Reading is Thinking

Readers in your small group or during Daily 5 Read to Self can use these mini classroom display posters to show their thinking while they are reading.   Students can use the symbols on sticky notes to show their thinking and stick them in their books while reading.  This product is a great way to show their thinking or you could add images to an anchor chart for an additional classroom display.

Check it out at my TpT store: Show Your Thinking

Off to finish lesson plans and make some fun craftivities for this week! 

Wishing everyone a great week! 

First FREEBIE on TpT

Good news... I just posted my first FREEBIE on TpT!! I am so excited!  I am far from an expert, but I did teach myself to get started and I had a little help from my friends in the blogging world!

We have a field trip coming up in May, so I thought a great first product would be a simple checklist to keep track of permission slips, money turned in, school lunch orders, and chaperone contact info.  Hopefully it helps to keep things simple and to stay organized as you prep for your field trip day.

Here is the link to my store: TpT

Have a great day!

heather

Spring Break!

Spring Break is here and I am loving every moment.  I am very lucky to have 10 tens off.  Its been a perfect time to travel to see some of my very best friends and family.  I've also been checking my things off my to do list.  I finalized my Donors Choose project and working on my TpT store.  I'll be back with updates about TpT.  I am definitely teaching myself as I go and continue to be amazed at the thousands of talented teachers out there who create.  I've also been pinning in my PJ's and have some classroom projects that I want to accomplish this week.  I'll be back with updates, but for now I am going to try my best to have a nice balance of downtime and productivity as I sip coffee in my PJ's.

Cheers to a great Spring Break!

Dr. Seuss!

I love March.  Dr. Seuss, Read Across America, St. Patrick's Day, and that much closer to Spring Break Week.

We kicked off March with style in my classroom.  This past Friday we celebrated the great Dr. Seuss.  I sent home a note for all the kids to wear a red t-shirt on Friday.  I made Thing One and Thing Two designs for their shirts, and when they arrived Friday morning they created their "blue hair" out of bright blue construction paper and blue sentence strips.  I even paired up with a teammate and we dressed up as Thing One and Thing Two.  So fun and hopefully a memorable day for everyone.

Besides the thrill of being Thing One or Thing Two I created Truffla Trees from the Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax.  Oh man, so worth it.  The response and reaction from the kids was priceless.  I sat some of the trees outside the classroom so they could see them right when they walked in and others spread out in the classroom.  I love them too much to not use them everyday and plan to make a permanent home for them in the Classroom Library.

This week Dr. Seuss fun continues in celebration of Read Across America.  Looking forward to the fun!

Have a great week!

Work Hard. Play Hard.

Hello blogging world! Just a quick check-in....

So, I am not sure where February went - how is it the last week already?

February was jammed packed with deadlines, school ceremonies, Black History month, a snow day, field trips, 100th day, Valentines Day, Kindness Week, and Professional Development opportunities outside of school.  Did I mention I did some teaching in between all that? !??  Whew.

I still have one more deadline to meet for the month of February - third quarter progress reports.  And then we get pumped up and ready for Read Across America Week, Dr. Seuss' birthday, St Patty's... play hard, work hard coming right up.

Before I leave to finish up third quarter progress reports I leave you with this... in the middle of a crazy few months this pretty much sums it up!

Kindness Week

I will spare you the details of how cray my week was last week.  Lets call it a wrap and focus on the the great weekend I'm having.  Lets also focus on the week ahead.  I declared it "Kindness Week" in my classroom.  I told the kids as they were packing up on Friday that they must come to school on Monday with a kind heart and sweet thoughts.  No drama or negativity has happened in the classroom, I just decided to promote the kindness character trait in connection to Valentines Day on Thursday.  My kids really do have big hearts, and I hope they will have fun with Kindness Week and Valentines Day.

Inspired by all these fabulous blogs out there I decided to get my craft on.  I went to Hobby Lobby and found brightly colored boxes to put notes in.  Cut out some fun hearts, glued them on, and we are set.

I have "compliment paper" aka paper from the Target One Spot for the kids to "drop in" their compliments.

I plan on starting it first thing tomorrow morning.  I'll update to let you know how it goes, but for now, enjoy the rest of the weekend and have a great week full of love!

100th Day

This past Tuesday we celebrated the 100th day of school.  I love the 100th day.  We came up with 100 things we have learned so far this year, 100 day writing prompts, and made 100 day trail mix.  I went and bought 10 different snack things and the kids counted ten of each.  Its a total hit and so easy for the teacher!  We also made our city with 100 stars in the night sky.  Its been in the hallway since Tuesday and have I gotten so many compliments on it.  The kids did a great job!  I love teaching artistic kids! 

Here's a pic of our city below and pictures of other 100 day fun.  

For our 100th day snack these are the 10 things they had to count out

1. gummy bears

2. marshmallows

3. pretzels

4. animal crackers

5. chocolate teddy grahams 

6. M&Ms 

7. fruit loops

8. goldfish

9. chocolate chips

10. Kix cereal 

78 days to go....

