Fairy Tale Court

Hello, Friends!

Y'all! We had the best time last week preparing for "court" and then representing our fairy tale characters on trial!  #WILDCARD My students were learning and engaged at the same time.  Win!

We read some original versions of fairy tales and then we read some fractured versions of those same fairy tales.  Can I say that the fractured versions tend to be my favorites? Love them!

My students then chose a character and had to answer a few questions to prepare them for trial.  To do this, they had to find text evidence from their book to prove their case. 

On the day of court, my students came in from recess to find a welcome sign inviting them into the court room.  Then, I started with a summary of why we were here today.  I started with Cinderella and said something like "it has been stated to the court that a certain family member has felt like they have been severely mistreated and did not deserve the extra chores that they were given. The court would like to call Cinderella to the stand first."  After I asked Cinderella some questions, I then called her stepsisters and lastly her stepmother.  My students were then asked to think about the perspectives that they heard to decide whether or not our villains were indeed guilty.  They held up their guilty/not guilty cards.  If the character was found guilty, my arresting officer escorted them off to fairy tale jail.  

My students laughed and got into character.  SO MUCH FUN!

My "jail" was looking through the bars from our stools.  I wore my graduation gown to become the "judge". Simple, simple, simple! How fun would it be to do a Donor's Choose project to get the actual character outfits?!?! Maybe next year!

 

This was by far one of my favorite lessons that I have taught.  My students had to think of their characters point of view, their perspective, and character traits to describe the other characters.  There was so much thinking involved that they didn't even realize it because they were having so much fun!

Want to learn more? Click here to see the product that I used in my classroom. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay warm, my friends!

Top 10 Favorite Picture Books by Genre

Hello, Friends!

Life in Fifth Grade along with some of my other favorite blogs are doing Tidbit Tuesdays about a different topic.  It's not Tuesday (yet), but I still wanted to share some of my favorite picture books that I read aloud in my classroom. 

To me, using picture books in the classroom is an essential part of teaching.  Using picture books not only can build community in your classroom, but can also be used to reinforce the standards you are teaching.  I even used picture books when I taught 5th grade.  They can be POWERFUL, y'all, if used correctly. My 5th graders loved to sit on the carpet and listen to a quick read aloud.  So did my 2nd graders and my 3rd graders!  

I know it can be hard to add read alouds to your classroom schedule.  Believe me, I know! I make sure to set a 10-15 minute block dedicated to just reading aloud each and every day. If something has to be cut during my day, I try my best to not make it my read aloud time.  It's my favorite part of the day! Pictures books also help me to hook my students into becoming readers.  We gotta start somewhere!  

So, here are my top 10  picture book read alouds.  I teach reading through genre studies.  I chose my favorite read aloud from each genre. 

Biography: The Boy Who Never Gave Up
I am a Steph Curry fan.  When I came across this book a couple of years ago, I fell in love.  It explains how Steph came through such adversity about his height from such a young age. He was too short to play in high school, too weak in college, and would never make it to the NBA.  Such an inspiring book!  If you're a Lebron fan, I won't hate on ya.  Click here to view his book The Boy Who Became King.   
       

Informational: Creature Features
I think I own almost all of Steve Jenkins books.  He writes informational books, and they are phenomenal.  His illustrations capture children's attention while learning different facts.  This particular book goes through 25 animals while explaining why they look the way they do.
 

Fairy Tale: Believe Me, Goldilocks Rocks

I love your original version of fairy tales.  I compare and contrast different versions from around the world.  However, some of my students FAVORITES are the fractured versions.  You have to check out this series of books.  They are hilarious!  This one is told my Baby Bear's perspective and it's not what you think.  

                                               

Tall Tales: Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett

This girl has my heart!  She is feisty and my students love her! There is so much exaggeration in this book that is easy for students to pick up on. 

