Multiplication & Division Fact Family Game... You Can Win!!!

I was so thrilled when my friends at Learning Resources generously allowed me to choose some of their new for 2013 products to review this summer!  I chose three and will be doing one a month until they are gone.

The best news is that, once you read my opinion, you can enter to win one for yourself!  Yay!

This month, I am reviewing tri-FACTa Multiplication & Division game...

I LOVE this game!  It works a little like Scrabble as kids are building fact families.  I love teaching with fact families and the deep understanding of math concepts kids get when they understand the relationships between operations... so this was right up my alley!  The goal is to use all of your tiles to win.  So, there is a 24, 6, and 4 on the board in the example photo and the tray out in front has a wild, 9, 12, 2, 28, and 7 card.  That student would lay out the 28 at the top and then cover the 6 with the 7 because 7 x 4 = 28.

As a former 2nd grade teacher, I would have loved using this game for enrichment in my math workstations.  And, as a 3rd grade teacher, this will be perfect for practice and intervention for students who need extra support!

I love how much mental math kids will need to do in order to search for fact families and they will love that it is a fun game!  Our 3rd graders struggled with their multiplication and division facts this year, so I am so excited to have this game to start practicing with early.  I know my students will love it!

You can win one too...

Just enter with Rafflecopter below!  The giveaway runs through the 21st, so you have lots of time to spread the word!

You can check out the reviews on their product page or on Amazon.  There is also an addition and subtraction tri-FACTa too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Looking For an Open House Organizational Tool? {And Monday Made-It Too!}

If you are like me, Open House night goes by in the blink of an eye.  You smile a lot, shake lots of hands, and give lots of hugs.  You stress out a little bit before hand wanting everything to go perfect so families feel comfortable in your classroom... and then it's over as quick as it began!

Open House in my classroom is a way for me to meet parents, students, grandparents even... for kids to explore their classroom and for parents to sign-up to donate, volunteer, and supply our classroom with things throughout the year.

Last year I put together a fully customizable Open House tool to take the stress off of you so you can enjoy the night!  Just open in PowerPoint, type your own info, print, and DONE!... but I think it was just after everyone's Open House last year so I wanted to show it off early this year!

Check it out on TpT

I was so happy when I got the opportunity for my sweet friend The Good Enough Teacher to review this product AND give one away on her blog this week!

You can click the picture to head to her blog and see what she had to say about the pack and for your chance to win!  I'm going to give away two at Krystal's blog this week!  She's got several great giveaways lined up in the coming weeks, so be sure to follow her to keep up!

 Check out The Good Enough Teacher's review & enter to win!

I am off to the car dealership where my SUV is getting FOUR re-calls taken care of!  YUCK!  Coincidentally, the dealership is right next to a Target, Hobby Lobby, and Dollar Tree!  So, if you need me, you know where I'll be!

Pop in tomorrow for a little giveaway of my own from my friends at Learning Resources!  You don't want to miss it!

And... I'm linking up for Monday Made-It again!  I've been busy this week creating for my classroom.  You saw my CRAZY piles yesterday... {click HERE if you missed it!}... so this week it's been all files because I can't add one more thing to my stack!

 
Tara's post last week on Monday Made-It inspired me to revamp my "Homework Club" pack and here it is...

 Check it out on TpT - it's $1 off right now!

And I JUST finished a new opinion writing resource pack!  It's hot off the presses!  I'll even send a copy to one person... you see, today I have to take my car to the dealership to get many recalls fixed.  BOO!  Currently, I am driving without air bags, which is just one example of something getting fixed today.  I do not know when I will get home.  But, when I do, I will immediately get on the computer (as soon as I can) and will send the pack to a random comment.  I already wrote down the number I am going to pick so hopefully the comments can get there while I'm gone!   Just be sure to leave your e-mail address!  I'll announce the winner on my Facebook page too!

Here are some pics of what I made...

Check it out on TpT... it's $1 off today!

Informative pack coming soon and narrative done already!

Can't wait to see what ya'll made this week!

Show Off Your Piles Linky Party!

Ok.  Don't lie.  You have a pile of classroom stuff you've made or bought this summer that you haven't taken to school yet.  And it's somewhere in your house.  Taking over.

Come show it off in this linky party so the rest of us don't feel so bad about OUR piles!

Ok... take a deep breath...

