Fourth Grade Common Core Workbook

I cannot wait to get my hands on this thing! I stumbled across this on another teacher blog and immediately put it on my wish list. This Fourth Grade Common Core Workbook is loaded with over 850 pages of activities, centers, and worksheets! It is available through a digital download here. Once you check out the sample document, this puppy will be on your wishlist too! 

Bulletin Board Boredom...

It's almost back to school time! I know, where has the summer gone??


Whenever this time of summer rolls around, I find myself doing some major planning. I love this time of year because it gives you the opportunity to start fresh and try some new things that are too hard to implement mid-year. 


Another thing I find myself planning out are bulletin boards. I have literally way more bulletin board space than I know what to do with. Seriously. I have a big one in the hallway and in my room I have: a small one, a big one, an even bigger one, and another small one that is behind my desk and is really just used for my things. I know I am fortunate to be in such a nice, new, spacious school, but it is a lot to keep up with! 

Board beside my desk...

 So I want to hear, what are your ideas for bulletin boards? Any good back to school boards?? Or any good boards that you leave up all year?? Are your boards more decoration or content or both??

My Apologies...

So I know I have been absent for the entire month of May, but you will just have to excuse me. I have been knee deep in testing, prepping for next year with the new standards, and starting two new courses for grad school. When you mix that with spending time with my family, church, adjusting to my husband's new work schedule, flag football, and church softball, well, that makes for a pretty busy life! So, dear blog, you have not been abandoned completely, just knocked down the priority list for a little while...

I Won, I Won!!!

How cool is this?? When I got home from school today I found a package waiting for me containing an autographed I SPY book and a letter congratulating me for being one of five lucky winners! Both Walter Wick, the photographer, and Jean Marzollo, the author of the riddles signed it. And all I did was enter a contest on I SPY's Facebook Page. Thanks, Scholastic!!

Testing Time

Well, it's that time of year... Testing Time!

Each and every April/May our kids our tested, literally, to death. (Okay, so not literally, but almost!) And while I could go on and on about the pros and cons of testing, the reality is that it does not matter. The powers that be say we have to test our kids for x amount of hours and so that is what I do.

And although testing time is pretty high stress (especially for the teachers!), it doesn't have to be days and days of endless blah. I hope to blog about some of the things going on in my classroom and school to alleviate some of the symptoms of test-itis. But until then, check out this post from Scholastic's blog, Top Teaching -

Five Ways to Make Standardized Test Prep Engaging

Simple Machines - Great Website

One of my fourth grade cohorts, Mrs. K., found this great website for Simple Machines! You pick a room in the house and then find all of the Simple Machines. When you click on an item, it asks you a silly multiple choice question about how that item is used. Once you get that correct, it asks you to identify which simple machine it is. Finally, it shows you how that item works and why it is that type of machine. Great, right??

There is also a tool shed full of compound machines. Once you click on each, you must identify what other simple machines make up the compound machine. When you have correctly identified each Simple Machine, it shows you how they all work together to form the compound machine.  

We did this as a whole class on the ActivBoard, but it could also work great as an independent assignment as well. When you finish, there is even an option to enter your name and print out your score.

Be aware, though, that this site identifies the gear as a simple machine, and KY core content does not. Also, some of them are pretty tricky!!

March Madness Reading Competition

Mrs. S, our librarian, always comes up with the cutest reading competitions. This one is a contest between the sixth grade classes to see who can read the most books about a foreign country. Love the board! The basketball net is made out of a food sack! Love it!!