WOW...It's been awhile and a FREEBIE

Wow....it sure has been awhile, huh????  I'm so sorry that I have been a terrible bloggy friend lately.  Things have been crazy.  With a new principal, common core, and the regular day to day stuff....I've been so bad neglecting my little blog.

I just wanted to say sorry for not being around lately.  All my bloggy friends who have emailed me questions, I'm so glad you kept in touch.  For anyone that was been a follower of my little blog, you know that I'm usually much better at keeping up on things.

And to top off all the craziness, I'm inching up on the anniversary of my little accident.  For those of you who don't know, I was a pedestrian hit by a giant Lexus SUV last November.  Everything is coming back into memories...lack of sleep...panic attacks as I walk in front of cars (you should see me with outside duty each Thursday)...ugg! 

Okay so no more excuses.  I promise to start blogging more and sharing about my wonderful third graders.  I have a fun bunch this year, just a whole range of academic needs bundled up into 19 darlings.

So for you surviving my rambling...here is a little freebie for you.  It is my little Gobble Banner.  I make a little one to go on my front marker board.  If you can use it, please enjoy.  You can leave me a little love below if you want to as well...hint...hint...

Until next time-

Click on the picture to get your freebie!

 

 

How Did You Solve It?

The last time I was at Lakeshore, you know only going for one thing...hundred dollars later you're going WHAT????  I saw this wonderful little box of goodness:

Click on the picture to go to Lakeshore Learning.

 

It is a box of 90 cards broken down into the 4 main strands of Common Core Math.  Right now they have them for grades 3, 4, and 5.  What is so special about these cards you ask?  Let me tell you.

I'm going to share with you one of the cards from the 3rd grade box.  It is for 3.OA.5 (and yes the standard is on each card)!  Here is what is on the card:  5x8=5x2x2x2x2  Then it has 2 questions:  1) "Is the equation true?" 2) "How do you know?"

The cards are working out great in my classroom.  I've only used a couple cards, since I just purchased this last weekend.  I'm setting the card on my document calendar and projecting it onto my marker board.  The kiddos are writing their answers in their math journal.  So far...so good.  I love how they have the thinking and explaining part on each card.

I don't know about you, but I'm having a hard time finding math resources to use for common core math that makes the students think and explain.  Have you found anything out there?

And by the way, see...I told you I would post about math!  :)

Progress Monitoring with Comprehension

I have one more ELA resource that I want to share with you all and then I will blog about one for math, I promise. 

I read about this book on a couple blogs.  I took a giant leap of faith and purchased it off of Amazon without being able to even see inside the book.  It was only like $13.00, so I figured why not.  When it arrived, I sat nervously opening it up hoping I didn't make a mistake in my purchase.

Click on the picture to go to Amazon.

I am not disappointed!  This book is broken down into 15 strategies like:  analyze character, identify cause and effect, make inferences, use text features to locate information, etc.  It even has a scoring for each individual student and a CD that includes all the assessments.  And for only $13.00!!!

The book's introduction explains how you use the assessments to monitor your students' understanding of a given topic.  If a student understands and applies the given strategy, they are done with that section.  If they missed too many questions, they will need additional instruction on that particular strategy.  Can you say RtI??

Even Better Common Core ELA Book - No Really!

 

Okay, so I know that on my last blog I shared with you a great common core book.  But really...this one I'm going to talk about is even better!

I found this one at Lakeshore Learning again.  I just went to their website and searched for the title, but it isn't coming up.  I guess because I went into the store and not everything is on their website???

Well, anyways.  I did find it on Amazon though.  It is cheaper on Amazon then at Lakeshore.  Here is a picture of the cover:

Click on the picture to go to Amazon. 

If you can see the cover, it says Practice-Assess-Diagnose.  It is set up for a week plan.  It has a different short passage for the child to read and answer a few questions on Days 1-3.  On Day 4 it has a longer passage and a few questions.  Then on Day 5 it has an extended response that kind of ties everything together. 

It has 36 weeks.  And it comes with a Digital CD with all 36 weeks on it!  It is awesome!  I think I even like this one more than the one I blogged about the other day.

Have you found any good resources?

Great Common Core Book

It's me again.  I know...twice in one week???  Can it be that I'm finally settling into school and a routine again???  I sure hope so!

Now on to a great common core book that I found.  I don't know how things are going with common core at your school, but it isn't going too smoothly here.  We do not have a common core friendly curriculum and we are using our outdated textbooks that are at least 8 years old for math and older for reading!  Needless to say, I am scrambling!!!

Here is one that I found.

Click on the picture to go to Amazon.

I didn't buy this on Amazon.  I bought it at Lakeshore Learning.  I don't like buying books about common core on Amazon, because I never know what the book will be like.  It is cheaper on Amazon by a couple dollars.


