TPT Back to School Sale

Hey Teachers!

It's time to get Back to School ready! 

Can you believe August is just a few short hours away? 

When I think about this time of year,

 I naturally think about shopping for school supplies. 

Cap erasers, composition notebooks, colored filler paper...

Basically, if it's on the shelf I must have one in every size and color.

 However, August is ALSO time for the TPT site wide sale 

which starts tonight at midnight 

and runs through Wednesday, 

August 2nd at midnight.

It's time to get your shop on 

with all the amazing resources 

you've been waiting to try this next year!

To celebrate, I've placed my entire store at 20% off. 

It's there you'll find

 Reading Street supplemental materials, 

like THIS product...

or if you're in need of an activity for the first week of school, 

THIS  product 

is based on the book 

It's the perfect story to address 

kindness and respect for others.

(available from Amazon HERE). 

Need another idea?

My friend, Amanda, from Class with an Alligator,

has placed all of her Unlock the Box products at 20% off!

Give one of these a try and expect your kids' engagement 

to be off the charts.  

Finally, if you'd like the chance to RECEIVE a $10.00 

TPT Gift Card, you can enter by going to my facebook page HERE.

This contest ends tomorrow night at 7:00 CST.

Now let's get ready to snag some deals!  

Happy shopping and don't forget to use 

BTS2017 at checkout 

to save even more!

Cyber Sale and a Honey Bees Freebie

Hi All!

It's time to get ready for TPT's annual Cyber Sale 

and it's arriving tomorrow 

at a computer near YOU!

My own shopping cart is over-flowing with activities I'll need to survive the next 3 weeks.  What about you?  

Will you be teaching a reindeer unit?

Jan Brett author study?

Are you searching for math centers with a holiday twist?

Whatever the need, there's a teacher-author that can fill it.

My own Reading Street products will be on sale, too!

So go get your baskets ready, 

and don't forget to use the code below 

for an additional savings!

Finally... 

if your district

uses Reading Street, 

I have a FREE true/false activity for the Honey Bees story.

I'll be using it next week.  

Please leave a comment if you have 

other Reading Street ideas for me!

Enjoy!

Alexander Graham Bell and a Freebie

Hi All!

This post will be super fast.

 I promise.

With 5.5 days remaining in this school year, 

I still have several unfinished projects yet to complete and 

there's no time to be long-winded.

In any case...

my Scott Foresman friends will understand when I say

it's Alexander Graham Bell week.

It's certainly not my favorite story

but we're too close to the end 

to worry about it now.

This week is all about the aw / au vowel digraph 

and I'm using these mini-books 

to hammer that pattern home.

I use them at the beginnning 

of my small groups 

and my kids practice reading 

while they wait a moment for me 

to join them at the table.

Once I sit down, 

a friend is seated beside me 

and I listen to him/her practice reading 

the aw/au words in context.  

Each page in the booklet 

features a word or two with the given vowel pattern 

and the cute graphics lend support 

for those kiddos who need it.

Some of my booklets hold as few as 12 sentences.

Others hold more.

It's all based on my kids' needs.

You can read more about it HERE.

Other Alexander activities we've enjoyed this week include

this short and sweet video

and

my kids enjoyed this one as well.

After viewing the two videos,

we completed this pocket chart 

fact and fiction

sort.

My kiddos thoroughly enjoyed it, 

especially when I added the element 

of earning points for correct responses.

Oh, my goodness!

They were off.the.chain. in an effort to participate.

Would you like a copy?

It's available HERE.

And finally,

is your countdown in the single digits?

Five for Friday

Hi All!

It's time for some Five for Friday fun.

Here are a few random things that 

happened in my corner of the world this week.

Some of the most imaginative ladies 

 work at my school.  

Specifically, the lunchroom staff.

Seriously, these ladies decorate the lunchroom 

(and themselves!) 

around a specific theme about three times a year.  

Recently it was the 

1950's Rock and Roll era.

With Elvis singing Blue Suede Shoes, 

our lunch period was especially festive.

Reps from our local zoo 

came to visit 

our first grade kids this week. 

