Finally in First

Seuss FREEBIES

2012-02-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

Have you been following my blog for a whole year? If not, I thought you may be interested in some FREE Seuss things I made last year as you prep for next week. Maybe you oldsters forgot you had these? Don't tell me I'm the only one who downloads so much I sometimes forget what I have?

We will make green eggs and ham again and then graph if students liked them or not.

Need a few more center ideas?

You can download all of the above here.
Here is a syllable sort
Seuss Syllable Sort

And a verb worksheet

Seuss Verbs
I love when I find freebies I can use so I hope you found (or remembered) something today. Thanks for following and commenting. Comments make my day so I am really trying to do the same and make more comments on your blogs. I follow ALL of you :-) so know you are APPRECIATED, even if you don't hear from me. I love this blog community we have going and I KNOW my teaching is the better for it!

I goofed big time!

2012-02-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

So I thought it was kind of weird that I did not get one comment on my Valentine's post, especially after I shared about my sweet hubbie, and I just figured out why....I posted it on my class blog! OOPS!
I have NOT been myself this year. Anyway, here is the post I made on V-Day....

I was kind of dreading today. My class gets riled up at the SLIGHTEST bit of excitement and I caught that annoying cold that has been going around so I'm not 100%.

But my day started off nicely with a delicious dijon mustard quiche courtesy of the PTA. Our moms bring us a nice treat spread once a month. Aren't they sweet?

We made these adorable Splats from the amazing Cara and wrote about when we felt loved.

We graphed conversation hearts, made patterns,

and played battleship. These printables are from the wonderful Rachelle.

We played pin the lips on the teacher. Idea and lips from the terrific Teacher Wife. Not sure why I have blue hair? All the gray hairs I have gotten from this class are missing, that is for certain!

My room mom found these next two ideas. The object of this game is to see how many M&Ms you can move from one cup to the other by straw suction.

For this relay the kids stepped on a big heart, moving the one behind them in front for each next step. My boys thought it was fun to throw the heart which made for quite a challenging next step!

We had had various art tables. I had this pattern from last year but I saw Christina posted a template you can grab if you want to put it away for next year. It is challenging for firsties. Here you see one of my crafty girls helping a friend.

And when I came home, excited to get in my jammies after a crazy day, look what was waiting for me...

I mentioned the other day that I wish we could afford a trip to Red Lobster because I was craving cheddar bay biscuits. So my sweet husband made surf and turf (bacon-wrapped no less) and stopped by Red Lobster to buy the biscuits. He also bought red roses which he was NOT supposed to do. If you are wondering why the card has a G, he has called me his Guinevere since we were dating and read that Jennifer is the modern name for it. Isn't he romantic?

I hope your day was just as sweet.

Fact Family Freebie

2012-02-17T12:10:00.000-08:00

I forgot how much I hate the Envision 15.2 worksheet on Fact Families. Let's not see if they can actually understand how to write all 4 related facts with the larger numbers before asking them to write them ALL with the answer FIRST. Addition is no problem but understanding that the whole has to go in the middle for the subtraction sentences is tough. Oh, and then on the assessment there are none in that format. Huh?

I taught the part-part-whole method which I like but I also wanted my firsties to connect better with the vocabulary of fact family and related facts. I was explaining how you are related to your family and one of my smarties piped up, "Yea, that's why they are called relatives." So I know HE got it but for the rest, I made a more concrete fact family. I got this idea from Gladys at Teaching in High Heels.

I hung these characters on the white board and we moved them around, making all 4 related facts. The numbers are sticky notes so I could easily change the numbers. My students wrote their answers on white boards and held them up. I love this because I can easily see who gets it quickly and who looks around in confusion. Gladys had another good tip about telling the kids that only the 3 family numbers belonged in the house and they didn't let in strange numbers. This TOTALLY worked. During white board practice I heard one of my girls say, "Johnny, you let strangers in your house! 10 and 5 aren't part of the family!"

Here is the worksheet I made for independent practice. Leave me a comment if you like this or are just glad it is FRIDAY!! I am SOOO ready for vacation. Do you have the week off like we do?
Fact Families

The Principal Gestapo

2012-02-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

Today the Superintendent was scheduled to visit from 10:30-11. I figured that left 1 minute per classroom max and it was during my Daily 5/Guided Reading time so as long as I had my objectives posted I was good to go. That isn't quite how it went down...

A few minutes before school starts I hear through the grapevine that the Sup has cancelled BUT now we have 9 principals from other schools coming through and they are here NOW!

5 suits come in as I am transitioning from our Daily Editing Word Problems to my sequencing lesson using a flow map. They stay 10 minutes which feels like FOREVER as they are scribbling on their notepads and scrutinizing my room. I breathe a sigh of relief as they silently file out the door. My kids have been shockingly good UNTIL....

The mom of my quietest girl comes in, handing me a late slip, (by 40 minutes) explaining that her daughter is outside crying and won't come in. I realize I had heard someone wailing outside but we are close to the preschool special ed so those sounds don't really register anymore. I step outside (leaving my door open) and see her clinging to a pole. I have had this before and usually if I can get them in the room and mom leaves they calm down in a few minutes. I try to bring her in but she is physically resisting. Suddenly she starts SCREAMING bloody murder and falls to the ground. I look over and who is just down the hall, yep the Principal Gestapo. One of them comes to my rescue since I CLEARLY can't handle her and the other 29 bambinos waiting for me. I have no idea how they got her down to the office but my principal delivered her back over AN HOUR LATER!

I felt pretty inept until my principal told me the angel threw a total tantrum on the floor of her office and refused to cooperate with her either. Apparently she tried to negotiate how long she would have to stay at school.

Turns out the pumpkin was upset because:
a) she was late (mom accidentally took Dad's car keys and had to leave work to come back home)
b) she missed her cousin who had been visiting

This one is absent and tardy quite a bit and maybe now I am getting a glimpse into why.

I SO wish wine didn't give me a migraine because a bottle sounds in order about now. Hey Kristin, got any Math Pills you can share? Do you think they work for Major Meltdowns?? 67 days and counting....

Plastic Heart FREEBIE

2012-02-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

Did you snag yourself a set of heart containers from the Dollar Tree? Have you decided what you will do with them yet? I made mine into the math tub below but Cara and Abby also have some great ideas you should check out.

Partners each pick a heart out of a Valentine's gift bag. Each partner counts their coins and writes it on their line. Then the partners decide if a greater than or less than sign should go in the circle. The player with the larger amount wins that round. After putting the coins back in their heart and putting it aside, they each draw another heart out of the bag and follow the same procedure for the second round. After 5 rounds, the player who won the most rounds is the winner! Just make sure when you put the coins in the hearts that you make them all different amounts. You don't need numbers on the hearts unless you want to make an answer key.

Sorry for the glare. I try to conserve paper whenever possible (I do work at an environmental science magnet after all) so my students use these dry erase sleeves. Click below to get your copy. And remember, comments make my day! :-)
Don'Tgochangingmyheart

I was contacted by VocabularySpellingCity.com and I've been given a premium membership to VocabularySpellingCity.com for a candid, personal, online review. VocabularySpellingCity.com helps students study word lists using 25 different learning activities such as MatchIt Sentences, HangMan, and Word-O-Rama. Parents can create their own spelling lists, find published lists already available on the site, or use any of dozens of free teaching resources on topics such as analogies and compound words.

Be sure to come back in three weeks to read about my experience. There might be more free memberships available for bloggers. If you're interested, find out how you can review VocabularySpellingCity.com.

"Hearty" Word Work

2012-02-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

I am getting into all thing hearts lately. Here is a quick word work activity I made around our word pattern for the week.

The student places a tile on the heart and determines if it makes a real or nonsense word. I challenged them to see if they could make a couple with two tiles.

oo words

We are also working on compound word this week so we are making these "door books."
Fold the paper hotdog style, cut the top paper up the middle to make two doors.

A little catching up from last week:
I'm glad to see some of you were able to use the groundhog pattern I shared last week. Here are two of my favorites from my class. I think the ears being lower might actually be the way to go. I felt my sample looked a little to bearish..

Check out those crazy eyes!

Glasses!

We were also working on proper nouns last week so I leave you with another thinking map. I had the words posted without capitalization and then the students told me where to put them.

Not beautiful. Just keeping it real.

Thanks for the tags from Rebecca at Teaching First, Mrs. Nunley at First Grade Magic, Latricia fromWild about Second Grade, and Tricia from Quenn With Class. I wish I had time to answer that many questions but my life is INSANELY busy. I am always jealous when I read other posts about watching reality TV in your jammies. I watched no TV last night and wasn't in my jammies until midnight. {Insert pouty lips here.} I know those of you with kids can relate! I can't even keep up with my blogging like I'd like. So if you don't get a comment from me, know that I am trying to read you on my phone at basketball, baseball, cub scouts, etc. Wish I could comment on Google Reader!

I am now late so I have to run! I will leave you with this question:
Do you know how many school days you have left?

Yep, that kind of year here and my answer is 70!! I think I can make it!

100th Day Fun!

2012-02-01T21:22:00.001-08:00

My favorite part of 100th day is the old people art. This year we used wallpaper instead of fabric for the shirts.We made a circle map of what we might be like when we were 100 and then wrote about it.

I love how she piled the hair on top like a bun!

This guy told me he purposefully took most of the cotton off so it would look the fuzz he has on his head and it does!

I do it TLC style so I don't have templates to share. I just precut the rectangles and the kids follow my oral directions to trim it into a head, etc.

We made crowns and glasses again this year. You can click here to get links for these.

We read 100th Day books.

The student favorite by far though was the Fruit Loop necklaces. It is always interesting to see who strings by color, who creates a pattern, or those that don't give a hoot and just want to be able to eat them!

They had to count out the 100 pieces by tens first.You can get the sorting sheet here.

I got smart this year and taped one end of their string to the desk so no one had their loops fall off halfway through!

Last, but not least, Wildlife Associates brought amazing animals for us to meet. I didn't get pictures but here is one from their site.

We were visited by a

Canada Lynx
Snowy Owl
Coatimundi
Coendou (Prehensile tailed porcupine)
White Tailed Kite

It was so cool! This was a perfect lead in to our animal adaptations unit coming up and a great way to end a special day.

FREE Groundhog pattern

2012-01-30T18:14:00.000-08:00

We did not finish this today but I wanted to get this out in case you could use it this year. I was inspired by the big-eyed Scrappin Doodle clipart to make a groundhog peekover.

The cute paper is from Kerri at Teacher Bits and Bobs!

Today we read a Gail Gibbons book to learn about groundhogs. Before we read, we recorded our schema on a circle map. After we read, we crossed out anything that was a misconception and then added new learning in a different color. Not pretty but this is what my charts look like if I do them on the spot with the kids. This my attempt to combine the Debbie Miller chart I did last year with my new dedication to thinking maps.

I was hoping to have the kids write a paragraph about the new facts they learned but with a field trip this week and their less than stellar behavior, it may not happen. We'll see if my blood pressure can take it. Hence the shorter Phil response paper you see above in the sample.

Off to bring one son to basketball and help the other write 10 metaphors (really?) so I gotta run. Hope you can use the pattern.
Groundhog Pattern

New Book Club Packet and a FREEBIE!

2012-01-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the supportive comments on my scary day post yesterday!! It is good to know that I'm not the only one to freak out a little at times like that!

Since you all were so sweet, here is a FREEBIE for you. I'd love it if you'd follow me here and my TpT store if you don't already. Click on the picture to download.

Feedback is always appreciated.

