School and the City

Ideas and Resources for Your Elementary Classroom

The First Week of Third Grade

Third grade! Yay! I survived the first two weeks of third grade and finally have the time/energy to tell you a little bit about it. I won't be going into total detail, so please leave a comment if you have a question! (UPDATE: I wrote a much more detailed post with more links and full lesson plans. Read it here: Day by Day Plans for the First Week of Third Grade.) The first read aloud ... Read More about The First Week of Third Grade

3rd Grade Read Alouds

I was moved to third grade this year, so I needed a fresh batch of read alouds.  After all, I have some former students in my class, and I didn't want to reread any chapter books to them! After thinking back on books I loved as a kid and asking other teachers for recommendations, I purchased the following books for my classroom: How to Be Cool in the Third Grade Judy Moody is in a ... Read More about 3rd Grade Read Alouds

Sneak Peek: Welcome to Third Grade!

I am completely exhausted but my heart is so happy. I survived Meet the Teacher today and I got to squeeze all of my sweet kids from last year! As you may or may not know, I was moved (promoted?) to third grade, so I have a few of my students that were in my class last year. All of my other former students will be right nextdoor or across the hall, so I'll still get to see their sweet faces every ... Read More about Sneak Peek: Welcome to Third Grade!

Publishing Mini Books in the Classroom

So you raided the Target Dollar Spot and stocked up on some blank mini books for your classroom. Now what? I love the blank books almost as much as my students do. I use them for almost every final draft writing project, and my students get so excited about "publishing" books. It truly increases motivation and engagement, and I always love the final products! Lined Pages (Free!) First I ... Read More about Publishing Mini Books in the Classroom

Back to School with Oriental Trading

I got an exciting package recently - Oriental Trading! DID YOU KNOW... that Oriental Trading has an entire educational line called Learn 365? and that Oriental Trading's prices are really competitive, and cheaper than Amazon? I was so excited to discover Learn 365 this summer, and had to make some purchases that I think my students and I will love. First, I picked out some money dice. ... Read More about Back to School with Oriental Trading