Whoa Wait, August!

I cannot believe that it is officially August. I have been MIA in the blogging world because I was FULLY enjoying summer. Sleeping in, staying in pajamas ALL DAY, and doing a whole lot of nothing. 

Don't get me wrong, I had big hopes and dreams a giant to do list for the summer. BUT, when it came down to actually doing anything, I was down right exhausted from the school year. Only up until recently have I begun to check things off my to do list. 

Which brings me to the point of my post. I am in the thick of preparing for my new classroom. For those of you who don't know, I am looping with my babies to 4th grade to teach reading. As I begin my 3rd year of teaching, I realize what I should and shouldn't spend my time and effort on. So my sweet friend and teaching partner over at Mrs. Thomas's Class gave me inspiration for my new classroom. We are both trying to make our classrooms feel more like home. I knew the neon colors from last year were just not going to cut it anymore. I knew I wanted to incorporate some neutrals and burlap. Finally, she posted some tribal print stuff and I was in love! 

So the other day, I posted this picture on IG of some prints that I whipped up for my walls! 

I was thrilled by the love it received, so I knew I was going to have to have a freebie! 

I finally have them printed and framed, ready to put in my room. I bought the frames at Joann's. They were 40% off and I had an additional 30% off coupon! Woo!

I am so excited to share these prints with you for your classroom. I know I cannot wait to decorate my room. I look forward to seeing them in action. Tag me on IG @steponmemoreno with a picture!

You can find them HERE.

Stay tuned for a full classroom reveal when I can get in and start setting up!!

TPT Seller Challenge Week 1: Makeover Madness

I have been on the TPT journey 1 year this summer. I was so anxious to get products created for my new classroom and truly learning the ropes of this business. Several of the first products I created were mainly for the new Personal Financial Literacy TEKS. Over the year, most of my oldest products have gotten a makeover except for one. I took my Income Sort product and revamped it! 

Here is the BEFORE:

Voila! After:

You can find the updated version of this product HERE for 50% off.

As one of my first products, I look back and can't believe it actually sold, but I think the new version is much better. I'd love to hear what you think! 

<3

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Much Love!

Testing Season

Hey Y'all! It is that time of year again, the dreaded "TESTING SEASON" It is hard to believe that I've endured this for 3 years and still forget what the stress feels like. I'm talking, tired like I've never been tired before. Tired driving to work in the morning, tired. How is it that each year, I forget what it feels like? Lets just say, I am counting down the days for my sanity, not the kids. And seriously, these poor 8 years olds of mine. The stress is torture for me, I can only imagine what their little minds are going through. 

I thought about testing season and knew that I needed something engaging but meaningful for test prep. So I created a set of task cards for all of the major topics in each of the 4 Reporting Categories for the 3rd grade TEKS, also known as ROCK THE STAAR! While task cards alone are a huge hit in my room, we have 12 days for review and task cards will get boring after a few days. So I came up with "Battle of the Bands" Basically, I split my kids into 4 groups on day 1. This is going to be their band until the STAAR test. I even let them create their own band name. 

The idea is that each team will have the opportunity to battle against each other using the task cards from my ROCK the STAAR Bundle. When the band gets the correct answer, they will be rewarded. Here is the catch, each day they will earn points in different and fun ways. I want to be able to hold each kid accountable so that everyone has many learning opportunities so my points system is random and can change on a whim at my discretion.

Day 1: + dice 
I start my day with my morning class but my afternoon class looks entirely different. Different kids, different levels and they tend to need more guidance. I will refer to them as AM and PM since they did different things today. My AM was a breeze, we rolled a 30 sided dice to tell us what task card to answer. I projected it on the board and they had a matching set at their tables. Each band battled another. The rules were that each person had to agree on an answer before their team leader could hold up their answer. I looked for speed and accuracy with this group. Since there are 4 groups. The winners of the first battle, battled each other for the points. Today, I rolled a single die which told us how many points each card is worth. Kids were having a blast and even requested to stay in my room all day.

