love competition and playing games.

It would be a fun way to end the school year.

I knew it would work.

 

WRONG!

 

Here are the problems.

1. I don't always remember to time the kids.

2. In the six days we have been doing it, they only beat their score once.

3. The kids are starting to nag each other when I am timing them.

I keep hearing, "Johnny, come on!!"

We have had to remind each other about giving kind reminders.

 

So, I don't know if I'm going to keep going with this plan.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 



A Fun Saturday and Classroom Idea

Today was a great day at my school.

I told you yesterday about the big 5K/1 Mile Tiger Trot.

The weather was perfect and it was so much fun

seeing my students out there and running.

The PTA donated 100% of the money to

The Israel Idonije Foundation.

It's a great organization and "Izzy" could not have been a nice guy.

Here is my daughter and I with him.

Have you ever stood next to an NFL player?

I felt tiny next to him.

 

This is my daughter and I before the mile run.

She ran about 3/4 of the mile.

It was such a fun mother/daughter time.

 

Looking for a fun activity to use in the classroom?

How about using dry erase markers on desks?

 

I did this the other day for math and it was a HUGE hit!

Can you imagine the reactions when I said

"Draw a blank number line on your desk."

"What?" 

"Should we get out our dry erase boards?"

 

The kids were so good about it.

They never tried to draw their own pictures

or anything not related to our lesson.

 

At the end of math, I let them have two minutes of free time to draw.

 

 

Everyday when I tell them to take out their supplies,

they give disappointed groans when we don't write on our desks.

I will probably do it again this week for them.

 

What sort of fun things are you up to this weekend?

 

 



Budding Blog Linky

My school has a big fundraiser tomorrow. 

It's called the Tiger Trot.

There is a 5K and a 1 mile run.

I'm so excited to run the one mile with my daughter.

I'll try and post some pictures tomorrow.

 

I have to get up early tomorrow, so I'll make this post short.

I'm linking up with Jess from I {Heart} Recess.

It is a linky for those of us who are relatively new to the blogging world.



 

1. Why did you start blogging?

I was following quite a few blogs and loved reading about all the different teaching ideas.

My teammates always seem to like my ideas, so I decided to share them with others.

My blog has now become a way for me to reflect on my teaching

and find ways to make myself a better teacher.

2. What is your favorite subject to teach and why?

I LOVE to teach math.  In college, I started as a math major.

Pre-calculus was too hard, so I moved down to elementary school.

Math is my favorite because I love the challenge of solving a problem.

I enjoy hearing about the different ways kids solve problems

and then comparing their strategies to mine.

3. Describe your teaching style.

I'm not sure that I can explain my style.

It's all over the place.

I try to create and teach in a fun way that will

have the kids involved in their own learning.

I prefer to stay away from the worksheets that come

with our math and reading series.

My goal for next year is to incorporate more technology

to help my students learn.

4. Give three interesting facts about you.

- I was on the pom pom squad in high school.

- I don't like to perform/speak in front of people.

- I'm a great cook, but only if there is a recipe to follow.

-
5. Do you have a TpT store? If yes, post the link :)

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Third-Grade-Galore

 

Here's to a great weekend!

End of the Year Gifts and Job Charts (Two Linkies)

Today was a fun day at school.

My kids had to run the mile in P.E. and so I joined them.

I love how doing one simple activity can make their day.

 

I'm linking up today with Jessica and Becky for Tricks of the Trade.

The topic for this week is end of the year gifts.

 

Tomorrow is our annual Volunteer Luncheon at school.

The staff all pitch in and we put on a big luncheon for any parents

that volunteered during the school year.

 

I also like to thank a few of the parents in my class

such as the room mothers and those that helped with big projects.

LUSH is a brand I've blogged about before and it is my go-to

for end of the year gifts. 

This year I have four moms who will be getting:

Tutti Fruity 

 

                Happy Hippy shower gel is packed with fresh pink grapefruit to wake you up.

Our scrubby Miranda soap is made with kiwi fruit and seeds to tone your skin.

It’s the perfect companion to perk friends up, surprise a co-worker,

or thank your pet-sitter – all the people who make your life that much brighter.

 

Doesn't that sound wonderful?

Each set is about $17, but the mom volunteers are worth it to me.

 

I'm also joining a new weekly linky from Diving Into 2nd Grade

and Hippo Hooray for Second Grade.

 

The rule is to share a quick tip to make life in the classroom easier.

My tip is for anyone who uses a job chart.

At the beginning of the year, I type up all the jobs on a chart.

Then I laminate the whole sheet.

Each week I clean it off and fill in the new names.

I like it because it does not take up a lot of space and

it can easily fit in with my classroom colors.

 

I can't wait to see the other tips.

Have a great Friday!

 

 

 

 

 

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