Ginger Snaps

Fraction Clip Art

2012-02-06T19:10:00.000-08:00

Hola bloggers! It's Monday night and I have been working like a mad woman to create some fraction clip art while simultaneously watching the Bachelor! I only have two sets uploaded to my Teacher's Notebook Clip Art gallery as of tonight. Tomorrow, I will have the digital stamp versions and combo packs uploaded. I also plan on making some fractions of a set clip art as well to post soon. I have so many ideas buzzing around in this brain.

Here is the fraction clip art I have uploaded as of tonight.

I will post the digital stamps of these sets tomorrow along with my Rectangle Fraction Set. Stay tuned later in the week for more!

Click HERE to snag some clip art sets!

I also have some teaching related goodies planned to share this week. =)

Valentine Newsletter

2012-02-05T16:14:00.000-08:00

So I know it's taboo to post twice in one day, but I was so busy creating clip art this morning that I didn't have time to do anything else since I had to go to the circus today! I am bummed I forgot my good camera so I couldn't take any pictures to share. =(

I promised a Valentine Newsletter earlier and here it is! All clip art is from Microsoft Word. The newsletter title font is LuvCountryArt and the other fonts needed are Wish I Were Taller and Smiley Monster from Kevin and Amanda.com. I'm not sure where LuvCountryArt is from. I can't remember! But anyway, grab your freebie!

I also made some more geometry clip art! Someone requested 3D shapes with real life examples, so you can head over to my Teacher's Notebook Clip Art store to snag yourself this set!

I also created some combo packs with the digital images and digital stamps for the 3D shapes set.

I have also created some combo sets for the line and angles set and the regular polygons set. You can check all these out here. I would love it if you would go add my clip art shop to your favorites! =)

Be on the lookout for some fraction clip art soon!

Geometric Shapes and Lines Art

2012-02-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!! I am so excited! I am going to the circus today and I can't wait!! Ringling is in town and I haven't been in two years! I will take pictures for you!

Anyway, I have finally gotten around to creating some clip art this morning. I had a request for some geometric shapes and lines. I know it has taken me forever. I am going to work on that. I have just had so much going on at school!! Here is a preview of the Geometry Lines and Shapes packs.

I plan on working on another request for 3D geometric shapes with real life examples and a fractions set. I hope to have at least one of those posted tonight, but it may be tomorrow since I am heading to the circus later on!

If you want to grab yourself one or more of these sets, click here or on the clip art button in my sidebar. If you like my clip art, please add me as a favorite shop on Teacher's Notebook! It would make my week! I have just made the move from Etsy to TN, so I don't know if people are confused and think I have disappeared. Please help me spread the word that I am still doing clip art! =)

I also wanted to let you know that I am one of the sponsors for the Be My Valentine Exchange hosted by Sarah at Kindergarten Korner and Caitlin at Mr. Preppy! You could win a free set of clip art from my Teacher's Notebook store! Head over there to check it out and participate.

Happy Sunday!

I hope to post again later about my 3D shape set! And I also have a Valentine newsletter coming your way!!

Freebie and Some Clip Art News!!

2012-01-31T18:44:00.000-08:00

I have made the move from my Etsy shop to Teachers Notebook for my clip art! It will be so much easier for me now! From this point on, if you could please use my Teachers Notebook Clip Art gallery to purchase your clip art. You can visit the link in the side bar to head over there! Now you don't have to wait for me to e-mail your files! You can just download them from TN!

You can click HERE to visit my new clip art shop!

I was going to participate in the tag game today, but I am just too tired!

BUT, I did want to share a freebie creation from tonight. We are doing animal research papers and I made this graphic organizer to help students organize their research information into five paragraphs. We are requiring them to have an introduction paragraph, a paragraph about their animal's life cycle, a paragraph about its habitat, a paragraph about it adaptations and defenses, and a closing paragraphs with interesting facts learned about their animals!

Tomorrow, we will be filling in this graphic to help us outline our information!

FYI: TS stands for topic sentence! =)

Just click the image above to download.

Sound Scoot

2012-01-30T16:52:00.000-08:00

Hey friends! I feel like it's been forever. I have been so busy, and tired. Did I mention busy??? I have so many requests of clip art to make and Common Core vocabulary cards to finish and I just feel like I have NO time!!

I wanted to let you know about a new game I made to help students review all about Sound! I discovered Maree True Loves clip art shop on Etsy and I LOVE IT! I used her graphics to make this game and I am very pleased with how cute it came out!

This game was a huge hit in my classroom! I have been seeing all sorts of blogs about this "Scoot" game and so I created my own!

You can snag a copy in my TN shop by clicking my shop button below.

In other news, my 3rd grade teammie has opened her own TN shop! Click the button below to visit her new Teachers Notebook shop! I also placed the button in my sidebar if you want to grab it!

I have also been tagged by Soaring Through Second, First Grade at Klinger Cafe, and Living a Wonderful Life. I don't want to overdo this post, so I will do another post to participate in this tomorrow! I also hope to have some time to crank out some new clip that I have had in my sketchbook for weeks and some new common core cards for 4th grade by Sunday. Fingers crossed!!

Also, I am in the process of opening a Clip Art gallery on Teachers Notebook! I currently have the shop set up but nothing in it! I think I may even eventually put all my clip art there and close my Etsy shop. It is so hard to have to e-mail each individual person their clip art! So, stay tuned for that in the near future!

Seriously disappointed

2012-01-23T19:18:00.000-08:00

I don't have anything kind of freebies to share today, but I did have something that concerned me when I checked my email today and I wanted to just approach you bloggers out there. I received an email to my Teacher's Notebook from a fellow blogger who shall remain anonymous. She informed me that a teacher in her district purchased a set of my Common Core Word Wall cards for a certain grade level and posted them on her districts common access drive that ALL teachers in her district have access to. I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware that these are for personal use only. They are not for sharing with an entire district. I don't mind people sharing things like this with their grade level, but an entire district really is kind of appalling. I just hope that everyone understands how much time was spent on creating those and that it really isn't fair to just give away to who knows how many people. I was just a little bummed to learn this when I came home tonight.

What do you all think I should do?? I don't even know if I can really find out who did it, but I would appreciate any advice!

Tall Tales

2012-01-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

Don't forget that my Teacher's Notebook shop sale will end tonight at midnight! So go take advantage while you can! =)

This week, we are focusing on Tall Tales and I am so excited!! My kids had so much fun last week learning about fables. I overheard so many comments from my students about how much they loved reading them! I think they will love these tall tales even more!

I made another graphic organizer like last week and I wanted to share. It is very similar to last weeks but I changed some of the categories based on the characteristics of Tall Tales.

If you wish to download, please head to my Teacher's Notebook shop and grab yourself a copy! Just click the image above to go download!

Here are some of the Tall Tales I am reading this week:

Also, on an embarrassing note, it was pointed out that I left out the letter W in my Bubbly Alphabet set. I am working on getting it fixed right now so I will email the corrections to those of you who have purchased it when I get it taken care of!

Freebie and a Sale!

2012-01-21T06:35:00.000-08:00

Hey friends! I am overjoyed to be at 600 followers. Since I started this teaching blog two years ago, I never imagined that I would still be so passionate about posting things going on in my teaching world. I fell off the planet for a while, but I've been going strong since this summer!

In honor of reaching 600 followers, I am having a sale on EVERYTHING in my Teacher's Notebook Shop until tomorrow at midnight! If you haven't grabbed yourself a set of Common Core Math cards yet, this is your change to get it 30% off! And don't forget about my Poetry Unit and much more!

Click my button to head over and check everything out!

This week, we have been focusing on the four sounds of 'ou' during our Word block. A previous colleague of mine always did an 'ou' Scavenger hunt. We did it again and it was soooo much fun! I printed the 'ou' words on 2 by 4 inch labels and then just put them on neon index cards. I placed them around the room in random places and then handed out the scavenger hunt recording sheet. Students had to read each word they found and determine what sound it made and write under the correct sound column. I purposefully put in some harder words to challenge them a little bit and told them if they had trouble reading the word, to try the word with each sound and then ask a friend. I only had to help them with a couple of the words, but it was still fun!

And I was overjoyed to see one little friend doing this to figure out the word.

I was so happy he was using his chunking strategy!!

If you would like to download this activity, please click the pictures below.

This first file is a Word document in case you want to change the words. You need "Wish I Were Taller" font by Kevin and Amanda.

I have had a pretty rough time of it the last few weeks since we returned from Christmas break. There are things that have happened which I can't really discuss here that have just had me frustrated and feeling like I don't know how much longer I can continue on. It has nothing to do with my students because they are AWESOME and I love them. BUT, after these weeks of frustration, this pretty much made my week. We have been learning about fractions and we finally got to have outside recess yesterday. It has been wet and raining for the last few weeks, but this is what my friends were doing during recess...

It made me feel like I must be doing something right, even though I don't always feel that reassurance. Talk about a bunch of awesome kids! They are what is keeping me alive! =)

Head on over and enjoy my Teacher's Notebook sale! It will end tomorrow night!

