Daily 5 - Chapter 5 & Monday Made It!

DAILY 5, CHAPTER 5

Check out my other Daily 5 posts by clicking here.

Well, I'm a tiny bit behind the book study because of all the birthday festivities...I think I have fished more in the past week than I did all last summer, but that's what he wanted to do!  I'm back now, and I'll catch up this week!  Today, I'm linking up with Mechele from Barrow's Hodgepodge and Melissa from Dilly Dabbles who co-hosted this chapter!

Chapter 5 is all about Read to Someone and Listen to Reading!  I love the quote at the beginning of the chapter!  I think it implicates so, so much for my read-alouds!  How can I define a purpose while still keeping read-alouds enjoyable?

Read to Someone

In my reading group, I have done partner reading in the past.  However it hasn't been a consistent part of our routine.  We read our weekly story with partners once a week and not every week.  The kids love it though, and they always asked to do it!  I assigned partners (randomly, but I had veto power) to help things run more smoothly.  However, with the sisters' strategies, the I-chart, and all of the modeling included in daily 5, I'm hoping I won't have to do that this year!  In fact, the sisters say "...explicit teaching and practice will lead to engaged and productive partnerships instead of chaos." (pg. 61)  If I can will myself to let them choose their own partners, then I know they'll love it even more!

There are 6 important days of step-by-step lessons that give students the skills to successfully participate in read to someone.  All the while you and your kids are working on building stamina in read to someone!

Listen to Reading

Listening to fluent reading is something that I have also done in the past.  Once a week, usually on Monday, we listened to our basal story for the week and followed along in our text books as a class.  Everyone did this together, not in centers or small groups.  The thing that bothers me about the CD's that are provided is that it dings when it moves to a new page, and some of my kiddos just listen for that ding and don't really follow along at all.  Again, I'm hoping with the sisters' help and the routines, strategies, and modeling it won't be a big problem this year!

I will definitely need some more supplies for listen to reading!  I have a couple of computers in the room and an iPod.  But I'm thinking I'll need a few more listening devices, headphones, and maybe a headphone splitter or two!  I love their idea of each child having his or her own headphones that are labeled and kept in a baggie in their book box.  I don't need too many more books on tape/cd.  As I mentioned, our reading series comes with CD's for all of our stories.  A special ed teacher of 30+ years is moving to the middle school and she gave us boxes of books on tape, and I also had a donors choose project funded this summer so I'll be getting Junie B. Jones books on CD soon!  Donors Choose is a terrific place to get things like this that you need for your classroom!  Listening center materials will be my next project!  And remember to look at oo.com for your project if it's technology based, and share it with us so we can vote for it!

There are four days of focus lessons to successfully introduce "listen to reading".

Don't miss this giveaway!

Since we're talking about Daily 5, there is a little something I wanted to share with you that I think could be great for word work (which I'll be blogging about Wednesday)!  I have a set of Hot Dots multiplication practice cards that I absolutely love!  Students can practice independently, and it's easy to do!  By pressing the answers with the included pen they are told if their answer is correct or incorrect...that's it!  They have a lot of sets for all grade levels and all subjects too!  I saw some homophone cards (and lots of others) that could be great for word work!

The best part is...right now you have a chance to win 2 sets and a pen for your very own!  Just head over to Denise's blog to enter!

MONDAY MADE IT!
Now I'm linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for my Monday Made it!

This week I have a really simple project that I decided to do while walking through Wal-mart the other day.  I think it will be a great way to build a strong classroom community though!  
I found a simple wooden picture frame like this at the store. 

I had some of this at home.

I painted the frame, and we'll change pictures out all year long and I can write on the frame to tell about the picture or our class!  {Excuse my writing...ugh...}  Now, I think I've told you before that I'll be having many of the same kids this year in 3rd grade that I had the first year I taught in kindergarten!  I'm so beyond excited!!  So when they come into our room for the first time, they'll see a picture of them and/or their friends {my kindergarten kiddos}!  I think it will be a great way to make our room seem more like home from the very beginning!

