Fall Favorites are on Sale!

       I don't know about you, but this fall is just FLYING by!  It feels like just weeks ago we were all talking about setting up our classrooms and preparing for the new school year.  In Ohio, we have had warmer than normal weather and it is just now sinking in that Thanksgiving is literally around the corner!  

      Since I started teaching third grade, I feel like I use less thematic units and items in my classroom.  Oh how I loved using activities and books that were geared to the seasons or time of year.  I do my BEST to still use these types of books and activities anytime I can.  I feel like they are more engaging and interesting for the kiddos.  

      Working with struggling readers, I know the importance of engaging these readers.  This past week, one of my reading groups started reading Nate the Great Talks Turkey.  It is their first "chapter" book of the year!  You would think I am giving them candy each day because they are so excited to get to our group.  

     If you are looking for a last minute read aloud or guided reading book, I would definitely suggest the books below! These book studies will all be on sale 20% off starting tonight and lasting through Thursday!!  Click on the title you are looking for, to head right to my store. Go grab a copy and enjoy them with your kiddos! 

Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nate the Great Talks Turkey, and Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey

                                                           

Five for Friday- First Week of School!

      Well, the first week back to school is finally in the books and my 11th year teaching is on its way!  Today, I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday to share a bit about my crazy first week back to school!

 1. Monday and Tuesday I had workdays and meetings so in preparation on Sunday, I did a TON of ironing.  I ironed about 13 outfits.  Since, we wear jeans on Fridays, that will get me through the first few weeks of school.  This was one of my best decisions ever!  I used to do it weekly and I think I am going to try to do this every few weeks instead.  

2. I also prepped by making egg muffins.  These are great! I cook and them freeze them. All I have to do is pop them in the microwave and they are ready!

3. Monday, our first day back, is when we had our Meet the Teacher Night.  That means you HAVE to come in prior to the actual first day back to get things prepped.  I had a eerie sense of calm all week long and it started with Meet the Teacher going smoothly. It went really well.

 Information was playing on the Smartboard.

 Collecting supplies that we will share.

 Google Form to fill out on Google Docs- AMAZING IDEA!!!!  This made my life SO much easier!

4. The first day back was great!  My kids are adorable, even though they are super chatty!   The first day we took our pictures with our first day of school sign.  We had a ton of learning about our classroom, rules, routines, etc.  But, we also had a little fun. A teammate suggested using Dum Dums to find a partner with the same flavor sucker and then create a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting one student to another. We called this a Venn with a Friend.  It was wonderful to see how much they all had in common, even with kiddos who they didn't really know so well.

5. I finished off my first week back to school, with a trip to the Columbus Food Truck Festival.  There were over 60 trucks there and the food was delicious. The second picture is of a maple bacon donut.  I wanted nothing to do with it, until I took a bite, that is.  Oh my gosh!  It was absolutely amazing!  It tasted exactly like pancakes with maple syrup and bacon! YUM! (Tonight I had to throw my healthy eating out the window!)

That is a super condensed version of my week!  I had a fabulous week and am looking forward to a great year!  

Have you started school?  I hope you have a great year!

Five for Friday- Last Week of Summer

       Well it is official.  My summer has come and gone way too fast!  Friday was my last day of "Freedom".  I am excited to go back to school, but I have LOVED every minute of my summer break.  It really is a time to relax, refresh, and recoup so that I am able to get back in August and work like crazy through May.  This is the second summer that I didn't technically "work" and it is incredible how different that makes me feel.   I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for my final Five for Friday of the summer!  Take a glimpse of what I have been up to this week. 

1. I knew I had a crazy busy week ahead, so I spent a chunk of Monday afternoon at the pool.  It was wonderful! 

2. Tuesday we went to Cedar Point.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day!  My boyfriend and I met up with my best friend and her fiancé, who were in Ohio for a wedding and visiting her family.  We had a great time!  I love that Cedar Point is on the lake.  I could spend everyday on a lake or at the ocean.  

