Harrison's Lil Devils

Parent Tip #8

2012-01-29T22:21:00.000-08:00

RETURN FORMS TO SCHOOL!

Return forms to school in a timely fashion! This will not only help the school but also teach your child the value of being prompt and on time with assignments.

From Ron Clark

Jan 30 - Feb 3

2012-01-29T11:39:00.000-08:00

It's shaping up to be another busy week in 3rd grade!

Don't forget to stop by the book fair and shop for good fit books with your child! Books are my FAVORITE gift no matter the age!!!

Speaking of the book fair, please encourage yoru child to take AR tests this week so they can be entered in the hoola hoop contest to WIN FREE BOOKS from the book fair...WAHOO!!!

Donuts and Dads...YUMMY...will be Tuesday morning beginning at 7:15!

PACs Now will be here on Thursday and Friday for another My Pyramid Lesson.

Thursday will be the 1st-2nd grade music performance at 6:00 pm, and the book fair will be open as well!

This week in learning...

RED Reading - The students will continue working and reading their way through Junie B. Jones. They will have at least two mini lessons with Mr. Jansen to add to the CAFE Menu of skills and strategies! Additionally, they will work with various types of plural nouns this week!

BLUE Reading - The students will continue working and reading their way through Mr. Popper's Penguins. They will have at least two mini lessons with Mr. Jansen to add to the CAFE Menu of skills and strategies! In writing, we will begin working on informational writing. The student will choose and research one of the 17 penguin species to learn more information!

MIND Time - The students will begin creating biography boxes on a famous character of their choosing! This activity should be really fun for the students as they learn to work their way through the process of researching and creating a project!

Reading Buddies - Of course on Friday, we will read with our kindergarten buddies!

Welcome Back...a little late

2012-01-29T10:59:00.000-08:00

During the first semester, I was doing so well updating the blog weekly! I will try my best to get back into that good routine this semester! I would say you haven't missed much, but that would be a lie! Here are a few things that have been going on since we returned to school!

MIND Time - The students wrote New Year's Resolutions and created an art project. They are really cool :) If you are in the building, make sure to come up the hall and check them out! The students also worked on fantasy Readers Theater plays and performed them last week! Their voices were amazing!

RED Reading - These kiddos have been busy reading and working their way through Mr. Popper's Penguins! I think most of them are enjoying the story! We have had various mini lessons on skills and strategies to help us become better readers!

BLUE Reading - Most of these kiddos are reading and workign their way through Junie B. Jones. They are becoming independent readers using skills and strategies we have worked on in mini lessons.

WRITING - We are finishing up the Six Traits of Writing, and the students are implementing many of the ideas presented in the mini lessons. Their writing is really coming to life...WAHOO!

All in all, it has been a great return for the third grade at Cravens Elementary School!!!

Parent Tip #7

2011-12-19T22:19:00.000-08:00

MAKE AN EFFORT!

Make an effort to tie items you purchase for your child to his behavior at home. If the room isn't clean, the chores aren't done, and there are disrespectful moments, you shouldn't feel the need to purchase anything special for your child.

From Ron Clark

Reading Buddies

2011-12-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

On Friday afternoons, the third grade and Mrs. Stanley's kindergarten class join together to buddy read. This activity serves two purposes: 1. the third graders are able to use their reading skills to teach the kindergartners and 2. the kindergartners are able to listen to good readers and earn AR points! Although the time is hectic, the students are settling in to the routine and being quite productive with the time! Several kindergarten students have an impressive AR average and points! Here are a few pictures from our reading buddy time this semester!

DreamBox

2011-12-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

I am excited to announce Cravens has purchased a school wide license for DreamBox, a math intervention website. Students can log in at https://play.dreambox.com/login/y4t8/cravenses. The website is also located under Learning Links in teh right column! Their username and password will be sent home later this week!

Parent Tip #6

2011-12-04T22:50:00.000-08:00

NEVER SPEAK NEGATIVELY!

Never speak negatively about a teacher in front of your child. If s/he sees you don't respect the teacher s/he will feel it's okay for him to show disrespect in the classroom.

Adopted from Ron Clark

Dec 5-9

2011-12-04T20:48:00.000-08:00

So much to do with so little time!

This week we will attempt Winter MAP Testing...again! We hope to test on Tues, Wed, and Thurs. Make sure your child goes to bed on time, eats a good breakfast, and comes to school ready to test their best!

The Blue Reading Group will read a biography about the artist Picasso. We will review nonfiction elements and we will add main idea and supporting details to the CAFE Menu. We will also create an art piece like Picasso which should be fun and interesting!!!

The Red Reading Group will continue reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. We will add point-of-view to the CAFE Menu. The students are also responsible for an activity packet including story elements, character traits, vocabulary and more!

During writing, we will focus on IDEA, one of the six traits of writing. I have several activities planned to jumpstart the students creativity!

When we are able to squeeze MIND Time in this week, we will continue working on the cultural Christmas presentations with the hopes of creating powerpoint presentations.

Please don't forget the activities for the 12 Days of Christmas at Cravens. A green paper was sent home last week detailing the events!

Look for a letter this week detailing the 3rd grade Christmas party plan. Don't forget to start sending drinks and snacks for our party as well!

As always, thank you for all you do to make your student successful at Cravens Elementary School!!!

Parent Tip #5

2011-11-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

USE CAR TIME WISELY!

