An Accomplishing Saturday!

Today has been busy!  I finished a "Snapshots" pack for quick assessment, morning work, homework... whatever you need for 1st grade math... I am pretty psyched about it!  It's $1 off until tomorrow too!!!

Check it out on TpT!

When that was done, I took a little shopping trip!  I love to shop at Lane Bryant and everything in the store is 50% off this weekend!

I got some great stuff... including an outfit that is totally not me... but looked so cute I HAD to buy it!  I'll share a pic the first time I wear it... it's some super high boots, a cute tunic, and leggings!  I've never owned a pair of leggings... ok, maybe when I was like 12... but it's a pretty cute combination!

Do you wear leggings?  Give me some other outfit suggestions with them... because I really liked how it all looked together!

Flocabulary Winner... and Something New {Maybe for You!}

I'm so excited to announce the winner of the Flocabulary subscription!  Congratulations to...LAURA!!!!
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Now, this is some sort of Thanksgiving miracle because I actually know Laura!  She was my favorite favorite favorite sub who *YAY!!!* recently got hired to teach Kindergarten!  Sad for me, but so happy for her and even happier because she is the WINNER!

I have today off (whoo hoo!).  My turkey is brining, my house is about to get cleanified, and I just finished something new for my TpT store... Go Gingerbread Man!- a contraction game just like the Thanksgiving freebie I shared earlier this week.

You can win a copy!  Just leave a comment (sorry about the word verification but my favorite spammers are at it again!) with your e-mail and I will send this to FIVE winners tomorrow morning!  This is my 300th item and I'm pretty excited about that!

Check it out on TpT!

Today's the Last Day to Win FLOCABULARY!!!

Did you hear me screaming that from the rooftop?

If you haven't checked out Flocabulary, you're missing out!  It's an incredible resource with short and sweet videos, set to hip-hop music, connected to Common Core standards, with printable activities, that kids love... need I say more?

Flocabulary is giving a subscription away and all you have to do is sign up for a free trial then come back here and tell me you did using the Rafflecopter widget below!

Go go go!  I'll announce the winner tomorrow!

The website is http://www.flocabulary.com... sign up!  You will love it!
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Odds and Ends {file update, don't forget to enter, and this week in 3rd grade with something for you!...}

This is a random blog post.  The Lions lost a game they TOTALLY should have won today... in fact, they didn't just lose... at times it seems like they had gift wrapped a victory and handed it to the Buccaneers!  So I'm feeling a little jilted and sad!

So... just a bunch of randomness is about to ensue...

1.)  File update:
My "Christmas Around the World Flippy Books" have gotten a major update.  New fonts, new graphics... I'm really excited about the new look!  If you have them, please re-download.  I hope you'll like the update!

2.)  Don't forget to enter:
You can win a free year's subscription to Flocabulary!  Click the picture below to head over to find out what you have to do to enter.  It's an AMAZING website... I hope you'll check it out!

3.)  This week in 3rd grade:
We're departmentalized (which I love) but I also love random days around the holidays when I keep my own kids and we can do fun classroom things together.  On Monday, we're switching like usual.  Tuesday is fun stuff... throwing water balloons at the principal as an AR incentive, making pumpkin pie in a bag, watching the animated "Charlotte's Web" since we finished the book a few weeks ago... then no school till next week!

My ELA plans for Monday include taking a unit spelling test, adding spelling words to our dictionaries, talking about our upcoming Christmas Around the World research project (click to go to freebie!!!), and re-teaching how to identify verbs in sentences.  We assessed on this on Friday and my kids TOTALLY got the "identify whether a sentence is past, present, or future"... but the part where they had to find the verb in the sentence... not so much.  We'll be doing this verb tense game for extra practice.  I am so thankful for YOU all so it's free on TpT!

I'd love to hear what you think!

Happy TG week... I'll be back on Wednesday to announce the Flocabulary winner!!!

Christmas Research... Creating a Brochure

We're working on a non-fiction unit in class right now and are going to have our students research holiday traditions and create a brochure.  There are spots for students to draw a diagram, add a map, write a caption, and note their sources.  I know they will LOVE making this!  I made up the brochure tonight and have posted it for free on TpT!

