Five for Friday {Saturday Edition}

Hi Everybody!

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for her "Five for Friday"...

Happy break!  Most weeks fly by, but this one, seemed to move at a snail's pace.  But...

Today was lovely...

I don't know when I actually crawled out of bed...I think it was just in time for lunch!

I didn't take very many pictures this week - we were busy tying up loose ends.  I like it when my units all end before we go on a break, and thankfully it worked out that way with a little oomph put behind every day.  

We also finished up these...

Having a hard time getting your kiddos to remember to wash their hands?  I received several of these as gifts from parents and I tell you, my kiddos have never been so excited to wash their hands and our room smells scrumptious. It's the foaming hand soaps from Bath & Body Works...I think they must have a scent for every season.  Love those things!

Give your kiddos a little in'scentive {get it?} to wash their hands!

Every now and then my son and I will text while he is on his way to school.  I love the whole talk to text feature.  I don't know why, maybe it's the teacher in me, but sometimes I tell Siri what punctuation to use. Only a first grade teacher would make this mistake...

It was a full moon on Monday.  Not a good day to have a birthday.  My kiddos were a little wild and crazy but my birthday gift made up for it!

Now I'm in the market for some yummy flavors.  This week I've been sucking down the hot cider.  What's your favorite K-cup flavor?

Have a happy break...make it Merry & Bright!

Five for Friday {on Sunday}...Freebie too!

Thank goodness Miss Doodle Bugs isn't a stickler for rules...because I can't get this post up on a Friday!!!  For the record, I did start this on Saturday but a little thing called "family" happily got in the way.

I was a picture taking fool this week. I'm hit or miss with that.  Sometimes I get so caught up in my teaching, I forget to stop for a picture {or even go to lunch for that matter}.  I can't tell you how many times we get to specials or lunch late.  Who heard of such a thing?  Are you with me here?  Or am I the only oddball that can't seem to fit it all in?

Here's our week in a nutshell...

Thanks Third Grade Doodles for the freebie!

Are you wondering what that thing is below the poster?  That's a baseball bat {what did you think it was?!?}.  I love to give my first graders time to relax, chat with a friend, just eat and chill for 10 minutes each day.  Lately, you'd think it has been a full moon EVERY day.  They've just been hitting that level 4 way too much!  So we started playing baseball.  Three strikes and the volume goes to a level 2 and if coach has reached her limit - a level 1.  It works well...for the time being.  Does that make me a grouchy teacher?

My principal is such a nice guy. In his travels he picks things up for our staff and then picks sticks for winners at our staff meetings.  I'm pretty sure my name isn't on one of those sticks, because I never win ANYTHING. ever.  So, I took matters into my own hands and stole my dearest teacher friend's winnings. Another teacher pal ratted me out.  As you can see, I didn't feel too guilty about it - I sent them this early morning text of me getting ready to enjoy a scrumptious cup of pumpkin pie coffee. Does that make me a bad person?

Somebody in our family has the Christmas Spirit...

Loving our Heidi Songs!  I tell you, there is something to learning phonics rules put to music.  Another song that my kids LOVED singing...and stuck in our heads all day long...

I don't know how things roll in your district - but I sometimes feel like we're being the Stepford Wives.  We have these great resources at our fingertips.  Our district/county has done a great job suiting us up for the Common Core.  With that, I feel like some of my creative mojo has been taken away.

I knew what lesson I was going to teach - it was straight out of our writing units and it was a good one.  In the middle of the lesson, for some reason I uttered the words "Remember boys and girls - punctuation saves lives".  My 18 boys looked up at me with wide eyes, smirks and a few giggles.  I leaned down for effect and said it again - a little more emphatically and breathy.

I went on to say "Really, my friends - it does. Wanna see?"

I proceeded to read one of my stories that didn't have a lick of punctuation in it.  Of course, I couldn't take one breath...got to the end and was ready to collapse.  Thankfully, my class was more than willing to save a life and help add some much needed punctuation.

After that, we went on with the lesson as planned...my kiddos did a nice job of peer editing and helped save more lives by adding forgotten punctuation.

It was a hit!

On a totally different topic.  Something I noticed last week was that my kids are forgetting to use those magic words "please" and "thank you" way too often.  And can you believe, after I gave a little one some of my snack - they didn't know what I meant when I said "What are the magic words".  I think I might be old...well, I know I am - but don't people still refer to those words as "magic words"?

Click the picture to pick one up for your classroom!

Have a super week!!!!!!

My Week in {lots of} Pictures {Five or More for Friday}...

Hey Everybody!

How's your school year going?  Hanging in there?  Feeling on top of the world, or ready for a break?  If you remember, Michigan doesn't start until after Labor Day, so we're just finding our groove around these parts. And our groove we have found!

My 18 boys and 5 girls are really getting the hang of this first grade gig.  We've been taking a lot of brain breaks {which is good for everyone - myself included!!!!!  I've been known to cut a rug!}.  When I give my students a 5 minute brain break it buys me about 20 more minutes of learning time.  What a bargain!  I found this website that is FULL of great ones.

Here's our current fave:

Daily 5 is going very well!!!! We're up to 15 minutes Read to Self, 12 minutes Work on Writing and 10 minutes Word Work...can't wait to start our guided reading groups!  Almost!!!!

 Great Tower Challenge:  Using what we know about properties of solids to build towers!

Daily 5 book shopping

This was last year - remember how proud I was of those shelves?

This is today...I'm sad, sad, sad to say...

A student is bringing me one fruit each week - she even included a peppermint stick to help make the lemon sweeter...how cute is that!?!?

My little pumpkins weren't wanting to clean up after snack time - this snail race timer did the trick!

