CYBER MONDAY SALE

I'm super excited about the Cyber Monday (and Tuesday) sale on TPT!

Thanks Ashley for the adorable button!

 

Here is what you can grab from my store:

 

My new Christmas unit: A Ho! Ho! Ho! Lot of Learning

 

 

Ho! Ho! Ho! Sight Word Game

 

 

 

A Christmas Calendar Gift for Parents

 

 

Letter Practice RTI packets

 

 

 

Number Fun 1-10 Unit

 

 

Numbers 11-20 Practice Pages

 

If you are anything like me, your cart is FULL and ready to shop! The best thing about shopping on TPT is that they don't run out!!! You can take your time, look through what you like, and check out at your own leisure! They will have enough for everyone! (You also don't have to worry about if it makes you look fat!) Happy Shopping!

A Ho! Ho! Ho! Lot of Learning Going on! (And a sale)

I am so excited to be finished with my Christmas unit!!!!

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This Christmas themed unit is full of great literacy and math activities for your classroom.

 

Literacy:

•  ABC order
• Syllables
• Hidden words
• CVC games
• Letter/sound recognition game
• Sentence Scramble
• What letter is next?

 

Math

• Count and write Numbers to 20
• Order numbers 0-20 from least to greatest
• Graphing
• Positional words
• Roll and count

Just click on the picture below to head to my store to purchase this unit!

I also took a few of the games and sold them separately if you are interested in just those!

 

 

And just because I love you so much, I'm throwing a CYBER MONDAY Sale on Monday and Tuesday!!!! Everything in my store will be 20% off in addition to the 10% off from TPT..that is 28% off total!

Wanna link up and join the sale fun? Click on 3AM's button below.

 

  Make sure you check out all of these other great bloggers having a sale as well!

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to wish all of my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for this little blog and the friends I have made through blogging. I am a better teacher because of my readers and all of the wonderful teachers I have met!

Clipart from KPMDoodles

Christmas gift for Parents

Are you having trouble deciding what your kiddos can get your parents? Well, I have the perfect solution. I just listed by 2013 Calendar - A Christmas Gift for Parents.

I started doing this 4 years ago and parents love it! The calendar is black and white and has pictures for each month that students can color.

Here is how I assemble them for my parents. I first take a picture of the student. I have them hold this sign that came with a bulletin board kit that is no longer in stock.

After the students have colored each page, I place their picture, year, and some sort of decoration on a large 12 X 18 piece of construction paper and laminate it. Then I staple the calendar to the paper.

 

I always wrap it up with an ornament the kiddos made and there ya go! The parents really love this gift because it is "hand-made" and useful! I have made this one SUPER cute and each page has an adorable border! Just click here to grab it in my store!

 

Don't forget. You only have until Monday to sign up for Holly Bloggy Christmas!

  

Writer's Workshop

I have a confession.....I have always thought my "writing program" stunk. Like really stinky. I've never felt like it was one of my strong teaching areas. If I had good writers I contributed it to, they were really bright kiddos and had a good imagination. And really, until a few weeks ago, most of my "writing program' consisted of penmanship and grammar. That was until....I found this:

 



 

I swear y'all. This is AWESOME and worth every penny. I am in love. I will admit. I had my reservations. Mainly that it was too late in the year to start this with them, but WOW! I am no longer doing penmanship during writing nor am I telling them what to write about. This unit shares day by day EXACTLY what to do. Now, I'm not usually one to like someone telling me how to teach. I have a serious beef with people telling me what and how to teach and not letting me use my own creativity, however, I need this. I needed someone to tell me how to teach writing and my golly - they do it!!!

 

We have only done Day 1, 2, and 3 but mercy me. I wanted to cry when day 1 I had to stop them from writing. Yes, you heard me right. I had to tell them writing time was over! They are so eager to share their writing and I am oh.so.proud. So thank you Deanna and Deedee. I will forever be grateful! Here are a few pictures of my kiddos in action.

 

 

 

If you are looking for a writing program, I highly suggest this unit and the other units they have to follow!



Thankful

I'm a little late to the game, but I am linking up Lyndsey for her Stuffed with Thankful Thoughts Linky Party.

1. First and foremost, I'm thankful for my family. (These are our family photos that were taken 2 weeks ago. I am SUPER excited to have some awesome Christmas gifts.) I have a wonderful, patient, kind husband who is so giving and the sweetest spunkiest 3 year old you have ever met!

