Monday Made It

It's already time for another Monday Made It with 4th Grade Frolics!

Most of my time the last couple of weeks has been devoted to teaching summer school and keeping things on track for my family of 7. So when Saturday hits I know it's time to make something to share. Last week I spent some time updating covers and this week I tackled updating a few products.

I use this decimal review activity early in the year so it seemed like a good place to start. The best thing about it is that it provides a review of several standards in our decimal unit...comparing, adding, and rounding. It includes 4 exit tickets and is free...just for today.

I always enjoy teaching summer school. It's relaxed, fun, and only 4 hours. While I am following a curriculum...there's an opportunity to try things that I want to implement with my new class in the fall. 

Today's activity was building a model of a watershed. I used a pbskids video as a guide. I liked the idea that this did not involve dirt or sand. I divided the kiddos up into groups of 4 so each group made a model. After they made the landforms out of plastic cups and containers, they covered everything with foil and pressed out streams, rivers, and lakes. 

The groups used pieces of paper for litter, and glitter for fertilizer. 

We used jello instead of food coloring for a final touch...this made the streams and rivers easier to follow. The kiddos took turns spraying the models with water and recording observations in their notebooks. We had a class discussion between each step, and then groups had the chance to look at the other models.

Tomorrow we will review what we learned with this interactive video...http://fergusonfoundation.org/hbf-kids-zone/ways-of-a-watershed/.

Have a great week!

Monday Made It

It's my second time linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It!

I have been updating products and oh my did I have a good laugh. I went back to one of the first products that I created...decimal station cards with a holiday theme. I remember being so proud of my work! The actual product was in pretty good shape (thankfully). But the cover...

Thanks to great advice on the Tpt Seller's Forum things have definitely improved. Here's the new look...

I have to give a shout out to all of the amazing sellers that share their talents. Thank you to Redpepper for the awesome retro holiday paper and to Cutesy Clickables by Collaboration Cuties for the adorable ornaments.

You can grab Decimal Cards for free...just for today. The set works great as a math station. Groups can use the 36 task cards to practice rounding to the nearest tenth (answer key included), and then play decimal war. Finally they can put the cards in order.

I created an Instagram Account! My sons have been telling me for months that this is an important tool and that I am missing out. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing...but I'll get the hang of it.

I'm off to teach summer school. I hope you have a great week, and be sure to check out all the fun at 4th Grade Frolics!

Monday Made It

This is my first Monday Made It! I am always so inspired by the great ideas at Fourth Grade Frolics. 

This week was busy with packing up my classroom and attending a class...so my "made it" list is short...really short!

I completed a project! My goal is to follow a schedule and develop products as I plan for the fall. We begin the year with patterns, so I put together a set of task cards to use with our first unit. And just for today...it is a FREEBIE! I would love feedback on this new product.

Hopefully I will have more to show next week!

Happy Fourth of July!

Pick 3 July Pinterest Finds

I woke up to rain so I'm linking up with Lisa at Pawsitively Teaching to share Pinterest finds.

Once my last box is packed...I start thinking about my new class! So my finds are all about incorporating new activities in the fall.

I love this article about STEM activities from Teach Outside the Box.

I plan on using this FREEBIE from Science and Math Doodles next week for my summer school class. It would also be a fun first day of school activity.

This will be perfect to include in our writing notebooks. I always do a heart map at the beginning of the year, but this FREEBIE from Elena Weiss will give my writers another resource to help them begin.

Visit my TPT store and instagram account for other back to school ideas.

Five for Last Week of School

My Five for Friday is really my five for the upcoming week...the last week of school!

Students always ooh and aah over that milk, food coloring, dish soap experiment. We will write haikus to record our observations. Easy and fun! Find directions for the experiment at Cool Science. And here's a look on youtube.

One of my favorite summer read alouds...

I usually begin the year with a team building activity using puzzles. At the end of the year, it's more for some quiet time. I have used all types of puzzles, but my favorite puzzles are maps. This does double duty. The class has a great time, and I have the puzzles organized for next year. I buy in bulk from Dollar Tree.

I always get a few requests for a summer math packet. This year rather than pulling things from here and there, I decided to create my own packet for rising 5th grade. I have included 10 weeks, 15 questions per week, and an answer key.

On Thursday I'll send them off with their little goody bag, and wave as the buses leave. I love our school's tradition of staff members lining the drive to say one last farewell as the kiddos drive off for their summer vacation. It's always bittersweet for me.

Then it's time to pack my room. Yikes! Be sure to check out all the fun at Doodle Bugs Teaching.

End of the Year...Almost

Well, the end of the year is almost here! We are in testing mode. There are so many important people to remember for the Virginia Studies SOL so I created task cards to help us review. I incorporated a little twist by asking..."What does not belong?" This was a reminder to read the directions and be sure to focus on what each question is asking. There was an audible gasp as the kiddos realized they were choosing the first correct fact for each person instead of choosing the incorrect fact.

I have created a 150 question Summer Review Packet that could also be used as a review for end of the year testing.

I hope the activities are helpful with your students...and thank you for stopping by Treetop Creations!

May Currently

I can't believe this is my last chance to link up with Farley! 

I love teaching geometry! It comes as a welcome break after months of computation...multiplication, division, adding and subtracting fractions, multistep word problems, etc.

Our geometry unit will also send me back to the store for the second time today. Fettuccine is the perfect math tool for teaching about lines and angles! "Fettuccine Math" will be my next blog post.

I have been saving my days to attend graduation activities with my precious two...so sub plans are a must this week! I could go on and on about my guys, but they would be annoyed. So a picture will have to do...

I am new to blogging and one of the things I looked forward to was being able to join the "Currently" party. I'm so happy that my blog was ready in time! A big thanks to Farley for letting us join in the fun.

Be sure to do some shopping at the TPT sale.

Have a great week!