The Lesson Plan Diva

Class Party Time and a FREEBIE!

2013-05-18T15:43:00.000-05:00

We have 3 days of school left and our class party is on Monday! The kids are so excited and I am too! I have done so many themes each year and my favorite is always the ice cream parties. The kids love it and it is not a huge hassle. I don't have a room mom this year so the ice cream party theme was easy and perfect! I buy a gallon of vanilla and chocolate ice cream and the kids buy all of the toppings. I assign them 1 topping each so we always have more than enough.

I found these cute ice cream cone bubbles that went perfect with my theme at Dollar Tree. They also had bubbles 3 in a pack. I made these cute tags that you can download here.

I also bought these cute favor boxes at party city and I am going to fill them with candy and favors. I have tried every year to get away from the goodie bags but the kids love them, so I always give in! I have banners , flags, tablecloths, and more! Boy don't you love Dollar Tree?

We're also decorating these cute wooden picture frames that we will put a class picture in! More pics to come after the party! Don't forget to get your freebie! What is the theme for your party? Please share!

Magnet Manipulatives Giveaway!

2013-05-07T20:23:00.001-05:00

Do you want to know what product I can't live without? You would think it would be something a bit more complex, but it is not. It is LARGE and in charge! LOL

Magnet Manipulatives

I have been using these for about 3 years now. I first introduced them in my calendar pack and I got so many requests for them to be separated in a separate pack and 3 years later I am just getting around to it! Better late than never right!

I use these EVERY SINGLE DAY in my classroom. They stay in my board area in these cute little envelopes. I added those recently. I used to just add magnets to manipulatives but they just are not big enough. These templates are LARGE and the whole class can see them from their desks!

Here is what is included:

2D shapes- circle, square, rhombus, triangle, rectangle, hexagon, octagon, and pentagon

3D shapes- sphere, cone, cylinder, cube, trianglular prism, and rectangular prism

The place valuepack includes:

ones

tens

hundreds

thousands

The money pack includes

penny

nickel

dime

quarter

half dollar

one dollar bill

five dollar bill

ten dollar bill

twenty dollar bill

hundred dollar bill

The great thing about these is they can be easily adapted to any grade level. All you do is laminate and add these cute litlte magnets to the back. My kids LOVE to write on my whiteboard and move these manipulatives around. It keeps them engaged and on task while learning! I can give them any type of problem and they are eager to use my magnet manipulatives that are always on my board.

I will use these to introduce a mini-lesson, go over a concept in an activity, use this in centers, workstations, or fast finsher work. I even use them for morning work in the morning.

You can have the kids sort, match, label, count, problem solve- you can do whatever it is your heart desires! I had to print a second set because my first set is worn out from using them for the past 3 years!

I really hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

I am giving away 5 packs! Enter to win below or catch them on sale now here! Pin it on pinterest or share on Facebook to enter! Enjoy!

And don't forget about the HUGE sale going until tomorrow! Check it our here!

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Teacher Appreciation Sale!

2013-05-07T05:33:00.002-05:00

The biggest sale of the year is here!

Be sure to stop by and check out my store!

Be sure to pick up this awesome pack to help wrap up the year! I use this at the end of the year and my kids love it!

Blooming into Spring- Contractions, Balanced Equations, and Craftivities!

2013-03-29T16:26:00.001-05:00

I hope that everyone has been well! I am looking forward to my spring break next week and I am very excited about it! Have you had your spring break yet?! I can't wait to take some time off and just relax. We have been working hard in class on balanced equations and contractions. I am running out of good resources and had to whip some up myself.

This pack includes:
Balanced Equations printable
Balanced Equations Butterfly Craftivity
Balanced Equations 3 addends printable
Balanced Equations Subtraction printable
Balanced Equations Pocket Chart Center
with recording sheet
Blooming Balanced equations Craftivity
Ladybug Contractions Craftivity
Contractions Printable
Contractions Cut and Paste
Compound Sentences Anchor Chart
Compound Sentences Graphic organizer
Compound Sentences Printable
Compound Sentences Cut and Paste
Butterfly Craftivity
Spring How to writing
Spring Persuasive writing
Graphic Organizers

Here are a few pages...

