I thought it would
be fun to join The Teaching Tribune for Monday Meet-Up!
Monday, June 30, 2014
Monday Meet Up
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Crafting Connections: Together We Soared Awards!
Today I am excited to be linking up with Deb from Crafting Connections to participate in her
Classroom Tested, Teacher and Student Approved series to share my experience
with her End of Year Awards & Writing Craftivity: Together We Soared Awards!
This is actually my second time participating in Deb's Classroom Tested series! Deb has so many great craftivities in her TPT store, and they have made such a difference in my instruction. So, I asked Deb if I could participate again to review/promote another one of her products. (By the way, if you are interested in reading my first post from Deb's Classroom Tested series, you can click here.)
We used this end of the year craftivity during the last week of school, right after we had finished statewide testing. I wanted my students to complete meaningful activities during the last week of school, but I also wanted to give them something fun to do. Deb's craftivity was just what I was looking for! Not only was it a writing activity, but it also gave my students a chance to create something for a classmate.
This craftivity came with everything needed to follow the steps of the writing process. My students first began by drawing another classmate's name out of a basket. This determined who they would be creating the award for. I told my students that they weren't allowed to divulge who they had chosen. This was going to be a special, surprise award for a fellow classmate.
Once the names were drawn, the students got to work on the brainstorming sheet. This sheet allowed the students to reflect on positive moments they might have shared with this person and any character traits they could come up with to describe them.
Once the brainstorming page was completed, students moved on to the rough draft. This allowed the students to transfer their ideas from the brainstorming page into a rough draft. Not only did students need to name positive character traits about their classmates, but they also had to provide support for each of these traits in their essay.
As students finished their rough drafts I met with each student and conducted a brief writing conference. Once our writing conferences were completed, the students began working on their final draft.
I had my students complete the final writing portion prior to putting the kite together. After gluing the award cover to the completed final draft, I stapled a tail (yarn) to the bottom of the kite. The students then attached the bows to the tail. Each bow had a character trait describing that person on it. Here are a few pictures of finished products:
Next came my favorite part- the presentations! Since the students didn't know who had chosen their name, they were on the edge of their seats waiting to hear who the next award was for. My students came up with really creative character traits and explanations for their classmates. At the end of each presentation, the presenter got to give the kite they created to their classmate. It warmed my heart to hear their presentations, and my students were so excited to take their awards home. This craftivity became more than a writing project; it became a special souvenir from their 4th grade school year.
I think we often spend so much time focusing on our core subjects, it is easy to forget about doing activities that focus on building character. Not only did this activity help to build a better sense of community in my classroom, but it allowed my students to recognize character traits in their classmates while still factoring in the writing process.
Deb is going to give away this craftivity to a lucky follower! Head on over to Crafting Connections to enter to win your very own copy!
This is actually my second time participating in Deb's Classroom Tested series! Deb has so many great craftivities in her TPT store, and they have made such a difference in my instruction. So, I asked Deb if I could participate again to review/promote another one of her products. (By the way, if you are interested in reading my first post from Deb's Classroom Tested series, you can click here.)
We used this end of the year craftivity during the last week of school, right after we had finished statewide testing. I wanted my students to complete meaningful activities during the last week of school, but I also wanted to give them something fun to do. Deb's craftivity was just what I was looking for! Not only was it a writing activity, but it also gave my students a chance to create something for a classmate.
This craftivity came with everything needed to follow the steps of the writing process. My students first began by drawing another classmate's name out of a basket. This determined who they would be creating the award for. I told my students that they weren't allowed to divulge who they had chosen. This was going to be a special, surprise award for a fellow classmate.
Once the names were drawn, the students got to work on the brainstorming sheet. This sheet allowed the students to reflect on positive moments they might have shared with this person and any character traits they could come up with to describe them.
Once the brainstorming page was completed, students moved on to the rough draft. This allowed the students to transfer their ideas from the brainstorming page into a rough draft. Not only did students need to name positive character traits about their classmates, but they also had to provide support for each of these traits in their essay.
As students finished their rough drafts I met with each student and conducted a brief writing conference. Once our writing conferences were completed, the students began working on their final draft.
I had my students complete the final writing portion prior to putting the kite together. After gluing the award cover to the completed final draft, I stapled a tail (yarn) to the bottom of the kite. The students then attached the bows to the tail. Each bow had a character trait describing that person on it. Here are a few pictures of finished products:
Next came my favorite part- the presentations! Since the students didn't know who had chosen their name, they were on the edge of their seats waiting to hear who the next award was for. My students came up with really creative character traits and explanations for their classmates. At the end of each presentation, the presenter got to give the kite they created to their classmate. It warmed my heart to hear their presentations, and my students were so excited to take their awards home. This craftivity became more than a writing project; it became a special souvenir from their 4th grade school year.
