Chilly Willy!!

Did you have a full week this week?  I feel like everyone around the country was off for a few days this week between the cold and the snow.  EXTREME cold here, but no days off.  Instead, we got INDOOR recess all week (except we did get to go out today - THANK GOODNESS!!).  Indoor recess was about to do me in with all of the tattling that was happening!  But then, just when I was ready to chalk it up to a not-so-great week, it all turned around!!  A student I had a L-O-N-G time ago came to visit.  He was in my first grade for 2 years and we really bonded.  He will always be special to me and it was great to see him all grown-up (He's a Freshman in high-school and taller than me!)  His visit reminded me why I do what I do and the happiness that a child's success can bring to me (and them too!)  Happy Friday!!!  I hope you had a great moment of today too!  

I just uploaded 4 centers to TPT.  You can buy them separately for $1 each or as a BUNDLE for $3.  Here are the DEETS and links.   I am going to give a BUNDLE away this weekend, so keep reading to find out how...

Find this HERE!

 Find this HERE!

 Find this HERE!

 Find this HERE!

Find this HERE!

So I shared with you my feel-good moment of the week.  Share yours in the comments below and leave your email address and I will choose a winner sometime Sunday morning.  I think I will let the HUBS choose the winning entry, since Sunday will be his 33rd b-day!!!  Good Luck!!

What A Weekend!

Did you get some AMAZING freebies this weekend?  I loaded up on some great products to use in my room, but best of all, I met some WONDERFUL ladies.  I feel like they are friends.  This whole blogging, TPT, FB experience really has been inspiring for me.  And I just want to share how thankful I am for all of you.

Ok...enough sappy sweet love...onto some phonics! :)

Melanie and I have put together almost a whole years worth of practice packs to match first grade Fundations!  We have also started a set of games to go with the units.  The first unit of games we did was for Unit 7 -nk and -ng words.  This was our FREEBIE last weekend, so if you checked us out on FB you may have downloaded it.  You can find it HERE for $5.  There are 6 games included - Bingo, Memory, Build-and-Spell a Word, I Have...Who Has...?, Trick Word Coloring, and Real and Nonsense Word Sort.  We have been using them in our classrooms as a reteaching tool for some of our kiddos who didn't master the skill during the unit, but if we had made them earlier they could have been a part of our word work center time too!

Here is a quick peek:

Mel and I also finished up the next in the practice pack series today - Unit 10!  Unit 10 is unique in our opinion because it has a DUAL focus - 5 sound blends (branch, stunt) and Suffixes -ed and -ing.  You can find the pack HERE for $3.  You can also try to enter our FB giveaway if you read this in time.  I will choose a random winner at 7pm EST on 1.30.14.  Just visit our FB page at www.facebook.com/ateachermom1 (make sure you "LIKE" us).  

Take a sneak peek of the pack before you enter:

Facebook Free-For-All Today Thru Monday!

HI ALL!!

I'm making a quick stop here at the blog to remind you that the Facebook Free-For-All is up and running.  There are more than 80 teachers k-5 participating.  Each of us is giving a product away for FREE only until Monday at 6pm.  Start at the sponsor The Primary Gal or start at my site Teacher Mom.  

Sorry this is so short the stomach bug hit me overnight last night and recovery is a bit slow!  I hope to be back in ship-shape soon with some more products!

Let me know some treasures you found as you hop through the sites!

Lucy Calkins Kindergarten Style...

I guess a lot of you have started using Lucy Calkins' REVISED writing program this year, because I continue to get AWESOME love for my poster packs.  I am now working on the Opinion Writing Units (Grade 1 has already been released).  Today I am stopping by for a SUPER short visit to share my Kindergarten Opinion Writing Poster Pack.  You can get all 11 posters for only 2.50.  You can find the set HERE.  

Before you buy, take a quick look at what you will get...

I am saying good bye for now...I will be back by THURSDAY at the latest to let you know about the AMAZING pack Melanie and I made for the Free-For-All this weekend!  

