My First Linky Party...It's Pinterest Worthy!

Yes, I am unveiling my first linky party! I must admit that I am little nervous, but all of you are soo supportive that I am finally taking the leap.

How many of you find yourself visiting Pinterest numerous times to pin many tips, articles, images, etc. that you thought were useful, you found you needed, didn't know you needed, or just thought were interesting?

I find myself spending endless hours pinning on Saturday morning and I couldn't help but think that my pins may benefit you in your classroom.

Introducing...(drum roll, please)...

This linky party will give all of us a chance to share our Top 5 Pins of the week!!

Join the party and share some of your Pinteresting finds!!!

Here are mine:

1. I don't know about all of you, but I am a MAC lover!! However, as I began making my Visual Lesson Plans, I became frustrated by the fact that I couldn't share my links in a PDF...arghh. I would start with a PowerPoint filled with links and end up with a "linkless" PDF file. Today, I discovered 3rd Grade Gridiron's pinterest boards and she had pinned a Mac Tutorial for putting links in a PDF...I can't tell you how thrilled I was. So if any of you have been struggling to solve this problem, here is the answer!

 

2. I love organization!! When I saw this image, it immediately spoke to my organizational side. This would be a great way to organize crayons for projects or small group work. They are also great for teaching sorting. The baskets could be velcroed to a cookie sheet.

 

3. My students always respond to rubrics and clear expectations. I had seen pictures online with displays showing writing expectations, but the pictures had all been hand drawn (not my thing). Just today, I found this free download for a writing rubric display and it's geared toward 2nd/3rd grade writing. Can't wait to download, print, laminate, and display in my classroom. 

4. I am always using dry erase boards with my students. However, it can take time to pass out boards and get students situated. This solution is fantastic and it elimanates the taking out/putting away. 

5. What kid doesn't love a good game of jeopardy? This pin links to website where you can generate your own Jeopardy board and it can be used with your IWB, how fab! 

  

What have you found Pinteresting lately?

Fabulous Friday Freebie

If you live in the Northeast, as I do, you are probably home doing school work today as the snow comes blowing in. Personally, I am slightly sick (aghh), working, and enjoying a Mentalist marathon (LOVE the show)!

Okay, Okay, I know you are dying to know more about the freebie, so here goes. I have decided to start posting a Freebie every Friday, as I see so many bloggers do. Also, I am linking up with Teaching Blog Addict and her Freebie Friday linky.

My second graders are beginning a money unit next week, and I really felt I needed to evaluate their skills going into the unit. Therefore, I created a common core money math assessment, now doesn't that sound like  a tongue twister, hehe.

I found the assessment to be extremely useful and I just had to share it with so many of you! My hope is that this assessment will be a positive addition to your classroom! 

What forms of assessment do you use in your classroom? 

Did You Snag Some Goodies?

If you were like me, you not only spent Sunday enjoying or hosting a Superbowl Party, but you also spent the day scouring Teachers Pay Teachers to get as many goodies as you could! I must admit that I am sucker for a good sale and Sunday was no exception. Blog Hoppin' is hosting a "Show Us What You Got?" linky party.

Are you dying to know what I bought? Alright, the suspense is killing me, so here are my fantastic purchases!!

I am in love with the many fonts that so many Talented (with a capital T) are creating that I knew I just had to add Jessica Stanford's Font Pack to my collection!! 

Who doesn't LOVE A Cupcake For The Teacher and her many craftivities! As soon as I saw this pack, I knew it had to be mine!

3 Teacher Chicks Scientific Method Unit is jammed pack and I can't wait to put this into action!!

I am always looking for packs to organize for my emergency sub binder and this is another great addition!! 

The 100th day of school snuck-up on me this year (wedding brain) and Erica Boher created the perfect pack to support my 100th day of school celebration!!

Teaching with Love and Laughter has great writing products and my writing workshop will benefit from this pack tremendously!!!

My clip art collection has just grown...Thank you Ashley Hughes for making amazing artwork that does more then compliment my products!! 

Did you spend your Sunday shopping?? What did you walk away with?

My First Visual Lesson Plans

Where has the week gone? My plan was to post about this topic on Sunday or Monday, but it's Wednesday and here we are.

After seeing so many amazing bloggers create their Visual Lesson Plans, I decided to take the plunge and attempt my own.

A BIG Thank You to Nicole and Reagan for giving the the courage to make the leap (I only hope someday my plans look as amazing as yours)!!

If you click the image above, you will pull up a the Lesson Plans, Homework Assignments, and  a Weekly Literacy Center Menu.

Phew! I can't believe I actually did it?! I am so happy with how they have turned out and I am sure with time, I will love them even more!

In the file, I have included a Weekly Literacy Center Menu. This year I have been trying to incorporate the Daily 5 into my classroom. As much as I have loved components of it, I just don't feel that it fully meets my needs. I needed to see my students practicing skills that meet their needs. After so much research (or blog stalking, I found a fabulous blog that really helped me to come up with a plan that combines Daily 5 and Centers, as well as choice and requirements. Sarah, from Sarah's First Grade Snippets, chose to create a Center sheet that students would complete throughout the month, with each center being required. As much as I loved the idea, I wanted to create a Weekly Literacy Center Menu, where students have the opportunity to choose the centers they complete, the center menu, worksheets/print-outs, and folder is due at the end of the week. I love the fact that students have the ability to work on the necessary skills, but also have an opportunity to make choices based on their interest.

