Groundhog Day FREEBIE

Just a quick freebie in honor of Punxsutawney Phil.   Looking forward to an early spring!!! Hopefully our groundhog friend got it right!

  Click on the image above to download the FREEBIE.

Father's Day FREEBIES

Yay, summer has arrived and I am beyond excited.  This was a very long school year for me.  Our district underwent a lot of change this year and with that came some growing pains.  I'm sure there will be a lot more changes on the horizon, but I plan to embrace those changes and continue doing what I love.   I especially loved all of my sweet second graders this year and am truly sad to part with them.

It took 11 hours to pack my room this year.  That's pretty crazy!!! Looks like I'm going to have to purge some of my stuff when I return in the Fall.  My hubby is convinced that I'm a hoarder.  He may have a point...perhaps I'm one of those hoarders in denial.  I guess he hasn't heard the saying one person's trash is another person's treasure.  I won't let him know, I was grabbing all the goodies being thrown out by my teacher friends.

 With summer finally here I have a list of a few things I plan to do...

1. Enjoy my FAMILY!

2. REST

3. Blog...my blog has been seriously neglected over the last year!

4. Clean my house

5. Exercise (Maybe this should be higher on the list.)

Today, I tackled #3 on the list.  I worked on a few projects for Father's Day.  I even made some clip art.  I haven't done this since last summer.  I'm surprised I even remember how to do it!

The Daddy Clip Art is a FREEBIE in my TPT store.  Head over here to grab it.

I also made some  DAD Recipe Cards for Father's Day.  There are a few different versions.  You could put a picture on the left hand side or use the version with the frame and they could draw their daddy in the frame.  You can click the image below to get this FREEBIE.

 

 

I also made a coloring page for Father's Day.  Click the image below to download.  Did you notice I used my FREE Daddy Clip Art?

In honor of all these Father's Day printables, I have to share the wonderful daddy to my 2 boys.  I am truly blessed to have him in my life. 

I also want to share my own daddy.  Here he is with my oldest son.  As old as I get, my dad is still there for me come rain or shine.  Love you DAD!!!

Leo Lionni Goodies and a FREEBIE

It's been a BUSY, BUSY school year and I apologize for completely neglecting my blog.  I just finished putting together all my Leo Lionni goodies and I just had to share.  I've been meaning to put these together for years, and I finally squeezed in the time to get it done.  My students just finished these activities and really enjoyed learning all about Leo Lionni.

Here's a peek at the finished product:

 I always make anchor charts for each of the stories we read.   Here are a few:

 

Once my students are familiar with Leo Lionni and his stories, then they are ready to tackle writing their own Leo Lionni story.  I use the FREEBIE below for them to plan their story.

I always write a story along with my class as a shared writing piece.  This is the planning page we completed together:

 
I'd love to give a copy of my Leo Lionni unit to the first 3 readers that leave a comment below.  Please don't forget to leave your e-mail.
(Giveaway has ended)

 

Book Basics and a Sight Word FREEBIE

This is just a quick post to share an update that I just added to my Guided Reading Goodies resource.  I am a bit of a perfectionist (okay, maybe a lot!).  I decided to make editable versions of the Book Basic Cards that I use for Guided Reading.  I currently have mine handwritten, and my handwriting is pretty much driving me nuts.  If I'm going to take the time to laminate them, then they have to be just right.  The resource still has the whole set of cards that can printed and hand-written, but I just added 4 more cards that are editable.  You can't change any of the headings, but you can fill in all the blanks.  You can even change the levels in the top right corner.

Here is a peek at what they look like.  I use them to guide my Guided Reading lessons.  I have about 11 years worth of handwritten cards that I need to convert over to my new template.  That sounds like a fun project (not so!).  The goal is to have a ring for each level.  I go through so many books a year, there is no way I can remember every single book.  This gives me a basic idea of what the book is about and how I want to lead the discussion.  The real magic happens in those teachable moments that happen while reading.

If you have purchased this resource, please head back to re-download the updated file.

I also wanted to share my latest freebie.  I plan on using activity in my Sight word station.  I usually have my students quiz a buddy on their sight words.  I will have them write down any words they missed on this template.  They will keep this page, so they can continue to practice the words they missed at home.  They can check them off as they master them.  I will do a final little sight work check to ensure they are all mastered.  If they master all of the words on a ring, then they are VICTORIOUS!  They will get a punch on the sight word punch card. 

In case you aren't familiar with my sight word rings, they look like this:

They are a freebie in my teacher store.  The file says second grade, but they are not just for second grade.  They are the First 300 Fry words.  You can click here to download them at TPT.
 

Mon-Star Behavior

The school year has gotten off to a great start and I love my sweet class, but right from the start I noticed something else about my little lovelies...they are extremely CHATTY!!! My usual systems of behavior management just weren't doing the trick for this group.  I really don't like whole group consequences. It's fine if they sit out from recess a min. or 2, but this group would have been sitting out far longer than that, and it's really not fair to the ones that are quiet. I mentioned my dilemma to my bloggy buddy Tonya at Tonya's Treats for Teachers, and she shared this blog post from last year.   I loved her ideas and it really got my brain gears turning!

My classroom theme is monsters, so my chart definitely had to have a monster or 2 (or 4) on it.  I really liked Tonya's tally chart, and went with a very similar idea.  I decided to go with check marks and added the amount of recess they would lose at the top.  The recess time at the top is really just  a reminder for me during recess.  During the day, I simply put a check mark every time I have to redirect them for talking.  I keep it on a clip board, so it's handy during the day.   I like that the chart also provides me with an additional form of documentation. I also like that it's more private than a clip chart in the classroom.  The chart really seems to be doing the trick.   We also keep a citizenship chart in our Daily Folders, so this makes it easy to mark folders accordingly at the end of the day.  I simply write in how many check marks they received during the day.  If they manage to turn their behavior around, I do cross out checks on my chart.

