Crisscross Goes Happily Random...

Hey Everybody!

I'm a happy girl.  Why? 

Five Very Good Reasons

My Thirty One order came today.....

I didn't have to give this today {Three days was enough this week!}

I got a happy little package from Learning Resources today...

That's all I'm saying about that....just you wait and see what I've got up my sleeve - but...

I've come to realize that Learning Resources is an amazing company selling quality products at such competative prices.  Clearly, they understand the needs of students and teachers - they have a grant opportunity going on right now hosted by We Are Teachers. 

If you want to apply, you must answer this question:  “How would you use portable interactive technology to create collaborative lessons?” At the end of the application process educators can invite colleagues to vote for their favorite lesson ideas. Each of the three top vote getters will win a set of three now!Boards and three GeoSafari TuffCams, a prize package valued at $2,000!!!!!   That's not all -  two merit-based winners selected by a panel of teachers will each win one now!Board and one GeoSafari Tuff Cam, a total value of $700. Teachers can apply for the grant online through May 22, 2012.  You've got to go check it out!!!

Click Here To Enter!!!!

I'll let this one speak for itself!

Morning Meeting *Freebie*

Happy Friday Eve!

Didn't it feel like Friday should have been three days ago?!?  Man, tuckered doesn't even BEGIN to explain how tired I am.  My forehead is numb.  Really. Does that ever happen to you? It's okay if you say no...but for real, I'm so tired the bridge of my nose and my forehead are numb.  Only happens when I'm tired. That, and my right eye sometimes twitches.  I've got issues.

I know Morning Meeting was "the thing" some years back. My teacher-friend we call "Barb" and I did a big inservice on it.  In front of LOTS of people. Hundreds.  Okay, felt like hundreds. It might have been 30 - give or take. Holy nervous.  As I remember {after the nightmares fizzled} it went very well. 

Fast forward 4 or 5 years - I still find such power in having a daily morning meeting {or whenever a person can squeeze one in}. You know that pendulum.  Seems that trends in education come and go faster than fashion trends {Gauchos anyone?}.  I love trying the latest and greatest but sometimes I have a hard time letting go of things.  Especially when I know those "things" are valuable! 

Morning Meeting is one of those "things" for me.  It's a great way to build community, set a positive tone, increase excitement about learning and improve and reinforce academic and social skills. This year I have a cutie with Down Syndrome; initiating meaningful contact was difficult for her at the beginning of the year, now she'll walk right up to a friend in our circle, greet them with a big smile on her face all while making great eye contact. So cool.

We pretty much follow the same routine:

Greeting

Sharing

Activity

Message

Greetings can be as long or short, formal or informal as you'd like.  I found a lot of fun greeting ideas from Christina Bainbridge's class website {here}. I printed, laminated, hole punched and put them on an "o" ring. I did the same with her activity cards.  Lots of great ideas in this book too...

My kids' favorite greeting has remained the same throughout the year...

You've gotta get a nice rhythmic chant going as you say it...

The activities change too. As part of our math program we have something called Number Corner {think: calendar}. We usually do these activities during the activity portion of Morning Meeting, but try to squeeze in a fun one here and there too.  You can find a whole bunch of good ones on Christina's website.  One of our favorites is "Pass the Koosh Ball".  I have more koosh balls than I know what to do with.  One year my kiddos deemed me a koosh ball collector and ever since that fateful day I've been given at least a dozen each year.  It's pure koosh madness.  The kids love them though.  When playing "Pass the Koosh" I'll name a category.  We'll be studying weather next week so I might call out weather.  The person who started with the koosh passes it to the right and has to name five things that fit in that category before the koosh makes its way back to its beginning.  Great way to review.

At the end of Meeting we read our message, fix any mistakes that are there, locate any word wall words, and answer the question of the day.