Lets talk Science...

We are knee deep in school wide assessments in all subject areas and in all grade levels.  We had a visit today from our Area Superintendent and we were advised to not test today, but instead teach.  Game on.  I'll take fun interactive teaching over assessments any day...

We just finished our Sound unit and the kids loved it.  The past couple weeks the kids have been making lots of noise and not getting in trouble, making musical instruments, listening to a live guitar performance from one of our staff, and taking a walking tour to list all the sounds they hear.  So when we had the freedom to teach something fun today I instantly thought - SCIENCE EXPERIMENT.  Its something we never have time for, but the kids love it every time I try to squeeze an experiment in.

So I made 10 bags and numbered them.

I placed 10 different items in each bag and used this sound inference recording sheet.

Staple the bags and we are ready to roll.

Here is a quick pic of the bags before we started.

Here is a list of the things I put in the bags...

1. keys
2. dice
3. skittles
4. foil
5. tissue paper
6. noodles
7.  sand
8.  cotton balls
9.  markers
10.  rice

Then one by one I shook the bags and the kids had to record the sound and what they thought was in the bag.  I have never had 20 kids be so quiet.  They were totally into listening to what was in the bag.  When everyone had their predictions listed I revealed what was in the bag.  Most of the kids did pretty good.  One student guessed the foil - it was a cool moment.  Everyone was excited when they got a bag prediction right.  It was teaching at its finest.  Fun and learning.  Its what we do.  Kids loved it.  Mission accomplished...

My Five Favorites

Sunday afternoon - the time of the week where we as teachers start to put the finishing touches on our week ahead.  I found myself thinking about my top five favorite things used every week.


1.  Mr. Sketch.  My go to markers for spelling words for the word wall and anchor charts.  A classic that never fails.



2.  Music.  In my classroom all day everyday - classical for the kids all day and whatever strikes my fancy before school and during free planning times.

 

3.  One word.  Pinterest.  My source for creative and fun ideas. A little slice of heaven for all us teachers!

4.  My calendars.  Our school secretary has always created a school calendar full of spirit day dates, quarter deadlines, PTA events, workday and holiday schedules - you name it - its there and has been a total lifeline.  I love it.  Pair that with my Erin Condren planner and I stay organized.

Heres the link to the EC planners.  Worth every penny.  If you dont have one, get one, you wont regret it.

Love this planner!

5.  Sharpies.  Think. Thin.  You name it, I use it.  I have even taught the kids to use them carefully on projects we do.  The thin ones are great for note taking during a meeting or to write up a quick to do list.

Have a great week! 

Hello Mr. President

Today is a special day.  It doesn't matter if you prefer the donkey or the elephant. today marks an important day in our country.  As we celebrate MLK Day and the 2nd Inauguration of our President Barack Obama I am reminded of what I great country we live in.  Last week I taught my class about the legacy and contributions made to our society by MLK and so many others.

I love the work my students produced and how much loved poured out of their little minds.  They all have such big hearts and continue to be the reason why I teach.  I got lots of pictures of kids playing together and stories about how we are all the same.  As I enjoy the rest of my day off I will leave this image from today that makes my heart smile.

Neon Book Bins

A couple weeks ago I shared that I was leveling my classroom library.  Thanks to the Scholastic Book Wizard that was a quick and easy job.  I recommend it to any teacher out there who needs to do some classroom library organization.  The best part was having the option of how you want your books organized.  I choose by Guided Reading level (A to Z).   Here is the link if you need it.  Go get your leveling on.

I put a brightly colored sticker at the top of the book and simply wrote the level with a sharpie.  I explained to the kiddos how to keep it organized.  They were excited about the new set up and I have had kids double checking that books were put back in the right place after our Daily 5 session.  Not a bad problem to have.  I originally thought I would use Target bins, but decided to change things up a bit and order bright neon book bins.  I love the bright neon colors and they fit perfectly in my classroom.  If you know me I love all things bright.  Here is an image from the Really Good Stuff site.  If you need book bins I recommend these...

I'll be back tomorrow to share my goodies from MLK week last week - for now its time for coffee and a trip to IKEA!

Busy! Busy!

Its that time of the quarter when grades are due, rubrics are being filled out, more grades are being entered into the online report card, and comments are due for each kiddo.  I am always glad to get report cards done for the quarter.  I try my best to "sandwich" the comments.  Something good, something to work on, and wrapping it up with something good.  

Not to mention things are a little cray in the classroom.  Its been raining non-stop since last Thursday so our playground has turned into worlds greatest mud pit.  Muddy playground = no recess = hyper kids = worn out teachers by the end of the day.  

I'll be back later on with a classroom update full of MLK Jr activities that will make your heart smile. 

