Teacher Week '13 - Meet the Teacher

Hey everyone!  I am posting from stormy Wisconsin to bring you my first installment of....

I am so excited to be a part of this week long linky party from Blog Hoppin'!  Each day there is a new theme and I am pretty sure I am down for all of them (except classroom tour -- I am not near my classroom and it isn't picture pretty yet -- but it will be soon!)

So today's topic is Meet the Teacher.  Since I am the new kid in the blogger world, there isn't much that is known about me already.  I thought I would expand on myself and my teaching goals for this year.

That is about it!  So, yes it is storming, but I randomly woke up at 1:30 in the morning (now it is almost 2:30), so everyone is sleeping...and I hate storms!  I will have to calm myself down enough to get back to sleep :(  At least it isn't storming during the day, right?  This family vacation has been a blast:  this place is beautiful and we did so much on our first day already! I can't wait for day two!

I will be linking up on Wednesday, but here is the schedule for Teacher Week '13!

I will try to get in my classroom when we get back and take some pics of my organization ideas in my classroom (I love, love organization!).

My question to you (because I want to meet my teacher followers!): What grade level do you teach and have you always taught it?

Random Sunday

Hi everyone...lots of randoms going on this week, so I thought I would link up with Michelle from Fab-u-lous in First for a Sunday Smorgasbord:

{uno}

Friday, Gracie and I decided to do a simple Mama-and-Me day.

We ate out, did some shopping for daddy at Wal-Mart, washed her hands three times after going potty because the sink was small and just too cool, and went to the Dollar Tree where I found all these die-cuts for 25 cents each.  So, I totally staged the Dollar Tree picture my throwing the die-cuts on top of Grace in the cart and she kept on asking, "¿Más?  ¿Más?"  She kept on throwing them on herself in the cart.  She is just too cute!

{dos}

This is what I get for breakfast in my house.  Veggie cheese omelette with avocado on the side...on a paper plate.  Yes, we're classy like that.

I cannot cook - like, really I can't.  I am a very lucky girl that married a man who can cook and who likes to cook...so this is what I woke up to Saturday morning.

{tres}

We had my nephew, Zachary's, fifth birthday Saturday afternoon.  He really in to Tae-Kwon-Do (he's a green belt!), so it was only natural that he would have his party at the dojo.  We had a really fun time and Gracie got to participate a lot (thanks, Aunt Kelli).   Side props for my hubby the photographer -- he got some awesome action shots!

{cuatro}

We are leaving in a couple of hours for our summer family vacation.  It started off that we were going to Colorado because I have never seen the mountains.  Then we were going to stop at Mount Rushmore because I have never been there.  When my mama was diagnosed with cancer, I didn't want to travel too far so we knocked it down to Mall of America in Minnesota.  We were all set to do it, but I just felt bad going that far with my mom recovering from surgery.  I know my sister is here, but I don't want to be too far if something happens.

So I got a Groupon last week for Lake Lawn Resort in Wisconsin and our family vacation was decided on.

This is our life for the next few days, swimming (Gracie is a fish!), sitting on the porch of our resort room, and some spa time for mama (I still need that pedicure!).  I think this will be a fun end of the summer trip!

I am bringing my laptop to continue in my blogging adventure, but I am very focused on getting some quality family time in!  I can't wait to share pics when I get back!

Dollar Store Inspiration

Last night I stopped at the Dollar General before going into school and I found some good deals.  Of course I had to make something to go along with them...

First up, this squiggle book for 50 cents...it gets better, it was 30% off at the register!

 I have used squiggle as a center for all of my teaching years and it is still one of my kiddos favorites!  For those who don't know what squiggle is, you start with a squiggle or a doodle and the students have to finish the doodle and make it into something.  Then when they are finished with their drawing, they write a story about it.

After many years of using the same boring sheet I thought it is time to spruce it up. Then I decided to share it with everyone and make it a freebie in Spanish or English!

Click here to get it in English!

Click here to get it in Spanish!

What I think I am going to do is cut the squiggles from the book and glue them on these pages.  I might just handwrite the squiggles, too. I am super excited about this -- it is about time I updated my squiggle page!

Then I found these sequencing puzzles for $1.  There are 8 different puzzles in the pack -- they are kind of flimsy, but not bad for a $1.

