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Monday, June 30, 2014

Meet Me Monday! Thankful for...

Hey ya'll! I'm back from my trip to the beach and I'm jumping right back in with the girls from The Teaching Tribune for yet another round of Summer Bloggin' Fun! 


Since it's Monday, it's a quick run through of the things that I'm most thankful for at this point in my life. Now in twenty years, I might be thankful for retirement, but that's a long way off for now! Here's a quick run through of what I'm thankful for!


These are just a few of the things I'm thankful for, definitely way more that I could add in there but they just won't fit! And after a week at the beach, I am very thankful for my own bed, my towels, and the lack of sand covering EVERYTHING! 

And that's it folks! Quick and dirty, but still a whole lot of fun! I hope you'll stop in at The Teaching Tribune and check out what my other bloggy pals are posting today!

Have a great one!

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Birthday Blowout!

Good Morning Everyone!!! I'm back from the beach and it's my birthday!! Today I'll be celebrating with family and friends, and I'm even throwing a big birthday blowout sale in my TPT store as well! Everything is marked down 20% (even the dollar deals)!! If you've got a minute today, stop in and check out my store for some great deals! Click on the image to visit my store!


Have a great day!


Friday, June 20, 2014

Free Font Friday! Font Buffet


Oh Boy!!! It's my favorite day of the week! It's Free Font Friday! I am a true font-a-holic and just can't seem to get enough of them! My next big purchase will be heading for KG Fonts and I'm getting the big ole bundle too! Shhhhh...though. The husband doesnt know. For my  Free Front Friday, Im giving away a massive set of 19 different fonts that can be found all in my teacher supply store. Just click on the image below to snap them up!



There is only one file, but all 19 fonts that you see are included in that one file. There are lots of fun ones, some serious ones, and a few kooky ones. These are commercial use friendly and only require a quick credit to my store.

Thanks for visiting and have a Fantastic Friday!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Worksheet Wednesday! ELA Nonfiction Event Organizer


Welcome back for Worksheet Wednesday! Today I'm buddying up once again with my friends over at The Teaching Tribune to share with you a single worksheet. This week's topic was ELA, so I am sharing with you a one page graphic organizer that I have used several times with my students when working with nonfiction texts, especially those pertaining to world events and such. Just click on the picture below to snap up a Newspaper Article Outline Organizer!

Check back tomorrow for some Throwback Thursday Fun! I haven't heard our topic yet, but it's sure to be a blast!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Two For Tuesday! Zombies!



Howdy folks! I'm linking up once again with The Teaching Tribune for Two for Tuesday. This week two more of my products are on sale for 50% off. These two games have been quite popular in my store and with the kids in my classroom! There are days when my students played clear through recess! Normally priced at $4.00, these sets are now marked down to $2.00 each! So if you are looking for a new math game or two to practice multiplication and division, these might be what you are looking for. Just click on the images below to head over to my store!




And that's it friends! Make sure you stop in tomorrow for Worksheet Wednesday!
Have a Terrific Tuesday!


Friday, June 13, 2014

Free Font Friday!


Hello Again!
I'm back again today with my pals from the Teaching Tribune to bring you yet another Free Font Friday! The font you see below is lumpy and bumpy and lots of fun. It is commercial use friendly and the best part...it's FREE!! Just click on the image below to snatch it up!


Make sure you swing back by the Teaching Tribune and check out the linky for more free fonts!
Have a fantastic Friday!


Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Throwback Thursday! Memory Lane

Howdy Ya'll! Today's post is going to be a quick walk down memory lane. I'm linking up with The Teaching Tribune once again to share a bit more with you in this week's Throwback Thursday. We all have interesting stories as to how we came to know the fact that we wanted to be an educator. I love sharing and talking with other teachers about what it was that inspired them to teach in the first place. And I also want to share a slightly embarrassing, very 90's photo with you as well!

As you all know, I'm a third grade teacher. My kiddoes each year love to learn that I too was once a third grader and that I attended the same school where they are attending. The also love to laugh at the photo you see below! (Don't Laugh...Perms were all the rage in the 90's) It was horrendous but they still laugh hysterically!



