Wordless Wednesday and Show Me Your Teacher Tote!

       I am linking up with two links parties today!   First, I am linking up with Sugar and Spice for Wordless Wednesday and I am also linking up with Teacher at the Beach for her Show Me Your Teacher Tote Linky.  

Yesterday, I was SUPER lucky to have my mom come up and help me in my library!  So, last year I moved into my school at the last minute and didn't really have time to set it up as I had hoped.  Going through my library is always a task that I don't enjoy doing and I always get side tracked because I can't decide on exactly how to organize it.  So, my awesome mom came up from Cincy and helped me a TON!  My books are ready to go, minus the labels I need to attach on the tubs (now they are just sticky noted so I know what they are)!  My room is looking good and I am feeling much better about heading back to school.  

So, I have two questions for you: What part of setting up your room is the most difficult/time consuming for you?  Do you have a helper/s that comes to school and keeps you on track, like my mom does for me?

      For the last four or five years, I have used Thirty-One bags for my Teacher Totes!  This is my second one and I L-O-V-E this print.  I recently heard it is no longer going to be sold after this August/September and I am thinking about ordering a second one! I would really like the kind with the zipper at the top.  

     Anyways, I have a file box inside my tote. (From Organized Living or The Container Store, I can't remember which one.) I have files inside of it that help me keep my papers organized coming and going to school!

What does your tote look like?

Two for Tuesday

     I am linking up with The Teaching Tribune for Two for Tuesday!  These two products will be on sale ALL DAY TODAY!!   They will be 50% off!  Go grab them. :)
The first is Little Red Riding Hood Companion Set and the second is a Three Little Pigs Companion Set. Click on the pictures to grab your copy.

Have fun shopping!

Monday Made It- I HEART Ikea and a Flash Giveaway!

       I am linking up today with 4th Grade Frolics for another Monday Made It.  This past week I have been super busy working on my classroom and getting things ready for the upcoming year. My Monday Made It projects are a few things I have been wanting to check off my to do list as well as a project that was prompted by a quick trip to Ikea this past weekend.  Here they are...

  Last year I was OH SO LUCKY to get Kindles and one Kindle Fire for my classroom.  My kiddos LOVED reading on these!  They thought it was super cool.  I bought these little tubs recently at Dollar Tree. I wrote numbers 1-6 on them.  I am in the process of creating a little instructional sheet to add to each of the buckets.  These will give the kiddos directions.  

      My second project was inspired by some awesome ideas I have seen on Pinterest, plus a quick trip to Ikea, while I was in Cincinnati this past weekend.  Have I mentioned ever that Ikea is AWESOME!!  First, I painted the bottoms of the frames.  Then, I downloaded these great posters from Technology Rocks and shrunk them to fit in these little frames. Besides waiting for the paint to dry, it was a really fast project and they will be great for my classroom.

       My third project this week was really fun to create.  One of my favorite products on TpT is my Three Little Pigs Companion Set.  I used this with my first graders and really liked comparing different books, based on a traditional tale.  So, I created a similar packet based on Little Red Riding Hood. This packet is, again, designed to young, advanced readers or in my position, possibly older struggling readers.  Really, you can use it however works best for YOU!  

    This packet has four book studies that allow for and promote comparing and contrasting similar texts, based on the traditional Little Red Riding Hood.  I am looking forward to using these activities this year.  

    Since I am SO excited to share this product, I will GIVE it AWAY to the first 3 comments, letting me know you would like a copy.  Don't forget to leave your email address in the comment, so I can send it to you!  If you don't get a freebie today, click on the picture below and grab a copy on my TpT site!

Wordless Wednesday- It's That Time of Year!

      
      I am linking up with Sugar and Spice for Wordless Wednesday.  It's that time of year.  Three weeks from today my little kiddos will be walking through the door.  It is HARD to believe that summer is almost, but not yet, over.
      I went into my classroom for about two hours yesterday.  I had a plan.  HAD a plan.  I didn't do my bulletin boards.  Those are what I always start with. Those were on my plan.  Instead I arranged my little area and got my computer set up, etc.  I still have things to hang up, the bulletin board is not ready, and my kidney table has things all over it, BUT I have started. 
     

      I am ironing all my bulletin board fabrics today, so that I can hang them up tomorrow.  Bulletin boards are usually on my 1st day to do list because they are something that pull your room together, but don't take a ton of time to do.  

When you go back, do you have a plan or do you wing it when you get into your room?

Book Talk Tuesday with a few freebies!

        
       I am linking up today with Mrs. Jump's Class for Book Talk Tuesday.  I really enjoy seeing all of the amazing books that are shared each week.  I was thinking about what book I would want to share with you.  I was trying to think of books that I used this past year in 3rd grade.  One of the things that I enjoyed about teaching 3rd grade for the first time, was reading books that I had never read.  I feel like in first grade I had read SO many books over and over.  This was a time to experience new things.  
       One of the books that I read for the first time last year was Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters.  This book is excellent and fit into our integrated unit so well.  Last year, we taught an integrated unit of our social studies standards based on opportunity cost (economics standard based on what is given up in order to gain something else) and reading fables, folktales, and fairy tales.  We looked at character actions, traits, and motivations and how those character and their actions effected the sequence of events in a text.  

       This book was perfect for this unit.  It truly embodied all of our standards in one text. We used this as a mentor text.  It was read aloud and analyzed for about one whole week, looking at it differently each day.  This is the story of two daughters and a King who is trying to get a wife.  He comes to them, disguised as a snake and other people who are often treated poorly.  One sister embraces those that she encounters, while the other sister is mean and treats them poorly.  He wants to marry the kind and caring sister in the end.  
       We looked at the choices and actions of each sister.  We analyzed each sister's character traits and motivations and what had to be given up or done to obtain the King as their husband.  
       Here are a few freebies that you can use with this book.  Click on the picture below for the three freebies!

I look forward to seeing what other books are showcased today!!  

Monday Made It

      It's another Monday Made It and I am glad to have some motivation, because I only have 3 more weeks until school starts!  EEK!  I am excited, but also wishing summer wouldn't end!! 

      Here are a few things I have been up to lately.

       My first Monday Made it is something that I have seen on Pinterest a thousand times and SOOO wanted to try.  I finally did it.  I ordered a straw dispenser from Amazon.  I then used spray adhesive to stick my scrapbook paper to the bottom, front, and sides of the dispenser.  I then attached a little bit of ribbon to the front.  I am SUPER excited about using this for my pencils this year.  I LOVE that they can only get one pencil at a time, instead of looking through all of the pencils forever!

     

      My second MMI was putting together my lesson plan binder.  It is organized and ready to be put to good use this year!  Last year I purchased a binder set from Little Lovely Leaders.  I ended up getting my teacher binder set up as school was starting and it was super stressful.  Now, my binder is set up and ready!

      My third project was another Pinterest project.  I was just getting home from the gym when I took my pictures yesterday, so I didn't hop behind this frame.  I took thick poster board, cut out the middle, and covered the edges where I had cut, with border that matches my classroom.  I downloaded a couple free signs for the first and last day of school, laminated them, and put Velcro on the back so that they can be changed out easily.

     My fourth project was canning about 15 quarts of green beans!  Our vegetables are finally growing!  We had a TON of green beans ready to go.  Now they are canned and can be eaten all year.  The best part is you know where they came from and what is in them!  I had to purchase this cute apron from Meijer!  haha

Congrats to Cherie Mae Ong who won my giveaway!  Thank you to everyone who follows my blog, TpT, etc.  I am so thankful to be part of this awesome community!

Have a great week!