tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78653184103524005272024-03-05T02:07:15.424-08:00Teaching in the Primary GradesTips, tricks, lessons and freebies for teaching in the primary grades. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-78480412204929940392016-04-11T11:42:00.000-07:002016-04-24T20:16:26.026-07:00Earth Day Ideas + Writing Prompt Freebie<br />
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Earth day is coming up on April 22nd, 2016. This is a great time for us to teach our students how the little choices they make can make a huge difference for the environment. A few years ago to celebrate</div>
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Earth Day, my school held a school wide "Campus Beautification Day". Each grade level was assigned a section of the school building or the grounds to clean. My class picked up litter on a large area of the school field. This allowed my students to see the effects that littering had on their school environment as well as how their clean up efforts could also greatly effect the school environment. </div>
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Even if your school does not hold a school-wide Earth Day celebration, you can organize a smaller clean-up project for your class to complete. We asked parents to donate garbage bags and work gloves for the students to borrow for the day. </div>
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To get your students thinking about how they can help the Earth I made up these <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-Writing-Prompts-Free-2493781">Earth Day Writing Prompt Cards</a>. There are 8 cards with writing prompts as well as a printable Earth Day writing sheet. You can use these as a center, for fast-finishers or as a no-prep whole class writing activity during the month of April.</div>
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What will you be doing with your class to celebrate Earth Day? Let me know in the comments below.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-68999642952091516392016-03-10T13:11:00.004-08:002016-03-10T13:12:40.018-08:00The Power of Positive Parent Communication<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6GSUfsQJC7CnRfXvckfG09jTm0DmbOGyk4qzMU3rdOJfd0Mdp8aXSNOXG0HTTxS4nSzVl5SJxxqdOPj6CwUF97_pe0iTP1mmq2N4nhBtPvtmMsKuU0_we0_oOqDPy1v53vQ9PP54p24/s1600/Positive+Parent+Communication.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6GSUfsQJC7CnRfXvckfG09jTm0DmbOGyk4qzMU3rdOJfd0Mdp8aXSNOXG0HTTxS4nSzVl5SJxxqdOPj6CwUF97_pe0iTP1mmq2N4nhBtPvtmMsKuU0_we0_oOqDPy1v53vQ9PP54p24/s640/Positive+Parent+Communication.png" title="The Power of Positive Parent Communication" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some of the best advice I got as a new teacher was to make sure that I had a positive contact with each student's parent during the first few weeks of the school year. Every year that I have taught I have tried to follow this advice and it has made a huge difference in my classroom community!<br />
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I tried to take my positive parent communication a step further by have a positive contact with each students parent, each month. Did I make this goal ever month? Of course not! However, I was able to reach out to most parents at least every other month. <br />
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I cannot stress enough what a huge positive change I saw in my classroom community I increased my positive contacts with parents. I noticed a change in my teaching because I was actively looking for positive aspects of each student that I could write home about. I began to see more positive behavior and positive character traits in my classroom because I was looking for them!<br />
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I saw a change in my students each time I sent a note home. They were excited to share their successes with their parents. They were excited that I had noticed a positive act they didn't think anyone saw. This change was the most dramatic in my students who struggled academically or socially. In their minds, school was a place where they could not succeed. Each time I shared a success they had at school that day with their parents, it helped the students begin to shift their view on school.<br />
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<b>Tips for Implementing Positive Parent Communication in Your Classroom:</b><br />
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<b>1. Keep it simple!</b>-You have enough to do as it is. A simple note, email or short phone call is fine. If you have pick-up or drop-off duty you can also use this time share a positive experience in-person.<br />
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<b>2. Keep track!</b>- I printed off a class list and used it to keep track to the dates I had a positive communication with each parent. Writing down my communications made it easy to check if I had missed someone.<br />
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<b>3. Have a set time for positive parent communication each week</b>.- Schedule out just five or ten minutes each week to write out a few notes or emails. If you get in the habit of using the same block of time each week you will be more consistent with your parent communication.<br />
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<b>4. Focus on the whole child.</b>- Remember you should not be only communicating about academic achievements! Development of positive character traits, and positive behavior should also be communicated to parents.<br />
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What are your ideas for using positive parent communication in the classroom? Chime-in in the comments below.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-63681855964591872662015-09-06T21:00:00.000-07:002015-09-06T22:40:30.565-07:00Work Harder Not Smarter! LaborLess Blog Hop and Huge Giveaway!Hello everyone!<br />
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ARE YOU REAAADDDY!!!</div>
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9gaawHNGqRg/VeEeIeIMs4I/AAAAAAAACos/tEoLsZuHSTs/s1600-h/Main%252520Graphic%252520Laborless%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Main Graphic Laborless" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q9hdP33RGDo/VeEeI6dde2I/AAAAAAAACow/WTSG4awWsdQ/Main%252520Graphic%252520Laborless_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="484" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Main Graphic Laborless" width="625" /></a><br />
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It is Finally here! </div>
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Today I am linking with Laura from <a href="http://wherethemagichappensdaily.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Where the Magic Happens</a>, Krista from <a href="http://www.teachingmomster.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Momster</a>, and Lisa from <a href="http://www.pawsitivelyteaching.com/" target="_blank">PAWsitively Teaching</a>! I have joined forces once again with my bloggy friends to bring you the best, most amazing giveaway on this Labor Day weekend!<br />
All of us have been thinking about good ways in which to treat our readers and followers. We thought hard, and I mean it! Really, really hard… and decided that we can treat you to our best ideas to work smarter rather than harder… at school and home!<br />
I know what it takes to be a great teacher, the stress, the time, the energy… I could go on and on! I also know that we crave time to ourselves and our families. <br />
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So here I go!</div>
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FhMPCpXxmq8/VeEeJD1mT3I/AAAAAAAACo4/zwgwERNls2M/s1600-h/Slide1%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Slide1" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WWJH7VcsDMQ/VeEeJibPQfI/AAAAAAAACpA/aEwCuYqKkyQ/Slide1_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="431" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Slide1" width="644" /></a><br />
I have never met a teacher who only works an 8 hour day. Teachers are constantly working long hours to give the best education possible to their students. I spent long hours after school working on my classroom, grading and writing lesson plans. It came to the point when I felt guilty for not working at home because I felt like I was letting my students down! As I began to realize that I was consistently giving up my precious evenings and weekends to work on my classroom I began to evaluate the effectiveness of the time I was spending; I was wondering if all of the sacrifices I was making were benefiting my students. As I started to question if the time I was spending was effective, I began to be less willing to spend hours and hours of my time working after school was out on activities that were not even benefiting my students. So, I made a goal to work at home as little as possible. I was not always able to completely avoid working at home but by implementing the tip below I was able to greatly cut down on the time I was spending working at home.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Plan Your Planning Time!!!!</span></b><br />
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How many times have you got to the end of your planning time and realized you prepared for a craft your class is doing in 3 weeks but forgot to make copies of tomorrow's morning work? I found that I was not prioritizing my planning time, which meant that I was having to complete urgent tasks at home so they would be ready for school the next day. I began keeping a sticky note pad on my desk that I would use to write down tasks as I thought of them during the day. Then, when ever I had a few minutes of planning time, I would go through the next day in my head, checking that I had all of the supplies for the lessons ready. After I was ready for the next day of school I would go through my list and rewrite it in order of priority. Then every time I had a spare minute I would work on the highest priority task. This has cut down on time I had to spend working at home because I would always complete the most time sensitive tasks first-If a task did not need to be completed for a few days there was no reason I needed to spend my evening working on it!<br />
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Everyone needs to unwind after a long day teaching! My number one tip for unwinding is to do it! Make sure your schedule a firm "cut off" time each night. When your cut off time arrives your work is done! Put it away and enjoy some <b>you</b> time. Watch a TV show, read a book for fun, do a craft, or snuggle with a significant other. Even if you only have time to schedule 30 minutes to unwind each night it will do wonders for your well being,<br />
