An Educator's Life

2nd Annual Teacher Appreciation Challenge (and Giveaway)

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:40:00 +0000

I am very excited to start the 2nd Annual Teacher Appreciation Challenge. If you didn't have a chance to participate last year, read over the linked post when you get a chance! It was great to have the handful of people (that I know of) participate. This year the challenge will be a little bit different and I am hoping for a HUGE number of participants. This year, we won't be looking to the past, after all, we only have so many teachers? Right! This year my challenge is to focus on a teacher that you WORK with, know about, or aspire to...

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Share the Wealth- May 4, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 04 May 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Welcome back friends! I love hosting the Freebie Linky Parties. It allows me the opportunity to meet and interact with such amazing educators and parents. WAHOO! So thanks for joining us here today. The week, I feel, is an extra special Share the Wealth Saturday. It is the weekend before that wonderful week known as Teacher Appreciation Week. The week where we, as educators, celebrate how thankful we are for our colleagues, and many students and families express their appreciation to us! Since the next Freebie Linky will be...

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"Year End" Blog Hop and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 06:00:00 +0000

The sky is falling...the sky is falling! I sometimes feel like chicken little when it comes to the end of the year. It is amazing how much you forget you have to cover until you hear the words "We only have x-number of weeks left!" However, these are the days that I step back and realize just how stinkin' amazing the year has been. I also realize that once our state testing is past, the pressure seems to lessen and I am able to delve into several activities, like my latest undertaking, PROJECT: OUR TOWN. The students have been learning...

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Share the Wealth- Teacher-Author Spotlight- Teacher Tam

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 03:39:00 +0000

Dear Friends, I am so pleased to have you back for another exciting edition of my Teacher-Author Spotlight. I was looking over my notes last night and I noticed that I started doing Share the Wealth Teacher-Author Spotlights almost 9 months ago! HOLY MOLEY!!! The best part of Share the Wealth is getting to meet and interact with amazing teachers from around the US and world. What a blessing that has been. Today's teacher-author is just as amazing as the rest. Let's get this party started! WAHOO! Today I am pleased to introduce you to...

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Journey into Poetry Land- The Final Post (Post #11)

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Welcome back to my blog post series: Journey into Poetry Land. This is post #11 in the series. Post #1 is on the All Things Upper Elementary collaborative blog of which I am a contributor. Read it by clicking HERE. The rest are here on my own blog. Just search for "Journey into Poetry Land" on the left side in the search box! And now... on to post #11! Greetings! I must say that I have been bad about finishing this series, and I truly apologize for that. I will bring this series to a close in this post, so...

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Share the Wealth Freebie Linky- April 20, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Hello Friends! I hope that you have had a wonderful week. It is my great pleasure to welcome you back to another resource-filled Share the Wealth post, and I am thrilled that is it the Freebie Linky party! WAHOO! I hope you will take a few minutes to browse the goodies below. And, as always, remember to click on a social media button and SHARE THE WEALTH with all your friends and colleagues. Thanks again and have an amazing weekend- Mr. Hughes Share the Wealth Saturdays Participants 1. Comprehension Graphic Organizer-...

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Share the Wealth- Teacher-Author Spotlight- Liz Kinsinger

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Greetings Dear Wealthers! It is once again time to greet you here on Share the Wealth Saturday. As my student have just finished their final state mandated test today, I can almost start to relax and come in for a semi-successful landing with my class this year. How about you? Are you done testing? Just starting testing? It seems there are crazy testing windows out there. This week I want to introduce you to a wonderful teacher author, Liz Kinsinger, from "That Classroom". Here is what Liz shared with me, "Hi! My name is Liz and I...

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It's Time to Teach TIME- Elapsed Time that is!

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

With state testing fast approaching, I know that being able to tell time has been a focus for many teachers. In fact, even as a 6th grade teacher, I wonder just how well my students can do story problems that have elapsed time in them. Nobody wants to admit they can't read a clock, let alone confess that they don't know how to figure out elapsed time. So I have a great strategy that I have taught my 6th graders over the years. I have them write down what they know: Then I have them "add up" from the...

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Share the Wealth Freebie Linky- April 6, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Happy April Dear "Wealthers"! It is that time of year when we get to enjoy (or, like in my case, have already enjoyed) Spring Break! Spring is my favorite season. The new beginnings of nature, the trees that start to unfurl their leafy fingers, and the warming days that beg us to be outside! WAHOO! Of course, there is the "T" word during this time as well. TESTING! However, it doesn't have to be a bad word. Especially with the great resources that are listed below (and they are ALL FREE!!!!) How stinkin' awesome is that??? So, without...

