Show and Tell Tuesday - July 18, 2017

Hi!  Today I am linking up with Stephanie from Forever in Fifth Grade for Show and Tell Tuesday.

Last week I spent alot of time printing and laminating brag tags to use for the upcoming school year. Now that the brag tags are made (most of them) I need a way to store them.  Hence, my first Show and Tell.

I decided on a 62 drawer box.  I ordered that from AMAZON.  I spray painted it pink to match the teacher toolbox that I made a year or two ago.  In each drawer I cut down one of the brag tags and taped it to the inside front of the drawer.  That way I could see which tags were in each drawer.  The tags are from Primarily Speaking by Aimee Salazar and I love them!  As you can see, they fit perfectly in the drawers.  Some of the drawers are blank because I have leftover brag tags from last year that I'm going to put in there, plus a few more that I have to finish cutting out.

Did you know that Scholastic has a warehouse sale twice a year?  Their warehouse sales are a great time to replenish your classroom library!  Imagine all of the books you see at your school's Scholastic Book Fair and the books you see in your Book Clubs order forms all in one place.  Books galore!

This year I will only be teaching Math, Science, and Health so I was on the lookout for mostly non-fiction books.  However, I picked up a good variety of titles.  Some books I just got single titles but others I picked up multiple copies.  Such fun!

I also got a couple of cookbooks for myself and a "teacher book" on using informational text.  Most of the titles were 25% off but some were 50% off.  What a steal!

I can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to!  Hop on over to Forever in Fifth Grade to see for yourself.  Until next time....

Monday Made It - July 10, 2017

What a great way to ease back into blogging - linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It.  Woo hoo!!

This past school year I tried Brag Tags for the first time with my 4th graders.  After much looking and going back and forth, I finally decided on the brag tags by Primarily Speaking by Aimee Salazar.  I loved her designs and the size of the tags.  You can find them HERE on Teachers Pay Teachers.

I decided to print and laminate ALL of the brag tags that I thought I'd use this upcoming school year.  I didn't do that last year and wished I had.  Having all of the tags cut and ready will be such a time saver.  AND hopefully it will help me use them more consistently this school year.

What I love about the brag tags by Primarily Speaking by Aimee Salazar is that she continues to add to her tags.  When I went to print the brag tags, I checked My Purchases on TPT and saw that she had updated all of the sets that I had purchased with MORE tags!  How cool is that!?

So now I have my brag tags cut and ready to be put away.  I can cross one thing off of my list of school summer projects.  Next project will be to find a way to store all of these beauties.... Stay tuned!

I'm Back!!

Where does the time go?!?  I can't believe so much time has passed since I last posted anything.  Life happens, right?  Promotions (school), recitals, end of the school year, birthdays, and the list goes on and on.  But summer is the perfect time to try to get back in the saddle again!  So stay tuned!

Teachers Pay Teachers SALE

Show yourself some love!  Check out the 2 day sale on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Use the code:

                                                                       LOVETpT

Show and Tell Tuesday

Hello Everyone!  I'm so happy to be linking up with Forever in 5th Grade for Show and Tell Tuesday.  I've been away for a bit, but I am trying to get back in the swing of blogging.  So, without further ado....

 I'm going to be using brag tags for the first time this year.  I've been reading alot of blog posts (like this one from Jessica Winston)  and devouring Pinterest for tags and implementation ideas.  I finally decided to purchase these brag tags from Primarily Speaking.  She has several posts about brag tags and I really liked the size and design of her tags.  After much searching, I purchased the ball chain necklaces from Ball Chain Supply.  They have great customer service and the chains arrived quickly.  I'll have to keep you all updated on how it goes this year with the brag tags.

 Besides teaching, I love make-up.  So, I recently decided to take the plunge and become an Avon Independent Sales Representative!  Especially as teachers, who doesn't want to try to make a little extra money (and look good on a budget)?  As well, Avon has beautiful make-up colors, innovative skin care, and more!  Looking for the cutest accessories for your little one(s) to head back to school?  Looking for ways to help make dinner prep easier during the back to school rush?  Check out the new Living back to school catalog.  Click on the picture or HERE to go to my online store to check out those things, become an Avon rep., and more!

