{Back to School Bash! 9/1/15}

Welcome back, y'all! Can you believe it is September already? For most of you, school has been in session for at least one week. For me, I am going on week 7...that's right! In order to help you ease back into the swing of things, my friends at the Elementary Entourage and I have put together a Back to School Bash for you. What does that mean? That means you can visit us today for some amazing lessons, tips, ideas, and freebies...yes I said freebies!!

The number one tip I have for you is to get organized as quickly as possible. I picked up a planning set from A Modern Teacher this year instead of purchasing another EC Planner. While I loved my EC planner dearly, I needed more flexibility with my planning. With the new planner, I can pick and choose the sections I need for my binder in addition to creating multiple binders.

While this planner comes with editable templates for the inside, I have always designed my own. I love me a two page spread with plenty of room for notes throughout the week. :)

Build relationships with your students quickly. All too often we are the only ones in our students' life that shows them the compassion they so deserve. While setting your classroom expectations high at the beginning of the year, do not forget to leave room for lovin'. Yes, I am a very nurturing teacher. Yes, I tell my students I love them. Yes, I hug and tickle them when they need it. The feeling is mutual and I would not have it any other way.

Listen. Listen to your students. Listen to your team. Being a good listener means you take the time to hear what others have to say and consider their thoughts and feelings. The benefits of listening before acting are endless. Listen to your students ... they will reveal their inner most needs and wants.

Tip #4 includes a freebie! Please please please foster good reading habits from Day one. If you haven't done so already, start planning to meet with your little ones to read as much as possible. Create bags of books, and make your classroom library accessible to your students. The only way to create a literate generation is to allow them to read whenever possible. These bookmarks can be used in guided reading or during independent reading. The space is large enough to display two-three lines of text to encourage students to look ahead during their reading. Click on the image below to snag your freebie. :)

An InLinkz Link-up

{Secret Admirer Blog Hop - The Elementary Entourage}

Hey y'all! I am back to share with you another fun blog hop from all of us over at The Elementary Entourage! We all participated in a secret admirer exchange, and I was lucky enough to receive this beautiful card from Kelsey over at Aloha in 2nd! This card made my day and is so fitting don't you think?! Thanks, Kelsey!!

In addition to this cute exchange among our bloggers, we also have freebies in store for you...just in time for Valentine's Day next week. If you are looking for a fun activity to do with your students during the week of Valentine's Day, then I have just the thing for you. This Math Scoot will have students engaged and actively learning! What more could we ask for? This scoot has a fun Valentine theme to fit right in with your other Valentine activities you already have planned. I hope you enjoy!

{Click on the link above to be taken to my TPT store and download}

Don't forget to check out the rest of our crew in the blog hop!

An InLinkz Link-up

{February Pinterest Pick 3 Linky!}

{Click on the pic above to be taken back to the linky party}

I am back for more Pinterest lovin! Who doesn't love some PINspiration?! I cannot believe it has been a month already. Life has really gotten crazy after coming back from Christmas break. I promise to be better. Hopefully these pins help spark some inspiration for the month of February. I know they helped me!

We are up for accreditation at our school again this year. What better way to impress the panel than to create an out of this world bulletin board? My plan is to incorporate either Valentines or Black History Month on the board. I have included two pins for you here so you could go either way. The Crafty Morning has some awesome Valentines Day bulletin board ideas in the first pin. And who doesn't love The Classroom Creative?! If you choose to go the BHM route, then you will definitely find a board idea here. The sky's the limit! The creativity presented on some of these boards really goes beyond me! ;)

{Click on pic above to go to the Pinterest link}

{Click on the pic above to go o the Pinterest link}

Are you looking for content? No problem! These links below have some amazing content to fit right into February!

{Click on the pic above to go to the Pinterest link}

{Click on the pic above to go to the Pinterest link}

{Click on the pic above to go to the Pinterest link}

If you are looking for something more crafty to do with your kiddos, then this next pin is for you. I am always looking for something inexpensive to do with my students. At the same time, I want each experience to be memorable. I think this does exactly that!

{Click on the pic above to go to the Pinterest link}

If you are like me, then you like to get the most bang for you buck when reading posts. I hope you were able to take something away today.

