Reading Response Menus Throughout the Year

I have been using a variety of Reading Log/Response to Text formats over the years and am happy to share with you the files that have worked best for me: Response Menus!

Find them in my TpT Store or my new TN Store

These menus have helped to not only address the Common Core standards throughout the school year, but keep my kids more motivated since the menus change from month to month.

Each menu looks similar with three appetizer choices, three main course choices, and three dessert choices:

They have a monthly cupcake and baker, just for fun :)

Each fiction menu selection is offered 2-3 times throughout the year, and each nonfiction selection is offered every other month. Students choose one selection from each course and respond to the prompt for their at-home reading book(s).

These menus are offered August through June and all 36 prompts are listed on the last three pages. These response choices are also all aligned to the following 3rd Grade Common Core Standards:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.

There are two response sheets offered, and I prefer to use the one with the simple reading log on top:

How I Use Them in Class

This response sheet is always printed on the back of the menu of the month and sent home in my students' weekly Friday Folders. They are due the following Friday, so it's always a great lesson in goal-setting and ensuring they are not rushing to do it all in one night.

We started the year by doing them in class, then I gradually released them to work on it independently. The menu options change each month, but in a way that only one new option is added each month, so there is the opportunity to stick with the familiar, if they'd like.

The back side of the page is the response sheet I prefer, and on Fridays during our Ketchup & Pickle Time, I will call students back one at a time to glace through their logs, and skim their responses. It's pretty easy to see if and where they skimped on effort, so I have no issues sending them back to add more detail, or give evidence from the text, etc. Love that Ketchup & Pickle Time!

The ever-changing variety of these menus has spruced up our reading responses as a class, not just because of the assortment, but because they also have choice within the menu courses and that is always a very important thing, especially when it comes to homework ;)

Plus, it allows me the chance to read what kids are thinking about their at-home books in a way that far exceed the traditional summary or something like that week after week. I like how this has encompassed some of the familiar elements of at-home reading work, but kicked it up a notch by changing each month.

If you're interested in learning more, be sure to check my TpT Store and download the preview for the August Menu and Response Sheets for FREE!

Welcome Spring! Springtime Centers & Freebies

We have been hard at work in our classroom, both in Math Centers and Word Work during Daily 5, with our Springtime Centers. I wanted to give you a quick overview of both below. They are currently available in my TpT Store HERE or in my new Teachers Notebook (TN) Store HERE.

Here are a few of my kids working on the Word Work Centers:

Making 2,3,4,5, and 6+ letter words

Alphabetizing spring-themed words & sorting them into nouns, verbs, and adjectives

Making words with a prefix, suffix, and both- editable cards included for you to add your own, too!

I love a few things about all of these centers. Most importantly, they are similar in several ways to my other seasonal Word Work centers (Making Words, ABC Order, and Parts of Speech Sort), but the words have completely changed, so it's easy to have kids working independently while still staying challenged.

I organize the 36 spring-themed words into answer keys for the students to use as they work on ABC Order and Parts of Speech Sort:

ABC Order- cards numbered for self-checking on the back

Parts of Speech- cards labeled A (adjective), N (noun), or V (verb) 

The kids have also been loving the different Math Centers:


This packet practices area, perimeter, fractions, multi-digit addition & subtraction, adding money, and making change for $10. Lots and lots of practice! Be sure to download the preview :)

I also have them using a new version of Multiplication Roll & Cover for Spring. This is available for FREE in my TpT Store:

We have also updated our class RACK Bucket and RACK Trackers. Instead of "Random Acts of Classroom Kindness" we adjusted the name a bit to "Random Acts to Cultivate Kindness" and talked all about how one act of kindness can help grow more and more acts of kindness throughout our class, our school, and our community.

We worked on this the week before break (like our RACK Week before Winter Break) and I lovelovelove having the kids focus on being caring and compassionate instead of the craziness Spring Fever that typically rules our mood this time of year :) :)

Click the image above to download the new bucket label & RACK Tracker from Google Docs.

Happy Spring!

5 iPad Apps for Math Fact Practice

As you know, I was fortunate to receive 4 iPads in my class, thanks to DonorsChoose.org and generous donors.

They have been wonderful! You can see how I set them up HERE with a anchor chart, passes, and color-coded system.

We have started using these in class during Math Rotations and they are available for students to use during Fact Practice. Here are some of my most favorite apps:

I know there are hundreds more out there, so please leave your own favorites in the comments below :)

Not all of these are free, but for less than a cup of coffee, I am able to get these on each iPad and have full access to their features, so they seem very, very worth it to me.

