Tried it Tuesday and a SALE!

I'm linking up with Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper for another

Now that our state tests are over, I can honestly say that my brain is in vacation mode! I can totally sympathize with the kids and their want to have fun (haha--dare I say that! Fun in school?!?! haha)

So to add a little excitement in my room--I've devised an addition to my behavior management plan because we all know that the last month of school is one of the hardest parts of the school year! It's a raffle system, which is used to reward students for completing their all their homework. (It could also be used to reward great behavior--if you chose :)

I give students the raffle tickets and they fold them up and place them in our raffle jar (I call it a chance can!)

Since it's the end of the year, I pull the raffle tickets a bit more frequently than if I were to do this during the year. (Next year, I want to use it on a monthly basis--one month's worth of raffle tickets, pull the tickets at the end of the month, then discard all unused tickets and start over for the next month. Just a thought!)

The prize...homework passes! The kids love them and so do I!!

Here's a little treat...

Click here to get your freebie!

a little freebie for all my readers! Thank you for all you do! You all truly inspire me to be a better teacher and blogger!

Don't forget that Teachers Pay Teachers is having a huge Teacher Appreciation Sale...

Enjoy 20% off my store today and tomorrow!

Teachers Notebook is also having great sales and giveaways at their site...

Teachers Notebook is offering an additional 10% off all sale products for the entire week--my shop is on sale for 20% off until May 10th :)

Have a wonderful week and happy shopping!!

Calming the Chaos

Welcome to the Calming the Chaos Blog Hop hosted by 2peasandadog.

All of us bloggers have come together to share our top tips for making the last month of school run smoothly. Visit each of our blogs to learn something new and catch a freebie or two!

Happy Hopping!

The end of the year is full of mixed emotions--excitement for the upcoming vacation and apprehension about next year and the years to come (this is especially true if you teach the upper grades!)

One of my favorite end-of-the-year read alouds is Someday by Eileen Spinelli--

Spinelli poetically writes about a little girl's dreams for the future and how it relates to what she's doing today. Not only is it a great book for discussions about hope and dreams, it is an excellent mentor text for students to use when they write their own Someday poems!

To collect their ideas, the students use a planning page--which focuses on the 5 senses and feelings. I model how to take the information from the planning page and turn it into a poem. The students write their own poems on drafting paper and make revisions and edits before they publish. 

I usually have them publish their poems on legal sized paper and illustrate--there is something about having all that space (it reminds me of a two-page spread in a book), which stay hanging in the room until the last day of school!

And since the end-of-year is full of so many other things to do, here are some freebies to get you started...

 click HERE to get them :)

Blog Hop Participants

Check out this Great Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pass the Torch Linky

Get Ready for Bloggy Olympics!!!

Join The 3AM Teacher, the Reading Olympians, and over 80 SUPREME education bloggers as we take you through a tour of the Reading Olympians Root Study Program!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Krista and Julie graciously let me try out the 4th grade Reading Olympics Program in my classroom.

Each set is named after a god or goddess in Greek mythology, which in itself is an awesome idea! Our first set is NIKE--she's the goddess of victory!

Day 1: I introduced the goddess NIKE and read a blurb about her. The kids were already hooked (they even asked if I could start reading them Greek mythology--so cute :) I went over the prefixes and suffixes that were covered in the NIKE set (there are 10 total.)

In the file, there are cards with each prefix and suffix outlined in a color. The NIKE set is orange!  

In my school, there is a paper shortage and I need to limit my copies. To solve that problem, I used index cards! ( I have so many in my classroom and this is the perfect way to use them up!)

Beforehand, I wrote each prefix and suffix  (from the set) on index cards and outlined each card in orange. 

I displayed all the cards onto the SmartBoard and the students got to work--oulining their cards in orange and writing the prefixes and suffixes (and their meanings) on the fronts of the cards. 

The set also comes with a rap for each prefix and suffix to help the students remember what they mean. We cut out the rap cards.

On the back of the index card, we glued the rap card for a quick and easy reference!



 

 To store all the cards, I sealed an envelope and cut it in half to make a pocket. We glued the pocket onto the back of our Word Study Notebooks!



Day 2: In each set, there's a Student Journal, which contains a super cute cover, graphic organizers for each prefix and suffix, a vocabulary page, and a checklist (outlining all the elements of the set that need to be accomplished before the students take the assessment.)

