A Modern Teacher

1 Mom, 9 Aunts, 2+ Kids {and a Partridge in a Pear Tree}

2013-05-12T14:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day! To all you moms out there who work day in and day out at this whole "mom thing": I hope you have a wonderful day!

Today I thought I would share some very special ladies in my life. I am extremely blessed to have my mom in my life. She is a strong woman with a passion for Christ and creating all sorts of things with her amazing talent of sewing (she sewed my wedding dress, to name just one thing) and crocheting/knitting. She loves to read and loves her grandchildren.

Here is a picture of me and my mom from many moons ago:

I am SO very blessed to have had 2 grandmas I knew very well growing up and continue to know so well. Here is a picture of my mom and my "gram" and "grandma d". Although Grandma D has passed she is still alive in spirit...I even named my daughter after her. :)

My mom says "it takes a village to raise a child". I firmly agree and so I thought I would share a picture of my aunts. Since my mom had me at a young age of 21, I think these gorgeous ladies had A LOT to do with the love in my heart. I have 7 aunts on my mom's side and 2 aunts on my dad's side. The first picture was taken at my wedding with my mom directly to the right of me and my gram right beside her and my aunts on my mom's side.

The next 2 pictures are of my aunts on my dad's side. (excuse this first picture of me--I was VERY pregnant when it was taken :)

And now, well, I am beyond happy to have 2 beautiful children in my life. They are huge blessings from above. Despite the immense lack of sleep, the constant 'doing' for them, and the pure energy it takes to make life fun and purposeful for them, it is all worth it! My heart could burst with all the love I have for them. I wouldn't change it for the world!!

Did you see the + up there in the title? Well, we are expecting #3 in October!!! (picture to come soon) We can't believe it but we are thrilled.

To celebrate Mother's Day and a much needed Teacher Appreciation Week, I will be giving away 1 Teacher Planner (your choice) and 1 Student Planner (your choice of 1 kinder, first, second, or third grade) and a $20 gift card to Target to splurge something on yourself. Just leave a comment below with one word that describes your mom. No need to be a mom to enter! I will choose one winner from random.org. I will update this post and let you know who wins. So don't hesitate to enter. Contest runs from now until 9:00pm Central Time.

Contest is now over. Thank you to everyone who responded. I loved reading all of your comments! Thanks for all the well wishes.
Random.org chose Ashlyn E. Congratulations Ashlyn!!
She wrote:
"Priceless.... To be a mother is a reward and moms don't get paid money for this selfless job. But the job and responsibility are priceless. No other job is like it. I'm grateful for my priceless mother who could never be replaced!! Happy Mothers Day!!!"

Expect an email from me tonight.

Again, thanks to all you moms and teachers out there!! You truly make a difference in children's lives. Have a wonderful week! ~April

Who Do We Appreciate?

2013-05-06T02:20:00.000-05:00

love this graphic from The School Supply Addict!

Monday morning and it is on! Teacher Appreciation Week that is! I appreciate each one of you. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I especially know your kids do. It might not always seem like they do but they do.

To celebrate, I am having a HUGE SALE on Teachers Pay Teachers. I want to participate fully in the sale so all of my resources will be 20% off starting today. Yup. Today. The sale will last 3 days. In addition, if you want an extra 8% off, Teachers Pay Teachers will have an additional percentage off with the code: TAD13 starting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 7th and ending May 8th.

I thought it would be fun to join a couple of parties so I am linking up with Stephanie from Falling into First and Christina from Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge. So fun!

First Party Stop:

I know you are thinking about next year--face it :) You want to get some things in your file ready so in June you don't have to worry about it (as much). Well, I have come out with some tools to help you with that:

6 different Teacher Planners to choose from:

Choose from those with Bright Covers:
Happy Day!
Chevron Chic
Who Has It Together?

Or Black and White and Grey Covers:
Chalk It Up!
A Shade of Grey
Black and White Damask

And Student Planners for K-3rd Grade:
Kinder
First
Second
Third

On to the next party!

Christina is having a party geared around feedback. I think it is a fabulous idea! The idea is to highlight some feedback from buyers. I have chosen 3 teacher feedback to share on the Teacher Planners:

It is time to SAVE! So start shopping. Have fun!

PS Are you a blogger and having a sale? Come party and link up on Falling Into First.

Setting Up Routines for Student Success {with a useful and easy tool}

2013-04-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

7:51 Pledge
11:53 Lunch
12:27 Recess

Teachers have exact times for everything during the school day. Be in line at this particular minute...arrive at the lunchroom door at this minute....go to the bathroom at this minute...you know how it goes!! Now, I don't know what you do after 3:30 but during the day, there is definitely a routine. The school is successful with the routine. It runs smoothly. Just as the school is successful, in my opinion, kids can be successful with routines. They thrive on routines at school (with flexibility, changes, and surprises within those routines).

