Math Mentor Texts Linky: Stuart J. Murphy

I'm linking up with the lovely ladies at Collaboration Cuties for Must Read Mentor Texts: math edition! This year, we read several books by Stuart J. Murphy. He is a GENUIS at writing simple stories that clearly illustrate math concepts. We read:



Tally O'Malley

Plot: A family plays a game where they tally what they see on their vacation. By the end of the book, my students were bursting at the seams to tally everything, too! Seriously...I've never before seen students so ready to tally!


More or less

Plot: A boy is guessing people's age by asking more than/less than questions. Not only does it teach more and less, but also asking good questions. Good for higher-level thinking.


It's About Time!

Plot: This is a really simple book about time to the hour. A child goes through the day telling what time he does different activities.

This was helpful for my firsties because they had NO idea what time they did anything! They didn't know what time they woke up or ate dinner or went to bed. Because of this, we made a time number line. First, we made a list of what we did each hour of the day, which like I said they had no clue about. Then, each child picked an hour of the day and illustrated a picture of what happened at that time. We put the pictures in order (making sure to pay close attention to AM and PM) and hung it up on a clothesline. We referred back to this ALL the time during our time unit! It helped kids see time as a linear thing, understand a day is made up of two 12 hour segments called AM and PM, and realize we do certain activities at certain times. So helpful!

There are TONS of other Stuart J. Murphy books. Check out some of his other books on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Monday Made It: Word Wall Cards in Dots in Turquoise

I'm linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for her WONDERFUL linky: MONDAY MADE IT!!! (insert cheers and applause here!)

But first, a story...

Imagine the scene: an innocent, unsuspecting girl wandering the lonely aisles of her local school supply store. She's not looking for anyone or anything in particular when ALL OF A SUDDEN she sees it. IT! This beautiful creation! This angel of light! This butterfly in the rainbow forest of her Lisa Frank dreams! She sees DOTS ON TURQUOISE!

As you can see, I LOVE dots on turquoise room décor from Creative Teaching Press! I used several of the borders from this theme in my room last year, and they were so cute! But I ran into a problem: it was hard to find other products in this color scheme. Luckily, the fabulous Ashley Hughes read my mind and made digital paper in the PERFECT colors, making it possible for me to create:


TADA! Word Wall Letters!

I'm using these letters on my word wall (surrounded by my fabulous Dots border!). They're currently free at my TPT store if you'd like to use them, too! Just click the pic. Also, I'd appreciate you rating them.

I went to my classroom today to put up my word wall and other bulletin boards, but there was nary a staple in my new classroom! Not a single one! Can you believe it? So I had to come home and go to the water park instead  =)

I can't wait to see what everyone else has made!

Schedule Spotlight: Daily 5

I am so excited to join up with Kelli from Castles and Crayons for her Schedule Spotlight Series. What a great idea to walk through our day one section at a time and give specifics of what we do during that time. This week's section is Daily 5.

***As a disclaimer, I did Daily 5 in first grade, and this year, I'm moving down to kindergarten. If anyone has tips for doing Daily 5 with kindergarten or knows of great resources/blog posts about this, please let me know!***

This was my first year using Daily 5 and I'm hooked! I loved the mini-lessons to launch each component and the emphasis put on building students' stamina. We spent a lot of time on these at the beginning of the year, and it was worth every second! When we finally starting going to stations, they ran much smoother than past years.

I tweaked daily 5 a little from what the 2 Sisters suggested. First I have more than 5 stations. In addition to the normal 5, I also used a puzzle station, computer station, puppet station, and phonics station. This keeps my groups a little smaller which is important to me (3-4 kids per station). Also, I wasn't brave enough to give students free choice to pick their station. Maybe one day, but for now, I have students in mixed ability groups rotating to each station.

Our routine: We did daily 5 first thing in the morning. After reviewing morning work and all of the other morning housekeeping, we came to the carpet for a mini-lesson from our reading curriculum. This was usually a read aloud, a lesson, and maybe a quick activity. Before we started our first round of stations, I called my guided reading group to the back table. The students in that group would get their bag of books (we used giant zip lock bags to keep their books) and "warm up" by reading to themselves or reading with someone else in the group. This warm-up time was a great activity for my group to do while I was sending everyone else to their station.

