Five For Friday and Teacher Dollar Days Linkys!

Ready for a little 5 for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching? I think I am!  I am feeling a little random, but beware!  I have been having an awful time with technology this week!

I have been done with school since last Friday and I’m not sure I am ready to do anything constructive yet.  I jumped into summer after moving my entire classroom  my myself. without boxes and then started to tackle long neglected projects at home.  Then I burned out!  It has been super muggy and humid here in NY and I just can’t stand it.  Today it is cooler and raining – which I actually love after all the humidity.  I have so many ideas and projects whirling my my mind that I don’t even know where to begin and I’m not sure I want to!

1. Linky Parties

There are so many linkies going on right now that my head is spinning! First, I'm joining with A Teacher Without a Class for a Dollar Days linky!

I am getting ready to begin a “no buy” summer, so I am not sure if I will be able to link up too often. (If you haven’t heard of a no buy month, it’s literally a month where you do not buy anything. Crazy, but I want to save up for tuition this fall!)

I stumbled across these adorable packages of wooden items and characters at Michaels a few weeks ago. There are 4 items in a package and they cost 99 cents a package.  They are in the wood section. Add on your 15% teacher discount and it is a pretty good deal for a new and motivating writing center! My students went crazy over them!  You would have thought they were scratch and sniff or something!  I put them is a

little tin and they were squirreling the cutouts away in their desks

I created a little writing page for the students to record the three items they choose with a describing word to include in their writing.  Pick it up at my TPT Store for free if you are interested.

Link up and share some great (and cheap) finds!

2. Posts App

A blogger (I’m sorry, but I don’t remember who – sorry!) talked recently about Posts, an app for iPad that allows you to post to your blog.  I have been trying it out and it is great!  I’m notable to do everything I can do on Live Writer, but it is really easy to use and has many features that are similar to other iPad apps.  I have been using it for the more simple posts. It is sooo much better for posting than the Blogger App. 

Check out Posts in the app store.

3. BlogLovin’ App

I am also loving the BlogLovin' App for iPad!  Again, it is very easy to use and very similar to the computer version, so that makes it easy to switch back and forth.  Don’t forget to follow on BlogLovin’!

Also – don’t forget to follow on Bloglovin’! Click below to follow!

4. Chobani Bandwagon

Yes, I finally bought Chobani.  I have resisted, thinking it was a fad, but my local grocery store had a great sale and I picked 10 containers up.  I think I am liking it!  I am not a big fan of the passion fruit flavor – I’m not sure I like chewing on seeds when eating yogurt.  There are some really great flavors and I love adding our honey to a container.  I’m just not sure I can justify the price. Plus, my husband’s dairy company now makes yogurt and  am feeling like I need to support the family business

5. Summer Shopping Spree!

As I had mentioned above, I am going to try very hard not to buy anything new in July and August. I had to have one last little shopping spree before shutting it down!  I justify this by saying that I just got rid of a ton of clothes at a consignment shop.  My style is changing and it has been easy to get rid of a bunch of things!

First, I had a bunch of really pretty a-line skirts, but I am loving the pencil skirt and maxi skirt tends. So, I bought 2 maxi skirts at JCPenny

I have loved the sheer sleeveless blouse trend on fashion blogs.  I think I could wear these to work with a tank top underneath and they would look cute under a jackets.

I still love my heels, but have been into the flat trend lately and I can’t live without good pair of wedge sandals.  These are from Payless and have a nice amount of cushion. I’m still on the lookout for the perfect pair of mint colored flats, but I can’t seem to find a pair that is at my price limit.

Oh, how I love Maurice's!  I find I am wearing so many things I bought there!  I bought white jeggings and a plaid button-down on the clearance rack. I have really jumped into he skinny jeans trend after a few years  I think these jeans will be good for cooler days and the plaid shirt will work in summer if I roll up the sleeves.  I also found a great statement necklace and earrings on sale.

I know it seems like a lot of items, but I think I spent around $150 dollars and I think they are all versatile items. And, yes, this is how I have spent my summer vacay so far!  Hopefully I can get myself going after resting a bit more this weekend!