To tell you the truth, I never (NOT EVER) even considered teaching while growing up. My aspirations were held tight to the medical field. My mother even has writings that I did in Kindergarten where I said I wanted to be a doctor. I find it strange how things changed, and how quickly the changeover happened.

Considerations for becoming a teacher did not begin until I was in high school, and they weren't born from a love of teaching, or even a love of learning--I was lazy and did the bare minimum to keep my grades. I also had some major attitude problems, behavior problems, and was downright horrible to my mother, my teachers, and everyone around me. Things took a turn for the worse, and I myself landed right smack dab in the middle of juvenile hall as a runaway. I did my few days of time, it scared me straight, and I decided that I had to figure things out or else I was going to end up right back there.  Going back to school was rough, I failed classes, had alienated what few friends I had, and most of my teachers had given up on me. Except for one..and she wasn't even a teacher...but a parapro. That woman took me under her wing and truly changed my life. From the time I came back to school, there wasn't a day that passed that she encouraged me, tried for me, and worked with me to make things right. For the remainder of my high school career, I held straight A's, made up the classes I had failed, held a full time job, and learned to respect others and MYSELF. 

There is not a cute and cuddly store that led me to my profession. I didn't work in a daycare, or have lots of younger siblings, or babysit, or work in my church nursery. One woman changed all of that for me. She signed me up for scholarships, paid for my SATs out of her own pocket, and was definitely my cheering section at all events. I ended up graduating with a 3.9 G.P.A. and it was then when I realized the difference that she had made with me. And it inspired me to do the same. I want to be the teacher who takes in a horrendous child from a bad situation and helps him or her turn their life around just by showing them who really cares.

And that's it folks...not cuddly, not cute, but that's how I landed in this field and I have never regretted doing it. I teach because I love it, I love my kids, and I want to help them grow.

Summer Bloggin! Worksheet Wednesday Freebie!


Hey Ya'll! I'm back again today with another quick and easy freebie in honor of Worksheet Wednesday! Once again, I'm hooking up with the Teaching Tribune and we're all sharing a quick and easy Math worksheet with all of our fans! Yes, it's a worksheet, but let's face it...sometimes you just need a worksheet. For this little freebie, I've got a quick little graphing sheet that you can use for simple practice or even a quick assessment for your students! Make sure you click the picture below to grab it up! I hope you like it!


As always, thanks for stopping in! Make sure you head over to the Teaching Tribune and check out all of the other links for freebies!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!



Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Summer Bloggin! Two for Tuesday 50% Off Deals!

Good Morning Once Again! I'm still hanging out with my buddies over at the Teaching Tribune for our Summer Blogging Series! And since it's Two For Tuesday, I thought I'd share two of my products that I've marked down to half price just for you! Be sure to stop in and grab them up while they're marked down!


Both of my marked down products are my interactive flipbooks! Both of these meet the Common Core Standards for Third Grade! Normally priced at $3.00 each, these will be on sale for $1.50 for today only! These have been very popular in my store and have received lots of great reviews! Just click on the images to head over to my store.



While you're around, make sure you check around in my previous posts. There are lots of great freebies right here on the blog as well! 
Have a Great Two-For-Tuesday!

Monday, June 9, 2014

Meet Me Monday!



Howdy ya'll! It's Monday again and this week I'm linking up with The Teaching Tribune once again to bring you a bit of bloggy fun! This week it's Meet Me Monday and I thought I would share just a few tidbits about myself! Here goes!


Friday, June 6, 2014

Free Font Friday! Stop in and Grab a Freebie!

Yippee!!
It's my favorite day of the week! Not just because it's Friday, but because it's FREE FONT FRIDAY!

I'm linking up with the Teaching Tribune once again to bring you a new font that is both fun and useful! Check down below for something fun and FREE!


Thursday, June 5, 2014

Throwback Thursday! Back to Dry Erase Mini Offices

Good Morning Everyone! I'm back again today to share a bit of Throwback Thursday with you all! This post is an oldie, but goodie and I thought I'd throw in a refresher since I'm linking up with the Teaching Tribune again today! Looking for an easy and cheap way to have your kids store their dry erase supplies, then read on! 




