The Case of the Missing Goldfish

I came home from school today and my goldfish had disappeared.  Above is a photo of the crime scene. 

What happened here?  What clues in this photo lead you to believe that?

Click here for a free printable police report form to write up this incident.
Click here for a free printable Missing Poster.

You can purchase all ten forms I use for creative writing assignments and bulletin boards here in my Teachers Pay Teachers store and here in my Teachers Notebook store.  I have included at least two suggestions for each form that are not here on my blog.

 

Update:  I found an incriminating photo of my most likely suspect.  She says she was framed.

Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Ungifted by Gordon Korman is about a student who ends up in the district gifted program by mistake.  Donovan Curtis just avoids getting in trouble in his previous school so he looks forward to hiding out in the new school.

I was looking forward to reading this book because of the school where I teach.  We have both a highly capable program and a program for the students in the neighborhood in the elementary school where I teach.  In each unit, there are different classrooms for each program.  Students share lunch and recess times.

I didn't find the book completely realistic, but I don't think it was intended to be.  (There is a whole sequence of events where the students study a pregnancy to get health credit, for example.) What I did find realistic was how regardless of how the students performed on a test, they formed relationships and alliances to help each other out.

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What Can I Ignore and Get Away With?

This year my school is adopting Leader in Me.  This program is based on Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, but it is for elementary schools.

We spent time as a staff this summer going over the four quadrants for time management.

The idea of this time management plan is to spend most of your time in Quadrant 2 and minimize the other three.  I summarized this plan with the question "What can I ignore and get away with?"

Educators are bombarded with expectations. I want to think through what I really need to accomplish and what I want to let go.

I already shared my philosophy with my principal.  She thought it was a good question.
What can you ignore?
To download a four quadrant worksheet, click here.

Quote of the Week -- October 5, 2014

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Have a good week,

Free Spinners & Giveaway

If you have been following along the last several weeks, you have downloaded several freebies related to teaching probability.  If you missed some of those posts, click here.

Although probability isn't called out until sixth grade in the Common Core standards, there are other mathematical lessons that can be taught with these materials and it exposes students to the language for later.

In addition to the freebies on this blog, I have dedicated several problems to probability on my website Math Spies.  Today's freebie is the spinners that go with several of the problems.  Students determine whether or not the games are fair and defend their answer mathematically.

Here is a black and white printable version of the spinners available on my Google Drive. These may be used to help students think about the Math Spies' problems or they can be used for other experiments with probability.

I hope you have enjoyed this series with your class.
The giveaway is closed 10/6/14.

Update November 2015

 Math Spies and the Case of the Corrupt Carnival: Lessons in Probability

In this packet are seven “carnival games” students will evaluate based on likely and unlikely outcomes. I have included a tri-fold page with the words “likely, unlikely, and impossible” so all students can respond at the same time in class discussion.

Currently October -- with 2 October Treats

It's Currently October with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade.  I'm a little late this month to the party.



I'm listening to Thursday Night Football.  My husband is watching while I sit on the couch next to him and try to get some projects done.

I'm loving the quiet evening at home.  (It hasn't been very quiet lately.)

I'm thinking about the projects that need doing. 

I want a three day weekend.  I need more sleep.

Here are two freebies for October:

Monster Poems for Poetry Notebooks at Teachers Pay Teachers and Teacher's Notebook. 

Interview a Pumpkin at Teachers Pay Teachers and Teacher's Notebook.

 

 

Now I'm off to party.

The Graverobber's Apprentice by Allan Stratton

The Graverobber's Apprentice by Allan Stratton reads like a novel length fairy tale. Hans washed ashore in a wooden box and was adopted by a grave robber. He meets Angela, a young countess who is trying to avoid a cruel marriage.  The two team up to defeat evil and meet interesting characters along the way.

I did guess part of the plot (which I will not reveal here because I hate spoilers). I still found this a fun read and have in mind the type of students I will recommend it to: strong fifth grade readers and above.

I just linked up with Dilly Dabbles Book Share Wednesdays.

   
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Find me at Goodreads.