Bubbles, Updates, Decor and a Secret...shh

Finally!  My best selling unit on TpT has received a beautiful makeover! Bubbles! sports an updated cover, fonts and graphics.  It can be redownloaded if you already have it.  If you don't, it is on sale today and Saturday.  Blow on over and grab it now!

Pumpkin Project is also showing off a new cover. The remainder of this product is the same, but seriously, look at that new cover!  Love, love, love.  And it's free.

Driftwood Beach is my first decor set.  It's laid back, beachy style will look great in classrooms with a beach, camping, forest or other relaxed theme.

{Alphabet Pennant}

 {Number Pennant 0-9}

 {Schedule cards, number 1-132, Job Chart}

Driftwood Beach also includes Days of the Week signs, Months of the Year signs, behavior charts, table/group/team number signs and several blank signs.

Making decor takes a lot of time, sheesh!  I also have two more themes in the works. They should be available soon.

Want to know a secret?  Next weekend I'll be in my first blog hop!  I'm very excited.  I don't want to give away the juicy details yet, so check back here Friday, July 25 for all the sweet Florida goodness!

We have ACTUAL pumpkins!

 

Way back in September, we started our 2013 Pumpkin Project. (To quickly catch you up, we grew pumpkin vines in a pumpkin.  It's awesome.  Do it!  Get a big, ol' freebie here!)

The class checked on the regrowth progress while on the way to music last week.  We spotted THREE green pumpkins growing.  Cheers erupted around our little garden.

The watermelons are doing pretty well, too.  Several have little yellow flowers.

Equivalent Equations, the SALE and a surprise!

Do your students need refreshers on equivalent equations?  Addition and subtraction math strategies?  Super fun math snails during centers? My fabulous firsties *really* need some review before our big end of the year test.

My students can complete all the addition equations, but have trouble applying different strategies.  I created Equivalent Equations to help the students practice doubles plus on strategies, making 10 to add and subtract and making 10 with three addends.

Print, laminate and cut on the gray lines.  Students match the right side of the equation.

Each activity has a cut and paste recording sheet for accountability and/or extra practice and/or homework.

And seriously, how super are those snails?  It was love at first sight.

Have you heard about the big Teacher Appreciation sale on TpT?  All my products will be 20% off May 6 and 7 to celebrate all our awesomeness!

Enter the promo cod TPTXO during checkout for extra savings.  My cart is bursting at the virtual seams!

Now for the surprise!  I meant to make this special freebie available last week, but I didn't do it correctly.  So I'm trying again.  As a thank you for following me and reading my incessant babbling adventures from 27, I want to share the printable book from Sir Oinks-a-lot.  I printed this back to back, stapled and sliced in two.  During small groups we read the story and highlighted oi and oy words.  I also have the students take it home and read it 3 times at home.  Thank you and enjoy!

Sale! Friday, Saturday and Sunday and a Freebie

Adorable clip art by Krista Wallden.  New logo by me.

My Spring Break has been really productive!  I love having the time to get the ideas out of my head and onto the computer.  I feel like I am ready.  I'm sure that feeling will start to fade Sunday night and Monday morning.

In honor of the last few days of my break I am throwing a sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

Check out some of my newest products:

Spring Math Centers runs the gamut of 3rd and 4th quarter math skills for my firsties.  Activities include:

• Place Value matching numeral, word, base ten blocks, tens and ones and expanded form numbers 12-99
• Measuring length and width with both nonstandard units and inches
• Time to the hour and half hour both digital and analog
• Fractions of circles and squares into halves and quarters
• Related facts find related addition and subtraction facts with part-part-whole (We are going to practice this all Spring. My students are still struggling with this, grr!  They can complete fact families like nobody's business, but many aren't making the connection.)
• Word problems with sums and differences within 20
• Graphing with 3 and 4 categories and questions to analyze the graph

And how adorable are the Crazy Bugs from Graphics from the Pond? Seriously! 

 The Math Anchor Charts for Interactive Notebooks: Measurement and Data is up, too!  (And this weekend it is only $1.60...go get it now!)

 

I use these anchor charts 2 to 3 times a week.  The district I teach in requires us to use Interactive Notebooks in ELA, math and science.  It was definitely a learning curve, but I see the impact the notebooks make.  It is a different from journals.  After I understood that and started teaching students *how to use* their notebooks it made all the difference.

When we do our quick review from the previous day I would see students trying to secretively turn back and peek.  One day I called them out in a good way, they got stickers for using their tools.  That's all it took.  Students take their notebooks with them to math tubs (rotations, centers, independent work...whatever you call it).  I LOVE it!

Each chart has 2 per page for easy prep.  Print, slice, glue, go!

This set covers ALL the first grade Common Core Standards in Math for Measurement and Data.

 It also includes vocabulary cards.  I enlarge these for the word wall and print regular size for student notebooks.  They glue it like a flap on their side of the journal.  Under the word they draw or write their understanding of the definition.  You could even just glue it down and write beside it.  Whatever works for your class.

 

I also use the poster maker at school to enlarge the charts.  We use these in class.  I have students color it and hang it on our Math Strategies Wall.

Ok, so if you're still with me you get a reward!  No, not a sticker.  How about a sight word freebie? 

 Full color version here...

and black line here.

Don't forget about the sale!  Happy Spring!

FREE Patriot Day Printable Booklet

Holy moly, mostacoli!  The last month has been a total whirlwind.  I'll have a longer post about the beginning of our school year with pictures of my room and activities.  I am loving my class this year!  They are so clever and fun!

I always find it difficult to teach first graders about September 11 and Patriot Day.  I was teaching first grade on September 11, 2001.  It was just as hard then as it is now.  At the time I had many parents request we not discuss the events at all in the classroom.  As much as I tried to follow their wishes, kids asked questions and I would answer them as simply and honestly as I could.  I still stick to that now.

As a way of teaching, honoring and observing Patriot Day I created a 4 page booklet that simply explains what Patriot Day is, why we observe it and how to celebrate it.  It is a free download on my TpT store.

What do you do on September 11?  How do you teach it to your students?

Updated Personal Dictionaries FREEBIE and a Coupon

    

I've updated my Dolch Word Personal Dictionary on TpT and added a Fry Personal Dictionary.  Each file includes 2 pages of alphabetized words with 5 different color backgrounds, a simple black frame and just words.  Go scoop them up for free!

Background examples:

 

Now for the coupon.  I am offering a 10% discount to my Etsy shop valid now through September 7, 2013.  Use it to purchase your own set of handmade chair pockets or any of my other cute products!

Hanging Fancy Frame clip art by Krista Wallden.

FREE Simple Daily 5 Signs

These Daily 5 signs are simple and straightforward.  Easy to read and easy to coordinate with your theme.  These signs are aimed for older students, but can be used in any classroom.

Color and...

black line

I also have a few more freebies in the works.  By the way, I'm holding a sale in my TpT store Tuesday through Friday!

Elkonin Boxes for CVC Families

It's hard to express how much I love Elkonin boxes.  They are useful in so many situations.  I can pop a picture up on the SmartBoard and as a whole group we sound out the word counting phonemes, draw the boxes and fill them in to create the word.  I can print out pictures like the one shown above, laminate and practice or reteach with small groups or one-on-one during RtI or small group time.  The students love working with them during Work on Words in our Daily 5 time.

All of my Working with CVC Word Family activities have this Elkonin boxes activity with picture cards, letter tiles and assessment sheets.  Due to the fact I LOVE them so much I created products consisting of the Elkonin boxes (or phoneme boxes, as I often call them) for each short vowel. 

Click on the picture to go to the product listing in my store: