Touch Math Giveaway

Teaching Happily Ever After has teamed up with Touch Math for a giveaway worth $150. I have found this program to be excellent for my struggling learners. I especially like Touch Money because it uses a multisensory approach to teaching. Children learn to count coins by ones and fives so they don't struggle while switching from counting quarters by 25, dimes by 10, nickels by 5, etc. If you've never used the program, check it out here and download free sample pages. Click the button to take you to her site to enter the TouchMath giveaway!

Technology Tricks - Layering Images and Clipart

Want to learn how to layer images? It's a great trick to have when you want to put text over a picture. It's easier than it looks, and once you get it down you'll be glad you learned!

Here's what you'll need:

• computer
• Microsoft Word
• fonts - check out Kevin and Amanda, Sugar Frog Fonts, or Lettering Delights (my best friend teaches too, and when I showed her the first 2 sites, she said she was going to have her students send in their handwriting samples so that they can use their own "handwriting" when they go to the computer lab.) How cool is that? I think all of the fonts they already have are from adults.
• clipart - you can buy some at Lettering Delights, Digiweb, DJInkers, Scrappin Doodles, ThistleGirl Designs, or you can get some for free at Phillip Martin's site.

*Please keep in mind that you may need to explore a bit and that these directions might be different if you have a different version of Word!*

1. Open Microsoft Word.
2. Import an Image by clicking "Insert" --> "Photo" --> "Picture from File" (I think you need to click Insert --> Clipart / Picture --> From File in older versions.)

     (I used strip of a paper pack from Lettering Delights for a Thanksgiving theme center I'm making) 

    

     3. Click "Insert"

    4. Select the image. (You should see squares around the perimeter.)

    5. Click "Format" --> "Picture"

     6. Click "Behind text" --> "OK"

    7. Click "Insert"-->; "Text Box"

    8. Choose font and font size. Type into the text box. 

    9. To overlay a picture on top of a picture, repeat steps 1-5. See how the picture looks cut off? Once
        you have imported and sized your picture, click "Format" --> "In Front of Text" -->; "OK"

YOU DID IT!

Download directions here.

**Here's a little secret - this is pretty easy, but it's a lot easier if you have Kidspiration (buy from Amazon for much cheaper) or SmartBoard / Promethean Board software! (can also rotate images much more easily)**

Dolch Sight Words Pack

Here are some previews of my 49-page Dolch Sight Words Pack. The pack includes PreK-3 Dolch sight word lists in "bubble lettering" to be used for a word wall, as rainbow words, for ABC order, or as flashcards. Also included are assessment sheets, suggestions for word ladders, and links to resources for sight words. 

I like the idea of adding 5-6 sight words a week to spelling lists. Older children can be asked to write their own story using all of the words either on a test, at a center, or for homework. Speaking of that...have you checked out Spelling City yet?! It allows students to create flashcards, take a test, and play games with their words! Teachers can load their lists and create a class page for students to visit!

Another game I found is from Starfall. I love this site because it's so kid friendly and it talks to them. Another game you can play outside is Sight Word Island Hopping. It's neat because all it takes is some chalk and pavement to play! You can also create construction paper islands for indoors.

Somebody Wanted...But...So...Then

I forget where I heard it, but someone once told me that any book or story can be summarized with the following phrase:

(Somebody) wanted __________, but __________ so ____________; then ___________.

Let's try it:

Cinderella wanted to go to the ball, but she didn't have a dress so her fairy godmother made her a dress and then she went to the ball.

(Click for a rebus story)

Little Red Hen wanted to get help making bread, but dog, cat, and duck didn't want to help, so she made it alone then she ate it all herself.

So the grammar fanatic in me says these are run-on sentences, but it makes summarizing very easy for younger children!

Here's our anchor chart:

Download my graphic organizer or check these out:

Fortune Teller foldable
Roller Coaster

Beginning, Middle, End form

Getting the Fourth of July off to a Dazzling "Star"t!

In honor of the signing of the Declaration of Indepence, all star items in my TPT store are free! 

(click to download)

 As part of this year's third grade astronomy unit, we worked on the Earth, sun, and moon system as well as other celestial bodies like planets, meteoroids, asteroids, comets, and stars. I thought the Fourth of July would be a great time to share the star / constellation activities with you!

My essential question for the beginning of the star classification lesson is, "What is a constellation?" Students write their hypotheses in their journals (they have some prior knowledge due to myths they have been reading in language arts) and we look for common answers. I find that students usually don't mention that the stars that make up constellations are different sizes and colors. I introduce that concept by showing students this star comparison video.

Then students are asked to work with partners to color the stars and fill in the lab sheet showing 4 different ways stars can be classified: size, color, temperature, and luminosity/brightness (each star is labeled with them).  The plan and lab sheet are here. If you have early finishers who need a challenge, have them try to find the star's letter used in a Hertsprung-Russel Diagram.

While students are working, I play this constellation song so they get used to their names and have an easier time identifying the stars and their constellations when we visit the StarLab.

We also compare meteors, asteroids, and comets using this sheet.

If you'd like to try this lesson with younger children, just have them sort by color or size and skip the lab sheet.

Don't have materials? Check out this FOSSweb module. 

Check out my website for lesson plans, lab sheets, and more astronomy websites for teacher and student use.