Young Teacher Love

You Are Appreciated - Teacher Appreciation Giveaway

2015-05-03T18:00:00.000-04:00

To all my fellow teachers out there, Happy Teacher Appreciation Week. You all deserve it. Thank you for your hard work, for inspiring and caring for your kids, and for loving them each day. Thank you for your tireless efforts and for your positive attitudes. Our kids need each and every one of you. You are so important.

To say thank you and to show some appreciation, I am joining a few of my favorite blog friends for a Teacher Appreciation Giveaway.

I am giving away an entire basket full of personal items, classroom paper and decor, organizational tools, and much more! There's even a lavender scented candle!

In addition to all of these goodies, you will also receive one $25 gift certificate to Teachers Pay Teachers.

Last but not least, you get to pick out THREE resources from my store for free! Once you win, you can email me the resources you would like, and I will send them to you right away!

In addition to this giveaway, Teachers Pay Teachers is throwing their Teacher Appreciation Sale on Tuesday, May 5th and Wednesday, May 6th. All of my resources will be marked down 20%, and with code: THANKYOU, you can get a total savings of 28% off.

If you win my giveaway, I'll send you an immediate email with your $25 TpT gift card code, so you can get even more savings on your purchases during the sale!

Enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win! The giveaway ends on Tuesday, and I'll announce the winner on Wednesday, May 5th. Giveaway only open to citizens residing in the US and Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the goodies these other bloggers are giving away! There are 19 more chances to win! Head on over to each of their blogs now!

An InLinkz Link-up

Big Changes Coming to Young Teacher Love Blog

2015-04-02T11:38:00.000-04:00

This. There are some big changes coming to Young Teacher Love Blog. Changes that are over a year in the making. They are beautiful, exciting, and so ME. You'll have to excuse my lack of blogging as I prepare to make this giant leap! Stay tuned, friends!

Fraction Anchor Chart Freebie and Hands-on Fractions

2015-02-23T17:45:00.000-05:00

I'm here to share a fraction anchor chart freebie and a hands-on mini lesson idea I used with my math intervention students. When we started our unit on fractions and did our pre-assessments, I quickly learned that I have a small group of students who need quite a bit of intervention. Unfortunately, many of them lack basic fraction knowledge, including important vocabulary. So, I pulled this small group of students together and created this anchor chart with them.

We started by simply breaking down the definition of fractions. We discussed important vocabulary terms and the parts of a fraction.

After we worked together to create this anchor chart, we got out our notebooks and created different types of fraction models with pencil and paper. The more these students practiced, the better.

Students will use this anchor chart throughout our group meetings as a reference.

I also created a student version of this anchor chart as a reference when they are working on their own, or on practice problems at home.

Click HERE to grab this FREE anchor chart printable to use with your students.

Once I felt that students were mastering different ways to represent fractions on paper, I brought out the Play Dough to tap into some hands-on learning.

Students were asked to show each fraction representation using Play Dough. Yes, even big kids get excited about Play Dough! I absolutely love this intervention lesson because it requires no prep on my part, and students have an absolute blast "playing" with Play Dough. Plus, I love it for small groups. I gave a group of about five students this task, and while they were working, I was able to get up from my small group table and check in on some of my high kids. That can be tough when you're sitting and constantly talking with those small groups!

First, we worked on representing fractions as part of a group.

Once students showed me they mastered this representation, we moved onto fraction circles and fraction bars. For both, we started by talking about numerators versus denominators. We discussed the vocabulary terms, and I made students show me the number of parts the fraction is broken into (denominator). I gave them plastic knives to make cut the whole into the correct number of part.

After our vocabulary discussion on denominators and numerators, students then used Play Dough to make the fractions.

Last, once I felt students were extremely comfortable with these three representations, I introduced fractions on a number line. I think these tend to be the most difficult for students, so I helped them out by creating the number lines myself. Once students feel more confident with this, I will have them create the number lines on their own.

Looking for fraction resource to use with your students? Check out some of my math resources below!

Presidents Day Close Reading Passages, Text-Dependent Questions & More

2015-02-02T18:30:00.000-05:00

I'm back with my next Close Reading resource! I posted my Winter Close Reading Passages, Text-Dependent Questions & More, and if you want to see more, click HERE or the "Purchase Here" button at the bottom of this post.

In addition to my Winter pack, I also posted my Presidents Day Close Reading Passages, Text-Dependent Questions & More!

I am SO in love with this resource for a number of reasons. First, I wrote these passages with social studies topics in mind. So, not only can you use them for Presidents Day, but you can also use them all year to tie into your social studies curriculum. Plus, the topics are so interesting. I had such a fun time researching them.

The information below is just a sample of what's included! Click HERE to check out the preview to see more!

I created this seasonal close reading resource to help students read complex texts independently and for a specific purpose.

It contains everything you need to implement close reading in your classroom!

Leveled Passages

Included in this resource are four president-themed reading passages. There are three levels of each passage so you can easily differentiate for your students! The levels are based on word count and Lexile levels which can be found in the top left corner of each passage.

Each passage contains text features and bolded vocabulary words for your students to analyze.

Implementation Printables
I've also included a step-by-step implementation guide. I've researched several strategies for close reading and have developed a process that will make your life easier, and help your students develop skills to read for deeper meaning.

In addition to the step-by-step implementation guide, I've included an Understanding the Standards Teacher Guide. This printable helps teachers understand the purpose of each reading, and how each reading ties into specific Common Core Anchor Standards. I've outlined what each student should focus on and the learning targets for each read.

Annotation Guides

These printable annotation guides are a resource to help students quickly annotate or mark up the text using symbols. I've included two different levels of the printables.

Close Reader Poster
This Close Reader Poster is a great visual reminder to help students understand their role as a close reader.

Text-Dependent Questions, Writing Prompts, and Graphic Organizers
Each passage includes text-dependent questions for each of the three themes or categories in the Common Core Anchor Standards (Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas). The questions require students to cite evidence from the text to support their answers.

In addition to the text-dependent questions, I've also included graphic organizers for key ideas and details, vocabulary, main idea, and more!

In addition to the text-dependent questions, I've also included graphic organizers for key ideas and details, vocabulary, main idea, and more!

Each passage also includes one writing prompt that is to be completed after the third read. This writing prompt requires students to synthesize or make connections by combining their thinking and knowledge with evidence from the text.

Detailed answer keys are also included.

Like I said above, this is only a small preview of what's included!

Click the button below to check it out!

Looking for more close reading resources to use in your classroom? Click the "Purchase Here" button to check them out in my store!

Interested in learning more about WHAT close reading is? Check out my blog series on Understanding Close Reading by clicking HERE or the picture below.

Understanding Close Reading: The Last of Part 1 - What is Close Reading?

2015-01-06T19:00:00.000-05:00

I'm back with the second post discussing WHAT is close reading.

