Rug + Word Cards + Ball = Fun (and EASY!) Game for Learning!

Here's my rug:

I love it.  We sit on it.  We learn on it... and it's definitely a huge part of my instruction.

This coming week it will become a REAL part of my instruction when we learn more about homophones.  I made 20 homophone cards and will put one on each square...

I'll be lining the kiddos up in two teams and having them throw a Koosh ball.  Whichever space it lands on, that student will have to use the word correctly in a sentence to earn a point.  Then it will be the next team's turn.

My brain is swimming with how I could use this more often... laying out spelling words, vocabulary words, words for students to identify prefixes or suffixes, compound words... and the best part is that all it takes is the ball, the rug, and to whip up some quick word cards!

I hope my kiddos are as excited as I am about this one!

On a side note- you still have one more day to enter the giveaway to win a copy of Maria Dismondy's book The Potato Chip Champ!  Click the pic to head over to that post and enter.

Potato Chip Champ... Your Chance to Win!

Happy January 11th!  If you're like me, you're just finishing up your first week back after two weeks off!  After having time off from school, I'm sure you've been reviewing behavior expectations with your students... going over routines, desired behaviors, and reminding them how students should look in your classroom.

This is the perfect time to remind them how to be good friends too.

I was so excited when the lovely and oh so sweet author Maria Dismondy contacted me last fall to ask if I would be interested in receiving a free copy of her book.  I had the pleasure to meet Maria when we had a Michigan blogger meet-up and she's as kind and friendly as she is cute!

You may know her book Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun: Having the Courage to Be Who You Are, which is always a hit with the kiddos!  Her new book, The Potato Chip Champ, is just as outstanding!

This book tells the story of Champ and Walter.  Champ, who loves baseball and potato chips, doesn't love Walter.  In fact, he doesn't like him at all... and he can't figure out why anyone else likes him either.  However, at the end, Walter's kindness changes Champ's mind!

This is a great book about friendship in the face of adversity, walking a mile in someone else's shoes, and, as the cover says, "Discovering Why Kindness Counts"!

I love Maria's books because her true and ultimate goal is to help build character in her readers- truly.

I hope you will check out her book on Amazon by clicking the picture below.

Click here to find The Potato Chip Champ on Amazon!
But... here's the best part... you can WIN a free, autographed copy of the book!!!!!!!!!!!  Please leave me a comment with your e-mail address and tell me a way that you help teach character in your classroom.  I'll choose a winner on Monday.  What a great way to start a week!

If you have a second, check out the trailer for the book.  I L-O-V-E that there are book trailers these days!

The Potato Chip Champ Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAyEeCT_JL4 Maria on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mariadismondy Maria on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mariadismondy Maria's website: http://www.mariadismondy.com Maria's Blog: Be The Difference:http://www.mariadismondy.com/blog  

More Fonts... and Why I'm Lovin' It!

I just finished 10 more fonts!

Here's why I'm lovin' them...  I love that I'm making fonts with names that mean something to me!  I have three other font sets and all of them have a few fonts with names that are personal to me.  I might get to those, but today I'll tell you about my newest set:

Find it on TpT for $1 off!

Ok- CB Buntings is obvious.  I hope!

CB Chammie... my dog's name is Sam and so we would call him Sammie... which led to me calling him Chammie!

CB For True... hubby and I hysterically laughed the night a family member thought a candle was flameless then held his arm over the candle... only to feel the heat and exclaim in a moment of brain-fuzziness... "That candle is true!".  We still laugh about it!

CB Meggie Kay... Meggie Kay is my first Cabbage Patch Doll who was my very best friend for years as a kid!  She now lives in a box in the basement... and every time I see Toy Story, I feel guilty for that!

 

Some of my other sets have fonts dedicated to my grandmas (CB Trudy and CB 413), one for my mom (CB Reese and I guess CB Chrissyfer too), and my love of musicals (CB Mimi).

 

I love it!  :)

Check in tomorrow for a book review and giveaway!!!

Friday Facts: tips for bloggers and sellers {on Wednesday this week!}

Well, my post last week on ways to help your TpT and blogging was a great success and it seems like everyone had something to contribute to how we can all support each other better through comments.

