Sunday Scoop

A new week is starting, so it's time to link up with Teaching Trio for the Sunday Scoop!

So much will be happening in the next few weeks as we continue teaching our little darlings while Christmas is approaching!  My to-do list is full, but here's my Sunday Scoop for this week:

I spent my Thanksgiving Break making activities for the next three weeks.  It's going to be crazy busy at school and at home, so I used the week off to try to get ahead.  Everything is now made, but I still have to laminate it and get it cut out (the not fun part!)  And, don't you just wish that hand-written lesson plans would suffice?!?!? Hahaha!  I have everything planned for the next three weeks, but still have to get the last two entered into our lesson plan system.  And don't get me started with my aversion to putting up laundry.....

I've never had a classroom Christmas tree, but I decided to finally get one for this year.  It's lime green and the decorations are hot pink, purple, and blue (to match my room.)  I'm super excited to put it up tomorrow....if I can just remember to get it all packed in my car tonight!  Might even get to school early tomorrow morning just to decorate!

Thanksgiving was full of awesome food, which means it's time to start watching my food intake....at least until Christmas!  So tonight I need to plan out the dinners for this week so I can pick up some groceries after school tomorrow.

Walking Dead is one of my favorite shows, and tonight is the mid-season finale.  Eek!  I'm super excited to see what happens and what cliff-hangers will keep me waiting until after Christmas....

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving Break and is rested and ready to get back to doing what we love!

Wordless Wednesday - Thanksgiving Break

Even though it's Thanksgiving Break, I couldn't missing linking up with Miss DeCarbo for Wordless Wednesday!

Unlike many people, I don't have to travel for Thanksgiving.  The perks of your whole family living in the same town!!!  My grandparents will actually drive up from Austin to spend the holiday with us, and that really lets me (and the rest of my family, who are in education) take time to rest and do what we want!  My sister decided to go to Disney World (I'm jealous!) but I have had so much fun working on school activities, catching up on TV shows, and hanging out with my friends.  Here is a picture of what I'm doing right now....

Yep...catching up on my DVR'ed shows while making my Winter Math Stations! (That's Falling Skies on TV.  Still catching up on shows from August!)

I've already made these two activities this week, and I can't wait for my kiddos to get to do them when we get back from break!

 

I hope everyone is getting to have their perfect Thanksgiving - whether it's staying close to home or on the road!

SCOOTin' through the Holiday!

Today was the first "official" day of our week-long Thanksgiving Break.....and, let me tell you, it was AWESOME!  I got a pedicure, colored my hair, and had breakfast for dinner.  Does it get any better than that? :)  Also, I sat down and started working on the activities that I want to make over this holiday for the few weeks with the students before Christmas Break.  

We will be learning how to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators, and I made a SCOOT to get the students moving around as they practice those skills!  Click on the picture below if you want to check it out in my TpT store!

There are three SCOOTs combined in this one package.  One SCOOT is adding fractions with like and unlike denominators.  Another is subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators, including regrouping fractions.  The third SCOOT is using fractions in real world situations where adding and subtracting fractions is needed.

They can be used separately.....

Or Mix-and-Match to get what your students need......

The third set, of word problems, includes one-step and multi-step problems.  I modeled them after our state testing problems so that they have the higher rigor expected of students.  Can't wait to use this in my classroom!!!

Have a great Thanksgiving week!

Sunday Scoop 11-23-14

It's the start of a new week, and this week I happen to have off from work! Wahoo!  Sunday also means that it is time to link up with Teaching Trio for the Sunday Scoop....

Our district gives us a full week for Thanksgiving Break, and here's the scoop on how I plan to spend it.....

I have, have, have to clean the pool and get the banana trees cut down in my backyard.  The weather is supposed to be in the 70's today, so my plan is to do it today before the bipolar Texas weather changes it's mind again!

When we get back from Thanksgiving, we will have 3 school weeks before our two-week Christmas vacation.  During that time, the students will be learning how to add and subtract fractions with unequal denominators.  I have some fun activitied planned in my head, so I have to get them made this week.  And, I am making Winter Stations to review all the material that we have covered this year.  Busy, busy, busy.

I really hope to clear out my DVR.  There are some shows that I have been saving for this Thanksgiving Break. (Hey, I don't have kids. What else am I supposed to do?) :)  I have a feeling that I can definitely accomplish this!

Christmas shopping stresses me out every year.  So far, I have my dad's present and my niece's presents done.  I still have to figure out what to get for my mom, sister, brother-in-law, and boyfriend. Eeeeekkkkkkk!

I can't wait to have a fun Thanksgiving with my family!  Enough said there!

Have a great week,

Five for Friday

It's time to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for their Five for Friday!

So much fun this week, so let's get started!

We did a lot of partner activities this week.  The students completed a number tile activity for converting between Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions.  They really loved it and did so great at this concept!

This Roll and Answer allowed students to work together on adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators.  Plus, just playing with dice had them all excited!  It's free on my TpT store, so just click on the picture below if you could use it with your kiddos!

Arts projects in class are so much fun for the students, but, let's face it, they can stress me out!  I worried about this arts project for the whole week, but students did amazing on it Thursday!

For all kinds of pictures and info on this craft, check out my earlier blog post here.

Have any of you tried Blue Bell's Christmas Cookie ice cream?  It's amazing!  Clearly, my boyfriend is pumped about it!

Hahaha! (He'll kill me when he realizes this is on here!) But, seriously, yum yum Blue Bell!

So excited to go see this movie tonight!  But, geez, a two-part final movie.....Harry Potter, Twilight, now Mockingjay!  The suspense kills me!

