Five for Friday- July 1st!

    Well, summer is in full swing and almost halfway over! I can't believe how fast the summers seem to fly by.  I am a little late again, linking up, but I'm here! This post really doesn't have much to do with school, but instead just my love of the summer.  Take a look at my week, then head over to Doodle Bugs Teaching to see what everyone has been up to this week!

1. My two favorite places to "work" during the summer are at the pool and the beach.  Yes, when I go to the beach each summer, I pack a few work related reads. Whether I am at the pool or the beach, it makes "working" so much easier and more relaxing.  I am currently reading through The Reading Strategies Book.  Last year I used some of the reading engagement strategies when they were introduced to me by our Title 1 teacher.  I am excited to jump in with some of these strategies this year, now that I have the book.  I also have been busy working on my TpT products at the pool, too.  I like to create drafts on scratch paper, so the pool is a perfect office space!

2. Last night we went to Red, White, and Boom!  This is a huge festival and firework show in downtown Columbus.  We had a great time!  It was PERFECT weather and now that they have the riverfront park finished, it was not as crowded as last year.  

3.  I try and keep my self motivated with running each summer, by trying to beat last year's mileage for that month.  I was so excited this June!  I not only beat my last year's mileage for June, I blew it out of the water!!  Now, this does include some stops for breathers and some walking here and there, but overall, it was mostly running.  So excited to say that I hit over 85 miles this month!! :) I am not a huge selfie taker, but when I hit the 80 mile mark, I was super excited and snapped a pic at my favorite running spot!

4. This week, my friend asked me to send her some pictures of my fiancee and I, so I went searching on an old flash drive for some old ones.  I found this one from 8 years ago this September!  He was living in Houston and we would go running down by Rice University.  This particular day, we were checking out the stadium and took a picture next to the Rice sign.  It just so happens that my fiancee's last name is Rice! :)  So, I thought it was perfect timing to share this photo because our wedding will be a year from yesterday! 

5. In all my wedding preparations, I have been waiting to reserve the garden for our wedding until exactly 365 days.  Well, it is official. I was able to book the garden on Friday!  I was so excited.  Here is a peak at where the ceremony will be next July!

Happy Fourth of July Weekend!  

Five for Friday- June 24th

      I'm a little late joining the party this week. I was out of town until last night, so here is a little bit from my week.  Head over to Doodle Bugs Teaching to see what everyone has been doing this week!

1. One of my favorite things about summer is the flexibility to do whatever, whenever, for the most part!  This week, I went running in a new spot.  I ran near downtown and along the river.  It was really pretty and new scenery helps to keep me moving!

2. I have been trying to get back into swimming.  In the summer I swim laps at the gym.  The first few weeks of summer were hard for me to swim many laps at a time. 

3.  I'm posting a little late this week because my mom and I went to my aunt's house for a few days.  We had a good time at the lake. 

4. I finally got my new book in the mail!  I used some of these strategies last year, when a colleague brought them to me. I am so excited to get busy reading this!

5. I've been really struggling to stay focused on my TpT store this summer.  It has been hard to get motivated this summer for some reason!  So, my goal this week is to get my newest novel study finished up!  Hopefully, this will be in my store soon!

Happy weekend!

Five for Friday- June 17th

It is time for another Five for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching.  Summer seems to just be flying by.  It's hard to believe that I have been on break for almost a month!

1. I started last weekend going downtown for the Columbus Arts Festival.  It was huge and had work from many amazing artists.  It was a beautiful night and perfect for being outside!

2. On Saturday, I decided to go checkout a dress sale in Cincinnati.  I honestly just wanted to see what it was all about.  I walked out with my wedding dress!  So exciting!   

3.    My school has a program in the summer that comes to our building and provides free lunch for some of our kids Mondays- Thursdays.  Our staff designed a program to go along with this program.  We raise money throughout the year and then during the summer we take the kids on all kinds of different field trips.  Teachers suggest students that would benefit from social activities throughout the summer.  
      Typically, I sign up for the zoo trip and some open gyms.  This week, some teachers and I took a group of kiddos to a Metropark.  The three boys in the second picture were either in my homeroom or my reading class this year.  They were too cute!  They talked my ear off the entire trip.  They couldn't stop telling me how much they were reading and writing!  They made my day!!