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When I am making my weekly copies, I always make sure to copy a few extra activities for those random times when we finish an activity early but aren't ready to start the next lesson. So that I don't have to spend precious planning time tracking down these activities I created <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-The-Primary-Grades/Category/I-m-Finished-No-Prep-Math-and-Literacy-Packetss">Monthly No Prep Packets</a>. These packets review the first grade common core and every sheet included requires no preparation to use in your classroom, just print and go! You can view my Monthly No Prep Packets <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-The-Primary-Grades/Category/I-m-Finished-No-Prep-Math-and-Literacy-Packetss">here</a>. Below is a preview of my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Math-and-Literacy-Printables-No-Prep-1999645">August/ September Back to School Packet</a>.<br />
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Top all these great tips and ideas with these top-notch prizes!</div>
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A $100 gift card to Amazon</div>
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A $50 gift card to TpT </div>
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jsF_Nj5rd_4/VeEeL7hfRcI/AAAAAAAACpo/nYgDRJk0V-0/s1600-h/Slide2%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Slide2" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3AeBauVrZfE/VeEeMh0MtEI/AAAAAAAACpw/DLeuRDkeznY/Slide2_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="301" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Slide2" width="400" /></a></div>
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2 $25 gift cards to TpT</div>
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1 $10 gift card to TpT</div>
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-86781922647369279572015-07-17T19:56:00.003-07:002015-08-07T16:34:15.146-07:005 Ways to Practice Addition Fact Fluency<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Addition fact fluency is an important building block for learning more complex math skills. However, many students struggle to develop quick recall of math facts. Fun engaging games and activities can help your students develop their addition fact fluency without the boring "kill and drill" of flash cards. Below, I have compiled a list of my favorite games and activities that you can do with your class to add some variety to your fact practice. </div>
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1. <b>Uno Flip</b></h3>
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<img alt="Math games for kids: Uno flip for number sentences" src="http://childhood101.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Math-games-for-kids_Uno-flip-for-number-sentences.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></div>
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This fun ideas comes from <a href="http://childhood101.com/2014/06/maths-games-for-kids-uno-flip/">Childhood 101</a>. All you need is a deck of Uno cards, sticky notes and a pen. Write a plus sign on one sticky note and an equals sign on the other. Then place two piles of cards between the signs. Students take turns flipping cards over, writing equations and recording their answers. This game works great for fast finishers because it is something that a student can set up themselves and play alone or in a small group. </div>
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2.Math Fact Jenga</h3>
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<img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDehgrUs81fYKD_AaC3VmakAWH2IU19hVVFVDXLWLJCuGKTtUjSj0aW9SyW7xZbT4N4hdpHrjQU7dxhfbSWjW0tmkcpy1wgio4Wey3oPZYU50dBro7UrSzOgQ7fZqHyedRrU1N3LS1roKr/s320/mathjenga.png" width="212" /></div>
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This is a super easy to set up idea from <a href="http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/2014/07/summer-funmath-style.html">The First Grade Parade</a>. Use dot stickers to add addition facts to the side of your Jenga blocks. To remover a block, a player must first solve the problem. I love this idea because the difficulty of the math facts can easily be changed throughout the year as your students grow more advanced. Head on over to <a href="http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/2014/07/summer-funmath-style.html">The First Grade Parade</a> for the complete rules. </div>
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3. Mystery Pictures</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1LO2kupTyoETpnI54vgqbrSbTeCRdNoINsv6i0hvC8XPXS2XS2q_qm5n0s3paqhaaTaSA6HgkWRfs6X6EOh_Vi79S5U0MERVGp31lVehlO6YzenvVFCnJ_-7AynQtof4KrFo_hjAJJo/s1600/Additon+Fact+Mystery+Picture+Blog+Post.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1LO2kupTyoETpnI54vgqbrSbTeCRdNoINsv6i0hvC8XPXS2XS2q_qm5n0s3paqhaaTaSA6HgkWRfs6X6EOh_Vi79S5U0MERVGp31lVehlO6YzenvVFCnJ_-7AynQtof4KrFo_hjAJJo/s400/Additon+Fact+Mystery+Picture+Blog+Post.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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My students love <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/My-Products/Category:214053">mystery pictures</a>. These mystery pictures are a great no-prep activity for you to use to help your students practice their addition fact fluency. The students solve the addition fact problems then, use the key to color each square of the page to reveal a mystery picture. Grab these mystery pictures in my TPT store <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/My-Products/Category:214053">here</a>- lots of themes are included so you can use them all year long. </div>
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4. Timed Fact Mastery Programs</h3>
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Timed fact tests are a great way for student to monitor their own progress towards developing addition fact fluency. My students love checking off each test they practice on their progress chart and of course, they also love earning prizes for their progress. My favorite program to help my students track their progress as they move through taking timed tests is <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Fact-Fluency-Timed-Tests-Treasure-Math-1621293">Treasure Math</a>.</div>
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Students take tests like this one:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi392Ry3ubVQ71CUhXSGgX5vZhr4Rh9q2x1-DSamSaA3TVhJ8U04I0wOzCBGilt3PqrA1RjLxwvIsMLwsBh64j82dGpwZGkYdnf8uJRQApcSMb-kmRHM1YxT8VAj_HC-VgP0lcyUGBnD1Q/s1600/test+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi392Ry3ubVQ71CUhXSGgX5vZhr4Rh9q2x1-DSamSaA3TVhJ8U04I0wOzCBGilt3PqrA1RjLxwvIsMLwsBh64j82dGpwZGkYdnf8uJRQApcSMb-kmRHM1YxT8VAj_HC-VgP0lcyUGBnD1Q/s320/test+1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I give my students 1.5 minutes to attempt to complete the test but, you can use whatever amount of time is appropriate for your students.<br />
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Students keep track of their progress on a chart like this:</div>
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<img alt="Treasure math is an incentive program to encourage addition fact fluency. Students take timed addition fact tests. Each time a student completes a test with 100% accuracy, they mark off a space on their Treasure Math board. If a student does not achieve 100% accuracy they retake the test until they are successful (multiple test forms are provided). Each student works at their own pace!" height="400" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d5/37/75/d53775f667b781431c1b366d01addda8.jpg" width="309" /></div>
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Every time they pass a test they use a sticker to mark off a step on their Treasure Map. Every time they mark off a space with a star, they receive a small prize. Pick up <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Fact-Fluency-Timed-Tests-Treasure-Math-1621293">Treasure Math</a> in my TPT store<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Fact-Fluency-Timed-Tests-Treasure-Math-1621293"> here</a>.</div>
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4. Photo Album Review</h3>
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<img height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmZeF9i8Q77FDsYjZWCl-bmuR8QoXEHsZJiI_fY8GC7hvvdvaX-mVKXycaV_cLO9bZnb0gSn7dmPYHeKZumMjB_RwTTve1ncZIGPBEiL2G794wXXzlM3_zFDk95VlQbCocbDI_EAij5E3/s320/flash+cards+photo+albums.png" width="320" /></div>
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This genius idea comes to us from <a href="http://firstgradeblueskies.blogspot.com/2014/07/photo-albums-for-math-review-is-bright.html">First Grade Blue Skies.</a> This is another great low prep activity for fast finishers. Simply place flash cards into a dollar store photo album. Students can practice solving the problems with a dry erase marker. </div>
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5. Around the World</h3>
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Around the World is one of my class' favorite whole group games to play to practice math facts. To play you will need a set of flash cards. Have your class stand in a circle. Have the first student in the circle stand next to the second student in the circle. Show the first two students a flash card. The first student out of the pair to solve the problem correctly moves to stand next to the third student in the circle and they are again presented with a flash card. When a student gets a problem incorrect, they stay in their current position; if a student answers correctly they move to stand next to the next student in the circle. The goal is to move all the way around the circle, and back to your original spot, by answering faster than every student in the class. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-83476827857100580432015-02-09T15:16:00.000-08:002015-02-09T15:16:34.172-08:0010 Non-Candy Class Valentine's Day Gifts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don' know about you but I think that most of our students eat plenty of candy already. That's why I try to give my students a non-candy treat on Valentine's Day. Here's a roundup of my favorite non-candy Valentine's Day Treats from around the web. </div>
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<a href="http://www.smartschoolhouse.com/diy-crafts/kinetic-sand-valentine#_a5y_p=3203848">Kinetic Sand Valentine</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.smartschoolhouse.com/diy-crafts/kinetic-sand-valentine#_a5y_p=3203848"><img alt="Kinetic Sand Valentine. This is guaranteed to be a hit!" height="400" src="http://www.smartschoolhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Kinetic-Sand-Valentine.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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By: <a href="http://www.smartschoolhouse.com/diy-crafts/kinetic-sand-valentine#_a5y_p=3203848">Smart School House</a></div>
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<a href="http://bargainbriana.com/sip-sip-hooray-valentines-day-silly-straw-craft-idea/#_a5y_p=1213654">Crazy Straw Valentine</a></div>