Historical Fiction: The Babe and I 

Historical fiction is my favorite genre as a reader.  There are so many good picture books that are historical fiction that help younger students understand history.  The Great Depression is hard for students to understand.  This book really helps to understand the money issues during that time, but also give some background on Babe Ruth.  As a sports fan, I loved this story. 

Realistic Fiction: We're All Wonders

I have read aloud Wonder for the last couple of years.  This is our first chapter book read aloud. I love the life lessons that this book teaches.  There is a picture book version of Wonder that I also read aloud.  

Fantasy: The Bad Seed

I read this book aloud at the beginning of each year.  This book helps to teach the power of acceptance and the importance of just being yourself.

Mystery: Grandpa's Teeth

My favorite part of this story is talking like on old man.  Seriously! I use this book to help my students to learn to draw conclusions and make inferences.  Not a single student of mine has ever figured out who stole grandpa's teeth.  This book is hilarious!

Poetry: Parts

The figurative language in this book is off the chain! LOL.  This book is my go to when teaching my students about idioms.  This little boy takes things a little too seriously and my students roll over laughing because of it.

Favorite Back to School book: You're Finally Here

I love back to school time!  Yes, it is stressful trying to get everything together and ready for our new students.  But for me, it's a new start each year.  No matter what happened the previous year for us or our students, it's a fresh start.  This book captures my emotions about being giddy at the beginning of the year.  It's adorable! 

I have WAY more than ten books that I love, especially in each genre.  I could choose ten just from historical fiction! ;-) Click the book titles to check out each book. 

I have to ask, what are some of your favorite picture books to read aloud?

Anyone Out There?

Oh, friends!

I took quite a break from you.  A 3 year break may I add.  For a while, I have STRUGGLED balancing everything in my life.  Being a momma, a wife, and a teacher can be very stressful.  I know there are many of you in the same boat as me.  You feel me? 

So, what have I been up to? I moved schools two years ago.  I am now working where I student taught, and I am loving it! I am still teaching 3rd grade. My boys are now 3 and 6. I am getting ready to begin my 10th year of teaching! I'm ready to start slowly adding back in blogging and sharing what I'm up to in my room.  

I am still a busy, busy person.  Now, I have added being a baseball mom to my list of duties.  BUT, I have finally learned how to find "me" time during the week.  I've been able to read more and just have a little time to myself.  

I've been trying to teach like a pirate and be 
the wild card!

I implemented flexible seating this past year.

So, I will be back to share more about some fun things that I've been doing in my classroom.  

Thanks for welcoming be back into the blogging family.  I have truly missed writing and sharing with the teaching community. 

Trying to Balance Life

Hello, Dear Friends! 

I haven't forgotten about you, I promise.  Adjusting to life as a mom of two boys on top of being a teacher and a wife is sometimes a struggle.  Honestly, sometimes things don't get done.  So, my blog has been left neglected on top of laundry, mopping...etc.  One day, I will figure it all out.  As of right now, I'm just taking life one day at time and spending as much time as I can with my munchkins. If the mopping doesn't get done, it's okay.  The laundry can wait.  They grow up so fast! I've being enjoying my summer! 

I love being a mom to two little boys.  I was always told that I as a "boy mom" by my co-workers.  They would joke because I could always reach those active little boys and love them like they need to be loved.  The good Lord laughed and gave me two boys of my own. 

Boy Mom status at it's finest...

We love some Doc McStuffins!  It's time for your check up! 

Gavin is now eating solid food, rolling over, "talking" all the time, and trying to sit up on his own.  He'll be 5 months old next week.  Time needs to slow down! 

We love summer! Bubbles are always a big hit! 

Brotherly love!  Brayden LOVES his brother! It amazes me the amount of love he has for his little brother.  It's as if Gavin has always been here.  

I will be teaching 3rd grade again this year.  This past year I had a great group of kids, but between being pregnant and feeling like a new teacher (since I was in a new grade level), I didn't have time to create and share like I wanted to.  

I enjoyed 3rd grade more than I thought I would.  I love their independence and love the fact that they still love their teacher.  3rd grade is a challenging grade, but a rewarding one.  

