The day has finally come!

It's finally here and I have mixed emotions about it being the last day of Winter Break.  I'm ready to get back on schedule and into the swing of things, but I LOVE that I've been able to tackle projects, enjoy my house and visit with family and friends.

I'll confess, I haven't touched any of my school work until just recently.  My school bag and I kept having a starring contest until it finally won the battle the other night.

What I'm really proud of is the projects that I was able to accomplish.  A huge thank you to the website, Pinterest.  As all of my inspiration for these projects came from there.

Project 1

The Inspiration

The Result

You can't see it, but we have little red hearts on our states.

Project 2

The Inspiration

The Result

Project 3

The Inspiration

The Result

So you can see that my projects may not have been school related, but I still feel like my break has been a huge success!

Enjoy!

Look What I Found!

Jennifer over at Smiply Kinder is having a giveaway for a Classroom Friendly Supplies Pencil Sharpener   I've heard nothing but positive things about this sharpener and I can't wait to get my hands on one.  Head on over to her blog to enter in the giveaway!

May your pencils be forever sharp!

Guys Read Linky Party

This rockin' party is brought to you by Courtney over at Swimming in Second.  Be sure to stop on over and sign up for the party as she is offering a $25.00 Amazon gift card!  SCORE!

Well, I don't have a long list of books for boys, but I do have one fabulous recommendation that kept my boys begging for more!  The book is called The Limit by Kristen Landon.

Thirteen-year-old Matthew Dunston lives in a world much like our own until his family goes over a financial limit.  As a result, The Federal Debt Rehabilitation Agency has taken custody of Matt and placed him in a workhouse.  Now, most would consider a workhouse to be like factory with endless rows of nonsense work.  However, for Matthew Dunston, he's lucked out by being placed on the "Top Floor" which is reserved for only the brightest around.  Everything he needs is right at his finger tips and only a computer click away.  It's not until when Matt's sister becomes a part of the system that he begins to dig deeper and discover that things aren't as wonderful as appear to be and his chances of getting out of the workhouse before he's 18 are slim and slipping away! 

Caution: The end of the book does have a gun involved, but my teamie and I made some simple changes to keep the story appropriate for our audience.

With my kiddos loving the book so much I seized upon the opportunity to write letters to Kristen Landon to share our love.  Mrs. Landon was kind enough to email back with answers to our questions and even offered a Skype session to chat more about the book!  My kiddos were beaming from ear to ear about being offered the chance to Skype with a live author!  Who knew that a read aloud could lead to so much more!

Be sure to check it out!

Enjoy,

Happy 2013!

Hey Folks!

I know it's been ages, but here's to dusting off the keyboard and giving this blogging another go.

Thanks to Farley for giving me a reason to dust off the board!

Cheers,

Technology Tip Tuesday-Educational Websites

1. Edmodo

Edmodo is a wonderful website to use with intermediate aged students.  It's a safe and secure way to use the idea of Facebook within the classroom.  

Click the picture to watch an informational video about what Edmodo is about.

Within my own classroom, I've used Edmodo to post questions to students about our read aloud, likes/dislikes and classroom decisions.  I love that students can personally message me if they have a question and that parents can even create their own accounts.

2. Tagxedo

Tagxedo is a fantastic website to use to turn your words into word art for any classroom project.  My class loved using this website to create word art for their biography presentations.  It's very user friendly and simple enough for intermediate students to use on their own.  

3. BrainPOP

BrainPOP is a great website to use when looking for kid-friendly informational videos.  Tim and Moby (the main characters) take educational topics and turn them into exciting videos that capture a given concept in just a few minutes.  BrainPOP does require a subscription to have access to ALL of the videos, but they do offer free ones.  In fact, BrainPOP offers a featured video for FREE!  This video changes day to day and normally corresponds with what's going on in the world or the special meaning of that day (Labor Day, Lincoln's Birthday and so on).

I'm posting for Blog Hoppin' for Teacher Week.

{if you want to link up too, just right click the picture and save it to your computer}

 

Enjoy!

Teacher Week: Must-haves Monday

Must-haves Monday

My addiction...I was able to find tons of wonderful resources that will proudly be displayed in my classroom this year.

Who doesn't love fruity scents while creating an anchor chart?

It's the only way to keep my plan book organized and colorful.

I WILL be ordering one of these this year. I can't wait to have a SHARP pencil without it sounding a jack hammer.

Being organized without losing it.  I love that everything has a place and would love for everything to be in those places when I need them.

I'm posting for Blog Hoppin' for Teacher Week.

{if you want to link up too, just right click the picture and save it to your computer}

 

Check back tomorrow for a helpful Technology Tip.

Enjoy!

Catch Up

Well, it's been nearly a month since my last posting and I've been one busy gal!  I spent the month of July doing nothing but PACKING because Nick and I just recently finished moving into our new house!  Sigh...

Isn't it cute?

So...in the midst of unpacking and settling into a new house, I'm also trying to settle into my new classroom and prepare for the start of the school year.  I have to say that I'm rather lucky with a later start date of August 24th.  Some schools have already had their bells ringing since Monday!  (EEEKKK)

Last Friday, my district offered a Summer Literacy Conference and naturally I attended looking for exciting new ideas.  Here are some of my gems that I'd like to share with you:

1. Frank Serafini - Love, love, love!  He was our opening speaker and he had me crying (laughing) at 8:45 a.m. in the morning!  If you ever get the chance to see him at a conference....DO IT!  You won't regret it!  

2. Anthony Browne- What a fantastic author!  I love trying to discover the hidden pictures within his books and I'm really looking forward to the amazing discussions that my class could have on these books.  

3. Arlene Sardine - by Christopher Raschka- Who wouldn't want their dreams to come true?  Well, Arlene Sardine is bound to be the book that every teacher hates, but the kids WILL LOVE! Check out the Amazon review to learn more about the book and give it a CHANCE!

That's all for now.  I'm off to work in the classroom!

Enjoy!