CD Fish for Monday Made It

This week I worked on some decorations for my classroom.

My favorite.....CD FISH!

I used glue dots (because they don't require any drying time and I was in a hurry) to glue two CDs together with the shinny side facing out.

I glued on (with the glue dots) wiggly eyes and gems along with some paper fins and lips.

Then I hung them with string behind my classroom computers.

I think they look kinda cute with the blue wall in the background.  What do you think?

Check out all the other Monday Made It's on Tara's Blog, 4th Grade Frolics

....and....

Check out my Back 2 School Giveaway!  You can enter any time this week to win a $25 gift certificate to Teachers Pay Teachers, a free app for The Digits, and 70+ items from amazing TPT sellers.

Happy Monday!

Vacation Memory Jars for Monday Made It

Over February break my husband and I, along with my in laws, traveled to St. Augustine, Cocoa Beach, and Universal Studios.  It was my first trip to Florida and I LOVED every minute of it.

I spent a little time over April break looking through our souvenirs from the trip and came across a cool idea to create a Vacation Memory Jar at Echoes of Laughter. 

I snagged a few glass containers and sand from the Dollar Tree and A.C. Moore.  I found cute little pictures frames and printed off a few pics from our trip.  I then filled the jars with sand, our picture frame, and shells that we had collected along the beach and/or purchased as souvenirs.

Next step, finishing up our scrapbook from the week.  Want more Monday Made It's?  Check out Tara's linky party at 4th Grade Frolics.

January Monday Made It

I'm linking up this month with Tara, from 4th Grade Frolics, for her January Monday Made it.  It's been so nice having time off from school to rekindle relationships with friends and family, relax, and enjoy something other than school.

With NY's crazy winter weather I've managed to squeeze in a little time to get cozy and create this week.  Here's what I've made:

1.  Picture Perfect Photo Table

My hubby gave me a new digital camera for Christmas.  In hopes to update my blog with fabulous photos I decided to put together a little photo table in my home office.  Now when I take photos to share with you they can have a clean white background. 

My photos are already looking a little more professional!


2.  Survival Kit for Teachers

Although teaching has stolen my heart and soul, the winter is a crazy time of year.  Lesson plans, data, observations, meetings, new common core standards, new teacher evaluation systems, state tests looming over our heads.....ugh.  The list goes on and on.

So, in order to relieve some stress, I created little survival kits for my fourth grade teacher buddies..

I found these cute containers at the Dollar Tree.  Inside I put little notepads, gel pens, hand sanitizer, heart shaped chocolates, hot chocolate and a candle.

You can snag the template for my survival kit here!

  

3.  Winter Poetry Writing Unit

Last but not least, my pride and joy...my new Winter Poetry pack.  I plan to start our poetry unit at the end of this week!

Included are 6 different poems: 

Each poem includes a teacher direction sheet, sample poem, rough draft worksheet, and a final copy sheet for students.

There are also 2 versions of a Winter Poetry Book cover.  Simply combine the final copy pages together in a book or display them on bulletin boards or in a hallway display.

I'll be sure to post some pictures of students' final products in the upcoming weeks!



Before you go, don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a $10 giftcard to Dunkin Donuts and 3 products from my TPT store!

Check out all the other Monday Made Its on Tara's blog:  4th Grade Frolics.

Gingerbread House Party Tips

Last Thursday we had a fabulous Gingerbread House Party!  Making gingerbread houses has quickly become one of my favorite activities!  Young or old, this can be a fun activity for all. 

Hosting a gingerbread house party?  Here are some tips to make your party a success!

Tip #1: Quick and Easy Frosting!
Our school is currently not accepting any baked goods from students or families.  Everything must be store bought.  Rather than spend hours upon hours making homemade frosting, combine store bought frosting with confectioners sugar.  I filled a Styrofoam cup about half way with frosting and added one tablespoon of the sugar for thickness.  The frosting was a lot stronger and held the graham crackers together well.

Tip #2: Milk Cartons for the Base
Use recycled (and cleaned) milk cartons for the base of the house.  Students saved cartons from lunch.  We opened them, washed them carefully, and glued them shut.  Students simply stuck the graham crackers to the carton with frosting to make their house.  Cartons were glued to plates for added protection while being transported home at the end of the day.  These were extremely sturdy!

Tip #3: Cheap Plastic Tablecloths
I snagged some red tablecloths from the Dollar Tree this year. Not only did they add to our festive decor, but they were easier to spread out and clean up than newspaper. When you're done, simply roll up the tablecloth, along with all the garbage on top, and throw it away. Clean up was a cinch!

Native American Extra Credit Projects

We have been studying Native Americans these past few weeks.

One of my favorite teaching activities is a Jigsaw.  Students split into groups to research different aspects of Native American life an history.  They created posters and then returned to their original groups to share what they learned.  At the end, I had all groups gather back together so present to the entire class.

I assigned an extra credit project for students to further research the Iroquois at home. Here are some of the great projects and presentations students have already begun to bring in (and the project isn't even due until Tuesday).

Here are some Native American recipes:  corn bread, fresh gathered nuts, and venison stew (in the background).

One student decided to bring in some Native American props and music to share with the class.

Another student created a diorama of an Iroquois village.

My students are so creative.  I can't wait to see what other projects come in on Tuesday!

Oh, and before you go...pop on over to The Peanut Gallery for a Spooktacular Halloween Giveaway!  You can win a product from my store plus loads of other great resources.  Check it out!

Pinterest Boards to Demonstrate Reading Comprehension

Students had a blast creating personal laptops with Pinterest pages on their screens.  Their Pinterest pages had a reading comprehension flair. 

After reading the book The Memory String, by Eve Bunting, I modeled for students how to fill out the Pinterest themed graphic organizer to summarize the book.  On the top left side, I created an illustration for the book, the title, author, and a summary.  On the top right side,  I included 3 of the main character's names and pictures.  At the bottom of the page, I "pinned" an illustration of the setting, beginning, middle, and end.  Each illustration opens up and underneath is a description.  (Just like when you click on a photo that has been pinned, you see a description that will send you to a link to learn more.)

Interested in making personal laptops with reading comprehension Pinterest screens?  Download the craftivity here.  It comes with 5 different versions of the Pinterest page graphic organizer covering summarizing, main idea and details, making connections, and questioning along with a blank version.

Download the Back to School - All About Me version here!