tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36463801193304725242024-03-13T08:33:22.367-07:00The School BelleAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-8254985857313273122017-08-29T09:24:00.002-07:002017-08-29T09:24:38.642-07:00Let's Talk Money!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't know about you, but I find the concept of "money" one of the most difficult to teach. It's something about the skip counting, especially switching from counting by 10s to 5s to 1s, and so on. It can get pretty tricky for my little ones to catch on to and challenging for me to try and explain in different ways. I find myself constantly searching for activities that will help make the concept of money more manageable as well as fun! Luckily, my best friend Pinterest saved the day as usual, and I found loads of awesome activities that have been the perfect addition to my money unit!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, I found this fun game of "Money War" created by Sarah J from <a href="http://www.sarajcreations.com/" target="_blank">Sarah J Creations</a>. My kids LOVE any activity that allows them play with a buddy, so this was just perfect. I also loved that it was an already familiar game, so not much explaining was necessary. I popped this in my weekly math centers, and voila! The kids went at it like naturals. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.sarajcreations.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="309" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EbXD4GYwflQ/WaWPdYroWBI/AAAAAAAAZhE/183b8CtlpBkdutEsf4R17BwBNJae4-qGwCLcBGAs/s400/money%2Bwar.JPG" width="308" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another activity I love, plus it's FREE and that's always a major bonus, is this activity created by Marcy at <a href="http://www.saddleupfor2ndgrade.com/2015/04/money-cups-freebie.html" target="_blank">Saddle Up for 2nd Grade</a>. Her "Money Cups" activity is a class favorite. I love that it provides my kiddos with "real world" practice handling and counting coins. This is a another great option for center activities, too!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.saddleupfor2ndgrade.com/2015/04/money-cups-freebie.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="462" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A7ZyfQIiSB0/WaWRYG8rtsI/AAAAAAAAZhQ/w6KPfSu9e5I1GSR82u8gfxfWgxfBuRXwACLcBGAs/s400/money%2Bcups.jpg" width="288" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After finding all of these treasures, I found a little inspiration of my own! So I put together a little activity that my cuties could use in BOTH literacy and math stations, because who doesn't love a little cross curricular action? I'd used this activity before to practice sight words and addition with my K babies, so I knew it would be a hit with my 2nd grade friends, too! This time, I traded out single digit numbers for coins. I had my students write their spelling words in the blanks and use the alphabet key to calculate the "cost" of each word. It was an instant hit! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can grab this freebie for your class by clicking the picture below!</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Counting-Coins-spelling-and-math-practice-3363142" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ARGM3q-eO4I/WaWUyCzeSBI/AAAAAAAAZhc/k_Ip7BcdALU5GZjvUyi_1Ssdp7bte1N_wCLcBGAs/s640/Slide1.png" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope your kiddos enjoy it as much as mine have, and it helps make the task of teaching money a little easier for you!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-88194642228264241742016-07-27T12:09:00.003-07:002016-07-27T12:11:30.927-07:00Back to School Blues<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hey there friends! I hope everyone has had a refreshing and relaxing summer! Is it just me or is this summer positively flying? How is it that next Wednesday is already my first day?! I feel like I've been in my own little bubble pretending I never even had a job in the first place. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that I'm slowly realizing that summer break ends NEXT WEEK, I'm starting to go into full.blown.panic.mode</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's right, August 3rd is my official first day of school at my NEW school and in my NEW grade. As hard as it was to say goodbye to my old classroom, coworkers, and kinders, I am over the moon with excitement to begin my new adventure teaching 2nd grade. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I'm sure you can imagine, I have been daydreaming all summer about classroom decor and setup and couldn't wait to get my hands on the keys to my new happy place. Sadly, that dream has been put on hold due to summer camps at my new school. That means I haven't set one foot in my new classroom and won't be able to until FOUR days before school starts. FOUR DAYS! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To say I feel totally helpless and unprepared would be an understatement. So, in attempt to gain some sort of control over my current situation, I have been hard at work preparing activities for my new students!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've been looking long and hard at the scope and sequence I have ahead of me, and trying my best to create fun and engaging activities to help my kiddos conquer all that lies ahead. Our ELA curriculum begins with a quick little unit on synonyms and antonyms. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I really like the idea of beginning with this skill because it will be so beneficial as we start to introduce new vocabulary words. One thing I'm really going to try and focus on with my students is not just KNOWING synonyms but APPLYING them. That means trading out simple, boring words for more colorful ones in their writing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To help them get the hang of this concept and start thinking in terms of "shades of meaning", I put together this fun little unit. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Synonyms-and-Antonyms-the-Ultimate-Guide-2687411" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SuFIwRXWU4s/V5kCAOPbQ-I/AAAAAAAAZVY/0QN0n8PS_xs50Jr9wlt7toT4J5xghdG7wCLcB/s400/Slide01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I tried not to focus too much on "practice pages". Instead, I wanted to create a variety of games and activities that could be used in numerous ways (literacy centers, anyone?)</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Synonyms-and-Antonyms-the-Ultimate-Guide-2687411" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C0nFBXggfHM/V5kF4dJFBII/AAAAAAAAZVk/yKcQGz6zBrACc9F2XOi4v6r97PmVBxS6QCLcB/s400/Slide1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Synonyms-and-Antonyms-the-Ultimate-Guide-2687411" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oEEFHfdw0d0/V5kF5WrdWRI/AAAAAAAAZVo/cDn0h4wt8EYFtvviE3rLQWD2AWsR8fCCwCLcB/s400/Slide2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can't wait to get started in my classroom, and already feel better knowing I have these activities prepared for our first ELA unit. If you would like to check them out in more detail, you can click any of the pictures above to visit my TPT store!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'll be back again soon with more updates! Good luck to everyone as you prepare for a great new school year!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-4891182706206082842016-02-28T14:38:00.000-08:002016-02-28T14:38:33.753-08:00A Little Update...<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hey there, strangers! Remember me? I bet you thought I was long gone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, not to worry, I am alive and well and so very happy to be back once again to share a little bit of myself with you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You may be wondering where I've been all this time (almost a year, if you want to get technical). Well friends, this last year has been nothing short of amazing and to tell you about it in detail would take more time than this little blog post can handle. So, I'll give you a tidbit of my year in quick snapshots.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you've read any of my latest posts, you may know that I got engaged last year. On November 21st, 2015 my sweetie and I tied the knot in the wedding of our dreams. It was such a fun, beautiful, fantastic blur, and I wish I could re-live 4,000 times over again.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f4MJMcJ7GOA/VtN0c6MpNlI/AAAAAAAAYr8/WphA6R4zTBs/s1600/christmas%2Bcard%2B1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f4MJMcJ7GOA/VtN0c6MpNlI/AAAAAAAAYr8/WphA6R4zTBs/s640/christmas%2Bcard%2B1.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Besides getting married, we have been busy moving into a new house, getting a new puppy, going on a honeymoon, and celebrating all of the other amazing life events of our loved ones. Life has been <b><i>so </i></b>good to us and those around us lately, and I really did not want to take one second of it fore granted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So you see, friends, life has pretty dang demanding of my attention lately, and I've been more than happy to oblige. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Teaching is such an important part of my life, but for so long it has consumed so much of me. As I embarked on this new chapter in my life I pledged that I would live a little <i><b>more </b></i>and work a little <b><i>less.</i></b> It was really important to me that I enjoyed all of this time and gave it my all. And that's exactly what I did!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that things have slowed down and we've caught our breaths, I can finally get back to this little blog of mine and give it the attention it deserves. I admire those of you who are able to balance it all and wish I had a little bit more of that in me. Trust me, your hard work is most definitely noticed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So thanks for sticking with me, friends! I promise I will be back very soon to give you a look at what we have been up to in my class as well as fill you in on more life changing events!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy teaching!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-33577737647617794922015-03-30T13:40:00.003-07:002015-03-30T13:40:41.219-07:00Let's Get Buggy<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Hey there, friends and happy Monday! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I thought I'd start our week off right by sharing a precious story that my students and I read on Friday last week: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Velma-Gratch-Way-Cool-Butterfly/dp/0307978044/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427745076&sr=8-1&keywords=velma+gratch" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> by Alan Madison and Kevin Hawkes. Ever heard of it?</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/Velma-Gratch-Way-Cool-Butterfly/dp/0307978044/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427745076&sr=8-1&keywords=velma+gratch" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hx2Gm55bkM4/VRmwaMNLFTI/AAAAAAAAS2E/if-6t9F5zvI/s1600/Slide1.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">If not, allow me to introduce the two of you. You won't regret it. This story was completely new to me, and I'm so glad I found it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The story is about a young girl, Velma, who is struggling to stand out against the popularity of her older sisters. Velma eventually finds her niche, butterflies, and throughout the book she goes through metamorphosis right before your eyes. The book really is <em>too</em> cute, and such a great introduction to a lesson on character analysis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">My cuties and I had an absolute BLAST reading and discussing this text. Then, I let my friends get into groups and talk about how she changed from the beginning to the end of the story and how this change was similar to the metamorphosis of a butterfly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">We talked about sentence starts such as :</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>In the beginning, Velma was like a caterpillar because....