Bill of Rights: The Amendments

In fourth grade, one of the things we cover in Social Studies is the Bill of Rights. Specifically they need to know what the 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 8th amendment say and what freedoms they protect. One of the activities my students do during this unit, is to make a poster to explain the amendments. What I do is split the class into groups and assign an amendment to each group. I split the first amendment into 3 different groups. Below are some of the poster my students came up with. After my students create the posters, they present the poster to the class. My students really like this activity and it really helps them remember the different amendments.

Instructions: Poster must include-
     What the amendment is.
     What right that amendment gives.
     An illustration.
     (Use all of the poster board, not just a small portion.)
   

Dr. Seuss Day- Book Character Costume Ideas

Friday we celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday by having an all day read day, dressing up as our favorite book characters, and having guest readers read Dr. Seuss books to our classes. My kids always surprise me with their creativeness on their costumes. I wanted to share some of the awesome costumes we had this year!

This is Nancy Ward, Hiccup (from How to Train Your Dragon), and Clark Kent/Superman. 

Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, and Sally 

Gandalf and Frodo 

My class!

Free IPad Apps for the 4th Grade Classroom

Hey guys! This week I was lucky enough to get an ipad to be able to use in my classroom. I knew I was getting one 2 weeks ago, and I could barely wait to get my hands on it! My kids are also super excited! One way that I plan on using the ipad is for sponge activities. You may be interested in reading this blogpost about sponges here. I wanted to share with you a few free apps that I will be using! I hope you enjoy!

Math- 
Meteor Math - Game that includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Oh No Fractions - Simple game to compare fractions. It also asks students to prove their answer by  using fraction models
Splash Math- There is a free version and a paid version of this app. I currently have the free version. Students can do practice problems in math that is aligned to 4th grade standards. Includes decimals, geometry, fractions, measurement, etc.
Pearl Diver- Practices number lines. Starts easy (0-10), but increases in difficulty.
Motion Math: Wings- Multiplication and estimation

Science- 
Planets - Students can explore our solar system with this app. Gives 3-D images of all the planets and information. Students can also look at constellations.
Science 360 - Science videos students can watch. You may want to view these videos, because some may be inappropriate for some age groups.

Social Studies- 
Stack the States - There is a paid and free version on this app. Trivia game for students to learn information about the states.

Comparing Fractions Video

Hey guys! I have just discovered this new free app called educreation. It is basically an interactive white board on your iPad. You can use the app to also record things you say and write. It is a really cool app and I have a lot of fun ideas I can't wait to try! Below is my first lesson on comparing fractions using cross multiplication! I hope you enjoy!
You can also click on this link.

Super Bowl Sale

This Sunday TPT is having a huge sale! Go wish list your favorite products now so you don't miss out! I'll be having a 20% off sale so with the PROMO code you can get 28% off my entire store! 

The Power of Thank You!

In my classroom thank you can be very powerful. Just uttering the words can cause my entire class to get their things ready quicker, sit still, eyes on me, etc. I make a point to say thank you instead of "stop, don't, and quit." These words in a classroom could be said more often than not, but do students respond well to these words? I've noticed that my students will respond faster to thank you. This can be a quick and easy behavior management trick to use in your classroom.

Here is how I use it...

Scenario- I've asked the students to get out there math workbook and tear out a certain page. The students begin to talk to each other and aren't doing as I've asked. I begin looking for a student doing what they are supposed to be doing and I say, "Thank you (student's name) for doing exactly what I have asked you to do." The other students then look at said student and imitate their actions. Many times if the one student is the only student in the class doing what they are suppose to, then they will also get to move their clip up to excellent. (You may want to check out my behavior chart also.)

What if no one is doing what they are suppose to do? I'll make a statement like, "I sure wish I could find someone to thank." or "I'm looking for someone to thank, but I'm not seeing anyone doing what they are suppose to."

What if several students are doing a good job? I'll start thanking everyone I see doing a good job. In this case I don't usually let students move up to excellent.

When do I use this strategy? Any chance I get. Hallway, transitions between subjects, lining up...

Other positive remarks I make for behavior management: (Try to praise every child within a week so that they can all feel special.)
     "I sure like the way that (student's name) is doing (action)."
     "I really like the way that (student's name) did (action)."
     "Wow, (student's name) is doing a great job!"

If you can catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar, maybe I can get more students to behave better with sweetness rather than harshness.

Adding and Subtracting Fractions

Hey guys! This week we have been learning how to add and subtract fractions with like and unlike denominators. I wrote this song to help my students remember what to do! It's free so I hope you enjoy!

You can get a copy of the words at my TeachersPayTeachers store.