While you are there, you might want to check out my newest Book Club packet. I just got a set of Dixie Loves School Pet Day from Scholastic and whipped up a packet focusing on story elements, inferences, and verbs. Only $1.50! Click on the picture to go take a peek.

Off to supervise homework, make dinner, and drive to 2 different scout meetings! Hope to blog stalk ya later!

Had a Scare Today

2012-01-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

If you have been following my blog for awhile, you may remember that my 4th grade son attends the school where I teach and we live just down the street. I usually go in @ 8 AM and my husband drops Quinn off @ 8:45 AM. Today was a normal day except I forgot my cell phone. Hate when I do that!

Fast forward to lunch. Quinn's teacher is a friend of mine and she casually asks over lunch where Quinn is today. WHat do you mean? He isn't here??? I am shocked since when I left the house he was happily getting his Backwards Day outfit on. I start to get a bad feeling but I rationalize that it is possible he started feeling sick after I left. I immediately go to the staff room phone and call home. No answer. My heart starts beating wildly. I call my husband's cell. No answer. Now I am starting to panic. My imagination starts conjuring images of abduction from the school parking lot. Rational? No, but I think we already established in my prior Conan story that my brain easily jumps to worst-case scenarios.

I am about to go home to see if I can find out anything when the secretary comes in to tell me my husband is on the other line.

He starts with, "We had a little accident this morning..." CRAP! Did he cut off a finger? My mind is going again...

Apparently they decided to give his Pinewood derby car a quick coat of silver spray paint before school. Quinn accidentally turned the nozzle the wrong way and sprayed it into his EYE!

They spent all morning washing it out, then in the emergency room and later the doctor. Poor guy! I guess it hurt quite a bit but he is fine now.

I'll leave you with what I had originally planned to blog about: Chinese New Year.

We made a circle map brainstorming what the students already knew about Chinese New Year. Then we read this simple book and shared if our families celebrated.

Later, we made this puppet.

Someone decided they looked better as hats and a new craze was born.

Having that mild panic attack at lunch made me a little more appreciative and tolerant of my wild bunch this afternoon. Thank goodness my scare turned out fine. Hug your loved ones!

Want a Chuckle?

2012-01-20T18:09:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness it is Friday! Just a quick post to give you a chuckle. After lunch, a student came to me with her dramatic sad face on. She asked if she could go to the I Message with Kathy. She explained, "She says she won't be friends with me anymore because I believe in mermaids." I couldn't help it. I did laugh out loud. I covered it up with a cough as quickly as possible but I'm not sure she bought it.

Here is the poster we use to teach the students to work out their own problems. Let's just say these particular girls visit often. {Insert eye roll and head shake here.}

The next hour, I was practicing rhyming with 4 of my strugglers. One boy was saying things that were so off base I was racking my brain trying to figure out how he was even coming up with those answers?? In the story, the last rhyming words were floor and door. I ask if he can think of any other words, hoping he will say store, more, poor, etc. He gets an excited look in his eye and yells, "WHORE!" I guess I should be happy that he finally got one right. He had no idea what he said and no one else batted an eye either.

TGIF my friends.

Meet My Class Pets and Some New Bloggers

2012-01-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

Do you have a class pet? I just posted all about mine over at Critters in the Classroom.

If you have not yet visited this new blog started by Erica Bohrer, come on over for a visit!

I also wanted to give a shout out and words of encouragement to some new bloggers. I was asked for advice on building followers and directed them to a post I did on that very topic. You can read it here if you are interested.

Mrs. Wright at First Grade Journal is new and already has freebies up, go girl! Sweet Ashley over at Live 2 Learn was a victim of budget cuts and is without a teaching position this year. I think it is great that she started a blog and is keeping her head and heart in teaching until she can be back in the classroom!

MLK frustration and other various topics

2012-01-15T17:19:00.000-08:00

Topic 1: Need a great-tasting meal for the crock pot?

I made this Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup recipe I got from All Recipes and it was WONDERFUL! I wish you could smell my house. Seriously...who is going to invent smellivision already??

Topic 2: I got a good response from my thinking maps post so I thought I'd include a few when ever I remember to snap a pic. Nothing super original but maybe it will give you a jump start?

The students came up with the words. No laughing at my unicorn!

Can't stand that the basal calls it a naming word so I teach noun anyway. I'm a rebel like that.

Topic 3: Deedee Wills got this email this week:

I teach in Joplin, which made worldwide news last May when our town was cut in half by an F5 tornado. Many of our elementary schools were destroyed or damaged, and as teachers, we have had a roller coaster year. I came from a meeting yesterday where many are struggling with the weight of all we are dealing with. My request is this: would you be willing to donate a created pack of your choosing to give away at a drawing at our upcoming district Kindergarten grade level meeting? The meeting is Monday and I am sorry for the short notice but I did not realize until the meeting how down everyone is feeling.

Deedee had the brilliant idea to ask other bloggers to contribute TpT items to maybe help out the other grades as well.

I have contributed and if you would like to help out our fellow teachers in need you should hop over to Mrs. Wills Kindergarten .

Topic 4: I could not find the writing paper I made last year for this so I had to remake it. :-(

I guess this is how I will discover what I lost in laptop death #1. You can read last year's post to see what I do for MLK. You are welcome to download if you can use it.
I have a dream

Topic 5: I want to thank Lori from Little Priorities, Mrs. Cupcake from A Cupcake for the Teacher, and Kim from The Adventures of a First Grade Teacher for awarding me the Versatile Teacher Award. I have gotten this award previously so I won't bore you with my seven things list again but I do appreciate the nod. :-)

Whew, are you still with me? That was a lot. Sorry, you just got a peek into the craziness that is my brain. Off to finish putting Christmas decorations away (don't judge) and cut my brother's hair. Hope you all enjoy your day off tomorrow!!! The big question is...will I get out of my PJs??? I HOPE not to!

A Visit From Conan

2012-01-13T19:39:00.000-08:00

This was me this week. Insomnia is my new nemesis (now that my laptop is fixed.)

3 nights in a row I got about 3 hours of sleep. I just can't shut my brain off. Being on the computer seems to make it worse. I've even had nights when numbers/letters are running past my eyes like a ticker tape. FREAK, right?

To make things even more fun, my husband was out of town (again) so this mom was on duty 24-7.

The third night I woke up suddenly at 12:17 AM. My first thought was, darn it, I was FINALLY sleeping!! Then I realized that something had woken me up. I heard voices! I peered into the hallway and saw light coming from the kitchen!

ARE BURGLARS IN THE HOUSE???

It probably didn't help that a friend had just told me that there was a daytime break-in in our neighborhood last week and the woman was home! She had to hide and call the police who then instructed her to run out the front door to a neighbor. Sorry, different story. But it is related because between that, my husband being out of town, and my serious lack of sleep, I was FREAKED OUT!

I first checked on my kids but they were sound asleep. I grabbed my cell phone and had 911 ready.... I finally got up the nerve to tiptoe down the hall to investigate. The floorboards squeaked before I took 4 steps. I froze and listened intently. Wait a sec. I know that voice. It's Conan O'Brien! In my hazy state I remembered that I turned the TV off but not the separate stereo speaker. DORK. But wait, why was the light on?? Even exhausted I didn't think I would forget to turn off the lights before I went to bed.

Still uneasy, I went around testing every door and of course they were locked and everything was fine. I checked every room and I'll admit it, behind the shower curtain. Those darn movies!

I didn't sleep much after that because I kept hearing things. I swear there was a SPLAT sound I couldn't for the life of me figure out. Anyone else ever play mind games like this when they are home alone?

I am happy to say, the next night I finally slept. The funny thing was, the next day my brain seemed to be misfiring more than the previous days. First, I accidentally wrote a student's name in the sentence I was writing on the board because I was talking to him. The kids loved that one. Then I spelled ocean without the a. When I caught my mistake one sweetie piped up, "Oh, I you were testing us." Must be all the daily editing. :-) There were some other mistakes that I can't even remember, but the kids just shook their collective heads and said knowingly, "Her brain is just not working right today!"

The light is still a mystery. My boys sometimes sleepwalk so it is possible one of them thought they were in the bathroom. Yes, sleep peeing has happened. Victims have been a closet, out in the garage and a near miss in the refrigerator! I scared the poor kid to death that night when I came running, screaming STOP!!!!!

Sweet dreams my friends!

Thinking Maps and Book Clubs

2012-01-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

Do you use Thinking Maps? We do and I really like them. Our school has decided to make a big push for ALL students to know and be able to use ALL the maps.

I am trying to use multiple maps a day and incorporate them in my bulletin boards. For example, here is the snow globe inspired by Deanna Jump but I paired it with a tree map that we made on the story structure of The Snow Globe Family.

Here are the map circles I posted about last year but this year I added a bridge map!

Are you familiar with the bridge map? It is for analogies and at first I was like, really? In first grade you want me to do analogies? But my wonderful teammate, Robi, showed me how to make the relating factor more kid-friendly and she inspired me to use them with our phonics/grammar, etc. skill every day and it is working out great!

I took the pic before we filled the bridge in. The two words that make the contraction go underneath them.

I like seeing how others use thinking maps so I thought you might, too even though they aren't beautiful. I could post how I use them in writing if you are interested? I'd love to hear how you use them. It is pretty cool to talk to a student not in your class and still have that common language.

I also wanted to let you know I have some new Book Club packets available to keep those high kiddos challenged. The first is a Ready Freddy 2-pack: Caterpillars on the Move! and Good Morning, Groundhog! There is even a double bubble map in there to compare and contrast the two stories. :-) I got my books through Scholastic Club Shop.

And for my 3rd grade readers this one is AR 3.1.

These are available in my TPT store if you are interested.

Fixing Sideways Photos and more

2012-01-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the length between posts. If you have been following me for awhile you may remember that my school laptop is cursed. It completely died and I lost data TWICE and now many keys on my keyboard just stopped working. One letter is in my passwords for everything so that was awesome. Not one to give up, I tried writing strategic blog comments to avoid certain letters or copying and pasting letters in from other documents. This took forever and was beyond ridiculous so I was silenced eventually. The Bane of My Existence {my laptop's new name} is now in the shop {again} and I have a loaner. I am finding this equally frustrating because the things I was working on I saved to a thumb drive thinking I could keep going with the loaner. I forgot the loaner wouldn't have my cute fonts and it has a different version of Word so all my docs are sciwampus {misaligned if you don't care for words that are in the urban dictionary.}

Anyway, enough grumbling. Time to get to the cuteness. We made New Year's Resolutions.

I will make more friends.

I will pass speedy math more quickly.

I will get my morning work done! (Amen!)

I need to get better at math.

First, we read this picture book

Then, we talked about what a resolution was and brainstormed some together. They wrote their resolution on a cute hat template I got from Brooke Perry last year. {SO glad your family is doing better and you are blogging again, Brooke! If you don't know about her blog Primary Perspective you should go check it out.} I was able to change the date on the hat since I had the same font. Do you think the fact that I could name the font immediately may indicate that I spend too much time on the computer?

As I have posted before, I use my Daily Editing Math Word Problems every morning in combination with Cara's Calendar Companion. My math scores have been amazing and I am sure it is all this daily practice. This week, spelling mistakes started popping up in addition to having to correct the capitalization and punctuation, circling the sight words and solving the math problem! The kids feel so proud that they can recognize that the word is spelled incorrectly. I even had one girl who got that New Year's was missing the apostrophe which is a toughie!!! I look through their binders occasionally and had to share how cute this guy illustrates his math problems. For those that are struggling, I tell them to draw traditional counters and cross them out, etc but for those that are quick, I tell them they can spend extra time on the illustration.

Aren't those precious?

