It's "Time To Go Back" Tuesday! Let's celebrate! Today I'm talking all about my back to school favorites. Tried and true ideas and activities that have helped me start my year off on the right foot. If you're anything like me, you love to mix it up and try new things from year to year. Maybe not everything, but some new things can be fun :) I'm hoping this little list of favorites gives you some new ideas to try out this year or tuck in your pocket for the future! Here's my favorite piece of encouragement for the new school year...... HAHAHAHAH!!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!! I think one of my most favorite back to school … [Read more...] about Back To School Ideas & Freebies!!!
Education
Math Monday…And a Weeklong Birthday SALE-ABRATION!
Happy Monday! God willing I will be celebrating another year of life next Monday, so this is technically my birthday week. Does anybody else draw out their birthdays and celebrate for a week?!?! If I'm being honest, I don't do that anymore, but when I was younger I sure milked my yearly milestone as long as I could :) This year I'm celebrating in VEGAS, baby!!! We just checked in and got settled and tomorrow I'll be presenting at the I Teach K conference! This year I thought it would be fun to bring back that weeklong tradition I used to covet, only now I want to celebrate with YOU! So each day this … [Read more...] about Math Monday…And a Weeklong Birthday SALE-ABRATION!
Starting the Year With Comprehension
Hey y'all! How many of you are already in the midst of back to school preparation? Or have already gone back to school?! We're so often on a one-track mind when it comes to going back to school...meet the teacher, school supplies, classroom decor...and the list goes on. As much as I think about all those things, my mind is also focused on organizing everything I need to have a successful year in guided reading, math, and other subject areas. What can I have at my fingertips to help me make sure I target important skills and strategies I want my kids to master throughout the day?! Yesterday I talked a bit about how I … [Read more...] about Starting the Year With Comprehension
Number Sense Prompts
Both the number line and the 120 chart are important tools for our kids to use. They are equally important and make wonderful resources for our kids to use when problem solving, counting, etc. I think it's extremely important to equip our kids with the tools necessary to be successful. I display the number line (0-120) in my classroom and all of my kids have a personal number line they keep in their desks. Their personal number line contains the numerals 0-20. The reason for this is so that we can practice with the numbers we will more often than not work with in our day-to-day math. In Kindergarten we … [Read more...] about Number Sense Prompts
Writing Fast Finishers
Happy Tuesday!!! (Is it Tuesday already?!) I'm trying to finish up my presentations for next week's I Teach K/I Teach 1st conferences and I'm working hard on empowering our primary writers at the moment. As I was pulling out my resources for this particular presentation, I came across a stack of my writing fast finisher activities that always seem to be a hit with the primary teachers I mentor. Let me break it down for ya. Pick a Pocket *might* be one of my most favorite writing station fast finisher activities ever. You can differentiate and modify as needed. I used this in Kindergarten and 1st grade. … [Read more...] about Writing Fast Finishers
Learning the Alphabet – Phonics FUN!
Let's talk a little bit more about phonics, shall we?! Last week we talked a little about some important Phonics non-negotiables. You can check those out HERE. I also shared a couple of fun games & independent activities I like using in the classroom for phonics instruction. Today's post is dedicated to my Kindergarten teachers. Kindergarten is where it all begins. We set the tone for the rest of our learning experiences in Kindergarten. We wipe noses, zip pants, tie shoes, dry tears, and instill within our kids a love of learning. Bless the Kindergarten teachers of the world. I taught … [Read more...] about Learning the Alphabet – Phonics FUN!
Phonics, Fluency, & a Deal of the Day!
Today we're talking all about fluency and phonics. First we're focusing on phonics and then we'll get into the fluency portion. And if you love practicing reading fluency like I'll do, you'll LOVE today's deal of the day!!! Do you have a specific phonics curriculum you follow in the classroom? Saxon? Horizons?? Or do you just make it up as you go? I'm asking because I'm genuinely curious. I've only taught in one district where we were required to follow a phonics curriculum. If I'm being honest, I didn't think it was effective or appropriate. I feel like it's more important … [Read more...] about Phonics, Fluency, & a Deal of the Day!
Sight Words & Freebies
It's Friday and you know what that means?!?!? Well, nothing really. Except that it's Friday :) I love Fridays. Since I'll be headed to Dallas for the Get Your Teach on Conference on Sunday, I'll miss spending my 12 year wedding anniversary with Mr. Spouse. SO we'll be celebrating tonight instead. Yes...I think this might be my favorite Friday of the year so far :) Now let's get right down to it and talk about what we're really here for...SIGHT WORDS!!! I've talked about my Spelling Sticks in some of my conference sessions and frequently get asked if I have a copy to share. These little sticks sit … [Read more...] about Sight Words & Freebies
Short Vowels, Deal of the Day, & A Freebie!
