End-of-Year Packets

I finished 2 end-of-the-year packets for third and fourth grade students. I wanted a packet that the students could keep as a record of some of their learning and activities. Since I previously taught second grade, the end-of-year packets I already have are too simple for my students this year.

I included 39 pages in these packets. You can pick and choose which pages to use with your students. There are multiple pages for each subject (Math, Science, Writing, Reading, and Social Studies). I included places for them to record concepts that were easy for them this year and areas they needed to be persistent in to learn the concepts. They get to record their favorite learning strategies, as well as, their memories of class/school activities. There are pages for each Special Area class (PE, Music, Art, Computer Lab, Media, Library, Guidance) and a page for Autographs.

I have posted the packets on Teachers Pay Teachers. They are having a Sale beginning tomorrow for two days (May 9th-10th).

The image above will take you to our store- "Education Whimsy" and it shows the code for the discount. The images below link to the individual packets.

Wednesday Whimsy

My grandson, Ben, is now 13 months old. He was born on March 17, 2016- a St. Patrick's Day baby. I was looking through some pictures and I found the one below. It was taken on March 18th last year. We live on a very wooded 5 acres in the country. When we came home that day from seeing Benjamin at the hospital, there were literally, hundreds of these plants with purple flowers that had popped up all around the side yard. They were not there the day before. 

At first, I thought they must have been from seeds of previous flowers I had planted, but we realized they were not similar to any we had in the yard. 

The "whimsical" part is that purple was my mother's favorite color. (She passed away in November 2013) Was this her way of celebrating Benjamin's birth? I like to think so.

The interesting thing is that these flowers showed back up this year on Ben's birthday and stayed around for a couple of weeks. Hmmm...it makes me wonder.

Stephanie

TES

Have you visited TES yet? This is a Teacher Resource site. It s based out of the UK, but also serves the United States and other countries. They sell teacher-made resources, but they have A LOT of other things on their site. There are a lot of articles, videos, and educator forums. Be sure to check it out!

TES Shop

Monday: Making crafts

I loooove making crafts and painting! It is very relaxing for me. So, I have already been thinking about my classroom decor next year so I can start working on the crafts.

I have decided on a "Sports" theme. I will most likely be teaching third grade, but may be moving up to fourth grade. I think "Sports" is a good theme for the older kids. The city I teach in also has a local college team that is very popular so I will be incorporating the Gators also in my room.

I have a space above my cabinets where I currently have the word "DREAM". For next year, I want to put the word "PLAY" up there. I have started painting the cardboard letters and I want each one to be painted int he style of a sports ball.

So far, I have the "P" painted in a baseball style.

I'm still working on the other letters. The "L" will be a basketball. The "A" will be a soccer ball. The "Y" will be a football. I bought the "P" first- at Hobby Lobby. I bought the other letters at JoAnn Fabrics. I thought they were all the same size,but I think I like the "P" being larger.

I'll post a new picture when I get them done. With everything else going on right now, I can only work on crafts for a short amount of time at once.

Stephanie

Some Thoughts on Children

I spend Wednesdays, after work, with my grandson, Benjamin. He just turned a year old and is the light of our lives. Yesterday, I showed him the water table I got for him to play with when he is at my house.

This time of the school year,can always be challenging- between end-of-year testing and the "summer fever" that seems to hit my students early every year.
      Benjamin made me forget all of the stresses of the day as we just played in the water. I love watching him explore and learn from the world around him. It is amazing to watch him learn! And I am able to remember why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place- to help make learning fun for children so they would become life-long learners. I definitely felt refreshed after spending a few hours with him yesterday.

                                       

- Stephanie

Magic Tree House books

Do you use the Magic Tree House book series in your classroom? I love to use them with small reading groups throughout the year. I have designed Reading Comprehension packets that I have used for several years with First and Second Graders. I have used them in small groups, as well as, a whole group of 18 students at one time. I included many comprehension skills such as previewing, schema, making connections, visualizing, predicting, sequencing, answering "right there" questions, inferring, comparing and contrasting, and more.

Here is a picture of the cover and first few pages of the first set.

I have the first set FREE for download at Teachers Pay Teachers and at TES. I have completed a packet for books 1-8 and 17. I am currently working on finishing some more. I hope you enjoy it!

Welcome to Education Whimsy!

Welcome! We are glad you stopped by to see our new blog. We are Stephanie and Kelly and we have known each other for about 14 years. We taught next door to each other at two different schools. Currently, we each teach in a different county, but talk daily.

We love to teach using engaging, hands-on materials. Through this blog, we are hoping to inspire others as we continue on our teaching journeys.

We chose the word "Whimsy" as part of our blog title because we enjoy being creative and inspired in our teaching.

In my classroom (Stephanie's), I have many things to keep me, and my students, inspired. I have these large letters that spell DREAM on top of my tall cabinet. They are directly across the room from me when I sit at my teacher table. I see them throughout the day.

I made this sign to go in the corner of my classroom by my teacher table. I found the wooden slat back at Walmart and painted it turquoise. I added an "H" from Joann Fabrics, a couple of wooden clothespins, and three tiny pennants I cut out of paper from my set from School Girl Style. I love the saying "Too Many Blessings to Count". It reminds me that I am very blessed even when I am having a rough day. And, of course, pictures of my grandson, Benjamin, always brighten up my day.

I painted an old globe with black chalkboard paint.I use chalk to write messages on the globe for the students. It currently says "You are capable of amazing things."

These are some ways I incorporate "whimsy" in my classroom.