Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Westward Expansion Article Winners!


Hey there!
I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to post our winners of the Westward Expansion Articles!  Between trying to get a portfolio done last week and state testing this week, I was a little overwhelmed!  (I know, I know, excuses, excuses!!)

But we have our winners!!  Congratulations ladies, and thank you to everyone who pinned!  Ladies, you have been emailed.

 And here is the info on the articles in case you missed it in my post HERE:  These articles are based on what we need to teach in 4th grade in GA.  However, they would be great for nonfiction close reading, even if you don't teach this, plus you can use them to differentiate in grades 4-6!  The vocabulary makes it challenging for 4th graders, which is why we do it together, but if you teach a higher grade, this could possibly be done independently.
There are interactive notebook activities and flipbooks with each article (just like our American Revolution Articles).
As well as questions for each article.
Stacia started using them on Friday, and this is what her students' journal looks like.  They highlighted key information in the article that helped them fill out the flipbook about causes and effects of the Louisiana Purchase.
Oh, and if you can use these nonfiction articles for your Westward Expansion unit, you can check them out in our TpT Store.

I hope you are having a great week!

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Ecosystems Galore! On Meadowview Street Must Read Mentor Text and More!




Happy Spring! Happy Sunday!

Today's Mentor Text Linky is all about Spring/Summer/End of Year Books since we had an extra Sunday in April (or maybe we got off track one week....anyways, yay for summer books!). I am really looking forward to sharing with you an adorable book and some ecosystem activities!


My ecosystems unit is always my favorite to teach, but sadly it's the one that always gets cut short since it's at the end of the year. :(
Well, this year, I have tried to incorporate more science and social studies into my language arts block so I have been able to squeeze in ecosystems content through favorite mentor texts like The Great Kapok Tree and Stellaluna. The book I am sharing today could be used in science or language arts!

It's called On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole. It's actually Amanda's book, but I just haaaaaaaaad to borrow it!  :)


A description from Amazon.com- Caroline lives on Meadowview Street. But where's the meadow? Where's the view? There's nothing growing in her front yard except grass. Then she spots a flower and a butterfly and a bird and Caroline realizes that with her help, maybe Meadowview Street can have a meadow after all.

Some ideas for using the book:
*Sequencing the steps that Caroline takes to create her nature preserve
*Identifying the components of the ecosystem that Caroline creates
*Identify and discuss the predators, prey, consumers, producers, and other vocabulary
*Create a food chain and food web of the ecosystem
*Grammar skills- quotation marks, adverbs, adjectives


I also want to share some of our ECOSYSTEMS products available in our Teachers Pay Teachers Store. I am so excited because I finally finished my big Ecosystems Vocabulary Unit with Interactive Notebook Flip Books, a PowerPoint slideshow and more!  :)   I am including a few pictures below if you want to check them out.


Ecosystem Mini Book

Ecosystems Vocabulary BINGO

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and a great week!  

Don't forget to link up!  :)

Next week's linky- Language Arts

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Surviving Spring to Welcome Summer! Freebies and Prizes





I can't believe it's already the end of April and almost May! Amanda and I are here to share with you a fun tip for surviving the end of the school year. We only have 19 days left!!!  I can't believe how the time has flown by! 

My BBBs and I want to share some tips of how we make it through the rest of the year (with some freebies AND a chance to win one of three TPT gift certificates or a Classroom Friendly Supplies Pencil Sharpener)!


Every year, we LOVE to countdown the last 26 days of school with our students. We use an ABC countdown calendar to do this. Each day has a special letter treat! We have already celebrated "Candy Day" for "C" and "Drawing Day" for "D." But, one day that is always A LOT of FUN is "P" day! For Popsicles! Who doesn't LOOOOOOVE popsicles??!!  And besides just eating a delicious popsicle, we also fill the day with awesome popsicle activities such as creating our own popsicle flavor!!!

Here is a Grammar themed popsicle freebie to use with your students, and if you want even more ideas, PLEASE check out our Summer Themed Popsicle Unit- filled with engaging and meaningful popsicle activities!



After entering my secret code below in the Rafflecopter, continue the hop with I Love My Classroom





a Rafflecopter giveaway
P.S.- I am also linking up with my BBB Joanne for her Sparking Student Motivation Linky! Please go check out all the awesome ideas on her blog! Happy Saturday!!!


Sunday, April 20, 2014

Dandelions by Eve Bunting {A Must Read Mentor Text for Westward Expansion and much more!}





Hey there!  Happy Easter!