Use the time in the car to discuss what your child is learning in class. The music is more fun, and you may have things to think about, but getting your child in the habit of sharing the knowledge he is learning in class will help him greatly in the long run.

From Ron Clark

Nov 28 - Dec 2

2011-11-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh...hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving break as much as I did! Although busy, it was relaxing to spend time with Jay and Eva.

This week brings winter MAP testing!!! We will test on Tues, Wed, and Thurs. Please make sure your child goes to be at a reasonable time, wakes up on the right side of the bed, and eats a good breakfast :) But most importantly, please encourage them to do their best AND ask them about the test at the end of the day. It is hard to realize, but even third graders stress over test taking!

The Blue Reading Group will read a story titled The Cat Who Became a Poet! We will add fantasy to our CAFE menu. This group will also begin visiting stations this week. They will have two reading stations, a writing station, and an independent station...if all goes as planned :)

The Red Reading Group will begin ready The Best Christmas Pageant Ever...one of my all time favorites! They will review several comprehension strategies throughout this book!

During writing, we will complete our Turkey Disguise writing piece. As always, I am impressed with the students' creativity! I am also impressed that we have completed THREE writing pieces...WAHOO!!!

MIND time will be interrupted because of MAP testing. However, we will read with our kindergarten reading buddies on Friday aftenoon! I think we are finally getting into a groove with our reading buddies :) I hope to snap a few pictures this week and post them!

All in all, we are going to have another busy week full of learning and hopefully a little fun along the way!

Parent Tip #4

2011-11-23T23:15:00.000-08:00

DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS!

Develop relationships with other parents at the school. You can then call them with questions and concerns.

Adapted from Ron Clark

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T21:11:00.001-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Thank you for the opportunity to teach your child this year. Each and every day with them is an amazing adventure! Most days I learn more from the students than they do from me...but we make a pretty good team together :)

Through all the craziness of this year...maternity leave, becoming a working mom, new teaching standards, an amazing new principal, and the list goes on...this class has been a blessing to me!

Thank you for trusting me to help mold your child! I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings!

Mrs. Harrison

Parent Tip #3

2011-11-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

WATCH EDUCATIONAL TV!

Watch educational channels instead of more popular shows. DVR your favorite shows and watch them after your children go to bed.

Adapted from Ron Clark

November 7-11

2011-11-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

We are moving on through the month of November! This week will be as busy as the rest!

TONIGHT (Monday) is Cravens Fall Festival! I plan to be here, and I will have a special booth set up close to the classroom :) I hope you plan to attend!!!

Tuesday is Election Day, and Kentucky State Law says NO SCHOOL because we use school buildings as election sites!

On Thursday, Mrs. Fogle will be here because Jay and Eva have an important date with the doctor!

Friday is Veteran's Day, and Cravens will host a special assembly to honor all our Veterans! It will be in the pavillion starting at 8:15 am.

Oh, and even with all of those events, we should still learn a little this week!

The Blue Reading Group will read The Boy who Didn't Believe in Spring. We will be learning about homophones. We will test over the story and homophones on Friday.

The Red Reading Group will complete The Kid in the Red Jacket. Many of the reading buddies have completed the story and are working on an iPod Project! We will test over the story and vocabulary by the end of the week.

These WONDERFUL writers will be finished with their Haunted House stories by the end of the week. I am really impressed with their effort and creativity! I will make a copy to send home with each student! Hope you enjoy their stories as much as me :)

My Lil Devils have earned 20 (actually 21) Brownie Points and will be earning a treat for their effort! What are Brownie Points?!?! Every time the class gets a compliment from another adult (transitioning through the halls, music bravo board, pe golden shoe, etc) they earn a brownie point. Twenty brownie points = a class treat!!! Make sure to ask your child what the special treat was this time :)

Those students hired for a job in the month of October will also be treated to lunch in the classroom and a small token of appreciation for their effort! New students have been hired for jobs for the month of November!

Parent Tip #2

2011-10-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

TAKE THE TIME TO READ!

Read everything that is sent home from school. When your child isn't prepared,

it causes him to feel stress.

From Ron Clark

October 31 - November 4

2011-10-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

I spent a few hours at school earlier today, planning activities and organizing the upcoming week! As usual it will be a busy one, but hopefully a fun one as well!

The blue reading group will take a much needed break from Open Court! Our focus story is The Little Old Lady Who was Not Afraid of Anything. I think the kids will really enjoy it! We will add visualization to our CAFE Menu.

The red reading group will continue reading The Kid in the Red Jacket. Some of the buddy readers will finish the book this week, complete a few book assignments, and test! We will add sequencing events to our CAFE Menu.

In writing, I hope to finish our Haunte House story by the end of the week! The kids are really amazing me with the details they are including in their brainstorming and prewriting!

Oh...should I mention that Monday is Halloween?!?!? I love when Halloween falls on a school night as I am sure parents do too! I am really not a fuddy dud about it, I just know it will make for a hectic week! However, I am excited about Halloween with Jay and Eva this year. NO we are not trick-or-treating, but they will dress up to help pass candy to the neighborhood kids. We hope to have a few visitors come to see our Lil Devils :)

The kids will be making masks Monday morning to wear during our 2nd annual Halloween through the Halls! Oh yes, they are coming home loaded with candy!!!

During MIND Time, our focus will be money! Mr. Williams has planned some fun stations for the kids to rotate through in the afternoons!

Otherwise, it will be another fun filled, learning loaded week at Cravens Elementary School!

