Animal Adaptation's Foldable and "I Have, Who Has" Game

One of my favorite science units is Animal Adaptations. This year my students made a foldable that I wanted to share with you. They had to illustrate and write definitions to some important adaptation vocabulary words. I thought they turned out pretty well :)

We also played my student's favorite science review game! My students and I both love "I Have, Who Has" games!

Icy Day and PARCC Testing

School was canceled today due to the icy roads. Unfortunately, I made it almost all the way to school before I got the call :(. It made for a scary morning commute! 

I am pretty excited to have the day off though after yesterday's first day of PARCC testing. It would just be asking too much to have technology work and have everything go smoothly for the first day of testing right? Luckily, we have awesome tech people who were able to help out, because I was about to have a panic attack when 5 of my students weren't able to connect to the testing site and then one of my students wasn't even in the testing system! It was a rough start! Has anyone else started state testing yet? 

Today I am working on catching up on my list of things I have been wanting to create. I have been so busy with volleyball season, that I haven't had any extra time to work on some of the things I have been wanting to.  We are just now ready to take our multi-digit multiplication test this week, so making review task cards was my priority. I would love to know where some of you other 4th grade teachers are at in math. We have a new math series this year that we are told we have to stick to and the other 4th grade teachers at my school and I are struggling to get through it. We haven't covered long division, fractions, or geometry! And wouldn't you know it seems like the only problem types on the PARCC test are fractions and long division! 

Here are the task cards I created to review multi-digit multiplication. If you happen to have the My Math series, these follow Chapter 5. They will be half off for the next 24 hours. 

Stitch Fix #10

I haven't shared a Stitch Fix with you in a while. I always enjoy seeing what other people receive, so I thought you might want to see what I got this month!

Sorry for the awful pictures...I'm just not brave enough to actually take pictures of me wearing the clothing :/

1. Kut from The Kloth: Parcey Polka Dot Skinny Jean $48

I wasn't sure how I felt about polka dot jeans, but then I tried them on and fell in love! They are so comfy and $48 isn't bad for a pair of jeans!

Verdict: KEEP

2. Mak: Jaclynn 3/4 Sleeve Button-Up Cardigan $38

3. Gilli: Kamile Jersey Ruched Detail Dress $64

So I thought this dress was super cute, but the fabric was so thin and it was little small so it was not flattering on at all :( The cardigan was cute, but let's be honest.....I'm a teacher and I already have a cardigan in every color under the rainbow. 

Verdict: PASS, PASS

4. Romolo: Laguna Mixed Square Layering Necklace $28

5. Fun2Fun: Alfredo Crew Neck Blouse $48

I love this shirt! It has a fun pattern and is very comfy! The necklace is hard to see in the picture but I really like it too!

Verdict: KEEP, KEEP!

Is there anyone else out there that is obsessed with Stitch Fix? If there are any of you that have been wanting to try it out, I would love it if you used my referral link!

Stitch Fix

Instagram Book Project

I am home enjoying a day off a school! Happy President's Day! 

Today I want to share a great reading project my students completed after finishing up the novel No Talking by Andrew Clements. 

As soon as I told my students we were going to be working on an Instagram-type activity they were hooked! This project was not like your everyday book report. This project required higher-order thinking skills such as using text-based evidence and making inferences. 

There are two types of activities in this pack. One is a character based project and the other is plot based. We used the plot project. The plot project is created through the point of view of one of the characters. Students start by creating a character profile, then create scenes on setting, main events, problem, and resolution. Each of these sections require students to put themselves in the characters shoes and think about what that character might say and do in order to create questions and #hashtags about specific story events. 

Here are a couple pictures of a completed project so you can get a better idea.  

I LOVE new Apps!

I have mentioned before that I am all about saving money, so when my friend told me about a money saving App called Raise, I was very excited!

This is an App where you can buy discounted gift cards. The best part is that there are hundreds and hundreds of stores that have gift cards available at discounted prices. I tried it out for the first time and was able to get a $20.00 Bath and Body Works gift card for $16.00. I realize this isn't huge savings, but some stores have gift cards discounted up to 20-30% off and obviously the more the gift card is valued at, the greater the discount. Once I purchased the card, I was almost immediately emailed the card number and pin number. I have already used my card and had no trouble at all entering it into the website as a gift card. 

Another feature of this App is that you can also sell unused gift cards. So if you have any Christmas gift cards laying around that you will never use, you can sell them and earn cash back! 

I would love to know if any of you have used this App before!

If you are interested in checking this App out, I would love it if you used my referral link by clicking here or the image above :) By using this link, you will be emailed a $5.00 off promo code!

Valentine's Day Activities!

I don't know about you, but at my school we have been feeling a lot of pressure to do well on the upcoming state tests. I feel the need to push, push, push the kids, and I hate it. I have to remind myself to take timeout and just have some fun with the kids. So this week we will be doing some fun Valentine's Day activities. I bought a couple new things on TpT this year that I can't wait to try out. 

I have talked before about Deb Hanson's plays. My students love them, and I love anything that gets my students excited about reading. My students will be very excited to read these Valentine's Day partner plays this week!

My students will enjoying working on these coloring sheets this week too! The best part is that they can work on multiplication facts while they are coloring! I still have many students who do not have their facts memorized! So frustrating!

What Valentine's Day activities do you have planned for the week?

The Sunday Scoop-February 8, 2015

It's been a whole month since I have blogged. I have actually been taking lots of pictures in the classroom and have lots of fun things to share with you, but this volleyball season is kicking my butt! I don't seem to have any extra time these days with coaching! So until I have some actual free time to plan out some posts, I'm going to leave with you My Sunday Scoop! Thank you Teaching Trio for putting this on!

All I want to do on Sundays is relax, but it always seems like Sundays are my only day at home to get caught up on everything :(. So today I will be food shopping, grading papers, and doing laundry! Sounds miserable! 

I have been wanting to see Gone Girl ever since it went out in theaters. I read the book and loved it. Now I just want to see the movie!! Has anyone seen it? What were your thoughts?

I also hope to plan out some dinners for the week. I always have good intentions of cooking throughout the week, but then it seems like by the time I get home, all I have the energy for is pouring a bowl of cereal. 

My grandma hasn't been doing so well, so I'm happy to go visit her this week!

What are your plans for the week!?