Influenster!

I absolutely love Influenster! This time, they sent me a complimentary bag of kitty food!

So we tried the #ONEswitch! For my kitties who have been on a diet for almost a year now, this was a nice treat! They loved it!

Journeys Morning Work!

On Friday I went to print my typical morning work, to realize I had already used all of January's morning work file. I thought for a second about dipping into the February file... but decided not to. My morning work is typically a math sheet, and I realized that I haven't given them an ELA sheet in a very long time. Everything that I can give them just doesn't seem to fit their skill level. Things are either too hard, or too easy. In our school, kindergarten does not learn the long vowels, digraphs, blends or bossy "e". Most of the ELA morning work I find has those items. I do work with those items with my high flyers, but especially for my lows, we still need basics.

I decided to follow my ELA curriculum and make up a morning work that fits them! The layout is very similar to the morning work they already know and love. I didn't want to change too much on them.

So, the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Journeys for Kindergarten Morning Work was born!!

It is available on TPT!

I do not use the 2014 edition, but I made it for the 2014 edition.

Every week I have a Sight Word Test. Most of my kids have older siblings and they really wanted spelling tests like their older brother or sister. So, I tested a Sight Word Test out for a few weeks, and they're amazing at it!

What I do, is give them 5 words a week to study. Two of them are the sight words we are focusing on that week, and up until now, some were review words or words my curriculum doesn't focus on. On Friday, I have the words listed on the board as well as another wall near their tables. I then tell them to write a word. They then look to where the words are, find it and write it.

For my classroom personally, I'm going to bump their sight words up to 6 words and just use the 2014 Journeys words for our sight word test. So this morning work will really help out with that test!

Super Bowl *FREEBIE Included*

Just like last year... and which happens to only be 2 posts down (man, I stink at blogging). I updated my Super Bowl Pack to represent this years teams!! Hope this helps in your classroom!

This is a small set of activities for both ELA and Math. At only 20 pages long.... it has a variety of different skills perfect for Kindergarten!

You can get this on TPT here!


Now for the FREEBIE! Just the graphing activity! This is a great activity for whole class!

You can get it for FREE at TPT!

B2S Supply List

Every year on my Facebook newsfeed I have a large amount of people complaining about the cost of back to school supplies. It's not so much about the actual cost, but about the list itself. Why do I have to buy 5 boxes of pencils? Do they really want me to buy Crayola brand crayons? Why do I have to get a composition journal with space to draw on the top?

Every year this happens, from my parent friends and even some teachers themselves. Maybe I'm the only one bothered by the complaints? Maybe it's just me who takes it the wrong way? I don't see it as complaints about the cost, or the items on the list. I see it as complaints about the teacher, and in a society where teachers get a bad wrap this is just the first step.

A lot of complaints are about community supplies. Instead of being irritated or inconvenienced that you're buying extras for those who may be in a different financial situation than yourself, maybe you can be thankful for the situation that you are in. Why can't we be thankful when people can come together to help the teachers and the students who are in less fortunate situations. Look at it as a community approach, not how you bought the designer crayons you bought your child with your money. Think of the life lesson you teach your kids.

If you feel the list is so ridiculous, why don't you ask about it! Inquire about the amount, the brand, and why it is needed.

Also, if you cannot find an item, no worries. You probably are not the only one. No big deal... talk to the teacher.

Our grade level's lists are created so that the students will have everything they need to be successful in our classes. We evaluate what we used/did not use during the year and then make changes. Careful thought goes into the lists at our school.

I know I also think of cost. I ask for so many boxes of crayons in the beginning because they're $.25. During the school year they're $3! Especially glue sticks, I didn't expect to go through them so fast last year. I would rather have parents pick them up while they're cheaper now. Last year I spent a lot of my personal money buying supplies so my parents didn't have to.

Back to school supply time never changes, like Christmas or birthdays. You know it's going to cost money, so why not save up instead if the constant complaints? It's time to work as a community, who work together to better your child.

Super Bowl Mania!! FREEBIE!!

I decided to make a little FREEBIE for you all!! Enjoy the 2014 Super Bowl Graph!!

You can get it at TPT!

New Year, New Me!

Happy New Year! If there's one thing about me you should know, I really don't like making resolutions. I don't see December 31st as a time to reflect on my last year and make changes for the upcoming year. Reflection and changing happens all the time, if not every day.

However, with the winter break I did a lot of thinking about my classroom. Having this classroom as my own, still doesn't seem real to me. Having gone 10 years in other peoples classrooms, I still feel that my classroom is someone elses. That i'm just holding it for them. Even though I painted it, moved furniture and set it up. Even though i'm there every day! Well, except for one day when the stomach bug hit me hard.

So, with this feeling, I haven't saving anything.... no extra copies tucked away, no folders full of papers I may not use. True, I have a whole thumb drive FULL of items. But they're not categorized, they're not organized.

So my new year's resolution is to be more organized!! So I bought some file folders and I have started placing all of them items I will use in it. It's slow... and most of the work I've done have actually been these past few days when I should have been in school! But thanks to Mr. Weather, we had two snow days!

So Monday it's back to the grind, and luckily I have 3 breaks to work more on the organization!

Lesson 4, 5 and a Unit 1 combo pack! Journeys!

Holy Moly!! It's been a crazy two and a half weeks since school started!! Not only at school but in my personal life as well. I haven't even had a moment to write about the first two weeks. I will! I just don't know when.

I finished Unit 1 for the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Journeys for Kindergarten. I had to finish Lesson 4 and 5... and then I grouped them all into a combo pack!

Check them out at TPT!

You can find Lesson 4 here: @ TPT

You can find Lesson 5 here: @ TPT

And you can find all 5 lessons here: @ TPT

Enjoy!!

We're not cupcakes!

There is a two word phrase that I hate! Can you guess what it is? 

"I'm done!" 

So on the 6th day of school I said to them "You're not cupcakes!" And the looks I got were priceless! 

So I explained to them the cupcake story. 

I asked, "When you bake cupcakes, how do you when they're done?"

In which they replied, "The timer dings!" 

So I asked, "Are you guys cupcakes?" 

I got a big "NOOOO!"

Then I was able to explain to them, "if you're not cupcakes, then I don't need to know when you're done, right? When you say 'I'm done!' All I hear is a oven timer dinging. "

For the rest of the day, if anyone said "I'm done!" I looked at them and said "you're not cupcakes, I don't need to know when your done. " 

Today, while in centers. One group finished before we were ready to switch. I overheard them saying "but we're not cupcakes! She doesn't need to know that we are done. Maybe we should do something quiet until we switch." 

Yes!!!!! I'm so proud of these kids so far!! They've done such a wonderful job! 

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Journeys - Kindergarten - Lesson 3

Lesson 3 is completed! Now that the students are learning a few sight words, I added in some new fun activities! I hope you enjoy!

Visit my TPT store to grab these! Or go directly there using this link.

Math Journal Prompts

I've been so focused on the new Journeys ELA program, that I've kept putting off writing the prompts for my math journals. Well, I decided this weekend that I couldn't put them off any longer. While my step-son was playing some Minecraft on his Xbox, which I guess some big stuff just happened to that game, I decided to write... write and write!!

And well, I only came up with 54 prompts. But, I'm thinking that's pretty good for now! I don't know how quickly my students will pick up on them. There may be some who need these beginning of the year type of prompts longer than the others, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!

There are 2 different prompts per page, with 10 prompts of the same. I know some classes are larger than 10, and all you'll have to do is print each page twice. For someone like myself, who's class will probably be no larger than 8 children.. making 20-30 prompts per page was a waste of paper!

I put a primary journal on my school supply list. The kind with drawing space at the top and writing on the bottom. Like the Mead Primary Journal below. This is what I plan on using as our Math Journal.

I may put something nice on the front, but I don't know. I think it'll be fine leaving it just the way it is.

The students will glue their journal prompt on the lined part of their page, and they'll draw on the top half. Later on with the prompts, i'll have them write simple math equations to represent what the prompt is saying. Once the school year gets going, i've only allowed a 15 minute space for Math Journals... I still don't know if this is something we can accomplish in this amount of time! We shall see!

For now, enjoy the beginning of the year Math Journal Prompts!! You can get them at my TPT store!

Chevron Behavior Clip Chart and Calendar Recording Sheets

Okay, so I already have a clip chart. It's up and ready to go... but I was just given the greatest idea on how to record the behavior by a great friend! So, of course I had to make it! After I made the calendar pages, I just quickly added in the clip chart for anyone who does not have one. Just to be safe. :)

So this is how it works. My students will have a plastic 3-prong folder that they will use as their take home folder. In the middle, I will place a plastic page protector which will be for their weekly newsletter and their calendar behavior recording sheet.

At the end of the day, they will take their take home folder, open it up and grab the calendar. Which ever color their clip is on, they'll color that square. If the student is below the green "ready to learn" color, I will add a reason why.... which is where the 10 different pre-made reasons are already there! So all I have to do is put a number down! That is, unless the reason isn't on there. Then i'll put a 10, and write on the back of the sheet the reason along with the date.

This is a perfect way to keep track of their behavior for a month, and the reasons why! That way the parents and I can try our best to fix them.

