Give Task Cards a Try and a Gift Card Drawing!

YES!!!!  It is finally here!  The annual TPT Cyber Sale! 

November 27th and 28th!

Save up to 25%!!!!!!

Want to win some TPT cash?  

Just click on the picture below to visit my Facebook page to enter!  

One winner will be drawn Nov. 27th at 9:00 p.m.!

Tasks cards....  where have you been all my teaching life?  Better yet...  all my life!  I know that I would have loved them as a student.

My kids and I use task cards all of the time.  We use them for both math and ELA.  Sometimes I use them as a pretest to see where the kids are and then we do the set again to see the GROWTH!

Task cards are great to play a game of SCOOT!  Scoot is super easy and keeps the kids engaged!  Just print out a set of task cards and hang them all over the room.  Sometimes I hang them in order and sometimes I don't.  Assign each student a card to start at.  Once we start, they read the card, record their answer on their sheet, and wait for the bell.  I use a bell sound on my phone to signal for them to move to the next card.  You can also say "SCOOT" or use any ringtone that you have.   Everyone moves from card to card around the room.

If two kids are at the card at the same time, no problem.  Some of the kids work a little slower and it is perfectly OK with me for them to take their time and do their BEST WORK!  The task card in this picture is in orange.  I print a lot of the task cards on colored copy paper to save ink. 

For a little variety, sometimes I just project the cards on my board. 

We use dry erase markers and write our answers on white boards.  I really like this way because I can walk around and see really quick who has the correct answers and who needs more help!

If you haven't given task cards a try yet, why not give it a shot!

Once you try them, I PROMISE you will be hooked and so will your kids!  I can't even explain how excited they are when they come in and see the cards hung around the room!  Are we playing this morning?  I must get asked that a million times!  They are so quiet when we play and you can see the engagement in their eyes!  Makes a teacher's heart HAPPY!  

We also use them in centers and for extra practice.  Just put the cards in a baggie or folder and the kids can practice them with a partner.  I even send them home with different kids from time to time.  

Still not sure?  Will you try it for FREE?  Download one of my freebies and see what you think?  I know you and your kiddos will love task cards as much as we do!

Just click on the picture below to go to my TPT store and download them for FREE!

If you love them, please leave me a blog comment below or feedback on TPT.  A Valentine freebie set is in the works, so check back soon!

Happy Teaching!

Showing some LOVE!

It is almost Valentine's Day, one of my favorite holidays to celebrate!  Who doesn't love love!???   Hopefully, your kiddos will SHOWER you with some love this week!  

But we wanted to show some LOVE too!  I've teamed up with some amazing teacher-authors to show one special teacher some LOVE for their feet!  

A $200.00 Tieks Gift Card!!!!!!!!!

Teachers all across the country are talking about how stylish AND comfy these shoes are!  You can enter the giveaway up to 27 times!!!  Yes, you read that right 27 times!

It is EASY to enter!  

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter! 

The giveaway runs February 11th-16th.  The winner will be announced and contacted on February 17th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Groundhog Excitement

We started learning all about the groundhog today!  We visiting the famous Phil website. The kids were amazed at all the people that come out each Feb. 2nd to see if good old Phil will see his shadow.  We watched the clip from 2016 and they were HOOKED!

The kids loved our first read of Groundhog Gets A Say.  I've never used this story before, but I can say it is a KEEPER!  If you aren't familiar with the story it is about Feb. 3rd and the groundhog is not happy that no one is paying attention to him.  He lists all the reasons that everyone should celebrate the groundhog for a whole month!  The kiddos loved it and the facts presented in the story were great.  We were able to pick out the facts and opinions with ease!

This week I really wanted to review a BUNCH of skills that I am concerned we need a little more practice on.  So I have planned a different review skill for each day that ties into the story.

Today we worked on plot.  I projected this on the board and we filled it in together.

Tomorrow we are working on problem and solution.  I'm going to work at the table with some of my friends that are struggling with this concept and the rest of kids are going to work with a partner to create this flip book.  Don't you just love these fat groundhogs!

On Wednesday the kids are going to split into small groups and work on either vocabulary or cause/effect.  Thursday we are going to start an opinion writing piece.  Should we celebrate Groundhog's Day for a whole month?  (In the story the groundhog thinks he is so important that we deserves a month long celebration!)

