Throwback Thursday- School Supply Deals

     I am linking up for Throwback Thursday again!  It is a little late on Thursday, as I am visiting my family, but I thought I would link up for a quick post.  My throwback link is inspired by the first back to school savings ad I saw this week!  It was for Office Depot.  They have smelly markers half off!  I LOVE Mr. Sketch (Smelly) markers.  I haven't seen any others sales out there yet, but I am sure they will be coming soon.  

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Originally posted on August 1, 2011

 am VERY sad and a little jealous that so many teachers are working in their classrooms and getting prepared for this year.  I can't get into my room until August 8th and most of  the days I am allowed to go to school, I will still be working at my summer job or out of town.  So all of this wanting to get in my room turns into me purchasing items that I can put in my room once I get there!  I know it doesn't really make sense...but it does to me!  Unfortunately, I don't have or want to spend a ton of money so I have been on the hunt for deals.  I have seen some awesome deals on some other blogs and thought I would  share the things that I have found!

These are actually only about 4 inches high each!  I found these at Michael's Arts and Crafts. I think they were about $2.00 each.  They have little hooks on the bottom to hang items from them.  They have little picture hooks at the top to be able to pin/nail them to a wall.  They were plain white and I didn't know where I was going to put them in my classroom so I wanted to keep them simple.  I put little dashes and dots around the edges, added some ribbon that I already had and they were done!!  

Who can't have enough markers?!  Usually Walgreen's is not my first choice for markers but this week they have markers for $2.00 a pack and then you get $2.00 Register Rewards.  You can basically get 2 packs for $2.00, which is not too bad.  Sometimes you can find these cheaper at Walmart and other stores, but I thought this was a good deal.

I know that another blog mentioned this deal a week or so ago.  Staples has special deals for teachers.  Teachers can purchase 25 packs of highlighters (2 Sharpie highlighters per pack), 25 packages of note cards, and 25 packages of pencils (8 pencils per pack).  All of these items are 1 cent!  I only bought the highlighters and pencils, but that equals 50 highlighters and 200 pencils all for $0.50!! What a steal!

PLEASE feel free to leave/share some of the deals and steals you have found.  I know you are out there shopping too!  

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By the way, I still have some of those highlighters left!  I have given them to my students the last two years, but there are still a few floating around my room!

Check out those summer school supply sales!  I know I will have my eyes peeled for the next sale!

-Michelle

Monday Made it with a Writing Freebie!

      I am liking up with 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made it Linky!  

      This past week I didn't have to work at all!  It was WONDERFUL!  This summer I am nannying for a family and they were on vacation.  This week I am back to work, only for one day though!  I could get used to this!

      Last week I was VERY busy getting some things ready for my TpT store as well as doing a little crafting.  Here are some things I have been making!

     Last summer my boyfriend and I went to Florida for my 30th birthday!  This is a picture from our trip.  I have had this large picture printed for months and haven't done anything with it.  This past week I took my leftover fabrics from my file cabinet makeover and created this hanging frame.  

Here is what I used:

1.  A piece of scrap wood (about 1 inch thick)

2.  Spray adhesive

3.  Fabric

4.  Picture

5. Staple Gun

6. Sewing machine (it could be done without one)

So basically, I took the chevron background and used the spray adhesive to adhere the fabric to the wood.  Then I used my staple gun to support it by securing the fabric to the sides.  I used the spray adhesive to adhere the picture on top.  I sewed the little triangles, so they won't fray, but you could simply cut them out with fabric. I hung it in my little craft area!

      Last week, I pinned the cutest idea from Pinterest.  The idea was to take brochures and use those for persuasive writing.  So, this weekend while up in the NC mountains, I grabbed a handful of brochures.  I created this little basic template (nothing fancy) to go along with it.  Click on the picture above to grab it on google docs.  

 Last week, I finally finished my Reader's Notebook Starter Kit!  You can grab a copy of this mega pack at my TpT store!  