Pretty great! Right? Well I hope so. I know sometimes the best laid plans never work. So let's hope!

Anyways. You can get these calendar recording sheets and the clip chart at my TPT store! Happy shopping!

Could I be overwhelming myself?

I am not only a Kindergarten teacher, a wife and a step-mom... but I'm also a Thirty-one consultant. As I was working on some lesson for my class, an email came through from Thirty-one.

I had already decided, being a first year teacher, that I will not take many parties in September. However. I might have to change my mind about that one!

DOUBLE HOSTESS CREDITS!! Plus it's an amazing special that includes the perfect teacher bag.. the organizing utility tote.

So I just might have to push to book more parties in September! I really hope I don't burn myself out. Someone tell me it wont be that bad!

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Journeys - Kindergarten - Lesson 2

I wish I could say I've been working hard on setting up my classroom and such since the last time I posted, or at least busy relaxing. But I've been busy doing other things! Family reunions, watching my nephews, yard work... and 7th year wedding anniversaries! ;) I guess that day was pretty nice and relaxing!

Anywho, I finished Lesson 2's supplemental materials! My stations are ahead of the game luckily! If I finish Lesson 3's, all of Septembers ELA centers will be completed! Well, besides the printing and laminating part of it all.

I added a few more fun items to this packet. I hope you enjoy!

Visit my TPT store to grab these! Or go directly there using this link.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Journeys - Kindergarten - Lesson 1

The first lesson supplemental materials of Journeys is completed!! Unlike the "Welcome To Kindergarten" section, this one has 6 different stations. The rhyming station can also be completed as a whole group activity, but it needs to be teacher run. Unless you have some VERY high flyers. Then challenge them with it!!

Enjoy!! You can get it here!

Number Of The Day Posters

My calendar area and time just didn't seem complete. That was until I found this on pinterest! A great way to implement the Number Of The Day and have it be interactive!! All I need to do is laminate the pages and they'll be dry eraseable! Wonderful! We can now discuss the number of the day and the many different ways to show that number.

I can't wait to get these up and going! You can get them at my TPT store for your calendar time!

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Journeys - Kindergarten - Welcome To Kindergarten

As I'm starting to plan for the first few weeks of school. I noticed that my Journeys doesn't have any materials for stations, thus, I must make up my own! And so I did. Well, for the "Welcome To Kindergarten" section so far.

Included in this are three different stations. The Welcome To Kindergarten section mainly focuses on the letters A-J. So these stations focus on those letters as well. I have Letter Matching station, Letter Find station and a Play Doh station. This will work great along side the Listen to Reading station and Guided Reading station in which i'll administer the BOY assessments.

I'm going to start working on the supplemental materials for Lesson 1 tomorrow!

For now, you can pick this up yourself at my TPT store! Happy Shopping!

Play-Doh Mats

My play-doh mats are finished! With the alphabet and 108 sight words. This will be perfect as a word work station! Just let them roll out the play-doh and place it on the letters to form the words. I can't wait for them to get their hands on it... that is, after I buy more laminating sheets. I used up all of mine!

You can get yours at my TPT store!

Ice Cream Scoop Sight Word Word Wall

I'm not a huge fan of typical word walls. I don't really know why, I just never was. Even with the word work station, I just don't feel they are useful enough for the students.

So. I came up with my own word wall. They are grouped together, not alphabetically, but by levels. Each student will start with an empty cone at the beginning of the school year. They will work on mastering the sight words under the white "vanilla" level. Once it's mastered, they get to add a scoop of vanilla to their cone and will then work on the pink "strawberry" level.

There are a total of 9 levels, and 108 sight words total. These sight words are considered level A, and good for Pre-K, Kindergarten or First.

I set the first 4 levels up in my room today! I printed the flash cards on colored card stock that matched the level color. I'm going to have to search for some brown card stock!

So all of this can be yours!! Just check out my TPT page!

And as the teachers in my school said, "Just another chevron thing to add to your room!"

Numbers!!

Half of my numbers are up and I'm already in love!! So are the other teachers at my school. That is, after they say "you and that chevron!" Haha 

Hopefully the rest will be up tomorrow. That is if I can get my butt working once I'm at the school. 

Check out my previous blog post by clicking here.

You can also check them out at TPT!

Number Pictures - Chevron and Polka Dot

I am still working on decorations for around my room, and saw these numbers on pinterest. Yes, I could have bought them from the teacher to help her out... but I figured, since I haven't received a paycheck yet, to make them myself! So I did and now i'm offering them to you guys. That is, if you have received a paycheck... unlike me. :)

You can get both the polka dot and the chevron files here: At TPT

I can't wait to print these up and put them up in the room! I'll be sure to post a picture for when I do!