Loot by Jude Watson

I originally discovered this book on Rick Riordan's blog just before it was released.  I had it on my "Want to" read for a long time, but finally read it this summer because it is nominated for an award in Washington State.

March McQuin is the son of a jewel thief who dies at his feet.  March hears his father tell him to "Find jewels."  He discovers that Jules is really a twin sister he didn't know about.

I loved the plot twists and characters and can't wait to read the sequel, Sting.





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Quote of the Week--December 25, 2016

"Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself."

George Bernard Shaw

Merry Christmas,

Claim: A Coordinate Graphing Game

Think of this as a different version of the Dot Game, where players take turns drawing lines between dots trying to complete as many squares as possible.

 In this version, players claim dots by calling out the coordinates for a particular point.

When a player claims the fourth point of the square, they color in the square.  The player who colors in the most squares wins.

 (Note: when we played this in class, one of the students asked if they could create any sized square and claim the area inside the square.  After experimenting a little, we decided that you had to claim the smaller squares on the board.)

I have printed out half a class set of this board, put it in a plastic cover, and we use dry erase markers for reusable game boards.

Claim is a free game available in Artistry of Education @Teachers Pay Teachers.

Quote of the Week--December 18, 2016

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the sees that you plant."

Robert Louis Stevenson

Have a good week,

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

A group of my students are reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet in an after school book club.  When I heard about it, I had to read it.

The plot moves back and forth between Seattle at the time of the Japanese internment and the 80s.  Henry Lee, a Chinese-American, arrives at the Panama Hotel and realizes that items left there by Japanese families have personal meaning for him. He flashes back to a relationship he had with a Japanese-American girl and how they were separated as she moved to an internment camp.

I'm having great discussions with my fifth grade girls about their reading.  My stepdaughter read it in a community college English literature class.  My mom read it when it was recommended by a friend.




For an explanation of my rating scale, click here.
Find me at Goodreads.

Quote of the Week--December 11, 2016

"Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th."

Julie Andrews

Have a good week,

Teaching Place Value with Decimals

Every year, no matter what grade level I teach, I have a small group of students who need to work on understanding place value.  This year, I created the sheet shown above.  I ran it on standard white copy paper and put it inside a plastic sleeve.  Students use dry erase markers to solve problems with decimals.  

If you need other ideas for working with fractions and decimals, click here.

To download the free place value mat shown above, click here.

Quote of the Week--December 4, 2016

"The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves."

Ray Kroc

Have a good week,