Do your pictures sometimes turn out sideways in Blogger? I am not sure what happens, but sometimes when I upload pics to iphoto they are sideways or upside down. I can turn them around in iphoto but when I upload to Blogger they still end up sideways! I finally figured out that I can drag the photo to my desktop, double-click on it to open it, go to Tools in the menu bar and drag down to rotate left, right or flip horizontal or vertical. Save it once you like it and now you can upload it to Blogger from your desktop. Deanna Jump, I don't know it you read my blog, but I remember you have been bothered by this problem so I hope this helps! If anyone knows of a better way I am all ears!

Near Disaster and My Top 3

2011-12-26T21:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone! My house is still overrun with family but I snuck off for a few minutes to visit blogland. I love my family but a week straight of a loud {booming male voices and babies crying}, crowded, messy {I've lost count on the number of spills}, smelly {I've forgotten how odorous those diapers can be} bustling house is starting to get to me.

We had a NEAR DISASTER yesterday... Picture my husband taking the 20 pound turkey out of the oven. It may have been the disposable foil pan we were forced to use to get it to fit in our oven or it may have been the fact that my husband was partaking in the holiday booze with my brothers....but as he is transferring it to the counter the juices start POURING over the side onto the floor. My hubbie starts to slip on the fatty liquid and just manages to slide the turkey onto the counter before his feet go completely flying out from under him and he lands hard on his butt! After making sure he was okay, I laughed my a** off! Making my gravy with MUCH less stock and cleaning up that disgusting, greasy mess wasn't so funny but at least Christmas dinner wasn't ruined.

I saw Fern Smith had a good idea to look back on the year to see what our most popular posts were so I'm linking up. You can click on the post name to read the original if you are interested.

My Top 3 Posts

#3 with 6,307 views Sight Word Fluency and Romance Ruined

#2 with 6,316 views Cutest 100 Year Olds Ever

#1 with 20,042 views Me on the Map

I think it will be interesting to see what everyone else's most popular are. Okay, I am being called back to play Awkward Family Photos. This board game is hysterical to play, at least with my inappropriate family!

Calling all clipart junkies

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Do you love cute fonts and clipart like I do? Lettering Delights is having an amazing $1 SALE!
Aren't these cute?

I could go on and on. I can't pass up such great deals!!! If you want to go check out this amazing sale yourself I'd love it if you'd click on the Lettering Delights logo on my sidebar. Happy shopping!

No Grinch here

2011-12-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhhh....I made it! My kids were less crazy than I expected yesterday AND my husband is home after 2 weeks away! Life is good! Here's what we have been up to since my last post...

We read How Santa Got his Job and then applied to be an elf. I used the fabulous Cara Carroll's Elf Application. Is there anything of her's I don't love? The templates for the face, mittens, and shoes are from Mathwire.

I am getting much better about letting things go. The girl's arms on the right would have driven the old me crazy {okay, they still do, but I didn't tell her to fix them so that is progress in my book!} Rainbow stripes and hair glued on top of your hat?? Welcome to first grade! Did you notice some friends switched mittens or shoes so they each had one red and one green? :-) I also let them pick out their own googly eyes which is why they are different sizes. I didn't get a pic but one girl has pink eyes. I did put those crazy colored eyes away after I saw that. So maybe I haven't grown that much.

This cutie braided her hair!

We watched the Grinch while we worked on our cards and I pulled small groups to wrap their present. Then we wrote and drew how we would make the Grinch smile (from my other favorite, Deanna Jump!)

And of course we had a holiday party!


reindeer hats

Polar bears


beading snowflakes


playing dreidels with gelt {chocolate coins}

sequin craft

Notice the goodie bags? My smart room mom had their names on them and asked the kids to take them with them as they visited the stations. Everything they made got into their bag for a quick and easy take home! Well...not everything made it home...

cookie decorating and eating

Happy Holidays bloggy friends! Hang in there those of you who that still have a few days!!!!

SHELTER IN PLACE!!!

2011-12-13T17:42:00.000-08:00

Do you have one of these in your room? Have you ever had to use it? I miraculously escaped today but many on my team were not so lucky.

It was 15 minutes into lunch. I had ~~eaten~~ scarfed my lunch and was debating staying on my diet or indulging in a lemon bar or chocolate cake. The sweets were winning since my husband has been out of town for almost 2 weeks and this supermom is TIRED! Getting 2 kids to school before a 7:45 AM staff meeting this morning had just about sealed the deal when....

...our principal came into the staff room and told us we needed to go back to our classrooms immediately and gather our students. The police department had called and we needed to SHELTER IN PLACE. One look on her face told us this was NOT a drill. I grabbed both desserts {hey, I may need the sustenance, who knew how long we would be locked in} and herded kids on the way back to my room.

I don't know what you call it in your area, but Shelter in Place means we lock our door and may not come out until we are told it is safe. That means NO BATHROOM. First graders, after lunch, no bathroom. AWESOME.

I kept them busy and distracted so they actually did pretty well but...

I kept looking at the clock, dreading when someone would finally need to go. An hour and 5 minutes in, someone finally asked. I was AMAZED it took so long. It was probably due to the rant I went on that morning about using the bathroom at recess and me taking away points. I broke it to the girl that if she couldn't hold it she would need to pee in a bucket. She wisely said she would hold it.

We make it 1 hour 15 minutes and finally a tiny blonde girl pleads, "I need to go. I know it means the bucket." Ugh. I start to arrange a privacy shield and then hear those magical bells. Okay, maybe they were more like intercom beeps but it felt like a Hallejuah moment. Shelter in Place was over! I didn't even let my principal finish before I let blondie out the door.

We are given a 20 minute recess to recuperate. The staff lounge is all abuzz. Apparently other teachers are nicer than me and did not rant at their students this morning because the teammates on either side of me each had 4 kids go potty in the bucket! Their rooms had a wonderful aroma. I guess being a Grinch sometimes does pay off.

I know you are all wondering what caused all this. Word is there was a home burglary right across the street that was interrupted by the police. The intruder barricaded himself in the home and our neighborhood was swarming with cop cars. Good to know since I live down the street.

On a different note, if you downloaded the Holiday Syllable Sort freebie you will want to go download it again. I replaced fireplace with mistletoe so their were an even number of each. Sorry, I am sure you understand how crazy things are this week.

I hope your last few days are less eventful.

Holiday Fun and a Freebie

2011-12-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

There are just too many cute projects out there! I can't fit in everything I want to do! This week we made ourselves into reindeer and applied for a job pulling Santa's sleigh. I believe I got this last year from the girls over at What the Teacher Wants but let me know if I am wrong so I can give credit properly.


Love how she kept her hair bow in.

This one cracked me up! I assume "I run God" was not the intention.

Aren't they adorable?! I am a sucker for any project that uses their picture. I read this story with it which puts a modern spin on trying to win a position on the team.

We also did a project that I saved since last year when I saw it on Cara's terrific site The First Grade Parade. After reading Santa's Stuck, as suggested by Cara, we made these.

I recreated what Cara had done with one change. For the snow on the chimney we painted with equal parts shaving cream and white glue. I held mine up while it was still wet and purposefully let it drip down a little to simulate icicles. The kids were amazed how it dried puffy.

To say thank you for all the wonderful ideas I get from you all, here is another FREEBIE for you.
Click HERE to get a FREE copy of this Holiday Syllable Sort I plan to use this week.

This week is going to be cra-zy! In addition to our class party on Friday, we have 2 singalongs {we can't fit the whole school in the auditorium at the same time} and the whole staff gets up on stage and sings as reindeer dressed in a different theme every year. This year is PJ reindeer which I am pretty darn excited about. I love to read comments so let me know what fun things your school does this week.

Menorah Making Ten Freebie

2011-12-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

"Do you have any Hanukkah math games, Mrs. Bates?" I didn't. We read some stories and play with dreidels at our holiday party but I had no math games in my tubs. So I whipped up this concentration game that practicing making 10. I am amazed when I tutor older children who still need to count up instead of knowing the parts of ten so I try to give my firsties lots of practice.

My active boys were surprisingly engaged by having to try to remember where the cards were. It made me wonder how many of my students have never played memory/concentration before. I always forget that not every parent takes the time to play these types of games with young children.

If you are worried about the game being too quick, simply print out 2 copies to make it last longer. My kids were happy to keep starting over, keeping track of who had won more rounds.

Click on the picture or HERE to go download this FREEBIE. I'd love you to leave feedback if you like it.

And the 12 winners are....

2011-12-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

Congrats to the following 12 Blogiversary Giveaway winners!

Send me your email and what item you would like and I'll send it right over. :-)

Blogiversary Giveaway Last Day & photos

2011-12-07T06:58:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to enter my Blogiversary Giveaway by midnight tonight to be one of 12 winners to choose any item from my store. Have you had your eye on...

See my original post HERE to enter.

I unloaded my camera last night and realized I had never posted these cute Thanksgiving pics.

Pretending we are pilgrims.

Yes, this artist is Asian. Love it!

The bland colors really bothered his sense of style.

"..because you can only speak if spoken to." acting this out was the best part of my day!

I do the turkey disguise project every year as homework.

The turkey is behind there.

Okay, thanks for going back to Thanksgiving with me. I promise my next post will be in the current holiday.

Student-Made Holiday Gifts Linky Party

2011-12-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

Do you have a terrific idea for a holiday gift your students can make for their parents? Or perhaps could you use some new ideas? Let's have a linky party to share!!

Last year, I made handprint calendars I adapted from Little Giraffe's. This picture is from that site because unfortunately I have none since my laptop failure. I found an alternative to the Santa poem/picture for my students that didn't celebrate Christmas. This is a great project but it is takes time and organization. I started in September and still barely got it done! I remember staying late one night to bind all 30 calendars and thinking that maybe I should look for a project that took less of my time.

I'd love to make these that I've seen around quite a bit. This picture is from A Little Bit Funky

but each year I have a couple Jewish students so I don't feel like ornaments are the best choice.

I found a similar idea on Eighteen25 that I am thinking of trying this year. Adding ribbon to make it an ornament could be optional.

What ideas have you seen? Come on fellow Pinterest enthusiasts, here is your chance to share all those great ideas you have collected!

Join in my Student-Made Holiday Gifts Linky Party by linking up below!
If you are new to linky parties, you may want to read my post on linky party etiquette first.

You can link to a post on your blog or let's try something new and link to your Pinterest board?! I'd love to find some new Pinterest friends to follow :-)

Don't forget to enter my Blogiversary Giveaway if you'd like to be 1 of the 12 winners to pick any item from my TpT store. Click HERE to enter.

Grinch!

2011-12-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

This is me:

No, not really. At least not yet. Although my family has been known to call me that as the holiday stress starts to get to me. :-)
Since I love the Grinch and my students love BANG games, I decided to combine the two!

If a student draws a Grinch card they have to put all their cards back into the container.

The cards practice doubles and doubles +1 but I also included blanks so you can add sight words or any other skill you'd like.

Click HERE for your FREE copy. I'd love it if you'd leave a comment since my heart is apparently 2 sizes too small. ;-)

And don't forget to enter my Blogiversary Giveaway for your chance to win any item you'd like from my TpT store. Click HERE to enter.

Blogiversary Giveaway

2011-11-30T22:59:00.000-08:00

It's my BLOGIVERSARY!

Well, it looks like I really made my first post on the 29th but I'm not sure anyone read it. I got my first comment on the 30th so that is when I felt like it was real.

