The Mailbox #BeTheDifference Fall Edition

Can you believe fall is here?  We just finished our first 9 week grading period of the year.  Time is passing way too quick!  Only two and half weeks before we have a week off for Thanksgiving which means just over a month until Christmas break.  Holy Holiday Break Batman!!!!It seems like I am more overwhelmed then ever but at the same so thankful for having the best job ever!    I don't know what it is this year, but I feel like I can't get it all in.  I just need an extra couple of hours to my day so I can teach everything I need to.   We are not even close to state testing yet... I can't imagine how I am going to feel then!  YIKES!

Anywho, at this time of the year not only do we celebrate the holidays but we also reflect on what we are thankful for.  One of the many things I am thankful for besides my family, friends, and having the best job in the world is the opportunities my blog and blogging friends have brought me.   The Mailbox has provided me and many of teachers the opportunity to share how we can be the difference in our students lives.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               It's time to celebrate a new season of #BeThe Difference with The Mailbox Magazine!  Once again, they sent me this box full of goodies. It included some stickers, candy corn, a couple of pencils, a notepad, a great bag, and some great ideas for fun activities.

One of the activities I tried out was this matching game.   I know, I know, matching games are for little kids and who in the world has time for games these days?   Well this game, was to help my fourth graders review Science vocabulary terms.   I made it out of index cards.  I had the vocabulary words on some cards and the definitions of those words on other cards.  I threw in a couple of cards with a turkey sticker on them and an awesome game was born. The students try to match the vocabulary word with its meaning.  If they flip a "turkey" they lose a turn.  I can use this game for any type of review and match it up to any holiday.  

Yup, I am making a difference by making learning fun and making sure my kids are not only engaged in their learning and full participants in their learning!!!!

  It's funny how easy it is to make such a game and how much the kids LOVED playing it.  It's even more pathetic funnier that I needed The Mailbox Magazine to help me think of it!  

 I get such great ideas from The Mailbox Magazine and their gold online subscription!  Here is a screenshot of just one resource.  It grade level appropriate and lined up to CCSS (even though I'm in Texas and we don't do Common Core almost all activities go along with our TEKS as well).  This particular Language Arts worksheet was a great activity for the students to do at home when I introduced the thesaurus.  

I'd love to hear what fun simple games you use in your classroom and how do you #BeTheDifference for you students?