Wow! What a week it has been here in North Georgia...All I can say is that I'm super excited about having the next week off of work. It will give me time to get housework done, schoolwork done, and spend some quality time with my little one. I just love lazy days at home. Before I left on Friday, I managed to snap a couple of quick shots of a handy little tool that I use in my classroom. I thought I would share!

Back at the beginning of the school year, as I was passing out my seven year old (showerboard) dry erase marker boards, I noticed they were uber crusty. The edges were chipping where my not so perfect sawing attempts were made, they were stained and dark, and some of them wouldn't erase anymore. I was getting ready to head back to the old Depot to buy more showerboard. Lo and behold, as I grab my keys I notice my husband taking our DVD movies out of there cases for storage in a binder. And it hit me like a TON of bricks..THOSE THINGS ARE DRY ERASE!! The cases I mean...you know, the plastic kind with the cover insert on them. I grabbed those babies away from him as fast as I could and went to work. 

To get started, I removed all of the movie title inserts. I thought I would have to cut new paper to fit them but... What! They are white on the backside! I flipped them all around and I was set!

Once I had all twenty five of them swapped out to their pretty white covers, I had to decide what to put in them. Standard dry erase markers wouldn't fit, but the thinner ones did so I chose to purchase those with my back to school supply money. And then I had to find erasers...socks were too bulky, paper towels just shredded, tissues...forget about it. But guess what I found...DRYER SHEETS! They erase cleanly every time, don't leave a residue, and freshen the inside of a student desk like nobody's business.
Once the dryer sheet epiphany had passed, I decided to put other things in the mini-offices that my students would use regularly. I use a lot of quick response questions to check understanding on a whim during my lessons, so I chose to put in a set of my quick response cards. 
And about a half stack of mini sticky notes...for ticket out the door activities, etc. I would've liked to have had room in there for one of those small legal pads but they were a bit too big. The thing I like is that the clips hold the response cards and dryer sheet eraser in place. The sticky notes are well...sticky so they stayed in place. Then I stuck a tiny piece of velcro to the pen and the inside of the case so that the marker wouldn't pop out every time it was opened. 

Once I had completed all 25 of them, I vowed to never again touch another piece of velcro or dryer sheet. They weren't too difficult to make..and my kids were extremely excited to get their mini-dry-erase offices. They keep them in their desks and we use them just about every day for one thing or another. They have held up nicely and I've only had one get broken this year..when one of my Messy Marvins stepped on his.
Overall, they have been awesome to have this year. It has kept me sane by helping my students keep up with their materials. Most of them are ready to go within five seconds of being told to get out their dry erase kits. If you've got a pile of empty DVD cases, all you've got to do is grab em up and run with it.

Hope everyone has a great week!




Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Worksheet Wednesday- Elapsed Time Freebie!

Howdy ya'll! I'm back with my buddies from over at the Teaching Tribune to bring you another event from our TTT Blogging Series. It's Worksheet Wednesday! 


For this little giveaway, I'm putting up a small set of task cards (not a worksheet, but useful nonetheless) for you to use with your kiddoes practicing with elapsed time. All you need to do is click on the image below and snatch them up! It's just a two page file, complete with 12 different task cards. I put these in a math station and let my kids have a crack at them independently, then we go back and look at our methods!

Cover Graphics By Creative Clips
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Krista-Wallden

And that's it folks! I hope you are enjoying this series as we're only halfway through the week! Check back tomorrow for Throwback Thursday! 

Have fun!



Monday, June 2, 2014

Two For Tuesday with the Teaching Tribune!


Hey Ya'll! I'm a busy little blogger this week. I'm finally out of school and ready for some summer blogging fun with my pals over at the Teaching Tribune! And to celebrate the first Tuesday of my summer, I'm teaming up with them and throwing you all a Two For Tuesday Special! I've got some goodies for you that I have marked down by 50% for TODAY ONLY!. I'll tell you a little about each, but I hope you'll go check them out yourself!

