The First 2 Weeks...

Wow! The first 2 weeks of students is done, and I'm exhausted! I think I have a pretty good class this year. They are VERY different from last year. Last year, seemed easy as far as my students were concerned. I showed them what to do, and they did it. They were fairly independent, so I could focus on learning 2nd Grade curriculum. This year, my class doesn't seem to have the same independence. So, I've been modeling, modeling, modeling. They are trying very hard to do what is expected, but I can feel the difference between this class and last year's class.

I feel good about taking my time with rituals and routines this year. I keep reminding myself it will be worth it later. Then, I hear about all of the things other teachers on my team are already doing. That's when I start to wonder if I'm going TOO slowly...

Then, today I check my e-mail, and find this in my box . It was a wonderful reminder that I am doing the right thing. I have subscribed to this e-mail list for months now, and have both of the books on my Kindle Fire. After reading today's e-mail, I thought I'd share it with all of you so you could benefit from it too.

What has inspired you so far this year (whether you've started school or not)? Feel free to let us know in the comments section!

Back to School, a Freebie, and a TPT Sale

Our students returned on Tuesday. I have 4 students I have had previously (3 from Kindergarten, and one I retained last year whose mother wanted me to have again). This is a very different group from last year. Last year's class didn't need as much direction, and were calmer overall. That's exactly what I needed because I was starting in a new grade level, and wasn't exactly sure how I would do things. 

This year I'm trying to be more organized, and I know how I want to do routines based on things that worked/didn't work last year. This is good because I can focus more on getting the children to learn routines. So far they have been receptive to learning how I want things done. I just have to make sure I don't let them get carried away with the talking. 

One of the routines we practiced was the Morning Message. This year's anchor chart for the message came out much better than the one I did last year.

After making the chart, we did a practice message together. I showed them how to get their materials (pencil, clipboard, paper). Then, we went through the message sentence by sentence and tallied mistakes. After that, I showed them how to fold their note papers and put them in the Morning Message Bucket. 

The next day, I had them try one on their own. I only put 3 mistakes. However, only 2 people got it right. I'm sure more of them will get it right with practice. The children who get it right get a small prize. It's a great way to review skills taught in class.

Before going back to school (when I had lots of time), I made some table labels for myself. I liked them so much that I made them into a freebie for you. The colors are pastel, but they show up nicely in my classroom.

Click on the picture above to download.

Teachers Pay Teachers is having their annual Back to School Sale on August 18 and 19! All of my products will be 20% off, PLUS if you enter the code BTS13, TPT will take another 8% off. You'll get a total of 28% off of your purchase! Also, remember to leave feedback for all purchased items. If you do, you'll earn points good towards $$ off of your purchases. This works all the time, not just for the BTS sale!

Click on the banner below to visit my store.

Thank you to Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Designs for the sale banner!

I also have a brand new product! I decided to make editable templates based on a theme. Since My current theme is sea life, I went with that. 

In this packet you will find editable templates with a sea life theme. The templates can be used for nameplates, nametags, signs, word walls, notepads, binder covers, flash cards, and whatever else you can think of.

For nametags, simply print the page(s) on full sheet labels, then cut them to the appropriate size. The rest of the pages work best when printed on card stock. After printing, laminate for durability.

I have typed in the text boxes so you can see where they are. Simply replace my text with your own in whatever font and size you choose.

Click here or on the images above to check out this product.

Now, my question to you is this:

What themes would you like to see in editable templates?

August Currently

I know - you're amazed that I'm posting twice in one day! I am too! :) It's time for Currently from Oh' Boy 4th Grade!

The Listening is self explanatory. The Loving is that I've lost 22 pounds this summer! I still have a long way to go, especially since the loss doesn't seem to show that much, but I'm very excited to have lost as much as I did. I hope I can continue to lose even after school starts!

As for the Thinking and Wanting - don't we all? I already have a to-do list of things I want to get done before we start school next week. This summer has been a fun and restful time for me, and I hate to see it end. 

Needing, well I'm kind of embarrassed about this. Since summer started, my sleep schedule has gotten WAY off track. I can't seem to fall asleep until around 3 am, and then I sleep until 11 or 12. It's going to be hard to get out of that bad habit. Yes, my son gets up earlier than that. He wakes me up when he gets up. I get him settled, and he keeps himself busy (he's very good at that). Then, I go back to sleep. Also, we live with my parents, so they are there to help out with him if he needs something. I consider myself very lucky!

Now for the back to school must-haves! I LOVE Sharpies of all different colors! I just love writing with the fine tip and using multiple colors on posters for my classroom.

Computer labels are definitely a must-have! It's so nice to just print out an entire class of names on labels to put on nametags, journals, folders, cubbies, pocket charts, and whatever else I need to put them on. It's so much easier than hand writing the names on everything like I had to do when I first started teaching.

