Are you ready for some football?!

Calling all football fans (Or teachers of football fans)!  We wanted to share a fun activity with you!

Every year we do a College Football Unit that our kids really love.  We follow 4 ACC and 4 SEC teams throughout their season and complete math challenges along the way.  Since we teach in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, our classes are typically divided between Clemson and USC.  However, we also follow NC State and VA Tech (our alma maters), Georgia, Florida, Florida State, and Alabama.

It's a great way to knock out probability/statistics and it also gets some of those reluctant math students excited.  We divide the kids up into 8 teams and they participate in weekly challenges about their football team and their scores.  It takes about 20 minutes each week and it's the highlight for a lot of our kiddos.  It is the number one thing that parents ask us about on tours and it has been known to be mentioned in a few 8th grade speeches as the best thing about third grade.  Just sayin'!  :)

Anyway, if you want to take a look at it, click the picture above.  It's in PDF form, but you can easily add your favorite teams/mascots.  There is an example of a weekly quiz, but since they change, we can't add the next one until we know the scores.



If you don't love watching football, you must love the fall fashion and tailgate food, right?!  Everyone loves a puffer vest, skinny jeans, tall boots, a beverage, and some good food!  Game on, yall!

Five For Friday...Super Speedy Style

We are so terribly sorry we have been such bad bloggers.  This week has been wild and wooly.  We are now back in full swing, no turning back now.  I really have wanted to go to bed with my children at 7:30 or 8:00, but unfortunately there are things still to be done. Right now I am trying my hardest to stay awake and watch a movie with my husband and be a good little wife.  Working on this blog helps me not fall asleep.

So far this week has been great.  We are still modeling everything for our sweet kiddos, but I think it is going to be a great year.  So here goes our linky...5 for Friday!!!

1.  We have been really pushing being "A Bucket Filler" this week.   We have read several books including

 

This is our Be a Bucket Filler bulletin board.  Anytime the kids feel as though their bucket has been filled they can write a little bucket filler sheet and we will put it in their envelope.

Today we also watched these two little videos on YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5R6-2m_qHk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaddbqEQ1NE

They were great.  I love the DRIP, DRIP, DRIP every time a bucket was dipped into.  I started saying DRIP, DRIP, DRIP every time I felt like some of my kiddo weren't following the rules.


2.  Then we did this fun little game with the groups...Help Save Fred!  The goal is to help save Fred, the gummy worm, from drowning.  By saving Fred you have to put the gummy Lifesaver around Fred using only gummy worms.  It was quite fun to watch and the kids work hard at "saving" Fred.  After working in groups we had GREAT discussion on how we should and shouldn't work as a group!   We saw this on Ideas By Jivey and thought we would give it a try. 

 3.  I think our favorite activity we did this week was "Look Who's in 3rd Grade!"  Can you guess that baby game.  We had each child bring in a baby picture in a sealed envelope.  We then did a guess that baby game and had each child guess who was who.  We even hung the pictures out in the hallway for everyone to take a guess.  We then had the kids fill out a pennant about themselves to be able to share when we had the big reveal.  And boy was it a big reveal.  They were eating out of the palms of our hands to have the reveal.  It was GREAT! 

 

 After the reveal we hung them back in the all with the correct picture.  We plan on laminating them and making a classroom banner to hang around all year. 

4.   Another fun activity was "20 True/False Question About the Teacher"  Here is the sheet we passed out and had the kiddos fill out.  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mf9aUpt97T4gwVoLEsUrQfP9yEYjh68Gr-ekzYe-5kg/edit?usp=sharing

I then took my kids outside and revealed the answers.  They were standing at one end of the playground and I was at the other.  Each time they got an answer correct they took a step closer to me.  It took about 18 questions to reach me.  

5.  Last but not least, we let our students play with the base 10 blocks.  Next week we will start place value and we all know those base 10 blocks can be fun to play with.  I gave my kids each a set of blocks and had them work as a group to try and build the tallest tower.  I gave them 10 minutes because I wanted them to get really tall and fall so they could deal with mistakes and help to solve each other problems.  It was great to do and learn to be patient with each other. 