We go a little wild at our house....

If you make a "mummy line" he'll sing and dance for you!!!

Look what I came home to yesterday!!!!!

CraftProjectIdeas.com has been so good to me!!!!  The letter they sent said that "Christmas has come early this year" and that they "hope the package of goodies will tide you over for your 2013 holiday crafting season".  My first graders are going to be SO excited to use the fun stuff they sent....FREE!!!!  The quality of their products is awesome. I've purchased some craft materials in the past that were so flimsy and hard to create with that my kiddos would get so frustrated.  Their stuff rocks!!!!!  Go check them out on Facebook for some fun ideas!!!!

I hope you had a great week...what went well for you?  What do wish might have gone differently? Share your Stars and Wishes...

Happy weekend!!!!

Go check out Doodle Bugs for more classroom snapshots at her classroom Five For Friday {or in my case - a little more than that} linky party...

Toodles!!!!

Five for Friday {Linky Party}

Hey Everybody!

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs this week.  Woo hoo!!!!

I'm not in full-on school mode, but sort of. I have no idea why I'm having such a hard time getting my brain wrapped around the fact that I'm starting school next week.  Hmmm...could it be...

...there was a cloudless sky today?  It was gorgeous.  I couldn't resist catching some rays, napping and reading a good book.  I think knowing the craziness that awaits has me in MAJOR denial!!!!

I did, however, go in earlier in the week and made some progress in my classroom...

I might look done, but I can assure you I'm not even close.  So many folders to label, lamination to cut, and names to write.  Oh, and then there's this...

Meet the Fix-Its is just to help me space my clothes pins out - but isn't it cute? Thanks Lyndsey!!!

It's a monkey on my back.  I'm pretty much craft challenged...in a big way.  This "bulletin board" has made me grouchy more than a few times.  At my old school I had HUGE, gorgeous bulletin boards outside of my classroom.  Putting things up was a breeze.  I had never heard of a school without them.  I have stapled {not a good plan} and gone through rolls and rolls of tape to put up projects.  

So I went out and bought some really cute scrap paper, put my mad washi tape skills to work...

...but putting it all together has me befuddled.  It just seems like a lot of work and that I might be missing something.  I don't quite know what?  Maybe I'm just missing the patience-for-this-kinda-thing-gene. Honestly, I don't feel like messing with the hot glue.  Sooo, do any of you out there have any easier/faster ideas for me?  I think I'm going to use my clothes pins for something else.  One more question...what should I use to adhere my laminated scrapbook paper to the wall? {and what should I use to hang up our work don't forget that}

Happy Friday to my already teaching, teacher friends.  Happy last weekend before it all starts to my haven't started teaching, teacher friends.  

Toodles!

Five For Friday

I'm starting this blog post - and if it makes it to the end, you know...

Well...

I made it to the end. Because right now I'm predicting I'll get about mid-way and throw in the towel. {Of course if that were the case - you wouldn't be reading this because I wouldn't post that nonsense...} That's how it has been these last few weeks. I try to sit down and concentrate only to either:

A, B & C:  Fall asleep {I have home row permanently embedded on my forehead}

I think I can muster up enough energy to post five random pictures from my week.  Thanks Doodle Bugs Teaching!

My pitcher boy...

Reviewing some blends...

I have no energy to fix this...

She's BEGGING to be walked...who can resist?

Lots of lilacs came my way this week...I had the sweet smell with me wherever I went...

I made it to the end. Miracles do happen.  I hope you all had a great week!  So how many of us are on summer vacation?  Go ahead - you can tell me, I can handle it.  For those of us still mustering up enough energy to make it through these last weeks...how long do you have?

Happy Friday!

...but.....

Happy {Five for} Friday!

Today was one crazy day.  Ever wake up and you just know you have WAY too much planned and going on for one day?  That was today. I took on WAY too much...

Will you have a pity party for me?  Just for a second?  Today was Chai Tea Friday and I didn't have time to stop for one.  A moment of silence please.

Okay...it's party time, Friday Five style...

 

I love my class this year - I really, really do.  My boys can be silly.  You're shocked, right?  I have been putting off adding this word ALL year.  We can't even read it in a story without giggles.  How was I going to highlight this word, do word wall aerobics with this word, and have them spell and say this word countless times?  I can't put it off any longer. I have to bite the bullet next week.  Wish me luck.  It's in the plans...{I planned my whole week today...crazy, huh?}

We were reviewing sentences this week in guided reading.  I was giving examples of the various sentences...when I started a sentence, "Mrs. W's hair is...." I paused just a bit too long, I guess, because a little cutie pie decided to finish my sentence for me ..."sorta grey".  Is it time to wash that grey right outta my hair?

Yesterday's magic word left me with a hankerin' for some sweets by the end of the day.  We had an unusually energetic one after three days of indoor recess...I used this word often.

 

 We made story grammar cubes!  I don't know where I found these...I could make some one day to offer you, except I'm pretty sure the geometry behind that madness might just be more than I can handle.  You should have seen us putting them together.  It wasn't pretty.

I picked mine up from Lesson Plans SOS {freebie}

We're getting hot and heavy into Common Core.  I'm dabbling in stating our learning goal {target}.  I'm taking small steps.  I have always told the kids what we were going to learn in each lesson - but stating the learning goal explicitly and having it on display and referring to it throughout the lesson kept us all on track.  I think I like it!

And I will leave you with this...I got the biggest chuckle out of it.  Let me say, if my own little guys saw this on t.v., I don't think I'd be all that thrilled.  But...{there's that word} you've got to admit, it's pretty cleverly done... {Hope this doesn't offend you!!!!}



Happy weekend!!!!