Besides, I'll tell you a little secret, I am terrible with dates. I am notorious for missing birthdays and my own anniversary. My girlfriends always text me a few days before my wedding anniversary to make sure I remember. They always say that my husband is the girl in our relationship and they are so right. Romance, sappy cards, gifts based on how many years we've been married. ALL him. The first anniversary is paper so he bought me season tickets for musical theater and was HAPPY to go with me. I have to do the math quick to remember what year we are on. See, I AM the guy. This date problem is only in my personal life though. As a teacher I am ~~anal~~ pretty organized.

Anyway, to let you know how much I appreciate all of you taking the time to read my little ol' blog, I thought I'd host a

Blogiversary Giveaway!

I'd like to give 12 followers (yep, that's one for every month of blogging)

any item in my TpT store.

You can earn 8 entries. Leave a comment for each you complete.

1. Become a follower of my blog or let me know you already do (thank you!)

2. Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter (icons on my sidebar)

3. Spread the word about my Blogiversary Giveaway by posting it on your blog, facebook or tweet!

4. Add my blog to your blogroll or tell a friend about me.

5. Pin something of mine you like on Pinterest (I am a recent convert-OBSESSED!)

6. Become a follower of my TpT store.

7. Leave feedback on one of my TpT items.

8. Tell me which item in my store you are hoping to win and leave your email.

You can submit entries until next Wednesday, Dec. 7th at midnight. Did I get that date right? ;-)

I SO admire and appreciate all my blogging buddies. You are an AMAZINGLY talented group and I know my teaching is better for "knowing" you. I wish I could meet you in person! Thanks for a wonderful year.

Reindeer Readiness

2011-11-29T16:44:00.000-08:00

I seem to be behind many of you in the Christmas cheer department. Anyone else get seriously tense in December?? Although I love the holiday, the extra stress of present shopping and a houseful of expected guests does put a damper on it for me a little. If only I had an elf who would do the shopping and cleaning for me, then I could enjoy it to the fullest! I had insomnia Sunday night. I didn't fall asleep until 5:30. My alarm went off at 6. Yep, 30 minutes of sleep for this girl. I kept thinking I should just get up and fold the laundry I didn't finish but then I was afraid I would miss any slight possibility of falling asleep. Instead I made lists in my head. Anyone a list maker?

SO, to try to catch up to all of you who have the cheer already in full gear (oh no, watch out, I'm rhyming now) I dragged my December box out and started looking through to see what my parent helpers could start prepping. I shared this after the holiday last year so I thought I would repost it early for those of you who may have missed it. Click HERE to read my original post with step-by-step-directions and templates.

Thanks so much to all of you who shopped in my TpT store this weekend. It looks like I accidentally left the sale on today too so if you thought you missed it you have until midnight!

Lots of Thanks

2011-11-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

Raise your hand if you have been busy as a beaver adding things to your TpT wishlist in preparation for tomorrow's big event. I know I have!!

Thank you SO much to the many of you who couldn't wait and have already bought my new Sight Word Superstars program!

I've also been getting some really sweet comments on my Daily Editing Word Problems. I know I have seen improvement in my students' editing and ability to solve math problems but it feels great to hear that I am helping so many others. Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback, it is SO appreciated!

I'd also like to say thank you to Lori, Kimberley, Jen R. and Mrs. Mac for sending me the Sunshine Award!

I finally had a second to try to answer the questions:

Favorite color? Seafoam green
Favorite animal? Cats! I LOVE when they come snuggle in my lap!
Favorite number? 3 (# of guys I love)
Favorite drink? Iced Tea
Facebook or Twitter? I have both although I am not on either as much as I am visiting the blogging world!
Your passion? Teaching! I get teased quite a bit that I can never turn off my brain and I'm CONSTANTLY working on something for school.
Giving or getting presents? I am not a big fan of presents. Is that weird? I'd rather no one give presents and we spent the money and time doing something fun together instead. Everyone in my family makes a craft together at Christmas. For the last few years we have only given the kids in my family presents.
Favorite day? Sunday. Even though I spend it doing laundry/cleaning it is the one day I can stay in my jammies longer and MAYBE watch a movie while I do it!
Favorite flowers: Tulips though any flower make me happy.

It looks like many of my favorite bloggers have also gotten the award. Maybe instead I could help out a newbie? If you are newish to blogging leave a comment with your link and maybe I can send some sunshine your way in the form of some traffic. True blogaholics love to discover new blogs to follow. Just look how long my list is!

Clubbing & Clipart

2011-11-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

I had a request for more book club packets so I made some new ones that I will using this week.

My above level reading group will be reading That Fat Hat which has a great message about being your own person {or cat ;) } and not doing things because "everyone" is doing it.

I also made a packet for Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl for my way above reader.

If you are interested they are part of my 20% off sale thru Monday in my TpT store.

I also had an email asking where I get my cute clip art. My favorite site is Scrappin Doodles and they are having a great sale that ends tonight. Click on their cute logo in my sidebar to go shopping!

Sight Word Fluency & Romance Ruined

2011-11-25T19:04:00.000-08:00

Do you have a systematic way to make sure your students can read the sight words fluently?

I noticed that many of my students were still trying to sound out these words so I came up with a program I call Sight Word Superstars. I typed all the Fry Words up (6 groups of 100) and broke them into 5 lists of 20. I color code mine to make it easier for myself.

All of my first graders start on the 1st 100. If they can read the first list (20 words) in 20 seconds or less then they earn a sticker for their star. I have them practice with their whisper phones in guided reading while they are waiting to read with me. {You may want to set a different time requirement or start on a higher list based on the age or ability of your students.}

When a student's star is filled the class cheers for them and they receive a certificate. I send the completed star home and they start on the next list (2nd 100) with the matching colored star.

My students are much more motivated to practice their sight word fluency since I started this program. This is also an easy way for me to differentiate for my advanced students.

I also made a game that focuses on reading sight words quickly called

I color code these cards as well so I can quickly pull the words I want a particular group to practice. When I have students stuck on a particular list I will only give them that list (20 words) so they practice them over and over. My district also requires my students to be able to spell the first 100 words so later in the year I will change the rules of the game. Player 2 will read the card and Player 1 will have to spell the word. These cards can also be used as flashcards.

I have posted this program to TpT and included it in my 20% off sale if you are interested.

In other news, I saw Breaking Dawn with my girlfriends. I am a big fan of the books. Own them all. Read them all more than once. Team Edward here. So, I could have done without the guys yelling out comments and young kids loudly calling for their mommy in the middle. Kinda ruined the fantasy world I was trying to lose myself in. Now I am l counting the days until The Hunger Games. Not sure if I will like the guy they cast for Peeta. I may have to switch and root for Gale because Liam Hemsworth is a cu-tie. If you haven't read that series you need to. Seriously good. Anyone have any other must-reads for me?

Black Friday Sale

2011-11-25T00:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I had a wonderful time with friends today and their enthusiasm for shopping this weekend has inspired me to help spread the deals. Are you planning on braving the crowds? My girlfriends get up bright and early and go wearing crazy headbands. I prefer to shop in the comfort of my pjs but each to their own.

You can get everything in my TpT store at 20% off including my best seller

I hope you all had a wonderful day with your family and friends.

Pilgrim Hats and Book Clubs

2011-11-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

I am SUPER envious of those of you have the whole week off!!!

I will still be teaching 2.5 days next week. If you are too maybe you can use these directions for making pilgim hats for boys and girls.

I started Book Clubs with my above grade level reading group. As an introduction to book clubs, I picked a pretty easy book (Sammy the Seal AR level 2.0) so they can focus on the new skill of responsibly stopping to answer questions as they read.

I met with them Monday and they have been working at their own pace during Daily 5. If they have trouble with a question they may ask another Book Club member for help. It is pretty cute to see firsties debating literature responses. I have been checking in and they have all finished and taken an AR test. We will meet to discuss the book and their packet answers this Monday.

One of my students is reading WAY above grade level so he is reading The Chocolate Touch AR 4.7 and has his own packet.

Both Sammy the Seal and The Chocolate Touch are available in my TPT store with some others if you are interested.

Book Clubs work well for me. The only problem is our book room has not been updated or DUSTED in ??? years. My nose seriously revolts when I have to use those books. I wonder if I can get a parent volunteer to work on that?? Do you have a book room? Are the books encased in baggies or something so you don't have this problem? Do tell.

Turkey Fun & a Freebie

2011-11-16T23:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been MIA. Report cards, conferences, migraines...I know you feel my pain (at least on the first two.)

Today I have a little quiz for you:

When your teacher takes away the paper mustache you glued to your face you should

A) glue on another one as soon as she turns away and get the other kids riled up

B) get tired of waiting to see the principal and up and leave the office

C) show no remorse and play dumb when the principal designee comes to the room to discuss A & B

D) all of the above

Is there any wonder why I am having more migraines than usual?

Our skill this week is sequence of events. We have the old HM basals and I often do not agree with the literature choice for the skill or that the worksheets provide any meaningful practice. Luckily my district has backed off the ridiculous "fidelity to HM" mantra and I now have a little more freedom as long as I use the Direct Instruction model. Anyone else's district on this new bandwagon?

This week I replaced the big book story with

Love Diane deGroat books! Gilbert always learns a valuable lesson appropriate for firsties.

We then practiced making a flow map together in whole group instruction.

After we read the basal story, Bud's Day Out, I had partners sequence story events on their own flow map. This was a very successful cut and paste activity. The only problem is who gets to take it home?

We made some TLC turkeys but the kids added a sign for their turkey to hold suggesting a different food to eat.

broccoli

I paired these on the bulletin board with the writing they did after reading The Great Turkey Race. The story ends with the turkeys escaping. Students wrote about where they thought the turkeys might go. Thanks for the paper Tammy!

Las Vegas (Don't these look like the turkeys from the book?)

the Mayflower (yes, we have been learning about this)

the dinosaur museum (this guy manages to put dinosaurs in EVERY assignment!)

Many of you have told me you like these making words sheets so I thought I'd share another one. I put these out as challenge work. I make sure to announce how many correct words the first person has to spur on the others to try to beat it. Never fails.

Thanksgiving Making Words

Finally, I want to thank Mrs. Patton for posting about Class Dojo . I have been using it this week and it is pretty cool! Check it out if you haven't yet.

The Great Shape Race!

2011-11-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

We are working on geometry right now so I made a new game to add to my math tubs.

This board game practices identifying plane and solid geometric shapes. Students will be asked to identify a picture of the shape, the shape in an everyday object, the shape by name, and riddles based on attributes (sides, flat surfaces, vertices, etc.)

Every lap they collect a shape. The winner at the end is the one with the most shapes. Of course, if you pick one of the following cards you may gain/lose a shape!

If you'd like to get a copy of this game for only $2 visit my TPT or Teachers Notebook store.

I'd also like to thank Janine at Faithful in First and Pattie at A Series of 3rd Grade Events
for awarding me the Blog on Fire Award. I believe this is one where you are supposed to write more about yourself and I had planned to but I have a MAJOR migraine (like I am about to be sick from the pain) so I MUST get off the computer NOW. But thanks so much for thinking of me!

A Treat for You

2011-10-31T18:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Since we had all of our festivities on Friday, I tried to keep today as normal a day as possible. I have to admit, my kids did pretty well considering.

We read this cute book which went perfectly with the start of our geometry unit. In fact, I couldn't even get through the book without students interrupting to correct the book. "Mrs. Bates, the author called Spookley a square, but isn't he really a cube? " Another student adds, "Yeah, he isn't a plane shape." I swear I heard the Hallelujah chorus blasting in my ears. Apparently a few of these monsters DO listen to me occasionally.

At the end of the book, the next season of pumpkins are all different shapes and colors. I LOVE art and writing projects based on picture books so...

