Go Green . . . in the Classroom

**Image clipart provided by KPM Doodles & Clip Art by Carrie Teaching First**

Earth Day has been on my mind now that's it's April, but really Earth Day is on my mind all year long. I think it is so important to keep a "green" attitude throughout the year, not only at home, but in the classroom too. "Green" behaviours are necessary (I feel) to teach to our future generations.

So, some tips (even though I am NO expert):

1. Recycle - Hopefully all classes and schools encourage this. It is great to move beyond just the recycling of paper and show students that there are more things (plastics, cans, etc.) that can & should be recycled.


2. Reuse - As much as you can in the classroom (I know many teachers are thrifty by nature anyways) reuse stuff. There are a ton of different art projects that can be made by reusing everyday household items.

How cute are these recycled garden pictures from Laugh, Create, Paint!?

3. Reduce - Use less in the classroom. This could mean so many things - use less paper, use electricity, etc. However you can do it in the classroom - use less!

4. Turn it Off - Whenever you can, turn off electricity. This is great for classrooms with lots of classroom windows as you may not need to have all the lights on all the time.

5. Compost - Of course this depends on the facilities available to each class/school but if possible, encouraging composting in the classroom and teaching students what can be composted sets a great example.

What are some of your tips, I would love to hear them!

Something New and an Update

Well I have to say, I sure make the most original blog post titles. That is all I have to say about that.

I am way too tired for it only being Monday. That is probably because I have been working away on a new 3rd Grade Daily Math packet. This one is for Summer practice. It's a little different from my other packets because this one is designed to make a little booklet to send home with students during the Summer to help them review their math skills. Clic {HERE} or on the pics to check them out:

I've also added this new booklet to my Daily Math Bundle Pack. Once again, click {HERE} or the picture to check it out:

Well I'm off to relax for five minutes, have a great week!

School Supplies & a Freebie

How do you organize student school supplies in your classroom. Do you keep it all and dole it out as needed? Are the students in charge of their own supplies? What do you do when students run out?

I'm always interested in these little organizational tips for the classroom. To keep students accountable for their supplies, I made this little letter for students to fill out and send home when they run out of supplies.

 Click {HERE} to check out the freebie.

Share your tips for staying organized in the comments!

By the way, after yesterday's link-up I realized that only as a teacher can you go to work, have your appearance insulted, and have it become a funny, cute story to share!

**Graphics provided by KPM Doodles**
**Frames provided by Teaching in a Small Town**
**Font provided by Rowdy in Room 300**

What Did They Say? Linky

Awhile ago (after a chat in the staffroom) I had the idea that it would be so fun to hear about all the hilarious things that students say. Well I thought about it for an afternoon and then forgot about it, but then today, I opened up my dashboard to see this link-up:

This story isn't from today but a couple months ago. I was wearing a new outfit - nothing particularly amazing - and one student walked into the class and said "You look better in those clothes." Awww what a sweetheart - I think?! The innocence of childhood.

I'm sure I've got more lovely remarks similar to this, but I'm tired so I'll leave it at that!

Earth Day & a Freebie

Well it's been awhile and I cannot believe it is already APRIL. This month sure snuck up on me . . . as did March, and February too. This year sure seems to be zooming by! I thought I would stop in today to show what I spent ALL DAY on today. Mind you, I've been working on updating this unit for awhile but today I finally sat down and finished it.

One of my favourite days in April (well really of all year) is Earth Day. I think it's really important to encourage conservation in the classroom throughout the year, but I'm glad we have a day to really focus on it. I updated the Earth Day unit that I created last year and I think I'm pretty happy with it!

The first part of the unit uses activities and printables for three of my favorite Earth Day books. I've also included independent printables and activities that don't require any additional books or resources. Click on any of the pictures or {HERE} to check it out. I hope to be back soon with some Earth Day ideas.


I also spent today updating an old freebie, my Telling Time Unit so I thought it would be appropriate to link up with Manic Monday at Classroom Freebies. 

Click {HERE} or the picture to access the freebie. Hope you enjoy!

Hope everyone has a good week!

Spring Break, Easter & a Freebie

Well unfortunately in just a few hours, Spring Break will be officially over for this year. The only thing keeping me going is the two short weeks I'm facing. I cannot believe that it will already be Easter next weekend! I have been hard at work updating my Easter units from last year:

Includes some fun, some writing and a little bit of math.

To be used with Jan Brett's The Easter Egg

I've also got a little freebie to share, one I created for Spring Break last year - my Spring Break Mini-Pack. Unfortunately I don't have a picture to share for it, but if you click {HERE} you can access the freebie on TPT. Go link up with Classroom Freebies to find more fantastic freebies (who doesn't love free stuff?).

Using Picture Books to Teach Genres

I love picture books for sooo many reasons, but one thing I love to use them for is to introduce topics in the classroom. Almost any topic and in any classroom. There are so many great picture books that teach lessons, introduce cross-curricular subjects, introduce a new topic, etc. During my practicum as a student teacher I ended up using picture books to teach the students about genre. The first picture book I brought out was oohed and aahed (The Lorax to teach story elements) over and I was suddenly relieved as I wasn't sure how picture books would be received in an intermediate classroom.

From there I went through the same formula and I loved it. I would introduce a genre, talk about the different elements/characteristics of the genre, then introduce an excerpt from a novel. As a class we would go over the excerpt, and the students would point out the different clues that told us to what genre the book belonged.

After that first introductory lesson, I would do a read-aloud of a picture book and as a class, would fill out a genre-specific graphic organizer (that I had created before I knew about clipart and fun fonts).

I would then provide students with picture books and have them work with partners to fill out their own graphic organizers.

Since this occurred during a time when the students were doing their own novel studies, this was a perfect way for them to use the information provided to them during these mini-lessons, to figure out the genre of the novel they were reading independently, while providing evidence to support their conclusions of course.

It was always fun to find new picture books to fit the genres I was teaching, introduce the students to new genres, and watch as they tried to figure out the genres of their own books.

I recently updated my Literary Genres Unit, so if you are interested, click on any of the pictures or {HERE} to check it out! I've included informative posters (that can be used as handouts for the students), a suggested book list, tons of graphic organizers (genre specific and generic), story elements & fiction/non-fiction sorts, original short stories for each genre, a genre quiz and full instructions on how I teach the unit.

I have to mention that the suggested picture book list only focusses on picture books and is very brief. I've given a few suggestions for each genre, but must mention that there are so many more fantastic books to be used, I just didn't bother writing them all out.

Let me know how you teach genres in the classroom. Do you have genre-specific books you love to use? Let me know as I always love to hear of more fantastic picture books to add to my collection!