If you would like to receive an email when I post to the blog, please send a note in your child's agenda with your email address! I will also send home a permission slip to include/not include your child (name, picture, work, etc) in the blog. Please make sure to send that back ASAP!

Thanks for all you do to help your child be successful at Cravens!

Parent Tip #1

2011-10-23T08:08:00.001-07:00

LIMIT CHAOS IN THE MORNINGS!

You want it to be drama free so that your child starts school with a calm spirit. Even if you aren't a morning person, force yourself to get up early and start the day off right!

From Ron Clark

October 24-28

2011-10-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

We have a full week of learning ahead of us!

We will begin a writing piece about a Haunted House, and I think the kids will enjoy this piece and not even realize they are writing!

The blue reading group will read City Lots and focus on categorizing information. They will have a test on Friday afternoon.

The red reading group will continue reading The Kid in the Red Jacket and focus on categorizing information as well.

The Junior Achievement girls, Megan and Sarah, will be here for their final lesson on Wednesday.

We head to the RiverPark Center on Thursday for the Chinese Acrobats from 8:45-10:15.

On Friday, I have a reading meeting so the students will have a small break from me :)

All the students have settled into the new routine with me as their teacher, and I am so proud of their effort. I didn't realize how hard it would be on all of us for the teacher to miss the critical first six weeks of school. But I think we are in a good place now, and we are headed to a great place!

Their new agendas will go home Monday afternoon. The agenda pages will remain the same, but they are assuming more respobsibility with the agenda book!

We have a small pencil issue in the classroom...the pencils are TERRIBLE and most difficult to sharpen/keep sharpened. It was beginning to be a HUGE frustration for the kids and myself! SO...they have also assumed more responsibility in the classroom with mechanical pencils. I provided their first mechanical pencil on Friday. They know they are to be respectful during teaching and working times. They are also responsible to keep up with their pencil. Their consequence for needing a new pencil will either be "buying" a new one with class money, repaying me during recess if they don't have enough money, or using regular wooden pencils. You are more than welcome to provide your child with mechanical pencils if they need one!

I will finish conferences this week. So please let me know if you would like to speak with me on your child's progress. We can meet after school or on the phone!

10 Things about the Teacher!

2011-08-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

1. I am married to Mr. Harrison...you might have him for a teacher, football coach, or basketball coach at OHS! We LOVE the red and black! 2. We have TWINS...Jay and Eva...born May 9th. They are the absolute light of my life. I never knew how much I could love until the twins arrived :)

3. We also have a fur baby...Mia...a six year old black and tan miniature dachshund! She is also the light of my life. You could say I am obsessed with weiner dogs!

4. Teaching is a calling. You could say I have always known I was going to be a teacher. I am passionate about teaching, and I cannot imagine any other profession! This is my 10th year of teaching...really...WOW time flies when you're having fun! I have a masters degree in elementary education, and I am a National Board Certified Teacher!5. I love to nap! Although it does not happen as often as it used to...wonder why, I could sleep for hours...anywhere, anytime!

6. My favorite colors are red and black, black and pink!

7. I love to read...children's books! Some of my favorites include Thank You, Mr. Faulker, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Because of Winn Dixie, There's a Boy in the Girls Bathroom. My favorite authors include Patricia Polacco, Dr. Seuss, LeighAnne Florence, and Beverly Cleary.

8. I love all things Christmas...lights, ornaments, Santas, angels, nativity scenes, presents, shopping, wrapping, parties, food, etc!
9. My favorite sport is soccer, but I also like football and basketball. Mr. Harrison coaches football and basketball so I attend a lot of games! I have coached soccer most of my life, but gave it up for a couple of years because of the twins.

10. I love to eat...almost anything and almost everything! Red Lobster might be my favorite restaurant!

Guess Who's Back!

2011-08-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...back to third grade and back to blogging! As much as I enjoyed my time in first grade, I am absolutely stoked to be back in third grade. I am a good teacher at any grade level, but I must admit that I rock third grade!

I invite you to visit our blog often! If you have an email address, I will email you when the blog is updated! You never know when your child will be showcased! I post weekly updates with class happenings, brags and boasts, upcoming events, parent tips, and useful (or useless) tidbits! Eventually the students will also update the blog...nothing better than real world writing to create little authors :)

The End of 2010

2010-12-17T11:53:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures to sum up some of the activities thus far in first grade...

We LOVE to play games during reading groups!

Fly Swat and Memory are two of our favorite games!

Preston and Cesilia enjoyed scarecrow ice cream cones for our Compliment Party!

Sydney posed with the class scarecrow after he lost ANOTHER tooth!

Karalaina entered the Junior Achievement Christmas Card Contest. She won at Cravens Elementary School! She is pictured with her gift basket :)

Fall in the First Grade!

2010-10-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

Fall is a busy time of year in first grade! There are so many fun activities for the students :) To start the season, we visited Trunnell Farms Pumpkin Patch! The students learned the process of growing pumpkins and picked there own pumpkin! We learned how to decorate a jack-o-lantern once we returned to school!

The children trying to find the perfect pumpkin!

Clayton found the perfect pumpkin!

Crystiana and Kourtnee drove the bus?!?!?

Javar and Preston climb to the top of the hay bales!

Sydney's Lost Tooth

2010-10-21T12:06:00.001-07:00

Sydney lost his front tooth the other night!

Check him out with our friendly scarecrow!!!

I'm Back!