2. I am thankful that I have wonderful parents. My mom is my best friend and my dad is my hero. Enough said!

3. I am thankful that I have a warm home to come home to everyday. We are currently building a new home (as my husband is a home builder.) I am thankful that I get to build a beautiful new home every 3 years. (Yes that does mean packing and moving every 3 years too!)

 Last years home

Our new home currently being built

 

4. I'm thankful for the friends I have met through blogging. It has SERIOUSLY made me a better teacher. I get some many great resources and ideas to do in my classroom. Thank you to everyone who reads my blog!

 

5. Teachers Pay Teachers....I am so thankful for TPT! I began being thankful for the resources it gave me to use in my classroom. I haven't visited the local Teacher store in over a year! Now I am thankful for the extra income that it gives me to fund my habit of shopping for my little one! Thank you! Thank you!

 

I hope you will link up with Lyndsey too and share what you are thankful for!

 

 



Literacy Centers 101

After having the same schedule for oh...10 years, I decided to switch things up a bit. I was totally inspired by Deedee Wills centers and her AWESOME Peek at the Week's. We have been doing reading groups for 3 years but this year have a lack of extra support and I just really felt I wasn't getting to my kiddos like I needed to. I bravely attempted Mrs. Wills schedules and I am very excited how well it is going. Well, that's an understatement. I am THRILLED with how well they are going. They LOVE it and are actively engaged at all times!

Here is what we have been up to:

Listening Center  - If You Give a Pig a Pancake

 

Listening Center - Run, Turkey, Run

Fluency Station - Differientiated...they either practice letters (from Deedee), or sight words depending on what level of the rainbow they are on.

This is my phonics group. Just working on beginning sounds, CVC or best guess spelling.

My pocket chart center.... beginning sounds

 

Or unscrambling sentences. (This week we did ABC order too.)

Writing center (from Deedee). We are also doing some of these from Lori.

 

ABC Games and Puzzles. This is a game from Deedee to review beginning sounds. Some students are also playing Gobble from my Thanksgiving unit or Touchdown from Deedee.

I also have a word play center that the kiddos LOVE. I somehow didn't get pictures of that but hope to next week! My last 2 centers are computers (Headsprout) and guided reading with me. Deedee has a great organization for rotating centers and rotates 2 times. Due to some guidelines set by my district/school, I have to have a longer reading time and meet with my students more often so I rotate 3 times a day. Deedees is so organized and she just moved centers up and down to rotate. I made it much harder on my self and have some systematical way of doing it that took a PHD in algebra and about 5 hours to figure out but guess what I got it!!! (Then I got a new student and threw it all out of wack!) I cannot wait to keep showing you these great centers!

Holly Bloggy Christmas 2012

I know! You are freaking out right now! Are we really going to have it again? This late in the year? Yep and Yep! Caitlin (who took a small leave of absence but is back in full effect) and I are going to host a quick Holly Bloggy Christmas exchange!

This year's Holly Bloggy Christmas has a theme. (I know you are thinking...theme? But really, we ARE teachers aren't we?) The theme is MY FAVORITE THINGS. (Think Oprah.)

Here are the details:
Email us at teacherbloggerexchange{at}gmail{dot}com with your name and mailing address along with your blog so that your partner can get to know you better. The deadline for this email is NOVEMBER 26th.

Once you have your partner, send him/her a small package with YOUR FAVORITE THINGS. There is a $15 limit (not including shipping). Our thinking is that maybe your partner doesn't know how fabulous your favorite things are. Once they receive them, they may have a new addiction!

All packages must be mailed out by December 10th and WE MUST GET AN EMAIL WITH YOUR TRACKING NUMBER! There is nothing worse than getting email after email from people who didn't get their gift when they followed the rules! We are SUPER excited about this but understand if you are too busy to contribute. If you are, please be respectful and just think about joining next year!

Be prepared to post about the gift you received and join our linky party on Christmas morning!

We will also have sponsor's again this year with a new twist! If you would like to be a sponsor, please email us at teacherbloggerexchange{at}gmail{dot}com by November 26th. We are asking that all sponsors give away one (or two) of their favorite things. This can be gift cards, nail polish, etc, etc. We are going to set at $10 minimim on this!  All sponsor emails must be sent by November 26th as well! Hope you are looking forward to a Holly Bloggy Christmas!

Please remember that all Holly Bloggy Christmas info, giveaways, and posts will be on our Teacher Blogger Exchange blog, so make sure you are a follower!