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<img alt="Sip Sip Hooray Valentines Day Card Printable for Silly Straws" src="http://bargainbriana.com/wp-content/uploads/Sip-Sip-Hooray-Valentines-Day-Card-Printable-for-Silly-Straws.jpg" /></div>
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By:<a href="http://bargainbriana.com/sip-sip-hooray-valentines-day-silly-straw-craft-idea/#_a5y_p=1213654"> Bargain Briana</a></div>
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<a href="http://thenerdswife.com/handmade-valentine-play-doh.html">Play-Doh Valentine</a></div>
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<a href="http://thenerdswife.com/handmade-valentine-play-doh.html"><img alt="Play-Doh Valentines" src="http://thenerdswife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Play-Doh-Valentines-500x750.jpg" /></a></div>
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By: <a href="http://thenerdswife.com/handmade-valentine-play-doh.html">The Nerd's Wife</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.iheartnaptime.net/printable-school-valentines/">Goldfish Valentine</a></div>
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<img alt="OMG these are too cute! "I'm glad we're in the same school" free Valentine printable from iheartnaptime.com . Print out and put in a plastic bag with Swedish fish or Goldfish. " height="400" src="http://www.iheartnaptime.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/fish.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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By: <a href="http://www.iheartnaptime.net/printable-school-valentines/">i Heart Naptime</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2014/01/printable-pencil-toppers-valentines-day/">Pencil Topper Valentine</a></div>
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<img alt="Printable Valentine's Pencil Toppers- perfect for boys. (or girls too!) www.thirtyhandmadedays.com" src="http://cf.thirtyhandmadedays.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/boysvalentinespenciltoppers.png" /></div>
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By: <a href="http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2014/01/printable-pencil-toppers-valentines-day/">Thirty Handmade Days</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.partyblog.mygrafico.com/valentine-bookmark-freebies/">Valentine Bookmarks</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.partyblog.mygrafico.com/valentine-bookmark-freebies/"><img src="http://www.partyblog.mygrafico.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/valentinebookmarks2-321x450.jpg" /></a></div>
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By: <a href="http://www.partyblog.mygrafico.com/valentine-bookmark-freebies/">Party Blog</a></div>
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<a href="http://blog.bitsofeverything.com/2012/02/valentines-and-new-winner.html">You are "Just Write" Valentine</a></div>
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<a href="http://blog.bitsofeverything.com/2012/02/valentines-and-new-winner.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5CWnuwsMT1x6WKEwaqCL21J5D3xWCacuvQn0lSBhrb4ZuxEPJ9cOMT0MmqabIkkOhN-Xz4xIgFDAuPAjIrYCP5Wnf_LOH5XtkD0f-SHAs93oF0kC7IrjgoADVWc08jUxQP7PiEHzCEC8/s1600/Valentines.jpg" /></a></div>
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By:<a href="http://blog.bitsofeverything.com/2012/02/valentines-and-new-winner.html"> Bits of Everything</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2012/01/homemade_valentine_cards/">Heart Bookmarks</a></div>
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By: <a href="http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2012/01/homemade_valentine_cards/">30 Handmade Days</a></div>
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<a href="http://crazylittleprojects.com/2014/02/color-world-valentine-printable.html">Crayon Valentine</a></div>
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<a href="http://crazylittleprojects.com/2014/02/color-world-valentine-printable.html"><img alt="You Color My World Free Printable Valentine's Idea" src="http://cf.crazylittleprojects.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Youcolormyworldvalentines.jpg" /></a></div>
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By: <a href="http://crazylittleprojects.com/2014/02/color-world-valentine-printable.html">Crazy Little Projects</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/classroom-valentines-3/">Applesauce Valentines</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/classroom-valentines-3/"><img alt="Clever Valentine-sayings: You're Awesome Sauce " height="400" src="http://www.deliacreates.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Awesome-Sauce-Valentines-7-of-17.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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By: <a href="http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/classroom-valentines-3/">Delia Creates</a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-23542238537978547752014-12-03T06:00:00.000-08:002014-12-03T06:00:11.079-08:00December Teaching Bingo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's time to play December Teaching Bingo! How many of these could you mark off?</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-6497126020493073102014-11-26T15:26:00.001-08:002014-11-26T15:28:27.443-08:00Christmas Storybook Countdown + TPT Super Cyber Sale!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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December is always a fun and stressful time for teachers! I love seeing the magic of the season through my students eyes but, I don't quite have enough energy to keep up with their level of enthusiasm for an entire month!<br />
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I always find that it is nice to have some quiet, calming activities to do during the day to help the students calm down, and to give me a little break too! One of the calming activities I love to do with my class is to have a read aloud just for fun. I let the students lay down on the rug while they quietly listen to the story.<br />
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To add some extra fun you can do a Christmas Storybook Countdown advent calendar. At the beginning of December wrap one storybook for each day of school until Christmas Break. Then, when it is time for the daily read aloud choose a student to come choose a book to unwrap. The privilege of choosing and unwrapping the book each day can be a great incentive for good behavior!<br />
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You can get books for your Christmas Storybook Countdown at the library, from thrift stores, parent donations or on amazon.com. I have included a few of my favorite Christmas/Winter/Holiday stories below.<br />
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<b>Some of My Favorite Christmas/Holiday Books:</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase a book through this link Amazon will pay me a small cut to help support my blog and TPT store at no extra cost to you.)</span><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399257845/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0399257845&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20&linkId=JOXIHTY6JN2H5TXC"><br /><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0399257845&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=swelitthi-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0399257845" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761452982/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0761452982&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20&linkId=6YFRUET3FS65JT4I"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0761452982&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=swelitthi-20" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0811818071" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1589800540/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1589800540&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20&linkId=24BA56AZF5UJLWMO"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1589800540&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=swelitthi-20" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1589800540" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670011614/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0670011614&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20&linkId=5G3V2QIP6BPQ2HNI"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0670011614&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=swelitthi-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0670011614" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545121191/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0545121191&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20&linkId=GWXKUO3SWN57Q2RA"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0545121191&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=swelitthi-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0545121191" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N4FX52S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00N4FX52S&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20&linkId=TRZ36CCWBK23K53H"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00N4FX52S&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=swelitthi-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00N4FX52S" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399234446/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0399234446&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20&linkId=2HYIW45HJHKN3GZG"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0399234446&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=swelitthi-20" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0399234446" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0394800796" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0395389496/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0395389496&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20&linkId=YHQPBUF7JCBDUSS7"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0395389496&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=swelitthi-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0395389496" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-The-Primary-Grades"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUotTOzWrIoqHK4q390N8VOVOFLPb4yTQCL6Pl1Ye5X0Dn5Cc78KcVciZP2PuH_9hvSvmH81TzIQfkT4F7VD2VH4i-nPc9_PjRFqfY6E44sgV12aGwMoU527zaTHOSinUgnhyphenhyphenY-NLEe0/s1600/sale_300_250.jpg" /></a></div>
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While you are getting ready for December don't forget that Teachers Pay Teachers is having a Super Cyber Savings Sale on Dec 1st and 2nd. Use the coupon code: TPTCYBER to save 10% off. Everything in my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-The-Primary-Grades">store</a> is an additional 20% off for a total of a 28% discount.<br />
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This sale would be a great time to buy some of my fun December products at a huge discount!<br />