As for the 2nd Grade Data Folder and Checklist, it's an item I found on TPT by 1st Grade is WeinerFUL. Our grading system and report cards are drastically changing this year. We will be starting to implement Common Core, and I am terrible at keeping data. So, when I found this product I was thrilled. There are pages and pages of charts for students to keep track of data, as well as Common Core checklists for them to use. Also, it's CUTE! Everyone who knows me knows I need to have teaching materials that are cute. If it isn't cute, I make it cute. If you want to check this out, click on the picture below.

Be sure to download the preview because it gives you a good overview of the product, and you get a few freebie pages in it. I don't plan to use all of the pages, but many of them will work for me. Also, I may print 2 pages each on the back and front sides of the paper to save on copy paper.

UPDATE: I found out she has them for Kindergarten and 1st Grade as well, and they are just as cute!

What are your back to school must-haves? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Thanks!

Back After All This Time!

After being lazy relaxing this summer, I'm finally updating my blog! I apologize for my absence. I'm finally ready to start thinking about school (now that we're going back on Tuesday!). I haven't been completely lazy relaxing the whole summer though. I did manage to copy all of my books on CD to the MP3 players for my listening center. I even have plenty of room on them to add more books!

I went to work in my room a few days ago, and was actually quite productive. I was able to arrange furniture, organize a bit, and put stuff up on the walls. This was a nice change since for the last 2 years I had to move my classroom and unpack. I was so glad I didn't have to unpack again this year. There is still lots to do though!

Instead of my usual rectangular white baskets for the children to put their supplies in, I found some really cute metal buckets that will match the colors in my room. I'm still working on a way to make the buckets quieter when they put their stuff in. Any ideas would be appreciated!

 I found these adorable buckets in the Target dollar section!

Later, I found these at Walmart for 97 cents! They have a label on them that says, "dry erase." I don't know what I would use that for, but it's nice to know I have the option!

I have a FREEBIE for you! It's a new lunch choice sign. I had another one with A, B, and C lunch choices (which is still offered for free at my store). My school no longer offers 3 choices, so I made a new one. This one is a better match for my decor.

If you'd like one for your class, click here.

At my school, we have an incentive plan for children to become fluent in addition/subtraction facts. I firmly believe in memorizing the facts, but some children might find that boring. So, I created 4 addition card games to make it more fun for children to become fluent in the facts. I plan to add games for subtraction, multiplication, and division very soon!

As a back-to-school special for you, I am offering each game at 50% off now through Sunday, August 4! The best deal for this is the bundle pack, which will normally offer all 4 games for the price of 3. At 50% off, you can get all 4 games for a little over the price of 1! 

Click on the pictures below to see details about each game.

Click here for the link to the Addition Card Game Bundle Pack (All 4 Games).

It will be nice to get back to work, but I will definitely miss staying up late and sleeping in! I am not a morning person at all! We go back on August 6, and the children return on August 13. When do you return to school, or have your already returned?

Comments are always appreciated!

Teacher Appreciation, A Giveaway, and Caterpillars

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! I hope all of you are shown how much you are appreciated this week! Our school is pretty good about doing that. We are usually treated to something special each day of TA Week. We get small treats, lunches, ice cream, and even a day where we can get a massage during our lunch time. Since I'm a vegetarian, they also make meal accommodations for me (even when we have parties and stuff throughout the year). So I guess I can consider myself lucky. 

What does your school do for you during Teacher Appreciation Week? I'd love to find out what different places do.

Speaking of Teacher Appreciation, TPT is having a sale to celebrate! Of course, my store is participating! You get 20% off of everything in my store, and you get an extra 10% off of that price from TPT when you enter the code TAD13. This will give you up to 28% off everything you buy! Click the image below to check out the sale!

Melissa over at First Grade Smiles is having a 200 Follower Giveaway! There are several prize packages with fantastic prizes from your favorite TPT Sellers! Click the image below to enter.

When I taught Kindergarten, I would always order caterpillars and teach a butterfly unit. It was one of my favorite units to teach. The children would learn big words like metamorphosis, molting, emerge, chrysalis, etc. They would be so intrigued by the process, and ask lots of questions. There was lots of learning going on. I loved it!

When I moved to 2nd Grade, I was thrilled that they do the unit as part of their curriculum. Our caterpillars arrived last week. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of them on day 1, but I did get one from day 3.

The children are fascinated by them. They have so many good questions about them too. I'll share a few in an upcoming post.

 

I found a cute FREE observation journal to use with this unit as well. This was created by Susan at T.G.I.F. Click on the image to download.

 

 

Finally, I just wanted to share a picture I took last week. My class is so into completing the Morning Message. We even started graphing our class average of it each day, kind of like they do with their personal test scores so they can see their progress. I think they especially like it because they get a treat if everything is correct. I just think it's fun! It's also great to see them working together on it.

Feel free to leave comments below! If you have any great ideas for a butterfly unit, I'd love to read them!

May Currently and Some Giveaways!

It's a new month, and time for Currently, Sponsored by Farley at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade! I know, I didn't do it last month. I was getting lazy, but I'm getting back on track now. 

Here it is!

 

Yes, I'm listening to my son singing in the other room. He is playing Minecraft, his latest obsession. He gets these songs from the game or about the game (Thanks, You Tube! - Sarcasm) in his head, and keeps humming or singing them out loud. It's quite annoying since now those stupid songs pop into my head at various times during the day. I just wish he'd sing Bon Jovi or something instead! :)

I recently learned how to make editable products to post on TPT! I saw it on the Seller's Forum, and was thrilled to find it! It inspired me to update my Bright Schedule Cards. I updated the originals that are ready-made with subject areas on them, then made some editable ones with and without clip art so people can change the font or even choose to have text-only cards. I also made smaller cards to include the time of day. I thought they came out pretty good, even if I say so myself. :)

My class, the one that has been wonderful all year, is starting to go crazy! They are much more talkative, opinionated, and a few even like to argue with me. I'm finding myself having to be much harder on them, which I really don't like. Only 23 more days!

I find myself wanting to do so many things, but I have to choose just one. I want to read, play computer games, write in my blog, make new products, etc., but I am only able to focus on one thing at a time. Oh, what a joy it would be to be able to enjoy everything at once!

Like I mentioned earlier, I had gotten lazy, and wasn't writing as frequently. I'm working on that now. :)

My summer bucket list: 

1. I need to get serious about losing weight, which I'm hoping to do over the summer.

2. I have tons of books on my Kindle Fire that I haven't read yet. I hope to get to many of them over the summer.

3. I'd like to go away somewhere fun, even if it's just for a few nights. I'm not sure where, but I'll let you know when I go! :)

By the way, if you are still looking for a Mother's Day activity for your class, check out my Happy Mother's Day Pack. I'm working on the booklet with my class now. They sometimes surprise me with what they write in the blanks. My 2nd Graders even put speech bubbles (they didn't really do that in Kindergarten) to make the booklets even more entertaining. It's definitely a great keepsake for Moms!

Curriculum Core is having a 100 Follower Giveaway! Be sure to check it out!

The Learning Lab is having a May Giveaway starting on May 5. Remember to stop by!

Both giveaways have great prizes!

Feel free to comment below! I love hearing from my readers! 

Mother's Day

Mother's Day will soon be upon us. Of course, I always have my students do something to celebrate their mothers or, in the absence of a mother, another significant person in their lives.

When I taught Kindergarten, we would have a Mother's Day Tea. All mothers would be sent an invitation to join us in the celebration. I had the children make corsages out of coffee filters colored with markers, and sprayed with water (which gave them a beautiful effect when dry). I'd put a green pipe cleaner for the leaf and the stem, and add a safety pin for the mothers to pin them on. Click here if you'd like to see an example. I always had the children color more than what is shown.

One year, I also had the children make hats for their mothers in addition to the corsages. I'd cut the center out of a Chinette plate, glue a Chinette bowl in the center, have the children paint them in pastel colors, and tie tulle around the hat so it would tie around the mothers' chins. After finding out that the mothers didn't like wearing them very much, I decided to stop making them.

The tables were decorated with table cloths, and placemats made by the children. In the center of each table was a ceramic tea pot, which all of the mothers seemed to love. The mothers drank their tea from glass or ceramic tea cups. Over the years I found it was easier and more pleasant for the mothers if I put iced tea in the tea pots instead of hot tea.

When the mothers arrived, the children were instructed to greet their mothers and show them to their seats. They would then give their mothers the corsages and a Mother's Day book they had made (more on that below). While the mothers looked at the books, the children gave them massages. After everyone arrived, I would have the children "take their mothers' orders" as to what they wanted from the snack table. Then they would get the food and serve it to their moms. If their mothers offered them food, they were instructed to say, "No thank you. This is your day." They would get to eat later.

After everyone was served, I would call the children over to perform some Mother's Day songs (more on that below) we had practiced. The mothers always loved this part! They would then rejoin their mothers, have a snack, and enjoy the rest of the tea party with their mothers.

Every year, the mothers would rave about how much they enjoyed the Mother's Day Tea. Now that I'm writing about it, I'm actually considering doing it in 2nd Grade this year, even though I thought I wouldn't.

The Mother's Day books are something I've also done for years, and I'm doing them again this year with my 2nd Graders. They make great keepsakes as the children fill in the blanks and illustrate them. I still have my son's book from when he was in Kindergarten.

I have created a version of the book in my new Happy Mother's Day Pack, available at my TPT store.

The pack includes a variety of pages you can use to make your own books. There are 18 total book pages to choose from. Some examples are below.

For people who would like something similar to the book, but on one page, I have included a certificate with fill in the blank sentences. There is one for Mom and one for Someone Special (both in color and blackline).

There is also a coupon book for children to make and give to their moms. A few examples are below.

 Finally, I have included the lyrics to the songs we sing at the Mother's Day Tea. These include possible actions you may want your children to do with the songs.

Do you do anything special with your class for Mother's Day? Feel free to share your ideas below!