Pet of the Day

I wanted to share a great activity that adds authentic reading and writing to the classroom and provides a bit of entertainment. I was finding that snack time was turning into more of a recess time and management issues were cropping, so I pulled out an old calendar activity from when I taught first grade.  It is a website called “Pet of the Day.”  I pull it up on our electronic whiteboard and we read it while the kids are eating snack.  Here are a few features:

• Introduces different animals.
• Animals are from all over the country and world – makes a great connection to social studies.
• Sometimes kids write about their pets and send it in.
• Students can get a sense of an author’s voice and other writing features.

This has been super motivating for my students and they love to read about the pets together.  Check it out!

 

Holiday Tips

I thought I would post a few tips that have made my holiday life easier at school.  It seems that I needed to remind myself of some of these things I used to do this year.

1. Party Supplies – I used to have a copy paper box that I stored in my cupboards with party materials in it.  It saved on those days when a parent forgot to send plates or cups in.  I also buy juice when it is on sale and have a couple containers on hand – pretzels are handy too. I buy a couple table clothes to have on hand for parties.  Usually an orange one works for fall and spring, and a white or red for the other holidays.

2. Party Decorations – I had another copy box with holiday decorations. We don’t do much with holidays any more, but hearts for Valentine’s and snowmen for winter are still nice to display.

3. I usually keep an apple cutter, a knife, and tongs in the room.  They come in handy for cutting and handling food.  I also like to keep a couple trays from the Dollar Store and a couple baskets to put food in.

4. Notecards – last year I bought a set of 100 generic notecards at TJ Max.  They are so handy fir jotting a quick note or a thank you note.  I try to get my thank yous done as soon as a I get the gifts.  I am not fond of writing thank you notes and the extra time it takes on break to write and mail them is something I try to avoid.

5. Anchor Packet – I always have a packet of activities copied and ready to go.  On party days, I always feel like we have odd pockets of time and it is nice to always have a back up – especially if parents are in.  It makes things a little more controlled.

What do you do to prepare for parties?

YouTube Linky

There are so many great linky parties going on right now!  It is nice to link up because they give a nice topic and it seems to be so much quicker to put together a post.  I linked up with Mrs. Nelson from, Run! Mrs. Nelson’s Got the Camera for her YouTube Linky Party to share favorite videos.  

I love this number line video!  The kids are thrilled to hear the British voice!  My students teacher used this video and a subtraction one last year to introduce using the number line.

There are tons of read alouds and movies of books on YouTube! I had wanted to read Scaredy Squirrel as a great book for making connections. I didn’t have the book and the library is not open and might not even have it, so I looked it up on YouTube.


Scaredy Squirrel

Here are some others:

The Rainbow Fish – Ms. Kathy has quite a few read alouds.

The Napping House – really well done!

Goodnight Gorilla

There are great for those days when you just don’t have the energy to do the reading or want to change things up a bit. Hope this helps someone else!

Harry Kindergarten also has AMAZING resources!  My kids love the videos and they make for great transition activities.  I have a 4 hour morning once a week and these clips give the kids a great movement break without derailing the day! I especially like using Vowel Bat and Super "e" to review these concepts quickly without over doing it!

These are a few of the great resources I have found.  Check out the linky party and share your great ideas!

Blog Updates!

I updated the look of my blog!  I really like the softer look.

I also added a Pinterst and a Facebook button to my side bar.  I am not sure if I will keep up with the facebook page at this point.  I try to keep my blogging and my personal/professional stuff pretty separate.  Maintaining 2 Facebook pages is tough!

I also learned how to add a signature to my blog!  Check out this tutorial at The Cutest Blog on the Block!  I found a great background on this site too, but I am not read to change again!

I also learned how to add a link to my comments.  I was sick of typing my blog address every time I posted a comment! Check out the blog below!

 

Hope these resources are helpful!