2010-10-12T23:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our adventures in first grade! I hope you will find our blog both informational and entertaining! Each week, I will update the blog with information to help you help your child inside and outside the classroom! I will also showcase events, projects, and pictures from our week in first grade!

This week I want to remind you about http://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/. The username is cravensteacher and the password is books. It is an amazing website full of stories for all reading levels and interests! As long as you have speakers, a narrarator will read the story to your child! Often times there is an online quiz and games to play! You can access it through Learning Links on the right column of the blog...check it out :)

Time flies the last few weeks of school!

2010-05-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

It seems like just yesterday we returned for the final six weeks! And now we are in the final countdown until the last day of school! Let's recap the past week..

On Friday, we headed to the BBQ Festival Carnival as a reward for hard work on the CATS test! The kids rode and rode and rode rides until, well, they were sick to their stomach! Check out the pictures below...

The whole gang!

On Wednesday, WE DID NOT TAKE A SINGLE TEST...at least not a state assessment! However, the students did take multiplication quiz 11. It is truly amazing to see how well everyone is doing on the multiplication quizzes! Now I have to hope they continue to remember their facts for the rest of their lives!!! Desmond continues his reign as King and Tayonna continues her reign as Queen this week!!!

We spent Thursday at the Botanical Garden and the Science Museum. The kids learned about plants and birds in the great outdoors! Then they learned how to use a microscope and studied different slides. Check out the pictures below...

Bling and Things...

2010-05-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

As we created our May calendar this morning, we realized we only have 16 school days left this year. I cannot quite tell you where time has gone, but it has been a good year! Here are a few updates and upcomings...

On Monday, we completed the CATS portion of testing. BIG CHEER!!! I am very pleased with the overall effort of the students. For their hard work, Mr. Gaddis is treating us to a couple hours at the BBQ Festival Carnival...here we come Superman, Gravitron, and Swings!

However, we are preparing for the Iowa Norm Referenced Comprehension test next Monday and Tuesday. It is formatted as a timed multiple choice test in the areas of reading, math, and language arts. It is new this year, so we are not really sure what to expect. But you can guarantee that we will rock it!!!

Additionally, we will take the MAP test on Thursday, Friday, and May 17th in the areas of math, reading, and language arts. It is a computer based and levelized test.

Why so many tests?!?!?! Kentucky is phasing out the CATS test, and replacing it with a norm referenced test (Iowa test). The MAP data shows a great picture of the growth each individual student gains throughout a given school year.

Otherwise, we have several routines we will continue through the remainder of the school year! One of the routines is our weekly multiplication quizzes. We continued reviewing our multiplication facts last week. We played Internet games, card war, and survivor! On Monday, we took quiz 10, and I am proud of the continued improvement!

We even have a NEW Queen of Bling!!! Tayonna and Hannah earned Queen of Bling, and Melvin earned King of Bling! Kolton, Jordan, Brooklyn, Desmond, Ashlee, Z'Naja, and Brandon continue to do well on the quizzes!!!

King and Queen of Bling

2010-04-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Only the strong will survive...

Although we continue to practice our multiplication facts daily, quiz #10 was a toughie! We added 7x7 and 8x5 last week. We continue to add to our flash cards, and many kids practice them throughout the day! However, only two students ROCKED multiplication test 10...King Kolton and Queen Tayonna! Congratulations! Keep up the good work!

The KY Weiner Dogs

2010-04-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year we read Dog Gone Wild, an adventure about Woody and Chloe the Kentucky Weiner Dogs! The story was featured in the Messenger Inquirer for ten weeks. The author, Leigh Anne Florence, resides in Shepardsville, KY with the famous Kentucky Weiner Dogs!

On April 21, Leigh Anne, Ron, Woody, Chloe, Frannie, and Wally made a visit to Cravens Elementary School! Leigh Anne read to us, told stories, presented Woody's Five Ways to Be Successful, and answered questions. It was an awesome visit! Check out a few pictures from their visit!

A BIG thanks to Mr. Gaddis for allowing them to visit our class! You can check out more pictures in the KY Weiner Dogs video in the Lil Devil Animoto Links!

King and Queens of Bling

2010-04-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

We are on the downhill slide for learning multiplication facts. Today we tested unit 9 of 12 :) I am happy to report THREE King and Queens of Bling...Ashlee, Kolton, and Tayonna! They rocked the multiplication quiz! For continuing to do so well on their quizzes, all three students will be released from multiplication homework :) CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I foresee a few more Kings and Queens of Bling in the upcoming weeks! Desmond, Jordan, Melvin, and Z'Naja only missed 1 on their week 9 quiz...awesome job!

If you are still struggling, continue quizzing yourself with the flashcards we make! Take them home and work on them with parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. If you are checking the blog from home, then you have access to the multiplication links as well!

This week we will focus on 7x7 and 8x5 :)

Welcome Back!

2010-04-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

As much as I love spring break, I am happy to be back in the classroom. Don't tell the kids, but I missed them...a little! We have been busy since our return as we are reviewing EVERYTHING from 3rd grade in two weeks...wish us luck! Can you say nounverbadjectivepunctuationcapitalizationaddition
subtractionmultiplicationtimemoneyfractionsplace
valuestoryelementssummarypredictinferenceantonym
synonymprefixrootsuffix?

Even through the reviewing, we will manage to have a little fun! We started reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...my all time favorite book! We will focus on the great state of Kentucky in social studies! Of course we will continue learning our multiplication facts!

