tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575929422569751142024-03-10T13:49:52.800-04:00One Extra DegreeAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.comBlogger409125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-91727276121683110952016-02-01T20:43:00.002-05:002016-02-01T20:45:49.123-05:00Repurposing Decor for Vocabulary InstructionI recently popped into Michaels for a few art supplies, and as usual, I found myself wandering down the home decor aisles. I love everything about this collection, first of all. The bright colors and vintage vibe fit perfectly with my classroom style. Beyond that though, there is so much potential for vocabulary instruction here. Just imagine displaying small vocabulary cards on the bunting board in your writing center or as part of your focus board! The cork board speech bubble would be perfect to hang outside of your classroom as a password board. (You could pin a vocabulary word to the cork every day to have students tell the definition or synonym or antonym or use it in a sentence as they enter the classroom.) <br />
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When I saw these speech bubble displays, I thought it would be a perfect way to display a Word of the Day or a Word of the Week. Maybe you could even display student-generated sentences using vocabulary words. How fun would that be?!<br />
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As you can see, I almost walked out with these little speech bubbles. You can write on them with chalk, or you can clip an index card to the top to display a word. I thought this would be a great way to display the words near my word work center since they could be double-sided to display two words each. <br />
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I ended up walking out without the extras...and for once...I actually stuck to my shopping list. However, I plan on going back to pick up a few items when they finally go on sale. I love using props to hook even my most reluctant students, and I know that these items would definitely be attention-grabbers. How would you use these items? Do you have any creative ideas? Share in the comments below! I'd love to hear from you!Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-54963798087183103842016-01-30T21:20:00.002-05:002016-01-30T21:20:34.260-05:00Abraham Lincoln: A One Week WonderAbraham Lincoln is one of our most beloved and most celebrated Presidents, so I couldn't wait to study his life with my kiddos. This One Week Wonder was centered around the Caldecott winning and very comprehensive book <i>Abraham Lincoln</i>, although it is important to note that it would be easily adaptable with other texts as well. <br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Snowflake-Bentley-A-One-Week-Wonder-2268483https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Abraham-Lincoln-A-One-Week-Wonder-2320014">Abraham Lincoln: A One Week Wonder</a> is part of a series of week-long units with complete lesson plans ("One Week Wonders") I plan on sharing with all of you over time! Here's a glimpse into my classroom to see how it all panned out! <br />
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We created Abraham Lincoln lap books to record information gained from the book and additional research on the i-Pads. This little craftivity is fun and functional, and the crafty part of it is quick! In the intermediate grades, I still believe that cutesy has a place as a hook for students. That said, it has to have a greater purpose, and it can't monopolize time. This was a win in that respect. <br />
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We also completed a Read the Room activity to review common and proper nouns once again. This time, all of the words are in lowercase letters so students have to ready think about the category each word or pair of words belongs in. This activity is so adaptable, so it is part of my regular lesson rotations. We review a ton of standards this way, and the great thing is, because we are always switching up the standards and since it gets my students out of their seats, it's always a big hit! <br />
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We also did a little STEM-esque project to inspire some procedural texts. I broke my students up into teams, and they were responsible for creating weight-bearing "cabins" using nine index cards and glue/tape. It was interesting seeing the different designs. Some were really complex. Some were incredibly simple. Some had "logs", some were basically reinforced cubes. Some used pillars. Some were open in the middle. I loved seeing the innovation they brought into the lesson as they worked through various designs and trials. I also loved listening to their presentations!<br />
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The expectation was that each group would create a "cabin" that could support the weight of a full pencil box. All of the groups accomplished this...eventually. Some had to redesign their cabins, and others barely supported the weight. Others, however, held an incredible amount of weight. Check this out! I was so impressed! <br />
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Throughout our biography study, week after week, the research center has been a class favorite, and this week was no exception. My students LOVED researching presidents and creating a multi-media presentations about their lives. The slideshows are simple, but they are powerful. I love that my students can practice research skills on a regular basis, because I fervently believe that strong research skills are imperative, not only to school success, but also in the professional sphere as they become adults. It's sometimes a stumbling block, but I am already seeing improvements in their research skills, and this was only the third week we've implemented this center. I can't wait to see the long-term results! <br />
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I did employ this Abraham Lincoln meme to remind my kiddos about fact-checking. I always use the Tree Octopus website to warn of the dangers of misinformation and to encourage cross-referencing. If you haven't seen it, it's worth a look!<br />
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This is another center that I have made a regular part of our rotation each week. Each card features an important term from the text, and the students are responsible for creating a question that corresponds with that word. It's like creating a test question that has that particular answer, and it's a great way for my students to refer back to the text, reread, and think critically. This was challenging at first, but they are really coming along. <br />
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This week, I used my "Mystery Hat" from Learning Resources as Abe Lincoln's hat. We stored lots of documents inside (just like he used to do). In this case, the documents were cards with verbs from the text. I had my kiddos pull them out one at a time and use them in a sentence. If a student used the word correctly, he or she got to keep the card, but if they used it incorrectly or they were not sure about the definition, they looked it up in the dictionary and had to put it back into the hat. (If students in the group were unsure of whether that student's answer was correct, they consulted the dictionary.) I had my kids set a timer on this center, and whoever had the most cards at the end of the game won. Of course, they had to look out for the WAR cards. If they drew that, they would have to return all of their cards to the hat. It was a lot of fun listening to them cheer each other on and even groan on occasion. This was a great way to work on dictionary skills in a fun and engaging way while growing their vocabulary and verb-knowledge.<br />
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The next center was a commonly misspelled/confused word center. Similarly to the other center, the students had to use the words correctly in a sentence. (A dictionary was also kept nearby to consult, if needed.) If students got the word right, they could place a craft stick on the background to "build a cabin". The first person to get to 10 craft sticks won! It was a big hit. A few of the boys asked, "Is this going to be 2D or 3D? Because they seemed a little disappointed that it wouldn't be 3D, I dug out some Jenga blocks, and they had a choice between craft sticks or 10 Jenga blocks. The game was played the same way otherwise, and they LOVED it.<br />
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Vocabulary was, once again, a big focus this week. We explored politics, wit, clerk, emancipate, quarrel, and debt through a variety of different activities, and as always they were displayed on our focus board. <br />
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Because my students have been struggling with the difference between character traits and emotions, I decided to make a SCOOT game to practice differentiating between them. I played songs like "Happy" and "Don't Worry, Be Happy" while they moved around the room filling out their recording sheets. It kept the mood light and fun while they worked. The kiddos also worked on a graphic organizer to describe Abe's traits, feelings, and motivations. <br />
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It is important to note one thing about this particular book. It was written in 1939, and as a result, quite unfortunately, there were a few parts (on two pages) that were politically incorrect. The book is so comprehensive, so well-written, and so well-done that I didn't want to completely dismiss its merits. However, I also did not feel that I could read it as it was. So, I took some white out to it and deleted a derogatory term and the word "black" any time I felt it was unnecessary or redundant. When I read this aloud to the kids and they noticed the white-out and my purple pen, we just had a quick conversation about Ruby Bridges and the injustice that people that Abe Lincoln, Ruby Bridges, and people like Martin Luther King, Jr. were trying to eradicate. I just explained that this book was a little insensitive, and because of that, I decided to make a few changes. That was that, and we moved on, focusing instead on the merits of Abraham Lincoln (the book and the person). <br />
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This blog post doesn't include every single activity, but it includes many of my favorites. Here's a more comprehensive list of the contents:<br />
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What's Included: <br />
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Lesson Plans<br />
Cloze Vocabulary Introduction<br />
Vocabulary Book with Frayer Models<br />
Vocabulary Cards for Focus Wall/Pocket Chart<br />
KWL Formative Flap<br />
Abraham Lincoln Discussion Questions Mini-Book<br />
That's What It's All About Main Idea/Key Details Organizer<br />
Common and Proper Nouns: Read the Room Activity<br />
Written Conversation Template<br />
Extra! Extra! Newspaper Summarizing Template<br />
Index Card Log Cabin STEM Activity <br />
Biography Lap Book and Craftivity<br />
Traits, Motivations, & Feelings Organizer<br />
Vocabulary Cards (small)<br />
Emotions vs. Character Traits SCOOT<br />
Timeline Organizer<br />
Primary/Secondary Sources Sort <br />
Biography Poster<br />
Fact and Opinion SMARTboard/Sign Language Activity<br />
Whoa! Tableau! (Create a scene from the text!)<br />
List, Group, Label Vocabulary Activity<br />
Schema Flapbook<br />
Get Informed: Ten Important Facts Writing Prompt<br />
SMARTboard Activity: Complete Sentence, Fragment, or Run-on?<br />
Comprehension Question Cards (for teacher)<br />
Vocabulary Quiz<br />
Comprehension Quiz (with original text & optional extended response)<br />
WAR! Center (verb definitions)<br />
Commonly Confused Words Center (Build a craft stick cabin!)<br />
What is the Question? Center<br />
Mentor Corner: Presidents (Internet Inquiry/Multimedia Presentation)<br />
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Mentor Corner covers Andrew Jackson, George W. Bush, John Quincy Adams, Lyndon B. Johnson, George Bush, Gerald Ford, Herbert Hoover, James Madison, Jimmy Carter, John Adams, Richard Nixon, Ulysses S. Grant, Barack Obama, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Washington, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, and Woodrow Wilson. <br />
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So, there you have it! I am personally LOVING this approach to teaching literature. What's next in the biography unit? <i>The Boy on Fairfield Street</i>! After that, I will be bundling the four biography units and moving on to Tall Tales. Stay tuned for more One Week Wonders!<br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-52133300286517326162016-01-07T22:08:00.001-05:002016-01-08T07:01:57.391-05:00Ruby Bridges: One Week WonderThis marks week number two of our biography unit, and we have been busy learning with my<i> </i><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ruby-Bridges-A-One-Week-Wonder-2292979"><i>Ruby Bridges: One Week Wonder</i></a> study! We read <i>The Story of Ruby Bridges</i> (a biography), and <i>Through My Eyes </i>(an autobiography), and it led to so many A-ha moments and amazing conversations! (You could certainly do 99.9% of this unit with <i>The Story of Ruby Bridges</i>, but I do feel like <i>Through My Eyes</i> adds so much content to the discussions and enhances the unit, for what it's worth.)<br />
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I love being able to provide my students with thought-provoking, deep texts that mirror real life and help teach important life lessons. This fits the bill. It's definitely one of my favorite text pairings, and you'll see why! It's perfect for a biography study, Black History month, and really anytime you want to teach tolerance and respect through literature. Here's a little peek at some of the activities we did this week!<br />
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I wanted my students to understand the elements of biographies, so we made a Ruby Bridges lap book using large construction paper and interactive notebook templates. This was so much fun, and I really think it's great preparation for our <a href="http://oneextradegree.blogspot.com/2014/03/wax-museums-engagement.html">Biography Wax Museum</a>. (It's almost that time already!)<br />
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I love using eggs to represent diversity because the lesson is so simple and straightforward. Just draw a few smiley faces, crack them open, and observe how they are the same inside. This is such a great lesson on symbolism, and it really helps relay the idea that no matter our color, we are all people. We are all the same on the inside, just like those eggs! This year, I decided to have my kiddos do a writing egg-tivity reflecting on how this demonstration relates back to the text. It was really powerful, and they made really adorable egg people in the process. LOVE! (Just a note... if you have a child with egg allergies, especially severe allergies, you may want to make a video of this process ahead of time. Safety first!) <br />
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I always love a good Read the Room activity because it's so versatile and allows my students to get up and move about. This week, the focus was on writing compound sentences and reviewing coordinating conjunctions like and, or, but, and so. This was a big success!</div>
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I didn't take photos of all of our vocabulary activities, but they were fun, fun, fun! As you can see, we were focused on integrate, anxious, segregation, irritable, marshals, and mob this week. We did a cloze activity, a Frayer model book for direct instruction, the colorful vocabulary activity, a vocabulary lanyard activity, and PowerPoint portrayals (where kids use clip art and use each word in a sentence as part of a short slideshow). Who says learning vocabulary has to be mundane and basic?<br />
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The students discussed several predetermined comprehension questions in their mini-booklets this week, and they also generated their own thought-provoking questions. I really enjoyed seeing how deeply they were thinking about the events that unfolded in New Orleans in 1960. They were completely engaged and engrossed by the discussions.<br />
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We reviewed nouns, adjectives, verbs, and pronouns using the SMARTboard and clickers. This could make a great activity with Plickers or as a 4 Corners game though! Quick, interactive, and no prep!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2nfJ-tszNNQB9oWCDZb18_-71MsQR3ntRTB_Zqu_TdkWNXlhpvdEPHP9JOwj_fOX6Jya8m34eUcJBS4CLy33QNqJ4vukcU46DSL1p5rE9rtu1c8jhgc2tuNTKAUSZusRlp6N-x0zRTk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-07+at+7.49.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2nfJ-tszNNQB9oWCDZb18_-71MsQR3ntRTB_Zqu_TdkWNXlhpvdEPHP9JOwj_fOX6Jya8m34eUcJBS4CLy33QNqJ4vukcU46DSL1p5rE9rtu1c8jhgc2tuNTKAUSZusRlp6N-x0zRTk/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-01-07+at+7.49.47+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
We talked about primary and secondary sources, and the kiddos did a game of SCOOT to demonstrate understanding. (I didn't snap a photo, unfortunately!) You can see some of this learning reflected in the Comparing Accounts Venn Diagram though. I love seeing them looking beyond the content at the craft and structure. <br />
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We played a game of Thumbs Up or Down to review subject-verb agreement, and it was simplicity as its best. The kids really enjoyed this, and it was a piece of cake to implement!<br />
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Although I didn't include any specific plans for anchor charts in the lesson plans in this file, I did want to share how I made a very simple chart for lingering questions. I like being able to glance back throughout the week to tackle those tough questions. This is great for student buy-in and ownership as well.<br />
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I asked each student to create a special award for Ruby Bridges, and I wanted them to write an opinion-based text about why she was deserving of this award. This is a snapshot of the organizer they used to plan their texts before writing. I loved seeing how creative their awards were, but I loved seeing the evidence from the text SO much more!<br />
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I think I mentioned this in my <a href="http://oneextradegree.blogspot.com/2015/12/snowflake-bentley-one-week-wonder.html">Snowflake Bentley</a> post, but I really wanted to create centers that I could use on a weekly basis that fit into my weekly themes. This week the Mentor Corner focused on Black History, and students could pick a famous African-American to research. They played MOB, a twist to the game Bang to review irregular past-tense verbs, they completed "What is the Question?" to work on asking and answering questions, they did a synonym match-up with emotions, and they also sorted pronouns into 1st person or 3rd person pockets. It was a blast!<br />
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This blog post doesn't include every single activity, but it includes
many of my favorites. Here's a more comprehensive list of the contents:<br />
<br />
What's Included: <br />
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Lesson Plans<br />
Cloze Vocabulary Introduction<br />
Vocabulary Book with Frayer Models<br />
Vocabulary Cards for Focus Wall/Pocket Chart<br />
Ruby Bridges Discussion Questions Mini-Book<br />
That's What It's All About Main Idea/Key Details Organizer<br />
Point of View T-Chart<br />
Compound Sentences Read the Room Activity<br />
Opinion-Based Text: Create an Award and Tell Why She Deserves It<br />
Extra, Extra! Newspaper Template (Summarizing)<br />
Biography Lap Book Interactive Templates<br />
Ruby Bridges Traits, Motivations, and Feelings Organizer<br />
Vocabulary Lanyard Vocabulary Cards<br />
Primary and Secondary Sources SCOOT<br />
Connections to Ruby and Reaction to Books T-Chart <br />
Event Timeline Organizer<br />
Example of Vocabulary PowerPoint Portrayals<br />
Biographies and Autobiographies Posters<br />
Comparing Accounts Venn (Through My Eyes too)<br />
Drawing Information From Photos and Illustrations T-Chart<br />
Subject-Verb Agreement: Thumbs Up or Down?<br />
We're All Alike on the Inside Writing and Egg-Tivity<br />
Colorful Vocabulary Templates<br />
Determining Importance Flap Book for Interactive Notebooks<br />
Summarizing Flap Book for Interactive Notebooks<br />
Book Review "Jot Spot" Writing Prompt for Interactive Notebooks<br />
Parts of Speech 4 Corners/Clicker Activity<br />
Shaping Up Formative Assessment<br />
Vocabulary Quiz<br />
Comprehension Quiz (with paired text and writing prompt)<br />
MOB: Irregular Past-Tense Verbs Center (A Twist on BANG!)<br />
Emotional Synonyms Center (Emotions Match-Up)<br />
What's the Question? Center<br />
Point of View Pronouns Center<br />
Mentor Corner: Black History<br />
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Mentor Corner covers Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Thurgood Marshall,
Sarah E. Goode, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Booker T. Washington,
Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges,
and Coretta Scott King.<br />
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Note: There are several references to prayer in "The Story of Ruby
Bridges". I read it matter-of-factly. (Even though I do definitely think faith is important, I never want to push it on anyone). In this text, it is a reflection of her culture, her upbringing, and it's what helped her draw inner-strength.<br />
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Another note: When reading "Through My Eyes", you may want to pick and
choose what you read aloud due to time constraints and a few details
included in the text that may be a bit heavy for your students,
depending on your population. I use Post-Its to mark my spots, and I'd say I read 90% of it. I skipped parts about the KKK and threatening to poison Ruby, for example, but honestly those parts are so few and far between, and it is a truly fabulous book with so many details that help students empathize with Ruby and understand her experience so much better. You don't want to skip this. You just want to know what you want to read ahead of time. I am, in general, a big fan of reading excerpts to teach in Reader's Workshop. You can get a lot of bang for your buck that way! <br />
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So, there you have it! I am personally LOVING this approach to teaching literature. What's next in the biography unit? <i>Abraham Lincoln</i> and <i>The Boy on Fairfield Street</i>! Stay tuned for more One Week Wonders! <br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-22134282860628308172015-12-28T19:22:00.000-05:002015-12-28T19:22:07.891-05:00Critical Thinking Task CardsI've been trying to amp up my critical thinking resources this year...especially for early finishers and morning work, and I am LOVING it. Best of all, my students are loving it too! These are my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Position-Puzzles-Critical-Thinking-Task-Cards-2209317">Position Puzzles</a> task cards. These shape analogies require students to determine the rotation of each image. I purposefully chose a variety of clip art for this project. Some are more abstract than others, and all of them require deep thinking! As a scaffold, the kiddos have small cards that they can turn and examine to find the correct answer. For a little art integration, I included clip art inspired by Henri Matisse and Keith Haring! LOVE them! <br />
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Here it is in action! It has been a hit with my students, especially once I pulled out the board games (Trouble, Connect 4, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and Twister). Such a simple way to up the fun factor with task cards! <br />
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In addition to the "traditional" board games we've all grown up with, I have started to incorporate simple games that I've picked up from the Dollar Tree. I LOVE these little Tic-Tac-Toe boards for a little seasonal nod. So simple and festive!<br />
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This Anagrams task card set is also fun and challenging. I have always been a BIG fan of word puzzles, and I love being able to provide my students with such a stimulating early finisher activity.</div>
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The Equation Eureka puzzles are really fun because they require students to think about common sets or units and the relationship between the letters and numbers. For example, 7D in SW translates to 7 dwarves in Snow White and 60 S in a M translates to 60 seconds in a minute. This set is sure to cause your students to stretch and think critically! <br />