We are also working on good old fashioned facts about the groundhog by making this booklet.  It's a great way to tie the science into the read aloud for the week.

This activity has everything you need to teach the whole booklet with projectable pages along with the student pages.  It even has their "I Cans" and exit slips already done for you.  It takes us about two days to do the whole thing. However, once we are finished we have read, cited evidence, discussed vocabulary, answered comprehension questions, and wrote about the facts we learned.  This activity is one sale for only $1 this week in honor of Groundhog's Day!  Just click the picture to see more!

I hope everyone has a FUN and eventful week teaching about Groundhog's Day!

Happy Teaching!

TPT Wishlist Linky!

It is my favorite time of year!

My tree is decorated, the house has lights, and almost all of the gifts have been purchased.  Not wrapped....  let's get serious!  I can't get all of that accomplished during Thanksgiving break!

Another BONUS....  It's time for the big TPT Sale!  Just click on the picture and use the code CYBER2016 to save on all those items on your wish list!

Just in case you need to fill up that cart I've teamed 

up with some other TPT Sellers to bring you....

Can't decide what to buy during the upcoming TPT sale?  Look no further!  These are my top three wish listed items on TPT by other teachers just like YOU!

Wish List Item #1 is a science packet to help you jump into studying living and non-living things!  It includes printables, word sorts, hallway displays, anchor charts and more!  Here are some of my favorite hands-on activities for this packet.

Students create their own riddles and put them in a pile.  Each student takes a riddle and has to solve it by gluing it to the anchor chart.  You can have them work independently or with a partner.  It's lots of fun and gets the kids "talking" about their thinking process.

My favorite part of this packet is the end of the unit assessment.  Instead of a test, the students create a project showing that they can identify the difference between living and non-living things.  Just take a piece of construction paper and fold it in half.  On the inside the student cuts and sort the pictures that come in the packet.  It is easy to differentiate for higher learners by adding a writing requirement to their project or having them add additional pictures to their project.  The kids love completing this and having so much fun they don't realize it's an assessment.

Wishlist Item #2 is everything you need to make your kids LOVE reading centers again!  And you TOO!  These centers have been a game changer for me!  It includes six different centers that you set up and you are done!  It only requires changing out a few books here and there. Can I say NO PREP each week!  YES, PLEASE!

It comes in 3 different themes to fit any classroom.  If you are looking for another theme, please email me and I can create one to match your classroom!

Here is a look into the Paw Print themed pack.  It has 6 different centers.  Each center has directions and all of the printables that the students would need to complete the center.  The only thing you need are some picture books, tiny stickers, and some colorful crayons/markers.  It's things that you already have in your classroom.   Just organize each center into a folder.  Once you set it up, you are ready to have uninterrupted time with your groups while the students complete their centers.

You can check out the different themes by clicking on the links below:

                  Rainbow/Kid Themed
                  Safari Themed
                  Paw Print Themed

Wishlist Item #3 will help your kids become masters at singular and plural nouns.  It includes an interactive anchor chart, projectables to teach the skill, a matching game, cut/paste activity, and printables to practice the skill.   Just spend a week on this packet and your kids will have this skill down!

Here are the anchor charts to teach the skill.   Just open the pdf file and use your projector to show the slides.  Pick slide/presentation view to use them just like a PowerPoint.  The kids love seeing them on the screen to look back at during independent work time.  I put them up each day when we work and if I forget one of the kids always reminds me....  Where are the charts?

     

My favorite part of the packet is creating a word sort as a class.  It makes an amazing anchor chart and the kids take such pride in their work.  All of the pieces to the chart are included.  Just cut them apart and give each student/group some pieces to glue onto the chart.  It lets them get out of their seats and interact with their classmates.  

Want to see more wishlisted items from other stores?  See what others can't wait to buy!
Take a look at the TPT Wishlist Linky!  I know you will find some goodies you just have to buy.  I know I did!!!!!

You will be glad you read all the way to the bottom!  It pays off to read!!!!!!

Want to win a $70 TPT gift certificate to use during the sale?  I've teamed up with some sellers to do an Instagram Blog Hop.  Just click this picture to go to get hopping.  Hurry the hop will soon!  I really hope one of you wins!

Happy Teaching!

It's April!

Well April is already here and I can't believe that the school year is almost over!

It goes so FAST!

Our big focus this month, like it or not, is getting ready for state testing.  Our 2nd graders test the first week of May.  I try really hard to make it as fun as I can for the kids.