Follow Me and The Elementary Entourage on Pinterest for ideas and quick links to our newest products.

An InLinkz Link-up

{January Pinterest Pick 3 Linky!}

{Click image above for a direct link to the Linky Party}

I am so excited to be a part of my first Pinterest link up. We all are always looking for inspiration for the things we have coming up in our classrooms. If you are like me, much of this inspiration comes from blog hopping and, of course, Pinteresting. (maybe this will become a word added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary...random thought for today)

Read below to find out three of my favorite pins for January. Click the images to be taken to the original pin! :)

If you are like me, you try to get in everything in any given minute in your classroom. I decided this year to bring in holidays and themed activities into my small group activities. This allows me to still do major concepts whole group, but to still introduce the fun stuff during our guided reading meeting times. This pin allows me to bring in close reads for MLK Jr day. Because we are a year-round school, we do not go back until the 12th. Therefore, we will be jumping right into learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. This is a perfect way to do just that!

{Click image to go to the original Pinterest Pin}

Up next... math!

Again, I try to keep things simple while still getting the most bang for my buck in the time department. These math pages do just that! Use these for math warm ups or for Seatwork as part of your daily math rotations. GENIUS!

{Click image to go to the original Pinterest Pin}

On to...New Year's Resolutions!

Last year was my first year in second grade, and I wanted to teach my sweeties about New Year's Resolutions. This proved to be harder than I thought. This next pin really helps bring things down to their level. I'll admit...it is a two for one kind of pin. :)  Use the book to introduce the concept and then drive it home with the fun tab book. Seems like it is easy prep work and a fun way to get our little sweeties engaged.

{Click image to go to the original Pinterest Pin}

{Click image to go to the original Pinterest Pin}

Follow Me and The Elementary Entourage on Pinterest for ideas and quick links to our newest products. Don't forget to check out my product pins on Snow Much Writing for January and my READING stations and SMARTIES math stations for creating and maintaining rotations in your classroom!

An InLinkz Link-up

Secret Santa Blog Hop {Merry Christmas!}

{Click on the picture above for a direct link to the hop}

I am always looking for ways to incorporate more writing into my day. You can ask any of my co-workers, though, writing is my absolute favorite subject to teach. The holidays provide so many different writing opportunities for our little sweeties. I read a book and automatically begin thinking of how I can extend the book into a writing assignment. For example, I used the template you will see below on two different days.

First, we have been learning about fairy tales, doing A LOT of comparing and contrasting, so it just made sense to try to write our own. When I taught Kindergarten I always started with a visual. It seemed to get those creative juices flowing. I would have my little kinders color a picture and then tell me about THEIR picture. Each would be uniquely written masterpieces when they were finished. This writing assignment was no different. We began by building a snowman (yes, it is okay if you just sang the Frozen song in your head...I did, too).

Next, we brought out the writing starter for A Snowy Tale. It begins like most fairy tales...Once upon a time. We discussed possibilities for their fairy tales. They were able to tell me that they should have a main character, a clear setting, a problem and a solution. My sweeties described the plot, paying careful attention to the beginning, middle, and end.

Because they were able to look at their snowman, the stories wrote themselves! I was walking around astounded and how much they were writing and how fast. Many had to use the back of the paper!!!

At the end of the week we began the second lesson, although it is not finished. We started by reading the story Snowmen at Night and then discussed snowmen activities at night. This was such a fun conversation! We brainstormed whole group on the SMART board and came up with different activities. I modeled a story where my snowman, Blizzard, constructed a game of checkers using other snowmen! They loved this activity. Again, the creative juices were flowing, and I was not pulling teeth to get an opinion writing sample before our break.

Sound like fun?! Well you are in luck because I have put all of this in a fun pack for you for FREE!!!! Merry Christmas to all of you! I wonder...how many Olaf's will you have in your class?

{Click the image above to download your freebie from my TPT store} Don't forget to provide feedback and follow me on TPT!

Don't forget to check out all my other friends in the blog hop!

An InLinkz Link-up

Unwrap A Gift! A Linky Party!

 

{Click the picture above to be taken directly to the Linky Party!}

So I am sure as it nears Christmas you are sitting there on your couch with your eyes glassed over wondering how you will muster up enough energy to make it through the next two weeks of school before Christmas break. Am I right? Well if it is only me that feels this way I do apologize. Hehe!