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If you're looking for extra activities to truly challenge and engage your early finishers and/or gifted learners, these task cards are the perfect addition to your classroom arsenal. :) Give them a try! <br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-62041399864984134682015-12-26T12:55:00.000-05:002015-12-26T14:58:14.049-05:00Snowflake Bentley: One Week Wonder<i>Snowflake Bentley</i>
is a fabulous book about a man named Wilson A. Bentley. He was a man
who loved nature, and loved snow in particular. He took photos of snow
crystals in his little Vermont town so when I started thinking about
shaking things up this year prior to winter break, I decided to feature
this book. Then things really snowballed from there. The more I thought
about what I wanted my students to experience, the longer and more
complex the unit became. I wanted something that would make my life easier next year (since having a baby has opened my eyes to what multitasking truly is), I wanted something that addressed the Common Core Standards and the biography genre in creative and engaging ways, and I wanted something that would be in line with best practices. This pack ended up being all of that and more. I seriously LOVED it, and my students did too!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Snowflake-Bentley-A-One-Week-Wonder-2268483">Snowflake Bentley: A One Week Wonder</a> is just the beginning of a series of week-long units with complete lesson plans ("One Week Wonders") I plan on sharing with all of you over time! Here's a glimpse into my classroom to see how it all panned out! This was a great way to review before winter break, to ease back in after break is over, or to complete any time during these cold winter months! <br />
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This "Story Snapshot" page was the perfect little snapshot of Wilson Bentley's life. As you can see, it encapsulates his early life, his obstacles, and his contributions while also noting his lifespan and hometown. The kids also enjoyed drawing his picture based on the photograph on the last page of the book. How cute is this guy? We do <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wax-Museum-Biographies-Bringing-History-to-Life-121614">Biography Wax Museums</a> in the spring, so I am trying to slowly set them up for success by working through some biographical and autobiographical texts as we lead up to it. <br />
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I really wanted my students to realize that there's a connection between character traits in stories and the personalities and traits of REAL subjects in biographies, so I had my students create a "trading card" on Wilson A. Bentley as well. I am constantly trying to help them differentiate between traits and emotions, so this was much needed. <br />
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I LOVED all of the vocabulary activities we did. I chose six Tier II words from the text to incorporate into our daily activities. You can see the six that were chosen below in a vocabulary display on my Focus Wall. <br />
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One of the activities we worked on was inspired by Word Nerds. I had my students color cards for each word and explain why they associate each color with each word. It was really interesting to see commonalities, but it was even more interesting to hear when someone chose an unexpected color and justified their response. The kids had opportunities to discuss their choices at their tables, and it was fun to hear things like, "That makes so much sense, but I never would have thought of that" and "Oh, me too! I colored hexagonal yellow because it reminded me of a beehive too." <br />
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Because of the references to snowstorms and blizzards in the text, we did a "Brainstorm" activity with our vocabulary as well. I displayed the six words around the room on three pieces of chart paper. The kids walked around writing words, definitions, examples, and sketching illustrations that were associated with each definition. It helped deepen their understanding of the terms by citing synonyms, real world examples, and related words/concepts. This is always one of my favorite vocabulary activities because of the wide net that is cast and how it goes so far beyond the dictionary definition itself.<br />
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Of course, there is something to be said for traditional vocabulary practice as well. That's why they created a booklet of Frayer models for each term, and that's why one of my centers requires students to look up words in the dictionary to refine dictionary skills. It's important. We just always have to remember that although explicit vocabulary instruction IS important and necessary, we must also go beyond that to deepen understanding.<br />
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Although I teach Language Arts and Social Studies, I do like to incorporate a little science every now and again. This time, I gave my students a mini-STEM challenge using Q-tips. They were given ten Q-Tips (although I eventually gave them 12 because I felt that it aided the lesson because snowflakes ARE hexagonal). They had to use all of the Q-Tips that were provided, they couldn't overlap them, and they had to create three snowflakes that were symmetrical. A few kids asked about bending the Q-Tips, and that was permitted. Cutting was also permitted, although they had to use every single piece once they cut them, and there was no going back or getting new materials once they were cut. As they created designs, I had them record them on a sheet of white paper so they could see the evolution of their designs and thinking over time. This seems like a simple activity on the surface, but it really challenged my students to think critically and problem-solve. As you can see, at first, they were creating designs, but they looked a little more like hieroglyphics than snowflakes, and they weren't all symmetrical. Through trial and error, they began to take shape and become more and more<i> intricate </i>by trying out new <i>techniques</i>. They also had to be careful because their designs were <i>delicate</i> and easily broken. (See how I worked those vocabulary words into that description?) The kiddos LOVED building snowflakes, and then after they were done, I had them write reflections detailing the parameters, the process, and their own thoughts on the activity, almost like an informal lab report. This was a great way to practice using time order words too!<br />
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(As a side-note, this pack does include an additional science activity
to grow crystals using Borax, a jar, water, string, and pipe cleaners,
but sadly, we ran out of time with all of our other school-wide holiday
festivities. Such a fun activity too!)<br />
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I love having centers available as another way to spiral through grammar skills. I typically teach grammar through short Quick Checks (like this <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ELA-January-Quick-Checks-No-Prep-Printables-for-Progress-Monitoring-1634226">ELA January Quick Checks</a> pack) and centers like these. It's nice to be able to use them to meet with small groups or conference with individuals as students work through the rotations, and since I always say how nice it would be to have them on a weekly basis, I am starting to work on compiling them. Each center has a corresponding recording sheet, so they could be used for a grade, if desired. These may be my favorite centers yet!<br />
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I love the first center. I created Polaroid pictures with snowflakes to approximate the slides created by Snowflake Bentley himself. Each Polaroid features a word from the book in either past, present, or future tense, and there are regular and a few irregular verbs as well. <br />
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This center played off of the camera references in <i>Snowflake Bentley</i> as well. My kiddos are always referencing hashtags in class, so I though they would get a kick out of this. I found vintage cameras that resembled the Instagram camera a little bit, and I created hashtag cards featuring wintery idioms. They had to draw each idiom in two different Polaroids showing #whatitsoundslike and #whatitreallymeans. This was a class favorite, naturally. They thought it was really #cool. <br />
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The following center was created to address asking and answering questions about the text. It gives an answer (a word from the text), and then the kids had to ask a question that would lead to that answer. Such a fun way to assess comprehension and the questioning strategy in a kind of round-about way!<br />
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I make it a point to TRY to incorporate technology whenever I can. This center required students to use iPads or Chromebooks to create a short and simple multimedia presentation (PowerPoint or Google Slide presentation) about blizzards to "teach" Ebonee. It reinforces important concepts from the book, then takes them beyond it to tie it into the real world. It also reinforces important research and typing skills, so this is one of my favorite pieces. Anything with a computer is a hit with the kids as well. <br />
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The cause and effect activity could be used whole group, small group, or as a center. Due to time constraints, I switched it up from the lesson plans included in the pack, and I put it out as a center. It requires students to sort cause and effect relationships in <i>Snowflake Bentley</i>, and it's pretty tricky. It would be a good idea to keep a copy of the book on hand near this center because students may need to reread the text to see it in context.<br />
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The following activity is super easy to implement and review the four types of sentences. (It's important to note that I have revised it since doing it with my own students. It no longer has the punctuation displayed within the sentence.) That said, it is a quick and interactive activity that can utilized in a variety of ways. By projecting it onto your interactive whiteboard, you can either play a game of four corners, use clickers, or use <a href="https://www.plickers.com/">Plickers</a>. So fun either way you slice it!<br />
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My kiddos also did a Read Around the Room activity that required them to differentiate between common and proper nouns. Read Around the Room activities are always on rotation in my classroom because it is such a nice way to get students up and moving, especially after an activity that requires longer seatwork. It's always fun for the kiddos, it's quick, and it's a great formative piece.<br />
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Because <i>Snowflake Bentley</i> is a biographical account of Wilson A. Bentley's life, my students wrote an I Am Poem from his point of view. They also each created a snowflake out of paper and mounted everything together on a large piece of construction paper. This was a simple craftivity to do (my favorite kind). It was also powerful because it echoed the same message in the book... that no two snowflakes were alike...and it also helped reiterate the definition of the word "intricate" as they created their own intricate designs.<br />
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This little mini-book is great for scaffolding discussions in small groups about the text, but you could also adapt it to use for written reflections on the text. I put a template in the file called a "Written Conversation". It's one of my favorites too. It requires kids to reflect on a question, then pass it to a friend who responds before passing it to another student. Eventually after 2-3 students reflect together, it makes it back to the original owner who has a moment to read and write their final thoughts and how their thinking evolved. (This is great for synthesizing!) I also created four small pages in each booklet for the students to develop their own discussion questions prior to talking with their peers. This ensures that they talk about a few things I really want them to zoom in on while still giving them some breathing room and a chance to discuss what they found interesting or puzzling.<br />
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We also played a game of SCOOT while playing instrumental holiday songs. My students had to determine whether each word was a verb, noun, adjective, or pronoun and record it on their recording sheets. All of the words are from the text as well, and I included their vocabulary words to increase exposure once again.<br />
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One of the class favorites was definitely the snowball fight. I created word strips with snowballs printed on them... and typed out a variety of prepositions. They used their word in the sentence, crumpled it up, threw it, then picked up a different snowball. They were responsible for using the new word in a sentence before throwing it again. FUN!</div>
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I hope this gives you a good idea of what's included in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Snowflake-Bentley-A-One-Week-Wonder-2268483">Snowflake Bentley: One Week Wonder</a>. This blog post doesn't include every single activity, but it includes many of my favorites. Here's a more comprehensive list of the contents.<br />
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<u><i>What's Included: </i></u><br />
<i><br />
Lesson Plans<br />
Cloze Vocabulary Introduction<br />
Vocabulary Book with Frayer Models<br />
Vocabulary Cards for Focus Wall/Pocket Chart<br />
Six Facts (Roll & Record Comprehension Sheet)<br />
Have a Go Sheet (Pre-Discussion Reflection Sheet)<br />
Snowflake Bentley Discussion Questions Mini-Book<br />
Read the Room (Common and Proper Nouns)<br />
Q-Tip Creativity STEM Challenge Directions & Reflection Sheet<br />
Brainstorm Vocabulary Lesson Plan, Cards, & Reflection Sheet<br />
Biography Poster<br />
Story Snapshots<br />
Biography Trading Card<br />
Parts of Speech SCOOT (Verbs, Nouns, Adjectives, & Pronouns)<br />
I Am Poem Template<br />
Summary and Retelling Template<br />
Somebody... Wanted to... But... So... Flap Book<br />
"Growing Snowflakes" Procedural Text (for an experiment)<br />
"Growing Snowflakes" Written Conversation Reflection<br />
Snowball Fight (Prepositions)<br />
Colorful Vocabulary<br />
Cause & Effect Pocket Sort for Interactive Notebooks<br />
"Snapshots" Visualizing Written Response<br />
Mental Snapshots Flap Book (Visualizing)<br />
Four Corners/Clickers/Plickers Activity (Types of Sentences)<br />
Vocabulary Quiz<br />
What is the Question? Center (Asking and Answering Questions)</i><br />
<i>Verb Tense Polaroid (Past, Present, & Future Verb Tenses)<br />
Insta-Idioms Center (Winter Idioms: Figurative Language)<br />
Dictionary Skills Center <br />
Mentor Corner: Blizzards (Research & Create a Simple PowerPoint)<br />
3-2-1 Formative Flap</i><br />
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Beyond what's been featured, as mentioned in the overview, this unit does include a vocabulary quiz. I did not include a comprehension quiz because I LOVE this FREE <a href="http:// www.ideasbyjivey.com/2015/12/ paired-texts-planning-present.html">paired reading assessment </a>by Jessiva Ivey. If I find something I really like that really fits and already exists, I don't like to reinvent the wheel, so you will definitely want to check that resource out. It's fabulous! <br />
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Another extra activity that I felt was a great culmination is by Amanda Madden. It's also a FREEBIE. I gave it to my students as one of their holiday gifts, but it could really be used any time to complete a <a href="http://www.teachingmaddeness.com/2015/12/stem-challenge-student-gift-idea.html">Snowball Catapult STEM Challenge</a>. They worked on this in class when we had a last minute schedule change, and they came up with AMAZING inventions. It was a lot of fun, and you can't beat free, right?! You'll definitely want to check out these two resources. I really feel like they fit with my unit...like a glove. <i>Snowflake Bentley</i> is the perfect winter story...and this is a GREAT way to ease back in to school after winter break. What are you waiting for? Check it out <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Snowflake-Bentley-A-One-Week-Wonder-2268483">HERE</a>, and enjoy the rest of your vacay! Have "snow much fun"! <br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-51806683193079213822015-10-04T15:57:00.001-04:002015-10-04T16:29:36.639-04:00Writing with Intention: Personal Narratives!We've been busy working on my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Personal-Narratives-Interactive-Notebook-Resources-and-Minilessons-1904744">Personal Narratives: Interactive Notebook Resources and Minilessons</a> unit, and if I am being totally and brutally honest, it has been taking longer than I anticipated. Not because of the unit itself. It was designed to be fluid. Each lesson can be done in a day (within 30-40 minutes), or they can be stretched out and over a few days, as needed. As all good teachers know, sometimes, you just have to slow things down. I know that I could always race full-speed ahead and pack a bazillion things in, but I know that's not in the best interest of my kids. This group needs a little extra time, and so rather than trying to make them fit into my plans, I am adjusting mine. I am slowing it down. Ultimately, I want my students to fully grasp how to plan, write, revise, and edit their personal narratives. I want them to experiment with author craft and learn how to write purposefully for an authentic audience. Rushing them would almost certainly curtail my attempts to make that happen.<br />
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I will say this, I have been teaching personal narratives in a writer's workshop capacity for about seven years (out of my ten years in the classroom), and I honestly have never felt so organized with my mini-lessons-- ever. I know this may come off sounding biased since this is my own product, but all of that aside, I have found it SO helpful to have scaffolds and organizers for every single mini-lesson to guide my students toward the writing target each day. Being able to walk them through each stage of a mini-lesson (the teaching point, the explicit instruction, the guided practice, the independent practice, the sharing, and the closing) and having resources to support them (instead of just having them record them into their notebooks without a template) has shaved time off of my lessons, and since we are slowing things down to begin with, this has been a huge blessing. It also has really helped my less-organized students to be more productive as writers. When I create something for my classroom, I always try to anticipate the needs my students will have, and I always have faith that it will enhance my teaching, but in this case, with this particular product, it has greatly exceeded my own expectations, and it has made my job easier. Truly.<br />
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For one particular lesson, my students helped me create an anchor chart about a shared memory. They chose to write about our <a href="http://oneextradegree.blogspot.com/2015/09/character-traits-many-luscious-lollipops.html">Many Luscious Lollipops lesson</a> from earlier this year. One student gave the example of what "telling" sounds like, then we worked together to expand that into a more detailed account of what happened using transition words. We talked about the positive elements of the "showing" account, but we also discussed how it could be enhanced even more. After we completed the chart, my students used a template in my Personal Narratives unit to list the main events that we described. This template was a precursor to the accordion template that they were about to utilize for their own seed stories. Scaffolding learning is SO important. It seriously cannot be underestimated or underutilized! <br />
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If you take a look at the photo below, you will see Silly Putty next to an accordion template for the interactive notebook. A few years ago, I started using Silly Putty to make the concept of seed stories and watermelon stories more concrete and tangible. First of all, I love that the container looks like a seed, but I love that when you crack the seed (ahem, idea) open, you can stretch it out. This year, I wanted to find a way to capitalize on this and create an organizer that would allow my students to intentionally sequence their story from beginning to end using sequencing terms, then I wanted them to be able to stretch it out. I LOVE how the accordion template literally expands and stretches out just like the silly putty...just like a good story should! In theory, I loved it, but in practice, I loved it even more. As you can see, my students planned out their stories, folded the accordion back up, then proceeded to work on one box at a time...giving more details about each important event in the story. This broke the process down for students to make it less overwhelming, and it also helped them to be more focused and intentional about each moment in their stories. I was really pleased!<br />
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Once my students started to expand on their seed stories, I gave them time to write and elaborate. Eventually, we stopped (despite the fact that the writing is still a work-in progress), and I designated some time for students to confer with one another. This is something I always try to incorporate, and I do my best not to short-change this component, even when we are short on time. They need real audiences. They need to see themselves as authors, and authors collaborate. They have people in their circles who offer advice and compliments along the way, and I want my students to have the same thing. So, I make time for it. I foster it. I model what it should look and sound like and what their discussions should be like. I explain what effective feedback is... I model it... I have them practice it... and eventually they own that. Now that I have 31 kiddos in my class, it's even more important to do this because I cannot conference at length with every kid every day, and it frees me up even more to float around the room to listen in or offer my own advice before we share out. My students like hearing what they are doing well...especially from peers. They also seemed appreciative of the fact that friends helped point out something that was confusing or a word that was misspelled. Many also really liked that they were able to get inspiration from their friends. All of this made my teacher heart happy, of course.<br />
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As we continue working through this unit (and the others from this product series), I am encouraged. I have already witnessed so much growth in a short time. I relish the cheers when I say, "It's time for writing, please take out your writing journal." I silently cheer when I see sensory details or interesting comparisons that help paint a clearer picture of the narrative. We have made steady progress already, and it's only the beginning. I know without a doubt... the best is yet to come! Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-88252161653512810182015-09-27T16:27:00.000-04:002015-09-27T16:28:49.071-04:00My New NormalNormal. It's a word that gets tossed around a lot. Ironically, although it's supposed to describe the status quo, there really isn't a standard bar for "normalcy". Everyone's normal is different. My "normal" as a single teacher was different than my "normal" as a married teacher, and now that my son is a part of my life (and a wonderful part of my life at that), I am adjusting to a whole new normal. Life as a teacher-mom. Oh my word.<br />
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My new normal consists of waking up entirely TOO early to get my son ready for daycare... and sometimes there are tears... from both of us. My new normal consists of coating my semi-unkempt hair with product to tousle a few of my natural curls before running out of the door. My new normal consists of locking myself in my classroom for lunch and planning and scrambling to keep my head above water. My new normal consists of running out of the door at the end of the day to pick my son up and staying up after he's gone to bed to tie up loose ends. I had NO idea. I was naive. :)<br />