So, a very important time during the school day is the first 30 minutes. The first 30 minutes sets up most of the tone for the entire day (to me). And Monday mornings. Whew! Monday mornings can be exhausting. However, Monday mornings can also set your students up for success for the entire week. On Monday mornings, we always had a "Monday Goal-Setting Meeting" which took place right after our morning meeting. On that day, we usually put any birthdays, events, and goals for each subject in our planner. Planner? Yes, we had a standard planner for the entire school. Well, one for K-2 and one for 3-5. The planner was ok. Just ok. Allright, who am I kidding, it stunk! There was not enough room for the students to write, it didn't include a birthday page, no weather page, the monthly page was too small, and communication for the parents was lacking. What do you know, I CREATED ONE!

With this tool, you can set up the routine for the week. Let me show you the highlights. (Please check out the store for a full preview.)

First up, resources for parents. I think it is helpful for parents to know what terms their child is learning. It allows them to help with homework more effectively. I have also included a parent resource that lists all of the Common Core Standards ("My child can..."). I have found most parents want to know the specific standards or objectives...they want to know what their child is learning.

My favorite part for parents is the parent communication page with enough room to write and communicate to the parent (and for them to communicate back)!

Next, resources for students at home. The planner includes content like geometric shapes and addition facts (to name just a couple). Relevant resources for each grade level.

Of course, resources for students at school. For example: a weather graph, a birthday calendar, a contact page, a schedule page, a weekly goal-setting page.

The planner also comes with monthly pages you can use for events, calendar practice, and/or parent communication. One month is editable (yes, you read that right--editable in Power Point). You can use this template for however long you would like. I also included months August 2013-June 2014 in case you want it done for you. On this calendar, there is a spot for parent initials. Next year, the plan is to come out with another planner for 2014-2015 already done and ready for you to go with the option of using it forever if you edit it in Power Point.

Oh and don't forget! This planner comes with kid-friendly Common Core posters. I created this so you can display the posters for the students while writing their goals for the week. The posters say "I am learning to..."

I did mention editable--right? YES! The planner is editable or programmable in the fields where you type. For example, you can type the students' names, however, you can't change the wording of the Common Core posters. You can type your name or the events of the month, but you can't change where the word 'August' is written. Basically, anywhere there is a field, you can type the information. You can not change the template or the wording on any part of the planner (copyright law).

You can put it in a folder:

A binder:

Or have it comb or coil bound (I used a great binding machine from mybinding.com):

I truly, truly hope this helps with routines, goal-setting, and parent communication.

For KINDERGARTEN PLANNERS CLICK HERE

For FIRST GRADE PLANNERS CLICK HERE

For SECOND GRADE PLANNERS CLICK HERE

For THIRD GRADE PLANNERS CLICK HERE

What do you think? Is this something you could use? ~~I will be having a giveaway for two of these planners in addition to a teacher planner (two winners) that starts now and will last until 8:00PM central time~~. ~~Just leave a comment below with your email address. I will use random.org to select a winner. Nothing fancy. No major requirements.~~ The giveaway is now over. Thank you for entering!!! I would love, love, love a pin to pass along the information but not required. Just let me know if this is something you could use or what you think about this project I've been working on.

Of course, if you want a planner for yourself, check out the many different Teacher Planners in the store.

Thank you for ALL of your support. Y'all are awesome!!!!

Thank you for entering the giveaway!! It is now 8:00PM Central time so the giveaway is over.

The winners of the giveaway are......

Miss B and Steph B!!!!! Look for an email from me tonight. Thanks again for all your support.

Have a fabulous week!!

~April

The Goods Inside the Teacher and Lesson Planners

2013-04-07T17:01:00.001-05:00

Want the goods? I have had a few requests to show you real pictures of what is inside the planners. I am BEYOND excited to share with you what is inside and POSSIBLE. So, without much chatter, here are some pictures of THE GOODS:

These are in all of the planners: Happy Day, Chevron Chic, A Shade of Grey, Who Has It Together?, Black and White Damask, and Chalk It Up!

To see the original post with the covers and more information, click HERE.

Planners have an option for a 2-page monthly spread:

or a single page Monthly Page:

You can either use the labels I wrote for each subject on the weekly lesson plan page:

Or you can use your own labels:

Cover pages and Common Core State Standards listed (K-5):

These pages shows you how you can type it in (in Power Point) or you can insert images for visual lesson plans:

{notice this page is also printed in grayscale--which comes out great too}

So, there you have some idea of what is inside. Remember the 6th Grade Planners and Texas Planners will be coming out later next week and the week after that.

I am so excited to share these with you!!! Thank you for all your support!
~April

They are here!

2013-04-03T17:43:00.001-05:00

Finally! I have been working on these for months now and I am happy to let you know the 2013-2014 Modern Teacher Planners are HERE!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am to share these with you. I've tweaked and tweaked and tweaked, more than I'd like to admit, to make them just right for YOU. I have added over 30 pages to these planners to make sure I cover everything for you to plan your school day in a fun and simple way. So, without waiting a second longer.....

There are a few different designs to choose from:

Shade of Gray Teacher & Lesson Planner (with Common Core SS):

Happy Day! Teacher & Lesson Planner (with Common Core SS):

Chevron Chic Teacher & Lesson Planner (with Common Core SS):

Chalk It Up! Teacher & Lesson Planner (with Common Core SS):

Who Has It Together? Teacher & Lesson Planner (with Common Core SS):

AND...bringing back for another year (with tons of updates): Black and White Damask Teacher & Lesson Planner (with Common Core SS)

The goods inside (of course it will have all the basics...this is just in addition to those):

I'd love for you to check them out!! Happy Day, Chevron Chic, A Shade of Grey, Chalk It Up!, Who Has It Together?, and Black and White Damask.

6th Grade Teacher? There are 3 designs for you to choose from: Chevron Chic, Black and White Damask, and Chalk It Up!. These planners has the 6th Grade Common Core Standards.

And of course, Texas Teachers :) There are also 3 designs for you to choose from: Chevron Chic, Happy Day!, and Black and White Damask. They have all the TEKS (oh my) for this school year. If TEA makes any changes I will add an 'addendum' page in August for the new TEKS. They usually don't make their final revisions until the summer.

Which planner do you like? Sorry I had to turn on the comment box. (too many spam comments-ugh.) I'll be giving away some for free later this week and will announce it on Facebook so stay tuned to your feed and be sure to follow A Modern Teacher on Facebook.

Thank you for all your support!!! I can't believe it has been a year since I followed my heart (and my husband) on these!

Happy Planning!
April

After Spring Break :: Incentive Idea

2013-03-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

It's that time of the year. After Spring Break. Everyone is tired, including you. I'm sure you're thinking "How many more days until summer?" You probably started counting down. Ha! Well, just like you the kids start thinking the same thing. Maybe you need some new incentives to get to that last week.

Here is an idea: {a little DIY} cheap but can buy you a few weeks of kids making good choices :)

Get yourself a little owl, frog, flamingo...whatever...maybe your class or school mascot or your theme...any sort of statue (our librarian used a gnome) and paint it gold (nothing rocket science here). All of a sudden you have "The Golden Owl". Have kids earn the privilege to keep the statue at their desk for the day. Your kids could name it or write their names on it to gain some buy-in to the new incentive. They will go bonkers because they get to keep the "golden" whatever for a day. I like to bring this out this time of the year. I think it is important to save some tricks for the home stretch.

That's it! Easy peasy.

Do you have something you bring out towards the end of the year to 'make-it'? I'd love to hear it. I apologize for having to turn on the stinkin' comment thingy. I have been getting to many spam messages and it was clogging up my email. Ugh!

~April

Love them Task Cards and a Freebie!

2013-03-16T15:34:00.001-05:00

I first saw task cards back in 2004. They were in a recipe card box and were printed on cards the size of index cards. I had a set for different reading skills like main idea, setting, sequencing and so on. I still have them! (They are packed away or I would take a picture and show you). There were paragraphs at the top and then a couple of questions with multiple choice following the paragraphs. I loved them for a lot of reasons. Which you can find HERE when I posted about them last year.

So, when I moved districts, the school I moved to was very much 'no multiple choice anything' until test prep (which we weren't allowed to do until January). Oh no! What about these task cards?...I thought they would be a perfect addition to a third grade classroom. That could I only mean I had to...change them up...to work for me, my classroom, and my new school. Now, my task cards ask students to complete hands-on tasks. Except for the test prep cards and the graphing cards, there are no multiple choice answers on my task cards. Each task doesn't require many supplies, just items you find around the room or at home. But I love them. Still work the exact same way as my first set of task cards. Move around the room, put at a station, perfect for early finishers...the list goes on....they really can be used in so many ways. I don't have too many but last year I did create a few sets of task cards that are in my shop. I would love it if you checked them out.

(this bundled pack includes the "Spring Graphing Task Cards")

I've also got a fun freebie to share with you. One of you all's favorite freebies is the gradebook and daily scheduler. So, I created one with a spring theme. Just adding a bit of colors to the mix.

You can click HERE to pick it up.

Do you use task cards? What is your favorite aspect of task cards?

Enjoy!
Happy Teaching
~April

15+ St. Patrick's Day Freebies and Fun Ideas

2013-03-06T11:43:00.000-06:00

I don't get to do this much but there are some fabulous freebies out there for St. Patrick's Day! So, I decided to collect a few for you (Kinder-3rd) and link them all in one place. Hope it helps. Enjoy!

For Kinder-First Grade, check these out:

Addition and Subtraction with Lucky Leprechaun

Leprechaun Leap: CVC Game

St. Patrick's Day I have, Who has

St. Patrick's Day Bingo

St. Patrick's Day Writing Prompts

Don't forget my glyph from last year.

For Second-Third Grade:

St. Patrick's Day Math Printables

St. Patrick's Day Creative Writing

St. Patrick's Day Math Word Problems

(one was removed because it is now a paid product)

And don't forget about the Symmetrical Shamrocks I created last year and the Math and Literacy Task Cards.

And here are some free digital papers you might enjoy for all your creations:

St. Patrick's Day Paper Pack

St. Patrick's Day Paper Pack

St. Patrick's Day Papers and Clipart

AND 2 more:

A Treat Topper for your students {Lucky Charms}

St. Patrick's Day nameplates to make your room festive!

