4 Favorite Gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week

 Teachers love all gifts that come from the heart and because we often spend so much on our classrooms, it's really nice to get a gift card! 

This is a post about my favorite gift cards for guilt-free spending /splurging!  Target, Starbucks, Amazon and Teachers Pay Teachers... they are some my favorite places!  How about you? 

It's YOUR WEEK so enjoy all of the spoiling that you deserve!  The fun starts NOW!  

Read on and I will tell you what will happen if you give THIS teacher a gift card!

Even though I have an entire storage room full of books, I can always make room for more.  I read aloud every day and usually plan my instruction for reading and written response around the story or nonfiction selection of the day.  This book, Stick and Stone is one of many on my wish list from Amazon! 

I just love YOOBI!  Have you seen the new line of school supplies at Target?  The bright colors are great and I know the kids would love them too!  These will go in a special spot for my WOW WORK winner to use for the day! 

 I have too many items on my TPT wish list to tell you about all of them! My favorite sellers just happen to be my blogging besties too!  

It's no secret that I love coffee!  My favorite in the winter is a Pumpkin Spice Latte and in the summer, I order up a Mocha Frappuccino!  I'm beyond excited because a BRAND NEW Starbucks just opened at the end of my street!!!! My teammates and I plan to take our work there sometime and sit at the tables outside to do our planning.  Doesn't that sound great?  I have end of the day prep this year and by 2:15 I am pretty much spent.  That little pick-me-up is just what I need to get through the afternoon slump!

Yummy!

Now, it's YOUR turn to complete the sentence!

If you give a teacher a gift card...

Mother's Day Project! The Best Gift EVER!

Hey friends! What are you all doing for Mother's Day gifts this year? For the past two years, I took a break from my favorite project to try out a few new ideas. They turned out SUPER cute but somehow, they just did not have that sweet *I made this special project for you by myself and Mom, you're going to CRY when you see it * feeling. You know what I mean? So this year, I'm going back to the one I love best! 

Here's a little history behind my all-time favorite Mother's Day gift:

When my son was in second grade, he took ME to work at HIS school. I was also in second grade! My child's amazing teacher, my scrapbookin' friend, Kathy, suggested we make a lunch bag book for our Mother's Day craft. She had seen them in a magazine and fallen in love. I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about... but I went with it!

We had no patterns, NO CLUE, no materials and so the creativity began! Together, we came up with some sweet sentiments about moms, rounded up cardstock papers, scrounged around for ribbon scraps and tried making an example. After some trial and error, we had created an adorable project and the students LOVED it! 

Because I knew what I would be getting from my child as a gift, I worried that I might have to practice my excitement over it for Mother's Day. They managed to keep it a secret from me though, so I never saw the finshed project until that special day. He was so proud to give me that little book that fit perfectly in his tiny hands. It was so sweet!

Of all of the gifts my child ever brought home from school, my very own, made with love, lunchbag scrapbook is my most cherished. Why? Because we finished it together at home and made another happy memory. 

In it are all of my favorite reminders of him at age 7. 

AWWW!

I have to confess that I'm not into scrapbooking at all. I never had the time or patience for that sort of thing. I never made even one for my child. It sure was easy enough for me to add my favorite photos of the two of us like this one from our amazing trip to Mexico.

The bag book has a few journaling cards inside the pockets. I jotted down some cute things that we used to say to each other like I love you more than you love me! Somehow, I thought I'd always remember those little things, but time makes you forget. There are all sorts of other things in there too like zoo passes, movie tickets, and more reminders of our fun times together. 

I still love to look back at my darling little scrapbook every once in a while. I had it displayed on a small easel for many years, but recently packed it away for fear that something might happen to it in one of my wild cleaning frenzies.

Kathy is now happily retired, but I have continued our lunch bag scrapbook tradition with lots of classes over the last 10 years. I even made one for my OWN mom! 

Thanks to technology, I was able to redesign the patterns, and add instructions so other teachers can enjoy making it with their kiddos too.

 It is now new and improved and cuter than ever in 2015!

 I hope you like it too!

It breaks my heart knowing that some kiddos we teach do not have a mom to celebrate with on Mother's Day. The file also includes alternate pages so those children are able to participate and make a book for their Grandma or an aunt.

This  Mother's Day Lunch Bag Scrapbook was one of my first items available at Teachers Pay Teachers! Many sweet teachers have written to share how much their students and parents loved it! That makes my heart SO happy!