It is different than any other book that I've found out there.  It is broken down into 3 main units:  narrative texts, informational texts, and opinions/arguments.  Then it breaks those down into 10 units ranging from personal narrative, social studies/science texts, fables, persuasive letters, etc.

The best thing about it???  It has 3 leveled reading passages but the comprehension questions are the same.  Isn't that neat?  They use the same vocabulary words, it is just different length texts.  That way you can have all your students reading "the same story". 

I'm planning on using it during RtI time with different groups.  I'll let you know how it goes.


If you found a great book for common core that you use, please let me know.  I would love to share good ideas to use with common core!

Fold Your Paper Posters

Hi everyone.  I know it has been awhile.  So sorry about that!  :(

I am heading into my fourth week of school.  I can't believe it.  I don't know about all of you, but boy is the beginning of the year rough sailing for a few weeks.  Isn't it???

My class is funny and polite, but boy do they like to talk!  And I have my hands full with bunches of different levels....oh well, at least they are funny, right???

I was trying to explain to my kiddos the other day how to fold a piece of notebook paper for our first spelling test.  I was telling them use a hot dog fold.  They looked at me crazy like.  Now at that moment I didn't look crazy.

So out of necessity, I made these posters.   

 

 

If you think you would like them, I will email the first few people who comment.  I figure a freebie may make you forgive me for my time away.

Classroom Reveal Part 3

Here is the final day of my classroom reveal. 

My attendance boards.  Of course I had to change them to monsters!

 

 

My "Where Are We" (with a monster head) and my "How are we going home?" monster board.

 

Standards Display (monster-fied)

My teacher area.  Do you see my buddy Sulley?  Remember how he was on my dining room table all summer long bringing me inspiration.  Now he's up high looking over my desk.

 

Noise Word and Sound Check

 

My desk (do you see the spinning arrow?  My son, who helped me do my room this year, thought it looked great there....so of course I had to keep it for now!)

 

This is what my kiddos will came into on the first day.  The MonSTAR Group of the Week will be for my winning group.  The group with the most warm fuzzies in their cup for the whole week will win.  They will keep it on their desks for the whole next week.  The frame is from IKEA.

 

MONSTARS at Work Board.  It's empty now waiting for some fun work.  The monsters peeking out were from Party City.  They were a centerpiece.  I LOVE them!

 

My paper turn in bin.  LOVE my sign!

 

 Well that is it....do you think my kiddos will have a monster-iffic year this year?  Here is hoping we all do.  Happy Back to School my bloggy friends!

 

Classroom Reveal Part 2

Hi everyone.  I hope you are all enjoying your back to school.  I get to enjoy my new kiddos today.  Wish me luck!

Today I'm going to share my subject bulletin boards. 

 

This is my character education board.

 

This was my English and Writing area, but I changed them to ELA.

 

This was my reading area, but I changed it to ELA as well.  It has my reading strategy cat posters and my SPREADS posters.

 

Here is my math board....

 

and here is next to the math board where I have my adorable math posters with Melonheadz Math Kidlettes.  Do you see my monsters peeking out of my multiplication poster?

 

Here is my science board.

 

And finally my social studies board.

If you were wondering, the pocket charts I will use to display content vocabulary.  Each pocket chart came from Target's dollar section and all the colors match my subject color.  I color code each subject so that the kiddos know where they can find everything.  That includes my center games and task cards.  The social studies are in blue containers to match the blue border on the board and pocket chart.  That way they know where everything goes.

More pictures next time...  Have a monster-iffic day!

Classroom Reveal Part 1

Hi everyone!  I don't know about you all, but I'm tired!  I met half of my class at our orientation on Friday.  Then had two days of shopping on TPT.  Next I have today and tomorrow filled with teacher's institute meetings.  And the kiddos are coming Thursday and Friday...ahhhhhh!!!

Oh well, it's that time of year.  But on to something fun.  I'm going to share some pictures from my MONSTER-iffic classroom. 

Monster Welcome Banner, THINK Cards, and Whole Brain Rules

 

Good Behavior is Not Scary behavior board with clips ready to go.

 

Brag Tags ready to students to come.

 

.

Monster-ously good helper board

 

Homework Chart

 

Expectation Posters

 

 

I'll share more pictures next time.

BIG Sale

Hi everyone!  Long time no blog, huh???  Sorry about that.  I will be blogging soon with pictures from my Monsterously Cute Classroom!  I have institutes Tuesday and Wednesday with kiddos coming Thursday.  Where did this summer go????


I'm joining the MANY TPT sellers for the HUGE sale. 

Thank you Krista for the adorable picture!

