A Fun Project

I recently assigned my students one of my favorite projects that I thought I'd share with you. I'm having my students complete a country research report and every year I've done them, they turn out amazing! I'm having them due right before Open House (ours is at the end of May) since they look beautiful up! Here are some pics of how great they have turned out in the past…

I have each student do their report on a different country so we end up having so many represented! Their effort on the paper doll portion of the project always impresses me! Here are some more examples of the dolls…

I uploaded this project to my TPT store so if this is a project your kids would love, you can check it out HERE. I can't wait to see all of the other beautiful projects out there! 

Five for Friday

1. This week we finished up some triaramas for science. The students made these models for landslides and earthquakes as well as some nonfiction writing describing each.

2. We are still working figurative language and my students are doing a great job remembering to refer to these posters to remember the difference. These posters are for sale in my store in chevron and also in the polka dots shown below.

3. I also updated one of our bulletin boards with some April Earth Day flair! It was a simple activity that really got them thinking about the small changes they can make!

4. I worked on the never ending task of leveling my library! I'm great at doing this at the beginning of the year but all of those books that get donated midyear somehow slip through the cracks and don't get leveled before I put them out! Finally fixed that this week! Thanks to Kristen from Ladybug's Teacher Files for the super cute library labels! I LOVE these!

5. Last but not least, we are finishing up our Gold Rush unit with this wonderful book below! What I love even more is the wonderful audiobook for it on iTunes! The multiple character voice recordings really make it exciting for the kids! Not only is this tied to our social studies curriculum but there are so many great activities you can do with this book!

Happy Friday everyone!

April Currently

I'm a few days late but can't resist linking up with Oh Boy Fourth Grade for April's Currently!

Listening: I LOVE Modern Family! I laugh out loud every time!

Loving: This spring break couldn't have come at a better time! I was just starting to get unmotivated but this week of relaxing and catching up should do the trick!

Thinking: That "to do" list is still staring at me! I'm about halfway though with only two days left of my break! Yes, it's a long list! 

Wanting: A massage. I wish I could make this a monthly routine! Maybe the fiance will sponsor this month's massage! haha

Needing: Some sun! My body still looks like it is stuck in winter! I need some sun to start this tan!

Advice: Don't sweat the small stuff is such simple advice to remember whether you are wedding planning or dealing with a problem student! :)  I feel like I tell myself this at least once a day.

Spring Centers Giveaway!

Happy spring everyone! My spring break has put me in the mood to post something spring related! My students really enjoyed my St. Patrick's Day Math Centers that they did last month. It ended up being a fun rotation that lasted about two weeks and was great test prep! I decided to edit the product so that those of you who didn't purchase it, can take advantage of the fun, but with a new spring theme!

It includes an answer recording sheet, answer key, and 60 math task cards that cover the following:
-factors
-prime and composite numbers
-multiplication
-division
-adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators
-mixed numbers
-improper fractions

It's aligned to the 4th grade Common Core Standards but is a great review for 5th too! Please keep in mind that if you've purchased my St. Patrick's Day pack, this is the same pack, just a different theme!

I'd love to give away this pack to the first one of my blog followers that leaves me a comment below! Don't forget to leave your email so I can send it to you! Click below to check it out!

St. Patrick's Day Activities

St. Patrick's Day is almost here and I have some fun activities planned for my kids that I thought I'd share with you. Every year I have my students write Leprechaun Limericks and they always turn out great! There are many templates available online that you can find. I have my students write their final draft on shamrock shaped paper and they look great on the bulletin board! I also love how my students have so much fun writing them and they can't get over the fact that they're allowed to be silly.

Another activity I'm doing all week is my St. Patrick's Day Math Centers. This packet is aligned to the Common Core for 4th grade but would also be great review for 5th too. There are 60 math task cards as well as a recording sheet and an answer key. Each standard has a different kind of clip art that corresponds to where they record it on their recording sheet. I have a different standard on each table and have the kids rotate through them during the week.

The recording sheet makes it easy for students to be sure they're on the right group of task cards since the clip art matches. 

I'm loving all of the other St. Patrick's Day activities I'm seeing from all of you! I hope everyone enjoys the holiday!

March Currently

I'm a couple of days late but linking up with Oh' Boy Fourth Grade for the March Currently!

Listening: So I'm not a huge Clippers fan but it has been a pretty good game! I'm one of those people who needs background noise whether it's music or the TV.

Loving: So I had the house to myself Friday after school. On the way home I stopped for a yummy mocha frappuccino and completely forced myself to start and finish my report cards. Yes, all 33 in one day. I know I'm crazy but once I start something, I MUST finish it! By 8:30pm I was finished and I'm so happy I powered through them all! Thanks to my craziness, I was able to enjoy the rest of my weekend! :)

Thinking: Why didn't I do pilates earlier? I've been going to the gym regularly for a long time and I have never felt pain like this from working out! I've done pilates on the reformers 3 times now and I feel pain in muscles I never knew I could work out! I'm going to try to keep this up for as long as I can! I just wish it was cheaper!

Wanting: A massage. No explanation necessary. 

Needing: The downside to entertaining last night is the massive amount of wine glasses and party platters still needing to be washed. Next on my list!

I like Sundays like this! I LOVE my new car! Super early happy 30th birthday gift to myself! Finally, I hate procrastinators, especially when I have to do more work due to their lack of responsibility. Ugh! 

I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday!

Shoe Box Scenes

I have the most creative students! They recently completed shoe box scenes as their latest book report and I couldn't be more impressed with their creations! I modified a different assignment I found online and had them simply recreate their favorite scene and include an explanation/scene summary. They sure exceeded my expectations! Here are some pics…

The day they brought them in, students were chatting about how much fun they were to create! I even had many parents walking through my classroom just to get a peek at them! If you are looking for a fun, creative reading project, I highly recommend this one!