 If you have already purchased this craft, be sure to go back to download the *new version* under your purchases. It now includes pull out tabs with adorable fill in the blank pages and cards for the kiddos to illustrate! There are new tracer patterns that can be photocopied too to make prep even easier than ever! 

I can't wait to get started on this project with my class next week! I plan to share some photos of our beautiful masterpieces as we complete them!

 This year, I am collecting 2 dollars from each student. I bought some really pretty things to decorate them with that the Moms will adore. The kiddos have to do some chores to help out and earn the money. Yes, there is a note for that in the file as well!

A Little Giveaway

If you are still on the fence about a project for  Mother's Day, you might like to try this scrapbook keepsake out. You may even like to have it for your own children to make for Grandma! Just leave me a comment with your email and next week, I'll choose THREE to try it FREE! 

Have a great finish to your week! Set a reminder and be sure to check back here on Saturday and Sunday! There will be some super duper posts from the Weekend Warriors bloggers and a few other surprises you won't want to miss!

Disclosure:
The winners for this little giveaway were chosen very scientifically by the king of randomness:

Congratulations to Suzy, Lori and Hannah! You won the Mother' Day craft! Check your emails ladies! 

:)

Back to School Icebreaker Activity Cards

On the first day of school, a new class is usually super shy and most of the kids are nervous. I always like to do a lot of getting to know you activities, especially during the first week. As you probably know, I just LOVE task cards of any kind in the classroom. I have stacks of them handy and ready to use for so many activities! I'm super excited to share with you the latest in my card set series! This time, it's all about creating a fun and comfortable classroom environment from the start! Here it is!

It's a 40 card set with all kinds of cuteness featuring Melonheadz Kidlettes! 

You can read the full description here if you like!

 This is my plan. On the first day of school, I will have my kids sit in a circle. These cards will be face down in a draw pile. I will pick a stick and that child will have a turn. They choose a card, read the prompt and TALK! The others will practice attentive listening while we all get to know each other better. If any of the kiddos are feeling too shy to share on the first day, I may give them the option to pass and come back to them at the end in case they change their mind! I think they will once they see how fun and easy it is.

BEFORE the activity starts, I will choose a few cards and answer them. This way, the kids will get to know me and I can model the way I want them to elaborate with their responses. 

We can do this again on another day too, because each child will likely draw a different card the second time around. We may even use these for quick writes here and there!

I know they will love it and I hope you do too!

Happy teaching!

Reading Comprehension Skills Worksheets for Small Groups and Whole Class Instruction

 I am so thankful for a teaching resource I can easily use during reading that requires basically NO PREP other than making copies. Maybe you're with me on that one!

That's where this reading comprehension packet can help make your lesson planning a breeze! A page from this is great to use for sub plans too. The skills go along with just about any book.

Here's how it works:

1. Choose a reading skill from the packet.

2. Give a mini-lesson.

3. Read a book to the class during story time or assign an independent read.

4. Use one of the skill pages from this packet as a follow-up activity or as an assessment.

Choose one comprehension skill to focus on and your work for planning is DONE for at least one subject!

If you think these would be a great resource to have for your class too, you can see more of the packet here. 

Happy teaching!

Easy to Read Fonts for TPT Sellers

I am always on the lookout for the perfect font to use! I guess you could call me a font addict. I seriously have hundreds in my collection! My favorites and most-used are always the ones that are easiest for my kiddos, and anyone for that matter, to read!

In my classroom, I am a stickler for neatness and good penmanship as I think it shows pride in work quality. As often as possible, I like to have neatness represented on the printables I make for my class too. But sometimes, you just need a fun font- especially as an attention grabber in a heading or title.

After weeks of work drawing, squinting, sighing, loving, not loving, redoing, accidentally deleting, eye-rolling, rejoicing (Can you see me?)... line by line, my newest font collection is finally ready for the big reveal! I am very excited about it and I hope you like it too!

I call this these easy reader fonts. Some of them are shown on the cover. 

They will be perfect for the littles, especially those just learning to read.

Kid Fonts ABCD are the same font in different weights from light to medium to bold. That option is nice when you want to keep a consistent font throughout a document but add emphasis to certain sections.

These fonts are a little more whimsical, but still have that easy readability.