Ashlee, Desmond, and Tayonna ROCKED our first multiplication quiz, and they earned King and Queens of Bling for the week! We will being adding new facts next week, but be sure to review all the previous facts!!!

Spring break...

2010-04-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring Break to all my followers! If you are at a loss for what to do with your children this week, here are a few suggestions, academic and non-academic!!!

The Edge - ice skaing is only $2.50 per individual this week

Public Library - nice, quiet place to work on those AR pointsLocal Parks - Moreland, Legion, Yellow Creek, etc. - get some exerciseBotanical Garden - check out nature's finestMalco Theater - Diary of a Wimpy Kid is playing

You can also check out the Learning Links to practice math and reading skills :) See you April 12th!

Bye Bye National Board Box...

2010-03-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

Most of you know I devoted this year to improving my teaching through the adventure of National Board Certification. To say the least, it has been interesting! It has consumed the last six months of of my life. In fact, I have missed more school in the last month than I have in my previous seven years of teaching. However, I packed the box on Saturday and will mail it on Monday!!! I have a LONG list of people to thank for helping me through the journey...

Jason - Thanks for dealing with everything...my high stress level, burning my DVDs, and picking up my slack so I can focus on my work. You are amazing!!!

Mom - Thanks for editing my work, laughing at my oopsies (I needed those laughs), and cooking home cooked meals!

Mom and Dad - Thanks for ALWAYS encouraging me!

Ryan - Thanks for working with me and stressing me out with your LACK of organization!

Bonnie - Thanks for being a super great mentor!

Mentor Group - Thanks for being supportive! Rhonda...ssshhhh!

Students - Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for being the perfect class to take this adventure because without you, I would not have been able to complete it. I have learned more this year than you will ever imagine. I cannot wait to celebrate with you in November when my scores come back...we're gonna do it up BIG!!!

Others - Thanks to everyone else who, in one way or another, helped me through this journey!

The National Board box...

The happy National Board box sender...

Week 8 Queens of Bling!

2010-03-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

You read that right...Queens of Bling! Week 8 introduced us to the facts 4x5 and 8x3. The students created more flash cards for independent practice, and they were quizzed with flash cards! I am SO proud of all the students for working hard to memorize their multiplication facts. Although memorizing information is not always the best method to learn things, it is the best method to learn multiplication. Hopefully they are memorizing them for the rest of their lives!!! Oh, I guess you want to know who those Queens are this week? Well, I am most proud to announce Tayonna, Tiyana, and Z'Naja as Queens of Bling this week!!! Congratulations Queens!

Kolton's Week

2010-03-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Kolton and I am the CHAMP of the week. This week in math, we have been talking about fractions. We used a pie chart to talk about the different ways to split pies and cookies. I learned two big words that go along with fractions, the numerator (top number) and the denominator (bottom number).

Yesterday, Mrs. Carter, a WKU student, taught a lesson about the Earth layers. I learned the Earth has three layers, crust, mantle and core. She had us make a layer cake using gram crackers, crushed Oreo cookies and Cool Whip. I really enjoyed eating the Earth layered cake.
Today, we went to the RiverPark Center to watch a play called the High School Musicale by the Owensboro Dance Theatre. I liked the part of the play when they used a disco ball because when the ball started turning it was reflecting the light through out the whole auditorium. I enjoyed my week as the CHAMP!!!

How to Eat Fried...Errr Gummy Worms

2010-03-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

We just finished reading the book How to Eat Fried Worms, and the students watched the movie as well. In comparing the movie to the book, we found almost no similarities...kind of crazy, right! To reward the students for excellent behavior while I was absent, I made a little dirt cake concoction. I tried to convince the students Mia and I dug dirt and worms from the backyard, but these kids are TOO smart! I could not resist putting this video of Kolton being dared to eat the worms (gummy might I add) in 10 seconds. His consequence for losing...worms in his pants! ENJOY :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

Green, shamrocks, leprechauns, oh my! We celebrated St. Patrick's Day in style at Cravens...however no pinching was involved! Hannah and Brooklyn took their fashion to a whole new level all decked out in green...too bad I did not take any pictures. We watched a St. Patrick's Day video on KET Encyclomedia...a great teaching resource! The students learned many interesting facts about the holiday. We learned Chicago dyes a river green in celebration, and many other cities host parades and parties with singing and dancing. Traditional Irish food includes corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and scones...yummy! We read the book Lucky O'Leprechaun, and a leprechaun visited the classroom and left hidden treasures! Tomorrow we are creating leprechaun puppets and writing how to pieces! The learning never ends :)

Real Science with Brad Reynolds

2010-03-14T22:41:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, Brad Reynolds brought his Real Science Creepy, Crawly, Slimy, Scaly Program to Cravens Elementary School! The students saw living creatures from a tarantula to a frog to a turtle to a snake...a really BIG snake! The students learned many new and interesting facts. I even think some teachers became learners too! From my understanding, the most memorable moment for the kindergarten and 1st graders was the peeing bull frog! The most memorable moment for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders was the pooping toad! Below are a few pictures from the program...

You knew I would post a picture of the pooping toad! Here is the boa constricter who became a little agitated!

I still don't understand why Mr. Reynolds

did not bring a living alligator...

Of course Bennett had to get his hands on the snake!

Some 4th graders got a closer look at all the creatures!

Week 7 King of Bling!