Great Little Tools

When I first started teaching, I thought it was neat that one of the male teachers in my building had a toolbox full of tools under his sink. I usually have a screwdriver somewhere in the room, but on a whim I bought this little set at Father's Day last June.

I was bummed out that I paid $5.00 for it and found it for less on their website. They must charge more in my area. But, hey, it was only 5 bucks!

Boy has this come in handy! I have used the little tape measure to plan furniture placement and take measurements for new shelving and curtains. The scraper is great for getting velcro off of "new to me" tables. The little screwdriver has helped me to take a few things apart in my room. Oh, and the little box cutter was great during the year when we were making presents and I needed to cut out the middle of cardboard to make frames.

No more hunting down the custodian during valuable planning time or hunting through tools in the closet for what I need!

Tip Tuesday - Photo Holder/Sign Holder

I went to a staff development a few years ago and a wonderful special education teacher showed us how she used acrylic photo frame - you know the ones that stand up on their own - to display and breakdown instructions for students. It was AMAZING! You can print off your center directions and then write on the front with a dry erase marker if you need to. They can be used to individualize or differentiate when needed. I loved the idea, but it drove me nuts cutting papers to fit every time I wanted to put a new one in the frame.

So, today I was at Staples and found these wonderful "Sign Holders". They are the same thing, only made to hold a regular sheet of paper. Print out your directions and slap them in! They had both vertical and horizontal. I debated for quite a while and then decided to get the 4 pack that contained the vertical ones. The individual ones were on sale for $6 and the 4 pack was at regular price, just under $24. Can't wait to use them during centers!

Tips and Tricks for Reading Groups

There are a few things that I have found to make reading groups a bit easier.

1. Reading Buddies

Sometimes it is tough to convince little ones that it is good for them to read a story more than once. I started using reading buddies. I think I saw this on a teacher's website years ago, but they were used for independent reading. I have an old barrel that used to contain pretzels. I put a bunch of Beanie Babies I have found at yard sales inside. After students have read through a story once at the reading table, they can choose a buddy to read to or even a second for a third reading. This gives me time to do running records, check sight words, and conferences with readers.

My ground rules:

• You may choose 1 buddy to read to at a time.
• If they become toys, they get put away.
• If you argue over them, they get put away.

Works wonders!

2. Book Basket:

We have the fortune of having a great book room at our school. We check out multiple copies of books through our library and have to return the whole set when we are done using them. This can be tough to organize in the midst of teaching groups. I have a cute basket with handles that I put in the middle of my jellybean (kidney) table for students to put their previously read book into when they arrive for their group. After the reading group, student take the book they have worked on home for homework every night.

I try to take a few minutes at the end of groups to organize the books in sets within the basket. When they are complete, I rubber band or bag the set and put the sets in a basket by the doors to be returned to the library. This makes a great job for a helper!

3. Group Book Storage:

This year I have made a commitment to check out a week's worth of books every week. I do this when I drop of students for library class. I check out 5-6 sets per group each time. When I get back to the room, I sort the books into baskets that I keep on the counter for each group. This helps when I have a sub too - everything is ready for reading groups.

4. Reading Stars

I saw this idea of Mrs. Ross's site. I loved the starts, but wanted to keep the symbols we used consistent. I used the star idea and adding pictures that correlate to the Beanie Baby Reading Strategies. (If you haven't seen these, check out the site. There are a couple different version out there. They have been amazing for my little ones and have spread like wildfire through our whole building.) I then taped a star on the table in front of each seat for students to refer to.

Not only do they make my table more cheery, but the kids have started to use their strategies for decoding more consistently!

4. Chair Pockets:

I totally lucked out on these. Someone was throwing these away at school and I snagged them before they were headed to the dumpster. They are great for managing materials at the computers and at the reading table. Student can put their book bags or center materials in them to keep everything in one spot.

5. Making Words Pads:
I made little pads with squares of cardboard and the rubbery shelf liner. I can put letter tiles on them for students to build and break words. The tiles do not slide around and I can prep and stack them in a basket for the group without having the tiles slide all over the place.

Well, those are a few of my favorite guided reading tips and tricks!