So, I think I am going to start posting new tips for bloggers and sellers each week... I'm thinking on Fridays.  This week it's Wednesday because I already have a post (and giveaway!) scheduled for Friday that you'll definitely want to check out!

This week I am going to focus on TpT feedback for purchased items.

This is another one that we've had lots of discussion about in some of my online teacher communities; what makes good feedback?

I think this image says it all...  I've got to get better at being concise!  I'm even long winded in my graphics making! 

The name of the game when it comes to feedback on TpT is CONSTRUCTIVE.  Don't just say you didn't like something- tell what worked for you and what didn't.  And, better yet, contact the seller first to see if there is something they can do to help you!  Most sellers include their e-mail addresses in their products so that they can help take care of anything that might leave a buyer scratching their head!

And if you liked something, that's GREAT!  Sellers love to hear happy things about their products.  As a seller, I SO don't mind short and simple feedback like "Thanks!  It's great!" or some other thing... but  leaving a period (which happens, folks!  Yes a period.  Like this- . ) isn't good feedback!  How about "My kids loved it!" or "The activity was really fun!" or "I got lots of compliments on the craftivity!".  No more periods for feedback!

I also think it's SO important that buyers take responsibility to know what they are buying.  As a buyer, I always read the description!  If there is a preview, I download it!  There's also info at the bottom of the listing for the grade-levels that the seller feels it is appropriate for.

Nothing is more sad to a TpT seller than receiving bad feedback- especially about something that could have been cleared up via e-mail or by a buyer carefully reading the listing... please use that Q&A section!  Ask questions before your commit to buy.  Ask questions before leaving feedback if you need help with something. 

Last... and this is a biggie... if you download a free product, please leave feedback!  I have a freebie on TpT with over 7,000 downloads and only 9 comments.  I'd love to know what the other 6,991 people think of my product.  Not only does it help me know what I should work on in the future, but it just feels good when someone thanks me for sharing a freebie that I spent time on and spent money purchasing graphics and fonts for!  We would never tolerate our students not thanking us for sharing treats with the class... freebies from other teachers are treats for us!

Alright- I think that's it!  I'd love for you to share your own feedback tips and also other things you'd like me to share as far as tips for bloggers and sellers goes!

You can check out Lisa at Learning is Something to Treasure too for her opinion on this if you're interested!

Officially Obsessed

So, I usually can't sleep the night before going back to school after summer or extended vacations.

And, usually, running through my head is thoughts of what we're going to be doing that day.  Wondering if I have everything ready for the week.  Stressing that going in once wasn't enough.

But last night while trying to sleep, I wasn't thinking about school.

Instead, I realized that Stafford (9) + Johnson (81) = Suh (90).

I need help!  I'm officially way too into the Lions!

On a school related note, hope everyone had a great day back today!

Two Newbies, Font Contest, and a big THANKS!

First off... two newbie products!

I'm teaching past tense verbs this coming week and wanted something fresh and fun for my kiddos... so this was born:

 Find it on TpT

Galactic Tenses!  CCSS aligned for 2nd and 3rd grades and full of fun... including a classroom or hallway verb hunt... my favorite!!!!  I know my boys will love it!

And, my bite from the font bug is just getting bigger!  I have 10 new fonts!!!!

Find them on TpT

I'm so proud to say that every font in the Galactic Verbs pack above is one of my own!  :)  Hubby requested I name a font "Magnifico"... so that's for you, D!

Font contest...  If you can tell me which of those fonts is in honor of my favorite musical and how you know, I'll send the first person with the right answer the set for FREE!  Here's a hint... RENT is my fav.

*Update*  Wow- you guys are good!  I can't believe my font contest was so dang easy!

And last... a big THANKS!

On Friday, my blog post was one I was nervous about; I gave a lengthy explanation of how to successfully grow your blog and TpT store followers.  I didn't want to offend anyone or come off as preachy but, based on the number of views, pins, and comments that post got, it's obvious that it was well received and a good reminder.

This post wasn't aimed at anyone in particular.  It came about from conversations bloggy friends have been having for a while.

