App giveaway!

In the Teacher's Lounge is hosting a app giveaway! 

Check out the blog to have your chance at a free app!

Too Cool for School Linky Party

Belinda at I Love 2 Teach is hosting a linky party! Share your cool teaching tips and link up!

Not sure how original my cool tips are but here goes:

1. This is my schools thing, but we send home "Tuesday folders" so I have all weekend to correct papers and Monday night and then Tuesday everything can go home in this folder and then needs to be signed and returned. 

2. I use smelly stamps for a reward which is chapstick. If they are standing in line quietly, I ask them if they are ready and if they are they are to put one hand on their head and I walk down the line and put a little chapstick on their hand for them to smell. They love this!

I'm sure later I will think of better things. haha

100th Day Linky Party

TBA is having a linky party! Click here to check it out!

TBA  

The 100th day is so much fun when you teach 1st grade! I wish I was able to get a picture of some of the things we do for the 100th day! I will try and tell you:

1. We have Zero the Hero! (This is what I wish I had a pics of!) I plan on going into the school Tuesday, so as long as they are not waxing the floors in my wing, I might try and get a picture! He is a stuffed bear I got at the dollar store that had a cape with a "z" on it- perfect right? He visits on every 10th day and we celebrate his birthday in the 100th day! The kids love wondering where he is all the other days of the week and where they will find him in the room on the 10th, 20th, etc day. He is always in a random place!

2. We wear 100th day glasses that I get at Really Good Stuff :

3. We practice counting to 100 by 2's, 5's, and 10's with our edible math manipulatives (cereal!).



4. We read 100th day books:

  

Target Gift Card Giveaway!

First Grade O.W.L.S.  is having a giveaway for a Target gift card! Check it out!

The Book Whisperer- Chapter 4

I really liked the ideas that were displayed in his chapter in regards to genre. I liked how she gave them a bucket of books with no label and they had to guess the genre. I definitely want to discuss genre a lot more with my firsties.

One of the questions that was addressed in the book was how you pick out books. I pick mine out a few ways:

1. Friend recommondations

2. Author's I like

3. Books that I see movie trailers for! I always want to read the book and then watch the movie! 

Current books I have read due to movie trailers:

1. Water for Elephants

2. Something Borrowed

3. Hunger Games (reading now...)

I like that Miller talked about what abandoning a book when it is not your type of book! I couldn't agree with this more! There is nothing worse than laboring through a horrible book! I abandoned books before and I am sure I will again!

I couldn't teach without... linky party!

Views from Room 205 is having a linky party! 

Here are the things I cannot teach without:

 

 Dunkin's --- or when I can't get that- any cup of coffee. At Dunkin's I like Cream, Sugar and Coconut! 

 

Promethean Board! We do everything on this!  Beside it I put the ELMO because it is used with the Promethean! When the board doesn't work, I feel lost!!

 

This is not my table.... but I couldn't do without my guided reading table! I hold small groups during the reading blog there. I also like to have the space for when we are doing crafts! 

 

 Love Sharpies! The more colors the better! 

 

Folders! I have all my reading lessons on folders in order, same with math, science and social studies! I love organization!



My Yankees Tervis :)   

Sister Teacher's Giveaway!

Sister Teacher's is having a giveaway! Click on the link to go to the blog and check it out!

My teacher always says.....linky party!

Mrs. Bainbridge's Class is hosting a linky party! In her words "We've all got those "things" that we say.  What is something you always say to your students?  Maybe it's something cute that you love... or maybe it's something that you heard them start to say to each other that made you go "uh oh!"."

We all say things that make us think "oops" or laugh at ourselves, or even make the kids laugh!

Here are mine:

1.  "Come back to Earth!"  

Yep, say this when the students are completely "out to lunch". I also might say something about them being in outer space and needing to come back to Earth.

2. "Did you leave your ears at home?"  

When they obviously are not listening, they tend to get a kick out of this one!

3.. "I didn't marry my brother, if I did I would be Mrs. Winsor"

They OFTEN call me Mrs. Winsor- which I have long accepted..... but earlier in my teaching years (and sometimes now for fun!) I say this line, to point out I could only be Mrs. Winsor if I married my brother. This gets a good laugh from my kiddos. 

4. "If you think I don't know whats happening you are wrong"

They think I have eyes on the back of my head, really!

5. "No Miss Winsor's"

This one I didn't even realize how much they "picked it up." One of my biggest pet peeves is when it is time to line up and for some reason this is the time they all have something they just HAVE to tell me. So of course, I get a ton of "Ms. Winsor, Ms. Winsor!" So this is my line to them in response- "No Miss Winsor's!" So one day when discussing rules in our class, I get the usual "raise your hand", etc and a little girl raises her hand and says  "No Miss Winsor's"  I about died laughing! :)   Someone got it I guess! haha

Storytown and TpT

Well, I did it- I opened my TpT store. I just finished refrigerator copies for the Harcourt Storytown series. There is one for every lesson. It took quite a while to do and many frustrations with the program I used shutting down in the middle of it! But I finished! :)  I created these refrigerator copies because current ones we were using had errors. I also added clip art and borders, etc. I sent these home every Monday with my students to practice at home for Friday's test. If you use Storytown- check them out!!

I also added "generic" (without my name and school) B.E.E., M.O.O.S.E., and F.I.S.H binder cover sheets to my TpT store. Check it out- follow me! This is only the beginning of the things I will make!