Here is mine stacked on, above, and next to my china cabinet.  Word of warning to you... it's bad.

I've got books, pillows, a cute chevron lamp, baskets, buckets, containers of all sizes, Target stuff... so much to take to school!  I am counting the days until the cleaning is done so I can get in and get to work!  Should be about another week or so.

So, link up!  Grab the button and show us your piles... help us all feel like we are not alone!

PS- Comment #29, Amy from 3 Teacher Chicks, wins my Homework Club pack!  Everyone left really good comments about how they do homework and reward homework... so you should definitely check out the comments from yesterday's post!  And you can check out my "Homework Club" pack on TpT by clicking HERE!

Link up!

Homework Club, Oh Homework Club! {Win One Today!}

I'm linking up with The Applicious Teacher to share my Homework Club!

**Today (7/7- happy birthday to my dad!!!) I'm adding a few more goodies to my Homework Club pack, bringing the total pages to over 70!**

Last week Tara posted her cute Homework Club display for her Monday Made-It post and it got me re-thinking about my homework club in my classroom.

Homework is tricky because, when students are young, if it doesn't get completed, it is a home issue not a student issue.  However, I also believe that we have to teach our students to succeed in spite of things they may be facing at home and an easy way we can do that is to encourage responsibility when it comes to homework.  One way I've found to do that is with a club... because kids love clubs!

Do you do a "Homework Club"?  I've been doing one since 2006 and it's a huge hit every year.  Basically, students can join the club each month just by completing their homework!  My kiddos don't know this (so don't tell them!) but they can secretly miss one assignment here and there and I don't make a fuss about it.  I know my teacher bag sits full and lonely many a night when I just can't get to the "homework" I brought for myself to do, so I try to be understanding for my students.  BUT, I do hold them accountable and try to develop that responsibility and pride in a job well done.

I just jazzed up all of my "Homework Club" resources and have them at TpT.

Each month, my students who stay in the club get to eat their lunch in the room with me and they each get an award...

And a homework pass they can cash in during a homework crisis...

I also display their names in my classroom for the month.  I think I'm going to put them in the hallway this coming year so everyone can share in our celebration!

I jazzed up my display a bit too...

I also have "Homework Club" brag tags from Image Stuff.  Not every kid gets one every month, but I choose two or three at random each month to receive one!  They love it!

I also use my monthly check lists (love 'em!) to keep my own private daily record of my students' homework completion.  Click HERE to check them out!

I just posted the whole jazzed up version of my Homework Club pack on TpT and I'm pretty proud of it!  You can check it out by clicking the pic below.  If you'd like to win a copy, leave me a homework related comment and I'll choose a winner late Sunday!

 Check out my Homework Club on TpT!

4th of July Winners and Throwback Thursday Linky Party {All about RRJs}

Happy 4th of July!

I have a few things for you today...

First, winners of my little bunting giveaway from yesterday...

I had hubby choose two numbers and, in the spirit of the 4th, he chose 7 (for July) and 4 (for today) and the winners are... Tracey from Third Grade All Stars who gets my patriotic bunting and one of her choice and Michele of Coffee Cups and Lesson Plans who get a bunting set of her choice!  You ladies did not leave your e-mail addresses so please comment with them or e-mail me at christina4062@hotmail.com! :)

Second, everything in my TpT store is 20% off today for a little 4th Flash Sale!  Click the pic to check it out and score some discounted buntings for yourself!

And I am linking up with Mrs. Carroll from The First Grade Parade for her Throwback Thursday linky party!

I wanted to spotlight a post I did last September about Reading Response Journals.  These were a HUGE part of my classroom this year and helped my students grow as readers and writers so much!  It's a nice alternative to a traditional "reading log" and helped me get a glimpse into my students' thinking as they read nightly too.

I hope you'll enjoy learning about how RRJs changed my classroom this year!

****Originally posted on 9/17/12****

We're using RRJs in my building this year to build writing and reading comprehension skills... and so far, the kids are loving them!

What's an RRJ you ask?  They are our Reading Response Journals!

Our kiddos used regular composition books and decorated the covers:

We used binder clips to put reading logs in the front of each RRJ.  The kiddos can remove and turn in their reading logs when filled and then add a new one by clipping it inside.  They have to write the date, title, genre, check the strategy they are writing about, number of pages, and AR color.

