April Currently

Ok, I know what you're thinking...it's bad blog etiquette to make two posts in one day.  Y'all - I have to!  It was Five for Friday AND Currently!  I love them both!  SO - if you don't mind reading this blogging faux pas, check it out!

Thanks Farley for the April Currently template!

What are YOU up to currently?!  I'd love to read your comments below!

Five for Friday!

Well hello there, Friday!  Boy, am I glad to see you!
I am linking up with Doodle Bugs for Five for Friday!

I love this linky party because it's fun to look back over my week, show you what I have been up to, and get to see other teachers' amazing blogs!

I live in Texas, and our state standardized test is called the STAAR. (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness)  In 4th grade, students begin taking the Writing portion of that test.  We took it on Tuesday. I decided to grab some cute pencils from Mardel's for the kids to use during the test to remind them that I love them!

What do you do on testing days to make your students feel special?  My team and I have BIG plans for May when they take the Reading and Math STAAR tests!  Check back to see some blackmail-worthy photos!  Let's just say, they will be regal...

Last week I FINALLY got to redeem my gift certificates at the spa I received from my awesome classroom parents!  I got a massage AND a pedicure on the same day.  I felt like a new girl by the time I left!
What is the best gift you've ever received from a parent?

 

The Easter Bunny visited our house this Sunday!  He left the twins and their cousin some goodies and delectable treats!  He also left an empty egg in their baskets to symbolize the empty tomb.  When Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, and Salome went to the tomb, they found the stone rolled away, and it was empty.  He had come back, just as he had told his disciples! 

What sort of special traditions do you do with your family over Easter?

 

We dye eggs every Easter! It is a tradition I have done since I was a little girl!  I still remember going to church on Easter Sunday with stained fingers from dyeing eggs the night before!  

If you find any of these cups on clearance from PAAS, I suggest getting them!  They are perfect for egg dyeing, and even have measurement lines on them so you know exactly how much water to add!

 

I want to share with you this sweet notecard a student gave me.  She and her family are Persian and she is always telling me neat things about their culture.  She has sung Happy Birthday to me in Persian, told me all about their New Year's (which just passed), tells me about visiting her family over seas, and tries to get me to say words in her language - which I promptly butcher.

Last week, she wanted to teach me to say, "I love you," in Persian, so she wrote it down for me, and then spelled it phonetically as best she could.  I told her I will keep practicing and maybe one day I can get down the dialect!

Teacher Appreciation Week is right around the corner.  The official day is May 3rd this year.  I have a cute, easy to fill out, teacher survey FREEBIE in my store for you!  I used it last year for my twins' preschool teachers.  It's nice to get things you can use and appreciate.  Feel free to download it to use with your children's teachers, OR, get it and fill out for yourself!  Our PTA asks us for a list of things we would like and they distribute them to our parents!  It's nice to give and receive thoughtful gifts, and this makes it super simple!  Click here or click on the picture below to get this FREEBIE! 

Thanks for stopping by!  I'd sure love to read your comments!  Don't forget to post below!

A Little Tip for Free Money!

Hey all!

I want to let you in on a cool feature of TPT that many people don't know about!

Did you know you earn TPT credits for purchases on TPT?  All you have to do is give the purchase a fair rating and TPT gives you credits to use on other purchases!

It's literally free money - no strings attached!  (I don't work for TPT or benefit at all from this - I just want to let you guys know!)

The picture below is available to download for free in my store.  You can zoom in on it and see exactly how easy it is to get the credits you have earned!

Also, March 16th - March 17th, if you search #LuckyDeals on TeachersPayTeachers, you will find tons of resources on sale from many sellers for $1.00!  Click below to be taken to my store!

Summarize It!

Oh summary.  How I have such a love-hate relationship with you.  Summarizing stories is something students start at a young age, and yet it is still so hard for students even in late elementary.  I often find that they struggle to determine the important details from the minor details and write summaries filled with and then, and then, and then, and then, and then.....I end up feeling like Ashton Kutcher from "Dude, Where's My Car."

So, why do we teach summarizing?

The ability to summarize builds comprehension.  Summarizing a narrative text helps students comprehend the plot of the story. According to Fountas and Pinnell, good readers are always taking information from the text and condensing it into a summary-type form.  As readers pull out the most important information, they are constantly interpreting what the author is telling them and further developing the summary of the story.

This year, I wanted to begin by seeing what the kids remembered about summary and clear up misconceptions before beginning the summarizing process.

I made a simple chart with "What is a summary?" and "What is a summary NOT?"  I wanted them to think about summaries from both sides.

I gave them each a green sticky note first and asked them to tell me, in their own words, what they thought a summary was.  They each came and added their sticky note to the chart.

Then I gave them each a yellow sticky note and asked them to write down, in their own words, what they know is NOT included in a summary.  Then they added their yellow sticky notes to our chart.

We read a few of them aloud and saw that many of them had several of the same ideas.