      I also finished my packet for the book Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School!  This has been on my to do list for a LONG time!  This can be found at my TpT store, too!  I also took 7 of the Amelia Bedelia packets I have and created a zip file with all of them.  It saves you about $7.00!  WOW!  Check out what I've been up to over at my TpT store!

Favorite Pins Friday

     I am linking up with Cara from The First Grade Parade for the Favorite Pins Friday Linky!  I have a slight obsession with Pinterest, so this is actually harder than one might think.  Picking only a few pins in difficult!  Here are a few of my favorite pins that I have pinned lately.

This site, called Greatist, has great motivational quotes/pictures!  This one is so true.

I LOVE this frame.  Over at The The Baeza Blog, she gives you directions on how to create this on your own.

This would be a great writing center activity.  The students choose a brochure and write to their parents persuading them to go on a specific vacation. Caitlin from Kindergarten Smiles posted this as a writing activity.  Her original activity was to have the students write why they would want to go to the place in the brochure.

Ginger Snaps posted pictures of her classroom last year.  I just pinned this picture this past week.  I think this is a super smart idea. Every year we have items that have to be turned in that night on Meet the Teacher Night, and the rest can be returned later.  This is a great way for parents to know exactly what needs to be sent back in with their child!  

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest!  Click HERE and head over to my Pinterest board!

Happy Friday!

Michelle     

Throwback Thursday- Reader's Notebooks

Throwback Thursday Linky

   I am linking up with Cara Carroll at The First Grade Parade for her Throwback Thursday Linky.  I really enjoyed this last week and was looking forward to joining in again.  

      I decided on this throwback post because it is from about a year ago this time.  Last summer I was getting prepped and ready to begin using reader's notebooks/journals.  I had never used them in first grade and at that point really didn't know how I was going to use it, I just thought my cover was cute (for my FIRST EVER use of graphics that is).  

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Originally posted on June 28, 2012

      A special thanks to Monica at The Shroeder Page for the great new idea on how to use composition books.  When I saw her idea for cutting the composition notebooks in half, I knew I wanted to do this, but just wasn't sure how to incorporate them in my classroom!  I ran out and bought 12 notebooks at the Dollar Tree and took them to Office Depot to be cut in half!
     Our students bring two composition notebooks each year with their classroom supplies.  One of these we use for a spelling homework notebook.  They are given a spelling list each week and they are able to choose from a list of activities to complete in their notebooks.  I knew this couldn't be cut in half, because the students use MOST of the pages as it is.  The other notebook is used as a poetry notebook.  Students read poems, glue them in the notebook, and then illustrate the poems.  Students use the entire page for their illustrations.  The students re-read poems on a daily basis.  
     So the two notebooks the students bring are already being used.  I then thought about our math journals.  I bought these for my students last year, however, occasionally the students glue in a regular-sized 8x11 sheet inside. So, finally long story short, I realized that these pint-sized notebooks would be perfect for my reading groups.  Each year I have a variety of response activities that we use/complete during guided reading groups.  As well, my advanced readers each have a vocabulary notebook in which they add words to during their nightly reading with a 4 block layout for a picture, the word, the definition, and using the word in a sentence.   It dawned on me that these journals would be a perfect substitute for copies, writing paper, and would be a great source for the students to "stop and jot or draw" their thoughts.  I still plan on using them to develop their vocabulary as well.   I love their size!  When I send books home with students I put them in a quart ziplock bag and these will fit in the baggie!  
   

Journal and a book in the baggie, ready to be put in a daily folder.



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   During the last year, I created a lot of Common Core focused journal prompts for fiction and non-fiction to be used to help my first graders respond in their journals.  I like the idea of having the teaching point in the journal so that as students go back and read their responses, they are reminded of what the teaching point was.  The last week or so, I have created a new and updated Reader's Notebook Starter Kit for First Grade.  
    Take a look at this packet over at my TpT site!  I would love some feedback about this packet.  I will give it out for FREE to the first three comments.  Make sure to leave your email in the comment!  If you receive this packet free or purchase it, please let me know what I can do to make it even better! 
     This packet is on sale today, 20% off!  If you don't get the free copy, stop over today to get everything in my store while it is on sale!

