New Year's Giveaway!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! It's hard to believe it's all over already. I'm so glad to still have another week of vacation!

Do any of you love Scentsy as much as I do?? I received two of the same warmers from students this year and I would love to give one away to one of my readers! Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Holiday Minute to Win It Games-Freebie!

I have been a pathetic blogger lately. I can't even remember the last time I posted. This whole coaching and teaching thing is kicking my butt! 

I went to a cookie exchange today and the host had us play a bunch of really fun Minute To Win It Games and I think they would be great to play with the kids this week. The week before Christmas break is always a struggle to get though, so maybe these games will help! I wish I had pictures of us girls completing these games because it was hilarious!

1. Christmas Ball: use a gift box to fan a Christmas ball ornament onto a piece of wrapping paper.

2. Snowball Toss: throw marshmallows through a wreath and into a bucket.

3. Jingle in the Trunk: attach a tissue box to a belt. Strap the belt around your waste. Put 12 ping pong balls in the tissue box and shake your body to get the ping pong balls out of the box. (This was hilarious to watch!)

4. Face the Gingerbread Man: put a gingerbread cookie on your forehead and try to move it to your mouth without using your hands. 

5. Christmas Nutstacker: build a tower with 8 hexagonal nuts

6. Do you hear what I hear? Fill 6 different gift boxes with a different amount of jingle bells. Shake the boxes to put the boxes in order with the least amount of bells to the most amount of bells. 

These ideas all came from Laughter and Love. My friend typed up all of the directions, so if you are interested in a copy leave a comment with your email and I'll send you a copy!

Campfire Craftivity Freebie!

One of my favorite fall writing projects is Creekside Teacher Tale's' Campfire Craftivity. Tracy at Creekside Teacher Tales has sooooo many great products! I wish I would have posted this earlier, but one of my favorite and the students' favorite Halloween writing projects is the campfire writing. We have been working a lot on descriptive writing and this is the perfect writing project for that. We brainstormed a list of spooky words to include in our writing and also worked on using problem and solution in our writing. Here are some pictures of the final project. 

Click on the image below to download this great freebie!

Write and Compare Larger Numbers Task Cards Flash Freebie

I have another flash freebie for you all! Head over to my TpT store to pick up my newest math task cards. These cards cover C.C. 4.NBT.2, write and compare larger numbers. Click on the picture below to download them :) They will be free in my store for the next few hours!

Place Value Task Cards Flash Freebie

This Common Core math stuff is killlllllling me! Does anyone else have parents constantly calling saying they don't understand the math and want you to explain it to them? So now, not only am I teaching the students, but I'm teaching the parents too! Ughhhhh! It has got to get easier at some point..... right??

We have moved onto multiplying bigger numbers and teaching the different strategies and it is going ok, but I decided to do a review of some place value on Friday and YIKES! Half of my students don't remember how to compare place values. So I created some task cards that we will be working on this coming week. They are up in my TpT for free for the next few hours. Feel free to snatch them up now :) If you download them, I would love for you to leave me some feedback on TpT. Thanks!

Autumn Themed Story Problem Task Cards Flash Freebie

My new autumn themed story problem task cards are free in my TpT store until I switch it to a paid item tomorrow morning! Click on the picture below to head over to my store and download. I would love for you to leave me feedback at TpT if you download them. Thanks!

November TpT Freebies!

I have been looking for November freebies on TpT today, and I have found some great ones that I want to share with you all!

What great November/Thanksgiving activities have you found?

Halloween Multiplication Flash Freebie!

Happy Sunday everyone! What do you do in your classroom to celebrate Halloween? I am trying to fill this week with some fun, yet educational Halloween activities and today I have a flash freebie for you! I created some Halloween multiplication cards. I plan on using this as a partner game to practice our multiplication. You can grab this activity at my TpT store for free today only. If you download, please leave me some feedback :) Click on the picture below to download!

Stitch Fix Review!

Have you heard of Stitch Fix? It is basically an online personal shopper. I absolutely hate to shop, so when I heard about it from another blogger, I knew I had to check it out! 

You sign up at Stitch Fix and fill out a pretty long survey about yourself. They ask for your sizes, body type, style, etc. and then once a month, or as often as you wish, they send you 5 clothing items based on what you filled out on your survey. You pay  $20 upfront as a styling fee, but then the $20 can be applied towards anything you buy. The nice part  is that anything you decide not to keep can be sent back in a prepaid envelop.  If you choose to keep all of the items, you receive 20% off the total purchase. I have used it 3 times now and have not been disappointed yet. 

Here are the items I received this time:

I didn't think I would like this top, but when I tried it on it was really cute! I like the high-low cut of the top. Unfortunately, it was a little too expensive so I didn't keep it.

I loved this top. Perfect for school, so I kept it!

I liked this one too, another good top for school! Kept this one. 

This was my favorite! It is not real dressy, but will be perfect to wear on Friday jean days!

These I didn't care for. I'm really picky about my jeans so I chose to send these back. 

Have you tried Stitch Fix? Did you have good luck with it?

"I Can" Statement Winners!

I decided to give a copy of the 5th grade "I can" statements to everyone who left a comment yesterday. Karen H., Rose, and Diane I already emailed yours to you. Karen K., Lisa B., and Irina, you guys are no-reply bloggers so please comment below with your email and I will send a copy of the statements to you!

P.S. If you are a no-reply blogger, Google how to change it! It makes emailing back and forth with bloggers so much easier :)

Hope everyone enjoys this beautiful Sunday!

5th Grade "I Can" Statements-Possible Freebie!

A co-worker asked me to create some 5th grade "I can" statements so here they are! Leave a comment today and tomorrow I will choose two followers to receive a free copy of them! 

Have a great weekend!

"Appy" Hour Linky Party-Educreations

Today I went to a workshop that my principal had asked me to attend. Honestly, I didn't really want to go, but I'm glad I did! I learned a lot, and I'm excited to try some of the stuff I learned.  I will share more on what I learned later, but for now I want to share an app that the speaker today discussed. 

I was super excited to see that Tobi, from Shearer-ly Sadler 4th Grade was hosting an app linky party today, how perfect is that!

Has anyone heard of Educreations? It is an app that allows students and/or teachers to create presentations. The speaker showed us some examples of how she has had students use it for writing projects, especially for students who have trouble actually writing their thoughts. This program allows students to speak and then it records them. It also lets them draw pictures or add pictures from a computer to whatever they are speaking about.  The speaker said she has used it herself as a tool to present lessons. The website also has videos that other teachers have posted on various topics that could be shown to students. Unfortunately, I do not have an Ipad for my classroom but the website says that this program will also work through a Smartboard. 

I have not personally used this program yet, but I can see how it could be used in a lot of different ways. I'm excited to give it a try and will definitely post any projects I create! What apps for the classroom have you discovered?

Point of View Activities!

I haven't done a whole lot with point of view in the past, but this year in our most recent Storyworks magazine ( btw I LOVE this magazine!) there was a poem that was perfect for introducing point of view! The poem is called Theme in Yellow by Carl Sandburg. This poem is written in first person, through a pumpkin's viewpoint. You can see the poem by clicking here. 

We then used a great freebie that I found on TpT by Chrissy Beltran. This resource has definitions and examples of the first and third person point of view. Click the picture below to download this great product!

We also added the term point of view to our reading notebooks. We are using Nicole Shelby's Interactive Reading Notebook and I LOOOOOVE it!! If you don't have it already, I highly recommend heading over to TpT and purchasing it! It is an excellent resource. It is really helping me make sure I am covering all of the CC standards. 

Here is a picture of what we added to our notebooks. 

I also read The Day the Crayons Quit by  Drew Dewalt. Such a cute story told through the crayons' point of views. 