If you want to start reading this blog series from the beginning, click HERE to go back to the first post: Understanding Close Reading: Part 1 - What is Close Reading?

In the first post, I broke down the definition of close reading:

If you read the first post, you saw that I broke the definition of close reading down into three key parts:

1.) Purposeful re-reading
2.) Analysis
3.) Use of complex text

In an effort to avoid information overload, the first blog post (found HERE) focused only on Purposeful Re-reading and Analysis.

In this post, I will break down the last part of that definition: Use of complex texts.

I'd love to know your thoughts, comments, and suggestions on the WHAT of this blog series you just read. Leave your comments below. Thank you!

Do you need close reading resources to get you started in your classroom? Check out the resources below by clicking the "Purchase Here" button!

Holiday Student Gifts Ideas

2014-12-11T19:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays! Are you getting excited yet? I'm almost finished with my Christmas shopping, which is a bid deal for me. I tend to be a last-minute shopper. But let's face it, I do my my best work under pressure!

In addition to shopping for my family and friends, I also like to do something small for my students. We are like a little family, and they're my kids, right?! I know many of you can relate. Last year, I gave my students $1 books from Scholastic, bookmarks, candy, pencils, and my Winter Print and Go Freebie (without my cute cover on it, as you can see). You can read more about this HERE.

We also opened our team-building stockings, which you can read more about HERE. They were honestly super excited and appreciative of everything I gave them.

Each year, I rack my brain trying to think of something easy and inexpensive to give my students. Does this also happen to you? So to help you, I created a Pinterest board FILLED with tons of ideas for student gifts! The Pinterest board is titled Student Holiday Gift Ideas.

Since we're all so busy, I figured I'd help you out and do all the thinking for you! In 24 hours, I've already pinned about 50 ideas for you. All you have to do is follow the board and scroll through the ideas.

See below on how to follow this Student Holiday Gift Ideas board:

Click HERE to follow this board.

Click HERE to follow all of my Pinterest boards!

Visit Kristine Nannini's profile on Pinterest.

Understanding Close Reading: Part 1 - What is Close Reading?

2014-12-08T19:00:00.000-05:00

I'm back for my next installment on close reading!

I am so excited to FINALLY share what I have been working so hard on. A few weeks back, I asked my Facebook followers to rate their understanding and knowledge of close reading. I was shocked to learn that so many teachers didn't really know much about it (me being one of them). How can we be required to implement things in our classroom if we don't have the proper training and knowledge?

So, I decided to roll up my sleeves and sort through all of this information and research to help you all better understand close reading. I will be providing you with an informational blog series on the WHAT and HOW of close reading.

Like my last informational blog series, I will be blogging about this topic over the course of a few posts. At the very end, I will compile all of the slides into a free PDF for you.

The first part of this blog series is understanding WHAT close reading is.

As you can see, I broke the definition of close reading into three key parts:

1.) Purposeful re-reading
2.) Analysis
3.) Use of complex texts

In an effort to avoid information overload, this blog post will focus on Purposeful re-reading and Analysis. I will address the Use of complex texts in my next post. Click HERE to read the post on Use of complex texts.

The document above is included in each one of my close reading packs, but I typically make this into an anchor chart for students to reference. Not only does it help me stay organized, but it also helps students understand the purpose of each read in connection with the standards.

Stay tuned to the last part of WHAT is close reading: use of complex text.

Click HERE or the picture below to check out the second part of PART 1: WHAT - Use of Complex Text.

Do you need close reading resources to get you started in your classroom? Check out the resources below by clicking the "Purchase Here" button!

Christmas Close Reading Passages, Text-Dependent Questions, & More

2014-12-02T16:03:00.002-05:00

I'm back with my next Close Reading resource for you! If you and your students enjoyed my Fall and Thanksgiving Close Reading resource, you will love my Christmas Close Reading Passages, Text-Dependent Questions & More!

The information below is just a sample of what's included! Click HERE to check out the preview to see more!

I created this seasonal close reading resource to help students read complex texts independently and for a specific purpose.

It contains everything you need to implement close reading in your classroom!

Leveled Passages

Included in this resource are four Christmas-themed reading passages. There are three levels of each passage so you can easily differentiate for your students! The levels are based on word count and Lexile levels which can be found in the top left corner of each passage.

Each passage contains text features and bolded vocabulary words for your students to analyze.

Annotation Guides

These printable annotation guides are a resource to help students quickly annotate or mark up the text using symbols. I've included two different levels of the printables.

Close Reader Poster
Is this little gingerbread not the cutest thing ever? This Close Reader Poster is a great visual reminder to help students understand their role as a close reader.

In addition to the text-dependent questions, I've also included graphic organizers for key ideas and details, vocabulary, main idea, and more!

Detailed answer keys are also included.

Like I said above, this is only a small preview of what's included!

Click the button below to check it out!

Looking for more close reading resources to use in your classroom? Click the "Purchase Here" button to check them out in my store!

Also, make sure you check back for more information on close reading. There will be additional blog posts to follow.

Save Yourself Some Merry Little Minutes: Student Jobs

2014-11-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm linking up with some of my favorite upper-elementary bloggers to give you some time-saving tips! Hopefully all of our tips will allow you to spend more time with your families during the holidays!

My time-saving tip is to give more responsibilities to your students and keep them in the same classroom job all year long.

I don't know about you, but it always seems like I have too much to do in my classroom and not enough hours in the day to do it. However, we have an entire classroom full of helpers all eager and willing to help their teacher out! Assigning classroom jobs to students not only teaches them responsibility, but it also gives them pride and helps to build classroom community. So, why not make them more responsible? An added bonus is that you won't be completely exhausted at the end of the day from all of the extra chores you have to do around your classroom. The best thing I ever did was keep my students in the same jobs all year long. Yes, you read that right. No more rotations, and no more new jobs every week. I assign each student a job, and they keep that job for the entire year.

When I rotated jobs, students would forget to do them or not know what to do. The consistency of keeping the same job means that everyone is responsible in making our room function.

I typically wait to assign jobs until I really get to know my students. Then, I introduce and model how to complete each job in our classroom, I let them apply for the job they want, and then I match students with a job that will fit them best. Some jobs happen in the morning, some jobs are throughout the day, and many jobs happen at the end of the day. But no matter what the job is, within days of assigning the jobs, every student is responsible for making our room function, and they are all so proud of this.

Click HERE to check out some of the jobs my students have in our classroom.

Last year, when we found out that our custodial services would only be happening two days a week, I had a parent donate a vacuum and a mop to our classroom. I kid you not, the most popular jobs were vacuuming and mopping, and the students that earned those positions were so proud to do this every single day. Oh, and the other FAVORITE job? Cutting lamination. Some would even beg to take it home to cut for me on the weekends!