I hope that you can use these in your classroom. I went with a cute spring theme because I am over all of this cold weather! Today is the first day it has been a little warm. I hope it stays that way!

Don't forget to pick up your freebie! Click here and hit DOWNLOAD PREVIEW to get it.

I am giving away 3 of these awesome packs so be sure to enter below. Just share on Facebook and Pinterest! If you can't wait it is on sale for 1 day only! Enjoy!

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Summer in the City

2013-02-23T00:30:00.000-06:00

Author Kathleen Wainwright has published her first children's book, Summer in the City. Welcome to day 5 of her virtual tour! Today Kathleen will be sharing a cute compare and contrast activity that can be used with her book!

Click HERE for a complete list of tour dates

Hi Jenaya! Thank-you for agreeing to host me during my virtual book tour! I love your blog and share it often with friends who are looking for primary activities. I appreciate the opportunity to share my ideas behind the story, Summer in the City.

...................

If you have been following the blog tour, you know that this book is reminiscent of my childhood. What I love most about this story is that no matter who I share it with, regardless of their age, they all seem to love it the same. My mother, my friends, my students....all of them can pick out something that remind them of their summers. Even better, when I shared this story with my blogging friends, who come from all different parts of the country, they could relate to it too!

Summer in the City's setting was inspired by the city of Philadelphia; however, some of the things you find in this story can be reflective of any city. One great activity that you can do with your students is to compare and contrast highlighting where you live and comparing it to the setting in the book. I have also created a mini compare/contrast activity guide that is included in the Teacher's Reading Companion that comes *free with every purchase made on TPT! Find it *free here for a limited time! I have included forms that are unique to the book and some that can be used with any story!

Download HERE!

Summer in the City is a heartwarming picture book based on author Kathleen Wainwright’s childhood growing up in the city. Before there were 24-hour cartoon channels, laptop computers or the internet, what did kids do all day to occupy their time when schools were on break and the days were hot?

KIDS MADE THEIR OWN FUN!

Double-dutch, hopscotch, hide and seek…There never seemed to be enough hours in the day for kids to play with siblings and friends, explore their surroundings, or just laugh and giggle. Children and adults can enjoy this timeless story, which captures memories of blissful childhood summers in cities everywhere.

I hope that you've enjoyed hearing all about my new book! If so, stay connected.

Follow Summer in the City on Facebook

Join the Summer in the City Mailing List

To purchase the Summer in the City e-book, visit my TPT store here! To order a Summer in the City as a hardback, visit my website!

Tomorrow, Selina Smith, will be hosting me! Stop by for a free Summer Bio-Poem!

I will also be giving away 10 free, signed copies of Summer in the City at the end of her virtual book tour! Be sure to enter the giveaway for your chance to win! For additional giveaways, click here!

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Kathleen Wainwright is a dedicated teacher in the School District of Philadelphia. She received her bachelor’s of Science degree in education from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and her master’s in education with a focus in literacy, from West Chester University, in West Chester, PA. Kathleen also teaches literacy courses to aspiring teachers at Temple University and developmental reading courses to incoming freshman at Delaware County Community College. “This story captures a typical summer’s day for me and my friends growing up in the 80’s! Every time I read it I travel back to some of my favorite childhood memories.” Kathleen recently earned National Board Certification in Literacy: Reading-Language Arts (Early and Middle Childhood). She enjoys sharing her personal teaching experiences and educational resources in her blog, The Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher (www.notsowimpyresources.com).

Math Action Cards In Action!

2013-02-19T18:32:00.000-06:00

I tried out some more of the Math Action Games this week and my kids are really doing well with them. They have now gotten used to the format so really no explanation is needed at this point. They know that every game requires their math journals so they get those out automatically. They now realize that all of the games are repetitive so after they finish one rotation they know to keep going. My kids are being constantly engaged and staying on task with meaningful activities and I love it.

In this pattern block game the students had to make an AB pattern with the pattern blocks and then find the value of the pattern if each block had a value of 2. This game reinforced skip counting. They had to also record the number sentences for each pattern in their math journal. It was funny because some of them spent so long making these long detailed patterns and then they realized they had to count all of that! LOL

In this game the students have to represent the flashcard with unifix cubes and then write a number sentence. They must race to complete their deck of cards first. It is a game of speed, accuracy, and a good practice for those math facts. They realize they have to record the right answers because I can go back and check!