2010-03-14T22:33:00.001-07:00

During week 7, we focused on learning 8x8 and 7x6. Although the weekly multiplication test continues to grow and get harder, I am proud to announce that Kolton continues to earn King of Bling on a weekly basis! Kolton will not only be the lone student wearing bling on Monday, but he will also be excused from the remainder of multiplication packet homework! Keep up the good work Kolton :)

Z'Naja's Week

2010-03-12T11:31:00.000-08:00

This week in Mrs. Harrison's room, I was the CHAMP of the Week! My favorite part of the week was on Thursday when the Real Science Guy came. He brought many different kind of animals to show us. He brought a snake, turtle, lizard, cockroach and a scary tarantula. I had no idea how to spell tarantula, so I googled it to spell it correctly! He talked about their different habitats, and if they were a reptile or an amphibian. I learned so much listening to the Real Science Guy. We also finished a book Mrs. Harrison has been reading to us for a couple of weeks called How to Eat Fried Worms. I like the book, but I thought it was gross. Today we are watching the movie that goes along with the book. When I was watching the movie I figured out the book was a lot different than the movie. Both were still very good to watch and listen to. Today we had a multiplication test, and I only missed 1 of 25! Check out the snake crawling over my shoulder!

Who said I was a chicken!!!

Brandon's Week

2010-03-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

Hello, My name is Brandon and I am in Mrs. Harrison's 3rd grade class. Last week, I was the Champ of the Week. Last week Mrs. Conkright brought our class a fruit tray. In the fruit tray we had strawberries, grapes, apples and starfruit. My favorite fruit from the tray was the apples and my least favorite was the starfruit because it tasted like water. During spelling we played a game about compound words. I learned when you take two simple words and put them together, you have a compound word. My favorite part of the week was celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday. We read a book called Cat in the Hat, and we watched a movie called Horton Hears a Who. I thought the movie was really funny. Mrs. Harrison also make cookies and a cake to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday. I think she is a really good cook. The cake and cookies were really good.

Brandon loves reading in the igloo :)

Cures for a Boring Day Poems

2010-03-08T21:20:00.001-08:00

So I finally figured out how easy it is to add a video to the blog...sorry for the delay!

The students wrote silly poems about a boring place. Each student had to come up with seven lines and each line had to begin with an action verb. Check out Ashlee in her poetry debut!

Just to Make Tayonna Jealous...

2010-03-08T20:44:00.001-08:00

Check us out! Jason and I attended the UK-Florida game on Sunday, March 7th. It was also Senior Day, so we witnessed the celebration of Patterson, Harris, Kriebs, and Stevenson! Seeing Wall and Cousins in person was pretty spectacular! It was a great win for UK! Below are a few pictures of the day!

The view from our seats was not too bad. We were up, but not way up!

The UK Cheerleaders are always an amazing sight to see!

Here is a little clip from the game! Check out #11 and #15!

Week 6 Kings and Queens of Bling

2010-03-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

Week six was so busy we were unable to fit our multiplication quiz in on Friday! After a few more days of practice over the weekend, the kids arrived on Monday ready for the quiz...ha! ha! I am proud to announce that 4 students made a 100%. They are Brooklyn, Desmond, Kolton, and Tayonna! Congratulations Kings and Queens of Bling!

If you are not doing well on the multiplication quizzes...please check out the multiplication game website under learning links on the blog. You are also creating flash cards to study anytime so take them home and study with someone! You can also play multiplication war! I want to see more Kings and Queens of Bling this week!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

2010-03-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

Check out the pictures from our Dr. Seuss birthday party!!!

My mom, Joyce Ann Evans, read Oh the Places You'll Go to the kids! She also discussed all the different materials she reads daily. The kids received the KW Today magazine too!

Mmmm...cookies and cake, oh my! We enjoyed Cat in the Hat shaped cookies and cake!

This is what happens to kids after an exciting day at school!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Blog Survey

2010-03-03T18:27:00.001-08:00

The Igloo Fell Like Humpty Dumpty...

2010-02-28T21:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a recap the events in the fall of the igloo...

On Monday, Ms. Brenda asked me if the igloo was mobile because she expected a visit from the Fire Marshall any day! It needed to be moved because we built it in the hallway! OF COURSE the igloo is mobile ;)

About ten minutes later, Ms. Fulkerson poked her head in the room to let me know the Health Department was in the building. I thought the igloo needed to be moved IMMEDIATELY! So, with a push and a shove, we started moving the "mobile" igloo. In the blink of an eye, it creaked, it cracked, and it went down like Humpty Dumpty.
I decided TOO many people helped construct the igloo, and it needed to be salvaged. So Ms. Kearbey let the downed igloo sit in her library all week...thank you!
Some scavengers tried to loot the igloo, but Mr. DeLacey saved the day! Of course, the looters caused a stinch that had to be covered with air freshner!

All the kings horses and all the kings men came to school on Sunday to put the igloo back together again! THANK YOU JASON for spending your time at school to rebuild the igloo with me! It looks even better the second time around!

However...we need a FEW more milk jugs to top off the new igloo ;)
Check out the new and improved igloo below!!!

King and Queens of Bling

2010-02-28T21:26:00.000-08:00

Week five introduced three new multiplication facts...6x4, 9x2, and 7x3. The kids learned to play multiplication war with a deck of cards. Make sure to play with your kids at home too! They can teach you how to play :) Three students made a 100% on their test this week...Brooklyn, Kolton, and Z'Naja! Congratulations to the King and Queens of Bling!!!!!

