BLOG HOP {Cheez-Its for all}

So as part of the blog hop I get to review the very talented Lynn, or as she is better known The Camping Teacher’s, FREE resource “Cheez-It Match and Write Activity Pages”. You can

find it here { http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Cheez-It-Match-and-Write-602753 } and I suggest downloading it if you teach Pre-K, Kindergarten or Grade One, or if you have a little one at home and you want to help them develop their letter sense.

Did you know that the Cheez-IT people make not only your favorite cheesy cracker but also ALPHABETIZED ones?  I did not, but now I do!

Lynn provides you with several pages that have the letters of the alphabet, a square block to match your alphabetized Cheez-it to the letter, and then a line for them to write the lowercase and uppercase letters themselves. I suggest laminating and using as a set of station mats that can be used and reused. This digital download is straight forward, which I appreciate. After a very quick walkthrough your littles will be not only eager but ready to tackle the activity.  This is PERFECT for a kindergarten classroom, and I would definitely have used it at the beginning of the Grade One school year as a review and assessment. I would also use this as a support activity that I could provide an EA when a student needs one on one letter work.

The activity is hands on, and I think that hands on is one of the best things we can do for them.  Not only that we are providing them with fun manipulatives, they are manipluatives that they can eat.  Does it really get better than that when you’re a student?

Make sure to check it out! Also, pop over to Lynn’s blog to see more of her amazing teaching resources { http://www.iamcampingteacher.blogspot.com/ } and her TPT store where she keeps her talent stored for our enjoyment {http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Campingteacher }

 

Bye Bye!

Teachers Pay Teachers is having a site wide Back to School Sale August 18 and 19 which means you {and me} can get up to 28% off all of our back to school purchases by using the code BTS13 when checking out.  If your list is as long as mine that could mean a LOT of savings! In my store there will be a 20% off sale from the 17-20th!

Here is a sneak peek of what is going at a Grade 7 Heaven:

Animal themed literacy station and printable workbook focused on teaching the beginning and ending sounds of common animal names.

·        In this download you will find printable cards that you can laminate and use in your ELA or spelling tubs. Throw in some letter tiles or magnet letters and you have a great kinesthetic learning activity


·        You will also find a printable booklet that mirrors the station cards. These can be used as a review, as recording sheets, or as an adapted activity to be used with the cards.



Skip Counting and Number Review pack to help review and develop these important skills. In this package you will find:

·        Introductory practice sheets to help your little ones learn skip counting

·        Uses tally lines, subitizing, and number lines.

·        Skip counting review sheets to see if they have conceptual understanding

·        Number review sheets to make sure that they keep practicing those important math skills like counting up, one more and one less, illustrating a number pictorially, numerically, and concretely, number sequencing, patterns with 3 or less elements and more!

·        Skip Counting by 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 Anchor charts to place on your walls/boards for visual learners or to aid in learning

·        Assessment charts to track student learning

·        Connect the dots, fill in the blanks, cut and paste activities and more



This Spider Lapbook was created to be an accompanying set of mini lessons to complement our reading of Charlotte’s Web. It stretched over a period of eight weeks and we completed one or two
sections a week in conjunction with books and videos we watched {most are listed to give you a starting off point}.


·        This lapbook includes printables - some completed and some to allow for student writing, instructions, optional cover art, and an optional assessment;

·        Comic strip, lettering, and clipart spider for the cover

·        flip cover section that outlines anatomy of a fly and the anatomy of vs. a spider

·        venn diagram comparing arachnids and insects

·        life cycle of a spider

·        flipbook outlining the seven types of spider silk and their uses

·        pop out book all about arachnids

·        fold up book illustrating predators of spiders
 pocket outlining interesting facts we have learned

·        differences between web and wandering spiders

·        three mini books and pocket {super spiders, spider senses, and how to eat like a spider}

·        two page final assessment

I used this in a grade one class successfully but it can be used up to grade 5 or 6 as well– they all LOVED it. We covered sections as they popped up in the book and it flowed smoothly. Plus, they had a very cool final product to take home and use to tell their parents about all they learned.