Seriously! #everyteachersdream.

Besides the benefits of building responsibility and classroom community, when students each have a job and perform it well everyday, your classroom will run like a well-oiled machine. If I am ever out of the classroom and we have a sub, I know that I will come back to a spotless room, with everything in its place. With all of the holiday parties coming up, my students know that they are responsible for their room, and they will work hard to keep everything running smoothly.

So, while it may be a small change in your classroom, try it! I promise it will leave you with more energy at the end of each day, so you can go home and enjoy more time with your family!

Also, check out my latest resource to save you some time! I've just released my latest Christmas Close Reading Passages, Text Dependent Questions & More!

Visit these blogs to check out all of their awesome time-saving tips to help you celebrate the season!

Fall and Thanksgiving Close Reading Passages, Text-Dependent Questions & More

2014-10-30T18:17:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to finally share what I have been working on! I have spent the last three months researching everything I can on close reading. I've read books, articles, blog posts, websites, and more. My goal is to provide you with resources, an informational blog series, and freebies so you can successfully implement close reading in your own classroom.

I will be blogging about all of information I've acquired over a series of posts. So each time you see that picture above, know that the blog post is part of my close reading series!

On that note, the first close reading resource I am excited to share is my Fall and Thanksgiving Close Reading Passages, Text-Dependent Questions & More!

The information below is just a sample of what's included! Click HERE to check out the preview to see more!

I created this seasonal close reading resource to help students read complex texts independently and for a specific purpose.

It contains everything you need to implement close reading in your classroom!

Leveled Passages

Included in this resource are four fall and Thanksgiving-themed reading passages. There are three levels of each passage so you can easily differentiate for your students! The levels are based on word count and Lexile levels which can be found in the top left corner of each passage.

Each passage contains text features and bolded vocabulary words for your students to analyze.

Annotation Guides

These printable annotation guides are a resource to help students quickly annotate or mark up the text using symbols. I've included two different levels of the printables.

Close Reader Poster
Is this little turkey not the cutest thing ever? This Close Reader Poster is a great visual reminder to help students understand their role as a close reader.

Text-Dependent Questions, Writing Prompts, and Graphic Organizers
Each passage includes text-dependent questions for each of the three themes or categories in the Common Core Anchor Standards (Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas). The questions are written in a way that require students to cite evidence from the text.

In addition to the text-dependent questions, I've also included key ideas and details graphic organizers, main idea graphic organizers, and more!

Detailed answer keys are also included.

Like I said above, this is only a small preview of what's included!

Click the button below to check it out!

Looking for more close reading resources to use in your classroom? Click the "Purchase Here" button to check them out in my store!

Also, make sure you check back for more information on close reading. There will be additional blog posts to follow.

Are You Following Me On Social Media?

2014-10-23T19:00:00.000-04:00

Well? Are you?!

Howdy blog world! I just want to stop by real quick to remind you to follow me on social media!

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST

I am pretty active on social media, and it's the best way to check out what I am up to on a regular basis!

I even shared my wedding video trailer on Facebook this past week!

Not to mention, I love doing giveaways and throwing sales periodically. Following me on social media is the best way to know when those things are happening!

Now I want to leave you with a little sneak peak at the HUGE blog series and resource I am currently working on. I seriously can't wait to reveal it all!

Come back soon to see what it's all about!

Morning Work Daily Review (5th Grade Common Core Math and English Language Arts)

2014-09-24T19:42:00.000-04:00

In my classroom, students start each morning by completing a page from my Morning Work Daily Review resource.

Before we started a morning work routine, our mornings were chaotic. Students were were lingering in the hallway, socializing, or using the time to read or finish work from the previous day. Trying to complete those important morning tasks and get the students ready to start the day was crazy! You know how that goes, right?!

Well, I knew that something needed to change. I needed something that was engaging enough to get my students excited to work each morning. But, I also needed something that would help them review important concepts they needed practice with.

So, after planning this resource and working on it for about four months, it is finally ready: Morning Work Daily Review (5th Grade Math and English Language Arts). Now, our mornings are organized and productive for both the students and myself.

This resource is intended to get your students started off on the right track each morning. By using my Morning Work Daily Review, your students will develop a strong routine and receive constant review of Common Core-aligned problems. Because this resource allows your class to work indepently, you will have time to take attendance and get organized for the day while they work.

This resource includes a special section of teacher instructions to help you get started. In these teacher instructions, you will find information on how this resource is organized, ideas on how to assemble this resource, printing instructions, and copy/paper-saving ideas. I also answer questions about grading morning work and even give you ideas on implementation!

For teachers interested in organizing their students' work into a 3-ring binder, I have included binder covers and binder spines.

This resource is a year-long resource with 36 weeks of content. Each week, the first four pages are a mix of both math and language questions, with each question aligned to a specific Common Core Standard.

I worked very hard on each individual question in this resource. Knowing how important (and difficult) it can be to keep my students engaged, I made sure each page is full of visual examples with problems and questions that are fun for students to complete!

For example, instead of having students simply write numbers in standard and word form, they can fill out a personal check for fun and real-world practice. Other examples include answering problems to solve riddles, games, crossword puzzles, color by number, calculating batting averages of famous baseball players, etc., etc.!

In addition to being fun and engaging, it is also important that the problems are aligned to the standards and stretch your students' thinking. The problems are designed to be intuitive and allow your students to complete them independently. So, new and difficult concepts are introduced with appropriate examples and hints to allow autonomy.

You will also find vocabulary questions or a Greek/Latin affix question on each page. Since it can be tough to squeeze these important concepts in, reviewing them in our morning work has been so helpful for my students to get the extra practice!

There are also a series of review or "fact check" questions that either spiral back previous grade levels' standards, or review important concepts that students need to practice. Some review concepts include elapsed time, money/making change, grammar, fractions, cursive, editing sentences, geometry questions from previous grade levels, letter writing, addressing envelopes, locating continents, and many more!

The fifth page of each week contains a reading passage with either questions or a graphic organizer for students to complete. Each reading passage is aligned to the Reading Literature or Reading Informational standards.

The first fifteen pages of this resource are aligned to the 4th Grade Common Core Standards. This is so you can start your year with this resource and review last year's concepts before jumping into 5th grade material.

Last but not least, I've included answer keys! Detailed answer keys are included with the standards listed for each problem.

You can download the preview to get a free week to try out in your classroom!

Click the button below to grab your FREE week!

Click the button below to check it out!

Smooth Sailing into a New School Year: Back to School Tips and Tricks!

2014-07-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

I am joining up with some of favorite my blog buddies for a huge link up…Smooth Sailing into a New School Year!

We are offering a collection of tips and tricks to kick off a new year!

Starting your school year on a positive note is so important. In the past, I've had first days that were pure poetry, but I've also had days that were pure…well, you can imagine! While there are definitely things that can happen in those first days that are out of our control, there are many things we can do beforehand to set the stage for success.

