Winner and the Longest Day Ever

I'm finally on Spring Break! Thursday I had 38 students all day due to a sub shortage.  Has that ever happened to you? The sub didn't show and the teacher had her phone off for the training so didn't know they wanted her to come back. It was the longest day EVER! I don't understand why my district limits the number in the sub pool? Can it really hurt to have more names to call? Clearly we need more.

I'm off to the airport to go see my family in Palm Desert but I wanted to pop in and announce the winner of my new Splat the Cat Sings Flat book club packet is Susie Stallard!

I'll be using these the week we get back...

 

and I have a few more I am in the process of making packets for. I hope to get them done this week but I have promised myself I am going to relax and give myself some me time, too. The pool is calling me.

Crazy mom has requested an IEP for 8 AM the Monday we get back for no apparent reason. I think she is just doing it because she can.  So I am really trying NOT to think about the fun that awaits me on my return.

Hopefully I will fit in some blog reading time so I can catch up with you all.

Splat the Cat Sings Flat

4 more days until my Spring Break. I can make it! I had my doubts there for awhile. My class was EXTREMELY (ridiculously, unimaginatively, insanely)  talkative and I was seriously at my wits end. In desperation I changed my behavior system to Class Dojo. The change was immediate and I felt like I could finally hear myself think!  I'd kiss those Dojo guys if they didn't live so far away. Well, that and my hubby probably wouldn't like it too much.

I've been working on some new book club packets. My students are so excited to be a part of these book clubs. They are funny, they covet the book packets that other groups get assigned. Today a group literally cheered when they saw that they got to read Junie B. Dumb Bunny next.

Are you a Splat the Cat fan? When I saw Splat the Cat Sings Flat was available from Scholastic SeeSaw January for only $1 I snapped up 6 copies for my guided reading groups. This book is an Accelerated Reader level of 1.8.

Comprehension Questions

Parts of Speech sort with words from the story.

A choice of 2 text-to-self writing responses with a peek-over craft!

Click {HERE} to go check this packet out. As usual, I'd like to give a copy away to a loyal follower.
Just enter below and I will pick a winner on Sunday when I am finally enjoying my Spring Break!
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Night in Jail and a Easter Egg Center Freebie

Congratulations to Monica Mize on winning my Easter Bunny Craftivity!

Did you do anything cool this weekend? I didn't either but my husband and two boys did. They got to sleep on Alcatraz Island in a prison cell last night!

Notice both my boys are in dire need of haircuts but they keep saying long hair is cool and can I just trim it for them? I wish I could find a hairdresser who got what they wanted but every time we try they end up with the typical boy cut and they are SO MAD.

While they were gone I got myself a haircut, mani/pedi and leisurely walked around Target. It was heaven! I bought some new baskets for my Easter Egg Spelling center this week.

 Last year the kids drove me batty because letters would be found and they didn't know which egg it went to. This class has even more trouble taking care of things so I knew I had to come up with a better system this year.

I put the number that matches the egg on each letter tile and I color-coded the frame to match the color of the basket! I am going to explain this system to my class with hopes that the leaders will be able to help the others. 

Click on the picture to download.

I'm sure you don't have the same spelling words but I did make my recording sheet available as a free download if you can use it.

Now I have to go finish the laundry. I am listening to The Host on audiobook which makes chores seem less painful. I read the book many years ago so I thought it would be good to refresh before I see the movie. Any other Stephenie Meyer fans?

 As much as I want to see The Host, I may end up seeing G.I. Joe:Retaliation first. Surprised? Well, I'll see anything with Channing Tatum but the real reason is I taught the director when he was in middle school (back when I taught at a small private school.) I still remember the day in 7th grade when he started adding the middle initial to his signature, Jon M. Chu, so it sounded better when he was famous some day. :-) He was making movies even back then and we knew he was destined for great things. In high school he wrote this spoof on Romeo and Juliet based on the Mac and PC war that was big back then that I thought was extremely clever.  Jon is one of those rare people who have that elusive "it" factor.

You may not have seen Step Up 2 or 3D or Justin Bieber: Never Say Never but I bet you have seen his commercial. Okay, enough dating myself. Enjoy the rest of your night my friends.

Easter Bunny Craftivity Giveaway

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! For the first time in many years the leprechauns did not visit our house and I have to say I'm a little sad. My boys are growing up. Thank goodness I teach 1st grade so I can still enjoy the magic.

Easter is early this year so it is time to start thinking bunnies. I blogged about this bunny craft and writing last year but never made the templates available. I added more writing ideas and aligned it to the common core.

I included picture book suggestions and a choice of three writing activities.

Picture book: The Easter Egg by Jan Brett
1. Opinion: Do you think the Easter Bunny picked the best egg? W1.1
 

  2. Text-to-Text: How did The Easter Egg remind you of Horton Hatches the Egg? RL1.9

Picture Book: If I Were the Easter Bunny by Louise Gardner
3. Narrative: Students write what they would do if they were the Easter Bunny. W1.3

Click on the picture below or {here} to go check this packet out.

As always, I will give a free copy to one of my loyal followers. You can earn 3 entries below.

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St. Patty's & a Fashion Emergency

Wow, this was a busy week! Progress reports due, conferences, a visit from the leprechauns...

It was St. Patty's Day fever in my room this week.

We read Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato and used our Potato Craftivity pack I posted about last week. Congrats to Amy S. who won that giveaway.

We read That's What Leprechauns Do by Eve Bunting, wrote about what we would do if we caught a leprechaun, and of course made another cute TLC craft. Anyone else noticing how bad the fine motor skills are these days? I have SO many kids who are terrible with scissors, complain how hard it is, and some still hold the scissors wrong! Is it the excessive standards put on Kinders now or the electronic age? Combo maybe?

 We played Pot O' Gold in math to practice our addition strategies.

The kids made leprechaun traps for homework and brought them in on Thursday. I wish I could show them all but here are few...

This smarty made a Starry Night background and included a battery powered candle under the roof!

Many people believe drilling a hole in coins is illegal so I got a chuckle since his dad is a cop.

Can you see the slit in the path the leprechaun will fall through?

"He will get stuck on the sticky hand!"

"The cup falls down to trap him."

 The leprechaun visited our room on Thursday night and made a mess. I forgot to take pictures but it was similar to previous years. We didn't catch him but he left each child a note and some chocolate coins.  I had a blog reader request help with the leprechaun note.  I had previously uploaded the one I use to SCRIBD but I know some people have trouble with that so I put in on Google Docs. Click on the picture to download.

I forgot to post last week that  I won {woohoo, I never win anything} Elizabeth's cute craft pack Let's Celebrate Reading!

We wrote homophones on the socks.

Do your girls make eyelashes on EVERY art project? LOL

After his baseball game on Thursday night my middle school son says he has nothing cool to wear for free dress day, will I take him to H & M? I am dead tired but you know how important looking good is at this age so I take him. He wants bright green skinny jeans for St. Patty's day! We end up in the mens section so the skinny jeans aren't that skinny but he was happy with his outfit complete with beanie. When he got to school, his girlfriend had on the same color jeans so people thought they planned it. Ah, middle school...

Alrighty, off to watch my two boys play baseball. The weather has been beautiful this week so I think I need to go find the sunscreen!