Do you do anything fun for St. Patrick's Day in your classroom? Hide a leprechaun? I'd love to hear in the comments below. :)

Happy Teaching!
~April

The winner is announced!

2013-03-04T11:36:00.000-06:00

The winner for the Silhouette Portrait is........ Brandi K. Brandi, I have sent you an email. Please check your inbox.

Thank you to all who have participated in the giveaway. Please do not forget you can get some amazing discounts up through March 8th from Silhouette. Just click HERE and don't forget to enter MODERN to receive the maximum discounts.

As a reminder, here are the discounts:

*** A Silhouette Portrait ($160 Educator pricing) and the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition Software ($39.99 Educator pricing) for $179.99

*** A Silhouette CAMEO ($240 Educator pricing) and the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition Software ($39.99 Educator pricing) for $269.99

***OR if you need to upgrade to the Designer Edition Software you can for $24.99

Have a great week!
~April

DIY, Organize, AND BIG Time Giveaway! {starts with an S}

2013-02-28T06:10:00.000-06:00

Guided Reading happens in a very short amount time. Don't you feel you have to be super organized to get the most bang for your buck? Today, I wanted to share with you some things in my GR toolbox. AND I wanted to share with you how I jazzed up my box (which you can get from IKEA for 5 bucks and the dividers are moveable, which makes it great for making the perfect size compartments). Oh! And don't forget the giveaway!

First of all...let me share about all the "jazzy-ness"...

You know how much I love chevron. Well, I really wanted to add some chevron-love to my box and label my box with some fun letters.

To get it all done, I used my silhouette. Right now I have the Silhouette Cameo, BUT Silhouette has come out with a new smaller version of what I have called the Silhouette Portrait. It is just like the Cameo but is smaller and thus less expensive. Here is a video to find out more about the Portrait:

{You can visit their blog for a ton of ideas and really see what this machine can do.}

Using my Designer Edition Software, I typed up the letters--this font is from KG fonts (which you can get for FREE/personal use on Teachers Pay Teachers) called "The Last Time {Bubble}." So, the cool thing about the Silhouette is that you can use any of your own fonts on your computer. This works out great because I have an obsession with fonts. :)

Then I headed over to the Silhouette Store to pick up a chevron design (you don't have to buy any design to use the machine--in fact, this was my first time to the store). I found 6 different border designs in a single download for 99 cents. ! One of the borders was exactly what I was looking for. I inserted this design and then sent to the machine and viola...my words and border were done. I applied them (I used silver vinyl) and my toolbox is now all jazzed-up.

Now for the inside. Here are my goods for guided reading:
a timer (for running records)
highlighter tape (focus on words or part of word)
sticky paper (connections, questions, new learnings)
notecards (same but with lines)
highlighter (for my use)
sentence strip bookmark (highlights words and sentences for students)
extra large popsicle sticks (spacing)
stickers (incentives)
beads (I wear beads to let other students know I am busy and they will have to solve their question. I just hold them up if they approach the table. I have seen other teachers wear a crown or some other fun piece.)

What do you keep in your Guided Reading Toolbox? Do you have something you just can't live without?

AND NOW...... THE GIVEAWAY!

FIRST, Silhouette is offering some pretty steep discounts for educators that will run starting today, February 28th-March 8th.

*** A Silhouette Portrait ($160 Educator pricing) and the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition Software ($39.99 Educator pricing) for $179.99

*** A Silhouette CAMEO ($240 Educator pricing) and the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition Software ($39.99 Educator pricing) for $269.99

***OR if you need to upgrade to the Designer Edition Software you can for $24.99

In order to get these discounts, you have to go HERE and enter the promocode MODERN.

In addition to the steep discounts, Silhouette is going to give ONE of my readers a SILHOUETTE PORTRAIT ($160 value)!!! Yahoo!

Here are the giveaway/contest details:

*One winner will be chosen.
*Contest runs from today (February 28-March 4th)
*Winner will be announced March 4th

*3 easy requirements:
---sign-up for A Modern Teacher's Newsletter
---LIKE A Modern Teacher on Facebook
---Follow A Modern Teacher's Store on Teachers Pay Teachers

*For extra entries:
---comment below
---follow A Modern Teacher's Blog (you can use anything like Google Reader, RSS feed, email)
---Pin the image of the toolbox
---Pin something from my store

Use Rafflecopter below to enter. You will see all the ways to enter in this window. Sign in to participate.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

St. Patrick's Day Freebies

2013-02-22T06:10:00.000-06:00

Got a little freebie to bring back today! I say bring back because I originally posted this last year. My son had so much fun doing it, I thought it would be worth the reminder.

It is a Leprechaun Glyph! Perfect for kinder or 1st grade. And my little preschooler had fun making it--minus the cutting from yours truly.

I also have 3 other freebies for St. Patrick's Day that I posted last year (I participated in a huge link-up! :) One is just a quick craft , the other is for 2nd and 3rd grade kiddos, reinforcing symmetry and congruency, and the last one is perfect for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade: Math and Literacy Task Cards.

