A Grinchy Christmas

One of my favorite Christmas activities is reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas with my class and creating a lapbook.  The kids are so familiar with the story that it’s easy to apply the comprehension skills we have been learning.

Here’s an example of a completed lapbook.


If you would like a FREE copy, click on the picture above to download the file from Google Drive.  The font I used is called Grinched and I got it from dafont.com.  You can get it by clicking here.


I have a similar product for sale on TpT.  The TpT version is customizable to use with any picture book.  So, if you want the FREE Grouch version, click on the picture above.  If you want to make a lapbook for the story you’re currently reading, click below.


Happy reading!

1 comment foldables, Holidays, lapbooks

Paper Bag Matter Book *Update*

I hope everyone is enjoying fall.  Now that we have finally gotten some cooler temperatures here in Texas, maybe our poor air conditioner can take a break.

 

I have reformatted my paper bag matter book so that it will print better.  If you already have a copy of it, please hop on over to TpT and download the new version.

 

 

This activity uses large paper sacks (12” H x 8.5” W x 6” D).  They aren’t the full-size grocery bags, but they are pretty big.  I bought mine from Sam’s Club, but I would imagine that other wholesale clubs would also carry them.

 

Have a great week!

Leave a Comment foldables, Science

Constitution Day

Preamble, Articles, and Amendments, oh my!  It’s almost that time of year again.  To be honest, I used to dread teaching my 3rd graders about the constitution.  There aren’t a lot of resources available for elementary kids and it’s just a tough topic for younger kids.  Here are some resources I’ll be using this year.

 

Books:

This is a great book for kids.  The entire book is the Preamble of the Constitution.  There is one phrase on each page with bright colorful graphics.  It’s a great way to break it all down for younger kids.

 

I just got this one and I really like it.  It’s a 48 page book with lots of colorful graphics. This book includes the history behind the U.S. Constitution plus a brief description of the parts of our constitution.

 

This book is an amazing find!  Our Constitution Rocks! was written by a teenager and is a thorough guide to the U.S. Constitution.  This is a great resource for kids in junior high on up (or elementary teachers who need a little extra background).

 

Activities:

I started working on some resources for my classroom so I’m feeling a bit better about teaching the constitution this year.  These activities are sure to help me out this year.

Preamble Match includes two activities.  First, students can arrange phrases of the Preamble in order.  Then they can match the phrases with what they mean.  This is a free file on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Click on the picture above to grab a copy.

 

 

I’m looking forward to having my class create these Constitution Lapbooks.  This lapbook is a very basic overview of the U.S. Constitution.  I designed it to be easy to understand for 3rd graders.  If you want to give this lapbook a try, visit my TpT store.

 

Anybody have an awesome resource to share for teaching the Constitution? 

1 comment foldables, lapbooks, social studies

Science Tools & Safety

I survived my 1st week of school!  Yay!  I am so totally exhausted but we’re off to a great start so I’m happy.  I’m dropping in with a quick post to share some resources that I found that are great for starting off the year in science.

I’m not sure why, but last year I had trouble finding resources for science tools and lab safety.  Last year I showed this video from YouTube.  It’s really intended for older kids, but it worked for my 3rd graders.

I recently came across this one.  It’s kind of corny and made us laugh.  It’s sung to the tune of Call Me Maybe so the kids were able to get into it.  In fact, they begged me to show it over and over and over again.  I think I have it memorized now.

I also came across this pack from Christina Cottongame at TpT.  It is A.Ma.Zing.  To me, the best part is the adorable science tools foldable.  Plus, Christina includes lesson ideas for teaching about tools and safety, foldables we can add to our science notebooks, and handouts.  Click on any of the pictures below to check out this unit for yourself.



I hope you enjoy your long Labor Day weekend!

1 comment foldables, Science

Freebie Palooza

We all love a good deal and it doesn’t get any better than FREE!  Each month I’m going to showcase some freebies that I particularly enjoy.  I’m hoping that by putting them all in one place it will be easier for you.



This is a great way to show your fellow bloggers some love.  If you want to join in on the linky fun, grab some of your favorite freebies and start posting.  You can post about your own freebies but be sure to spread the bloggy love by including a few from other people as well.  Tell everyone how valuable the freebie is and show them where to snag it for themselves. 



A freebie that I really like using in my classroom is “A List of Character Traits” by Mrs. R.  You can grab it at her TpT store HERE.  It’s a 2 page list of character traits that I have my kiddos glue into their reading journal.  They refer to it all year long when we’re discussing traits.



Since we add these to our reading journals, I shrink the pages so they both fit onto one page.  I used to do this with a copy machine by reducing, cutting, and pasting.  Now I do it with my printer’s dialog box – SO MUCH EASIER!!  Your printer’s dialog box probably looks different than mine but the concept is the same.  This is what I do when I shrink & print a pdf.



After we trim off the top, right, and bottom margins, we use the left margins as a glue tab.  The trait page hangs out of the journal so we fold it back.  You can see in the picture where I creased the page.



This is how the trait page looks folded up nice and neat in the journal.



If you only put glue under the left margin, then you will be able to lift the page up and write stuff underneath.  I have my students list their own traits.




