Showing posts with label linky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label linky. Show all posts

Friday, July 1, 2016

Giveaway Time!

Happy Friday friends!! I'm teaming up with some amazing teachers to help celebrate a blog launch!

Congratulations Ashley on launching your blog Ashley's Brainy Centers! One lucky teacher is going to win a TON of great prizes!!! Who wouldn't love free money to spend at TpT and Target?
I'm donating my Coins Task Cards as part of the giveaway. 

There are three sets of task cards combined to help students learn and apply multiple ways to count coins. 
Don't forget to stop by Ashley's blog and enter this giveaway. You don't want to miss your chance to win some serious teacher swag! 


Sunday, March 27, 2016

Welcome Spring!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your day, and have had a great weekend. I think the cooler weather in my part of Texas is finally over for the year which means plenty of sunshine and sandals ahead!
In honor of Easter, a few teacher friends and I are throwing a TpT sale! Stop by our stores and check out all the amazing resources we have for you.
Here's a sneak peek of what we're learning in my class.
Tuesday and Thursday of this week is STAAR testing. We don't take the test in second grade, but we're going to spread some encouragement to our class of fourth grade buddies. I just posted Treat Tag Freebies in my store. Simply fill a baggie with cereal or cookies and you're done!
We're also tackling the skill of telling time on an analog clock. Telling time is one math skill that certainly takes practice and patience to master for students. One way the minis are practicing time on an analog clock is with Time Task Cards.

In addition to tackling the basics, we're digging deeper and learning about elapsed time as well. Spring Forward can be used during any time of year to teach or review elapsed time skills. 
Check out two of my minis working in small groups. They LOVE using the iPad to self check their answers.

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead! 

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Currently March

Oh my goodness y'all....
I've been a HORRIBLE blogger lately! I posted nothing in February and barely anything in January! I must make it a point to get back on track with blogging. My Bloglovin' news feed hasn't been shown any attention lately. To get back in the swing of things, I'm linking up with Farley for some March Currently fun! 
Listening- I have no shame in admitting I watch all of the Real Housewives series. Up next is The People vs. O.J. Simpson on FX. Has anyone else been watching that?
Loving- I found a recipe on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago that I'm finally getting around to trying tonight. The recipe includes chicken and asparagus. I hope it turns out good!
Thinking- At this point I'm learning towards laundry being done tonight as a great big NO.
Wanting- It's been a while since I've had ice cream. There's just something so delicious about a bowl of Blue Bell...
Needing- I seriously have the attention span of a goldfish sometimes. I have every intention of doing one thing at a time, then get side tracked. It takes me foreverrrr to write a blog post.
Polling Site- Thankfully my school isn't a polling site. I'm in agreement with Farley about schools not being polling sites.
Don't forget to link up and share your currently post!

Friday, December 4, 2015

Five for Friday

Oh my goodness, I had to dust the cobwebs off my poor blog! I haven't blogged since the beginning of November! It's been a while, but I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share my Five for Friday.

Who doesn't love Friday??? My glorious Friday night plans include the sofa, a Christmas movie, and pizza! I like to live on the edge.


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our classroom. Our class elf Clara Cupcake returned and this year she brought a friend! Is anyone else using Elf Pets in the classroom? I came across this in Target a few weeks ago. Such a cute little story and a cool addition to any elf at home or school. Our class named our reindeer Swifty.


 Speaking of Christmas, of course we have a decked out tree with cupcake ornaments! A teacher friend picked up the tree for me my first year of teaching. Over the years students have given me the cupcake ornaments to add.

I LOVE Christmas trees! At home I decided to do a peacock theme tree this year. There's something special about the glow of lights. 
The marque Santa sign I found at Target a couple of weeks ago. Heaven forbid Santa gets lost and doesn't know where to put the presents, ha!

This weekend I'll begin printing and laminating December Edition Fluency With a Twist to use in literacy stations next week. My students love this activity! They'll practicing reading for fluency and expression with a fun holiday theme.


