Our Symmetry Projects

Normally for symmetry, I cut  6 inch by 6 inch poster board squares for each student. Then I have students break the board down with a ruler by 1 inch by 1 inch squares. Then they use two to three crayons and draw a symmetrical design. I show them examples that I have collected over the years. In simplifying this project over the years,  I have had them choose shapes and letters from the alphabet. After that is finished, I have checked it.  Then I have them glue 1 inch by 1 inch construction paper squares of the color they used and they glue over their crayon shades. It is a pain but they love it. 

So since I have several students from last year, I couldn't do the same thing. I looked to Pinterest for inspiration. This blog totally inspired me and I am going to use for different projects. I created a smart notebook lesson about symmetry and Frank Lloyd Wright. Then we worked. It took about 3 days. Some had to redo. Some had tears. A lot enjoyed putting colors together. The students were in awe of what they looked like once they were on the windows. They all turned out beautiful! One thing that surprised me is that two of my high students struggled with this. I guess they couldn't tap into their creativity. I can't tell you how awesome they turned out..BUT I can show you.  I will totally do this AGAIN next year. 

*I have several more but I they were in the lunchroom and the doors were locked so I couldn't take pictures of them. I will later next week and add them.  

mY rECent ReAd AlouD

I enjoy reading to my students and I feel that they enjoy being read to as welll. Last year, I read almost the entire series about Poppy from Avi. I love that series. I can't wait to read it next year to my upcoming 4th graders. This month I started reading Cricket in Times Square by George Selden. I have never read all of it just little excerpts from our reading anthologies. So we started reading it and I found an awesome website that has activities to go along with some of the chapters. This is where I am getting my inspiration for the different activities. Here is a LINK to it. Below are pictures of crickets that I had the students create. They created their own "pet" cricket. We used clothespins, pipe cleaners, markers, and tissue paper. The next day, they grabbed their crickets, and sat with them while I read a chapter from the book. So cute!

Wow! It's October.

It is has been a brutal first couple months. I like the change! ((well somewhat)) However, I have signed on for too many things..but that is me! I have finally figured out a routine and we have settled into it nicely. I have a college student that comes in twice a week for her college class. She observes me and teaches a lesson each time and I give feedback. She is better than what I have had in the past. Yay me and less stress!

For October, the students made these awesome pumpkins by rolling strips of orange construction paper. Then they goopy glued the rolls together to make a pumpkin shape. It took about a week, but it was fun. Here is the website that inspired my project. I modified it a smidge so my fourth graders could do it. They enjoyed displaying their masterpieces.

#10 cans...you are awesome!

Since I am not doing a beach scene in my classroom, I had to shelf my plastic sand buckets.  I decided to use #10 cans. These were my hucklberry pickin cans. I washed them out. Then I cut fabric to match the can. Then I sprayed an adhesive on the can as I wrapped the fabric around. As you can see below, I didn't cut it exactly. I don't mind as that is the bottom. So I glued it down. Not like I am going to see it.

Then I hot glued some fancy feather stuff around the top. One thing I like about these is that I can put a magnetic label on the outside and change the label if I need to.

Aren't they cute!!! They totally compliment my monster theme.

Magnetic LeTTers

 Back yonder when I lived in Arizona and taught in the hugely (is that even a word?..well whatever I'm using it and I don't care) Hispanic populated schools. I had my students make words from bigger words or just make words from letters that I would cut out of an alphabet puncher that I have. I even bought a book called "Making Words." It was a book for grades 4 and up.  This book isn't my book but close to it. I am thinking of purchasing it off of Amazon.  Doing an activity like this gave my ELL's hands on activities so they could manipulate letters into words. It is great for all levels.


I saw this project on another blog and I STOLE it. Ya, I am a stealer.

 There are 133 something letters. Upper case and lower case letters....I took some alphabet stickers and I MOD PODGED them to the back of a glass marble. Yay! Here is how I created my little letters...I cut each individual letter to fit on the flat side of a glass marble...Then I mod podged the flat part of the glass marble. I stuck the letter on (not sticky side of the sticker). After it dried, I hot glued a magnet on.

 My intent for this is for students to use this on the large white board when they come in before school or during recesses when they are stuck in the classroom because it is too cold or snowy.

**Note the problem that I noticed was...some of the letters are little too hard to see. Kind of funny. The B in Brayden's name is actually pretty easy to see. It is the ones with orange background and pink letters. All in all, it was a great project. You can always just print them out in any font you like. I liked the stickers because of the color of the background. I am going to do more to replace the ones that are hard to see. But I figure if I keep my letters in ABC order, it will be easier for the kids...

So NOW I am thinking big time. I got bigger glass marbles and I am going to put greek and latin roots on each of the marbles. Then make up activities for them such as writing or making other words with that root in them.

Follow up to best ever classroom management system

Here is a little follow up to my best ever management system that I stole from here. A couple people asked what I do at the end of the day with the clips or even the week. Do I send notes home or track with a calendar? I keep track of the movement of their clip each day. I score their behavior below in a grid.

Outstanding 5

Good Work 4
Ready to Learn 3
Think about it 2
Teacher's Choice 1
Parent Contact 0

 A sample of my grid:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Sally	5	3	1	2	4
Junior	4	4	4	5	2

 I create a grid that documents their score daily (see above). Then I start everyone back at ready to learn. Kids like to be fresh each day anyways. After a whole of scores,  I add them up weekly. I figure that 15 points (as 3 points each day would be the minimum) meets my expectations and that those students are really doing a fine job.  With anyone below fifteen points, I try to see what the student’s struggle is or maybe they were distracted by another. I may move them for the next week to the front. Sometimes they might just need extra praise and I try to praise and notice the little things about a student that might have scored lower for the next week.

This year, I am going to start give out little certificates of praise to go home to parents. that are the size of business card.

I have to tell you this system works wonders on giving a citizenship grade or even discussing behavior at conference times.

Gel Pens Galore!

Gel pen galore! This is almost as awesome as my fancy socks that I like to wear. They were $9.99 and 40% off.  Yay! I bought my first back to school school supplies. Gel pens....I just can't get enough of them...So what am I going to do with 48 of them? This is how I get my reluctant students to practice their spelling words. When students finish their work, I have a gel pens for them to use for spelling word practice in a center. I used to do this with my ELL 4th grade students in Arizona. They loved this! Of course, they loved the scented ones that I would buy but I can't find them or else I would stock up on them.  Call me Queen Gel Pens from now on!