Science Mega Pack

This Science Mega Pack Includes 9 fun and hands on science experiments to supplement our classroom learning while focusing on specific knowledge and skills to develop our little scientist’s love of science!

 It includes worksheets, hands on experiments, extension activities, assessments, and focuses on different skills and knowledge in each installment. 





Teacher Binder

This Teacher Binder has a variety of my favorite chevron patterns. It is everything you need to prepare yourself for the coming school year and organize yourself to make sure that it goes off without {many} hitches!
 Included are:

 

·        A beautiful cover page

·        Colorful patterned academic monthly calendar

·        Student data sheet

·        Student Incident Report Form

·        Parent Contact Log – Monthly

·        10 different but coordinated dividers {meetings, mark, student info, permission slips, parent     logs, parent meetings, student behavior, monthly calendar, extracurricular, a blank page to personalize}

·        Attendance Log

·        Student Mark Forms

·        Title page tabs

·        Seating Arrangement {laminate and save paper!}

·        Films Shown in Class Log

·        Daily Schedule Title Page

·        Daily Schedule Page

·        Binder Spines waiting to be personalized




This pack includes everything you need to run a Monthly Homework Club. Bought once this pack

can be re-used each year. It is full of bright colors and fun patterns {chevron, polka dots, damask, diamond, striped, etc.}
 It includes:

An expectation poster

·        “Monthly Menu” poster that you can laminate and use to so show that months “menu”

·        Monthly menu cards – just put some Velcro on the back and change them every month. I have included games, movie, candy, chips, ice cream, popcorn, TV show, cookies, pop, and a blank one to personalize.

·        Homework check list to allow students be self-accountable. Laminate this and it can be reused.

·        48 differently patterned and colored numbers to keep track of who is in the homework club. These can also be laminated and reused.

·        There is a homework club contract to review and sign.

·        Homework Club number assignment sheet

·        As well there are a list of suggestions for use that stem from my use of it in the classroom.

Use this to not only track homework but also to motivate students to complete and hand in homework on time. With this club comes a lot of in class teaching that focuses on intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation – doing well in order to feel good about ourselves. Being part of the club is meaningful not because of the prize but the accomplishment. It is important for them to raise the bar high themselves and take small steps to make a bright future.



This Math Survivor Pack includes everything you need to start putting together your own Math Survivor kit. This pack will help your organize your groups, organize your materials, and your challenges.

Included in this pack are

·        Expectation page that outlines how survivor will work in the class.

·        Suggestions for implementation and organization

·        There are 15 unique Unit Title pages to laminate and use to record the focus of that unit, Place them on a folder or an envelope to store things in and keep student materials together.

·        Color coded group labels to laminate and re-use. They can be used to record weekly point tallies as well as group names

·        Teacher’s weekly point recording sheets

·        Teacher recording sheet to keep track of group members and monthly totals.

·        Point tally topper for your bulletin board (or wall space)

·        5 Challenge Round Instruction Sheets with suggestions for use and examples where necessary.

·        A Weekly Rotation schedule for your binder

·        A Unit Checklist for you to use to organize your units, your materials, prep ahead of time, and make notes of important things to do, to buy, to make.

·        A Grand Finale Survivor inspired eat off challenge instruction sheet

This pack DOES NOT include the worksheets or challenge materials – this will be something unique to your classroom and your own teaching style. It can be used across a broad range of grade levels - I used it for grade one and grade seven. You may even choose to differentiate if you have a class with various strengths of learners. Challenge games and activities are outlined also, but the materials themselves are not included because this too will be unique to your classroom and teaching style. This pack is to help you organize your own materials and ideas into an effective Math Survivor. It is NOT editable.

Stop by to check out some of my new products that will be posted this weekend! Also check out my number lines, full page number lines, Owl themed Chevron Sub Binder, Math Reviews, Science Experiments and more!

Happy Shopping!

Frustration....

I had worked for days to finish a grade 7 unit on Ecosystem interactions, then I got  that horrible message when trying to open it up " word cannot open the file" z error "087" line 2 null.  "

I almost cried.  School starts in two weeks and my whole first unit - gone.  

What is even more frustrating is that ever since I got Word 2013 this has happened to four of my units- and only when they are almost done.  

