Where did June go?! & 5 for Friday

Hey Yall!

I had a goal of blogging at least once a month and June just totally slid by without a thought! it amazes me how much time flies as you grow older.

But I will say it was much needed. I took the time to completely relax and recharge! This past year wore me out. I needed a total break. Someone asked me when school started back, two weeks into June by the way, and I answered that I had no idea. Which was true (and very freeing!). But now I've got a burst of energy so let's join in my favorite linky....

(Sidenote: How cute is it that my fiance knows this linky? He asked if I was joining in today (:  )

I have 8 days until I get married!!!!!

And oh my gosh I can't wait. 

All this planning, anticipating, and it's almost here.

Since I've been planning a wedding I also made some signs to use throughout the reception.

I printed them on Dollar Tree photo paper and put them in Dollar Tree frames.

(Can you tell I love Dollar Tree?)

 A few brides wanted access to them so I am uploading them here.

Click the picture to go to the link!

Since I'm finally coming around to the idea of another school year (lol) I created an editable Meet the Teacher letter and posted it in my store today.

I realized my past letters were too lengthy and no one was probably reading them! So I wanted one that was short and sweet. 

Information about our class rules, procedures, etc, go in the letter I prepare for their "Take Home Folders". I may post more about those later.

Here is my example! Click on it to be taken to the product :)

My bridal shower was a few weeks ago and it was perfect. I am obsessed with pizza so my mom and bridal party planned a pizza shower! And my favorite pizza place made me a heart shaped pizza! It was awesome!

#daymade

 I've been spending my free time doing some crafting as well which I really have missed! Most of it has been wedding related including this cute flower letter I made! Thanks Pintrest! It's going to be used somewhere in the decor :)

I managed to whip up another product I have had on my list since May! I love having discussions with my little readers about their learning but I noticed that in partner reading the level of conversation was much lower. I wanted to make some flashcards for them to use while reading with partners so they can use the same stems we often use together.

Click either picture to be taken to the product page!

Thanks for reading & Link up!

And if you made it all the way to the end let me offer you a treat. The first two people to comment their wedding colors (or future wedding colors!) Can get both products free! 

Five for Friday!

Well I have been missing for a while but I have been a busy lady! Ohmygoodness. I have missed my blog but I have been barely making it. Coffee is definitely my bff right now :)

But here's my ...

I haven't blogged in a while so this will be a highlight reel of the last few weeks

I graduate this weekend!!! Ahhhhhhh

It has been a long road, and I changed my major 3 times lol but this was definitely what I meant to do. I will be finishing with my masters and principal licensure. 

My class wrote letters to kid president and the real president and they both wrote us back! My students and my principal were hype!

I've had an amazing Teacher Appreciation week so far. Our school has given us cute candy with sayings on them daily. We got 10 minute massages on Tuesday while the assistant principal covered our classrooms. But before all of that I got this super awesome gift card for Oriental Trading for no reason at all! 

Umm yes please!

Totally not school related but I get married in 71 days and my mother is arriving with my dress and veil this evening!!! I can't wait to see that beauty again :) :) :)

We are in the last month of school!! Man that alone is reason for celebration!! This year has been a learning one and very interesting juggling teaching, grad school and wedding planning. I can't wait to get to summer break and get married, go on this honeymoon and kick my feet up! 

Hope your week has gone well! And I hope you link up and share your highlights too!

Just FYI my store on TPT will be on sale this weekend to celebrate my graduation! I have also added the few lessons I have created from Sunday School (those of course are free!).  Stop by and check it out!

Click button to head to my store!

Snow Days & TPT Sales

What's better than a snow day? 

Two snow days back to back! 

And A TPT sale is the cherry on top! 

I've been permanently attached to my couch for the 2nd day in a row and I am perfectly okay with that. Yesterday I decided to soak up the good vibes and be lazy. I napped, watched HIMYM, napped some more, and waited on the fiance to come home. I suppose today I will attempt to be productive since this weekend I am heading to Texas to see my girlfriend get married :).

Speaking of marriage, less than 6 months til I'm a Mrs.!! I am so excited, but even typing that makes me instantly think of all the things I still have to do before then!! It's been pretty fun planning so far but I cannot wait to wake up that day and see it all come together. And see Mr. Handsome's face when he see my dress :)

(Side note: Our engagement photos were featured on a blog!! Click the photo to see the feature)

In other news I'm trying to make some final decisions on my TPT cart before I checkout today and take advantage of their latest sale!

My entire store is on sale as well, so head on over and check it out!

Here's a clip of my latest math game in action. 

Be sure to click the "Store" link to head over to TPT and take advantage of such great deals, and support your fellow teachers!

Easy teacher colleague gifts!

I honestly can't believe I whipped these tags up after today and the crazy week we've been having. I'm sure you understand with various holiday programs, kids hyped up about the holidays, etc. And every year my school gets blessed with gifts for every student thanks to Silverdale (a church and school). It's amazing but definitely a busy day. Tomorrow is a half day and our grade is doing Polar Express which means PJS :) and then some team planning!

So on to what you really came for hah
I made some gift labels to go with some team teacher gifts. I saw a few online but wanted to make some foldables I could use for gift cards as well. So I created these and posted them in my TPT. Hope you can use them to spread some cheer! Click any pic to head to my store.

For a gift card to a food place

For a general gift card or a place with sweets like Dunkin Donuts

(mmm...donuts...lol)

For relaxing gifts (fuzzy socks, bubble bath, etc)!

