"Five for Friday", Here I Come Again!

Hello, Friday.  Welcome.  I've missed you. :) I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs' Five for Friday to share a bit about my week! 

Since this week began with a holiday, I was able to spend Monday at our lake house sitting on the end of a pier with my husband enjoying the sun and lake water...for a total of 1 hour and 37 minutes.  That's the total amount of time our twins napped.  It was a blissful 1 hour and 37 minutes we're grateful to have had with one another.  

Of course, after nap, we enjoyed the pontoon boat with the family.  We even spotted a *car-boat* drive/motor off from the lakeside restaurant into the water.  Interesting sight, to say the least. 

There are so many wonderful books out there for students to enjoy which emphasize vocabulary knowledge, including  The Boy Who Loved Words, Max's Words and Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster.  

However, my all-time favorite book to boost students' awareness of vocabulary and word study is Donovan's Word Jar.  It's a guided reading Level N, so it works nicely with the 3rd graders I support in my small groups.  

Anyway, I was at Hobby Lobby the other day and came across this crafty little decoration.  I instantly thought of an idea for Donovan's Word Jar.  I'm thinking these wooden jars will be a fantastic addition to my classroom walls to hold interesting vocabulary my students come across when reading.  If you have any other cute suggestions, I'd love to hear them. 

We had a successful Curriculum Night at school on Wednesday.  Many parents came to learn all about the happenings at school.

For Curriculum Night, the 2nd Grade teachers passed out popcorn to the parents to welcome them to their classrooms.  One of the teachers gave me a pack to bring home to my kids.  Cute idea, 2nd Grade Team! :)

The Reading Team was introduced to the parents.  We were happy to welcome the families into our rooms to discuss what we do with the students. :)

Nancy- Reading Recovery Specialist, Colleen- Reading Specialist, Courtney- Literacy Coach

Below is a little something I made out of wooden blocks to add to my collection of sight word practice activities.  The colors represent words from the PrePrimer, Primer, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade Dolch word lists.  

Last, but not least, I was searching the Internet for resources to further support my struggling students and came across 50 Popular iPad Apps for Struggling Readers & Writers.  It is a pretty fabulous resource, especially since I have access to 4 iPads when working with my small groups.  As a bonus, once you click on the link, TONS of additional resources are available for Common Core, Technology, Social Media, Teaching and iPads.  I thought I'd pass it along to the blogging community in case someone else finds it as valuable as me. :)

Thanks again for hosting another successful linky party, Doodle Bugs Teaching!  Bloggers, don't forget to link up your Five for Friday. 

Enjoy your weekend!