What Does the Fox Say?

This past Sunday morning, I woke up with a to-do list about a mile long.  You know, finish wrapping presents, bake cookies, finish shopping, get groceries, etc.  Oh yeah, do some schoolwork.  You get the idea.  And then, as I was lying in my bed planning my day, my daughter came into my room.  "Mom, hurry, come look at the fox in our yard."  So I crawled out of my warm bed and headed downstairs.  Looking out the back window, I saw what all the fuss was about.  This little beauty.

And so of course I stopped dead in my tracks.  Well, actually I went and grabbed my camera first.  Then I sat myself down on the couch and watched.  Here was this beautiful little fox nestled into one of the now dead plants on the hill in our back yard.  In the middle of the city.  It was the perfect cover--hiding in plain sight.  That to-do list?  Completely forgotten.  My daughter and I sat and watched this little fox for nearly an hour.  He napped, wiggled his ears, looked up now and then, did some serious yawning, and napped a little more.  We watched, and we loved every minute of it.

I could have watched it all day.  But something spooked him, and off he went.  Oh well.  It was wonderful while it lasted.  And I found it to be such a good reminder for me this time of year.  Stop.  Take time.  Look around, enjoy, appreciate.  See the beauty that is right in your own back yard.

I did get some things checked off my Christmas list.  And I still have some things to do.  But that's OK.  And that little fox?  So very clever.

How Many Days?

Nineteen days.  That's how much learning time I have to work with between Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break.  Nineteen days.  And if you know elementary kids, you know there are just a few distractions this time of year.

So my kids have been warned.  We are kicking it into high gear.  There simply is no time to waste.  I have some serious plans in my book.  :-)  And honestly, I have packed the days with as much learning as possible.  I need this student to stand by my table everyday!  Though I may need to change a few things--I don't care about video games, but you shouldn't disturb me when I'm with a group unless there is blood or vomit.  But candy and pizza are nice.

This week in reading we are continuing with reading nonfiction text.  We have been looking at different text structures and how to identify the topic, main idea, and details in each text.  So far, we have read sequential text and compare and contrast.  We began the study of compare and contrast with the book Poles Apart.  It's a great look at the differences between polar bears at the North Pole and penguins at the South Pole.

Click on the picture above to see it on Amazon.

Next, we went back to our friend Jerry Pallotta and the Who Would Win? series.  We read one of the books together and discussed how each page shows how the animals in the book are the same and different.  We also talked about signal vocabulary words when identifying similarities and differences.  Here's a list of words we worked from:

Next, each student chose their own Who Would Win? book to read (I have LOTS because the kids love them so much!).  Then they filled out a graphic organizer comparing four key ideas (physical description, habitat, adaptations, and diet).  Then using that information, they wrote a paragraph using vocabulary words showing same and different.  Here are some of the finished booklets.

Click on any of the pages above to get these pages from TpT!

I know I've said it before (and I'll probably say it a million more times), but look at the creativity and beauty in even these small pictures.  I love them so much!

This is a simple, but engaging activity.  The kids use great mentor texts to learn about comparing and contrasting, and the connection to science is clear as well.  This is exactly how I love spending my days (especially when they are numbered)!

Right on Target

You know, teaching has a way of keeping a person humble.  Near the beginning of the year, my third graders and I spent time learning how to round numbers to the nearest 10 and 100.  We did several hands on activities and practiced on several occasions.  These numbers were used to estimate sums and differences in the students' Everyday Math journals as well as other assignments.  I was pleased with everyone's progress (you know, feeling pretty confident) and thought we "had it."

Fast forward to the test covering our unit on addition and subtraction.  Suddenly I had 6 or 7 kids lined up asking for help how to round numbers and then add or subtract them.  Huh?!  I wanted to ask where these darlings had been for the last 3 weeks, but of course, I didn't (well, I might have asked it in my head).  Sigh.

So much for my quality teaching first time around.  I clearly missed the mark.  Let's try again, kids. In order to correct my missteps, I pulled out a rounding chart I've used for years to help kids who are struggling, but I made a few changes in hopes of getting the desired results.  I added some color and other aids to give kids even more clues about where to land with an answer when rounding to the nearest 10 and 100.