Hello September! Bring on Fall, math centers and freebies!

I can't believe it's already September. I can't wait until it actually begins to feel like Fall. I'm trying to refrain from pulling out all the decor and scented candles! I forget how much time really flies when school is back in session. I'm sooo grateful for this 3 day weekend! But I admit it makes me wish every weekend had that extra day! Lol

So I wanted to link up with the Currently linky but its a tad late for that, I'd be number 3295 hah. I love those linkys but that one tends to fill up so quickly. So I wanted to blog but wasn't sure what to write about until an Instagram buddy gave me inspiration.

I posted this photo and @mirandalarayne (who's an awesome TN teacher BTW, follow her on insta and twitter!) Asked about my math centers. I am still working them in with our new curriculum but they have been going well so far so I'll share what works for me!

*Side note*

This summer I went to ITeach1st and was able to see one of my faves Reagan Tunstall present about her math centers and guided math layout. Although I couldn't implement my math centers in the same exact way her presentation did inspire me to use math centers in my classroom. I've used them in previous years but I'm trying to improve that area this year. Below is a link if you would like to see some of her post about guided math.

**

Number talks/ Spiral Review

I I begin my math lesson every day with number talks or a problem of the day. This is a countywide initiative where I teach so number talks and spiral review problems are provided by the county. This takes about 5-10 min. 

These half composition notebooks are where we write our problem of the day. I added labels.

Mini Lesson

Next we begin our lesson. As I said earlier we have a new math curriculum, and I'm definitely still getting used to it. Our lessons seem more broken down with this new program. Because of this latley I have strived to have a 20-30 min mini lesson whole group. This is when we review vocabulary, refer to habits of mind and habits of interaction, try out concepts on whiteboards and engage in discussions or partner talk about our math. It may also be a time to show a video that demonstrates the concept.

Centers

If we have a new center I introduce it before I give the rundown for the day. I demonstrate the activity whole group.

Then I let them know their centers for the day. We use the MATH acronym but I've seen others use BUILD or STACK. I prefer 4 rotations for our time frame. Each center has a basket with the corresponding letter and an activity inside.

M- Math Facts

These are centers like flashcards, number order games, number recognition activities, addition & subtraction Facts

They were playing roll and color. Roll the big foam dice, color the number. First to fill their row wins.

A- At my desk

This is where the student is typically working on something independently. It may be a worksheet or some other type of activity. Last week our activity was filling in blank 120 grids.

T- Teacher's Choice

I use this center flexibly. If it is a newer concept and I want to review with all group members I may have them come to my small group area. If I know of some friends that need reteaching I may call them to my table while the rest of the group practice skills on computers or at a center in the T basket.

H- Hands On

This is where the students do something, usually with manipulatives, that tie into the recent lessons. This may be modeling addition or subtraction problems. playing with a large 120 grid, etc. 

Setting up to play "How Many Am I Hiding?" A game to practice finding missing addends.

Other Details

The length of centers can vary depending on the time remaining in my math block but I usually like at least 10-15 minutes for each. If necessary I could also limit the number of rotations. Two long rotations on day 1 ( ex. 20 minutes) and two long rotations on day 2.

I get the games and activities from a variety of places including the materials my school/ county provides, TPT, pintrest ideas, etc. I store games and centers by standard so its easy to know what games apply to what lesson.

 This year I want to improve by incorporating some reflection and metacognition time at the end of the lesson, I just want to look into how to do so effectively. We have a TDG math lab coming up so that will give me some time to consider it. 

I hope that was helpful to someone! And if you have questions feel free to ask. Since you hung in so long, why not snatch a freebie? Here are some labels to use for math centers. I use a set with magnets on my whiteboard for rotations and a set on the corresponding tub or basket. Maybe I can grab a pic with them Tuesday...anyways

(Click the picture to be taken to the freebie in my TPT store)

Enjoy your weekend!

I've already been enjoying mine!

Back to School!

Well I am pooped!! The beginning of the year always wipes me out but it was definitely worth it. 

Here's a little First Day pic from my 4th year :)

We had a great first few days and I already see a ton of potential with my little learners. 

We played a simple math game where students had to work with a partner to order numbers from 1-20. When they completed the task they had to stand quietly to signal that they were finished. They thought it was a race but in reality it was a perseverance exercise. Every student got a prize for completing the task. We will rely on this perseverance as we work through fun and challenging math problems this year.

Here are a few more pics of us working together in math and students reading around the room during Read to Self. We have been building stamina all week and reached 11 minutes by the end of the week. 

(Stamina chart from Amanda Myers, click for TPT store!)

We also made time Friday afternoon to complete our Back to School bead glyph activity. 

(Freebie in my store, click to check it out)

They loved learning about each other and apparently everyone LOVES math and literacy (either that or students just wanted extra beads, lol hmm...)

Last but not least, this weekend I finally had some time to grab a few items from Dollar tree, Target and Office Depot.

Also, Office Depot cut my composition notebooks in half ( I think it was .75 c for every 2 notebooks)

Now of course mine looked completely different! So I resorted to last year's technique of covering them with duct tape!

This will be our math journals to record our problem of the day. Just gotta print some labels and stick em on! 

Well back to relaxing on the blow up mattress my boyfriend and I pulled out to be lazy in the living room :) haha #backtoschoolmadness

Hope you have a great week!