In this game the students have to roll the dice and make the amount with tens and ones. They must draw the tens and ones in their math journal. Then they must determine if the number is even or odd.

I use rubber bands on my cards because the kids like to fling them around and the paper clips were not working. I keep them all on a ring so it is easy to flip cards and keep them all together. I use these in my math stations and it take little to no planning on my part. I do go around and model each game before we begin just to make sure the kids get the idea. After that they are able to read the cards and stay on task themselves without interupting my small group. The cards are written in a simple language on pupose so that they can uderstand them. So modeling the activity helps intially until they get the hang of it. Once they have played all of the games they won't need help and will know exactly what to do. (At least for the youngers ones.) Well that is it for this week! I will review a couple more next week! I am so loving these cards! Thanks!

Have you heard of Scootpad?

2013-02-15T06:28:00.003-06:00

Do you use Scootpad in your classroom? If you don't you should! I was just introduced to this website by a fellow teacher a few weeks ago and I must say I am highly impressed so far! This website provides differentiated common core activites for each individual student in your class. WOW, right? I have used some other similar programs but they did not offer as much as this one does.

I will tell you a little bit about how I use it in my classroom. I jumped right into this and started using it. It is very kid friendly and easy to use. My kids have been using it for about 2 weeks now and they LOVE it! I signed up for the free membership option, created a class, and added all of my students which was VERY easy. It generates a username and password for you so it literally takes 5 minutes. It automatically generates a parent letter that explains everything and provides log in cards for the kids! I sent those puppies to the laminator and we were rocking and rolling!

That night 50% of my class logged on and I was very surprised because not all of my kiddos have computers at home. The next night all but 2 kids logged on. TOUCHDOWN! LOL

This is the class wall. The kids love this part because they can talk to each other on it and leave messages. My son said he had to "text" one of his classmates on scootpad tonight..LOL! They can even change the avatars! I leave encouraging messages for them here their progress.

When you add assignments for students you add them here and everything is COMMOM CORE ALIGNED. LOVE THAT! I use this to give my kids extra homework or extra practice on skills they are having a hard time on in class. I am even using it for RTI data. I can look at my reports and see where my class is and each student. I can see exactly what they got wrong and what standards they need additional practice on. You can even print progress reports by student to use for conferences that show exactly what that student needs to work on.

I can then click on the area they are having a hard time and that standard will pop up and I can assign an assignment to that one student on that one particular skill!

My students are ability grouped in my room so I can go in and assign whole group assignments or assignments for a particular small group etc. For example, my blue group is working on 2nd grade common core right now so when they log in they see the assignments they have to complete and the due dates that the rest don't see. Below shows you some of the 1st grade common core standards. You can click on preview and it will show you what type of question it asks.

All the subjects and standards are listed so it is easy to follow. The questions are multiple choice and it even READS the question as an option!!! I love this for my ELL kids. It is totally student directed so the parents do not have to help at all!

Every morning I display this on my projector so they can see who is in the lead. They earn points for all assignments completed and those points earn them rewards or games like hangman! I can even add my own rewards!

Every morning my kids come in they are so excited to see who is in the lead. This program has been a hit so far. You must check this out and start using it in your class. Even if you are not a teacher you can use it as a parent. I cannot begin to explain to you how much I love this program. My son uses it every night as apart of his homework routine.

I wanted to review this program on my own, they did not ask me to do it. I really think it is just that great and I love using it in my classroom! There is a free and premium membership that is $4.99 a month. It is worth every penny if you do upgrade. My kids are excited about learning using this program! Be sure to check it out!

www.scootpad.com

Do you use your manipulatives everyday?

2013-02-08T18:44:00.004-06:00

Do you use your manipulatives everyday or do they sit and collect dust until you pull them out for a specific lesson? I have TONS and TONS of manipulatives!!!! I try to use them as much as possible because the students love using them but I will admit that I could use them more.

That is where these FAB Math Action Cards come in! Math Action Cards are structured activities and games that the students can play independently, in partners, and groups. They are leveled so they reach the needs of all of your students. They are written in very simple language that your students can read on their own.

This free setup is provided below.