Fable Graphic Organizer and a Lesson Plan Template

2012-01-17T16:54:00.000-08:00

This week we are focusing on fables during Guided Reading. When I pulled up the flipchart today with the essential question, the kids were like, "Yes! I love fables!" I smiled. We read the fable, "The Ant and the Grasshopper" together as a class and then discussed the different things in the story that made it a fable. Then, I showed them this chart I created which you can download in my TN shop by click on my TN button below:

I modeled how to fill out the chart on the fable we had just read together as a class. I then gave the kids their own copy of this chart and the fable "The Lion and the Mouse," to read. After students read the fable on their own, they had to fill out this chart. We came back at the end of class and shared what they thought the moral of the story was and what examples of personification they found! It was so much fun and honestly, I was surprised at how well they did coming up with the moral of the story. Some of the kids came up with different kinds of morals, but they all made sense!

I was blog stalking Christina Bainbridge at Mrs. Bainbridge's Class tonight and she shared her lesson plan template and asked for others to share the ones they use. A couple of months ago, Kristen from Ladybugs Teacher Files shared this wonderful template which I have since embraced and used religiously from that day forward!!

I made some slight changes to suit my own purposes and this is what mine looks like.

Not much of a difference, but I basically just merged the top two boxes into one and changed some of the fonts because when our coaches try to view our lesson plans they get all messed up because they don't have our adorable fonts!! I also added my push in and pull out times across the top so I don't forget and other people know when they come in to observe me and they don't think I just have children getting up and leaving class whenever they feel like it. =)

This is what it looks like with my lesson plans in it! Just so you get the full effect...

I know...I write a ton of stuff in there! But if I didn't, I would literally leave stuff out! I am a word for word type person. Call me OCD, but it is what it is! That Fraction Action book in that Math block was supposed to be read on Wednesday and Thursday of last week (We had a teacher work day Friday and it was a fabulous 4 day weekend), annnnnd its still there because even though I put it in my plans, I still forgot to read it. See!? Now you know why I have to put EVERYTHING in there!

If you totally love this template, LIKE ME, head over to Kristen's blog by clicking here and download yourself a copy, FO FREE!

What does your lesson plan template look like? I'm nosy and need to know. So go link up with Christina and post yours!

1st Grade Common Core Math Word Cards!!!!

2012-01-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

I have been working on getting these done all day!! Literally, I started at about 10am and just now finished them! I might have taken some breaks in between, but still, it was a long process!!!

I am sorry it took me so long firstie friends!! They are now available for purchase in my TN shop! Click my button to head over and grab yourself a set!

I am also working on a Geometry Clip Art set so stay tuned this week for that! =)

I hope you all enjoyed your day off! I treated myself to a lunch date with my friend Hillary and I must say, it nice to eat lunch with an adult, however much I love my friends!

Linky and New Clip Art

2012-01-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

I am finally joining the party over at Adventures of a 6th Grade Teacher!

And look!! It's my swirly frame! =)

I am jumping on the bandwagon and letting you in on a day in my shoes!

It varies what time I wake up, but usually it's around 6:30. I don't spend much time getting ready in the morning. In fact, I'm usually done in 20-30 minutes, depending on whether or not I shower the night before. I like to get in as much beauty rest as possible. =)

By 7:00 or 7:15, I am usually en route to school. I arrive about 10 minutes later. I love living close to school! I know so many people who drive 30 minutes to an hour! I can't even imagine...

Between 7:15 and 7:45, I am usually preparing for the school day. Printing, gathering materials for Science, cutting things out, laminating, checking e-mail, sometimes Pinning (I know...it's terrible), getting my morning flipchart ready with the homework and morning work on it, writing my essential questions and updating the lunch choices. I think that about covers it. How do I fit all of that in 30 minutes? I have no idea. I am like a machine. LOL

At 7:45, the first bell rings, and my little pumpkins come waltzing in. They get unpacked while I check more e-mail and that they turned in their homework.

At 8:00, the late bell rings and most of my friends are in the classroom unpacking and doing their morning work. I am still checking homework. =) The news show also starts at this time giving us an update on the weather, information on what the class of the week is up to, and any other important news!

By 8:15, I am telling the kids "Adios," as I drop them off at Related Arts! In the morning, I feel like I am literally like "Hi, friends. Bye, friends!"

From 8:15 to 9:05, I am doing any number of the things that I do from 7:15 to 7:45 if I am not in a Coaches meeting (which unfortunately happens often...) I sort of like having Related Arts first thing. It makes me feel like I can be more prepared for the day. (When our plannings aren't being used up that is.) Then I feel TOTALLY unprepared. I might also be found chatting it up with my teammies. I need to be more focused during this time! My life would be so much easier if I was!

I pick up the friends at 9:05 and then by 9:10, I am teaching either Science or Social Studies. We alternate through the week. One week I may teach 2 days of Science and 3 days of Social Studies and then vice versa the next week. It varies on short weeks, obviously. These are my favorite subjects to teach. I don't know why, I just love them! Especially Social Studies! In 3rd grade in South Carolina, the kids learn about South Carolina history which I just find fascinating. We played such a significant role in the forming of our country and I just love all the history!

From 9:45-10:45 I teach Math. I love Math because you can play so many games and so many kids can get into it!

At 10:45, we do start our Reading Workshop mini lesson which lasts between 10-15 minutes. Next week, we are learning all about fables and personification! I am so excited! Fables are so much fun. I plan on creating a Folktale Unit very soon to post in my TN Shop. After we do our mini lesson, the kids go to their seats or different parts of the room to the read on their own and work on the mini lesson skill with their books. I will be working at the back table with a reading group. I also have a ESOL teacher who pushes into my room everyday for reading. She alternates working with my two low groups each day. I feel pretty darn fortunate to have her in my room each day. I would feel very overwhelmed if she were not there! The last 5 minutes of reading are left for coming together and sharing about the mini lesson skill they focused on during their independent reading.

Then, my favorite time of day begins at 11:50, LUNCH!!! I love food. Period. We only get 25 minutes and I have to eat with the little gems. =) By the time I get them through the lunch line, I usually only have about 15 minutes to eat. I always feel like I'm rushing. I'm sure the kids feel the same way. Poor things.

We go back to class to do our Read Aloud from 12:20 to 12:40. I usually pick books that focus on the mini lesson skills. I get my read alouds from this website by Linda Hoyt. If you click on your grade level, it gives you mentor texts for each skill! It's awesome!

From 12:40-1:00, I do Word Work. Each week I focus on a sound or a skill (compound words, synonyms, prefixes, etc..)

At 1:00 we do Writing. Sometimes writing consists of just grammar lessons and most of the time we focus on a genre of writing and I will begin with a Read Aloud or the grading of a writing sample on our rubric as a whole class. Then the students write while I conference. I don't really like writing all that much. I don't feel like I'm very good at it. I get a lot of my writing ideas now from you lovely bloggers!

Around 1:35, we pack up and I pass out homework. They usually put their book bags on their chairs and then we head to recess about 1:40ish. Sometimes later...

At 2:00ish, we come back in and go straight to our Everyday Calendar Math, which takes about 5 minutes. After that, we do Spiral Math Review for the last 10-15 minutes of the day. At 2:22, I send the little friends on their way and I make my to whatever duty I am assigned that week. =)

I am usually at school until about 5:00 each day. Mondays and Tuesdays I tutor from 2:45 to 4:40, Wednesdays we have staff meetings (which usually last until between 4 and 5), Thursdays for the next couple of months, I am teaching Promethean flipchart trainings in my classroom for schools in our area. So basically, that only leaves Friday that I have to myself in my classroom to get things done. This is probably why I take so much work home! I need to stop taking on so much!!

And that's my school day! I'm tired after just typing that!! I can't wait to go and read about a day all of your shoes! I love linkies!

And I finally finished the measurement clip art I have been promising! You can buy them as digital images or stamps!

Head on over to my Etsy Shop to get yourself a set!

You can click on either image above to head over there!

I will have some Geometry Clip Art coming in the near future also...So you can look forward to that. =)

Government Sort and a Shout Out

2012-01-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

So last week we learned about the Constitution and how our great nations government was created. We read, "We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution," and then learned about the national, state, and local branches of government. To help the kids reinforce their knowledge, we used this graphic organizer to take notes about the branches.

I also just want to thank everyone again for purchasing my clip art and using it to create things for your classrooms and for others! It makes me feel so good that you all have embraced this hobby! =)

I just want to give a shout out to Jayne Gammons at ABC's of Reading for using my clip art to make this adorable set which you can check out here!

I also want to say thanks to Mary Pitner, from Pitner's Potpourri for using my clip art to create these cute money games, which you can view here, here, and here!

And finally, I want to thank Katie Klohn at Adventures of a 6th Grade Teacher, for not only being one of the first to purchase my graphics, but to also use them! You can see my frame in her adorable button for her first ever linky here! (I need to do that, btw...)

I am like a proud mama and I want to say thank you again to ALL of you for supporting me in this new venture!

I will be back SOON with new clip art to unveil! I have just been so busy!! I am also still working on the Common Core Math Word Wall Words for 1st grade! I hope to have it done soon! So many things to do and so little time!!

Fractions!!

2012-01-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

We just started our fractions unit this week and one my teammies found Cara Carroll's fractionpillar activity which you can read more about here!

Anyway, I was thinking I wanted to try something different and I was reminded of my friend Lauren, who posted this on TPT recently, which you can buy here. Isn't it cute!?