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That said, I am still happily teaching. Some days, I crave more time with my son and wish I could stay at home with him. Most days, I know I am right where I am supposed to be doing what I feel called to do. I've just had to make concessions, and blogging has been one of those things. I have managed to update a few files, and I have a new writing unit in progress (barely), but it's just not a priority right now. My son will only be this little for a moment. He is already five months old, and I feel like I am going to blink and he will be walking, and then I'll blink again, and he'll be in kindergarten. So, while blogging and creating are great creative outlets for me, I just can't justify losing out on precious moments that I will never get back. I'm trying to find that ever-elusive thing called balance, knowing that I can always throw myself back into things online, but I can't always snuggle my baby.<br />
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I do want to keep updating you all on our classroom happenings though, so I will do my best to pop in and play catch up whenever circumstances allow for that. So, that's the plan for today. Here are a few snapshots to show what we've been up to lately.<br />
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We started out with a little <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Notebook-101-Laying-the-Foundation-1425706">Interactive Notebook 101</a> action to teach the how and why of interactive notebooking. I used this last year too, and it has replaced some of the generic "getting to know you" activities that usually take place over the first couple weeks of school. This packet, in particular, helps students learn to manipulate templates
and understand why we are doing what we are doing. I LOVE IT! I use it and my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/We-Are-Authors-Launching-Writing-Workshop-750387">We Are Authors</a> pack to lay the foundation for future learning. The writing pack is the perfect lead-in to help students begin to see themselves as authors with stories worth telling!<br />
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Early on, I always start with lessons on metacognition, so I started out with our Metacognition Salad anchor chart, Tanny McGregor's minilesson, and a little extension that I created for students to do during independent reading. You can get this template for free <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxztuPHKd76tQlVzeWg5aDRSVHM/edit">HERE</a>.<br />
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We've been working on personal narratives using my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Personal-Narratives-Interactive-Notebook-Resources-and-Minilessons-1904744">Personal Narratives: Interactive Notebook Resources and Minilessons</a>. Here's a few photos of the first day of the unit. I LOVE how the templates help my students with prewriting, planning, and organizing, and then they are able to write their seed stories and elaborate beneath the templates. It has made a world of a difference this year!<br />
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We have also been working on novel studies. The third graders read <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Freckle-Juice-Bundle-150409">Freckle Juic</a>e, and we used my unit to examine character traits and story elements more closely. The fourth graders have been working with Because of Winn Dixie. I am trying to teach them Literature Circle jobs through the class novel studies so we can launch those sooner-rather-than-later.<br />
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Since we are shuffling around our curriculum a bit this year, I decided to tackle "Prudy's Problem" a little earlier this year. Since we are working on character traits so much lately, this was a fun and meaningful way to explore character traits with a really lighthearted book.<br />
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Of course, sometimes we have to do some heavy lifting too, and our homework is part of that. My kiddos are still expected to read 20 minutes a night, and they choose one box from their <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Response-Menus-A-Recipe-for-Reading-Success-1022737">Reading Response Menu</a> each night. I purposefully created prompts that require not only an answer, but also justification for that answer. It's a bit of a learning curve at first, but once they start getting the hang of what a quality answer looks like, it is pure magic, and it definitely helps prepare them for the extended responses they are responsible for on state tests. Practice makes proficient!<br />
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On the opposite end of the daily routine, we have our morning work. My students have fallen head-over-heels for the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Out-of-the-Box-Critical-Thinking-Morning-Work-1942357">Out of the Box Morning Work</a>. I think, if I could give them one daily, they would literally squeal, but as it stands, it's the perfect way to encourage critical thinking on a weekly basis without compromising time that can be spent spiraling through previously taught material. :) <br />
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We've also been cycling through my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ELA-September-Quick-Checks-No-Prep-Printables-for-Progress-Monitoring-2000082">September Quick Checks</a>. This was a snapshot taken on Picture Day for a review of visualizing. The photos came out so cute... and this one made me smile with the pink cotton candy-esque trees. Oh, third graders. <br />
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Well, that's pretty much all I have managed to remember to take photos of. It's been quite the whirlwind, and sometimes I just get so caught-in-the-moment that I forget to take a photo, and afterwards I think, "Wow, that went great!" Then I realize... DOH... I forgot to document it! You win some...you lose some! I'd rather win on the content delivery and lose on the documentation piece...but I certainly will TRY to do a better job at capturing the ins and outs of our classroom journey this school-year. I have a few really fun lessons up my sleeves over the next few weeks, and I can't wait to share them with you! I hope your year is off to a fabulous start!!! <br />
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<br /><!--3-->Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-40683886134134886462015-09-14T14:25:00.002-04:002015-09-14T14:25:14.003-04:00My Carson Dellosa Stash!<div style="text-align: center;">
Hello, friends! As I mentioned before, I am currently serving as a Brand Ambassador for Carson Dellosa. That means that I get to check out really awesome products to review and share with all of you!</div>
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Today, I am going to be sharing a few wonderful resources that I've been able to get my hands on for this school-year. When I was able to, I went for fifth grade materials since I teach third and fourth grade gifted clusters, and I am so glad I did. <br />
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First of all, let me tell you about the <a href="http://www.carsondellosa.com/search-catalog?fq=productdetail_string-AND|Record%20Book;topics_string_mv-AND|Common%20Core&sortby=-unitssold_int&utm_source=TeachingwithGrace&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=BrandAmbassador">Common Core Assessment Book</a>. It's a great way to track the standards you have hit throughout the year to ensure that you don't skip anything. It's also a great way to track progress and mastery. As someone who is just making the switch to standards-based report cards this year, I think this resource is a time-saver. It is ready for you to fill it up to the brim with documentation by standard, by date, and it also has the standards at a glance and the crosswalk to compare standards across grade levels. I love that, because we know that are kids don't come to us as carbon copies. We sometimes have to take a step back or kick it up a notch, and I love that I can quickly flip a page in the book without having to look it up online. That's a time-saver, and as a new mom, I am all about saving time. Oh, and it's cute. That's a nice little bonus.<br />
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But don't just take my word for it. Check out a video highlighting the Common Core Assessment Record Book below! You'll quickly see exactly what I mean! It's such a great resource.<br />
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Awesome, right? I also had the opportunity to check out Carson Dellosa's <a href="http://www.carsondellosa.com/search-catalog?q=interactive%20notebook&sortby=-unitssold_int">Language Arts Interactive Notebook</a> resources. I chose the 5th grade set because I wanted to stretch my kiddos, and I LOVE it. The pages are simple yet eye-catching. The directions are clear, and I think the content is spot on. I appreciate that they always list the term at the top with a definition of some sort, have a meaningful component for students to actually interact and annotate and provide opportunities for note-taking. I think note-taking is so important, and it needs to be taught explicitly in upper-elementary. Interactive Notebooks provide this in a fun, dare I say it--- "interactive"--- way without doing all of the thinking for your students. The thirty lessons contain teacher notes to guide the lessons, but perhaps more importantly, they provide space for students to create their own meaning on the opposite side of the page. The way interactive notebooks are intended to do. I'm sometimes hyper-critical of the "interactive notebook" stuff that ends up being basically a fill-in the blank fluffy resource, but this is NOT THE CASE with this resource book. It's a great resource to get your students thinking. You can see it in action below!</div>
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The last resource I had an opportunity to review was their Spectrum Focus Reading for Main Ideas and Details in Informational Text resource. I, again, chose fifth grade to review as an enrichment piece. I like that it's relevant to the standards . I appreciate the focus on citing evidence and having students articulate why they chose the evidence they did. I loved that higher level thinking skills like inferring were emphasized heavily. They used excellent text features, which is a must-have for informational text resources. I also liked the variety of responses and graphic organizers. Overall, I was impressed by the complexity of the texts and responses. I know that this resource could help stretch my kiddos in a multi-dimensional way. It's not the same approach to main idea over and over again, and I like that it addresses the complexities of finding main idea and details in informational text. There is only one thing I was a little less enthusiastic about...and it's the layout of the pages. I just feel like they could have used a tiny bit more white space between questions to make it less visually overwhelming to students. That's small peanuts though. I'll take great content over a great layout any day... and that's coming from someone who believes "cutesy" DOES have a place in the classroom. Here's the great thing though. You can actually check out the inside of the text <a href="http://carsondellosa.secure.miisolutions.net/media/iwb/IHDPPlayerContent/704911/index.html">HERE</a> to see for yourself. You can preview every single page! You can actually do the same thing for every print resource. Just find a resource you are interested in, look under the photo on the page, and click where it says "Look Inside" just like the image below. <br />
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This is actually part of a larger collection of texts for math and
reading that address various skills, so if you like that you saw in the fifth grade resource, it's worth searching the site to
find one that fits your grade level needs, plus it's a very inexpensive resource! You can't beat that! #winning What are you waiting for? Head to Carson Dellosa to check it out! :)<br />
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Review Disclaimer: <i>I participate in the Brand Ambassador Program for Carson-Dellosa and have received these products for free to review.</i>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-91229352492232651132015-09-04T21:21:00.003-04:002015-09-04T21:28:20.479-04:00Character Traits: Many Luscious Lollipops!Have you ever heard a teacher say, "We used to have fun in school, but now we just test, test, test", or "We used to have fun in school, but now we don't have time because of testing"? In this standards-driven, results-driven educational climate, sometimes student engagement can get the shaft. Honestly, that's just sad to me. I don't want to offend anyone here, but let me be clear about something. We are not teaching our students to be professional test-takers. Teaching to a test is not a to be a life-changing, transformative gift to bestow upon your students. In fact, you don't even need to "teach to the test" to <i>prepare</i> your students for the test. Quality lessons will trump drill and kill lessons any day of the week. Lessons that are memorable and fun certainly deserve a place in the classroom, and this one is one of my favorites. Student engagement is a snap when you use lollipops as a vehicle for teaching character traits (and reviewing adjectives) with your kiddos, and it's something they are sure to remember for years to come. <br />
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I like to use "Many Luscious Lollipops" as a read aloud because it sets the stage for lollipops to become our common denominator, so to speak. We briefly read the book and discuss adjectives. My students are typically pretty <i>with it</i> when it comes to adjectives, but character traits are usually tricky business. Because we start out the year with characterization AND we begin writing narratives, I want them to understand that characters are multi-dimensional. They have complex inner-workings, and they also have appearances that deserve our attention as readers and writers. This book sets the stage for those discussions...and a sweet treat.<br />
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We begin by discussing why adjectives are so important in general, and why they are so important in stories before I distribute lollipops to my students. I like to use Dum-Dums because they are cheap, they have a ton of variety, and they are small so they don't require a lot of time to eat. (I literally spent $3.00 on 75 lollipops! I love how inexpensive this lesson is!)<br />
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Next, my students fill out a sensory language sheet describing lollipops using character traits, and we discuss the process...and precise language. I stress that precise language helps us EXPERIENCE texts as they are intended to be experienced.<br />
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Then, I pass another "lollipop" to my students--- a balloon on a stick. This is always a highlight of their day. (If you ever want to drive your students completely batty and build anticipation, just start sticking these balloons around your classroom during dismissal the day before you plan to launch the lesson. I guarantee you will have students excitedly asking what the balloons are for and hypothesizing all sorts of scenarios. I just let my students' imaginations run wild and build a little suspense, and it always seems to make the lesson that much "sweeter".<br />
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(As a side-note, another money-saving trick is to "recycle" the balloon sticks year after year! I have had mine for six years, and I used the same set of sticks with two classes this year. It took a little extra work to blow up the second set of balloons while my students were working during this lesson, but I was still able to walk about and conference with my students while simultaneously prepping for my next class. This is definitely doable if you are departmentalized with multiple classes. It just requires a little multitasking, but as you know, teachers are multitasking masters, right?!) <br />
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Just to be clear about adjectives and the purpose of them, the kiddos also describe balloons before we begin to contrast adjectives with character traits.<br />
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We spend a few minutes defining character traits and contrasting it with adjectives. I like to use Spongebob as our example. I have the students describe him using adjectives first. They will say things like "yellow", "porous", and "square". When I ask them to begin describing his personality, or character traits, they say things like, "obnoxious", "immature", and "friendly". Using a familiar character makes the concept more universally accessible for all students, and they think it's fun.<br />
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Once I establish that they understand what a character trait is, I have them write their names on their own "lollipops". Then I have them write five character traits that describe them.<br />
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The kids then pass the balloon around their tables, and they have to add one character trait that pertains to each friend without repeating any. I give them a character trait list to use as a reference.<br />
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Once the balloons make it all around the table, I have my students read the comments. First of all, it's great affirmation for my students. (I stress using this as a bucket filling time. No put-downs are allowed. We discuss that people and characters have positive and negative traits, but I stress that this is not a time to focus on the negatives because people's feelings are involved. We focus, instead, on building confidence and building community, which is why this is great to do at the beginning of the school-year!) Once they read the character traits, my students list the character traits that they believe do, in fact, pertain to them. They also list adjectives that describe their appearances and draw an accompanying picture. I love seeing what they come up with. :)<br />
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Eventually, we move on to group practice. I always do one example with them, so I project it onto our SMARTboard. We read the text, and we determine character traits that would pertain to the character, then my students have to support their answers with evidence from the text. Since this is a short text, it is really accessible and doesn't take up inordinate amounts of time, but it still gives enough information to allow for a variety of student responses, and in turn, it opens the door to great discussions as a class.<br />
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Then, I randomly count my kiddos off, put them into groups, and they practice doing the same activity in small groups with different short passages.<br />
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They fill out graphic organizers to record character traits in the "Inside" box and adjectives on the "Oustide" box for each character.<br />
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You know they they are taking it all very seriously when the clipboards come out! :)<br />
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On the other side, the students choose two character traits to elaborate upon, and they provide evidence from the text to support their answers. They also draw a picture of their characters.<br />
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In the past, I have projected each character on the SMARTboard while each group reads the texts and shares their character traits and evidence with their classmates. Then it's the perfect time for an exit ticket! I like to just have them write the difference between adjectives and character traits on a Post-It to keep it simple and effective. Easy-peasy!<br />
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If you're looking for a fun way to teach character traits, this is a <i>sweet </i>lesson to help the concept <i>stick</i>, but don't just take my word for it. This lesson is one of my best-sellers, and you can read comments from countless others who have successfully implemented this lesson with their students! Click on the image below to learn more or <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Character-Traits-Many-Luscious-Lollipops-125450">CLICK HERE</a>!<br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-48848731605293995672015-08-29T16:48:00.001-04:002015-09-14T13:37:00.960-04:00Carson Dellosa's Colorful Chalkboard SetI am so excited to share that I have been selected as a Brand Ambassador for Carson Dellosa! Every few months, I will be reviewing classroom resources, and I will be giving my honest opinions about usefulness, quality, design, rigor, relevance, and all of the things that matter when deciding what to spend your hard-earned money on! I'm kicking off with this adorable Colorful Chalkboard Decor Set!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDCZJnCoBDeW_8GMCBMeanMAR8amhLZ7jbAUihViwxVZAM-Glc2RrkSJm4n7i6EnO7jWhm3k38FrCqF3onsllJL0NI2b4jAruzjvSQzd5dTwy2-iRIkiveJT9eIj318mmUW_-JdKB508/s1600/a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDCZJnCoBDeW_8GMCBMeanMAR8amhLZ7jbAUihViwxVZAM-Glc2RrkSJm4n7i6EnO7jWhm3k38FrCqF3onsllJL0NI2b4jAruzjvSQzd5dTwy2-iRIkiveJT9eIj318mmUW_-JdKB508/s400/a.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last year, you may remember that I decided to try to streamline <a href="http://oneextradegree.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-little-vintage-classroom-flair.html">my classroom design</a>. I had decorated my classroom thematically in the past, but I just didn't want to keep up with it anymore, and truthfully, I tire of themes really easily. That can get expensive, and I just don't want to pour money down the drain! So, when I was asked to review this adorable Colorful Chalkboard decor set, I jumped at the chance. The colors are vibrant, the patterns are fun, and overall, they fit SO well with my existing classroom decor! #winning<br />
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My absolute favorite item in the set was the <a href="http://www.carsondellosa.com/products/130059__Colorful-Chalkboard-EZ-Letters-130059">Colorful Chalkboard EZ Letters</a>! They were already punched out!!! I contemplated laminating them for a hot minute or two...simply to add to the durability of the set... and then I decided not to because they were so easy to hang just the way they are. I didn't want to laminate and have to cut them out because Carson Dellosa already made it so easy for me! Ha! I LOVE the patterns... especially the chalky ones! I used the letters to spell out "Focus of the Week" on my Focus Board. I would recommend getting at least two to be sure that you have enough to spell out whatever your heart desires, but otherwise, I am in L-O-V-E with this set. And that's saying a lot. I haven't bought lettering like this in, oh, probably ten years. That said, I would buy another set of this in a heartbeat, and should I ever have to replace this, I hope that the design is still around! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20jkV9grLxZZHT7zJXoBNbnxwm96BRqGreuI5JLYmRRa95YfebhkvSlnsBjb3lUDVCyUNjhysHqhdlTwBYwl_DOSu0wzMPltB-dURnIowq_oE4ryHmY0W1WYEwPKO1h3x_poJ7p7872A/s1600/O_56a2cqFFT1Y1EN3naN102B_B--ImhDiRxk8l9ZFJ7yhrjAbujId6oskJiCcKORv3Nyr4CuKQgMG0OfHkOaukF9AivEQz2u_vYJq6bIeHwKkhheSEIDiZtxBOahalb80BstoGvfKrgJsLnJrR5jhyd6WPelCbLZZ7swKtB3TjXm2s52toAw1KHU0TLwxPfrNk0OnfIlBhDAXhOoVWRgnvl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20jkV9grLxZZHT7zJXoBNbnxwm96BRqGreuI5JLYmRRa95YfebhkvSlnsBjb3lUDVCyUNjhysHqhdlTwBYwl_DOSu0wzMPltB-dURnIowq_oE4ryHmY0W1WYEwPKO1h3x_poJ7p7872A/s400/O_56a2cqFFT1Y1EN3naN102B_B--ImhDiRxk8l9ZFJ7yhrjAbujId6oskJiCcKORv3Nyr4CuKQgMG0OfHkOaukF9AivEQz2u_vYJq6bIeHwKkhheSEIDiZtxBOahalb80BstoGvfKrgJsLnJrR5jhyd6WPelCbLZZ7swKtB3TjXm2s52toAw1KHU0TLwxPfrNk0OnfIlBhDAXhOoVWRgnvl.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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This view just lets you see how the letters were incorporated with the rest of the board so you can see it in action. I think it fills in the space nicely and adds a special somethin'-somethin'. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcp9U6wXxl7NaVW021FiLf5GHmfjtP1v_TIw9mED9oTd2ssop6f-c-3nSCRToOndiV03iLlLRStAEu6xMO4sx7BytBbP21o0FfH92b5sMLnvQcihZmzsUIPJuC82LNPqdAbWknmFrZ2Ts/s1600/ahk_X15206vA4rYNqXmXj5Ys5iXuWzSj2Lt736WpgZQ1YU8i8ObNsoTewuTudR2itUrV9m5hdQCbmnjvHbAvsyPJ9PwebDpSj4SN8LmcrrwY5mbrzT0OsM8u8HmBU1E7T73LmdC8euw1ReSvSm52R_5wpibzij--dk20Y8S447VeDouLFmcq0TL53AiXomTT32hNuZ4LlBMfJQ8jQ0LfK0L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcp9U6wXxl7NaVW021FiLf5GHmfjtP1v_TIw9mED9oTd2ssop6f-c-3nSCRToOndiV03iLlLRStAEu6xMO4sx7BytBbP21o0FfH92b5sMLnvQcihZmzsUIPJuC82LNPqdAbWknmFrZ2Ts/s400/ahk_X15206vA4rYNqXmXj5Ys5iXuWzSj2Lt736WpgZQ1YU8i8ObNsoTewuTudR2itUrV9m5hdQCbmnjvHbAvsyPJ9PwebDpSj4SN8LmcrrwY5mbrzT0OsM8u8HmBU1E7T73LmdC8euw1ReSvSm52R_5wpibzij--dk20Y8S447VeDouLFmcq0TL53AiXomTT32hNuZ4LlBMfJQ8jQ0LfK0L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Because I am a sucker for details, I wanted to do a little close-up of the letters. This is how they come when you open the bag in all of their pre-punched glory! Just look at those colors and patterns! Are they swoon-worthy or what?!<br />