I hope you have plenty o'fun!!

Feel free to pin or share on facebook.

A Couple of Parties

2013-02-21T20:30:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to join the fun and go to a couple of parties--linky that is :) First up, I am joining Amy from Literacy and Laughter with her Love Notes Link Up. Just a few tidbits about me...

"Lovely List"
Name: April
Grade: I taught third for five years and second for 6 years; now I'm at home with a not-so-new baby; BUT I'm teaching reading and math to a preschooler
State: Texas
Birthday: April 13th
Favorite Colors: blue, white

Lucky Number: ...hmmm...I have a couple :)
Favorite Subject to Teach: Reading
Go-to Snack: anything sweet (but not candy)
TV Show: Shark Tank
Last Movie You Watched: Chicken Little
Music you are lovin right now: Mumford and Sons
Always shopping at: Target and Hobby Lobby
Word of the day: Inspired

"Love Links":
Blog that I'm Lovin' Right Now:
I heartorganizing (wait--I've been obsessed with that blog for awhile now)
OK.... House of Smiths

A Product that I adore:
I haven't bought anything in awhile :(

"We'd all love to know..."
1. What are your favorite hobbies? I love to pin, read, and craft.
2. What is your favorite vacation destination? hmmm...this is a hard one for me...I can't decide...ok...close to home with my family...Port Aransas, Texas...far away in my single days...Mallorca, Spain
3. Most rewarding part of teaching? Seeing it 'click' for a kid....hearing them say thank you....after many years....them remembering me and what made me special and how that impacted them
4. What are you known for? ??
5. 2 random facts:
I'm a scuba diver. I'm the oldest of 21 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
6. The loves of my life:

I'm sorry I don't have too many pictures to add here. This computer is newer and I can't get my hands on much. ugh :(

I'm also
joining Blog Hoppin's Show Us What You Bought Party

I bought some clip art from the super creative Ashley from The School Supply Addict.

Are you Pinterest Savvy?

2013-02-18T10:25:00.001-06:00

Pinterest is the fastest growing social media network. I bet you knew that. Did you know it already has 23 million users! Oh.my.word. That is a lot of users. The funny thing is...it is just beginning. Pinterest really just came into main stream in the fall of 2011. Since then, it is taking off and has changed everything about blogging, websites, businesses and homes in general across the world. I would think it is safe to say that craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michaels have seen a huge increase in sales. I wish I had bought stock in those companies before 2011 :)

Do you 'get' pinterest? Do you feel you are a master pinner? If you are a blogger or have any business, pinterest is super important. For me personally, it is my #1 traffic source for this blog. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran, I have a suggestion for you. I suggest reading Pinterest Savvy. It will be worth your time. Melissa from Imagination Soup, has published this ebook sharing all kinds of tidbits about Pinterest. I had the privilege of reading the ebook. Within minutes, I made some changes.

What I like about Pinterest Savvy:

* easy to read
* tips for beginners to pros
* some really good 'dos' and 'don'ts'

Here are some favorite quotes from the ebook:

One comes from one of my favorite bloggers, Amy from Living Locurto:

"Never re-pin unless you know that the link is correct and not spam."

Want to know how to make sure you are repinning correctly? This ebook will help with that.

From Zina of Let's Lasso the Moon (another favorite blogger):

"Be informal."

Hmmmm...find out more in the ebook. :)

You can check out the ebook and get more information here: Pinterest Savvy: How I Got 1 Million+ Followers

Have a great week!

~April

PS Be sure to see my latest pins on my pinterest boards :) THANKS!!

Happy Reading!

2013-02-08T06:30:00.000-06:00

Awhile back I had a reader ask how I teach reading. I could talk forever about reading. I LOVE teaching reading. However, I thought I would sum up my favorite resources and my reading block for you in one little post. Please remember...Reading Block is dynamic (as it should be) so I say this with the idea that it can change. As you know, this is my 2nd year at home with my new baby (well, not so new anymore) and although I am not teaching reading in a classroom to 2nd or 3rd graders, I am now teaching reading to a preschooler (my older kiddo just dying to learn to put letters and sounds together). I love it! However, by no means am I the end-all-know-all. I am going out of my comfort zone today (which I love by the way) and am so honored to be answering this question.

My reading block has mostly been a reading workshop model with a Daily 5 type of environment. During the last 3 years of my teaching, my team and I integrated reading and writing together. It was a challenge and was just getting off the ground but it was good. Good for the kids and good for time management. So, to begin the literacy block I always started with some sort of read aloud...a picture book. During this time I modeled whatever skill I wanted them to learn. I never tell them "today I'm going to teach you...." After years of doing this (and when the Texas Objectives first came out, I would post the objectives right away)...not anymore. We have moved away from that. I first just start reading...model, model, model and then after they start contributing I say "you know what you just did....you _____" then I can stress the skill or objective. There has to be some sort of buy-in. Usually the first day of the week I started with the 'To' approach...gradually moving into the 'With' and then wrapping it up with the 'By'. This meant I scaffolded the learning. Lots of anchor charts were used...no pre-made charts though. I wrote the words the kids actually said and organized them in a way to teach the skill. We then went into some sort of Daily 5 routine, or some sort of partner practice, or an individual practice. Some weeks we had 'book clubs'...a term I used for 'literature circles' during this time. After this, we always had self-sustained reading, during which time I pulled guided reading groups. Usually I met with 2 groups a day. On a really, really good day, I would meet with 3. We finished up with a sharing component.