<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Prompts-for-Beginning-Writers-December-966906" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Prompts for Beginning Writers (December)" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Fill-in-the-Blank-Sentence-Completion-Writing-Prompts-December-073782200-1383978666/original-966906-1.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Math-Place-Value-Mystery-Pictures-998131"><img alt="Christmas Math Place Value Mystery Pictures" src="http://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Christmas-Math-Place-Value-Mystery-Pictures-086809400-1385586718-1416862407/original-998131-1.jpg" /></a> <br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Math-and-Literacy-Printables-No-Prep-Common-Core-Aligned-1578049"><img alt="Christmas Math and Literacy Printables- No Prep (Common Co" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Christmas-Math-and-Literacy-Printables-No-Prep-Common-Core-Aligned-1578049-1416881273/original-1578049-1.jpg" /></a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-59382402992875270002014-09-25T12:35:00.001-07:002014-09-28T00:32:26.193-07:00Fun and Free Indoor Recess Ideas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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The weather is already starting to change and with the changing weather comes the dreaded Indoor Recess. Often times going to the gym is not an option, so I created this list of easy no prep indoor recess ideas that can be done in the classroom.</div>
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<b>1. Follow Along to Just Dance Videos</b></div>
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<b>Materials Needed:</b> Projector, teacher computer, internet connection, open space for dancing.</div>
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My students love the chance to play one of their favorite video games at school. I love that they get some of the exercise that they would have gotten at recess.</div>
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Many people have made recordings of themselves playing the Just Dance video game and posted them to You Tube. Others can use these recordings to follow along and do the dances without the video game console. Your class won't be able to earn points and the characters will not react to their movements but my class doesn't mind. </div>
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*Note: Be sure to preview any Just Dance Video you find on You Tube to ensure that the contents are appropriate for your class. </div>
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You can find my collection of Just Dance Videos on my Pinterest board below.</div>
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<a data-pin-board-width="400" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="200" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/jphnt/brain-breaks-and-rainy-day-recess-ideas/">Follow Jordan Piacenti (Teaching in the Primary Grades)'s board Brain Breaks and Rainy Day Recess Ideas on Pinterest.</a><!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --><script async="" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
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<b>2. Board Games</b></div>
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<b>Materials Needed:</b> Enough board games and puzzles for students to share in small groups</div>
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Free time with board games is another of my students favorite indoor recess activities. Games they play frequently at home become fun and new again with a new group of friends to play. At the beginning of the year I ask for donations of unneeded board games from students homes. I also occasionally pick up board games at thrift stores.</div>
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<b>3. Heads Up 7-Up</b></div>
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<b>Materials Needed</b>: Desks and chairs</div>
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This game is an oldie but a goodie. I use this game when my class needs some quite time to rest and calm down before we continue with our day. The class puts their heads down on their desks and closes their eyes, leaving one thumb sticking up. 7 students who are "it" quietly circulate around the classroom and tap the thumb of one of their classmates. Students who are chosen put their thumbs down. After each student who is "it" has tagged a classmate they return to the front of the room and the class puts their heads up. The students who were tagged stand and try to guess which if the taggers chose them. If a student is able to correctly guess who chose them they get to have a turn to tag.</div>
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<b>4. Silent Ball</b></div>
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<b>Materials Needed</b>: A soft ball such as a Nerf Ball</div>
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The players stand up and spread around the room. Once the game starts all players must be silent. The teacher throws the ball to a student and the students continue throwing the ball to each other. A player must sit down if they: 1. drop the ball, 2. they make a bad throw, 3. they talk or make noise. Play continues until only one player remains. The last player remaining gets to start the next round. In order to keep the players who are out quiet and watching the game, my class knows that if the students who are out start talking the game has to stop.</div>
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<b>5. Free Drawing/ Coloring Time</b></div>
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<b>Materials Needed:</b> crayons, markers, colored pencils. blank paper, coloring sheets</div>
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I keep a stack of coloring sheets printed off the internet for emergency indoor recess. My students love the chance to color their favorite characters and see what new coloring sheets I have printed. Other students prefer to just have blank paper and use the time to draw.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-11968008109927119962014-08-11T09:41:00.003-07:002014-08-11T09:41:24.437-07:00My Favorite First Week of School Activities for First Grade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love the first week of school. I am excited, the kids are excited and everything is new. It is a chance for everyone to start fresh. The first week of school is a great time to build a classroom community, practice routines and procedures and just help everyone get to know each other better.<br />
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Below I have listed a few of my favorite activities to do with my class at the beginning of the school year. These activities are easy and fun but they give me a structured way to practice procedures for using supplies, coming to and leaving the rug, lining up and walking in the hallways etc.<br />
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<b>1. Reading First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg</b><br />
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I love this book. My class is always surprised when we get to the end of the book and they realize that the story is about a teacher who was nervous for the first day of school, not a student. After reading this I have my students complete the sentence "On the first day of school I had jitters about_______________." The students realize that everyone is nervous about something on the first day of school. Reading students responses gives me a chance to address some of their fears to help each student feel more comfortable.<br />
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<b>2. Math Scavenger Hunt</b><br />
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On one of the first few days of math instruction I love to take my class on a math scavenger hunt. This activity gets my class excited about math and also gives them a chance to tour and become more familiar with our school building.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTX0ns0W4qfRSYofQVUE8Leaa7uQsArIH5PWZRz0LcfIYdpa048O4gBl-07yYxRvOwDK_VJzHGUczXFlWPvuW4yAvBfbRu2cFQv231bVxF9_riZ2WH_wRggv2tE_VzHz2TVzW8AANbMpc/s1600/chalkboard-304221_640.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTX0ns0W4qfRSYofQVUE8Leaa7uQsArIH5PWZRz0LcfIYdpa048O4gBl-07yYxRvOwDK_VJzHGUczXFlWPvuW4yAvBfbRu2cFQv231bVxF9_riZ2WH_wRggv2tE_VzHz2TVzW8AANbMpc/s1600/chalkboard-304221_640.png" height="200" width="174" /></a>I explain to the class that math is all around us. While we are on a scavenger hunt students look for anything that has to do with math (i.e. numbers on doors, shapes, angles. counting steps, estimating length/ width counting windows etc).<br />
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Before we leave the classroom to go on this scavenger hunt I make sure to tell me class that this is a completely silent activity. Whenever they see something in our school that has to do with math they point to it and give a thumbs up sign. When we return to the classroom I let students share with partners and the whole class the various ways they found math in our school. My students always love the chance to get out of the classroom and this activity doubles as a great time to practice hallway procedures.<br />
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<b>3. Get To Know You Ball Roll</b><br />
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I feel that it is very important for students to get to know each other and find similarities between themselves and their classmates as soon as possible. To do a "Get To Know You Ball Roll," I have my class sit in a circle with legs crossed. I hold a ball. I call a student by his or her name and roll the ball to them. The student who receives the ball must respond with "Thank you (insert name of roller)" and then call another student by name and roll the ball to them. <br />
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After students have learned the names of their classmates I vary this game by having a question for each round. For example one round might be "What is your favorite animal?" and each student must answer with their favorite animal before rolling the ball to another classmate.<br />
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<b>4. Following the Rules or Not Following Rules Game</b><br />
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I always like to turn learning the classroom rules into a game. It helps students become more excited about the rules. First we discuss our classroom rules and why each classroom rule helps us to learn and have a happy classroom. After the class has been introduced to the rules I like to play "Following the Rules or Not Following the Rules?" Each student begins sitting in their chair. I give the class a scenario (i.e. you stand on top of the tables and dance the hula). If the students think this behavior is following the rules they stand up, if they think this behavior is not following the rules they sit down. I try to include many funny and ridiculous scenarios along with realistic ones to keep the students interested. This game is very simple but my students always love to play it. I especially like that it gives an outlet for some of the wiggles that build up during the first few days of school.<br />