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I had already completed my bulletin boards prior to receiving the design pack in the mail, and since I have a tiny baby at home, I just didn't want to take the time to redo them. Honesty is the best policy, right? I will say, I LOVE the patterns on the Colorful Chalkboard Border though, and I will definitely be putting them to use. They will look GREAT with the brights and blacks in my classroom. I love the Chevron side, especially the textured chalky detail in ever squiggle. I think the polka-dots are pretty cute too, but I just don't know if I personally would use it. The nice thing is, both sides coordinate nicely together, and with the EZ letters! The polka dot pattern is very similar to the photo I shared above! In addition, it's great to have a double-sided border because it allows you to have more flexibility over time, it saves space, and it's slightly more economical! <br />
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In addition, I was also afforded the opportunity to review the <a href="http://oneextradegree.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-little-vintage-classroom-flair.html">Colorful Chalkboard Bulletin Board Set</a>. It contains a birthday chart, an incentive chart, and an all-purpose chart (each are 17" x 24"). It also includes a calendar, 35 calendar cover-ups, and a door label. As a third/fourth grade ELA and Social Studies teacher, I don't have much of a use for the calendar. It would take up prime real estate on my walls, and I need space for content that I am covering with my kiddos. If I taught math or younger students, I would definitely display it though. I am thinking of laminating the numbers to use for group presentations though. I am thinking that my students could pull a number out of a basket and then they would present in that order. I could stick a magnet to back of each of them, and then stick the current number on the whiteboard during each presentation so the next student would know they were next. I haven't had a chance to tackle this project yet, but the wheels are turning. Here's how the numbers look. I think the set is super cute!<br />
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I did use the door label because the frame was just too cute. I already have a pencil hanging outside of my classroom with my name and room number, but it hangs high up above the doorway as a standard sign-post in our building. It's cute, but it's not at my kiddos' eye level, so I decided to laminate this frame and display it outside of my room where my students can see it. It looks fantastic! (I am refraining from posting the finished product simply because student safety is always at the forefront of my mind, and some part of me always feels weird about sharing my room number.)<br />
Trust me though, it's just the right amount of simple and snazzy, and it is the perfect size!<br />
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I laminated the all-purpose chart from the set, and I decided to use a Vis-a-Vis marker so that I could easily change the text throughout the school-year. I recently used it as a place to welcome my new students to my classroom at Meet the Teacher Night. The bunting has my heart. I mean, how precious is that?! <br />
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I still haven't decided what I will use this chart for yet, but I wanted to be able to share it nonetheless. I MAY use it for AR... or maybe homework completion. I am not sure yet, but I really dig the clean design. For right now, it's still tucked away in storage. I know that I will find a good use for it soon though!<br />
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I really love this birthday chart for it's cute frames and simplicity too! It fits nicely on a cabinet door, and it's the perfect way to display birthdays in a semi-prominent way without compromising too much of that "prime real estate" I was referring to earlier. I have never been a teacher who creates a giant bulletin board with cupcakes (even though that's super cute too) because I don't have the space for that, and truthfully, if I did, I probably would still choose to display student work or academic tools instead. This chart, in my opinion, is the way to go!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpA1uP6Ik4Mf0X-EnfOo3v2fGliGiN9YKGvxMESc0ysZ5sNCrMxF0wN2MmdqApE8Zgd8vXVvIVL-DSOy2hApQU3CCGqHWUIXtirYoSiZ5STdiG5uRmPfbogjljlIRYaMgARjv1jwQpDOo/s1600/uOSUnI3MHuekEK2wfNYC2RDaBZfukL11Jr9HdYi3Z915LJV4vasEe9xUvJHw1WQr_A0Rt6M-YSiOk28LiXASKahqVnUHXviRVhPptu-xcKvDg5XvyaRN44IdOBTxcBhylygwNDUtelhRp1T9njWtQQaolurBKk_QON82D3lrx2kO3C_cDpsveCnGRoMSgqH16Uv9j12YM6Vcfd_JGzMUiMl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpA1uP6Ik4Mf0X-EnfOo3v2fGliGiN9YKGvxMESc0ysZ5sNCrMxF0wN2MmdqApE8Zgd8vXVvIVL-DSOy2hApQU3CCGqHWUIXtirYoSiZ5STdiG5uRmPfbogjljlIRYaMgARjv1jwQpDOo/s400/uOSUnI3MHuekEK2wfNYC2RDaBZfukL11Jr9HdYi3Z915LJV4vasEe9xUvJHw1WQr_A0Rt6M-YSiOk28LiXASKahqVnUHXviRVhPptu-xcKvDg5XvyaRN44IdOBTxcBhylygwNDUtelhRp1T9njWtQQaolurBKk_QON82D3lrx2kO3C_cDpsveCnGRoMSgqH16Uv9j12YM6Vcfd_JGzMUiMl.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here's the bottom line: I love this design collection to the moon and back. I am thinking of buying an additional set of letters to have on hand, and I am also thinking of purchasing the <a href="http://www.carsondellosa.com/products/120165__Colorful-Chalkboard-Cut-Outs-120165">Colorful Chalkboard Cutouts </a>and the <a href="http://www.carsondellosa.com/products/110302__Colorful-Chalkboard-Classroom-Management-Bulletin-Board-Set-110302">Colorful Chalkboard Classroom Behavior Management Set</a> because I think the frames are so cute and versatile! I may even go hog wild and pick up a set of <a href="http://www.carsondellosa.com/products/168180__Colorful-Chalkboard-Label-Stickers-168180">Chalkboard Stickers </a>to use with the frames! The quality is great, and this set has style for dayssssss. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT! I think you would too! :)<br />
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Review Disclaimer: <i>I participate in the Brand Ambassador Program for Carson-Dellosa and have received this product for free to review.</i></div>
Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-19140982790936457802015-08-24T20:39:00.002-04:002015-08-24T20:39:27.779-04:00The Word Jar<br />
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I am a self-proclaimed "Word Nerd". I love books that are dripping with precise vocabulary and transport you into the story...as though you are a participant in the plot. I love listening to articulate individuals speak... as their words pour out of their mouths and paint a pretty little picture. I am continually amused by witty remarks, beautiful quotes, and interesting phrases that I haven't heard before. Word play is my love language. (I'm only kinda-sorta kidding!) So, because I love words, and because being a well-spoken citizen is such an important skill in today's information-saturated society, I make it a point to infuse vocabulary instruction into every nook and cranny of my lessons. One way that I do this is through the implementation of a Word Jar. <br />
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I wish I could take full credit for this simple yet brilliant idea, but I can't. Way back in 2010, when this blog was just a fledgling endeavor with approximately ten readers, I originally shared how the Word Jar came into fruition. Let's take a walk down Memory Lane, shall we?! I had just finished reading <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0064420892/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0064420892&linkCode=as2&tag=oneextdeg-20&linkId=XENBD5R7GITO4ADI">Donavan's Word Jar </a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oneextdeg-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0064420892" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i>with my students. I was attempting to create a climate that cultivated voracious readers and word collectors, and I knew my students would be able to relate to the simplicity of Donovan's need to collect and share his words with the world. We wrapped up the text, and immediately a student asked if we could start our own Word Jar. I wholeheartedly admit that it hadn't crossed my mind! What a simple idea, right? Of course, I said, "Absolutely", and made a Walmart run that weekend to pick up a large jar. Perhaps one of the greatest things about this project is that it is SO easy to prepare. You literally just buy the jar, slap on a label, and it's ready to roll! <br />
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Over the years, my implementation of the Word Jar has evolved a little bit, but one thing remains the same. Every single word is kid-generated. Every. Single. Word. After all... I direct enough of our word study. I want my kids to constantly be on the look-out for WOW words as we interact with various texts together and as they navigate stories during independent reading. I want them to pay attention to descriptive language and nuances. I, ultimately, want them to become word collectors. So, as they encounter new, exciting, puzzling, or fun-to-say words, I have them record the words on sticky notes (or templates), then they place them inside of the jar. As we begin class, we take out one word to define, discuss, and record on the Expanding Vocabulary wall. I don't have any really recent photos of this, but here's how it looked in 2010. As you can see, this is a pretty simple set-up. I just borrowed this idea from the 2 Sisters, and I created an "Expanding Vocabulary" Wall. I laminated the template and wrote with a Vis-a-Vis marker each time we added a word. The kids added each word to their personal dictionaries, and we moved on with our day! Simple and effective! I haven't used the wall display in a few years, but I plan on having the kids keep their own personal word jars instead. I am always looking to tweak how things work in my classroom...usually to simplify! <br />
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Since Post-It notes can be an additional expense, I created a template to use as I launch the Word Jar this fall. I also added a personal word jar to use instead of the word wall, a graphic organizer, and a vocabulary template to project each word on the SMARTboard or Promethean. Do you think you want to do this too?! Click on the image below to snag this editable PowerPoint resource for F-R-E-E! <br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Word-Jar-Vocabulary-Enrichment-2054125"><img alt="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Word-Jar-Vocabulary-Enrichment-2054125" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAlMcZpJIQAYIfs6IS7nTPfjoCEdP4W_VLavDpBV9efM39uKqvhgUnby62MHzQp7gDYT5dPQRP-3w0QdiuPCKf57DWm1Tek-w-GOaskQQz8N5CKR__1aC-oehGYBtlOEKP9DJVyHmmKE/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-23+at+8.54.00+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Are you interested in creating a culture of word connoisseurs? Here are a few of my FAVORITE read alouds! Happy Word Collecting, friends!<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=oneextdeg-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0375836012&asins=0375836012&linkId=RM5IWNHLMWWAN5GV&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"><br />
</iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=oneextdeg-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0064420892&asins=0064420892&linkId=5MY4ODUTUVN3N2AR&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"><br />
</iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=oneextdeg-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0374399492&asins=0374399492&linkId=WGK2PYNZLXNADIML&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"><br />
</iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=oneextdeg-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=8415241348&asins=8415241348&linkId=6XE7WJI7IPJ5CMEE&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"><br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-76866520615347176922015-08-02T20:53:00.001-04:002015-08-02T20:53:51.493-04:00Writer's Workshop with an Interactive Twist!I LOVE teaching writing! A LOT. I enjoy seeing students transform from reluctant writers who want to crumple up their pages or stare at empty pages into students who are voracious readers and writers. I love seeing students become prolific writers who just can't stop themselves. I LOVE how it's a different experience every year because my students bring their own interests, experiences, and skills to the table. I just LOVE it. PERIOD.<br />
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I created a unit to launch Writer's Workshop a few years ago called <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/We-Are-Authors-Launching-Writing-Workshop-750387">We Are Authors: Launching Writer's Workshop</a>, and it has helped set the tone for living writerly lives by helping my students SEE themselves as real authors with stories WORTH telling! I believe that's part of the battle. If your students BELIEVE they can write, and you give them the tools to do it by explicitly teaching them the author's craft and studying mentor texts by fabulous writers, THEY WILL AMAZE YOU. I promise.<br />
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As part of that introductory unit, we read "Author: True Story" by Helen Lester, and then the kiddos
create their own autobiographical books about their literate lives.
This is a great formative tool for me to find out what their perceived
strengths and weaknesses are. It also helps me develop a list of
mini-lessons to hit each year based on my students' questions. This is
a great tool that serves dual purposes!<br />
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I also send them home with Inspiration Bags. It's their first homework of the year! They bring objects to school (almost like show and tell), but they have to fit inside the bag. The kids have to write descriptions of their objects, put them back into their bags, and then they have students at other tables guess the contents based on the descriptions! It is always a big hit with the kids!<br />
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Because I have had so much success with this hands-on approach to Writing Workshop, I really wanted a way to beef up my writing instruction and make it a little more engaging for my kiddos while building in a natural scaffold to help them with the various stages of the writing process, so I have started creating a series of units that incorporate interactive notebook templates to provide support along the way. So far, I have created a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Personal-Narratives-Interactive-Notebook-Resources-and-Minilessons-1904744">Personal Narratives</a> unit and a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fictional-Narratives-Interactive-Notebook-Resources-and-Minilessons-1958354">Fictional Narratives</a> unit, and I have plans for at least three more units throughout the school-year. You can check out the Scope and Sequences pages of my new units below:<br />
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Now, I was trying to figure out a way to show how this is all laid out, but as as a brand-new mommy, I don't have the time to fancy everything up as much as I would like. I did take some time during one of Mr. Man's naps to create a few examples of the interactive templates that are contained in my Fictional Narrative unit. I LOVE them so much!<br />
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This first page shows the header to keep the separate units labeled in the interactive notebook, and it has a KWL foldable to begin the unit and assess prior knowledge about the genre. <br />
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I created a little flap for a heart map so the students can sketch out things that matter to them and they can begin to see how those ideas can be a spark for new stories. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEl2bbRhI8Du5-LepXvGb60IaAeDx_aDf_pDbtFmtPlFnTMScMNUAMyIPnk1fCYzSOe7gNov73UG_AeXjw-Mpzocdt0mjhRzxhGIDwe2yuJstMD1IwtTv0nNmljLfOrXeUGihwlmWyKc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-02+at+8.15.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEl2bbRhI8Du5-LepXvGb60IaAeDx_aDf_pDbtFmtPlFnTMScMNUAMyIPnk1fCYzSOe7gNov73UG_AeXjw-Mpzocdt0mjhRzxhGIDwe2yuJstMD1IwtTv0nNmljLfOrXeUGihwlmWyKc/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-02+at+8.15.37+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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These templates help the students think about themselves and their ideal fiction pieces before having them develop a new character for their story.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Wl_sE06VbCKZoH0-zK7GVwfEv4o5f7vwIk5v3q7FegvZb0FjIdVuJ4UOmEigHKLGPvp4JRQPWF6qZydrfxPgOB4G9GvkcLX1UcN_WhsrqpJGQRzaG9WisMlM5ce6iTB0x4NfOevMgDQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-02+at+8.15.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Wl_sE06VbCKZoH0-zK7GVwfEv4o5f7vwIk5v3q7FegvZb0FjIdVuJ4UOmEigHKLGPvp4JRQPWF6qZydrfxPgOB4G9GvkcLX1UcN_WhsrqpJGQRzaG9WisMlM5ce6iTB0x4NfOevMgDQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-02+at+8.15.28+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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As the unit progresses, they will reflect on how they are alike and different from their character, and they will reflect on their character's traits, thoughts, and motivations for deeper development.<br />
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They will build on that by planning out positive and negative internal and external traits. because characters are not perfect and perfect is boring! Ha! Great stories have TENSION, right!?<br />
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This is an example of one of the peer conferencing templates in my units, and you can see that I used an accordion template to help sketch out the plot of the story. I like that it folds back and forth just like the plot of a good story. There's always progress and set-backs!<br />
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You can see that there's a lot of attention to character development because its so critical to a believable and interesting fiction piece.<br />
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There's also a lot of time spent on the plot and building suspense, and that's hard, so I have created templates to help them plan it out as they expand on their stories. You can see a few examples of this below. I love using the plot rollercoaster as a tool with my kiddos to make it more concrete.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3t8CbWOFaZvg7MkRO17-QmZJaAbNicoy1qTXSBIxfowk5GAAwe9-diMaezYM5TPuB715UVX6kQ5ZS0iyt88fgiRhBimI2jI-8QU9lbjxmy9JkEHdaY6iJpVWgkPGBUtZVm1rU84enlQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-02+at+8.16.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3t8CbWOFaZvg7MkRO17-QmZJaAbNicoy1qTXSBIxfowk5GAAwe9-diMaezYM5TPuB715UVX6kQ5ZS0iyt88fgiRhBimI2jI-8QU9lbjxmy9JkEHdaY6iJpVWgkPGBUtZVm1rU84enlQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-02+at+8.16.37+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFI9HFUd4t8FMDqUCAS2tF6d4c-IpDyoycHYLs3nIIozW1NPXYgMC7QDhr41m1BCPZjp2WXxJssQVF7zT9At2nIPR64doFJ_eX72UeMrKUEVqLJHltgGi-FTiqf7nwT7mJMbq_54vpGiA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-02+at+8.16.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFI9HFUd4t8FMDqUCAS2tF6d4c-IpDyoycHYLs3nIIozW1NPXYgMC7QDhr41m1BCPZjp2WXxJssQVF7zT9At2nIPR64doFJ_eX72UeMrKUEVqLJHltgGi-FTiqf7nwT7mJMbq_54vpGiA/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-02+at+8.16.47+PM.png" width="270" /></a></div>
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Now, that's just a sampling of the lessons, and it certainly doesn't give you a complete picture of the minilessons or the entire units, but I hope it gives you a clear idea of how they are set up. Again, I believe that it's CRUCIAL to scaffold kids and give them the tools to be successful. I believe that this approach will do just that, and I can't wait to see the journey it takes us on. I am P-U-M-P-E-D! Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-83013732149668724172015-08-01T21:00:00.000-04:002015-08-01T21:00:00.710-04:00Back to School Bash Grand Prize Deets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1ANqBBfgQsLf5pEpBzbAOqJAstZEYpjdMgty4T9VxIBc2AXzNotobEsgdpx87dNjqbe9eXBz6ODuYK_IjmK8KAShMbPnFkzYsdNcpxMvIJxAgo0MPzzSpuOtP_ry3leXLMxqW9Mg6iI8/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1ANqBBfgQsLf5pEpBzbAOqJAstZEYpjdMgty4T9VxIBc2AXzNotobEsgdpx87dNjqbe9eXBz6ODuYK_IjmK8KAShMbPnFkzYsdNcpxMvIJxAgo0MPzzSpuOtP_ry3leXLMxqW9Mg6iI8/s640/Slide1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Have y'all had fun hopping around to all 18 of our Bash Baskets? If you haven't done that yet, please start <a href="http://www.stepinto2ndgrade.com/2015/07/bash-basket-1-better-life-bags.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> and make sure you do! You only have until midnight on August 2nd to enter! You may be thinking "Ohhh, I'm not lucky enough to win... I never get picked for prizes...There's just no way that my name will be selected!" But, I would say: YOU NEVER KNOW UNTIL YOU TRY! So, go for the gold, folks!</div>
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Here's what you NEED to do FIRST... like RIGHT NOW! We are doing an <a href="https://instagram.com/stepintosecondgrade/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> Hop with a secret message. This secret message MUST BE entered on the Rafflecopter below or you will NOT be chosen as a winner!!!! Look for <a href="https://instagram.com/stepintosecondgrade/" target="_blank">THIS graphic on Instagram</a>. THIS graphic will start the secret message. Hint: You'll start with <a href="https://instagram.com/stepintosecondgrade/" target="_blank">@stepintosecondgrade</a></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/stepintosecondgrade/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zueMsh66xyj7xSAWQUj-IEkAVT03y99Jn7n3zuOliJOmtqKp8XzVtf9alHzOb_Io6vdREgh-YsVEKvROpYXpeGUrb43lnZpMetMGELrYhHVM4H7FcSYLhNZIVpNRiEkCxqUTrZ_Q_-C7/s640/11800484_742205567786_2585915339455141861_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You might want to grab a sheet of paper and a pen so that you can collect all letters as you are doing the Instagram hop because YOU MUST COLLECT THE SECRET MESSAGE! Here are some tips for your Instagram Hop!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCTjrUrBnP-h1Fd6jEHcecHiMvQZtXtHlNO6KSwEKjNarTYNhGX-clhB9dClU7JwmGDFuFE3-TVb6r9aCLJ9PCi5fnPPuztrPp433h9LGeMey-K9rtTlTL77yagp0Suyb5IsImzL2jqcp/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCTjrUrBnP-h1Fd6jEHcecHiMvQZtXtHlNO6KSwEKjNarTYNhGX-clhB9dClU7JwmGDFuFE3-TVb6r9aCLJ9PCi5fnPPuztrPp433h9LGeMey-K9rtTlTL77yagp0Suyb5IsImzL2jqcp/s640/Slide1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Don't have an instagram? Well, sign up so you can enter the grand prize basket!!! If you start in the right place and follow the order then all of your letters will nicely flow into one message :) If you go out of order then you will have to unscramble the letters to make a word, and no one wants to do that!!!</div>
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So, let's talk about the Grand Prize! This is the LARGEST, MOST AMAZING, INCREDIBLE Grand Prize ever... in the history of teacher giveaways! </div>
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Your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a REAL Smartboard! <a href="http://www.whitlock.com/" target="_blank">Whitlock</a> (a Smartboard distributor) generously donated a Smartboard to our giveaway! Isn't that amazing?!!! Do you want to know all the details about the specific Smartboard and if it will work for you? Look <a href="http://www.touchboards.com/smartboards/smartsb685ix.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>!!</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whitlock/151447448248127?fref=ts" target="_blank">Whitlock</a> will ship the Smartboard to the winner (continental US only!). It comes with a projector and all software needed!! The winner will need to have a way to mount the Smartboard AND will be in charge of maintenance after installation. We want to make sure we lay it all out there before you enter :)) I'm sure that your school or district would be happy to help if you were the winner!</div>
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And, that's not all, y'all! The winner will also receive a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/silhouetteamerica?fref=ts" target="_blank">Silhouette Cameo</a> and a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/esgisoftware?fref=ts" target="_blank">One-Year ESGI Subscription</a>! OHMIWORD!!!</div>
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Once you have collected the secret code from our Instagram Hop, you can enter below! You only have 24 hours, so don't delay!!!</div>
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-42303849031706631392015-08-01T13:01:00.001-04:002015-08-01T16:13:40.792-04:00Writing Opportunities for Early Finishers and Enrichment!I am always looking for new ways to engage my students in meaningful
early-finisher activities, because, let's face it, kids are not robots.