Then, during the writing block (every day), we had more concentrated word work at the beginning of the block. I used whichever book I read during reading time to model the writer's craft. I completed a very short model of the skill and then we went into writing workshop. Kids write---I pull students (sometimes individually, sometimes in pairs, and sometimes in small groups)--then we share. I would find a couple of students who did exactly what the lesson for the day was and highlighted their work. This was in addition to the students who got to share.

In a nutshell, this is my literacy block. I hope I didn't forget anything and I hope this helps! I tried to make this as concise as possible.

Really these resources are what have formed my literacy time:

Guiding Readers and Writers and Guided Reading by Fontas and Pinnell
Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller
The Daily 5 by Boushey and Moser

And I forgot an important one:

Strategies That Work by Harvey and Goudvis

writing resources:

The Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Writing by Lucy Calkins
Writing Workshop by Ralph Fletcher
Notebook Know-How by Buckner and Fletcher
A Writer's Notebook by Ralph Fletcher
Craft Lessons by Ralph Fletcher

Again, I hope this helps. Thanks so much for asking. You all are the BEST! So, your turn! What is your favorite reading or writing resource? I would love to hear from you!

{LOVE} Your Books!

2013-02-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy February! Now Valentine's Day is really right around the corner. And if you haven't guessed by now from THIS POST or THIS POST, I love Valentine's. One of the things I love and want to pass along...is the love of reading and books. So, I came up with this little valentine you could make and give your students (or your own children). The fun little add-on to this bookmark is a magnet!

Here's the scoop {super easy and comes with a free printable}:

First, follow the link HERE for the free printable.

Print out on cardstock.

Add your signature on the back (optional).

Cut the bookmark out.

Add a thin magnet (I use the magnet sheets that are postcard size from Office Max)to both hearts (needs to cover a large amount of space but not be too heavy).

That's it!

***You could also do this with felt hearts. They worked great with the magnets too. The only thing is you can't write on it (well, it is hard to do that).

Don't forget: you can add it to the Owl Craftivity or the Valentine's Party Pack I have in my store.

Hope you like it. I tried to create something a busy teacher like you could really use. If you like it...you are more than welcome to pin it or comment below..... :)

~April

Sharing this on Manic Monday!

Super Bowl Sale this Sunday!

2013-02-01T14:07:00.000-06:00

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Which team are you going for? Me? No one. Just hope for a good game. I love football but not professional so much--I'm a college football fan (gig 'em Aggies--little plug there-haha!). BUT I do like a good football game, commercials, and half-time shows (the Aggie Band has always been my favorite--another little shameless plug). What about you? Football fan? Or no thanks?

Ok--SMART TEACHERS--the real reason why I'm writing today is to tell you about a HUGE SALE!! We don't get to do many sales as an entire site and it is not very often you get this steep of a discount. So STOCK UP!

All of my products will be 20% off! So start shopping :)

Check out a few favorites of mine:

Owl Craftivity for Valentine's Day

The Valentine's Party Pack

And still a favorite---Guided Reading Starter Sticks (I have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the shop).

Happy Sunday! Have a great day and a great week!

I am linking up with my friend Stephanie from Falling into First. Come join the fun and check out other stores who will be participating in the sale. Thanks Stephanie for hosting.

Feel free to pin any of the images.

~April

January Teacher Expenses {Freebie}

2013-01-29T14:00:00.000-06:00

Expenses! Ugh! It is a necessary evil. {Just kidding} {No REALLY...}

I know...I know...money comes out of your own pocket to help create a successful learning environment. You're a teacher. That is the way it is. Now, I will say that over the years, (and it probably took me about 5 years to realize this), I truly believe there are ways to help cut cost, however, it still happens. So, at the end of every month, I hope to post a little reminder to write down those expenses. {Especially if you are a blogger or create products!}

I know there are great programs like QuickBooks and Outright.com (I've heard rave reviews about this mostly free site) but I haven't used them yet so I can't really recommend them. Hopefully, I will transition to one of them sometime this year. Until then, especially if you do not blog or create products, this printable can be super helpful to keep track of monthly expenses.

Click HERE or click on the image to grab it for free.

Hope it helps!

Do you use a particular program you find helpful? If you like this printable, you are more than welcome to pin it or share it on facebook.

~April

Will he or won't he?

2013-01-23T18:30:00.000-06:00

Will he or won't he? I say yes. What do you think? Will Mr. Groundhog see his shadow?

Hmmm.......

Groundhog's Day is one of the best real-world opportunities to bring making predictions, graphing, and conclusions into your classroom.

