Coming to You (FINALLY!) From Spring Break!

We are in the midst of our spring break, and let me tell you, it is a beautiful thing. I am loving every minute of this. We had fantastically warm weather here in Chicago on Saturday (almost 80... Whoop whoop!), but it's been colder since. Nevertheless, I've had date days with each of my kiddos, including a trip to the American Girl Store today (brings back memories of my own Kirsten and Felicity!), dinner with a friend from college and her new hubby... And just relaxing a bit.

Also, knowing that there are eight weeks left in the school year? Relaxing and frightening at the same time!

I've used this teeny tiny bit of downtime to finish a product I started long ago. Like I had to go back and change the dates at the bottom from 2013 to 2014.

Sigh.

Lo and behold, here it is:

(Click the picture above to see the listing on TPT.)

Each year, my firsties learn about matter, and let me tell you, it is my FAVORITE unit. I started college as a chem major, TAed chemistry my senior year of college, and taught 8th grade science my first year of teaching. Yes, you heard that... I {heart} science. Chemistry specifically. Not enough to make it my major (I ended up a psych major), but it holds a place near and dear to my heart.

I wanted to make the unit as teacher-friendly as possible, so I included the following:

Enduring understandings for the unit that really focus the unit on keep principles that are high-level, yet appropriate for young students.

A student-friendly reader about matter that is easy to assemble (copy, stack, staple, and cut) and easy to read. It's also interactive, allowing students to draw and label in the book.

A matter sort (an updated version of the one I have posted on TPT) that includes enlarged cards for a pocket chart or anchor chart, as well as smaller student sorts for authentic assessment.

Student-friendly vocabulary cards that include visuals and a quick definition of key terms.

Tree maps for supporting student thinking and understanding (small and large versions).

Seven experiments aligned to those key understandings, each including:

Teacher instructions...

... and student recording sheets.

Plus a blank book for your students to write their own All About Matter informational text (great for end-of-unit assessment).

Phew! 

As a bonus, the unit {click here} is ON SALE through tonight for just $3.00 (instead of $6.00)... Plus I'll give a copy to the first two posters who comment on this post with their email address.

Have a great day!

Five For Friday... On a Saturday, and May Currently!

So, I've been meaning to link up for Five for Friday for for.ev.er! But of course, time seems to slip away, and on Friday nights, after getting the kids to bed, this happens:

I know I can't be the only one this happens to. Right? RIGHT???

So, I'm a day late, but here goes!

1. We have FINALLY started getting some warm weather! First it was cold, then rainy, and finally this week, we hit the 70s!

We enjoyed a little time at the park. They both look so big in this picture!

2. We finished up our plant unit this week. This is the awesome work of one of my kiddos. (Check out that handwriting!)

If you're interested in this craftivity and the other experiments, reading responses, and other goodies from my unit, check it out by clicking below:

3. This week marked the beginning of our end of year testing. What?! We go until June 20 (gulp!) but we started testing our kids with BAS already.

Which, of course, necessitates lots and lots of this:

(Iced, french vanilla, cream and sugar... Yum...) 

And maybe this is a weird thing to notice, but on the cups in the ads, there's always like the flavor above the "coffee" (like where "iced" is on this cup), but that's never what it has at the store... Hmm...

4. I posted my Friday Folder comment sheets a few days ago, and came back to tell you a little more about them. First of all, a sweet reader notified me of a typo on the Spanish version, so I fixed it up and it's available to redownload on TpT.

 (Click the image above to download for FREE)

I was asked about how I used this form, so hopefully I can give a couple helpful hints!

For several years, I've used the communication folders from Nicky's Folders. They are awesome... I've used the same ones for about the past three years and I'll definitely be able to use them again next year. (Plus they're only about $1 a piece... Totally worth it.) They have a view pocket on the front, like a lot of binders do, and I slip the sheet inside. I print them on cardstock - it's easier to slide in and out that way.

I fill out the date, behavior and work habit codes, and make notes on them about any tests, things to work on at home, etc. Then, I fill the inside, which comes with printed labels on each pocket:

Any work that needs signed goes on the left, and other work to keep at home goes on the right.

My students bring the folders home on Fridays and back on Mondays, and it works like a charm!

5. Finally, I gotta brag on my own kiddos a bit... Check out my daughter's drawing (she'll be 3 in August):

(That's a face with hair, eyes, a circle nose, a smile - which is hard to see - and the straight line up is a tongue! Plus an A in the corner for Avery.)