Tiyana's Week

2010-02-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

Hello! My name is Tiyana and I am in Mrs. Harrison's class. This week in Mrs. Harrison's class, we have been talking about the Olympics. We made hockey sticks out of popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners. I liked making the hockey sticks but I did not like using the pipe cleaner sticks because the end kept poking me. One interesting fact I learned about the Olympics had to do with the Ancient Olympics. I found out the men used to play naked in the Olympics and because of this the women were not allowed to watch the men play.

In math, we have been talking about time and the clock. I learned 60 seconds equals 1 minute, 60 minutes equals one hour, 24 hours equals 1 day, and 7 days equals one week. Yesterday we learned when the minute hand starts to move around the clock, the hour hand also begins to move to the next hour. Once the minute hand hits the six, the hour hand is between the number we started on and the next hour number. Thank you for all the interesting learning this week.

Kings and Queens of Bling

2010-02-21T17:04:00.000-08:00

With another short week, we did not add any new multiplication facts. However, we continued to review the previously learned facts. On Friday, we took a quiz and the following students made a 100% :Melvin, Tayonna, Kolton, Brooklyn, Hannah, Z'Naja, Desmond, and Ashlee! Lots of Kings and Queens this week :)

Jordan's Week

2010-02-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Jordan and I am in Mrs. Harrison's 3rd grade class. This week in Mrs. Harrison's class we reviewed our multiplicaton facts, and we took a test over them. I feel I did real well, but Mrs. Harrison will not grade them until the weekend. This week we have been talking a lot about the Olympics. We talked about the history and development of the Olympics. We discussed all the different sporting events that take place at the Olympics, and snowboarding was my favorite. I learned the snowboarders favorite saying is "SICK!" That means something is awesome. We also created an art project, and I did mine on snowboarding. I think it is one of the coolest sports!
Jordan and his kindergarten reading buddings, Michael and Javion, inside the igloo!

School and Snow Don't Mix

2010-02-18T17:41:00.001-08:00

Although school and snow don't mix, we have made the most of our days at school! Here are a few pictures of some Valentine's activities in the classroom...

Dr. Cheryl King, President of Kentucky Wesleyan College, read Teammates to us on I Love to Read Day! She also told us about her job and why reading is important for EVERYONE!

Desmond worked hard to make a candy necklace. When he gave his necklace to me to tie off...I demolished it :( Being the good sport he is, Desmond just smiled and created another one!

Jordan, Tyshawn, Tiyana, and Hannah created Valentine cards for important people in their lives!

My mom and I made homemade sugar cookies for the students to decorate on Valentine's Day! The kids added sprinkles, confetti, and icing! They were delicious...thanks for your help mom! Here is one of their many creations :)

Tayonna's week

2010-02-18T11:33:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Tayonnna and I am in Mrs. Harrion's 3rd grade class. I was the classroom CHAMP last week, and it was a short one. We were only in school for 2 days due to all the snow. One day we got to write in our journals to our classroom friends. I enjoyed writing to my friends because I was talking to them about the Valentine's Day party, and all the fun we were going to have at the party. Since we were only in school for two days, we seemed to focus more on Valentine's Day activities. I made and decorated a Valentines card for my parents. My parents really loved the card I made them for Valentine's Day. The best part of my week was decorating the cookies Mrs. Harrison brought in for us. I put white and pink icing, sprinkles and some soft heart shaped candy. That cookie was very GOOD! I really enjoyed being the class CHAMP. I had an awesome week!

The Igloo is FINISHED!!!

2010-02-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks to students, parents, teachers, staff, and friends for your gallon size milk jugs! I added 33 more jugs to create the roof! The igloo is ready for reading!!! The GRAND total of milk jugs is 276! Tayonna had the best classroom estimate of 120, and Caley had the best reading class estimate of 160! The student with the best estimate in each homeroom will receive an Eskimo Pie during Friday Assembly :)

Simile Poem

2010-02-15T23:19:00.001-08:00

We recently reviewed similies during language arts time. Some of the kids chose to write a simile poem. Here are some of their creative thoughts!!!

As poor as a homeless person...Tiyana

As strong as a wrestler...Kolton

As smart as a computer...Melvin and Brooklyn

As thin as a model...Tayonna

As strong as a dinosaur...Z'Naja

As thin as string...Ashlee

As strong as a bear...Hannah

As ugly as a plain bulletin board...Tayonna

As ugly as Frankenstein...Z'Naja

As ugly as a toad...Brooklyn

As proud as a penguin...Ashlee

Week 4 Kings and Queens of Bling!

2010-02-09T22:05:00.000-08:00

We learned 8x4, 9x3, and 5x5 over the past week. Congratulations to Kolton, Desmond, and Ashlee for making a 100% on their multiplication test this week! All three students have made a perfect score every week!

Because of the short week, we are not adding new facts this week. However, we will continue practicing all the facts we have learned, and we will take a quiz on Friday!!!!! Keep studying :)

Exhausted!

2010-02-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

I am sitting at my computer on Friday afternoon, and I cannot decide if I need to lay my head down for a rest or keeping moving to ignore the lack of energy! This week has been the busiest in my eight years of teaching. We had the book fair going on in the library, PACs My Pyramid program about nutrition three days, Grandy's Night, and a field trip to the RiverPark Center for Charlotte's Web. To top it all off, we have taped four lessons this week for National Boards as we finished our unit on culture.

