Friday, March 23, 2012

It's almost April!

Hurry!!  Go get my new April Showers Bring May Flowers unit!   It includes Earth Day, Journal topics, contractions, long A, and math word problems!!

For the next 24 hours only, everything in my store is 20% OFF!!!!!  Hurry and get this and anything else in my store until 7 pm Saturday!!!  
And pass the word to your friends...please!!!


Monday, March 19, 2012

A bit of randomness: Leprechaun's, Activ-expressions, and Olivia!

First of all, please excuse the pics.  They are from my phone.

The first thing I want to share is my Leprechaun's from Cara at the First Grade Parade





I think they came out soooo cute!  This is defiantly a keeper activity for next year!!


Next up on my post-o-randomness is ACTIV-EXPRESSIONS! {Or Activ-votes}   If you don't have them in your classroom, Please, for the love of all things techy, find a way to get some!!!

And if you don't know what they are, take a peek!!!

They are little "voting"machines that go along with our promethean board.  {Which I also love with all my heart!}




On your flipchart, you can make quizzes!  The students use the machines to "vote" on the correct answer! 

I use this for multiple choice quizzes.  All the student's information is saved and then I create an excel file, and voila!  No stack of papers to grade!
It takes a lot of time training the students on the correct way to handle and use the machines, but once they get the hang of it, they LOVE using them!!!!  And believe me, when someone has to lose a machine for improper handling, they remember it next time!!!

Our machines came with our boards, and I think it's the BEST thing my district has ever purchased!!!




Next up is Olivia!!!!

A little background story:  The very first teaching blog I ever found was that of Ms. Leslie Ann over at Life In First Grade!  In the fall of 2010, I had taken leave to care for my mother who was {and still is} battling esophagus cancer.  I came back to school in January and found my classroom, my students, and everything in between to be in total chaos!
After some time, I was losing hope and decided I had to do something!  Our story in our reading series was Olivia.  I googled and came across Ms. Leslie Ann activity she had done on Olivia. 


 I purchased it here.


  I used it again this year and I had to share it!  They are soo cute!  And we're studying Reality and Fantasy so using Olivia and real pigs worked out perfect!!




I added the sheet at the bottom.  One side is Reality and the other is Fantasy.  The students had to write things pigs do in real life and in fantasy life.

I know that teaching blogs have made me a better teacher!  And a big ole thanks to Ms. Leslie Ann!!!  
and Mrs. Carroll for sharing her leprechauns!

Spring Break is 2 weeks away...I think I can....I think I can!!!

Have a blessed day!


Saturday, March 17, 2012

New blog I found! And my new unit!

I have come across a new blog, abc's of reading by Jayne Gammons.  AND she has a TpT store here  where she makes thinking maps!  Please, go check her out!  And get some of those thinking maps!

In other news, I am working on my Long O unit.  It will be similar to my Long E Unit.   I hope to have it up by next weekend.  {This weekend I am down for the count with what is either a bad cold, or the flu:( }