But this got me thinking that instead of a fractionpillar, I wanted to do a fraction bot!!

I cut out four different shapes with our die cutter in different colors and instructed students to build a fraction robot with them! I told them they could even cut those shapes into parts if they needed to. Then, they had to write what fraction of the shapes were square, rectangle, triangle, or hexgons! You could adapt by doing the fraction of colors used, or even both for a little challenge!

Here is how some of them turned out!

I love this little short one!

Aren't they cute!?

Here are the cut outs I used. I actually adapted the bottom part a bit to better suit you guys so I hope you can use it! And, it's FREE! =)

Click the button below to visit my TN shop and download this file!

More to come soon!!

Martin Luther King Freebie!

2012-01-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

So, I have been avoiding school work all afternoon. I got sucked in the Chronicles of Narnia movies that were playing all day! However, tonight, I was finally inspired to create something for you all to use in honor the MLK holiday!

I am linking the editable version in case you younger grades want to tweak it to better suit your wee ones!

Just click the image to download!!

Click here for the PDF version if you wish to have the fonts.

I hope to be uploading some new measurement clip art and an alphabet set very soon! I have just been sooo busy this week being back at school!

Don't forget to like me on facebook!! I'm still new over there!

I also want to give a huge Thank You to 2nd Grade Paradise, A Place Called Kindergarten, and Cozarts Class for the blog awards!! I really appreciate all the blog love and support I have gotten from all you!

5th Grade Common Core Vocabulary

2012-01-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

Well blog friends, I have been at home sick for the last two days. I couldn't even get out of bed yesterday. I finally started feeling a bit better this afternoon so I thought I would make the best of my time away from school by finally finishing those 5th grade Common Core Math Cards.

I will begin working on 1st grade next since that was the order in which I received the requests. I will then work on Kindergarten and 4th grade since those are the only two left! These take me a great deal of time so please be patient with me! =)

I hope to be feeling back to my full potential tomorrow because I have a full day! I am attending a dear friends baby shower and then conducting a painting party for my niece and her 14 friends! It will be nuts, I am sure, but they are paying me 200 bucks to teach the youngun's how to paint a picture of some sort. I haven't decided what yet. I'm thinking maybe lollipops or something simple like that!

Anyway, let me know what you guys think of the new cards. I hope to have some time this weekend to create some new clip art. I have been inspired by this last common core set to create some measurement clip art. If you guys have any suggestions of things you would like to see, just let me know!

Head over to my store to grab your set of 5th grade cards!

Money Clip Art and FREEBIE!!

2012-01-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

I am excited to unleash my new clip art set because it is something I feel MANY teachers can use in their classrooms when creating things for school!

I am also sharing a fabulous freebie I made with my clip art! =) Not trying to toot my own horn or anything!

Isn't piggy cute!?

Ahhhh, I wish I had more time to make more clip art!! I'm addicted!!

Digital Art Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

So I know this is totally a podunk way to do this, but some people commented but chose not to participate in the giveaway and I even had some people email me through etsy so I thought I would just put everyone in a word document and generate the winner that way. Those of you who emailed me, I included your name in chronological order of when I received it.

Annnnd...the winner is....YEARN TO LEARN!

I know it's not conventional or pretty, but it did the job!

I have more clip art coming soon!! I actually had school today unlike most normal districts in this country who took it off as a national holiday! I have been super busy all night, but I hope to be adding new stuff to my shop very soon!! Thank you all for your kind words of support for this new hobby. It is greatly appreciated and makes me feel like I'm not totally stupid for thinking I could do it. =) You guys are the best bloggy friends a girl could ask for!

Frames and a Freebie!

2012-01-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

I have been slaving away creating some new frames today! I have more coming, but I need to a take a break! Here are the newest additions to my Etsy shop!

It is also been requested that I create a Winter newsletter and since I promised a freebie by the end of the weekend, VIOLA! All clip art is from Microsoft Word so when you click the file, it will open up in Word. You must have Wish I Were Taller and Smiley Monster fonts from KevinandAmanda.com installed for this newsletter to look like this.

More digital art to come soon! And don't forget to enter my giveaway where you could win some of my new digital art work! Giveaway ends tonight! Click here to enter! I've decided I will giveaway two digital art packs of your choice instead of the first two that were created. So, happy luck to you all!

11 in a 11!

2011-12-29T12:02:00.000-08:00

I'm finally joining the party! I have just been too addicted to my new Christmas present to do anything else! I do plan on posting a new freebie by the end of the weekend, but for now, here are my 11 things in 2011!

11. Favorite movie you watched
I read this book for our Book Club this summer and I just loved it. Of course, when the movie came out, I was all about it! It even makes my top 10 best movies!

10. Favorite TV series
I know this is going to sound really dumb, but the Walking Dead is definitely my new favorite TV show. Basically, this cop wakes up from a coma and the world has been taken over by zombies. I know it sounds super corny and stupid, but it is such a thrilling drama and of course there is some scandalous business that goes on too! My brother got me hooked on the first season and it was all over after that. I don't EVER miss an episode! The second half of season 2 resumes on February 12! So excited...

9. Favorite restaurantWe have this fabulous restaurant in Greenville called American Grocery. It's expensive and definitely considered fine dining, but they use mostly local meats and produce when they can and it's just DI-VINE! Chef Joe Clarke never disappoints me with his rabbit, hanger steak, duck, or fish and the walls of the place are adorned with artwork of the locals. Love it!

8. Favorite new thing you tried
Favorite new thing I've tried is definitely making digital art! This is a VERY recent development but so much fun! I literally was dreaming of the clip art I was going to make last night. I did not sleep very well due to my excitement this morning to get up and create! This was my newest set as of this morning...

I'd love for you to go check out my Etsy shop!
7. Favorite gift you received

This is a tie, my mom gave me the Bamboo Tablet which I lUVVV!

And then my boyfriend bought me this gorgeous ring from Silpada.com! Hopefully, I'll be getting a ring for the other finger in 2012! =)

6. Favorite thing you pinned
OMG. I have no idea. I have pinned about a bazillion things. Um. I guess I would say anything to do with fonts, clip art, or digital frames/backgrounds because I use them ALL the time. I am OBsessed.
5. Favorite blog post
I would say my Multiplication Tricks Sheet since soooo many people have viewed it and are able to use it. =) Even though I initially had some mistakes in there, (which I fixed), ya'll knew what I meant! I like creating stuff people can really use!

4. Favorite accomplishment

My favorite accomplishment was becoming a Promethean Activ Inspire trainer in my district! It pays and it's so much fun to share new tricks with teachers! I felt so honored to be asked!

3. Favorite picture

Man...this is tough too! I am torn between these two!

The first one is from Bunco! We had an 80's hair band theme.

Buuut, I also got to go to Costa Rica this summer and go ziplining!

2. Favorite memory

My favorite memory was definitely while I was in Costa Rica. I got to go in a cage full of howler monkeys and hang out with them and even hold one! Meet Chiqui Chiqui!

Ain't he cute!?

1. Goal for 2012
I don't normally make goals because I never keep them. But, I would like to cook more at home instead of eating out so much! Maybe I should take a cooking class or two...
Well, that's my 11 in 11!
Head on over to A Teeny Tiny Teacher's blog to participate!

Digital Papers and Frames

2011-12-28T14:43:00.000-08:00

Hey friends! I am so excited to share that I have begun creating my own digital art!

I got one of these bad boys for Christmas...

It's a Bamboo Tablet by Wacom and IT IS AWE-some! It came with Adobe Photoshop Elements (which I created these digital pages in...)

and with Corel Painter Essentials (which is also totally awesome too!) I created these cute frames by hand drawing them, scanning them, and changing the colors digitally in Corel.

Anywho, if you are interested, please visit my Etsy shop and grab yourself a set!

I would also love for you guys to spread the word so here is the deal...

I will be giving away two digital art packs of your choice to 2 lucky people!

Options for How To Enter:

1) Blog about my new venture and link to my Esty shop from your blog

2) You can share my shop by word of mouth, facebook, or e-mail.

Please leave a comment saying which one you did! This giveaway will end on Sunday night and the winners announced Monday!

Even if you choose not to participate, let me know what you guys think of them!

2nd Grade Math Common Core

2011-12-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

Per request of Jennifer at Mrs. Parker's Class, I have created the Word Wall cards for 2nd grades Common Core math standards too. It has also been requested that I tackle 5th grade and 1st grade (based on Texas curriculum). I plan on eventually tackling all grade levels to align with the Common Core standards, but it will take some time, so please be patient!

Here are the 2nd grade cards!

Head over to my TN shop by clicking the button below to get your set!

3rd Grade Math Common Core

2011-12-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to blog friends!

So, we are moving to the Common Core in the coming years, and I thought I would go ahead and get a head start! Plus, several of you are already teaching them! I have searched high and low on the internet and couldn't find much out there for 3rd grade so I figured I'd just make my own!

This set of math vocabulary word wall cards and posters would look great in any classroom!

I hope you can use them! If there is interest, I would be willing to make them for other grades too. Just let me know!

You can grab them at my TN shop if you click my button below!

New Clip Art

2011-12-24T06:15:00.000-08:00

Hey friends! Happy Christmas Eve!!

