Wilson Supplementary Student Materials

During the school day, I teach Wilson for a group of students who are struggling with their decoding and encoding.  Wilson is a multisensory, systematic, phonics-based program.  Teachers who become certified spend several days in trainings, complete a 60 hour practicum with a struggling reader/speller, and are observed five times over the course of the year.  It is well worth the time for the wealth of knowledge you develop!

Over the years, I have created various resources to supplement the instruction.  You can also buy Wilson student workbooks from their website.  I often use these with my students, typically while charting one-on-one.   

The pack I created for Step 1 contains over 8 word searches for substeps 1.1 - 1.6.  You can find it on my TpT site!  

Local Library Sale for your Classroom

Last week I received an email saying my local library was having  sale. The email said I could fill a brown paper bag with books for $7. Obviously I was hesitant, and had very low expectations. "How good could this sale possibly be?" "Are these books even from this decade?"  Boy was I wrong!

I was on the hunt for level c -level i books, and there were a ton. I was pleasantly surprised to find so many amazing books for my students.

I also found some amazing picture books. One of my new favorites is Edwardo The Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World. It is a story of a boy who is always told he is horrible and then becomes more and more horrible.  You'll have to read the book to see how it turns out.  You can purchase the book here!


At the end I spent $7.50 on 44 books, that is just under 6 cents a book. I highly suggest seeing if your local library has monthly sales. I will definitely be attending next month's sale! You can find your local library sale at Book Sale Finder. This is a great website that lists book sales throughout the country!

Happy shopping,
Sara

This FUNdraiser is a winner!

Every year, our PTO holds a Spring Fair.  This is a day of games, raffles, prizes, and a golf ball drop to raise funds for the school.  Teachers typically volunteer to run a game. It's always exciting to see teachers on the weekends, especially when they are in charge of helping at the Bounce House or painting faces.

Another aspect of the Spring Fair is a silent raffle.  Each grade level "donates" an activity.  In the past, grade level teams have offered pizza parties, kickball games, and ice cream sundaes, to name a few.  These events happen during lunch or after the school day has ended.  Families can sign their children up for these special events held by their very own teachers at the Spring Fair.

For the second year in a row, the third grade team has donated "BINGO and Popsicles."  We held this event after school this week for the 18 third graders that had signed up.  Each student paid $10 to participate, which meant a total of $180 raised in just 45 minutes.  All of the funds went to the PTO as part of the Spring Fair fundraiser.  We bought a value pack of Popsicles and used prizes that we had each accumulated through out the year for winners, so very little money was actually spent.

Sara's mother, who is a retired kindergarten teacher, even donated "consolation prizes" for all students.  Naturally, the teachers had to try them on for size!

While the students were enjoying their Popsicles, Sara entertained them with a solar system rap.  If you haven't heard this song, check it out!

Guest Post on Minds In Bloom:

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Today is especially wonderful because I am guest posting on the fabulous Minds In Bloom Blog by Rachel Lynette. Feel free to pick you jaw off the floor now... I KNOW!

Have you ever wondered how to make the perfect anchor chart? Well hop over to Minds In Bloom to read all about it!

Enjoy!

Sara M

Three shirts every teacher needs- May 2016

 Check out our new shirts perfect for every teacher! Order yours today!

1. TpT Goddess (click here to purchase)

                 

2. Ask 3 before Me (click here to purchase)

3. Rock the Test (click here to purchase)

Math T-shirts for Teachers

We have scoured the internet for you and found a collection of unique math shirts perfect for any teacher! Math may not always be a favorite subject to teach but these shirts are sure to add a smile to your face!

To purchase click here: $19.99 @Amazon.com

To purchase click here:$25.55 @ Redbubble.com

To purchase click here: $25.55 @ Redbubble.com

To purchase click here:$39.99 @ Spreadshirt.com

To purchase click here:$15 @ Etsy

Enjoy!

-Sara

State Testing Pick me up: PARCC test prep!

Next Monday we begin out PARCC testing.  This year the testing is a month long for third graders! It is a lot to handle  for those little bodies. They typically don't have enough stamina to get through the whole test performing at their best.  This year I did something to change that!

Each student made a poster with an inspirational quote on it. I told students that if they were feeling tired or that the test was too hard, they should look at their posters! Students thought it was a great motivational tool and they were excited to start.

As a class we brainstormed inspirational quotes. Students came up with an a amazing list including; you can do it, keep it up, you rock, and so much more!

Then each student got a white piece of paper to let their creativity fly!

Here are the final products! They look amazing and the kiddos were so proud of themselves. One student summed up the activity perfectly, she said "this is going to make us to happy!"

     

Here are a few picture books that will help alleviate student's stress!