The week before Christmas, we'll be doing my Christmas Around the World activities, which the kiddos always enjoy.  I know they will love them even more because they'll have knowledge about other countries to contribute too!  I have TONS of Christmas Around the World freebies at my class website and in these old blog posts too!

Click the pic to check out the brochure!  {Blog FB fans... make sure you grabbed your Santa letter freebie too at the Fans page on my FB page!}

Also... don't forget to enter to win a free subscription to Flocabulary!

 

Go With The Flo... Flocabulary That Is! {You Can Win and Get Your FLO On!}

Go with the Flo... Flocabulary!

Flocabulary is an AMAZING website with short educational videos for tons of topics.  What makes Flocabulary different from some of the other short video sites out there is that all of the videos have this hip tune that's like educational hip hop.  My students can't get enough of the catchy tunes...

We LOVE this one about the 5 Ws in a story... my kiddos could not get enough of the tune of this one and they loved this character!

We had some multiplication on our morning work this week and a ton of sweeties came to ask me how to do simple multiplication... guess what... there's a Flocabulary for that!

Get a free trial of Flocabulary!

This one was great because, at the end, there was a place where it hip-hopped multiplication facts and the kids got to try to say the answers before they popped up on the screen.

I think I might love this more than my kids.  I get giddy and excited every time we watch one.  I LOVE watching them so into the Flocabulary... feet tapping, heads bobbing, paying SUCH close attention because they want to sing along with it!   Each song has a chorus that is easy to learn, the lyrics scroll on the screen so the kids hear it, see, it and read it too.

It gets better.  How?  I know... it's pretty awesome as it is.

Each video has printable lyrics and some sort of paper-pencil practice you can use after, as an assessment, as an extension activity... whatever you need.  Not only that, but there is a full description with screen shots of each video so you can see exactly what's going to happen AND the videos are Common Core aligned!  How awesome is that?!

So, why am I telling you this... you can win a FREE YEAR'S SUBSCRIPTION!

All you have to do is sign up for a free trial of Flocabulary.  Then come back to this blog and let me know {via the Rafflecopter widget} that you signed up for the trial.  Include the e-mail address you used to sign up.

Next Wednesday, I will select a winner and then Flocabulary will automatically upgrade the winner's trial account to a paid account for a year!

Don't delay!  Go!  Get a free trial account... enter to win full access for a year.  Flocabulary has content for every grade level and your kiddos will SO thank you for registering!

Good luck!

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QR Code Phonics Fun

My reading intervention group had so much fun today!!!!  We've been working extremely hard on phonemic awareness and phonics.  We're doing The Phonics Dance, which I used in 1st and 2nd... and it's really helping my small group of 3rd graders with decoding skills.

Today my co-teacher and I made a QR hall hunt.  We came up with 10 make believe words using the "hunks and chunks" we've been working on.

We hung them in the hallway with a QR code on each.  When the students scanned the code, it took them to an audio file of my co-teacher saying each make-believe word!  They had a recording sheet where they had to mark off if they read each word correctly or incorrectly... they read the word, scanned the code, and checked themselves.  It was SO MUCH FUN!

Check out these pics...

Here's the recording sheet...

So, then I collected the recording sheets and saw that 7 out of my 16 friends missed number seven, so now I know we need to work on those sounds some more!

I loved that they could do this on their own and I LOVE LOVE LOVED walking out in the halls with them, hearing so many whispered, "YES!"es as they got the words correct!

The moral is... try QR codes if you can!

Spelling Dice Race {Freebie?!}

Are you a fan of this blog on FB?  If so... I uploaded a new FB only freebie so go scoop it up!  It's Christmas-y... we used it last week to organize for our Santa letters!

Today I've got a quick blog freebie for you too... please drop a line in the comments if you enjoy it!

Click the pic of this sweetie using it to practice spelling words... so fun!

I am off to run a 5K today with my friends... it's cold and rainy and windy with a capital W!... and we're going to get our run on!  Yahoo!