They are going to work at different paces, and that means that there
will always be kids who finish first, even when you differentiate and
provide sufficiently challenging work. It's one of those unspoken
truths of the classroom. As much as I encourage my students to read,
work on task cards, or complete independent projects, I like to have
some creative writing opportunities for them as well. Over summer, I
expanded my proverbial bag of tricks, and I'm excited to share them with
my kiddos this fall. I know they are going to LOVE the new options!<br />
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One of the centers I created is called <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Creativity-Cards-Creative-Writing-for-Early-Finishers-1928486">Creativity Cards</a>.
Basically I created cards with various picture prompts on them. Then I
created seven different direction cards to go along with it in two
different sizes. So, if we are working on narratives, I could put out
directions that instruct them to write a narrative. If we are working
on opinion-based texts, I can put out that prompt. You get the idea! I
even created a WILD CARD option to let my students tap into their own
creativity while writing. I love the simplicity of this, and I can't
wait to see the texts that come out of this center! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9F4ito8i_IW3vCTQW9gOFUqPJ0-dM6Cjj6cCAVdNurlDbvtavPWD_2ak-B5J_ihkOjLXKU7KpZRUjl-jGYdq23wxjHVdQJkd7oCPWflKUZFcCGGmxEqu3JwvtUaBqY9yNbp6W8P6ZgE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.53.39+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9F4ito8i_IW3vCTQW9gOFUqPJ0-dM6Cjj6cCAVdNurlDbvtavPWD_2ak-B5J_ihkOjLXKU7KpZRUjl-jGYdq23wxjHVdQJkd7oCPWflKUZFcCGGmxEqu3JwvtUaBqY9yNbp6W8P6ZgE/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.53.39+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5IXeXyhAzoiJ72IScVxi8xMwjOWbPElJbI3gfMnT_RgsSGGYMrnn6qNknoFfLxPkbcUN_NG319hIJ-XW4vdvUZGk4AjxTJyKc8GHuM5gEG6jEHjnei0m48DfxATY4hGGos4QczJmGKA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.54.07+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5IXeXyhAzoiJ72IScVxi8xMwjOWbPElJbI3gfMnT_RgsSGGYMrnn6qNknoFfLxPkbcUN_NG319hIJ-XW4vdvUZGk4AjxTJyKc8GHuM5gEG6jEHjnei0m48DfxATY4hGGos4QczJmGKA/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.54.07+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7Brsz-M1WPOyhAK1_gU_b3PCGFT29UA-RLCvxfHczkb2lUL2d5ethEtqQcOGOXPicG0kjPwEeJw0pHpv7k8dK0JaTWJ1_PjGnJj3WJ3VzysjfNFvKcAaJqc_bINvYeeWi9WywbXlEv0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.54.15+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7Brsz-M1WPOyhAK1_gU_b3PCGFT29UA-RLCvxfHczkb2lUL2d5ethEtqQcOGOXPicG0kjPwEeJw0pHpv7k8dK0JaTWJ1_PjGnJj3WJ3VzysjfNFvKcAaJqc_bINvYeeWi9WywbXlEv0/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.54.15+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another
center I created is called <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Picture-This-Creative-Writing-Prompts-for-Early-Finishers-1919282">Picture This</a>. Essentially this is a pack of
task cards with photo prompts to inspire interesting stories. I
intentionally chose colorful, whimsical, kid-friendly photos that I
thought would be intriguing to my students. I also intentionally
included full-sized versions just in case I decide to use them as
morning work and project them on the SMARTboard. This center will undoubtedly capture the attention of my kiddos and get those gears turning!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjFKnzu1THWJmPeq05xGoH4ir8s54QrUBX5SxJaRg_iJVyrpZkJXJP1lxaUlSLPUowkZvuBAUzbNMFpOfrRYC80Siv8AkxNPknrmJQXlRvm4FRP0V-EmCNe56RTl2LYdRrnLCejRua-Y/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.54.46+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjFKnzu1THWJmPeq05xGoH4ir8s54QrUBX5SxJaRg_iJVyrpZkJXJP1lxaUlSLPUowkZvuBAUzbNMFpOfrRYC80Siv8AkxNPknrmJQXlRvm4FRP0V-EmCNe56RTl2LYdRrnLCejRua-Y/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.54.46+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've recently started working on Writing Workshop units to complement my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/We-Are-Authors-Launching-Writing-Workshop-750387">We Are Authors: Launching Writer's Workshop</a> pack. I've already wrapped up a Personal Narrative unit and a Fictional Narrative unit that I'm excited to blog about soon, so I created a set of <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/100-Early-Finisher-Narrative-Prompts-1917310">100 Narrative Early Finisher Prompts</a> to use as an early finisher activity. It's going to be a great way to extend the learning, especially since my units encourage students to brainstorm their own topics and choose what to write about. This will offer the other side of the coin, because prompt-writing is so important in the world of testing, and I want my students to be able to write exceptionally both ways.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUZks27Uk9h2rhVoQLmKbFgVb4d_8h4gJiYf6A4I5eyszbumU17-qOqxtibZTxX3ozvBzPXzpFeREMOXK8Z-fA45AIDOaSPodJqAv_G0ef8SXS40D8TQJIe03T-gbpuyusq5GJyOdoMI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.54.57+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUZks27Uk9h2rhVoQLmKbFgVb4d_8h4gJiYf6A4I5eyszbumU17-qOqxtibZTxX3ozvBzPXzpFeREMOXK8Z-fA45AIDOaSPodJqAv_G0ef8SXS40D8TQJIe03T-gbpuyusq5GJyOdoMI/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.54.57+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChF34-phh-SLQeQvH4HZGjAQiR1feIG0hD071UO0J-I8ca6E7H196piFSfN4Hb8feeAXsut_U_1eTGRXGpkwYAFZuEsZ3fFR6wygit05akYca0dClqAiUmh7HcSggoIJcIsOpBS7RcqM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.55.07+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChF34-phh-SLQeQvH4HZGjAQiR1feIG0hD071UO0J-I8ca6E7H196piFSfN4Hb8feeAXsut_U_1eTGRXGpkwYAFZuEsZ3fFR6wygit05akYca0dClqAiUmh7HcSggoIJcIsOpBS7RcqM/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.55.07+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The writing prompt task cards can be used just as they are... and stored in a baggie or box...or you could attach a few prompts to composition notebooks. I like using prompts in this manner because students write their stories within the notebooks AND they also read the stories by their peers. This is a great way to give your students an authentic audience, and it also can provide models for your students. I purchased a basket from Michael's last summer that says "Inspire", and I keep composition notebooks in it for this purpose. It was a HUGE hit with my students last year... so much so that the basket was almost always empty because the notebooks were always in rotation! I should have snapped a few photos of their stories, but #newmommybrain. The bottom line?! This is a fun twist on the traditional way to use task cards for writing. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PRvJ9mRTqS6qDKL35OfEYznFPP-uBXZE8dVMA_eFV4CyNXMvJihriuxAGAcUGOqyRm5lW1LGgTUeNCdy2BixAtNAS39MWWQMul93r0yh3KQASSXWEVHZmexFKlNaAPg4lBeey3RpMEM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.55.45+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PRvJ9mRTqS6qDKL35OfEYznFPP-uBXZE8dVMA_eFV4CyNXMvJihriuxAGAcUGOqyRm5lW1LGgTUeNCdy2BixAtNAS39MWWQMul93r0yh3KQASSXWEVHZmexFKlNaAPg4lBeey3RpMEM/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.55.45+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The next idea was a random one that hit last summer. I found really neat school-themed scrapbook embellishments, and I thought it might make a neat creative writing center. I plan on tying it into one of my author studies this year as an early-finisher activity. I'm sharing it because literally ANYTHING can become a fun prop to unlock your students' creativity and write fabulous stories! Just be prepared to think about objects in new ways, because that's exactly what we want our students to do! And...we want them doing this organically in Writer's Workshop too! Writers often use their own lives and experiences as jumping-off-points. This is a nice way to foster that flexible thinking and help them see how everything is a story waiting to happen!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jn8gEH_5ByTjSWst1cZjvyI5Y8I7elLb1mpN9iSGB1_OgJdakmU0bJHyH4nygi2WPxHRHYaqUdem2B1uIp6yutLQZjK71BarI-zmlF87TQlmlB6gXUy7XE47OmQOz0AgWMWxQ5A2h_0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.56.17+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jn8gEH_5ByTjSWst1cZjvyI5Y8I7elLb1mpN9iSGB1_OgJdakmU0bJHyH4nygi2WPxHRHYaqUdem2B1uIp6yutLQZjK71BarI-zmlF87TQlmlB6gXUy7XE47OmQOz0AgWMWxQ5A2h_0/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-01+at+11.56.17+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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You know those wooden shapes in the kid section of nearly every craft store?! The cute ones that are painted to look like animals, flowers, and celestial bodies?! Well, they can also be great tools for creative writing! If students are stuck and looking for ideas, they can dig through the box to see if anything piques their interest and gives them an idea! It's simple, tangible, and fun for kids!<br />
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So, there you have it! A few ideas for writing early finishers and enrichment that can easily be incorporated into your classroom with very minimal prep, but will yield great rewards for your kiddos! Creativity is everything! Writing skills are SO important and SO critical in an information-based society like the one we are living in! Tackle it all with pizzazz and help your students make the most of their "free" time! Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-33353426863112850422015-07-30T21:00:00.000-04:002015-07-30T21:25:24.608-04:00Bash Basket #14: Neat Seats<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVn8sIrgFf7yNcFa2UOAGwGscT6nSRObrDm1Wnf8wNx4HRxONpazIlQWlWWphoFWEwVI2zXmoGB4cduSquUfHozXWhToyD-Ilrt8syqszIrIjErm-HZHzmrCLBUvppPqGoRZcc3NVHh94/s1600/11823009_741967719436_8376876430990748249_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVn8sIrgFf7yNcFa2UOAGwGscT6nSRObrDm1Wnf8wNx4HRxONpazIlQWlWWphoFWEwVI2zXmoGB4cduSquUfHozXWhToyD-Ilrt8syqszIrIjErm-HZHzmrCLBUvppPqGoRZcc3NVHh94/s400/11823009_741967719436_8376876430990748249_o.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$text0:0">It's back for the THIRD year in a row!! I can hardly believe it's already THAT time! Our Back to School Bash is officially LIVE, and now it's time to ENTER to win fabulous prizes! We have EIGHTEEN amazing bash baskets for you to hop around to! At each blog you will find a little bit of info about </span></span><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text0:0">the prize that you can win, a Rafflecopter to enter, and a button to hop on over to the next blog! While you are hopping around, we would love for your to follow our blogs so that you will always be "in the know" about what's going on!! Are you excited?! I know I am!</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text0:0"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text0:0"></span></span></span></span></span></span>Let's get started, shall we?! I'm super excited to be sharing Neat Seats with you today! When my friend Michelle from <a href="http://www.fabulousinfirst.com/">Fabulous in First</a> (and now <a href="http://thefabulousclassroom.bigcartel.com/">The Fabulous Classroom Shop</a>) told me that she was embarking on this new business venture, I was SO excited! I couldn't wait to purchase a class set for myself... because as a teacher who is departmentalized... I just couldn't deal with the clutter anymore. My third graders contained their materials in the desks, but every time the fourth graders came into my classroom, it was like a tornado ripped through my classroom. No joke. Stuff on desks...stuff under chairs...stuff in the walkways. No matter how much I tried to come up with a system and a solution, there really wasn't a good place for my kiddos to put everything. #sopainful #desktopslookedliketrashheaps #onlyslightlyexaggerating Now that I have Neat Seats, I am optimistic that my room will be a little more zen-like. Seriously, check out these bad boys! They. Are. Awesome.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKdAcfw62YhwrOPK7Vdc_fLOCr20D1rGu7-rL081ta89-47IbLvNdsDT3RkkdDhpW2gUSv7_XAUiTa9fQqQeEH58lObqBJu2kainW_g2ZydxulBEbt3BHPV-iv2B47xCdG2Qcu7i5aXI/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKdAcfw62YhwrOPK7Vdc_fLOCr20D1rGu7-rL081ta89-47IbLvNdsDT3RkkdDhpW2gUSv7_XAUiTa9fQqQeEH58lObqBJu2kainW_g2ZydxulBEbt3BHPV-iv2B47xCdG2Qcu7i5aXI/s400/Slide1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://thefabulousclassroom.bigcartel.com/"><img alt="http://thefabulousclassroom.bigcartel.com/" border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXsF19lLDei2tjMdD6vVMVVTMzd7uIgnLyC_WSvw-pV8qmYQUBhDNbOaVTPcnX50KsnRJ9lEVSDQAEPU227OG9jWImK_Mvc93y7CAWyJxYQLvy5C5aOX25Zrrjm39PJGxpPzCfohQd4M/s400/Screen%252BShot%252B2015-07-27%252Bat%252B9.24.36%252BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text0:0"></span></span></span></span></span></span> What I really LOVE about the Neat Seats is that they are really deep, they can contain binders, books, and other folders, they have a zipper pouch for highlighters and such, they have pockets for name tags, AND they are made of vinyl for easy clean-up. I just couldn't wait to get my hands on them! Plus, I LOVED that they were available in a neutral black. (They are also available in a snappy red color...but my classroom has pops of neon!) <br />
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Aside from all of the great features, the Neat Seats look fabulous in my classroom! Check out how they mask the chairs that kinda-sorta clash with the rest of my decor. BONUS! (As a side-note, while you're scoping them out, please realize that my room is a total work in progress right now. Mommyhood is a time-consuming thing, as it turns out!)<br />
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Anyhow, I am SO excited to be able to offer ONE LUCKY teacher 24 RED Neat Seats for their own classroom! :) Yay! I just KNOW you'll LOVE them as much as I do! #henceallthecapsintheworld<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKg4nFjJ-11mr0bCRHkHiXyH8kmwMWOhfzNWMILCOCfUxHARzABzjxms1lmZfdC6-pMOZmFp-PjMGmEBP3dI-8M5m9eIQe7OFUVjBx9xpiGuldwk5QriKWYDhZUTkHVEyBHx3sgvHPM8/s1600/Slide37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKg4nFjJ-11mr0bCRHkHiXyH8kmwMWOhfzNWMILCOCfUxHARzABzjxms1lmZfdC6-pMOZmFp-PjMGmEBP3dI-8M5m9eIQe7OFUVjBx9xpiGuldwk5QriKWYDhZUTkHVEyBHx3sgvHPM8/s400/Slide37.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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...BUT that's not all! (I always wanted to sound like an infomercial!) The winner will also receive a Whisper Phone Select that's perfect for small group instruction! <br />
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The winner will also receive a prize back FULL of the following units from participating bloggers! <br />
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Enter to win these fabulous prizes below!</div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="02932f2813" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02932f2813/" id="rcwidget_n1swb0kf" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script><br />
<span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".i.1:5:1:$comment844551908947801_844559942280331:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text0:0"></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
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HOW AMAZING ARE OUR SPONSORS?! SERIOUSLY!? Their generosity is mind-blowing! Let's all take a moment to acknowledge their acknowledgment of hard-working teachers! THANKS!!</div>
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Now... it's time to hop along! The next stop is my sweet friend Holly's blog Mrs. Ehle's Kindergarten Connections! Click on the image below to see what she's giving away! You won't want to miss it! </div>
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<a href="http://mrsehleskindergartenconnections.blogspot.com/2015/07/b2s-bash-basket-15-hop-to-win.html"><img alt="http://mrsehleskindergartenconnections.blogspot.com/" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-Cex4FV3AM22ZoumM8_VftTOgUxHkjufxu5QD0iM_rHz3yflLjEziiTIFMcQPuyAXmFRJrmbQCcexRKxTd5BDuXLHSyImINGIT2ai_xj6v44zJcQ9RicaOe9XO0Hcj4WNdz6EnRFyLY/s320/11822720_741967664546_3341540119912547618_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-41674095911635284032015-07-30T08:21:00.001-04:002015-07-30T08:22:49.665-04:00The 411 on Back to School Bash 2015<div style="color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88lbDI9DVVLmwQCAHKVxWGRIu59dx6mEstl8uD-yYLa5slcNRj9CLXP41wcdNTUe98LFs_ihbxYJFqqLpzLlvm8uotEplTXLNPOw-CQ01h0EgulqBR8j4vI5mm4WD6jEaFwTfjWEkwDk/s1600/Slide3.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88lbDI9DVVLmwQCAHKVxWGRIu59dx6mEstl8uD-yYLa5slcNRj9CLXP41wcdNTUe98LFs_ihbxYJFqqLpzLlvm8uotEplTXLNPOw-CQ01h0EgulqBR8j4vI5mm4WD6jEaFwTfjWEkwDk/s640/Slide3.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Friends! Get. Excited! No REALLY excited! :) If you aren't excited yet, you will be once you see the amazing sponsors that we will be hosting for giveaways this year during the Back to School Bash 2015. Check them all out below. Then be sure to join the hop beginning tomorrow so you can enter to win some of this amazingness! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just a few things before we begin...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember to look for this little guy at the bottom of each post to hop to the next giveaway. There will be 18 prizes, and you won't want to miss a single thing! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkW38-u9i9ravmgT-hzaWsul9ZZhPHyVqSdkpsUQx5ZT8G-41mbmMuaUNi_oAEcpJqDf8EX_jB2etERTMKX3itOdQXaNYup5n2SK58QIZCxJPkPwHw5pCRsb-sD5v6ttSIIlEWHLLZVX4/s1600/Slide02.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkW38-u9i9ravmgT-hzaWsul9ZZhPHyVqSdkpsUQx5ZT8G-41mbmMuaUNi_oAEcpJqDf8EX_jB2etERTMKX3itOdQXaNYup5n2SK58QIZCxJPkPwHw5pCRsb-sD5v6ttSIIlEWHLLZVX4/s320/Slide02.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Along with the 18 Bash Baskets, there will also be a HUGE GRAND PRIZE! And I am talking HUGE! This will all go down on Instagram beginning August 2nd. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgk54kAX9z1km8txc1F6syjM9ZaeHRYIIpqfLefQObl8C0i37ty7-DA28Fg8flhLlvxd4Ro-aL8_ufCAbti7DITAkguSbqtDge1iUmgh5PgKpeJZ6cv4druwha0dhU13JVTMMFE3g47EI/s1600/Slide02.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgk54kAX9z1km8txc1F6syjM9ZaeHRYIIpqfLefQObl8C0i37ty7-DA28Fg8flhLlvxd4Ro-aL8_ufCAbti7DITAkguSbqtDge1iUmgh5PgKpeJZ6cv4druwha0dhU13JVTMMFE3g47EI/s640/Slide02.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now...let's check out these Bash Baskets! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MW4lcW75Qi1cYaSMNROtSzplZBmJ3F1lpiufnMO-39SEEOJxOaqOBHb77w1e6BTwJ9GRcFfoeWjoXDLvYJrglUSTTMlnspEJDBgkXCIjZ0BlCQl6z7k5IBtp1sNl4ijF9FzA-B_oz_Y/s1600/Slide24.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MW4lcW75Qi1cYaSMNROtSzplZBmJ3F1lpiufnMO-39SEEOJxOaqOBHb77w1e6BTwJ9GRcFfoeWjoXDLvYJrglUSTTMlnspEJDBgkXCIjZ0BlCQl6z7k5IBtp1sNl4ijF9FzA-B_oz_Y/s320/Slide24.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgL9JiLmA_ILBsV6wFVXjkZhnE7FFZ2nv-FWT35BGG_7-OxoSVbCQJ1O3MzIZYNgce-61i2ZbP6XdauoWFIclymBmf70RR2DKh_K6ADGhr8fQmpjqSsqx9NrQOcp27phNwMv1g-SCATI/s1600/Slide25.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgL9JiLmA_ILBsV6wFVXjkZhnE7FFZ2nv-FWT35BGG_7-OxoSVbCQJ1O3MzIZYNgce-61i2ZbP6XdauoWFIclymBmf70RR2DKh_K6ADGhr8fQmpjqSsqx9NrQOcp27phNwMv1g-SCATI/s320/Slide25.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #1: </b>A <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BetterLifeBags?fref=ts" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Better Life Bag</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #2: </b><a href="http://kendra%20scott/" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Kendra Scott</a> Jewelry Collection</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JF1tTSBdLZP7P0oFitEoMKPehf9p0-CMVdLsd1H-bLL9xk_9gnat5z1ijtsYOw1bZvm4yErGOBFRcYBR2swFtDJp_jxPHN2-czQ0k28eFIumAFh1ZDjOddWMWl_0118wjFAONRkkk7M/s1600/Slide26.