As I enter 3rd grade for the 2nd year, I feel more prepared.  Long range plans are done. Yay! I'm the grade level chair for my team, so I'm able to work with a new group of teachers and have them try new things than they have done in the past. Hello, genre studies! :-)

So, here's to a great new year.  Enjoy the rest of your summer, friends.  Relax, unwind, and mentally get ready for a new group of students.  

Lots of love, 

Meet Gavin

Hello, Friends!

First, I'm posting this from my phone. My apologies for any wierd fonts/spacing.

So, I wanted to drop by and share my new bundle of joy with y'all.

Gavin was born on February 16th at 7:48 am EST. He was 19 and 1/4 inches long. He is precious and just perfect.

I am adjusting to life as being a mom to two children. I'm super busy I feel like and appreciate the days that my 3 year old feels like taking a nap. :-)

Brayden is being such a big help. From helping to make bottles to throwing diapers away; he's trying to be such a big boy. 

Watching him love and talk to Gavin just melts my heart. I'm blessed!

I'll be back to blogging when I return to work in April. It'll be here before I know it. 

Until then...lots of love,

Bright Ideas: Writing Celebrations

Hello, Friends!

Today, I am linking up with some of my favorite bloggers to show you a bright idea from my classroom.

Today's focus is all about writing and how my class celebrates at the end of each unit.  Writing seems to be one of those subjects that teachers and students either love or hate.  I love writing, but teaching it is always a struggle.  My students know that at the end of each unit, they will be sharing their favorite published piece.  That seems to help a little.  They know that their friends will be reading their writing.  My 3rd graders want everyone to think that their writing is the best.

So, how does a writing celebration look in my classroom?

First, we sit in a circle on the carpet and share our topics and our favorite sentence.  Then, my students place their published writing at their table.  They walk around and read everyone's writing.  During this time, I pass out snacks.  They love walking around and reading everyone's writing.  Having a snack seems to be enjoyable as well. ;-)

At the end, we gather back on the carpet.  Students share what they liked about each other's writing during this time.  Such a great way to feed confidence in my little writers.  

At our first writing celebration, we talk about how to give good compliments.  We also talk about how everyone writes differently just as every real author writes different as well.

So, that's it.  Simple, easy, and a a great way to motivate writers to do their best work. 

If you enjoyed this bright idea, make sure you are following me on Facebook and TpT for lots more fun and bright ideas.

For more bright ideas from a variety of other bloggers, please browse through the link-up

below and choose a topic/grade level that interests you. Thanks for visiting! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Lots of love,

Five for Friday

Happy Friday, Friends!

Today, I am linking up with Doodle Bugs to share some of the things I've been up to this week.

My baby turned 3 on Monday.  How do I have a 3 year old and why does time seem to fly so fast the older I get? 

I learned in September that I was being paired with a 4K teacher at my school for our Classroom Buddies.  To be honest, I was a little terrified.  They are so little...what could we possibly do together?  Well, I'm so glad that we were paired together.  My students have LOVED helping the little ones and having fun together.  Below the 4K buddy picked out a picture book for my 3rd graders to read to them.  LOVE! 

Yes, this picture is blurry but their smiles are not.  We learned about all of the different battles fought in South Carolina during the American Revolution this week.  Below these are my Patriots throwing paper balls at my Loyalists.  They LOVED it.  So much fun! 

Yay for an optional teacher workday!  I woke up husband up at 6:30.  Went back to sleep and Brayden woke me up around 8.  Yay for sleeping in!  I'm enjoying spending the whole day with my munchkin'.

I am almost 35 weeks pregnant and my baby has already dropped.  I never dropped with my first time, so this worries me just a little.  My C-Section is scheduled for February 16th, but I really think he's gonna be here before then.  Better get to getting all of my ducks in a row. We aren't quite ready for Gavin to enter the world yet.  I can't wait to meet him, but need a few more weeks to get everything together! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday! 

Lots of love,