Thursday, February 28, 2013

Armadillos, a Little Bit of Texas and a SALE!

Howdy!!
 
I am so excited about my post for the Booking Across the USA blog hop! I was able to represent the  state of Texas in a bog hop across the country! It has been so much fun to read about all the states and see all the fabulous ideas that the teachers and bloggers presented to go along with their state inspired books. 
 
I chose two of my favortie books (I am a fiction/nonfiction pairing type of girl)!
 
Come by
to check out the super cute Aramdillo activity that I use with my kiddos each year to celebrate the rodeo coming into town!
 
In addition, I am having a sale at my TpT store! My lastest and greatest is a fun set of fonts that I have created that I think you will love! The best aprt is that they are only $3.20 and the resource will definitely keep growing....WOOHOO!!
 
 
 

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Rockin' Teacher Materials: A Trip Down Kindergarten Lane & a Freebie!

Rockin' Teacher Materials: A Trip Down Kindergarten Lane & a Freebie!A long time ago, I taught kindergarten and I always had a full length mirror at my cut and paste station so the kids could look at themselves as they created their paper people. You would be amazed at how quickly the paper people went from 'heads with arms and legs' to 'heads, necks, bodies with arms and legs', and the list goes on.
Stop by to see more!

Recently, I was talking with a friend of mine who still teaches the little ones and she asked me to come up with a rhyming activity sometime. I had so much fun coming up with this! I just love the clip art that is available now too!

If you would like to check out a close up of the pack and get a free rhyming worksheet, just click {here}.


Friday, February 22, 2013

Presidents' Day Isn't Over Yet!

Ever notice how many car dealerships extend Presidents' Day throughout the whole month of February?  Well, that's what I do in the classroom!

February is incredibly busy, and I want to give the presidents the amount of time they're worth!  

I've been teaching the children about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  
We've spent a couple of days talking about the strengths and qualities of both presidents. 

Here is one of the Writing Common Core Standards for Second Grade:  
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and,also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Check out Elementary Matters to find this freebie on opinion writing we'll be using to address this Common Core standard.
Happy Presidents' Month!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

A Miracle for Miracle


A few weeks ago, we received some sad news at school. One of our sweet first graders, Miracle, has been diagnosed with Leukemia. What should have been a normal, routine physical has changed Miracle's life. 
This is where you can help raise A Miracle for Miracle. For a $25 donation you will receive all of the following products sent to you. The package of 31 units is valued at approximately $110. All proceeds will be given to Miracle and her family to help with medical and travel expenses. 
Stop on by to see what it's all about!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln Freebie

Who else loves to teach President's Day?  It's my all-time favorite unit. :-)  I just shared some of my plans for this week on my blog.  I'd love for you to stop by!  You can also pick up this George Washington and Abraham Lincoln Fluency and Comparison Freebie as well! 


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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Rockin' Teacher Materials: Spinners for All Your Spinning Needs . . . and a F...


Rockin' Teacher Materials: Spinners for All Your Spinning Needs . . . and a F...: Check out this fun comprehension spinner to spice up your guided reading, read to someone, all sorts of things!

You can also see where you can get some awesome spinners to keep you from using the old 'pencil and paper clip' trick!

Click the pic to pick some up for only $2.99!




                                    Thanks for stopping by!

                  Photobucket

Rockin' Teacher Materials: Spinners for All Your Spinning Needs . . . and a F...

Rockin' Teacher Materials: Spinners for All Your Spinning Needs . . . and a F...: Check out this fun comprehension spinner to spice up your guided reading, read to someone, all sorts of things!

You can also see where you can get some awesome spinners to keep you from using the old 'pencil and paper clip' trick!

Click the pic to pick some up for only $2.99!




                                    Thanks for stopping by!

                  Photobucket

Happy Presidents' Day!

Looking for something for Presidents' Day?

I plan on spending most of next week celebrating our presidents as well as our country.

If you've been following my blog, you know I have a strong sense of patriotism, and feel children should take pride in their country.  I also love teaching social studies, and mapping skills.

Here's a freebie I made that includes 2 Fact mini-books on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  It also has a mapping activity on finding places related to these presidents. (Click image for freebie.)




Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Rockin' Teacher Materials: February Fun and a Freebie Too!

Rockin' Teacher Materials: February Fun and a Freebie Too!: Well, it's Valentine's Eve! Are you ready for party day tomorrow? I know my kids have been doing the party dance ALL WEEK! 

If you want to have a little fun and still teach the Common Core, check out my Valentine Math Mysteries!I have them for {1st}, {2nd}, {3rd}, and {4th} grades.





If you teach addition or multiplication, grab up this Fun '{You Stole My Heart}' Freebie! Included in this pack are game boards for addition facts to 18, multiplication facts to 6 x 6, and multiplication fearsome facts and squares.



Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Rockin' Teacher Materials: Checking Over Our Tests



Rockin' Teacher Materials: Checking Over Our Tests: How spelling is set up in my classroom, and I want to share with you the way I give my spelling and dictation tests. Head on over to read more and                
                             see the videos!


Thanks!

                     

Monday, February 11, 2013

Classroom Freebies: Words Families Under Construction

Word families Rock and I love using them with my kiddos. These pages are great for them, especially at the beginning of 2nd Grade. I love using them with write on/wipe off pouches and dry erase markers. They are also great with magnets and cookie sheets, as well as rubber stamps. Go ahead, pick up your own {free packet} now!


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Rockin' Teacher Materials: Z's Tooth & Free EDM Learning Targets


Rockin' Teacher Materials: Z's Tooth & Free EDM Learning Targets Guess what?! I have combined my Everyday Math Learning Targets into one pack for the entire year of 1st grade and into one pack for the entire year of 2nd grade. I'm almost done with the 3rd grade too. Since I combined the packs, I'm offering the first unit for each grade level for free. Just click the pics to check out your own pack!



1st Grade Learning Targets Freebie


2nd Grade Learning Targets Freebie
             

            Photobucket

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Number Sense with Cuisenaire Rods

I have some students in my class who don't quite have "number sense".  These are the kids who still don't automatically "count on" when adding two numbers together.  When determining the sum of two dice, they still count the dots!  These kids need more "hands on" opportunity to get to know these numbers inside out!

I absolutely LOVE Cuisenaire Rods for helping children develop their number sense.  I posted about them a while ago with THIS POST about using Cuisenaire Rods to practice math facts and fact families.  I've got some kids who need to back up even further and really need to get to know the individual numbers by using these manipulatives.


Come on over to Elementary Matters to see my ideas on using Cuisenaire Rods to develop Number Sense and download this freebie!

Classroom Freebies: Parents Love Data Binders...You Will Too!

Parents love the feedback that they get from our data binders that go home each week. The kids love seeing their scores each week too so they can graph their progress  each week.

It's awesome to see the growth in the kids throughout the year too. When I needed to pull some data for my growth reports, it was so easy because everything is in one place. Head on over to see how I'm using these binders in my room and get a {free pack} to get started!



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