4. Running in "MY" park is one of my favorite summer activities.  I love this park and it gives me such a sense of calm!

5. Last, I finally finished my first TpT product of the summer.  Generally, in the summer is when I create a lot of my products, but I have been moving slow with my store this summer. I'm feeling like now that I have started hopefully I will keep moving!  
     This novel study came about because when we finished Sarah, Plain and Tall this year, my students felt like it just ended.  They wanted to hear more.  So, we read Skylark.  This novel study is set up just like my Sarah, Plain and Tall novel study!  Click on the picture to grab a copy!

Happy Friday!

Two for Tuesday- Bundle Sale!

      It's time for a SALE again.  I am linking up with Chalk One up for the Teacher for 2 for Tuesday!  This is the one day a week where you can find steals and deals.  Each teacher that links up will have two products on sale for 50% off all day!  
      This week, I am joining in with two of my bundles.  These bundles are great to use with guided reading groups, small literature circles, tutoring, home school, author studies, and more!   
      The Cam Jansen Bundle comes with four novel studies.  This product is normally $9.00, but today you can snag it for $4.50!! The Magic Tree House Bundle includes six novel studies!  This product is normally $14, but today you can get it for $7.00!  What a steal!  

Click on the pictures below to grab a copy of each product!

Happy shopping!

Five for Friday- June 10th

Five for Friday

      I am joining in for another Five for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching.  It is my first one of the summer!  So, as mentioned last week, it has been a while since I joined in the blogging world.  But, I am hopefully back for the summer.  

     I just finished my third week of summer break and while I have been relaxing, I feel like I have had a lot going on so far!  I've been trying to get into my summer routine. Here is a sneak peak into what I have been up to the last few weeks.  Next week, I plan on jumping in with five events from my week, but for now I have an update about the past few weeks. 

1. The summer started with a short trip up to Cleveland.  While I am a Reds fan, George is a Cleveland Indians fan.  We went up for the game.  It was a great weekend. 

2. The next day we went out to Marblehead and then to Put-In-Bay for the afternoon.  We had beautiful weather!

3. I've been trying to spend my afternoons at the park running.  We've also been exploring new trails and paths this summer. Here is a really pretty path that we found recently and hiked about 4 miles. 

4. This is the lake near my house!  I love it.  The beach isn't the best, but before the pool opened, it was nice to have!

5. Last, this summer I am balancing my "free" time with the gym, working on a few TpT products, but mostly planning my wedding!  My office space is getting used a little more frequently than in the past few summers!

Happy Friday!

Two for Tuesday!

       

      I can't believe it, but this has been the longest hiatus that I have taken from blogging! This was one of my most difficult school years.  We all have the years that our students require more from us than we can possibly give them in the course of the school day.  This was one of those years.  So, when I did have free time, I didn't spend it blogging!  I also got engaged on New Years Eve!  The rest of my free time has gone to wedding planning and playing on Pinterest!
       Last week was my first week of summer break.  I am still tired and getting into the relaxation mode!  I've been trying to jump into my summer routines of reading, going to the gym, going to the pool, blogging a bit, tutoring, and running.  Most of all, I am back to the blogging world, just like Chalk One up for the Teacher is Bringing Back 2 for Tuesday! Each week teachers will put two products on sale for 50% off all day!  I am linking up today to put two of my products on sale.  

       My first product is one that I use EVERY SINGLE DAY!  Have you heard of Notice and Note or Reading Nonfiction by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst?  They are two of my favorite teacher resources EVER.  They have truly transformed my teaching.  The students are engaged as readers and are uncovering deeper meaning within the text.  I have created posters, that I use in my classroom.  This product is a bundle.  It includes posters from both the fiction and nonfiction books.  It will be on sale all day today for $2.25!  What a steal!

       My second product is one of my most popular, a novel study for Sarah Plain and Tall. This novel study is set up to be used in guided reading or as a read aloud book study. Grab this awesome resource today for only $1.50!  

I'm back! Thanks for stopping by today!  Please head over to my store and grab these steals!  

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