You can check out this product in my TpT store. Have a great weekend friends! Don't forget to link up and share your own Five for Friday post. 

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Currently November

Happy Sunday teacher friends! What happened to October?! I swear it went by in such a rush. It's the first of the month which means it's time for another round of Currently with Farley

Listening- I'm watching last week's episode of The Walking Dead again to find any hidden clues. I'm convinced Glenn is gone 100% but some friends of mine who watch the show aren't so sure. In my opinion there ain't no way he could have survived.
Loving- I went shopping in Canton,Texas today with my BFF. There was a chill in the air with some rain, but we bought some good things so I didn't mind. If you love to shop then you'd love Canton Trade Days. You can buy everything from antiques, clothes, home decor, and food. One vendor sells all sorts of delicious soup and dessert mixed. I can't wait for my baked potato soup to be done.
I also found this cute charger plate at a craft fair last week and knew I had to have it.
As much as I love Christmas I wish it were easier to find Thanksgiving decorations.
Thinking- To nap or not to nap? I love a nice lil' cat nap on a rainy day.
Wanting- I left the air on by mistake when we left for Canton this morning so now my apartment is freezing! I've got the heat on so hopefully I won't feel like a popsicle much longer.
Needing- As of right now laundry can wait
Yummy- Don't get me wrong I love pumpkin pie, but there's just something AMAZING about a slice of sweet potato pie. Southern people love sweet potato pie.
Don't forget to link up and share your currently!


Saturday, October 17, 2015

You Oughta Know for October

Hi everyone! I'm linking up with a fabulous group of bloggers again for the You Oughta Know blog hop. Thanks Mrs. McClain for hosting!

This month I'm going to share a few quick tips about ThingLink. ThingLink is my new favorite app, and the possibilities for classroom use are endless! There is an option to create web based accounts for you and your students but for now my class is just using the app to share our creations with each other.
For an example my class decided to create a "thing" about pumpkins. You can choose to use an image already saved or a new one.

There are four choices for adding media to your image.
Your image can be as interactive as you'd like. I've always called the circles pulse points or dots, not sure what the official name is! 


We discussed some pumpkin facts as a class and added them to our image. You'll notice the dots will look different based on what content you add. The writing part was fun, but what my kids loved the most was adding videos.


Before my students add a YouTube video they know I must approve it. I'm hoping the creators of ThingLink can somehow add safety features so students don't accidentally stumble upon something they shouldn't.
We were able to find a student friendly video that showed how to carve faces on a pumpkin.
How cool would this app be for a research project? You can also save a public ThingLink created by someone else if you'd like. I've discovered some amazing ones created by other teachers. I'm presenting a PD session for my district next month, and this app is at the top of the list to share.



Friday, October 2, 2015

Currently October

Oh. my. goodness. I don't know about y'all, but September kicked my butt! It's time for another linky with Farley for Currently October.
Listening- House Hunters is on as background noise. I love trying to guess what house gets picked.
Loving- I'm so glad October is finally here. October to me is the start of the holiday season, not to mention one of the best movies ever comes on.
You're never too old for a little Hocus Pocus!
Thinking- Tomorrow I'm running a 5k. My pink tutu is ready! I'm not the world's fastest runner by any means, but I do enjoy participating in a 5k race when I can.
Wanting- Having pizza for dinner is all kinds of wrong if I'm running tomorrow morning, Lord help me fight temptation. Has anyone tried ordering Domino's with the pizza emjoi? I've always wondered how that works.
Needing- Last weekend I moved, and there are still boxes to go through. I DESPISE unpacking anything. I also need to finish a blog post about fluency I've been planning on sharing for a few weeks now. Maybe Sunday I can finally sit down and finish.
Boo-tiful- Seeing others show kindness and caring has always been beautiful to me.
Don't forget to link up and share your post!

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Classroom Tour 2015-2016

Hi everyone! Late to the party, but I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin' for a little classroom tour. I feel that my room isn't 100% how I want it, but I'd say it's 95% done! Cupcakes still rule in my room, but the color scheme is different.
I'll give you a quick over view of the room, then break it down with some specifics. The view from the front door is a little funky for pictures, so I took one door and one mailbox view.


