Webquest Awesomeness!

Mini webquests are perfect for third graders.  I used them just before the break to get the kids out of their seats and work on some fun activities...learning included in the fun! When I have my students do webquests, I usually set the background information up in the form of a mini-lesson.  I have had them complete a KWL chart or just write a question or two in their journals to assess prior knowledge. Many times in social studies, they have never heard of the people we are studying (or they are confused about who they are.)  These webquests could set your students on the journey to more research about a person you are studying.  They are also awesome for small groups where the groups could read about the person, then collaborate on answers together.  Anytime I get the iPads out, there is excitement in the room!  We had so much fun with this the last time, I know they will be excited for these new quests!  You can find my new Mini-Biography Webquests {HERE}or {HERE}

My students love to get on the floor with an iPad and work together!

Kids scan the QR code and it takes them right to the website!  If you don't have devices to scan codes, no worries, just have the students type in the provided website.  (It's good practice in being careful!) 

{CLICK HERE}
Or {HERE} to see my new store at Buy Sell Teach

There are five different quests in the set! 
Find it also here at Buy Sell Teach

My kids said, "Hey, this is like a scavenger hunt!"  Yep, they loved it! 

Christmas Fun!

We are up to our elbows in icing and elves!  

I decided to give my kids an exercise in cooperation and group work.  I was in Costco the other day and I was INSPIRED by a box of giant gingerbread men (4 to a box!) complete with decorations and icing.  It was SUCH a bargain at $8.99.  These guys were about a foot tall! I knew I couldn't hand the groups a cookie and icing and let them go for it, so I gave it a "dry run" with paper gingerbread men and scrap paper.  I didn't tell them the real thing was to come!  We talked about what went well during their paper decorating, how they got along, how to share an idea, how to solve problems, be heard, disagree, etc... Later that afternoon, I had my mom and teenage daughter bring in the gingerbread men on trays with candy and frosting.  You would have thought I had given my class new cars.  Thrilled.  They got along PERFECTLY (only because of the practice run we did.)   It was a BLAST and a perfect Friday.  

"Ta-daaa!"

We make elves every year using the kids' pictures and handmade paper clothes.  They hang from our ceiling in the hallway until the Christmas break and then we send it all home.  Last year we took pictures of the kids and printed them out in black and white, and saved all that color ink. We did the same this year. First, I cut all of the heads out (leaving the shoulders. which will be covered up with elf costume.)  I was afraid they would cut their heads off if I didn't do that part!  It didn't take very long to scissor around the outlines of their heads. 

Step1:  Cut head and shoulders out of pictures.

Step 2:  Cut out some clothes for your elf.  None of them look the same, all creative and hilariously darling. My only requirement was that they make them around 8 inches tall to fit with the head (which is about 2" tall).  

I did this one for an absent student and as a model for the other kids.  I literally put a half sheet of construction paper over the shoulders and drew and cut out the clothes. We punched out holes with punches for polka dots, and added pointy feet, stripes, hats, etc...

Step 3:  Glue the clothes on the elf.  You will have to have them trim up the edges of the picture that are showing.  They turn out super cute and I think it's because there is no pattern for the clothes.  I had to really work with some of them to make them big enough.  Some wanted to do really tiny clothes, so we worked on the proportion a bit.

Our Texas-themed Christmas hallway, and the elves hang from the ceiling!


Have a great weekend!  

Pinteresting Math: Comparing Numbers

I found these cute little popsicle stick <, > symbols on Pinterest.  Glued them together, painted them, decorated them, love them.  We used all kinds of numbers to compare, starting with two digit,  then money, then worked our way up to four digit numbers.  The kids loved it.  I had them draw two number cards, decide on which symbol to use, then say the number sentence.  One of the reasons I did this in small group, (besides to protect my little "munchers" from harm!) was to get the kids to talk to me about their thinking. I know that most of them know which symbol goes between the numbers (most times), but to articulate the sentences as:  _____ is less than _____, or vice-versa took some thinking time for some of them.  I need to do more "outloud thinking" with them in small groups! Another thing we are working on is telling which place value helps them decide which number is greater or less than.  I am really working on getting them to verbalize their thinking as well as writing about it.

Givin' credit to One Extra Degree: Confessions of a Teach-a-holic.  I absolutely love this <, > idea AND it's one I've actually tried and use often.  So thanks, Amanda, for a great idea!  I have to try "munchers" using arrays like she suggests on her post! Another great use for my little critters. 

Cover Thyself

We are learning procedures for Guided Math and Daily 5 over these past weeks, and I've given a couple of assessments.  I'm already seeing how I have to start working with small groups, and there is no time to spare!  We just had a meeting with our principal on progress monitoring, and I was glad I had just created this page I plan to use.  I have also included another page for keeping track of which skills you are working on as well as time and date slots for  RTI documentation.  When I try to stay organized for RTI requirements,  I go right to these pages to see who needs work on which skill and which assessment they need to retake.  My kids are coloring in their own scores, setting goals for themselves.  We were fortunate enough to have a wonderful tutor last year who was so great at writing down things for me as we assessed and worked with kiddos, but I'm afraid I'm on my own this year, so I'm keeping these pages close at hand.  I use the Progress Monitoring page in an individual folder for each student (I put several of them in each folder for now and will add more later.)  Here's the link for my new (and I mean NEW, and needing more in it!)  TpT store.

Progress Monitoring and Documentation

And finally, another word from my mother. (I never knew how much she taught me as a young teacher until I started blogging; it's all coming back to me!)  My first year of teaching, she talked to me about documentation by telling me, "CYA."  No, that's not for texting "see ya."  It meant Cover Your ***.  Now, I don't talk that way, neither does my mom, but she was dead serious, so she made her point. Obviously, I never forgot it.  So friends, cover thyselves.  RTI documentation is serious stuff.