Ugh. 

Okay, another giveaway!

It is that time of year for Back to School.  I have donated to quite a few of the giveaways - I like to share :o) If you follow this link http://www.elementaryschoolgarden.com/2013/08/huge-back-to-school-giveaway.html you are going to be taken to The Elementary School Garden back to school giveaway.  There are a ton of great prizes - I myself donated AH-mazing Guided Reading {Skills} Centers/Tub and Guided Reading Strategy Resources Mini Pack .

If you have followed my blog at all you know my grade ones LOVED guided reading. I feel that the reading strategies {stretching, getting your lips ready, context clues and so on} were an important part of their developing literacy.  It gave them tools that they could use on their own to feel like reading ninjas and develop self efficacy.

Be sure to check the giveaway out - there are a few different packs you could win and they are geared at grade levels so you know that whatever you get you can use!

Awesome Giveaway! Do not miss out!

Over on a Tale of Two Teachers they are going to be having a 400 Followers - 4 Day Giveaway.  I donated something to each giveaway and I am so excited to see it go live.  Thursday is MATH and donated my It's Snow Cold Outside {snowman math tubs} which I adored using in the classroom.  Tubs are one of my favoratie ways to teach, hands on! Friday is Science and Social Studies and I donated All About Spiders! {a lapbook project}.  When I taught Charlotte's Web to my firsties this was their FAVORITE project!  Saturday is ELA and I donated my AH-mazing Guided Reading {Skills} Centers/Tub . Teaching guided reading was very rewarding, I loved seeing little faces learn new words, using new reading skills, and move up a reading level.  I cannot over praise including guided reading in your class.  And last but not least, on Sunday is the Back to School giveaway and I donated one of my favorite things right now - my teacher binder, Teacher Binder 2013-14 {funky/elegant chevron theme}.  I am in {love} with chevron of all colors and styles.  Make sure you check the giveaway out!

Thinking about school...

When I should be sleeping..... Common teacher problem.  I am contemplating how to teach the grade 7s I am blessed with next year about sustainable development without boring them while still using curricular documents and outcomes.  

I should be thinking about sleep and fair rides since we are at Harvest Festival, but, I am what I am.  

Thinking about homework...

I have tried several different methods of tracking homework in my class.  Moving into grade 7 I restructured what I was already ding to be able to include the upper grades.  However the focus stayed the same.

You can Use this to not only track homework but also to motivate students to complete and hand in homework on time.  As part of the homework club I always attach two dates to homework – the date the homework is due as a class, and then the date that I want the homework back if there are corrections or edits that need to be done, which is of course handed out individually. I always give students a chance to get a better grade and complete things to the best of their ability.

With this club comes a lot of in class teaching that focuses on intrinsic versus extrinsic

motivation – doing well in order to feel good about ourselves.  Being part of the homework club means encouraging each other to do their best and get things in on time and that means asking for help when we need it.  Being part of the club is meaningful not because of the prize but the accomplishment.  It is important for them to raise the bar high themselves and take small steps to make a bright future.

 

Check it out here

This pack includes everything you need to run a monthly homework club. Bought once this pack

 

can be re-used each year. It is full of bright colors and fun patterns {chevron, polka dots, damask, diamond, striped, etc.}

It includes:

-An expectation poster

 

 

-“Monthly Menu” poster that you can laminate and use to so show that months “menu”

-Monthly menu cards – just put some Velcro on the back and change them every month.  I have included games, movie, candy, chips, ice cream, popcorn, TV show, cookies, pop, and a blank one to personalize.

-Homework check list to allow students be self-accountable.  Laminate this and it can be reused.

-48 differently patterned and colored numbers to keep track of who is in the homework club.  These can also be laminated and reused.

-There is a homework club contract to review and sign.

-Homework Club number assignment sheet

-As well there are a list of suggestions for use that stem from my use of it in the classroom.

I am going to be focusing on getting my grade 7’s excited to do hard things, raise the bar, aim for more, and strive to break through the label of “mediocre” and the myth that says that adolescence is the time to take it easy.  I am doing this in grade 7, but I also did this in grade 1. Never underestimate your little ones!

If you check it out let me know what you think.