Math Board

There is a free addition-only version of this that I downloaded to preview the product, and that convinced me to buy the full-version later that day! There are LOADS of possibilities for this app, which looks just like a chalkboard and allows kids to use different color chalk to solve addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. My kids love that feature and I love that I can adjust the place values, operations, number of problems in a session, and more. I definitely recommend getting started with the free version and I am sure you will be hooked like me!

Time Tables

This is a free app that is very simple and yet very fun. There are ads on the bottom, but I don't find they interfere with the game. This app gives multiplication fact practice from 1-12 and will keep going until you answer a problem wrong. When you do get one wrong, it displays the correct answer and you start over. I have enjoyed watching the kids try to beat their old streak and the interface is very simple and easy to use-- perfect for independent student work!

Math Garden

This is BY FAR my students' most favorite app! Once you start playing, you see why :) It not only has three levels of play (I make my students do medium or hard), but you can adjust the operations used (choose 1, 2, 3, or all 4) and several things to manage during play. Each correct answer equals one "watering can". You can choose to plant corn in the field as you go, but will need to water to keep your field growing-- this was such a great way to "time" the kids without feeling the pressure of a clock!! It requires planning ahead-- one of my students even said it was a great way to practice Habit 2 and "Having a Plan" {love!}-- and is one of the most engaging apps, even for an adult. It is not free, but well worth the money!

Times Table Lab

This is from the same developer as Math Garden and requires you to fill in a multiplication table that grows by a factor each level. It is very simple and easy to use (again, wonderful for independent practice!) and I love that it requires kids to think backwards about a multiplication problem-- instead of being given to factors, they have to think about the product and where it fits in the table.

ScootPad

I have recently started using ScootPad in class on our computers, but LOVE the iPad app even more! It is a wonderful program that uses Common Core Standards and allows you to track a students progress across each of the math standards. There's too much to explain, and I feel I have only begun scratching the surface myself, but here are two links to in-depth reviews that helped me out a lot:

• EduKate & Inspire
• Lesson Plan Diva

What apps {paid or free} do you like to use with your students for math? Please leave your favorites in the comments-- I would love to try them out!

5 Free {and Mostly Free} Apps I Use When Teaching

I have been using an iPad to teach for a while now and just love it! I have talked a bit about how I use it for Google Forms HERE, but I wanted to share some specific apps I am loving these days, and I am sure I will be adding to this list as the school year continues!

The first thing that I have is nothing super-fancy, but takes my iPad to a whole new level of usefulness with my kiddos: The Dewey Document Camera Stand.

Sidenote- I got this at a discount through a different website-- be sure to use Google to find the best price!!

I {LOVE} using this stand because it:

• makes my iPad a document camera
• gets my iPad off of the projector cart and keeps it safe
• is easily-transportable, so I can actually move the stand to my Teacher Time groups and use it to keep my iPad hands-free and safe
• small enough to fit on my projector cart

Check out this video to see some of the ideas for this simple, but useful, stand:


Another sidenote: Dewey doesn't know who I am, I just really like this product :) I am not sure if there are alternatives, but please share in the comments if you know of one!

With the iPad doubling as a document camera, I am finding now that I am using it more and more! Here are some of my favorite apps to use as a teacher with an iPad:

Board Cam

This is the main {free} app that changes your iPad into a document camera. There are some helpful add-ons that I purchased for about $1 each (freeze & zoom), but the basic app works very well! It includes different color and thickness ink to write on the iPad, a save function, and more. Definitely check it out!

Jot! Free

This is perfect as a whiteboard app! I love switching between Jot and Board Cam, since the iPad makes that so easy. I can underline and mark up a text on Board Cam, then switch to Jot to take notes, using different colors, thicknesses, etc. The app is very user-friendly and you can even share Jots with absent students or save them for review later on. Love!

Skitch

Similar to Jot, I love Skitch because it's linked to Evernote and does so much more. While the whiteboard functionality is just ok (in my opinion, especially compared to Jot), Skitch is able to draw all over screenshots, photos, maps, websites, and more. It also saves these images in Evernote, so it is very easy to access from any time from your Evernote account on your computer, phone, iPad, wherever! I tend to have Skitch, Board Cam, and Jot open at the same time and flip between the three throughout a lesson, since they all do their own unique things that are very fun for both students and teacher to see!

Google Earth

This app has made studying regions SO.MUCH.FUN! This free app has all sorts of wonderful features, but the main part is its ease of use with the iPad and the detail it gives to landforms like the Grand Canyon and mountains, like Mt. McKinley. It makes us all feel like we are flying through these fantastic places, so it's helped keep the interest high, for both students and teacher :)

BrainPOP

Who doesn't love BrainPOP? This highly-engaging app (along with BrainPOP, Jr.) help me introduce new concepts and the quiz at the end is always a hit with my whole class. There's a free movie each week, and (thankfully!), our school has a subscription, so I end up using these short videos a lot with my kids in all sorts of subjects. 