After finishing the culture unit and learning proper speaking skills, the kids gave an awesome presentation today! Students from Mrs. Strong, Mr. Williams, and Mrs. Stanley were a super audience! We celebrated this afternoon with food from Africa, Asia, Australia, and Mexico! They sampled sushi, egg rolls, pavlova, salsa, and bread. Hannah was not impressed with the sushi, but Cameron enjoyed it! Kobe actually tried all of the food :) His mother was pretty impressed since he does not eat her cooking at home! Tyshawn liked my homemade bread...thanks! Most of the kids decided meat pie is like meatloaf! Hunter and Desmond gave a thumbs up for the food! Brooklyn was a member of the clean plate club!

To top everything else off, I added milk jugs to the igloo after school! I glued 75 more jugs to the igloo, and it is taking shape nicely. We are up to 243 milk jugs. I estimate we will need 100 more milk jugs to finish the project so keep 'em coming! Thanks to everyone who has taken part in our project!

Better get off here for now...time to start planning for another fun week in 3rd grade! Be on the look out for Tayonna's post at the beginning of the week!!!

Igloo Update...

2010-01-30T21:03:00.001-08:00

On Friday we continued building the igloo. The igloo is now six rows tall, and it moved into the hallway! One hundred two milk jugs were donated from students, teachers, staff, parents, church members, and family friends this week. The igloo is now up to 168 milk jugs and counting. Check back next week for more progress!

Week 3 Kings and Queens of Bling

2010-01-29T13:40:00.000-08:00

This week we studied the facts 7x3, 8x6, and 9x7. Congratulations to the following students for making a 100% on their week 3 multiplication test: Kolton, Desmond, Tayonna, Jordan, Brooklyn, Hunter, and Ashlee!

Ashley Week 2

2010-01-28T11:27:00.000-08:00

Hello! My name is Ashley! This week in Mrs. Harrison's class, I learned about multiplication. This week we learned the multiplication fact 9x7. 9x7=63! We also have been talking about place value. I learned about what value each digit represents. We talked about numbers in the hundred thousands place value.

Something we have done this week that has really been interesting to me has been making origami flowers. I learned that origami is very popular in the Asian culture. Yesterday we watched video directions to make a paper flower. I learned it is VERY important to follow the directions really carefully because one little mistake throws the whole origami flower off. I learned it the hard way because I made my flower backwards :) Today we are making an Asian kite. We read a book called The Emperor and the Kite, and after we read the book Mrs. Harrison thought it would be cool to make a kite to go with the book. I am having fun making a kite. Check out my picture with my kite and origami flower!!! There is also a picture of the origami flower bouquet by the whole class.

Newspaper In Education

2010-01-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

The students went on a scavenger hunt through the Messenger Inquirer for various concepts learned this year. Some of the items the students are looking for include parts of speech and punctuation. Tayonna, Z'Naja, and Hannah work together to find everything on their scavenger hunt list! From the look of things...the kids are learning, and they have no idea :)

Week 2 Kings and Queens of Bling!

2010-01-22T13:40:00.001-08:00

When students make a 100% on multiplication quizzes, they are deemed Kings and Queens of Bling. They get to wear the Bling Tags to recognize their accomplishment! The following students made a 100% on their week 2 multiplication quiz...Kolton, Desmond, Tayonna, Melvin, Ashlee!

Hannah Week 1

2010-01-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

Hello, My name is Hannah! I am very excited about being the first student to write on our classes blog. I am writing to tell you about some interesting things that I learned in Mrs. Harrison's class this week. This week, my class and I have been practicing our multiplication facts. We have been going over all our facts and I am having a good time with all the games and activities Mrs. Harrison is doing with us. This week in reading, Mrs. Harrison has been reading Charlotte's Web to our class. We are currently on chapter 10 and enjoy all the funny parts the Pig, Rat and the Goose have. My favorite activity we are doing is learning about Penguins and building an Igloo. We currently collected 66 milk jugs and have completed the first two rows of our Igloo base. The picture shows how much we have completed and can't wait to read inside the Igloo when finished.

The Beginning of the Igloo

2010-01-21T20:42:00.001-08:00

As I was researching activities for my reading group while they read Mr. Popper's Penguins, I came across the idea to build a life size igloo using gallon milk jugs. As one who never avoids challenge, I decided to introduce the idea to the kids. Of course they took the challenge hook, line, and sinker! So...we are in the process of collecting milk jugs. We have enlisted the help of all teachers, staff, and students at Cravens. This "simple" mission has turned into a school wide project! All the students are estimating the number of milk jugs needed to build the igloo. The best estimator from each class will receive a treat :) Once completed, the igloo will be in the library for kids to read in during library time!

The first week, we collected 11 milk jugs, and we began building the igloo base (picture posted). This week we collected 55 more milk jugs, and we will continue building on Friday. I will post another picture of Friday's progress.

First Attempt...

2010-01-21T14:03:00.000-08:00

With a little encouragement and help from my (favorite) co-worker, Mr. Ashley, I am attempting to keep a blog with my students. My goal is to add a new post and pictures at least once a week! With so much going on in our classroom, I doubt we will have a problem reaching our goal. Besides Mr. Ashley and myself, the classroom CHAMP (student of the week) will also add a new post from the students' point-of-view. I hope you will join us in our journey of learning!

Some things we did this week include...

Read Charlotte's Web
Discuss the Asian culture
Begin learning about time
Took a scavenger hunt through the newspaper
Worked to finish a poem
Talked about facts and opinions
Read Mr. Popper's Penguins
Learned 3x3, 9x4, and 8x2
Started building a milk jug igloo