</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Their responses were AWESOME and previous to boot. I was one proud teacher of their work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">To pull it all together, we did a fantastic art project. To make the butterflies, I folded white construction paper in half and had my little friends draw half of a butterfly. The best part of this project is that it's totally OK if it's not perfect. Then, I mixed a little black paint and school glue. The kids then traced the outline of their butterflies and made little "windows" on the wings with the paint/glue mixture. Once they dried, we added a little watercolor paint and VOILA! We had ourselves a butterfly!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">This book was a great addition to our unit on insects. I<em> <strong>loved</strong></em> how engaged my students were in the story. Choosing great mentor texts really makes such an impact on the effectiveness of a lesson. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">If you want to snag your own copy of this wonderful text, you can click the picture of the book above or the link on the title. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Hope your week is off to a great start. Happy Monday!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-49680893279328272802014-11-30T17:07:00.001-08:002014-11-30T17:07:13.361-08:00Back in the Swing of Things...<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey there, long lost friends! To say I've missed you would be a complete understatement. Boy do we have a MILLION things to catch up on! I promise my blogging, or lack thereof, is completely justified. You see, I have some pretty *BIG* news....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's right, my friends, the School Belle is officially engaged! My fiance, we'll call him Mr. Appleseed, knowing the <strike>obsessive teacher</strike> type of person I am, thought it would be completely fitting to pop the question in the place I love best, my classroom! For years, I've been asking him to put a pot on his head, grab a sack of apples, and visit my classroom as Johnny Appleseed himself. Not wanting to embarrass himself, he has politely declined every.single.year. So, when he asked to come this year, naturally I thought nothing of it. Clueless. Imagine my surprise, and my students, when Johnny Appleseed himself got down on one knee. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So friends, I've been on Cloud 9 ever since, and too consumed with wedding planning to even THINK about blogging. But sure enough, I started to miss it and all of you, so here I am! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's so hard to believe that we are already well into the second nine weeks of the school year! This is by far my most FAVORITE time to be a teacher. The holidays are such a great springboard for wonderful lessons and activities. One of my favorites is teaching comparing/ contrasting two stories using The Gingerbread Man. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last year, I didn't have much time to focus on gingerbread themed activities, much to my dismay, and I simply refuse to let that happen this year, dang it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, my little cuties are in for a week full of gingerbread fun, and I cannot wait! To help me prepare, I created a packet of 10 math and 10 literacy centers. While we read and write about our gingerbread stories, we will also be seeing them throughout all of our literacy and math center fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I love MOST about these cute little centers is that they are holiday themed, and not Christmas. Perfect for us public school teachers...ya feel me? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And they still add just enough holiday cheer to make me one happy teacher!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click the preview below to check it out!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gingerbread-Differentiated-Math-and-Literacy-Centers-for-Christmas-and-December-1585691" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xQ5SY8jHj8o/VHu9f8WLI-I/AAAAAAAAQkA/yrVSOZCGrpg/s1600/Slide3.JPG" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you follow me on TPT, you may have noticed that I've been posting "Math with Meaning" center packets, and may have wondered why I chose that title.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a teacher, one of the most difficult parts of our job {in my opinion} is making sure each of my students is challenged. I never want my students feeling bored in my classroom. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To me boredom= me not doing my job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> And I certainly don't want to go home with that feeling!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To help with this, I have started creating leveled/ differentiated math centers. Each center is aligned to the Common Core and comes with TWO versions. The TWO versions share the same recording sheet, which means its less work for you and less confusion for our cuties! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To keep them organized, I place colored garage sale stickers on the back of each activity {pink for the lower level and green for the higher level}. My students are assigned a color, but don't know exactly what the colors mean. Doing so helps my students focus more on the task at hand, and not who is doing the "harder" work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you'd like to check out my differentiated math centers alone, I am selling them separately in my little shop! Click the preview below to check it out!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Differentiated-Math-Center-Activities-for-December-Gingerbread-and-Christmas-1585780" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Rf4scLokRA/VHu9oYZojKI/AAAAAAAAQkI/BtaD9Sbn6nY/s1600/Slide4.JPG" height="360" width="640" /></a><span id="goog_1515880806"></span><span id="goog_1515880807"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, sweet friends, I am off to enjoy my last few hours of Thanksgiving break! I promise I won't be a stranger! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-85634824382987299792014-08-20T13:40:00.002-07:002014-08-20T13:40:59.099-07:00Why!<div align="center">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm back once agan today to link up with Blog Hoppin' to share my *why organization" tips. Well, let me start by saying that I am by NO means an organization expert. Try as I might, I just really can't seem to get it ALL together. But alas, the job of a teacher is never really over is it? And honestly, how is anyone r<em>eally</em> supposed to balance all those papers? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Still, today I'm going to show you a few tips that have seemed to help me hold on to the last bits of my sanity, while also appeasing my OCD tendencies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://imbloghoppin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://imbloghoppin.blogspot.com/" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bTUuiZcsjpQ/U_QTBkWwXqI/AAAAAAAALBI/AFp1jgScAwE/s1600/Blog%2BHoppin%2BBTS-03.png" height="307" old_onload="null" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">First up, a look at my teacher books!</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BABJuZyhD3I/U_UChDb1TeI/AAAAAAAANh4/oWJ8dNwdIwI/s1600/teacher%2Bbooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BABJuZyhD3I/U_UChDb1TeI/AAAAAAAANh4/oWJ8dNwdIwI/s1600/teacher%2Bbooks.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're like me, then you have a stash of books that you use specificially for lessons and units. Call me greedy, but I just don't want my students reading those books over and over again before I'm ready to use them. I absolutely LOVE the feeling of reading a good book to my students for the first time, and I always feel at least a little disappointed when one of them has heard it before. Therefore, I certainly don't leave my teacher books in an area where my WHOLE class can enjoy them before I'm ready. Selfish, I admit, but I truly think it helps keep them special. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I believe it was in my very first year of teaching that I realized my teaching books could simply not be housed in the same area as the student books. I realized that by separating my books, it not only prevented my kids from reading them over and over again and therefore killing their luster, but it also helped protect them and keep them pristine (well, almost). Since then, I have always kept my teaching books on a separate shelf, on another side of the classroom. I have my books organized by month. So, all the units and themes I teach in September are all in the same bucket. Books that I use for grammar lessons or math lessons fall into the last category of "school books". When I am on a particular unit, I move those books to this colorful little <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tot-Tutors-Book-Primary-Colors/dp/B000IHJF60/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1408566229&sr=8-3&keywords=colored+bookshelf" target="_blank">shelf </a>(not pictured), so my students can access them while writing or researching. This system has NEVER failed me and I truly have never regretted this decision. I think if You keep the students library well stocked with equally great texts, its a win, win! Do you agree? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Next up, is how I keep student work organized. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After my first year of teaching kindergarten, I quickly realized that my sweet kinders are just like me. They want to stay organized, but they just don't know how. I tried everything! But mostly it all resulted in anger and frustration on both ends. This year, I decided I was going to tackle this problem head on, and vowed to never spend another minute frustrated about my students organization. Therefore, I developed the drawer system. Each student has a drawer that corresponds to their class number. Finished center work or seat work that is only for practice or a participation grade goes in these drawers. Graded papers are still turned in, but now my students have a place where all papers are housed, and none are flying out of their cubbies! When its time to hang up work or send work home, I know exactly where to go and what to look for! It's been a lifesaver, I tell you. My students also really adore having a special place to keep their work safe. Amen!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lastly, I'll share my center organization with you. Let me preface this by telling you....I haven't exactly tested it out, yet. We're getting there though. It's only our first week of school so we haven't quite nailed down our center routines, but so far so good! Previously I used folders to store all recording sheets, but my students alwasy seemed confused by what sheet went with what activity, or they never put them back correctly. It was a MESS, and that's an understatement.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year, I've decided to store all recording sheets on numbered paper trays. No more crinkled papers and folders, or mixed up sheets. Instead, students just grab the sheet after they finish the activity. VOILA! Easy as that! Check back with me in a week or two and you'll see the real results of this new design.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, what do you think friends? Love it? Hate it? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm thinking it'll all work out! However, I will still be checking out all the other fabulous organization tips on the <a href="http://imbloghoppin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blog Hoppin' Linky</a>! Go check it out!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-54986068494559215702014-08-19T15:22:00.001-07:002014-08-19T15:22:23.264-07:00My Classroom Digs!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Phew, is all I really have to say right now. Today was our second *official* day of school, and let me tell you...I am EXHAUSTED! I always forget that my cuties really do start out as babies. But, in my two short days with them, they have already impressed me beyond words and shown so much growth! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really can't wait to show you all the fun stuff we've been getting into, but today I'm here to link up with Blog Hoppin' and show you my classroom digs! This year, I was fortunate enough to move into a brand new and HUGE room! It has been a dream come true for me, but still I feel like I am dying for more space. I guess that's something a teacher really will never be satisfied with. Especially if you have a basket hoarding problem like I do. </span></div>