And as an added bonus, in being even later than usual even for me, here's my May Currently!

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching and Oh' Boy Fourth Grade!

Plants Unit, Currently April, and a FREEBIE!

Well, spring break is over.

Sad.

On the bright side, we started new units in ALL subjects today... Holla! Well, I love our plant and Kevin Henkes units, which we began today, so I'm in a happy lesson planning place. :)

I worked away during my break to get my plants unit updated.

 

This is what the old unit looked like. It makes me want to throw up a little. So I did a little PowerPointing, and this is the result:

MUCH better! 

What's included in this unit:

- Unit planner for 10 days of lessons
- Suggested books to read aloud
- Instructions for all activities
- Plant life cycle mini book
- Labs including observing soaked bean seeds, fruits with various seed types, growing bean plants, and water transportation
- Root, fruit, and leaf sort
- Flower facts craftivity (NEW for April 2013 update)
- Original plant song
- Unit assessment (NEW for April 2013 update)

If you'd like to grab the unit, click on the picture above to take you to my TpT store!

We did the first activity today, a RAN (a form of a KWL that allows for misconceptions... Which we all know firsties can have a LOT of!):

(Those kiddos are inquisitive - our Post-Its of questions spilled into the misconceptions box! Gotta get smaller Post-Its!)

Tomorrow, we're going to start talking about the life cycle of a plant. I made this little freebie for you to snag:

Click the picture above to go to my TpT store to download the freebie. It is a short reading passage with a brief five question true/false quiz to check comprehension.

Also, I thought I'd post my Currently April. :)

It's about time to call it a night... I am in for a LONG day tomorrow!

I'm BAAACCCKKK!!!! Plus a giveaway and a TpT sale!

Okay, so I have been gone over two months.

Agh! I seriously logged in and cringed when I saw my last post date.

Things. Have. Been. Crazy.

That's the long and the short of it! If it's too early to make a New Year's resolution, oh well - mine is to be a more dedicated poster.

Despite my blogging absence, I've been working on a few projects. One of my newest products is a little goodie called "Mad About Science."

It includes an info sheet for kids and parents on the steps of the scientific method, a little assessment, and blank experiment recording sheets that are appropriate for any experiment. This file goes for just $2.00 in my TpT store, but the first two posters to comment on this post and include their email addresses will receive it FREE!

Also, my entire TpT store is on sale now through Tuesday. Use code CMT12 at checkout Monday and Tuesday for an extra 10% off!

Have a great week back from Thanksgiving!

Where have I been???

It has definitely been a LONG time since posting! I told myself I'd be better about posting to this new blog, but things have been CUH-RAZY here!

In addition to trying to prep for the end of the year (the students are at school through next week), cleaning my room up, completing assessments of kiddos and all that jazz... THIS new little guy has kept me busy!

Declan came about 2.5 weeks early... And he's a little sweetie! I forgot how much newborns sleep, so I've actually been able to get some stuff done while my toddler, Avery, is at school. She got to spend time at Nana and Papa's house while I was in the hospital, so she was in heaven. :)

Needless to say, I won't be back at school through the end of the year! SO.... I know this is late but here's what we had been working on:

First of all, I LOVE (yes, all caps!) the Fraction Action unit by Cara Carroll of The First Grade Parade! In the past my kiddos have struggled with the concept of fractions, but with many of the activities in this unit, they've really done quite well! Here is a fractionpillar made by one of my sweeties:

Excuse the really bad iPhone photo!

I tried using Do-A-Dot stampers to make each of the body parts, but I tell you, those kids got a bit overzealous and went very stamp-happy! AGH! So when I was at Target, I saw they had THREE colors of those little dot stickers you might use to price things at a garage sale. VOILA! The kids could do this much more independently, they weren't too dot crazy, and there was zero mess. I'll definitely remember this for next year!

In science, we wrapped up our plant unit. We read Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move and did written responses about what the students would do if they were seeds.

 

We also observed seeds in avocados, kiwis, apples, lemons, and limes (which ended up having the teeniest seeds ever...).

These activities and more are available {HERE}.

What's on my to do list for this summer?

• RELAX with my own kiddos! :)
• Reorganize my sub tub materials - that would have made my sudden maternity leave a lot easier!
• Get together my beginning of the school year materials to post on TpT
• Try some Pinterest recipes (cookie dough dip... yummmm....)

What's on your to do list for your break??