We talked a bit about writing on Monday, so I wanted to follow up with a few short vowel activities today. Teaching our kids how to identify medial vowels, blend, and segment sounds is one of the first steps we take to make them independent readers and writers. One of the first phonics skills I cover at the beginning of the year is vowels. I introduce both short and long, but focus mainly on the short vowel sounds until that concept is mastered. However, I think it's important for our kids to know BOTH sounds since they'll encounter those sounds/vowels in their reading. When I introduce vowels, I tell my kids … [Read more...] about Short Vowels, Deal of the Day, & A Freebie!
Let’s Talk Writing!
One of the topics I'll be presenting in Vegas in July is all about writing. As I'm going through my presentation I thought it would be the perfect time to talk a little bit about it here and show y'all what I do and what I feel helps to make writing in my classroom so successful. First up, let's talk about some writing non-negotiables. If we expect our kids to become fluent writers capable of producing more than just a sentence here and there, we have to give them TIME to write. Not just 5 minutes here and there, but time for sustained writing. Not only do we need to give them the time to write, but we need to give … [Read more...] about Let’s Talk Writing!
Summer & Supply Labels
Happy Summer!!!! Well...for some of you, anyway. I know that's not the reality for everyone right now (and I'm sorry!!!), but for those of you relaxing poolside reading something other than a staff email or PD book, happy summer to you!!! Our last day was last Thursday and here's how my boys celebrated.... Pretty awesome! What that picture doesn't show you is how I forced my boys to get dressed as quickly as possible ...with their "mud" shoes...and race outside to take a pic before the sky opened up & rained yet again. They were not amused with my desire to capture their last day. I was all, "get … [Read more...] about Summer & Supply Labels
Lemonade & Retirement.
Goodness I love that word! Unfortunately I'm nowhere near the age I'm actually able to reap the benefits or enjoy it myself, but I do love that word a lot. Although I'm not quite ready to retire anytime soon, I do have lots of resources that are ready to take the leap. And because retirement has it's benefits, these resources will be offered at a deep discount before they're gone for good!!! I'll be posting my retiring sets throughout the summer, so stay tuned to see what's headed out & grab 'em on the cheap before they go! First to retire, two of my favorites! These files have been bundled and … [Read more...] about Lemonade & Retirement.
Suggested Summer Reading
Hello friends! This will be a quick post as I have a full day ahead of me prepping for some PD I'll be doing in OK later this week. As I was going through some files to share, I came across these lists I created to send home with my kids last year. I compiled a list of different books parents can buy/check out from the library that reach their independent reading levels. I also included books that would be great for fluency! Parent notes are attached to the top of each list. I sent these home in my kids' portfolios at the end of the year. I also gave the parents a copy and explained it to them … [Read more...] about Suggested Summer Reading
Snag It Saturday (EOY Freebies!)
Happy Saturday!!! Did y'all survive Friday the 13th?! I honestly had NO clue that was the date until my brother mentioned it last night. Then I came across this meme and laughed WAY harder than I'm proud to admit..... DYING. Okay...so my Friday the 13th was filled with celebration. My college BFF recently had her third baby and I got some snuggle time with him. It didn't send my ovaries into a tizzy which was wonderful...I mean, we really are finished having babies. Ha! And then we went to a little gender reveal for my brother and his wife. We were all certain they would be having a … [Read more...] about Snag It Saturday (EOY Freebies!)
End of Year Keepsakes & Such
If you're anything like me, then you probably wait 'til the ninth hour to not only organize and prep your end-of-year student keepsakes, but you also wait 'til that point to plan them, too. #guiltyascharged No?? Am I the only one?!?! Well I got to thinking the other day (scary) and wanted to compile some ideas for you just in case you're in the same boat as me :) Thought it would be handy to have some of my favorite ideas all in one place for easy reference. I love keepsakes. Now that my boys are in school, I seem to cherish them even more! Of course, the keepsakes I usually send home with my … [Read more...] about End of Year Keepsakes & Such
Ice Cream Day…and Some FREEBIES!
So I heard from a little birdie that lots of you are either approaching your last week or are days away from your last day. Lucky y'all!!! HA!!! For those of you with a little more time on your hands, I'm going to be posting about different theme days for the next few days. This is how I survive the end of the school year. Our schedules are already wonky...guided readers have to be turned in and accounted for...nothing resembles normalcy WHATSOEVER!!!! Theme days get me by during these last few days of the year. They're fun for me and a BLAST for the kids. No better way to end a school … [Read more...] about Ice Cream Day…and Some FREEBIES!
