Bringing Earth Day into the Classroom

Happy Spring to all!

Are you on the hunt for creative ways  to bring Earth Day into your classroom?

I have a few ideas to share with you.

My absolute favorite activity is doing Litter Bug projects, a yearly tradition in my classroom.

Students use recyclable material to create zany litter bugs.

This is a fun writing activity where students share ideas about having the power over trash.

Yuck, a trash shower ought to teach everyone a lesson!

This Power Over Trash writing is available in my store.

And finally I have a Earth Day writing freebie for you.

Enjoy~
Denise

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Creating Diagrams in Interactive Notebooks

If you are like me there are times where creating a diagram is necessary to show how something works. When I was teaching fifth grade we had so many diagrams and they were up all over our classroom because I didn't know better. This made it really hard for my students to actually use the diagrams to retain the knowledge.

Now that I have been using Interactive Notebooks for the past four years I wish that I had been using my students lab books (composition notebooks) better back then. I remember we had a lab where we talked about weathering, erosion and deposition and my students used their pencils and drew pictures. HOW BORING! Color is so much more fun and can add to their learning.

I love using the Tri-Fold Mini Book Template to create flowing lessons that build upon each other or diagrams with room to identify things.

The front section allows me to title the flippable for Weathering, Erosion and Deposition while also being a little creative. Most of the time my students only do the extra creating when they are at home and studying. Inside class time is used for the actual diagram creation as well as labeling. 

The extra side on one of the flaps allows the students to keep definitions for each of the terms that are involved in this flippable. I love that we can also color-coordinate them with the title words and areas in the diagram.

When you open up the Three-Flap Mini Book it gives plenty of space for the diagram for the process of Weathering, Erosion and Deposition. I only wish this was how I taught my fifth graders (who have now graduated) because I think it could have really helped. Believe me, I have sent it on to quite a few friends who still teach as 5th Grade is a testing grade for Science and any visual the students can use will help!

Do you love using Flippables as much as I do? Would you love to add three more templates to your arsenal so that you can use them as needed? Click the picture below to join my newsletter and you will be given a link to download three new templates in PDF (easy printing) and JPG (editable) format!

Would love to hear from you and see you over on my blog so check me out at

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Motivational Quotes for State Testing {Free Posters!}

Hi friends! It's Blair, from One Lesson at a Time. Well, it's about that time again. You know what time. Testing time. Everybody's favorite time of the year, right?? Errr.....sure. 

I'm a self-professed quote lover. Whenever I find myself in need of a bit of inspiration or motivation, I turn to Google in search of the perfect words of wisdom. I especially like using powerful quotes during testing season to help motivate kiddos - and myself - to do their best and feel confident about their abilities. 

Here are a few of my current favorites:

These posters would be great on a bulletin board or other display to help remind your students that they can do anything they put their mind to. They would also look fabulous in a great frame! If you'd like to download the PDF version of the posters to print out and use in your classroom, just click {HERE} to grab them free from Google Drive!

Here are some links to some related posts on my blog, One Lesson at a Time. The following poster is from a post that I did about selling on Teachers Pay Teachers - but there are some great quote posters that would work nicely for testing season there as well! Click on the picture below to check it out:

I also recently posted on my blog about the myth that teaching "gets easier". Click on the picture below to read my thoughts on that subject:

Looking for practical resources to use in your classroom to prepare your students for standardized testing? Click {HERE} to check out my test prep resources in my TpT store!

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading today! Have a great week!

One Lesson at a Time

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Spread a Little Love DOUBLE Linky!

I can't believe we are already three weeks into the year! On top of that there are so many teachers who haven't been having full weeks due to weather conditions around the world and I know that totally throws plans off like crazy!

That being said, we still need to think ahead as we are restructuring things to fit the days we are missing out on and Valentines Day is coming soon! I know in my class we never could really do a party persay but we could do themed math!

When it comes to Valentines Day I think about romantic gestures or even random acts of kindness that we can show toward others. So with that in thought, I have decided to host a DOUBLE LINKY party here on ATUE today!

What is a DoUbLe LiNkY party you ask? Well that is a great question! A Double Linky party means that there are two linky parties within one post. It's pretty simple really, the first linky party will be for LOVED  themed FREEBIES where as the second linky party will be for LOVED themed PAID ITEMS.

Please follow the standard rule of listing no more than three items and to list a paid item you must have a freebie item posted as well. The theme can be loosely taken or other items that would tie into the month of February to help teachers prepare!

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Fraction Freebies for Interactive Notebooks

Hi, friends! It's Blair, from One Lesson at a Time, here to bring you a fun fraction freebie for your interactive notebooks! If you read my blog, you know that I am now teaching math in grades 1-4 and loving every minute of it! #mathnerd

We are eyeballs deep in our fraction units in 3rd and 4th grade, so I have numerators and denominators on the brain these days. I created this little set of foldable notes to help kiddos remember some key vocabulary and concepts about fractions.

The numerator/denominator flap is designed to look like an actual fraction. Glue the flap along the fraction bar:

Then, glue the definitions of each under the flaps. These are the definitions that we use with our kiddos and I really like them. That being said, if you want to use the template but would prefer your own definitions, just write them under the flaps!

I also created one that mimics the "diagonal" fraction bar. Same idea and same definitions:

Then, I created 2 fraction flip books to help students remember what each part of a fraction means in action - as part of a whole, part of a set, and on a number line. The first one is all filled in, using 1/3 as the example - this one is kind of an interactive anchor chart. The second flip book uses the fraction 3/4, but requires students to fill in the information and draw pictures on their own. Here are what the flip books look like:

Click {HERE} to download these interactive notebook fraction pages free from Google Drive!

If you need more fraction activities for your interactive notebooks, make sure to cheek out my packs for 3rd and 4th grade on TpT. I am also beyond thrilled to {FINALLY} be finished with the 4th Grade Mega-Bundle! Do you hear the chorus of angels or are those just in my head? ;) You can click on the product covers below to check each of them out in my store!

I also just posted a free set of Author's Purpose flippies for interactive notebooks on my blog - check out that post on One Lesson a a Time to grab your set! 

Until next time...

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Fabulous and FREE!

Hi there! I hope your winter is going well!  It has been very snowy, icy, and cold here in the Mid-Atlantic.  Many people are spending tons of time indoors drinking hot cocoa and warming up by the fireplace. I personally enjoyed taking my son sledding for the first time last week!

One thing I like to do for indoor fun in winter is to browse Pinterest for classroom ideas and resources.  I can get lost for hours on Pinterest boards dreaming of my next classroom makeover or the next set of anchor charts I will create. I also download many, many FREE RESOURCES!

Have you stopped by my popular Pinterest board, "Fabulous and Free?" There are TONS of RESOURCES there for you to download! There are resources for so many grade levels and subjects. You can even find pins from your favorite ATUE contributors! WARNING: You may be browsing all day so clear your plans and get ready to PIN, PIN, PIN!!!

Just click here but don't say I didn't warn you!!!  If you see any fabulous finds, be sure to comment below and let everyone know!

Stay warm and get those digital folders filled with free resources! What was your favorite find from the board?  Don't forget to let us know!

See you soon,

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