Testing Miss Malarkey!

With State Assessments rapidly approaching (next week!), Mrs. Brown (a fellow 3rd grade teacher)  suggested reading the book Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler. We were able to compare and contrast things about the school from the story with our own school. It was a very cute book!

Dr. Seuss Cafe

 My 3rd grade class got to "host" the Dr. Seuss Cafe this afternoon in the library! Their 2nd grade buddy got to pick a Dr. Seuss book from the menu provided, while my 3rd grade students read to his/her buddy. We were busy readers today!

Flowers were placed on each table, and cookies were donated to our school from a local grocery store!

One of my students commented, "My book was 32 pages! It was hard to keep my buddy focused for that long!"

It looks like each student is doing a great job to me!

Who knows? Maybe there is a future teacher amongst us...:)

Here's to You, Dr. Seuss!

To celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday, our class created a special art project this week. We used our right hands to complete the face/hair, and then we painted our 4 fingers of our left hand to make his body. After the paint had dried, I added white paint to his belly. My students then used black markers to write either "Thing 1" or "Thing 2" on his stomach and drew eyes, a nose, and mouth to finish his face. My third graders loved this "hands-on" project!

 

This week, our librarian will be presenting the "Dr. Seuss Cafe." We cannot wait to see what is in store for us there!

Sweats Day/Flashback to the 80's!

Getting ready to kick off State Assessments! Work-out clothes? Check. Leg Warmers? Check. Sweatbands? Check. This picture....priceless! I love the people I work with!

New Names for the Day!

Today was very special because each of my students received a new name for the entire day! Waiting on every third grader's desk this morning was a name tag, but instead of their name written on it, my students found a multiplication fact. To encourage everyone to keep practicing their multiplication facts, the class placed their "new name" on their shirts. If a student wanted to ask or tell another student something then he or she had to call him/her by their multiplication product. For example, if my name tag said 7 x 3, then my students would say "Mrs. 7 x 3 = 21 or Mrs. 21, I have a question..." Obviously I had to follow the rules as well, and it was definitely tricky to not blurt out a student's name! If anyone accidentally did slip up and say a real name, then he or she would have to say the multiplication fact 3 times out loud. It was fun, and several of my students have already asked when we are going to do this again!

These are plain white sticky name tags. Next time, I think I will put them in plastic holders that the students can pin on their shirts. That way, I can reuse them  over and over!

Say What?!

I recently read the story Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to my third graders. After discussing the book, we decided it was time for us to get creative! Each student completed a written response to the prompt  "I wish it would rain..." I loved what my kiddos came up with! After writing, my students were able to draw a picture to match whatever item they wanted it to rain. So fun!

                                                       

                                          Gabby wanted it to rain paint brushes because she wants to be an artist when she grows up!

 
"I wish it would rain gold, ice cream, and coconut donuts because it would be like I am a king. And I would be rich. I would have a meal fit for me."  -Alex

February Memories

Welcome to my third grade classroom! We have had a very busy year thus far. I was inspired by my good friends, Erin and Danielle, to start this blog. I usually write in a journal about things that happen each week in third grade, but I have decided to start posting them online.

We are celebrating President's Day at school, so to get my kiddos thinking about presidents, my husband and I created the bulletin board you see here. It took us an entire Sunday afternoon to put it together (all laid out on our living room floor), but it was a fun project. I purposely printed off pictures in black/white and color to make the match-ups more challenging.  It has been fun to hear which President and First Lady they think are a match. For example, one student recently whispered into my ear, "Are Abraham Lincoln and Hillary a match?"  I also posted a fun fact about a president each day, such as "One of George Washington's favorite treats was ice cream!"

Last week, my class celebrated Valentine's Day, complete with a pancake breakfast. My students' families amazed me yet again as they donated pancake mix, syrup, butter, bacon, muffins, griddles, juice, and milk! It was a family event. Some parents were even able to come in and make the pancakes and bacon. We sure needed the help because as I am learning, there is never a dull moment in third grade!

As the griddles were heating up, we suddenly experienced a power outage! Since the other third grade classrooms were enjoying a pancake feast in their rooms as well, we managed to flip a breaker. There wasn't a Plan B for our pancake breakfast, but thanks to our wonderful custodian, the crisis was soon averted. The parents in my room had to move some griddles to different locations around the room and unplug several computers, but eventually all was well! Thankfully, my third graders were so excited about passing out Valentines and drinking juice or milk that they were unaware of the  Near-Pancake-Catastrophe!