Each student made their own Spookley pumpkin and wrote a sentence or two describing the shape and color. Some students even named their pumpkins.

I didn't get them up on the bulletin board yet but wanted to take a quick pic so you could see how cute they are. The writing paper is nothing special but you can download it {here.}

I'm off to take my boys Trick-or-Treating. Unfortunately, I broke the cardinal rule and bought candy I like. Stupid, stupid. Will I be able to resist? Doubtful. Happy Halloween!

Costume Parade Antics

2011-10-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Our school decided to have our Halloween parties and costume parade on Friday. The whole school brings out chairs and sits in a giant circle, 3 chairs deep. Each grade takes a turn parading around the inside of the circle, starting with kinder. The big kids always lean over and try to get the little kids to give them 5 which then gets my little guys excited to stand up and do the same back when the other grades come around. The control freak in me hates this because they are out of their seats (because the back two rows are left out otherwise) but I try to let it go since the other teachers let their classes do it as long as they stay in our chair area. Of course, this class pushes everything PAST the limit and started going out too far in the circle. I tell them to sit back down. This is to be expected with this class.

What was NOT expected was what happened in the last parade round when ALL the teachers do a lap. I had told some of the teachers at lunch on Thursday that I was worried about leaving my class unattended. They looked at me like, "Really? No one has ever had any issues. It is only a few minutes." I start to think that maybe I am blowing it out of proportion. But, just to be safe, I announce to my parents at the end of our party that there will be a teacher walk at the end and I would very much appreciate it if they would keep an eye on the class for me while I am gone. I even make eye contact with a parent who volunteers enough to KNOW they need watching. And yet....

I am strolling around the circle, waving to my former students, when one of the teachers comes over to me and says, "Do you know you have an entourage?" I must have had a look of confusion on my face because she smirks, "Look behind you."

I turn around and 4 of my students (you know which 4, the ones that are making my year OH SO SPECIAL) are parading behind me. They even grabbed our class sign so there is no doubt which teacher has no control over her students. SIGH. REALLY? Thanks a lot parents for helping me out. Is it too early to start a Days to Summer countdown?

Due to extreme exhaustion (or perhaps depression) from constant behavior issues, I have not been doing much creating of my own. So I thought I would share (with permission) some cute things my teammate Toni does.

Remember I posted about the Mystery Bag last time? This is the follow-up activity. Students guess how many mini marshmallows it will take fill the ghost. 10 are glued on as a benchmark. Toni has the kids use unifix cubes to count 10 with one-to-one correspondence. Then they take turns coming up to glue theirs one. I use double ten-frames.

Aren't these cute?

And look at these tear art cats. She said there are supposed to be polka dots on the cat too but the parent helper forgot. They are still adorable.

Alright friends, Super Mom has to go to 2 baseball games, deal with a car that won't start, host dinner for family tonight, write progress reports, do 7 loads of laundry, etc. so I will try to check back when I can to read all YOUR wonderful blogs. I hope you got a chuckle out of my parade story and you have no similar stories of your own!

Halloween freebies and an opportunity to win

2011-10-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

Last week we read Where's My Mummy, a cute book about a baby mummy who is not afraid of the usual Halloween scariness but IS afraid of a mouse.

We made our own baby mummy and wrote about what our "mummy" does to help us when we are scared. You can download the writing paper here. I got this idea from Cara over at the First Grade Parade and tweaked slightly. I cut strips of manila paper 9 x1 inch and then the kid trimmed them to the size they wanted. For the black eyes I cut 1 x 2 inch rectangles and then told them to fold in half, cut off the corners and round. This is called the circle cut in TLC art and my kids are pros.

I also wanted to share a fun idea I got from my teammate, Toni. You put an item in the mystery bag and then have the kids take turns asking questions to try to narrow down the possibilities. It is great to develop deductive reasoning skills.

I do guide them a little, "If it is not black, what other color might it be?" Or, if it is not an animal or a toy, what else could it be?" The class LOVES this so of course I hold it over them and tell them we may not have time if they are not being cooperative. Have I mentioned this class is one of my all-time hardest?? Okay, I know I have, too many times, but seriously, you'd have to see it to believe it. My blood pressure must be through the roof.

I was going to tell you what was in the bag but how about you play along instead? You can ask questions like the kids and I'll answer. I'll even give the FOLLOWER who gets the right answer an item from my TPT store.

P.S. I was right about the broken bones. Poor girl broke her wrist in 2 places. I also had to pass out a LICE notice today. The fun keeps coming...

Bones~ possibly broken and otherwise

2011-10-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm honored. My blog was nominated to the Top 25 Teacher Mom Blogs list on Circle of Moms.

I'd love it if you would click here and vote for me. You can vote once a day until November 8th!

We started studying vertebrates and invertebrates this week. We made circle maps with scientific observation drawings of live, model, or skeletal examples of each.


Can you guess? Yep, a cat!

Our terrific science teacher holding a great white shark jaw.

Horse!

Mr. Bones is always a hit!

This bat skeleton went perfectly with the nonfiction reading we did in the classroom. Going to a science school, my kiddos already knew quite a bit.

Pretty cool, huh! LOVE teaching at a school with an awesome science lab!

Alright friends, I am off to bed. My class this year is the most challenging I've had in quite a while and I am seriously spent every day. One of sweet girls went to the hospital with a possible broken arm after falling off the play structure at lunch today. I have been wondering how she is doing all night. The health aide sent her back to me with ice and I took one look at her and sent her right back! I already have a boy with a broken leg on crutches that the kids fall over themselves to help so tomorrow could be interesting!

Glue Got You Gloomy?

2011-10-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

What is this I am reading? Some of you had days off this week?? What is fall break and how do I get one??

Since we were in school for Columbus Day, we watched this BrainPOP Jr. video that I thought was good and made these TLC art projects.

Today we read Skeleton Hiccups which the kids enjoyed. They couldn't wait to tell me that they thought it was a fantasy story. LOVE when that learning transfers!!

Then we made q-tip skeletons and this year we added a writing idea I first saw over at the First Grade Parade. My writing paper is nothing fancy but you can get it here. I have a terrific parent who pre-cut the fingers and feet.

This project requires white glue. You just shuttered didn't you? Thinking about the pools that take days to dry or drips when the darlings want to show their friend their art? Whining that they can't open that orange lid or that nothing is coming out? Here is the solution....

I bought these Tap N Glue caps and I am in LOVE! No clogging, no opening or closing, just press down and squeeze and a little bit of glue comes out! They fit on any size of glue bottle. No, I don't get a commission, I just thought you might be a big geek like me and get excited about these. Not as excited as I would have been about a fall break....

Food Chain and Freebies

2011-10-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

We learned about the food chain in science this week. Every student got to make an interactive model (based on nesting dolls) which illustrated the concept perfectly!

The students LOVED making the animals "eat" the next animal (or grass) in the chain. It comes with lids to keep all the pieces together once it is nested. You can order your own set from Nature Watch.

My freebie today is more seasonal making words sheets. I haven't introduced these yet but I have some smarties than I know are capable.

Jack o' Lantern Making Words

Scarecrow Making Words

I need more time!

2011-10-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

First off I want to say thank you to Kim from Starbucks, Standards, and Sharpies, Amanda from the First Grade Garden, Claire from Miss Toffee's Class, and Barbara from Grade ONEderful for awarding me the Versatile Blogger Award and Jennifer at Herding Cats in Kindergarten (I LOVE that name) for the I Heart Your Blog award! I'd love to share 7 things about me and 15 new blogs but the truth is my life is CRAZY and I am barely making time to post at all! I wish I could stop time, everyone would be frozen so I could scurry around and catch up on things while not getting anything NEW on my list!! So, I am making the executive decision that you'd rather see teaching ideas than random facts about me....

Any HM users out there? We read The Rope Tug last week and worked on story structure. The Rope Tug shows students acting out a play. In lieu of costumes I made name tags for each of the characters to wear as they performed the reader's theater.

The narrator was not happy he didn't have a name tag, I should have known...

We made a story structure tree map together.

For the problem and solution I asked a student to explain it verbally and then draw a picture for our chart. They did a great job! I love the the solution picture of the rope wound between the trees. :-)
I shared the story structure and Rope Tug files if you can use them.

I am trying a new Daily 5 Choice Chart this year.

As they make their choice the card is turned over. That way they can not repeat a choice until they have done them all. I have a young group with attention problems this year so they seem to really need this visual. I also shared these Daily 5 choice cards if you'd like them.

Since I have 30 students I have to use both sides of the pocket chart stand. :-( I also have my reading groups and their book shopping day (1st rotation and then they read to self) displayed for easy reference.

Okay friends, I have to get to bed so I have patience with my darlings tomorrow. I need every ounce of patience I can get this year!!

Oak Galls

2011-09-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Do you have a life science standard similar to this?

2c. Students know animals eat plants or other animals for food and may also use plants or even other animals for shelter and nesting.

One of the units we do is a study of oak galls. Do you have oak trees near you? We have Valley Oak and Coast Live Oak trees in our outdoor classroom. First, we learned to tell the difference between them.

We went on an observation walk and did bark rubbings.

An oak apple gall.

We learned that galls are a swelling of plant tissue that provides food and shelter around a wasp larva growing inside.

This tiny wasp is only about a mm.

I turned the photo in my iphoto but it still uploaded this way. Grrr...anyone know a trick for turning photos in blogger? I modeled how to draw as we talked through the life cycle.

We looked at some samples and identified and collected data on the many different types of galls: oak apple, candy kiss, jumping balls, saucer, caterpillar, spined turban.

Did you know the Declaration of Independence was written in oak apple gall ink?
Each student got a chance to write with a feather and real oak apple gall ink.

We brainstormed what we had learned on a circle map.

Ignore the messy handwriting. If I slow down to make it neat I lose my kids.

This was our first step-up to writing paragraph. I asked for the students input but clearly this was heavily led by me.

Hope you enjoyed learning about oak galls!

Happy Fall, Y'all

2011-09-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall, Y'all!

(Okay, I gave in to my secret desire to use y'all but I just don't think a California girl like me can really pull it off. Maybe I'll come back as a cute little Texan in my next life. )

Have you noticed your class is seriously lacking in fine motor skills? Do they hold the scissors upside down or move the scissors around instead of the paper? The only answer is to provide instruction on proper technique and opportunities to practice.

I teach art every Tuesday and many of those weeks we use directed art projects from TLC Lessons. I give step-by-step directions the students must follow like, "Pick up the largest brown rectangle. Hold it vertically. Cut off a triangle on the top two corners." This reinforces shape and positional vocabulary and I use my observations of how well they follow directions as a listening grade.

Last week we did a tearing project for fall although I changed the colors from the original TLC directions.

The students decided how many leaves to put on and where.

WOW! Talk about F-A-L-L!

This one looks like it is nearing winter. :-)

I would not be able to manage this if it wasn't for my terrific parents. I have one mom who cuts all the paper at home and sends the project in all ready to pass out. I have other parent volunteers attend so they can walk around and remind children to hold their scissors correctly or get a new brown rectangle if the student had a hard time with a certain step (always have a few extras!) Especially in the beginning of the year there is some frustration and tears. It helps to have these parents to put out multiple fires.

I do admit I do need to manage the parents a little. I caution parents about helping their own child. I've found the parents are either overly tough on their child OR the child becomes a baby with the attention of their mother and the mom wants to coddle them. One boy started bawling last week and I told the mom point blank that I thought it was because she was there and as soon as she moved to the other side of the room and I talked to him he stopped crying and got to work. Unbelievably, I have also had to say, "Parents, please don't pick up the glue and do it FOR them. " But once I have the parents trained :-) it is all good.