This week I plan on having my students write their own stories through an objects point of view. 

What activities do you use when teaching point of view?

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin

I am always looking for new read alouds, and I found one that I absolutely love! The book is called Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff. This is such a cute fractured fairytale of the story of Rumpelstiltskin. Here is a summary from Goodreads.com:

"In a magical kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone's joke. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. Rump discovers he has a gift for spinning straw into gold. His best friend, Red Riding Hood, warns him that magic is dangerous, and she’s right. With each thread he spins, he weaves himself deeper into a curse.

To break the spell, Rump must go on a perilous quest, fighting off pixies, trolls, poison apples, and a wickedly foolish queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—he just might triumph in the end."

My students absolutely loved this story. They begged me to read more and more everyday! If you are looking for a new read aloud, I would suggest checking this one out :)

Crafting Connection's Giveaway!

I am in a blogging funk, I apologize. But I do have a great giveaway to share with you! Deb from Crafting Connections is celebrating 1,000 TpT followers! Head on over to her blog and enter to win some great prizes!

Enjoy your weekend!

October Currently...Way Late!

Wow, this week wiped me out! Thank goodness it's over! I'm am wayyyy late on linking up with Farley's Currently linky, but here it is.....

 





Listening: Ok, please don’t judge me….I think Miley Cyrus has totally gone off the deep end and needs some serious help, but I am loving her new song, Wreaking Ball. Whatever you do, don’t watch the music video…it is quite disturbing! The song is good though!

Loving: I seriously have the best class this year. They are just such a nice group of kids! It’s going to be a great year!!

Thinking: I am loving this warm weather, but I also love sweatshirt and bonfire weather! Where is it??

Wanting: I posted a while back that my brother was home and was living with me for a while. He went back to California last Monday and my house has been so lonely :(

Needing: My brother got me hooked on Breaking Bad while he was home, and now I am obsessed! I heard the finale was AMAZING so I can’t wait to finish up the other seasons and see how everything wraps up!

 

Trick: My school recently bought a subscription to World Book Online and my students have really enjoyed using it to research! It is a great tool!!

 

 

What are you up to this month??

Feedback Freebie!

Thank you Coreymills and creeser01 for the feedback you left on the product you purchased from my store! Leave me a comment with your email and the item you would like from my store and I will send it to you :)

Feedback Freebie!

Does anyone else get frustrated with the lack of feedback left on your products that people purchase on TPT? I mean come on people, you get credit towards your next purchase for leaving feedback! In an effort to encourage some feedback, I'm going to offer a free product to anyone who leaves feedback on a product they purchased (cannot be a feedback for a free item) from my store. So....if you have purchased one of my products in the past and never left feedback, go do so and you can pick another product from my store for free! If you have one of my products on your wishlist, today would be the day to buy because if you purchase it and leave feedback, I will let you pick out another product! This deal will be good for TODAY only. Tomorrow I will post the names of those who left feedback today and you will be able to pick out another item from my store!  Enjoy this beautiful Sunday!

New Blogger-Shearer-ly Sadler 4th Grade!

I had high hopes of posting a great post on some of the things we did this week, but I just don't have the energy. Instead I want to introduce you to a new 4th grade blogger. If you are like me, you love finding new blogs to follow. Go check out Tobi from Shearer-ly Sadler 4th Grade. 

Happy Friday!!

I Can Statement Winners!

Thanks to all of you who commented on my last post! I decided to give everyone that commented a set of my "I Can" Statements. I will email those out this afternoon! If you missed the chance at the freebie and are still interested, click on the picture below to check them out in my TPT store!

Happy Saturday!!

I Can Statements- Possible Freebie!

Does anyone else have to post Common Core Standards? I remembered reading some blogs this summer of teachers saying they had to post standards, and I thought how glad I was that I didn't have to do that. Well, wouldn't you know....at the last faculty meeting, my principal said we need to start posting standards. Obviously, I couldn't just print out some boring black and white standards or write them on the board. I had to make sure they looked cute! So if you are looking for some "cute" 4th grade "I Can" statements, leave a comment below and I will pick a random comment or two to win a set!

