Spooktacular Sale and New Unit

Hot off the press!  I just posted a new unit that contains activities to teach the differences between prose, poetry, and drama.  You can check it out here. 

And to top it all off, I am running a Halloween Sale for today ONLY!  Everything in my store is on sale, including my new unit.  Check it out! 

Happy Sunday!  

Halloween Costume Fashion Show

My kids have been working SO hard in writing class the past few days because they have been all abuzz about the Halloween Costume Fashion Show activity we have been doing. 

We began the activity by brainstorming adjectives, nouns, adverbs, etc. that are related to Halloween.  The students had a graphic organizer to use while we completed this.  Then, the students chose a "character" dressed up in a costume.  In small groups, the students created a fashion show script for their character in costume.

Well, today was the culminating activity.  The kids strutted their "character's" stuff on the catwalk while a member of their group read their script.  To add to the fun, I played different Halloween songs, such as the Ghostbusters theme song, the Monster Mash, and Thriller. 

I always consider it a good day when the kids are screaming, "This is the funniest activity EVER!" 

Here are some pictures of the "spooky" fun! 

If you are interested in purchasing this activity, I am having a flash sale on this product for TONIGHT ONLY!  To check out this activity, click here. 

I just love it when the kids are excited about learning!  It makes my job SO much more fun!  :) 

Inferences and Puppets

This week in Reading class, we have been working on making inferences.  I have purchased some fabulous activities from fellow bloggers/TpT sellers. 

The first part of the week, I introduced making inferences using Babbling Abby's mystery box activity.  The students had to figure out/make inferences about what was in the box based on the information that I gave them on clue cards. 

The students learned that the object in the box from these clues:

1) I am round.

2) I am made of copper. 

3) My favorite number is one. 

4) I am often thrown in fountains. 

Can you guess what was in the box?  If you said a penny, you were right!  :) 

This activity was a lot of fun and it really got the kids engaged in the unit.  Along with this lesson, I also showed a Brainpop, Jr. on making inferences. 

Babbling Abby was popular in my classroom this week because I followed up the Mystery Box lesson with her Inferencing Investigation lesson.  The kids were really excited to using their inferring skills to determine what Grandma Sue and Tim did on their snow day.  :) 

At the end of the week, the students worked in small groups to practice making inferences using Rachel Lynette's Inference Task Cards.  Her task cards are WONDERFUL and they have become a staple in my classroom.  The kids love them!  The cheer every time I mention using the task cards. 

You are probably wondering who the cute fellow is holding a task card.  This adorable guy, better known as Snickers, is a puppet I have had since before I started teaching (over 10 years ago).  My mother-in-law actually found him on clearance at a toy store that was going out of business. I found him tucked away in a box that I had in my classroom last year.  Well, I decided to introduce him to my fourth graders.  To my surprise, the kids LOVED him!  I really thought they would think he was "too babyish," but boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!  The kids really responded to him, so I often invited him to "guest teach" or "co-teach" with me.  His presence was requested often.  And of course, since his name is "Snickers," he often brought mini-Snickers for the kids as a treat.  

Well, I pulled out Snickers for the first time this year.  Like the kids last year, my students LOVE him!  He helped me teach inferences and edited student writing in my writing class.  If you have never used a puppet with your students, I would certainly encourage you to do so.  I think you will be amazed at how your students respond to it.  Using Snickers has allowed me to take topics that are not necessarily the most engaging and turn it into a lesson the kids don't forget.  They often will say, "Oh yeah, Snickers taught us about that. He said....."  I am all about engaging the students. 

I am thinking about purchasing more puppets and letting the students use them to engage in conversations about content with each other.  I am just going to have to find some cute ones.  Do you all have any suggestions for where to purchase cute and reasonably priced puppets? Do you use puppets in your classrooom?  If so, how so?  I would love to hear all about.  I am always open to new ideas. 

Have a great weekend!  :)

The Kid Who Ran for President Novel Study

I am sure many of you are like me and are planning to take advantage of the Presidential Election to teach about our country's government and the importance of voting.  One way that I plan to do that is by using the book, The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman.  I have used the book for several years, but didn't really have a lot of resources to go along with the book.  Well, that has all changed.  I have developed my own novel study that aligns with the Common Core Standards.  I am SO excited to actually have materials for this book now! 

I have to give props to Krista Wallden from The Creative Chalkboard.  She created the graphics specifically for this unit.  Didn't she do a FAB-U-LOUS job?  To check out her store, click here.  Krista is absolutely a doll! 

If you are interested in checking out my latest novel unit, click here to visit my TpT store.  Here is a little of what is included. 

Have a wonderful evening!  :)

New Product Alert!! Halloween Costume Fashion Show

Boy, I have been able to totally relax today!  It's raining and a wonderful day to sit and do NOTHING!  I LOVE Fall Break!  Speaking of fall, I don't know about you all, but October is one of my VERY favorite months to teach.  I love all of the fun activities that come along with Halloween and Fall!  :) 

I have just added a new Halloween unit to my store today.  It would be a SPOOKTACULAR addition to your writing curriculum because it addresses many of the common core standards for language.  With this activity, students will have a Halloween Costume Fashion Show.  No, the students don't have to dress up!  The models are already included in the unit.  The students work in groups to create a script for their model's costume.  This pack contains everything you need to add a little Halloween fun to your classroom.  You can check out this unit here. 

I love fall ya'll!