The puzzles would be nice as a center, but I wanted to have a writing accountability piece to them too, so I created these sheets.  I originally just made the one sheet for my students (using the words I know they need), but when I decided to offer it as a freebie, I thought about the different levels (kindergarten to third grade) that might want it, so I tried to level the worksheets.

Click here to get these pages in Spanish!

Click here to get these pages in English.

So that's all I've got for now.  I am working really hard on some cool math stuff to share with you all, I am very excited!  School is getting closer...18 days until teachers go back!

Monday, I made it (again!) and a First Day Freebie!

I am linking up with Tara for Monday I Made it (or as we call it here, Monday, I got the idea and my mama made it...)

We made these cute little ELA notebooks for my kiddos last week and I am excited to share them today!

 Originally I got this idea from What's the Buzz in First (from a pin that I found on Pinterest).

I had wanted to do this idea last year, but never made it around to making them.  We used our ELA notebooks practically daily last year and having to wait while the kids found their pages each time, I told myself that I must make these ribbon bookmarks this year.

We started out measuring out this cute gray chevron ribbon (I found it at Hobby Lobby for 50% off!) and cut out 8 inches for each notebook.

We cut each end of the ribbon in a 'v' shape so that the ends wouldn't ravel.  

Then we glued the ribbon in the back, upside down.

And there you go, a ribbon bookmark.  I am super-excited: they are cute and hopefully this will keep my students more organized!

Now for the freebies...I have read on the blogs that a lot of people went back to school today - we go back for teacher work days on the 26th and the kids come back the 28th, so I have a little bit of  a summer left.

I made these back to school signs for teachers (or parents) for grades pre-kinder to sixth grade in Spanish and English.  I asked for some feedback on my Facebook page on the format and although I got votes for both formats, these won out.  

Click {here} to get your Spanish freebies!

Click {here} to get your English freebies!

...And speaking of Facebook.  I am trying to get enough "likes" on Facebook to be considered a real page.  So please head over to my page and like it!!  If I can become an official page I have a fan freebie in the works (I worked all night making it and watching videos to learn how to do a Fan Freebie!!).  Click {here} to be a fan!

Currently...August (is it really!?!?)

Well, all the cool kids in the blogging world do this fun deali-o called "Currently" and it is hosted by Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade...  I thought I would try it out for my first month of blogging.

Read on to find out more...

{Listening}

My husband is sleeping next to me on the couch as I type away at 1:31 in the morning.  He said he would try to stay up and play videogames, but I guess he didn't make it...

{Loving}

Now that summer school is over, I have been hanging out a lot with my two-year-old daughter, Gracie.  I know when school starts up (in 23 days!) it is going to be hard for both of us.  Seriously, it was much easier to leave her when she was 3 months old (August of 2011), but every August gets harder and harder.  She is such an awesome kid and I love playing with her and just being in the same room with her!

{Thinking}

So, now it is 1:33 a.m. and yes, I should be in bed, but I haven't had a lot of time to read emails or do blog posts lately (see next comment) and I really need to catch up.  I am loving the blog world and it is a lot of work, but so rewarding.  I currently have 12 followers on Bloglovin' and 24 followers on Facebook and I literally do a happy dance each time I get a new one (Michelle you are the reason for my latest happy dance on Facebook).  So, do I go to bed or catch up on my bloggy world?

{Wanting}

I have been talking in cryptic comments lately about what is going on...but I think I am going to just say it.  A month ago my mama got diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer.  It was a huge shock to all of us, but despite a lot of crying at the beginning I have been doing really well with it all.  My mama is my best friend and I can't imagine not having her around for me or my daughter (not to mention my sister and my nieces and nephews), so it was a hard blow when I first found out, but my mom has been so unbelievably upbeat and positive about it all.  I think she is the reason I have been so much calmer than I would be.

Gracie and her Granni

Thursday she went in for a double mastectomy and there were lots of tears shed, but this lady was up and walking around already the next day!  She is such a fighter and I am so proud of her.  I love her so much and I know there is going to be a long road of chemo ahead, but she is going to do awesome!  So that explains it all:  I am wanting my mama to be okay (I know she will be!)

{Needing}

I need a pedicure.  My toes are horrible.  I think it has been a month.  I am debating on taking a picture to show the world my ugly toes.  Hmmmm...