TWO Winners! {Stopwatches and Snapshots}

Yay!  Congrats to Laura... she wins the six stopwatches from Learning Resources!
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I have two more giveaways coming up... one is for an AMAZING web resource that you will LOVE!!!!  So stay tuned!  :)

I also want to give away one set of 1st grade CCSS aligned Comprehension Snapshots.  Those go to comment #4 (hubby's pick!)... OhioMom2!  I'll send them your way shortly.

Happy Friday night, friends!  Tomorrow some teacher friends and I are taking a little sweetie from school to lunch and the movies... Sunday it's another 5K for me... and then one more full week of school before two days and then Thanksgiving break!  Yahoo!

Something for First Grade Friends and LAST Chance to Enter for Stopwatches!

It's finished!

First grade CCSS Comprehension Snapshots!

I'm so excited about this one... after being out of first grade for two years, it was so fun coming up with passages that I know my old firsties (who are now big bad 3rd graders!) would have loved to read!  This pack would also be GREAT for struggling 2nd graders... I even have a few 3rd grade friends who will be using some of these for guided practice to help them be successful on the 3rd grade Snapshots.

Anywho... click the pic for more info or leave a comment for a chance to win!

Find them on TpT

I'll announce a winner this weekend when I announce the winner of the Learning Resources Stopwatches!  Don't forget to enter to win a set of SIX of them!  They are super kid friendly and so easy to use!  Just click the pic to check them out!!!

Comprehension Snapshots WINNER!

Hubby picked #77... so congrats Allyson!  I'm sending you the Comprehension Snapshots now!

Click the pic to check out the pack with 40 CCSS connected comprehension quickies on TpT!

And... I'm half done with a 1st grade set so be on the look out for that soon!

Last... you have a few days to enter to win some timers from Learning Resources.  They are so easy to use... we love them!

Click the pic to enter!

Reading Comprehension Snapshots {Get Your WIN On!}

It's Monday.  Sorry for the bad news!

But the good news is, it's almost over!  Yay!

I just put the finishing touches on a product that I'm SO excited about!!!!

It has 40 quick quick quick assessments for 20 different comprehension skills both fiction and non-fiction.  There are two of each assessment for each skill for extra practice, interventions, or units lasting over a long period of time... now you can get two quick grades!

Check out Comprehension Snapshots on TpT

I have been using these for a few weeks and copy them on the back of my weekly grammar snapshots.  Each kid gets two quick assessments each week and I get to see how everyone is doing on what we've been working on... the best part is, as someone who teaches two classes it's easy to get bogged down in grading, but these are SO quick to grade!

You can snag a copy of the new set.  Just leave a comment and I'll select a winner on winneriffic Wednesday!

I have bundled these two Snapshots sets too... if you want to check that out, you can save $2!

Find the bundle on TpT!

Calling Out to my Bloggy Friends!

Ok friends... remember at the end of the summer when I said I was going to train for a 5K? And then I did it? And my friends and I accomplished this...

And then the very next weekend, my mom and I did this...

And next weekend, I'm doing this...

And next month, I'm doing this...

So why am I telling you this?

Because this whole thing started because my mom got hooked up with an amazing group called "Your Turn".  The group encourages women to set health and fitness goals and achieve things they never thought were possible... and my mom encouraged and inspired me to get up and run and now I love it!

"Your Turn" is in a contest right now to win some funds so they can keep doing amazing things for women and the contest will be won with VOTES!

If you feel so inclined, I'd love it if you could help this group get a little closer to the goal of winning the contest!  You can vote once per 24 hour period, so feel free to vote again tomorrow (and the next day too!).

You can click HERE to vote on Facebook... thanks for listening and letting me ask for this!

Blog Post Re-Wind: Easy Thanksgiving Project

Just in case you missed it... click the tape to head to an oldie but goodie with a cute and easy Thanksgiving project your kiddos and parents will love!

Simple Stopwatch Review and Giveaway!!!

Want a sure fire way to empower and motivate your students?  What about help them track their growth and success?

Get some timers!!!!!

I believe that students can be responsible for their success and having them gather their own data about their academic performance is a great way to start!

I was so lucky to receive some Simple Stopwatches from Learning Resources and couldn't wait to take them to my classroom.