We do a lot of reviewing sample questions and this year I wanted to have different ways to keep them engaged.

One of these best ways is SKITTLES!  Each week we play Skittle math.  I project a question on my Smartboard.  They kids write their answer on their dry erase board and cover it with their hand.  If they get it right, they get a Skittle.   We talk a lot about why the answer was right and why the other choices wouldn't be correct.  Simple, easy and they LOVE it!

This year I wanted to use A B C D cards and number cards to let them "flash" me the answer to change up our review a little.  I made the cards and my sweet assistant laminated and put them in baggies for us.  This way each kiddo has their own bag and I can easily pass them out.

I am also going to use them for races.  We will get into two teams (each team making a straight line facing me) and I will ask a question, then the student at the front of each line can "flash" their answer. Sort of like what we do with flashcard races, except this time they will have to listen for the question.  I will let you know how it goes this week....  fingers crossed!

I also wanted to get a jump start on Mother's Day projects.  We made these last year and they turned out so cute.  The kids come up with 6 ways to finish the starter...

I love you because....

They came up with most precious ideas and some of the funniest things I have ever read.

Just a few copies and your kiddos can create a special flower for their mom.

Just click on the picture to download the templates!  I hope you enjoy them!

Happy Teaching!

March means MOTIVATION!

My kiddos and I are being Motivating in March!

We have taken a pledge to be motivating to not only each other, but ourselves!  Here is one of my favorite sayings....  I mean who doesn't LOVE confetti?

Last week we celebrated Dr. Seuss and we dressed up, read, and even had the pleasure of the Superintendent visit our class to read to us!  What a treat!

I tried to create as many fun activities as I could to go with our skills during the week and the Dr. Seuss stories we read.  Here are our TRUFFULA TREES!  We have been working on adjectives and we filled the trees with five adjectives to describe our tree.

We have been working on timelines and I pulled out facts from a Dr. Seuss biography that we read to let the kids create a timeline.  Some of the facts had dates and others they had to use the text to put them in order.  We worked in groups and had lots of fun making our timelines.  If you don't have the biography Dr. Seuss The Great Doodler, I highly recommend it.  The kids loved it and it will FULL of interesting things about his life.  I read it as a class read aloud and then we went to WORK!

Here are some pictures of us HARD at work!

Each group had 12 events from the text.   The kids had to work together to sort them into the correct order.  Each group had a copy of the book to use for help.

Then they had to double check their sort using the text.  As they found each fact, they glued it on the timeline.  I bought a roll of blue paper and didn't think about it rolling up while they tried to work.  PLAN B (as I call it when things go wrong) We grabbed some dictionaries to keep the ends down.  That's what I get for being fancy with my paper!

The groups did amazing and even came up with Dr. Seuss Themed titles for the top.  All in all it was a great project and the kids had a blast.  You can see that it was wear red day or dress up like the Cat in the Hat.

So our March is off to a MOTIVATING start!

My teaching BBF and I couldn't decide who would be Thing 2...  we both wanted to be Thing 1.  So we compromised on this.  Lee makes everyday fun and I'm so glad I get to share this teaching journey with her.   Find your teaching BBF and watch how much fun each and everyday will be!

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Happy Teaching!

Is it really almost February? Celebrating 500 Followers with a Freebie!

I can't believe how fast January is going.  It did help that we had a SNOW DAY Friday!  I don't know what it is about snow, but teachers LOVE IT!

I used my time off Friday to get some ideas and projects ready for this week and next month.  Yes, I said next month!  I can't believe it either.

We are still working on arrays this week, so I decided to revamp an old project. I made new task cards and added a few new pages.  I'm going to use this to reteach this week.

It is a combination of my favorite things.  I have really fell in love with projecting anchor charts on my screen.  It keeps me on track and the students are so much more engaged.

If you aren't familiar with how to do this, it is SO easy!  Just open any pdf you have - select view- select full screen or slideshow (this part depends on your operating system)  That is it!  Now it works just like Powerpoint!  If I go and teach without something on the screen, by kids start asking where are the pictures.  So I know this keeping them engaged!