I'm here today to share a text that is fabulous for Social Studies, but also fantastic for making inferences!!  I thought for sure I had shared this text before, but I couldn't find it so I MUST share it now!!
My must read for this week is Dandelions by Eve Bunting.  If you've read our blog at all, you know we love Eve Bunting!  She is a fantastic author who creates work that students can make inferences about. The books are also great mentor texts for author's craft in writing.  Plus, she writes historical fiction, so it can be integrated!  So, of course we love her!
First off, the illustrations by Greg Shed are gorgeous!!
Here is the synopsis from Amazon:Embarking on a new life, Zoe and her family journey west to the Nebraska Territory in the 1800s.  When Zoe and her family arrive at their claim, nothing distinguishes it from the miles and miles of surrounding prairie. Even after they build their soddie, the home can't be seen from any distance. Zoe has never seen Papa so happy or Mama so sad. But when she takes a trip to the small prairie town with Papa, Zoe sees something that might make a difference to their new soddie, and to Mama's life, too.

Beware, it's a very sweet story but it also makes you feel very sad.  Throughout the story, the reader is making inferences on how the narrator's mom feels about moving west, and she is mostly very sad.  The little girl is constantly trying to make her mama happy.  It's just so sweet, and it gives the reader a good idea of what it might have been like to move west.

They endure the trail west, see nothing but prairie for miles, and find their claim in Nebraska.  Nothing looks different, it's just endless prairie.  They make a soddie, a house made of sod, that blends into the rest of the prairie.  Zoe's mom is constantly worried that the girls will get lost and not be able to find their way home because everything looks the same.  Their nearest neighbors are 3 hours away and there is no water.  It explains how they build their soddie, dig a well, and how they plant their first seeds and just how much work it really was, even for the kids!

Here's a picture of the soddie.  It tells in the book that while they were eating dinner at the neighbor's (it's their soddie) chunks of sod fell on the table.  Then, two black beetles fell.  It's details like this that you just don't think about!

Spoiler Alert!!!  If you don't want to know what happens, skip this paragraph and the picture!  When Zoe, the little girl, goes to the prairie town, she sees a patch of dandelions on the side of the road.  She asks her papa to dig them up because she wants to give them to her mom for a birthday gift.  And, her idea is to plant the dandelions on the roof of the house so that her mama will never have to worry again about where their house is.  Isn't that the sweetest??  There are also many metaphors in the book about the strength of the dandelions and the strength of the family.  Such a sweet book!!
This is the last page of the book.  (Sorry for the horrible picture- I have yet to figure out how to take pictures of a book without it being crooked!!)  I'm inferring that this is what their soddie looked like after the dandelions spread.

So, I strongly recommend this book.  Not just if you teach Westward Expansion.  If you teach Language Arts, it's a great book for inferring.  Truly.  So much so, that I made a unit to go with it two years ago!

Also, I'm very excited to share that I FINALLY finished the Westward Expansion articles that I have been working on for two weeks!!!  Wahoo!!!  We are going to use these in our Social Studies interactive journals for our unit that starts on Wednesday!!  These articles are based on what we need to teach in 4th grade in GA.  However, they would be great for nonfiction close reading, even if you don't teach this, plus you can use them to differentiate in grades 4-6!  The vocabulary makes it challenging for 4th graders, which is why we do it together, but if you teach a higher grade, this could possibly be done independently.
There are interactive notebook activities and flipbooks with each article (just like our American Revolution Articles).
As well as questions for each article.
Stacia started using them on Friday, and this is what her students' journal looks like.  They highlighted key information in the article that helped them fill out the flipbook about causes and effects of the Louisiana Purchase.
Oh, and if you can use these nonfiction articles for your Westward Expansion unit, you can check them out in our TpT Store.  Or...you can pin it to win it!!  Yep, you got it!!  You have the chance to win them!!

Here is the pin:  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/515451119824167837/

Click on the pin and repin it.  Then, copy the URL of your pin and paste it in the comments.  Also, leave your email address so if you win, I know where to send it!  I'll choose two winners!!  

I hope you try out Dandelions!  It's such a great book!!  Also, since I totally messed up the link up this month, we still have the 4th Sunday next week.  I thought we could do favorite spring books or favorite end of the year books.  Basically anything you want for any subject!!!  :O)

Also, I'm thinking we will probably stop doing the Must Read Mentor Text Linky over the summer.  May will be our last month and then we MIGHT start it back in August or we may not...we just aren't sure.  However, we will continue to share wonderful books we have found, even if we don't have a link up.  :O)

Have a wonderful Easter!

