Exciting News!!

Well, I am excited to announce that I got engaged this week!! I can't believe my life has changed so much in the last year, and for the better! I am already overwhelmed thinking about planning a wedding, yet yet eager and excited! Please let me know if you have any tips or words of advice for wedding planning! I would love to hear! Anyways, I just wanted to share that with you all!! I am sure I will be posting things along the way!

Cyber Sale!

TPT is having a huge Cyber Monday AND Tuesday sale starting tomorrow! You don't want to miss out! I'm already filling up my cart with goodies!

Thanks to Krista for the cute button!

Click below to head to my shop!

Leveling Your Own Reading Materials

Just this past week, I discovered that you can actually level your own texts. Most Scholastic books these days already come leveled, but what if you have textbok passages or reading passages that you have created and want to know what the level is? The answer is this amazing website! Follow the picture tutorial for using the Lexile Analyzer.

Just click the image below to download a copy of my chart. I used a combination of different resources to match up the levels with the correct grade level. It may not be 100% accurate, but it's pretty close. I have included it in black and white and color.

I hope you have found this helpful! It certainly has been for me!

The Trouble with Turkeys

I finally finished my Turkey Trouble Persuasive Writing Mini Unit! 

And as promised, here is the winner!

Lisa, please send me an e-mail at glauren4556@gmail.com and I will send you the unit! 

Head on over to my shop and grab yourself a copy by clicking my store button below!

Idioms

I think this is a record this year. I'm actually posting for a third time in a week! Gotta celebrate the small things sometimes!

Last week, we worked on idioms. Let me tell you...my kids KNOW how to identify some idioms! They don't always know what they mean, but by golly, they can tell you when they hear one! HAHA

One of my students has even been keeping a list of all of the idioms he's found at home. He carries it everywhere and shows me his list like EVERY afternoon! Another one of my students told me at lunch today that he and his rowdy classmates were just trying to keep me on my toes!

Anyways, I wanted to share a cute little Idiom Poster that I created to assess the students at the end of the week. We brainstormed all of our favorite idioms on the board and then I asked them to pick their favorite for the poster activity.

Here are some cute examples!

(Sorry it's blurry! He illustrated "party animal." HAHA It was my fav!

I have found myself having a really hard time at school this year...with everything. I have felt defeated and unmovitated. So...I stumbled upon this blog post tonight by Elizabeth from Kickin' It In Kindergarten and it's just something to inspire a little some hope and comfort in those moments when we feel like we can't do anymore.

Sometimes we just need a little list to remind us of the importance of what we do!

Happy Hump Day!

I have a little something in the works...

I just received a new book from my most recent Scholastic order and it has inspired a new unit! 

It's no secret that this book is kind of a big hit around the Thanksgiving holidays, but it's new to me and so I wanted to make a new writing mini unit to wrap up our persuasive writing unit.

I'm hoping to have this completed this weekend because I'm using it next week! 

In honor of my return to the blogging world, I will be giving away this unit on Sunday evening! In order to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me what you are most thankful for this holiday season! 

Happy Holidays!

I'm back, Jack!

Oh. My. Word. It's been an eternity. This has by far been the craziest school year. Between my grad class, planning to teach my class, teaching my class, dealing with my class (haha), and meetings out the wazoo...I haven't had much time for anything blog related. I have only had time to focus on my what's before me. 

With that being said...I'd like to catch you up on the happenings in my classroom in pictures. =)

I think that brings you all up to speed! 

I am so overwhelmed this year, but I wanted to check in with you all and let you know I'm still alive and I'm going to make a very good effort not to neglect you all for so long!

And this week, we are working on physical and behavioral animal adaptations so I made a flipbook to go along with our unit. I wanted to share it with you all! 

I also made a flipchart to accompany the flipbook! 

Important Note: that you must have Promethean Activ Inspire software to download and use! You also need to download the following fonts from Jen Jones, Hello Sunshine and Hello Poppin Tags!

I hope to be back later this week with the behavioral adaptation version! 

I hope you all have a fabulous Sunday! It's almost Walking Dead time!!

All About Me Snapshots Bulletin Board Idea

So let me just tell you...I'm in week 3 of school and I have A class! I am already worn out and it's only just begun!! Please pray for me...and my sanity...and yeah...just pray.

Anywho, rant over! We worked on this cute activity inspired by Alisha Peara - The Bubbly Blonde! 

I used the movie strips on the bottom of mine from Alisha's Terrific Third Grade Fun pack, which you can purchase for yourself HERE. 

I used the camera from Creekside Teacher Tales and then decided to print and cut their pictures to put in the center. 

You can purchase this adorable set HERE! 

Off to watch Big Brother!! P.S. Amanda is soooo not my fav anymore. She sucks...lol GO JUDD!!

Blogger Meet Up and Partial Classroom Reveal

Well it has been weeks since our Carolina Bloggers Meet Up here in Greenville and I finally had time today to upload pictures and post them! Here are just a few!

Me and the lovely Rachel Lamb from the Tattooed Teacer blog! We're new besties. =)

 Thanks to Amanda Madden of Teaching Maddeness for these adorable gift bags and nametags! 

This was so much fun! Amanda Madden put this whole weekend together and I can't wait until we get to do it again! All of these women were awesome!

We started school with kids on Wednesday and my classroom still isn't exactly where I want to be so I am just sharing a few projects and pictures.

Those little cups are dry erase! How cool is that! I found the dry erase adhesive squares at Wal-mart in the back to school section. I am excited for my Guided Reading groups this year! No more whippin' out those whiteboards!

 Um, did you guys know that Avery makes circular labels now??! I didn't...They also can be purchased in oval and square shapes!! I love them!! 

 I updated my Back to School Forms Checklist. You can download it HERE!

Well, I am off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday relaxing! Hope everyone has a great week! I will be back with a full reveal and first week fun next week!!