Five for Friday and a Freebie

Is it really August already???  Time to face the reality that summer is ending and the school year is coming...

I'm linking up with Doodlebugs Teaching Five for Friday and Friday Freebie too!

I have started picking up a few things for my classroom.  I am proud to say I haven't gone overboard. I am keeping my same LEGO theme this year.  It has worked very well and I love it.  (I will be honest a changing it has crossed my mind, but I figured I didn't need that extra stress when I love what I already have.

I did buy these containers.  They were so pretty and just the right colors!  (I have an issue when it comes to containers, but I couldn't resist!)  They were at the Dollar Tree, I'm a big spender.  I also found a red rug and alphabet letter rug at Big Lots.  

Then I stopped by and checked out a new Teacher Store and found a few things too.  Magnetic border I can't wait to try!  I also found out the store has a room of used teacher supplies.  The store will buy the supplies from a teacher and 50% of what she will sell it for.  It isn't consignment, it's money up front!  This rocks for several reasons... Great deals and I have a place I can sell some of the things I have and don't use anymore.

I finally have my groove back!  I have been working on the computer like a mad woman.  Planning for next year, making things for my class, creating several new items and wasting a little time on Facebook.  (I swear I need blinders to keep me focused.)  I will be posting several of these new things free, so keep an eye out in the coming weeks.

I finished and posted my More Wonders for Unit 1.  (Last year I completed units 2-5 and 6 is on my list to finish.)  This is a great pack that makes my life so much easier teaching from the Wonders Reading Series.  It activities to complement and enrich the series.  (Not a lot of fluff.)  The pack includes activities for weeks 1-5 in the unit.  My favorite is the reading comprehension questions I have for the weekly on and above level readers.  The questioning is similar to what they will see on the weekly assessment and there is a place for the student to tell me where they found the proof for each question.  Then I have several word work pages, a POP game, writing prompt and skill sheet.  It is what I use every week and hope it will make your life as easy as it does mine.  Also, let me know if there is something you think would be good to add.  (Don't forget you can get it 28% off August 4 & 5 with the code BTS14 at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.)

I survived taking my 13 year old daughter school clothes shopping today!!!!!  It wasn't easy, but it is done!  Believe it or not, she is the daughter that doesn't like to shop.  Then add on that they have to wear certain clothes to school, like solid collared polo shirts, she wasn't exactly joyful.  However, we were successful and even came home still speaking to each other!

I just got an e-mail that my OSMO is coming very soon!!!  I am so excited, I can't wait!  Click here for my referral link to learn more about it.

Finally here is a freebie for you as you are getting ready to head back.  Click here to download these posters.  I use these Whole Brain Teaching rules, and love it.

Get more freebies by heading over to TBA's Friday Freebies.

Five for Friday and a Freebie!

Happy Good Friday!  (I can't believe I have school!)  Anyways I am linking up with Doodlebugs Teaching Five for Friday once again.

I was so excited to get an e-mail this morning with this exciting news!

The featured blogger on todays TBA Friday Freebie!  It made me hop up, run in here and write a post.  (Hubby was like "Really, that's all it takes to make you get up quickly?  I am so not a morning person!)  This Friday is starting out Good for sure!

This week I went back and updated my very first file I created for TpT.  I can say, I have deffinitely improved over the years.  It went from this...

To this...!

Not only is the cover way cuter, but I also added several more things to the pack.  Then I recreated about half of the pages because of all of the "not quite perfect" things that now bug me immensely!

This week I finished up the graphing and data analysis with a the best, tried and true math activity for the skill, graphing M&M's.  I found this great graphing sheet free on TpT from Mrs. Henke! (I also realized one more reason I love TpT and the internet, it is so much easier than digging through my resource books and files to find things!)

Do you Go Noodle?  We do and we LOVE it.  As I prepare for two weeks of inside recess due to state testing for grades 3-6 at out school, I cam across this fun site.  It is FREE and have many great brain breaks!  They even have them broken down for you as calming and energizing.  My students love it.  Another one of our favorites is Adventure to Fitness, also FREE for teachers!

Now a freebie or two as we prepare to celebrate Earth Day! I hope you enjoy them.

Five for Friday and a Freebie

Happy Friday!!!  I am linking up for Doodle Bugs Teaching Five for Friday.

Check out my newest addition to my Lego classroom!!!

I am so excited!  The dad of one of my students works at our movie theater.  I know it is big, but it is so much fun.  My plan is to use it to display "awesome" student work.  I need to cover the bottom and add clips for students to display their work.

 

Target Dollar Spot finds!  I am planning for S.T.E.M. week at our school.   We are going to start with these pull back race cars to help us understand force and motion with equal and opposite reaction play.  

 

Then I found these fun balloon rockets.  I can't wait to see the students exploring and learning with these.  They will have so much fun outside with balloon rocket races.

 

Then I am going to put these two things together and make balloon powered Lego cars.

I was able to candle my little eggs this week and happy to see little ducks growing in many of the eggs.  Every year seeing this amazes me.

By the way did you know the overhead projector works great for candling eggs?  It is the only time I use one all year!