All Dressed up for Halloween =)
I wonder if they'll remember!

P.S.  I'm using these to write!  I got them at Jo-Ann's and love them!!  They are supposed to work on chalkboards and white boards and even windows!  I've only tried them on chalk so far.  I erased it pretty easily with a wet paper towel and my hands didn't get messy!!  Yay!  The down side?  They're a little pricey...

I'm thinking I might add a classroom job to my list - photographer.  They'd use our class camera at different times during the week to take pictures.  I don't want it to be a distraction though.  Has anyone else assigned a job like this?  Do you use a class picture frame?  I have two this year...hopefully I can keep the pictures updated!
Now, don't forget to link up your Monday Made It or your Daily 5, Chapter 5 post!

What Luck!?!

I'm feeling very lucky and very blessed tonight!  Can you believe that I was given an award and I won 2 giveaways??  I can't either!!

First off, thanks so, so much to Amber from Adventures of a Third Grade Teacher (great gal, great blog...check her out) and Kayla from Primary Junction (stop by to see all of her great ideas)!  I won $25 worth of items from Amber's TPT store, and I'm excited to pick out what I want!  I won a one year subscription for my class to Samson's Classroom from Kayla's giveaway!

And, if you can believe it, there are even more giveaways going on now!  Click on the pictures to check them out!

Luna Interactive Projection Camera

HearAll Assessment Recorder        3 Units, 2 gift cards 

9 Products           Up to 21 products

Now go and enter, enter, enter so maybe you can win too!  Good luck if you do enter (or if you already have)!

Now, thank you so very much to Sara from Miss Elementary, Aimee from Pencils, Books, & Dirty Looks, and Colleen from Totally Terrific in Texas for giving me the Versatile Blogger Award!

There are 7 rules you're supposed to follow when you get this award:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

2. Include a link to their site.

3. Include the award image in your post.

4. Give 7 random facts about yourself.

5. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award.

6. When nominating, include a link to their site.

7. Let other bloggers know they've been nominated.

So I guess I'm on step 4...I'll try not to bore you!  I'm not very exciting!

7 Facts You Probably Don't Know About Me!

1 - I'm an only child, and believe it or not, I can not remember ever wanting a brother or sister when I was little...

2 - I am named after my grandmothers whom I love dearly!

3 - I'm much more of an introvert than an extrovert!  I'm good with working alone! {But I love blogging!  Does that make me more outgoing??}

4 - I honestly wish I wasn't so shy and quiet and was more outgoing (like my husband)!

5 - I love to cook and especially to bake!

6 - School was always extremely important to me!  I was the valedictorian of my graduating classes in high school and college with 4.0 gpa's and 2 of my 3 Praxis scores were in the top 10 - 15% of all scores!  {I should've had a little more fun, I think!}

7 - My husband and I have been married for 6 years (on July 8th) and together for 9!  I hope to be a mommy soon!  I'd love to have my own little one by the end of next year!

I don't share numbers 6 & 7 (the last part) often, so it's a little scary...that's number 3 coming out in me I guess...

So because I am exhausted and it's waaaay past my bedtime (yes, sad I know...) I'll be back soon to nominate 15 other bloggers for the award!  Hopefully I'll get that done in the morning, but we're having a heat wave with no rain in sight, so tomorrow will be spent on the boat and in the water!  It might be Sunday before I'm back! =)

Thanks again, Aimee, Colleen & Sara for the award!

P.S. Remember oo.com and how you all so graciously helped me get my project funded??  There are two great teachers out there who need your help now!  Could you please head over and vote for them!  I know they'll appreciate it as much as I did!