Two of the most important things you need for a successful start to your year are a strong classroom management plan with procedures and routines in place, and a risk-free, welcoming environment for your students.

First, let's talk about classroom procedures and routines. In my store is a comprehensive checklist with over 100 procedures and routines that I model and teach to my students constantly throughout the year. Click HERE to check it out.

Whether it's lining up for recess, sharpening a pencil, or transitioning from one activity to the next, having classroom procedures and routines are extremely important. There is honestly nothing better than having your classroom run like a well-oiled machine. Routines save learning time and will make your job a lot easier. The biggest thing to remember when teaching classroom procedures and routines is that you want your students to do them correctly and without your help.

Here are some tips and tricks on how to teach classroom procedures and routines:

In addition to establishing classroom procedures and routines, it's also important to build community in your classroom. The culture you create amongst your students during those first few weeks will set the tone for the entire year.

The best way to encourage a classroom community from the beginning is through team building activities. In my store is a pack with over 30 Beginning of the Year Team Building Activities to help you build a community in your own classroom. Click HERE to check it out. Your students will have a blast working together and getting to know each other.

Here's why creating a classroom community through team building is so important:

Make sure you stop by each blog to check out their back to school tips and tricks!

An InLinkz Link-up

Beginning of the Year Team Building Updates!

2014-07-16T12:14:00.000-04:00

How has your summer vacation been going? Mine has been both relaxing and busy at the same time. I have been working like a busy bee planning for my mid-August nuptials! If you follow me on Instagram, then you're definitely up to date on all things wedding!

I've also been making more of an effort to unplug on the weekends and spend time with family and friends. The picture below is my fiancé and I on his birthday. I surprised him with a trip to Northern Michigan to tour all of the wineries. It was such a great weekend!

I also promised myself (and my amazing blog readers) that I would have my HUGE 5th Grade Math and English Language Arts Daily Morning Work pack out before the beginning of the year. I am working so hard every single day to keep that promise! It has taken on a life of its own and is even more awesome than I originally anticipated.

Stay tuned for more news on the release date!

Last, I wanted to let you know that I've given my Beginning of the Year Team Building pack a huge facelift! Click HERE to check it out!

I have added new games and activities, clarified the directions to make them easier for you, and I've added printables to help you easily implement these games and activities in your own classrooms! Below is a quick look at just SOME of the additions/printables I've added. Click HERE to check out the preview to see more of the updates!

Starting your year off on the right foot is crucial. Building a community of learners is one of the first things I tackle at the start of the new school year! You want your students to feel welcomed and safe in your classroom. If you want to read more about how I use this Beginning of the Year Team Building pack in my classroom, see these blog posts HERE, HERE, and HERE.

If you already own this resource, click HERE to redownload it on TpT to grab your updates for FREE! If you don't own it yet, I have it marked 20% off until midnight EST tonight!

Enjoy!

Role Playing with the American Revolution {Freebies Included}!

2014-05-20T18:29:00.001-04:00

Social studies has always been one of my absolute favorite subjects to teach. I get so excited about United States history, and I do my best to make a potentially boring topic come alive for my students! There are a lot of opportunities for hands-on, get out of your seat lessons and projects in the classroom (especially on those hot and extra wiggly days)!

So, on this particular day, I decided to throw out my original lesson, and get my students up and moving instead for one of my favorite lessons, The King's M & M's (or our version of it at least)! This lesson is not my original idea, but it is most definitely one of my all-time favorites!

The object of the activity is to get students to understand why American colonists were upset with British tax laws, like the Stamp Act, after the French and Indian War. The activity will also help students understand the idea of Taxation Without Representation. Since this activity involves role play, students will have the opportunity to simulate a scenario of what happened when the colonists were being taxed by Great Britain. It definitely gives them a better understanding of what the colonists felt during that time.

Here's what you need to do to prep for the activity:

{Side note: Since this was not a planned lesson, of course I forgot my nice camera and had to use my phone, and I scribbled all the role card signs together during my lunch break. It's what we do, right?! I have made some prettier signs for you all to use, and you can grab all of the freebies at the bottom of this post!}

1.) Choose one person to be the King.

2.) Choose two people as parliament members/tax collectors.

3.) Print out the role cards/signs that say King and Tax Collectors. Hole punch them, and tie string around the signs for students to wear the signs around their necks.

4.) Print and cut out the tax cards.

5.) Give each student a paper plate (or cup!) with 10 pieces of candy, and instruct students not to touch them.

Luckily, I had some red plastic cups in a cupboard, and a huge batch of gumdrops from a science experiment we did the week before! ;)

Before you start the activity, you may want to pull your King and tax collectors to the side and explain their roles:

When the tax collectors go around the room to collect the candy pieces, I typically divide the room in half and let each tax collector collect the candy from their side of the room only. I have the tax collectors collect the candy from each student in an individual cup. Then, once they collect the candy in their individual cup, they pour all of the pieces out on a plate so students can see all of the candy that accumulates throughout the activity.

Once you have all of your materials ready, invite the King and his/her tax collectors to the front of the room. Introduce them to the class as the King and his tax collectors, and then tell the rest of your class that they are the colonists. I typically make a big fuss over the difference between the two groups.

Have the King explain to the class that he/she will be taxing everyone for various reasons.

*The man above is actually my dad! :) He would come in to my class to help every once in awhile, and my kids adored him! What better person to play the king, right!? They all got such a kick out of it!

Once the class is ready, the King can start reading the tax cards, and the parliament members can start collecting the taxes. Watch how upset your students get! It's kind of hilarious!

Make sure the King points out all of the tax money (or candy) that is piling up!

I typically only read about four or five tax cards. This seems to be the perfect number that leaves many students with no candy pieces, and some students with just two or three of their original candy pieces.

Once all of the taxes have been collected, have the King tell the colonists that the tax money now needs to be dispersed! For their work, each of the tax collectors will get 10% of the tax money (or candy), and the King will get the rest for him/herself. Now your students will probably go bonkers! Typically my students show some definite feelings of displeasure, and the students that are the King and parliament start gloating a bit.

At this crucial point in the lesson (and to calm them all down!), I talk to students and get them to understand how the colonists reacted to the tax collectors and the various tax laws from the different acts. In small groups, I had students discuss these questions:

It's amazing how many lightbulbs go off during this activity, and how many big smiles will be plastered on their faces!

Then, to finish out the activity, I found this awesome video on TeacherTube called, Too Late to Apologize - King George.

The video is hilarious, educational, and very relevant. Your students will love it! Mine even shared with me that as soon as they went home, they got online to watch it and show all of their family members! Score! And of course (the most important part), hand out the leftover candy pieces for them to eat!