To help my students be accountable for their station work, we used "station folders." Student had a checklist where they wrote the date that they went to each station. This helped me keep track if a student was absent or out of the room during stations. Any work students produced during stations went in their folder and they turned in the entire folder after going to all stations. Incentive: We had one round of free stations. Students who had completed all station work to the best of their ability got to choose the station they went to; students who were not finished had time to complete their assignments. Interestingly, the very first time we did this, I had over half the class not finish their work. The next time, after seeing that they missed free stations, only a few students didn't finish. Funny how students rise to do what's expected of them.

After one round of stations, we came back to the carpet, did a quick check-in for each station, and then did a phonics review. This was when we would play a sight word game, listen to a letter sound song, or review phonics flashcards. Nothing big. Then we went to rotation 2, came back to the carpet for a quick check-in, and then did our phonics mini-lesson for the day.

The pretty much sums up our Daily 5. I'm not going to go into my guided reading groups because this post is already getting WAY long! I can't wait to read other people's ideas!

(BTW, YES this is my 3rd post for the day. YES I will be seeking blogging addiction help. YES I am going away from the computer for the rest of the day now)   =)

Dad's on Pinterest...apocalypse soon!

I'm linking up with Amy at 24/7 Teacher for her first linky party sharing fun summer news. And boy do I have big news...

 

My dad is on Pinterest!!!!! The man who won't join facebook and has a cell phone that literally only makes calls is downstairs pinning away as we speak. I LOVE IT! I knew he would like it if he tried it, but he wasn't going to try it without a little push. So when I came to visit my parents this week, I gave him the shove into hopeless addiction we all know so well.  =)

 

***THIS JUST IN: My 91 year old grandmother just sent an email!! What is going on?!?!?!

In other random bloggy news:
You know how bloggers leave comments with their links at the bottom all nice and neat? I wondered "How do they do that?" so I asked my real life BFF Melissa at Don't Let the Teacher Stay Up Late. Click the pic for a link to her blog if you'd like to know how to put your blog link in a comment.

It involves html codes which makes me feel like a total computer whiz! I post this because I accidentally deleted the post-it note that had the html code for my link, so I had to surf through Melissa's old blog posts to get it again (that made me feel less computer whiz-y). I thought, "While I'm here, let me re-post this for anyone who needs this info." Hope it helps!

Tried it Tuesday: Assessment Cards Freebie

I'm trying the Blogger App on my iPhone for the first time. I've just been using the web version, but it's kind of hard to navigate. Maybe everyone else has already jumped on the App bandwagon, but I didn't even THINK about using one until Brandee from Creating Lifelong Learners mentioned some cool new apps today.

 

In continuing with my low tech nature, my Tried it Tuesday are these assessment cards.


Click the Pic for a Freebie

I know, I know...schools have fancy schmancy student response systems that assess students literally at the touch of a button. HOWEVER sometimes someone else is hogging using them or you don't realize until the last minute that you need them (does that happen to anyone else?). So for occasions such as those, here are assessment cards. Give each student one card and one clothes pin. After being asked a multiple choice question, students will clip their pin on the correct answer. Give them a "3, 2, 1, blastoff" and all students hold up their cards. This is an easy way to assess students and also a way to keep their attention during test prep.

Click the pic above to get this freebie. They are in PPT so you can tweak them to fit your color scheme. There are also yes/no cards if you'd like them. Hope these simple cards help with your assessment needs!

 

Monday Made It: Seat Crates

It's Monday Made It AND I made something this week!!!!!! I've never made anything for this Linky, so I'm super duper extra excited about it! I've been dancing around the house all day waiting till I can blog. My husband thinks I'm such an incredibly huge teacher nerd.  =)

So without further ado (drum roll please...)

SEAT CRATES!!