**Shawn left a link on my oo.com & donors choose post, and he needs your help getting his project funded!  Click on the link to get there! http://www.oo.com/safkids/detail/projectid/791196
**Jessica, who many of you probably know from her blog needs help getting her project funded too!  Click on the link to get there! http://www.oo.com/safkids/detail/projectid/757894
I'd love it, and I know they would too, if you could help these two teachers give their students a little more technology in their classes!  Head on over and vote!  And remember, you can vote every day!  Check out my post if you missed it and won't to know more about oo.com or donors choose!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

I can't say it enough.....THANK YOU!

Okay...so I know I'm not supposed to post twice in a day, but I am just TOO EXCITED to wait!!  I posted about oo.com and their efforts to fund Donors Choose technology related projects on June 5 and shared my project, and in less than a week my project got enough votes to be funded!  Yay!!  Again, I can't thank everyone who voted enough!  And I have to think there were a lot of you considering how quickly it got the needed votes!  My new class in the fall (and many classes after) will have a SMART wireless slate to use!  I am sooo excited and so, so grateful!

Source

If you don't have a project on Donors Choose, what are you waiting for??  It is so wonderful for teachers who need classroom supplies and other materials to enrich their class...and isn't that all of us?  If you're a little hesitant, feel free to email me and I'll help you in any way I can!  Katie at Dirty Hands and Lesson Plans blogged about Donors Choose and gave her readers some great tips too!  I found it helpful to look at other projects when I submitted my first few, and Katie shared the link to her page to take a peek at hers.  You can click on the picture below to look at mine!

UPDATE: I found another blog post with tips for grant writing (on Donors Choose and elsewhere)!  This is a guest post on The Organized Classroom Blog.  Just click on the link to check it out!

And another big thank you...thank you for following me and listening to my rambling!  I have reached 100 followers, and I'm planning a big giveaway to celebrate!  If any of you wonderful bloggers are interested in joining in by giving away a TPT/TN item email me! <---- Just click here :)  If you do want to take part, I'll put your blog button and product in my giveaway post!

Thanks again for voting and for following my little ol' blog!  You've made me a very happy teacher over the past couple of days!

OO.com and Donors Choose

If you haven't heard, a great website, oo.com, has partnered with Donors Choose to help teachers like us get our important projects funded!  You know how I love Donors Choose and applaud their work.  Well oo.com is helping specifically with technology related projects!

oo.com is a site that helps you find shopping deals and discounts, but they're doing something much more significant!  They find technology related projects (requesting computers, printers, nooks, iPods, etc.) and highlight them on their "save & give" page, http://www.oo.com/sa500kids.  It's free and easy to sign up, and you don't have to purchase anything to vote!  You can vote for multiple projects with just the click of your mouse, and you can vote every day!  Like a project (via Facebook) to give it 10 votes!  And if you do choose to shop through oo.com, every dollar you spend = a wow point, and you can "wow" a project to give it 20 votes (as many times as you want)!

If you have a technology related project, hurry on over to oo.com, look for it, and start voting!  I was surprised to find mine on there the first time!  If you don't have a project that will be featured, swing by and see who you can help!  You can explore the projects and search by state and even city.  I would love, love, love for you to take a moment to vote for my project!  I'm hoping to get a SMART slate for my class!  You can click on this link, the picture below, or the picture in the sidebar to find my project!

Remember, you can vote multiple times, so look around for other projects to support while you're there!  If you find one of your donors choose projects, leave a link to it in the comments below!  I would love to vote for your project too!

My Rockin' Resources

So, Kelley, at Teacher Idea Factory is hosting her first linky party to give everybody a place to share those special classroom items you can't live without!

Rockin' Resources: Things I Couldn't Live Without

I'm going to tell you about my top 5!

1. Donors Choose - I have had 4 projects funded so far that amount to over $1,200 worth of products and supplies that my students benefit from!  I couldn't give them all of these resources on my own...my husband already thinks I spend too much!  So I am extremely appreciative of all of those that choose to give to others and donate their hard-earned money to help our students!  I told a little bit more about 3 of my funded projects in a previous post. 