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<a href="http://imbloghoppin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img height="615" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jjE7Rif3UPg/U_Jj0POk6wI/AAAAAAAACvY/vETldHBlxKI/s640/Blog%2BHoppin%2BBTS-02.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up, I'll share a picture of my calendar, and center rotation chart board! I totally changed up my color scheme this year, and as you can see, I also totally <strike>stole </strike>borrowed some bulletin board ideas from the amazing <a href="http://www.kindercrazeblog.com/" target="_blank">Kindercraze</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have already put both boards to great use, and I love how bright a cheery they look! I also got my fabulous alphabet from the one and only<a href="http://www.kindercrazeblog.com/" target="_blank"> Kindercraze</a>. Now if only they would invent a tape that would actually adhere to cinder block walls....sigh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh and that rolling container you see? Well this lucky lady happened to win that at PD two weeks ago, and now I SERIOUSLY don't know how I ever survived without it. I'm not sure how much they cost retail, but I swear it would be worth every single penny. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next up, a little snip of my rug area. I was lucky enough to have enough space in my classroom this year to position a rug right in front of my Promethean board, and still enough space to have another massive rug in my classroom library. Blessed, I know. </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gguRNyf1qmU/U_PLVBG-GMI/AAAAAAAANhc/9SWdYEG3j0c/s1600/activeboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gguRNyf1qmU/U_PLVBG-GMI/AAAAAAAANhc/9SWdYEG3j0c/s1600/activeboard.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pocket charts on the back of the bookcases are for center use. On the other side is where we store all of our math tubs. The buckets of clipboards are also used for center work, and the bucket of dry erase boards are used daily in a variety of subjects!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My next area up for show is our classroom library. Almost all of the books and tubs are labeled, but it's still a little bit of a work in progress. I'm realizing it's actually impossible to have every aspect of your classroom entirely done before school starts. If you are one of those lucky people who are able to do so, I don't wanna know about it. ;) I prefer the comfort of the idea that I am not the only one still scrambling to get it together!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My library definitely got quite the upgrade this year, and I was so thrilled to be able to add that sweet little tent of mine! All of my bookshelves were donated to my class via <a href="http://www.donorschoose.org/" target="_blank">Donor' s Choose</a>, and boy are they a lifesaver! They take up just the perfect amount of space, and have plenty of room for my ever-growing library. The buckets you see on the shelves to the right house all of our "word work" centers. This picture was taken prior to the numbering of each of the tubs. The paper trays above each correspond to a word work center, and house the recording sheets for each activity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, friends! That's all the pictures I have to share with you today! I realized after getting home that I have absolutely NO pictures of my student tables, small group table, writing center, or computer center, so that will have to hold off till another post! In the meantime, I'm going to make myself mighty busy checking out all the other wonderful classroom digs over on the Blog Hoppin' linky! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for checking in and, as always, happy teaching!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-13396968127851897262014-08-05T18:50:00.000-07:002014-08-05T18:50:47.308-07:00Back To School<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Believe it or not, back to school is officially here! With the first day of school right around the corner, I am working like a maniac to get everything ready. I am sure most of you are going through exactly what I am, but every year it still feels like it's my first. Will it ever end?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, despite all of the hard work, I truly look forward to the start of the new year, and can't wait to meet all of my new babies next Monday. Until then, I have made use of my hard earned money and bought myself quite a few things during this weeks Back To School Sale on TPT. Did ya'll participate? I sure hope so! There were killer deals, and I definitely racked up. So tonight, I am so excited to share some of my recent purchases, as well as a few of my newest products, with you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can see, I was feeling pretty ambitious at the time. I can't wait to put all of these great new units and clip art packs to good use! If any of the products I've posted tickle your fancy, just click on their picture and it'll lead you write to their product page!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Up next, I have a few fulfilled promises for you. If you remember, I recently posted my math homework packet with the assurance that a phonics and reading comprehension packet would be following shortly. Well guess what folks?! I am proud to say I have officially finished and posted both units this week, and I absolutely cannot wait to use them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All three of my packets (math, phonics, and reading comprehension) were made to be used together or individually. My phonics packet includes practices pages for every phonics skill addressed in 1st grade, and includes enough practice pages to use for homework and extra to also use at school. If you've got homework covered already, no problem. This packet is absolutely PERFECT for small group instruction, intervention, or assessment. The best part about this packet is that it assesses decoding, fluency, comprehension, AND writing. It is balanced literacy at its finest.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TzeWdU_rEwQ/U-GHEtQRVqI/AAAAAAAANRQ/NTv-9HXPSrA/s1600/IMG_20140805_175852954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TzeWdU_rEwQ/U-GHEtQRVqI/AAAAAAAANRQ/NTv-9HXPSrA/s1600/IMG_20140805_175852954.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a peek at just one of the fun pages included in the packet. There are several pages that are found repeatedly throughout the packet, but each phonics skill also comes with uniquely themed practice pages to help maintain student engagement!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Phonics-and-Spelling-Pattern-Homework-and-Practice-Pages-for-All-Year-1353297" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a5UOeZBZO74/U-GHc7PqGyI/AAAAAAAANRY/tRJYYcY7r6s/s1600/phonics+for+all+year.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a><span id="goog_879027970"></span><span id="goog_879027971"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For an even better look at this packet, you can click on the picture above to view the product page.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My next unit was definitely a labor of love. It really stretched my creativity and allowed me to really take a long hard look at the comprehension skills my students need to acquire. And thus....Read Your Heart Out! was born. Just thinking about this newest packet gets me excited! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this comprehensive unit, I included enough close reading passages to last all school year. The passages vary in genre and theme, and are just wonderful for homework, small group, or whole group instruction. Each passage contains activities for 4 days of reading. This set-up encourages students to read, and most importantly, RE-READ! Then, students are challenged to ask and answer questions, identify story elements, retell the stories, analyze vocabulary, identify synonyms/antonyms, search for phonics chunks and SO much more! What I love most about this packet is that it was created in conjunction with my phonics packet and reinforces all of the skills. In addition, the texts gradually increase in difficulty. Early passages focus on CVC words and sights words, and gradually move to more complex texts.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--up_OJyII_4/U-GIgwxQFOI/AAAAAAAANRk/dkGIfSu0UUk/s1600/IMG_20140805_175915103~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--up_OJyII_4/U-GIgwxQFOI/AAAAAAAANRk/dkGIfSu0UUk/s1600/IMG_20140805_175915103~2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These packets have truly been an answer to my homework prayers. I'm sleeping easier knowing that I will have one less "to-do" off my list each week. For a closer look at my close reading packet, you can click the picture below! And, as always, both products will be on sale for the next week! Hooray for back to school!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be back again soon to show you how I organize all these papers to go home! Until then, I will be busy printing and laminating all the new goodies I purchased! To see more fabulous finds from the TPT sale, check out BlogHoppin's linky!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Teaching!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-28497102149547033372014-07-28T19:39:00.001-07:002014-07-28T19:42:00.386-07:00Teachers Be Shoppin'<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey, ya'll! As promised, I am back here once again to share my latest teacher (and un-teacher) related purchases, courtesy of Elizabeth at <a href="http://kickinitinkindergarten.com/teachers-shoppin-linky/" target="_blank">Kickin' it in Kindrergarten</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To kick it off, I'll start with an overview.
I know what you're thinking, "This chick is craaazy." But I'm not ya'll, swear it. Every purchase I've made this week has been completely intentional. The real test will be if intentions ever meet reality, but that's for an entirely separate blog post. For today, I'll just stick with the updates. You see, I'm moving to a brand spankin' new classroom this year, and I couldn't be more pleased. With an entire work day scheduled for tomorrow, I am beyond excited to share the final results with you. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen a bit of a sneak peek, but that doesn't even begin to cover it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> That plethora of (blurry) scrapbook paper you see? Well that's just for a little art project I have planned for one of my bulletin boards. You'll have to exercise patience to see the fruits of that purchase, but I promise it'll be worth it. With any luck I'll have it up and posted for you by the end of this week. Until then, I'll leave you with a little hint....you'll definitely be "blown away".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I found that precious picture frame above at Marshall's for all of about 3 bucks. I previously owned a small and boring white one, so when I saw this frame in my new classroom colors I knew I had to snag it. Personally, I use the frame to display my small group objectives. However, I can think of a million or more ways you could incorporate them in your classroom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do any of you own the same, or similar frames? I would love to see how you use them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Another item I'll share today is the colorful pennant I also found at Michael's. Now, let me just say, I am typically a Hobby Lobby kind of gal, but I just so happened to be in the neighborhood of a Michael's yesterday, so I decided to take a gander. It was a trip I certainly do not regret. In fact, I even had to put BACK a few items before finally checking out. See, I do have some restraint!