What apps to you use when you're teaching with the class?

I will be back soon to share some of my favorite apps for the kids to use in both Daily 5 Word Work and Math Rotations.

10 Tips to Get You Started on DonorsChoose.org

It's no secret that I {heart} DonorsChoose.org.

They have been helping my classroom and students for years and they are ah-ma-zing!

For those of you who may not know about Donors Choose, view some of my posts about them HERE or watch this great intro video with some very famous faces :)



If you are intimidated or not sure where to begin, I wanted to share some very helpful resources to give you some know-how and hopefully get you started on your project sooner rather than later.

Top 10 Tips for Getting Started on DonorsChoose.org:

1. Sign-up: Get started by signing up for FREE on their Teacher Site. It's simple and you can customize your profile to link to Twitter, Facebook, and more. Plus, you can personalize your own website address to make it easy for others to find.

2. Build Your Points: It's easy to want ev-er-y-thing in the world, but start small with your first project. For my first project, I asked for 15 sets of fraction cubes. It wasn't iPads or another big-ticket item-- those come later after you have built up your points. You are given a small amount of points at the beginning that equate to a certain dollar amount for your project. As you complete steps after a project is funded, you can build these points up and then begin asking for larger, more expensive items.

3. Keep it Kid-Focused & Positive: You will need to write a title (make it catchy!) and a few paragraphs about your needs. There are examples along the way to help you, so don't worry if nothing comes to mind right away. The majority of donors are people just like you and me, but not teachers. The power behind Donors Choose is that non-teachers can have immediate impact on kids in a classroom, so be sure to tell them how much your students need the item and how they will benefit from it. I also like to include that the resources will last for many years to come (if applicable), so they know their donation will have an effect even past this year's class. Keeping it always framed in the positive (while being honest about the needs level of your class and school) will help donors feel they are part of a positive change and that's the coolest part of the Donors Choose process :)

4. Write Well: It goes without saying, but be sure you have written your paragraphs with correct spelling, grammar, and that you include everything in the short amount of space that is given. You want your donors to know the big picture as well as the specific needs of your class, and that's not always an easy task. Remember, they are probably not teachers, but they do care a lot about teachers, classrooms, and kids, so using your best writing skills is a must. Although they do provide spell check, I would also recommend having someone else read your proposal before you submit, just for an extra set of eyes :)

5. Get Permission: Before you add any pictures of kids, be sure you have their parents sign the Donors Choose permission slip. These photos will be a part of your profile and your projects, so be sure you are following all of the rules Donors Choose sets forth. The majority of my parents have NO problems signing and returning the form, and I am able to use the photos for my profile picture and projects, which helps make my profile personal and relatable :)

6. Be Aware of Due Dates: Your project will have a due date and after it is (hopefully!) funded, there will be a due date that you will need to closely abide by. It's easy to let these dates pass you by, especially in the thick of the school year, but your points will grow if you follow them. There are typically three steps to complete a "Thank You Package": photos of students using/doing the project, a thank you note from you, and student-made thank you notes. Very doable, but mark your calendars ;)

7. Use Social Media: I mentioned social media in Tip #1, but it's worth repeating on its own tip :) You can link up your projects to Facebook, Twitter, and email. I have found they are very active on Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram, so it's awesome to get "liked" or re-tweeted to build interest in your project. You can also post when your project gets funding along the way-- this is a great way to remind others about your project without it sounding like you're begging :) You can also blog about it, add their icon to the sidebar (I have it on mine with a direct link to my project page) and mention it in a post or newsletter if you write one. Getting the word out about a project is key, so be sure to tap into social media whenever you can.

8. Find Match Codes: These are a lifesaver and help your project get funded in no time!! They aren't around all of the time, but it's always worth a little bit of work on your part to search the web for some before you email potential donors. I know my donations go way up when there's a 1:1 match-- plus, it's funded in half the time! Donor Choose will typically host their own a few times a year and recently, many companies are offering them as well. You can also ask friends and family if their company does matching-- there's a helpful how-to about this HERE. Laura Candler also hosts a Sunday Fun-Day on her Facebook page where she will donate to one project each week!

9. Be PATIENT! This is by far my worst trait, so I won't ever judge, but patience is KEY with any Donors Choose project. They stay live on the site for many months, and that's for a reason. Sometimes you'll get a wave of funding, then go weeks with nothing. Other times  a company will come in and fund nearly all of it, or even complete it for you. There's no rhyme or reason, other than getting the word out and hoping it works, so don't fret if it has been a while and you haven't heard much. Keep you eyes peeled for a Match Code (see Tip #8) and promote on social media (Tip #7) and let it run its course :)

10. Repeat and Encourage Others: Once your project is funded and you've hit your due dates, it's time to celebrate! Donors Choose is addicting and it's also a great resource to pass along to other teacher friends who may be looking for special items for their class they could never afford otherwise. Once you go through your first project, you will realize how easy and positive it is, so don't hold off any longer! Head over to their Teacher Site and get started!!