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JF1tTSBdLZP7P0oFitEoMKPehf9p0-CMVdLsd1H-bLL9xk_9gnat5z1ijtsYOw1bZvm4yErGOBFRcYBR2swFtDJp_jxPHN2-czQ0k28eFIumAFh1ZDjOddWMWl_0118wjFAONRkkk7M/s320/Slide26.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU_D1en8cK3Kkm2yv0ZtTHOJWL5fjkzzSm1W2s9Yy_t4SaGOiDBD8LH1yuNxjKp-WozytOE8QOHbOXuXcJv_MfzSC4mpFdwVQfXYM8AfzyBgUOuG4HOocFA6uBiS0KvRKpCnMWF03qVo/s1600/Slide27.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU_D1en8cK3Kkm2yv0ZtTHOJWL5fjkzzSm1W2s9Yy_t4SaGOiDBD8LH1yuNxjKp-WozytOE8QOHbOXuXcJv_MfzSC4mpFdwVQfXYM8AfzyBgUOuG4HOocFA6uBiS0KvRKpCnMWF03qVo/s320/Slide27.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #3: </b>$100 Gift Card to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LaRueChicBoutique?fref=ts" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">LaRue Chic Boutique</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #4: </b>Reading Teepee from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyFirstPlayhouse?hc_location=ufi" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Tip Top TeePee Shop</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xf5RjSseVQNX260EpZBdH8FMYc9Im47Y0Nc057dc-kUr6knJk9VTr7gaBmduBg5UrJzJgoWCsHXuAFZ4bsg2Y83q5Xr51i4kdjIylYJfCRlPCSW3RiMtfZ6YYtdnLggq2T8k36wGf3k/s1600/Slide30.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xf5RjSseVQNX260EpZBdH8FMYc9Im47Y0Nc057dc-kUr6knJk9VTr7gaBmduBg5UrJzJgoWCsHXuAFZ4bsg2Y83q5Xr51i4kdjIylYJfCRlPCSW3RiMtfZ6YYtdnLggq2T8k36wGf3k/s320/Slide30.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_r2RcAv6FAU7UapQCFC5ZKBbLciEkY3yhgA0bFll-XLb4FZB95DqT5L2a1L0Z8U5Kk303h46UwQ-vkomX5R6eG8omdYXqo1ZwVeqVh1kRElBUplVFRG_G89rKsQSq4ZHFn3alnXqUdo/s1600/Slide31.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_r2RcAv6FAU7UapQCFC5ZKBbLciEkY3yhgA0bFll-XLb4FZB95DqT5L2a1L0Z8U5Kk303h46UwQ-vkomX5R6eG8omdYXqo1ZwVeqVh1kRElBUplVFRG_G89rKsQSq4ZHFn3alnXqUdo/s320/Slide31.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #5: </b>2 $50.00 Gift Cards to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SitSpots" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Sit Spots</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> {One for you & one for a friend!}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">and 1 certificate to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/getyourteachon?fref=ts" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Get Your Teach On Conference</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #6: </b>Three Personalized Door Decor Hangers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">{from <a href="http://young%20love%20adoorable%20decor/" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Young Love aDOORable Decor</a>}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">and one Happy Birthday Chair Cover</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">{from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/JNLsewcute?ref=pr_shop_more" target="_blank">JNLsewcute</a>}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_ktdDgoML4izdGaEcDTo_heuwrfJ8_auUuvdClVJB_e3nI0hNlJQTZNrz4pewb1Wj9CapsTP09POs_Q_1EWOyDweZoMAxRMuv67dtziIuzEeQWfjJWYTONwZDtcBBPBsVWcGC-goCgg/s1600/Slide32.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_ktdDgoML4izdGaEcDTo_heuwrfJ8_auUuvdClVJB_e3nI0hNlJQTZNrz4pewb1Wj9CapsTP09POs_Q_1EWOyDweZoMAxRMuv67dtziIuzEeQWfjJWYTONwZDtcBBPBsVWcGC-goCgg/s320/Slide32.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWlRJbKqMLb5H1-YZSK77AnBz9f2THJrUAdX_k9QAbbHgkFWFrJ4Kr-kpRNtyJo-blqbhE95-2ELVHm_Va_f8FOeQE-FHxEAjB_GmMoLWjj3Hjw0uIs3uje9wvAQpw-qszTFs3B8IAKI/s1600/Slide31.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWlRJbKqMLb5H1-YZSK77AnBz9f2THJrUAdX_k9QAbbHgkFWFrJ4Kr-kpRNtyJo-blqbhE95-2ELVHm_Va_f8FOeQE-FHxEAjB_GmMoLWjj3Hjw0uIs3uje9wvAQpw-qszTFs3B8IAKI/s320/Slide31.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #7: </b>$100 Gift Card from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Schoolgirl-Style/121353751283189?fref=ts" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Schoolgirl Style </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #8: </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/C-Jayne-Teach/111136655741044?fref=ts" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">C. Jayne Teach</a> Prize Bundle</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexTBKkmUZfWbOsHjJTRYVJhIA5c21hXEq83Rm2MnMaAU1KmkUWBtEZo2VyZoc9O3i44h1fYRYGxShzt-9waxH6hSBEIK97f2o-GMJdV1jzfpR_VzbKMpa7RPKlGg1g6P3-I0ba7pRFFg/s1600/Slide32.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexTBKkmUZfWbOsHjJTRYVJhIA5c21hXEq83Rm2MnMaAU1KmkUWBtEZo2VyZoc9O3i44h1fYRYGxShzt-9waxH6hSBEIK97f2o-GMJdV1jzfpR_VzbKMpa7RPKlGg1g6P3-I0ba7pRFFg/s320/Slide32.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4C62cI-brP-z12G2u6yQ3pae3oBp-ErV2GIm4khkmuYmZF7J-dkhPuJKC5op4Wi_cLvFOLh6JNLsG79WDe5NjShSJVbq86LU25gajlOd2PVkUO7i3v3ujzjh18UghKziitKCUccQFkTs/s1600/Slide33.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4C62cI-brP-z12G2u6yQ3pae3oBp-ErV2GIm4khkmuYmZF7J-dkhPuJKC5op4Wi_cLvFOLh6JNLsG79WDe5NjShSJVbq86LU25gajlOd2PVkUO7i3v3ujzjh18UghKziitKCUccQFkTs/s320/Slide33.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #9: </b>Custom Canvas and Door Hanger</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">{From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jgcreationsbyjg?fref=ts" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">JG Creations by Jenna Green</a>}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #10: </b>$100 Prize Pack from<a href="https://www.facebook.com/scentos.markers?fref=ts" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;"> Scentos</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7TM_jIQ-iX7jMM48gx1LxhbgzGLEqPzFRHiGwmIoHmhVJP0gWa2JucQbOy6ix7CyqHoDvCKQYKuPD-EUtGxmmkct8rqMDx_m5Xb97wx2GxMCVdmApPE9oWIct7zLXb-rEkE17jLOl-c/s1600/Slide34.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7TM_jIQ-iX7jMM48gx1LxhbgzGLEqPzFRHiGwmIoHmhVJP0gWa2JucQbOy6ix7CyqHoDvCKQYKuPD-EUtGxmmkct8rqMDx_m5Xb97wx2GxMCVdmApPE9oWIct7zLXb-rEkE17jLOl-c/s320/Slide34.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98rNNdKcyUOlKYFpQybVAPsidAxPq1z52LFrkZsK01Fb1XJ04Bqs1ilULUjMQKkqKp-DilPafXWTeHQ_Nt_LkGW35xsXmKwt4p328saTTQcQXwBK20l6qG02sr02YWFqCu1EAUFAPNtc/s1600/Slide35.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98rNNdKcyUOlKYFpQybVAPsidAxPq1z52LFrkZsK01Fb1XJ04Bqs1ilULUjMQKkqKp-DilPafXWTeHQ_Nt_LkGW35xsXmKwt4p328saTTQcQXwBK20l6qG02sr02YWFqCu1EAUFAPNtc/s320/Slide35.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #11: </b>Giant Jenga Set from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SplinterWoodworking" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Splinter Woodworking</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #12: </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CarsonDellosa?ref=nf" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Carson-Dellosa Decor Bundle </a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXUUjpKxeDgyp6nsSJm-D9ZIPDg3GRWE4TPJRSSvaTrVMlICen4ArWpejA8vR_75Q0pa7pZi8Dqvbq9VfCVhLppd8LeM7zHsO_7-FPtn8ZXGRJTPExRLMhtuwSfeskq3INVeXzGfXTIE/s1600/Slide36.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXUUjpKxeDgyp6nsSJm-D9ZIPDg3GRWE4TPJRSSvaTrVMlICen4ArWpejA8vR_75Q0pa7pZi8Dqvbq9VfCVhLppd8LeM7zHsO_7-FPtn8ZXGRJTPExRLMhtuwSfeskq3INVeXzGfXTIE/s320/Slide36.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR56vAUOx_7Wvbuxu878rBLulGDQQkhJ7HP-I4uBnCUVTXGQaKL0dKE33dqcEYAnnJ5MVRngXEZ7T6K3Np0wM5HsvJvZQ77lE05XA4sPNIzfsRYXUNtVoFRK2FDk7lzldarvxT8iMyl-I/s1600/Slide37.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR56vAUOx_7Wvbuxu878rBLulGDQQkhJ7HP-I4uBnCUVTXGQaKL0dKE33dqcEYAnnJ5MVRngXEZ7T6K3Np0wM5HsvJvZQ77lE05XA4sPNIzfsRYXUNtVoFRK2FDk7lzldarvxT8iMyl-I/s320/Slide37.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #13: </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/erincondrendesign" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Erin Condren</a> Planner and Teacher Bundle</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #14: </b><a href="http://thefabulousclassroom.bigcartel.com/product/black-neat-seat" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Neat Seats</a> {Class set of 24}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oZMJZ8wEYS9hVhOG48kVMIutzx-PLbC6pxfnfYfkzQ3P66Hs6IEn0BqgM2O5cFda9brfRUPHF643-ZhXqMnNYX9dKeZf4DB9jgvB139zhG57f7A0MuM9I1fXtPKooP55EhaowgqoUnE/s1600/Slide38.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oZMJZ8wEYS9hVhOG48kVMIutzx-PLbC6pxfnfYfkzQ3P66Hs6IEn0BqgM2O5cFda9brfRUPHF643-ZhXqMnNYX9dKeZf4DB9jgvB139zhG57f7A0MuM9I1fXtPKooP55EhaowgqoUnE/s320/Slide38.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDPp2PC-lQ3twwHzkOLGhWFSItGRlZG1_M1oFn1AJd0rdebHQpYfxdsPPGDCRtuuVlGbqiKhyphenhyphen7LFlUOaihNf-VVb4s4s_mV9oIoXHXyYG5KYMVw6Qcsji4gSe0xgztsxWSTzIDSIUzro/s1600/Slide39.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDPp2PC-lQ3twwHzkOLGhWFSItGRlZG1_M1oFn1AJd0rdebHQpYfxdsPPGDCRtuuVlGbqiKhyphenhyphen7LFlUOaihNf-VVb4s4s_mV9oIoXHXyYG5KYMVw6Qcsji4gSe0xgztsxWSTzIDSIUzro/s320/Slide39.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #15: </b>$100 Decor Bundle from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/creativeteachingpress?fref=ts" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Creative Teaching Press</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #16: </b>Kids Carpet </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgXabRcGRDhFvgLj-71-o7FtPz2gpwNGBw0nJbCGhxGz_ZVbH1f8XLmLT5pPS2HBzAre1YK6ijc5xR5Lk1BDggjU1ik-ukWQPtWTMLLf4nc41dulUrGszxuzKCKAzGI9vAozI9s6TvBo/s1600/Slide40.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgXabRcGRDhFvgLj-71-o7FtPz2gpwNGBw0nJbCGhxGz_ZVbH1f8XLmLT5pPS2HBzAre1YK6ijc5xR5Lk1BDggjU1ik-ukWQPtWTMLLf4nc41dulUrGszxuzKCKAzGI9vAozI9s6TvBo/s320/Slide40.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BryXRpF_IhkjWjG0dunbvnAPuvXA49WqzZN1XqSCoJgZadVFBpFKH44UqqUecVNMOhyphenhyphenb_iMCr2dU-TDd3IyjtmRkf8KNSWNw0LUEhxdcELDPp7aTCSo8XSZONozz9AV-MRSkofh0Iuo/s1600/Slide41.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BryXRpF_IhkjWjG0dunbvnAPuvXA49WqzZN1XqSCoJgZadVFBpFKH44UqqUecVNMOhyphenhyphenb_iMCr2dU-TDd3IyjtmRkf8KNSWNw0LUEhxdcELDPp7aTCSo8XSZONozz9AV-MRSkofh0Iuo/s320/Slide41.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #17: </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/EllisonEducation" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">Ellison AllStar</a> + 100 in Die Cuts</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bash Basket #18: </b>$100 Hobby Lobby Gift Card </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Holy amazing! We are so grateful to such amazing sponsors. As if that isn't enough, each basket will also include a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/WhisperPhone/110355166448?fref=ts" style="color: #b070ae; text-decoration: none;">whisper phone</a> select! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFwsZjZUbXH7TzKeM76jtzvhjgsoa1x4ng1qs7np_pGk2S8NTANxZ6habsqk_JR_HDWKb8o3AJclk-st1zhP-mTbrMppYgBVrThg8JQjDNlwHDo3Pcle_okXb96KHDYsK4qmJv9QS5cQ/s1600/Slide44.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #b070ae; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFwsZjZUbXH7TzKeM76jtzvhjgsoa1x4ng1qs7np_pGk2S8NTANxZ6habsqk_JR_HDWKb8o3AJclk-st1zhP-mTbrMppYgBVrThg8JQjDNlwHDo3Pcle_okXb96KHDYsK4qmJv9QS5cQ/s400/Slide44.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-shadow: none; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And we're not done yet. Each winner will also receive a link to a folder containing all of these resources below. You can click on any image below to see what's included in this amazing pack! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Be sure and come back tomorrow to get your Back to School Bash HOP on! :) </span></div>
<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-10581615485341876932015-07-29T08:16:00.000-04:002015-07-29T08:17:50.032-04:00Back to School Bash 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8r5SsXpmBVDR2qd-Kk2DjZLbr6SOF7T15wcsCmazmRiz0RvbTySmchI5Ki788kxkUdJ-jI_RVF5-3v9WOBibT9MwFKoX4oue48nvfCbe7sbCd6mS8kfjZ6H6DR0z0bkiDHds-9eBRpg/s1600/Slide1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8r5SsXpmBVDR2qd-Kk2DjZLbr6SOF7T15wcsCmazmRiz0RvbTySmchI5Ki788kxkUdJ-jI_RVF5-3v9WOBibT9MwFKoX4oue48nvfCbe7sbCd6mS8kfjZ6H6DR0z0bkiDHds-9eBRpg/s640/Slide1.png" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That's right, my friends! It's that time of year. Back to School Bash 2015 begins tomorrow where we will introduce you to all of the amazing prizes and sponsors. Then you can enter to win big beginning on July 31st. This year we have over $5,000 in back to school swag! No, no...you read that right! $5,000 in prizes!!! People love them some teachers!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So join me and some of my blogging besties below for some amazing giveaways this week. It all begins tomorrow when we will introduce our 18 BASH BASKETS! Be sure you get yourself a head start and follow all of these amazing blogs and their Instagram accounts. Believe me...this year you don't want to miss a thing! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">See you all tomorrow! </span></div>
<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-87839339198871541032015-07-26T09:00:00.000-04:002015-07-26T10:11:11.004-04:00Taming the Paper Mountain!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi there! I am so excited to be teaming up with some of my favorite intermediate blogging friends! We have been planning and plotting for a while... and now it's finally time to unveil "The Teacher's Back to School Survival Guide". Today, I will be sharing my favorite tips for taming the paper mountain (because I detest clutter and disorganization), and as you can see below, there's a plethora of other topics to explore and learn about! I'm super excited to learn from my friends... and to share what works for me too! Plus, we're giving away LOTS of TpT gift cards! Who doesn't love free goodies?! You'll definitely want to poke around each blog...for lots and lots of reasons! Now...it's time to tackle the paper mountain.<br />
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I love the term "paper mountain" because that's exactly what paper seems like sometimes. A mountain of clutter. A HUGE, daunting, sometimes overwhelming obstacle to tame or conquer. I have tried SO many different approaches over the years, and I finally feel like I am in a happy place. Everything has its place. Everything is labeled. Nothing is haphazardly placed somewhere because I loathe wasting time. I HATE wasting instructional time, and I hate wasting my own personal time or planning time, especially this year now that I have a baby at home. I made a vow not to chip away at my time searching for materials or sorting through things. It's definitely been a process, and I have tried different approaches over the years, but I feel like I have found what works for me. (It only took me ten years to figure out! Ha!) For me, the organizational process always involves purging. That's important to note. Sometimes when we hold on to materials we aren't using (and haven't used in years), it impedes our ability to utilize or FIND the quality materials we DO want to use with our students. Less is more. It's definitely about quality over quantity, and once you have pruned your materials down to the necessities, it's easier to organize and designate a place for everything! So, with that said, here are my organizational tips! Time to tame that mountain!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I use one binder per quarter and divide each binder into 9-wweeks to grab & print in a hurry!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXCWAfKkHSuV9Iz6k_dkiAKHfHP-W9AnESO8PYrUGL0go93jA4tkOpL-sQ7WVIjaEWuORn0FwCqzgoUHdELzcr2v7JVz7F4aM6ZLsvQFSSrKYsgx2xJkjJL6K75GNSZPivcG-QKyZSw/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-07-24+at+7.27.26+AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="298" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Out-of-the-Box-Critical-Thinking-Morning-Work-1942357">Out of the Box Critical Thinking Morning Work</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYYxkS4LgO_m0u5B7K1tiOV3ppdhqaLrsob5ui_Z5GfDx0Yan9-tutjgrWMUVN0JRihkTfy-PH0Of_kC2LXq4wJKR-YfjD8v46HzGIuMmg3AS8eCqGLrAKXH_VmsFiZ8QN4TwhiIy6w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-07-24+at+7.30.08+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYYxkS4LgO_m0u5B7K1tiOV3ppdhqaLrsob5ui_Z5GfDx0Yan9-tutjgrWMUVN0JRihkTfy-PH0Of_kC2LXq4wJKR-YfjD8v46HzGIuMmg3AS8eCqGLrAKXH_VmsFiZ8QN4TwhiIy6w/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-07-24+at+7.30.08+AM.png" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I label projects/units in a separate file from the skill-based files.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/We-Are-Authors-Launching-Writing-Workshop-750387">We are Authors: Launching Writer's Workshop</a> pack!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My best-seller & major lifesaver: <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sub-Tub-Substitute-Binder-Resources-130103?utm_campaign=TransactionalEmails&utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email">The Sub Tub & Binder</a>! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another look at the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sub-Tub-Substitute-Binder-Resources-130103?utm_campaign=TransactionalEmails&utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email">Sub Tub Binder</a> and the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/New-Baby-Bin-and-Maternity-Binder-1831954">New Baby Binder</a>! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This vinyl seat sack is from <a href="http://thefabulousclassroom.bigcartel.com/">The Fabulous Classroom</a>! SO reasonable!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This research center is part of my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Stop-Collaborate-Listen-Speaking-Listening-Like-Rock-Stars-1330536">Stop, Collaborate, & Listen</a> bundle!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a ton of activities in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Words-Galore-Center-Activities-197955">Words Galore: Center Activities</a> pack! </td></tr>
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There you have it: a list of tips and tricks to help YOU tackle your own paper mountains! I realize that some of the "tips" are common sense and not necessarily earth-shattering, but sometimes it's nice to see another person's interpretation or execution of something you may have heard of before. It's also nice to be reminded of things you may have forgotten about. Hopefully you were able to find a fresh idea or two as well! Ultimately, my goal for this post was to help YOU organize your room in such a way that everything has its place, clutter is significantly reduced, less time is wasted, and you are confident and competent instead of overwhelmed and stressed. POW! Take THAT paper mountain! ;)<br />
<br />
Another way I'd love to help TWO lucky teachers prepare for the new school-year is a simple one. I'm offering TWO $25 gift certificates to TpT! Simply enter to win below! I will draw for two winners at the end of the day on August 2nd, and if you are one of the lucky ones, I will contact you via email! Everyone likes happy mail, right?<br />
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Would you like to prepare for the new year and enter for more chances
to win TpT gift certificates? Click any of the icons below to check
out other survival tips!<br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-88723377266769040692015-07-10T12:39:00.001-04:002015-07-10T12:48:14.055-04:00A Little Shoutout<div style="text-align: left;">
I LOVE teaching with music because it is so powerful in aiding memorization, and it's super fun too! It definitely helped my fourth grade kiddos prepare for a new state test last year. Last year, Ohio changed the fourth grade Social Studies content standards to include American History on top of Ohio History. Basically the history of our country was woven into the history of our state, and we had to get SPECIFIC. Like, knowing specific treaties and battles and people and places. From memory. So they could write PARCC-esque extended responses. From memory. About really complex things most of us learned in middle school or high school. Because you know... rigor. ;)</div>
