ISTEP SURVIVAL BAGS

We are two weeks away from our first big state test!  One of my colleagues found an ISTEP Survival bag and tweaked it so it fit our "Superhero Theme"!  We are going to have a pep session the Friday before we start testing and when the students come back to the classroom, they will have this goodie bag sitting on their desk.  It is our hopes that this will get them pumped up even more and ready to take the test!

We collected different items to use for each saying (toothpick, penny, gum, mint, eraser, smarties, and pencil). 

Click on the picture of the bag for this FREE resource if you want to use to help your students Soar to New Heights with their testing!!  On the last page, I left an area blank above the SURVIVAL KIT so you can make it to fit your needs!

Word Choice

Whew!! This time of year is very stressful for both teachers and students.  With all the snow days and two hour delays, our state standardized testing prep days have been cut way down - YIKES!!!  Last year Beth and I planned four weeks of ISTEP writing prep.  We took information from Smekens website and incorporated those into our lessons.  We also had our teachers portray different characters from their site.  This week, we will be meeting Prunella Purple.  She talks to the students all about how to use Purple WOW words in their writing.  This is a resource we used last year and I thought I would share!  After reading Fancy Nancy and discussing her "fancy" words, students were partnered up and found words in the text that were boring and made them into Purple Wow words. This helped them realize the importance of Purple Wow words but at the same time when too many of those words distract the reader.  I hope that you can use this in your writing!

 

Click on the picture for the resource!

Here are the ISTEP ladies from the Smekens website!
http://www.smekenseducation.com/the-test-ladies-are-everywhere.html

How To Writing - Root Beer Floats

During the month of January, we do some exciting writing!  Our third graders work on How To Writing pieces (How to Build a Root Beer Float and How to Blow a Bubble).  We just finished our How to Build a Root Beer Float.  We first start out as a grade level and build a Root Beer Float together.  By the students giving directions, they quickly realize how specific they need to be and they need to give every detail!  From there, students draw the steps and then work on writing out the directions step by step.  This is a great time for us to work on transition words and talk about using a variety of catchy transitions instead of first, second, third, etc. Here are some pictures of the finished work!  They really enjoy this writing and it is very "eye-catching" and they enjoy seeing them out in the hallway!

Click on the picture to get the organizer!

 

****  We are in the process of making our "How to Blow a Bubble".  When it is done, I will post pics! ****

Snow, Cold, and Melonheadz!

Emily and I are on our third “Snow Day”!  The roads are still terrible in central Indiana but we are enjoying our extended Christmas vacation. 

Emily has been hard at work on a Martin Luther King Interactive Flipbook and I’m working on something for Antarctica-just can’t decide what!!

We are excited to officially be Melonheadz Addicts!!  We love Nikki’s graphics and any products we make using them are always top sellers!  Don’t you just love our new button????!!!