New Year's Giveaway!

Hi Everyone! I'm excited to be part of this New Year's Blog Giveaway that is hosted by Tailor-made Teaching! As you can see below, there are a bunch of great products up for grabs!

 FIVE New Year's Giveaway Packs means FIVE WINNERS! The winners will be chosen at MIDNIGHT on January 1 to start the new year off on the right foot. Happy entering and…
 "May the odds be ever in your favor" 
{Shout-out to my Hunger Games Friends}

{Featured Kinder Teachers}
Mrs. Price’s Kindergators-  I  will  incorporate  more  real  life  experiences  for  my  kids  so  all  can  be  successful. {Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}

Keepin’ It Krazy with Mrs. Berns- My teaching New Year's resolution is to get my kids excited about writing and dive more into our new writing curriculum. This is one subject area that I'm always seeing a need for improvement for me and for my kinders{Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}

Kinder Sisters- To do more art with our kiddos! We need more time for the fun stuff! How can we make it all fit? There is just not enough time in the day! In all seriousness, we always want to better our resources, ideas, etc. We hope we are always getting better at what we do! {$10 to spend in TPT store & a head wrap}
Enchanted Kinder Garden- I plan to be more planned. Does that make sense? Planning ahead and having everything written down makes my life so much easier. I have started making visual plans for the week and they have seriously saved my life! That will be my "teaching" resolution to the year. I know I will be able to STICK to it. I have to speak that into existence. =) Have a wonderful New Year everyone{Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}
Adventures in Kindergarten- My teaching New Year's resolution is to blog more often, take more photos of my little ones in action and to {somehow} get iPads for my classroom! {Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}

A Kindergarten Life for MeMy "teaching" New Year's resolution is to CLEAN my small group table each day before I leave!!! Sometimes, I have so much going on during the day that this table becomes a dumping ground! Bad, Bad habit!!! I really want to make this resolution last! HA! :) {Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}


{Featured Firsties Teachers}
Laugh Love LearnMy teaching New Year's resolution is to find simple ways to help my first graders monitor their progress and set goals. {Winter First Grade Math Activities and Centers}

Searching for Teacher BalanceMy "teaching" resolution is take time for me, through yoga.  Like all of you, I work ridiculously hard and forget to make time for me.  For the sake of myself and my students, I plan to practice yoga more. {Squiggle Book-Creative Writing Journal}
Adventures in First with Mrs. KeyI would love to dig deeper into our new Common Core Reading Series. There is so much, and I have a hard time getting through each day without running out of time. {Winter Unit}
Learning is for SuperstarsTo use QR codes in my instruction - they scare me right now{Benjamin Franklin Mini Unit & Christopher Columbus Reader}

A Sunny Day in First GradeMy teaching resolution is to have more fun!  With so much testing and data collecting, it can be easy to get bogged down with what needs to be done.  We sometimes forget that our kids are KIDS!  We need to slow down and have fun with them! :) {Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}
Follow A Sunny Day in First Grade on TPT

Mrs. Peterson Loves to Teach- My New Year's resolution is to be able to do a pull up within the year.  I am a Crossfit Lover and this is the one thing I have been working on for a while.  This is the year for me :)) {Winn'er Choice of 1 item from TPT store}
Follow Mrs. Peterson Loves to Teach on TPT
An Apple a Day in First Grade- To blog more and create more products{Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}
Once Upon a Classroom: The Tale of Two Teachers- My "teaching" New Year's resolution is to give more detailed and specific feedback. This is so valuable to my students' learning and sometimes I catch myself slipping! {Synonyms and Antonyms}

The Busy Busy Hive- I am going to try my hardest to figure out how to work the Smartboard that is now in my classroom.  No one in the school wanted it and I just couldn't let it be put away or sold. I figure if I can learn how to use  it my first graders will have a ball with it during centers{Wizard of Oz Time! (Writing & Labeling Packet) and Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}

Taming My Flock of Firsties- I would like to try to keep up with the classroom blog so that my parents have a glimpse into their day. :) {Winner's Choice of 2 items from TPT store}

Learning is Something to Treasure- My teaching New Year's resolution is to continue to make learning hands on and fun for my students. I want to make the most of every minute every day! {Plenty of Penguins: A Non-fiction Unit on 10 Different Species of Penguins}

One Fab TeacherMy teacher's New Year's resolution is to not call in one day for the rest of the school year. My first two years of teaching I didn't call in one day. :) {Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}

My Mommy Reads- Just like every year, my resolution is to be more organized! :) {Penguin Place Value, CCSS NBT, First Grade!}
Follow My Mommy Reads on Facebook
Missing Tooth Grins- My "teaching" New Year's resolution is to be more organized and to keep learning fun and enjoyable for my firsties{Build a Snowman Literacy Activities}
Tales of a First Grade Teacher-My Teaching New Year's resolution is to take 1 day at a time. It's easy to get overwhelmed with projects, assessments, Common Core, grading etc.... I am going to work to balance my teaching day, so I can be less stressed at home. {February Fundamentals}
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 {Featured 2nd Grade Teachers}
Bright Concepts 4 TeachersI want to be more "present" each day with my students. We all get so busy juggling all the different hats that we wear as teachers. Sometimes we forget to appreciate and take in all the little things that happen with our students each day and celebrate them. This new year, I want to do a better job at being in the moment with my students.  {New Year's Resolution Craftivity and Class Book}

Sparkling in SecondMy teaching New Year's resolution is to start the Daily 5 in my classroom in order to reach more of my students in different areas of struggle{Skip Counting Centers}
Covered in Glitter and GlueTo enjoy the students! It often feels there are so many things put on us as teachers, stresses coming from every direction, that I sometimes forget to stop and enjoy the moment and the little ones that I spend my day with{Winner's Choice of 2 items from TPT store}

Today, in Second GradeI would like to incorporate more technology into my lessons. The students love it and although I use it often, I know there is so much more to do with technology and teaching. {Winter Activities Mega Bundle Pack}

Primarily Speaking- I don't typically make resolutions, personally or professionally, but I certainly believe in, and live by, the idea of continual improvement.  I am always looking for ways in which I can do things better, to make things more efficient, and so forth.  This not only keeps my teaching fresh from year to year, but it keeps me excited about my job day after day. {Winter-riffic Addition Centers (Common Core Aligned)}

The Balancing Act I Call Life- My teaching resolution is to choose 1 evening a week to put down the laptop! I LOVE creating and making and organizing and blogging about anything and everything for my classroom, but I need to make time for me (and hubby), too! {*Snow* Many Synonyms and Antonyms}

My Second Sense{Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}

Tori’s Teacher TipsDon't let Common Core bog me down{Winner's Choice of $10 in TPT store}
Hippo Hooray for Second Grade- I usually work on my lesson plans for the week on Sunday night. My goal is to get started on them on Thursdays for the following week, so that I can have a stress-free weekend :{Main Idea Mania}

The Teacher’s Chair- I have a bunch of little artists this year, so to really tap into their learning style, I would love to bring my curriculum to life with as many hands-on artistic projects as possible! {Problem Solving with Bar Modeling: 'Problem Solving Magic & Happily Ever After'}

Second Grade SuperkidsMy "teaching" New Year's resolution is to find more ways to support positive staff, student, and community involvement and pride in our school! {Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}

