Sunday Smorgasbord

I hope everyone has been enjoying their weekend. Since it’s Sunday, I am linking up with Michelle from Fabulous in First for Sunday Smorgasbord. 

Here’s a glimpse at the randomness of my week:

I couldn't hold out any longer, so I did a little back to school shopping this week.  To avoid the crowds and limits on items, I took advantage of Staples' online sales.  I ordered pocket folders in several colors for 15 cents each and composition books for 50 cents each.  

I know that I could probably get them cheaper, but now I don't have to worry about checking the ads and fighting the crowds. 

I was so excited to see that Dollar Tree had items in my classroom colors this summer. I was able to pick up several of their locker bins in purple and teal. I also snatched up two teal storage ottomans at Target yesterday.    

I also snatched up two teal storage ottomans at Target yesterday.  These will be used for seating at my small group table along with a few black ones I already own.  

Yesterday I spent a good portion of my day looking for items on the Blog Hoppin Scavenger Hunt to take pictures of.  

Yes, I was that crazy lady in Target taking pictures of random items with my Blog Hoppin sign.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you should head on over and check out all the details about this super fun Instagram scavenger hunt that will last all month.  

I’d love to follow your adventures too, so please leave your Instagram username in the comments.  You can follow me to @TheTravelingTeacher. 

Happy 4th of July! Firecracker Flash Sale!

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone is enjoying a fun-filled, festive day with family and friends.  I know I can't wait to partake in some festive food later today. To celebrate the nation's 238th birthday, everything in my TpT shop is 20% off thru the 6th of July!

Feel free to snag the awesome sale sign by Melonheadz, Megan, and KG!

Throwback Thursday: Reader's Notebooks

Happy Thursday! It’s almost the holiday weekend and I am linking up with The Teaching Tribune, Second Grade Shenanigans and The Teacher's Desk 6 for Throwback Thursday. I decided to link up with one of my oldest posts about how I made my Reader's Notebooks.  These worked great in my 3rd grade classroom two years ago, but I didn't end up making them for my 2nd graders this past year.  I totally regretted it because my kiddos struggled to keep their Reader's Notebooks organized without the tabs.  I also plan to make something similar for Math Notebooks this year.  I have updated my dividers and they are free, just click on the link below:

Reader's Notebook Dividers

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I finally completed my Reader’s Notebooks today.  I wanted to make tabs to separate the three sections, but I wasn’t sure how to make tabs that wouldn’t be destroyed by my students.  After a lot of thought, I decided to use three colors of card stock to create “dividers.”  After printing information on each sheet, I folded it in half and glued it on a sheet of paper in the composition book. 

The first section is where the students will record notes about the books I read to the class during Reader’s Workshop.  They will record the focus skill and any necessary anchor charts.

The second section is where the students will take notes on the books they read independently in class.  There is also a spot where they can record the AR quiz score they earned.

The last and largest section (half the composition book) is where the students will complete their independent reading assignments and write letters to the teacher about the books they are reading. I have created writing prompts on address labels for each Common Core standard.  The students will place the sticker in their notebooks and then write a response about the book they are reading.

I can't wait to see how these work out in my classroom this year.

Worksheet Wednesday #5

It’s Worksheet Wednesday! After you score my free worksheet below, make sure to check out all the link ups at The Teaching Tribune.

This “worksheet” is more open-ended than most worksheets because it involves open sorts of geometric shapes.  I hope that you can use it in your classroom.  Just click on the preview above to get your copy. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for future worksheets or products. 

July Currently

I am linking up with Farley from Oh Boy, Fourth Grade for July’s Currently.

Listening: I definitely have a case of World Cup fever this summer, and I really hope USA can pull out a win today. My husband would love to make a trip to the World Cup one day, and now I may be interested in going too.

Loving: The beginning of the summer was a whirlwind of traveling, but this past week I have finally had time to relax and I am loving it.  It gives me time to reflect on all aspects of my life.  It also gives me time to focus on me and recharge for the coming school year. 

Thinking: With all of the reflecting I have been doing, I have been thinking a lot about the things I want to alter slightly or change drastically in my classroom in the new school year.

Wanting: I have seen many bloggers post pictures of great book boxes that they have found, and I want to find some too.  For the past 4 years, I have just used the cardboard ones from IKEA because they are cheap, but I definitely get what I paid for….they start looking trashy halfway through the year and start falling apart by the end. 

Needing: I haven’t been able to get caught up on our laundry this summer.  It seems like there is always another pile of dirty clothes somewhere.  We are headed out of town again next week for one of my best friend’s wedding, so I need all our clothes clean before then.

4th Plans: Since we’ve been out of town a lot this summer, my husband and I decided to just stay home for the Fourth of July this year.  We are just going to barbeque with some friends and then head out to our front stoop to watch the local fireworks.  We are lucky to live on the top of a hill and are able to see many fireworks displays in different directions. 

Tried It and Two for Tuesday #5

Thanks to The Teaching Tribune, I have been loving Two for Tuesday this summer because I’ve been able to stock up on some great items for the new school year at 50% off.  Who doesn’t love a sale?!?  

Here are the two items I have chosen from my store to mark down 50% or more:

Homophones of the Day Posters and Activities 

This is one of my most wishlisted products and today it is only $4 instead of $8.  This is a product that can be used all year long with over 50 homophone pairs.  The posters give a sentence and visual example of the homophones.  Students then write their own sentence for each homophone.  This has really helped my students understand the difference between the homophones.  I have just finished updating this entire product.  All of the examples are now complete sentences with capital letters (I had to change my original font). I have also added an optional Homophones of the Day journal for students to fill out each day.

Student Multiplication Book to Meet Common Core Standards 

This booklet is a great way for students to see patterns within multiplication.  Today it is only $2. instead of the regular $5. For each set of multiplication facts, students will skip-count and color the hundreds chart to visually look for patterns.  They will then complete fact family houses for that set of facts.  This process really helped my third graders catch on to the patterns in multiplication and increase their multiplication fluency. 

I am also linking up with Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper today for Tried it Tuesday because I have used both of these products in my own classroom with great results.  I have used the Homophone Posters with my 2nd and 3rd graders.  The Multiplication Booklet is a better fit for 3rd graders.. Tried it Tuesday is a great way to gather new ideas that have actually been tried in a real classroom.   

Don't forget to visit both linky parties to get some great ideas and score some great deals. 

Monday Meet Up #5

I am linking up with The Teaching Tribune for Monday Meet Me where everyone is sharing three things we are thankful for.  Be sure to visit the linky party to “meet” some new teachers and share what you are thankful for.