First Guest Post & a FLASH Freebie!

I am so thrilled that I have a guest post over at All Things Upper Elementary! Please go check it out by clicking the images below:

For the fun of it all, I wanted to offer a FLASH FREEBIE to celebrate. This will be available for ONE hour *until 8:30* :) It is a 5th grade standards vocabulary Easter activity! Click image:

Hip Hop Easter's On Its Way SALE item & Freebie!

Wanted some fun and creative ways to learn, so I created this HIP HOP Easter set for grades P-1 (math and literacy activities). I sure hope someone can use them!! I have included a freebie along with it!! Enjoy!! Click the images...

This Spring/Easter Math and Literacy set is a creative way to get students up and moving, while learning the basics. These activities can be introduced and used during whole group or small group instruction. They can later be used as reinforcement in independent centers.

The set includes the following:

* 6 different colored bunny ears, feet, noses (to create hip hop fun)
* Directions for each activity below:
* Bunny Hop Musical Game (similar to musical chairs)
* Bunny Hop Story & Retelling Activity (PLUS worksheet for reinforcement)
* Bunny Hop I Spy a Sound (Beginning, Middle, and Ending Sounds) Activity (PLUS worksheets for independent practice)
* Bunny Hop Addition Activity - 2 ways to play (PLUS recording sheets)
Bunny Hop Subtraction Activity - 2 ways to play (Plus recording sheets)
* Bunny Hop Writing Activity (PLUS worksheet included)
* Bunny Hop One more, One less Activity (PLUS worksheets and number line included)
* Addition Facts (on bunny feet)
* Subtraction Facts (on bunny feet)
* Number cards (on eggs)

Thank you for supporting our classroom with your purchase!!

SALE ITEM - CLICK IMAGE 

FREEBIE - CLICK IMAGE

Are you feeling LUCKY?

With St Patrick's Day quickly approaching, I still wanted to challenge my students to use figurative language on a regular basis. They have worked on reading logs all year (their only homework), but to change it up they will be working on building these figurative language skills. They still get some of the types mixed up, only because most of these are new to them this year (although I did look back and saw that figurative language begins in 3rd grade with discussing literal and non-literal meanings). Here is a fun way to practice these skills (see below):

Are you feeling lucky?? You have the opportunity to win this set for FREE if you link up with me for my NEW linky this coming Wednesday!! Check back Wednesday for more details!

{Click image to see more}

Thank you in advance for supporting our classroom with any purchase you make!

Close Reading Questioning...

Sometimes students think they are close reading, but they are only rereading. There needs to be a purpose when you close read. In addition, you have to look deeply at the message the author is trying to convey. This set allows students to think about different aspects of a text by asking specific questions to guide them in the close reading process.

This Close Reading Poster and Recording sheet set was designed to assist students in the close reading process. These activities are most suitable for grade 3+

This set includes the following:

* Poster Title "Close Reading Marks"
* 6 Chloe Reading Mark posters
* 14 Question Yourself While You Read Posters
* Close Reading Marks Recording sheet
* Close Reading Topics Recording sheet (author's point of view, evidence to support claims, etc.)
* 2 Close Reading Question Yourself While You Read recording sheets
* 1 Blank sheet (for personalization write in)

Recording sheets can be used with ANY close reading. 

**Do not forget the FREEBIE tomorrow**

Click the image to check out the set:

Take a Journey Through a Text!

We all want our students to read, but wouldn't it be great to have them REALLY read and dig deep into their texts?

I am extremely excited about this newest creation, as it will be VERY helpful in the next few weeks for review and assessing what kids know and are able to do {or not do}. We have some board members and business folks visiting a couple of classrooms (MINE included). During their visit, they want to see how we are utilizing technology. Well, I need to review during this time and touch on some areas with a few students who are not grasping certain skills. With this in mind, I wanted to create something of quality that can be used time and time again.

Putting all of that in perspective, I designed the "Take a Journey Through Your Text" activity set to allow students the opportunity to close read and dig deeper into a text in a variety of ways.