Find them at Learning Resources or on Amazon

These are so easy for kids (and me!) to use.  I love that there are only three buttons, clearly labeled with GO, STOP, and CLEAR.

We've been using them to time ourselves completing math fact drills and to work on fluency passages.  The kids love watching their times improve!

This is also working well for one of my little friends who needs a "deadline" in order to complete an assignment.  We can decide on a time limit and then he can start the timer and monitor it as he works to get his work done on time.

The best part is... Learning Resources has generously offered to send a set to a lucky winner!

You can enter using the RAFFLECOPTER below!

Happy timing!
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What's In Your Drawer?- Guided Reading for Group 1

Happy Sunday!  I've had a very accomplishing morning full of exercise, cleaning, and laundry.  I've got my phone bluetoothed into our surround sound and have been blasting Pandora all morning.  I'm not going to lie... mixed in with my shuffle of John Legend, David Guetta, and Justin Timberlake is a drop of New Kids on the Block!  Joey Joe has been giving me the energy to keep cleaning all morning ... but it's time for a bloggy break!

First up... the winner of my comprehension bookmark pack is...

#19- Meghan Barnes!  You didn't leave your e-mail address so can you please comment with it or e-mail me so I can send you your goodies?

In case you missed it, Meghan won this new set of CCSS aligned bookmarks chock full of reading comprehension goodness!

So... last week I shared what my group 3 (my on level group) was doing for guided reading.  If you missed that post, click HERE to check it out.

Today I'm going to share about my group 1- which is an approaching level group.

I teach language arts to two groups.  So each drawer has a folder and the folder is ready for my 1st group (their materials are in the left pocket) and my group (right pocket).

The red sticky notes have the names of the students in the groups so I can keep it all straight!

Usually my two groups are doing pretty similar things, but group 1 is the exception this year.

We are studying cause and effect in language arts right now so my morning kiddos are reading a passage about weather from Readworks.org.  If you don't know about Readworks.org, you must immediately go there.  {After you read and comment on this post, of course!}  It is FULL of amazing reading passages that you can select based on comprehension skill, lexile level, grade level, etc...  It's great!

So, my morning kiddos are reading and finding causes and effects in the passage.  They each get their own copy- which they love- and we highlight info and really dig into the text.

When we find cause and effects, we are writing them on sticky notes and adding them to the same chart paper my group 3 was using last week.  That's the beauty of the sticky notes.  I make one anchor chart and we all use it by switching out sticky notes!

Here's the anchor chart I showed you last week that we're still using... we just put on sticky notes, take them off at the end of our session, and then stick them back on to review at the start of our next lesson!

The kiddos in group 1 from my class are working on phonics sounds and basic decoding.  So, cause and effect is taking a backseat for a little while so we can work on those basic skills.

We are reading easy readers from a small group teaching pack I have from Lakeshore Learning.  The stories are longer but full of sight words and plots that are easy to understand.  We're still looking for cause and effect relationships, but on a much smaller scale as the goal with this group is fluency, accuracy, decoding, sight words... you name it, we're working on it!

We are also doing Making Words from Patricia Cunningham.  You can check out the book HERE.  I have a pocket chart that I put up.  I also have a huge collection of laminated index cards that have been cut in half.  The students get the laminated cards, write the letters with a dry erase marker, and follow my directions to build words using the Patricia Cunningham book.  As they build words, I am building them in my chart too and we are finding sounds, doing word families, etc...  I focus on whatever our spelling skill is for the week so they get lots of exposure to that pattern or sound.  The week our skill is sh/th/wh.

Each set of letters makes one mystery word too... can you figure out what it is?!  :)

So, that's what we're doing!  I'm hoping to get some info up later this week about my just above group (group 4) and my way above group (group 5).  That will just leave group 2 to go... those are my "almost there" kiddos!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

PS- If you saw my letter to a spammer this weekend, I STILL got spammed after I turned on the word verification!  So then I disabled comments on that particular post and did NOT get spammed today!  So I'm going to turn off word verification and cross my fingers that Hemangi Goswami and rujul modit stay away!