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Saturday 23 February 2013

Spring Fling Linky




I am linking up with Tracy at A Perfectly Poetic Page for her 50 followers Spring Fling Linky Party.   Hop on over to find some fabulous free and paid items ready for springing into Spring!  Even though we are heading into Autumn here in Australia, Spring is one of my favourite times of the year, I have added my Build to 10 and 20 Butterfly addition pack.  This is Tracy's first go at a linky so show her some bloggy love and link up!


Friday 22 February 2013

Week in review and a freebie

Well I finally feel like I had a sowewhat "normal" week this week.

In Maths we focussed on reviewing multiplication and division and explored how they are linked.  I really like to work in small groups and let those students who are independent workers have a chance to forge ahead.  My littles that were struggling with this concept worked with me using a storyboard, if you haven't used one before they are great and allow students to explore numbers and operations using words, symbols, objects and pictures.


You can get yours here for free, this is also available in my Multiplication Mega Pack


The other students played Space Race or did speed tests.  I wish I had remembered to take photos!!!  
The last couple of days we explored Perimeter we demonstrated our understanding by creating a perimeter poster, the students had to write a definition of what perimeter is and then trace around some 2D shapes and measure the edges then calculate the perimeter.  Once again, I didn't take pictures :(  however next week I will take some pics when I have a quiet moment (WHAT? ).

In literacy we have started our Daily 5 rotations and the kiddos really loved it!  I did manage to get a couple of pics for this.  This year I jumped straight into letting the kiddos choose the activities they do and I was pleasantly surprised to find them choosing Work on Writing and Work on Words as their first choice.  How exciting!  

Here are a couple of littles writing the room.  They are finding the penguins from Plug-n-Plan's penguin punctuation pack.  I hid the penguins around the room and they had to search for them, then write the sentence that was on the card using the correct punctuation.  I hid one in a really hard spot and the little girl in this pic is the one that found it, (it was behind the door, heehee)  They loved this activity and can't wait to dive into Daily 5 next week.


It feels so nice to be able to do a post on the goings on in my classroom finally! 

I have decided to move my How Pinteresting series to my Saturday which is most likely Friday in the Northern Hemisphere, so pop in tomorrow to find some Pinterest inspiration for your classroom!


Monday 18 February 2013

How Pinteresting, Classroom storage ideas



Welcome to my next edition on How Pinteresting.  This week I wanted to share some pins on creative storage.  I am blessed this year to have a storeroom and some shelving in my room but still need to store some of my items both at home and school.  I like to have items that I use everyday close at hand and I often pack away items by theme.

Here are a few of the Pinteresting pins I thought I might like to use this year.


This great idea solves my anchor chart hanging and storage problem neatly.

Great idea!  I also use skirt hangers to hang my posters.

Store & organize all of your classroom card games in plastic soap containers

Love this, definitely heading out to get some soap boxes, or you could use old video cases.

Good classroom storage  organization ideas

Tidy and out of the way!

Seat crates for the classroom. Storage and a place to sit in one!

Of course we have all seen many versions of the crate seats.  I love them and think they are a great idea, another project I would like to complete one day.

@Heather Duffy, you can do this for your classroom!  Pringle container for rulers.

This one is so obvious but I actually never thought about using a Pringles tube for rulers.

Well my friends that is it for How Pinteresting this week and I must apologise for it being late AGAIN but I promise you I was really busy  on a girls night out working on my program so I am sure you will forgive me.  

Have a great week everyone!

Tuesday 12 February 2013

Cheap IWB

Hi friends!  Hope your week has started well, I am starting to settle into my new school and I am really enjoying getting to know my kiddos.  They are a lovely bunch and have told me on more than one occasion this week that they like their class and their teacher (awwww!)  Well even though I am really liking my new classroom there is one item that I really miss from my last room......my SmartBoard.  Yes my friends I am the only room in the school WITHOUT an IWB.  As I said I have been put into a room that was used as a room for small groups, release time for the teachers and all manner of other things that does not require an IWB.  So I have researched and googled and downloaded all very calmly (ummmm no ....... there was some swearing involved)  and I came up with using a wiimote,data projector and an Infrared pen to create an IWB.  That's right my friends a wiimote whiteboard.


Here is my daughter using Paint to start drawing with the IR pen


Here you can see she is drawing on our blinds in the dining room as a whiteboard, you can see my laptop on the table and the projector is next to it. (Oooh, there is my boy in the background, cutey!)

