Five for Friday (June 28)

It's that time of the week again...Linky party with Doodle Bugs!!!

1. The most exciting teacher-y thing I've done this week is start my very own TPT store! If you have any advice about running a TPT store, please let me know! Also, positive feedback is always appreciated  =)  My Digraph Sort will be free for the rest of the day, so please drop by and pick it up!

Click the picture to download

 2. My husband and I just bought a car! Is It's a Mazda 3 hatchback...zoom, zoom, zoom! I have to admit that I've never had the pleasure of buying a car before, and it was quite an experience. Even though we knew exactly which car we wanted and how much it was going to cost, it still took 3 hours to buy it! And I thought teaching had a lot of paperwork.  =)

The newest member of our family!

 3. Last year was the first year I used Daily 5 in my classroom and I LOVED it! This summer, I'm reading through the CAFE book and love it as well! The two sisters have great ideas for helping students, and they deliver their ideas in such a teacher-friendly format. I'm super excited about trying this out next year!!

4. SUMMER PROJECT: Seat Crates! Some of my co-workers tried these last year, and they were SO cute and SO practical! The kids loved sitting on these special seats, and the teacher could store extra supplies or center activities in the crate.

Click HERE if you're interested in making these super cute seats!

 5. I took this picture of my dog and her "yogurt face." Anytime someone eats a cup of yogurt, she just sits and stares at you because she wants to lick the cup when you're done. It's a little creepy in that adorable kind of way  =)

 

Advice Needed: Teachers Pay Teachers!

I am very excited to announce that I have FINALLY taken the next step and have started my very own Teachers Pay Teachers store!! My real-life BFF Melissa @ Don't Let the Teacher Stay Up Late taught me the basics of how to create products for my classroom, and I am having a BLAST! I just love working on decorations and station activities and so much more. I know, I know...I'm a teacher nerd!

I could really use the help of you Teachers Pay Teachers veterans. I have 2 products up right now. Would you mind taking a look at them and telling me what you think? If you have any suggestions or comments, PLEASE let me know! I'm so nervous about starting something new, and I would love all the advice I can get! I would also like advice about my product "Consonant Digraph CH, SH, and TH Sort." I'm thinking about selling it...maybe for $1. Is that a good amount? It's free for the time being (until I can figure out how the whole PayPal thing works) so please help yourself!

Click HERE for a link to my store.

Or click HERE for a link to my newest product.

Thanks in advance for your help!!!!!

Spark Student Motivation Saturdays: Behavior Chart and Durski Dollars

This is my first time linking up for Spark Student Motivation Saturdays with Joanne from Head Over Heels for Teaching.

I LOVE this linky! Teachers can always use some extra ideas up their sleeves of how to keep students motivated. Here are a couple of basic things I use in my classroom:

1. Rainbow Behavior Chart

I LOVE this behavior system!! If you haven't seen it before, kids have a clothespin with their name on it that starts on green every day. If students misbehave, they move their clip down. Blue is a warning, and purple and pink have worsening consequences. The misbehaving part of this chart is pretty much like any other behavior system.

WHAT I LOVE about this chart is that students can move their clip UP too! When students follow directions, walk quietly in the hall, work in/clean up stations correctly, etc. they move up to yellow, then orange, then red (which is OUTSTANDING!). Kids LOVE to move their clip up, and they feel such a sense of pride when they do. It also keeps the positive environment going because I can move clips up and praise students for good things instead of focusing on those who aren't following directions. It's amazing that when I move up one clip, a hush falls over the crowd and everyone starts thinking about what they need to be doing... =)

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Students' clips move up and down all day. Students who have a rough morning know that they can turn their day back around and move their clip back up. Also, this chart really lacks some cute-cutesiness. If you have ideas of how to pizazz it a little, please let me know!

