Peek at my week... January 12-16

Here's a link up about my upcoming week! Click the picture for a .pdf file that has clickable links.

Next week, we are continuing with multiplication. We're using my Minute Quiz Multiplication for fact fluency. In a few weeks, we'll celebrate learning our multiplication facts with an ice cream party. The kids are pretty excited! We're also using Multiplication Bracelets and Multiplication Fact Booklets to  increase fluency. They LOVE the bracelets. I'm very fortunate that my group of students are mostly above level this year in math so teaching multiplication has been a breeze. It's also my favorite thing to teach in third grade!

For reading we've been using my In can track my independent reading packet to be more accountable for our independent reading. This is an area I found needed improvement from the beginning of the year. Students have started journals and below is a page completed by one of my students. 

Here, they track their minutes read for homework, the name of the book they're reading, and activities they complete for the choice menu. These were completed in class last week. Next week, this will be done as homework.

We're also into our second week of our Explorers and Adventurers Unit. Last week we completed this anchor chart and discussed how we are all explorers. They came up with some great ideas for this anchor chart, even mentioning pirates and astronauts! I was really happy with their thinking.

Next week we will continue with explorers and complete a motivations foldable and start on a group project called Choose Your Adventure: Age of Exploration. The first activity is writing a letter requesting money and supplies from the King for a voyage around the world. From there, we choose captains and begin our journey with a "choose 5 items that will help you survive on the journey" activity. I think my class will really enjoy this project! I need to remember to take photos!

I hope everyone has a great week. Go link up and share your own visual plans for next week!

Explorers and Adventures Unit Plan and Ideas

Unit Plan for Explorers and Adventurers

Click for full unit plan

I thought I would share my unit plan for my next integrated Science and Social Studies unit called Explorers and Adventurers. Click here to download a .pdf version of the plans. It has clickable links that go to different products around the web.

I've used parts of this unit for the last four years, but it's nice to finally have it all pieced together neatly. Does anyone else enjoy that as much as I do? We will begin this unit when my third graders return in January and I'm pretty excited. I think I've really found a few things to engage my gifted students. I can't wait to see what they come up with for their research projects!

Freebie Links

I also have as extras for my blog visitors only. These two single lessons didn't have a place in any of my exploration resources so I decided to make them freebies for everyone that stops by. You can't find them anywhere else! Either click through on the .PDF unit plan above or download them below:

Where in the World? A Google Earth Investigation
Explorer Motivations Flipbook

Please let me know what you think of them in the comments!

All products created by me for my exploration unit can be found at my TeachersPayTeachers Store: 

Let's Research: World Explorers 

Choose Your Adventure: Age of Exploration 

Christopher Columbus Close Reading Biography 

World Explorers Close Reading Biographies (5 Biographies)

Create a Timeline: Exploration

Exploration Scrapbook

Exploration: A Complete Resource

Thanks for stopping by,

Jennifer

Long term plans 2014-2015 for third grade

Since I'm on break this week, I've spent some time reorganizing my long term plans for this school year. We're implementing IPC (International Primary Curriculum) this year, so I've added those units in as well, although I didn't teach the Active Planet unit yet. We did start with geography, landforms, and weathering/erosion though, so I thought I would just update it with the IPC unit instead.

I plan to come back to this post and hyperlink other posts as I talk about individual units I complete with my students. The first unit I will likely share is the Explorers and Adventurers Unit as I finish up planning for that one. The plans can be downloaded as a .pdf by clicking either of the pictures, or by clicking here.

CLICK HERE for a FREE long term planning template for powerpoint, and visit my TPT STORE for more freebies and resources for the classroom!

-- Jennifer