My plans for this pennant? Well, I'm not quite sure yet. But I am full of faith that it will all work out tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> My last purchase is absolutely, positively, 100%....unrelated to school. I found this beauty at Hobby Lobby and proudly used my 40% discount to snatch it up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Holy cuteness, when did Hob Lob get so chic? If this keeps up, I'll be out of money in no time. I plan to place this newest purchase right where it belongs...in my bedroom, of course.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, how'd I do this week? I'd love your feedback and suggestions for making use of my newest purchases, so please fill me in on how you've made use of any products I've shown above. And of course, you can check out how other fabulous teachers have spent their hard earned money by linking up with <a href="http://kickinitinkindergarten.com/teachers-shoppin-linky/" target="_blank">Elizabeth</a>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Be sure to check back soon for more classroom updates, and some information about my newest products.
Until then, happy teaching!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-88969279300112603162014-07-22T06:23:00.000-07:002014-07-22T06:23:46.641-07:00Hit the Jackpot Baby<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, ok, so I lied. I swore I wouldn't continuously rub all my Vegas fun in your face over and over and over again. But here I am, ya'll, about to do it again. Don't you worry though, this time it's for a little fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, I may have mentioned that I made some fabulous friends while at the Vegas TPT convention a couple of weeks ago, and I totally meant it. These girls are just great, and I feel so lucky to have them in my teaching/ blogging/ TPTing/ personal life. And because these girls are so fabulous, they've decided that it would be a great idea to join forces for a little giveaway!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Queue the drum-roll...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's right, folks, my wonderful gal pals, <a href="http://teachinglearningloving.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Becky</a>, <a href="http://mswinterswildwest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Alyssa</a>, <a href="http://lovingkinders.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kimberly</a>, <a href="http://mrsjonescreationstation.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Elissa</a>, and I have teamed up to for a little Vegas fun! You can enter the giveaway below for a chance to win your own copy of each of the following products! See, I told you it'd be fun! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The raffle will be open until next Monday, and then we'll select a winner! So, if you weren't so lucky in Vegas, let us help you out right at home!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you hit the jackpot, you will be receiving 4 wonderful packets from my amazing friends, along with my "R" controlled Vowels phonics packet! I created this packet to give my sweet kiddos hands-on practice with one of the hardest phonics sounds, and I would be thrilled to pass it along to one of you!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Work-Activities-for-R-Blends-1033840" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C5FLywjefSQ/U83dP90J29I/AAAAAAAAMvQ/TS58SzKXEPw/s1600/Slide1.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> For a closer look at the packet I have up for grabs, you can click the picture above.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So what are you waiting for? Go enter the raffle! Until we announce the winner, keep checking back for more exciting updates.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Good luck, everyone!</span><br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/dc19cc483/" id="rc-dc19cc483" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-25921960109332288622014-07-21T14:19:00.001-07:002014-07-21T19:50:56.121-07:00Linkin' Up!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey there, friends! Today I am linkin' up with <a href="http://kickinitinkindergarten.com/teachers-shoppin-linky-party/" target="_blank">Kickin' it in Kindergarten</a> to talk about one of my most favorite hobbies...shopping.</span></div>
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<a href="http://kickinitinkindergarten.com/teachers-shoppin-linky-party/" target="_blank"><img alt="Slide1" src="http://kickinitinkindergarten.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Slide14.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since becoming a teacher, I've realized that this is a quality almost necessary if you want to have a well organized classroom. But let's be honest, shopping for teaching supplies isn't the only the thing I'm addicted to. Fortunately; however, I have been SO consumed with back-to-school business that I've had hardly any time to shop for items unrelated to my classroom. But guess what that means? I've got plenty to share with you today!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up, the newest addition to my library...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously. Cuteness overload.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Was it necessary? No. Do I really have room for it? Probably not. Did I make it work? You bet I did. And now, I absolutely cannot wait to get my new batch of cuties and see their excitement each day as they enter my reading center. I'm completely aware that this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KH6E6HA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">tent</a> may also be the catalyst for many disagreements in the classroom, but for now I'll just choose to look on the bright side of things. #aintnobodygottimeforthat</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next up, I have a three in one picture for you....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you've followed me for any amount of time, then you probably know I use a "microphone" in my classroom to control rug time. The microphone is not only fun for my kiddos, but it truly is an easy way to keep their blurt outs in check without them even knowing! Unfortunately, my original microphone, from my very first year of teaching, bit the dust by the end of this past school year. Not to worry though, I was able to snag a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JL4JFM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">new</a> one for this year, and I must say it's even snazzier than the first!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, and that precious <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GHAGGOG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">elephant</a>? Well that's Ellie, of course. She's our new class mascot for the upcoming year. I have been wanting to incorporate a mascot that could be sent home each week, and now I've finally gotten around to it. I told you third times the charm! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since my classroom "theme-ish" is the circus, I thought an elephant was totally fitting. Each week I choose a "ringleader" to lead the class, go first in line, and run errands. Now, the ringleader will have the added bonus of taking Ellie home for the weekend {in that cute little <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004J00B9W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">canvas</a> tote that needs some decorating} and writing a journal entry...or blogging...or writing a letter about it. I haven't totally worked that last part out yet, but I'm getting there. Promise. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And lastly, since my first year of teaching I have been using<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MVRT88/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank"> dry erase circles</a> at my small group table. If you haven't tried this yet, it's a must. Totally life changing. I'm not sure where I got the idea from, but I bet you I didn't dream it up myself. Whoever did give me that idea, thank you, thank you, thank you! My kids love nothing more than writing on their very own, colorful, dry erase circle. The only downside to these cuties is that they are really only good for a year, depending on how often you use them. But trust me, ya'll, completely worth the money. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's about all the shopping I can handle talking about without freaking out about the crazy amount of money I spend on my classroom. But don't you worry, there's plenty more where that came from. I'm thanking Elizabeth for enabling my shopping addiction. Check back again next week for more of my recent finds and splurges! And for more awesome shopping finds, check out<a href="http://kickinitinkindergarten.com/teachers-shoppin-linky-party/" target="_blank"> Elizabeth's linky</a>! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy teaching, and shopping! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-80653290452127585652014-07-16T08:00:00.000-07:002014-07-17T10:27:05.200-07:00Math Homework Made Easy!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey there teachers! I hope you are enjoying your remaining weeks of summer as much as I am. Actually, that may be only partially true. I've been working my tush off lately trying to get things prepared for the upcoming school year. You know what they say, third times the charm. If that saying has any truth to it, then this upcoming school year should be an absolute breeze. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As part of my preparation for school, I have been getting together my homework packets. You see, homework is always something that I absolutely loathe getting together. I have a hard time sending home lots of work for my students to do, but I also want parents to stay involved and have opportunities to work on school with their kiddos. Many times, I'm disappointed with the homework pages my curriculum has to offer, so this year I've decided to homework into my own hands. Drumroll please....</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Math-Homework-Practice-and-Review-For-All-Year-Long-1st-Grade-Edition-1292588" target="_blank"><img alt="Math Homework, Practice, and Review For All Year Long! (1s" src="http://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Math-Homework-Practice-and-Review-For-All-Year-Long-1st-Grade-Edition-1292588/original-1292588-1.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me introduce you to my newest labor of love: Mastering Math. Of course, the sole use of this packet is <b>not just </b>for homework. The great thing about it is, you can use it in any way that works best for you! It would be a great independent practice piece, or for re-assessing kiddos who need a little extra help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This packet goes hand in hand with my math assessment packet, and has enough work to keep your little ones busy all year long! I included enough practice pages for each week (Monday-Thursday). I also included a homework rubric that will go along with my phonics packet that I will be posting soon (pinky promise). When I get that up and posted, I will share with you just exactly how I plan to send home my homework packets each week. Until then, I wanted to highlight a few of the activities in the Mastering Math packet and show you how I keep it all together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To start, I printed off every single page in the packet (just once!). Then I placed each page in order in page protectors ( back and front). I have the pages organized by skill and labeled by standard. So, I printed all the header pages (see picture) and put the corresponding practice pages behind them. That way, I know what standards go with each and know exactly where to look when I'm teaching say...addition.Or subtraction. Or time. Or any other skill you address in first grade. I promise...they're all there! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, when I go to prepare homework for the week, I know exactly where to look. No searching through files or textbooks. Easy Peasy! </span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8VRFXUlKj6o/U8RagNJkgLI/AAAAAAAAMgo/_HQgPOKdFIc/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8VRFXUlKj6o/U8RagNJkgLI/AAAAAAAAMgo/_HQgPOKdFIc/s1600/Slide1.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sounds pretty simple right? If you'd like to get a closer look at the activities in this packet, you can head over to my shop by clicking the preview picture below. I will have this packet as well as my corresponding math assessment packet on sale for the next week! Get them while they're hot! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be back soon to give some classroom updates, and to post my phonics homework packet. Until then, enjoy your break! See you soon, loves!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy teaching!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-47110869534405477632014-07-14T11:51:00.000-07:002014-07-14T11:51:47.780-07:00Top 5 Tips from Vegas!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have I mentioned I've been to Vegas recently? Please pardon my repetition, but it was *hands down* the best trip ever. As I mentioned in my last post, one of the best things about the trip was all of the wonderful women I had the opportunity to meet. One of these women just happen to be my new friend <a href="http://teachinglearningloving.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Becky</a>. Have you heard of her? Sweet Becky made the solo trip from Tennessee all the way to Vegas to attend the TPT conference on her BIRTHDAY! Yep, that's right. Talk about dedication ya'll. I was fortunate enough to meet Becky and share a small birthday celebration with her, and now I'm fortunate enough to be linking up with her on her blog to share a few of the tips I learned from Vegas.</span></div>