If you are worried about your kids getting upset about how their artwork turns out, my advice is to read the book Ish.

I posted about this before but it works wonders. When we tore the trees some of the kids were a little sad that their tree had a bigger chunk out of it than my sample. I said, "Does it look tree-ish?" and the other kids jumped right on. "Yea, it is tree-ish. Maybe that is where a squirrel lives!"

I also wanted to share some blog designs that we finished. I hope you don't mind me sharing these occasionally. Maybe you will find a new blog to follow? Click on the photo to go visit.

Finally, I fixed a long overdue problem on my blog. I now have all the teaching blogs I follow listed on my sidebar! I hadn't updated that gadget in forever and was feeling badly about not having some of my new favorites on there. They are listed by the most recently updated so everyone will get fair billing. Only 10 show at a time but you can expand the list if you are interested. I so appreciate all the wonderful ideas you ALL share! I'd love it if you would add me to your sidebar, too.

Blurting Brainstorm

2011-09-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Anyone else ready for bed at 9 PM? My class is seriously wearing me out!

This came up when I googled exhausted. LOL! Umm...I wish I looked that good when I WASN'T exhausted!

I mentioned before that I have many students that were from a kinder class that a rough year. Things are getting much better but there are still a few darlings having a hard time with calling out every thought in their head OR making weird sounds??

Ready for my magic solution?

I start the timer running. If someone calls out I stop it (it makes a nice beep) and say something like, "Oh, calling out stops our timer" and write the time the class earned on the board. Then I start it over again and they try to go longer without calling out to beat their time. Time earned gets them out early to the next recess or lunch. After a little while, I didn't need to say anything about the calling out anymore I just stopped the timer and the beep was enough. The offender usually clamps their hands over their mouth!

Here is the super secret teacher trick: I never show them the actual timer because I LIE. Yes, think what you will but I lie to my children. There is no way I am letting them get out TOO early so I make up the times so they improve if they should but not by so much that they get out earlier than I am comfortable with.

Hope my occasional idea is helpful to someone else!

Flashcard Friends

2011-09-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

Do you have English learners who are still having a hard time getting their letter sounds down? I had one sweetie last year who I did flash cards with daily and she kept missing the same ones. When I asked her what the picture was on the m card, she said rat instead of mouse. On the q card she kept saying princess instead of queen. So those clues were no help at all! One day I realized she knew her classmates names better than many of the other kids did. BRAINSTORM!!!

I quickly made these alterations to the flashcards:

Luckily I had a wide variety of names and could cover most of them. Now, she quickly learned the sound of M because of her dear friend Megan! Not only were the pictures more helpful but she was more engaged in practicing her flashcards!

I don't think I'll need this trick this year since most of my students are only missing a few sounds here and there (that darn short e is a tricky one) but I came across these cards and thought maybe someone else could use the tip. Worked like a charm for my sweetie. Isn't she a cutie?

Teddy Bear Day

2011-09-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

If you use my daily editing math word problems you know that I like to incorporate interesting "holidays" into my lesson plans. This Friday was Teddy Bear Day. We made a day of it by inviting our bears (or other furry friends) to spend the day with us. We got in the spirit by making teddy bear headbands.

We recited this poem.

We made a class book introducing our furry friends. You can download a copy here.

There was a little drama when one boy's white teddy lost his eye. Luckily we found it!

I gave them the writing prompt: "Today my teddy bear came to life and..."


Today my tiger came (to) life and it was playing on the monkey bars.

They had a lot of fun coming up with what their bear would do.

Today my teddy bear came to life and my teddy bear ate my lunch.

Each child got a bag with 12 gummy bears. They sorted by color, made a bar graph, and then answered questions like which color did you have the least of? The graph I got from Teaching Heart.

Of course, we also read some bear stories.

We didn't have time because we have music class on Fridays but I was also going to have them measure their bears with unifix cubes and then do some comparing.

It was a fun-filled day that I hope the children will remember fondly when they think back to first grade.

In other news, I would like to thank Teacher Education Degrees for naming my blog to their Top 50 Early Childhood Education Blogs. There are so many wonderful teaching blogs out there I was greatly surprised and honored.

Root Viewers

2011-09-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

We start our year off studying plants in science. One of my favorite activities is these root viewers. It illustrates what plants need to survive: water, air, and sunlight and leads right into our next discussion of roots. Plus, the kids gets such a kick out of checking their seeds to see if anything is happening!

Before

After

Directions:
1. Soak the seeds (we use pea because they grow quickly) in water overnight.
2. Prep the sandwich bags by folding a paper towel and cutting it to fit. Then staple across the middle leaving some room so the roots can grow between them.
3. I had them work with their table partner so write both their names with permanent marker on the outside.
4. Each partner gets a job. One can put the seeds in, the other can add the teaspoon of water.
5. Zip the bag halfway closed to allow for air.
6. Tape to the window for sunlight.

I made this observation booklet. You are welcome to download it here. I purposely made the cover off-center so I could add the green construction paper edge but it would be fine with just staples, too.

I wrote and drew with them on my document camera the first few days .

We also planted some seeds in soil so they could more fully mature before we transplant them to our class garden.

For the last page of the booklet I handed the pots out to partners to observe. They got to choose what to write and sounded the words out the best they could. This cutie noticed roots coming out the bottom of her pot!

I'll be sure to post when we get our garden planted!

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day! Pat yourself on the back today for all that you do! It is a good thing thing I find teaching so rewarding because MAN do I put in WAY too many hours!

Here is a little reward I just found out about. Teachers Pay Teachers is having a flash sale today. The promo code is FLASH and offers 5% off all your purchases today!

Wow, I was awarded a Top Ten Blog Award by 3 people! Thanks so much to Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits, Faifthful in First, and Pitner's Potpourri for the honor. I get so many great ideas from all you other fabulous bloggers I hope that I do sometimes give you something you can use in return.

My hubbie and I spent most of yesterday working on custom blog designs. Here are the latest three that went live. A few more are close! You can click on the image if you want to go say hi.

Alrighty, time to go LABOR over the enormous laundry pile so my family has clothes to wear this week. Our district has uniforms so I have to be on the ball. Both my boys strongly prefer the school t-shirt over the polo. I caught the 6th grader trying to wear a dirty t-shirt one day last week. He moodily told me I hadn't washed them all so he was short one. You know what I said. "I wash what is brought to me. If my laundry service isn't up to your standards you are welcome to wash your own from now on." That reminds me, I should go refresh the stinker's memory of that conversation. Enjoy your day, friends.

Pete the Cat Cause & Effect

2011-09-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the 2nd Pete the Cat activity I mentioned. Our comprehension skill this week was cause and effect. I first taught the skill using the read aloud from HM, Charles Tiger. This concept is pretty confusing for 1st graders so I thought using Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, a story they loved and understood well, might make it a little easier. I created a simplified flow map with a sentence frame. The signal word because is highlighted to help them remember that a cause will follow. You can grab this worksheet here.

I modeled how to draw the cause and effect in the boxes and fill in the sentence frame correctly. I had images of Pete that I had drawn that they could glue on if they preferred but most of my class wanted to draw a close-up of the shoes like I did in my model. Here are the small Pete pics if you'd like them.
Small Pete

Then off they went to work with their partner. They had to:
1. decide which cause/effect example from the story they wanted to use
2. make sure both partners participated
3. use resources in the room or sound out the words

I am so happy it is a long weekend! I will most likely spend a lot of it working on school stuff and blog designs but at least I can do it in my pjs!

Pete the Cat Class Book Idea

2011-08-31T23:16:00.000-07:00

Oh...my...word... I have been SO busy I have not visited blogland for days!!! Please tell me everyone else has been swamped and I didn't miss too much?! Between working super-hard on training my sweeties on how 1st graders are SUPPOSED to act, Back-to-School night, attending my middle school son's BTSN, keeping up with custom blog design orders, and everything else family life throws at me...how's a girl to find her blogging time?? For now, the answer is stay up past her bedtime to share one thing we did this week.

My students (like all of yours I'm sure) LOVE Pete the Cat! I think the MP3 of the author reading/singing it is awesome if you haven't tried that. TOTALLY adds to the experience! I have not bought the new book yet but I will when I get two seconds!

I decided it would be fun to write our own class book based on this story. To make it quick and easy I just used a clear view binder. I was so busy I didn't even add a cute border...egads...that is just plain wrong!! I uploaded a version without my name on it here if you'd like it.

First, we brainstormed a list of new things Pete could step in and the color his shoes would turn. Then, I gave each student this sheet with a picture of Pete already drawn (by me, it is Pete-ISH as we say in my room) and asked them to draw the large pile of bananas (or whatever) he was stepping in. Finally, they filled in the sentence frame with their food and color. They could copy the spelling off our chart or try to write the sounds they heard like we have been practicing in writer's workshop. The most original idea: Tofu! If you'd like a copy of this page click here.

watermelon

I did another activity with Pete the Cat but you'll have to wait to read about it because this teacher tends to get a tad GRUMPY when she is sleep deprived.

Partner Compare/Contrast

2011-08-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

My teammate Robi shared this great compare and contrast lesson to introduce thinking maps and encourage partner work.

First, I modeled using a circle map to brainstorm facts about ourselves. Some suggestions were age, family members, pets, favorite color, food, activity and physical attributes such as eye and hair color.

Then partners looked at their circle maps to find what was the same and what was different. They completed double bubble maps comparing themselves. They did a great job!

As they were working I went around and took a picture of the partners. Make sure you have them switch places so their picture will match up with their names on the double bubble when you put them up on the bulletin board!

Not only was this a great lesson on compare/contrast and thinking maps but the partners got to know each other better.

I'm off to find a chick flick to watch while I rework my Back-To-School Night presentation for the parents on Tuesday! I feel like I need a vacation already...not a good sign!

One week down

2011-08-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

One week down and things are starting to come together. I started a behavior plan for my most challenging student and he is showing improvement. The class still has a hard time working quietly but they were able to write silently today once they realized I was serious! They are doing great with Daily Five. We are up to 9 minutes of stamina.

One of my favorite activities to do the first week is a directed self-portrait. The paper has the head circle for them but they draw everything else. They outline in black sharpie before I give them the oil pastels. I leave them up all year and they really add personality to the room.

I am always amazed at how diverse the development can be in one classroom.

Love the messy hair and red in the corners of his eyes. What details!

This one looks just like him!!!

I have a lot going on so sadly my blogging (posting and reading) has been lacking. I hope to get back in sync soon. I saw a new blog group by my faves (Cara, Abby, Deanna, etc) started and I will have to go visit soon but right now I have to go to bed!

My first few days...

2011-08-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

3 days down and I am exhausted! Many of my students came from a class that was not a good experience (think teacher breakdown, many subs, student who should be in Special Ed kicking and running wild, etc) and unfortunately they have behaviors that I now have to try to break. Someone told me they were on the phone in that room last year and the other person on the line asked if they were in Chuck E. Cheese!

The first day I had a boy defy me. He seems to have a problem with authority. I've NEVER moved someone's clip down the first day!

A little later I gave them Magic Playdough. I made homemade play dough and them made a hole and squirted 5 drops of food coloring in, then covered it back up. When they knead the dough it is supposed to change color to show they will have a great year. Guess who's didn't turn? Yep, the boy who had defied me. What goes around comes around kid! Of course I gave him an extra one so his would turn too but I was grinning a little on the inside. I got this idea and the poem from someone on proteacher last year. If you know who will you let me know? Click here to get the labels that I stick on the baggie.

I am trying to focus on the many cuties I do have instead of the behaviors that are trying me.

