I don't know about you, but I like to show my appreciation for those that help me get through my crazy days in third grade!  What's the saying?  Good help is hard to find?          So when I have the opportunity to thank these wonderful people I take it!  Sometimes when I make out my list of people to thank right before the holidays or at the end of the school year, it can be pretty lengthy.  I am … [Read more...]

     I recently talked about my top 5 books to use as a read aloud, and mentioned the book Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry.  I use this book to help my students understand how authors add description and details to their writing.  We talk about how important it is for the reader to get a picture in their head when they are reading.  Gooney Bird Green is an elementary school student who is an incredible story teller who … [Read more...]

     Read Alouds. Quite possibly the best part of my school day when I was in elementary school.  I loved being able to sit back and listen to my fifth grade teacher read to the class.  He had an incredible presense when he read aloud.  I can vividly remember listening to The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi and jumping out of my seat when he used the jarring voice of Captain Jaggery.  I can still hear him … [Read more...]

       When changes were made to our math curriculum we were given a completely new math program.  In looking at the different skills, I knew that I was comfortable with most of them, but the idea of teaching so many fraction skills to third graders blew my mind! We used to teach BASIC fractions.  We taught numerators, denominators, shading in fractions, parts of a whole, parts of a set, and that was about it. Now we cover all of those … [Read more...]

    New Years is such an invigorating time for teachers. I always look at it as a fresh start for both myself and my students.  We clean our desks and the classroom before we leave for Christmas, we know each other much better, my students are completely into the routines of the classroom and understand my expectations.  I also love that it seems that after the Christmas break, things fly by!  I am a spring/summer gal so it is just a … [Read more...]

     Well it is back to school tomorrow, ready or not.  In an effort to get my students back on track, we will be talking about our resolutions and reflect upon 2016.  I think that it is a great opportunity to help them to really think about how they learn and find room for improvement.  I like to have my students look at their strengths, as well as areas they can focus on.  In groups, students brainstorm the things they really … [Read more...]