In my PM class, I had to rack my brain on how this could work. I knew I didn't want them racing against each other for time. This group needs practice and less of a stress with the game. So my wonderful colleague suggested that each team will have the opportunity to earn points as long as their answer is accurate. Rather than a race for time, points were random. If the group had a consecutive answer, they would pick a domino, multiply the numbers and voila, points! THEY LOVED THIS! This was so much less stressful for them and everyone was able to answer and earn points. Winners are random so in my opinion ANYONE can win. I had the same team pick a domino with 0's twice. They were such goos sports about earning zero points because they thought it was hilarious. 

I loved this structure of this so much that I plan to implement it for the next 10 days. They will earn points differently, but everyone will have an equal, but random, opportunity. 

Day 2: +/- dice

Students will roll a positive and negative dice

Day 3: Easter Eggstravaganza

Students will choose an egg filled with random point values. Some positive and some negative. 

Day 4: Jenga

Students will play Jenga. Each block will have a point value. If the team knocks it over, they will lose double the points on the block they chose. 

Day 5: Stinky Feet

I got this idea from a fellow Texas blogger, Teaching in the Fast Lane! You put sticky notes on the board with positive and negative points. Each time they get a question correct, they choose a sticky note. I plan to make this a little more challenging by telling them what color sticky note they have to choose each time!

Day 6: Trashketball

Students will attempt to toss a trash ball in 1 of 3 containers different distances apart. Which ever container it lands in, is the point value they will earn. 

Day 7: Musical Chairs

Four students will play musical chairs with task cards. One person will represent each band. The person who doesn't earn a chair will choose one person they want to battle against to earn a chair. The last person standing will choose a domino to determine the amount of points their team will earn.

Day 8: UFO stacking

Students will stack cups until they fall. Students will earn 1 point for each cup before they fall. 

Day 9: Vote on Favorite game

Day 10: Vote on Favorite game


I want to give them the opportunity to enjoy their favorite games for the final 2 review days.


I really hope that you can find some of my test prep activities useful in your classroom. So far, we are having a blast reviewing and preparing for the big day. 

HAPPY TESTING YA'LL!

Acceptance is the final step

When I woke up this morning, I was definitely in denial that today is the last official day of my Spring Break. Seriously, who counts the weekend? Those are my normal, yet much needed breaks! 

I'm linking up with Sandy from ELA Everyday for her Spring Break, is it really over? Linky to give you an insight into what exactly I did with my time off.

So, I have a to-do list a mile long, and I spent most of my free time binge watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. I mean, its SPRING BREAK! Why work? I'm pretty sure I've watched 2 seasons this week. Sorry, not sorry.

So, we've been in our house almost 7 months and up until this spring break, we didn't own dishes. WOW! So we made a trip to IKEA! Obviously we bought dishes, but we also got some nightstands for our bedroom. I am on a decorating spree and our bedroom is on the top of the list. So far, I am in LOVE! I hung curtains, got a new duvet and pillows, and painted the nightstands to match. Next on the list is a new headboard and some art work. Can't wait for it to be finished. I will do a big reveal as soon as its all done. 

The last adventure Keith and I decided to go on I am almost hesitant to admit. We went to see Shamu at Sea World San Antonio. 

I feel like I have an unhealthy LOVE towards Shamu. I just love everything about these animals and seeing them up close. When we got home, we watched Black Fish on Netflix and my heart broke. I had seen it before but forgot the impact it had on me. 

FREE TILIKUM!

Finally, I spent some time in the gym and decided that I NEED to do something about this weight that I need to get off. 5AM workouts and meal prepping are in my future. 

I've accepted that Spring Break is over, but only 12 weeks until Summer! WAHOOO!

March Currently

I am so excited to join Farley for my first Currently! Its March and I am ready for spring break! I can't wait to make this a monthly thing! 

Listening: My best gal Cassie over at Mrs. Thomas's Class got me and the bf hooked on American Horror Story. I am LOVING IT! The music is creepy and the story is perfect. 

