Giveaway!

Last Sunday marked my 1 year TpT-iversary as a seller!  Let's celebrate with an amazing giveaway!

One winner will be chosen at random for each of these awesome products from our online colleagues.

One GRAND PRIZE winner will get a class set of handmade (by me) chair pockets in any color or style *you* choose!

Check out all the fantastic prizes and enter below:

From me

From Claire of Chaos to Clarity with Claire

 

 From Amy N

 From Curriculum Castle

 From Alyssa of Just a Primary Girl

From Katie of Simply Creative in KY

From Mrs. Dixon of Teaching Special Thinkers

From Meet Miss Parker

From Mr. First Grade

From Ashley Krause of We Heart 1st

 From my Etsy Shop Hermione J. Schwartz (for USA residents only)

Enticed by all these great goodies? Enter now!  Giveaway ends Sunday, April 27 at 8 pm Eastern time.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

EveryBUNNY Counts Freebie, Five for Friday + other exciting news

Finally!  For the first time this school year I am in time to hook up with Kasey for some Five for Friday Fun!

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New freebie posted: EveryBUNNY Counts solving 3 addend word problems.  It includes 8 different story problems in full color and a black line recording sheet.

It had been a while since we last practiced adding 3 numbers and I thought this would be an engaging way for students to practice both that skill and solving word problems.  Guess what, it worked!

Grab it for free in my TpT store!  Don't let the adorable rabbits fool you, the word problems do not have an Easter theme which makes these great for Spring in general or any time of the year students need a little 3 addend practice.

Speaking of my TpT store, Sunday is my 1 year seller anniversary (I call it my TpT-iversary) and it is time to celebrate!

Festivities will include a fabulous giveaway (with the help of some of my online colleagues) and a 20% off sale in my TpT store!  Check back here this Wednesday for all the details!

And, if you don't follow me on TpT yet, first WHY NOT?! and second, START!  I have a secret surprise for all my followers next week.  Shh...  No, not shh.  Tell everyone! ;)
  
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 The "big kids" started taking their state standardized test this week.  Each year primary classes adopt an intermediate class during the week and send them notes or encouragement or little snacks.  One of our snack treats said "Keep POPPING off the answers!" and we gave them several bags of microwave popcorn.  Corny, yes.  But, boy did we think it was hilarious.

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A few weeks ago we had a project fully funded through PowerUp Jax which is a locally based donor program like DonorsChoose.org.  Through the very generous giving from our local community I was able to purchase 50 on-level, non-fiction books for our classroom.  These two scientists are recording themselves reading all about armadillos.  They had a really great, natural discussion while reading.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to provide these high-interest books to my students!

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 For the past two weeks we've been working on Common Core standard 1.RL.4 (identifying words and phrases in poetry and prose that show emotion and appeal to the senses).  Students are deep into our study of poetry, imagery and personification.  On their own, students have discovered that songs are like poems ("Hey, songs rhyme like poems rhyme!" Amazing.)  I've been sharing my students' work during Daily 5/Literacy Centers on Instagram.  Lots of song lyrics and poems during Work on Writing this week and LOTS of singing/reading during Read to Self and Read to Someone.  It makes this teacher's heart sing, too!  P.S. IG @whathappensin27

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Our yard at home is positively bursting with Springy goodness!  The garden is growing, the trees are blooming and I can barely wait to eat these beautiful blueberries!

Remember, check back Wednesday for details on my TpT-iversary giveaway!

I Didn't Kill the Plants...It's a Miracle

Before break, we started our ever entertaining and enjoyable unit on plants.  This is one of my favorite science topics ever.

While perusing through the W, I found these awesome mini greenhouses from Miracle Gro Kids.  At $1 each I couldn't pass them by.  I got carrots (which we know do not grow on trees), cucumbers, tomatoes, sunflowers and forget-me-nots.


Each group got to set up one greenhouse and I had one to demonstrate.

Everyone had a job: soil dumper, mixer, seed sower and seed coverer.  We set them by a window and...

we had forget-me-nots (and a little mold) popping up!  The next day cucumbers poked through the soil.  By the end of the week everything was growing except the carrots.  Those just started yesterday (about 10 days after we planted them).

I was really worried I would kill these jokers over Spring Break.  Both my parents and my man have beautiful green thumbs.  Mine isn't brown, but more of a wimpy yellow-green.  Ha!

 

Just before break we also planted watermelons.  I told you, I love planting!  Fingers crossed, these will be ready to eat by the last day of school.  More on that later.

 Last week I won a giveaway!  Jana Guerra of WeHeart1st has this wonderful Life in the Garden resource.

The students practiced their reading for details and answering questions skills to complete "Parts of a Plant" in their interactive notebooks.  On the opposite side we used the cut and label parts of a plant, but I didn't snap any pictures.

This pack wrote my science lessons for the next 2 weeks!  We will be learn and observing soil, parts of a seed, plant life cycles and much more.  We'll be using Dirt: The Scoop on Soil by Natalie M. Rosinsky, Oh Say Can You Seed? by Bonnie Worth and (my go-to) Seeds! Seeds! Seeds! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.  Love me some Buddy Bear.

       

Don't forget about my TpT sale this weekend!

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!

Anchor Charts for Interactive Notebooks: Number and Operations in Base Ten Edition

 Volume 2 of the CCSS Math Strategy Anchor Charts for Interactive Notebooks: Number and Operations in Base Ten is finished and uploaded!

The anchor charts are two per page so they fit perfectly on composition books, spiral notebooks or onto notebook paper.  Plus, it saves paper.  It's a win-win, really.

This volume holds anchor charts for all the NBT standards in first grade.  I use them when I teach a new strategy or concept.  After making a poster size from the poster printer at school, I present it to the students, modeling and talking through all the steps.  Then the students glue their chart into their notebooks and we work through it together.  Then they practice the skill on the next page.  I hang the poster size on our Math Strategy wall and a mini chart on our focus wall.

I have more info and in-class photos here.

Here are some samples of the anchor charts included:

Word and definition cards for the math word wall and a place value mat are also included.

I am working on the other standards and hope to have them posted soon!

Follow me on Instagram

@whathappensin27

So, I've been on Instagram for a while, but never mentioned it here.  Follow me and I'll randomly choose 1 follower to win any 3 of my TpT products.  Your choice!

@whathappensin27

Amazing Pizza Adjectives - FREE PRINTABLE

 I was able to create and post a new freebie to my TpT store! My students had a lot of fun doing this activity and craft.  You can read more about it on this post.

 We made a tree map of adjectives for pizza using our sense.  I color coded the brainstorming lists and blocked the blanks with the same colors.  That way the students knew which list to choose from when filling in blank.  

When we do shared writing or journal activities I've taught the students that they can copy any thing I write in green (as in "go ahead") and to read and do what I write in red (as in "stop, read, do your own").  It was a phenomenal tip I got from a fellow workshop-mate. 

We also had an impromptu chat on why y sounds like e.  Love it!

 

Amazing Pizza Adjectives is live and free in my TpT shop.  Go get it now.  Then reward your good move with a slice of steamy, spicy, scrumptious pizza.  I'd skip the carrots.