 



 

I will have everything in my store 20% off and then TPT offers another 8% off....so....this equals 28% off!  Yippee!  I know my wish list is going to be empty when I'm done shopping!

Monday Made It on Tuesday

Well, I may be late, but better late than never, right?  I'm linking up with Tara again for her weekly linky.

I don't have a lot, since I'm slowly working on projects, and slowly typing, and....pretty much doing everything slowly!  Before I share my projects, I wanted to say THANK YOU!  All of the kind words, comments, and emails I received about my last post's health woes were very kind.  I'm sending a heartfelt hug to all of you.  Thanks for making me smile and feel like I was not alone.

Okay, enough of that, bring on the projects!  My first project was one of my Hobby Lobby projects.  Remember this guy:

Not exactly going to fit into my room color scheme or classroom theme.

I turned that into this:

 

It will go by my classroom door to hold important notes I need to remember and not loose!  You know the ones, dismissal notes, or phone calls I need to make, etc.  The stuff that I put on my desk and when I need them I can't find them!  On my door I can't loose it, right?????


The next project.  I made a bunch of cards to give my students at random times.  I wanted to make them so that I can spread love to my kiddos and reward them with a special note.  It takes too long to write a note out, so I made these instead.  I was on a roll, so when I was done I had 40 different cards.  I needed something to put them in and I didn't want another box.  So I bought baseball card pockets, got a poly folder, and voila!  Now I can flip through to find just the right note to spread a little love to my kiddos when I need one.  (And yes, clip art from Creative Clips and Melonheadz)

My next project is my mailbox.  I used my homework tray for students to put notes to me from home, but I wanted a cuter place for the notes.  I got the metal mailbox from JoAnn's (on sale and used my teacher discount).  I printed out the signs/graphics and glued them on.  (Graphics from Melonheadz again.)

My last project is a home one.  My son goes shopping with me every time I go to Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's, or Michael's.  So needless to say he is a trooper!  On one of our shopping trips, we headed to the wood aisle to get the cute flower on project 1.  He saw this wooden bird house.  He picked out his own paint colors and the cute bird to glue on to the front.  He painted the whole thing himself.  Didn't it turn out cute?  It is hanging in one of our trees in the backyard.  We bought a second house to paint, but we haven't done that one yet.

So there are my projects.  I can get into my classroom for the first time tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

Where Have I Been???

Hi everybody!  I am so sorry I have been missing in action lately.  But I have a really good excuse (not a fun one, but a real one).

Those of you who have followed me since last year will remember that I was a pedestrian hit my a Lexus SUV in November.  I had a cast on my wrist and my back was messed up.  Well, I have been spending my summer break with:  doctor visits, specialist visits, attorney visits, MRI visit, more specialist visits, and 2nd opinion visits.  And this has been in the last few weeks! 

So I am so sorry that I haven't been blogging lately.  I had the MRIs last Thursday and they did both one right after the other (3 hours!!!!).  Since then, my back is so sore but my wrist has been in so much pain....I am wearing my brace daily and it is very hard to type in.

After my last specialist/2nd opinion visit, I'm on more medication to help the inflammation.  Once that is done, it is either I'm better, I get different more powerful medication, or I get a shot in my back AND wrist!  AHHHH!

I'm just hoping to get better soon.  I can start getting into my classroom next week on the 7th.  But under doctor's orders:  NO lifting, NO carrying anything heavy, NO turning my wrist a certain way, wearing a back brace, and wearing a wrist brace.  And how am I going to get my room beautified under all that?????  And I have a new principal who doesn't even know about the accident!!! 

Don't give up on me and my little old blog.  I want to share stuff with you all....but please just give me some time to be able to type.  Can you tell I'm stressing?????  Oh well....wish me luck!

The Aftermath from Monday Made It

 

The Aftermath from Monday Made It!  This is the blog after Monday Made It.  I figured I would share with you all my work area.  I kinda took over the dining room.  I mean come on, it's summer...do we really NEED a dining room table?  I don't think so!

 

 

I know so many of you have these awesome offices that you work in.  Well I have an office, but it is upstairs and my son plays downstairs.  So....I work in the dining room, kitchen, and family room.  It's kinda like the day after....

 

 

Another thing I wanted to share with you all....these adorable monsters.  

 

 

 

 

They are actually cards!  I found them at Hobby Lobby in the card section.  Does Hobby Lobby have everything, or what????  So anyways....I cut them apart and I'm going to add them to some of my bulletin boards. 

This is a little monster critter that I found at Hobby Lobby as well.  I'm going to use him to travel back and forth with the kiddos each weekend.  Isn't he cute???  I think they will love him!

 

 Well that's it for today.  I have to run and clean up my work space on the dining room table so that I can start working on next week's Monday Made It!