So now it is off to the weekend.  I am super excited about tomorrow night's girls night.  We are headed to see Hootie and the Blowfish tomorrow night for a benefit concert they do every year to raise money for local schools and programs.   I am super excited..."HOLD MY HAND!!"

Where Did My Naptime Go?

Holy smokes Batman...I forgot what it was like to work 2 FULL days in a row!!  I am tired!  I normally nap around 1:00, and today at 1:00, I was sitting in a room listening to a speaker about my empty retirement fund! 

Kerry and I have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get ready.  Luckily we still have 3 more days, but WOW, I am cutting it close.  (Kerry is almost done!)

So I wanted to link up with  Blog Hoppin' for their Teacher Week yesterday, but unfortunately our first day back as faculty didn't go as planned.   If you don't know our school is located in downtown Charleston.  We are below sea level, so when it rains all day, several inches and it is high tide...IT FLOODS.  Needless to say it took me an hour and a half to get home yesterday, normally only 20 mins.  It was a mess!  My night was shot. Everything I had on my list for "couch" work...got pushed to today.   By the time I got everyone fed and in bed, I was exhausted.  And I had to watch Duck Dynasty :)  

Here we go...This is my Wednesday's Organizing for Instruction.

I decided to redo my "colors" this year and as you can tell it is blue and green.  Here is a pic collage of my "organization!" Good thing you can't see the piles that are stacked up all around the cute stuff. 

1.  These are my cubbies, behind the cabinets. Each student has a fourth of the cabinet.  This is new, so we will see how well it works.  Might be removing the cabinet door by Christmas break.   I also put a hanging metal folder there for work to turn in when they are finished.  I love this because now I can easily put them in ABC order for grading. 
2.  My new buckets for holding classroom supplies.  I got these at Micheal's for $1.00 a piece. 
3.  This is my homework board and now my "calendar" as well.  I intend to have classroom job of changing the date each day.  All of these are held with magnets. 
4.  My new curtains to hide my mess...nuff said!!!
5.  Daily schedule...this helps me trememdously and it is right beside the door.  There should be no excuse for me to be late or off schedule, HA HA HA!   (This is certainly not a normal day.  Wouldn't we all love specials all afternoon!)
6.  These are my group supplies.  I would have loved to show you them on a desk, but we are getting new ones and they aren't expected to arrive until the day we start school.  HA HA HA!  I made these with baby food formula cans, Pringle cans and Crystal Light containers...plus a little duck tape! 

So there it is...that is about as organized as I am for now.  Tomorrow I will tackle the piles around the room.  Wish me luck!

Don't for to join us and all the WONDERFUL stores this weekend for the TPT Back to School Sale!   






PS
It is still raining here in Charleston.  That is 2 days straight.  I might need my canoe tomorrow!

Classroom Tour

We wanted to check in really quick and post a few classroom pics with the fab ladies over at Blog Hoppin'.

Alright, yall.  Please don't be judgey with this post.  We haven't been able to get into our rooms until last week so it's been a little cray (to say the least). I moved apartments, too!  Yep.  I moved apartments AND decided to do some zhushing in my room.  What on earth was I thinking?!  And I scheduled it all in the same week.  I'd rather run into every ex-boyfriend I've ever had with their new girlfriends while wearing no makeup than move again.  Yep, over it.  

I managed to clean up a few areas of the room so I wanted to show them off!  We will do a full reveal next week before the first day.  I am BEYOND thrilled that we still have a week left.  If not, I'd be having heart palpitations/sleepovers at school!

Erica Bohrer's birthday board will go here.  I inherited the chairs and sprayed them green.  The turquoise tub is from Garden Ridge and holds my white boards. The table and lamp are from Target.

Cara Carroll (inspired by Mrs. Phippen) and The Teacher Wife's Writer's Eye bulletin board/writing center.  I got the chevron fabric at Hobby Lobby.  And my little toolbox sits there, too!