My good friend has decided to start selling her own clip art and has her very first set for sale! Click the image below to visit her store.

Aren't they cute!?

Head on over and grab your set!

I am also working on some Common Core Math vocabulary word wall cards. I will be posting those soon so please check back! It's been kinda busy with family and Christmas and all. We are hosting all of my boyfriends family here for the holidays so it's pretty nuts around here!

Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Chrissy over at Buzzing with Ms. B for winning my Poetry Unit! Please e-mail me at glauren4556@gmail.com to claim your prize!

She is winning my brand new Poetry Unit on Teacher's Notebook!

You can still head over to grab your own copy! Visit the link below to grab your copy!!

Poetry Unit and a Holiday Giveaway!

2011-12-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

I have been working like a mad woman (like that simile!?) to get this unit finished and available for purchase in my Teacher's Notebook store! I have seriously been in a frenzy for the last two days trying to finish it all up. It feels good to have it done!

We are working on characteristics of poetry and devices of figurative language when we return from our Christmas break so I thought I would share the love I've put into it with all of you, for a small fee of course. =)

This colorful unit includes elements of poetry (rhyme, repetition, and stanzas) and activities and poems for teaching similes and metaphors, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, personification, and alliteration!

Head to my store and grab your copy!

When I reach 30 shoppers who have me as a favorite store on Teacher's Notebook, I will be giving away this unit to one lucky liker! =)

To participate in the giveaway, you must either:

1) Add me as a favorite on Teacher's Notebook

2) Like my facebook fan page

3) Tell me your favorite winter writing activity for after the Christmas holidays! (I desperately need your good ideas...)
Or do all of the above for more chances to win!

Oh and don't forget to leave your e-mail in one of the comments!

Please leave a separate comment for each way you enter.

Doubling the Final Consonant

2011-12-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

This week, we have been learning about the double the final consonant rule! I made a cute Christmas themed flipchart with activities for each day to get into the holiday spirit!!

After we learned about the rule, we pulled a word out of Santa's bag in the flipchart and students had to spin their spinners to see which ending to add to the word! Then, they had to make the word with the ending they landed on on their white boards. We discussed how some endings don't make sense on certain words, so if that happened, they had to spin again. It was so much more exciting that just adding an ending that I tell them to. Plus, spinners just make everything more exciting! This also lent itself to a little lesson on probability!

Click on the image below to grab the spinners for your printing pleasure!

I am also giving you the flipchart I made to go along with the activity!!

Disclaimer: This is a flipchart and you must have Activ Inspire software downloaded on your computer for this to open. You must also have certain fonts installed for it to look like this. Just google the fonts in the flipchart.

Let me know if you like it!

Also, don't forget to go check out what's for sale in My Teacher's Notebook store!

If I lived in a Snow Globe

2011-12-11T17:19:00.001-08:00

Jennifer over at First Grade Blue Skies did this cute writing activity for Winter. I have adapted it just a bit to accommodate upper elementary students. Students respond to the prompt, "If I lived in a snow globe..."

Students create their own snow globe illustrations and then put the writing on the base of the globe!

(Picture taken from Deanna Jump's website who originally posted this adorable activity.)

You can use glitter spray to finish each globe after students have done their pictures. I am so excited to try this on Wednesday!

Head over to my Teacher's Notebook shop to check out my new items for sale!

Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-11T16:03:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Mindy Wells at Well's of a 4th Grade Nothing for winning the 400 followers giveaway!

I couldn't figure out the whole number generator thing, so I just asked my boyfriend to pick a number between 1 and 19, since that's how many entries there were and he just happened to choose 13!

Mindy won all of the items for sale in my TN store!

Congratulations Mindy!

You all can still purchase any of these items in my TN store!

Elf Race Math Game

2011-12-11T10:15:00.001-08:00

We are working on division this week and I wanted to create something fun for the Christmas season! I made this fun division fact practice game! Students race to be the first elf to put their toys in Santa's bag!

Head over to my Teacher's Notebook store to grab your copy!

Don't forget! It's not too late to enter my 400 follower giveaway! It will end tonight! You will win the all of the items I have for sale in my Teacher's Notebook shop!

Earth's Land Unit

2011-12-10T15:41:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone! I just posted a brand new item in my TN store!! I am really excited about this one!

The cost is $7 and includes lessons, songs, a readers theater, unit printables, and flipcharts!!

Don't forget about my 400 follower giveaway! I will announce the winner tomorrow night! You will win the contents of my TN store! Clink here for link to the rules for the giveaway!

Multiplication Tricks Sheet!!

2011-12-08T16:47:00.001-08:00

I have been meaning to make a multiplication trick sheet for weeks now and I finally got around to it!

Click the picture to download!

Don't forget to go check out my 400 follower, first ever giveaway here!

Don't forget to check out my Teacher's Notebook store! Lot's of great stuff for sale!

400 Follower Giveaway!!

2011-12-08T04:27:00.001-08:00

I am so excited to be at 400 followers! I have been wanting to do a giveaway for some time now, but just haven't had an idea of what to do!

Now that I have a Teacher's Notebook store, I am giving away my Plant and Animal Unit (with unit flipcharts) and my Main Idea chart for free to one lucky follower!

To win:

1) You must become a follower of my blog if you are not already.

2) Leave a comment on this post telling me your email, that you are a follower, and what your favorite holiday activity is!

3) Go to my Teacher's Notebook store (the link is below on the Gingerbread man) and add me as a favorite!

The winner will be chosen on Sunday!

Of course, if you don't win, you can always go and purchase the unit in my TN store for $5! It also comes with the flipcharts!

Holiday Happenings

2011-12-07T16:38:00.001-08:00

I feel like I have been so swamped this week! It has been crazy! I haven't had time to do anything but grade Math benchmarks and go to meetings and well....you get the idea!

I did want to quickly share some things we have been doing for during this Thanksgiving and Winter/Christmas season!

We reviewed for our multiplication test by playing Multiplication War! The kids had so much fun while they were practicing their math facts! Click on the picture to download the flipchart with some multiplication games!

We also worked on visualizing a few weeks back and read some Jack Prelutsky Thanksgiving poems and I posted the freebie here. Here are some examples of the visualizing sheets we completed!

Our art teacher made these adorable penguins with the 3rd graders.

To go along with their art project we read this book called Penguins.

Then, we asked the students to write a paragraph about the adaptations of penguins since we just learned about animal adaptations!

Here are some more cute penguin pictures!

And finally, a few weeks ago, I posted the "How to Catch a Plump and Perky Turkey" activity and here is how they came out!

I hope to post some new stuff in my Teacher's Notebook store soon! Hope you are all having a great week! 7 more days til Christmas break!!

Main Idea Freebie!

2011-12-04T17:18:00.001-08:00

We will be working on main idea this week, so I made a little graphic organizer for students to use during their independent reading time.

Click the image to download!

Hope you all have a fabulous week!

Winter Writing Freebie!

2011-12-04T09:44:00.001-08:00

I've been working on a Winter Writing Packet today and I wanted to share in time for the Winter season!

It is available for free at my Teacher's Notebook shop! Click on my Teacher's Notebook button to download the freebie!

Animal and Plant Unit

2011-12-03T14:25:00.001-08:00

I have been trying to finish this unit with all of the resources for weeks now! I am finally done and have posted it for $5.00 in my Teacher's Notebook shop!

With the purchase of this unit, you will also get all of the flipcharts that accompany each lesson! They will be e-mailed to you after your purchase.

When I get to 400 followers, I will be hosting my first ever giveaway! More details will come about that later! I will say this though, in order for you to participate in the giveaway, you MUST be a follower of my blog!

Main Idea Graphic Organizer

2011-12-02T17:50:00.001-08:00

I have finally opened my own Teacher's Notebook shop! I am so excited!! Here is my very first item for purchase!

Please go check out my shop and spread the word!! =)

I know there isn't a whole lot there yet, but please keep checking back.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Multiplication Wheels

2011-11-27T18:08:00.001-08:00

So, I have been inspired by fellow teachers to create something useful today and this is what I came up with! We are working on multiplication and I saw this idea last year, but never made any to actually use in the classroom. So, here you go!

Just click on the image to download!

Stay tune for the opening of my Teacher's Notebook shop later on this week!! I am so excited!!

I also want to say thank you to Megan Mayhew from Inside the Classroom for the Sunshine Award and Sally at Elementary Matters for the Blog on Fire Award! You sweet ladies made my week!

There are so many other amazing bloggers out there that deserve this award so I say thank you all!!!

TPT Stores

2011-11-27T14:23:00.001-08:00

Two of my teacher friends have opened their own TPT stores and I thought I would help them out and give them shout outs since Meagan doesn't have a blog and Lauren is just getting hers started!!

They are first grade teachers so most of their stuff will probably be geared towards that grade level.

Head on over there and check out their adorable stuff!!

Author's Purpose and Point of View

2011-11-26T11:15:00.001-08:00

I am really enjoying all of this time off for the Thanksgiving Holidays! It has given me some time to do some lesson planning and other school work on my own terms. =) I don't feel rushed, I can just do it when I feel like it!

On that note, today, I worked on a packet for teaching author's purpose and point of view. There aren't really lessons included, just resources you can use during Reading Workshop, including sticky note templates for printing!

