2 Truths and a LIE! My first linky party with Flying into First.

I've been blogging for a month or two now and receiving lots of hits, but no followers =(.  So I decided to try and join in on linky parties to get some more viewers and possibly a few followers.  

Over at Flying into First she decided to have some fun with 2 truths and a lie.  

I will tell you 2 things that are true about me and 1 lie.  In the comment section below, tell me which one you think is the lie.  

             1. I am originally from the UK.
             2. I have 4 tattoos.  

          3.  I  have been with my husband for 13 years.          (We've been married for 5)

I would love to hear what you think!

How tall, how high, how wide: Measuring Length

Our 3rd grades have been hard at work measuring length.  Our state is in a common core limbo right now so our kids still have to know how to use all of the customary and metric systems.  We started off the week measuring in inches.  Last year it was a bit of a challenge to get my 3rd graders to measure in quarter inches, but this year it was super easy.  I think it is because with the new shift to the core we had to teach fractions on a number line. 

As with all of my lessons, I started off with an anchor and notes in our interactive notebooks. (Picture coming tomorrow) 




After the students got a grasp on how to read the ruler we played my Scoot! game.  The kids loved it even though its really just a worksheet cut up into problems.  Hey! Let them move and its magical! You can grab your copy from my Teachers Pay Teachers store. 

During day 3 of our unit we started measuring in inches and plotting on a line plot.  To make this lesson fun I created a Monster Math Measurement packet. The kids loved all the different monster designs.  I posted the monsters around the room and had a small group walk around and measure them.  They recorded their measurements on their monster math tracker sheets.  I then had them get together with a group and compare their measurements.  I always try to get my kids to hold those educational conversations and help each other out. 

 

The students then used the line plot to graph their monster's measurements.  They even had their own versions of the monsters to spif up their graphs.  

The last bit of our week was spent choosing which unit to select when measuring items.  To help the kids remember which units were customary and which were metric we created an anchor chart. 









Tomorrow is our last day before Spring Break and we are all measured out!  When we get back from break we will move on to measuring capacity.  I have a ton planned for that unit!  Venterniary Nurse to measure in ml, baking a cake, making our own juice, and the list goes on and on.  Can't wait to share with you all! 

Why is the Blue Dog Blue?

This week in art my students paid tribute to a famous Louisiana artist, George Rodrigue.  Since we are from Louisiana our 3rd grade social studies curriculum focuses on our culture.  I love living in Louisiana.  I love our food, the architecture, the hunting and fishing, and so much more.  One of my favorite things about living here is being close to New Orleans.  For me, it is a beautiful city to visit.  I love seeing the various artists in the French Quarter.  Over the Christmas break I had the pleasure of bringing my two sister-in-laws down there for a visit.  They had never been before and its a city you have to see.
                                                                                 Here we are strolling through the French Quarter.                                                     

                            
 This is my little one being silly and sporting her Mardi Gras mask. 

 What would we be with Alligators and Swamp People?

 The architecture is beautiful in the city. 

 My favorite moment was when my daughter and husband spent time throwing money in the fountain.  She likes to make wishes. 

 This is my other sister-in-law enjoying the art of Mardi Gras. 












Every time I go into the city I have to stop by George Rodrigue's studio to catch a glimpse of The Blue Dog.   If I could pack up all of my 3rd grades and take them to the city I would.  But for now they will have to settle with making their own Blue Dogs.

I started the lesson by showing them videos and examples from George Rodrigue's website .
Then we drew our dogs in pencil.  Next the students painted their dogs starting with the light color.  Then we added the white and black details.  Next, we add the shadow with the dark shade and finished him off with oil pastels.  This was a fun project that the kids really enjoyed.  

 

Have you heard the word?

I've been surfing on Pintrest and I came across this game called Scoot!  Naturally my interest was peeked and I had to dig deeper.  So I did what I always do and I YouTubed it.  (yea that's a new word)  Its a really simple game were the kids rotate around the room answer questions on cards and recording them on their sheet.  How easy is that!?  Best of all the wiggles can work their way out as they move around the room.  

We will be starting measurement this week and I wanted a way to use Scoot.  So, I made a game measuring in inches.  I can't wait to try this with my kiddos.  Be sure to grab a copy at my TPT store.  It's normally $2.00, but for today I will have it listed for just $1.00!

On a side note I would love to build some more followers on my Facebook page.  Just click to little button on my blog and follow me for blog updates, sales, and news about my TPT store. 

 

 Thanks for taking the time to read!  

Round and Round We Go!

I don't know about everyone else, but things have been crazy at school.  Our students have been busy taking our 3rd Quarter benchmarks which means their little brains are mush by 1:00. 

So what do you do with mushy brained children for the rest of the day?

You Circle Paint!

I found this activity last year while browsing through YouTube.  I found this really cool video of this art festival and I loved how all the people at the festival contributed to this one giant piece of art.  

 

 So all my kiddos and I laid out a big roll of paper with paint and large brushes.  We all got on either side of the paper, played some Vitamin String Quartet, and got to circling.  My only rules were you could only draw dots, circles, or curved lines; and no pictures could be made like smiley faces or flowers.  We had a blast!  I think (as always) it turned out great!!  Next week we will mellow out with some Blue Dog art.    

Domo Arigato Mr.Roboto!

So its Masterpiece Monday.....on Tuesday!

As usual school keeps me busy.  This week the students worked on making robots.  First we looked the the movie, Robots with Robin Williams.  The kids got some good ideas on how different robots looked.  Then we sketched them on large construction paper and outlined with black tempera paint. 

 

Next, we mixed up some gray paint and painted the inside of our robots.  

 Lastly, we added in the white highlights and shadows.  We used oil pastels and sharpies to add colorful details.  I think they turned out really well. 

Keep em' Good! Reward them often.

How many of your schools follow the PBIS system?  

Well at our school our students get to "cash-in" every 2 weeks using their "Colts Cash".  Its our monopoly money system.  

 This is one of the most chaotic class interruptions.  It takes at least 30 minutes to get my third graders to count their cash and then decide what they want to purchase.  To make this experience even less of a headache I have created reward coupons so the kids can remember what they bought and they can turn them in whenever they are ready to use them.  This is the one thing I LOVE most about this system.  I don't have 21 kids doing the same thing the same day.  The coupons sort of filter back in throughout the week.  

Since Alice in Wonderland is one of my all time favorite books I designed a set of coupons to match.  The kids will surely get a kick out of the bright colors and fun letters.  You  can grab a copy from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  
 

  If you're not a fan of Alice in Wonderland I also made an adorable monster set!
 

 If you have different rewards you use in your classroom I would love to hear it.  I can also make a custom set for you too!