Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites Book Study: Chapter 3

We are excited to be joining the Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites book study. This week's host is Mrs. Willis' Kindergarten. Hop on over to check out what others are saying about Chapter 3 of this amazing book.

This book study came at a perfect time for us. As many of us are preparing for our state assessments, we tend to try to create "test-like" situations, which unfortunately looks like a lot of worksheets. This is not how Mollie and I run our classrooms on a day-to-day basis and we really struggle with this. This text helps us to embrace the fact that it is okay to not change how we design our instruction and that continuing to use a variety of teaching tools will prepare our kiddos to do well in any assessment situation.

Chapter 3 is all about field trips and the potential learning benefits they have. We try to attend at least three field trips a year. Each field trip seems to have its own purpose. Some support our standards in a very direct way. One trip that hits upon several Social Studies standards is Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. Henry Ford is known as a car man but more than anything, he was a historian. It is a trip back in time and our kiddos LOVE every minute of it.

The kids can't believe they are actually sitting in the same seat Rosa Parks sat in. 

The kids love checking out places like the Wright brother's bicycle shop, Thomas Edison's workshop, and the home of Noah Webster to name just a few. 

Other field trips we take focus on more than just the standards. For example, to support our Economics unit we take our kiddos on a tour of Barnes and Noble and to Red Robin for lunch. The kids hear about goods and services in two different industries as well as learn what skills are needed in each job. On top of all of that, our kiddos have a chance to practice using their manners out in our community. Something we feel is extremely important. 

Finally, some field trips are simply planned to expose our students to experiences they may not get other wise. Marcia Tate discusses how she and her daughter take students to dinner and the ballet. This hit home with me because it is the same kind of cultural experience we try to provide for our students by taking them to Art Prize here in Grand Rapids. This is an amazing event that allows artists from all over the world to submit their work to be seen all over our beautiful city. 

After reading this chapter of the book, I realized that we need to incorporate more smaller scale field trips into our year. We need to look into virtual field trips and what types of field trips we can take without even leaving home!

Sunday Scoop! 3.8.15

Hello there!

Amy here linking up with Teaching Trio for a little Sunday Scoop. Check out the link below to see what some amazing bloggers are up to this Sunday!

Here is what I am up to today. Nothing too exciting but isn't that what makes Sundays so wonderful!!!

I hope you have a fantastic Sunday and accomplish all you need to do, hope to do, and are HAPPY to do!!

March Currently

Amy here! We are so excited to link up with Farley again for this month's Currently (two in a row, WOWZA! We are on a roll!)

Listening: My mom and I went to see the musical Once a little while back and I am now OBSESSED!! I didn't know it was a movie so I had not seen it yet. We are a family that LOVES the theater so I have been very fortunate to see several musicals. Once is definitely in my top 5. If you have not had a chance to see it, check it out!

Loving: Oh why, oh why did I have to take a peek at the Easter section at Target. I have a HUGE weakness for Cadbury Mini-Eggs. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!

Thinking: I am currently eating Cadbury Mini-Eggs while I type...well... I think that pretty much sums it up. I need help!

Wanting: Our mini-fidge is on its last leg and we are in desperate need of a new one. My sweet hubby went to one thousand and one stores today looking for just the right one and came home empty handed. So the search continues...

Needing: Mollie and I are in a Collaborative Study Group with 5 other teachers and an academic support coach. The goal of the group is to identify individual instructional goals/projects that we are implementing in our classrooms and spend the year supporting one another in meeting those goals/projects. Mollie and I are both working with our kiddos on blogging. Mollie focused on the introduction of the blogs as well as teaching students how to make their blogs aesthetically pleasing and I am focusing on writing powerful comments. As part of the process, our group comes in and observes the project in action. They will be here on March 12th so it is crunch time. I have several things I need to get together before they come. It is such an awesome experience! We will blog about the entire process soon!