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<b>Comment below and tell me: What are your favorite activities to get your school year off to a good start?</b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-40261612495452228282014-06-18T12:21:00.001-07:002014-06-18T12:27:22.365-07:00End of the Year Compliment Book Freebie<br />
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As the school year drew to a close in my classroom, I was looking for a fun way for my students to continue to practice their writing skills while making a fun keepsake they could look back on in years to come and I came up with the idea of a compliment book!<br />
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This activity was perfect for my class at the end of the year but, it would also be great for any other time of the year when your class needs some team building.<br />
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I printed off a cover for each student and glued it onto a sheet of construction paper. Then I stapled two sheets of construction paper along with several blank inner pages (you can use the printed pages provided in the download or just blank paper) to create a book.<br />
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I gave each student a copy of the cover page and let them write their name on the line and decorate the cover. After they finished decorating the students glued the cover page onto the front cover of their book. <br />
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After the students have finished decorating their books its time to let the fun begin. Each student opens their book to the first blank page and places a pencil next to their book. At my signal, the students slide one chair to the right and write a compliment to their classmate. Students continue moving to the right until they have had the chance to write in each of their classmate's books. Make sure that your students know that more than one person can write a compliment on each page to avoid using tons of paper!</div>
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I am so glad I did this with my class. It was so cute to watch the smiles grow on each student's face as they were able to read the sweet compliments the received from each of their classmates. </div>
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Go <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Class-Compliment-Book-Freebie-1282298">here </a>to download this freebie to use in your classroom!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-51160828079956721042014-05-05T16:41:00.000-07:002014-05-05T16:41:52.760-07:00Teacher Appreciation Week Sale + A Giveaway!Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! I was greeted this morning by cute door decorations from some amazing parents. It really brightened my day.<br />
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As my thank you to you I have two gifts for you. The first is that everything in my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-The-Primary-Grades">TPT store</a> will be 28% off tomorrow with the promo code TPTXO. This is a great chance to save some $$$ on resources to get you to the end of the year. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-The-Primary-Grades"><img alt="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-The-Primary-Grades" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh720LI9A9DpDA37I6oGrc2-xPXOW3NKSW17wONYPw-lDvgSstlHZIxkhkhkFzr5RbCgJrNDOc2x0M3iM_nPczalFp3iZW2wiVdDJc2GhbxgiLCqHFbii2w6pjmkdGlNH9kAAjzWFKiE3c/s1600/sale_300_300.jpg" /> </a></div>
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The next gift I have for you is a 10$ TPT Gift Certificate giveaway! This giveaway closes on 5/9/14 at midnight. The winner will be announced here, on my blog, Saturday 5/6/14. Good Luck! Remember to share this giveaway with your teacher friends so they have a chance to win as well!</div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f9aa671/" id="rc-f9aa671" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-4505322228848742362014-04-17T20:00:00.000-07:002014-04-17T20:00:00.342-07:00Free Idea Friday 4/18/14-Place Value<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the first post in a new weekly series I will be starting on my blog. Each Friday I will feature my 5 favorite free ideas, resources or products that relate to a specific topic or theme. This week's theme is Place Value.<br />
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1. The first free resource I have for you is a great You Tube Video by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/CommonCore4Kids" target="_blank">Common Core 4 Kids</a>. This video shows the places in a visual way. My students loved this video. It really helped the idea of place value "click" for a few of my more visual learners.<br />
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2. My second idea, this week, is another great video. This song was great to help my students remember the order of the places. A few students in my class were begging to listen to this again and again.<br />
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3. My next idea comes from <a href="http://mysecondgradejournal.blogspot.com/2011/11/im-such-bad-blogger-but-i-have-goodie.html" target="_blank">My Second Grade Journal</a>. I love her idea of using foam cups as place value sliders. Students can use these cups to practice place value in a center or to quiz partners. To find directions to make these great place value sliders head over to My Second Grade Journal <a href="http://mysecondgradejournal.blogspot.com/2011/11/im-such-bad-blogger-but-i-have-goodie.html">here.</a><br />
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. <a href="http://mysecondgradejournal.blogspot.com/2011/11/im-such-bad-blogger-but-i-have-goodie.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEq6-9tmDUXp9qSxYK-jHQHbj8D0mWsiVRXM39nbvidxL8WV0zd82N-8-09nnj-PaZ-HAWXE2pSS9pIS0nGm-2cv2WB0R3WxhcGz9HaHFoue0_gV_c73CQSrQbjo8vaJmZDo2YGUPLDX1/s320/photo.JPG" /></a><a href="http://mysecondgradejournal.blogspot.com/2011/11/im-such-bad-blogger-but-i-have-goodie.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6wqi5TSrcnJIROL5jqX3Jbhc_HrTi07bxzSgCyLBelSwycn_noR9vCFcJjavVSBmEK2W4w2sMEJHLHGwqQLSBHNScKIKwaXASBFBL1s8cSZGusqm-vpkjQK_OwFRiZ7eNNYIbiEKOsnw/s320/photo+%25281%2529.JPG" /></a><br />
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4. The next resource I have for you is great for your <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">k<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 21px;">inesthetic</span></span>/tactile learners. Students place the fun game using 10 sided die, beads, and pipe cleaners. Students try to get to 50 points by rolling the die and collecting the corresponding number of beads. When students get a group of 10 beads they make a group of ten by string the beads onto a pipe cleaner. For full directions for this game head over to: <a href="http://mrstsfirstgradeclass-jill.blogspot.com/2011/09/place-value-with-beads.html">Mrs. T's First Grade Class</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://mrstsfirstgradeclass-jill.blogspot.com/2011/09/place-value-with-beads.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5ngVdvkqIIQSQtcZj7UXDn4DRYiX4NwZtpjr7kSeJGwDFPYE0KMi4gwdfOmnuNIcjD9jTbprAjVDOd2p7fU0473CcTdZnrOh-BX5XSJ2NGttpw6R0ow4jxRcs9pa7_wSCug1yFzN_7M/s320/DSC02256.JPG" /></a></div>
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5. My final resource for you this week is from <a href="http://www.teachingintheearlyyears.com/2011/08/place-value-tent-cards.html">Teaching in the Early Years</a>. I love her idea for using place value tents to teach place value. I especially love that students can see that the value of all of the numbers and see that the zeros do not "go away," but rather are just covered up by other digits. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teachingintheearlyyears.com/2011/08/place-value-tent-cards.html"><img src="http://www.teachingintheearlyyears.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_19681.jpg" /></a> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-84820117724700731402014-04-01T18:36:00.002-07:002014-04-01T18:37:51.589-07:00Helping Henry Fundraiser<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPR-Z8fLXeNXTTc5w6ntlyYa8y5qmRuyLZeqsOtSij-kx6g9Avkhk_tH1LPCUVzhVWN-1-QXBjd949DKYXJgrS6LoV3ciuchYP2rG8egX4xc0h8uvVt1FGwg83FY2EuwIS2xAFpS4UBkw/s1600/Helping+Henry+Pic.png" height="300" width="400" /><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Helping-Henry-Fundraiser-Bundle-30-products-1187005" target="_blank"> http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Helping-Henry-Fundraiser-Bundle-30-products-1187005 </a></div>
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<span class="">Look at that cute little face!</span></div>
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<span class=""><span class="">Within 48 hours after receiving a vaccination at his 15 month check up, Henry developed cerebellar ataxia, absence seizures and signs of possible brain damage. He has been in out out of the hospital. </span></span></div>
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<span class="">Because of all the hardship Henry and his family have gone through in his short life, I, along with 29 other teachers have joined together and donated well over $100 worth of teaching products for this fundraiser! You can have all of these for your $20 donation to Help Henry! Your donation will go to help Henry’s family pay for the numerous plasma transfusions required to help little Henry get well. </span></div>
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<span class="">Go <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Helping-Henry-Fundraiser-Bundle-30-products-1187005" target="_blank">here to download the pack</a>. Remember 100% the proceeds will go to help Henry's family. </span><br />
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<span class="">This is the product I donated to this bundle which you will get along with TONS of other great products when you donate to help Henry!</span><br />