Loving: We bought our first house 7 months ago and then Christmas and the New Year happened and we just hadn't gotten around to making much of an effort with decorating. Not to mention, I am just so indecisive on what I want this place to look like. I made some big purchases this weekend and am IN LOVE with how homey our house is starting to feel. Slowly bur surely, this place is starting to feel like a home. 

Thinking: I NEED A BREAK. Spring break in T minus 5 school days. 

Wanting: SPRING BREAK *see above* ;)

Needing: When I am under a deadline, I tend to work well. When you own your own business and you are your own boss, deadlines tend to be stretched. I seriously need to get working on the last 2 sets of my "Rock the STAAR" test prep task cards. They are supposed to be out by the end of the week. EEEEK! 

Spring Break Plans: My bf is a coach, so no big plans here and I AM NOT COMPLAINING!!!

Thanks for reading!

Teachers Are Heroes

Hey Y'all! It's hard to believe that we are winding down the last few days of February and only 9 days until SPRING BREAK! Every single teacher out there can appreciate that :) Just the other day, I had heart palpitations thinking about the number of instructional days left until our test. Hard to believe that my first full year is flying so fast. Anyway, TPT has saved me this year and I really don't know what I would do without it. This community has changed my way of teaching and I couldn't be happier with everything I've learned through my many blogging/TPT buddies. I read an article the other day that really upset me. "Teachers don't work hard, we have summers and winter break off..." The list goes on and on. Until you have been a teacher, it is hard to fathom the amount of work we actually put in. I could not have survived this year with the wonderful resources that I've found on TPT so I am excited to give back during the Teachers are Heroes sale. 

So I have linked my with my fellow Texas teacher, Stephanie, from Mrs D's Corner to share what I have in my cart. 

So we use our notebooks almost every day in math. I own nearly every interactive notebook from Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher so my notebooks ROCK! My kids love working in their notebooks and are always 100% engaged. I am excited to add the Fractions Interactive Notebook to my toolbox while we continue to review for our STAAR test. Seriously, once you get one ITNB, you will want them all. 

I love all things task cards! I use them in centers, as scoot activities, and even in small groups. We are currently working on Area & Perimeter and I have my eye on this Perimeter & Area Pirate Task Card Bundle from Debbi at The 3rd Grade Pad.

I love EVERYTHING from Jessica Hursh's Store! Her math centers are phenomenal. This time unit is no exception and I plan to use every bit of it during our time unit! I've had this on my wish list for some time and I am so excited to finally call it mine, and just in time to teach time before spring break. 

With the STAAR test just around the corner, I am so glad to find resources aligned perfectly to my standards, the TEKS. These test prep centers from the Science Penguin will supplement our review perfectly. I am excited to put them in centers as review before the big day. 

This set from Blair Turner is going to fit well into my math centers. I love that it includes multiplication and division fact practice as well as rounding in a fun way. I ALWAYS need new things to incorporate into centers and tutoring!

Last, but not least, is this adorable Math Kidletts set from Melonheadz! I am addicted to clip art and since I am a math teacher, this just seems like a logical purchase. Seriously, these are so adorable! I cannot wait to create some fun resources with this set. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out whats in my cart! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Classifying Shapes Yo

We are in the thick of our Geometry Unit and I am so excited to share this activity with y'all! 

We use Go Math as a curriculum and YUCK!  I mean, I love it! *hint of sarcasm* 

We are working on classifying 2-D shapes so I took an idea from the textbook and made it engaging and hands on! Why do an activity on a piece of paper when they can hold the shapes in their hand and place them in a giant Venn Diagram?! DUH! My kids and I prefer hands on.

We started by creating this anchor chart that I found on Pinterest. This really made sorting figures so much easier. 

Then I busted out my giant Venn Diagram and we talk about what shapes go where. We started with Rectangles & Rhombuses because that solidified our talk about Parallelograms. 

EVERY SINGLE KID WAS ENGAGED AND PARTICIPATING! This activity came almost straight from the book, and I guarantee it wouldn't have gone as well on paper. 

We changed out the categories and sorted more figures based on different attributes. We also did a triple diagram not shown as an extension.