Spring Break Plans: I am so excited to have a majority of the time to do a few projects around the house and maybe finish up a few resources to post in our store. However, it wouldn't feel like Spring Break without a little something to look forward to. My mom and I are going to take the girls to Chicago for a couple days. I am so excited to take them on the train! They will love it!

Teachers ARE Heroes!

One of the best parts of having a store on TPT is the amazing staff. They truly LOVE teachers. When they create a sale titled "Teachers are Heroes," they mean it with all their hearts!

This is a great time to take full advantage of great prices on amazing resources, so take a look at your wish list, search those common core standards that you are in need of a fun and innovative way to teach, or check out some fun activities for upcoming holidays.

Everything in our store is 20% off and when you enter the promo code "HEROES" during checkout, you will receive an additional 10% off! Sale begins at midnight tonight! Happy Shopping!!!

Click here to check out the sale!

Sunday Scoop!

We are joining up with Teaching Trio this week to give you the Sunday Scoop. Click on the link below to see what some awesome bloggers are up to this beautiful, sunny Sunday.

Here is a look into my Sunday (Mollie's is much more exciting, she and her hubby are enjoying the windy city with some relaxing and shopping):

I didn't realize it until I put it all in one place but I am crazy about organization right now!!! My school life and home life don't always match up. At school, organization is the only way I can survive. My house is a different story. I tend to hang on to things too long, just in CASE I need them. I realized over winter break, I am spending WAY too much time sifting through things to find what I need. It is time! If you are looking for a systematic way to organize your house, check out Toni and her AMAZING blog, A Bowl Full of Lemons. I am currently completing her 14 Week Organization Challenge.

Okay, off to organize! Wish me luck!!

February: Currently

This is our first time linking up with Farley for her "Currently" linky party. We had so much fun reading through what others are currently up to, we couldn't pass it up (even though we are a little late to the game - promise we will do better next month)!

Listening: Thank goodness both Mollie and I are obsessed with Adam Levine and Maroon 5. We HAVE to play music while we work and we are lucky enough to love the same music. Just one more thing that makes us two nuts from the same tree!

Loving: This four day weekend couldn't have come at a better time. The weather is nasty (good ole' Michigan winters) and we were all feeling a bit exhausted. So what does that mean for our break? Jammies all day, toys scattered around the house and lots of hot cocoa.

Thinking: Well, as I said, the weather is nasty. My girls are asking daily how much longer until the pool is open. I think we are all beginning to wonder if spring will ever make its way through all of this snow!!

Wanting: Oh Biggby... one of my favorite places on earth! Is it bad that when I get to the drive-thru to order my coffee a few of the workers automatically say "Good morning Amy! White Chocolate Mocha?" Thank goodness no one else is in the car to hear it!!!

Needing: Mollie and I are so excited to have had our proposal accepted to present at the Michigan Reading Association conference this spring. We promised to get started on planning as soon as we finished up our report cards. Looking forward to this Tuesday when we can sit down at Panera and iron out the details of the presentation!

Pageant Title: Yes... I will admit it... I am completely addicted to Instagram. I blame my peeps on the TPT forums. The only thing better than curling up with my phone to check out what everyone is up to on Instagram is curling up with my phone, Instagram AND a White Chocolate Mocha.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Super Sale for the Super Bowl!

We are kicking off February and celebrating the Super Bowl with a storewide sale. Everything in our store is 20% off this weekend.

If you are looking for some awesome resources for this time of year, here are a few ideas!

This unique resource for President's Day asks students to look at famous quotes from presidents to infer what they mean as well as to identify what they say about the type of person the president was.

Our kiddos just completed this activity last week. It was a great opportunity for them to practice their line plot building skills as well as work collaboratively to complete a task. Kids also took time to analyze their line plot.

If you haven't checked out our Word Study units, take advantage of the sale and grab the February pack. It provides students with activities to ensure that they are going beyond memorizing a spelling list. Our word study looks at 7-8 words a month, breaks the words into parts, and uses those parts to spell and understand new words. Our kids love the activities and building their Word Study Notebook each month.

Happy shopping!