Side note: If your students are going to be handling food, and later eating it, make sure they use gloves or some type of utensil. Because this lesson was done last minute, I did not have gloves or utensils to use. So, we did not eat any of the candy pieces that were touched by students. Instead, since I had an abundance of gumdrops to get rid of, I opened up a new container of gum drops for the students to eat at the end of the lesson.

Click HERE to grab all of the freebies to use in your own classroom! Enjoy!

Schoolgirl Style Classroom Reveal Giveaway!

2014-05-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to share some fabulous news with you all! I have teamed up with the always fabulous Melanie from Schoolgirl Style for an incredible giveaway!

Melanie and I taught at the same school during my first year of teaching. So, I got to see her gorgeous decor in person! It was seriously such a treat, and she is so incredibly talented!

To celebrate the opening of her brand new shop on her website, Melanie has been revealing a new classroom design each day. There are 16 stunning new designs!!! To say she has outdone herself is an understatement! When I opened my email and saw her Turquoise, Black, and Gray Classroom Couture Collection, I could barely contain myself! It's sophisticated enough for an upper elementary classroom, and those polka-dot poms add the perfect amount of detail! I could sit and look at these pictures all day!

And now, onto the good stuff!! You can win this entire collection! Seriously! Is that not the best thing you've heard all day?

One lucky winner will take home:

Schoolgirl Style's Turquoise, Black, and Gray Classroom Couture Collection
Pacon fadeless paper
Two rolls of Bordette from Pacon
6 poms, daisies, or lanterns of your choice.

Isn't that incredible?

Make sure you're following Schoolgirl Style on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter so you don't miss out on any of her classroom reveals! Also, make sure you're following her social media accounts for your chance to win!

To win this gorgeous decor, follow the directions on the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The contest will expire on Sunday, May 11th (Mother's Day!). Make sure you enter before then! Good luck!

Compare and Contrast Two or More Characters in a Story {Freebies Included}!

2014-04-23T18:16:00.001-04:00

I'm back for the next part of our character development lesson using Verdi by Janell Cannon. For this lesson, I will be sharing how we used the book to compare and contrast two or more characters in a story, drawing on specific details from the text.

To read the first blog post in this series, and to grab the free Inferring Character Traits Graphic Organizer, click HERE. To check out my other blog post series on character development, click HERE and HERE!

Since our last lesson on inferring character traits through dialogue, my students learned that there are a number of different ways that an author reveals information about a character in a text. An author reveals information about a character through:

physical traits (both explicit and inferred)
actions
thoughts
dialogue
interactions with other characters

Once my students had a solid understanding of characterization, we jumped right into comparing and contrasting. While rating and dating our understanding for our Student Data Tracking Binders, I quickly had students show me their level of understanding for comparing and contrasting. With a quick rate it/date it, I learned that my students had very little background knowledge on this concept. Not a big deal! A quick mini-lesson on comparing and contrasting did the trick!

With this anchor chart, we discussed the terms compare and contrast. I guided students with the idea that authors create relationships between characters, settings, and events in a text by developing the interactions among story elements. Good readers can identify the relationships between story elements by comparing and contrasting them.

While I love using venn diagrams, an even better tool (in my opinion) to compare and contrast in the upper grades is a double bubble thinking map.

The reason I like using a double bubble thinking map is because it requires a bit more depth of thought by the students. I love that contrasting requires students to think in terms of point and counterpoint. I promise you they are extremely easy to use!

Some guiding questions that students need to keep in mind in order to compare and contrast and to help them construct their double bubble maps include:

What are the similarities and differences between these two things?
How are these two things alike and different?
Which similarities do you think are most important?
Are there any details that are unique to one thing and not the other?

Even though the standard calls for students to also compare and contrast settings and events in a text, for this lesson we only focused on characters. After re-reading Verdi an additional time, we worked together to construct our double bubble thinking map.

Side note: color coding your double bubble thinking map is a great strategy for students that may need additional help, especially if this is the first time they are seeing it. I've included this as a freebie that you can grab at the end of this post.

I think this is such a phenomenal visual that perfectly hits the standard on comparing and contrasting two characters.

Even though we worked together as a class to fill out this double bubble, students also filled out their own.

Once we filled out the double bubble thinking maps, as a formative assessment, students wrote their own written responses to compare and contrast the two characters.

You can grab this free formative assessment and a free double bubble thinking map at the end of this post!

This formative assessment is a great way to quickly gauge your students' understanding of the standard.

Throughout the rest of the week, students used double bubble thinking maps to compare and contrast the characters in their own self-selected texts.

At the end of the week, I gave them their summative assessments to assess them on standard 5.RL.3 from my 5th Grade Common Core ELA/Literacy Assessments and Teaching Notes.

I had to get an extreme closeup of this answer because I have to say, I am pretty impressed with their responses!

On top of that, my teacher heart skipped a beat when I saw this on a student's reading passage! He was annotating the text without any prompting from me! Best day ever!

Check out these reading passages and assessments to use in your classroom HERE!

Grab a free copy of my Verdi formative assessment and color coded double bubble thinking map HERE!

Thanks for reading!

Inferring Character Traits Through Dialogue (Plus a Free Graphic Organizer)!

2014-04-01T18:58:00.003-04:00

Have you ever come across a mentor text that literally covers five standards and you squeal with delight? Or am I the only crazy person that gets excited about these types of things?!

After reading Verdi by Janell Cannon with my students, I just couldn't contain myself!

I have so much to share with you about how we used this book to cover so many standards, that I plan to break it down into two separate blog posts.

Click HERE to check out part two: Comparing and Contrasting Two or more Characters in a Text.

Each year, studying characters is one of my favorite units to teach, and this year is no different. You can see my two other big character blog posts I wrote last year HERE and HERE.

The reason I love teaching characters so much is because of all of the wonderful characters out there that my students can connect with. Whether it's Katniss Everdeen, Percy Jackson, or the unique August Pullman from R.J. Palacio's Wonder, the characters, in my opinion, keep my students coming back for more!

When studying characters, it's important that students understand that we’re talking about what character is, not who some characters are. If I ask my students who the characters are in the books they are reading, most of them can probably name them. For instance, they know that August Pullman is the main character in Wonder.

But, character development is more than that.

The English Language Arts standard requires students to compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g. how they interact).

Before you jump right into this, it's important that students understand the different ways to determine a character's interactions. To understand their interactions, we need to look at each characters' actions, their dialogue, their thoughts, and their emotions. By looking at these details, they give us insight into how these characters view and/or react to each other, giving us information about their interactions.

To teach this concept, I read Verdi to my students. During this first reading, I allowed my students to sit and listen. But, while listening, they were to pay attention to each characters' personality and physical traits that the author came out and explicitly stated in the book. For the purpose of this lesson, we compared Verdi with the group of snakes called the greens. The greens' names are Umbles, Aggie, Dozer, and Ribbon. Once we finished this first reading, I gave students about two minutes to whisper the explicit traits of the greens and Verdi that they recalled from the text.