To print on the sticky notes, head over to Kristen's blog, Ladybugs Teaching Files, for a better VIDEO explanation than the one I put in the packet! I use it all the time now during reading!!

I hope this is useful!! I am using it this week, so I will let you know how it goes!

Visualizing

2011-11-23T11:56:00.001-08:00

Since it was a short week because of our Thanksgiving Break, I decided to do some mini lessons on visualizing. In the spirit of Thanksgiving I chose some Jack Prelutsky Thanksgiving poems to teach the skill and it was a big hit!

The first day, we read The Thanksgiving Day Parade and underlined words and phrases from the poem that helped us visualize. While they read on their own, they wrote down words and phrases from their books to help them visualize and then they drew their visualization.

The second day, we reviewed what visualizing was and then I gave them this little handout with the poem, "I Ate Too Much Turkey," and they underlined words and phrases and then drew their visualizations! They came out so cute and I forgot to take pictures of them, but here is the freebie!

If you want the document to show up correctly, you need to have Pea Heather Michelle and Wish I Were Taller fonts from KevinandAmanda.com.

I am so thankful!

2011-11-23T07:35:00.001-08:00

Rachelle over at What the Teacher Wants is hosting her first ever Linky Party to share what you are thankful for! And I have a lot to be thankful for!!

1. What are you thankful for in your classroom?

In my classroom, I am most thankful for my students. Without them, where would I be?? I don't only teach them, they teach me everyday also and even though I sometimes forget what their lives may be like when they are at home, I always show them that I care (even if they have been driving me insane!)

I am also thankful for the technology that I have been blessed with in my school. We have Promethean Boards in every classroom and Activ Expressions (which I use religiously). They help me assess students immediately and their question results pop right up on my board.

We have access to all other sorts of things that I think all teachers should have! But those are the ones I am most thankful for!

I am also thankful for a decent sized classroom! I like not feeling cramped when I walk around the room and it's just open enough that it makes it look comfortable!

2. What person are you most thankful for?

I am most thankful for my mom! She is the most amazing person I know. When I'm in a pinch, she's always there and she always knows just what to say when I am down. Love you mom!!

3. What 3 blogs are you most thankful for?

Oh geez, this is going to be a tough one. There are so many fabulous teacher blogs out there but if I had to narrow it down, here are my top 3 in random order:

1) Ladybug's Teacher Files - There are so many reasons I love her blog! She has such cute resources and she created my blog design! =)

2) The Inspired Apple - Even though she teaches firsties, she has sooo many ideas that I adapt for my third graders! She has inspired me to be more cutesy!

3) 2nd Grade Shenanigans - This girl just blows me away with her creativity! I would lying if I said I wasn't jealous of her genius teacher mind! Sooo many FAB ideas over there!

4. What guilty pleasure are you most thankful for?

I LOVE to read futuristic dystopian novels! ALL the time! Any time I get a chance to sit down and read, I am thankful!! After I read the Hunger Games, it became my new favorite genre of literature. That's pretty ironic because those books are all young adult novels! So, if you need any book suggestions, just let me know!! Here are just a few!

And I actually just started reading this one. A colleague of mine suggested it since we have similar tastes in books!

5. What are you most thankful for?

I am most thankful for time with my friends and family no matter what we are doing and Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays for that very reason.

If you want to participate, just head over to What the Teacher Wants and copy the questions to your blog! Then, link up your post to her blog post!

Facebook Fan Page!

2011-11-22T12:44:00.001-08:00

I have finally created a facebook fan page!! It just took me a while to figure out how to do it!

I am so thankful to FINALLY be on Thanksgiving break! Whoo hoo!!

So be a sport and head on over and like my new page! =)

I hope to be posting some new stuff this week, so check back soon!

How to Catch a Plump and Perky Turkey!

2011-11-16T18:10:00.001-08:00

As a closing to our How To Make a Coke Float writing unit, I am doing this fun activity next week (since we are going to be without ANY technology!!) **Sigh**

Anyway, I stole this cute idea from Sarah Cooley, over at First Grader At Last!

Read the poem, "A Plump and Perky Turkey," aloud. Then have the kids write about how they would catch a plump and perky turkey!

Click on the image for the packet!

I am so excited to do this next week!!! And yay for Thanksgiving Break coming in T-minus 3 days!!

Class Dojo Rewards

2011-11-14T17:01:00.001-08:00

I created a poster to print out and hang in the room to go along with the Class Dojo point system I have been using since Friday and that I posted about here! Seriously...if you haven't checked this out yet...DO IT! It will change your life!!

Just click the poster to download!

Behavior Managment

2011-11-13T14:13:00.001-08:00

One of our instructional coaches shared this little gem of an idea during a meeting this week and the hour that I have used it so far has been PHENOMENAL for my students behavior!!

This website allows you to use your smartphone to add points to each students individual avatar. Once you click the button on your phone from anywhere in the room, the point will ding and show up on the Promethean board. This is mainly ideal for Smartboard and Promethean board users because the students can see that someone got a point right away!

I started it during my read aloud Friday after noon and my students were all like following along and into the book! It was amazing!!

Here is what the website looks like when you create your class.

It is called classdojo.com. You just have to register and then create your class and then add the positive and negative behaviors you want to track and then you're good to go!!

You can choose however you want to use the points in your classroom. I am going to create a poster with the point levels and rewards to post in the room. One of the suggestions I heard was to let the students choose their own avatar (which you can totally do!) at a certain level of points. I am so excited to keep using this tomorrow!!

I also tossed around the idea of having students earn prizes for earning a certain number of points each week. I'm not sure yet how I should do it! What do you guys think!? Let me know if you check it out and what you think about it. It is sooo cool!

Weekly Behavior Checklist

2011-11-10T17:44:00.001-08:00

I send these reports home every week to keep the parents informed about their child's performance and behavior in class.

Actually, this is my new and revamped version, but I wanted to share in case you could use them! They are in both English and Spanish and they print three to a page.

Just click the image below to download your copy!

Almost Friday!!! Whoo hoo!!!

Veteran's Day Bubble Map

2011-11-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

I have been so super busy these last couple of weeks, but I want to share a freebie I made for Veteran's Day! We are going to watch a video about veteran's and then complete this Veteran's Day Bubble Map!

Click to download!

Also, I am SOOO stoked that I am getting a blog makeover by the amazing Kristen over at Ladybug's Teacher Files, so don't be startled when you visit in the coming weeks and it's totally different! It's still me! =)

Enjoy the rest of your week and your Veteran's Day!!

Making a Coke Float

2011-11-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is definitely one of my favorite writing units we do in our grade level! We make coke floats and write directions on how to make them.

Here is the video we use at the beginning!

How To Make an Ice Cream Float by Lifestyle-GrabNetworks

I will be posting more on this later, but here is the graphic organizer to use after viewing the video! Just click the image to download!

FYI: This graphic organizer is an adaptation of the "How to Blow a Bubble" graphic organizer from the girls at Lesson Plan SOS!

I will post the finished unit sometime soon! Just check back!

Life Cycles and Text Features

2011-10-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

This week at school, we learned about life cycles of plants and in honor of Halloween, we did the life cycle of a pumpkin on paper plates and they came out totally cute! Of course I saw it first on Pinterest, so I HAD to try it!

Here are a couple of examples:

In other news, in reading this week, our mini-lessons have been focused on non-fiction text features. One of my colleagues came up with the idea of having the kids do a scavenger hunt in different non-fiction magazines (Weekly Reader, Scholastic News, Time for Kids, and National Geographic for kids) and glue examples into a lotus diagram. They came out awesome! They had to find a certain number of examples for each feature and glue it in the lotus.

Here are a few:

I have more examples but for some reason, they are not inserting correctly.

Anyway, it was a fun way to review the different text features they learned this week and I am using it as a major project grade.

More fun stuff to come later!

Pumpkin Fun and Red Ribbon Week!

2011-10-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

I shared with you last week the Great Pumpkin Seed Mystery Lesson, and I wanted to share with you the photos of our pumpkin being planted.

And now....the seed is germinating!! My kids were sooo excited when they came in yesterday to check on their plants and there were several beginning to grow!

Tomorrow, we will go back into our science notebooks and record our first observations!

On another note, it is Red Ribbon Week and I wanted to share our class door decoration because.....well...it's just freakin' cute!

My theme was "Make No Bones About It! We will be drug free!

The kids made chalk skeletons and wrote how they would stay drug free on the print out.

Here is a close up:

And because I love sharing stuff, here is the printable in case you want to use it in your classrooms next year! There are two files. One is the skeleton head cut outs and the other is the actual paper where they wrote their drug free responses. I am attaching the word versions so you can change it if you need to.

What are some themes you guys use for Red Ribbon Week?

The door judging will take place tomorrow so I will let you know if we win! =)

I have also done, "Don't Get Caught in the Web of Drugs," with spider webs stretched across the door and students stuck their drug free responses and little plastic spiders in the web.

My neighbor this year used, "Drugs are Corny," and had students use a response sheet like mine. The kids decorated a cartoon candy corn to add to the door. It was super cute!

I will have more coming about the life cycle of a pumpkin this weekend so stay tuned!

Thanksgiving Newsletter

2011-10-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

Several of you have been requesting my a Thanksgiving themed newsletter, so here it is! I just used clipart from Microsoft Word.

