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Monday Made It! 3 of 'em!

Linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for THREE Monday Made Its!!

Don't you just love when ideas randomly come together?? I've always wanted a Jumbo Checker Set from Cracker Barrel and my whole family knows this. At the end of the school year, my youngest son's teacher was cleaning out her classroom and she had one of these awesome sets to GET RID OF! So my son snagged it for me - isn't he the SWEETEST?!?!? Anyway, I thought it would be an awesome free time activity for the kiddos... UNTIL I saw FlapJack Educational Resources' post on Classroom Freebies... She made Jumbo Checkers Measurement Facts!! Her FREE printables focus on Common Core 4.MD.A.1 and 4.MD.A.2.

Since I'm in Texas and we don't do Common Core, I tweaked mine to fit our math TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills --- for those of you in Texas, 4.11.A is a Readiness skill)... Our students don't have to memorize conversions between standard and metric units because they are given a Math Conversion Chart. Our big push in measurement is knowing how these measurements apply to life... For example, what does a gallon/cm/ton LOOK like? So I adapted my checkers to question my kiddos on what I call "real life measurements". I also threw in the formulas for finding area, perimeter and volume.

All regular checkers rules apply, however to move, you must answer the question on the pawn you're moving. You can check to see if you're right by looking on the bottom... Incorrect? Lose a turn!

I printed my questions and answers onto regular copy paper, cut them out and modge podge'd them to the checkers. They crinkle a bit, but they do stick! Want a copy? Download for FREE HERE!

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Do you have jobs in your classroom?? I have classroom "managers". Last summer, I posted a Monday Made It where I explained WHY I use classroom managers, showed HOW I use classroom Managers and posted pics on WHAT it looks like in my classroom (see the post HERE). This year, I've made a downloadable version for YOUR classroom! 

You can purchase the pack in my TeachersPayTeachers Store HERE. The pack includes 21 manager positions (including "Managers on Vacation") and blank cards for you to create jobs in your own classroom. There is also a Classroom Manager Positions description sheet (so kiddos know what positions are available) and an application page (I make my kiddos apply for their jobs - be sure to check out why in my blog post from last summer!)

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One of my favorite things about summer is I have the time to hang out with family and friends. We had a party last weekend and I made Texas Caviar. It's a delicacy in Texas -- not really but it is delicious. 

Here's the recipe!

- 2 cans yellow corn

- 2 cans Rotel (I like the HOT version)

- 1 can of black beans

- 1 can of jalapeno pinto beans

- 1 red onion, chopped

- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped

- 1/2 package of taco seasoning (or more to your liking)

- splash of Italian dressing (as much as you like)

I like mixing all of this up the night before and letting the flavors get all yummy and delicious together. Then right before serving I add avocado! I usually use 3-4 depending on their size. Serve with Tortilla Chips! 

Hope you've enjoyed all of my Monday Made Its! They're all kind of Texas themed... YEEHAW! 

A teacher's got to eat!

After a long day of teaching (or summer crafting), the last thing I want to do is have to make dinner... But since I love my guys, I always try to make them something yummy and since I also love myself, this yumminess must also be easy (big shout out to all the steamable veggie makers out there).

One of my family's favorite dinners is what we call Mac'n'Chicken Casserole. SO easy. SO good.

Here's what you need:

- Popcorn Chicken
- Kraft Homestyle Macaroni & Cheese
- Shredded Cheese
- Milk & Butter (you only need 1/2 milk and 2tbsp of butter, as called for in the macaroni recipe).

Directions
- Cook your popcorn chicken as directed
- Cook your mac'n'cheese as directed
- Mix your cooked chicken and mac'n'cheese, sprinkle with bread crumb topping (provided in the Kraft mac'n'cheese packet) and as much shredded cheese as you like
- Throw back into the oven for about 10 min (350 degrees)
- Eat the delicious finished product

I mean come on... LOOK. AT. THIS. DELICIOUSNESS.

I usually accompany this amazingness with some steamable veggies and if I'm feeling fancy, some Hawaiian sweet rolls. Yummmmm

5 Months of Learning Squeezed into ONE POST

The end of the school year was a WHIRLWIND. Which is why I have not posted since January! I will try to catch you up with everything we did though, so get ready for a massive picture post :)

As we got ready for the STAAR test, lots of fun (and sometimes delicious) reviewing took place...

In February, we reviewed fractions, measurement and conversions while we baked cupcakes:

In March, we reviewed area and perimeter by making a zoo. I cannot for the life of me remember where I got this idea, but I know it was from Pinterest... Basically, my students designed an animal enclosure and had to solve for its area and perimeter. Then they got to color!

In April, WE TESTED...

After the STAAR test, we learned TONS of science! Here are a few of the topics we covered (and that I remembered to take pics of!).

-Matter

-Moon Phases (with Oreos... YUM)

-Food Chains & Dissecting Owl Pellets

We also did a Science Fair project (which detergent worked best). Students broke into groups according to the detergent they thought would work best, stained some socks, washed them, and made boards to show the results. SO FUN!

I also managed to squeeze in some art lessons with my homeroom...