This new collection is a forever bundle because your purchase entitles you to free updates as new fonts are added. 

The fonts are available for both personal and commercial use.

If you'd like to see more you can find them here.

Colorful Classroom Decor Set

Imagine walking into your classroom each morning surrounded by all of these happy colors! 

Who could ever have a blah day? 

Are you looking to sunny up your classroom with some bright colors? Maybe you already have a bright theme going on in your room but don't have all of the pieces you need for labeling and organization.

What is great about this set is that you get to type in whatever you like to completely customize and label your room! 

There are lots of designs and sizes for all of your classroom needs. 

My room is decorated in black and bright decor with a variety of patterns.

 It's a mismatched but fun, color-coordinated look.

 I also plan to use some of these to liven up our shared pod area. 

Maybe you are hoping to have a certain theme in your room like owls. 

You can add clipart to your pages before printing.

 You can even use your favorite fonts!

  If you are looking for a new classroom theme, you can find it here. 

Happy Shapes Clipart

Our district has purchased a brand new math series called Bridges in Mathematics. 

I just had to add some cute to my work station bin labels and room posters as these will be a big part of the program.

These are the bin labels I made for our second grade team. 

Each work station spot also has a matching poster to display.

Each station in Bridges is named by a shape so that students become very familiar with them.
If you use Bridges, please contact me and I'll be glad to share these labels and posters with you.

The challenge was finding a cute clipart set that included a SCALENE TRIANGLE. That was tough.

 I searched forever and finally gave up and decided to make my own clipart set to use with all of my Bridges and geometry resources!

Ta Da! 

Presenting Happy Shapes Stitched Clipart! 

 

 Have a happy day!

Teaching Resources for the Iditarod!

 I am super excited to be partnering up in a product swap with some of my favorite blogging buddies! Lucky me! I get to feature classroom activities to highlight a great theme for the month of March! 

Teaming up with me is the talented Jen from Teaching in the Tongass! I am a big fan/addict of all of her amazing clipart and now a fan of her adorable classroom craftivities and products!

Jen, as you may have guessed from her shop and blog name, lives and teaches in Alaska. Although it is one of our great states, to my little Seconds, it is light years away from us here in Michigan!

Before we started with our Iditarod activities, we spent some time reading books and watching travel videos about Alaska. The Iditarod race started on March 1st, so the timing for this unit was perfect! 

We had a blast incorporating the items she sent me into our unit! 

Here they are!

How cute is he? And she also sent this!

After learning a bit about Alaska, the race and watching the video, Balto, we had an Adopt-a Dog Day as suggested in the packet! Each child was asked to bring in a stuffed dog for adoption day. 

The students pretended to be a musher searching for the perfect dog to adopt to lead their team. We brainstormed a list of qualities that would make an excellent lead dog. I purchased clipart from Teaching in the Tongass's Alaska Clipart Bundle to use to create this chart and for our other activities.

The students used their own list of character traits to name their adopted dog. In the Adopt-a Dog packet there is also a list of suggested names that students can choose from. 

Here is my adopted dog! I named him, Smokey Wisdom!

The kids wrote their dog's name in a frame. This tag is tied around the neck.

 The ends are taped to the back of the sign.

Here is another friend from the adoption center!
The kids came up with some really clever names on their own too!

Then, we held a public adoption and the students had to tell about the character traits they were hoping for in their dog and promise to train and care for them properly before leaving our "center". 

We wrote more about our dogs on this page from the journal packet. This was great practice for descriptive writing.

The kids did such an adorable job that we will publish these into a class book to display at conferences! The parents will really enjoy reading them.

Then, it was time to use our imaginations and start on our first journal entry. The students could choose to write as the dog to their musher, or as musher to their dog. They came up with some really creative tales!

The journals come with adorable cover pages like this one! 

I used the book binder to make them even more special!

The writing pages inside each have a variety of colorful graphics like a bush plane, red lantern, cabin and other Alaskan wildlife. You can see them in her product cover.

In their journals, the students wrote about their adventures along the trail as they learned about in this story by Shelley Gill.

Each day, the red lantern was awarded to a writer who worked extra hard. They loved proudly displaying this card I made them on their desk!

Our unit ended with this adorable peeker-style Iditarod Dog Craftivity! It was super simple to prep and organize for the kids. We made white, black and gray dogs! I like the wide lines for writing. You can see how nice and neat they are!