Click the image below for the editable version!

I have more to share later, but I'm taking a night off from doing school work and going to play music trivia with friends!

The Great Pumpkin Seed Mystery!

2011-10-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Pinterest has so inspired me to revamp my Animal and Plant Adaptation to add some Halloween flare! So, I came up with the Great Pumpkin Seed Mystery!!

The students have to use the clues to help me figure out why a pumpkin grew right in my yard!

Here is the full lesson plan:

EQ: What are the stages of growth in the life cycle of a plant?

Read Aloud: From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons

AS: Complete a plants have, need, give tree map and add to over the next few days.

TS: Tell class that something strange happened! A pumpkin grew right in my yard. I have no idea how this happened. Ask students to help you figure it out. Lead students to come up with you threw last years pumpkin away in that spot. Could we conduct a test to find out? CW observe pumpkin seeds and record in journals. CW discuss what things the seed needs in order to grow and record on tree map.

SS: CW then plant a pumpkin seed to observe the life cycle of over the next few weeks. SW record observations on a class chart over the next few weeks.

Click the image below for a copy of the flipchart to guide the lesson. The flipchart was created using Activ Inspire Promethean software, so it may not work if you don't have it installed on your computer.

Here is a copy of the science notebook tape in that I created to go along with it! Click below for access!

Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks for the completed Plant and Animal Unit! I can't wait to share!

And don't forget, there are only 3 days left of my Halloween-spiration Linky Party! Go share your Halloween cuteness!!

South Carolina Region Cookies

2011-10-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

I know it has been several days since my last post, but I have just been swamped at school after being at a wedding this past weekend in Charleston (which was beautiful, btw!)

To end our South Carolina geography unit, we decorated South Carolina shaped cookies that correlated to the different regions of our state. We have done this activity for the last two years and the kids absolutely love it! It is so much fun! I am providing the flipchart we used to guide the activity and also pictures of us in action!

Click the image for the flipchart.

Here are some photos from the activity!

This is just the blank SC cookie before they decorated it.

Here is the finished product!

Other fun pics!

We displayed the flipchart in the cafeteria and reviewed the regions. As we went through, we discussed which candy item would best represent that region.

Regions and candies:

Blue Ridge - Chocolate chips to represent mountains

Piedmont - fruit roll ups to represent red clay soil

Sandhills - Yellow sprinkles to represent sandy soil

Inner Coastal Plain - brown sprinkles to represent the good soil

Outer Coastal Plain - White sprinkles to represent how rice is grown here

Coastal Zone - Swedish fish (I don't think an explanation is needed! haha)

This activity could be adapted for many different things! So even if you don't live or teach about South Carolina, you can still take this idea and run with it. I have seen it done to review the transcontinental railroad and I have also used it for reviewing the parts of plant and animal cells.

If you have any questions about this, please e-mail me at glauren4556@gmail.com and I would be happy to help!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

2011-10-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

We have been learning so much this last month that I just wanted to share a few things from our classroom's neck of the woods.

We just recently finished up a unit on South Carolina Geography and Regions. One of the activities we did was a circle graphic organizer to help us learn about types of communities. This picture is from the first slide of the flipchart I made.

Click the image to download the flipchart. (I've never linked to a flipchart file before so I don't know if this will work. If you don't have Activ Inspire Promethean or SMARTboard software on your computer, it will not open.) I realize that not everyone learns about South Carolina, but you can just change it to suit your own needs.

Here are some pictures of the kids completed circle graphics.

(I just love Francisco's corn! HA!)

I am also giving you the circle graphic organizer to download! Just click the image below for access to the file.

In writing, we have been doing descriptive writing. I was visiting Abby's blog, the Inspired Apple some time ago and came across her Pop Rockin' Descriptive Writing mini unit and I thought it would be a fun thing to do in honor of Halloween. I purchased the unit, which you can buy, here.

Here are some pictures of what we have done so far! First, we talked about what adjectives were and I gave students the pop rocks and adjectives sheet. They tasted the pop rocks and wrote down adjectives to describe the experience.

This is definitely my favorite picture. Just imagine you him laughing hysterically...This little guy was hilarious!

Can you guess what flavor she had?? =)

Clearly these little cuties have never had pop rocks before! I just love their faces!

Then we made this class chart to close the lesson.

The next day, we learned what a simile was and we made this anchor chart.

The students then went back to their seats and completed this simile sheet.

If you like the materials, please visit Abby's TPT store and snag your copy! Your kids will love it and YOU!

In Math, we have been doing subtraction with regrouping. Today, we played this spinner game. I had my students work with a partner, but this would also be a good individual activity. Just have the student use a paper clip and pencil to use the spinner. First, they spin a top number, then a bottom number and just subtract or add.

Here is the copy of the spinner. Just click the image to download.

Needless to say, we have been having tons of fun learning these last few weeks!

More to come soon!

Reading Workshop Book Recommendation

2011-10-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

I have only about an hour to conduct Reading Workshop in my classroom and I have been finding it hard to squeeze in Independent Reading and Guided Reading groups, and still have time left over for individual student conferences.

I am also noticing that several students are having a hard time completing their weekly letters and book recommendations on time. So, I decided to split the class and have half do their letters one week, and then the other half the next. That will give each group two weeks. I also don't have the time to be writing 20 letters each week...

Another change I decided to make today so that students are correctly completing book recommendations is to have students fill out a prompted sheet with information to fill in about the book they wish to recommend. I am also requiring that these be due every two weeks. Here is the book recommendation I created.

This is the first year our school is doing Reading Workshop so I have been learning an awful lot about what both my students and I can handle being that this is all new to everyone! The good news is that next year, students will already be familiar with the program! I am hopeful that it will really change the way our students think about reading while also improving students' reading!

I would love any recommendations or ideas you may have for conducting Reading Workshop in your classrooms! Leave some love!

Need some Halloween-spiration?

2011-10-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

This is just a reminder that my Halloween Linky Party is still going on through the end of the month! There are tons of great activities linked up, so go check it out! I have been seeing a ton of great Halloween ideas and activities around the blog world, so if you have something, free or not, I encourage you to go link up!

Click the icon to visit the link!

Properties of Addition Activity

2011-10-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

We worked on properties of addition last week. We talked about the three properties and to help them remember, I taught the kids that the Commutative property could also be called the flip flop rule because the numbers just flip around and you still get the same sum.

To help them remember Associative, we talked about the word "associate" and how it can mean partner or buddy. We called this rule the buddy rule because the parentheses make the numbers have a partner or buddy.

For the Identity rule, we called it the Me rule because these numbers don't like change! They like being themselves. So, when you add zero to a number, this is exactly what happens. The number doesn't change, it stays the same!

To to help my students practice, I made this little game/activity. All that is required is a set of three dice per child and copies of this sheet!

I am currently working on our next science unit on Animal and Plant Adaptations. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the finished product!

Parent Conference Pack!

2011-10-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post the parent conference resources that I use in my classroom all week, but just haven't had time due to other posting!

The pack includes a parent conference guide to fill out during the conference, a parent conference reminder slip in English and in Spanish, and a missed conference slip in English and in Spanish. Click the first image to download the entire pack!

Important Note: You will need to have the following fonts on your computer in order for it to look this way:

Pea Shelley Belley
CK Higgins Handprint
CK Fill In
Kindergarten
Jokerman
ABC Print

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improvement or what ideas for things you do for fall conferences! I would love to hear them!

Some Halloween Cuteness!

2011-10-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

So, Halloween is around the corner and I'm being inspired by other teachers and their Halloween-y cuteness! I went to Family Dollar after school today and picked up some goodies!

Hope over at Second Grade Shenanigans had this super awesome idea about having a dead word funeral to kick off her descriptive writing unit. This idea is simply genius! I mean, come on...that is just cool!

I don't have the time to decorate my wall as insanely wonderful as she did, but my idea was to use the window cling on in the picture below to display dead words on. Each day of the week starting Monday, I will display a new word on the ghost. We will brainstorm synonyms for the word and add to a chart. I will hang each poster in the room and they will be required to use those words from now on. =)

The bulletin board you see below is from a second grade teacher at our school. Her class was learning about similes so to end the unit, she had her students write down a simile on a pumpkin and color them. She added the pumpkins to a pumpkin patch and called it "A pumpkin patch of similes." What a cute idea!

My other Halloween inspired idea came to as I was browsing the Halloween shelves at the family dollar and I laid eyes upon this plastic jar with pumpkins on it. I thought it would be fun to fill the jar each week with a different Halloween themed candy or trinket.

Before students begin making their guesses, we will talk about what estimating is and isn't and add it to an anchor chart. The first week, students will estimate how many candy corns are in the jar and then the week after, we will estimate how many eyeballs there are. Another item you could fill the jar with are this little plastic spiders you always see for sale during Halloween! I plan on revealing the winner on Friday afternoons. The winner each week will win the contents of the jar, the title of Ultimate Estimator, and another fun little Halloween prize!

I also created a little estimation sheet to go along with the activity! Click the image to download!

Happy estimating!

I was also thinking today as I was trying to find cute Halloween fonts that it would be so much easier if there was a file with the names of all the fonts, so I went ahead and created this to help you find fonts when you are creating documents.

