Monday Meet Up {Week 4}

Can you believe it…..2 weeks in a row.  That must be some sort of record for me.  Thank goodness for these linkys holding me accountable for blogging!

Here are 3 things you may not already know about me.

We have a trip to Disneyland coming up in July with our dance team.  My girls and their dance friends are so excited to go together.  The other day they were talking about their favorite rides and Tower of Terror came up.  My girls love talking about what a baby their mom is and how she cried the entire ride and kept asking if it was over.  It is true…and I am not ashamed.  Elevators in general aren’t my favorite thing and I don’t know why anyone would willingly get in one that they know is going to drop.  I did it once, to prove a point to my then 8 and 9 year olds that you should try something before you just say you don’t like it.  I’ve done it.  I don’t like it.  I will never do it again.

#2- My daughters are close in age.  No, we didn’t plan it (I know you were dying to ask because every stranger in the world felt the need to ask it while I was pregnant).  It wasn’t our plan, it was God’s plan.  I love that they are so close.  Sometimes they fight but I think that comes with being with each other 24/7.  They dance on the same team, go to the same school, and share some of the same friends.  The only thing that makes me sad is that in just 4 short years they will both be gone.  I have no cushion, I have no transition years….just BAM….gone.  That hard reality is starting to sink in as they get older.

#3….I have 2 sisters.  There were 3 girls in the house when I was growing up.  My dad traveled for business….A LOT.  He is a smart man!  We used to bicker, like all sisters do and my dad would always say, “You just wait, some day you will be so happy you have sisters, they will be your best friends.”  We used to yell back that it would never happen and we would never like each other.  Well, we grew up and now my sisters are my best friends.  We are all in education, which I think is incredible odds, and we love each other dearly. 

Thanks for stopping by and getting to know me a little better!  Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post Two for Tuesday.  Two of my most wish listed products will be on sale for 50% off!!!!

Worksheet Wednesday {Freebie Alert!}

Today’s link up is Worksheet Wednesday.  It’s supposed to be a one page worksheet for free but my post includes two free grammar packs.  It’s all part of my quest to change the world, one social media user at a time!  Check out the old post below:

Originally posted on February26, 2014

This week we are working on those difficult homophones you’re/your and there/their/they’re.  I told my kiddos that one of my biggest pet peeves is how often adults still misuse those homophones on social media.  It. Bugs. Me.  So, I am on a quest to change that for the future generation! I told them that if they ever plan on “friending,” me when they are older they had better learn the difference! If you would like to join my quest, I created and posted these little packs and they are FREE at my TpT store.  Just click the picture to go download them!

As always, I just ask that if you download them you please leave feedback and consider following my little store/blog/Instagram account.  It will help you keep up to date on flash freebies, free downloads, new products/ideas and sales!  Thanks so much!  You guys are the best!

Two for Tuesday

I’m linking up with The Teaching Tribune again today to bring you Two for Tuesday.  Two products from my store will be 50% off today! 

 

The first is my newest product…….

These fun maps make a great formative assessment to see what your kiddos have learned about a math concept.  I teach the third grade gifted cluster at my school and often have kiddos that “compact,” out of a unit in math.  I plan on using these maps to make sure that they are solid on the concept and to help them dive deeper into it.  These are also great to use for end of the unit review or as review before testing begins!  Click on the picture to go and grab them for 50% off!

The second product is one of my favorite!  One of our frameworks for ELA is an author study.  Each of our third grade classes studies a different author and then we present the author to our grade level.  My class studies Roald Dahl.  I made this pack to go along with James and the Giant Peach and it was a huge hit!  Grab it now for only $4.00!

Have a happy Tuesday everyone!

Monday Meet Up….A Letter to Myself

Happy Monday morning!  Seriously, what is it about summer that makes waking up on a Monday so much more enjoyable!  This morning I am linking up with The Teaching Tribune for Monday Meet Up.

Today’s assignment was to write a letter to the you that first started your blogging/TpT journey.  It was a great way to reflect back on how far I have come and the lessons I have learned about myself and about prioritizing things in my life.  There are still things I need to work on and goals that I want to accomplish but it’s been a fun road to travel and I have met some great people along the way! 

And….there’s a mistake, why wouldn’t there be, I didn’t save the original slide.  The year was 2012, not 2013! 

Have a great Monday!  I’ll be back tomorrow for Two for Tuesday!  2 items in my TpT store will be 50% off!

 

Currently May…{and a Giveaway and a Sale!}

I am in serious denial mode.  I can’t believe that it is the end of the school year already.  My youngest daughter is in full countdown mode and keeps reminding me that the eighth graders have even fewer days than the rest of us. (tear).  I can’t believe my baby is promoting to high school in just a few short weeks. 

Anyways, no matter how much I beg Father Time he just isn’t slowing down and May is already upon us.  So, here it is my May Currently with the one, the only, the ORIGINAL…..Farley.

Listening……My daughters dance.  Both of them.  That is all the do.  Seriously, like ever.  If they aren’t in the studio they are dancing in our “dance room” (which is really our empty front living room), they are watching shows about dance on TV, or they are listening to music that would make great dances!  This morning is no different.  Youngest daughter woke up, ate and immediately changed into dance clothes and fired up the music!

Loving……Have you heard of the website Jane?  It’s one of those Daily Deals websites and I am obsessed with buying jewelry to spruce up my outfits!  Click HERE to go check it out….you’ll thank me later!

Thinking…..I really should start packing.  Again, the denial mode thing gets in the way.  I still can’t quite wrap my brain around the end of the year being upon us.  My whole hallway is moving classrooms.  We are heading over to the “big kid,” side of the building.  Our district is opening a brand new elementary school in the fall about a mile down the road.  Our boundaries have changed and we are going from a school of 1,500 when I first started there 10 years ago to less than 1,000 next year!  Big changes happening and I am not a fan of change. 

