Currently---April

I am so thankful that Farley posted this evening. This next week is insane!


Listening: Ok...I know... I'm not proud, but... those ladies are crazy! Take your pick with any of the Housewives!
Then, Andy Cohen after...love him! (Except my husband just came in and changed the channel!)

Loving: Loved being off Friday! My god children (18, 16 and twins 14) along with their dad, stayed with us this weekend. We had so much fun! My daughter adores the 18 and the 16 year olds. They are the big sisters she doesn't have and they are so dear to my daughter.  Our neighbors from up the street came over last night. Chalupas, queso and games. We played Mexican Train and Apples to Apples until about 12!

Thinking: I am so proud of all the hard work my students have done this year. The reading and math state tests start on Tuesday.

Wanting: My daughter takes the 4th grade writing test on Tuesday and Wednesday. She has had a few tearful moments about wanting to do well on the test. Breaks my heart! We have talked about just doing your best.

Needing: Usually, I am writing about needing a personal trainer...well...I got one! Now, I need a personal assistant. This month and next are out of control crazy! (I'll be blogging about some upcoming events for me.)

Advice: Just have fun! Blogging should be fun, creating should be fun!

Head on over to Farley's blog to see what everyone else is needing, wanting, loving...

Have a great week!

(Holy mother of pearl! I'm in the top 50 for posting!)

Five for Friday

This has been a fabulous Friday! Day off for Good Friday. Soooo needed after a week of review for our state tests that are coming up next week.

My favorite link up with Doodle Bug Teaching.

Here is my week in review...

Eggcellent review! Each table got a basket of eggs. Inside were Rachelle Lynette's task cards!
Super fun!

STAAR review of literature terms! Sandra over at Fearless in 5th has a review of vocabulary for literature terms plus bingo cards. I sent an email out for prizes! Fun for Monday! I'm using the STAAR motivation cards to encourage behavior, showing strategies and just cuz! Students put in their tickets and I draw for prizes.

Teamed up with another teacher to review math concepts. With taped math word problems all around our auditorium. The students paired up and wandered around the room working the problems. We stressed the importance of talking math!

No school today! Mom and daughter day...started with a bit of pampering, a bit of planting and then a fabulous dinner with my god daughters.

Happy Friday!

SomeBunny Loves Your Blog Linky!

Ahhh...a three day weekend coming up! Yes, we just finished spring break, but I love me a 3 day weekend. Not only do I love a 3 day weekend right before state testing, I'm letting someBunny know that I love her blog... Ariane from The Science Penguin. She has such great ideas. She also has the Math Penguin blog and throw in some writing activities!

Just look at these super cute ideas and items she has on her blog and in TpT!

Go check out her blog and then head over to Christina Bainbridge's blog and share some love!

What a nice surprise from sweet Amy over at The Resource(ful) Room! Thanks for lovin' my blog!

Five for Friday

Love it!

Thank goodness for a 4 day week coming back from Spring Break...we had a field trip today!

The Bucket Game! 

Much like the muffin tin game, we used the buckets to score points as a team.

The best was when the ping pong ball went in the 3 point bucket, bounced out, hit the rim of the 4 point bucket and went into the 5 point bucket! That student was the rock star for the day!

Field Trip Friday! Toured the caverns then a bit of mining! Mining for gems!

Lots of comments about selling their finds on e-bay! Seriously?!!!

Science journal write-up for Natural Bridge Caverns. 

We have had a big push on nonfiction.

My students had to write about their experience and create a diagram.

A game of scoot with the nonfiction task cards! My students loved it!

Last one...really it was last week, but I totally missed the Five for Friday due to all the wedding festivities. My dear friend (who happens to live in Chicago) got married here in San Antonio! Two days of total fun! She was a stunning bride! Under her fabulous dress where some rockin' cowgirl boots!

 Now, head on over to Doodle Bugs Teaching to check out everyone else.
Happy Friday!

Adventures of Chocolate Bunny

Back to reality on Monday. It has been a great spring break! 

I wanted a fun writing activity to start the week off. KB Konnected created these really cute chocolate bunnies that were begging for a writing activity. They are super cute!!!
The writing activity includes a graphic organizer and a word bank for sequencing words.

So...here is a freebie for you! Head on over to my TpT store for a copy of...

The Adventures of Chocolate Bunny!

Lovin' Rachel's Task Cards

It was a printing, cutting and laminating kind of day! Ok...let's be real...it was a hang out with several other moms while our kids played outside in the oh-so-fabulous-beautiful weather! Before I knew it, it was 3 hours later. Good friends, great weather and nothing but time!
Then, I came home to cut and laminate.

When we get back from Spring Break, we are going to hit several reading skills hard! Our state test is right around the corner. There has been a HUGE push in math...time for some reading review!
I love Rachel Lynette's Task cards!

We are going to start with informational text structures.  

Another Dollar Tree find! Party trays!  

All the glass beads (Walmart) go in the middle. 

As a student correctly answers a question, they get a bead.

Then, we will move on to nonfiction. I thought it would be fun to have eggs filled with task cards all in a cute basket. According to my, just turned 10 year old, the basket is not as much fun as if I hid them around the room! Sooo....in order to get her to help me stuff them, I had to promise to hide them 

around the room.