Meet Miss Parker- As a new teacher, my New Year's resolution is to continue to learn from all of you! I have been so lucky to venture into the online world of teaching at an early point in my career. Between the blogs, pinterest, IG, and tpt, I have already learned so much! I hope to continue to stay active with all of you, despite the craziness of my search for a full-time job! (cross your fingers for me!) <3 {Differentiated Reading Comprehension Passages- Common Core}
Super Sparkly in Second- My New Year's resolution is to organize my teaching materials by placing them in folders by theme/holiday. Although I'm digitally organized, I'm not organized in the physical world. {Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}
The Applicious Teacher- Get more organized and stay a head of the game! Feel like I've been WAY behind on my prep work this year. {Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}
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{Featured 3rd Grade Teachers}
Inspired Owl’s CornerMy teaching New Year's resolution is to keep learning as much as possible about Common Core State Standards, because we will be fully implementing CC next school year. I'm so excited for this change in education! {Winner's Choice of 2 items from TPT store}

School Days with SmithI am going to make it my goal to grade papers in a more timely manner! I want my students to receive more accurate and prompt feedback, and I also want to maximize my time at home with my baby{2 and 3 Digit Addition and Subtraction Math Games}

The Craft of TeachingMy teaching New Year's Resolution is to remember that, no matter how stressful teaching gets, laughter and smiles in the classroom are a MUST{$15 Starbucks gift card & Quadrilaterals: 2D Shape Sort}

A Classroom Full of SmilesMy "teaching" New Year's resolution is to file my extra copies into the correct folder in my file cabinet. I usually just leave them laying around until the pile is so big that it takes an hour to file everything away. I need to be more prompt at putting things where they need to go. {Snowman at Christmas Activity Pack and Craftivity-ELA Common Core Aligned}

Teaching With HopeI will take the time to have a conversation with each every student every morning! Even if it is just a short snippet about their night I will take the time to listen! {Multiplication Centers and Activity Pack & Bully Prevention Pack}

A Tall Drink of Water- My"teaching" resolution is to find more ways to incorporate arts into my math lessons! {Multiplication Fast Facts}

Third Grade Tidbits- Worry more about my students than the "other stuff." {Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}

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{Featured Upper Grade Teachers}

The Unique ClassroomSince I continually self-reflect, I am always looking to improve my teaching approach to guided reading. I am fortunate to work with lots of talented and dedicated teachers, and I strive to be as successful and effective as they are{Fiction and NonFiction Text Elements Response Pages Bundle}
Learning to Be Awesome- To keep a balance between my class, and all the other responsibilities I take on in my school so that my kids don't miss out on anything. {$10 gift card to Teachers Pay Teachers}
Follow Learning to Be Awesome on Bloglovin'

Magic Mistakes & Mayhem- To implement Flipped Classroom principles into the day to day teaching and learning. {Winner's Choice of 2 items from TPT store}

Where the Wild Things Learn- To make learning fun, hands-on, and interactive for my students{Winner's Choice of 1 item from TPT store}
Everyone deServes to Learn- My resolution is to get better at planning youtube videos and interactive whiteboard games ahead of time! I usually scramble to find them in the morning or RIGHT before class, so I'd like to be more on top of that{How to Eat an Oreo (Writing Unit)}
Beach Lovin' Teach- My teaching New Year's resolution is to start planning on how I will incorporate technology into my classroom. I am so thrilled that my class will be receiving a set of laptops after the New Year. I want to make sure I am ready for them by being planned with engaging lessons and technology tips! {Figurative Language Posters in Chevron}
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December Currently

I haven't done a currently in a few months so I'm excited to link up for the December Currently at Oh Boy Fourth Grade!


Listening: Yes, I'm listening to the football game but not by choice. My husband is a HUGE football fan and is currently going back and forth between fantasy teams. I don't hate football but I'm definitely not as big of a fan as he is. I actually love it because it gives me some "me" time whenever he's distracted by it.

Loving: I'm definitely loving this Cyber Monday sale. I filled my cart with some amazing products that I'm so excited about! I also did a little shopping on Amazon for Christmas gifts! 

Thinking: How did I get sick during the only week that I was off work and not around my students??!! It doesn't make sense but it needs to go away!

Needing: The Bath and Body candles are the best! It's so hard to decide because I love them all! I'm going to put one in every room this year for sure!