 

Wanting…..As much as I am in denial, I am also excited about summer.  I love spending time with my girls and taking life at a slower pace.  I am excited about a fun girls trip I have planned with my wonderful friend to celebrate our 40th birthdays!  I love hanging out with my fellow coach’s wives at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Camp, dance recital is in June and then our big Disneyland trip!  It’s going to be a busy but fun summer!

Needing……I really need to get my shopping done so that I can get things in the mail!  I really need Target and/or the Disney Store to restock all of their Frozen merchandise.  What is an Aunt to do when all her adorable nieces want for their birthdays is “Frozen stuff,” and it’s sold out everywhere? 

 

Lastly…..My Surprise.  My sweet IG friend Allison started a blog called 2nd Cup of Campers.  It’s super cute and I love her writing style.  Click on the pic to go check it out!

Now for the big giveaway and sale news!

Table Talk with C and C is celebrating a milestone with a HUGE giveaway!  Click on the pic below to check out the 5 different giveaways that you can enter!

And, TpT is having their BIG Teacher Appreciation Sale.  My whole store will be 20% off!  Use the promo code for even bigger savings!  Click the pic below to start filling your cart for the big sale!!!!

Five For Friday

Friday is here….finally.  Only 4 Fridays left!  I can’t hardly believe it.  I’m not the type of teacher who counts down…in fact, every year the end of the year kind of sneaks up on me.  I love my class, I fall in love with them every year, and the last day is full of big fat tears for me.  Anyways, on this fourth to the last Friday I am linking up for five for Friday with the amazing Doodle Bugs Teaching.

This one is not school related so you will have to indulge me for the moment.  This weekend we celebrate this man’s 41st birthday.

 

He is my best friend and the one I would choose over and over again.  He makes me laugh and takes unbelievable care of his family!  We love him so very much!

Technically, this picture is from last week.  We finished our state testing.  However, this week we get to celebrate being done with ALL of our testing.  Someone in our district office decided it would be a great idea to have our kiddos take their reading and math benchmarks right after we got finished with our state testing.  Well, at least we are now officially done for the year!  Hooray!

We officially started “Book Clubs,” this week and so far they are a huge hit!  I did a book talk on each of the books and then had them rank their choices from 1-10.  The clubs going on right now are

The Chocolate Touch

The Homework Machine

The Indian in the Cupboard

Third Grade Angels

Shiloh

and

Ella Enchanted

I found some awesome FREE resources on TpT to help me organize and run the book clubs.

Click on the pictures to go check out the products!

I tried another new idea this week that I saw over on Farley’s blog.  The idea is called Head of the Class.  Click here to go read her blog post about this amazing idea!  We did our index cards with names at the end of the week so that I would have time to partner them all up.  This week we worked with our partners during Daily 5 time and on our fun grammar projects.  For the last few weeks of school we are reviewing some of the important 3rd grade language standards.  My students are teaching the class through some creative projects and lessons they created.  It has been a huge hit and Head of the Class was a great way to set them up with partners!

Lastly, I am absolutely swooning over this new bracelet!  It seriously is so cute and I love that I can change the tassels to match my outfits!

It’s from Paige at Style This Life.  You can click the picture or click HERE to check it out in her Etsy shop!

Well, that’s all for another Friday….only 4 more to go!  I can’t believe it!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Number Talks {I’m a Believer!}

I posted earlier about my good friend coming to my classroom and modeling how to do a number talk with my class.  Since that day, we have used a number talk as our math warm up every day.  I am a believer…in love…sold.  My copy of the book finally came in and I can’t put it down.

After just two chapters, our number talks this week have already been so much better!  If you are looking for a way to build number sense in your students, to encourage them to think about numbers and number relationships, and to work with students on their communication skills and explaining your thinking, number talks is for you.  I found an introductory video on You Tube that was helpful and watched several others before trying one on my own.  Also, the book comes with a DVD that is full of Number Talks filmed in K-5 classrooms….truly amazing stuff!

Here is a picture of what our board looked like after our number talk last Thursday.

The things I love about Number Talks:

1. My students are looking more at number relationships and patterns and relying less on algorithms.
2. My students are able to explain their thinking more clearly and more precisely.
3. Having to defend their answers has helped them to see when they have made mistakes in their thinking.  More than one kiddo has started to defend their answer, got about a third of the way through, and said, “Oh, wait a minute….”
4. Number Talks use just about every single one of the 8 mathematical practices.
5. I feel like my students are improving at problem solving and persevering. They don’t give up as easily when presented with a challenge.
6. They are developing several strategies so that when one isn’t working for them, they have something else to try.
7. They have starting to look at whether answers are reasonable or not by using estimation.

I am sure as we keep going with our number talks I will have many more to add to the list!

In the meantime, I made these little cards to print and put on a ring that I have with me during our Number Talks and problem solving time.  I am having to train myself to take a step back and let my students do most of the talking.  Number Talks are about their thinking, not mine.  These cards have question stems for each of the 8 mathematical practices. You can click on the picture to download them for free! 

If you use Number Talks in your classroom, I would love to hear more about how they work for you!  If you don’t use them or haven’t heard of them I encourage you to check out the YouTube video and the book.  It is kind of pricey but I went in to my principal, told him what my friend had just done with my kids in my classroom and showed him the book.  He ended up buying it for me and telling me that he possibly wants a presentation on it early next year!  I can definitely see the benefits of having the K-2 teachers on board.  I can’t even imagine the number sense they would come to me with!  It makes my heart swell just thinking about it!