I love question of the day.  At the beginning of the year it starts off as a get to know you question, then evolves into either a take a stand type question "Should kids be able to chew gum in school" or an academic question "How much money is here" {I'll put a money flash card on by the question for them to count and answer}.  Sometimes they answer with a checkmark {on my whiteboard easel} in a designated area under the question or they'll take a small sticky note and put their initials on it and sick it in the appropriate spot. 

Sounds lengthy and at the beginning of the school year it is but as the year progresses I tweak and streamline it so it doesn't take quite so much time and some days we just can't get to it...

Do you do morning meeting?  If not, what do you do to help build classroom unity and community throughout the year?

Switching gears...

Can you believe I haven't finished Hunger Games?  I'm on the third book and have been nursing it since spring break.  I kid you not, I read a page or two, my eyes start to droop and I'm out for the count.  All I need is a Lazy Boy...yank out my dentures and call her a day.

Happy Friday Ya'll!  {I said ya'll - I had to look up where the apostrophe goes...that's up for debate apparently. Who knew?!}



Homphones *Freebie* and Something that Rhymes With Mice

Eye would love two share sum homophone goodies with ewe.  Hoping ewe no what eye am talking about hear...

I start off our word study by reading....

Full of homophones!  Read and chart...

Here are a couple of activities we do...

A homophone book

To make the book you take sentence strips and cut them in half.  Take three halves and set them on top of eachother, then fold them in half.  Use a rubberband in the middle to hold the "book" together.

Here's a sample page...

You can grab it here..

Here's another activity...

My little "Good, Bad and Ugly" linky party was an intimate affair...who knew sharing some of the ugly would be so hard!?!  It's okay, I understand...at least you know where to come if you want to feel okay about your little imperfections. I'm your girl!!!!

While on the topic of ugly - I've got some little bugs {rhymes with mice} in my classroom.  I CANNOT stop itching.  Seriously, I have had my head checked a million times and I KNOW there's nothing there but I CANNOT convince inside of my head that I don't have those things that rhyme with rice.  My classroom is now pillow-less, cushion-less, and I'm not sure I'm going to bring them back in.  Do you have pillows in your classroom?  Are you afraid of a "rhymes with dice" outbreak?  I'm hopeful that since I never actually said the word that I've spared you of the pseudo-itchies!

Nighty night....don't let the bed bugs bite...or those things that rhyme with thrice.

You Have Homework, Yes YOU! And a Giveaway!

Alrighty,

This is going to be all business.  First, you've all officially been assigned homework.  You need to dust off those cameras, put aside your pride, and snap some pictures of your classrooms. I want to see it all. I want to see those pop cans you have stacked around your classroom sink {Who me?!}, I need to see those anchor charts that aren't a work of art...{Because I know I'm not the only one that will quickly write up an anchor chart on a whim and the letters are all crooked-y and cockeyed but it just has to do and then you'll RE-write them if you want them to be blog-worthy}.

Honestly, I started the linky party for all of us.  Sometimes I take a look around at what's out there in blogland, and I'll be honest, I feel like maybe I'm not doing everything that I can...maybe I can do it better, do it bigger.  That's not all bad.  As teachers we're lifelong learners - that's part of why we teach - it's in our DNA to be in a constant state of betterment.  I'm cool with that.  Buy I'm also okay with me not being perfect...I'm okay with a bulletin board that started off straight and ended up...well, not so much.  It's all good...my kiddos are happy, I'm happy and I'll just be sure that I aim my camera juuuuuust so when taking a picture for all of you...so you'll be none-the-wiser.  Or maybe I won't.

So link up... bring on your good, your bad and your ugly...we'll love you even more for just being YOU!
One of my best bloggy friends, Staci, over at Going Nutty is having a 250 follower giveaway! 

It's a good one!  You could win two items from the other Staci's TpT store or three items from Reagan's TpT store, OR you might just win a 10 dollar gift certificate from me to TpT.  That's not all.  Do you remember my cute little coffee cozy that Staci {Nutty Staci, not the other Staci} sent me just because?  She'd like to giveaway one to each of her three winners.  They are more than adorable...