Favorite Tradition: My favorite holiday tradition is getting together as a family every Christmas morning to open gifts under the tree. I know you are probably thinking, of course! But we have continued this tradition in our family even as us "kids" have grown up and gotten married. 

Time to get back to my Cyber Monday shopping! If you are still doing your TPT shopping, I bundled a bunch of my writing units/projects for an even bigger discount if you want to check them out….



Happy Cyber Monday!


Christmas in November Giveaway!

I'm so excited to be part of this Christmas in November Giveaway hosted by Easy Teaching Tools! There are a bunch of great products from a variety of grade levels below to get you ready for December! Where did the time go?! Good luck and enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Giveaway ends on December 1st





























Behavior Management

Have you ever had one of those years where you've tried literally every behavior management trick in the book and nothing would work with your class? Well, this is that year for me. It has been tough because behavior management has always been a strong area for me. My principals would always give me those tough kids that needed that extra structure and follow through, and I'm used to being able to handle it! You can imagine how frustrating it has been to have a class where nothing would work. Yes, I have a few students with some special needs and a few behavior problems, but overall, they are great kids…just the most chatty class in my 7 years of teaching. I found myself getting overwhelmed and exhausted. (Notice the lack of blog posts the last couple months).

I had heard about Class Dojo before but was hesitant to try something new after my students had already been in school for over a month. Well, I can say I'm SO glad I did! Class Dojo has literally changed my life this year. My students are focused, engaged, and always ready to learn. Now I'm thinking, why didn't I use this earlier?
My students loved creating their avatar and are obsessed with earning points! I thought for sure there would be a student or two who weren't motivated by it, but nope! ALL OF THEM ARE! The parents are thrilled that they can check their child's behavior daily, and they love the weekly reports. Right now I have my students cashing in their points when they would like to trade it in for something. They are always aware of their point total and know to tell me when they would like to cash in their points. I have a chart for prizes they can earn but I'm sure I will continue to add more.


Another thing I absolutely love about Class Dojo is that I can open the app on my phone to reward students with points when we leave the classroom for music, PE, assemblies, science, etc.

I'm sure many of you are already using Class Dojo but for those of you who aren't, I hope this gave you a little push to try it! I'm definitely glad I did, and so is my husband! :) 



Animal Adaptation Project



We have been studying animal adaptations in science so I had my students do this fun little project! They had a blast doing it and they turned out great so I thought I'd share it with you! I had them first choose an animal (many created their own which was fun) and then choose four adaptations that their animal would have. During the written portion of the assignment, students described the ecosystem their animal lives in, the adaptations in detail, and what the animal eats. I also had them do a drawing and label the adaptations. Here are a couple examples below. I was so impressed with all of the creativity!




I have the project posted in my store if you are interested! I also created this grading rubric to help!


Click below if you want to check it out in my store.




Five for Friday

It's time for Five for Friday after what seemed like the longest week ever! I'm so happy the weekend is here!


1. Today we had fun working on the arachnid angles activity from the Halloween Centers pack made by Miss Nannini. I love all of her products and so do my students!


2. I've been having fun planning and prepping some of next week's fun for Halloween…pasta skeletons!


3. We even did some Halloween themed imaginative narrative writing! The prompt was to write a story about what would happen if they woke up and they had suddenly turned into their Halloween costume.


4. We also started Class Dojo this week and I am in LOVE! This is exactly what I needed! My students are so motivated and the parents are thrilled!


5. I just had to post this! This made all my teacher friends laugh….


Have a great weekend everyone!

I'm back with a sale!

I'm back after a little break and just in time to celebrate the TPT milestone! I'm joining in on the sale so everything in my store will be 10% off. Be sure to use the code FB100K for an extra 10% off until tomorrow!


I just bought some great Halloween products on sale that I can't wait to use! Have a great Sunday!