Merry Christmas Amelia Bedelia and a Freebie!

      Who doesn’t LOVE Amelia Bedelia?!  I think she is super funny and so do the kiddos!  I am a little behind with my read alouds, so we are still reading Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey; however, today I had a little boy jumping up and down when I told him that after we finish this book, we are going to read Merry Christmas Amelia Bedelia!  I thought he was going to scream with excitement!

       I recently created a set of reading response activities to go along with Merry Christmas Amelia Bedelia and it can be purchased at my TpT store for only $2.50.  It includes 5 activities in color and black and white.  They require the students to compare characters, describe character traits, identify idioms and the then determine the true meanings of the idioms, and imagine their own reaction to one of Amelia Bedelia's mishaps.

     While you are at my TpT store, go ahead and download this freebie!  I have added a similar reading response packet  for the story Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey.  It includes 3 of the 5 activities that are included in the packet above.  This Thanksgiving packet will be free for a limited time, so make sure to stop over and grab it now!  While you are there, please make sure to follow my TpT site and let me know what you think about the packet. 

Michelle

Cyber Monday Sale and New Christmas Math Stations!

      Black Friday has come and gone and CYBER Monday is almost here!  Are you ready?  Teachers Pay Teachers is joining in on the Cyber Monday Sale.  All items in my store are going to be on sale and if you enter the promo code: CMT12 your items will have an extra discount.  Make sure to stop over there on Monday and an extra sale day on Tuesday! 

    Here is my newest item to TpT.  It is a pack of Holiday Center/Math Station activities that are geared toward first grade, but could be used with advanced Kindergarten students or those who need extra help in Second Grade.  The packet includes one or more activity for each of the Operations and Algebraic Thinking Standards for the First Grade Common Core Standards in Mathematics. 
    The packet includes 10 activities that are games, word problems, journal prompts, fact family practice, and more!

Don't forget to stop over at my TpT store to get your copy!  Monday and Tuesday it will be on sale!

-Michelle

Leibster Award!

     

Last night I came back from spending Thanksgiving with family and friends and of course I checked my email and my blog.  I was shocked to see that Hilary from Second Grade is Out of This World nominated me for a Leibster Award! Thank you Hilary!  I was incredibly shocked and so excited that you found my blog. :)

     The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  It’s to show that new bloggers are appreciated and help spread the word about our little pieces of cyberspace.

Here are the rules:
1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
4. Choose 11 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers to nominate and link them in your post.
5. You cannot “tag back” the other blog, but leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster post so I can learn more about you & see who you nominate.

Here are 11 random things about myself... 
1. I knew I wanted to teach since first grade.  My first grade teacher was my my favorite teacher and inspiration. My first grade class was one of her first years teaching at the elementary school I attended and she still teachers there today.

2.  I love making crafts and have become a HUGE Pinteret junkie.  It is a terrible addiction.  When I decorated/set up my classroom in August, I realized that it looked like Pinterest taken over!

3.  I play on an adult rec soccer team and love it.  I was an athlete growing up and it is something I really enjoy doing with my free time.

4. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio and just left there today.  I made sure to pick up my favorite Cincinnati foods...Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce, Skyline Chili, and LaRosa's Spaghetti sauce.  I can't live without Skyline or Montgomery Inn sauce. 

5.  I speak Spanish...well I used to.  I double majored in it in college and lived in Spain for a summer studying abroad.  I wish I practiced it more often.

6. I love to travel!

7. If I am reading a good book, I can read all day by a pool or a on a beach.  

8.  I like photography and if I had time I would love to take a class to learn more about it.  

9.  My favorite Christmas CD is Mariah Carey Christmas...it never gets old! 

10.  I just bought a new 31 bag for school and I absolutely LOVE it!  I don't know what I did without it for 8 years.  

11.  Today I left my family in Cincinnati and it always makes me sad to leave.  My dog is probably not going to make it to Christmas and it was extra sad to say goodbye to him. He has lived a good (CRAZY) life!