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While I question whether this is all a bit much for fourth graders, I will say that they were interested in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Amendments (that they needed to remember), the Northwest Ordinance, and everything else we learned. Interest is great! I LOVE Social Studies. History was my minor, and I could eat this stuff up. As you know though, student interest and passionate teachers are powerful, but when there's a lot of content to master, you're moving at a blistering pace to teach it, and you know you won't have a ton of time to reteach, you have to get the most bang for your buck.<br />
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So, on top of debates, projects, and close reading, I turn to music to help my kiddos remember Social Studies content. In my search for videos to help cement complex topics, I found MrBettsClass on YouTube. He cleverly takes popular songs and creates parodies to teach difficult content, and my kids LOVED them. They even played them at home because they loved them so much. Because they were able to remember the lyrics, this opened the door to complex discussions where I would probe them about different historical events in detail, and they would often cite information from one of Mr. Betts' songs. So when it was time to review for the "BIG TEST", guess what? Those songs were quoted. They helped my kiddos retrieve the information seamlessly. Music is powerful, isn't it? <br />
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It's hard for me to say which video my students loved the most, but "Manifest Destiny" was definitely WAY up there! Check it out, and check out some other videos while you're at it. (My kiddos loved "Emancipation Proclamation", "Compromise of 1850", "Stay With Me", and so many more!) Maybe you'll find something that can help your kiddos too! Shout Out to Mr. Betts! You made my year easier! :) <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t6RABxiwqXo" width="480"></iframe><br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-15527174062639342342015-05-12T15:08:00.000-04:002015-07-24T08:10:43.602-04:00Shifting FocusAt 4:03 in the morning on May 2nd, my life was forever changed. I became a mother to the most beautiful baby boy, and since then I have been trying to get into the groove and soak up as many baby cuddles as I can. I am going to be taking a little break from my online stuff until I feel like I am able to balance it all a bit more without missing out on time with my little guy. After all, he will only be tiny a little while, and I don't want to regret missing out on time with him because I was "too busy" with other endeavors. I will hopefully resume blogging soon-ish... :) Take care, friends! <br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-45926385067317452752015-05-03T18:00:00.000-04:002015-07-24T08:16:49.438-04:00Teacher Care Package GiveawayHey, friends! I am SO excited to be collaborating with some of my favorite intermediate sellers to celebrate YOU, the people in the trenches, paving the way for the next generation of movers and shakers. Because I am so appreciative of what teachers do on a daily basis, I'm giving away a precious basket of office goodies. (FYI...you MUST be a teacher in the USA or Canada to enter to win.) <br />
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In addition to a $25 TpT gift certificate, here's what you'll receive if YOU are the lucky winner:<br />
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Isn't it all so pretty?! I almost wanted to toss a few duplicates into the basket for myself. :)<br />
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I LOVE this little apothecary jar, and this is one thing I DID buy for our home while I was at Target. I couldn't resist. The mercury glass... the twine... the cork. It's all too pretty for words. It will make the perfect storage container for paper clips or push pins. Beautiful and functional! <br />
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I LOVE using push pins in my classroom and my home office to add a little extra flair to displays. I love the elegant simplicity of both sets. I couldn't decide on which I liked more, so you get both! They would be perfect to mix and match. Plus, Target has THE cutest corkboards right now! Run, don't walk. You will thank me. :) I promise.<br />
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If you can't tell what the next item is it's a pack of three giant paperclips...perfect for taming paper mountains. We all teach. We all have papers to tame and organize, right?! These are perfect!<br />
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You will also receive this set of magnetic clips. I love the simplicity of the geometric designs.<br />
They are perfect for the classroom or at home, don't you think?!<br />
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I am also throwing in a flash drive with some of my favorite products from my TpT shop!<br />
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Enter to win the care package in the Rafflecopter below.<br />
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="1999d10654" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1999d10654/" id="rcwidget_rmoy0qwd" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></div>
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If you're interested in entering to win other fabulous prizes, check out the blogs below:<br />
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com332tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-59616375657006398442015-04-27T20:39:00.000-04:002016-02-05T10:32:12.909-05:00Preparing for Maternity Leave!Oh my stars, friends! After nine years in the classroom, life is about to change. After years of investing SO much into other people's kiddos, it's time to divide and conquer. My due date is SUNDAY, and I am about to have a little peanut of my very own in two weeks (at the very latest). My maternity leave is quickly approaching. (As in, I just have to make it through Friday. I think I can...I think I can...) Aside from giving myself pep talks, I have been getting the last few details in order for my long-term sub, and I am excited to show you how I decided to go about organizing resources for her! <br />
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Disclaimer: I am not saying that this is the ONLY way to do this, nor am I saying it's the BEST way to go about it. Let's face it: I am a soon-to-be first-time mom. I am a total ROOKIE. :) That said, the very OCD side of my personality couldn't just sit back, cross my fingers, and go to a blissfully ignorant place when it came to planning. My students are definitely "my kids" too, and I definitely wanted to keep the train rolling after I jump off. :) Derailing is simply not an option. So, I planned and planned...and prepped and prepped... and organized... and this is what I came up with. Maybe it can work for you too! Especially if you have a touch of OCD as well. :)<br />
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Because I was simultaneously planning my maternity leave, gearing up for state testing (and our Test Prep Blitz), and trying to keep the rigor up while finishing up Wax Museums (all while dealing with never-ending all-day sickness), I decided to utilize Ashleigh's <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/3rd-5th-Grade-Reading-Workshop-Unit-4-Author-Studies-1530995">3rd- 5the Grade Reading Workshop Unit 4</a> which focuses on mini author studies. I liked that it would provide a spiral review for my students while maintaining rigor and providing quality lesson plans for my sub (without having to type them out myself). This is the core of our ELA block. Of course, the kids will continue reading their main selections, testing, doing their <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Response-Menus-A-Recipe-for-Reading-Success-1022737">Reading Response Menus</a> for homework, writing, wrapping up Social Studies, and working through their <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Warriors-Spelling-with-Greek-Latin-Roots-789154">Word Warriors </a>or <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Affix-Avengers-Spelling-with-Prefixes-Suffixes-815120">Affix Avengers</a> spelling lists as well, so I still had plenty of work to do. Still, the author studies helped me relax a little bit without totally overwhelming myself. <br />
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I corralled all of the books (and other books by the featured authors) into a milk crate so all of the mentor texts were in one place, and I numbered them so that they would correspond with the lesson plans for quick and seamless utilization by the sub. Plus, it will make it easier when I use the resources in the future! Winning! :)<br />
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As you can see, I used neon garage sale dots for labeling purposes. I used a different color for each week to help organize the sets as well as to differentiate between mentor texts and additional texts by each other. Once I finished labeling the books, I made copies of each accompanying graphic organizer and put them into file folders with corresponding dots to keep it nice and organized! After they were labeled, they were filed away in a single drawer. <br />
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Now, I admit. This is putting my Type A personality on display for all to see, and some of you may be shaking your heads saying, "No thank you", but this puts my mind at ease. Chipping away at it just a little bit at a time made it SO manageable too. Plus, it's pretty, right?! Well, it stayed pretty until I started stuffing spelling lists, spelling lessons, fluency checks, centers, and other resources into the drawer. Now it looks more like this:<br />
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Just keeping it real, folks! When you cram 6 weeks of resources into a drawer (just in case), you take what you can get. It's not all rainbows and colored dots anymore, and I am at peace with it. I literally crammed it all into one drawer for convenience, and then I labeled the front with colored masking tape. Nothing super fancy.<br />
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Anything that didn't fit inside of the file cabinet is sitting on the file cabinet itself... like my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sub-Tub-Substitute-Binder-Resources-130103?utm_campaign=TransactionalEmails&utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email">Sub Tub</a>... and a green basket with resources and files that need to be kept at the sub's fingertips. I keep reusable name tags inside of my Sub Tub at all times. I used to use the sticky tags for years, but this year, I finally wised up. I made them for the first day of school, and they have been in the Sub Tub for subs ever since. Hopefully they will make the first day for our sub even easier...even though she's already been in my classroom a few times working with kids and observing. :) <br />
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Other than that, I have the mentor text crate on my counter-top next to a few center materials that won't fit in my file drawer for obvious reasons. (Literally all of my non-essential resources have been packed up to take that off of the sub's plate, and to ensure that she just has to leaf through the materials I leave out.<br />
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Aside from the file cabinet, I organized all of my lesson plans and master copies into a big binder so it's all in one place. (Are you noticing a trend here?!) I tucked a tentative calendar of events in the front pocket as well. <br />
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Although I LOVE my Sub Tub to the moon and back, I decided to create a maternity specific binder because WHY NOT?! The cute clip art makes me happy, and it makes everything a little more festive. Don't you think!? I am working on finalizing an editable copy right now, so hopefully I will be able to make it available to you soon... you know... when my baby is sleeping or something. :) In the meantime, I have it available in my TpT store as a pdf file. (FYI...once I add the editable version, the price will remain the same.) The <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/New-Baby-Bin-and-Maternity-Binder-1831954">New Baby Bin and Maternity Binder</a> is similar to my Sub Tub organizationally, but the design is different. (I totally need to switch the bin label out now that I think about it!) I think it would make the perfect gift for an expecting co-worker! I plan on sending a copy to my friend Rachel who's expecting in August! Here's a few action shots of the new binder!<br />
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As you can see, I am ready to go! We're just waiting on our little guy to arrive... and hoping he isn't fashionably late. If he is, he may end up looking a little too much like this:<br />
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Good luck to everyone getting ready for maternity leave, and enjoy your time off with your little one!<br />
<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-40912036577168307812015-04-26T20:09:00.002-04:002015-07-24T08:16:08.859-04:00Wax Museum: Can I Have Your Autograph?! Before spring break, my room was brimming with famous Americans for a star-studded event: our <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wax-Museum-Biographies-Bringing-History-to-Life-121614">Wax Museum Biographies</a>! Regrettably, it's taken me FOREVER to blog about it, but I suppose this is one of those times where I have to shrug my shoulders and say, "It's better late than never, right?" Pregnancy has been the ultimate game-changer for me this year. I have learned that I can only do so much, and all in all, that hasn't necessarily been a bad thing. It's just made it a little more difficult to keep up with my online world... this blog and TpT. As my due date approaches next Sunday (what?!) I am super excited to settle into my new "normal" and HOPEFULLY settle back into a more regular blogging routine this summer. Fingers crossed!<br />
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At any rate, here are some snapshots from our big event! As you can see, my kiddos got really into character again this year. I LOVE seeing what they come up with, and I absolutely LOVE reading their reports! This is always one of those projects that makes me realize how far my students have grown, and this year, since I had this group last year as third graders and again this year as fourth graders, the growth is even more obvious and glorious. I could brag on them forever, but I will spare you, and I will shower you with photos instead!<br />
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In addition to their costumes, my students bring props to help bring their person to "life". Some of them even go the extra mile to create trifold or poster displays to support their speeches.<br />
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Have YOU ever had a wax museum with your kiddos?! I am telling you, it is one of the most engaging ways to hook your students and help them realize just how rewarding research can be. Plus, it's such a great way to invite other students into your classroom to give your students a real audience!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdxRgbkdC9VpLnD_8pg1kUyczhyXnWZfx1hUJHfQ2um-w15zvOltVJGSb-TtLWsqcA-rMwK2VwxrKDdGMz9f0Rhp8TO5OTkTjSKKn61H0h6IvIz1Nt2HdbkKoB-8HbyG3la1cnEiprQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-26+at+7.25.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdxRgbkdC9VpLnD_8pg1kUyczhyXnWZfx1hUJHfQ2um-w15zvOltVJGSb-TtLWsqcA-rMwK2VwxrKDdGMz9f0Rhp8TO5OTkTjSKKn61H0h6IvIz1Nt2HdbkKoB-8HbyG3la1cnEiprQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-26+at+7.25.11+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Plus, when their writing matches the attention to detail that they put into their costumes, you know you've struck a nerve with them. :) Here's just one example to give you an idea of what I mean: <br />
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<i><b>As you can see, this is the kind of project that teacher dreams are made of. </b></i></div>
<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-11297799073080487642015-04-01T09:01:00.001-04:002015-07-24T08:18:26.713-04:00Critters on the Loose: Our Animal Wax Museum!As many of you know, I teach dual grade levels. I have a group of 29 third graders, and a group of 30 fourth graders. I LOVE teaching both age groups, and I even LOVE the challenge it presents. Seriously though, it <i>IS</i> a challenge sometimes when you are trying to pull of two different projects at the same time, and that can induce lots of nail biting. (It's a good thing my nails are growing so quickly thanks to those prenatal vitamins! Ha!) Anywho-- I always try to set the same time-table for both groups, and I try to unite the project by some common thread. In this case, the third graders just wrapped up their <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wild-Ones-Wax-Museum-Breathing-Life-into-Critter-Research-957559">Wild Ones Wax Museum</a>, and the fourth graders just finished their <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wax-Museum-Biographies-Bringing-History-to-Life-121614">Wax Museum Biographies</a>. I'll be back in a day or two to update everyone on how my American heroes did with their projects, but for now, let's take a look at the critters, shall we?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigm4WpKG59zWxgwk9QhGDFjtcxf29SUVGq2y8_NRxm-0ETdAChCb4Cvwxq3lcQhfq3q1HihzFu4I1OoHkFZV9j6W5rfBp69Y-KcBnWefj3tKicDRRcferoSz738VSWipQH5nEILkcwCw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.08.03+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigm4WpKG59zWxgwk9QhGDFjtcxf29SUVGq2y8_NRxm-0ETdAChCb4Cvwxq3lcQhfq3q1HihzFu4I1OoHkFZV9j6W5rfBp69Y-KcBnWefj3tKicDRRcferoSz738VSWipQH5nEILkcwCw/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.08.03+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is an echidna. I love the use of zip ties for her quills. So creative! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGh0oTEbzuAb5w6-ECx_EHKj92iht5ocW4tKuTQ1ftB85imai-1eYpISk-UHMDDnRYMCB4ffPW-EaniKt2Y61OdCyiKnXsPc-HW0wZYl9A3yz71McUOoBSZJto6jdHpxHKHdzxE-YJRA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.08.14+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGh0oTEbzuAb5w6-ECx_EHKj92iht5ocW4tKuTQ1ftB85imai-1eYpISk-UHMDDnRYMCB4ffPW-EaniKt2Y61OdCyiKnXsPc-HW0wZYl9A3yz71McUOoBSZJto6jdHpxHKHdzxE-YJRA/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.08.14+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a coyote and a bottle-nose dolphin. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8jteBGIZ-Gk0qCB_XeHxvInmAD3bmzykuqg2SQTKSO49zO4RG03FMpntOi_aMjJy3Kg7MqfRfljSRl91RmwuwQf1YRnpgjMF-X45mAOVvuUdds0GEVJS0ZXTT6Q-dSh8hyphenhyphenpDRi4d_Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.09.31+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8jteBGIZ-Gk0qCB_XeHxvInmAD3bmzykuqg2SQTKSO49zO4RG03FMpntOi_aMjJy3Kg7MqfRfljSRl91RmwuwQf1YRnpgjMF-X45mAOVvuUdds0GEVJS0ZXTT6Q-dSh8hyphenhyphenpDRi4d_Q/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.09.31+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lion and a wombat!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwR4HRTc03lx-w3eHaL4ROHJi-nLMnrjVLwsvjNq4LQvjIzfBrJpgIydrZBaLkGQJxhN_yJ2AXLMMJcx2XGxd4BoICnZvIz6r98MLierx_Qwj4zMYqsC_AnFHtNdgtXn87lacGV_Pxw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.09.53+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwR4HRTc03lx-w3eHaL4ROHJi-nLMnrjVLwsvjNq4LQvjIzfBrJpgIydrZBaLkGQJxhN_yJ2AXLMMJcx2XGxd4BoICnZvIz6r98MLierx_Qwj4zMYqsC_AnFHtNdgtXn87lacGV_Pxw/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.09.53+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tiger and a giraffe!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An alligator and an octopus!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cobra and a white-tailed deer!