Next, we discussed the fact that authors don't always come out and give every detail about a character. Sometimes, the reader has to infer based on the dialogue in the story.

Now that we had read the story once, each student received their own Inferring Character Traits Graphic Organizer to fill out during our re-read and mini-lesson.

I went back and re-read some important pages from Verdi and picked out pages where the author used dialogue to show the characters' personality traits.

As I was reading the pages, students gave me a thumbs up when they heard the author use dialogue to show the characters' personality traits.

Then, focusing on just one character (or group of characters e.g., the greens), we worked together to pick out some of the best quotes from the text that we could use to infer personality traits based on the characters' dialogue.

Students worked with me to fill out their own graphic organizers for the dialogue portion, but it was up to them to do the inferring.

I gave students about four minutes to write down their own inferences, and I walked the room to glance over their shoulders and help students that needed some re-teaching.

After about four minutes, we shared what we could infer about the greens based on their dialogue in the text.

This graphic organizer is a free sample from my Analyzing Characters Pack {Common Core Aligned} found HERE!

Click HERE to grab the free Inferring Character Traits Graphic Organizer!

Grab a copy of Verdi to use in your own classroom!

Click HERE to check out part two of this series: Comparing and Contrasting Two or More Characters in a Text. Make sure you grab all of the freebies in the post!

Thanks for reading!

Color by Number for Big Kids!

2014-03-21T16:00:00.000-04:00

I know many of you are probably on Spring Break, but most of us here in the north have a few more weeks of school! Hopefully those of you that have break are relaxing and enjoying the much deserved time off! Yes, I said relaxing! Between all of the snow days, indoor recess days, sick days, and test prep, these last few months can be some of the toughest!

I'm here to share with you my latest creation that will hopefully help all of you busy teachers!

It's my Color by Number for Big Kids Pack! Click HERE to grab my 5th Grade Math version, and click HERE to grab my 4th Grade Math version!

This pack is specifically for 5th graders, because it covers every single 5th Grade Common Core Math Standard.

This pack is specifically for 4th graders, because it covers every single 4th Grade Common Core Math Standard.

Seriously, my kids are OBSESSED with these Color by Number activities! I have them in all of my holiday math packs, and they still can't get enough!

I originally started creating these Color by Number activities after my students were begging to do them during indoor recess (seriously!). Then, it turned into me creating a few more to leave with a substitute teacher. Then, before I knew it, I had almost 400 math problems on task cards, and 11 super adorable pictures done!

Here's a sneak peak at some of the completed pictures:

I made these Color by Number activities a bit different than my others. I had my students complete the problems on task cards instead of having the problems inside the picture.

I did this so I could beef up some of the problems! Including coordinate graphs, function tables, fraction models, and word problems is super important if I am going to use these for review all year long.

Below are a few quick snapshots of the preview, which you can check out HERE!

Click HERE to check out my Color by Number for Big Kids! Have a great weekend!

Outdoor Biodiversity Scavenger Hunt

2014-03-16T16:34:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday blog world! I am alive! Did you all think I fell off the face of the Earth for a hot second? Life has been very busy lately, and I have been working on some HUGE things for you all. Some of which I can't wait to share with you very soon!

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you know that we were preparing for a huge snowstorm this past week. But, lucky for me, my Bauble Bar order arrived just in time, so at least I could be snowed in in-style! ;)

And yes, I'm getting married in 5 months! Between facing the treacherous outdoor elements every other day this winter, and wedding planning, it feels good to get back to blogging!

Today was the first day we have had blue skies and sunshine in such a long time, and it got me thinking. With the number of snow days our kids have had this winter, we need to get them outside. Despite the fact that we all have test prep going on, and many of us are in that final crunch, it's still so important to take a moment with your students to give them some outdoor, real-world experiences.

So, in an effort to get kids outside, I found this phenomenal outdoor Biodiversity Scavenger Hunt by E is for Explore!

Us midwest folks may need to wait a few days for this, but I'm hoping that, by the end of the week, we'll be good! Just give your kids some clipboards or textbooks to write on, grab a pencil, and have them hunt for abiotic and biotic factors either somewhere on school grounds (think nature walk) or even in their own backyards! Even if you feel like you can't carve out time from your current schedule, try asking your students if they would like to spend their recess together as a class. I guarantee they will love the idea!

Then, once students complete the Biodiversity Scavenger Hunt, E is for Explore recommends that students create a food chain or web to represent what they've discovered in the ecosystem they explored! I love it!

Can you see that teeny tiny bit of grass that is finally showing?! I could shout with happiness! I haven't seen grass in over 4 months!

Click HERE to check out one of my favorite websites E is for Explore, and grab this free Biodiversity Scavenger Hunt! Have fun!

3rd Grade English Language Arts Assessments are DONE!!!

2014-02-06T18:11:00.000-05:00

It's a miracle!!!! My 3rd Grade English Language Arts Assessments and Teaching Notes are DONE! Six months later, I have produced another 400+ page whopper! PFEW!

Can I just be real with you all for a moment. I embarked on this ELA assessment journey back in September 2012. In a year and a half, I have produced MORE THAN 1,200 hardcore pages of English Language Arts. I learned more about three grade levels of ELA than I could have ever imagined. I can probably tell you every 3rd through 5th grade standard in my sleep. HA! But I am so happy to have gone on this ride. The feedback and kindness you all share with me on the daily brings me to tears. THANK YOU!

Here she is! My 3rd Grade English Language Arts Assessments and Teaching Notes!

As with my other two ELA assessments, I created a 20-30 page preview so that you can really see what's in this assessment. Below are a few snapshots of the preview pages so you can see what is included. Some of the pictures here may seem a bit blurry because of the transfer of "snapshot" to blog. Click HERE to check the preview out more closely!

First up:

How adorable are these illustrations by Kari Bolt? They add so much to the assessments!

Next up:

Next is writing. I have included assessments for both the main standards (think 3.W.1, 3.W.2, 3.W.3, and all substandards 3.W.1a, 3.W.1b, etc.).

Language Standards:

Reading Foundational Skills:

Last, Speaking and Listening:

And there you have it! Please know that this is a snapshot of the preview in which you can download and see closer HERE. Also, please know that this is only a preview of the 400+ pages included!

Here is the 3rd Grade ELA/Literacy Student Data Tracking Binder:

Click HERE to check out my Student Data Tracking Binders for other grades, and click HERE to check out my math and ELA assessments for other grades!

Have a great day!

Bright Ideas Blog Hop: Ideas to Maximize Learning in the Classroom

2014-02-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

It's no surprise that high-performing schools are extremely vigilant about how they use their time. We teachers know that there are a million and one distractions and things that interrupt student learning every day. Restroom breaks, people coming and going, students leaving during our lessons for interventions, calls over the intercom from the office during a HUGE lightbulb moment, etc.