I also used Rachel's SUMmarizing task card set right before spring break.  Summarizing is such a hard concept. Rachel has a great little nemonic device for remembering how to write a summary.  I set the task cards up around the room like a scavenger hunt. My students had a great time writing the summary in 12 words or less. It was so fun to stand back and listen to the conversations about what 12 words would make the best summary!

If you have used Rachel's task cards, I would love to know how you incorporated them in your classroom! And...if you want some more ideas on how to use Rachel's task cards...Click here!


Cards laminated and eggs stuffed...now it's time to watch a girly movie, cuz the hubby is out of town!

Monday Made It!

Coffee and lounging on the couch! Gotta love spring break! I actually had time to sit down and create a few things! Thanks to Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for the Monday Made It linky!

 

Love Dollar Tree! 5 cases for $1!

I made templates for the inside to create mini write-on boards!

 These elapsed time cards are differentiated from Teaching with a Mountain View's TpT site. They are a perfect match and the cd cases with the clock template.

Printing, cutting and laminating later today!

  

I used the thermometers from Ashley Hughes' clip art collection! 

 

The blank CD holders are great for spinners. I created these for a review of probability.

Large paperclip is used as the spinner!

Head on over to 4th Grade Frolics to see what others are creating!

Happy creating!

Five for Friday!

Five for Friday starts Spring Break!!!!!!!

Wahoo! 

It seems like I always start this post with how crazy the week has been. Well, let me tell you, this has been one craaaaazy week. We had class pictures on Monday. Wednesday was club pictures. It felt like every 20 minutes they were calling students out for a club picture....5th grade panoramic, GEMS, 4th grade string, 5th grade strings, the news team, school store, chess club, Singers, RITMO...

I guess when you think about it, it is pretty awesome. 

All of the clubs are teacher sponsored for our kids and free! (Strings is actually a class during the day.)

Ohh...then W, Th & F we were out at 1:00 for parent conferences. 

Again, fortunate that we have this time.

 My top 5 pics of the week...

Marshmallow Tower

I sponsor an after school club for 200 girls. It is called GEMS-Girls Excelling in Math & Science.

This past week the challenge was...Marshmallow Tower! 

20 pieces of spaghetti, 1 yard of masking tape, 1 yard of string and 1 marshmallow.

Build the tallest free standing structure with the marshmallow on top!

We had so much fun!

This comes from the Ted Talks...Tom Wujec: Build a tower, build a team.

If you have time, watch the video! (Well worth the time!)

Guess which group does the best on this challenge and collaborating?

Students worked on a triple Venn diagram to compare the Earth, sun & moon!

My daughter is turning 10 on Sunday! Call me Crazy with a big huge-bold C...10-4th grade girls spending the night. Actually, they are all really sweet girls! My daughter has begged for me to let them  sleep in the garage apartment...guess I will let them. My baby is growing up!

(Side note: I made the invite! Super fun!)

My daughter just created her first font! All the headers are her design.

She wants me to sell it on Tpt!

Had to pull out the muffin tins today... Friday before spring break! Oh..yah!
I had my students work in teams to answer metric conversion problems. I pose a question, they work as a team to answer, designate one person to answer and then designate someone to toss the ping pong ball!
1 team point for correct answer
1 team point for ping pong ball going in the regular muffin hole
2 team points for the pink muffin hole
3 team points if it goes in the center(gets caught between all 4 tins)
My students love playing! It's not as easy as they think!

Happy Friday!
Cheers!
Now head over to Doodle Bugs Teaching for a linky!

Currently~~March!

For the love! Where did February go?!!!!
Currently with Farley always seems to shock me a bit! Could that month really have passed by that quickly?

Listening-Criminal Minds is so creepy, but sooo good! I try not to watch it when my husband is out of town. Since, it's early morning, I'm good.

Loving-Watching my daughter play basketball. She has a game this morning. We are actually heading out to have breakfast tacos before. Yum! Hope they win! The Purple Puma's need a win!

Thinking-Uggg...state testing is around the corner. Even though they have 3 chances, please let them pass the first time!

Wanting- Personal trainer to kick me in gear! Cruise in May and a few award ceremonies before that. Gotta drop some lbs! I think I said that in the February Currently. This time no messing around!!!

Needing-25 conference notes need to be written this weekend. Next week, our students leave at 1 on W, Th, & F  so we can have conferences with parents. Thursday, we also have late night conferences.

Like...coffee but, it should be up by need right now!
Love...anything cutesy!
Dislike (we don't use the "h" word in our house or in my classroom) coughing that is not covered!!! Cover your mouth, people!

We are off to my daughter's basketball game then a lovely visit with my uncle!
I'll be back later this afternoon to follow the rule of 3!


Have a great weekend!

Five for Friday!

Five for Friday is Fun!

Linking up with Doodle Bugs for her fun linky. I love seeing all the pictures.

Students found out the identity of their "family" and decided on the necessary items 

needed for their looooong trip! 

Wifi in the Wagon

Ok...I just thought this was kinda funny! 

We might be Pioneers hitting the trail, but we gotta have our WIFI!

We started studying the Earth, sun and moon. I found this really fun site that allows them to destroy asteroids, find facts and take a quiz. I created a log book for them to write down their facts.
 A cute certificate is awarded at the end.

Cute Max...he just needed to snuggle!

Stop and smell the Mountain Laurel!

 I love this part of spring when the Mountain Laurel bloom. There is a tree right by the entrance to my school. Every morning, my daughter and I, stop and smell the Mt. Laurel...which smells like grapes!

Happy Friday!