And don't forget to link up to my Halloween-spiration Linky and add your Halloween cuteness!

Math Project!

2011-10-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

One of the girls on my grade level had this fabulous idea for a math project to review Place Value and Addition Properties and I wanted to share with you all!

Click image to download.

Also, if you have any Halloween ideas or activities for October, please add it to my linky party! Click the image below to go to the post and link up.

Ai and Ay Activities

2011-10-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hilary over at Rockin' Teacher Materials is having a Word Work Linky Party! I thought I would share my AI and AY activities since that's what we are going to be doing next week!

Click the image to download the activities!

Don't forget to head over and Link Up for my Halloween-spiration Linky Party!

Halloween-spiration Linky Party!

2011-09-30T17:19:00.000-07:00

I really want to get into the Halloween spirit this year and coordinate my classroom lessons to a Halloween theme, but I am having a really hard time coming up with anything...except another themed newsletter! Click image to download.

So friends, I need your Halloween-spiration!

This is my first ever linky party so help me out and link up below!

Science Freebie!!!

2011-09-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has arrived for me to unveil my fully free and complete Earth Materials Unit with Teacher Resources, Assessments, and Flipcharts!

It is day 3 of Science week and I have enjoyed browsing all the free stuff over at TBA!!

Just click each image to download!

This document includes the unit lessons and activities.

This document includes all of the lesson resources and assessments.

To access the unit flipcharts, the easiest way I could think of was to post them all on my wiki. So please click the image to visit the flipchart wiki page!

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improvement or if this is helpful!

Favorite Science Videos and Websites!

2011-09-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

It's day 2 of Science week over at Teaching Blog Addict! Go link up!

Today we are sharing our favorite videos and websites! I just love teaching science! I am very tech savvy so I am always embedding videos and web links into my flip charts!

One video that I use EVERY year to teach Weathering and Erosion is found on teacher tube. It is a fun cartoon by Study Jams to help students understand the difference between weathering and erosion. If you just search weathering and erosion, it should be the first one.

One website that I have found really helpful in teaching what fossils are is a simple web quest that helps students navigate easily to find the answers! Click the image below to go to the site.

We actually did this today and it was so much fun! Here is the science notebook tape in that we used with the lesson! If you are interested in the flipchart too, please email me at glauren4556@gmail.com. Click on the sheet below for access to the file!

Check back tomorrow for my FREE science unit!!!

So thankful!

2011-09-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

I just want to say how blessed I am to have all of you as followers! I have grown from 140 followers to 196 in just the last month! I know I kind of fell off the face of the planet for several months, but I have been so inspired by all the wonderful blogs I see out there and that has kept me motivated to post frequently and share all that I can! Everything I create, I try to share with you. I am a firm disbeliever (is that even a word??) in reinventing the wheel.

I also want to say thank you to Mary Pitner at Pitner's Potpourri for bestowing the honor of Versatile Blogger upon me! I apologize for not getting around to this sooner! =)

When you receive this award, you must thank the person who gave you the award, tell seven things about you, and bestow this honor on to fifteen other blogs that you think are worthy!

So, here are seven things you may not know about me...

1. I use Pinterest in between commercials on my Pinterest iphone app! Yep...that's addicted.

2. I have a very expensive taste in food! Period! And I will spend my very meager pay check every other week on just that! Grilled Hanger steak in a hunters sauce makes my mouth water! =) Call me crazy...I know. I could be buying shoes or new clothes, but not me.

3. I read at least one book a week on my Kindle. LOVE it. My favorite genre to read is Young Adult Fantasy. Those Utopian futuristic stories just suck me right in! Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, etc...Holla if you need a reading suggestion!

4. I have a secret dream of going to culinary school and becoming the Next Iron Chef! Wishful thinking, I know.

5. I paint stuff sometimes and sell it on Etsy.com. Check out my store here! =)

6. I play Bunco once a month with 11 other ladies! Each month is themed and it is one of the things I look forward to the most each month! Last month's theme was Bunco Prom. Check out the balloon arch!

If anyone else plays Bunco and you need theme ideas, let me know! We have done some fabulous ones!!

7. Last, but not least, I am addicted to doing school work. The weird thing is....I actually sort of enjoy it!

I know I am supposed to choose 15 blogs to share this honor with, but I am just going to choose my top 5. My winners are:

Ladybug's Teacher Files - I love everything she posts and it's always free like mine!

Clutter Free Classroom - I just adore all of her teaching and organizational/class decor ideas.

Extra Special Teaching - She has so many great free resources and games that are great for my ELL's!

The Inspired Apple - She is just amazing and has super amazing and cute lesson ideas.

What the Teacher Wants! - Their stuff is awesome and always inspiring!

Thanks again to Mary Pitner for this great honor! You made my week!

Favorite Science Books! Science Week!

2011-09-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

It is science week over at Teaching Blog Addict! Today, we are sharing our favorite science books! Head on over to link up!! Here is an overview of the week!

I love the Magic School Bus novels! They are easy and fun to read! They also go along great with our science curriculum.

We learn all about Rocks and Minerals so Rocky Road Trip is one that the kids and I really love!

We also learn about food chains so we also do Food Chain Frenzy!

Here are some other fun read aloud books that I use in my class. They are sorted according to the unit!

I can't wait to share my new, FREE, science unit this week!! Check back on Wednesday especially!!

Western Themed Newsletter

2011-09-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

I had a request from Brenda at Quilting Along Life's Way to make a Western themed newsletter template, so here it is! The graphics are from Scrappin' Doodles!

I really enjoy making these, so just let me know if you guys have any more suggestions!!

On another note, I can't wait for Science Week!! I will finally be releasing my totally free, completely jam packed Rocks and Minerals Unit with printable resources and lesson plans! Get excited!

Vowel Bingo

2011-09-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

I teach at a school with a very high Hispanic population and so naturally, they struggle in reading and writing. This really made me rethink how I wanted to teach spelling this year because whatever I was doing in years past wasn't working out for my students.

I have always struggled with how to handle spelling and this year, I decided to go with a much more focused approach each week. I really wanted to devote the first 5 weeks to short and long vowels (CVe).

For example, the first week, we did words with short a vowels and words with long a vowels that follow the CVe rule. The next week, we focused on short and long i. You get the idea.

As a culminating activity to review the short and long vowels, I created this BINGO game. I am including this here for all you teachers out there who might be able to use it!

Click the pictures to download.

Here is the call sheet.

Pirate Newsletter Template

2011-09-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

I posted a Back to School newsletter a few weeks back and I tweaked that one just a little bit to go along with my class theme. For all you pirate themed people out there, here is another freebie! And it's just in time for National Talk Like a Pirate Day tomorrow!

Graphics are from Scrappin' Doodles and Fonts from KevinandAmanda!

Let me know what you guys think!!

I will be happy to make another themed newsletter for you own classroom if you just leave me a comment with information on what you would like in it and your e-mail!

Place Value Review

2011-09-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Most districts begin every math unit with place value. I was visiting Pitner's Potpourri recently and came across this great idea for reviewing Place Value that she called a Place Value Marathon. See her post here.

I took this idea and created one to meet my classroom needs. My marathon works on place value through the hundred thousands, so this is great for the upper elementary and can be adapted for lower elementary.

Click on the file to download!

Free E-books from Scholastic!!

2011-09-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Scholastic has $1.00 ebooks for sale until September 20!

But wait...it gets better!

You can purchase 10 of those one dollar ebooks for free with the code 10thanks.

Why are still reading?! GET on over there!

Techy Time!

2011-09-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

It's official...I have the crud. Ugh. Every year when school starts back I have to drug myself with Sudafed, Nyquil, and Afrin for about a week straight.I am living on Luden's wild cherry cough drops this week. Please pray for a rapid recovery!

Okay, my pity party is over now... Thank you for listening. =)

Our school's Instructional Technology Facilitator shared some awesome new websites that I had not previously heard of yesterday and I thought I would share!

This website is sooooo fun! You can take any picture that you have saved and make it talk! I thought it would be fun to take pictures of my students and record a message from me to welcome them in the morning. They would die with laughter!

There are so many other things you could do with this. The possibilities are endless!

This next website is a great ELA resource. You can use it to help teach all kinds of reading and writing skills and even have your students create their own cartoon comics!

This last website is just an all around great teaching resource. There are TONS of videos and tutorials that can help you teach any subject! Sometimes, it's just nice to sit back and let someone else do the teaching! =)

The best thing about all of these websites is they're free!! So, go check em' out!

Easy Peasy Partners!

2011-09-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of using time wisely and making transition time smooth and quick! I stole this lovely idea from a colleague at my school last year and it made my partnering/grouping go so quickly! The kids know who their partner is and what part of the room to go to so less time is wasted!

Click the photos to download. I am linking the word version so you can edit for you own needs.

Genius. I know...

Unfortunately, I can't take the credit, but I did want to share with you all in case you haven't seen them before.

I post these on the whiteboard at the front of the room so I always have it right in front of me.

MAP goals

2011-09-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

We do the MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) Test every year in our district. It is becoming quite the secure test these days! We have so many students that receive oral administration in Math that it literally takes our school the entire month!