Schedule Linky Party

Simply 2nd Resources is hosting a linky party for schedules! Here is mine:

Little Literacy Giveaway

Little Literacy Learners is having a giveaway! Click on her button below to check it out!

Fun 2B in First Giveaway!

Fun 2B in First is having a Bath & Body Works giveaway! Click on the link to go over and check it out! Everyone loves Bath and Body Works!

Classroom Jobs Linky Party

Mrs. Dillard's first grade blog is having a linky party about classroom jobs!  I have heard about having a job for every student and it is the "way to go" but never jumped on the band wagon for 2 reasons. 1- my cute fish job chart didn't have enough fish bowls to have more jobs. 2. I thought it would be complete chaos for some reason.

Last summer, attempting Zumba classes, I got a stress fracture in my foot- followed by numerous more stress fractures. Needless to say I do not do Zumba anymore, although I really liked it! Because of my feet hurting all the time and "trying" to stay off of them (impossible with little first graders!) I gave a lot more responsibility to the students. I always knew they were eager to do anything you asked them to do. You can make any boring mundane job sound like it is the ultimate job to have!! (I actually had kids beg me to clean the toilet in our classroom!- Of course I did not let them- gross!) Even though I knew this about kids, I was still in shock at how much they could take on when I couldn't. It was eye opening and I plan to continue to let them help me more- and some of these jobs I see on this linky party, I just might add to my job list! This might mean revamping my whole job chart area, but change isn't always bad!

My jobs have been:
1. Line Leader (lead the line everywhere we go and take papers to office and lunch room as needed- the pick someone to go with them)
2. Door Holder 1- first door we come to- then they go to the END (to avoid running back up to the front of the line!)
3. Door Holder 2- holds the second door- they go to END also
4. Paper Passer
5. Cafeteria Manager 1- cleans table
6. Cafeteria Manager 2- cleans up trash under class table
7. Custodian- cleans floor at end of day
8. Computer Person- Turns on computers at beginning of day and turns them off at the end
9. Substitute- fills in for anyone absent.

Considering I usually only have 16 students at the most each year- it's not like having a job for everyone is THAT big of a deal, I already have 9 jobs! I rotate these jobs every week.

Go here to check it out:

31 bag giveaway!

I love 31 and the bags you can get from them! I have a really nice lunch box from this company already! Of course this is a company like Tupperware where you need to know someone who sells or is having a party to order.
To win a really cool bag from 31- Go 4th with Mrs. Owens is having a giveaway!




Good luck! I know I am hoping to win this one! Love this company!

If you like Facebook, you'll Love Google Circles!

Google Circles is the new "Facebook"- I guess you could say. It is only in a testing phase and only "so many" people are going to be able to test this. I was lucky to be invited by Erin at Kleinspiration and want to extend and invitation out there to any of my followers who would like to be a part of this.

The only think I ask is that you be a follower of my blog, and comment to this post with your e-mail address stating you are a follower! :)

The Book Whisperer- Chapter 3

Loving this book! It is really making me think of how I want to "arrange" my reading block to accommodate self selected reading. I loved the part where she mentions WHEN reading should occur- and classroom interruptions is one of them. I am not sure why I never thought of this, but it makes perfect sense. An adult walks in my room and needs something, and the kids just get out a book and read! I plan to try it out this coming school year. Of course, I like when she stated that kids should just read when they finish an assignment early. There are always early finishers! I sometimes let my kids write in their writing journals as well when they are done.

Loved this quote:
"Resolve to edge in a little reading every day, if it is but a single sentence. If you gain fifteen minutes a day, it will make itself felt at the end of the year." - Horace Mann

In this chapter, Donalyn discusses how students do not need a specific PLACE or ENVIRONMENT to read. I find this so true. I see other teachers responded on other blogs about how they have restrictions on these "no boundaries" and I agree- I do too. I will not let a student sit under either of my two desks. This spells trouble to me. I also don't let them in any area I cannot specifically see them or near anything they might take- as I have had thieves in the past.

I cannot wait to put more of a focus on self selected and independent reading!

The Book Whisperer- Surveys

I love the idea of giving an interest survey at the beginning of the school year! I really want to tap into my kids" interests this coming school year in hopes to engage them more in reading. I was going to make a survey more "first grade friendly" but Brenda at Primary Inspired made a perfect one- so why reinvent the wheel- right?  :)  You have to check it out!

I already read Chapter 3- thinking it was next! So I guess I am ahead- look forward to discussing Chapter 3 with everyone!

Fonts Linky Party!

Finally in First is hosting a linky party for FONTS! I love fonts and will post a few of my favorites. I believe most of them are from Kevin and Amanda - so swing over and check those out as well. If you can't find one on that page try doing a google search- I am sure you will find it :)  Enjoy!

A little birdy giveaway!

A Little Kinder Told Me So is having a give-away! Hop on over to her page to check it out!!! There is a Target gift card in there!!  :)

Think Tank

Happy 4th of July! Here is a freebie I made last night! My room is ocean themed and I wanted a sign for my "time out area"- just to make it "labeled", I thought I would share it with everyone.

Think Tank


This is my first time attempting to use google docs on my blog. Let me know if it does not work!

New blog linky party!

Set This Circus Down is having a linky party for all the new blogs out there to get "out there". I am a new one and have less than 10 followers myself! Join the party and help us "unknown" blogs get out there and share our wealth of knowledge.