If there is anything additional that the kids will need it is listed on the card in the top write corner (dice, flashcards, etc.) Most of them only use manipulatives. They are easy to use but also challenging. They keep your students busy and engaged during math time doing purposeful activities. They will NOT finish these cards in 2 seconds lol !

Some of the skills covered in the games are even and odd, graphing, addition, subtraction, measurement, tally marks, hundreds, tens, ones, symmetry, skip counting, doubles, estimation, and much much more!

These cards can be used in math stations, as a fast finisher activity, or in small groups. I used them in my math stations this week and it was AMAZING how well my kids did with them. They were not stopping to ask me what to do and they stayed on task the entire time! The best part is on every card there is a step where they must record their work in their math journal so you can see and track their work. NO COPIES NEEDED! YAY!!!There is also a checklist of tasks included if you want to assign a few cards per week so that they can keep track. The pack includes 112 activities for base ten blocks, unifix cubes and pattern blocks.

Please download the Math Action Tub Cards freebie here.

It includes all the tub lables and set up for your math action card area. I found this setup useful because the kids can grab what they need and the level of cards they need.

And of course I have to give a few away!

Pin on Pinterest and like on Facebook to enter!

Get the K-2 Math Action Cards here!

Get the 3-5 Math Action Cards here!

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My Opinion Writing- It's Pizza Time!

2013-02-02T17:30:00.000-06:00

We worked on these this week and the kids had a ball picking out toppings! I just ran copies and laid them out as a pizza topping bar with everything labeled. They went around and grabbed the toppings that they loved!

Then they cut out those toppings and colored them. We used the single pizza option in the pack because we were limited on time. We started the graphic organizer first to organize our thoughts and ideas. I did a great mini-lesson and we discussed what were opinions and charted some examples. The students really did a good job with the graphic organizer! Then we moved on to our writing. We transferred our thoughts onto paper and added lots of details and descriptive words. They were instructed to use adjectives to describe their nouns. They had to describe in detail why their type of pizza and toppings were the best. It took all week but we finished! They had some awesome stories! They turned out really good!

This pack contains 2 craftivity options for different levels of craftiness! Let's face it not all of us are craftivity pros. All of the black line masters are included for the pizza toppings and pizza. There is a single slice option included also. They can add the toppings they love and give their opinions why this type of pizza is the greatest!

There are ruled and handwriting paper included with several graphic organizers that will help them organize their opinions. There is a graphing and tally table activity included so that after the students decorate their type of favorite pizza they can graph the results! I hope that you guys find it useful. Here are just a FEW of the pages included!

Click here to get it!

Be sure to grab your freebie from this pack!

Learning Resources Giveaway!

2013-02-01T21:02:00.001-06:00

I am very excited about this Learning Resources giveaway! I reviewed the sentence buildings set. They are really great because they have so many uses other than what is specified on the box.

It includes all parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, punctuation. articles, conjunctions and much more. The students can make sentences or use them for other sentence building activities.

It came in this great box that they can be stored in when you are not using them.

All you have to do is apply the stickers than come with them.

I used this game in so many ways. First I reviewed parts of speech in my small reading groups by having them identify certain parts with the word cards.

They LOVED doing this and they loved seeing who could find certain words the fastest.

The great part about this is you can use it for any level because I took out these 3 because we don't cover these here in 1st grade. So it was very easy to adapt to my level of instruction. You could also bring these in for those higher kiddos for more of a challenge.

We also played some of the reccomended games and the kids loved those also! I really loved this set and so did my kids. It is an activity that I can use often in my classroom in many different ways.

If you want to get one of your own for free, just enter below!

Also don't forget about the SUPER SUNDAY sale on TpT February 3rd! Plus my store will be on sale an extra day February 4th also! Happy Shopping!

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February Freebie Link up

2013-01-24T14:02:00.001-06:00

I love Valentines Day because you get the chance to do so many cute projects! This one is a favorite among my students. I used this to reinforce synonyms but you can do antonyms, compound words, word pairs or anything! You can use popsicle sticks or the coin holders from dollar tree. (I thought the coin holders were cute!) Don't forget the googly eyes!

Click here to download.

President's Day is right around the corner and it is our opportunity to cover George Washington and Abe Lincoln again. This is a great little activity to help with your lesson.