Have a GREAT week!

We Are 100 Days Smarter (Well...Almost We are at day 85) and BIG NEWS REVEALED...

Did this week feel long to anyone else?  I woke up yesterday morning thinking that it was Saturday - bummer!  Being in the midst of progress reports and pages of comments has me QUITE busy right now, but I found some time to finish my 100th Day pack for you all!  We start after Labor Day, so our 100th Day happened sometime in February usually, but I know many places start well before us, so I hope I have caught you in time!  

What’s Included In This Pack?

•100th Day Olympics

•100th Day Dice Toss

•Build a Design with 100 Pattern Blocks

•Froot Loop Necklaces for the 100th Day

•Fill in 100 With Cheerios

And a few pictures of the set...

You can find it HERE in my store for only $3 for all 5 centers!

Big News

I am participating my first Facebook Free-For-All!!  All you will have to do is LIKE my facebook page and you will get my NEWEST (yet to be released) Fundations aligned GAME PACK.  Filled with games to help your kiddos MASTER -nk and -ng sounds! Don't worry, I'll be back to remind you about it as the date gets closer.  ANd BEST of all there are 75+ other teacher-authors participating and they will have some AMAZING FREEBIES available!!

I am SO SO SO looking forward to this LONG weekend!  I hope you are all enjoying your weekend too.  What are you up to?  I know for sure I will be watching my PATRIOTS on Sunday!  GO PATS!! :)

On A ROLL!

I'm back again!  3 days in a ROW - That's a record for me for sure.  

I am only popping by tonight to share a product that I made today and I hope you LOVE it.  I have posted the K and 1 personal narrative poster packs and the Grade 1 Opinion Writing poster packs - all matching the REVISED Lucy Calkins Writing Program.  A follower asked about making a grade 2 pack, so I did.  Here's a QUICK peek.  You can find this pack HERE right now!!

Have a great week - Enjoy the ride!

Opinion Writing Posters Pack

I have mentioned before that this year my district has started using the REVISED Lucy Calkins writing program, but they gave us some love and told us for this year ONLY we would only have to teach 2 of the units and then all 4 next year.  This year we taught personal narrative in the fall and just started the Opinion writing unit last week.  I LOVE all of Lucy's anchor charts and I do hang them around the classroom (LARGE SIZE), but I like to let the kids have closer access to the posters in their writing folders.  I made this set of mini-posters that matches the unit for just that purpose.  Just print, copy, and place in the 3-whole clips in writing folders!  You can find this pack HERE.  And here are a few of the posters.  
  

I have also made a Personal Narrative Grade 1 and a Kindergarten set too.  You can find them HERE in my store.

I WILL GIVEAWAY AT LEAST 1 WRITING PACK OF YOUR CHOICE, IF YOU ENTER.  LEAVE A COMMENT HERE OR ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE.  I will choose winners by Sunday night at dinner time.   GOOD LUCK!!  

FRIDAY I LOVE YOU!!

Friday, Oh Friday I have been waiting for you.  Indoor recess all week has taken it all out of me.  These kiddos NEED playing time to run and get some energy out.  Hopefully the temps and the ice will be kind to us next week!

Tonight I want to share a few things that I have been doing in my room, including a new product and a FREEBIE, but also some goodies that I have gotten from other teacher bloggers.  I also and Linking up with Amanda at THE PRIMARY GIRL with her Friday Free-For-All.  I am partnering with her and LOTS of other teacher authors in a few weeks for a BIG EVENT.  Stay tuned!!

FRIDAY FREE-FOR-ALL

As I mentioned I linked up with Amanda to share a FREEBIE this Friday.  Take a trip over to her site and check out some of the other FREEBIES up for grabs today!  I am sharing a new item in my store that will help you get ready for MLK Jr. Day.  

I haven't done it with my kiddos yet, but it's in the plans for next week.  We have been reading and talking about him and how he made a difference in our world, so hopefully they are ready.  What do you think?  WIll it work for you?  Grab it HERE on Primary Gal or HERE in my store.  