I have collected some different resources to celebrate Groundhog's Day. I hope you find them helpful. {All in one spot and all FREE!!!!}

1. Youtube video on Groundhogs

2. Groundhog Day Cocoa from Culinary Concoctions from Peabody (yum!)

3. Punxsutawney Pudding Cups from Parents Magazine

4. Groundhog ABC Order from Teach With Laughter

5. Groundhog Day Freebie from Lory's Page

6. Groundhog Day Freebie from the Speech Room News

7. Groundhog Day Songs, Crafts, Games, and Math from Childcare Lounge (free too)

and last but definitely not least...

8. Groundhog's Day cookies (the official recipe :) from (one of my favorites) How Does She.

9. Graph and Bulletin Board from Mrs. Lee's Kindergarten (love those teeth!)

Hope you can use some of these ideas! So, what do you think? Will the groundhog see his shadow this year?

Links I'm Lovin' for February 2013

2013-01-20T19:00:00.000-06:00

Is it going to be February in hmm....11 days? Wow! 2013 is moving right along. In honor of the love month... I thought I would share some links I'm lovin'...

For the classroom:

Valentines Math and Literacy Centers from Kindergarten Smiles for all your kinder teachers!

Puppy Love Literacy from Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits. Perfect for you first grade teachers.

Be Mine Valentine from Mrs. Wheeler's First Grade...another sweet treat for you first grade teachers.

One more First Grade Treat: Love is in the Air from Teaching in High Heels

Valentine Literacy Centers from The Teachers' Cauldron for you second grade teachers.

Valentine's Day Math and Literacy Centers for all of you teachers in 3-5.

For you parents: All sorts of ideas from The Nurture Store

For the family:

Little yummy sweetness

13 Decor Ideas from How Does She

For you and your valentine:

Date Night in a Jar

SO.MUCH.FUN.

Pin this post so you can come back as February gets closer! Have a great week teacher friends!

April

Classroom DIY: Valentines Bookmark

2013-01-17T10:30:00.000-06:00

Today I am over at Classroom DIY. I am happy to contribute to this blog...full of ideas on DIY Projects for the classroom. A perfect collaboration blog for me! Y'all know how much I love DIYs!

This month I am sharing a valentine bookmark I created last year. You can check out my last year's post HERE. You can snag the freebie valentines from my store HERE.

These go perfectly with the Valentine's Day Classroom Party Pack I created HERE.

Plus, on Classroom DIY, there are a TON of other ideas from some really creative people so check it out!

~April

Valentine's Classroom Party! and Freebie too

2013-01-16T12:11:00.000-06:00

Sap. Such a sap. Yup that is me. Growing up, my mom never pushed Valentine's Day as a "in-love" kind- of-day. It was more about celebrating the people you love and their love for you {and God's love for me}. Mom always made it a special kind of day with a very small gift that was meaningful and showed how much she loved us. So, those years I didn't have a boyfriend (and it was a lot!!) it wasn't a big, BIG deal for me. It has always been more about friendships than anything (I know sounds so corny!). So, I think that is why I always loved celebrating Valentine's in the classroom. You know...we can always show our students how much we care for them.

Well, I put together some things I hope you find helpful to celebrate Valentine's Day in your classroom.

First up: Food!

Find the yummy recipes here:

1. Heart Shaped Rice Krispy Treats

2. Valentine Chex Mix

3. Chocolate Covered Pretzels

4. Heart Brownies

5. Brown Sugar Blondies

6. Valentine's Marshmallow Pops

I've always found that classroom parties are best when food is easy peasy. Kids (what I have found) are so happy they get to eat a sweet or just something different...that they really don't care or even notice if it is real elaborate (just my observation) (adults on the other hand are totally different :).

At Valentine's we would always do something easy....like a chocolate fountain. ooooh----ahhhh! The kids LOVED it and it made things SO super easy. Just get some marshmallows, strawberries, and pretzels to dip...add some toppings and voila --DONE.

Or you can always have the kids decorate a cupcake, sugar cookie, brownie or even something like a fruit kabob (yum)! Oh, and cake pops have also always been a favorite of the kids too!

Next up: Decor!

1, 2, and 5 are from the Schoolgirl Style Shop!!! (daisy, lantern, and pompom)
3. Heart Lights from Target
4. Some fun from Party City like: heart-shaped glasses, pink 'staches, BIG red bowties! So. Much. FUN!!!

Lastly, I put together stations and other goodies for a class party. I don't know how many times my roommom would come to me and say "What do you want to do for the party?" I LOVE parties but I always let her have free reign because I usually didn't have time with all the other demands. Then she was busy trying to put something together and more often than not...she had a full plate too. That is the reason why I created this {you can use it or give it to your roomparent}:

This pack includes it all. Banner (which includes all alphabet letters so you can choose whichever saying you would like), Invites, Printable Sign, Treat Toppers, Owl Craft and Writing Prompt, Stations, and Bingo. Head on over to my shop! Is this something you could use? Later tonight I will be having a giveaway on my facebook page. Be on the lookout :)

I hope you have a Happy, Happy {HEART} Day! Don't forget ---if you just want the Owl Craftivity you can get that separately--I have that in my store --click HERE and the Valentine's freebie is there too-- click HERE.