The enitre Presidents Pack contains several more activities including activities for George Washington.

Click here to get your freebie!

Get the whole President's Day pack here.

Be sure to check out this awwesome linky party from Laura Candler with tons more fab freebies!

100th Day Of School Freebie!

2013-01-11T18:04:00.000-06:00

It is that time of year again! The 100th day of school is right around the corner! We always do a 100 day snack option. The kids all contribute 100 pieces of any snack and we combine them for some serious snack time on the 100th day! Do you have any cute 100th day traditions?

Here are 2 free writing activities that I hope you can use on the 100th day of school.

I also just finished my Lollipop Pack-I can write and Edit! We are working on editing our own papers and I am teaching that in conjunction with adjectives. This pack focuses on both. The students have a lollipop center where they match adjectives to nouns and record their answers. There are graphic organizers and printables included also. Then the students can use the information from the graphic organizer to create the lollipop craftivity. SUPER CUTE!

There are also 11 editing paragraphs that the students can practice editing with the included checklists and anchor charts. These paragraphs include all typical errors that they must find and correct. Then they must rewrite the paragraph and draw and illustrate the paragraph to match. We started these today and they were so helpful in my lesson. It really helps when they are able to edit work other than their own.

Also I uploaded the updated spiral review packs in BOTH fonts D'Nelian and Basic. A lot of you were waiting on the basic font and missed the sale, so I put it back on sale for those of you that were waiting on the update. The pack is now 400 pages of great review for the entire year!

Enjoy!

Morning Work and Spiral Review Freebies!

2013-01-06T20:03:00.000-06:00

I have FINALLY finshed my spiral review pack. This literally took me forever since I posted pack one awhile ago! It is so worth every minute I spent on it though! It is 400 pages of pure awesomeness! I have been using them in my classroom and my kids love them! I have used them as morning work and as review sheets. I have even used them as homework. I like them so much because my students can do them independently. The same skills are focused on throughout the week so by Friday they should have mastered them.

It is a spiraled review format so that your students are constantly reviewing and not forgetting those skills taught. They are all aligned to the Common Core and they get harder as the weeks progress.

Click the DOWNLOAD PREVIEW button here and get a free 5 page pack!!

BOTH D'NELIAN AND BASIC FONTS ARE INCLUDED!

If you purchased pack one already just go and redownload here and get the exrtra 50 pages I added for FREE! You all are lucky ducks! Then you can click here to purchase pack 2.

This pack is in D'Nelian, if you need basic print please email me at lessonplandiva@gmail.com.

If you don't have either of them you can just get the bundled pack here. It includes pack 1 and 2.

I am going to give away 4 of these awesome packs away to 4 lucky winners!

All you have to do is pin it on Pinterest and share on Facebook.

If you can't wait, the pack is on sale!!

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Valentine's Day Crafts

2012-12-22T18:49:00.002-06:00

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and I wanted to share some very cute things with you. I am already thinking ahead for when I get back to school and what we will be working on.

Of course I just fast forwarded to the fun stuff! LOL I absolutley love this craft! I saw it last year and did not have a chance to do it but I am doing it this year for sure! I saw it again on Pinterest here.

I am digging you! How cute is that? These little shovels you can buy on ebay for 20 bucks for 24. That is a steal! They have all colors, I got pink, purple and red.

You can use any candy you like, I got a huge bag of gumballs from dollar tree that worked perfectly. You can also use M&M's, Skittles, candy hearts, or whatever you desire!

If you are like me you have a TON of ziploc bags that the kiddos bring in at the beginning of the year, just cut off the top and tie a cute ribbon.

Then print off your little message on a sheet of labels and stick them on. You will have the cutest little gift ever and it is very inexpensive!

Next is my Cupid Craftivity Pack that I can't wait to use in my classroom! It is a writing pack that includes different writing options and a prewriting graphic organizer. You can use the prompt provided or make up your own prompt. There is a heart option and a full page option. Handwriting and ruled lined paper is included. There is a boy template and a girl and it is just so "stinkin" cute!

I am so excited about this pack I am giving 3 away! Just pin on Pinterest to enter to win! Good Luck!

Don't want to wait? Check it out here!
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MeCorder, Mini Video Recorder Giveaway!