This was created to be used on multiple occasions & can be used with ANY text. These activities are most suitable for grade 3+

This "Take a Journey Through Your Text" close reading activity set covers the following standards:

Grades 3+
* ELACC RL1
* ELACC RL2
* ELACC RL3
* ELACC RL4
* ELACC RL6

* ELACC RI1
* ELACC RI2
* ELACC RI4
* ELACC RI5

This set includes the following items:

* Directions for Show What I Know Tech Method
* Directions for Text Journey (paper/pencil format)
* Show What I Know Menu # 1
* Show What I Know Menu # 2
* Rubric for Show What I Know Tech Method
* Rubric for Text Journey (paper/pencil format)
* 13 Journey pages including:
* Figurative Language
* Inferences
* Textual Evidence/Main Idea
* Textual Structure
* Vocabulary
* Sentence Structure
* Visualization
* Context Clues
* Summarizing
* Theme
* Character Analysis 
* Point of View

Each activity calls for students to close read in order to site evidence in various ways, touching on each of the standards above. This is a great assessment activity, could be used as homework, or to just enhance your lessons along the way. 

Click the image to take a closer peek!

Signs of Spring & Mini-Contest

It has been warmer since last week's WINTER BLAST! This warmer weather is making me think about SPRING! Yay! Spring also means allergy trouble for me, but I love the warmer weather too much not to be excited. :)

With signs of Spring in the air, I wanted to share a couple creations that are more Spring Themed:

Comment below (leave an email address)

and follow me on TpT to enter to win one of the below sets for FREE!

{Your choice of which item}

Drawing will be held on Sunday!

{Click each to visit page}

 

Five for Friday

In addition to spring on my mind... Let me share Five for Friday from Doodle Bugs Teaching!!

Been enjoying all of this post-winter storm weather. Outside time with my family is SO important!

Stressing a little that I have had 4 winter days and then a week of Winter Break out of the classroom. Don't get me wrong, I love time with my family, but I needed those FOUR days to conduct a MOCK writing assessment. Now, I am super pushed for time, because on top of that, we have some mock CRCT testing to do for the state in math... eek! The 5th grade State Writing assessment is March 5th, so it is GO time when I return Monday!

On top of creating new materials, I have also been preparing items for an upcoming Kids Consignment sale (for the beginning of March). Inputing items, tagging, items, etc.

Happy about the upcoming weather forecast AND the fact that I get to wear my FLIP FLOPS this week! Oh boy, that means I need to pedicure my toes..

Excited to begin a NEW linky beginning NEXT Wednesday. It is always my goal to walk closer to and have a close relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. To help me (and maybe others) focus more on HIM, I wanted to do a little something as a mid-week refresher. I hope you will join me in order to...

I am also enjoying the Sharing is Caring Sunday each week and the fact that people really appreciate it. Let me know what you think about it, and if you feel it is beneficial. 

Longest break ever... and Turtle Time

We had 4 days of snowy weather out of school and then winter break right after that... Feels as if I haven't been in the classroom for AGES!! Cannot wait to get back at it! In the meantime, I have been spending time with my family and doing a little creating here and there.

As a 5th grade teacher, and having been a Kindergarten teacher, my heart just breaks when students make it all the way to 5th having difficulty reading. I truly believe this began in K and 1st grade. As I was thinking about what a STRONG foundation our students need, I thought back to an activity I did in Kindergarten, which inspired this newest creation. Back then, I found little turtle clip art, printed them and pasted them to craft sticks. We used them to help us SLOW down and stretch each individual sound when blending sounds to read words. This was a hit with the children, as they were very eager to grab a turtle during "turtle time" reading during small group. I wanted to add a little touch to this idea by creating reading cards and practice sheets to assist in building this foundation. You can find the following in my TpT store. Don't forget to come back each Sunday for a Sharing is Caring Sunday Freebie!!

This Turtle Time Set helps students SLOWLY stretch sounds in order to blend and read words. This set includes the following:

* Directions for Use
* Turtles (assemble onto craft sticks)
* 4 Worksheets for practice
* 56 Blending cards (Real Words with picture representation)
* 56 Blending cards (without picture representation)
* 58 Nonsense word cards

This activity is great for small group introduction and then moved into an independent center activity. 