Happy Celebrating!
~April

Sharing on Manic Monday!

Celebrating MLK Jr.

2013-01-14T10:13:00.000-06:00

My absolute favorite museum in the United States is the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. I am a deeply rooted American and this museum made me weep. I appreciated everything about this museum. In honor of Martin Luther King Day next week, I made one my favorite quotes of Dr. King's into this free printable.

I hope it adds conversation and thought in your classroom. Snag it up by clicking on the picture or clicking HERE.

I also wanted to provide some links for your class. I know how important it is to remember!

A You Tube Video of 1.5 minutes of the "I Have a Dream" Speech.

National Geographic's MLK Video (8 Minutes)

One of my favorite activities is to read Goin' Someplace Special by Paticia C. McKissack. I ask students who are wearing a blue shirt (or whatever article of clothing) to sit in the front during the read aloud. I play it up A LOT. Then I read half the book and say "those wearing a red shirt (or whatever) sit in the front now". Most are already squirming or having some sort of discontent. I ask both sides: "How did it feel to sit up front just because of the color of your shirt?" Obviously it doesn't compare to discrimination because of the color of your skin (and I know how that feels) but it is just an example...it a little way. It is a great discussion starter and fits perfect with the MLK videos, MLK Day, and any other activities you might have planned for this day of remembrance.

Have a great week!
Happy Teaching,
~April

DIY :: Words to Remember

2013-01-11T10:25:00.003-06:00

A little bit over 2 years ago, my grandad passed away. It was a heart-wrenching time for me..the oldest of all the grandchildren. I still have days when I struggle with him just not physically being here. BUT I do know where he is and that makes me smile.

Since his passing, I have wanted to do something to remember him and his words and pass them along to my own children. I WANT them to ask...who said that...I WANT to look around within my own space and REMEMBER. BUT...I didn't want it to be overwhelming and I believe in living in the present...so I didn't want anything that would force me to dwell on the past. After 2+ years, I finally came up with this:

P.S. He was a funny man. :)

I asked family members what were some favorite grandad sayings. I compiled them and did these steps:

{Also note: these are just a few of his sayings. Depending on what you want the canvas to look like, you can have whatever amount you would like.}

DIY:

Materials:
canvas board (I bought mine from Hobby Lobby for about $8 for 2)
silhouette letters or stickers
paint

Steps:
1. I wanted to create a somewhat ombre effect so I bought a couple of blues and played with the coloring.
2. Paint the entire canvas board (if you want to do the ombre effect you'll go from light to dark or vice versa)
3. While drying, list all of the words/phrases/memories you want to display.
4. Using your silhouette (educators get some discount-check out website), make words from your list OR gather the stickers you want to use.
5. Once the paint has dried, add your letters.
6. I added "Grandad" so my kids can ask and my friends will know.
7. You could also spray a sealant over the entire board.

You COULD also use this as a retirement gift for a principal or teacher.

Now, every time I see this, I remember, I pause...and it brings peace. I guess this was all part of my healing process but I love it!

Hope you are having a great week!
Happy Creating!
~April

Owl Always Love You

2013-01-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

Owls are everywhere right now. And rightly so--they are just so darn cute! So many companies are coming up with these modern colorful owls and I love it! How about you? Do you like owls?

Well, with Valentine's coming up soon, I really wanted to create a craft students could give to someone special. So I merged the two together and came up with this:
{click HERE to see download a preview}

There are 2 owls in this craftivity. A boy and a girl owl. I had so much fun making these!! It is a simple craft but one I know the recipient will treasure forever.

Students answer this prompt:

Why do you love this special person :__{mom or whoever}___________?

A play off of the word "I'll"...."Owl always love you because...."

I have included templates and directions and options for writing.

Click HERE if you are interested in this for your students.

I am also coming out with a Valentine's Party Pack next week and this will be included in the pack. Hang tight if you would like it all.

Hope you are having a great week back with your little ones!

Almost forgot: I'm bringing back a fun freebie valentine I posted last year. Snag it up by clicking on the picture!

~April

Giveaway Winner Announced

2013-01-07T10:27:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday! I really can't express my appreciation for all of you. Really. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I hope I am helping in some way make your life as a teacher easier. I thank you for being here...for your support...and for entering the giveaway. It is nice to have a party and have some people show up-ha!

The winner of Goody Bag #4 is..........KATIE S.!!!! Thank you for signing up for the Modern Teacher's Newsletter!

Look for an email from me today. Ya-hoo!

Thanks again to all who entered all of the Goody Bag Giveaways. I hope you received the newsletter on Saturday and liked it and can use the exclusive freebie...just in time for back to school. If you didn't get to sign up and would like to...please click HERE! You don't want to miss this.

Thanks also to the contributing teacher authors. This giveaway...to this magnitude could not have been done without you. THANK YOU!

On the blog, this week, I will be sharing a DIY project that can be used as gift for a teaching who is retiring or a principal OR you can save it for your gift file for family and friends. I also have my latest creation coming up that I am super excited about!!!

Have a great week teacher friends! Good luck with those precious little chicklets this week!

Happy Teaching!
~April