2012-12-18T17:31:00.002-06:00

I am doing this great giveaway from Learning Resources and I am pretty excited about it! The product that I am reviewing is called the MeCorder Mini Video Recorder. When I first recieved it, I was trying to brainstorm how to best use this in my classroom. I came up with several great ideas!

The camera is very light weight and easy to use. It comes with detailed instructions and is so simple to charge and set up. The sound and video quality is excellent.

It hooks right up to your computer to charge, so there is no need for batteries.

I recorded visual instructions on the device for my small groups during centers. This was my Spell It Sight Word Game. It really helped my ESOL students stay on task and understand what to do without me directing their group. I was able to work with my own small group while they still had that one on one instruction. They were able to replay it several times because it was so easy for them to use independantly.

This center can also be used for some of my kids that need social stories daily. I can record them and the students can easily play them back. It really helps for the students to see a visual picture rather than just hearing a voice. This is one product I really loved!

If you want one for your classroom, be sure to enter below.

All you have to do is follow me on Facebook, follow Learning Resources on Facebook, follow me on TpT or follow my blog. You can enter up to 4 times!

(winners will be verified)

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Free Place Value Tree

2012-12-08T14:12:00.001-06:00

I hope that everyone is having an awesome weekend! Christmas break is almost here!
We are STILL working on place value. I am still making more activities for this skill...lol. We are almost near the finish line!
I wanted to share this with you, but I can't take credit for this cute activity. A wonderful co-worker/friend of mine had this great idea of using Trix cereal on a tree as ornaments for a place value lesson. So with her great idea and my design skills, I threw it together for her! I hope you guys love it! It is too stinkin cute!

Just use Trix cereal and hand out a handful to each student. Have the students glue them on to decorate the tree. They can color and add glitter to the star to finish it off. They use the recording sheet to figure out how many tens and ones there are.

Click here to get it!

Also I updated my story elements pack. So all of you that purchased, be sure to download it again! It is now 52 pages with hundreds of different writing combinations. This is one of my kids most favorite centers.

Click here to get it.

New Year's Resolutions!

2012-12-04T20:17:00.002-06:00

I wanted to share some things we have been working on this week. We have been on place value for weeks now and are still going over it daily to make sure that they have mastered it. One of my parents donated a ton of cereal to my classroom so immediately I started thinking of how I can use it in a lesson. I whipped up a quick little sheet and we really had some fun!

I gave each student a baggie of Boo Crunch Berry cereal and they had to sort out the handful of cereal into tens and ones. Normally I would have them glue it down but since they wanted to eat it I had them trace their work so that I could go back and check for accuracy.

Then they completed the little sheet where they wrote the tens and ones and the number in expanded form. My kids learned a lot and had fun!
Never turn down food donations!
Next on to morning work...

We started my morning work packet and I must say it was AWESOME! This is the 2nd day in a row my kids have been completely engaged and on task during the WHOLE morning work time. They really take their time on the handwriting and the challenge really takes a while to complete. I teach them the 3 components of solving it which is 1. Draw a picture. 2. Write a number sentence and 3. Explain how you solved the problem using your words. This prevents them from just copying answers. They do that part on the back if they are one of your higher kiddos.

I love it so far. The best part was they were able to do it independently while I completed my morning routine. Everyone that has already purchased, I am working on the second pack as we speak it will be out soon!

Last, I put together this fun New Year's Pack so be sure to check it out!

Be sure to grab my number find freebie while you are there!

Morning Work Freebies and More!

2012-12-01T18:47:00.002-06:00

First I wanted to share with you how I reorganized my file cabinets! They are totally empty now and all of my printables are in binders!!! I saw this on pinterest first. Hers were SO SO cute! When I saw this I was hooked and had to do it. My files are a MESS! I can get very unorganized sometimes! LOL

They are all in folders but there are things in there I wouldn't dare use in my classroom these days. I needed to get rid of a lot of stuff and this gave me a good reason to do it! I bought huge binders, sheet protectors, and some ABC dividers and got to work cleaning out files! I threw away all of the things I never use and kept only one copy of the good ones. There were so many things I haven't used in years. I put everything in order by subject in ABC order. I still need to make my cute dividers like the ones in the picture :)

I put all of the sheets for that subject in one sheet protector, I added more sheet protectors for that subject if they wouldn't fit.

I used computer labels to write the subjects on the sheet protectors. I made some simple binder covers for each subject and put them all in and I was done!!! This has transformed my lesson planning because now I am way more organized! I can grab that subject of sheets depending on what we are working on and throw it in my bag to take home. These three binders sit on my shelf so now one of my file cabinets is empty! Now I have to tackle the rest of the stuff in the other one! Whew!

SO basically I replaced a whole file cabinet with 3 neat binders!! LOVE IT! I marked all of my master copies with a highlighter so I won't lose them.

Now to my morning work! I have been working on this pack for awhile and just finished it. I completed 9 weeks worth so there are 3 more packs to follow. I really needed to revamp my morning work. We use spiral review for our homework and I really wanted to incorporate this method into my morning work. It really helps the kids to constantly practice these skills daily and independently.

The printables are broken down by week and the skills for that week are repetitive for that week so that the kids can do it on their own. There is D.O.L, Language Arts, Math, Handwriting, and Problem Solving included on every page. There is even a challenge section included for the fast finishers. We all have those kiddos that finish in 2 seconds! I was sure to add a lot of writing to it because handwriting is hard to squeeze in sometimes. So with this pack they can practice it formally through morning work also.

Some of the topics covered are:

addition

subtraction

fractions

time

measurement

number sense

number order

sets

2D shapes

3D shapes

equal parts

initial/ending sounds

blends

digraphs

cvc words

medial sounds

abc order

real or imaginary

asking and telling sentences

syllables

long/short vowels

handwriting

problem solving

days of the week

number words

months of the year

Click the download Preview button for your freebies!

Click here to get it.

I also have another freebie for you on more and less that I made to use next week.

I hope that you can use it!

Get it here!

Hope you enjoy the goodies!!!

Are you ready?

2012-11-25T15:44:00.000-06:00

I am sure you know by now that TpT is having their HUGE cyber Monday (and Tuesday) sale! Everything will be on sale! I am taking an extra 10% off my entire store on top of the 10% that TpT offers.

I have tons of things on my wish list and I can't wait to shop! This is the time of year that I stock up on all of my teacher resources. Does anyone even shop at Schoolbox anymore??! There are such good products on TpT I always seem to find what I am looking for there. Happy shopping!
Hope to see you there!

Click here to go to my store!
Use code CMT12

Giving Thanks to Teachers Giveaway Day 4

2012-11-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

Hi all! Thanks so much to Jenaya at The Lesson Plan Diva for hosting me today!

We wanted to do something special for you all since it is the time for giving thanks to those we are truly thankful for and since I am thankful every day for my readers and my bloggy friends, I thought a fun giveaway was in order. :)

We have teamed up with some super fun friends below who have agreed to help - yay! Make sure to visit each one of these blogs on the date listed below their name to get your freebie and enter for a prize pack valued at about $40, which includes approximately 800 pages! Wow!

The theme of the day is the Jungle Theme! Lions, tigers, and giraffes! Oh my! This fun category will have you prepared and looking cute for all the jungle animals that arrive in your classroom every morning!

First up: A freebie! Rubrics are fantastic for alternative assessment options in your classroom, but you certainly need to set forth clear expectations for grading purposes. Even better? This Jungle Theme Blank Rubric allows you to create your own rubric for any assessments you come up with this year! Enjoy!

Ok - I know many of you want to also get entered for the awesome giveaway below! Remember, it is only open for today only! Ends at 11:59 pm ET so make sure to get entered!

Here are the items up for grabs! Worth $40 and includes approximately 800 pages (depending on which grade level you choose)!

Get entered below by doing as many or as few items as you would like! It's up to you, but the more you choose, the more chances you have at winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to all who enter from The Lesson Plan Diva and The Organized Classroom Blog! See you tomorrow at Minds in Bloom for Day 5! I sincerely do appreciate you all and hope you will enjoy the 8 days of freebies as a token of my appreciation in the Giving Thanks to Teachers Giveaway!

Have a wonderful holiday all!

"Hoo" Gets Holiday Gifts? Freebie and Craftivity

2012-11-19T11:55:00.002-06:00

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! I wanted to share a cute little craft activity that my kids will be doing when we return to school. The title is "Hoo" gets holiday gifts?