My hope is the Visual Plans inspire you to take the plunge, too!!

How do you organize your weekly plans and do you do centers, Daily 5, Guided Reading or your own system?

Linking Up with Love and a Great Tip!

As I was scrolling through blogposts this morning I discovered a Linky Party - Linking Up with Love, from Tessa at Tales from Outside the Classroom. I knew I had just had to join...I just LOVE love. If you ask my future husband, I am always interested in reading a book or watching a show/movie that has love involved! Yes, I am sucker for Love.

Who do I love?

I must begin with my future husband, Jeff! As of this February, we will have been together for 5 years and we will be getting married this July. I feel so lucky and fortunate to have found a man who adores me! Love is definitely in the air for us this year!

I am madly-in-love with my family, especially my sister! My sister and I are "talkers," just ask our significant others. My sister lives in CO and we have found time to connect for hours on the phone. She is one of the great highlights in my day!

(My sister is the one in the blue, brown, and white dress)

My dog, Elvis. He has a way of making my life wonderful, crazy, and frustrating, all at the same time. However, I wouldn't be the same without him. 

What do I love?

Hart of Dixie! A co-worker of mine had been telling me to watch this show for quite some time, and I began catching up on it over winter break. Needless to say, I am hooked and in-love! If you haven't seen it before, check it out on Netflix, you won't be disappointed :)

Home Goods -- My fiance and I bought our home last summer and we have been slowly, but surely, decorating each and every room. Home Goods has allowed me to create a beautiful and stunning home, but for just the right price!

Second Grade! I teach in a multi-graded classroom. I have been teaching 2nd and 3rd grade for 4 years and I have found that my heart belongs in 2nd grade. You just know when you have found the grade you were meant to teach in and I have found mine.

,I love "Wake Up With Taylor" on Cosmo Radio (found on SiriusXM)! Taylor and Kenny are hilarious and they make my 45 minute commute funny, enjoyable and quick. 

As for my tip, I have been wanting share muscle movements I use to teach sight words. A few years ago, I attended a workshop about reading research. While I was there, I learned about the alphabet stretch. The alphabet stretch is where students move based on where the height of the letter. For example, a letter that stops at the plane (dashed) line, such as "a", students put their hands on their hips. For a letter that reaches the sky like, such as "t", students reach to the sky, and for letters that hang down to the worm line, such as "g", students touch the ground. As students are looking at the sight words on the board, they recite the spelling of the sight word, as they match the stretches with the letters. 

I tell the students that these stretches help them to build muscle memory, so that they can achieve fluency with their sight words. 

Here is a little video of a student stretching and spelling a sight word. Hope you enjoy and this little tip helps support your classroom!

My apologies for the lovely, long post! 

You Just Have to Have This!

Christina Bainbridge has an amazing blog and she was one of the key people who motivated me to get involved in the blogging world.

Last Spring, I was scrolling through her blog posts and I came across a giveaway she had posted. She was offering up memberships to a website called Samson's Classroom. At this point in time, I had never heard of Samson's Classroom nor had I used it within my own classroom. Mrs. Bainbridge is obsessed with reading education and I trusted that if she was promoting the software that it was worth trying to win.

Needless to say, I did not win, bummer! :( Yet, Samson's Classroom offered a surprise offer for the rest of her readers, which was a year subscription for $10 (that's right, 10 dollars). I immediately took advantage of the offer and my classroom was off and rolling.

After using the program for over a half a year, I have fallen in love with the program! One component that I love the most is Sight Words with Samson. First, my students love it. Do I need to say more? When your students are engaged and motivated to work with a program, that is enough of a reason to love a program, game, etc. Second, I love the program because it allows students to learn the sight words before they are expected to manipulate or master the words.

Here are some pictures my students working with the program:

Check out the demo's and discover Samson's Classroom. My hope is that Samson's Classroom may suit your needs and be a welcomed addition to your classroom!

Managing Homework!

Managing homework (or paper work for that matter) can be extremely overwhelming. I have found a simple system that I would love to share.

At the beginning of the school year, I determine what my homework schedule is going to look like. I then create a table in word with my students' names, as well as the different homework items that will be sent home during the week.

After I have designed a table that suits my needs, I print the sheet and make multiple copies. I clip the copies to a clipboard (one of my best friends). I hang the clipboard next to my H.O.R.S.E folder box (see Mrs. Bainbridge's website to learn more about the folder organization). H.O.R.S.E folders are place for students to organize their homework as they bring it back and forth from home to school.

Each morning, students turn in their H.O.R.S.E folders. As students manage their other morning responsibilities, I check-in student homework. I put check mark under a homework item that a student has completed. If a student has failed to complete or return the item, I circle the box as a reminder for myself. Lastly, if I have an absent student, I write a small A in the corner.

This picture shows the beginning of a weekly homework check-in sheet. The process is simple and straight-forward, but ultimately, I have found it helpful in managing incoming/incomplete homework.

I hope this little tip helps you and I would LOVE to hear more about your homework systems!