I will say I saw improvement yesterday so I think my firmness is paying off....it just makes it a little less fun. I miss my sweet class from last year. This class is also a lot lower academically too so it will be quite a ride. And did I mention I am EXHAUSTED?!

Hope you are all doing well with your start to the year!

Classroom Pics and My Birthday

2011-08-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

It's my birthday! I worked hard to get all ready for our first day back TOMORROW (YIKES) so I didn't have to go to school today. My family is making me a special breakfast as we speak.

Room Pics!


In California, our classrooms open to an outside hallway. Growing up in the Midwest I thought that was weird at first but now I love it!

Star of the Week board I posted about previously


Love my fabric bulletin boards with Eric Carle trim.


Can you say boy heavy? I have a feeling this year is going to be a doozy.


CAFE & Daily 5 board

Calendar wall


Whole brain teaching rules at the top Click HERE to get a copy of these rules.

Library

Small group table & my desk to save space!

Group listening (I also have individual cd players) and writing supplies.

Writing & Word Work


Pet corn snakes. The kids take them out to recess!

Math Tubs (still need to finish laminating some new ones)


Last year's class was GREAT about this. Instead of tattling they would say, "May I talk to Megan? We had a problem at recess."

Okay...I'm off to spend some time with my family. I will be making Magic Playdough later so I'll be back to post about that!

And the Winners Are...

2011-08-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry I didn't get these winners announce earlier. It was my oldest son's first day on the middle school campus. They have 3 half-day orientation days and I think we will need them to practice getting him out the door that early! Also, I spent the day on the interview panel to fill an opening on my team. We had over 100 applicants for 1 position. I feel very lucky to have a job right now and with a staff that I LOVE! Did I mention we start back this Wednesday?! I can't seem to get my head around that fact yet.

Drumroll please.....
The following 4 lucky winners will receive the bags shown AND their choice of laptop or iPad case!

Friends, email jenn@finallyinfirst with your laptop choice (design and size) and address so the wonderful people at Mixed Bag Designs can mail your goodies!

Brainstorm!!!

2011-08-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

I am on my way out the door to go camping with the Cub Scouts.

Yes, I am bringing my computer and laminator, which sounds awful except I always do so we can play the year-in-review movie and laminate their new whittling chip cards (allows them to use a pocket knife.) However, that cute red bag is filled with teacher stuff which I don't normally bring. I start back Wednesday and am feeling the pressure! Want to win one of those adorable bags? Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

I jumped on here though to share that I had a brainstorm! I have decided I am going to use the fabulous Cara Caroll's amazing Calendar Companion AND my Daily Editing Word Problems to make my teaching super-duper effective!!! Cara has a space to glue in a word problem so I can't wait to try this instead of the usual notebook!

SO....I extended my TPT sale through tomorrow in case you want to go buy both our products and try it, too! Don't forget to use the extra 10% code B1T1S!

Alrighty friends...time to get in the car! How will I survive with out blogs for 2 whole days!?!?!

New Blogs and Last Sale Day

2011-08-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

We have been SO busy blog designing that I am seriously behind in my school preparations! Hmmm...will my Cubmaster husband notice if I bring my laminator and a huge stack of teaching materials with me to the annual Pack Family Campout this weekend? I am SO not kidding.

Anyway, I'd love it if you'd take a peek at our 3 new designs. Also, don't forget that today is the last day to get 30% off in my TPT store! (Remember to enter the code B1T1S.)

Click on the image to go make some new friends.

The first two are teaching blogs.

Star Student Freebie

2011-08-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

Do you have a Star of the Week? The Star Student is my special helper. They do the calendar with me, return the library books, pass out papers, etc. I go alphabetically which is also our student numbers so my students know better than me whose turn is next!

Last year I decided to make my own posters that would be easier to store and cheaper!

I made 5 posters (each regular copy paper size) : Me, My Family, My Pets, My Favorite Activity, and When I Grow Up I Want to be a _____.

I assign the posters as the first week's homework and make sure I get one from every student. They can glue on photos or draw pictures. If they don't have any pets I tell them to draw what they wish they had. Then I save them in my filing cabinet until that student is the Star of the Week. After the student shares their posters we put them on a special Star of the Week bulletin board. I have star scrapbook paper already up on the board like frames so all I have to do is quickly add the student's posters and their name tag (I have their names already written on sentence strips.)

If you would like a copy of my posters you can grab them for FREE here. My 20% off sale is still on if you want to stay and shop. Don't forget to use the code B1T1S to get an extra 10% off!

Upper grade teachers: My friend Jessica just posted a great FREE writing activity she uses with her 4th graders using the picture book Giraffes Can't Dance. Click here to visit her store. She also has some great social studies skits and map activities. I sure miss teaching with her! She always came up with great hand-on projects. Now if I can just convince her to start blogging so she can share more with you all.

If you haven't entered my Mixed Bag Designs Giveaway click here to enter.

I go back to work next Wednesday! ACK!

1,000 Followers Giveaway!

2011-08-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

I have over 1,000 followers!! That just blows my mind. Thank you all so much!

If you have been following my blog for awhile you know that I teach at a super cool environmental science school. We teach our students to be green every day. This year we are working with a terrific company called Mixed Bag Designs to run a reusable bag fundraiser for our school. I'm not talking small, boring bags, these are super stylish and come in every size and shape imaginable! They also have tech gear like iPad and iPhone covers (the black swirl 3GS cover is on my wishlist!)

The wonderful people at Mixed Bag Designs have agreed to give away 4 prize packages worth approximately $100!!

AND each winner will also get to select their own....

13 inch, 15 inch, or iPad

Wouldn't it be great to start the school year with a cute new case?

That's not all! Followers of my blog can also get FREE SHIPPING through August 17! Just type in the promo code 'first' at checkout.

Want to learn more about a fundraiser or order a catalog? Send an email to dj@mixedbagdesigns.com.

How Can You Win These Amazing Bags?
Terms: Winners must be a follower of my blog and live in the U.S. or Canada. Please leave a comment for each entry.

1. Like Mixed Bag Designs on Facebook. Tell them I sent you!
2. Like my blog on Facebook.
3. Spread the word by blogging about this giveaway! (Or Facebook /Twitter if you have more followers.)

4. Follow me on Twitter.

5. Visit Mixed Bag Designs and come back and comment on which of the NEW Fall designs you like.

This giveaway will end on Monday, August 8th at noon Pacific time. Good Luck!

Back To School Sale

2011-07-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Did you hear?

There is a Back To School Sale August 1st-4th at TPT!

Every item in my store will be 20% off and if you enter the above code you can get an additional 10%!

Is your wish list ready?

There are many more games and book club packets, too!

Vintage Blogging

2011-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Our 3rd design is up! Lisa is a brand new blogger who wanted a vintage feel for her site Recess with Mizz Priss.

Why don't you pop over and welcome her to our blogging community?

Picture Rubric

2011-07-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of the year I set a lot of expectations. One of the tools I use is a picture rubric to show what I expect when it comes to drawing.

Picture Rubric

It is hard to see in this picture but the bottom drawing is a sketch of the house in pencil.

I do a mini-lesson on adding detail and color to your drawings. I ask the students to tell me the differences they notice between each level. First graders are so precious, they always tell me I am such a good artist. LOL, I wish!

Often in the beginning of the year I will refer to the chart and ask, "What can you do to make your drawing a 4?"

It isn't long before they are saying, "Look Mrs. B, I added birds flying in the sky to make my picture a 4!"

Behavior Management

2011-07-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

What behavior management system do you use?

There are so many, and I have used most of them at some point in my 12 years of teaching. When I moved down to first grade I wanted something simple, visual, and that could accent the positive.

I love the clip chart.

I first saw this at Rick Morris' site. I meant to glue it in rainbow order but notice I accidentally glued the orange and yellow in the wrong order. Ugh...that is what happens when you switch grade levels, move rooms and have to go through a retired teacher's stuff in one summer!

Each student's name is written on a clothes pin. I move MANY more clips up than I do down. It is AMAZING how motivating it is. All you have to say is. "Wow, Sam is working so quietly, I am going to put his clip up." And wouldn't you know the room is suddenly silent. Or my favorite is, "John, you were such a good friend to help Ashley pick up her crayons. That deserves a clip up." Guess what I hear next? "Allison, do you need some help?"

If they reach Outstanding I put a sticker jewel on their clip. You would think I gave them an amazing prize! They drag their mom or dad in to show them! I keep track of who's clip gets moved so I can purposely look for that quiet student doing something well.

I had on child who was so motivated by this he went past Outstanding to we determined his clip would sit at the very top of the chart and he got a bigger jewel. One time he really deserved even higher so we clipped his clip on my shirt. They thought that was AWESOME!! First graders are so easy to please.

I do move clips down for things if needed. To be honest I run a tight ship so I don't have too many behavior problems but it helps me reinforce things like not blurting out constantly or making any kind of bad choice. The blue is just a warning and for most that is enough. If they correct the behavior or are good for a while I will move them back up. I think this is very important. It really helps for them to know they are in control of where their clip goes.

Teacher's Choice means I decide the consequence. Usually it means missing some of recess to talk to me about their behavior.

The thing I love best though is that it keep ME accountable. It keep me from just being that teacher that gives warning after warning without doing anything. It is also great for parents to have a good read on their kids day. I reset everyone back to green until after everyone has been picked up. That way if a parent wants to come in and see how their child did they can. I had one special sweetheart's mom check it EVERY day so we could work on his behavior together.

The Lesson Plan Diva is having a linky party so head over there to see other great behavior management ideas.

Linky Giveaway

2011-07-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

Q. What do you need to host a linky party?

A. You need to install a widget in your blog that allows you to accept link submissions from your readers.

I use InLinkz.

Here is a quick video to explain how to start using InLinkz.

You can register for FREE and create as many text collections (links that are only the name) as you want and 1 free thumbnail collection (link with a small picture of the blog.)

I looked into the paid subscription ($1.99/month or $19.99/year) because I much prefer the thumbnail collections. Many of our blog names are similar so I like pictures of the blogs that are participating.

Guess what I found out?

With the paid subscription you can set the preferences to ensure polite linking! You can require the person linking to link back to you. The widget searches their blog for your url! You can also require that the link they enter is for the specific post and not just their general blog url!! (If you don't understand why these are important read my previous post of Linking Etiquette.) If the blogger doesn't follow these rules, they can't post!!!

Did you know that this widget can also run your giveaway??? No more numbering comments or taking a picture of the random number generator. The widget automatically draws the winner and notifies them!

Did you know that you can earn 65 cents commission on each paying user that comes from your links? You can even put the links on Facebook and Twitter!

Iphone users can even enter their links from their phone!

Would you like to try these cool features out for free?

Here is the GIVEAWAY!!!

Thanks to the generosity of Artis over at InLinkz, I am giving away to 3 lucky followers...

a FREE upgraded InLinkz account for 4 months!

That means you can host as many linky parties as you want using thumbnail pics as well as trying out the other great features. Don't worry, after the 4 month free upgrade ends your account will revert back to a free account and any collections you start during this 4 months will still be safe.

You can earn up to 4 entries:

1. Earn 1 entry by blogging about this giveaway on your blog.

2. Earn 1 entry by following/subscribing to both my blog and InLinkz blog.

3. Earn 1 entry by following my blog and InLinkz on Facebook.

4. Earn 1 entry by following my blog and InLinkz on Twitter.

After you complete an entry requirement (ex. Following BOTH blogs) link up!
(For newbies that means clicking the blue link button below, entering your blog url, name, and your email. Then you can add the image of your blog header. Make sure you slide the editor over the cutest part of your header. Give it a try and let me know if you need help. )

And for the first time (that I know of) in teaching blogland...we are going to let InLinkz automatically pick and notify the winners! Let's try it!