Since I was introducing this, we worked on the first prefix together. I walked them through each box in the organizer (which is similar to the Frayer Model--it's adapted to help the students collect more than one word using the prefix or suffix.) I sent my students off to work in groups to fill out the second prefix. They brainstormed different words together and completed their second organizer. 

  At the end of word study, we shared out some of the words they came up with as a group and the meanings of the words. (The set comes with large cards that can be printed and placed on the word wall. I wrote them out on large index cards and taped them to a large chart paper and printed only the name of the set and the list of prefixes and suffixes. I taped them to the middle and around them are the cards. I used chart paper because it's easier to move around the room and the students can see the collection of words all in one place.) 

My students can't wait to find new words that show each prefix and suffix, as well as learn about Greek gods and goddesses in the process! 

  

Discover the program IN ACTION in more K-6th grade classrooms as you Pass the Torch!! Get ideas, discover the progression of the program, and enter the Raffle for a chance to win ONE of the three prizes listed below!!

First Place Winner : Gold Medal

  Prizes: Complete Reading Olympians Program
            $50.00 Amazon Gift Card
            50% off Discount Code for a 1-Day shopping spree at The 3AM Teacher's Etsy store!

Second Place Winner: Silver Medal

   Prizes: $25.00 Amazon Gift Card
              40% off Discount Code for a 1-Day shopping spree at The 3AM Teacher's Etsy store!

Third Place Winner: Bronze Medal

    Prizes: 30% off Discount Code for a 1-Day shopping spree at The 3AM Teacher's Etsy store!

Pass the Torch!!!
Click the image below to visit the next blog

Mrs. Croft's Classroom

Kindergarten:



Grade 1 & 2






Grade 3 & 4






Grade 5 & 6


    a Rafflecopter giveaway

Currently

I'm linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade for her monthly Currently!

**Top Gun has the best music (and I really don't like listening to music from the 80s, but Top Gun is an exception!) Not to mention--it is a really good movie :)

**Spring Break ends on Tuesday--Wednesday is going to be tough! haha

**My formal observation is the week of the 8th and we're kind of in between units to teach test taking strategies. I don't really want to teach test prep for my formal observation. Not sure what to do...yet!

**The weather is getting warmer and it's nice to be outside (not to mention it tires my two and a half year old twins out!!) A garden would be fun for them :)

**My last manicure was in December!! I miss being pampered!

**Advice--success isn't overnight--it's a slow process that needs attention (blogging more frequently; adding more products, etc). For newer bloggers, you have to put in a lot of effort and work in the beginning to gain a following and have people trust you and your products. Once you have that, things will fall into place :)

Off to finish the movie :)

Must Read Mentor Texts Linky--Ugly Fish

I love finding new books to read and purchase for my classroom! Amanda and Stacia of Collaboration Cuties are having their first ever linky party on mentor texts. I'm so excited to join them!

My Mentor Text: Ugly Fish by Kara LaReau

Ugly Fish is about a fish that is mean to other fish introduced to his tank--he chases them, refuses to share his tank with them, and eventually eats them. Ugly Fish realizes that he's lonely and wants to share his tank with others. However, a new fish is introduced to the tank and treats Ugly Fish the same way he treated the other fish.

I love this book because it shows bullying in its simplest form--how being mean to others leaves the bully with feelings of loneliness and remorse. I read this book to 4th and 5th graders--usually really slowly so they can predict what happens to the little fish introduced to the tank. The text is simply written and the illustrations are entertaining, so even the youngest of readers can understand what's happening.

After reading, I ask: "Why did I read this to you?" They discuss the possible reasons and we have a deep conversation about the book and bullying and how to treat others. (The students really facilitate their own discussion off of the book--adding on and supporting their thinking. I merely jump in every once in a while and ask questions based on their remarks and to bring the discussion back to the book.)

This year, since my curriculum revolves around Social Studies, I find it difficult to bring back literature, such as Ugly Fish, because it doesn't fit in with the SS topics. I do have about 20 minutes in the morning for Positive Discipline, which is where I'm going to add my favorite read alouds to teach different themes and issues. Here's an activity using Ugly Fish  I'm going to try with my students when we get back from Spring Break:

To get this freebie, click HERE

What are some books you love that teach themes and issues? Link up with Collaboration Cuties  :)