After sorting, we played Quadrilateral Parking Lot from Blair Turner's Quadrilateral Card Game Pack. I swear, I use the quadrilateral cards for everything. They rocked this game after classifying shapes. I was pleasantly surprised. 

I walked out of my classroom yesterday feeling more accomplished than I've ever felt in one day! I'm talking, driving home so tired I thought my eyes were gonna pop out. 

Click HERE to grab this entire activity FREE! If you love it, PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK! It is only free for a limited amount of time!

Getting the hang of this!

I am back again, twice in one month. I think I am finally getting the hang of this!

I am so excited to share with you some things that have been going on in my classroom this week as we finish up our review unit on all operations and start geometry!

I was really intimidated by the thought of teaching geometry and I must say, I am still not 100% sure that I truly know what I am talking about most of the time, but we will get there. I think I say "next year is going to be so much better" at least twice a day. Anyone else do this?

Anyway, I introduced geometry with a sort using Blair Turner's Quadrilateral Card Games. There is a set of quadrilateral cards that made this a breeze. I cannot wait to use the games in centers as review. I of course didn't snap a picture of the different ways my kids chose to sort these cards. From color, to size and a few smarties, by shape!

We then began talking about parallel lines and angles. First, we walked on the tiles staying on parallel lines and talked about how our feet will never meet as long as we stay on those lines. Someone made the connection to a train, PERFECT! This is where I introduced my Geometry Lapbook. I was thrilled to see that our discussion made parallel lines very easy for them to grasp. They were running all over the room trying to find every set of parallel lines. 

Then we went onto angles. I played this Angle Song and we talked about lines, endpoints, and when combined to make a polygon, they form angles. By the end of the period, they were singing along! I think next week, we will solidify our angle and parallel lines lesson with a little project involving toothpicks and marshmallows. 

Finally, we went into the different types of Quadrilaterals with our flapbook and re-sorted the cards from before into categories that matched our flapbook. 

We have ALOT of work to do before we master quadrilaterals BUT I imagine the games Blair created will help with that tremendously. Anyway, stay tuned for more Geometry fun next week as we begin to explore 3-D shapes!!

Whoa February & Unknown Numbers

It's February ya'll! February is one of my favorite months because it's my birthday month and it reminds me of childhood parties filled with lots of red and pink hearts! Growing up, mom would NEVER let me choose a theme. My birthday is a few days after Valentines Day and I somehow always had a heart party. Now I LOVE EVERYTHING VALENTINES DAY AND HEARTS!! Thanks mom!

Anyway, I started this blog to share the awesome things that I have going on in my classroom and this month is no exception. Currently, we are buckling down and getting ready for STAAR. However, I am so anti-worksheets/anything to do with the curriculum textbook. Hence where most of my products are born. 

A few nights ago I was contemplating on how I am going to teach my baby 3rd graders unknown numbers in equations. When I was in 6th grade, we called this ALGEBRA! How in the world did this end up in 3rd grade? Does the state of Texas realize these kids are 8?! Not to mention, most of them still play with dolls and legos. Anyone with me here?

So I came up with a wonderful idea and Round Up The Unknown # was born! We started with the activity! I teach two groups of kids and I taught and used the activity two different ways because of their levels. 

Here are a few kids doing the activity. They used what they know about multiplication and division to come up with the unknown numbers. They wrote all related multiplication and division facts on their white boards. They love doing anything with markers and white boards. WIN WIN!

After we did the activity, we worked in pairs on the task cards! The first set is simple division and multiplication equations. The second set is a bit more difficult but they got the hang of it pretty quick in small group. 

Several of my students are still struggling with multiplication facts so they learned to make multiplication towers and this made the entire activity a BREEZE!

It makes my teacher heart so happy when I hear kids saying "YES! I had it right!" when they get the answer right. Kids that usually don't feel much success in the classroom. I am doing something right. I am completely in love with the way I've adapted my teaching for these kids!

You can find this activity and many others in my TPT store! Go now, I am having a 50% sale! 

Stay tuned for more math fun!