I'm going to begin, each Friday, doing a post with tips and tricks for new bloggers and sellers... and reminders for us oldies too.  This coming week (on Thursday this week) I'm going to do the dos and don'ts of leaving feedback on TpT.  If you have any topics you'd like me to share my opinion about, let me know in the comments here and I'll try and tackle them.  I also plan on having some guest bloggers on these topics too... so I might be calling on you for your help too!

If you missed Friday's post and want to read my opinion or the comments from others- which are GREAT- click the image below to go to the post.

That's it!  Happy Sunday!  It's my last day off before heading back tomorrow.  I'm ready to get back in the swing of things.  How about you?

Guest Bloggers: Primary Possibilities

Looking for me?  I'm not here today... I'm guest blogging over at Fun in the Fours and sharing all about Reading Response Journals.




My guest bloggers are from Primary Possibilities as part of the New Year, New Ideas, New Possibilities Linky Party! 

We are happy to be guest blogging for Christina!  You can follow the guest bloggers by clicking  the button below.

Our blog is called Primary Possibilities.  We are three primary teachers who have come together to
share all of the great things happening in our primary building.  We  teach in southern Indiana.  Stephanie VanMeter is a Kindergarten teacher in her 7th year of teaching.  Stephany Dillon is a first grade teacher also in her 7th year of teaching.  Kathi Berry is a Title I teacher in her 10th year of teaching.

We are excited to show you all the fun and exciting things happening not only in our classrooms but in the classrooms of our colleagues.

We are hitting word work really hard in kindergarten and first grade.  Our first grade students participate in literacy stations daily. 

One skill we emphasis frequently is real words and nonsense words.  It really helps those basic early literacy skills.  Nonsense and real words targets those CVC patterns and helps with decoding words with short vowels.  We try to find different ways to make it interesting and of course fun for the students.  The three of us have each made products targeting kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students.

We also came across many valuable sites on the topic of nonsense words.  The first is Reading Rockets: Teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle.

The following site is Mrs. Frauenhofer's Site.  Her site offers nonsense word flashcards, Roll a Word, and Word Maker.  Just click the link below to see what she has to offer for free.

 We also came across this YouTube video that explains nonsense  and real words using short vowel sounds.  It is an excellent strategy to use when teaching nonsense word and real word fluency in reading.

Thank you to Christina for giving us the opportunity to guest bog on her amazing blog! 

Blog and TpT Etiquette

Howdy friends!

I'm a little nervous as I sit down to write this post, but I feel like it's important and I'd love to get your thoughts as well.  It's long, but important... especially if you're new to blogging or TpT.

There has been a lot of chatter lately in different online teacher communities about new comments on blogs and TpT stores: specifically about the etiquette for leaving posts and comments.

I just want to share about my own experience blogging and selling on TpT and hope that it doesn't come off too preachy!

I started blogging in June 2011, but had already had my class website up since 2007.  In the beginning of blogging, I remember how nerve-wracking it was waiting for my followers to grow and hoping someone would comment on my blog.   The best way I found to increase my audience was to interact on other blogs.  I joined and hosted linky parties, got to know other teacher bloggers, and formed relationships with them.  My blog grew quickly but I already had a little bit of a web presence and I also spent a lot of time interacting with other bloggers.

Letting a blogger know you're their newest follower or inviting a blogger to come check you out sometime is great and totally acceptable when it comes with genuine feedback and/or comments!  I think that we need to remember that everyone looks forward to meaningful comments on their blog... not comments asking to return the favor and comment on another blog.

The same goes with products at TpT... especially freebies.  When I post freebies at TpT, for example, they're a labor of love and I so appreciate your comments letting me know that you are enjoying them.  When I get a comment in the Q&A section like this, however, "I like this. Please come and follow my store and comment on my freebies.", it is very frustrating because that is not the purpose of the Q&A.  Does anyone else feel this way?

If you've read my blog on any Sunday this fall, you know I'm a HUGE Lions fan, so let me throw this at you Lions Football style... this season the Lions got ROBBED when the coach threw a flag on a play that was going to be reviewed anyway.  You can't ask for a play that is already going to be reviewed to be reviewed... so, as a penalty, they did not review the play after all since he asked for it to be done.  Confusing right?  But if a blogger or TpTer is throwing a flag my way when I usually check out the blogs of those who comment anyway, I probably won't check it out.  I want, and I'm sure you do too, people to enjoy my work because they enjoy it.  Not because they are trying to grow their following.