What are your tips and suggestions for using DonorsChoose.org in your classroom? Leave them below along with any questions you may have :) Good luck to those of you who are just starting, as well!!

Magnetic Numbers Roll 'Em

I wanted to share with you a choice we use when it comes to our Math Centers Bingo during Math Rotations.

Have you ever seen the magnetic numbers at the Dollar Tree? Love these guys:

I did buy two sets for one center, but at $1 a piece, it was WAY better than many of the other options out there!

I also bought a small baking tray from Walmart (9"x13" was the smallest I could find, and the price is definitely right!):

Then, I incorporated a die and voila, Magnetic Letters Roll 'Em was ready!

The premise is simple: Students will roll a die and whatever number pops up, they will follow the directions using the magnetic numbers to help.

Skills include adding, subtracting, comparing, rounding, and more with multi-digit numbers.

Click the picture to see this in my TpT Store.

Three sheets are included that practice the same skill, but use different place values. The "easier" sheet practices numbers from the tens to hundreds, the "medium" sheet practices numbers in the hundreds to ten-thousands (shown in picture above), and the "hard" sheet practice numbers from thousands to hundred-thousands.

Similar to my other activities, I laminate both the directions sheet and the answer sheet and store them, along with the baggie of numbers and die, in a large plastic envelope I blogged about HERE.

These sheets are now available in my TpT Store and I hope you can use them in your own centers or even for fast finishers :)

Thanks again for your continued support and stay warm on this snowy weekend!

Setting Up iPads in Our Classroom

I am in LOVE with Donor's Choose and have been able to receive some ah-ma-zing things for our classroom through their wonderful grants! Through several projects, they have provided me with a meeting area rug, an easel and stool, fraction manipulatives, and... the best one of all.... 4 iPads!

These gems arrived recently and I have been dying to get them into the kids' hands, but with a TON of discussion first. I really do have a sweet and lovely bunch of kids, so I wasn't worried about intentional harm, but more about the forgetfulness, leaving them around to accidentally get stepped on, and those awful things.

I started by organizing each iPad into its own drawer. I got these side-by-side drawers from Joann's for WAY cheaper than full price:

I used the same round stickers that I use for my computer organization to help keep these iPads unified:

The photo didn't turn out great, but I put a sticker on the charger (that's plugged in behind the drawer) so that kids can charge the iPad after each use. I also asked for Otterbox cases since those babies are tough! (As in, I broke pretty much every nail trying to get them on, kind of tough!). I use cleap-o headphones and those stay with the iPads. For now, I don't have them organized nice and neatly, but I will definitely be doing that soon! The color of the drawer matches the color sticker on the iPad case and the iPad charger, as well as the iPad pass they will receive when they will use them in class.

I talked with kids all about how fortunate we were to have these iPads and then I had them come up with some rules and responsibilities that we need to have as a class to keep them nice all year long. Here are just a few of their ideas:

They were all super-creative and, truthfully, encompassed WAY more ideas than I would have thought of on my own, so I am very glad we started with this step. I had them leave them on their tables and then walk around to read everyone else's and we compiled a step-by-step guide to hang in the room on large chart paper:

I demonstrated what it means when all of the apps are "shaking" and how you can accidentally delete one-- I wanted to stress the importance of telling me if they make a mistake of any kind so I can try to fix it as soon as possible.

I put the few apps we will be using on the first screen (Spelling City, ScootPad, AR, Brain Pop, etc.-- I'll share more in a later post) and everything else on the second screen. The second screen has all of Apple's default apps in a folder I named "Do Not Open" and there's also a "Settings" folder with the App Store and Settings so I can find it easily.

Today, I began by pulling small groups of four kids to the drawers where I walked them through the steps of getting out, using, and putting away an iPad and then they did one activity on Spelling City, which is the main app they will be using during Word Work time, for now. (More on how much I am loving Spelling City in a later post, too!)

I will eventually let them use an iPad pass when it's their time to use them during Daily 5 and, eventually, Math Centers. You can download a free copy of 5 colors (blue, orange, yellow, red, and green) HERE on Google Docs:

This is such a fun time for my kids (and me!) and I'm so thankful to both Donor's Choose and all of the amazing and wonderful Donors who helped make this possible!!

Do you use iPads in class? What are some of your favorite apps for Word Work or Math?