{Back 2 School Must Haves}

1 - Smelly Markers

I used to think about how these were such a waste of money, but they make me so happy when I use them.  Like, seriously.happy.  Mrs. Stears is crabby?  Let her smell some grape marker and she's a new woman.  It's just not right.

2 - Abby's Super in Second packet on TpT

I got this packet last year and I used it for my ELA time for my bilingual students to practice their English for the first week of school.  They loved it!  They were seriously still asking if we could make more Jitter Juice the last week of school.  Click {here} to get your own (if you don't teach second, Abby has other grade levels available!)

3 - New First Day Outfit

I really, really, really want to have cute clothes this year.  I get in funks where my school clothes are just boring.  A new first day of school outfit is a must every year, but I am hoping I can find some staple pieces that can spruce up my school wardrobe, too.

So, that's it:  my first Currently.  Leave a comment below and tell me what your top 3 must haves are for back to school!

Classroom Organization Linky Party

Hey everyone!  I have worked and worked this post and finally on Friday, I have gotten it done...two days late.  My mama just went through some major surgery and I thought I would have some time to work on it at the hospital, but I got a lot more family time instead (which is a good thing).  So my mama is out of the hospital today (and doing amazingly well!) and I am about to press "publish" on this bad boy!  Hope you enjoy!

Today I am doing a double-link up party with Miss Kindergarten and Kristen from Ladybug's Teaching Files...we are talking about classroom organization (one of my favorite subjects!).

Miss Kindergarten's Classroom Organization Tips

Ladybug's Teacher Files Optimum Organization

In my district we use Pearson's Calle de la lectura in our bilingual classrooms (Reading Street, in the monolingual classrooms).  We no longer do spelling tests (we do dictados because research says that dications are the best way bilingual students learn grammar and spelling skills), but we do have a phonics focus each week...that's where my phonics centers come in.

I felt that my students were forgetting the phonics skill the week after we learned it and by the time it was test taking time, they had forgotten all about it.  Or even worse, we would learn all about la h muda and I would continue to see "ay" in their writing...ugh!  So I decided to create these phonics centers.  Some teachers might have the students work on the current phonics skill being taught, but I feel I have gotten the most success by having the center out the following week: kind of like a review, but more of an extension of learning.

Second grade Reading Street has 6 units, 5 phonics skills each unit.  That got overwhelming:  I tried envelopes, I tried plastic bags, nothing was working:  In comes Target with their wonderful dollar spot accordion folders.

This is how I can take all of this:

And organize it to this:

 

So, I'll break it down a little.  Each center has these items (this is where the majority of my die-cut obsession goes...):

Each accordion file holds five of centers:

Then I have them stored in one of my cabinets (and yes, I am missing a couple of files in this picture...must have been before I finished unpacking them all).

There you have it!  The way I organize all of my phonics centers (the smaller envelopes hold my literacy centers). I pretty much do the same for my math, writing, and ELA centers.  I spent much of last year making and organizing all these centers (I had a lot, but a lot of holes I needed to fill), so it is going to be nice having them all organized for use this year.

What organization project do you need to tackle or maybe already tackled this summer?

Monday I Made it!

I am linking up with Tara from Fourth Grade Frolics for my first Monday I Made it Linky Party!

So I had seen these pockets on Pinterest and I wanted to make something like them for all the materials my kiddos have from our Everyday Math program.

Purple Folder: Find original post here; Multi-Colored Folders: Dead post :(

Before the photo bomb...I will confess:  This post should be titled Monday My Mama Made it.  She is the most awesome mama ever and my classroom wouldn't be half as cool without her.  We make a good team: I come up with the ideas and she makes it happen!  So she is my hand model in these pictures:

I know in the original pin the pocket from both sides of the folder were used to make more of a wallet, but I wanted only one pocket, so we were able to get two out of each folder.

One tip though, if you go that route, you will need to double stick tape the side that was part of inside of the folder.

Then I added a Velcro dot for a closure (Velcro that I had to go out and buy a separate day because what I had wasn't enough).

And there you have it:  A math envelope for their dollar bills, fact triangles, etc.  I made a little label for them  and I got to reuse some of the messed up folders from years before!

Any other ideas what you could make these pockets and use them for?