Personally I had no idea it could be done until I found out my daughters teacher had done it a couple of years ago.  I had a chat to him through the week and he even gave me 3 Infra Red LED pens to use with it.  Basically the premise is this; the wiimote has an infrared camera in the end of it and when you use an IR pen with it the wiimote reads the IR pen and the software supports it.  (There is more but I would sound like a real nerd)

First you sync your wiimote to your computer via Bluetooth and pair them up, (this took me a whole week to work out how to do)  then you connect your projector to your computer.  Make sure your wiimote is pointing unobstructed to where you want your screen to be projected.  The software I am using is call SmoothBoard (I am currently using the trial version) but there are other free versions out there although I had trouble with downloads and installation on the free versions.  When you have everything set up you open the software and calibrate using the IR pen, you can project onto any surface and voila an IWB!  You use the IR pen just like a SmartBoard pen although you have to hold down the button to turn on the light.  The software comes with a toolbar with similar options to SmartBoard such as screen capture.
Now don't get me wrong I would be super happy to get an IWB but that is justnot going to happen and for the cost of just under $50 US for the software and about $20 for the pens I am a happy lady!  Now all I have to do is convince the school to buy it for me :)
 

Saturday 9 February 2013

How Pinteresting and a Giveaway!




Hi friends!  I have to apologise for missing my How Pinteresting post on Friday but things have been crazy here.  I have started at my new school in a Year 3 class, I have so much to figure out!  I have been trying to get my head around all the policies and procedures that go with starting at a new school on top of getting a program together that uses their Whole School plans.....my classroom is still in the process of coming together as it was an un used classroom and was full of rubbish and leftover stuff from another teacher.  I have been so busy I haven't even managed to get any pics yet!  I also have my Mum and Dad visiting, (they are Grey Nomads and are on their way back north)  so I have been trying to get some quality time with them as well.
So onto my finds on Pinterest this week.  I have been looking at great anchor charts for using with Daily 5 and CAFE as I will be using this in my class again this year.  So without further ado.....


Main Idea Anchor Chart


We will be looking at the Main Idea this term.

Anchor Charts

This links to a blog with lots of other charts.

inference

I love the visual of this.

Anchor Charts

I am definitely making this one

retelling anchor chart

Straight to the point!

I hope this has inspired you to use anchor charts in your room.  Before I go I want to share a fabulous giveaway my friend Shanyn at Coffe, Kids and Compulsive Lists is having for her 500.....yes 500 follower giveaway.  Head on over and enter to win 3 items from her TpT store.



Sunday 3 February 2013

Super Sale Sunday

In case you have been living under a blog rock, you may not know this.....there is a huge sale at TpT this Sunday!  My store will be 20% off and you can get an extra 10% at the checkout if you use the code SUPER, that equates to a whopping 28% off!


Why not head over now and start filling up your wishlist or checking what you have there already so that on the day all you have to do is go straight to the checkout.
Here are some of my latest items you may like!




I know I will be clearing out my wishlist!  Here are some of the stores I'll be visiting
Miss Galvin

For now I am going into my new classroom to set up.  That's right I have a job!  Yay, that means ALL my items on my wishlist will be cleared out!  On Thursday I was offered a Grade 3 position for the rest of the year, such great news, I am very excited.....but my classroom is an old room that was used as a bit of a dumping ground so I am off to clean up and set up for my littles to arrive on Monday.

Enjoy the sale!

Friday 1 February 2013

How Pinteresting Working on Writing and a big Sale



Continuing my How Pinteresting series, this week I am highlighting pins that support Daily 5 Working on Writing.  I have really enjoyed doing Daily 5 in my classroom and I loved that it supports students writing everyday so without further ado here are some of my favourite pins!

writing process
A great way to keep track of where your kiddos are at, love it!



whole class journals

I used some shared journals this year for Working on Writing and my kiddos loved it.  They really enjoyed reading each others stories and it was a hoot to go back and flick through it at the end of the year.

:)
Love that this uses post it notes.

3rd Grade Thoughts: Daily 5: Work on Writing!
Great Anchor Chart!



Writing Prompts

Lots of great ideas for writing here!

I hope you have enjoyed these pins for Working on Writing, feel free to pin and repin any or even this post.  I want to finish this post with an announcement........

Yesterday I was offered a contract in a Yr 3 classroom till the end of the year, YAY!  I am a teacher again.  I have spent the last day meeting my class, they are lovely and my new colleauges, they too are lovely.  My weekend will be dedicated to cleaning and setting up my new classroom and yes there will be pics.  Now onto my next announcement.......

I am proud to say I will be participating in the Sunday Super Sale at TpT, so you can get 20% off all my items and if you use the code SUPER you will get an extra 10% off at the checkout.




Thank you to Brooke from Teachable Moments for the graphic, too cute!

So if you are anything like me you will be clearing out that wishlist.
Have a great weekend