Each student also has a reference page on the first page of their RRJ.  I copied mine on yellow paper so they stand out.  The reference page explains how to fill out the RRJ and gives a list of genre definitions because they have to include the genre on each RRJ entry.

Right now, we have only learned how to summarize.  We read a few books together and did oral summaries.  Then we read and wrote a summary together.  Then I read the kids a book and each kid wrote their own summary on a half sheet of paper- this way they have the definition of the strategy and an example of what they are supposed to do.  They glued them in their RRJs.  They must also write their name, date, book title, genre, and strategy at the top of each RRJ entry.

Now my kiddos are summarizing on their own.  They summarize their reading each night Monday-Thursday and I read them during their specials and give a little note of feedback.  They love coming in to find their RRJs on their desks to see what I've said to them!

That particular little lady is quite the writer- most of my kids are doing a small paragraph of about 5-7 sentences.  They have LOVED doing their RRJs so far and I am excited about introducing more strategies in the future so they can have their choice of what to write about!

Hooray!  My first "meaty" post since school has started... YES!


Monday I posted about how we are using RRJs at my school to improve our reading comprehension and our writing and I got a TON of e-mails with questions and people wondering if I would offer my RRJ materials for sale.  So, I've tweaked them a bit to fit more classrooms than just mine and have put it up at TpT. 

You can download the preview file to see what is included... it's 40 pages of stuff to help you implement RRJs in your classroom!  I believe (and having taught it for two years, I am positive) that even first graders could do a modified version of this... even if they aren't keeping their own personal RRJ, the strategy pages would be great practice for printing off when studying different comprehension strategies.  The pack includes RRJ pages for students to practice summary, predicting, visualizing, text-to-self, text, and world connections, inferring, questioning, character traits, and a blank one for you to add your own strategies.

****Back to now!****
I love RRJs.  Yes, I had to make time to read them every day.  It took about 25 minutes to get through everyone's.  But it was so worth it.  And they could not wait to get their RRJ back each day to see what I had written.  Some days it was just a smiley face or a sticker and they were so happy to see that!  It was really exciting to see how their understanding changed throughout the year and their writings became so much more complex and showed deeper understanding of the reading.

I am not changing anything about this for the upcoming year.  It worked out perfectly!

Enjoy your 4th!  :)

It's My Friday! {With a tiny giveaway!}

Thanks to Mrs. Lamb for this cute graphic...  guess what?  I'm having a "Firecracker Flash Sale"!

Find some deals at TpT!

Yay!  Today is Wednesday but my hubby is off tomorrow so we're going out tonight.  We usually have date night every Friday but he said we should go out tonight... so I'm secretly hoping we'll have TWO date nights this week!!!!

Today I'm going to get a mani/pedi.  I am a HORRIBLE nail biter.  Seriously folks.  My nails are gross.  And short.  And scraggly.  I try so hard to keep them out of my mouth but I read a book and it gets tense and I bite them.  I'm watching the dang Golden Girls this morning and Blanche and her old nanny reunited and had a fight and then made up (ever seen that one 100 times too?) and I bite them!  Anyway, I'm going to get some short gels with sparkly tips and let mine grow out underneath.  I'll post a pic to my Instagram (mrsbainbridges_blog) when they're done!

Anywho, I've been busy this week making more themed buntings and... did you know... that I went back through all of my themed buntings and added an editable PowerPoint file so you can customize your own buntings with your own fonts or change up the pattern of the pennants?  Yay!  So, if you purchased any of the themed alphabet set buntings, head back and re-download because there's a PowerPoint in there now too!

Yesterday I did a little tutorial on how you can print them to different sizes.  If you missed it, check it out.  It's a great tip that works with any PDF file.  You can print full page things to 1/4 page to make flashcards... or 1/3 page and make little bookmarks.  Or even smaller and turn large things into small games for centers!

Click the pic below to check out the tutorial!

So, you're wondering about the little giveaway.  Well, it's an easy one.

Just stop in and share your 4th of July plans!  We have lunch with my in-laws and then are going to a friend's house for games and fireworks!  I'll pick a winner tomorrow to win this new patriotic bunting banner set!  Perfect to celebrate the 4th of July, Constitution Day, Memorial Day, social studies... it's a perfect match!

Find it on TpT

Here are the other bunting banners I've added this week...