This giveaway ends next Monday, August 1st at NOON sharp!

Want to see our newest design?

2011-07-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the custom blog design we installed today for Mrs. Goddard's Class.

You can click on the picture to see it in action.

Bright and happy, don't ya think?

Before....After

2011-07-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

Our first custom blog design is up!

Tessa at Spotlight on Kindergarten knew she wanted to keep her polka dots but opted for her favorite colors: green, teal, and red.

Ready for the big reveal?

BEFORE

AFTER

Well, what do you think?

If you like the scrap kit Tessa picked you can click on the picture and head over to tell her.

Tips to Gain Followers

2011-07-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

I was asked to share tips on gaining followers. I am not sure I am the best person out to there to respond since there are others with more followers than me but I will try. Here are my

#1 Creative Ideas
The most popular teaching blogs are those teachers who share original, creative, aesthetically pleasing
lesson ideas. Deanna Jump, Cara Carroll, Babbling Abbey .... they all just ooze creativity and everything they do is A-dorable! Nothing beats QUALITY!

Now I know you are thinkin', I WISH I was like them but they are A-mazing. I feel ya, but when you do have the occasional brainstorm, make sure you blog about it, with pictures, directions, and a free download if possible.

#2 Free Printables
Let's face it, teachers love free stuff! If you share, they will come. Especially if it is cute! Add clip art, borders, and fun fonts to really WOW them.

#3 Host a Giveaway
The prize can be anything...gift cards, bags, jewelry, TPT items, etc. The more valuable of course, the more people who will take the time to enter. You want to make the giveaway last a few days to a week to give it time to circulate among the blogs. Asking to be followed for an entry is good but don't stop there. Offer another entry if they blog about your giveaway so word spreads to people who don't currently follow you. Another entry can be given if they add you to their blog roll or grab your button. That way their followers may check you out long after your giveaway is over.

#4 Link Up
Participate in linky parties. This will bring traffic in from the linking site and if people like what they see, they may follow you. See my previous linky party post here.

#5 Comment
Do you like when you receive a comment on your post? Of course you do! One way to get friendly with other bloggers is to stop lurking and take the time to comment. Make sure to leave your link under your name. The blog owner and other readers may decide to give you a look. You can read my previous post on leaving your direct link here.

So, in the spirit of helping newbies gain followers, please go visit Hope at her cute new blog Second Grade Shenanigans. You'll be glad you did.

Dream Team Designs

2011-07-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been posting much this week.

Bill and I have been SUPER busy working on blog designs!

We'd love it if you would become a follower of our new blog

Dream Team Designs.

Our first customer's design will be unveiled soon...

More Commenting Tips

2011-07-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Did you know you can subscribe to comments???

Have you ever been interested in reading the comments on a post but don't want to have to keep going back to the post to check if there is anything new? Or perhaps you asked the blog owner a question and are hoping she comments back? You can hit subscribe right under the comment and you will be emailed! There is an unsubscribe option in the email if you no longer want to get them.

I had a few questions after my direct linking post that I thought I would try to answer also.

1. Where do you save this direct link code so it is easy to cut and paste into comments?

I use and love a free app called xpad. (Sorry PC people, it is only for Mac. Maybe a PC person can comment on what they use? There must be something similar.)

After I install it in my applications folder I drag it to my dock so it can be opened quickly. I use it all the time! It saves automatically and you can easily switch to different pages. If you are a list person, this is the app for you!

2. I can not get direct linking to work. I get this error message. Can you help me?

My husband actually figured this one out. (I told you he was a computer genius.) The problem seems to be saving the code in word or pages. They both automatically are changing your quotes to those fancy curved quotes called smart quotes. You can shut this preference off. Web browsers do not see regular double quotes and smart quotes the same. This is why you are getting the error message.

Solutions: Use xpad instead or change your preferences in word or pages.

Hope this post has been helpful.

TPT sale 24 Hours ONLY!

2011-07-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

The BIG day is finally here! But this HUGE sale only lasts 24 hours so don't delay!

For ONE DAY ONLY I am offering 20% off of my ENTIRE store!

And its not just me! Check out my sale first, and then check out the other over 30 sales happening today only - you're sure to find something you'll love. Click any button below to visit a participating sale!

I told you it was going to be big and worthy of the title, "Christmas In July!" Happy shopping and Merry Christmas (in July)!

Daily Editing Word Problems are done!!!

2011-07-15T00:12:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh.....That was me..sighing in relief (or perhaps exhaustion)...because I FINALLY finished it.

38 weeks (190 school days) of

So you all can stop emailing me asking when it will be done and RUN yourself over to TPT to grab a copy! I think it is a bargain at $15 for over 190 pages! That is less than the Evan-Moor books (currently in TPT for $16.99) and you would have to buy 2 of those (one daily language and one word problems!)

If you don't recall me posting about these last school year, here is what they look like.

I have 30 students so I make 8 copies of the days page, then cut then apart with the paper cutter. Each student has a strip on their desk when they walk in. They glue it into their notebook, put the code date at the top, use editing marks to correct then draw a picture and solve the math problem! Of course we start the year by doing it together but by the end of the year they are awesome editors and problem solvers!!!! And the editing DOES translate to their own writing. I LOVE when I see these marks show up unprompted!! The first half of the packet doesn't include spelling errors so students see the sight words spelled correctly for a few months. In the beginning of the year most first graders can't read that well so I project it with my digital camera and share the pen, having students come up and find the punctuation errors and circle sight words. As you can see from the example, I include book characters (Frog and Toad), common teaching themes (penguins), and holidays (well-known and otherwise) to keep things interesting! I hope you like them.

Random Number Generator and Screen Shots

2011-07-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

Today I have another blogging how-to for you. (I'm a poet and didn't know it.)

You are hosting a giveaway and need to pick the winner. You want to use a random number generator like you have seen on other sites. Here is the link to the random website.

I know what you are thinking...but how do I get it in my blog post?

You need to take a screen shot.

I have a MAC:
1. I make sure the cursor is out of the picture area.
2. Hold down Command(apple), shift, 4 at the same time. My cursor turns into a bulls eye. I select (click and drag your mouse) around the area I want to take a picture of.
3. When I unclick the mouse the picture is taken and shows up on my desktop as Picture1.png
4. Now I can insert the png like I normally add a picture to my blog posts.

I don't use a PC but from what I understand (feel free to jump in PC people):
1. Take a screenshot (PrintScr)
2. Paste it into a graphics editor (I think Microsoft Paint comes with your PC)
3. Resize it and save.
4. Now you can insert like you normally add a picture to your blog post.

Did you learn something new?

Do you know your blog terminology?

2011-07-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for all the sweet compliments on my new blog design. I am excited to say we have our first client!

I have had some emails asking our blog design prices. I went ahead and made a quick page here until we create our own blog design site. Click the words BLOG DESIGN on the navigation bar (under the header.) I was also asked about what some of the terms mean so I thought I would add this. Maybe some of you newer bloggers don't know these? I feel kinda cool having a personal favicon (long a like favorite) that brands me like Facebook's f or Twitter's bird.

Does that help?

I Have NEWS!

2011-07-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

I have a new blog design! What do you think?

Why did I decide to design my own?
1. I didn't LOVE the free template I had and for the amount of time I spend on here I should!
2. I started seeing my same header on other blogs and I wanted my blog to have an original look.
3. I wanted my blog to reflect me...Can you tell I love polka dots and have a thing for owls?

Here is the super cool part~ if you already have my button, it is magically now in the new design!

Now for the news...

My husband and and I are taking the plunge and starting to offer blog design services!

Bill is a computer genius and I love digital designing so it makes for a perfect partnership. I will be adding a page about our blog design services soon but I was too excited not to share now with my blog buddies!

Since I am in such a good mood, let's play a little game.

Who can answer these questions about the above picture?
1. What show was this character on? (I am showing my age here.)
2. What was his tag line?

Direct Linking in Comments

2011-07-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

I was asked to explain how to leave a direct link when commenting on someone else's blog.

Here it is...

I copy the following code in below my name every time I post.

I keep it saved and just copy and paste.

When I submit it it will come out looking like this:

If someone rolls over my blog name it changes color and is underlined to show it is a link.

To use this code just replace my website link with yours and your blog name instead of Finally in First.

Hope that helps!

Linky Party Etiquette

2011-07-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

One day, my college roommate sat me down and asked in her quiet voice, "Jenn, do you think you could try not to let the kitchen cabinet doors slam?" Apparently I had been doing just that for weeks and she finally got up the nerve to approach me about it. I had NO idea I was doing it, but once she pointed it out, I started noticing my tendency to swing it closed and the resulting BANG. Once I was aware, I quickly fixed that obnoxious behavior. I was grateful that my roommate told me and didn't harbor bad feelings all year.

So this is me, bringing up a topic for discussion:

Hosting my Font Linky this week, I discovered there are some new bloggers who don't understand

1) exactly what linky parties are

2) how to link up politely

Here are my thoughts...

WHAT ARE LINKY PARTIES?

The purpose of a linky party is to share ideas about a particular topic across blogs. Not only is it great to share with each other but you often learn about new blogs this way. When you link up you are saying that you have blogged about this topic, come see my response.

THERE IS A POLITE WAY TO LINK UP?

When you link up you should paste the url of the specific post, not just your main blog url.
Linky parties can be left open for months. If you link to your main blog page the blog post they are looking for could be buried. It is NEVER okay to link up if you have not blogged about the topic.

For those who don't know about the thumbnail pics: When you link up there is an option to crop-click it and it will bring up the available pics on your blog. I always select my blog header and then slide the crop tool so it is centered nicely.

CONTENT
If you link your blog, make sure your post adds valuable content. I personally don't think just stating there is a linky party garners enough to link up but others may disagree. I do think you need to mention the name of the hosting blog and make it a link back to them. That way if someone reads your post 1st they will be able to get to the party!

I hope this post was helpful to some of you. My intent was not to be preachy, I hope I didn't come off that way. If you disagree with me on any of this (I am certainly not the Miss Manners of blogging) by all means comment (nicely please.)

And the Winner is...

2011-07-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

It is time to announce the winner of my 800 Follower Giveaway...

Let me know the email address you would like me to send to and if you still want Place-Value Go Fish.

Thank you to everyone else for participating. If you are disappointed you didn't win you can always visit my TPT store and give yourself a little gift. :-)

800 Followers GIVEAWAY!

2011-07-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

I reached 800 followers today!

So of course that means...GIVEAWAY time!

I will give a lucky winner any item they choose from my TPT store.

Will it be my newest 3-game set?

or did you have one of my other items on your wishlist?

I came up with 8 ways to enter (for 800 followers.)

Counting Cows: 3 skip counting games

2011-07-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

I made a new 3-game-set practicing skip counting by 2's, 5's and 10's.

There are 48-50 cards for each game. They are color-coded by difficulty for easier differentiation.

They cover 2's to 100. 5's and 10's to 120, including counting off the decade.

I usually charge $2 per game but this one is specially priced at all 3 games for $5.

If you are interested you can click HERE to go to my TPT store.

Chapter 7: Geometry

2011-07-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

I have been reading Debbie Diller's Math Work Stations online. I have been trying to keep track of the great activity ideas shared for each chapter. I thought I could cut these in half and laminate to remind me what to teach and which materials to prepare. Then they could be put in the tubs for the Math Talk reminder.

Geometry Activity Cards

Head over to Patton's Patch to see all the other great posts on this chapter.