I think we often spend so much time focusing on our core subjects, it is easy to forget about doing activities that focus on building character. Not only did this activity help to build a better sense of community in my classroom, but it allowed my students to recognize character traits in their classmates while still factoring in the writing process.
Deb is going to give away this craftivity to a lucky follower! Head on over to Crafting Connections to enter to win your very own copy!
Friday, June 27, 2014
My FIRST Five for Friday!!
I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday! This is my first time participating in Five for Friday, so I am pretty excited!
I recently signed up to participate in a Postcard Exchange. My class will be exchanging postcards with classrooms in 49 other states (1 from each state). It's a great opportunity to incorporate some extra Social Studies into our day! Primary Graffiti has a great State Notebook (FREEBIE!!) that will allow my students to get even more out of this experience!
If you are interested in signing up for the Postcard Exchange, just click on this link to take you there. As of this morning, Alaska, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Wyoming are still available!
The Learning Center is hosting a HUGE 12 day giveaway! Danielle is giving away 6 bundles, totaling 60 products!!
I donated my 2nd Grade Physical Science Posters to this great giveaway! Hurry to enter!! I am apart of the Bundle #1. Each bundle giveaway will only be open for 48 hours, so remember to stop back often to enter! Follow this link to enter :)
After having back-to-back visitors at our house, our house is finally empty! I love having family come to visit, but I especially love the feeling when everyone has gone back home. We can get back to our regular routine! Our first set of visitors came on the last day of school, and our second set just left, so I finally feel like our summer vacation begins now! Oh, how I love pajama days!!
Tomorrow I am hooking up with Deb from Crafting Connections to review one of her end of the year products! Can you guess which one it is? I am such a HUGE fan of Deb's products, and I can't wait to share my post with you! Check back tomorrow to see which of her products I chose. There just might be a giveaway too ;)
Well, thanks for reading My FIRST Five for Friday! I hope you stop back tomorrow!
Friday, February 28, 2014
Crafting Connections: Similes, Metaphors, and Alliteration Craftivity
Today I am excited to be linking up with Deb from Crafting Connections to participate in her Classroom Tested, Teacher and Student Approved series to share my experiences with her Similes, Metaphors, and Alliteration Craftivity!
I found Deb on TPT almost a year ago, and I have been hooked on her products every since! Deb has such a creative approach to learning that has really helped to enhance my instruction. When I asked Deb if I could participate in her series, I had a hard time choosing between all of her various craftivities- there are just so many great resources to choose from! I finally settled on her Similes, Metaphors, and Alliteration Craftivity: Superheroes.
I not only used Deb's craftivity, but I also used her Figurative Language Power Point and I Have...Who Has: Similes and Metaphors Whole Class Activity Game. It took me a few days to complete all of these activities, but it was worth the time!
I began by first introducing Similes, Metaphor, and Alliteration using the Figurative Language Power Point. I loved how interactive this Power Point was- not only did it contain slides to introduce these terms to the students, but it also contained slides that allowed students to have an opportunity to practice and answer multiple choice questions for each of these areas. We used dry erase boards so I could easily assess each students' understanding and provide immediate feedback.
As a closure to this lesson, we did the I Have...Who Has Simile and Metaphor Game. This allowed the students to practice listening for the key words that signaled a simile or metaphor statement. My students enjoyed this so much that we played it again the next day as a review!
The second and third days were spent completing the craftivity. My students were so excited about the Superhero theme. I think it really helped them make a connection with each area of figurative language, because they later remembered that "Sammy Simile" needed to have like or as, and "Missy Metaphor" did not. Many students were even quick to point out that each superhero name was a short example of "Alex Alliteration."
I began this activity by handing out the two pages of shields to my students. I first had my students identify whether each statement was an example of a simile, metaphor, or alliteration. I had them put either an S, M, or A on the superhero shield so that I could easily check their answers prior to them doing any coloring or gluing. As they were working, my students were able to have some great discussions with one another and debate why a statement belonged in a certain category.
Once I checked my students' work for accuracy, they were able to color, cut, and glue the craftivity together. If you are interested in getting all of these activities I mentioned in this post, you can check out Deb's Figurative Language Bundle which contains all of these activities, plus MANY more!
My students have created several of Deb's craftivities throughout the school year already, and I can tell they are making real connections with each activity. Each craftivity I have ever gotten from Deb is so student and teacher-friendly. Everything is created for you, and all you have to do is print! I love that each of her craftivity resources comes with a picture of a completed version. This really helps my students visualize what their craftivity should look like when they put it together. The craftivities also make great bulletin board displays- parents and administrators love to see students completing meaningful activities!