I've got my eye on the 'stache one...but now that I'm looking, I really like the one with the browns and blue flower...hmmm....

To sum it all up...

1. Do your homework, take pictures, link up!
2. Enter Staci's giveaway

That's not too bad, right?

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - A Confession Linky Party

Hey Girls,

It's a week of firsts - a new Facebook page {here} and my first Linky Party.  I hope you've come ready to boogie down and link up!

I have a confession.  Sometimes my classroom isn't as pretty as it looks here on Crisscross Applesauce. When I take pictures I sometimes make the background more presentable. I might move a thing or two before snapping the picture, or I crop this or that out.  Yes I do. 

Girls, I have some deep dark secrets and I thought I should come clean and share them with you. Right here. Right now.

I bring you...

                                            If you link up - feel free to grab this cute little thing!

I'm just not perfect. I try really hard.  

The Good

My little nightstand is nice and tidy...lookin' good!

My standing bookshelf displays current reads - spring time books right now.  Daily five working with words stuff behind it.  I'm diggin' it.  Nice and organized.

Yes, this is my "table/desk" - it was a good day.  I didn't set this up for the picture. I swear.

Our desks were cleaned before spring break - and most of them are still clean.  Booya!

The Bad

How many crud collectors do I need around my room - I have mugs, containers, that just collect...crud!

We earn stickers on our Snoopy Dollars.  Look how dog-eared and icky they look.  There's a missing one. I'll get to that one day, I'm sure.  I'm reminded daily by this little guy.  I'll get to it, I promise!

Another crud collector.

They were cute when I downloaded and laminated them off of one of your blogs.  But those rascally kids keep rubbing up against them and now they are all dogged out.

Remember my trip to IKEA?  Remember these adorable stools that I was so geeked about?  One of the screws was stripped right after hubby put it together. I know I should have returned it, but that takes time - I don't have a whole lot of that.  We tried to use it anyway, and it busted.  BOO!  Now my reading table isn't so cute!

While it might look cute - it was supposed to be Reagan's Namebow Rainbows...I ran out of steam and opted for the "ditto" variety"} 

They did turn out pretty cute though, didn't they!?

The Ugly

My cabinets are not neatly organized and labeled.

I don't even know what's in here...math stuff, social studies, some science...we'll call it a hodgepodge.

My closet...there just might be a monster in there.

I store things in my bathroom. I know, gross - right?

I have a mountain of books in that green basket that need to be returned to
our book room. They hate me there. I hoard books.

I know you have some deep dark secrets you'd like to share.  Think of it as therapy. Link up and share Your Good, Your Bad and Your Ugly!

Will You Like Me Please?

Hey Chicks and Chucks,

Hope you had a great Monday - I'm not so sure "great" and "Monday" belong in the same sentence but perhaps you're a glass half full kinda person and you just LOOOOOVE yourself a Monday! 

I'm a happy teacher right now because I really like what I'm teaching in each subject.  I don't know if you're like me, but there's always one topic/concept that I'm teaching that I just don't dig 100 percent.  Right now, I'm in a total groove. We're working on geometry in math and they love all the hands on constructing and discovering that goes on with that.  In science we started our unit on air and weather and this is another hands-on unit full of lots of experiments and outdoor observations.  Who doesn't like teaching absolute location in social studies {okay, that's not exactly a personal favorite - but I do love teaching mapping}.

My most favorite of all is how nicely my nonfiction reading and writing units fit together.  If you're not familiar with Jennifer Jones you should really carve out some time in your evening {you'll need some popcorn, maybe a beverage of some sort because she has A LOT of goodness to share}to check out her blog, her original website and then her newest website.  I use her nonfiction features notebook to guide my instruction during reader's workshop.  We take one feature each day and really dissect it and talk about its purpose and importance.  Good stuff.  Here's what one of the pages looks like...