As y'all know, I have recently started this little blogging journey and I am still getting the consistency down. I get better by the day and I am starting to get the hang of making products for TPT. So I have put together a little gift for you today that will help make the next two weeks a little easier.

Anything I can use in my small groups is a plus! I know many of you are looking for ways to simplify your planning for small groups. These pages may be just what you are looking for.

First, I need a schedule. I don't know about you, but I need to know who I am working with and what we will be focused on for the week. This sheet is a life saver at my table. Simple checkboxes and one or two words to describe what we are focused on. I meet with groups that are focused on similar skills and strategies to make planning easier.

This detailed lesson plan template comes in handy while I am meeting with those small groups. I can take notes, jot down any interventions, and plan out what I need to work on with certain students during our next meeting. Don't forget that academic vocabulary!!!

Pulling and tracking data is easy peasy with this progress monitoring sheet (technology is not nice to me right now...head over to the TPT store to get the freebie that is NOT digitized). I keep one of these for each student in a binder for both my READING and SMARTIES stations. I can monitor standards mastery with ease!

 And who doesn't love a good To-Do list??? Use this to make sure you have all your copies and resources in check for the week.

For this sweet little freebie, head on over to my TPT store and download. Happy Holidays y'all!!!

{Click the picture above to be taken directly to TPT to download the file}

Five for Friday {11.21.14}

Hey there friends! Another Friday means another....



{Click the photo above to be taken directly to the Linky Party!}

Has everyone's week before Thanksgiving been crazy? I know mine has!

 

{Click on the photo above to be taken directly to our blog}

 To start off the week I made my first post to a collaborative blog I am proud to be a part of. If you haven't checked us out yet, head on over to The Elementary Entourage. We are currently talking about Teaching Ideas to be Thankful For. You may see some of your names and ideas there...

 

This week I have made it a priority above all else to meet with my groups in all subject areas. The only way this has been possible is by properly utilizing my SMARTIES Math Rounds Management System and my still in design READING Rounds Management System. The books above have been challenging and engaging for my students. They have loved them, and the connections are flowing! If you have access to PearsonSuccessNet, I highly recommend checking out their Leveled Readers.

Earlier this week Miss DeCarbo over at Second Grade Sugar and Spice posted about her organization methods. If you haven't checked it out, it is definitely worth the read. As I am reading it, I found myself saying, "Hey I have that planner!" Schroeder Shenanigans in Second hit the nail on the head with this planner. It is editable so you can enter your own items and print weekly to keep yourself on track. The title is also editable so if you need it to say something different it absolutely can. I used it this week for the first time thanks to Miss DeCarbo, and I feel like I am already ready for next week, albeit a short week! I still can't function without my EC Planner though.

After using it this year, I am thinking about designing my own for next year so that it includes absolutely everything I need with the ease of the 3-ring binder. Yes, I am already thinking about next year...

This week has been filled with lots of turkey fun, and I cannot wait to continue learning about everything Thanksgiving next week. Next week we will be decorating the halls with our Turkey Disguise writing, completing our turkey craftivity, and I am even considering having parents come in to read Thanksgiving books with their child. All this, and I am still racking my brain to figure out how to bring in global learning...more specifically about our country of study {Greece}. Feel free to leave your recommendations below! :)

My sweet husband is off to Maryland this morning to run the JFK 50! Yes, 50 MILES! I have no words and am at a loss to explain why he would EVER consider doing this, but there ya have it. And all he is leaving me with is his stinking cold! So what will I do while he is gone this weekend?

First, I plan to finish sanding and painting this baby white. You will have to stay tuned to see what I plan to do with it.

Next, I plan on drafting my READING rounds product (suggestions on clipart/design welcome) and shortening SMARTIES to SMART for those who would not like quite as many centers.

All this on top of taking fall photographs of my dear sweet nephews and my three little sweeties and a birthday party on Sunday. Whew! Which reminds me... a friend suggested maybe I should sell my stock photos. If you have been following me you know I love taking pictures. Let me know what you think of the photos I posted on The Elementary Entourage. What would you pay for stock photos?