My family's dog Brinkely 

 Questions from Second Grade is Out of This World:
1.  Besides blogging, what hobbies do you have?  I have a lot of hobbies and they kind of come and go in spurts.  Some of them are running, sewing (my mom taught me last year and bought me a sewing machine), crafts, and sports.
2. What is the best book you have ever read (grown-ups and kids)?  This is a tough question and it probably has changed many times over the years.  I don't think I can say one book is my absolute favorite.  I can pick up a book and read for hours.  I LOVE to read but I didn't always. I really started to love to read in fifth grade when I read The Diary of Anne Frank. 
3. What is your favorite color(s)? My favorite colors are blue, green, and pink.
4. Walking or running? I prefer to go running, however, I enjoy walking with my Mom or close friends.
5.  What is your favorite season and why?  It is probably obvious by now that I am pretty indecisive!  My favorite season is summer.I love the pool, the sun, the beach, and reading a good book outside.  However, there is something about the beginning of fall, the air outside, the snow in winter, and the smells of fresh flowers in the spring that makes me enjoy each season more and more as I get older. 
6. Why did you start blogging?  I started blogging a couple of years ago.  I had a student teacher and so did a fellow teacher at my school.  We would see each other in the computer lab all the time.  She has an amazing blog and she kept encouraging me to join the blogging world.  Thanks Monica!
7. If you could meet one person (alive, dead or fictional) who would it be and why? After my Grandpa passed away, I often wished that I could have met more of my ancestors.  I am fascinated by our geneology reports, etc.  My father is adopted and I wish I knew his birth mother as well as his adoptive parents who had passed away before I was born. 
8. What is your favorite scent?  I love pumpkin/fall scents.

9.  Are you on Pinterest?  If so, what is your favorite Pin Board? I am on Pinterest and I am a Pinterest junkie.  My favorite board that I have is my Ideas for School Board.  I love saving ideas there for school.
 10. Dress-up or dress-down?  After dressing up for work everyday, I love some good old yoga pants and a hoodie!
11. Apple or PC?  I have a PC and an Ipad! If I could afford a Mac Computer that is what I would get. :)


Blogs I am Nominating:
1. Our Sweet Success
2. Carrberry Creations
3. Multiage Days
4. Watters' Wharf
5. Crazy Daze in First Grade
6. The Diary of a First Grade Teacher
7.  All That Glitters in First Grade
8. Learning with Suzie Q
9. Mackey's Classroom
10. Gluesticks, Games, and Giggles
11.  Joy in the Journey

 
Here are my questions for my nominees:
1. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
2. What is the one thing in your classroom you can't live without?
3.  What is your favorite food?
4. What is your favorite holiday and why?
5. What was your first car?
6. What do you like to do in your free time?
7. When did you start blogging?
8. Have you always taught the grade you teach now?
9. Do you prefer books on electronics (ipads/nooks/kindles) or reading a real book?
10.  Have you ever taught in another state or country than where you teach now?
11.  Who do you  most admire?


Don’t forget to leave me a link to your blog when you’ve answered!  I can’t wait to read more about you and I hope you enjoyed learning a little something about me.

-Michelle

Dinosaurs, Summarizing, and more!

      I love dinosaurs and so do the kiddos. We use Scott Foresman Reading Street and last week our story was The Big Circle.  This is a story about a group of Triceratops that are being attacked by a T. Rex.  The Triceratops create a circle to protect their young.  While the Scott Foresman series focuses on sequencing and reviewing summarizing during this story, our county has units of study that we are following.  The unit we just began is about Characters.   We are working hard to not just look at sequencing and summarizing, but looking at the characters in that sequence and determine how those characters grow and change throughout the story.  In this story, the students were able to see how the T. Rex changes his plans because of the bravery of the herd of triceratops.  

      We used a great summarizing sheet to help us organize our ideas about the dinosaurs.  You can click on the picture below to go to Mrs. Bainbridg'e blog and get your copy for free.  This can be used with so many different stories.

We also used visualizing as a way to really "see" the characters in the story.  I am loving our reading response journals and the entries that my students are adding.  They show their learning and thinking.  Here are two examples of visualizing that we did with the story The Big Circle, last week!  Above is the picture of the T.Rex coming toward the circle.  The big Triceratops are on the outside towards the T.Rex and below is a picture of the T.Rex chasing the baby back to it's family. 

    

     Just for a little word work fun, we made words with Dinosaur Boggle and used contractions in our writing with a Dinosaur Contraction activity.  You can find my dinosaur contractions over at my TpT store. Also, you can click here to find my dinosaur boggle for free! 

Dinosaur Contractions- This packet has contractions for will, am, and not.  The students match the two dinosaurs that go together to make a contraction and then record them on the recording sheet.  The students then choose three contractions to use in a sentence.  My kiddos did a great job with this last week!

Free Dinosaur Boggle!  Don't forget to grab it today!  If you download it, please let me know what you think about it! Thanks!  

     Don't forget that all of my Thanksgiving items are on sale at my Teachers Pay Teacher store!  They will be on sale through tomorrow!

Michelle

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

      Tammy over at 1...2...3 Teach With Me  is having a Christmas Linky Inspiration party.  I have to say that I saw her post this morning and I was not feeling Christmas spirit yet.  I wanted to link up but just wasn't sure if I anything to share!I mean it is only November 17th and the high today was almost 60!  I love Thanksgiving and am still in Turkey and fall mode.  (My kiddos are still doing fall/leaf centers the week after Thanksgiving break).  So, it has been hard to get "inspired" to or to begin thinking about the holiday season.

