School and the City

We finished testing last week. Whew! Now we relax AKA anxiously await the results. *fingers crossed* I already told you some of the things we did to prepare for testing, specifically 4 ways to reduce testing anxiety , but here are some things I did throughout the testing week to keep kids calm and positive.  Say Goodbye to Worries: One day, we read Wilma Jean the Worry Machine, which is a Julia Cook book about a young girl who suffers from anxiety. Throughout the book, she learns that worrying isn't helpful and what she can do to deal with it. You can find it on Amazon here (affiliate link) or watch on YouTube here .  After reading, we talked about all of the testing "What Ifs" that students may be wondering. Like Wilma Jean, we discussed worries that we CAN control versus worries that we CANNOT control. Lastly, I encouraged students to write down their worries on a sticky note. I told them no one would see what they wrote - not even me....

Spring has sprung, and  a new season means new text features passages! First, let me tell you about how I teach text features in my classroom.  I love cutting up an old book, magazine, or Scholastic news to make an anchor chart. It's a great way to teach text features in context and make the concept a little less abstract.  Hand motions! Lots of hand motions. Whole brain teaching strategies help vocabulary stick.  See the full video here .  Revisit constantly. Every time you see a text feature, point it out, and discuss how it can help you with comprehension.  Three words: text features passages!  Learn more: I love using text features passages as practice and assessment. I originally created these products for my own classroom. I needed a way to assess my students’ understanding of text features other than by observation, and I wanted the assessment to tie in to our science and social studies curriculum...

I'm so excited, because April is HERE! It's my favorite month because... 1. spring break (duh) 2. my birthday 💁🏼 3. NATIONAL POETRY MONTH! I love using  poetry books  to teach my students poetry. I recently updated my poetry books to meet the needs of my third grade classroom: Use this book as a tool to teach your students poetry! Types of poems included: acrostic bio shape 5 senses haiku personification cinquain diamante (synonym and antonym) This product includes an example, a scaffolded prompt (You Try It!), and a blank space (Write Your Own) for EACH type of poem.  You can print 8.5 x 11 size books, or choose the format suitable for the mini books found in the Target Dollar Spot - sooo cute!  You can purchase the poetry book  here . Use it year after year for fun with your students! *                  *     ...