I always like to start my school year off with Maps and Globes.  I think it is a great hands-on social studies unit and it culminates in two great projects!  Today I was looking at the different activities that I have created and/or gathered and decided that I was going to try to do a center rotation with some of the more hands-on components.  To be honest, the beginning of the year involves me doing a lot of talking, and I thought … [Read more...]

      Let's talk Realism and Fantasy!  This week we started our first reading story of the school year and our targeted skill was determining the differences between realism and fantasy.  This is a great skill to start the year with because students have a great amount of background knowlege to connect to!  I love to have my students make a simple T-chart in their Reading/Writing notebooks.  Then I pass out a stack of extra book … [Read more...]

     Today was our second day of school and we were very busy!  We went over our classroom and school rules.We discussed consequences to our actions and how to be a positive member of the classroom.  I started our morning routine with the students yesterday and today I listed the steps on the board.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well everyone did on day two!          For math, each student decorated a … [Read more...]

Today was our first day of school and it always amazes me how little third graders are at the beginning of the year!  Our school is a 3-5 school, so it's a new school for our students, and by the end of the day I have no voice left, and I don't want to say another word :)  All in all, it was a great day, and as the kids left the classroom they all agreed that they would love to come back!       This morning we did a lot of the basics … [Read more...]