Florida Blog Hop ~ Bundles of Sunshine Giveaway

Welcome to the Sunshine State! Enjoy yourself as you take a tour around our wonderful {and large!} state! Grab some freebies along the way, and be sure to enter to win our Bundles of Sunshine!

My family moved to the Jacksonville area 3 days before I started ninth grade. Ah! We moved from Michigan, where I always said I would return.  *Sigh*  However, I got hooked on Florida.  And how could I not? Beach, warm weather, beach, fun things to do all the time...beach!  While in college, my friend and I lived one block off the beach.  I went everyday.  Even in the winter.  I loved it.  I've lived in Florida for about 20 years now.  Wow.  I am old.

{Two of my favorite bridges}

The First Coast has pretty nice beaches.  I'm not saying gorgeous because we are only gorgeous for about a month when the currents come up from the south and bring the pretty, clear blue water.  The rest of the time we take what we can get.  

 {One of my favorite beaches.  In college I volunteered to walk up and down the beach at sunrise to look for sea turtle nests.  Tough, I know.}

 We enjoy surf fishing, kayaking, canoeing, snorkeling.   Pretty much everything to do with the water.  Except sting rays.  Those jokers are scary.  (PS, don't throw your fishing pole at them to scare them away from you when a whole herd is flying at you.  They don't care and your reel will fill up with salt water and get hard to use.  And people will laugh at you...for a long time...like years.  That is my FLA PSA to you.  You're welcome.)

This weekend, we (FL blog hoppers) have freebies for you to enjoy! Stop by each of our blogs for an activity or idea to use in your classroom. To grab my freebie just click an image below!

    

These personal dictionaries have kept me from pulling my hair out (which is not a good look for the beach).  Choose from either the Dolch list or the Fry list.  

It drives me crazy when students stop writing because they can't spell something.  Instead of students asking me 837,592,749,592 how to spell "was" or "because" or "friend" I just point to their writing folder.  Each student has a copy of the dictionary pages in a sheet protector in their folders.  So handy!  The students even tell each other to look up words after they give up on asking me.  Ha!

    

  

 This weekend my whole TpT store is 20% off!  Pick up some (or all) of these products.  Just click on the image to go the TpT product page.  Call it spreading the sunshiney goodness.

I also have an Etsy shop: hermionejschwartz.etsy.com.  Now through July 31, I am offering a 10% off coupon.  Use coupon code FLbloghop during check out!

The Florida teachers below have two fantastic giveaways for you! You can enter once from each one of our pages. All you have to do is follow my blog! Hop around to all the blogs listed below, and be sure to follow them to get more entries. The more entries you have, the more likely you are to win! Each pack also includes a Starbucks gift card (because, well, a teacher's gotta have a coffee!).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come find out more about the beautiful state of Florida by reading about these other sweet teachers!

An InLinkz Link-up

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!

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!

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!