  

A few of my lovely co-workers made these last year and they were awesome. The kids sit on the seats during guided reading or author's chair or other special times. The seats also serve as storage containers for Kleenex boxes, baby wipes, books, etc. They're super easy to make. Click HERE for the full instructions; here's my reader's digest version:

What you need: crates (Big Lots), wood (Home Depot...they cut the wood as well), foam (Hobby Lobby...1 inch thick), fabric (Hobby Lobby), aerosol adhesive (Hobby Lobby), staple gun (Home Depot)
What you do: Cut the wood and foam to the size of the crate opening. Glue the wood and foam together. Wrap with the fabric and staple to the back of the wood. Put this beautiful package on top of the crate and VOILA! You're done! 

Jenna has inspected these seats and given them her sniff of approval  =)

 

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  =)

 

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!!!

Workshop Wednesday Linky: Persuasive Writing

 

I'm linking up with Jivey today to talk about persuasive writing. Down here in the great state of Georgia, we have reading/writing frameworks provided by the state. They talked about the OREO method for organizing persuasive writing:

                          O-State your Opinion

                          RE-Give Reasons and Examples to explain your opinion

                          O-Restate your Opinion

This graphic organizer really helped my firsties understand and remember the basic principle of writing persuasively! Here's a link, but I can't take credit for making it. This is from the Georgia DOE.

 

Some great books I like to use to teach persuasive writing are:

The Pigeon Books-They're short and HILARIOUS! The kids love them. We read them throughout our unit introducing persuasive writing and talk about the reasons the pigeon gave why he should get to do each activity.

 

  

    



 

I Wanna Iguana-Another persuasive classic! Alex has to persuade his mom to let him have a pet Iguana. He gives her lots of reasons why he should have the pet. After reading, we write a letter to our parents tell them reasons we should have the pet of our choice. It's a good time to talk about the parts of a letter as well! A cute book to read along with this is the short chapter book Lulu and the Brontosaurus. Very funny! Keeps the theme going of wanting a new pet.

 

  

 



Hey Little Ant-I saw Jivey mentioned this book, too. It's great for persuasive writing because you hear 2 points of view: the ant and the little boy that wants to squish the ant. There are a lot of good readings of this on youtube, BTW. After reading, my kids wrote a persuasive piece arguing to save the ant or squish the ant (complete with an illustrative banner declaring their opinion to save or squish!). They were so cute...I wish I had taken pictures. Here's a rubric I used to assess their ant writing.  

 

 

I hope I've persuaded you of some persuasive writing ideas!  =)



Social Studies Mentor Text Linky

I'm linking up with Amanda and Stacia at Collaboration Cuties for "must read social studies mentor texts." First, let me say I LOVE this linky! I struggled last year to find good books for our social studies standards, but books are SO useful to help kids "get it" (and remember it!). This is definitely true when studying people, which is about 90% of our SS standards. My favorite book that we read is Moses about Harriet Tubman.
 

This book does a great job of going through Harriet's life and helping kids (even my firsties) understand why she did what she did and how she must have felt. As a disclaimer, it's a little religious (you might guess that from the title) but it's a GREAT book! After we read this, we made a Harriet Tubman fact quilt that I talked about on my blog here.

I hope you'll link up and share your favorite social studies books! Click on the picture above to link up!

My First Five for Friday (May 3)

One...

 

This just happened! Grown up Hanson. Playing Taylor Swift. This video should not make me as happy as it does, but I've already listened to it about 3 times now!!!!! I LOVED these guys when I was in middle school. Ahhhh!

Two..
.

 

Only 12 more days!

Which leads to three...

 

AUGH! The end-of-the-year paperwork is monumental! We have our checklist of tasks to complete, but sometimes it seems for every task I check off, 3 more pop up. I think I can, I think I can!

 

Four...

 

 

This summer, my husband and I are moving to Atlanta! It's only an hour or so down the road, but I think it will be a big change for us. My hubby got a new job (I'm so proud of him!) and now it's my turn to start the job search. Wish my luck! 

 

Five...

 

 

My husband is a HUGE NPR fan. He really likes their current events game show, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" (which is actually pretty funny). Last night, me and the hubs went to see the live cinecast where we watched them record a show. Watching a radio show. What will they think of next? Also, who knew Peter Sagal was bald? Never pictured that.