The new school year brings standardized testing to every school and Miss Malarkey's is no exception. Teachers, students, and even parents are preparing for THE TEST and the school is in an uproar. Event the grown-ups tell the children not to worry, they're acting kind of strange. The parents are giving pop quizzes on bedtime stories at night. The cafeteria is serving "brain food" for lunch. The kids are beginning to think that maybe the test is more important they they're being led to believe. Kids and adults alike will laugh aloud as Fincher and O'Malley poke fun at the commotion surrounding standardized testing, a staple of every school's year. You can purchase Testing Miss Malarkey here. (summary and picture: Amazon.com)  

Mrs, Hartwell is preparing her class to take the Big Test. Knowing they have studied and are well-prepared, she helps the students practice how to sit quietly, fill in the bubbles, and follow the directions. She even instructs them on proper morning-of-the-test nutrition. As her students grow increasingly anxious about the Big Test, Mrs. Hartwell realizes she has to teach to most valuable test-taking skill of all: learning to relax. Click here to purchase The Big Test. (picture and summary: Amazon.com)

Good luck on the state testing!
-Sara

Making Thinking Visible - Math Edition

Our school has been reading and attending workshops on Making Thinking Visible.  (You can purchase the book here). The text written by Ron Ritchart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison contains strategies, or as they refer to them - routines, for getting students to show their thinking.  When we know what and how the students are thinking about a topic, it helps us clarify misconceptions or expand on their current understanding.

Much of our work this year has centered around literacy.  I decided to step outside of my comfort zone, and try one of the strategies outlined in the text called, "See, Think, Wonder" during math.  I used this thinking routine as an opener for a math lesson on line plots.

This thinking routine involves projecting an image, then asking students to name what they see, what this makes them think, and anything they are now wondering.  You can do this aloud as a whole class by writing down their thoughts on chart paper as shown below, or having students complete this routine independently.  I chose to do this as a class because I wanted to see how the students thoughts would build off of each other.  Pictured is the chart that contains the student thinking based on the line plot.  Excuse the messy writing; I was trying to keep up with all of their thoughts!

It can be tricky for students to differentiate between what they see and think.  I often paraphrase what they're saying with, "Oh, so what you're thinking is that..."  Using this routine is a great way to introduce a new topic, and get students thinking about math conceptually.  We want our students to be doing the thinking, after all!

Enjoy!
-Hayley

Monthly Theme: Math

This month's theme is all things math!  We will be exploring what math looks like in the classroom, around the school, internet resources, and amazing new products!

Products coming to a TPT store near you:
Area Super Pack
Place Value Pack
Division Pack
Fraction on a Number line resource

Stay tuned for more!
- Sara and Hayley

March Favorites- Educational Articles

This month a clear theme emerged for me, let kids be kids!  Our kids are growing up in a rigid society where learning how to answer a standardized test is more important than inventing and problem solving.  It is time to stop disciplining children for being children and start celebrating them!

Here are a few articles that really hit home for me this month!

1. Finland Schools

Photographer Stuart Conway (Photo)

2. Bringing Imaginary Friends to Life

Photo from Boom.com

3. Texas Schools Increase Recess

Play time at Brown Elementary in Irving, Texas, one of four public schools in the area to add more recess for the youngest students.- Photo from Today/ 

A. Pawlowski

-Enjoy,
Sara

Moon Unit and Resources

My third grade class just started learning about the solar system. It is a favorite unit among my students year after year. They are mystified and intrigued by the happenings of the solar system. This week be begun studying the moon.

Students created beautiful posters showing the different phases of the moon.

I love reading the book "Faces of the Moon" to students while they point to the phase on their moon poster.

Faces of the moon by Bob Crelin

We also watched Bill Nye's video. Students were cracking up as they learned and reviewed important information.

After the video each student wrote 1 new fact they learned and drew a picture to go with it.

You can download my Free Moon Pack here. It contains a matching sheet, poem, cloze reading and word search. Enjoy!

100 Follower Thank you!

We are thrilled to announce Inclusive Insights has 100 istagram followers.

As a thank you we are making our Teacher Pay Teachers stores totally free until 7 pm. You can find the links to our stores on the right -->.

Honor System Rules:
Follow our TPT store
Review and comment on a product
Tell all your friends!


Have fun shopping!
-Sara and Hayley

Place Value Pack and Freebie

Students come into third grade with a limited understanding of place value. I find that we need  a lot of review in the first few months before dealing with the third grade standards.

In an effort to better support my students I created this Place Value Pack. It includes a memory game and scoot/ scavenger hunt. It also includes 10 worksheets that can be used as homework, morning work, classwork, or even assessments. 

                                                

                                                   

Here is a freebie with a few place value worksheets.

Enjoy!

Sara