Here's a look at the rounding chart while I was working with a few students in a small group. This first picture shows the chart for rounding to the nearest 10.

Here you can see we were looking at the number 37.  We first identify the two tens 37 is located between--30 and 40.  Then using the marker, we can see that 37 is closer to 40 than it is to 30.  The arrows also help the students identify if the 10 should stay the same (red) or go up (green).  You could also laminate this page or put it in a plastic sleeve and have the kids write the actual number in the correct box.

The idea is mostly the same for rounding to the nearest 100.

In this case, we were looking to round the number 127 to the nearest 100.  Again, we look at which hundreds the number is between and then decide which one is closest.  This visual aid is very helpful in getting the kids to recognize their only two choices when rounding.

After spending a day working on just this rounding piece, we moved to playing a rounding bump game to put our skills into action.  Here's a look at a couple groups playing the game.  You'll notice both groups kept the rounding chart handy to make sure they were still getting it.

Grab the Right on Target Rounding Freebie here!!

So far, so good.  We have spent most of our time mastering rounding to the nearest 10.  Our next step will be to put that to use when estimating answers to addition and subtraction problems.  Then we will do the whole thing again with the charts and games to work on rounding to the nearest 100. My fingers are crossed, but I think we are headed in the right direction and are back on target.

You can get all these materials at my TpT store.  And (insert trumpet sounds here)...TpT is having a big sale on November 28 and 29.  Here's your code and link!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Government, Elections, and Veterans--Oh my!

Whew!  What a week!  I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm exhausted after this crazy week.  I'm not sure where life was busier--in my classroom or out of it!

We started the week by finishing our unit on the three branches of government.  I allow the students to choose one of the branches, and then in groups they become the experts through lots of research.  Each group then teaches the rest of the class about their branch.  Take a look at the beautiful posters each group created.  Here they are in progress...

And here they are finished...

Seriously, how can you not just fall in love with 3rd grade artwork?  Sometimes when we just let our students work, the results are stunning.  Not to mention, they shared wonderful information about each branch.  The groups were responsible for sharing who was a part of each branch, where they work, and what they do in terms of the law.  They also shared some interesting facts they learned.  Good stuff.

The finish of our unit timed perfectly with the presidential election.  Of course we voted as a class, but we did not predict the winner.  Nor were we close.  :-)  I have a feeling lots of people are feeling that way right now.  Oh well, forward we move as models for our students!

The week ended with a celebration of Veteran's Day.  All of the 3rd graders made flags (a 3 x 5 index card was the perfect way to do it), and then we lined our school driveway and walkway with them.  It was small, simple, and beautiful.  Here's a look at the flags in progress and in front of the school.

And finally, my class did some reading and writing about the meaning of Veteran's Day.  We created some acrostic poems to show our learning.  So in love with these, too!

In spite of this week being a little crazy, it was the perfect opportunity to teach my students about so many important issues happening in our country, and how they can be citizens who actively participate to make their community and country better.  I'll take that kind of busy any week!

The Truth in Nonfiction Reading

After teaching 3rd grade for so many years, I've learned a few things that always seem to be true.

Truth:  Third graders haven't really changed much in 20 plus years.  Sure, their toys and music have changed, but they are basically the same kids.  They are learning to be big kids now instead of little ones.  They are learning how to be responsible for themselves.  They are testing the waters to see what's acceptable at home and school.  This is a year where a lot of growing up happens.

Truth:  It doesn't really matter how many years I've been teaching, but something about having my principal come in for a formal observation is nerve-wracking.  Does everyone else get worked up about this too?  I know my teaching is solid, and I know I'm giving kids my best, but I still feel the need to be extra impressive.  Luckily, this latest observation went well and now I can relax and get back to just doing my thing.

Truth:  Third grade readers are approaching a whole new stage of reading.  They are moving from learning to read and headed towards reading to learn.  This can be a little tricky because most times we have kids with toes on both sides of this line.  And rarely does this show up more than when we are reading nonfiction text.

