Library Pass Organizing, Oreos, and Journals....

Here are library card pockets that I hot glued to the back of my door - I stuck labels from Schoolgirl Style on them and put the kiddos library paddles inside. Easy for them to grab and a quick glance tells me who is out :)













Spent an hour or so at karate practice working on my data sheets. My friend Stacy over at Funky Fresh Firsties made these cuties for me.... my new melonhead is in the corner :)

We have been reading Magic School Bus Gets Lost in Space - I have been using their daily journals to gauge interest and as an informal assessment of sorts - see what they are learning - how much they are retaining.... but this one was for fun. And I love the responses they gave me! :)

One of my 'Race' math games from my tpt store. I redid this one and made it really basic ... with just some stars to race to. There were two boards .... 2-12 and 10-20 for those that need more of a challenge. They begged to stay in from recess to play - WIN!

Last - our culminating moon phases activity - an Oreo moon phases chart! :)

Hope y'all are having a great weekend!

Interactive Notebooks and Decorating Cookies...

So, as I have said before - my schedule seems to be forever changing...

A few weeks ago I started going to the middle school and pushing into a 7th grade life science class. 

Wow. 

I fully remember why I teach elementary...

:)

Cells - cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria, golgi complex... oy VAY!

They are working on an interactive notebook in the life science class - so I found some things for my beginning English speakers to add to their IN (Interactive Notebook) to help merge their ACCESS level with the classroom content.... They already did a great job of labeling the cell,  discussing the functions,  and coming up with some cute ways to remember the organelle's jobs.

 lysosome... like lysol for the cell...

pro - no (prokaryotic cell doesn't have a nucleus)...

Vacuole - vacuum - stores the extra food and water..

BUT - I downloaded this lovely poster set from Jennifer Findley. I didn't have anywhere to display my posters - so I got a little creative....

I changed my printer settings so that 6 printed to a page, and we used these inside our IN's!
We also studied the plant and animal cells... using her other plant and animal cell unit! :) 

As the culminating activity - the class made cell cookies! How cute are these? The green cookies are the plant cells and the red cookies are the animal cells! I had a great time helping and I loved watching the kids come up with different ways to represent the organelles! 

(But really - who doesn't like cookies!) 

 

<<< My classroom door.... :) I think I will put a new positive message every month. :) 

Ride, Sally Ride.... and a Sally Ride Freebie!

Happy Monday! 

or should I say Moan-day???

Anyway - it's almost done! :) 

I have been working on a few of my Famous American packets. They started out as Famous American Inventors.... but I have expanded my scope to include more famous people! 

I just finished a biography packet on Sally Ride and I have a little freebie for you!

Click on the picture below to go to my tpt store for the paid Sally Ride packet. 

I will link it here and on my tpt page. 

Click on the picture below to go to my free Sally Ride Scavenger Hunt

As I was working on this unit I remembered all the times I witnessed the launch of the space shuttle from Kennedy Space Station. I didn't realize how lucky I was to be so close to it, or to have family members that worked there. When compiling information about Sally Ride I was reminded of the Challenger. I find it amazing that so many years later I can still remember exactly what it looked like when it exploded and precisely what I was doing. I guess 9-11 is also like that for many of us. I didn't know that Sally Ride's third space mission was to be on the Challenger once again. 

There are just so many interesting things to learn in this world! 

I don't know how I will ever learn all of them! :) 

Have a great week!