Ten Fun Facts About Me and A Monday Made-It

It's time for Teacher Week '13 at Blog Hoppin'!

10 (Really Random) Facts About Me...

• I have a serious sweet tooth for cupcakes (especially from Magnolia's Bakery), brownies, and everything sweet. However, I rarely eat my vegetables.
• My dream vacation would be to the Mediterranean.

• I love roller coasters. When I was college, worked at Hershey Park for one day. 
• I'd be happy anywhere there is sand, surf, and sunshine.

• I drink cinnamon coffee every morning.
• I'm extremely ticklish.

• This summer my husband and I started watching Dexter from the beginning. Tonight we are watching Season 6 episode 2. That's something like 60 episodes of Dexter so far - and a whole lot of creepy. 
• I can't live without my kindle or my laptop.

• If I had to eat only one food for the rest of my life it would be homemade baked macaroni and cheese.
• I have the sweetest husband, three great kids, and a beagle named Bailey. I love them all so much!

Monday Made-It: French Memo Board Makeover

This week I decided to makeover my memo board for 4th Grade Frolics Monday Made-It linky.  There was nothing wrong with my memo board except that it didn't coordinate with my classroom or my new desk accessories.  The OCD in me would not allow for that.

Before

Project Supplies

After

I'm pleased with the way it turned out.  I can't wait to tuck pictures into the ribbons and hang it in my classroom.

If you haven't linked up with Blog Hoppin' or 4th Grade Frolics yet, hurry on over and share your own fun facts and Monday Made-It project.  :)

Splat! Long and Short Vowels

My students love playing Splat!  It's a fast-paced fly swatter game.  We use this game to practice sight words, short vowels, long vowels, and blends.  We also play Splat to review vocabulary words.  You can learn how to play the game {here}.  Splat is a big hit in the classroom!

I just added a long and short vowel version of the game to my TPT kiosk. I'm offering it as a flash freebie tonight. 

I have two simple requests: If you like what you see, please leave feedback. Also, please avoid saying "freebie" in your feedback; this item is only free for a short time, and I don't want to confuse others when I price it. Click {here} to grab your copy of Splat and enjoy!

Smile Makers!

Have you heard of SmileMakers?  It's a Staples company, and it makes me smile.  :)

SmileMakers offers a variety of items for the classroom: furniture, craft supplies, games, pocket charts, rewards, and so much more.  I was thrilled when SmileMakers contacted me and asked to review a product.

I chose the Hot Dots: Getting the Main Idea reading comprehension cards, an activity that would offer my students extra practice in an area of weakness.

The kit contains 50 stories of increasing difficulty that can be used with or without the Hot Dots pen.  Students read a passage, then flip the card over to answer four comprehension questions.

There are so many things I liked about this activity.  Let's take a closer look...

Getting the Main Idea Passages

  

A closer look at a passage and the questions              

• I like that the passages are presented in a simple, clean design. Students will focus on the print without the distraction of decorative frills.  
• I like that the cards are picture-free. While pictures offer readers support, most benchmark assessments and standardized tests do not provide picture support. Students need opportunities to practice reading without picture support.
• I love the variety of genres and topics. There are fiction and nonfiction passages.  Some of the topics include dinosaurs, rain forests, famous people, and sports.

Hot Dots Pen

The pen is easy to hold and operate.

• I love how the pen adds an interactive element to this reading activity.  Students receive immediate feedback for their answers.  (I plan to create a sheet for students to record their answers before using the pen to correct their work.)
• The pen has three volume settings: high, low, and mute, as well as three sound settings: voice, sound effects, and a mix of both. 
• The pen will light up green for correct and red for incorrect. This feature is great!  Students can use the pen in the silent mode and receive feedback without disrupting the quieter moments of the day.  Hot Dots will be a great addition to center time!
• The pen is purchased separately and can be used with many other Hot Dots card sets.

The pen tucks away nicely in the box for storage.

Overall, I am so excited to use the Hot Dots activity with my students. SmileMakers has put a smile on this teacher's face.  :)

I'm Blushing!