The first item I'm slashing the price on is my newest and biggest set of Funny Friends Gone Greeks! There are 32 Greek characters and critters in the set, along with their blackline dopplegangers. Normally, they go for $6.00, but today they're only $3.00! Click the image to the right to find them in my store.

These little friends are sure to make a big hit when you are designing with a Greek theme in mind!




The second item that I am throwing up for sale is a BIG one! This item normally prices out at $25.00. It is a yearlong bundle of all of my holiday multiplication mosaics. You get all the holidays, Easter, Christmas, Halloween, Valentines Day, and more! There are a total of 59 sheets included for math calculation fun. And just for you all, they are now marked down to $12.50.

Reading Journals Revisited! Brand New Unit!

For those of you who haven't seen this post, last summer I blogged about how I've integrated the Common Core Standards into a Reading Journal Format that my kids are absolutely loving. For the past two years, we have used composition notebooks and units, printables, and prompts that I have written to help us learn to analyze and respond to higher level texts. We no longer have basal sets at my school. Instead, we have class sets of some really great books..(Many of which I had to buy myself). Yeah, they were costly--unless I found them in the Scholastic $1.00 flyers, but my kids have absolutely outdone themselves with their journals and I love seeing their work.

I just finished up tweaking a unit that I've actually used for the past two years. At the beginning of the year, we read Because of Winn Dixie, and later on, we add in another of Kate DiCamillo's books called "The Tiger Rising". It is great for comparing parallel texts because there are so many similarities between the two books. It's also a bit emotional, and sometimes there are tears at the end, but the kids really learn to love her stories.

Here are a few excerpts and explanations of what we like to do with our texts!

For each unit, there is always a cover page. We also stick in one of those 3M sticky tabs so that it is easy for us to look back at all of the different units that we have completed. The pictures you see are from my own personal journal. I have found that my kids are more engaged and take a bit more pride in their work when I am doing the work myself! 


These are our vocabulary organizers. We take a word or two from each chapter (we read one or two per day, depending on the length), discuss that word, and students add it to their journals. I have lots of ELL students so we also draw to help solidify the meaning.


We also do a lot of work with Character Analysis. We work with the basics, who they are, what we think they may look like, and some of their character traits that are prominent throughout the story. But we also go further into the text and work with the skill of pulling facts and details out and using them to get to know our characters a bit better.

Settings are always evident in our studies as well. We like to watch how the settings in a story change and discuss how things might have been different had the setting been different. For this unit, we did a fun little flippable and then a larger drawing of the primary setting to accompany it. Underneath each flap we wrote what the setting was, and a few descriptive adjectives about each of the places we visited in the story.


I also always try to bring in some sort of art project into each of the units that we complete. For Winn Dixie, we created dogs out of TP rolls, for this one, since our main character was named Sistine, we painted like Michelangelo did. Students taped their papers underneath their desks and had to try to paint upside down. It was tough, and we got messy. But then we had to write! I always try to write after an activity like this one. We also did a bit of sculpturing with this unit as well!


And this is where our writing skills really start to bloom. Throughout the unit, there are several prompts and other writing opportunities that my kids participate in. All of those are done in our reading journals, and the prompts are added as well using a little tiny tag in the corner of each prompt. That way, kids who are absent, or do not finish will still be able to complete their assignments without having to wonder what it was they were supposed to write about. 


The writing portions take up much of the room in our Reading Journals but seeing my students grow as writers is well worth the time and cost of teaching reading in this manner. I love it, my kids love it, and the growth I've seen is tremendous. Not to brag, but I had 100% of my class pass our state Reading exam this year...and my room was home to 13 EIP students, and 12 ESOL kids. Our reading journals hold all of our precious work for the entire year and the kids love to share them when we have Parent Night. 

Hopefully, you have come away with a few ideas for integrating a Reading Journal into your classroom. My units are all available in my TPT store at great prices if you are interested in purchasing one of them. The one you see in the photos can be found by clicking the photo you see below!


As always, thanks for visiting and I hope you all have a GREAT summer break! We all deserve a little rest and relaxation!