Space Race Complete

We finished our Space Race on Friday.  The kids who read and reached the sun earned a "sun"dae party.  Of course I was so busy getting those sundaes ready I wasn't able to take pictures.  While eating, the kiddos watched The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System.

Look at how AMAZING this cake is!!  Lily's mom asked if she could make cookies and the Earth.  The kids were LOVIN' the cake and it tasted DELICIOUS.

Here's Lily with the world in her hands and looking like she's ready to take a HUGE bite!!

Rainbow Writing and Informational Text Features

We worked with similes and rainbows!  The kids wrote a simile for each color of the rainbow.  Here are some examples.

Last week we went on a text feature hunt!!  We brainstormed text features we already knew.  Students were given books, Post-Its, and went hunting for any features they could find.  When we came back to the mat we shared what we found and added to our list.

So What Have I Been Up to Today?

Today was our VERY first snow day of the year!!  I'll admit I was a bit excited as I waited to see if I'd get a text this morning.  I had already had my cup of coffee, had dried, and straightened my hair.

Of course I got in a great 5 mile run, walked the dog, and did some errands before sitting down to create a new outer space writing pack.

If you have time check it out on my TpT Store!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Outer-Space

Be on the Lookout for Leprechauns!!

I've been reading leprechaun stories this week and we've been doing some writing revolved around these little guys!

We've made "WANTED" signs and hung them around our school letting others know they should be on the lookout for these guys.  They can be quite sneaky!!

Look at that expression!

Today, the kids brainstormed how they thought I made Shamrock Shakes and we did some "How To" writing.  Of course, I always try to convince them I use REAL shamrocks and when I tell them they're all going to try the shakes they go, "EwwWwww."  

They're in for a treat on Friday when I whip these DELICIOUS shakes up!!  

I have "How To" writing on my TpT Store if you're interested in checking it out.

The best part of writing today was hearing a boy say how much he LOVED writing in my class. It put a HUGE grin on my face.

Evan wanted to share a picture of the tiniest pencil in the classroom and of course it belongs to him.  I'm going to believe it's this short because of all the writing we do!

And...last but not least I wanted to share one more picture of our roller coaster writing.  I added the rest to our bulletin board.  The facial expressions crack me up each time I look at them.

Would You Go on a Roller Coaster?

This week we've been working on using precise words in our writing.  Our mentor book has been Roller Coaster.

The next day I read the book again and as I read the kiddos helped to make a list of precise words the author used.

Then, we talked about ALL of the emotions you might feel if you went on a roller coaster.  Of course, I said I'd be terrified and wouldn't go any where near the line!  Students wrote an opinion piece stating if they'd go on a roller coaster or not and then backed it up with their reasons.

Of course we shared our writing!  Here's a quick video of Lily sharing her work.

The most exciting part for the kiddos was having their pictures taking.  I used Photo Booth.  One of the effects is a moving roller coaster.  The kids thought it was the coolest thing.  

3...2...1...BLAST OFF!!

Our planets are lined up in the hall with our rocket ships and today we blasted off!!

Here's a quick video of the kids launching their rocket ships!!

In order to move to the next planet the kids will need fuel. Their fuel will be reading 3 books and recording them on the back of their ticket!!  We're starting on Pluto and moving to the sun.  If all the kiddos complete this, they'll earn a SUNdae party!!

The kids are VERY excited to begin this.  As they travel to each planet there will be a small treat or sticker for them. We'll also be reading and learning about each planet as we travel.

Here's my stash and the easiest way I can keep track of this.

Check back in to see if we ALL made it to the sun!