Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

I don't know about you all, but the east coast got a nice chunk of snow fall! It's been a FIVE day weekend! Super exciting! Only downfall is, is that we have a LOT of catching up to do in school. My reading data was due at the end of this week. Looks like it's not going to be finished in time! What did you do on your few days off if you had some?

 

On another note, I wanted to share a great activity that accompanies Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. This wonderful book is in our third grade curriculum, so it's most likely in many other third grade curriculums. Sadako and the Thousdand Paper Cranes is about a young girl struggling with Leukemia caused by an atom bomb that dropped in Hiroshima, Japan. Sadako attempts to fold 1,000 paper cranes, in hopes that she would get healthy again. After we read this book, I had each of my students write any wish that they had for themselves, the community, their family, etc. This activity got my students thinking about others and also how lucky they were. Some wished for a cleaner environment, world peace, less violence, and for family and friends to be healthy. I posted this bulletin word, titled "I wish..." outside of our classroom. I included the article on the Hiroshima Peace Park in the middle of the board so that students and teachers could read about Sadako and understand why our wishes were so sentimental. If you haven't read this book, you've got to! It's a great read for the intermediate grade levels. If you have read this in your class, are there any other activities that you recommend?

 

 

 

 

Some pictures from my snow day :)

 

Thanks for stopping by! Stay warm :)

 

Long Vowel Sort

I spent several hours on making this super cute center academically appropriate and easy for the teacher and students to use. I'm very excited to have it in my TpT Store. This long vowel sorting center is perfect for both primary and intermediate students! I geared my words more toward third grade because I'll be using it in my classroom. This center can be easily differentiated by using it in different ways and altering it using the extra blank cards that are included. Click here to get this product! Let me know what you think! :)

 

 

All I did was laminate the entire file, tape the cover page and the directions onto the folder, and place the pieces in a bag!

 

 

 

I Have a Dream...

This month we are learning about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Well, we are at least trying to. In third grade, there's not much time for anything "fun." In my opinion, learning about history is something our students NEED. I'm going to try and squeeze in some time on Friday to watch a short video and have each student write their own "I Have a Dream" speech. Check the video out here. You can download this freebie here! What are you doing in your classroom to celebrate MLK?

 Update 1/28/14

Here is how my students' speeches turned out:

 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I know I've been away from the blog for a few weeks, but hey, it was winter break! I hope everyone enjoyed their break and is ready to get back to reality! It was a sad morning on Monday when I had to tear down my gingerbread house door. I needed something to make my door nice and cheerful. So, Dr. Seuss it is! I drew Thing 1 and Thing 2 on bulletin board paper last year and laminated the pieces. All I had to do was tape it on my door. Thank you laminator!! What do you think?

 

 

Don't forget to check out my TpT store using the tab on the right. Follow my blog to keep up with the latest TpT products and ideas for your classroom. As always, I love reading comments and looking at other blogs so send me your link!

Gingerbread Door

Hello fellow bloggers! It is almost Christmas break and I am READY! This year, for our school's Door Decorating Contest, I chose to go the gingerbread house route. Since I am the winner from last year, I knew I had to go big or go home! The children each made a gingerbread man and a piece of candy. I took large pieces of bulletin board paper to make the gingerbread house. With a few days of work, it was finished! Let's hope our class wins!

What's your door look like for the holidays?

 

Entire Store 20 % Off

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. It snowed a little bit here in Maryland, so we went into school two hours late and left 90 minutes early! What a nice surprise! :) As a little Happy Monday gift to you, my ENTIRE STORE is 20 % off! Click here to check out all my products, or click a photo to go directly to one of these products!

 

 

 

Thanks!!

 

24 HOUR FREEBIE!

Hello fellow bloggers! It's been a few days since I've posted! I have my observation next Friday so I've been super busy lately, as you can imagine! I'm excited about my new product because it reinforces the skill of suffixes and prefixes and incorporates writing! This can be easily differentiated for every learner. If you are interested in the 24 hour freebie, click the photo below!

 

 

 

Thanks again for stopping by!