 

2. Durski Dollars

 

I just started using these this year. Here's what you need to know: 

-Yes, that is my face on the dollar (thanks to a co-worker who made it for me)

-These dollars encourage RESPONSIBILITY (turning in homework, having school supplies, getting important paperwork filled out, etc).

-Friday=Durski Store. Students use $$ to buy candy, little toys (Oriental Trading), or free perks*

-Students PAY if they aren't responsible (no pencil, pencil "breaks," no homework, etc.) 

 

DISCLAIMER: I was a little worried about embezzlement and fraud, so I handled all money. I put money in their envelopes and I kept the envelopes up high behind my desk. The only times the kids held it was to spend it at the store. This kept the peace very nicely.

 

*I know teachers are on a budget, so here are some ideas I found on pinterest of ways to reward kids that are FREE!

http://www.jmeacham.com/images/behavior.community/mp2.png

 

 

Five for Friday (June 21)

I'm linking up with that great gal Doodle Bugs for Five for Friday!

1. My husband and I have moved to Atlanta and are getting all settled in! Most of the boxes are gone, but we still have little piles of homeless stuff all over the house. My solution: every time I trip over something, it goes to the Goodwill.   =)

2. My principal called me with the news that instead of teaching 2nd grade, I'll be back in kindergarten next year! I taught kindergarten for 5 years, so I'm excited to be going back. Plus, after teach first grade the last 2 years, I feel like I have a better idea of where my kinder-kids need to be to be first-grade ready!

3. My new nemesis is Comcast! I've spent more time on the phone with them in the last week than anybody else trying to get our internet and cable sorted out. A big shout out to the wonderful technician who came out today and got it all fixed! By the way, judging from the number of really mean Comcast memes available online, I'm thinking I'm not the only one who's had problems with them....

4. My new BFF is the Lakeshore Store! I knew there was one in Atlanta, but I didn't realize how close I lived to it! I passed it on the way to church on Sunday and nearly had a panic attack! It's a beautiful, beautiful store!!!!

 

5. This isn't technically something I did this week, but it's big news, so I'm sharing anyways. Sunday is my one year anniversary to my super-awesome hubby! We've had the best first year of marriage and I'm looking forward to many more years! My present to him: not letting him do any housework or unpacking and forcing him to play a few hours of video games. Aren't I the best?  ;)

That's all for me! Have a great weekend!

Five for Friday (May 31)

I'm linking up with Doodlebug for this week's Five for Friday! This is my first week off of school, so my Five for Friday are definitely unrelated to teaching. Summer is a beautiful thing!

1. It's moving time and boxes are EVERYWHERE! My house is slowly becoming less stuff and more boxes. 8 more days till the movers come!

2. Speaking  of moving, I have run into the nicest people while moving. I walked down to the local hardware store to get some bubble wrap, and the owner gave me some for free! (leftovers they had from their last shipment). Then I went to U-Haul to get some giant wardrobe boxes, and the guys volunteered to carry them out to my car and load them for me. Nice people just brighten my day and fill me with warm fuzzies!

3. Holy cow! I just finished Gone Girl. No spoilers here, but this is a GREAT book! I devoured its 400+ pages in 4 days. I couldn't put it down! A great summer read.

 

4. Last night, I had a board game night with some friends. I LOVE board games and would play them everyday if I could (my poor husband does NOT feel the same way, but he's a good sport anyway!). A couple of years ago, I was introduced to a new board game called Settlers of Catan. It's kinda of like Risk meets Monopoly. You are settlers on this new island and you have to collect resources to build roads, settlements, and cities (doing so earns you points), but WATCH OUT! The robber will steal your resources from you! The person who gets 10 points first wins. If you haven't played before, check it out!

 

 

5. I went to the pool for the first time yesterday. That reminded me that I found a website with cute, modest bathing suits on it. I've never ordered one, so I don't know what kind of quality they are, but they look worth a try! Click on the picture to head over to the site.

 

 

That's all for me. I hope you've had a great week!!!