I just popped in to share that Amy Lemons from Step into Second Grade has featured my Wemberly Worried activity in her latest blog post.

Can you believe that?!  THE Amy Lemons, *celebrity* teacher-blogger!  I'm blushing. I'm gushing.  I'm so excited!  But most of all, I'm super appreciative that she noticed my little TPT product.  Thank you, Amy!

If you would like to grab a copy of this free back-to-school pack, just click the image below.

Hop on over to Step into Second Grade with Mrs. Lemons, check out Amy's lesson plans for the first week of school, and get inspired!

Monday Made It & Freebie

{Technology Edition}

I did it.  I finally opened a TPT store.  It's not exactly a store yet; it would have to have inventory to be a store.  Let's just call it a kiosk.  

My little kiosk has two whole items in it.  The first item is a back to school activity pack for the story Wemberly Worried. 

 

The second item is Splat! - a fly swatter game to practice the first 100 Fry sight words.  

   

My students love playing Splat!  We use this game to practice sight words, short vowels, long vowels, and blends.  We also play Splat! to review vocabulary words.  

• To play the game, I divide my students into two teams.  
• On a large white board I have word cards taped up randomly.  
• One student from each team comes to the board with the fly swatter in hand.  
• I call out a word (or a vocabulary definition) and the students race to locate and swat the word before their opponent.  

To make sure all of my students are engaged in this activity, the rest of the students have white board paddles to record their own answers.  This game is a big hit in the classroom!

I'm offering Splat! as a freebie today.  I have two simple requests:  If you like what you see, please leave feedback.  Also, please don't say "freebie" in your feedback; this item is only free for a short time, and I don't want to confuse others when I price it.  Click {here} to grab your copy of Splat!  

I've also been busy printing and laminating stuff for my classroom.

 

And finally I made bunting to dress up my classroom windows in lieu of curtains.  Cute and much less expensive.  I can't wait to hang it up!

  

What treasures have you made this week?  Link up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics and share.  :)

August Currently

Good Bye, July...Hello August!  And you know what that means...

It's time for Farley's Currently.  Yay!

Listening:  I love fun. radio on Pandora. 

Loving:  I ran The Electric Run in Philly with my daughter and my workout buddy.  It was a night run, so everyone was decked out in neon and glow sticks.  It was such a fun run!

                       

                      Pre-Race

Mid-Race

Have you heard of The SLANT Box Exchange?  SLANT stands for Sending Love Across the Nation to Teachers. It's a monthly gift exchange for teachers.  I love, love, love this idea!

Thinking:  I can't believe it's August.  Slow down, Summer.  I'm not ready for fall.

Wanting:  I need a trip to Banana Republic for B2S clothes.  Love this store.  :)

Needing:  I need to get moving.  Today was my first visit to my classroom.  I have a lot of work to do.  :(

B2S Must Haves:  I must have flair pens, matching desk accessories, a cute planner, and comfy-cute shoes.  

So what's up with you, currently?  Link up with Farley and share.

Back to School Goals

Happy August, sweet friends!  It's time to start thinking about returning to school.  I'm linking up with I {Heart} Recess to share my back-to school goals. 

Personal:  It's easy to fit in a run or work out in the summer, but then school comes around and...well, not so easy anymore.  I'm hoping to keep running and hitting the gym often.

Organization:  I'm OCD about my classroom.  My bedroom closet is another story.  Maybe if I plan my outfits before I go to bed, I can avoid the frenzy in the morning.  I try this every.single.year.  ;)

Planning:  I have lessons all planned out in my head.  I even prep the stuff way ahead of time.  So why do I wait until Sunday night to type it all up?  

Professional:  I have a long list of professional books that I want to read, and I keep adding to it.  Up next, Word Nerds.

Students:  I love my students.  But we all have a student or two who tests us.  Those are the students who are just screaming for a little extra love.  I want to shower them with kindness, patience, and empathy.  I want school to be their happy place.

Motto:  I have this hanging on my computer...

James 1:19 "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."  

I don't get angry, but I talk way too much.  This year, I'm going to be a better listener.  

Have you set goals for this school year?  Leave a comment.  I'd love to read your goals.