-Vincent Van Gogh

-Pablo Picasso

- Andy Warhol 

That's not all we did, but that's most of it. This school year was AMAZING. My students worked their tails off yet we had tons of fun. I feel so privileged to have gotten to work with such a fabulous group of kiddos!! I already miss my babies! 

TESTING! TESTING!

State test time is quickly approaching... and our district is Benchmark Testing our kiddos next week.

This isn't the first "big" test my students have taken this year (we've had 2 district CBAs), however, this is the first 48 question with a 4 hour time limit test (Texas went to a timed test last year... not sure how it is in other states). 

When I test I get nervous... so I can only imagine how my poor students feel. I wanted to help them out a bit, so I created a testing foldable. The idea came from Savvy School Counselor (God bless Pinterest for bringing so many awesome teaching ideas to one place!) and I just created one to fit my kiddos needs.  I call it "Rock the Test" foldable. :) 

On one column, I listed a lot of our important math strategies (praying this makes them remember them and more importantly, USE THEM!) and on the other, I put test taking strategies incase the freeze up, lose their concentration, forget to check their work... 

 

If you notice the top right flap, it says "Remember Your Goal". I did goal setting with each of my students on Friday. Together, we looked at how they performed on the two CBAs we've taken and decided on a number they'd like to aim for on this test. Rather than focusing on the grade percentage (which makes it pretty obvious if you've failed, and seriously... who likes to feel like a failure?), we focused on the number of questions the student needs to answer correctly. I want to focus on growth and improvement, and for my students who struggle to see passing grade on their benchmark and/or CBAs, I'd like them to focus on getting 1 or 2 (or more!) questions correct with each assessment. I think that will be a huge confidence builder for them! Anyway - we wrote our goals on the back of a "Rock the Test" goal sheet. It will be taped to their desk so they can flip it over and be reminded of what they're shooting for (and see some 'surprise' encouraging words from their teacher!). 

Lastly, I've jumped on the student-data-tracking band wagon. I think it's so important to have kids be responsible for their grades, UNDERSTAND what they mean and to monitor their growth! Here's an example of my Student Data Tracking Sheet (it looks simple but I think it will be very effective): 

If you dig any of these ideas, I've made them available on my TPT store. :)

- Rock the Test Foldable 

- Rock the Test Goal Sheet

- Rock the Test Student Data Tracking Sheet 

Also, I've lost 6 lbs HOWEVER, I made these little beauts' tonight, so I may be up a few pounds tomorrow... They're Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cupcakes with a hidden peanut butter cup on bottom, rich chocolate cake and peanut butter butter cream frosting on top, and chopped PB cup for garnish... OMG YUM. If you're bored, hit up my baking Facebook page, KJ's Bakeshop, for more goodies! 

Happy teaching, y'all! 

I've Returned! With Resolutions and "Currently"!

Ok... So I haven't posted in almost 3 months.... I'm sorry! There were many a'Saturday that I thought about updating but just didn't. My creative juices felt like they were lacking and I was just down-right tired. So I ignored my cute lil' blog for too long... That is going to change!

My 2013 resolutions include 1) blogging more and 2) eating less... YEP. Very original, right??

My boys and I decided we ALL resolve to be more active this year. This includes walking around the block and riding our bikes. We live in a coastal town and are walking distance to the beach. I see a lot of walking/riding to beach picnics in our future! Also, we are changing our eating habits. We went grocery shopping today and loaded our cart fresh veggies and fruit, light yogurts, nuts and cottage cheese for snackage, and lean meats and fish for dinner.... WE SHALL SEE!

Any "life style change" tips you want to share with me?? PLEASE, PLEASE DO! I need the help and the encouragement! :) 

It's a family effort this time (Well, kinda... I haven't quite clued my hubby in on this yet-- I'm hoping he doesn't notice our bread-free dinners... hehehe) and I'm excited about the changes we're making. Also on our resolution list: making God more present in our day to day lives!! My parents bought my kiddos a daily devotional for Christmas called "Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids" and we are LOVING it. It's not too wordy (we all know how fleeting children's attention spans can be) and has a verse for them to look up. My kiddos are 10 and 12 and they love it. I LOVE IT, TOO!

Honestly, I have nothing teaching related to talk about... Sorry! But I do have a Currently for ya! For those of you that read Farley's blog at Oh Boy 4th Grade you know what I'm talking about... If you haven't checked her out yet (which is surprising because she's a blogging super-star!), get on over there and view blog-someness!  

Geometry!

Right now my sweet math classes are fighting their way through division... UGH. (Any fantastic-sure-fire-ways to teach it out there?? Help me, super teachers!!)

My light at the end of the division tunnel is knowing GEOMETRY is right around the corner!! I LOVE teaching angles, lines, 3-D objects and their properties, symmetry, congruent shapes, transformations.... WOOT!

First Up: SKELETON SYMMETRY!
This activity is a fun way to learn about symmetry and it's a fun Halloween activity, too! Click HERE to purchase it at my TPT store.

Next: MY BOOK OF TRANSFORMATIONS! 
LOVE using this in my classroom to define and explain what transformations are. Great hands on activity and an excellent addition to a math notebook! Students define each term, then put three shapes onto a grid to show how they slide, turn and flip! Click HERE to purchase it in my TPT store.