Anyhow, before we take the test, I always conference with each student about their goals and how they are going to improve from the last time. At the beginning of the year, you can use their previous years test scores as a jumping off point and take that time to explain the purpose of the goal sheet and its importance. My students are responsible for keeping these in their PIRATE binders and know where they are when testing time rolls around.

Here is the goal shee that I use in my classroom. I have linked it to the word version so you can make changes to suit your own classroom and needs. Just click on the picture to download the file.

Do you use a goal sheet in your classroom? If so, what does it look like? I am always looking to improve my goal sheet!

Problem Solving Words and Strategies

2011-09-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

So, I am sure many of you have seen these on Pinterest or The Teacher Wife's page.

And maybe you have seen this from Oh Boy, 4th Grade.

Well, I have taken these two lovely ideas and made a perfect marriage! After seeing these two wonderful ideas, I thought it would be a great thing to have glued inside my students math journals!

Let me know what you think! I hope I didn't break any rules by using these two ideas and combining them into one...

Click on the picture to download!

Per Request - Friendly Letter

2011-09-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

Someone asked about getting the printable of the friendly letter guy and I found who I stole it from! Visit Thriving Third Graders to download the document with the friendly letter guy in it! She also has some great lesson ideas for teaching the friendly letter!

All I did was take him from paper to poster! But he looks so cool hanging on the wall!

I am also working on finishing my Rocks, Minerals, Fossils, and Soils unit! When I am done, I will post for all to have!

Just a few ideas I've stolen from Pinterest...

2011-09-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

So, like most everyone else in teacher blog land, I live on Pinterest. I have an app on my iphone and I use it constantly on commercial breaks! This guy, who has yet to be named, was an inspired by someone on Pinterest who I can't think of at the moment! But it really helped my kids remember the parts of a letter!

Isn't he cute!? I mean, he has a big ole head that isn't really proportional to the rest of his body, but who cares!

I actually did not find this next idea on Pinterest. I actually came up with it all on my own! =) I gave my kids a learning style survey during the first week of school and then I turned it into a consensogram!

This idea came to me this week when I was trying to figure out what to do with my students South Carolina landform maps. I decided I would just make a collage out of them and make one large map!

I will post more from my world later this weekend!

Now, if you'll excuse me, my glass of wine and I have a date!

Free Teacher Clip Art and Social Studies ideas!

2011-09-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

Hold on to your pants! I have discovered the Holy Grail! I was perusing some blogs through a linky party hosted by Kathy at First Grade a la Carte and clicked on Primary Graffiti's link up. She had a Social Studies freebie that included clip art from phillipmartin.com.

Now, I have seen this clip art before all over the internet and just NEVER knew that it was totally free and that there was TONS of it!! I was in teacher clip art heaven! It was all broken down into categories so it was easy to search and find what you are looking for! Click here for a direct link to the page with the clip art. Prepare to be excited.

Please tell me that I am not the only person who didn't know about this or just fib and pretend you didn't because I will feel reaaaaally stupid for sharing if I am! HAHA

Oh, also, if you are interested in some Social Studies freebies, head on over to First Grade a la Carte and link up! Not only are there some great Social Studies ideas, but she is always giving away some freebies JUST for participating! =)

HOLLA!

2011-09-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

My Top Ten Blogs

I was overjoyed last night when I checked my blogger account and saw that Mary Pitner at Pitner’s Potpourri had awarded me with a Top Ten award! It makes me feel like all the work I do is for something!

Here they are in no particular order! I tried to pick ones that didn't already have a post about Top 10!

Lesson Plan SOS (I love all her lesson ideas and freebies!)

Science Notebooking (She has fabulous science lessons and ideas! Totally stole my science notebook decorating idea from her! Check them out here.)

Regurgitated Alphabits (She’s hilarious!! Just read her blog…you’ll be falling out of your seat.)

What the Teacher Wants (She has such great free resources and printables!)

Extra Special Teaching (She has lots of great freebies too that are great for my low third graders.)

iLearn Technology (I have found so many great techy resources and websites for teachers and for students on this blog.)

Mrs. Lewis' Learning Library (I just recently discovered this blog, but she has amazing free stuff for teachers!)

Lory's Page (This is also a recent discovery, but WOW! What cute stuff!)

The Inspired Apple (I just love all of her ideas! I "steal" them quite often!)

Ladybug's Teacher Files (I'm cheating here, because she was already picked, but I have been in love with her site since I stumbled upon it!)

To get your button, head over to Teaching Blog Addict!

Rocks and Minerals

2011-09-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the year, we always do a unit on Rocks and Minerals. Last year, I wrote this post on some activities that we did. I have revamped the unit a little bit and wanted to share with you all!

I also created the science notebook tape in to go along with the first lesson! You will notice there are two pages of the same thing and then the teacher resource page. When you print for your students, you want to print pages 1-2 only (not the teacher resource page) and choose the option multiple pages per sheet. It will then print both pages on one sheet so you can cut the in half and tape them into the journals.

Click the pictures to download the files.

I will be posting more of the resources soon, but this is a good start! If you need any of the flipcharts or have questions about the unit, please feel free to email me at glauren4556@gmail.com.

Totally awesome but unrelated...

2011-08-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

Looking for a quick and easy way to have fabulously gorgeous curls in about 5 minutes? Do you want your hair to look like this with almost no effort?

Yeah, if you are a teacher, then I bet I have your attention! My mom discovered this video on youtube. She explains how to get these gorgeous curls with only a headband. No heat was used to get this look!!! I know...crazy, right?

You can view another example done on my neice's hair on my mom's blog, Coggie Crafts.

View on friends!

I realize this had nothing to do with education, but I am sharing because if you are like me, you know a teacher needs some good sleep! You can set your alarm for a little bit later the next morning because you just wake up and viola, 5 minute hair!!

Newsletter Template

2011-08-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

I worked on a new newsletter template this weekend and I wanted to share! It is an apples and back to school theme! I plan to make some themed ones too so keep checking back!

Click the image to download. (FYI: If you don't have KevinandAmanda fonts downloaded on your computer, the newsletter fonts won't look like this!)

Happy Tuesday!

P.S. Someone's blog today suggested using Dropbox for linking to documents since Google Docs likes to reformat stuff! I have to say, I will be using this from now on and it was soooo easy!

Spelling Menu

2011-08-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

I've seenvarious versions of this around the internet and last year I decided to createmy own! My students keep it in their PIRATE binders and I just love it.Secretly, I think the kids do too. =) They love being able to choose how theydo their spelling each night! It's nothing fancy, but it works. Click the linkbelow for access to the document.

SpellingMenu

More funstuff to come soon....So, stay tuned!

Sub Folder and Plans

2011-08-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

We have sub plans due tomorrow and so today has been devoted to overhauling last year’s document! I had to make it all cute to go along with the class theme!! I wanted to share it with you all in case you like the idea! Hopefully, this will save you some think time! I know it's done in a pirate theme, but you can use different graphics to suit your classroom. =)

This is the document in PDF form.

Unfortunately, for copyright reasons, I cannot give you the editable version with the clip art. I am linking to the editable Word version below. If you wish to download, you need to have Pass The Chex, Smiley Monster, and Wish I Were Taller, Digs my Hart fonts installed from Kevin and Amanda.com for it to look like this. If any of the other fonts don't look the same, just replace them with fonts you already have installed on your computer.

Please click the read more button to view the document.

Sub Folder

For the editable version click HERE!

I hope this is helpful for you guys!

Free For All Friday!

2011-08-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry I didn't get around to posting last night! I made plans to have a girls night at Sips and Strokes to paint and sip wine with my sister and mom! Check the link to see if there is one near you! It was so much fun and I was exhausted when I got home! Here is picture of my painting!

Isn't Hootie cute!?

Anywhoo, (haha! get it!?) on to my free for all! We have been working on place value since school started! The kids always seem to struggle with reading and writing numbers through the hundred thousands, especially because I have so many ESOL kids, so I created some fun resources to help students practice and to help you teach! These resources are geared towards upper elementary, but are easily adaptable to my primary friends out there!

Let me know if you have any questions! Please click read more to view the resources as the file is rather large and slows down my pages load time! (Thanks to Ladybug Teacher Files for the tip!!)

Place Value Packet

I have enjoyed snagging all of your great freebies!! =)

Three for Thursday!

2011-08-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

Teacher week is still going on strong! Today is Three for Thursday where you can share some of your favs! Head on over to Blog Hoppin' to link up!

Favorite Font

I have only recently discovered Kevin and Amanda's fabulous font collection, so currently I am diggin' on Smiley monster, Pass the Chex, and wish I were taller. I have been using them for pretty much everything I make in class this year! Everyone at my school is like, oh! I love those!

Favorite Blog

Man, there are so many wonderful bloggers out there, but the one I stalk the most would have to be Thriving Third Graders! There aren't that many third grade blogs out there, but the ones that are are pretty great! I also stalk The Inspired Apple on a regular basis and "steal" several of her ideas and adapt them for my third graders!

Favorite Online Resource

My FAVORITE online resource is probably the same as everyone else's in the blog world currently: PINTEREST! Yep. I have gotten SOOOO many great ideas from this site and I still have so many more that I want to work on, but there's only so many hours left in the day after the students leave...

Can't wait to read and hopefully learn about some new great blogs and online resources from you all!!