One of our reading areas.  The chairs are from Big Lots, the pink rug is from Walmart, and the teal table/cheetah lamp are from Target.  The READ letters are Hob Lob!

Another reading area.  The teal chairs are Target, pillows are Big Lots, rug/bookcase/bins are Walmart. 

Once we were back in the swing of things and it doesn't look like a bomb went off in the middle of my room, we will show you our digs!  I promise to start using a real camera, too.  Yall won't have to squint so you can see my teensy pics!

Today is my favorite day of Teacher Week.  I can't wait to check out your room!  Link up.  :)


PS-My (Emily) room still looks like a bomb went off only because when I come to do some work I have at least 2 kids with me and they make more of a mess than before.  Pics to come soon, they went back to school today!!!

Meet the Teachers Monday with Blog Hoppin'

Hi Teacher Friends!

Today we are linking up with Blog Hoppin' for Teacher Week 2013!  I can't believe the school year is just about here!  We start on Wednesday with our faculty meetings and the kiddos come next week!  AHH!  

Since there are two of us, we will each share 5 random facts that you may not know!  I've had so much fun reading these posts this morning, so hopefully you are too!

About Kerry:

1.  I've been teaching for 11 years.  I spent my first two years teaching 3rd grade in Fairfax Couty, VA.  Then I moved to NYC and taught at a private school downtown for three years.  {Sidenote: Sex and the City was big when I was in college so all of my friends moved there after we graduated college.  I had to go and check it out!  It was awesome!}  After a few years, I was ready to move down south and be closer to my family.  I landed in Charleston, South Carolina.  The greatest city on Earth (IMHO)!  I'm beginning my 6th year in third grade in Charleston this week!

2.  I adopted a whippet/lab mix in June.  I named her Libby and got her from Saving Grace in Raleigh, NC.  If you live in the area, check them out.  They are PHENOMENAL.  I was in contact with several rescues (all amazing), but Saving Grace is a very special place. I will be forever grateful to them!  

3.  I love to work out!  I'm into yoga now, but used to love running.  Here I am during the NYC marathon and a random trapeze pic from a few years ago!

4.  I love my fam!  My parents are awesome and just a quick ride away in Raleigh.  My brother and his sweet wife live in Charleston, WV and plan to move closer as soon as they can.

5.  I love college football (hence the blog name).  I'm a big Hokie fan, but love fall, football, and tailgating!  

About Emily:

1.  Hi, I am the other half of Third and Goal, Emily.  I am a native North Carolinian who moved to South Carolina about 12 years ago.  I married my native Charlestonian (not many of those around) 7 years ago and guess I am here forever.  (Not so bad if I must say!!!)  We have 3 wonderful, spunky, and entertaining children, 1 girl and 2 boys (10, 4, and 18 months.)  

2.  This is my 12th year teaching (and 11th year in 3rd grade)  and I still stay up late at night creating and organizing new things.  Guess you don't every stop, huh!!  I come from a veteran teaching momma who after 35 years still stays up late too!  

3. I too am a huge football fan, college and professional.  Here is my new snuggie a student gave me at the end of the year!  I graduated from NC State and Kerry and I have fun during football season tormenting picking on each other each Saturday in the Fall.  I also am a big Panthers fan on Sundays!

4. I come from a very close family and I have one sister.  She has two kids and we have three, so needless to say vacations are wild and crazy.  Every year we go to Ocean Isle Beach for our weekly family trip.  Here is my WHOLE family during a family photo session!  That was miserable fun!

5.  My favorite thing to do is sit at the beach and enjoy the waves and the sand in my toes.  I don't do enough of it living here at the beach, but now that my kids have become self sufficient at the beach, and can carry their own stuff, we will be there every weekend until October.   Tomorrow is our last day before we start back and my boys start back at daycare tomorrow, so momma will be straight at the beach starting at 8:30 after I drop them off.  :) 

 So there you have it!  Kerry and Emily in a nutshell!!!