Building Businesses with Economics!!

In our third grade social studies goals we are to learn about the workings of the economy. The new standards are a bit vague and so it was time to come up with some new ways to learn about the economy and still have fun. I decided to create a project to go along with our goals. In the past we have tried mini economies and making products but the new goals are more of a focus on the resources, location and vocabulary. So, in this project we will discuss the key terms that are in the curriculum and then the students will work in collaborative groups to create a business. I don't have any pictures to show as we are just getting started in this unit. I will post more once we have finished. If you want to check out my project it is available at my TpT store. Click on the picture below to see the product. I hope that my students will learn how much goes into a starting a business and all of the decisions that need to be made in order for one to succeed. If all goes well there will be some wonderful, creative thinking and planning going on!

Charlotte's Web Fun

Every December we read Charlotte's Web as our novel study for the quarter. By third grade most of my kids have either read the book or seen one of the versions of the movie. Therefore, there are no surprises to be held in the reading. So, why still do it you ask? Well, there are a few reasons but mainly I like my students to read a book that was written many years ago to see the differences in language and the time period. Also, it is a good lesson for my students about going deeper with a text. Since many of them know the story line we don't make predictions or have too much discussion about who the characters are on the surface. Rather we look at why the author wrote this story, make connections to our lives, look at the themes in the text, learn new vocabulary, and take time to look at characterizations of the main characters. We even have a math lesson on Roman Numerals since the chapters are labeled that way.


At the end of the unit we completed two culminating activities. The first activity was to create a theme poster. We had previously discussed the different themes found in the text and examples to support the theme. Then, the students made posters illustrating the theme. Most of them chose Friendship which you can see in the examples below.

The second activity we did was a Charter Activity. After discussing the charter traits of the main characters in the book (mainly Charlotte, Wilbur, Templeton, and Fern) we begin discussing how people can have those same character traits. I tell the students to think about which one they are most like and that we will do an activity about that. Before the lesson I printed color pictures of these four main characters and hung them up in different parts of the room. I told the students I would know which character they chose when they stood underneath the picture. After choosing each student made a craft. They use a craft stick, a picture of the character, and a description. Each student has to write about why they are like that character and an example of a time they acted like the character. When everyone was finished the class came back and sat in a large circle and shared what they wrote about themselves. If you are interested in this activity it is up for grabs on my TpT store. Click on the picture below to go to my store.

Here are a few pics of my kids and their character sticks. They were very excited!

We really had fun learning so much about this novel and going deeper with our thinking.

Cyber Monday/Tuesday Sale!!! New Products

New Products and Cyber Monday/Tuesday Sale!!

Click on the picture above to visit my TpT store.

Below is my newest file. I try to make things fun while still making sure we are working on our Common Core skills. Last year we filled out applications to be elves and hung them around the room. I really loved the activity but realized I did not so much like the application I had found. So, I created one that is a little more age appropriate for my third graders. They will fill out the application and then write an opinion letter stating why they feel they would make good elves for Santa's workshop. When we finish we turn the letter/application into the body of the elf and add a head, arms, and legs. (Pictures to come after they are done.)

Want to check out this file?? Click HERE

Happy December Everyone!! 

Discovery learning, Independent research, Challenging extension! All this with an A- Z Book of Learning.

The A-Z Book of Learning is a great way to extend a lesson. It is also a great way to challenge early finishers or you can assign this as a team project for the whole class. Students research a topic by looking for words that start with each letter of the alphabet and relate to the topic. Through written expression they tell what each word means, how it relates to the topic, and its importance. Then they show a picture of the word by drawing or printing it off of the computer. Some words will be easy but some will require deep research which is where the discovery learning comes in. Watch your students independence grow as well as their knowledge of a topic while having fun and being creative! Click on the link below to find the A-Z Book on TPT.

A-Z Book of Learning

We're ready for Christmas!!

Just in time for the Holidays!!

     If you are anything like me you look forward to the holidays to put a little extra fun into the classroom. Sometimes a theme does so much for getting students excited about working! I tend to get told that there is NO time in 3rd grade for the fun stuff, that we have too much work to do. I refuse to accept that we can't do our work and have fun too.

     So, with that in mind I have created a Gingerbread Unit to enhance your holiday season. There are activities for grades K-3 that will engage and excite your students. The picture below shows a preview of some of the files you can find inside. If you want to see more JINGLE on over to my TpT store for a preview. Click on the preview picture to go to my store. Happy Holidays to you all and I hope you enjoy!

Cyber Monday Sale on TpT - Christmas Multiplication Fun

Head on over to my TpT store this Monday for                   Cyber Monday Sales!!!

I am going to be joining the TpT Cyber Monday sale and ALL of my products will be on sale. I am working on finishing up a couple of new ones to put up as well. Here is my brand new one that went up today.

The kids in my class do this activity every year, usually for an independent morning work activity and then we hang them up around the room. In this activity students will create a Christmas tree based on multiplication facts. This file gives you the choice to have students use preset facts or for older kids to create their own facts to use to make the tree. Hop on over to my TpT store to grab this activity by clicking HERE.

So much to be thankful for!!

Well with today being Thanksgiving, I thought I would share a couple of things I am thankful for. . .

First, I am so proud that both my twin (Susan) and I just found out that we both PASSED our test and have received National Board Certification!!!!!  Woooooohoooooo!!! I was such a long and difficult process but it definitely helped us to become stronger teachers and gave us the reminder of what a difference we can make in children's lives.

Hooray for us!! 

(This is a picture from our school field trip to the museum. I love that I get to go on these trips with my twin.)

Second, I am thankful for my wonderful family who always supports me. Even when I spend WAY TOO much time on school work, blogging, and creating TPT products! My husband and my two beautiful daughters cheer me on every step of the way.

Third, I am thankful to have a job at t wonderful school that values the teachers and the students. Teaching is a thankless career sometimes, but the people we work with are always there to support one another and the parents and students at our school are such a blessing. 

And lastly (for today), I am thankful for all of the resources teachers have today. With the use of bolgs, Pinterest, and TPT there are so many opportunities for us to stay connected and learn from each other. I know that I am a better teacher for learning from all of you.

So, with that being said HAPPY THANKSGIVING and I hope you all stop to think about what you are thankful for.