Yearlong Pacing Calendar & Science of the Month Questions Answered
Our resources are targeted for the K-2 grade levels. The vocabulary and science experiments, investigations, and activities are perfect for K-2. While they would also be great to modify for Pre-K, the cross curricular activities included are not developmentally appropriate for four-year-olds. The cross-curricular games and activities included target K-2 literacy and math skills. Many of the skills included can be modified and adapted to meet the needs of both struggling and excelling students. With many of the cross curricular activities included, we both try to included ideas for modification in the … [Read more...] about Yearlong Pacing Calendar & Science of the Month Questions Answered
The Science of May
Hello friends! How many of you are celebrating 5 more Mondays left in the school year?! I know some teachers who are counting down the days! My boys though?!?! Notsomuch....and if I'm being honest, neither am I. I'm SO grateful they LOVE school as much as they do...and I can attribute that directly to their amazing teachers. They've instilled a love of learning in my boys and that's a debt I'll never be able to repay. But me?!?! Well...I'm not ready to say goodbye to those teachers. God has truly placed the boys exactly where they needed to be. He's given them teachers who not only teach them, but love them, … [Read more...] about The Science of May
How To Handle Constructive Criticism as a Teacher
It's that time of the year again. Time for walk-throughs, observations, evaluations, and appraisals. Summative meetings with administration and the dreaded feeling of wondering whether you're deemed "proficient"or if you'll score the coveted label of "exceeds expectations". We ALL want to exceed in teaching because, well, it's what we love. As teachers, we take our jobs VERY personally...and rightfully so! We invest so much of ourselves, our time, and our finances into our classrooms and our students and we sacrifice so much in the process. It's hard for us to admit that we aren't "perfect" teachers. … [Read more...] about How To Handle Constructive Criticism as a Teacher
Earth Day
Earth Day has always been one of my favorite events to celebrate with my school babies. There's just something about it. I love the sense of camaraderie we gain through our teamwork as we clean up trash around the school grounds, pay more attention to our recycling efforts, and love our Earth just a little more than we already do. As usual, this time of the year seems to speed by quickly and these events sort of pop up without giving us much time to plan or prep. I mean, it's not like we have a MILLION other things going on, right?! HA!!! I thought this would be great time to remind us of some fun Earth … [Read more...] about Earth Day
Focus on Fluency
Well…hello there! Today's topic is all about fluency. Reading fluency to be exact. One of my favorite skills to watch my kids develop. Not just the rate of reading, but the expression and voice in which they read! I love watching my kids turn into little storytellers right before my eyes. I’ve had a fluency center in my classroom for several years. Each year I seem to add a little something new to my little back of tricks. We start out the year with sight word rings….tons of poetry…and fun little games. This is my favorite resource for poetry… We’ve progressed into fluency phrases and … [Read more...] about Focus on Fluency
Reading Comprehension
Today I wanted to touch on comprehension while I'm thinking about it. Sometimes I feel like we're so concerned with moving our kids to the next level that we don't really pay close attention to the skills our kids need to become independent readers who can truly comprehend what they're reading. I feel like this is the most important part of reading! Understanding what we read. How do you fit that into your instruction? First I think it's important to break down the skills and strategies our kids need to learn and practice. This book was recommended to me this past summer by several readers and after … [Read more...] about Reading Comprehension
Last Minute Easter Ideas & FREEBIES!
Believe it or not, Easter is right around the corner! I'm not sure why I thought we had more time, but just in case you missed the memo too, we don't. We don't have much time at all. This SUnday to be exact! I'm in the process of helping the Easter Bunny gather lots of fun treats for the boys. I'm glad I didn't wait to remember that until the night before. Not that I know anything about that ;) I was at Michael's the other day and found these... Of course, I had to have them. Loved that they came 3 to a set. I'm sure they have something similar to this at the Dollar Tree?? … [Read more...] about Last Minute Easter Ideas & FREEBIES!
Money, Money, Money, Money….MONEY!!!
Did you read that title the way I'm singing it right now? The O'Jays?? Anyone? Bueller?? So let's talk MONEY!!! A few weeks ago I did a standards-based training that centered around teaching financial literacy concepts to our primary babies....first grade to be exact. Our district starts with introducing coins, identifying coins, and determining the value of a set of coins. I felt like I needed to talk a bit about this concept before heading right into financial literacy because they piggyback off each other so beautifully. SO, I wanted to give you some ideas that maybe you can incorporate … [Read more...] about Money, Money, Money, Money….MONEY!!!