 

3.  Wednesday I drove down to Cincinnati to see my family and take my  mom somewhere. She had made me three large jars of salsa.  Her salsa is delicious!  Check out her garden! Our garden did awful this year, but hers is really looking amazing. 

4. Yesterday, I had a meeting for a school committee and then went to school and worked on my classroom.  I realized how much I still have left to get done before Monday! I initially had that little panic feeling, then remembered that it will all get done.  It always does.  Unfortunately, that means that I had to go in on Friday and today for a bit, too though. Here are a few sneak peeks. 

5. Last, Friday night we went to the Browns scrimmage at OSU and to a delicious taco restaurant in the Short North.  YuM! I am a Bengals fan, but my boyfriend loves the Browns.  I wanted to wear my Bengals t-shirt, but decided I better not, since it was a Browns scrimmage. haha :)

So, my weekend is almost over and that means so is summer.  It has been another wonderful summer and I hope the school year is just as fabulous!  

Monday Made It- August 3rd

      Today I am linking up with Fourth Grade Frolics for Monday Made It!  See what I have been up to!

     I finally finished up all of my Science and Social Studies Exit Slips for grades 3-5.  These are based on Ohio's Content Standards, but I am hoping to create some that are geared to Common Core, at some point.  I print and make copies of all of them. Each sheet has two of the same slip, as to save with copies and paper.  I cut them all in half before school starts.  Then I keep them filed until I teach that unit.  I pull them all out and use them as I see fit.  I used a ton of them last year.  They were a great way to quickly check for understanding. 
      If you are an Ohio teacher, go check them out while they are still on sale! Click on the pictures below to grab them. 

      I was busy, busy laminating today.  I purchased a great product of labels for a rolly cart.  I printed a bunch of them, laminated, and now to the cutting part! This laminator was the best $25 ever spent!

     I was busy, busy laminating today.  I read the book, Making Thinking Visible, this summer.  It is an excellent read.  I want to really look at my classroom this year as a place where thinking is valued over just getting the right answer.  I want students to engage in deep thinking, discussions, analysis, and more.  So, I am hoping to create a bulletin board, where we can show our thinking. 
     As I was cutting them out, I realized how much of the cute paper was being wasted.  So, I decided to cut little strips out of the scraps and I will have them in my classroom as extra little bookmarks for the kids!

Five for Sunday- Travel Funday :))

      Well friends I am sitting on a plane, while I type this.  I am coming home from my last trip of the summer.  I've been so busy all week/weekend that I didn't get a chance to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching on Friday for Five for Friday, so I thought I would join the party today, even though I'm a bit late. 

1. We started out our week by heading to the Columbus Crew soccer game against Toronto.  It was a fun game and it was Educator Night.  This meant we were able to get good tickets for a discounted price. :) 

2. The next morning we went out for a 16 mile bike ride.  It was a great way to get the week started.  It was a beautiful day!

3. I went into my classroom for one afternoon this week.  I came in, to this mess. I was able to get most of my bulletin boards up and ready.  Most of the items that go on the walls, etc. are up and ready to go.  Now just for setting up my library and getting things organized! Oh, and I threw in a picture of myself in the midst of my mess! They had the heat up to about 80 since most people weren't in the building yet.   I was a sweaty disaster!

4. I did it! I finally bought my first Erin Condren Life Planner and it arrived this week.  I absolutely LOVE it!  I have been slowly filling things in and putting stickers throughout the pages.  I think this is going to be a great way to stay organized!

5. Last, but not least, I've spent the last five days on the road.  My dad was planning a road trip to see a friend, on which he was going to stop at all kinds of "weird" or "interesting" places.  Since this past Wednesday, I've seen things you probably never knew existed and a few that you probably did!  Here are just a few highlights.  We saw the route 66 museum and drove a bit on route 66, saw the bridges of Madison County (in Iowa), went to the farm where the Field of Dreams was filmed, went on loads of dirt and gravel roads and more!  (Not to mention some odd things like the largest frying pan, gnome, and bull).  I ended up being dropped off in Omaha and staying with aunts and uncles for a few days before flying back to Ohio today.