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<a href="http://teachinglearningloving.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nCNhu78lB5g/U8P0PfMDsfI/AAAAAAAACOU/BxY43t2-w6o/s320/top+5+tips+linky.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the most emphasized pieces of advice throughout all of the conferences was the importance of being yourself. By doing so you can bet your work will be unique and valuable. Nobody wants to see the same thing over and over again. Staying true to yourself is a great way to make sure your products stand out against the crowd.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Give it a test run.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before making a product "live", try it out on your little ones! I know first hand that my students are the best way to catch a mistake. Trying it out first helps you know whether or not your activities are helpful and realistic for the classroom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Protect your work</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We put SO much time into all of the wonderful activities we produce, so it's important to make sure we product all of our hard work (and the work of others). Make sure you put your copyright information at the bottom of your pages, and secure your documents to prevent others from copying the clip art you use.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check and Double Check Your Work</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This goes hand in hand with testing out your work before posting. Edit your work yourself, but also have others check it over. Chances are they will find mistakes that you looked over.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Treat it Like a Business</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want to be a successful TPT seller, you have to treat it like a business. That means setting time aside each week for creating, marketing, revising, and whatever else you need to do. It will pay off in the long run!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can see, I learned a whooole lot on my short little trip. I am excited and inspired to start implementing these tips in my personal life. If you'd like to read more about what others learned from the recent TPT conferences, check out Becky's blog. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check back soon for my updates! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy teaching, sweet friends!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-59581870670963049292014-07-12T17:57:00.000-07:002014-07-12T17:57:45.734-07:00Viva Las Vegas!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey there, sweet friends! So happy to be back here on this little blog of mine. After taking a break from blogging for the last few and crazy months of school, I thought there was no better time to rekindle our friendship than after spending an amazing weekend in Las Vegas with some exceptional educators.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's right friends, I was lucky enough to attend the very first TeachersPayTeachers convention, and let me tell you....it did not disappoint. My bestie <a href="http://mswinterswildwest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ms. Winter</a> and I managed to make our way west for the week of a lifetime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up, we started out with a keynote speech from the man himself....Paul Edelmen. Ya'll, words cannot express the wonderful and inspiring messages he shared with us. I have never felt so proud to be an educator or a part of TPT. Totally and completely life changing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following the keynote I had the privilege of listening to some truly amazing women share their TPT tips and experiences. Seriously....I was pinching my cheeks in disbelief. I am still in shock that I was able to sit in the same room as all those ladies who never cease to amaze or inspire me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No you aren't dreaming, that is most certainly <a href="http://ericabohrer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Erica Bohrer</a>, <a href="http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cara Carrol</a>, and little ole' me! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, my most favorite part about this weekend was meeting all of my new friends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My greatest takeaway was the connections I formed with some wonderful ladies who I would have never met without TPT. That alone is what made this trip truly money well spent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, don't go thinking that my trip was all conventions and connections.Of course, we snagged a little free time for some fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well friends, that about wraps up my weekend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We laughed, we cried, and...well you know how the story goes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I'm heading back home to put all this new found inspiration to good use!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please check back soon for some truly exciting news from myself and my new friends!! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-51306798441221896872014-01-03T16:28:00.000-08:002014-01-03T16:28:29.970-08:00Fit and Fresh!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hey ya'll! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today I'm linking up with <a href="http://imbloghoppin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blog Hoppin'</a> to share a few of my New Years goals! I, like most people, have made fitness goals for the upcoming year, so I felt today was a perfect day to join the party! Overall, I pride myself on the healthy life style I lead. However, like most women, there are ALWAYS ways I can improve myself. I never want to become complacent with a routine or find myself in a rut where there is no room for growth. Therefore, I have deemed 2014 my year to "live lean and clean!". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although I often feel like the picture above, fitness is undoubtedly the ONLY way I can keep my sanity. I have always followed a pretty strict weight lifting/ running exercise program. I am also a fairly picky and conscious eater. However, lately I have found myself making little muscle growth through my current workout routine. While searching the web for healthy recipes, I stumbled upon an exercise program and instantly fell in love! The program is called <a href="http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html" target="_blank">Jamie Eason's LiveFit</a>. Have any of you tried it? The workouts were pretty similar to those in my old routine, but what I like about this program most is that it provides me with guidance and methods to make my routines more challenging. Most importantly, it also inspired me to adopt the eating 5 clean, high-protein meals a day diet. That's right FIVE meals. At first, I was more than happy to jump on board with any lifestyle that requires me to eat as often as possible. However, living on a teacher's schedule makes this a little more challenging. But, with the company of my favorite {and only} workout partner</span>, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html" target="_blank">Ms. Winter</a>, I know I can stick to it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here we are after our workout today: shoulders, abs, and a little HIIT (high intensity interval training). And, on the menu today:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Organic baked chicken, organic Basmati Brown Rice, and steamed veggies. YUM!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well friends, that's about it for my fitness goals this year. It's been a busy day of eating and exercising. Now, it's time to get my booty in gear for school! I wish everyone luck with their fitness goals! I will be back soon to post my plans for our upcoming Polar unit! Don't forget to link up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy Teaching!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-89265437838531723232013-12-29T19:36:00.000-08:002013-12-29T19:37:15.055-08:00Happy Holidays!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hi there, sweet teachin' friends! I am so happy to be back here tonight posting on this little blog of mine. It is so hard to believe that the holiday season has already come and gone! I've been out of school for a week now and I still feel like I'm catching my breath! I hope everyone in this bloggin' community had a happy and safe holidays! If you're like me, you're already gearing up for our return to school in just one short week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tonight, I hope to share some of our wonderful Christmas activities with you. Unfortunately, I left most of our precious little projects still hanging up in my classroom, and completely forgot to take pictures! Fortunately; however, I got a brand new camera for Christmas, so I will be sharing those as soon as I can get my booty back into my classroom! Until then, I will share with you what few photos I was lucky enough to snap!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I mentioned in my last post, the late-ness of Thanksgiving this year totally threw all of my Christmas teaching plans into chaos! I must admit, I am definitely overly ambitious when it comes to planning for Christmas. It's just that there are SO many wonderful, Christmas themed texts and activities that there is just NO time to fit it all in! Therefore, we were forced to squeeeeeeze gingerbread week into one teeny tiny day! It was exhausting but so FUN! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We began the day by reading several different versions of "The Gingerbread Man" and talked about the many ways the books were similar and different. Next, I split the class into 4 groups and assigned each group a story element (characters, setting, problem, and solution). The kids then worked with their group to compare/contrast their story element in each of the texts. It was so great watching the kids work together, and they were so engaged in the activity, I not once had to re-direct them! When they were done, each group shared their findings with the class and we displayed their answers on a GIANT gingerbread house (picture to come), that I stole from <a href="http://kindergartenboomboom.blogspot.com/2012/12/we-finished.html" target="_blank">here</a>. It was so fun and such a great visual! Our gingerbread house is now safely hanging in our hallway at school awaiting for me to return and take its picture to share with you ;)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When we were done, we taste-tested gingerbread cookies and then used adjectives to describe them! I used this wonderful snack as a springboard for discussing similes. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I recorded all of their responses on the following anchor chart. Yes.... that is an "ou" and not an "a" in delicious. Can you tell my cursive is rusty?