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2.  Colorful Pens & Markers and Scented Stickers - If I have to grade papers, I can at least spice it up a little with some cute colors!  Flair pens are one of my favorites for grading!  I love colorful dry erase markers for writing on the board too!  And my kids absolutely love scented stickers...there is nothing better!

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3.  My students' work organizer - I bought one organizer like these from Wal-mart when I moved to third grade for my kiddos to turn in all of their work.  I love that they have a specific place to turn in each different assignment!

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4. These handy little "grade book" slips, and highlighters!  I found this form at Teach 123 thanks to pinterest!

I write my students names on the slips and then copy them.  I cut them apart and tape them down next to our organizer, one for each assignment.  The kids highlight their name on the list and on their paper before turning it in.  I could count the papers turned in with no name on ONE hand after implementing this system!  And it's so easy for the kids to do...my third graders caught on quickly and didn't need any more instruction in how to turn in their papers after just a few times!  It's simple for me to see who hasn't turned in their work as well.  I just paper clip the slip with the finished assignments when they've been turned in.  This year, I might copy the lists onto different (light) colors for the different subjects I teach!

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5. Dropbox - This website offers free storage for all of your files and documents that you create or download. {TPT anyone?}  I love using dropbox, because you can access your account from any computer with internet access or even your iPhone and iPad.  You can create folders just like you do on your computer.  I can work at home and upload my documents then open and print them at school (or vice versa).  No more worrying about forgetting my flash drive!  Here's a screenshot of what my dropbox folder looks like.

Visit the factory and link up!  And don't forget to enter my very first giveaway!

Pay It Forward

What a nice idea...giving back to others when you have been blessed by the kindness and generosity of those around you.  

Recently I have been fortunate enough to benefit from the kindness and generosity of men and women I have never met and likely never will!  This normally unlucky person feels so lucky to have had four donors choose projects worth $1,229 funded in the past year and to have won several giveaways from amazing bloggers in just the past few months!  Katie at Dirty Hands and Lesson Plans has had some success with Donors Choose too, and she is planning on posting some of her tips for getting your projects funded too!  In the meantime, check out the rest of her blog!

I want to share my good fortune with others, so I am hosting my first giveaway!  I am so excited to do this, and I have been thinking about it for some time now.  I had planned to hold a giveaway when I reached 75 or 100 followers, but I just don't want to wait!  So here we are!  I hope to have the opportunity to brighten someone's day and make them feel a little lucky too!

I'm giving away two prizes to two winners!  The first winner will get a $15 gift card, and the second winner will get a $10 gift card!  You get to choose between a Donors Choose gift card and a Teachers Pay Teachers gift card or a combination of the two (TPT offers a $10 gift card, so if you are my first winner and would prefer a TPT gift card, you can get $10 from TPT and $5 from DC)!

Enter by following my blog and leaving a comment on this post telling me which gift card you would choose!  Grab my button for your blog or add 3rd Grade's a Charm to your blog roll for two more chances to win!  Mention my giveaway in a blog post and link back to this post for 2 more entries!  You can link back to this post by grabbing the button below for your post!  (Hopefully it'll work!  If not I'll be tweaking it!)


<center><a href="http://third-grades-a-charm.blogspot.com/2012/05/pay-it-forward.html/"><img border="0" src="http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh501/3rdGradesACharm/MyGiveawayButton.jpg"/></a></center>

What are you waiting for??  Enter now!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't miss out on these other great giveaways either!

Sweet Michelle, at No Monkey Business, is having a giveaway to celebrate 100 followers!  She's giving away 10 items from her TPT or TN store, and let me tell you, you want to win!  Her stuff is great!  Be sure to go check it out and enter to win!

Brittany from Sweet Seconds (love that title - every second counts!) is having an amazing giveaway as well!  She too is celebrating 100 followers!  Stop by and enter to win a TPT gift certificate or an Amazon gift certificate!

Every New Beginning is hosting a giveaway as well to introduce her new blog!  Stop by and take a look around!