It’s a TPT Sale!!!

We all love a sale!  My entire store is one sale to coordinate with the TPT Teachers Are Heroes Sale!

Graphics from Mrs. Renz

Check out my catalog:

Or my TPT store!

 

Now I’m off to fill my cart!!!

On Being Organized…and New Things!

I’m not going to deny it…this year has been rough for me so far.  For a variety of reasons.  I have written a bunch of posts about it that I have never published, not sure of how much to vent or whine !  At any rate, I have been trying very hard to look on the bright side as I try to acclimate to a bazillion (my students’ favorite word this year) changes, attending college, looking at some new opportunities, and trying to have some semblance of a personal life!

This year I have been struggling with trying to do so many things and feeling barely competent at any of them.  It is easy to become mired in the the stress and exhaustion.  My self-confidence has been pretty rough, especially as I work with many new teammates.  I always wonder what others think of my teaching and how I do things. I frequently remind myself that I need to be a grown up and do my job without worrying what others think.  But the reality is, I do.

Today one of the people I worked with said that I was so organized that it was nice to be in my classroom.  I thought “Me…organized???” as I looked around the cluttery areas of my room.  I even mentioned it to another teacher I worked with and she said that I am organized.  Really??? I surely don’t feel like it.  I rarely show pictures of my room on my blog because I never feel like it looks like the showplace that I want it to.  Compared to some of the amazing rooms I see out there, I feel like I can’t keep up.  Isn’t that the mixed blessing of a world full of blogs and Pinterest? I mean, really, how many of us have Pinterest board with room décor? So, I guess I learned a lesson that what I am self-conscious about, sometimes others do not see the same way.  It really put some pep in my step as I thought about this little compliment the rest of the day.  Such a small comment made my day!

I reflected on the change I was feeling as I drove home and thought that others must be feeling the same way.  A nice word goes a long way and I have resolved to say more sincerely nice things to the people I work with.  We are all working our hearts out and everyone needs to hear it!

We are well into the school year, but I thought this quote reflected my thinking…or overthinking!

Found on thecornerstoneforteachers.com

In my spare time (cough, cough) I put together a couple new things for my store!  I have loved Kate Waters’ books for years!  I actually started a Samuel and Sarah Unit a while ago and it just needed a little more work.  The Mayflower and Tapenum Packets were inspired by the popularity of my first product.  They are perfect for this time of year or any unit on the colonial era. Click on the images to check out the full descriptions!

You can also get all 3 packets in a compressed zip file at a discounted price! Check it out here on TPT!

Colonial Life Research and Writing Mini-Units

A great big thank you goes out to everyone who has visited my store on TPT!  I am so thankful that so many can use the things I make for my own use.  The support is also wonderful for someone who is endlessly attending college!

Have a great remainder of the week!

5 For Friday and a Freebie!

It has been forever since I have done a 5 for Friday post!  This week I am linking up and I thought I would share some of my favorite websites that I use in my classroom.

1. Kathy Ferrara – The Story Lady
Oh my, how much do my second graders love The Story Lady on YouTube?!? She has the greatest personality and the cutest dog!  She reads great books and ends every video with a positive affirmation. After searching for her site a couple times each week, I finally bookmarked her channel. Check it out if you teach at the primary level!



2. Go Noodle
Go Noodle is my go to site on those days!  Those days when you I mean your kids just need a break for a minute.  I have kids that need to move this year, but they also need to learn how to slow down.  This great site provides instant brain breaks with the motivation of using an avatar that grows by spending minutes doing activities.  There are Olympians who teach the kids how to do a sports event, Zumba and YouTube dance videos (all safely linked), yoga, and slow breathing exercises.  The kids love it and need it!

3. XtraMath
Oh how I love this site!  With the Common CORE, we are all working so hard on increasing fact fluency.  It can get old really quick.  XtraMath has been an easy way to practice fluency and monitor the growth of your students.  It has great reports to print out, is easy for students to log into and the best…it’s FREE!  Hopefully it will stay that way! My colleagues have been asking for online services that do the same thing and cost a bundle – but this one doesn’t cost anything!

4. Stickers and Charts
I have never been a big user of sticker charts and have used behavior charts sparingly, but this year, I have found the need to use visual reminders of things like homework completion.  I was spending a bit of my own money on sticker charts that just ended up in the garbage because the kids didn’t want to keep them. I checked out an old reliable site that I used a couple years ago when I needed a resource for behavior charts.  Stickers and Charts provides chart with all sorts themes and even charts that you can customize online. Love it!



5. ABCYA.com
Oh, I just love this site! This site has games and activities for many subject areas and skills and is organized by grade.  Forget put a links page on your website – this is all your kids need. My students use these activities to practice math fluency and language arts skills.  There is a really cute refrigerator with magnets and a fun, kid-friendly version of Wordle.

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A couple weeks I posted about my ever-growing stack hoard collection of professional books and how I wanted to make it a goal to read them.  Thus, the  "10 Professional Books" Challenge started! The beauty of this challenge is that you can read any book that supports you professionally. Here are the details:

Are you with me?  If you are, grab a button and click here to join the linky with the book you are planning to read for the month!

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Click here to join in the Linky any time this month!

I am reading:

Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement

by

Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth and Christopher Lehman

I have had this book in my collection for about a year now and have even read sections of it.  However, I have not read the whole book or truly processed it.  I love anything by Lucy Calkins as a literacy person and we are all so deep in the Common CORE right now that I think this would be a wonderful book to read.  I am also working on a research project that looks at the Common CORE for ELA through a genealogical perspective, tracing the roots of the Common CORE and how it is being lived by teachers. This book provides so much wonderful information for this project.

I hope that you will dust off those professional book and join me on this professional journey!

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Finally…the Freebie! Click to go a free sample of my newest product: Sticky Note Reading Response Boards.

Have a fantastic weekend!

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Snow Day TPT Flash Sale!

Oh.My.Word!  We are having a snow day here in my neck of the woods (the snow calculator says we may even have a snow day tomorrow!!!)  It could not have come at a better time!  March is a bear because we do not have any vacation days this month.  It is rough to go from February to April!

In honor of this glorious snow day, I have put on a 20% Flash Sale at the Leaping into Teaching TPT Store until midnight tonight!  I also have 2 new products going up and they will be 50% off (I will mark them down 30% and then the 20% sale will be added.

Here’s what I added:

The first little goody is a revamped version of my Roll and Respond Reading Activities.  Sticky Note Reading Responses utilizes the same fiction and nonfiction prompts as the Roll and Respond boards in a great new format.  Students LOVE using sticky notes and this provides a great way for students to respond to their reading with prompts that compliment your instruction.  Student choice is also incorporated with the use of the board.  They are great for independent reading, homework, shared reading or listening response, or guided reading groups.

 

The second is a companion product for any unit on Terrific Tall Tales, including the second grade Common CORE module on fairytales and tall tales.

It includes text feature posters, graphic organizers that focus on characterization and structure, writing activities that focus on the three major writing genres, writing and book making paper, and finger puppets for retelling and readers’ theater activities.  My students LOVED these activities!

Stop by the Leaping into Teaching TPT Store and check out these items: