I HAVE A DREAM..

...that one day schools will have the funding and the access to QR codes in not only the secondary schools, but also in the elementary schools.

I know students have cell phones, however when we start requiring them to use them in class, we run the risk of being given the internet bill with less restricted access. :-p So I dream of the day when schools can check them out to teachers or students and allow access to the QR app. (With restrictions along the school wifi system)

CAN'T WAIT!!

Reader's Notebooks!!

How many bloggers use reader's notebooks??

Student Book Boxes

I love them in my class and I am looking for some new ideas to spice them up a little.

Inside are 3 sections:

My Reading Life
- This section is about kids as readers and about their reading life. It also incorporates their favorites such as genres and books.

What I'm Learning
- I've used this part for smaller anchor charts. I leave this as a resource place for them once the charts come off the walls :). Students refer to this when they independent reading. 

Reading Work

 - We use this together as well as independent. What we do is on the right and they apply it on the left.

*I have recently begun incorporating reader's responses into reading.. im just BLOWN AWAY that I am just doing these. :-/

We started as a whole group modeling and then we will be trying it independently within the next week.

:) so excited!!

I'm linking up with Jivey!! Let me know some things you do with your notebooks in your classrooms!

End of the Year Gift Linky

Was talking about end of the year gifts with my co worker and I googled ideas on what to give my kids.

I remade an idea that I saw on pinterest and I added my name in it.

Each student will get some gumballs attached to this note as a cute and simple gift.

I can't wait to give them this sweet treat!!

Techie Tuesday Linky

One more Tuesday down.. my kids are beyond hyper!!! Treading a fine line between "anxious for summer" and "down right crazy." Each day, I find myself with a new courageous child. :) (I have 2 on crutches, from various acts of courage while they play at home. lol!)

Meanwhile.... 

We're working to improve reading skills in a fun way without "pulling out too many teeth. " haha... We have chosen to do POETRY practice!! Learning some more about poems and writing our own! :) I love making them create, it's so much fun! (Especially when they think they know everything.) So after our benchmark tests, we've been looking into different forms of poems and they've enjoyed it! 

One cool FREE app that I found for word work is called "Magnet-o." It not only works with words but sentence building. It has students using fridge magnets to build sentences and common phrases. It's great for older kids! :)

I don't usually share notes from my kiddos, however I did want to share this one, for in the midst of the craziness this reminds me why I do what I do. (BECAUSE I LOVE TEACHING KIDS!!) When I went out to bus duty, I came back in to find this sweet note on my desk. It's funny, because the small things about us intrigue them, while the small things about them intrigue us. Crazy huh?.. Any who! I just wanted to share part of my smile today!

NEW FONT FREEBIE!!

So I have an awesome co worker, who notices my new "font" obsession and he showed me a font creating app on my iPad!! I'm so proud to say that I have finally created my first font! YAY! Please feel free to stop by and down load it! It is free on my TPT page!

The app that I uploaded is called "iFontMaker" you can buy it on the Apple App Store!

Extra Randomness

Apps that makes me smile 

Leaf Snap is a great plant unit extension!! We talk about all the parts and what causes them to be green, so this is great to go around and look at what plants are what kind! So good! Just take a picture of the leaf on a white background! It's awesome! Kids love it!! TALK ABOUT HANDS ON w/ TECHNOLOGY!! SWEET!!

Learn Money app is great!! It practices money with kids and assesses them, it even will email you a report if you set it up to do so! To get the full app it will cost you $4.99 but it is soo good! I would recommend this for the beginning of 3rd if someone is struggling with money. I would think this would be awesome for 1st and 2nd grade all year long. This could even be apart of a money station. This could be on the " I can " sheet for what they could do later on, once they finish their task. (Like an incentive, because it's fun)

 I think sometimes I get just as excited as the kids! :)

Guided Reading! and Regular Reading! lol

Okay, so I know that the year is ending and NO ONE wants to think about next year's guided reading groups; because while they are a treat, they are a lot of work to do them RIGHT. One thing I want to do here is share what I have been doing and see if I can get some tips from some others on how I can "tweak" some things for next year. 

I truly LOVE to guided read, although it is work. In the end when I see them growing as readers it makes all the work worth it.

Fountas and Pinnell are my guided reading guru's!! In my mind they pioneered guided reading! haha.. :) Two books that I LOVE and use always are Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All and Guiding Readers and Writers. I will admit that these are the BEST for the lower grades (K-2), however even in 3rd I have learned not everyone comes to you reading where they should. So in the older grades 3-6, we go "back to the basics" and these books help get us there.

 

I currently keep everything that I need for guided reading in a binder. I have it tabbed for convenience on finding kiddos and a section for my lesson plans. I found a lesson plan format online a couple of years ago, and I fell in love with it. I love that it helps me stay focused, although sometimes we have to repeat a skill if were not grasping it. :-/

For the lesson plan format, email me at Loven3rdgrade@gmail.com 

(I have tried to post it, and it's not letting me.) :(

Download Comprehension Prompting Cards
Download Fluency Prompting Cards
Download Vocabulary Prompting Cards

Question: How many books do you typically go through in one week of reading? Do you use the leveled readers, or a textbook?

Question: How do you use chapter books in guided reading? In older grades, I know many kids don't do the same level of guided reading as the younger kids. I really want to use chapter books and use them WELL! :) Would love some hints from the super stars out there!

Question: My personal belief is that we should use REAL books in classrooms to teach and reinforce skills. I think the text books are a great supplement. This year I moved the text book to the station area and used it for that purpose. I used REAL books for my lessons in reading and language arts/writing. How is your weekly reading program put together? Do you teach out of a text book? Do you use mentor texts and everyday library stories?

Growing Readers is an AWESOME tool for teaching reading and breaking things down for kids. I love how the small excerpts give kids a chance to focus on that one skill. I use this book in class, but I also use this in small grouping when I group based on "skill need".

I love the "Just Right Book" lesson. Do other schools use this? I love it because I don't always trust some reading tests. I know that when a student can read a book with only 1 or 2 fingers, I know they are being challenged and the book is "just right." I also LOVE that they can take this skill anywhere and use it. 

(Barnes and noble, library, etc.)

I'm excited to learn some new things about reading!! Once the school year ends, our relaxation and preparation season begins! :)

Here we go again!!

ONLY 2 more Mondays!!

12 more school days = 12 balloons left!

Wanted to share that I tried a fellow bloggers plant activity

and my kids enjoyed it!! :) Great for introduction and review! We filled it in using the information we learned. They will use this as a review sheet for their last science benchmark test.

Linda Kamp - AroundtheKampfire

FUN!!

All About Me --Teacher Edition

Today was a good day. I am exhausted in the best kind of way! I love creating things as they come to mind. This is just something I made for fun. I like that it is geard more toward teachers. :)

I hope you enjoy it!! Feedback is greatly appreciated! 

As always thanks!