I really try to stress to my kids the importance of giving than receiving so this writing prompt is very appropriate. The students are to write if they had all of the money in the world, who would they buy gifts for and what would they buy? You will be very surprised at the responses! Some of the people you least expect pop up in these stories and some of the gifts are extraordinary! So try this out with your little ones and see how it turns out! There are 3 construction options included for all levels of creativity! This pack includes black line masters for all designs. There is handwriting paper and ruled paper included also. I even included a sheet with "hoo" spelled as "who". Sometimes correctness is more important than cuteness for some of our kiddos! Enjoy!

Get this pack here.

I also included a cute reindeer page topper to use for the holiday season. Just color, cut and glue it to the top of your paper and you have a cute hallway display!

Get the freebie here.

Turkey Writing and Craftivity

2012-11-08T19:58:00.001-06:00

Of course it is getting close to Thanksgiving and I need to change my hallway display from my Halloween one that I currently have up. I am a little behind! lol This week we are working on nouns, adjectives, and verbs! I have taught each one so we are constantly reviewing these three until they have them mastered.

Today we did a chart and discussed examples of each one. The students then made flip books and wrote examples and drew pictures on the inside. It really helped them to compare them side by side. They get confused all of the time so it is a work in progress.

During writing we started constructing our turkey! In this pack there are 3 options for construction. One is the template option shown here. You can copy the templates on construction paper. They fit right in the bypass tray on your copier.

Everything is blackline mastered so it is easy for the students to cut themselves. It is a 17 page pack. My students did an excellent job with the template. The second option is a cut and construct printable. This option is for teachers that are short on copies! If you have a copy limit like I do, I know how it feels! Then there is a coloring sheet version. This option is for those that don't want to do any cutting. They all will turn out adorable I promise!

This student got a little carried away with the glue but you get the picture!

Then the students started their writing. There is ruled and handwriting paper included.

"Just as mom took the turkey out of the oven..."

I do this prompt every year and the stories get better and better! One student wrote he jumped off the plate and flew out of the window and caught a spaceship into outerspace! WOW. The story was awesome! The students had to use the adjectives they used on their turkey in their writing to make it more interesting. They did a great job! I hope that you enjoy these as much as I did!

Click here to get it now on TpT or LPD!

Also I had some questions about how to make the flipbooks in my "How to writing pack"

Step 1: Fold one sheet in half. You will need 2 sheets.

Step 2: Lay the 2nd sheet ontop and fold it on half so that it is even with the first.

Step 3: Fold over the top piece. Make sure all flaps are even.

Step 4: Staple at the top. You are done!

Place Value Pictures FREE!

2012-11-07T18:10:00.004-06:00

I hope everyone is having a great week! It is freezing cold here in Georgia and I am trying to keep warm! Next week we are starting on place value and I have already gotten a jumpstart on my lesson plans. I made this little activity and I hope that you can use it. I looked everywhere for some tens and ones blocks to make these pictures and couldn't find any so I whipped some up.

The students use the tens and ones (or hundreds for older grades or higher students) to make pictures and then they complete the recording sheet included. They have to write the name of their picture, the value, and the number in expanded form. I am hoping to get some very creative pictures. I hope that you can use it in your classroom! Enjoy!

Click here to get it!

Halloween Freebies!

2012-10-28T09:13:00.001-05:00

I hope that you guys are having a great morning! I am working on lesson plans for next week and we are starting graphing. I love graphing because you can do so many cute activities. I am going to share some of the cool activities we are doing this week as soon as we finish them!

Here are some activities that I hope that you can use in your classroom this week!

First we have a Spooky Spider Exemplar! Want to know more about my exemplars? Click here.

Click here to download!

Then we have a Spooky Spider Graphing activity! Click here to download!

Enjoy!

Differentiated Poetry Task Cards

2012-10-16T03:59:00.000-05:00

I threw together a little freebie for you because I needed a set of these and couldn't find them on TPT. I use them to level my poetry center so that all of the students are working on their own individual level. You can print these out and laminate them, add them to a ring or add them to a center as you need them. Plus they are color coded! Click here to download! Enjoy!