Valentine's Day was a success!

Happy Valentine's Day! I just wanted to post some fun activities we did to celebrate the day of love!

In science, we are currently studying soil and there is no better way to learn than with food! So part of our "sweet" day was spent creating the different layers of soil inside of a cup.  While the students worked on their soil cups they also illustrated and labeled their own drawing of soil inside of their science notebooks. 

We also did a lot of fun writing activities from my Be My Valentine packet. It was a lot of fun talking about the history of the holiday and also having the students share their own definition of love. 

We also played Tell Me Something Good 

The students had a blast walking around the room and sharing positive messages with each other  They were so proud of their page after everyone signed. It was a lot of fun! 
Check out my heart page below.

(download it free by clicking here!) 

Then there was this bag. Can we say "mustache-tic". 

Hope you all enjoyed this brief post. There was so much going on that day that I did not get to take all the photos I wanted. I will get better at that. Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day! 

Teaching 3rd with Mr G. The Brain Board

Hola everyone! I just wanted to make a quick post and share my Brain Board. As you know, I am still fresh in the game of teaching and many of my activities are inspired by other teachers and teacher blogs. 

This inspiration comes from Hope King at 2nd Grade Shenanigans. 

Located on the board are Hope's monthly activity centers. 

This one is named

Love Me Tender 

(Click on link to check out the unit!)

I have been using these centers since the beginning of the school year and have been changing them out with every season/month.

All you do is laminate file folders with the activity cover pages, print activity sheets, prepare student cards, and you are set. 

These centers have been a PERFECT addition to my regular math centers and instruction. How? 

Let me count the ways...

1. These start off as different blank activity pages and the students create their own numbers for each activity. So their numbers are rarely the same.

2. The activity sheets come at different levels. So differentiated instruction is a breeze. Students who have mastered the objective can challenge themselves while those who need extra practice can work on basic review.

3. I sometimes pull these centers and use them in small group to review different objectives. They are always there and ready for me to use.

4. This is a dream for a male teacher, I never have to decorate for the different holidays because the Brain Board does it automatically for me. Haha

5. These centers are perfect for the inevitable early finishers. No math time is ever lost. I know sometime we get used to allowing independent reading when work is complete. With these centers, students continue keeping their math skills fresh.

6. These activities can be used in so many ways. 

For example, I can ask the students to create different equations without the solution and have other students solve the student created activity sheets. There is so much you can do with these centers. 

7. The Brain Board is perfect practice. When I go over student data, these centers are great starters for spiraling and reteaching. 

8. If you have not realized how much I loved these centers by now, I am just going to say it. I love them. 

Yes, thats an inflatable brain on the top of the board. :)

Check out how Hope uses her centers by clicking here.

Last thing, I just wanted to show off my filing cabinet in case you are looking for a quick way to brighten up your big box of files. 

All I did was add some removable wall stickers to the sides of the cabinet and BOOM, it has become a nice eye candy for the wondering eye. These stickers have become a hot topic in almost all of my students free writing journal entries. 

So it is serving a purpose other than looking cool. 

These old school video game stickers were purchased at Ikea. 

Hope everyone has a great week!
 

A Blog New World

Hello! My name is Juan Gonzalez and I am a 3rd grade teacher in Texas. I have been teaching for 2 years since I graduated college. During year one, I was in 1st grade and I am currently in third grade.
I survived my time in 1st grade because of other teacher blogs. Ha! No really, teacher blogs inspired and motivated me to be my best. I really feel like 3rd grade is exactly where I'm suppose to be.

So here I am, still with many things to learn but filled with many ideas to share. I hope my blog will help me continue being my best and also connect me with other educators with awesome wisdom to share. 

Join me on this journey and let's see what great things we can accomplish. 

Posting more soon...