This past week we started our unit on reading nonfiction text.  The primary goal is for students to be able to determine the topic, main idea, and key details of a text.  Over the course of the unit we will review text features and how they are used, learn how to identify different text structures including vocabulary used with each, and read many many different authors and texts.

As I was planning for the week, I knew that my observation lesson was coming up.  I also knew that we were just getting started in this new unit, and I would need to spend some time reviewing what they had learned in 2nd grade (We are very lucky at my school because our 2nd grade teachers have our kids very well prepared!).  I decided it would be important to begin with reviewing the differences in reading fiction and nonfiction, and then move straight into text features.  We spent a day looking at different examples of text features and where we might find them.

Here's an example of a diagram with labels that was part of our study.

The following day I wanted to dig a little deeper, so I created a sort for kids to match the text feature and its purpose.  The kids worked in partners to complete the sort.  It was a bit challenging, but overall the kids were very successful (I have already modified it some by changing a few words in the descriptions).  We then went through the sort as a class, and I had examples of each text feature to be placed with the example and purpose.  You can see our steps here:

This is the beginning stage of the student sort with all the pieces spread out for sorting.

Here is a finished student sort.

This is the completed sort we did as a class.  You can see the examples of each text feature after the example and purpose.

I decided I then wanted to take it one step further (this was my observation lesson).  I put my students into pairs again and gave them a choice of 2 different articles I had written about Yellowstone National Park (that's where my family went for vacation, and it's such an interesting place!).  I explained that yesterday we were thinking as readers, but today we would be thinking as writers.  Their job was to read the article and decide what text feature or features would be of most benefit to readers.  They then created those features for a nonfiction page they might see in a book.  It was interesting to watch them work.  Some groups knew right away what features they would include, and others needed more guidance.  But after a few quick questions, most went right to work.  I worked with my ESL students to read the article and discuss what helped them most when reading something.  Overwhelmingly, they said pictures, so we decided that photos and captions would be the best route for their groups.  Here are a few of our finished pages:

As I monitored the groups while they were working, I liked hearing their conversations.  Some pointed out words that were difficult and decided a glossary would be helpful.  One group of boys was curious about the workings of a geyser, so they set out to create a diagram.  Others knew that photos and captions would be the things to help them the most.  What I liked the most was that kids were genuinely thinking about the purpose of the text features and why an author would choose different features for different pieces of text.  My goal, exactly.

Truth:  Nonfiction reading is a crucial skill for all readers, and most of what we, as adults, encounter on a daily basis is just that.  With a little more practice and the addition of a few more skills, these 3rd graders will be ready for the challenge.

These products can be found here at my TpT store.

Who Would Win?

A polar bear and a grizzly bear meet up and have a battle.  Which of these fierce creatures would win?  Or maybe a whale and a giant squid have an epic ocean battle.  Could you predict the winner?  If you are familiar with author Jerry Pallotta, then you'll know exactly the books I'm referring to.  And if you are not familiar with this man, you should start reading!

My elementary school had the pleasure of hosting Jerry Pallotta this past week.  He reeled the kids in with stories of his childhood growing up in Massachusetts on the beach.  He talked of finding whales and tuna, of raking seaweed to sell to food producers, of hunting crabs and lobsters.  He shared childhood stories of his cousins and family and their time together.  He showed us books he's already written and new books yet to come. He involved the kids and made funny things happen with his projector.   And he never. stopped. talking.  And the kids never. stopped. listening.  For an entire hour!

See Jerry's biography by clicking here.

Jerry had so much energy, the kids were mesmerized.  And he did it 3 times!  Between every presentation he signed books.  And not just the sign-your-name-and-move-on kind of signing.  He used the name of every child and adult who purchased a book (and even for those who already had a book), and even drew some cute little pictures with little messages.  Amazing.  And because I knew this about Jerry Pallotta before he presented, I wanted to make sure I gave him a personal thank you.