Deb is going to give away this craftivity to a follower! Head on over to Crafting Connections to enter to win your very own copy!
Enjoy your weekend!
I found Deb on TPT almost a year ago, and I have been hooked on her products every since! Deb has such a creative approach to learning that has really helped to enhance my instruction. When I asked Deb if I could participate in her series, I had a hard time choosing between all of her various craftivities- there are just so many great resources to choose from! I finally settled on her Similes, Metaphors, and Alliteration Craftivity: Superheroes.
I not only used Deb's craftivity, but I also used her Figurative Language Power Point and I Have...Who Has: Similes and Metaphors Whole Class Activity Game. It took me a few days to complete all of these activities, but it was worth the time!
I began by first introducing Similes, Metaphor, and Alliteration using the Figurative Language Power Point. I loved how interactive this Power Point was- not only did it contain slides to introduce these terms to the students, but it also contained slides that allowed students to have an opportunity to practice and answer multiple choice questions for each of these areas. We used dry erase boards so I could easily assess each students' understanding and provide immediate feedback.
As a closure to this lesson, we did the I Have...Who Has Simile and Metaphor Game. This allowed the students to practice listening for the key words that signaled a simile or metaphor statement. My students enjoyed this so much that we played it again the next day as a review!
The second and third days were spent completing the craftivity. My students were so excited about the Superhero theme. I think it really helped them make a connection with each area of figurative language, because they later remembered that "Sammy Simile" needed to have like or as, and "Missy Metaphor" did not. Many students were even quick to point out that each superhero name was a short example of "Alex Alliteration."
I began this activity by handing out the two pages of shields to my students. I first had my students identify whether each statement was an example of a simile, metaphor, or alliteration. I had them put either an S, M, or A on the superhero shield so that I could easily check their answers prior to them doing any coloring or gluing. As they were working, my students were able to have some great discussions with one another and debate why a statement belonged in a certain category.
Once I checked my students' work for accuracy, they were able to color, cut, and glue the craftivity together. If you are interested in getting all of these activities I mentioned in this post, you can check out Deb's Figurative Language Bundle which contains all of these activities, plus MANY more!
My students have created several of Deb's craftivities throughout the school year already, and I can tell they are making real connections with each activity. Each craftivity I have ever gotten from Deb is so student and teacher-friendly. Everything is created for you, and all you have to do is print! I love that each of her craftivity resources comes with a picture of a completed version. This really helps my students visualize what their craftivity should look like when they put it together. The craftivities also make great bulletin board displays- parents and administrators love to see students completing meaningful activities!
Deb is going to give away this craftivity to a follower! Head on over to Crafting Connections to enter to win your very own copy!
Enjoy your weekend!
Friday, January 31, 2014
A Little Giveaway
As a little welcome to my new followers, I would like to offer a giveaway of one of my Science Concept Poster Sets (under $5). I have them available for grades 2-5. Check them out in my TPT store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Amy-Mehallic-9155
Enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Friday, January 24, 2014
Hello! Let me introduce myself :)
Hello!
I am so glad you have clicked on my blog! I am very excited to have this wonderful blog to share my teaching ideas with you and connect with other educators. A big thank you goes out to Christi Fultz for creating this beautiful blog! She is amazing :)
Well, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a 4th grade teacher in North Carolina. This is my 8th year teaching. I taught 2nd grade for two years, and have spent the last six years in 4th grade. I enjoyed teaching 2nd grade, but I found my heart was in the upper elementary grades. I feel that is where I can make the most difference in my students' lives. My husband is also a teacher at the same school. We have a 2 year old daughter who is the light of our lives!
I look forward to connecting with other teachers! Please check back frequently as I update my blog to include freebies, pictures of my classroom, as well as other blog posts.
Take Care!
I am so glad you have clicked on my blog! I am very excited to have this wonderful blog to share my teaching ideas with you and connect with other educators. A big thank you goes out to Christi Fultz for creating this beautiful blog! She is amazing :)
Well, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a 4th grade teacher in North Carolina. This is my 8th year teaching. I taught 2nd grade for two years, and have spent the last six years in 4th grade. I enjoyed teaching 2nd grade, but I found my heart was in the upper elementary grades. I feel that is where I can make the most difference in my students' lives. My husband is also a teacher at the same school. We have a 2 year old daughter who is the light of our lives!
I look forward to connecting with other teachers! Please check back frequently as I update my blog to include freebies, pictures of my classroom, as well as other blog posts.
Take Care!
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