Five for Friday and Friday Flashback

Today I'm linking up with Amanda from Teaching Maddeness for Friday Flashback and Doodle Bugs for Five for Friday!  Let's see...  What has happened this week?

1. I got my next two Donor's Choose project materials in the mail!  Just in time too!  My second project was test prep material from Lakeshore.  I forgot to take a picture but here is our list of goodies!

Vocabulary, Math, and Science Game Show Quizzes

These are great and the kids love them!  The questions aren't written how "THE TEST" is written but it is a nice review of the skills they need to know.  We had a few hiccups in figuring out which team gets to answer, others getting to many turns, people raising their hands too quickly without reading...  WHEW!  I think we finally figured out a way to get it all done fairly: dice.  We rolled the dice to see which team went first and then we went clockwise from there.  If someone missed the question then we rolled the dice to see which team got to snag the answer, then it went back to clockwise.  That seemed the best/easiest/fairest way to go.

Math Problem Solving Card Bank

 Science File Folder Game 

 Nonfiction Reading Comprehension and Research and Respond Comprehension Center

 
These are great for early finishers, TIMER Tubs, literacy centers and Fun Friday!

2. We are starting our new read aloud in my homeroom called The Serpent's Ring by H.B. Bolton.  Now this is exciting for me for multiple reasons.  First, in May the author will be visiting our fourth and fifth graders and that will be my first ever author's visit!  Being a book-a-holic this is BIG thing for me :o)   Secondly, H.B. Bolton is a mom at our school!  I do not have her kiddos yet but I do teach her nephew, who knew?!

3.  Just found out our fifth grade party theme is Medieval!  I am such a history nerd that I am ridiculously excited about this!  I've already got a Pinterest board going for it, haha.  If you have any game ideas or decoration ideas please let me know!

4.  Possibly found our dream home!!!  So I grew up in Texas and when I think of "home" I think of siding and brick and we found it!!!  It's on a beautiful street and it is just perfect inside and out.  We would have to do some serious wall paper removal and painting but that's okay, it just makes it more "ours."  Problem = our neighborhood is one street (I'm not an overly big fan of that) and the surrounding neighborhoods are not.  As in nonexistent.  Random homes all about, some beautiful mansions, some run down shacks.  It's a little random but we're going again today to take a look around some more.  Now, just like I judge restaurants by their bread, I judge neighborhoods by saying, "Could we go trick or treating here with our kids?"  So I ask you, is it better to live in your dream home in the not so perfect neighborhood/community or to live in a home you like in a community you love (that's assuming we can find that as well).  This adult decision thing is really hard and overrated, let me tell you!

5.  I know I mentioned it once already this week but it needs repeating... MY NEW BLOG DESIGN!!!  Earlier this week Megan from A Bird in Hand uploaded my new design to the blog and I just love it!  It's the perfect twist of blue jean twang and teaching and I couldn't have asked for anything more.  Check her out if you're shopping for a new design, she's amazing on all fronts!

Also on the blog front I've started my very first linky party: Monthly Market.  All you have to do is share your ideas on the themes of the month.  This month is poetry, testing, and weather.  Go ahead and link up if you've got some great ideas you want to share.  I'm loving it!  I've already made a  new friend (Kelly over at Koonce's Korner is such a sweetie and has some amazing ideas, you should check her out) and I've had a blogging celebrity moment.  I've been following Amanda from Teaching Maddeness for the last couple years and you can find many of her products or ideas implemented in my classroom.  Now it might be silly but when she linked up I thought, "Oh my gosh, she knows my name now!" Hahahaha does anyone else ever feel like that?  Anyway, it just made me feel very special that ALL the women linked up to share their ideas, because who doesn't love it when you see someone else linked up to your party?


Needless to say this has been a VERY good week!  I hope you all had a great week as well and an even better weekend!