I added some extra anchor charts to this packet so we could discuss and do a few problems together on white boards.  It has 2 versions of a memory game.  One set that is pre-made and another one that is blank.  I'm going to work with my below level kids at my table, while the on level kids do the pre-made game.  That leaves the blank one for my above kiddos.  I'm going to have them work with a partner and create their own game.  Then they can "show off" their game to another group if they finish before I do. This will give me at least a good 20 minutes of uninterrupted time to work with my low kids, with the rest of the class actively playing the game or creating their own.

It also has 5 different array tasks for us to use each day.  I wanted one good problem for us to work each afternoon right after recess.  They keep saying practice makes perfect!

We need to review author's purpose next month to keep it fresh for state testing.  So I created this little flip book.  It has cut and paste situations (of course related to Valentine's Day) to get the kids thinking about what the purpose would be.  It is part of a larger file that just got revamped with new activities!

We work on telling time - every single day!  The way I do this is through an app.  I just downloaded a free alarm app and I set it to go off several times during the day.  When ever it goes off, all the kids hands shoot up!  I call on someone and if they can tell me the time, they clip up or get a treat.  It is so fun and the kids enjoy it.  It has gone off during evaluations and the administrators LOVE it!  

This game is hot off the press!  I just made it this morning.  My class loves SCOOT games and I didn't have many for February.  So I made one to practice telling time to the nearest 5 minutes.  It turned out real cute and I can't wait to laminate it this afternoon.  To celebrate my 500th TPT follower, this game will be free all day today!  Download it quick and let me know what you think!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Happy Teaching!

Happy December!

December has been so much fun!

This is my first year with Elf on the Shelf and I am LOVING it!  We very creatively named him Mr. Elf.  I tried so hard to get them to like Snowflake, but once the votes were counted Mr. Elf it was.  Our elf is a note writer.  He has written lots and lots of notes to the kids.  Without a doubt, the best day was when he wrote each of them their own note.  I haven't seen that kind of excitement in a while.

Let's face it....  behaving in December is hard!  So sometimes a little bit of bribery is all that it takes.   Mr. Elf brought us donuts and we couldn't have ate them any faster!

We have been decorating our room with our holiday work.  Here is a little thing we made last week that turned out so cute!           

We started out by talking about wishes and of course they all had wishes for Santa to bring them something.  I quickly turned it into a lesson on making wishes for others.  Within seconds we were brainstorming all kinds of ideas on how our wish could make this world a better place.  We each made this little craftivity and shared our idea with the class.  This one is one of my favorites!

                             

We made them into a display and I can't wait for the parents to read them at the holiday party this week!

I hope everyone has a fantastic week!  It is the last week for us and I can't wait for all of the FUN this week!

Happy Teaching!

Thanksgiving FUN!

We only have 2 days of school this week!  Monday and Tuesday!

We are going to have some Thanksgiving fun these two days!

We have been reading a bunch of read alouds for Thanksgiving this month.  

We laughed and laughed over the Plump and Perky Turkey.  If you don't have this one, please add it to your collection!

Not only did they not have a clue what shredded wheat was, but they got the biggest kick out of the modeling posters in the book.  We each grabbed a partner and they picked out their favorite part of the story.  They used manila paper and wrote about it and of course included a picture.  After they were finished, I read the book again and we sequenced all of their masterpieces!  What a great activity for them.  We had a few people out of place, but worked together to get everyone in the right one.

We are almost finished reading Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this chapter book.  I am lucky and have a class set and we have been reading it over the last few days.  The kids are totally engaged in it.  They have been writing down little Thanksgiving facts on paper just like Jack does in the book.  I have just loved watching them get into this book so much.

We only have one more chapter left and then we will be doing some writing activities. This packet has 4 different options for writing.  I'm going to let the kids pick which one they want to do.  It is amazing how much harder they work if it is student choice!

Here are 2 of the writing choices.  It has 4 for the kids to pick from.

Here is a sample of the pages in the packet.

For math we have been working on 2 and 3 digit addition and subtraction.  This week we are going to work in groups to write Thanksgiving word problems.  We are going to divide into groups of 4 and brainstorm some ideas and write up some problems on Monday.  On Tuesday, the groups are to pick their favorite one to put on chart paper and present to class to solve.

We are also going to make this adorable booklet about turkeys.  It focuses on reading and text evidence.  It also includes having them write a paragraph to inform.  We are still very much in the early stages of paragraph writing, so we might have to do that part as a class.  Can't wait to make these with the kids!

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL and SAFE Thanksgiving!

Enjoy every moment!