I’m a big fan of using educational apps in the classroom. The students LOVE using iPads, so they can work independently on iPads while freeing me up to focus on individuals or small groups. When I was contacted byBright World eBooks to review their first app, Ocean Forests, I jumped at the chance to test…
Oh, friends! Please tell me you can relate to this. My head had just hit the pillow on Sunday night. I was counting my blessings, winding down, and trying to get my constant brain rattling to stop. And then it hits me, You must redo your animal project. Writing workshop is seriously my favorite thing…
Pumpkin spice, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin ice cream, even pumpkin beer. You name it, we’re putting pumpkin in it this time of the year. And I’m okay with that, really. Except I’m more crazy about decorating with pumpkins than eating them. 😉 I’ve always loved this time of year in third grade though. We…
Okay, my friends. I did it. I actually finished another Big Kid Unit and have it loaded in my store. For those of you who create these things {and probably even those of you who don’t}, it’s kind of like giving birth. When I start a project like this, I have a million ideas that…
Our first science unit is all about the scientific process and inquiry. This year’s group was having a really hard time using our textbooks, and the experiments inside it were far too simple to actually have students do any meaningful inquiry. I knew it was time to hit the internet and find several easy, but…
After our sweet class hamster died this spring, I decided not to get a new pet immediately. Pebbles was my third class pet in my eight years of teaching and her death was the hardest one. Finding your pet dead on the morning of the Very Big State Test that determines whether or not your…
We’re working our way through my solar system unit as we march toward the end of the year. I save it for last each year because it keeps the students so engaged. I always learn something new too. It’s totally a win-win in those last crazy days {assessment overload, anyone?}. With just one week left…
We’re working on our matter unit in science and it has been so much fun! I love being able to do hands-on science with my kiddos, but I didn’t have many resources for matter. Our science book is fine, but a little boring. {Can anyone relate to that?} So you know what I did… I…
Cassandra has a newer blog called Adventures in Room 5. She just reached 200 followers so she asked for donations for her Super Science Giveaway. I gave her a copy of my brand new Pumpkin Unit for Big Kids and she included it in a huge bundle of life science freebies. She also has several…