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some of their adjectives just astound me....scrumptious, crumbly?! I was so impressed! When finished, the kiddos created their own simile to describe their cookie and then got to make their very own {construction paper} gingerbread man. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the template for these fellas are also in my classroom. I will post it with all the other missing pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The rest our time together before break was spent attending our first field trip of the year, practicing and performing in our annual Christmas concert, and celebrating the holidays with a class Christmas party! Whew! It was a whirlwind!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although this is only my second year of teaching, I have already discovered that one of the best parts about being a teacher this time of year is all of the sweet letters I get from my students. This year, I got one that especially melted my heart:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm telling you, I just about cried when I saw this. Notes like this help me remember why I became a teacher in the first place. Now, I'm using all that inspiration to get ready for the upcoming weeks of school. To do so, I have put together a couple units that I hope will be helpful to you as well!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For a closer look at either activity, you can click the pictures and it will take you right to my little shop! Please feel free to e-mail or message me should you have any questions! As always, both items will be on sale until tomorrow night! Go snag em! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have a wonderful Monday, friends! Enjoy your break!<br />Happy teaching!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-67000739468317704492013-12-04T20:12:00.000-08:002013-12-04T20:12:18.760-08:00Rewind.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey there! I'm FINALLY back! This girl definitely enjoyed her Thanksgiving vacation way too much to even consider blogging. But, it's back to reality, and I am excited to be back here again to share with all of you! We definitely have some catching up to do…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To start, I wanted to share an activity from our Thanksgiving unit. Before starting any unit, I always like to use a KWL chart of some kind, just so I can get a grasp on what the kiddos already know. The kids also really love this time, because they get to show off all their smarts! Here's our KWL chart for our Thanksgiving unit..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This picture was taken towards the beginning of our unit…hence the lack of information in 2 of the sections. My kids loved referring to this chart during all of our writing activities, and it was helpful for keeping track of all we have learned!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before the holiday break, we also got to get together as a school to celebrate our recent success. Our test scores last year brought my school up a letter grade in our state-wide rating system. Needless to say, we were proud of our students and excited to share the news! What better way to do so than with a balloon launch!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clearly, the weather was horrid. But that didn't stop our fun! I wish I could share pictures of my kids faces when they saw all the balloons in the sky. Precious ya'll. I wish I could re-live it again just so I could catch it on video. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, we are heading full blast into all things Christmas, and I couldn't be more excited! Unfortunately, Thanksgiving landed a little too late in November this year, and we only have 2 and a half more weeks until we are off again for Christmas! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imagine the horror when I realized I wouldn't have enough time to devote a whole WEEK to our gingerbread unit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*GASP* Say it ain't so! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously though…I am struggling to squeeze in all the wonderful literature and activities I had planned. I wish I could just add another hour {or two} to the school day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With no time to waste, my cuties and I have been working over time to fit in all the fun! Our latest project was making text-to-self connections. We started out by reading The Snowglobe Family by Jane O'Conner. If you haven't read this yet….what are you waiting for?! It's a precious book with so much potential for so many skills! After comparing/ contrasting the characters in the story and discussing point of view, we made a little craft about what we would do if we lived in a snow globe. I used this activity last year but decided it needed a little something special this year…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TA DA!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Holy cuteness. I was so excited when I saw how these turned out, that I completely forgot to take pictures of their writing. Shame on me!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To make this activity I took a picture of all my kids, printed and cut them out. Then we laid out contact paper and placed the pictures, snow globe outline, and snow on the back. After that we folded the remaining contact paper over and…VOILA! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are now preparing to celebrate gingerbread day tomorrow! The time crunch forced me to condense a whole week's worth of activities into one day, but I have faith we will get it all done! If anything, we will definitely be enjoying some delicious cookies…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're looking for new word work or Christmas activities, stop by my store! I will be back soon to give more details about the recent products I've posted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you all have a wonderful, stress-free, and happy week! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy teaching!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-87162575753468445342013-11-06T14:09:00.000-08:002013-11-06T18:11:41.742-08:00November, already!?!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hey, ya'll! Where the heck has the time gone?! I feel like just yesterday it was the first day of school! It's hard to believe the first half of the school year is coming to close. I feel so lucky to have such a sweet and hard working class. They make each day fun, and I have a feelin' that's why this year has zoomed right on by!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Enough digressing... I hope you and your loved ones had a Happy Halloween! We have been so busy the past few weeks wrapping up our studies on owls, bats, spiders, and pumpkins. Like most of you, I'm sure, we celebrated Halloween by having ourselves a little pumpkin investigation. My cuties did such an amazing job counting out their seeds and working together to find the right strategy to use. None of my groups ended up counting the same way, and I loved that! It made for such great discussion at the end of the activity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Needless to say, they LOVED the activity and certainly did not mind getting their hands all messy! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another fun activity we completed for Halloween, was pumpkin book reports. For this project, I let each student choose one book from the class library. At home, they had to illustrate or draw (depending on their level) the elements of the story. Then, they got to create the main character using a pumpkin. The final products were TOO CUTE ya'll. Just take a look below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We had the whole gang in class: Duck, Sam I Am, The Stinky Cheese Man, Marley, The Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon, and so much more!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I sent home the instructions for the project, I stressed the importance of having the students do the brunt of the work. While I acknowledge that parents are needed to complete some more <strike>dangerous</strike> difficult activities {hot gluing, cutting, etc}, I wanted to make sure my students got to be the creative directors, and let me tell you....they sure did. I have never seen my students more proud of their work than when they presented their pumpkins to the class...and I have probably never been more proud as their teacher. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You could definitely say it was a win/win!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides being totally wrapped up in the chaos of planning, teaching, and tracking data (yuck!), I have had several sweet surprises lately that have helped remind me of the purpose of Thanksgiving. One of those sweet little surprises was this precious wreath:</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AQ8XZ33w2o8/Unq8RhXzflI/AAAAAAAAE2U/_854GPOTAwU/s1600/Slide4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AQ8XZ33w2o8/Unq8RhXzflI/AAAAAAAAE2U/_854GPOTAwU/s1600/Slide4.JPG" height="300" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ok, ignore the filthy dry erase circles. Those puppies only get a good wipe down every Friday {if I'm lucky} and we sure use them to death! Anyway, how stinkin' cute is that wreath!? A precious parent of one of my students last year made it for me for NO.GOOD.REASON. Just to be nice. Can you believe that? If that doesn't make you thankful I don't know what will. Thank heavens for kind people! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Now that October has come to a close we are diving head first into all things Thanksgiving! One of my absolute most favorite times of year! To prep ourselves for the month ahead, I've<strike> worked my self to death</strike> thrown together a little math and literacy unit! Because my little learners are so diverse and have so many varying needs, I tried to make this unit as thorough as possible. I wanted to be sure it would provide you {and me!} with enough activities to last the month, and I wanted it to cover a wide range of activities. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/20-Thanksgiving-Math-and-Literacy-Activities-962900" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hrIh7cOORv4/Unq9UVeu0UI/AAAAAAAAE2g/bA0AbMIUDjc/s1600/Slide1.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This packet is filled with 10 math, 10 literacy, and 1 writing activity. For a closer look please check out the preview picture in full. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me! As always, it will be on sale the first 2 days it is up in my shop! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'll be back soon with more classroom updates and a peak at our Thanksgiving happenings! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Until then, happy teaching! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-64228111120967265772013-10-14T19:06:00.002-07:002013-10-14T19:06:28.980-07:00Halloween in full gear!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hello again, friends! I hope you're Monday has treated you well. If today was in indication of what the rest of the week will be like, then I am in for some trouble. If you're like me then you had school today despite the fact that it is Columbus Day. It wasn't all bad; however, because it was the perfect teaching moment for our U.S. Symbols and Heroes unit. Luckily, I found this precious packet from <a href="http://tangledupteaching.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tangled Up in Teaching</a></span>.</div>