 We have beautiful weather forcasted all weekend!  This is where you will find me come Sunday!  I will work tomorrow to play the next day.  Love living in Florida!

Now a Freebie for you.  Drawing conclusions is a tough skill for firsties to grasp.  This is a graphic organizer I made and it really helps students understand to look for clues while we are reading.  Doing this and drawing conclusions will help us understand what we read.  Click here to grab it free!

Looking for more freebies, check out Teaching Blog Addict's Friday Freebie.

Five for Friday

Happy Friday!! I'm linking up for Five for Friday at Doodle Bugs Teaching.

My eggs arrived!  I hatch eggs every year; it is one of my favorite units and an experience the students remember forever.  A friend brings the eggs to me and "just found them out walking and has no clue what they might be."  Then the fun begins.  We start brainstorming what might hatch from our eggs.  Some of the kids guesses this year include: alligator, sea turtle, eagle, flamingo, turkey, chicken, snake, ostrich or maybe a buzzard!  Who knows what will hatch from our eggs?  (Of course I do, they will be sweet little ducks!  Hopefully, the temperature was a little off at the beginning...  I will know more in a few days.) 

Did you know that the eggs also need it to be quiet for them to hatch??  (Well not really, but my kids sure think so!)  Now all I have to say is "eggs" and everyone immediately quiet down.  So perfect at the end of the year.

This was our first week back after Spring Break.  Of course, this weeks weather was gorgeous and our break was cold and dreary.  On the bright side, we only had a 4 day work week!  We also started our last 9-weeks of the school year.  

I had a week of recognition for my hard work.  It started off with my Brick Builders Club being recognized at the county school board meeting.  Then our superintendent brought a state representative and Frank Biden (Vice President Joe Biden's brother) on a tour of my classroom to see how my little guys were integrating technology.  Then I had the opportunity to talk with them about my thoughts and feelings as a teacher.  It felt so nice to be recognized.  It is amazing how much a few kind words is worth. 

My oldest daughter competed in her first cheer competition with her new team and they rocked it!  I also just found out that my youngest daughter's state gymnastics meet and oldest daughter's last cheer competition are not on the same day!! (There was a chance they would be on the same day in different cities.)  So glad I won't have to cut myself in 1/2 now!

Finally, I had a great lesson today with data collection and graphing.  The students collected data and then I showed them how to enter it into excel to create beautiful graphs.  I really didn't think they could do it, but figured I would try it.  The students worked in teams of two and amazed me with the outcomes.  Look for more information on this lesson to come!

Friday Five & Freebie

Hello all!  I am writing this on a Thursday because I am not sure I will survive tomorrow!  Seriously!!!  Friday + Valentine's Day + Upcoming 3-Day Weekend + Full Moon = A very large glass of wine!!!!

I am linking up again with Doodle Bugs Teaching Five for Friday.  Here are my Friday Five! 

We have been learning about George Washington this week.  Today I had the students "show what you know" using Puppet Pals 2.  Their 1 minute movies were great!  Every student made one during centers today.  They selected the George Washington puppet and then told us all about his life in first person.  Several even asked us a questions afterwards.

Monday this week I had another group tour our technology rich first grade class.  This time we a VP from Apple, along with several other "Apple People"!  (OK, this was super cool!  A real Wow, they want to see what I am doing??)  I must say the kids rocked it!  We were doing the Super 6 Centers we normally do.  We had a group of 3 on MacBooks creating Voki's about what they can do to be kind.  Another group was in STEM and using iPads and several computer coding apps.  I had the Book Club group reading and discussing the weekly story with the iPad/Apple TV I have in the room.  In Read 2 Self, they were reading or taking a reading comp test on the computer.  My new student who speaks no english was on Starfall and I was working with him, teaching him how to use the computer.  I did have one group using paper and pencil.  Then my last group was learning about George Washington viewing several short videos on iPods I had found and linked to with a QR code.  Not just any QR code, a QR code made with Legos!!!!!!  I made this and it works!  (Yes, this does prove I am a dork!)

I know it sounds like a 3-ring circus, but it really wasn't.  Every student was 100% engaged, having fun, and learning.  Not only were they learning the basics, but also technology on top of it all. 

I found this great rug at IKEA for $12.  I can't wait to use it with Math.  Hopscotch addition anyone?  Long jump competition and measuring games.  (It isn't Lego, but I still love it!)

I ordered a new friend!  I earned money for my classroom this year from our Fall Festival and hadn't found the right thing to get.  Well, I found it and just ordered it! 
I can not wait to get it in.  I really hope it is as cool as I think it will be.  Our school is focusing on robotics, engineering and computer programming.  I know there are some great new kid friendly robots coming out this Summer too.  I am not like a kid on Christmas waiting for the FedEx guy to deliver my new toy!  Oh how I hope it gets here soon!

Does anyone else have one of these?  How is it?

Now for a Freebie!  Just a quick writing prompt for "My favorite part of Valentine's Day..."  Perfect for the Monday (or Tuesday) back.  Click here to grab it. Don't forget to check out Teaching Blog Addict and their Freebie Friday Offerings!