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Share the Wealth- THEMED LINKY- SPRING Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Greetings and Welcome! Whether you are a dedicated "Wealther" or visiting for the first time, you are about to experience a FIRST on this blog. This themed linky has been the talk of the town for several days now. With over 100 PAID items listed below that teacher-authors submitted JUST FOR YOU and over 20 amazing FREEBIES for you to claim, you just can't go wrong. Being the "behind the scenes" guy for this event has allowed me to meet and become friends with some pretty amazing people. How grateful I am to both those teacher-authors who...

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Get Ready for Something NEW for YOU!

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:01:00 +0000

Hey Friends! I just wanted to give you a heads up about this coming Saturday! HOLEY MOELY! You will NOT want to miss this Themed Linky Party! Anyone who's anyone has been submitting their best FREE and PAID items. I have had over 100 submissions of amazing, high quality resources that you will WANT to come and browse. Perfect for those final weeks of school OR testing preparation OR National Poetry Month OR... You get the idea. Mark your calendars... Tell your friends!

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Share the Wealth Teacher-Author Spotlight- Deana Thelen

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:25:00 +0000

Happy Spring! Okay, okay. I know that many of you are still knee-deep in snow and bundled in your parka! However, here in Utah it has been beautiful! It is almost shorts and sandals weather! WAHOO! April is almost upon us and with that comes (or has already) that scary word that will cause most teacher to flinch! STATE MANDATED TESTING! Normally I would be one of those teachers. However, with all the changes that we have made at our school this year in order to better serve our students, I am excited for the tests to see if what we have...

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Journey into Poetry Land- Form #2- Cinquain (Post #10)

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome back to my blog post series: Journey into Poetry Land. This is post #9 in the series. Post #1 is on the All Things Upper Elementary collaborative blog of which I am a contributor. Read it by clicking HERE. The rest are here on my own blog. Just search for "Journey into Poetry Land" on the left side in the search box! And now... on to post #10! Cinquain- Funny story! When I originally planned this unit, I had written QUANTRAIN! But, when I made all the copies for my students, I discovered that I...

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Share the Wealth- March 16, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you, my dear Share the Wealth friends! What a true pleasure it is to once again bring you an amazing linky with plenty of goodies to keep you clicking for hours! With state testing looming over most of us (or, maybe you just survived it!) our schedules are packed. However, if you are like me, I always want an engaging activity at my fingertips for those unexpected moments. I am pleased to share with you that I think you will find that many wonderful resources for ALL grade levels...

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A"MAZING"ing Plural Nouns!

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 02:13:00 +0000

Greetings Friends! For the past week I have been studying plural nouns with my 5th grade writing class. They seemed to be doing okay with the many different rules that apply to making nouns plural. But, I wanted a fun, yet engaging way to test their knowledge. I had been browsing Pinterest when I happened to see a fun idea for a word maze. The one I saw was actually a sight word type "find your way" activity. I knew what I was going to do. SIX HOURS LATER! I had a fun set of 4 mazes with which to test my students knowledge. In my...

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Share the Wealth Teacher-Author Spotlight: Arlene Sandberg

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 05:30:00 +0000

Greetings Dear "Wealthers"! How wonderful it is to once again welcome you to a great Share the Wealth post. With the speed that March is flying by at, we will zoom past state testing and the kiddos will be waving goodbye as they race out the door for summer fun. This week I am so pleased to bring you another wonderful teacher author. Let's get started... I would love to introduce to you the owner of LMN Tree, Arlene Sandberg. Arlene hails from Tallahassee, FL.Here is what Arlene shared with me...

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Tool #6: Rhyme and Form #1: Couplets (Post #9)

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Welcome back to my blog post series: Journey into Poetry Land. This is post #9 in the series. Post #1 is on the All Things Upper Elementary collaborative blog of which I am a contributor. Read it by clicking HERE. The rest are here on my own blog. Just search for "Journey into Poetry Land" on the left side in the search box! And now... on to post #9! Wahoo! Can I tell you how excited I was when I realized that I was on my final "tools of poetry" lesson! I was getting anxious to move the students forward and into...