This freebie is from the wonderful Kim Sutton.  If you ever have the chance to attend one of her trainings, you HAVE to do it!  She’s very upbeat and informative.  This is her Math Riddles Set #1 which you can pick up from her TpT store. She has a ton of math resources on her Creative Mathematics website.  In the download, Kim shows you how to set up a riddle board but, of course, I like to put everything in our journals. 



I have my students cut out the cards and glue them into their journals so that each card is a flap.  Math Riddles Set #1 comes with answers (thank goodness!), but I don’t share them with my students.  We pick one riddle a day and discuss possible answers.  I allow my students to pick the answer they like best.  Then we lift the flap and write our answers.  





I found this Fakebook freebie from Best Teacher Resources on TpT.  I’ll be honest – I haven’t used it yet but certainly plan to.  This is a great way to have kids show what they have learned about historical figures, scientists, and characters from novels.  I plan to add Fakebook to our journals so I trimmed off the margins and glued it in as a flap.  I’m going to have my students lift the flap up and add more details underneath.



I would LOVE to see some of your favorite freebies and how you use them in your class.  Please join the linky and share.

4 comments foldables, freebies, journals, linky

Saturday Snapshots from Math Conference

Hey everyone!  I just got back from a road trip to San Antonio where I attended a math conference.  I had a blast as usual and learned tons!!  I’m linking up with Miss Nelson at Run! Miss Nelson’s Got the Camera! for the first time ever.  Today I’m sharing some random pictures but I plan to share some of the really cool things I learned in the next few days after I’ve caught up on some sleep. 

The Alamo


The Riverwalk


I met Stuart Murphy, author of the Math Starts series.  He was nice enough to autograph a couple of books for me.


I got some great ideas from visiting Dinah Zike’s booth.  She is an amazing woman with some very creative ideas.  Here are a few:
Fraction Quilt




Addition Flap Book



Envelope Book

This book has 3 pockets for storing goodies.



More Cool Stuff from Dinah Zike



If you ever have the chance to attend a conference with Dinah Zike, you MUST do it!  She is very inspiring and she is the queen of all things foldable.

Have a great weekend!  I hope to be back soon to share what I learned at the conference.

4 comments CAMT, foldables, linky, math

Tops and Bottoms Envelope Books

I’m linking up with Amanda from The Teaching Thief to share a project that I really intended to post about months ago.

One of my favorite projects from this last year was our envelope books we made after we read Tops and Bottoms.  We were able to cover a boatload of skills and we had fun doing it!



These are the same basic book as the map skills books I posted about here.  This time we added reading skills. They turned out really cute.



One of the things I love about this project is the ability to get multiple grades from it.  I graded each skill separately so ended up with 5 grades from this project.



I adore the kids’ illustrations!  They do such a great job.



And…there’s a pocket to put junk really important stuff, like vocabulary cards, in.

If you haven’t made envelope books with your class yet, you should.  Really.  It’s not hard and you can find step-by-step directions here.

UPDATE: I have now added the Tops and Bottom Envelope Book templates to my TpT store. You can check them out here.

2 comments foldables, Reading Skills

Throwback Thursday – Envelope Books

Hey everyone!  I’m joining up with Cara Carroll at First Grade Parade with my 1st Throwback Thursday post. 

I like to add some umph to my lessons by making paperbag books, envelope books, and lots and lots of foldables.  We do so much cutting and gluing in my class that some kids ran out of glue last year.  Anyway, here’s one of my favorite activities that I posted about in September 2012.

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I love creating interactive notes with my kids!  I’m not sure why, but folding, cutting, and gluing can make any topic more interesting.

My kids created these envelope books last week to keep their notes from our map unit in. In addition to learning map skills, our map unit included a lesson on an explorer and his impact on the present. Many of the pages we added to our books are from our mandated curriculum but I tried to spruce things up where I could.


This is a timeline that we accordion folded into our books.

This is the foldable I had planned to add to our books. I forgot to make copies so I had to improvise – oops!

The left side shows the notes we took instead of using the foldable. The right side shows a pocket we created using a map. The map shows the route Juan de Onate took. The folded paper inside the pocket is information about Juan de Onate and his journey.

The left side shows notes that we took on the outside of the folded pocket we made. We stored the maps we created inside this pocket.
These books are so easy a caveman 3rd grader can do it.  Here are the instructions if you would like to give it a try.

Start with a manila envelope of any size. I used 9 x 12 envelopes to make the map books.

Shave off the edges so that the envelope will open up.

Open up the envelope and turn it sideways. This is the inside of the envelope. The clasp should be on the left.

Fold the left side over until it meets the center crease. You will now be able to see the metal clasp.

Lift up the edge you just folded over and place glue at the top and bottom edges.

Fold the flap back down and hold in place until the glue dries. You now have a pocket.

At this point, you can see the 3 panels on the inside of the book for you to fill up with notes and foldables.

To close up the book, fold the pocket over.

Fold over the left side again.

Fold the flap over. I use this as the front of the book. That’s it – you’re done!You can add velcro dots to the flap if you want your book to stay closed. 
I love making these books. They are so simple to make and there is so much you can do with them. My 3rd graders made their own books with me modeling the process. I heard several kids comment that the books were really cool and they couldn’t wait to take them home.
If you’ve made similar books before, I’d love to know what topic you created them for.

2 comments foldables, map skills