It takes time to be successful and, I have found that the best way is through meaningful relationships with other teacher bloggers.  We are all here to help and support each other... we want each other to succeed and we will help you achieve that too... but let's be friends first, not casual commentators who just want to see our numbers grow!

A watched blog and TpT store never boils... or something like that!

Check out these dos and don'ts and feel free to leave your own in the comments below.  I know other bloggers would love to see what everyone things... no one wants to make anyone uncomfortable and we all want success!

Boy Books Linky Party (and an excuse to shop!)

Courtney at Swimming into Second is hosting an important linky party right now all about the best books for boys.

I have done a few Donor's Choose projects just for books for my boys.  As a girl myself, I'm always drawn to certain books when I buy for my classroom... I try really hard to get things that will appeal to boys too and have found some good ones!

I've linked to Amazon on all of the book pictures, so if you want to learn more just click!

I LOVE the Moongobble series by Bruce Coville.

This 5 book series is about a boy named Edward and a not-so-skillful wizard named Moongobble.  Moongobble has a good heart but just about every spell he tries to do turns something into cheese!

There is also a character named the Rusty Knight who cannot hear very well... which makes for some interesting conversations!  The series was a GREAT boy friendly read aloud when I taught 1st and 2nd grade.  I read my class the whole series.

With my 3rd graders, I read the first two books- The Dragon of Doom and The Weeping Werewolf.  My boys couldn't WAIT to get their paws on the rest after I finished the 2nd one!

Another favorite character in my class is Freddie Fernortner. 

The Freddie Fernortner series is about a 1st grader, his friends, and his cat who chews bubble gum.  We love Freddie!  The kids get in all sorts of silly situations.  The books are at just about a beginning of 3rd grade level, so perfect for enticing reluctant readers!  This is one that I read the first two books of and the kids couldn't wait to read the rest.

Of course the DK books are always a hit... I have lots of DK Star Wars books in my room that range from super easy...

to right on level...

I love those books because 1.) they have a non-fiction vibe complete with extra text features, 2.) they are typically less than $4, and 3.) they are often available on Amazon for the 4-for-3 promotion!

Two more of my favs...

When I was a kid I LOVED the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books.  Did you know they have been re-released with new adventures in more of a picture book format?  We love them!  I actually have them at my partner reading table and the kids love reading them and making decisions with their partners.  These are always a hit, especially with kids who don't LOVE reading because they are exciting and provide choices in the text!

Last, my boys love love love joke books.  Any kind of joke books.  They love them!  I have a huge collection of joke books.  They are great for practicing reading fluency... jokes aren't funny if they aren't read with the right inflection and expression and kids figure that our quickly.

We just got this one about a month ago and it's a hit!

So, hopefully you read something interesting in this incredibly long post!  :)  If you are going to buy one of the things I shared with you, check out the Moongobble books.  They are hilarious read alouds and a great way to hook reluctant boys!

Head over to Courtney's blog and share your best boy books too!  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Let Me Help You With That...

-your font addiction, that is!

I loved reading all of your comments yesterday on my font addiction... I am so glad I am not alone!

Today I made 10 more fonts... check 'em out!

Find them on TpT- on sale for $4!

I'm LOVING "Hot Mess" and "Pretty" and so excited about getting to work on some classroom materials using them!

So... I had my hubby do my favorite super random and scientific method of choosing winners for my fonts.

He chose 6- the first three I'll send the font set I showed you yesterday and the second three I'll send the new fonts.  I also had him choose 1 person to win both sets!

So... here we go...

The three winners of my very first ever set of fonts are...
#36- Special Teacher for Special Kids
#73- Beach Teacher
#3- Rachel at A-B-Seymour

The three winners of my new set of fonts (pictured above) are...
#69- Nicole Shelby
#52- Cherie
#47- Kristin (Teachntx)

And he chose #4 as the winner for both sets and that is Tania at My Second Sense!

All fonts have been sent, so if you don't see it... check your junk mail or drop me a line!

To all of you going back to school tomorrow, good luck!  We go back on Monday... I'll probably spend the next few days enabling my font addiction by making more fonts to add to it!  Bwahahaha!