Here is a pic of the chart.  It is editable, so you can add your students' names and even change or remove the recess time from the top. The blue portions show the editable fields.

I started with just the chart last week.  This week I knew I wanted to reward my students that didn't receive any check marks.  I decided to go with a mon-star punch card.  I will simply initial a monster at the end of the day if they have no check marks, Once the entire punch card is filled, they will receive a NO Homework pass.  I will probably give them a color changing pencil when they get 5 monsters complete.  The star counts as the 10th spot.

 

If you are in the same boat as me and want to give this a shot, they are both freebies.  You can click either image above to grab the documents. 

 

Author's Purpose Posters

I'm in the middle of a bathroom remodel, and thought I'd sneak away to my computer for just a bit (it was actually way longer than a bit, hopefully my hubby isn't timing me!)  I was looking through my files and realized that I had totally forgot to share something I had made a few months back.   I created these posters as a cute little visual reminder for my students about Author's Purpose.  Here is what it looks like all put together with some polka dot ribbon.

 

I have it hanging next to my smart board at the very front of the class.  That's a sure way to be sure it won't be missed. I decided to use ribbon to tie the pages together, so I can easily grab it and take it to the carpet with me for our read alouds.  I also put a clothespin on the side, so we can mark the correct author's purpose for the story we are reading at any given moment. 

 If you'd like to check it out in my store, simply click HERE.

I also added a new set of desk name plates.  The new set has a notebook paper background.  Both the notebook paper and red versions are available for FREE in my store.  Click the images below to head on over to grab them.

As always, I'd love to give the first 3 people who leave a comment the Author's Purpose resource for free. Please don't forget to leave your e-mail.
 

Computer Choices

I've had this little project on my mind for quite awhile now, and I'm so glad I can finally check it off.   Never mind the fact that just as soon as I check something off, I usually add something new to the list.  That being said, I really love how this little project turned out. This colorful set of cards will hang right next to my student computers. I already have a command hook on each computer, so my cards will hang there perfectly.   I have 3 student computers, so I will most likely go back and make another 2 sets.  Not that my kiddos can't share, but I know it will eliminate a future dispute over someone holding onto the cards too long!

I plan on only including the sites I'd like my students to access.  I will most likely start with just a few.  When I introduce new sites, then I'll add them to the ring.  I have included editable backs for the cards, so usernames and passwords can be added.  There are a few sites that are free, but the teacher may have to register and set up a username before the class can access it.  I generally pick a username and password that I'm okay with my class knowing.

There are also a few sites like RAZ-Kids that require a subscription.  I absolutely LOVE Raz-Kids and would pay for it out of my own pocket if my campus no longer covered it.  It is fabulous for building reading comprehension.  I honestly can't say enough good things about it!  In the case of RAZ-Kids, I have 1 username and they all have their own passwords.  I will fill in the username, but just leave the password blank on the back of the card.

This resource contains many of my favorite sites, but I also reached out to my Instagram buddies for suggestions.  Thank you to everyone who shared their favorite sites.  I am super excited to explore some that are new to me.

Click the image below to download this FREEBIE.

PLEASE let me know what you think of this resource.  I hope you love it and will find it useful in your own classroom.


 

Clip Art and ABC Farewell

It's has been awhile since I last posted.  I've actually been sick and totally exhausted.  I've also given up sugar and sweets, so my lack of soda may have something to do with that exhaustion.  There's only one week left of school, and saying goodbye to my second graders will be so sad.  With goodbyes on my mind, I decided to create End of Year ABC's.  We start the year, with our ABC's of second grade, so I thought we'd end in a similiar fashion.  It's a FREEBIE, just click below.

I also posted on TPT my Color Cuties Clipart.  If you haven't grabbed the black and white set.  You can get them for free here.  Here is a peek at the color set:

I'm off to bed, but I would like to give the color version to the first 3 people that leave a comment.  I will send it your way tomorrow, please don't forget to leave your e-mail.  Thanks :)
 

Writing Portfolios

The year is winding down and it's about that time to start putting our portfolios together.  I actually have two portfolios.  One is filled with their work from all subject areas, and the other is put together into a booklet to create our Writing Portfolio.  Here are pics from the past couple years.  I definitely love using the large, 2 gallon ziploc bags. They fit everything perfectly and their work stays neat and tidy on the way home.

Here is last year's writing portfolio:

I absolutely love teaching little ones to write.  It is honestly my favorite subject to teach.  I LOVE to hear them squeal with delight when I say that we will start a new writing piece today.  I love the  anticipation they have as I start to share my own personal story at the start of each mini-lesson.  I can see their little minds turning as I'm passing out their writing paper.  I definitely think a love for writing is infectious!  You can get the portfolio covers for free by clicking HERE.

I keep all their writing during the year, so it can be compiled into their portfolio.  I include all of their pieces from my Writing Piece of the Month resource. I also include their Poetry Journals, as well as their writing pieces that go along with our Reading Street stories.

When we read, A Birthday Basket for Tia, they wrote about a special birthday. Click the image below to get the FREEBIE.

 I have most of my writing templates on my school computer, I will have to post some of the other writing papers in my next post.  I will also be back to post pics of their portfolios.  I always say I'm going to be more organized with their portfolio work and it just NEVER happens.  I have piles everywhere!!!  If you have any good ideas for storing portfolio work, please share.  I need a much better system.