AR

Hello!
  My school is adopting AR next year in order to encourage students to read.  We will continue to do Reading Street next year as well.  I know that I want to add the color coded stickers to all the books in my library center so the students can easily find books on their level.  I was wondering if anyone had any tips for using AR in the classroom or could recommend any websites or other blogs about it.  Thanks!

Funny and Measurement People

I thought you might need a laugh to start your week off right.  This week our story is about the moon (which just happens to go along perfectly with our space unit). We were in small group and I asked my students, "What do you think of when you think of the moon?"  One little girl looked at me and her eyes got wide and she blurted out, "Bumps! Acne! Proactive!"  Clearly we had some misconceptions.

In math we are reviewing measurement so we did our capacity measurement men today.  This is a great hands-on and visual math activity.  Here are some photos!

Spelling Sticks

Happy Sunday! I wanted to share an idea with y'all for a spelling station.  This idea is not an original idea but when I saw a teacher at my school do it- I could not believe I had not thought of it before.  Get some craft sticks and write one spelling word on each stick.  You can put these in a cup or a baggie.  Students play together.  When it is one student's turn, a classmate picks a stick for them and tells them the word.  If the student spells the word correctly he or she will get to keep the stick.  The student with the most sticks at the end of the game wins.  You could also do this with math facts for a math station.
It is a such a simple idea that I never even thought about it! My kids love this game.

Updates!

I have done it again! Ignored my blog! Between school, National Boards, a sick grandmother, an engaged sister, a pregnant sister, and trying to have some me time- needless to say life has been busy!  Here are some updates:

1.  I got two new students the week before our state testing.

2.  Our state testing is now finally over!!!!

3.  We started my Edward Tulane novel study which is my favorite thing to do with my 4th graders!  The kids beg to read another chapter every time we close the book.  It is pure heaven for me.

4. I am possibly changing grade levels next year.  After four years in 4th grade and two major classroom makeovers, I might be moving to another grade and a new classroom.  Hello anxiety!

5.   We are adopting Math Common Core next year and our state's math initiative.  Lots of new challenges.

6.  In celebration of testing being over, I got pied at our school assembly yesterday.  No one can ever accuse me of not loving my kids- I took a pie to the face and got cool whip up my nose for those little stinkers! 

After being pied

Me and my "pier"

Reading Edward Tulane and laughing because Edward (who is a china rabbit) was naked in one part!