Animal Poster Projects!

Our first unit in science is on animals so we finished up the chapter by making posters. The students had to make a poster that explained invertebrates and each of the vertebrate groups. They completed these in class and they turned out great! They were excited to get to show them off to their peers today. We did a gallery walk and laid the posters out around the room. The students wandered about looking at each of the posters and then left positive feedback for the poster's creator. I made sure all posters received comments and they loved it! They were so excited to leave comments on their classmates' posters and even more excited to look at the comments they received! Here are some pictures from our gallery walk!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let me know if you would like the directions and rubric handout that I created for this project and I can email it to you!



Earth Rounds-Natural Resources Project!

I mentioned in my last post that in social studies my students would be making "Earth Rounds." This hands-on project allows students to see what portion of the Earth is land and water and then what part of the land is inhabitable and uninhabitable. It is also a good way to show students that our resources are limited. This is a free Laura Candler activity. You can find the handout that goes along with this activity here.

 

Here are some pictures of the completed projects!

 

 





Currently September!

Wow! September already? I'm excited to be able to link up with Farley for her monthly currently linky!

 

 

Listening: OMG it just so happens that Florida Georgia Line is playing on the Today Show right now ANDDD they are playing my favorite song ANDDD NELLY came out!!! What a way to start the day!! 

 



Loving: As many of you know, I went to visit my brother out in California last month, well he is back home for about a month! He decided he can work from home for a while, so I now have a new roomie! It has been great having him back!!

 

 

 

Thinking: Mumford and Sons TONIGHT!

  



Wanting: I have had soooo much going on lately that I can't seem to get a good night's sleep! Ughhh

 

Needing: This Common Core stuff  is killing me! I am trying so hard to get my head wrapped around it, but I'm struggling! I just still don't feel like I am teaching math in a "Common Core" way.

 

Last but not least, three goals for myself this month: I have got to get back to the gym and into a routine, I need to work on eating healthier, and I need to make time to stay in touch with friends!

 

Enjoy your LABOR DAY!



A Peek at My Week

I'm excited to be able to link up with Jennifer at Mrs. Laffin's Laughings, for her Peek at My Week Linky!

 

 

 I have lots of exciting things going on this week and I'm excited to share them with you! Just a little warning, most of the exciting things are not school related....sorry!

 

Monday---NO SCHOOL woo-hoo! I really do love my students this year, but that doesn't mean I'm not excited to have the day off. Especially because I get to go to a concert! I'm a little obsessed with Mumford and Sons right now and it just so happens that my aunt has VIP tickets to their concert tomorrow and she didn't want them! So my brother and a couple friends and I will be headed off to INDY to listen to this......

 

 



Tuesday- I took the day off because I will be driving back from Indy. I know what you're thinking...you took a personal day ALREADY?? Yep, I just couldn't pass up going to see Mumford and Sons! So I plan on catching up on housework and those boring grown up things on Tuesday.

 

 

Wednesday-Back to work! I am super excited to get to complete a fun Laura Candler project on resources on Wednesday. We will be completing "Earth Rounds." I did this project last year and the students had a lot of fun with it! This activity demonstrates that only a small part of our planet is inhabitable and that our resources our limited. We have been talking about natural resources and conserving them, so this project ties in perfectly! You can find the Laura Candler freebie by clicking here. Here is a picture of what we will be creating:

 

 

 

 

Thursday-We will be reviewing our place value unit with some great Common Core aligned games from Cynthia Vautrot. You can check them out at her TPT store by clicking the picture below.

 

 

 

Friday-I will be headed back to Indy for another concert on Saturday. On Saturday I will be listening to this:  

 

It's going to be a busy week, but I wouldn't have it any other way! What are you up to this week? I promise to work on having some actual school related posts realllll soon!