Five for Friday~Fraction Fun

Hi, Friends! How’ve ya been? I’m linking up with Kacey for a late start to Five for Friday {it’s Saturday}!



The kiddos and I spent the day doing a little shopping, so now it’s time to sit still and start prepping the nitty gritty for next week! Does it ever end? {Don’t answer that….!}



Spring break was a blast….and went by way too fast!!! It was so much fun to slow down for a little bit and enjoy being in the company of  two of my favorite people on the planet. Our friend Natalia did an amazing job capturing sweet memories of our little family. Our photo shoot was just long enough to keep their attention, filled with laughs, and lots of fun! Check her out on FB by clicking ----------->here! ;)



This is a little more like what these two really act like, lol! They’re keepers…gotta love ‘em!



We started the week with The Little Old Lady…..What is it about this woman? Don’t they have grocery stores in her neighborhood? She could really star in an episode of My Strange Addiction because of the crazy meals she consumes! Kiddos love her crazy eating habits. We used these little diddies for sequencing the events in the story and then placed them in a literacy station with the book for retelling.



Wednesday was Glue Stick Day! Didn’t know there was such a thing? Welll, there really isn’t. We kinda…mmmm….made the whole thing up! Ha! Ever have trouble with kids losing their glue stick or even worse, losing the top?! In our classroom, we tackle this problem by labeling both the top and glue stick bottle with student numbers. That way…if someone should drop their top on the floor, we can pick it up and return it to its rightful owner.

We also conserve them as much as possible, because we only get 1 per month. Replacing them over and over again can add up to quite a few pennies. After I’ve provided students with a glue stick, it's theirs to manage for the month. If it gets used up before the 19th…they’re out, no glue stick. We have liquid glue available in our borrow box, BUT students do not keep liquid glue in their desks. When the 19th rolls around…everyone is eligible for a new glue stick, as they need it. Do I have to manage this? Nope….you know we all have that one kid that remembers EVERYTHING! Well, he keeps track of when the next Glue Stick Day rolls around too! Might as well put that great memory to practical use! =)

We had lots of fun with fractions this week. We explored parts of a whole, parts of a set and probability using hands on activities and recorded our learning with a little fold and learn fun.



It’s all wrapped up with a bow and loaded to TPT; you can check it out by clicking here. 

I couldn't leave you without a little freebie too. Students worked with partners to solve story problems that made real world connections to the importance of fractions.

Click the pic to grab one! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

 

Collaborative Group Work~Kids’ Books!

Books! Kid created books, galore! We haven’t quite made it to Bag Lady status yet, but we did have a lot of fun with a single sheet of white construction paper last week! {And, I’ve ordered some paper bags!}



Our comprehension skill was sequence of events. To get kids thinking, talking, working, and learning together to retell the sequence of events, each student was given a plain white sheet of paper, folded into 4ths. They each met in their guided reading groups to work on sequencing events using their leveled reader.



We completed this little project over the course of 3 days as a “cap off” to our mini-lessons. Students illustrated the cover and discussed the jobs of the author and illustrator. Next, transition words were cut and glued, in order, to the top of the book pages. Students met and discussed the sequence of events, wrote one sentence on the bottom of each page and drew a picture to match the sentence. We did 2 pages at a time.



After completing retelling in small groups, students were asked to put themselves in the story! Boy, did they love this part! Their task? Write 1 question you’d ask the main character.  One of the groups’ books had a fox in it. You know where that one went, right? Ha!

Lastly, students went on a hunt for digraphs. We’ve been working with digraphs and focused on words ending with -ch or -tch. 3 tasks, 1 book……lots of discussions filled with accountable talk! Admittedly, I struggle to find time for us to share our writing aloud. I’m working on it. I’m working on it! BUT, because I knew they were so proud of these, we made sure to share them at the carpet. 

AND you want to know what happened?! They WERE beyond proud of themselves. As we were finishing up……they began to chant…Encore! Encore! Encore! {Point taken……I will make more time for sharing.}



….so I’ll continue to see smiles as big as this one!



….and have kid’s happy and excited about reading and writing like Len Leopard was about getting his spots! I apologize for the picture being blurry…I snapped it on the way out on Friday.

In between the writing and discussions lots of learning was had in small groups and stations. Click the pictures below to check out the activities we used.
 



Do you keep track of what stations your students have visited throughout the week? Here’s the simple system we use in our classroom to do just that. We call it, “Must-Do/Can-Do”.



Every week, a “must do” star is placed on a bin at stations. This activity must be completed by Friday. It is the students’ responsibility to make sure they’ve visited the station some time throughout the week to complete the required task. Do I remind them; yes! Do I make sure they visit the station…no. Again, it is their responsibility. So, how do I know they’ve completed each “must do”?

Students turn in their stations work on Fridays. If the “must do” activity is not in their folder, they must go to the station(s) and complete it, while the class completes a fun Friday activity. This is usually a game or art activity…something they won’t want to miss!



If you can use them, feel free to click the pic to grab them! How do you make sure your students visit all stations during the week?