With these long lazy days I have really been indulging.  Too much!  The scale is steadily creeping up and I need to get it to come down, down, down.  I don't want to start the new school year heavier than when I left.  I'm going to try to start making an effort to eat more fresh fruit, more salads, and drink more water.  But uugghh!  Plain water is just so...plain!  That's what makes it so hard for me to drink.  But I'm going to try.  Maybe some mix-ins (low/no calorie) will help make it easier.  Wish me luck!

Check out what others have been up to or link up to share.

It's Summer!

Wow!  I can't believe it's been so long since I have made a post!  Hopefully now that it is summer, I will be able to blog more often.  I've been out of school just under two weeks.  And boy have I been loving it!  I've been watching ALOT of reality TV and getting my money's worth from my Netflix membership.  Although I have been relaxing, I haven't totally zoned out.  I watched a great webinar on mentor sentences by Jivey (Ideas by Jivey).  I am SO going to try mentor sentences this coming school year.  I also attended a math training by my district and prepared my classroom from summer school.  Yes, I'm teaching summer school this year.  I'm excited.  I'll be working in a different school and with a different grade level than usual - so, it is kind of a break.  Kind of....

I also linked up with 4th Grade Frolics for:

I just have 1 Made It.  Here is my newest product.

Click here

Although I am enjoying the summer, soon it will all be just a memory - hence the title Summer Memories.  This will be a great back to school writing activity the first week of school. I have included 3 designs in two different formats (1 flap and 3 flaps).  Great for differentiation!

 

And guess what?! It's a 4th of July freebie!  Visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store and download it today before it too is a summer memory  :) 

Favorite Classroom Games

'Tis the season for testing....
   Are you in the midst of testing too?  Third grade is such a transition year!  Students are no longer considered early childhood.  Often we are called "upper elementary" or "intermediate".  Students are reading to learn instead of leaning to read (ideally).  Third grade also usually marks the beginning of high stakes testing.
    Testing Season is a great time to review skills with classroom games.  The games get students up and moving.  They have fun and you can get in some review.  It's a win-win situation.

   

   I'm linking up with Teaching Trio to share a few of my favorite classroom games.

1.  SCOOT

  I have a thing for task cards, I'm not gonna lie!  I love using task card for Scoot.  If you're not familiar, to play, you place one task card on each student's desk.  You can use a task card recording sheet for students to write down their answers.  You could also hang the cards around the room for more movement.  Either way, students travel, or scoot, around the desks/room to complete the task cards.  Depending on the type of task cards, I sometimes time the students (give a certain amount of time for each task card).  Each time I ring my bell, students move to the next desk/location.  My students love it!  Sometimes it can get kinda loud, but I turn that into a game too - Silent Scoot!

2.  AROUND THE WORLD

   For Around the World, you just need flashcards.  Multiplication, subtraction, telling time.....  whatever you want to review.  To play, pick 1 student to start.  The rest of the students/class are sitting at their desks.  Student 1 picks one student to stand beside.  You (the teacher) hold up one of the flashcards.  Only Student 1 and the person that they are standing beside may speak.  If Student 1 says the correct answer first, he/she moves to the next student and the process starts again.  If the sitting student says the answer first, Student 1 sits in that student's chair and the student that was sitting stands up and moves to the next sitting student.  Then proceed as stated above.  Sometimes both students answer at the same time.   I usually call it a "tie" and hold up another card for them to answer.  The goal is for students to go "around the world" (around the classroom) and get back to where he or she first started.  If they do, they are the winner - they've gone "Around the World".  This game is also a great filler activity.  It's no prep, easy to play, and can be played at any time.  

3.   BINGO

    Who doesn't love BINGO?  It's an oldie but goodie.  Plus, you can find BINGO games on just about any topic.  Students love it.  I like to throw in a small treat for the winner(s), like a piece of candy, a pencil, or a Lunch with the Teacher pass.

What are some games you enjoy playing with your students?  Link up and join the fun!