Here are a couple examples of what my students said a summary is.

A summary is a few short lines of sentences that tell the most important parts of a story in order.

      

A paragraph said in your own words but not very many details.

And here are a couple examples of what my students said a summary is NOT.

      

Your thoughts about the story.

    

A summary is not very detailed, not long, and not a copy of the story.

I like to use the Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then (SWBST) strategy with students because it gives them a way to ensure they are looking for each piece of the summary every time they read a narrative piece.

When teaching, I suggest lots of modeling, then move to group work before letting them summarize on their own.

Here is our anchor chart:

I discussed with them that when summarizing a narrative text, they should look for the main character, what the main character wants or his/her goals, the main problem he/she encounters, and the resolution of the problem.

We summarized a short, one page text that we had previously read, about a girl names Callie who needed to complete a difficult homework assignment.  (According to Fountas and Pinnell, you should begin with short texts that do not have many details).

I modeled how to use the summary chart, and we looked for each piece as a whole group.  

I put a sticky note at each table group and tasked them with writing down the information for one component of the chart.  One table wrote down the main character, one table wrote down what the character wanted, and so on.

I have left this chart hanging in our room now so the students will have a visual reminder of how to get a summary!

I also use a SWBST foldable with my kids.  Anytime they read a story, they can fill in one of these.  Doing this each time they read a book, (either a book from the library, a book you are reading aloud in class, during guided reading, a weekly story, etc) will solidify and fine tune their summarizing skills.  It also reminds them that each time they read a story, this is the information they need to be looking for to fully comprehend the text.

        

I also have a SWBST log that students complete each time they read a fiction book.  This helps hold students accountable for reading and finishing a book, helps with comprehension, and simultaneously works on reinforcing summarizing skills.  Many teachers do reading logs anyway where the students write down what they are reading, but this is a way to prove they have read the story, and shows if they understood what they read.  Never miss a teachable moment!!

You can get this foldable and SWBST log as a FREEBIE in my store by clicking here, or by clicking the picture below!  Enjoy!

November Currently

And now, time for my favorite blog post of the month hosted by Farley at Oh Boy! Fourth Grade!

I got to meet her while in Vegas this summer and she was SO kind and funny.  

Me and Farley

Thanks for doing this linky every month, Farley!

I am having a perfect Sunday!  Even got to go to Target by myself this afternoon!  It's the little things, people!  I hope you all have a wonderful November and that you pay it forward somehow this holiday season.  I participate in feeding the hungry by donating money and food to the Mission Arlington through our church.  It feels good knowing I get to help families enjoy a warm meal on turkey day like I get to have with my family every year.

What sort of random acts of kindness (RAKS) do you like to do for Thanksgiving? 

Mixtures and Solutions Experiment

Do you ever have one of those lessons that makes your students say, "This is the best day EVER!!" Well, that was my science lesson today.

We have been studying matter for the past six weeks, and the final standard to master was about mixtures and solutions.

Luckily, I have some amazing parents who love to donate to the cause!  I sent home a note a week ahead of time (and allowed a weekend in that time frame because, let's face it, who can get to the store during the week?) and asked if they would mind donating some food items for our upcoming science project.

If you would like a copy of the note, you can get it FREE in my TPT store by clicking on the picture below.

Here are the ingredients you will need for this experiment.  Of course, items can be substituted or added.  :)

First, we discussed our ingredients and what state of matter each substance was.  (All solids except for the water in the pitcher).

Then, in a large, clear glass bowl, I poured each ingredient (substance) one at a time, careful to make it layered.  We then discussed how even though all of the substances were in the same bowl now, they could still clearly see each one.

Then, I mixed it all together so it was more of a trail mix.

We discussed that none of the substances had changed forms of matter even though they were all mixed up.

Each student had a paper towel on his or her desk, and I scooped a cup for each student.

I asked them if they thought we could separate the combination of substances and if each one would continue to keep it's original property.

Next, we made our solution with three substances - water, sugar and Kool-Aid mix.

I poured Kool-Aid into a clear pitcher and a cup of sugar.

 I let it settle down a little bit and pointed out that we could still see each of the substances.

Sugar settled at the bottom

Kool-Aid mix not yet stirred or dissolved

  They made predictions about what would happen if I stirred it up and we decided it would dissolve.

We discussed that now that the sugar and mix were mixed evenly in the water and dissolved, we could no longer separate it back out like we could with a mixture.

Have I mentioned yet that it was also picture day?!??  THAT was bad timing, but amazingly, no one spilled, and there were no Kool-Aid mustaches....I think.... :)

And of course, we journaled about our discoveries in our Science Journals as pictured below.  If you'd like the cute cover we put on our Science Journals, you can download them for FREE at my TPT store by clicking the picture below!

Lots of fun and "best day EVER!!"

Were they wired afterwards?  You bet!  But, having such a fun, hands on experience will solidify that objective and they will remember it always!