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<span class=""><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Telling-Time-I-Have-Who-Has-1139881" target="_blank"><img alt="Telling Time-I Have Who Has" src="http://datax.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/I-Have-Who-Has-Telling-Time-Edition-1139881-1396402516/original-1139881-1.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-70701394160053094982013-12-10T21:17:00.001-08:002013-12-10T21:17:01.071-08:00Christmas + a Freebie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whew! The last few months have been so busy I have neglected by blog. Between testing and the craziness of the holidays I have not written a blog post in along time. But, I did find the time to make a freebie for you! <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Gift-Tag-Freebie-1017926" target="_blank">Holiday Gift Tags</a>! I am using these to wrap my holiday gifts for my students. I also plan to print some for my students to use when they make gifts for their parents. Click the picture to download! As always feedback is appreciated.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Gift-Tag-Freebie-1017926" target="_blank"><img alt="Christmas Gift Tag Freebie" border="0" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Christmas-Gift-Tag-Freebie-066265100-1386735866-1386736629/original-1017926-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-46012185562913260252013-10-21T19:51:00.003-07:002013-10-21T19:53:23.661-07:00Adjectives with The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0760727546/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0760727546&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0760727546&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=swelitthi-20" width="195" /></a></div>
The little firsties and I are still working on learning how to identify adjectives. We did a fun activity today with one of my favorite Halloween books:<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0760727546/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0760727546&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20">The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0760727546" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. I love this story about a little square pumpkin who doesn't fit in until he saves the day. This book not only teaches children that they should not judge others by the way they look, but it is also full of adjectives! I was so glad I thought of a way to tie it in to our curriculum rather than simply using it as a read aloud. My stack of Halloween picture books I want to read aloud is way to loud to get to them all!<br />
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<a href="http://content.mycutegraphics.com/graphics/apple/big-apple.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Big Apple" border="0" height="200" src="http://content.mycutegraphics.com/graphics/apple/big-apple.png" width="171" /></a>Before we read the story we reviewed adjectives by brainstorming adjectives that described a pumpkin, an ice cream cone and an apple. After that I started reading<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0760727546/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0760727546&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20">The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0760727546" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Each time the girls heard an adjective I asked them to hold up a finger. Every couple of pages we stopped reading and listed the adjectives they found on the board. My class did so well finding adjectives in this book. I was impressed that many of them were able to identify many more adjectives in the book then I thought they would be able to.<br />
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What fun fall activities are you doing with your class?<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0760727546" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-71513964710095744122013-10-14T12:52:00.000-07:002013-10-14T12:52:00.711-07:00New FreebieMy school is on fall break this week and I am loving the chance to make some new things for my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-The-Primary-Grades" target="_blank">TPT Store</a>. I posted this new freebie today. It has two fun printable Halloween themed games that would be a great addition to your Halloween Party. This pack includes a color by sight word sheet and a word search.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Printable-Halloween-Party-Games-Freebie-926876" target="_blank"><img alt="Printable Halloween Party Games Freebie! Includes a color by sight word page and a word search." src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a6/ff/8b/a6ff8b8d1e0e37a0baa86372b27134c2.jpg" /></a></div>
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Go <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Printable-Halloween-Party-Games-Freebie-926876" target="_blank">here</a> to download this new freebie.<br />
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Don't forget to follow my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/teachingintheprimarygrades" target="_blank">Facebook </a>page to be notified every time I post a new freebie.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-41055377873206357582013-10-07T19:21:00.000-07:002013-10-07T19:21:03.715-07:00Adjectives About Me!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week we tried out this super fun adjectives craftivity that I spotted over at Amy Lemon's <a href="http://stepintosecondgrade.blogspot.com/2011/10/adjective-activities.html" target="_blank">blog</a>. She has the best ideas! <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G8dcpyfaYVs/UlNr_XhbRAI/AAAAAAAAAj0/V5Q6SHYqKrU/s1600/adj.+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G8dcpyfaYVs/UlNr_XhbRAI/AAAAAAAAAj0/V5Q6SHYqKrU/s400/adj.+3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I had my girls (I only have girls in my class this year) brainstorm 6 adjectives that described themselves on a piece of paper. I helped them to correct their spelling and checked to make sure they were really using adjectives. Then they drew a picture of themselves and pasted their adjectives written on cards around the picture.<br />
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We also finished up our Marvelous Me! books we were working on during social studies last week. They turned out super cute. The kiddos were super stoked that their work got put together into a real "book."<br />
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What are you studying this week?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-83005916084044037602013-09-09T18:21:00.001-07:002013-09-10T20:40:30.424-07:00Hallway Procedures <div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Students in Line with Teacher" height="233" src="http://content.mycutegraphics.com/graphics/teacher/students-in-line-with-teacher.png" width="400" /></div>
Hallway procedures are a big deal the first few weeks of first grade! My class and I have been working hard practicing walking quietly in a nice straight line. My little firsties have made a lot of progress over the first three weeks of school.<br />
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Something that has helped my class is reciting a little call and response rhyme every time we get ready for the hall. This rhyme was made up by one of my genius colleagues. I have been amazed by how it has helped my class behave in the hallway.<br />
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Teacher: "Hands are.."<br />
Students: "Back!" (students put arms behind back so they are not touching others)<br />
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Teacher: "Feet are..."<br />
Students: "Together." (Student put both feet together)<br />
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Teacher: "Faces are..."<br />
Students: "Forward." (all students turn to face the front of the line.)<br />
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Teacher" Mouths are..."<br />
Students: "MMMMM..." (Students close mouths and say MMMM.)<br />
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I love this rhyme because it gets each student ends up with their mouths closed at the end. My class knows once they finish the rhyme their mouths cannot open again while in the hall. It is amazing how quiet they are when they are focusing on keeping their mouths "MMMM."<br />
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What are your tips for helping your class behave in the hallway? Let me know in the comments below.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-34663850652383146792013-08-24T13:43:00.002-07:002013-08-24T13:44:01.459-07:00My First Week of School<br />
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I survived the first week of school! I have a great group of students in my class this year. I loved the first week of school but I am glad it is over. This weekend will be a nice chance for me relax and try to get a jump start on my planning for next week.<br />
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One of my favorite activities for the first day of school is reading the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158089061X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=158089061X&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20">First Day Jitters</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=158089061X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> to my class. The girls in my class loved reading the book this year and they were so surprised by the ending.<br />
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After we read the book we talked about the things that we had "jitters" about on the first day of school. We wrote all of our ideas on the board. Then each student completed a worksheet completing the sentence "On the first day of school I had jitters about:__________."<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HREeh3LKwDg/UhkZf_HbKwI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/DpzPOZy6t8Q/s1600/20130819_113508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HREeh3LKwDg/UhkZf_HbKwI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/DpzPOZy6t8Q/s640/20130819_113508.jpg" width="443" /></a></div>
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You can download the worksheet to use with your class<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Eav114aCKgP3X8Ene-E_dxvssRKRshGFfZ-bpa7Du9A/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"> here</a>.<br />
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What is your favorite activity to do during the first week of school? Let us know if the comments below.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-86194523583978131862013-08-16T20:05:00.000-07:002013-08-16T20:05:02.344-07:00Editable Binder Freebie+ Back to School Sale<br />
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Whew! It has been a busy few weeks for me. I just wrapped up two weeks of professional development including Spalding Reading Training (which is a 3 credit masters course) and back to school night. Needless to say I am very tired. I figured many of my fellow teachers are also getting pretty tired prepping for the new school year so I decided that now would be a great time to post a new freebie! Feel free to use these <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-Binder-Covers-831921" target="_blank">Editable Binder Covers</a> to spruce up your classroom for the new school year. There are three different designs included in this pack.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-Binder-Covers-831921" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jODaxs4b5ko/Ug7ksSnuLXI/AAAAAAAAAiA/6ABIEDbsPOY/s400/Slide1.PNG" width="295" /></a></div>