Next week's linky- Favorite Spring or End of the Year Books

Sunday, April 13, 2014

What if you had Animal Teeth? {Must Read Science Mentor Text}



Hey there!

So, I messed up last week!  I didn't realize that March had 5 Sundays and we just kept moving right along!   So, now, it's the 2nd Sunday of the month and we are linking up Science.  We'll have to make it up to you somehow when we get to the last Sunday of the month.

So, today we are talking about must reads for science!!
I have a really fun book that I want to tell you about!!
I found this book at the Scholastic book fair last year!  It's called What if you had Animal Teeth? by Sandra Markle.  I am super excited to use it when we talk about adaptations in science!  I'm sorry I can't show it in use, but I plan on using it and THEN I can show you what we did with it!

Here is the Amazon synopsis:  WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH? takes children on a fun, informative, and imaginative journey as they explore what it would be like if their own front teeth were replaced by those of a different animal. Featuring a dozen animals (beaver, great white shark, narwhal, elephant, rattlesnake, naked mole rat, hippopotamus, crocodile, and more), this book explores how different teeth are especially adapted for an animal's survival. At the end of the book, children will discover why their own teeth are just right for them. And they'll also get a friendly reminder to take good care of their teeth, because they're the only teeth they'll ever have. Each spread features a photograph of the animal using its specialized teeth on the left and a humorous illustrated image of a child using that animal's teeth on the right.

I'm also going to pair it with this nonfiction book:
I think this is a great way to show two informational texts about the same topic.  I love using books like What if you had Animal Teeth? to show students how THEY can write their own nonfiction or informational texts!!

Here are some adorable pages from What if you had Animal Teeth?
How adorable are these pictures?  I love that they make kids think about what it would be like to have different teeth!  It definitely lends itself to why specific animals have specific adaptations!

I plan to use this fun book along with the Teeth book by Sneed B. Collard to learn even more about teeth.  And, not that Collard's book is boring, but I think What if you had Animal Teeth? might capture their attention a little more as we talk about adaptations.  What do you think?

And, our friend Nick from Sweet Rhyme, Pure Reason has a scoot game that we are going to be using this week about ecosystems and biomes that work perfectly with this unit!  In case you missed it, his product is also in this bundle that we have two products in- an Educents science bundle!!  It is a fantastic deal!

For a limited time it is $10.99 from Educents which is about 65% off!  It also includes these other great products so there is sure to things you love!  

And if you have never purchased from Educents before.. they always have a great deal for your first purchase.  Click HERE if you are a first time purchaser to take advantage of a special offer just for you!   

I hope you have a great week next week!  Today is our last day of spring break and then 2 weeks until state testing.  Ugh!!  We are going to hit the ground running!

Next week's linky- Social Studies

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

The Moon Book {A Great Science Mentor Text with Lesson Activities}



Hi, Friends!

I wanted to share a great science text with you and some activities to go with it. As we prepare for our state testing in a couple weeks, I have been reviewing with my students. One of the topics that we covered earlier in the year was the moon. There is a great book by Gail Gibbons that is perfect for reviewing.


The first thing I did was have the students paste in some graphic organizers. Then, I started reading the book aloud. I stopped at different points so that the students could fill in their graphic organizers. 



We did a Venn Diagram, a cloze activity, and labeled features of the moon. Next up, we will draw the phases of the moon!

I have linked up with Jivey for her Workshop Wednesday! This is a fabulous Science Mentor Text that can be used to integrate Science into Language Arts. Check out all of her ideas and other great books!


This Moon Product is available in an AWESOME science bundle on Educents right now!
Some friends and I have teamed up with Educents for an amazing bundle of instant downloads for you!

You could buy this by itself, but, even better, you can get it as part of this Educents bundle along with so many excellent resources that I'm also using!  For a limited time it is $10.99 from Educents which is about 65% off!  It also includes these other great products so there is sure to things you love!  


And if you have never purchased from Educents before.. they always have a great deal for your first purchase.  Click HERE if you are a first time purchaser to take advantage of a special offer just for you!   

You can also take peek at some of the other products included in the bundle at any of the links below!  Just click the link!


Thanks for visiting!  Happy Wednesday!  :)