Friday Flashback: Winners & a Peek at our Week

Congrats to Kiah for guessing correctly that my LEAST favorite thing about spring is the smell of fresh cut grass!!!!  There were so many good guesses, and lots that are true, but fresh cut grass is my least favorite.  I despise it.  I've even had to take my class in from recess before because the grass had been cut recently and I was totally gagging and about to be sick.  :(  I also hate that my husband smells like grass after playing golf - ugh - that's probably why I never stuck with that sport despite being decent at it and getting cute pink clubs and all. ;)

And, the Rafflecopter random winner is.....Amy W!!

Congrats, gals!  I'll have the new Poetry Pizzazz Unit sent your way asap!!  Hope your kiddos love it as much as mine did!

Speaking of it, here are some of their finished products from this unit...

We also FINALLY wrapped up our money unit and were able to start our MEASUREMENT UNIT today!!  I LOVE this math unit!  Here's how I start it off....

The week before beginning this unit, I read How To Eat Fried Worms to my students.  Then, I tell them that since we've just read a book about worms, we're going to be using WORMS to practice our measurement skills.

I tell them that I am going to give everyone a worm to measure today so that I can make sure they know how to use a ruler properly.  I have them close their eyes....I mean, they can't SEE where I keep my worms hidden.  Then, I have them OPEN their eyes and when they do, I'm standing in front of the class dangling a fat, juicy worm above my open mouth.

Their little mouths drop open in awe.  Sometimes I even lick it.  You won't die from licking a worm.  Even if it is just a clay worm.  hehehe....I finally let them in on my secret, but I do keep them thinking that we WILL use real worms soon.  I just can't let them use them on the FIRST day.  We have to make sure they can use these rulers properly first!

So then, I give everyone a clay worm.  These little clay strips are perfect for this lesson.

I get them from Dollar Tree every year...of course! :)  Once each child has one, I have them "roll" the worms to different lengths to practice using the ruler correctly (starting at the end and reading it to the nearest inch).

We practice....

and practice....

with both inches and centimeters....

And then of course, they all want a picture of themselves "eating" a worm.

Oh, if they only knew what I have in store for them next week! :)  I have some new ideas for this unit, too, and can't wait to work on them this weekend!