Check out my Themed Bunting Banners category on TpT

You know what?  I'll give the winner of the giveaway the patriotic banner AND their choice of another... and I'll give one other winner their choice of any banner!  In the spirit of the 4th of July!  That's a thing... right?!

An Adobe Printing Tutorial You Don't Want to Miss! {And the answers to some questions about my buntings!}

If you're just here to see the tutorial... it's down near the bottom!

If you follow my blog or FB, you know that I've been CRAZY into buntings lately... I am making them for every theme, holiday, pattern, you name it, I'm doing it!  If you've purchased any of the sets that have all letters of the alphabet in capital and lowercase, I just added an editable PowerPoint to those packs so you can do your own fonts or customize which pennants you use!  And if you want to check them out, click HERE!

After I posted these pics of my holiday banners...

 

Check out this pack on TpT!

I got a few e-mails and blog comments about my laminator, assembling these guys, and how I'm storing them.

So here are the answers!

This is my laminator:

Find it on Amazon

It even came with stickers so I could decorate it!  I buy my thermal refill pouches on Amazon too.  Last week I ran out and bought some at Wal-Mart and it was $15 for 50.  Yikes!  I buy these on Amazon and it's $10 for 100!  I've purchased several batches of this brand and they've all been great for me!  I have some coming this week and I can't wait to laminate some more.

I also got asked how I assembled these bunting banners...

I just had some random scrapbooking stuff here at home so, I punched 2 holes in the top corner of each pennant and then used ribbon to tie some together like this one:

I ran ribbon through each hole on the Christmas banner (see pic below) and I used brads to connect the rest (see pics above!).  The brads were definitely easier and I was able to color coordinate my brads with my banners, so I like that too!

I did tie ribbons in the first and last hole of each banner so I can display them.  I think you can see that in any of the pics.

Then I was asked if they were easy to store.

The Christmas banner folds up really easily since it's put together with ribbon...

The ones I assembled with brads fold together in a funky sort of way...

But I have them each placed in a baggie and they are nice and flat and will store nicely, I think!

Last, I was asked how to print these in different sizes so I've put together a picture tutorial to walk you through it.  You can't "customize" a desired size, but you can print multiple copies on a page to make them smaller if you want.  Maybe you already knew this... but if not, it's a neat trick that works with any PDF.  I use it often to do things like make 8.5"x11" charts into flashcard sized reminders for my kiddos!  Here's how:

Hope that helps and you learned something new today!

I have almost FIFTY different themed bunting sets!  Check out the link below to see if there's something cute for your theme... and, if not, let me know and I'll add it right away!

Also, did I mention earlier that I joined Instagram?  I'm still figuring it out, but if you want to follow me, my username is mrsbainbridges_blog and you can take a little peek into my life if you're interested!  I'd love to follow you too!

Monday Made-It... Pretty Little Calendar! {Freebie too!}

Yay!  It's that time again... Monday Made-It!


If you've followed my blog this week, you know I've been busy making printable buntings of all colors, themes, and holidays.  I've seriously had TOO MUCH FUN!  You can check them out and see if I have your theme by clicking HERE!  And, if I don't have your theme and you want one, let me know and I will make it for you!

I shared so much last week and was busy creating again this week!

Remember my pretty little teacher binder I showed you last week?  If not, click the pic to see what I'm talking about!

Well, this week I made a pretty little calendar to go inside of it!

 Everyone can click the image below and print that page for a pretty little July calendar.  If you're a fan of my blog's Facebook page, the July 2013-July 2014 calendar has just been uploaded as my latest Facebook Fan Freebie!!!  Just click the HERE to head to my FB page so you can "Like" and download!

I also made this cute little Bucket Filler bucket!

Our kiddos can earn bucket filler slips from adults at school during the day and (when I remember!) I pull two out at the end of the day and those kiddos get to go to the office to get a treat.  This year I'm going to make it a class job to bring me the bucket at the end of the day because I never remember!  Any cute ideas for the name for that job, by the way?

Anyway, I cut a hole in the lid so kids can stuff their slips inside, then I can just shake it up, pull out slips, and let the happy feelings flow!

I would totally share that label with you but I just went to find it on my computer and apparently I didn't save it!

It's just Modge Podged on to a container!  :)

So, link up your most recent "Monday Made-It" and let's see what you've been creating!

PS- are you following me on Blog Lovin'????  Click the button below (Thanks Melissa Mazur!) to make sure!!!