      However, today I ran my first 5K in about three years.  I used to run a lot of 5K's and even ran a half marathon.  Then I just slacked off.  This fall a group of amazing teachers at my school got together to do the Couch to 5K program.  I thought I would join their group, even though I was still running once or twice a week.  I knew that the accountability to a group would push me to do better and get back into better shape.  These women are inspiring, some of which never were runners, today finished their first 5K.  I am proud to say that I am a member of the Harrisburg Runner Girls! 

      We signed up to run in a 5K together...the Santa Scramble.  The race took place at the beginning of a Christmas parade in the small town that is near my school.  It was great!  The streets were lined with people cheering us on.  I  saw a fellow friend/teacher with her family and other students from my school, along with our assistant principal holding up a sign!    It was a great feeling to be a part of a group like the one we ran with!

This is our entire group before the race!



Some of our crew afterwards, standing on the road ready to
cheer our friends on to the finish line!



     So, I guess you can say I got my inspiration and am now ready for the Holiday season! Bring it on!  To get ready for it, I purchased some super cute clip art from the 3AM Teacher and already started on some fun math center activities.  They will be on my TpT store this coming week!

     Here are a few other things that I have pinned on Pinterest that are will get you in the holiday spirit and ready for winter:

 

This site (http://itswrittenonthewalls.blogspot.com/2011/10/166-neighbor-christmas-gift-ideas-its.html) above, is filled with awesome holiday gift ideas that are homemade! 

I think this is too cute! 

    If you still have school next week, make sure to stop over at my TpT store to check out the Thanksgiving items that are on sale until tomorrow!  While you are there make sure to follow my store, so you will find out when the new items arrive! 

Michelle



Teaching Tip Linky Party!

     I am linking up with Miss Kindergarten for her Teaching Tip Linky Party!  I love all of the tips that I have read from other wonderful teachers.  

    My tip is something simple and easy, yet oh so important!  My tip is to PLAN AHEAD!  That's right.  So simple, yet saves so much time.  I have found this to be even more imporatant  as our school is jumping into the Common Core. Each month, I pull my files for the coming month.  I go through and find each item I know is a definite that I will use.  There are some activiites I skip, due to the group of students I have that particular year.  However, looking through my files a month in advance, allows me to really have the time to determine what exactly I do want to use. 

    I usually take my files home, spread them out on my desk or floor and sift through them, pulling out what I plan to use the following mohtn.  I then take these items to school.  Our school is incredibly lucky becuase we have an awesome PTA.  Our PTA has something called the PTA box.  Here, each teacher has a file and can place items with directions to be completed (copied, glued, laminated, cut, stapled, etc.).  PTA volunteers come throughout the week and complete the tasks.  You have to give them a week to complete the items, but sometimes they are done that same day!  This eliminates me having to do some of those tasks!  This weekend I went through my December files so that I can start getting ready for the holidays!

    With the adoption of the CCSS, blog stalking, and becoming a Pinterest and TpT junky, I have found such amazing NEW ideas and activities.  I feel like I am constantly creating or using something new, but it is a great feeling to know that I can pull on my files, ahead of time, and have some of my activities and lessons planned in advance!

     It's not too often that our grade level has time to plan in advance, however, last week we had time to work with our PLC teams to develop plans and units for CCSS.  Our team worked hard to create an integrated unit with Non-fiction and our new science standard, the Earth in the Universe, that we will use in January.  Our team created a lapbook for students to organize their learning.  This weekend, trying to plan ahead, I created a writing packet with prompts related to 1.E.1.1 and 1.E.1.2, however, there are a few in there just for fun!!  Check out my writing packet for the Earth in the Universe at my TpT store.  Just click on the picture below! 

     Happy Veteran's Day!

Michelle

    

Fall is in Full Swing!

Well fall is in full swing as we enter November.  As always November is the month of Thanksgiving and in my classroom that usually means turkeys galore!  This year I am adding a little something to my turkeys.  I think that turkey day and football go hand in hand.  So, this year I have created some activities for Thanksgiving, turkeys, and football. 

Click on the picture above to get your copy of my Long Vowel and Short Vowel Words Sorts at my TpT store!  They are fun filled football word sorts.

Thanksgiving Themed Froggy Number Words.  Students can match the numbers to the number words and record their answers on the recording sheet.  Click on the first Frog picture to get your copy of the frog numbers from my TpT store.  These are great for kindergarten or first graders who are still working on learning numbers and number words!

Turkey Doubles facts! Our first graders are working on doubles and near doubles/doubles plus one.  Knowing doubles facts helps with fact fluency.  Click on the picture above to get your copy of the Double,Double file at my TpT store.