My students absolutely LOVED all of the Iditarod activities and they learned so much along the way!

 Jen has some great posts about how she studies the Iditarod in her classroom. Be sure to go check out her fantastic blog!

Thanks Teaching in the Tongass for sharing with us!

Reading Nonfiction Activities, Task Cards and a Giveaway!

Yes, we are reading to learn! My class is just loving our new unit all about reading nonfiction! Their favorite activity so far has been our text features hunt! This is a great, easy activity to try with your class after introducing text features! 

Nonfiction Text Features Hunt

The last time we visited the school library, each student was asked to check out a nonfiction book. It didn't matter what the reading level was or the topic, for this activity. I wanted to be sure we had a good variety of books strictly for searching for features that had already been introduced.

The kids were assigned a buddy to work with. Each was given a task and told in advance that they would be responsible for sharing out in front of the class afterward.They did not know what they would have to share, but knew that it would be important to stay on task and engaged. I like to keep them on their toes so they are always accountable in some way! The partners went on their search through their own books.

As they hunted, I tapped each group on the shoulder and told them to be ready to share an example of...and assigned one that I saw a good example of in their book as I roamed the room. 

Then, it was time to teach and share, only the students were the ones doing the teaching! Each group showed their text feature and explained how the feature helps better understand the topic! By doing this, the children were able to see a great variety in text features and to get some practice with speaking opportunities!

 I had a brainstorm during the week and decided to create a set of task cards that I can use over and over with a variety of books so that we can repeat this activity every now and again. 

I created task cards, letter cards for setting up rotation stations and cards to use to hand out to the children so they remember which task they are responsible for sharing.

I just added this new task card set to my store!

It includes recording sheets, letter cards and share cards.

 It is all ready to go for the next time we do a hunt as a scoot activity! 

If you'd like to preview it, click on the picture!

Guided Reading Groups and Book Clubs

We have been alternating between fiction and nonfiction books this year using RAZ-Kids books and other leveled books during guided reading.

 After reading fiction, the group uses Book Club Question Cards. 

Each student picks a card from the draw pile, reads it and answers the question or completes the task. It's a good, quick way for me to assess their comprehension and it keeps them accountable and engaged because they know they will get to share within group. 

While I am working with small groups,other students are running book clubs independently and these cards keep their discussions focused. I also use them after read-alouds! 

Presenting...

 A NEW SET for our nonfiction books! 

They also come in a printer-friendly black and white version! :)

You can enter to win a set of colorful nonfiction book club cards for your classroom! 

Three lucky winners will be chosen. 

Head on over to Teachers Notebook to enter 

the giveaway! 

Fancy New Frames!

Did you notice the new frames and bunting that coordinate with my blog?

 I am using them for the first time in this post! 

 The custom set is from Jen at Teaching in the Tongass. 

You get to pick the colors and she matches your color scheme perfectly!

The Chipmunk Gang

This is winter break for us. We are trying to make the best of the week and work in at least a little fun. My boy had his impacted wisdom teeth out and is sporting the famous post-op chippy cheeks. 

 See the lower impacted tooth pushing the second molar roots? And the domino effect? Not good. 

He's just 15, but with an award-winning smile after two rounds of braces, it was time!

 Before teaching, I spent many years working as an orthodontic assistant, so I am really into teeth!

I'm proud of what a trooper he has been through this surgery! Worried mom is relieved it is over with!

I've spent a lot of time getting creative this week with soft food concoctions as you might guess! 

His favorite-cottage cheese and noodles! 

 Because it's vacation, of course, I'm sick with swollen glands. Ugg~happens every time.

But...the good news is, we both get to have lots of ice cream!

Later on, it's just what the doctor ordered- a trip to Dairy Queen! 

Have you tried their cherry sundae? Yummy! That's what I'm having!

A New Student

Student Teacher, that is! Monday, I welcome my second wonderful intern for the year. Valerie is so excited and enthusiastic! I have just six short weeks with her and hope to be able to give her a great experience in that time! I'm getting ready by planning for her time while off this week. 

When I retire, I would like to be a university supervisor, mentoring the best of our future teachers!

Well, I think that is five tidbits about the week! Thanks for reading along! 

 Link up your Friday post with Doodle Bugs Teaching! 

I hope you enjoy a fantastic blizzard-free, thunderstorm-free or whatever acts of nature-free weekend!