And, what I'm most excited about, my boots I ordered from Zulily will be here on Saturday!  Wahoo!!!  First off, I am totally addicted to this site.  Secondly, I check my order status everyday just hoping to see that my orders have shipped!   Four more orders left to ship, but I really can't wait to get these boots!

Friday is our last day until our week off for Thanksgiving Break!  Holla!

Turkey Feather Fractions!

Crafty class projects are so much fun!  I love doing them.  But, that being said, it can very difficult finding time to do them in class, since we only have one-hour class periods.  I was determined to fit this turkey craft in despite the time crunch!  So, after a week of stressing out on how to get it done in one class period, and finishing the Feather Fraction sheet yesterday, I was so happy with the finished products!

To save time, I cut out the circle bodies, the black part of the eyes, and used die-cuts for the nose and white ovals.  The students just had to cut out the feathers and the "gobble" and then decide where to place it all!

This week, we have been reviewing simplifying fractions and adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators.  Students had to describe their feathers using fractions, making sure to simplify the fractions when possible.   They also had to add the fractions of certain combinations of feather colors.  Of course, they had to make sure to simplify those answers!

The students did AMAZING!  They got it all done in the hour time period and were super creative (and crazy!) with the way they decorated their turkeys.  Check out those eyelashes on the turkey above!

All the turkeys are displayed in the hallway on the library windows across from my classroom.  The students love seeing their work hanging up!

Here are a couple of the students finished products!

This activity really helped me to see which students still need help with simplifying fractions.  All of my students could add fractions, but a couple of students got stuck when it came to doing the steps to simplifying.  Now I know who to work with in a small-group tomorrow!

If you would like the Feather Fraction sheet, just comment with your email and I'll send it to you!

One more day until Thanksgiving Break!

Converting Between Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions

Before we get started with the Math, let's start with the first day of College Week......

Can you tell which University I love?  That's right.....Gig 'Em Aggies!  My students presented information about Texas A&M on the announcements, even playing the school song (which I happen to have on a music box in my classroom) and yelling "Whoop!"  They did A&M proud!

Today we reviewed how to convert between Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions.  Let me start by saying, until this year, this was a 5th grade TEK (student learning expectation.)  This year, new TEKs account for 54% of our curriculum.  So, it is assumed that the students have learned this concept in 4th grade (even though it wasn't one of their student expectations last year.)  That being said, we went over it again!

After we took some notes and did examples in our ISN, the students worked in partners on a number tile activity.  They had to find the correct number tile to complete the conversion statement.

The students did really great on this activity.  Then as a whole group, we did a learning assessment on ThatQuiz.org that I put on the projector.  If you haven't checked ThatQuiz.org, you need to!  I absolutely love it!  (I'm working on a blog about it to be posted soon.)

What fun activities do you use to teach your students how to convert between Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions?

Happy Monday!

Sunday Scoop 11/16/14

It's Sunday again!  So for us teachers, that means it's time to get clothes ready for the week, make sure all lessons and activities are good-to-go, and.......it means it is time for the Sunday Scoop linky with Teaching Trio!

So here's the Scoop for my week.....

You know when you have this great idea in your head that you just know your students will LOVE?!?!?!  That is my turkey fraction activity.  So now I have to figure out the logistics of it!  We are simplifying fractions and adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators this week, so what's in my head will be the perfect way for my students to review these concepts.....and for them to create something fun for the day before our Thanksgiving Break starts.  Now just to get it all figured out........

And I have to finish "Kill Order," the fourth book in the Maze Runner series.  My students love this book series, so I bought it for my classroom library.  But I want to read it first!!!  The other three books are checked out (and have waiting lists) so the fourth book is about to be in demand. Hopefully, I will have plenty of time this week, in between all the chores I need to do, to get it finished!

Have a great week everyone!

Five for Friday and a Freebie!

A lot has been going on this week, so I am super excited to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching with their Five for Friday!

#1....
With Thanksgiving around the corner, I made a fraction riddle for my students to do next Friday.  It's free, so go pick it up!

We'll be studying converting between mixed numbers and improper fraction and adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators.  So this riddle has some of both, including reducing the answer to get simplest form.

I'm linking this up with Teaching Blog Addict's Freebie Friday!

#2...
This week is National Young Readers Week, and my school has been having a blast encouraging the students to become "Wild Readers."  We had an author come speak to the students yesterday.  He got my students so excited about writing that some have already started writing their own stories!  Today, our principal set up camp, literally, in our front foyer.  She had a tent, rocking chair, and the area was decked out in a cabin theme.  She read to all of our students (in 10 minute increments) throughout the whole day.  They absolutely loved it!

#3....
We did a few cut-and-paste activities this week, which my students love.  Playing with scissors and glue is so much fun to them (who knows why?), but I am just glad they really seemed to internalize the information that was included!

#4....

This Monday was our Open House and 5th grade Veterans Program.  The students helped me get the room all clean and pretty to show off to the parents.  We had work samples sitting out on their desks for the parents to see what we have been doing in 5th grade.  

The Veterans Program was AMAZING!  The students did an awesome job with their singing and skits!  There were four super proud 5th grade teachers.

#5....

Last night our local high school put on a production of Disney's High School Musical.  The kids killed it!  The singing was awesome, the acting was superb, and the set was AMAZING!  Plus, it was really good seeing my old students rockin' their skills!  Some of the most quiet students I ever had were up there singing and dancing their hearts out.  Such a great night!

I'm really looking forward to sleeping in this weekend.  Have to get ready for this last week before our 9-day Thanksgiving Break!

Have a wonderful weekend!