Peacemakers & Peacebreakers

Today was a rainy day in Kansas. We are used to heat indexes in the 100s, so the rain was very welcome with the nice mid80s! And you know what rain means = indoor recess!

(view from my desk during indoor recess! lots of coloring and pretending!)

Today, I read No, David to my students. They LOVE this book! We made connections to our own lives and when David's situations and naughty behaviors are similar to our own. Then, we moved onto thinking of how we can be Peacebreakers and Peacemakers in the classroom. Here are our ideas:

And we can't go into a lesson without a little bit of art/hands-on activities! This is my example of a Peacemaker David. My students are making their own. On each Davids' tshirt is the students finish the sentence "I am a peacemaker when I...". I really enjoyed reading their reasons!

O'fish'ally 3rd Graders

I have decided to have a fish theme in my classroom this year. Here's my fish-infused classroom!

Outside Hallway Bulletin Board

Fishie Birthdays! I was inspired by Life...as I Know It for this idea. I printed a fishbowl for each month of the year. Then, I found a cute little fish outline for each student to place on their birth month. I wrote their names and their birthdays. Did you spot the popular month?!

During Meet The Teacher Night before school starts, along with my party sign-ups, conference sign-ups, and contact forms, I put out a wish list of sorts. I made a note that says "Swim over and make a donation to our classroom" along with di-cut fish with items I'd like to have in our classroom.

During the first week of school, each student will paint their very own fish. We used a salt dough recipe to make the fish. The fish will be hung from the ceiling and become year-long decorations. The students really take their time decorating their fish and each one is very unique. Plus, they are begging to take them home at the end of the school year!

At Meet the Teacher Night, the students will get a goldfish treat with the note recognizing them as o'fish'al 3rd Graders!

Classroom Tour

Our district has grown at a rapid pace, my school in particular. We are a Pre-K through 4th Grade elementary school with just over 600 students in attendance. To give you perspective, most of the other elementary schools in our district have between 300-400 students. Because of our capacity, the 3rd and 4th grades have been housed in modular buildings for the last two years. We have gotten used to our smaller classrooms and have had to be creative with space.

Here Come the Students!

Our school has "Meet the Teacher" night the night before school starts. I have also heard it called "Sneak Peek", which is an awfully cute name for it!

The students know who their teacher is, have seen their class list, are ready to preview their room, and drop off supplies. We as teachers, take this opportunity to get as much information from the parents as possible! I have all my sign-ups set out for this event: Contact Information, Party Sign-ups, Volunteer Sign-Ups, and Conference Sign-ups (October & February!). Plus, we have our Third Grade Brochure that includes lots of great information for parents.

Going with my FISH theme, I made wish list items on di-cut fish with the sign, "Swim over and make a donation to our classroom".

The students have a To-Do list on their desks that tells them where all their supplies goes, so they can go through it with their parents and I do not have to explain it to all 23 of them ;) I have also added a QR scan for parents' smart phones with a link to my contact information!

If they have completed their list, they can enjoy a treat. This year, I have made bags of goldfish with a celebratory "You are o'FISH'ally a 3rd grader now!" note attached.

Here's a peek at what I have already put in their desks!
Black Binder - with Geography morning work, Super 6 math resources, vocabulary, & proof-reading

Composition Notebooks - used for personal journals

Students take home their first homework assignment that night as well! Students will share these bags throughout the first week of school. I love this assignment so much as I really get to know my students through the objects they choose to bring to school

Made It Monday

I'm linking up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for Made It Monday! For today's Made It Monday, I made boys' & girls' restroom passes and their Secret Service kindness projects.

I picked up a couple hand santizers at the dollar store to make my restroom passes. Then, ripped off the labels to get them a little more fishy! I found cute merman & mermaid cliparts and labels boys'/girls' restroom passes. A little ModgePodge and they are ready to keep germs away starting the first day of school!

Secondly, one of my 3rd grade teammates suggested we try out The Fickle Pickle's Secret Service kindess encouragement project. This activity has been all over Pinterest, so I'm sure many of you have seen it! The students are given a "secret mission" to spread kindness all around them! Instead of making "can't do"/"must do" rules for our classrooms, we are going to talk about what our classroom should look and sound like. This secret service project will help the students understand that they can practice kindness everywhere they are!

Bulletin Board Tour

Hallway Bulletin Board

About Me Bulletin Board


Proud Wall Bulletin Board: Topic will change monthly

Birthday Bulletin Board (check out November!)


Science Bulletin Board:We start with the study of insects!


Math Bulletin Board: Place Value & Four Ways to Write a Number!


Reading Bulletin Board: We will be learning prefixes and suffixes all year long!

More Awards!

Wow! I have been nominated for a couple of awards and I am so thankful!!

Thank you so much Antoinette and Emily as well as Cheryl at Spotted Around the School for honoring me with The Versatile Blogger award.
There are only 3 rules to follow once you've received this award :)
1. Follow the person who gave you the award
2. Link back to the person that gave you the award
3. Pass the award on to 7 new bloggers

• The Idea Backpack
  
• Mandy's Tips For Teachers
  
• What the Teacher Wants
  
• For the Love of Teaching
  
• Just Wild About Teaching
  
• Primary Possibilities
  
• My (Not So) Elementary Life
  

Thanks so much to Anna over at Life...As I Know It and Cathy at C is for Cookies, Cakes, Children, Classroom, and Class for the Liebster Blog Nomination! This award recognizes blogs with under 200 followers!
Here are the rules for this award:

1.Copy and paste this award on your blog.

2. Thank the giver and link back to them.

3. Reveal 5 other bloggers and let them know by commenting on their blog.

• Teaching Third
  
• Ramblings of a Deaf Ed Teacher's Mind
  
• Mrs. Jackson's Class
  
• An Apple For The Teacher
  
• Inspire, Dream, & Create
  

THANKS EVERYONE!!