Teacher Appreciation Sale!!!

My TPT store will be joining in the Teacher Appreciation Sale May 6-8!!  Everything in my store will be 20% off and TPT is offering an additional 8% off!!!!!

So be sure to buy up some goodies from my store and all the other wonderful stores out there!

And if you purchase something from ME....You could get a  BONUS FREEBIE!!!!

Here's all you have to do!

1. purchase anything from my store
2.  Follow my blog
3. leave me a comment here, and
4. post a link to my blog on your blog! {or Facebook if you don't blog}
{if you don't have either, just let me know!}

You will then get to pick anything from my store FREE!!!


{thanks for helping out this new blogger and TpT seller!}


Thanks so much!  and Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!!!!

Plant mini unit

Here is a mini plant unit!  It's the student pages for the anchor chart posted below.  It's only $2.00! You can get it HERE!

It also includes a little writing sheet and a 14 day plant journal to log the changes your plant makes each day.  In my classroom, each student gets to choose which plant they wanted to plant.  (well, they could choose from the ones the Delta Science Kit people sent us!) And, of course, an original poem by MOI!

Happy planting!  And TGIF!!!!  Have a wonderful weekend!

My week in pictures

Here is my version of "The Camera Dump" blogpost!

First on the list is Abby's Poppin with Adjectives Unit!  I bought this last year and it worked so well, I pulled it out again!

From there we  purchase yet another unit from the Darlin' Mrs. Abby  This time is was the

 Pirate Mark--AR unit!  Again, I used this last year and it too was a WINNER!  So of course we used it again!

{I think this one looks like Chunk from the Goonies!}

We made a treasure map, {also in the unit}  I hid the words all over the school and of course someone else found them!  I had to put more words out the next morning..this time, only in my hall!!

From there we head on over to Miss Snowden where she has a FREE..yep..FREE Kite mini!  Our reading story was Days with Frog and Toad and our comprehension skill was problem/solution.  Last year we made kites...really.simple.kites!  But THIS year...I found THIS!!!      

AND, it's more than just kite outlines!  There are poems, contractions, and writing sheets!  Go check her out!!!

From there we move on into Science where we are learning about plants!  We planted our plants and then created this!  {I also have this available in a student sheet..well, almost available!  Check back this weekend!}  

Tomorrow we create the Plants Need and Give chart! 

 {This is my favorite Science unit..well, this and space..which we don't really teach in 1st grade anymore :(  }

THEN....I FOUND THIS!!!!  And Amy Lemons!  {who happens to live in the same town as my brother and sister in law!  AND, my sis in law got to hear her speak at those "teacher" days before school!!}  

Oh.My.Word!    I am IN love!!!!     

This little Earth Day unit has kept my kiddo's super busy this week!  Tomorrow we finish the Earth Day book and I am super excited and can't wait to take pics of those little darlin's!

And now some phonics!  This week is the er, ir, ur sound.  I saw something similar on Pinterest and re-created it.  I know my drawing skills need some improvement, but I literally had 30 minutes to throw this baby together while my darlin's were in Music.

Check back this weekend for the Plant mini with the student sheets!

Long O unit is finally done! And the countdown begins!!

I finally finished the Long O unit....it turned into a Mini Unit because I am just DRAINED!  But, alas, here it is!  It includes  an original poem by ME, sorting mats for o, ow, oa, and o_e words, a word list, "Slam" game, and "I have Who has?" game.  Check it out!!  Only $3.50!  

Long O unit

Our Spring break was the week of Easter and I took surprised my son with a trip to Disney World!   I kept it a secret until we arrived at the Disney World Welcoming Arch!!! 

{not an easy task while riding in a car for 13 hours with a 7 year old...imagine: Where are we going?  Are we there yet? Where ARE we?  for 13 hours!!}

He had been BEGGING me to take him but we just couldn't afford it.  God just worked some things out and we were able to make last minute reservations and head down to Orlando! 

  {by last minute I mean I called on Friday and we left the next week!   SO thankful they had a room for us!!}     

 We had a BLAST!  I cried, he cried, we laughed, we had so much fun!!!  It was truly a blessing that we were able to go!

And now the countdown is ON!!!  28 more days!  That's right...28!!!!  and 2 of those are field trips, 3 of those I am out for DIBELS testing, 3 are half days, 1 is the Spring Concert day, 1 is Field Day, and the rest will be C-RA-ZEEEE!!!

Have a great week!!

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!!!

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!

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:( }