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Tool #5: Shape and Form (Post #8)

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 18:40:00 +0000

Welcome back to my blog post series: Journey into Poetry Land. This is post #8 in the series. Post #1 is on All Things Upper Elementary of which I am a contributor. Read it by clicking HERE. The rest are here on my own blog. I knew because of my desire to focus on 6 main types of poetry, that I would not be spending too much time on this tool at this lesson. We took one full lesson and made notations about each of the 6 forms of poetry that I was going to focus on and then we discussed "shape". When I asked my students...

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Share the Wealth- March 2, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 04:02:00 +0000

Greetings to my Share the Wealth Friends! It is time for the March goodies to start flowing and since you have found the end of the FREEBIE rainbow, you are in "luck"! I hope you enjoy these goodies, and as always, if you are reading this, I ask that you click on a Social Media button at the bottom and Share the Wealth with everyone you know! If you would like to link up and share your AMAZING FREEBIE, please do so. Only 2 items per person please, and be sure to put the PRODUCT NAME, CREATED BY..., and GRADE LEVEL in the NAME box, and...

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Tool #4: Comparisons (Post #7)

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 08:22:00 +0000

Welcome back to my blog post series: Journey into Poetry Land. This is post #7 in the series. Post #1 is on All Things Upper Elementary of which I am a contributor. Read it by clicking HERE. The rest are here on my own blog. Tool number four was going to be a challenge for me to teach. The concepts that I needed to really get across was similes and metaphors. I really wanted to do something to get their attention so I came up with a plan. I started each of my three class sessions by asking the students what "Compare"...

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Share the Wealth- Teacher-Author Spotlight- dannerk

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 05:30:00 +0000

Greetings Friends! A Big HOWDY to all of you. I hope you have been enjoying these Saturday events. Please remember to leave a comment if you have suggestions or comments about the event OR the featured teacher! WAHOO! I am so excited to bring you another Share the Wealth Teacher-Author Spotlight. This week it is our pleasure to introduce to you Danerk. This is what she shared about herself with me: "My name is Kristin, and this is my second year teaching. My first year was in 4th, and this year I am teaching 5th. Aside from the obvious...

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Just So You Know!

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 02:49:00 +0000

We here at An Educator's Life are pleased to let you know that we are now pinning ALL Freebie items that are submitted to the bi-monthly Share the Wealth Freebie Linky! We are excited about this new addition of the ever popular Share the Wealth event. Please take a minute and check it out by going HERE or clicking on the picture below. While you are there, remember to FOLLOW that board so that you can see the new freebies that will be added every other week. Thanks for all your support! Cheers- Mr. Hughes P.S. Don't forget...

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Share the Wealth- February 16, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 02:57:00 +0000

Greetings Friends! I am pleased to bring you another fantastic Share the Wealth Freebie Linky! I hope that you had an amazing Valentine's Day with your kiddos (or not, if you don't celebrate in your school!). I am always amazed at how fast the time flies between these particular posts. I feel like I just shared the wealth, and then here we go again. What a GREAT feeling! WAHOO! Below is a listing of some GREAT ideas (and of course, they are all free!). Be sure to gather the goodies and remember to SHARE THE WEALTH by clicking on a Social...

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Poetry Tool #3: Sensory Imagery (Post #6)

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 05:30:00 +0000

Welcome back to my blog post series: Journey into Poetry Land. This is post #6 in the series. Post #1 is on All Things Upper Elementary of which I am a contributor. Read it by clicking HERE. The rest are here on my own blog. And with THAT disclaimer, on with the post. With the four parts of Tool #2 addressed (we won't say mastered, but time will fix that!), I was excited to move on to Tool #3- Sensory Imagery. I had the students start by opening their journals and turn to the next clean page. They wrote "TOOL #3- SENSORY IMAGERY"...

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Share the Wealth- Teacher-Author Spotlight- DIVING INTO LEARNING

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Hughes) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 04:07:00 +0000

Greetings Once Again, My Dear Share the Wealth Friends, I hope that this post finds you happy and well. This week I am excited to share another teacher-author with you. I thought it might be fun to tell you how these teachers are selected. Each teacher that is spotlighted (this is the 10th one- holey moley! See the others HERE) has been hand-picked by me from a application process. Teachers submit their name, etc. and I have personally invited each candidate to be apart of this growing sensation. I find great pleasure in...

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