Inspirational and Fun Songs for Making an End of Year Video

There are 12 days left to our school year and I am busy with all those end of the year activities.  From cleaning and packing my classroom, finishing last minute assignments and putting on our class play things can get hectic.  One crazy thing that I add to my schedule is making a slideshow for my students.  Throughout the year I take lots of photos and it's easy for me to create a slideshow with the Macbook Pro.  I add music that I put together using Garage Band.  Then I burn a CD as an end of year gift for each student.  Then on one of our last half-days of school we sit and watch the video together.  Selecting all the photos and songs and creating the slideshow is one way I can slow down a bit and remember our time together as a community. I thought I would share a list of some of my favorite songs I have used over the years plus a few new ones I've added this year.  These songs are inspirational, fun and not just for the end of the school year. Enjoy!

Count on Me by Bruno Mars
Good Feeling by Flo Rida
A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay
Heroes by Alesso
Best Days of My Life by American Authors
Gone Gone Gone by Phillip Phillips
Brave by Sara Bareilles
Baby I'm A Star by Prince
Dynamite by Taio Cruz
You've Got a Friend by James Taylor
Never Gonna Let You Down by Colbie Callait
We're Going to be Friends by Jack Johnson
Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
Over the Rainbow by The Hit Crew
Firework by Katy Perry
It's a Beautiful Day by Michael Buble
Happy by Pharrell Williams
You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman
Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts
My Wish by Rascal Flatts
Hey, Soul Sister by Train
Smile by Uncle Kracker
These Are Days by 10.000 Maniacs
Just Like Fire by Pink
Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw
Roar by Katy Perry
Smile by Vitamin C
Fireflies by Owl City
Celebration by Kool and the Gang

Favorite Fiction in our Third Grade plus a Bonus Video

 So, it is June and the last month of school.  And for me, the last month of third grade, because next year I will be teaching fifth grade.  Before I go I wanted to share some favorite and popular third grade books.  Many fiction books are labeled "grade 3-5 interest level" or "recommended for ages 8-12".  Many books seemed to be lumped into that middle grade category which is very broad and often too difficult for my third graders to read independently.  Finding books that capture my 8 year olds attention while also meeting their independent reading needs is a challenge.  Third graders love funny books and books with animals, especially dogs!  They like reading books with adventure and suspense. They usually don't like long books.  They like realistic books with characters that have school problems and love getting to know a character in a series.  And they really love graphic novels.  Here is a list of some popular fiction books in my class this year.  I will write about favorite graphic novels in another post.

Nikki and Deja series

Marty McGuire series

Dragon Master series

Eleanor series

Andy Shane series

Stick Dog Series

Anna Banana series

Shelter Pet Squad

Puppy Pirates series

The Buddy Files series

Poppy series

Dory series

Chicken Squad series

Ellray Jakes series

Bonus: I have written many posts about my class library.  Here is a video of what things look like at the end of the year!