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I also wanted to announce that the TPT Back to School sale will be running from 8/18-8/19. TPT will be offering 20% off all products with the code <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><b> </b><b><u>BTS13.</u> </b>Many sellers will also be running their own 20% off sales. For a total of up to 28% off. This is a great time to buy all the items on your wish lists! I will be running a 20% off sale in addition to the TPT sale on Monday 8/19.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Comment below to let us know how your back to school preparations are going.</span></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-24733642323766838202013-08-08T18:36:00.003-07:002013-08-08T18:36:32.248-07:003 Ice Breaker Games for the Beginning of the Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZThzU0pzpyg/UgMTuDfIRZI/AAAAAAAAAhw/hAnMS4fM344/s1600/Ice+Breaker.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZThzU0pzpyg/UgMTuDfIRZI/AAAAAAAAAhw/hAnMS4fM344/s640/Ice+Breaker.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/3072821281/" style="color: #99bb22; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">stevendepolo</a> at Flickr.com.</em></h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I love playing Ice Breaker Games at the beginning of the year. It is so fun to see my students starting to get to know each other and develop relationships that are going to last the rest of the year. However, when I was looking for Ice Breaker Games to play with my firsties many of the games were too complicated or involved too much writing. So, I developed a list of three Ice Breaker Games that are easy and fun for young students. As an added bonus they require very few materials!</span></h4>
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1. Who is it?</h4>
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Supplies: a rag rolled up with a rubber band, chairs placed in a circle</div>
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Have the students place their chairs in a circle. Have the students go around the circle and state their names for the class. Choose one student to be "it" and have that student stand in the center of the circle. Call out the name of a student in the class. The student who is "it" must try and tag the student whose name was called with the rag. The student who was called must call out the name of someone else in the class before they are tagged. If a student is tagged they become "it."</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drachmann/327122302/" title="Question mark in Esbjerg by alexanderdrachmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Question mark in Esbjerg" height="240" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/139/327122302_bbc4a3935b.jpg" width="320" /></a> </h4>
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">Photo courtesy of </em><span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drachmann/327122302/in/photolist-uUA4G-wTgzo-2gvJoq-2ua1SE-2FNUzm-4rzaQa-4Lo8JA-4S8uZe-559hV3-58vQCQ-5erWNG-5wcfNR-5zEjFG-5DeuzB-5FnRjZ-5GLFEo-5Ttgxf-5Wi8Ay-5YKyQs-65QC9A-69Jw2z-6bF5M8-6egxSJ-6CrL7s-73RQEB-78oUkF-7bB9qU-7mp3wi-7pKJqA-7ssZNn-7vB7fR-7x9bYE-bAd4AH-7LXgpi-bpZtvb-9tMiYv-9tMj4F-8A6i9c-7QpV8y-do8JVU-do8Bez-do8JT3-ao63dG-boWktF-bnVkmv-7Cjh9a-7Co7vW-7Co7Fm-bnTLcg-bnTAzD-bnTATZ/" target="_blank">alexanderdrachmann</a></span><em style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;"> at Flickr.com.</em></h4>
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2. Wall to Wall</h4>
This game is great for helping students to recognize the similarities they have with their classmates and to appreciate the differences that exist in their class.<br />
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To play this game the teacher reads questions that have two possible answers. The teacher designates two different walls in the room to represent the answers. For example the right wall could be yes and the left wall could be no. The students move to stand by the wall that represents their answer to the question. Optional: after the students have moved to the wall that designates their answer have the students discuss their answer with a classmate who had the same answer.<br />
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Before playing be sure to specify that students must not run while playing this game.<br />
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Example questions:<br />
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Do you like pizza? (yes or no)<br />
Do you ride the bus to school? (yes or no)<br />
Do you have siblings? (yes or no)<br />
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3. Bean Bag Toss</h4>
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Have the students sit in a circle. Start the game by tossing a bean bag or soft ball to one of the students. Ask the student a question about themselves (i.e. What is your favorite color?). After the student answers the question have them toss the bean bag to another student and ask a question of their own. Encourage the students to make sure that the bean bag is tossed to everyone in the circle before anyone gets a second turn. Praise students for thinking of original questions rather than just repeating one another student asked.</div>
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Tell me about your favorite ice breaker games in the comments below!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-33985659836760024912013-07-29T18:35:00.002-07:002013-07-29T18:35:45.592-07:00Monday Made-It+ Flash Freebie!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKNZayBZDSqOw8wRrvHAI4jAUmvL-y_Fu62lVFEbuvKbz6yxxoe2T6h3_lwnrWlGRKtnRL2D0FKwvw2jh9tqBrhzVmInFkdtqcvykIUHMqRnsjNLOPp-HTHRAHO_nQebcLCjW00Nu5-Ev/s320/3am_tara_madeitmonday_2013.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Whew! This has been a very busy week. I am glad I had the chance to get so much stuff done since I go back to school on Monday (the kids come on the 19th)! Unfortunately, most of the stuff I got done was things like running errands so I don't have much to show for <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Monday Made IT with 4th Grade Frolics!</a> However, I did get a few cute things made this week. Check them out below!<br />
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Name Sticks</h3>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xHiWp2hXw-0/UfcXkv7dGfI/AAAAAAAAAhI/iiu-DT-Xz-I/s1600/20130729_190931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xHiWp2hXw-0/UfcXkv7dGfI/AAAAAAAAAhI/iiu-DT-Xz-I/s320/20130729_190931.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I plan to use these name sticks to assign class jobs in my library pocket job chart. You could also use name sticks like these for attendance sticks or choice sticks. <br />
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To make these sticks, I just printed out the circles on a piece of card stock. After I cut out the circle, I used hot glue to attach them to popsicle sticks. Rather than writing student's names, you could also write or type student numbers on these sticks to make them reusable year after year. Go <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j2Hmcz27vtUQ3zbroSEiJc1JO_87gInqb_CYBAGCrf4/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a> to print out the circle template and make your own name sticks. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wgs-SoHatSs/UeQpU57J4FI/AAAAAAAAAZc/D_wAvi5l2rw/s1600/101_1442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wgs-SoHatSs/UeQpU57J4FI/AAAAAAAAAZc/D_wAvi5l2rw/s320/101_1442.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Flash Freebie!</h3>
I also got a chance to make some new products for my TpT store this week. <br />
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I finished these alphabet posters in <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Posters-Purple-Blue-Pink-and-Green-Chevron-786083" target="_blank">chevron</a>, <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-SignsPosters-Blue-Green-and-Purple-Stripes-739789" target="_blank">stripes</a> and <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Posters-Light-Blue-Polka-Dots-779103" target="_blank">polka dots</a>. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-SignsPosters-Blue-Green-and-Purple-Stripes-739789" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aZiGpOE1GRE/UfcQFd9fBVI/AAAAAAAAAfo/vJkyKBzoy50/s320/Slide3.PNG" width="246" /></a><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Posters-Purple-Blue-Pink-and-Green-Chevron-786083" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LOuoPD9zgRY/UfcQaTv3A3I/AAAAAAAAAgE/ctPZHHo1GHk/s320/Slide3.PNG" width="244" /></a><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Posters-Light-Blue-Polka-Dots-779103" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8oolqEEunwo/UfcRuBUvo8I/AAAAAAAAAgM/cmBPnIeRUPM/s320/Thumbnail1.png" width="240" /></a></div>
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And I finished these matching labels packs in <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Labels-Super-Pack-Green-Blue-Pink-and-Purple-Chevron-Editable-785985" target="_blank">chevron</a>, <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-Classroom-Labels-Super-Pack-BlueGreen-and-Purple-Striped-713190" target="_blank">stripes</a>, and <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-Classroom-Labels-Super-Pack-Light-Blue-Polka-Dots-777886" target="_blank">polka dots</a>. The best part is they are editable!<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-Classroom-Labels-Super-Pack-BlueGreen-and-Purple-Striped-713190" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7DvZBf-Lq0o/UfcT7vPIOJI/AAAAAAAAAgg/MXyZv_ZsLPk/s320/Classroom+Labels+Pack+ppt3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-Classroom-Labels-Super-Pack-Light-Blue-Polka-Dots-777886" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HkdAulPPXgc/UfcUDWGM-3I/AAAAAAAAAgo/fcfIDLhnHbM/s320/Thumbnail3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Labels-Super-Pack-Green-Blue-Pink-and-Purple-Chevron-Editable-785985" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xi042Zm6zJg/UfcQaXLNyII/AAAAAAAAAgA/VGdkQuvu_-k/s320/Base+Labels+Thumbnail.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LOuoPD9zgRY/UfcQaTv3A3I/AAAAAAAAAf8/4rcoTChBXMo/s1600/Slide3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Wall-Headers-Light-Blue-Polka-Dots-794584" target="_blank">Flash Freebie! </a></h2>