Unfortunately for us, these distractions and interruptions are typically things out of our control. But, in the same breath, we all want to be successful. We all want to be a part of those high-performing schools. But how in the world do we fit it all in when both ourselves and our students are pulled in a million and one directions? The simple answer: Make every minute count.

I'm here with some great ideas to help you maximize learning in the classroom.

This year alone, most Michigan schools are going on their tenth snow day. Yikes! While this teacher loves a snow day just as much as the next, that's ten days of learning gone. Our pacing guides won't change. The curriculum we have to cover isn't modified. Even if districts add on days at the end of the year, our testing dates stay the same.

At this point, learning time is precious and a scarce resource! Every year when March comes around I hear myself saying, "WAIT! I'm not ready for it to be March!" Can you relate?

After doing a bit of research on maximizing learning in the classroom, there seems to be a common theme. The common theme can be outlined in these three keys to success:

1.) Plan lessons to maximize time on task and student engagement.

As educators, we know this. We know that we need to tap into all 30+ of our students' personalities every single day and for every single subject to get them interested and engaged. We know that the sign of a great lesson is when hands are up, heads are nodding, and discussions are not only on task, but deep and meaningful. When lessons like this happen we want to fist pump the air in excitement.

But, there isn't a one-size fits all approach to planning lessons that are engaging for our students. We have to meet the needs of the individuals in our own classrooms and cater to their needs. Not to mention we have to plan lessons that we are comfortable with and our students are comfortable with.

Heck, if standing on tables and performing a complete song and dance about dividing decimals gets the point of across, then do it. I have.

All jokes aside, here are some quick ideas to help you maximize time on task and increase student engagement:

Maximize Time on Task:

Have a strong management plan. Every single movement, direction, transition, etc. must have a plan that all students know. Everything from the supplies students will need for the lesson, organization of materials, where students can find things they need in the classroom, etc. When this is a well-oiled machine, you're maximizing time for your lesson and student's time on task.
Plan mini-lessons in short meaningful chunks. Quick blasts of instruction allow students to focus on the entire lesson.

Increase Student Engagement:

Build strong relationships with your students. Know them as people.
Know how your students learn best.
Encourage students to build strong relationships with their peers. The number one reason why students aren't engaged or participate in class is fear.
Create a classroom environment that promotes a culture of learning.
Create high expectations of your students so they know that they need to be on top of their game at every possible second.
Have fun teaching. Your kids emulate you. When you love it, they will love it too.

While I would love to expand on this more (and trust me, I could probably write an entire novel), some great books to check out on this topic include: Teach Like a Champion by: Doug Lemov and Teach Like a Pirate by: Dave Burgess.

A favorite quote from Teach Like a Pirate:

"We need to be mavericks and renegades who are willing to use unorthodox tactics to spark and kindle the flame of creativity and imagination in the minds of the young."

2.) Emphasize Attendance

The greatest loss of student learning time results from students arriving late or missing school entirely. Some ideas to increase student attendance include:

Make your classroom so much fun that students don't want to miss.
Create as many home to school contacts as possible. Call as often as possible, make home to school visits, invite parents in for anything and everything possible. If parents feel welcome and invited they will do everything in their power to make sure their child comes to school every day.
Reward and recognize strong attendance both school-wide and in your own classroom. A simple bulletin board, or monthly celebration with hand-made certificates means so much to those students!

Unfortunately, this is a broken pin/image only. If you happen to know the owner, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

Photo courtesy of: My Classroom Ideas

Unfortunately, this is a broken pin/image only. If you happen to know the owner, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

3.) Minimize Non-Instructional Time

This could be another obvious point. If you're working on maximizing student engagement and time on task, then your obviously working to minimize non-instructional time, right? And let's face it, transitions, bathroom breaks, and waiting in line for music class are a must.

So, instead of offering ideas on how to minimize non-instructional time, I thought I'd put a spin on this and instead give you ideas to make the most out of your non-instructional times!

The ideas come from your fellow teachers (I asked teachers through my Young Teacher Love Facebook page), and the ideas are amazing! Click here to grab 5 pages of ideas!

And for the ultimate idea on minimizing non-instructional time, The Restroom Review Bulletin Board! This genius idea was thought up by the fabulous Jodi Southard over at Fun in First!

Jodi gave me permission to use the pictures from her blog because this idea is just too great not to share! Check out her post here!

I'm linking up with some incredible bloggers for the Bright Ideas Blog Hop!

The purpose of this hop is for our readers to gather as many great ideas as possible to implement in their classroom!

Head on over to All Things Apple in 2nd to check out Nicole's fabulous post on Using Technology During Daily 5!

And there is more! Visit all of the blogs on the Bright Ideas Blog Hop for even more bright ideas! Enjoy!

More Bright Ideas for Lower Grades:

1. Using Hallway Time Wisely	2. Adding In Movement	3. Three Steps to Increased Student Engagement	4. Partner Talk Tips
5. Singapore Math	6. Start a Kindness Revolution	7. Easy No Sew Chair Pockets	8. Managing Your Turn-In Tray
9. Valentine's Day Door for Craft-Phobic Teachers	10. Tips from the Trenches	11. Fluency Tips and Tricks	12. Fishies Can't Write ~ Writing with Class Mascots
13. Goodbye Carpet Squares!	14. Science Centers from Dollar Store Finds	15. Interrupter Stopper! Classroom Management	16. Color Coding Text Evidence
17. School-year Resolutions!	18. Student Leaving the Classroom Board	19. Unique Art Ideas	20. Brain Breaks for Winter
21. Gallery Walk	22. Dice and card games	23. Reading Instruction with Readworks	24. Blurt Chart + Minute to Win It
25. Class/Student Supplies	26. Learning CAN come from Creative Hands	27. DIY Privacy Screens	28. Whole Brain Teaching The BIG 7
29. Celebrate Writing	30. Tap Light Ideas	31. Adapting activities	32. Organizing Student Data
33. Cooperative Learning	34. Edible Science	35. Don't Rip Your Hair Out - Classroom Management	36. Bright Ideas for iPads in Elementary
37. Simple 5 Minute Game	38. In case of emergency	39. A Differentiated Kindergarten Bright Idea	40. The Many Uses of Mini-Desks!
41. Classroom Management & Brain Break Ideas!	42. Pinterest for Smooth Transitions	43. Word Making Fun	44. Technology in the Classroom
45. Keep 'Em Learning in the Hall!	46. Teacher's Technology Station	47. Building Reading Stamina in Kindergarten	48. Don't Waste a Second!
49. Managing Computer Time	50. A Classroom Bank	51. Classroom Management...When all else fails....	52. Using Sentence Frames To Help Students Write
53. Data Notebooks in Kindergraten	54. Making Every Minute Count with Math Facts	55. Help from DonorsChoose	56. Save Time With Labels
57. good behavior... no matter where you are!	58. All About Fidgets!	59. Math Journal Fun!	60. GINORMOUS TUB Organization
61. Magic e sort	62. Keeping Kinders Organized	63. Building Vocabulary	64. Scientist Lab Coats in 3 Easy Steps
65. A Solution To Copycats	66. High Fliers	67. Teacher Heaven	68. Easily Distracted Students
69. Colorful Center Creation Idea	70. Whole Brain Teaching: Super Improver Wall	71. Twitter, Tweets & Graffiti	72. Best Toolbox E V E R!
73. Dollar Store Items in the Classroom	74. Organizing Supplies	75. Early Number Ideas Using Feet	76. Interactive Word Wall
77. Small Group Writing Conferences	78. Kidblog in the Classroom	79. Visual Spelling Practice	80. A TOUCH of Technology during Daily 5
81. Offering Choice in the Classroom	82. Accountable Talk	83. Displaying Student Work	84. Portfolio Writing
85. Ten Tips For Helping Learning Stick	86. Why didn't I think of that! {organization}	87. Creating with Classroom Materials	88. Writing mini-rubrics
89. Literacy Studio	90. Attention Getting Signals	91. Organizing Games in the Classroom	92. Making word work independent!
93. Coin Counting Fluency	94. Reusing Containers for Learning	95. Get Kids Moving- AND Learning!	96. Groundhogs and Shadows
97. Think Math	98. Engage Students Outdoors with Authentic Writing	99. Organizing Classroom School Supplies	100. An Adaptable Learning Game
101. Communicating with Gen Ed Teachers	102. Classroom Organization	103. Organizing Guided Reading Time	104. Beginning Letter Sounds Game and Song
105. Book Box Organization	106. Birthdays & Student Jobs	107. Behavior Management Ideas

(Linkup closed)

More Bright Ideas for Upper Grades:

1. Critical and Creative Thinking in Minutes A Day!	2. Get great discussions going in your room!	3. Organizing Lesson Plans	4. Indoor Recess: Try Mum Ball?
5. 7-Up! Introducing New Vocabulary	6. Math Manipulatives on a Budget	7. Secret Student (Even for Big Kids)	8. Displaying Mentor Texts
9. Just Add Kids and Questions- Quick Review Game	10. Classroom Organization: Colored Pencils	11. Save Your Old Cords	12. Making Meaningful Connections
13. The BIG Move (From Primary to Intermediate)	14. Planning with Pinterest	15. Making the Most of Classroom Jobs	16. Igniting a Passion for Learning in Kids!
17. Building Fluency	18. Ideas to Maximize Learning in the Classroom	19. Ten Tips for Making Learning Stick	20. Room Organization
21. Special Delivery Book Bags	22. Using WebQuests	23. Attention Getting Signals	24. Organization in a Departmentalized Classroom
25. Mixing Guided Reading and Literature Circles	26. Student Response Cards & Organization	27. $2 Versatile Valentine's Center	28. Make Grading a Little Easier
29. Stress Relievers for a Bright Teacher!!

English Language Arts Print and Go Freebie!

2014-01-03T15:36:00.000-05:00

Happy snow day everyone! Well…at least to my midwest and northeast friends, right?! BRR! It is cold! I hope you are all staying safe and warm! And to my friends in the south, or wherever you are that's warm, we are all very jealous!

This has been my view for the last two days:

I swear the pictures don't do the amount of snow justice! And yes, my backyard is the size of a football field. But the blue skies look gorgeous today!

The picture below was from the night it started. You can't even see the sidewalk, and it kept snowing like this for 24 more hours…

So, what's a girl to do when she's all cooped up in the house? Make a HUGE freebie for you all, of course!

The feedback and comments I've received lately have been so kind, and I am so appreciative of all the love. So to say thank you, I created this English Language Arts Winter Print and Go Freebie!

I've loaded this freebie with three pages of review on the 4th and 5th Grade Language Common Core Standards.

Answer keys are included too!

I've also included a winter-themed nonfiction reading passage that ties into science.

With the nonfiction passage, I've included 5 assessment questions that are aligned to multiple Reading Informational Text Standards. The assessment questions are a mix of multiple choice and written response questions, with answer keys included.

Lastly, there is a winter-themed fiction passage.

With this fiction passage, I've included 5 assessment questions that align to the Reading Literature Standards. Like the nonfiction assessment questions, these questions are also a mix of multiple choice and written response questions, with answer keys included too!

Click here to grab this freebie! All you have to do is print, copy, and go!

Enjoy! I'm spending the rest of my snow day relaxing on the couch and staying warm!

My Entire Store is 20% Off!

2013-12-31T12:06:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year's Eve blog world! To celebrate 2013, and ring in what I think is going to be a FABULOUS 2014 {I'm getting married!!!!} I'm throwing my entire store on sale at 20% off!

Now is the time to stock up on everything to kick off the new year and start implementing my Student Data Tracking Binders and assessments, winter and Valentine's Day treats, my March Madness Basketball Project, and more!

Click HERE to check out my store!

Thanks to Hope King for this adorable sale button! :)

Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

Student Data Tracking Binders Implementation Update and a Giveaway!

2013-12-29T15:21:00.002-05:00

I just want to give my readers a quick heads up!

I have completely updated my Student Data Tracking Binder implementation blog post. You can read the updated post HERE.

I edited the post to make it even easier for you to implement in your classroom! It's a great system, and I have seen tremendous growth and intrinsic motivation from my students. I sometimes want to scream about them from a mountain top! :)

I am also currently working on updated binder covers that are in that post, so check back for those soon!

Lastly, for you blog readers that may not follow me on my Young Teacher Love Facebook page, I am giving two teachers the chance to win their grade level's Math and ELA Student Data Tracking Binder for free!

Head on over to my Young Teacher Love Facebook page to enter for the chance to win! I will choose two winners by tonight!

Have a great Sunday!

Color by Number for Big Kids {5th Grade Common Core Math All Standards}	Color by Number for Big Kids {4th Grade Common Core Math All Standards}	Review Problems {5th Grade Fractions}	Bundled Review (5th Grade Math)
4th Grade Math Review	4th Grade Math Bundled Review	6th Grade Math Assessments	5th Grade Math Assessments
4th Grade Math Assessments	3rd Grade Math Assessments	Morning Work Daily Review {5th Grade Math and ELA}	March Madness Basketball Project
Valentine Themed Math Games, Centers and Activity Pack {Common Core}	Thanksgiving and Fall Themed Math Centers and Activities {Common Core Aligned}	Christmas and Winter Themed Math Centers and Activities {Common Core Aligned}