Thank you for supporting our classroom with your purchase!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Blending-Sounds-Stretching-Sounds-Slowly-1123833

Sharing is Caring Sunday ~ Love is in the Air ~

Just wanted to spread a little love... Here is my most recent item I posted in my TpT shop. It will be FREE today ONLY! Please spread the love by sharing this page with others. Thank you! Click on the image:

Figuratively Speaking...

The more we work with figurative language (FL), the better my students get with it. We have been reading Out of the Dust and pulling our different examples of different types of figurative language. By the end of our reading each day, they must have pulled 2 different examples from the text, decide the type, tell how they determined the type, and explained the meaning. When we first began, students were getting them mixed up. After a week and a half for practice and stopping and modeling with the students, they are getting MUCH better!! Now, I want them to work more independently with digging deeper to understand the different types of figurative language. Here is a set I created to allow students to work with and dig deeper... Students will read a short passage, find 2 examples of FL, and explain how they determined the type. In addition, they will 'HUNT' for FL in their text (any text) and do the same. It is not only important to identify FL, they must be able to explain the meaning AND explain how they know it is that particular type (I do not want them guessing)! Visit my TpT store to grab a copy! Thanks!

Retelling Stories using 'Key' Ideas

This is a fun and creative way to have students retell key ideas from stories (K & 1st grade CCRL2). 

ELACCKRL2: With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, 
including key details. 

ELACC1RL2: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate 
understanding of their central message or lesson. 

After reading a story aloud, have students write key details on the key templates. One key detail per key. They can write on one side and illustrate on the other. **Note: I would copy keys on thick paper or card stock**

Once they complete each key detail, they cut the keys out and string them on either a chenille stem, pipe cleaner, ring hook, etc. Now, students have their story (in order), so they can retell the key details from the story. Click the image to get a copy from my TpT page. Thanks in advance:)

Morning Message (K-5)

Morning message CAN be a very important learning tool IF it is used correctly. Having a morning message without a purpose is pointless. First of all, why have a morning message time? Teachers have different purposes for their morning message. Many use it to introduce or practice skills. Others use it as a good morning group time message. Some do not really know why they do it, they have just seen it being done and put a message up.

Morning message can be a powerful tool. How? By embedding many skills throughout the message, you can teach and reteach with ease. After thinking a lot about morning message time when I taught Kindergarten, the purpose was primarily for catching writing mistakes. Now that I teach 5th grade, there are many skills that can be touched upon during that time, which will SAVE you time later... and allow you to formatively assess students' knowledge of certain standards.

This is the first set I have made, which is designed for use in K-2nd grades. I am working on a version for grade 3-5, as well. In this 36 week set, teachers can use one message per week. Throughout the week, I have listed certain skills to work on that are embedded throughout each message. Here is a sneak peek. You can purchase this set in the K, 1st, or 2nd grade in my shop at the grade level links above.

Show What I Know Menu

I have seen some menus out there, but I really needed a menu with a technological twist. I created this menu and changed it up a bit to try to fit others. The one I created for myself has actual quotes and information from the text Out of the Dust that we are reading (such a great book, so far)! After reading a bit, I will give the students a few days to work on the tasks. We will use menus occasionally, so they can show what they know or do not know. This way, I can adjust instruction to meet their needs. What I love about these menus is that students can be as creative as they wish (use an app, online program, the typical paper/pencil way, etc.). I just hope that children will enjoy "showing what they know" in creative ways!

Here is a little peek. Please go to the 5th grade link above to purchase. Thanks! If you need a different one, let me know.

*This menu has 6 activities for students to complete:

Figurative Language, Vocabulary, Inferencing,

Textual Evidence, Text Structure, and Sentence Structure -

all with a technology twist or complete typical way*

12 New 5th grade items

I just finished adding some 5th grade items that I made throughout this year, so far. I had been meaning to post once I created them, but time always kept me from doing so! Please check them out by clicking 5th grade above!. Here is a preview: