Magnetic Numbers and The Hundred Dresses

I know that I have been absent for a little while, but things have been crazy around here! All of us third grade teachers are trying to get ourselves ready for hard core interventions before state testing. We have such a long way to go in such a short time.

In order to get all of my kids split into the groups that they needed to be in for math, I gave them a super quick assessment that I could check in 2 seconds. Then I was able to divide them into groups based on their needs and assign them to a teacher for interventions. The students that are not assigned a specific group are left for practice stations. I used my magnetic numbers that I made on my white board to keep track of which group they're in. The same thing was done for reading.

I LOVE my magnetic numbers for groups!!!! My kids are able to just take a quick look at the board and know where they're supposed to be without me having to repeat myself. It's like magic. First I bought a set then I got smart by making my own. Why didn't I do that in the first place??? Ha ha ha.

With all the testing murmurs going through the air, I wanted to get started reading another book. I decided to read The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. I have to read books that have wonderful lessons, and this one really fits the bill. Never have read this book before, I didn't know what to expect for the kids. But they really are thinking through the characters' actions. I am hoping that they will see the whole message of the book. They are not always to taught how to treat other people that are different from themselves; therefore, I wanting these past and future book discussions to really stick! Fingers are crossed.