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<a href="http://tangledupteaching.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oHuSb4pCp0E/Ulyc4-yr6WI/AAAAAAAAC0o/flPlg5lNH5c/s1600/chris.jpg" height="306" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It gave me all the tools necessary to properly celebrate the holiday with my kiddos! They adored making their Christopher Columbus hats, and their "Stick Stories". Too fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In other news, we have just started our new math unit which focuses HEAVILY on making "friendly 10s" to add. Luckily, all I had to do was whip out my Spiders Sums activity and we were good to go! I also prepared a little Candy Corn Addition activity to get us used to making 10. For the activity, I provided each student with a recording sheet and an 10s frame mat with two 10s frames each. The students would then read the addition problem (ex. 9+4) and would place 9 regular candy corn on the first frame and 4 candy corn on the second. This was the perfect lead-in to a discussion on strategies we could use to compose 10. It was so awesome to hear them explain how we could take 1 away from the 4 and move it to the group of 9 to complete the 10s frame. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Proud teacher, right here!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once they figured out how to make 10 on the 10s frames, we recorded the two problems on the recording sheet. We wrote the answer using the original problem and the making 10s way. If you'd like to snag a copy of this easy activity, you can click the link below! </span><br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_ljT-rMU8n5eHVIcndkNEJ1T0E/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zJsKC1XIjgM/UlygCsOaGRI/AAAAAAAAC08/KUlQnyA3aUo/s1600/Slide2.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And, last but not least, my October unit is FINALLY posted! I have worked my tush off trying to finish up this latest unit. In fact, the whole reason it hasn't been posted until now is that I was too busy printing and laminating the activities so I could use them in my own classroom. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why can't there be a couple more hours in a day!? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The unit is filled with 16 math and literacy activities that are bat, owl, and spider themed. Each activity is correlated to a Common Core Standard, and the standard addressed is displayed on each recording sheet. In addition, I have created 2 versions of several of the activities to suit the needs of the many different learners in my classroom {and hopefully yours, too}! If you'd like to take a closer look at this packet, you can click on the picture below. Let me know if you have any questions! </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/October-Math-and-Literacy-Activities-spiders-bats-and-owls-927573" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SNpcJ4B60Hk/Ulyg76ZMSZI/AAAAAAAAC1I/62GXg3wrhZg/s1600/Slide1.1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've also posted some October themed "cut, glue, and solve" word problems in my little shop. I'll be sharing a post later this week to give you more details on those!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/October-Daily-Word-Problems-922894" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t2l-XD1Ujaw/UlyiLhb6npI/AAAAAAAAC1U/LXQLNaRWtpQ/s1600/original-922894-1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To celebrate this new product and my October Word Problems unit, both items are going to be 20% off for the next 2 nights!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have a wonderful night, teachers, and a very happy Tuesday!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-66612656159722153162013-10-08T18:06:00.000-07:002013-10-08T18:07:34.265-07:00Updates and a Freebie<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy Tuesday, friends!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't know about ya'll, but this wonderful fall weather has left me in the BEST mood lately. I love the way it feels when all of the holidays start rollin' around, and I am getting SO excited preparing for them in my classroom! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We are still knee deep in all things creepy. For centers, we have been using all kinds of activities from my Things That Go Bump in the Night packet {I know I said it'll be posted soon, and I promise it will be!} We also began practicing our subtraction skills and used this little diddy I threw together to help us learn our facts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I read the story I also used some great {and glittery} black spiders I got from Wal-Mart for a whopping $2 bucks! My kids LOVED going along with the story, and they didn't even realize they were using math! Since it worked so well my kiddos, I thought maybe ya'll could use it too! If you'd like to download my "Ten Little Spiders" story and the corresponding center activity and recording sheet, just click the picture below! This is PART 2 of my October mathtivities. </span></div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_ljT-rMU8n5M1J6MDRfWkZjekU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lGDql-ekeyU/UlSlt9hdabI/AAAAAAAACwk/miHbwbOsRPo/s1600/Slide1.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Speaking of spooky....the other morning I waked into my classroom to find this little surprise...</span>.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Oh the horror, the horror! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your eyes don't deceive you. It is most definitely my beloved Scentsy in pieces on the floor of my classroom. That Scentsy was just about the only thing keeping my classroom smelling great. Naturally, my students blamed it on our Halloween ghost and I have to admit, I was pretty freaked out myself. Looks like I know what I'll be putting on my Christmas list this year...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In other {non-spooky} news, my cuties have become SO into reader's workshop. Our stamina has grown and we have FINALLY made it to reading with a buddy stage...and let me tell you, it is by far the kids {and my} most favorite time of the day. Nothing makes this teacher happier than looking around at a class FULL of students reading together and talking about their books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Ignore all the <strike> creepy</strike> happy faces and enjoy...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Sight* It's a beautiful thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before I leave you today, I thought I'd share something with you that made me smile BIG this week. One of my students lost a tooth and wrote a note to the tooth fairy. Naturally the "tooth fairy " wrote back, and here's what she said...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I just about DIED when I read it. How cute! Luckily the parents laminated the note so that the whole class could enjoy it. Of course all my kids ate it right up and loved thinking that their teacher has a secret identity. I have to admit...I may have given them the idea myself. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have a great rest of the week, sweet friends! Get out and enjoy the weather!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-8449724189600519432013-09-22T13:12:00.003-07:002013-09-29T14:25:33.981-07:00October Fun!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy fall ya'll!! Mother nature was very punctual this year, because the weather outside feels GREAT! Too bad it won't stay that way for long! In celebration of the first day of my most favorite season, I have some finds and freebies to share with you today!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been gearing up to get my class ready for our next unit....Creepy Creatures! Since we can't officially "celebrate" Halloween, I try to find other ways to make the season fun. Throughout the next few weeks, my class and I will be learning ALL about pumpkins, spiders, bats, and owls! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To prepare myself for one of my most favorite units of the year, I stopped by the Target dollar section and Dollar Tree, and boy did I find some treasures!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As soon as I saw all these creepy creatures, I just knew I had to snag them and find a way to sneak them into my math tubs for next week. I'm currently tying up the loose ends on my newest TPT unit, but until it's ready to be posted, I thought I'd share a few of the math activities with you as freebies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both math activities you'll find in this little packet use the manipulatives you see above, or the ones I provided for you to print! Both activities focus on addition {since that's the concept my sweeties are currently studying}. In the first activity, students use the ice cube 10s frame OR the one provided on the paper to make a sum of 10. Students roll the dice, place that many orange (or black) spiders on the 10s frame and then add the other color until they make 10. When finished, the students record their number sentences on the recording sheet. I have provided two different recording sheets for you to use, depending on if you use ice cube trays or the 10s frame provided for you on the page. I have also added some spider manipulatives in case you don't have any of your own!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a look at the recording sheets:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the sheet to use if you don't have ice cube trays of your own</span>:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vYe_shXHLmw/Uj9MCHE_1bI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/i7KNRKgDyck/s1600/Slide07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vYe_shXHLmw/Uj9MCHE_1bI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/i7KNRKgDyck/s1600/Slide07.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next activity I created using the Target Dollar Section stickers (or any creepy creature stickers you can find). Students will place the stickers on the recording sheet and make a matching story problem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To download your own copies of the activities you see above, just click the picture below!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope that these activities help you in your classroom this month!! Please check back soon, as I will be uploading more creepy creatures activities in my newest unit...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a great Sunday!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-22832563462742613482013-09-16T17:32:00.000-07:002013-09-16T17:32:48.038-07:00Favorite Pins Friday!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi, pals!! I hope everyone is having a very restful post-fourth Friday! Today I wanted to do a quick little post to link up with none other than <a href="http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CC</a> herself (I like to pretend we are on a nickname basis) for Favorite Pins Friday! I wanted to link up in this post for a variety of reasons. Pinterest has definitely been a life changing sort of experience for me. Any time I want to try a new recipe, find a product, or get ideas for a teaching activity I instantly turn to Pinterest! It only makes sense that we all share all the treasures we've found surfing through the site, and I'm so glad Cara made that possible! So without further ado....</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Favorite Teaching Pins</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found this darling idea a few weeks ago and immediately pinned it! Back to school night is always a little chaotic, and I thought this would be such a fun way to keep things interesting! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This next pin is on my to-do list before next school year! I thought this fabulous idea from <a href="http://hootyshomeroom.blogspot.com/2012/07/rate-your-writing-chart.html" target="_blank">Hooty's Homeroom</a> is a great way to actually show the kids what you expect out of their writing. </span> </div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Favorite Food Pins</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pinning new food ideas is probably the most useful thing about Pinterest for me! My friends and I have monthly Pinterest parties where we each try out a recipe we pinned. It's such a great way to actually put all that pinning to use, and gives us a good excuse to get together!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made this recipe for Skinny Broccoli and Chicken Alfredo from <a href="http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2013/01/16/skinny-chicken-broccoli-alfredo/" target="_blank">Table for Two</a> a few weeks ago and all I can say is...YUM! The recipe subs Greek yogurt in for a lot of the not-so-good for you stuff, and you can't even tell the difference! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another great thing about Pinterest is that it gives you access to super fun and easy do it yourself projects! Since moving into a new house I have definitely tried to embrace my inner do-it-yourselfer! Here are just a few of the ideas I've tried or have on my list..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made these wine glasses from <a href="http://justshortofcrazy.com/2011/09/chalkboard-wine-glasses-tutorial/" target="_blank">Just Short of Crazy</a> for my sisters for Christmas last year and they were a HIT! We still use them at all our family gatherings and it's a great way to keep track of our glasses!