5 for Friday

Happy Happy Happy Friday! It has been a long week, even though we had early release on Thursday and planning day Friday. The kids and I are ready for spring break to begin! I'm ready for my five for Friday!

#1: It has been a busy blogging week. My birthday bash raffle ends March 22 at midnight. If you have not entered you won't want to miss the fantastic prizes being given away. I posted 6 days of giveaways and I will post the winners on Saturday, March 23. Click DAY 1, DAY 2, DAY 3, DAY 4, DAY 5, and DAY 6 to enter!


#2: This week is the end of our 3rd quarter. My class has finished up our study of nonfiction. The students have spent the last several weeks researching and reading about topics of interest. They have become experts! We ended the quarter by creating concept maps. On a poster, they had to put the topic in the middle, 3-5 vocabulary words and 3-5 amazing facts around the outside. They also needed to include pictures, diagrams, charts, etc. with captions. Each student presented their findings.  I think they did a nice job.

 I have some amazing artists in my class!

#3: We are also spending a lot of time on research skills, especially on the internet. I think that parents feel their kids know how to use a computer because they can do "stuff" on it. What they don't realize is that they don't know how to navigate through the monumental amount of information on the web. Students don't know how to use it strategical. I know my kids tend to scroll through information without reading it. They don't understand how to decipher credible sites from not so credible. When my third graders are working on a specific research topic, I will usually find the sites I want them to use and bookmark those sites onto Delicious.com. This is great tool because kids can access it from home, too. You can choose the sites you want them to visit and you will know they are getting credible information.

#4: We have been researching great ladies and great men this month. Using my "All About" Posters, my kids randomly chose a famous man and woman to research. *Here* is a freebie of cards you can use for research selection. After I modeled some internet research strategies in the classroom, I took them to the computer lab where they conducted their own research. They are not finished yet, but they have done an excellent job so far.

#5: Last, check out these Post Its (sorry for the blurry pic):

How cute are they?? I love Post Its. I have them in all colors and shapes. I especially love the Post It chart paper. That sticks to anything! I have never seen these watches. I think they would be great to use for reminders. Write a note on them and the student can wear it home! Cuteness!!

As my birthday bash giveaway comes to a close, I wanted to add one more gift. March 23 and March 24 my TpT store will be on sale. Enjoy 15% off as my birthday gift to you!! Don't forget to enter all of my birthday raffles that end tonight at midnight!!