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPlQ2u7fxLMTvjBZuU0z1WGX-V6gVX9CqOduehPdeVPEXH2drVLOjQ5MuqJbWbV2KueZkbe8FkTPtEd3a62VSxWzHGrEDazGP3MOtcZozDfijJPBJC80fbXNXNQHkATFwZUOJYUxCiQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.14.22+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPlQ2u7fxLMTvjBZuU0z1WGX-V6gVX9CqOduehPdeVPEXH2drVLOjQ5MuqJbWbV2KueZkbe8FkTPtEd3a62VSxWzHGrEDazGP3MOtcZozDfijJPBJC80fbXNXNQHkATFwZUOJYUxCiQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.14.22+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An owl and an elephant!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJyBdch4eE_z7ffW2IuWZc_eyBl-T_H9jwGe7r3qfVRWaQb8ZhS6BBJbK3G3IO6kRcL2DT6npMcYDz2KdLRQzTTLBaW2FOaZPsLla0py-hdNP0Q6Q2m5D99Qlh8TwJjjZpqW4FoLpRQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.10.18+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJyBdch4eE_z7ffW2IuWZc_eyBl-T_H9jwGe7r3qfVRWaQb8ZhS6BBJbK3G3IO6kRcL2DT6npMcYDz2KdLRQzTTLBaW2FOaZPsLla0py-hdNP0Q6Q2m5D99Qlh8TwJjjZpqW4FoLpRQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.10.18+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A red panda and a monkey!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGeWcx6eFn3_JOSlvUMrUJa5iO5unAApfpzl_4nx0WFhSQ6jpIpIh7DpPjt9cRF79s-h6bBstNPun43nudKSdIBcoFMg5ie2lONHd8uKbmH02hjo1J57ymWec8hTzzDhFLzf8dhiSGQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.10.31+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGeWcx6eFn3_JOSlvUMrUJa5iO5unAApfpzl_4nx0WFhSQ6jpIpIh7DpPjt9cRF79s-h6bBstNPun43nudKSdIBcoFMg5ie2lONHd8uKbmH02hjo1J57ymWec8hTzzDhFLzf8dhiSGQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.10.31+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A possum and a koala!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmmw9k9iFvvckU-oaoPRB5gnBc0MYpefDk_Hwh-eb2z1iI6-ca4JwxP0uURaXHjRguQM6e-GhyphenhyphenCC-iUBDfPbrkW3hi8M98iVG3QJklYZEEhDLMmd0V7_PkthzxJmsx4041L0iHgogQg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.10.42+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmmw9k9iFvvckU-oaoPRB5gnBc0MYpefDk_Hwh-eb2z1iI6-ca4JwxP0uURaXHjRguQM6e-GhyphenhyphenCC-iUBDfPbrkW3hi8M98iVG3QJklYZEEhDLMmd0V7_PkthzxJmsx4041L0iHgogQg/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.10.42+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A jaguar and a giant panda!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga19hZg4p98jhNs7vye-ZqD8qGWeGNpRWkMTHpMNtdJSGAVkbxsqHr-MSWc-SwvKkEDHQkEI6x6CdW77knW9MoCnDKwJeyZJBuDfcy0Ils8ROqOhMZXCUV3vq3PytknOxFX5qoXXPD-g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.10.54+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga19hZg4p98jhNs7vye-ZqD8qGWeGNpRWkMTHpMNtdJSGAVkbxsqHr-MSWc-SwvKkEDHQkEI6x6CdW77knW9MoCnDKwJeyZJBuDfcy0Ils8ROqOhMZXCUV3vq3PytknOxFX5qoXXPD-g/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.10.54+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A toucan and a zebra!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A polar bear and a shark!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ypNKUFo-7kWqwoBEMvFk7jsKrZMMBiPHQbreIAwbSHsXJ-k98MlcijpgvVYxf2whNNgD1b2BS6wY-I89tnvllquTYFS66e9d7PBc7RBEyHidk0UvR0d6w-oiIqVNu5Sz_oMV3H3xxQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.14.40+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ypNKUFo-7kWqwoBEMvFk7jsKrZMMBiPHQbreIAwbSHsXJ-k98MlcijpgvVYxf2whNNgD1b2BS6wY-I89tnvllquTYFS66e9d7PBc7RBEyHidk0UvR0d6w-oiIqVNu5Sz_oMV3H3xxQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.14.40+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A finch and an action shot of our scorpion!</td></tr>
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I really enjoy watching my kiddos give their speeches for visiting classes. I love seeing them stand, sit, or crouch as still as statues and take on the characteristics of their animals. I used to have my students memorize their speeches, and many of them still speak from memory, but truthfully, I let them have their papers, as you can see. I want them to practice speaking and listening skills through this, and I want them to gain confidence when they speak to other students and adults. If the paper gives them more confidence to speak loudly and with more authority, I really don't mind. They are 8 and 9 year old kiddos after all. You can tell they definitely had a lot of heart! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strike a pose!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG1ZPDvvoUme72ydhVl071AjRd7LG2fNmePRX0yJ4J-Zm0wnDrF6Dfui-8Y3Ox6kIvISrpyCYoCgaUMRQhSxNTrM8ayRipWyOwcFNp_VsatIeZMmhhrkAQwGj55ySPws1aawzbFAxbQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.34.12+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG1ZPDvvoUme72ydhVl071AjRd7LG2fNmePRX0yJ4J-Zm0wnDrF6Dfui-8Y3Ox6kIvISrpyCYoCgaUMRQhSxNTrM8ayRipWyOwcFNp_VsatIeZMmhhrkAQwGj55ySPws1aawzbFAxbQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.34.12+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A crouching lion!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvyHEnL8aQVqSSlj4R0IBEgTnFtx9bHKCuo_r-coQxauuhcrPPWIB3TlIkmsLfgfUKVdrIRcSFAXY0_F8av1g54y0eqdSC-I2COxlFWBW8hDPbR_WE0pwShyPYt_wPkNhCGR_bQGWRw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.35.05+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvyHEnL8aQVqSSlj4R0IBEgTnFtx9bHKCuo_r-coQxauuhcrPPWIB3TlIkmsLfgfUKVdrIRcSFAXY0_F8av1g54y0eqdSC-I2COxlFWBW8hDPbR_WE0pwShyPYt_wPkNhCGR_bQGWRw/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-04-01+at+8.35.05+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More action shots!</td></tr>
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Each year, I require that my students conduct research, record their references, and write a research paper that is read aloud as a speech. Each year, they continue to amaze me with the EXTRA touches they come prepared with. This year, in addition to their research papers and props, kids came with tri-fold boards, habitat displays for little kids to interact with, plastic snakes to give away, photos of their animals to pass out, fact sheets to distribute, coloring sheets to send away with the little ones, and stickers with information about how to adopt dolphins to adhere to each visitor.<br />
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So, there's that! I am SO happy I was able to fit our <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wild-Ones-Wax-Museum-Breathing-Life-into-Critter-Research-957559">Wild Ones Wax Museum</a> in a little bit earlier this year. It's always a HUGE hit! Once again, just like years past, I was blown away by my students' creativity! We spend a lot of time talking about catering to the audience we are speaking to, and I can attest to the fact that there were a TON of very happy visitors that day! As I wind down the year before my maternity leave starts, I can definitely say we have had some major successes, and this is just one! I am one proud teacher. They make my heart full. <br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557592942256975114.post-69782315277938078802015-03-17T20:40:00.003-04:002015-07-24T08:20:05.101-04:00Book Study: Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites (Chapter Six)Hey, everyone! I am so excited to be a part of this book study! For me, it's an oldie, but a goodie because this was the book I read for my very first book study as a baby teacher several years ago! I feel like I am coming full circle studying it once again, and I have found that studying it a second time has allowed me to take a look at the chapters with a different (more seasoned) perspective. Plus, it's super fun to be able to share ideas with my close blog friends and all of you too! BONUS!<br />
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Here's the really hilarious part though. Ironically, I was given chapter six. It's all about humor. People, let me be clear about one thing. I am really not the funniest person in the world. My students think I am funny. My husband sometimes thinks I am funny (or laughs out of pure sympathy), and sometimes I can make my friends laugh. But honestly, I am more of that dorky, awkward kind-of funny. The kind of funny where you say, "Oh, bless her heart. She really tries." In a way, I am kind of glad I am doing this chapter though, because if I can implement this in my classroom, then anyone can. Truly. Let's dig in, shall we?<br />
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Why humor? Well, people like to laugh. Plus as Marcia L.Tate points out, researchers (Jensen, 1995, Sousa, 2011, Sylwester, 1997) have determined that jokes, celebrations, and positivity may not only create a positive learning environment but may also help facilitate the earning itself. Simply starting a lesson with a joke or infusing a lesson with a funny story is a fool proof way to get your students' attention. When students truly enjoy what they are doing, they are more attentive, more engaged, less threatened, and more likely to retain information for memory retrieval later on. That's a beautiful thing. Researchers have found that laughter (not surprisingly) lowers stress and anxiety levels. It also causes biochemical changes in the body that result in an increase of neurotransmitters necessary for alertness and memory. It can have a positive impact on self-esteem, and it can also help students bond, resulting in a more conducive learning environment. Of course, laughter also helps release endorphins that give us an overall feeling of euphoria and wellness. Laughter is good for the soul.<br />
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A word of caution here though. Humor does not necessarily equate with sarcasm. Sarcasm literally means "a tearing of the flesh", and it's easy to understand why. Students, and people in general, cannot always discern the "joke". Jensen actually found that "sarcastic remarks that demean, tease, or deride can, at minimum, hinder or incapacitate higher level thinking". That's a terrible thing to disarm in our students. So, tread lightly. Humor should be uplifting.<br />
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I like to use humor with my students in different ways. I am kind of known for my stories though. When teaching writer's workshop lessons and modeling examples of what I am looking for, I typically pull stories from my childhood or funny stories about my dogs. I like to help my students see me as a person, build relationship, and teach a concept through analogies and funny anecdotes. To me, this is the most organic way to build community. I run a tight ship, and I have high expectations, but that doesn't mean I can't crack a joke once in a while to keep things light and hold their attention. I think it's so important to remember not to take ourselves SO seriously that we forget to laugh with our kiddos.<br />
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Beyond that, here are a few examples of things I have done in the past that incorporate humor in some way, shape, or form. To me, wordplay is one of the simplest ways to let students be creative and funny without derailing. The examples below show homophone illustrations and literal interpretations of idioms. My students made digital idiom books that showed the literal and figurative meanings of phrases, and they were practically rolling as they created the artwork. :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Big Cheese</td></tr>
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I encourage my students to be creative and witty when they create assignments, and I always enjoy seeing what they come up with. These point of view posters are the purrrrrrrfect balance of content and humor. (See what I did there?) Puns are another simple, if not cheesy, way to infuse a little dose of hilarity into your classroom. <br />
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Never underestimate the power of novelty either. A fun prop or a clever app can go a long way.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJF_pkumg-sFtbPYxj0fpFcKI6prs8oroUVQM1Y2by849WdptOG05XT11x3X5-V-X4OHLUOII8DgXItp3psk6YBLA8JeG1379lpdkPZ1M3Y6B2KHgNdhno0qhekXQYroDdHgO6zKK_A/s1600/IMG_4482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJF_pkumg-sFtbPYxj0fpFcKI6prs8oroUVQM1Y2by849WdptOG05XT11x3X5-V-X4OHLUOII8DgXItp3psk6YBLA8JeG1379lpdkPZ1M3Y6B2KHgNdhno0qhekXQYroDdHgO6zKK_A/s400/IMG_4482.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students love wearing these over-sized glasses for visualizing and close reading lessons.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We morphed into 100 year old centenarians with the AgingBooth app! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPxiAZ65tF8_Hu7uIxBEFyymkx5nhciSLbDFfBWz0nd7WM8Cu4KCt79eI79cARH90OAunbM0rO3MpDQAjNKwrl7abIe7gNiiBGQBlrYd8VxCrrbwcdCLDfKbSLQXrap4IJe9_Yddtfw/s1600/IMG_4489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPxiAZ65tF8_Hu7uIxBEFyymkx5nhciSLbDFfBWz0nd7WM8Cu4KCt79eI79cARH90OAunbM0rO3MpDQAjNKwrl7abIe7gNiiBGQBlrYd8VxCrrbwcdCLDfKbSLQXrap4IJe9_Yddtfw/s400/IMG_4489.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year, we created a class mascot: the Word Nerd. It was silly, but it added to a sense of community!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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When I create resources, I try to create things that are witty and promote critical thinking skills (including a little dash of humor). We, as teachers, don't always have to be the ones infusing humor into lessons. The kids are just as capable, and it yields the same positive effects!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of a silly invention based on the prompts above.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close-up of the police station on a community map during a map unit.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcARqo7x2U8mm8HLKEkecS4iKP9nMCQxNYh-WirkynDV6U5p8AB7Z1UsDpCC5yIwgENGrIbz_Eq6iv7mUrn8Y98azxGH5knPXHLOD4AsR6BW7WiquuHyN1LN7BWguyQfUQazZ_rwFP_w/s1600/IMG_5237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcARqo7x2U8mm8HLKEkecS4iKP9nMCQxNYh-WirkynDV6U5p8AB7Z1UsDpCC5yIwgENGrIbz_Eq6iv7mUrn8Y98azxGH5knPXHLOD4AsR6BW7WiquuHyN1LN7BWguyQfUQazZ_rwFP_w/s400/IMG_5237.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This student wrote a funny script to turn part of a chapter book into a play. </td></tr>
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Of course, like I said, I am more of a subtle, cheesy jokester, so my humor infiltrates my resources in small ways...like General Ization... or teaching overused words as "Retired Words"... senior citizens who need to retire because they are so overworked. Humor doesn't always have to be over-the-top or in their face. I also love using critical thinking activities like these brain puzzlers to get a little chuckle out of my kiddos once they figure them out.<br />
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I would be remiss if I didn't mention GoNoodle and Flocabulary too. They are both fabulous for brain breaks that promote movement, singing, and humor.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tRuodX5BWIbz6jcEWFQ9x45oNeq3VG5qdVyPOA7yI-Sx2hVszXM46-DIEUKIErX7up1G8u-WM37EMKkIXRByevUOM_xAuqSMh-teUpUCi5CCJOGxwqIUeI44iyV6S_UmCQr56I3VuQ/s1600/IMG_5930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tRuodX5BWIbz6jcEWFQ9x45oNeq3VG5qdVyPOA7yI-Sx2hVszXM46-DIEUKIErX7up1G8u-WM37EMKkIXRByevUOM_xAuqSMh-teUpUCi5CCJOGxwqIUeI44iyV6S_UmCQr56I3VuQ/s400/IMG_5930.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KooKoo Kangaroo is always a favorite. Right now, they are digging Montana James' review game!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBbOlFx3eIMpTmWhrQ5PlzQJn9nY2r2LPfWENmpqugsVlFpI6AgzLWJ0FBrzwom2iHtX9ly9SO9mRvGPpE03EImr1kfZwGAF-GHIIS-SLS8kwHU8RqMlkaVOVFDtxV5kNzlUPMjNNXw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-03-17+at+8.15.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBbOlFx3eIMpTmWhrQ5PlzQJn9nY2r2LPfWENmpqugsVlFpI6AgzLWJ0FBrzwom2iHtX9ly9SO9mRvGPpE03EImr1kfZwGAF-GHIIS-SLS8kwHU8RqMlkaVOVFDtxV5kNzlUPMjNNXw/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-03-17+at+8.15.23+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a screenshot of Flocabulary's Connotation/Denotation Song. It's a class favorite, and it's hilarious!</td></tr>
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Have you ever tried hink pinks or hinky pinkies! I love using them for creative thinking and a little bit of humor too. They are great for morning meetings or those times when you have an extra minute or two, rare as those moments are. Help yourself to a hink pink freebie from my Expanding Vocabulary pack if you think you could use it with your kiddos! Click the image below to download!<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxztuPHKd76tcEY3c3lIX3l1SkE/view?usp=sharing"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxztuPHKd76tcEY3c3lIX3l1SkE/view?usp=sharing" border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTCtmIf8h6GFOBIDuLJiPgkkhLtmyqMzAz-BabyTVcWqSS_mW4jHeTqHJkiNmdBp57yRlP8ABJbTa4HynKcqTrfMNan1qOjgJej3D-xz3Wn6hU8tJmpuEP_aVQuuWrWD2_w0UVH2AXA/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-03-17+at+8.20.57+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here are my notes and reflections on my teaching, and my BIG A-ha moment. :)<br />
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Do you want to join in the fun?! Here's a template to use on your own blog!<br />
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So, how do YOU incorporate humor in your classroom?! What were your take-aways from Chapter 6? Feel free to link up below and share your own ideas! I can't wait to check them out!<br />
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't forget to prepare for chapter 7 discussion over at </span><a href="http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">Mrs. Jump’s Class</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> on March 28th.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is the rest of the schedule and you can join in at anytime!</span> </span>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">The First Grade Parade </a> Chapter 8 (March 31st)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In April, you will be visiting these girls for the remainder of the study:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://mrsehleskindergartenconnections.blogspot.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">Mrs. Ehle’s Kindergarten</a> Chapter 9 &10 (April 4th)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">What The Teacher Wants </a>Chapter 11 (April 7th)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://firstgraderatlast.blogspot.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">First Grader At Last</a> Chapter 12 (April 11th)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://ericabohrer.blogspot.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">Erica’s Ed Ventures </a> Chapter 13 (April 14th)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://kindergals.blogspot.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">KinderGals </a>Chapter 14 &15 (April 18th)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://arockytopteacher.blogspot.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">A Rocky Top Teacher </a>Chapter 16 (April 21st)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://theinspiredapple.blogspot.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">The Inspired Apple</a> Chapter 17 (April 25th)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://littlekinderwarriors.blogspot.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">Little Warriors</a> Chapter 18 (April 28th)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://fallingintofirst.blogspot.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">Falling Into First</a> Chapter 19 (May 2nd)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://kickinitinkindergarten.com/" style="color: #71dfd4; text-decoration: none;">Kickin’ it in Kindergarten</a> Chapter 20 (May 5th)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you are not a blogger (which is
totally fine!!!) we still want to hear from you! Leave a comment below
to let us know how you are incorporating this book in your classroom! H<span style="font-family: inherit;">ow d<span style="font-family: inherit;">o you make your students laugh<span style="font-family: inherit;">, smile, and <span style="font-family: inherit;">LOVE coming to school to learn?!</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774560099319488798noreply@blogger.com12