So with Diet Coke in hand its time to get started.... all my grades are entered.  Tonight is dedicated to those report card comments.  The goal is to be half way done before new Idol and Modern Fam.  CHEERS! 

Just a little problem...

Hello blogging friends!  Hope you had a great weekend!  I know many of you headed back to the classroom today and although this wasn't my first day back from winter break it sure felt like it!  My kids were like little zombies today - I would ask them a question and all that would follow would be silence.  Crickets.  Nothing.  20 faces just looking at me.  100% Ferris Bueller moment.

We were in the middle of Math and working on problem solving.  Each morning the kids work on a Read it, Draw it, Solve it problem for Morning Work so they get plenty of practice problem solving.  Maybe it was too many candy canes over winter break, but its like all of a sudden we have forgotten what to do when solving a math problem.  I was so bugged by this.  Then Pinterest came to my rescue and all was right with the world.

Problem solving strategy pencils from  this great blog post   A little purchase later on TpT and I am a relaxed teacher again! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU, talented blogger!

Instant love at first sight - what an incredible idea!  We will be putting together our strategy pencils tomorrow morning and putting them right to use!!

And please hope todays blank stares were just a case of the Mondays...  its gotta be a better day tomorrow!

Snowflakes for Sandy Hook

Before leaving home today my thoughts were with the families and teachers of Sandy Hook Elementary.  I cant imagine the range of emotions as they all headed back to school today.  The challenges they face and the fear they still hold is unimaginable.  The events last month leave me speechless.  I cried, I connected with the teachers who protected their kids before themselves, and in the end I wanted to help.

I heard about kids creating snowflakes to send to Sandy Hook over winter break.  The PTA representing Sandy Hook stated that they had enough snowflakes to fill the town thanks to donations from around the country, so the snowflake project was closed.

Ironically, my kids came back from Art today pumped, I mean pumped, at their ability to cut and create snowflakes.  They had just completed a winter art project.  We never talked about Sandy Hook as a class, I simply told the kids that we should create more snowflakes that would put a smile on someones face.  During an indoor recess time today due to cold and gloomy weather we created.  The kids took brightly colored construction paper, scissors, and went crazy!   I let them work together and help each other and after indoor recess was over we have so many handmade snowflakes I am not sure where we will hang them.  Although I wont send them to Newtown, the best part is that they were all created with love by 7 and 8 year olds.

I snapped a real quick pic on my iPhone to show you.  Its blurry, but full of love.

I am amazed what children can create when you simply tell them - lets make something to put a smile on a strangers face.  I love my job.  I wish the children, teachers, staff, and families of Sandy Hook  all the courage and perseverance in the world.  My heart is with you.

Classroom Library

To all those teachers who headed back inside the classroom today - I hope it was a great day back with the little ones.

To all those teachers and my teacher friends who don't go back to school until January 7th - I am jealous that you are still on break.... may your days be filled with PJ's, mindless TV, and relaxation.

My first day back was actually wonderful.  I missed my kids and it was good to get back into the flow of teaching.  I love my class.  They are creative, fun, and keep me on my toes.  Have I mentioned how much they make me laugh?  The fact vs. opinion activity today did not disappoint.  Turns out my second graders know a lot of facts about turtles, bears, and whales.  And I now know I have some pretty strong opinions regarding food - specifically a strong opinion about the distaste of blue cheese salad dressing and asparagus. :o)

Call it a delayed Christmas present, but I actually got a free bookcase delivered to my classroom today.  I had requested one way back in November and was told we didn't have anymore in the building.  Turns out my administration did some searching and found a new bookcase for me!  Talk about cheap thrill - but it got me thinking about wanted to re-do my classroom library.  I started rearranging furniture right away and organizing.  I am also going to check the levels on all my books and organized them by levels in bright colorful bins that I have from Target that need a home.

During our free planning today I searched for a handy leveling tool and found one from Scholastic.  Its so handy and quick.  You can choose how you want your books leveled - by grade level, Guided Reading Levels.... etc.  I labeled 10 new books in about 5 minutes.  Game on Book Wizard.

Click on the link below for a great resource

http://www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/ 

Fact or Opinion

Happy New Year!

Its a cold and rainy morning where I am, so its a perfect time to grab a cup of coffee and create.  This week we have a short week, so it will be a week of review and getting back into the swing of things.  Most of the 3 days will be spent going over rules, procedures, and classroom expectations.... you know the drill after a 2 week break. :)

Before we left for break we were working on Opinion Writing.  This morning I threw something together to review fact vs. opinion.  Enter anchor chart and brightly colored sticky notes.

This is will be in the middle of the anchor chart.  Then the kiddos will add their sticky notes with an example of a fact and an opinion.  Their facts will go above, their opinions below the heart.  Simple, fun and hopefully the kids will love coming up with their own examples.  Should be a hit - I'm lucky to have a really creative bunch of second graders.

Off to check out those sales on TpT...