They brought an assortment of 

reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Here are a few pics of our favorites.

Three Banded Armadillo

Barred Owl

 White's Tree Frog... 

named for the man who discovered him

(obviously not for his color).

My precious pup has had serious dental issues since 

we rescued her several years ago.  

At a recent vet visit 

it was determined she needed 

to have all of her teeth pulled.  

I tell you she was so pitiful for a day or two. 

Like, who wouldn't be?!

   Thankfully she has completely recovered and is now

thoroughly enjoying her new diet of soft food.

Shopping with box-top funds is pure joy.

Can you relate?

And finally...

Enjoy your weekend, friends!

Clark the Shark and Back to School

Hi All!

  School is in FULL swing this week and I must say it's been an absolute joy to return to

a "normal" routine,

 first grade kiddos,

and early morning coffee.

Life can be so sweet.

Since my body hasn't completely adjusted to the early morning alarm and standing for the better part of the day, 

I'll be very brief this evening.

In fact, I just wanted to share two 

"back to school" 

kinds of things with you. 

First, I wanted to share with you my "Open House" classroom door.

I'm not required to decorate my door however, 

I like to just the same.

This year's door, though...

 did not materialize 

into the vision in my head.  

I was aiming for a soft, dream-like sequence. 

You know... kid friendly.

Instead, what I got was a flashback from Lemony Snicket's 

A Series of Unfortunate Events.

(Did you see the movie?)

It's quite dark.

Too dark for first grade.

But given that Open House was fast approaching,

I had to go with it.

Secondly...

we've been busy this week getting acquainted with one another.

While I was searching for activities to develop classroom culture,

I found THIS post by Wendy from

in which she described a back to school activity 

she did with Clark the Shark.

(For the freebie she offered, you can visit her TPT store HERE.)

Using her idea as a springboard, I ordered this book 

in which Clark learns what it means to share.

After reading, we discussed what it means to be a friend and we created this chart.

Then, we completed the writing prompt from Wendy's TPT store and finished it off with a shark craft I found at Almost Unschoolers.

If you'd like the Good Friend labels 

to make a chart of your own, 

you can access them HERE.

My own kiddos loved this project and 

I believe yours will, too!

When do you return to school?

Leave a comment if you have the time.

I'd love to hear from you!

August Currently

It's August, folks

so it's time to link up with Farley from

for another Currently linky.

You're welcome to join the fun!

Listening: Folks, it's HOT in central Alabama. The ceiling fan and the a/c are both operating at maximum capacity today.

Loving:  I crave routine.  Yes, summer is lovely and I enjoy it.  However, I love the structure that a school routine brings and I honestly think I accomplish MORE during the day when I'm on a schedule.

Thinking: Although I've been working in my classroom for two weeks, you'd think I'm just about ready for Open House this next week. I'm not and I can't stop thinking about the list of things yet to do.

Wanting: The satisfaction of checking everything off of my "to do" list.  It seems as soon as I cross something off, more things appear at the end of the list.  It's maddening!

Needing: To complete the laundry.  I'm thinking it's not likely to get done, either.

B2SRAK: The lovely ladies with whom I'm blessed to share my day asked that I create a bulletin board on which they could post their kids' AR scores.  My own is done and I'll be sharing the others as quickly as they're completed.

Have you returned to work in your own classroom or do you have time yet to enjoy your summer?

TPT Seller Challenge

It's Wednesday, folks and today I'm participating in a

TPT Seller Challenge.  

This is week one of four and it's all about 

For this challenge, I selected Gregory the Terrible Eater as the product in most need of a face-lift.  

Let's see if you agree...

BEFORE:  Poor 'ole Gregory was tired 

and frankly, 

a tad bit embarrassed.

He lacked the self-confidence to even make eye-contact.  

So sad.

AFTER... BAM!

Gregory is now new and in my opinion... GREATLY improved!

I used different fonts, swapped frames, updated and added more clipart in addition to adding the background paper.

If you'd like to read 

more about this product, 

you can access it HERE.

So... can you tell I've learned a few new skills since I started this TPT journey?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!