crocodile craftivity

Ok, so my last expository writing activity wasn't so hot. It was ok, but needed some tweaking. We're switching over to Common Core and I'm afraid of how our writing will fall short, so we're hammering it home til the end of the year. So here's our writing for today.

The writing was "An alligator can help me_______". We talked about what an alligator can, has and is, in order to decide how an alligator could help us like he helped the boy in the story. The alligators come from last week's story "The Puddle". I'm adding some more to my puddle unit, so check it out if you need some rain activities.The template for the alligator will be in it. Also some frog activities. Look for that tomorrow, hopefully.

 Is anyone else having problems with fighting? I'm sure it's end of the year sickness, but it needs to stop. The tattling and just bickering. Where is the love????? Sigh. Tomorrow will be better.

And here's our auction project: a salsa basket (terra cotta pot) decopaged with crayon wrappers. I'll show you the finished project. When it's done. Someday. It's supposed to be done by Friday. !!!??? I can't imagine that happening??!!
Thanks for reading!
ann

Fudge brownie Friday!!!

Ok, this is the third time I've attempted this post. What is going on??!! I keep losing it!!!!

So now I'm out of time. So here are some pictures of our brownie writing craftivity with expository paragraphs.  And here's a link to a fudgie freebie!  (It was dge sound week, and I'm all about the fudge brownies, and all things chocolate.)

It was pretty fun. We wrote a paragraph together,using the first slide on the projector. Then we wrote adjectives on the circle paper m & m's.  Then they did their own writing and glued it all together. The brownies came later! I felt like teacher of the year, letting them crack the eggs all by themselves!

Thanks for reading!
ann

A new background and banner!!

For those of you blog pros out there, this background and banner took me a sadly, tiredly long time. For you newbies like me,  if you ever want help, I will TRY to help you, although I don't even know if I can remember how I actually did it.

So I feel like Bill Gates meets Martha Stewart. What, I'm two days behind on my correcting? Correcting schmecting. I have a cute blog!! What, my principal is visiting my classroom in the next 2 days? I'll just show him my cute blog!! (I know, it's not as cute as some of yours, but it's a start.)

Ok, I'm done. My back is all patted out.

We're having fun with reading "The Puddle" by David McPhail. Turns out if you let a 6 year old write their answer on a rain drop, they'll be chompin at the bit to try it! Who knew?! So here's a little unit supplement with some math centers for rain, weather, spring, gardening, etc. It's only a buck and a half, so you can't beat it for cheap and easy to use.

Thanks for reading!
ann

TBA

Another post in one day. Nobody tell my Principal because I should be entering grades.

But do you blog with TBA? Teaching Blog Addict? If not, you should try it. On Fridays they have a TON of free stuff from great teachers to choose from. And they post good stuff during the week, too. The best part about it is that it's all right there! And when someone posts something, it leads you to their blog. I have picked up so many good tips from TBA. And been lead to many great blogs. Have fun checking them out here! Make sure you have lots of "free time" cuz you'll get pulled in!
Thanks for reading!
ann

Backgrounds for the Charlie Brown blog

Anybody got any tips for fixing my background? This is what happens when you try to do things yourself for free. I got a little cocky after figuring out how to download the pdf files. I felt like Bill Gates. Now look at my sad little blog with it's mixed up background. It's like the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree of blogs.

So here's a little rainy day poem I'll be using as we read "Puddles" in Harcourt. It's part of a weather/plant unit I'm making. I might just add it to the one that's already for sale. We'll see. But for now I need to finish planning, enter grades, and go to bed.

Thanks for reading!
ann

Ok, here's another freebie. We were nature detectives this week. So here's our main idea graphic. I used it as a power point, and then I used the colorless version to help teach haikus. We wrote a haiku together, and then they wrote them in pairs, and then alone. Click  Here for the pages!


And here's the haiku we wrote together:

Sorry about the blur on the picture.

I realized after the day was over that it was Friday the 13th. Well no wonder. (Did the Pretty Woman quote just run through your head? When Julia Roberts says, "Well, no wonder. No wonder why you came lookin' for me?!") Or am I the only one who thinks in movie quotes sometimes?

Today my quote of the week in the newsletter was: "I love my life." One of my little girls just blurted that out as she was working with someone on something. How awesome. I wish I thought that way more often. Because I do, I love my life, I just don't always appreciate it. (:

Thanks for reading!
ann

Bag Day Freebie

Does anyone else have a hard time getting back into the swing after a break? It takes me a few days and then I'm fine, but last year I was afraid the kids would be crying (since I was) so I came up with "Summer's Comin' Special Days". Once a week we have a special day to celebrate our year together (and ending ). So today it started again and we had "Bag Day". Have you ever done a bag day? It's really fun. So here's a little explanation and graphic. Not much but something to use.

And here's my son pretending to be one of my students picking out of the Hooray bag.

And our "Mrs. Spitzer" flowery venn diagram activity for our new garden unit:

 
Here's the book:
We made a Venn Diagram using flowers. The petals in between us are the points that are similar between me and Mrs. Spitzer- one difference was my messy desk. (:  And that I love chocolate and hate scorpions. (: It's funny, because the kids thought that everything about me would be the same about Mrs. Spitzer. Which led to a discussion about character traits of people. I have this book included with more ideas on my TPT store.

 

Time for a little "Up All Night and BED!!!!!! Thanks for visiting!
ann

Freebie..this time??!!

Ok, I know the freebie didn't work.So I'll try it again. Although I realize I may only be talking to one person. (: But thanks for that!!!!!

Click here to get a copy of your freebie! It's all about measuring your footprint and graphing results! We're reading "Nature Detectives" (Harcourt) this week and starting our plant unit.

So here we are on Easter. The shorter son is older. He hates that. My daughter in the first picture is not actually crying. She's pretty hilarious. Once she said to me, "Mom, sometimes I forget that I have  5 fingers on each hand, and I think I have 10."
Have a great night!!!

Freebie!! I hope!

Ok, I'm going to try to post a freebie. Not sure how to do it, so I'm winging it here. Next week we're reading "Nature Detectives" and starting on our gardening unit, so here is a  measuring your footprint activity.

I'm not sure if this will work as a freebie or not. Good luck! If you have any advice, let me know!

Spring break!! YAY!!!!

Hi!
I am  totally new to this whole blogging life. I am SO not a teckie. I don’t even know how to spell teckie. That’s how bad it is.

It’s our first day of spring break and it-is-awesome!! Even though, really all we’re doing is doctor’s appointments and grocery shopping. But who doesn’t like staying up late and sleeping in??!! And a leisurely morning of coffee and the newspaper is good enough for me right now!
But if you’re in school this week and need some free Easter stuff, check out my freebie at TPT.

Also, I should mention, I don't call my students "kiddos". Not that there’s anything wrong with that! (I just aged myself with my Seinfeld reference, there, didn’t I?) I'm just not a  “kiddos” person, I probably won’t call you my sweet friends, and I need 4-5 cups of coffee a day to function on half the level as some of the rest of you. And even at that, it’s a stretch. I’m not trying to mock those of you who are “kiddos” people, I’m actually in awe of and inspired by you and your enthusiasm. I’m just sayin’- that’s not me. I don’t want to disappoint if you’re after an “inright-outright-upright-downright-happy-all-the-time” blog. I’m more of a self-depricating, sarcastic gal. But I love reading all your blogs and have learned so much from you guys, so thank you!!!!!!