Closed Syllable Phonics Practice Pack 

Melanie and I have REALLY enjoyed making all of these phonics packs for you all.  They are our BEST SELLERS and we know that some of you are a bit further along in your school year than we are (We don't head back until after Labor Day.) SO... we decided to move on and continue the packs before (HOPEFULLY) you get to the units.  The next Fundations Unit for Grade 1 (Unit 9) focuses on closed syllables and allows students to review all of the skills learned up to this point.  You can find this pack HERE in my store.  Here's a peek at the pack...

Opinion Writing

You may remember that earlier this year I made a set of Personal Narrative posters for First Grade and more recently for Kindergarten based on the Lucy Calkins writing program.  These have been HITS with teachers, so I am continuing the series by working on Grade 1 Opinion mini-posters and Grade 2 Personal Narrative mini-posters.  They are on the to do list for this weekend - We will see what I get to...

For now, I wanted to share the first chart that I used whole class with my kiddos called "Convince You Reader".  This shares the first 3 things they need to do when writing an opinion piece (we will be adding to it as we go).  They have a lot of opinions, but the structure of opinion writing can be tricky.  This chart gives the kiddos CLEAR visuals and words of what is expected.  Here it is...

Organizing and Collecting

When the CCSS came out a few years ago our district did a great job of aligning our curriculum in math right away.  We use Everyday Math which is great, but it didn't hit every point in the CCSS (even with the new updates, I think things are missing - especially the math reasoning piece).  So, we got 2 additional units to help kids contextualize and decontextualize complicated math concepts.  The unit we are doing now is called Organizing and Collecting.  The kids are working on counting collections of items (markers, blocks, crayons, cubes, etc) and each day they work builds.  Here how it works:

Day 1:  Kids count in the way they think is most efficient

Day 2:  Math Congress of ways that they counted.  Kids choose a new strategy and count again.

Day 3:  Organize collections into packs of 10 and loose ones. 

Day 4:  Math Congress

Day 5:  Organize collections into packs of 10 and loose ones. Then find out how many more you would need to make another pack of 10.

Day 6:  Game Day

Day 7:  Organize collections into packs of 10 and loose ones. Then organize collections into packs of 5 and loose ones.  Math Congress to notice patterns.

Day 8:  Game Day

Day 9:  Organize collections into packs of 10 and loose ones. Then add an additional pack of 10 to find the total.  

Day 10:  Wrap-Up/Review

I wish I had some pictures.  This unit is one of my favorites mostly because the kids are engaged and excited every lesson for the whole 2 weeks.  We are finishing up on Monday and I am kind of sad to move on...

Making Predictions Using Patterns

We have been reading many books with patterns and talking about how those patterns help us when we are reading.  Mostly we have been focused on retelling the stories.  This week I introduced the idea of noticing/using patterns to make predictions when we are reading.  This is another Kim Adsit unit - which I love trying out!  Here's the cute chart that goes with it!

Thanks for stopping by to see what's going on in my world.  I am off to enjoy the weekend with the Little Lady and the HUBS!  First though, I need to figure out what's for dinner...

Valentine's Day is COMING!

After 3 days back...I'm ready for a long weekend!  Between the indoor recess (too cold to be outside!) and the usual after break settling in I have had my hands FULL!

I have found a little time to put together set of math and literacy centers for Valentine's Day (I'm ahead of the game this time - Hope you will enjoy them!)

The pack includes 3 literacy centers/activities and 3 math centers/activities. Just copy and cut (laminate if you want) and they are ready to use.  5 of the 6 center have a recording sheets to match.  

 Heart Number Order to 120

Key To My Heart Coin Top-It

You can find these centers in my store HERE.  Tonight only the set will be 1/2 price only $2 for all 6 centers and recording sheets!  Act quick.  They will go back to regular price tomorrow am.

I have more up my sleeve this week and I have some BIG news coming up soon!  Stay tuned!!