Once we have quite a few features/conventions under our belts we begin our nonfiction writing unit where we write a report on an animal of our choice.  It's cool to watch the kids put into practice, in their own writing, what they've been learning from their reading. 

On a completely different note...

So, I was wondering if I could ask you a teensy tinsy itsy bitsy little bitty favor? I started a Facebook page.  Come again?  Yeah, I started a Facebook page.  I'm sort of giggling as I type this because that seems like the "big leagues" to me...but I thought I'd give her a go. I don't have one of those fancy buttons anywhere on my blog so you'll just have to click {here} to head on over to visit and "like" me.  You DO like me, don't you?!?!  Prove it.  Prove your like for me.  Push that little button...wherever it might be.  That whole "timeline" business is REALLY throwing me off. 

Okely Dokely...

Have yourself a terrific Tuesday...

Did you go "like" me yet?

Knock, Knock...Who's There? *Freebie*

...ME!  I'm back!  I must tell you, there's no reason other than I've been sucked into two things - the game "Draw Something" and Catching Fire.  I just can't pull myself away from either one long enough to do more than a little blog stalking and a few comments.  By the time I decide to blog I'm too tuckered to type more than a few lines...

I just can't do it all friends, I just can't do it all...

Today I was visited by three teachers from England during Daily 5.  Man did my kids knock it out of the ballpark.  I think our new British friends were quite impressed with what they saw.  One of our third grade teachers swapped classes with a teacher from England a couple of years ago.  It was before I started teaching at this school - I so wish I had been there to pick her brain about teaching-life and life in general in England.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to debrief with them.  I'm curious if my teaching style and classroom management seemed worlds different from what they are accustomed to? I told them about my blog so maybe we'll see them around!

This afternoon we explored 3D shapes.  For some reason the kids found great humor in the word "polyhedra" {either that or it was just the aftershock of one cutie paTOOTie's "fluffer" that was blown with perfect timing...we were in the middle of talking about "gases"...admittedly, even I giggled - I mean really, couldn't have timed a toot more perfectly}. 

We started off by talking about various 3D shapes, noticing and indentifying faces, edges and vertices.  We closed the door a few times for dramatic flair.  You know you've gotta do it when teaching your kiddos big FIFTH GRADE WORDS...a hush comes over the room whenever I tell them we've got some big kid words to learn.  Inevitably somebody offers to close the door so our principal can't hear - likewise, somebody always lets the cat out of the bag and rats us out and tells another teacher or our principal that we learned the big words, but shhhhh, don't tell.

Then the kids were given a challenge:  To see which shapes they could make using these guys...

They came with our math program, Bridges, and they are called polydrons.  LOVE these things.  The kids love them too.  It was really interesting to hear some kids excitedly predict that they were SURE they'd be able to make a sphere while others just knew it wasn't possible but here they are discovering!!!

We didn't get any spheres but we did find out that there are triangular pyramids and square pyramids thanks to some fourth grade experts that helped us figure out the difference {I sent some first grade friends on a math journey to find the answer...Mrs. W. teaches first grade for a reason, and sometimes it feels like the math I'm teaching is NOT first grade stuff!!!!}.



After we figured out which shapes we were able to make with square and triangle shaped polydrons...

We went on a shape hunt around the classroom to find every day objects that are shaped similarly...

Note: cute coffee cozy on the Starbucks coffee...Staci!



We also recorded our findings here...

Believe it or not I'm not a countdown to the last day of school kinda girl.  Not that there's anything wrong with that - I'm one of those strange birds that never knows how many days are left.  I did, however, hear through the grapevine that we have 40 some odd days left.  Are you kidding me?!?!  I still have sooooooo much to teach!!!!!!  Unbelievable!

Gotta get rid of these shakes.  Must. Read. Book.  Must. Draw. Something. Now.

Toodles!