<br /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also made these beautiful Christmas ornaments from <a href="http://fleamarketstylemag.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-12-24T09:00:00-06:00&max-results=5" target="_blank">Flea Market Style</a> last year. When I first saw this Pin I just KNEW I had to have them! They were pretty easy and cheap, and definitely looked beautiful on the tree!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could spend HOURS on Pinterest just looking at all of the funny animal pins. Seriously...it's a huge time waster, so I don't advise trying it! Here are a few of my favs...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Makes me laugh every.single.time</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Well, that's about all the Pins I can handle for a day! I can't wait to see all the goodies you've found while Pinteresting! I'll be back again next Thursday to share some more of my Pinterest findings. In the meantime, be sure to link up with my girl Cara for Favorite Pins Friday!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check back soon for more updates! Have a great one!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-23970075242493429992013-09-16T17:30:00.001-07:002013-09-16T17:32:22.280-07:00Let's Catch Up!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi, sweet friends! Long time, no see! I am so happy to be back to share a few updates on my classroom this school year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know about you but, back to school was pretty much a whirlwind for me. I traveled to Europe and returned a short 3 days before the kiddos were to arrive { What was I thinking?!}. Before leaving for my trip I had my classroom all ready to go, but when I got back I was offered a new classroom with a Smartboard! So, what's a girl to do?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Naturally, I picked the room with the Smartboard (duh!) and pulled a last minute switch-a-roo....with the help of my loved ones, of course. So tonight I have a few classroom snapshots for you. Unfortunately, I can't say that every.single.thing in my classroom is just how I want it to be, but it's pretty darn close. I feel like I am never 100 percent satisfied no matter what I do, but I gotta tell ya I am really liking the set up so far. I know things will change and be added as the year progresses, but I'm glad to have a good start. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Am I the only one who feels this way?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As far as classroom decor goes, I typically like warmer color schemes and very little clutter. I am *somewhat* of a freak for organization and labeling (just don't open my cabinets). That being said, I {shamefully} have not finished labeling everything in my classroom. Thanks to a sweet parent of one of my students, I was able to get this great cubby system to organize all of our math tubs and manipulatives. I actually have two cubbies side by side, with the manipulatives spanning the top 6 cubbies and math/ dessert tubs occupying the bottom two rows. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I teach K/1 gifted, a WHOLE lot of differentiation goes on in my little classroom....which means I also need a WHOLE lot of storage for all these center activities. It took a while, but I finally figured out a way to keep it all straight (for me and the kids). My higher students use the blue baskets as math tubs and my lower students use the green baskets. Of course, no one knows which group they are in, they just know what color math tub they are to use. The dessert tubs are in the purples containers to the right. I keep a folder in each tub with the recording sheets that correspond to each activity. The students know which math tub they are to complete on each day, and they are responsible for getting the necessary supplies from the tubs. I typically make 4 different math tub activities per week for each group of students (that's 8 in all) and I usually set out 3-4 dessert tubs each week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Needless to say, my "Sunday Fundays" consist of wine, Breaking Bad, and my laminating machine :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The top baskets house our extra materials (glue, pencils, scissors, markers, etc.) and I use the three tier paper caddy to hold loose-leaf paper, construction paper, and blank writer's workshop papers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On another note, our school-wide back to school theme this year was "Wild Wild West". It was so much fun to get the whole school dressed up and excited to start of the school year! To celebrate the fun, my students and I read <u>How I Spent My Summer Vacation</u> by Mark Teague, wrote about our own summer vacations, and finished up with a cute little cowboy/ cowgirl craftivity. It was a rootin' tootin' good time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the faces I simply used paper plates. I made a template for the hat and bandanna that I will be uploading as a freebie in the very near future. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't wait to share more updates on my classroom with you, friends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the mean time, enjoy your week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Happy Monday! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-66865713375607764082013-07-07T07:29:00.002-07:002013-09-16T17:32:41.175-07:00Sunday Smorgasbord<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey ya'll! I'm back again for the THIRD time this week....can you believe it?! Today I'm linking up with Fabulous in First for Sunday Smorgasbord! That's right, be prepared for a post full of random happenings...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up, I wanted to share my Fourth of July with you. The weather was pretty nice in these parts, so we had ourselves a pool party. Everyone brought their own food to grill and, in true teacher style, my friends and I decided to get a little crafty with our food! We tried our hands at making homemade shish kabobs. I have to say, they were darn good!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's them before they were cooked. They look pretty tasty right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day was my nieces birthday, so we got to celebrate by seeing <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1690953/" target="_blank">Despicable Me 2</a>. I was probably equally as excited as the kids! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This summer, I've also taken on a few new projects to keep me busy, and one of them was playing tennis. I've had a few lessons for about a month now and let me tell you....I am not good. Practice makes perfect though, right? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, my super cute tennis racket makes my lack of tennis skills slightly less noticeable...to me anyway. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Triumph-Strung-Recreational-Tennis/dp/B006YTL9I8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1373206740&sr=8-4&keywords=wilson+pink+tennis+racket" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BRyX7xqREDo/Udl5JNGmKDI/AAAAAAAAAOo/h2dwOpgnRw8/s1600/41EANOI7UtL.jpg" height="320" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've also been doing a whole lot of school supply shopping, and I recently purchased these little <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Assorted-Color-Plastic-Stack-Stool/dp/B00AERXS7G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373207190&sr=8-1&keywords=norwood+stool" target="_blank">stools</a> for my classroom next year. Seating is always pretty tight in my class, so I couldn't pass up these cute little stools at such a steal! I also loved the colors and the reviews were pretty great! I'm not exactly sure where I'll use them this year, but I was thinking they could be good for my small group table...any suggestions?</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Assorted-Color-Plastic-Stack-Stool/dp/B00AERXS7G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373207190&sr=8-1&keywords=norwood+stool" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c18Ijbzo07U/Udl6rwdbcXI/AAAAAAAAAO8/IF_axFZmI00/s1600/61fzWz0uFWL._SL1000_.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welp,that's about all the random-ness going on in my life right now! Be sure to link up with your Sunday Smorgasbord over at <a href="http://fabulousinfirst.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Fabulous in First</a>! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://fabulousinfirst.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yUJmo1ShcFQ/Udl56weSq0I/AAAAAAAAAO0/6P5Ny39U1P4/s1600/c823e5c9-f7db-47fc-8555-123a065ce95b.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for visiting me today, please check back tomorrow for a post on new products and organization in my classroom. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a GREAT day!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646380119330472524.post-3360461890884274052013-07-01T11:52:00.001-07:002013-07-01T14:44:50.155-07:00Summa Time!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello, long lost friends! I sure have missed you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me start off by apologizing for my ridiculously long absence. I got so bogged down with the end of the year, finding/ moving into a new house, and teaching summer school that I thought it was best to take a small hiatus! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, I'm back now, and I am ready to party!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully you're like me, and you are enjoying every second of your summer! That's not to say this girl hasn't been busy, because that would be an outright lie. But I have found some time to do a little of this....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and a little TOO much of this...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm definitely still in school mode full force. With a trip to Europe scheduled for the end of July and my birthday almost immediately after, I am trying to spend every free second preparing for my new little friends I'll be meeting on August 12th.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To do so, I've been spending a little time getting know these new friends...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Admittedly, I've had these books for quite a while now, but I am finally finding the time to really get into them. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am! I feel like they are really helping me structure my literacy block in a more effective way. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, one of them still has the wrapper on it. But hey, summer ain't over yet! I still have time, and I fully intend to get </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">every one of those books read by the time August rolls around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've also been working overtime on the curriculum side of things. One of my major goals this summer is to get ahead on all of my units. You know, so I can actually have a weekend every once in a while. My latest pride and joy is definitely my most favorite unit to date! I'm linking up with <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2013/06/monday-made-it-62413.html" target="_blank">4th Grade Frolics </a>today to share it with you in this week's edition of Monday Made It.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Johnny Appleseed unit is definitely one of my best memories of the school year. For me, it marks the beginning of fall, my favorite time of year! It's also one of the units that I find my students get into the most, which makes it super fun to teach! Those are the memories I kept in mind while creating this newest unit. If you'd like to take a closer look at everything included in the packet, you can view it in my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Johnny-Appleseed-Math-and-Literacy-Center-Activities-751437" target="_blank">TPT </a>shop or click the picture below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, to celebrate my return to blogging, everything in my shop will be 20% off until Tuesday night. So get your shoppin' on!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope to be back very soon with more updates, freebies, and findings for the new school year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Monday, bloggin' buddies!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04742556672908958210noreply@blogger.com4