Jerry was very kind to talk to me for a few minutes as I rudely interrupted his lunch (I promise I kept it short!).  I wanted to thank him for always writing back to my kids when we sent letters to him.  Each year I do a non-fiction author study, and he is one of the authors to whom kids can write.  He is beyond generous with his response.  He told me a story about how this came to be.  Many years ago when the baseball players went on strike, a sports writer published a scathing report about the players and teams and then waited to see how the teams would respond.  Most teams did nothing.  Some were angry and lashed out.  But a few teams loaded this fellow up with merchandise and serious team swag as a measure of good will.  Jerry said he wanted to be like those teams.  He said Scholastic has been very generous to him, so he can return the favor to kids.  And believe me, he certainly does.

Back in our classroom, we spent a few minutes discussing what we could learn from a working author.  Jerry presented so many great ideas during his talk, I wanted to make sure the kids had soaked it all in.

Here's the list we came up with.  We thought back to the slides he shared of his writing and editing process, and we sorted through his stories to come up some ideas of what it takes to be a quality writer.  I love this reading and writing connection!

And speaking of reading, my students absolutely LOVE reading the Who Would Win? series.  Our library teacher held a school-wide vote to see which Who Would Win? book was the most popular.  And the winner was...

Photo Credit:  Scholastic
Purchase this book here:

These books are great on so many levels.  First, they are high interest for nearly every 3rd grader I know.  There are so many different books in this series, it seems there's something for everyone.  In addition to the sheer volume of books, they work so well for teaching the compare and contrast text structure in non-fiction reading.  I have a very simple compare and contrast foldable booklet to use with this as well.  I'll make sure to post some examples later this year when we have some that are completed.  And finally, what I love the most is that kids are reading.  They get so excited about seeing who would win, the reading is just fun.  It's just FUN and they are LEARNING.

So who wins now?  Everyone!

Citizenship

The dictionary defines citizen as 

an inhabitant of a city or town, especially one entitled to its privileges or franchises.

I like to think of a citizen as someone who is a member of any community, whether it be a city, a nation, or even a classroom.  In fact, I find it to be very important for the kids to learn they are all citizens who are not only entitled to the privileges of our classroom, but also have responsibilities to keep things running smoothly by taking care of the physical space and the people who are within that space.  I guess that's why we spend so much time at the beginning of the year learning what it takes to be a good citizen.  And it really is their immediate world--a place they know very well.  I have some favorite books I love to share with the kids.  This one is at or near the top of the list.

It's Not My Fault by Nancy Carlson is one of my all-time favorites.  We have such good discussions about being proactive and taking responsibility for our own actions.  Both are things that good citizens should do to help keep a community cohesive (Wouldn't it be great if some of our political leaders could learn this too?!).

In addition to being a good classroom citizen, we learn about being a good citizen in a larger community as part of our first social studies unit.  Our Iowa Core Curriculum states that students will understand the rights and responsibilities of each citizen and demonstrate the value of lifelong civic action.  One idea my 3rd grade team tries to emphasize is community involvement.  A big part of that is being a volunteer for an organization and giving time and energy.  For the past 2 years, we have invited 4 different organizations to speak to the kids about how volunteers are a necessary part of the work they do to help make communities better.  The kids love learning about the work done by these groups and get some insight into issues facing our local community.  This year we had a homeless shelter, Labs for Liberty (a group that provides service dogs for veterans), the Animal Rescue League, and the food bank.  I always find it interesting how different organizations spark a chord with different kids.  It's fun to see what they take away from these visits.  

As a last look at what kids have taken away from this unit, I want them to show they know what it takes to be a good citizen.  I created a graphic organizer that we filled out as a class as we went through the unit.  Then the kids chose one item from the list and illustrated what they learned about being a good citizen. Here are some examples of the kids' work:

You can grab this freebie at my TpT store by clicking on either picture.

In the end, I really just want my students to know that being a good citizen is about helping yourself and those around you be better, no matter the size of the community of which they are members.  It's my job to help them learn to make this world a better place for all.  Based on their ideas, they are off to a good start!