Test scheduling adjustments...UGGGHHH!  This has been the bane of my existence this week.  My state is taking part in new assessments this year and I have been asked to put together the testing schedule for our students with special needs.  This was all ready to go - until the snow week!  Now I have redone the schedule for the 3rd time and have my fingers crossed that testing will begin on Monday (or it is back to the drawing board again).

Spending all the extra time at home this week has made me realize just how much kids love MINECRAFT!  I have two daughters and in the course of this week I have seen them play this game, build MINECRAFT legos, read books and guides to learn more about it and get into deep discussions about how to best build a house to keep enemies away.  I cannot seem to get away from this game.  This got me thinking....how can I best use the excitement for MINECRAFT to help my students learn new concepts?  The first thing that came to mind is for them to "build" a MINECRAFT inspired figure (it would be so cool to do this somehow in a 3-D format...but I haven't figured this out yet) on graph paper.  Since all figures on this game are very boxy it will be easy to do on graph paper with the lines.  Next, we will be able to calculate the area and perimeter of each part of our figure (head, body, etc).  I don't have pictures yet, because this is just ideas running through my head.  Possibilities are endless...they can write about their figure, and so much more!  I would love to hear about some of your MINECRAFT inspired classroom creations.  If you can't beat them, join them...right?

I was able to work on a new product this week to add to my store!  YEAH!  Facts and opinions...an important reading comprehension skill that can be tricky for some students.  Instead of your typical worksheet with matching for fact and opinion, my new product includes 2 fun activities for practicing this skill.  

The first activity is a fact and opinion creativity where students get to build an ice cream sundae!  They will first sort ice cream scoops (with assorted statements about ice cream) into fact and opinion categories.  Next, they will glue these onto the appropriate bowl and add a cherry on top.  Answer key is included and you have an instant display to add to your classroom!

The second activity included in this product is a fact/opinion task cards or scoot game.  The 12 included cards showcase a variety of question types to help lead students to a deeper knowledge of this subject.  A student response sheet and answer key are also included.  My students have loved both of these activities!  It is always such a good feeling to finish a project!

Fact and Opinion Activities

Finally, I am celebrating my 1 year anniversary on Teacher's Pay Teachers!  YEAH!  I am so grateful to all of the wonderful teachers who have inspired me over my career!  I am planning a giveaway and sale to happen in the very near future!  Stay tuned!