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And last but not least I put up these Word Wall Headers in <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Wall-Headers-Light-Blue-Polka-Dots-794584" target="_blank">polka dots</a> and <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Wall-Headers-Purple-Green-Blue-and-Pink-Chevron-795350" target="_blank">chevron</a> (also included in the matching classroom labels packs). The <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Wall-Headers-Light-Blue-Polka-Dots-794584" target="_blank">polka dot</a> word wall headers will be free for the next 24 hours as a thank you for following my blog! Please leave feedback on TpT.</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Wall-Headers-Light-Blue-Polka-Dots-794584" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SAZMcZiZM7k/UfcP7jQs6KI/AAAAAAAAAfk/0mBjJ7JIdBY/s320/Picture1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-79243126757179476202013-07-21T22:55:00.000-07:002013-07-21T22:58:17.447-07:00Monday Made It- Paper Medallion Fan Table Signs <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BIm-F0mBiQw/UezIXj4ZjaI/AAAAAAAAAfA/9y7-O9ikSy8/s1600/20130721_234632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BIm-F0mBiQw/UezIXj4ZjaI/AAAAAAAAAfA/9y7-O9ikSy8/s400/20130721_234632.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I am linking up with <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">4th Grade Frolics</a> for Monday Made-It to share these fun table signs I made. I love the way these signs add color to my classroom. You can use them to label table groups, or centers areas. You can also just make these fans without labels to use a super cute decorations!<br />
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Here is what my fan looks like before I put the label on: It would be a super cute to just use it plain for decoration!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxpPVgMmxuA/UezBN0rqKnI/AAAAAAAAAdY/XLZuKUVR0AA/s1600/20130721_193024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxpPVgMmxuA/UezBN0rqKnI/AAAAAAAAAdY/XLZuKUVR0AA/s320/20130721_193024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is how the signs look hanging in my classroom:
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z9Jd3FO9aWs/UeyGagj3BvI/AAAAAAAAAdI/U4n9-CuNbas/s1600/table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z9Jd3FO9aWs/UeyGagj3BvI/AAAAAAAAAdI/U4n9-CuNbas/s640/table.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
To make your own paper fan signs you will need:<br />
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-5 sheets of 8.5x11 paper for each fan in a color of your choice<br />
-White glue or hot glue (both work fine but I prefer hot glue)<br />
-A single hole punch<br />
-String or yarn for hanging<br />
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1. First make accordian folds in each of the five pieces of paper. For a slightly larger fan fold the paper horizontally (this works best for using the fans as signs) for a slightly smaller fan fold the paper vertically. I fold mine horizontally so I have room for a bigger label in the center of my sign.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ha6uDnzohQ/UezCnm0zQmI/AAAAAAAAAdw/E1Ko_DgpuAA/s1600/20130721_191852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ha6uDnzohQ/UezCnm0zQmI/AAAAAAAAAdw/E1Ko_DgpuAA/s320/20130721_191852.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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2. Now, fold each of the folded pieces of paper in half. Add glue (either hot or white) to the middle of the fold and press the two sides together. Your paper should now look like "pie slice."<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DlwoV17KplQ/UezCpElY5GI/AAAAAAAAAeE/XaOLujV6UZM/s1600/20130721_192006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DlwoV17KplQ/UezCpElY5GI/AAAAAAAAAeE/XaOLujV6UZM/s320/20130721_192006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The finished "pie slice:"</div>
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3. Next, glue the edges of your "pie slices" together to make a circle. I found it easiest to glue the slices together when they are smashed together. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m_Bp0b3M5Ws/UezCqBKH33I/AAAAAAAAAeU/6cy_p7pnLV4/s1600/20130721_192813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m_Bp0b3M5Ws/UezCqBKH33I/AAAAAAAAAeU/6cy_p7pnLV4/s320/20130721_192813.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is what my fan looked like when all of the "slices: are glued together before I glued the last edge to complete the circle:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nN8QBARSkPE/UezEdbf-ZLI/AAAAAAAAAew/qLQqv13_5hU/s1600/20130721_192916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nN8QBARSkPE/UezEdbf-ZLI/AAAAAAAAAew/qLQqv13_5hU/s320/20130721_192916.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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4. If you wish add a label to the middle of your paper fan. When hung from the ceiling these fans will spin, so I added a label to both sides of mine. Go <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XxaiTo76BDmVlL4lg0DUpja8cmmStgfcJnESZn_GDCQ/edit" target="_blank">here</a> to print the table labels I used for free! Glue the label onto the center of the fan. If you are labeling both sides of your fan make sure that the labels face the same way!<br />
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5. Punch a hole in the top of your fan and add string for hanging. <br />
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That's it! <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-87581062284842703062013-07-20T22:16:00.000-07:002013-07-20T23:11:00.997-07:00New Blog Name!+SaleYou may have noticed my blog is no longer called Sweet Little Things. I made the change from Sweet Little Things to Teaching in the Primary Grades because I felt the new title would make it easier for readers to understand what kind of content I offer.<br />
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To celebrate the new blog name I am having a 20% off sale for the next four days! <span style="font-size: large;">Everything</span> in my TpT store is included in the sale! Click the picture below to be taken to my TpT store. <br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-The-Primary-Grades" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zM8awsQRhjQ/Uetub1RoE2I/AAAAAAAAAbo/xqNc5gmqY5E/s320/20+percent+off+sale.png" width="320" /></a><meta name="p:domain_verify" content="b9157a36f3953b522b5eaa4c72ca2388"/></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04413088644311563357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865318410352400527.post-26812671569386632042013-07-19T16:45:00.005-07:002013-07-19T16:45:52.931-07:00New School Year's Resolution<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aOjXXfQ6FqwldOx11iggf0NSkAr0jh79kwMFGxIwIfk0KxECWQghMXTK8Wzg1aSmGCG8ZD1aFgsf4NBDvoxIRULqPBBOGaRf-nigk8gcnVMzT0t8vZ1kGVpFCE6mwWzlDpOurnKoeoY/s400/new+school+year+resolution.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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The new school year is getting closer and closer! I am excited for the new year to start but sad that my summer seems to be over so quickly. I have spent a lot of time thinking about what things I want to focus on improving in the next school year (its a long list). So, I am linking up with <a href="http://3rdgradetheatrics.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">3rd Grade Theatrics</a> to share my resolution with the blogging world. </div>
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I have lots of things I would like to improve in the coming school year but I decided to focus on two main resolutions so that I can focus on them and hopefully make a lot of progress towards them. </div>
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My first resolution is to have increase the amount of positive notes I send home to parents. I tried to send home as many positive emails as possible last year but when things got busy it fell to the bottom of my to-do list. I am excited that my school is requiring me to send at least one positive parent email per month this year because it will help me make this a priority. I hope to send home one positive email a month along with some less time consuming positive notes such as the ones below I found on <a href="http://pinterest.com/jphnt/boards/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>.</div>
I especially love the behavior bracelets! I think they are so cute and the kids would be so proud to wear them.
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My second resolution is to work to create a stronger community among my students and promote kindness in my classroom. Next year I will be teaching a classroom of all girls so it will be especially important for me to ensure that all the students in my class feel safe and are able to learn. <br />
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I plan to accomplish this resolution a couple of ways.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933916168/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1933916168&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1933916168&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=swelitthi-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1933916168" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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First, I plan on reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933916168/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1933916168&linkCode=as2&tag=swelitthi-20">Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=swelitthi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1933916168" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Carol McCloud in the first week of school. This book tells students that everyone carries and imaginary bucket. This bucket is our self esteem or how we feel about ourselves. When people are kind to us, they help to fill our buckets. When people are mean to us they "dip" from our bucket. <br />
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I love this book because it really makes students think about how they feel when someone is mean to them. It helps students to realize that their peers feel the same way as they do when unkind things are done to them. Additionally, this book give students ideas of how they can "fill the buckets" of those around them by doing things such as smiling, including those who are left out and complimenting others. I plan on referring back to this book frequently through out the year.<br />
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<img alt="marbles2" height="195" src="http://www.clipartlord.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/marbles2-300x294.png" width="200" /></div>
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Second, I plan on assign a "Kindness Recorder" as one of my class jobs each week. The job of the Kindness Recorder will to watch for acts of kindness among the students of our class. When the Kindness Recorder spots an act of kindness they will talk to the student who completed the act and say: "I am adding a marble to the class bucket because you_____." The Kindness Recorder will then put a marble in our class bucket. We will have a special class activity when our class bucket is full. </div>
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