Here is a sneak preview of what you get with this new packet:

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Fourth of July! 

-Michelle

Fourth of July Sale!

     Can you believe that tomorrow is the Fourth of July already?  I am having a Fourth of July Sale today and tomorrow! School will be starting before we know it, so head on over and take advantage of the sale!  Everything in my store will be 20% off!

     Then head over to Flying into First Grade and see all of the awesome teacher bloggers who are having sales as well! 

Click on the picture to head over to my TpT store!

Happy 4th!  Enjoy the holiday week!  

-Michelle

July Currently Linky!

      I am liking up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her Currently July Linky!  I still can't believe that it is already July!  That means that summer is quickly sliding by.  

Listening- I have a habit of putting HGTV on in the background while I blog or work on the computer.  I like watching House Hunters, Property Brothers, and Love it or List it!  

Loving- I LOVE sleeping in.  I know it is not "really" sleeping in, but when I don't babysit I have been sleeping until about 8, which is sleeping in for me, since during the school year I get up either at 4:30 or 5:30 each day!

Thinking- I just realized that it is July and that is making me think that summer is going by too fast!  I have a few trips planned for July and I am going to try to make the most of the summer freedom!

Wanting- Last week we had afternoon storms every day.  BUT, since Saturday or Sunday it has been raining or cloudy and very humid every day! I am ready for some sunshine!  Plus, this week I have the whole week off and I was hoping to spend a little time at the pool.  Oh, well!

Needing- I brought home a BUNCH Of books to create novel studies for.  I have started creating questions for a few of them but haven't started typing anything yet! I need to get started on my summer to do list!

Tips, Tricks, or Hints- I have had a some extra time since it is summer time and I have realized that planning out my blog posts, as much as I can, helps me to post on a regular basis and with topics that I feel good about posting!  This has helped me and it may help you, too!

Well, I may not be off to the pool today, but I need to get moving on some of these to do list items!  

-Michelle

Back to School Mentor Text Linky

     I am liking up again with Collaboration Cuties for their Back to School Mentor Text Linky.  I love reading the ideas of all of the different grade levels and how they use certain books in their classrooms!    I am a little late to the party this time and I see that two people have already posted about my book today, but I decided to go ahead and join in anyway!  

 

     I have to say that I do love many back to school books and it was hard for me to choose just one to talk about.  At the beginning of each year, we do a Names/All About Me Unit with our students.  This gives our students time to get used to being back at school and it allows them to get to know one another, while I get to know them!  The best book for this unit is Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes.

     I use this as a read aloud to my students and it is how we begin our Names Unit each year.  Some other activities we do with this unit are illustrating a name poem, counting and graphing the letters in every one's name in the class, comparing the number of letters in our names, and writing in our reader's notebooks about our favorite character from the story.  It is a heartwarming story that provides excellent discussions about respect and friendship.  I also use this book later in the year when we have our Author Study for Writer's Workshop.  Kevin Henkes is one of my favorite authors to study in writing.  He is an amazing example for my little writers!  

    I have a pretty basic little activity pack that includes 4 stop and talk "sticky notes" and two graphic organizers for this book.  It is only $1.50!  Check it out at my TpT store. Click on the picture below to head over there.

    I can't help myself by telling you about these other amazing back to school books.  If you haven't read these, make sure to give them a try! These are on my first week of school must read list!

• The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School by Laurie Anderson
• The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
• Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
• The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane Derolf
• Ham and Pickles First Day of School by Nicole Rubel

I can't believe that in a short time we will actually be heading back to school!  The summer is going WAY too fast!  

-Michelle