Each of the four groups has a storage area. The black crates are where students keep things such as privacy folders, whiteboards, and work books. The black bling ribbon I found at JoAnn Fabric. The labels here and in other parts of the room are part of my cupcake decor pack. Soon we'll be adding the math tub tools from Reagan Tunstall.

Our class jobs are rotated each week.

This area of the classroom could best be described as command central. I purchased frames from Dollar Tree to make the objectives frames. I love that my book baskets match this year! The math strategies posters were provided from my district. That poor basket in the lower left corner will be labeled first thing tomorrow morning.

Black spray paint became my personal assistant while getting the room ready. I actually went to Michael's a few times because I could never guess correctly how much I needed. After the third trip I decided not to return because I was convinced they cashiers thought I was sniffing spray paint!



While going crazy browsing in Michael's I found this calendar set at 20% off. It matches perfectly!

Math manipulatives and games are stored in bins below the calendar. The hand signals are from Miss Nelson.

When you love cupcakes of course you need cupcake themed writing process posters! Each student will have a clothespin with their class number. They will move that clothespin as they cover each step of the writing process. I've had the black bookshelf since my first year. A couple of years ago I had the not so bright idea of covering the shelves with wrapping paper. The first two shelves were a breeze, the third shelf no so much and it's annoying me. 

The Tech Talk bulletin board is my favorite this year. I made computer backgrounds to match my computer and the color scheme of the room.

Thinking maps posters will be switched out as needed.

 Since counter space is limited, hanging file folders are used as student mailboxes.

Last year I fell in love with working spaces. I allow my students to choose their working space with some clear expectations. Working spaces are for working and collaboration, not playing around. The only time students aren't allowed to choose working spaces is during tests.
The cupcake pillows were made for me a few years ago. The rest of the pillows were found at Five Below.
The cupcake pillow area will be turned into our listening lounge. The listening lounge is part of the weekly centers rotation. 

I decided to get rid of my teacher desk a few years ago. The turquoise alphabet frame was a random find at Mardel. Of course I had to have it because it was 20% off. (Anything 20% off is magic to my ears...and my credit card) I made an inspirational print from Psalm 32:8.

This chalkboard frame was originally going to be used at home. It now hangs above the door. Occasionally I'll write a quick message to my class so they'll see whenever they leave.

I hope you enjoyed my classroom tour! Enjoy the rest of your week, and just think an extended Labor Day weekend is coming soon!



Tuesday, August 4, 2015

August Currently

Is it just me, or does it seem like this year is speeding by? Late to the party, but I'm linking up with Farley again for August Currently. So much to do this month and so little time!
Listening- Almost always I have the tv on as background noise. As I was scanning the channels I ran across The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Loving- Have you emptied out your wish list yet?? I don't know any teacher who doesn't love a good sale.
Thinking- This Thursday my district is holding it's second annual iPad conference named iCon. I've done one presentation by myself before a few times now, but I've never done two presentations in one day. I hope I don't do anything stupid! After the conference I plan on blogging about the day.
Wanting- I'm dying to get back into my classroom and get to work! Every time I see a classroom in progress picture on Instagram I get antsy. This is what my spare bedroom currently looks like...
All the back to school stuff has taken over and I'm ready for it to be moved. This is why I drive an SUV. A few items in this pile I'll need to return, and I'm still searching for the perfect book baskets. #helpmejesus
Needing- In addition to all that back to school brings I'm moving in a few weeks! I'm thinking maybe I need to write a daily to do list and stick to it or I'll slack and then stress when moving time comes. 
B2S RAK- Thursday during my presentations I plan on surprising some teachers with little goodie bags! I'll be giving away chocolate and other teacher essentials. I'll have to think of some other random acts of kindness I can duplicate for the school year.
This is probably the fastest and shortest Currently post I've done! Time to get busy today! Don't forget to link up and share your post.