A Few Lessons with David Shannon

Well I think the Pete the Cat saga has calmed down, though some kids are asking if Pete will come visit us again, and others are still seeing him all over the school.

Friday was a day that consisted of some work and a lot of play. We met our big buddies for the first time and I have to say the kiddos were great listeners as the big buddies read to them. We have been working on our quiet book time and our stamina is now up to 9 minutes - about which we (most of us!) are really excited.

After practicing using our white glue we were ready for our first craft. We started our Rainbow Names - inspired by the fantastic Deanna Jump - on Thursday. And I do mean started. I think I completely underestimated how sore their poor little hands would get from all that tearing and gluing. So we continued that work on Friday and now I think most of the names are finished and ready to display and we're just waiting on two especially careful workers!

We read No, David! and worked on our Eagle Eye strategy. On Friday, we read David Goes to School then created an anchor chart of what we do and don't do at school. The kids were coming up with some great ideas and even mentioned eating healthy food!

By Friday I was EXHAUSTED. Now I'm off to make sure I'm all ready for next week which will be full of colours!

On a total side-note, I just pinned a pin on Pinterest about heating a pan with water vanilla and cinnamon on the stove to make the house smell yummy. I decided to actually try it (unlike with 99% of my pins) and it smells delicious and totally reminds me of fall. Now I've got pumpkin spice lattes, cool weather and Halloween on the brain!

Pete the Cat (continued)

Well, the Pete the Cat school tour was such a hit that it continued into the next day . . . and then the day after that (today). Yesterday we read Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

The kids were so excited to search for his four groovy buttons that he had lost while playing in the classroom. Of course, we then had to write him another note, returning his buttons and thanking him for visiting our classroom again. We then had to ask Pete a few questions, such as "Where do you live?" and "What is your address so we can write you a letter everyday?" Pete kindly responded this morning and I think I was able to sidestep any other requests about writing everyday letters to good old Pete. I think he may make a return at Christmastime (if I'm up for the challenge) though a few students still seem to see him all over the school; they hear him singing in the halls, mewing in the vents, and see his tail in the gym. Ahhh childhood innocence.

It really has been fun having Pete visit the classroom, though I'm exhausted! Can't wait for Friday!

A Look at My Day (It's Filled with Pete the Cat!)

Well I have wanted to link up with Deedee Wills' Peek at my Week linky but let's be honest, 1) I haven't gotten my act together & 2) the whole visual plans with links to the units - yeah, I'm not that tech savvy. So I'm here today not to link up with my visual plans for the week, but a look into today.

It's the second week and I hope the kids are getting into the school routine. Today was filled with good old Pete the Cat. I cannot talk about these books enough. The catchy words, the colourful pictures and the great messages plus colours, counting, and school? That equals a perfect recipe for primary books.

So today we did a little Pete the Cat school tour, inspired by Michelle over at Inspired by Kindergarten. The kiddos LOVED it! So much so that they wanted to write a letter for Pete (great collaborative writing exercise). Tomorrow they will come in and find another note from Pete as well as Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons.

We'll then search for Pete's four buttons (an idea another teacher gave me) that he left in our classroom. In theory this is a fantastic idea. In reality, I am sooo nervous the kids are going to tear apart the classroom. They almost did that today. When we finished the tour, they were so excited about notes from Pete that they wanted to search in all the classroom books, their lunch kits and the playground, in the hopes of finding another note.

After all this Pete excitement, I opened up my Scholastic order, and what did I see? Oh, just Pete and Cat: The Wheels on the Bus.

This is definitely going to have to be a must buy!

Have a great week and remember - It's all good!

A Little Blog Makeover and the First Week

So I've decided to try a little blog makeover. I'm sure I'll change it again soon, but with the start of the school year, I thought "Why not try a new blog look?" Not that I've been keeping up on this blogging thing regularly - oops - but maybe getting back into the school swing of things will help me get back into the blogging swing of things.

So, the first week. In my school district, the students stay in their old classes until ~Friday, and then they switch into their new classes. So this week was three days of having the old students, which to be honest is kind of full of activities to ease the students back into the regular school activity.

First up - the sunglasses activity I blogged about {HERE}. I found a free sunglasses template through A Love for Teaching, click {HERE} to check it out. Of course I never have a camera in the classroom, so I don't have pictures, but it was definitely nice to get some art and writing up on the walls to brighten up the classroom on the first day.

We also tried Hadar's fun "School is Cool" craftivity and writing that you can find for free {HERE}. Another great way to brighten up the classroom.

Looking back on the week, I sure planned a lot, but the kids were definitely not ready for full work days! Half an hour after the first bell rang I heard cries of "I'm hungry!" and ten minutes after centers were finished I was asked "When are we going to play?" Between outside recess and inside play centers, the days zoomed past. Next week sure is going to be a long one, I'd better enjoy this weekend because I'm sure it will be over fast!

How's the year going for you?

TPT Back to School Sale & 2 + 1 = BTS13

Button from Diane at Fifth in the Middle
Graphics below from Amelia at Where the Wild Things Learn

Well if that wasn't the longest/most abbreviated blog post name in history I'd sure like to see the one that is.

Anyways, onto the important stuff - a sale . . . a huge sale! The dates for the Teachers Pay Teachers Back to School Sale have officially been announced - this coming Sunday & Monday, August 18-19th!

So I'm linking up with a bunch of other fabulous bloggers for this fun link-up in preparation for this amazing sale.

So the number 1 most wish-listed item in my store is one my personal favourites - my Daily Math 3rd Grade Bundle Pack:

It contains all 6 of my Daily Math packs for 3rd Grade for a full year of math review - great for morning work!

The number 2 most wish-listed item in my store is also one of my personal favorites, because who doesn't love the pigeon books? It's my Pigeon Pack of Plenty:

This pack was one of my first creations (though - thankfully - it's gone through an update) and contains  writing, graphing and activities for Mo Willems' fantastic Pigeon books.

So onto my wish list. I am a sucker for new fonts and graphics, so I think number one might have to be some cute new frames from Fancy Dog Studio!

What's on your wish list?

Go link-up with Where the Wild Things Learn to add your favorites!

You Know You're a Teacher When . . .

Fonts: Kimberly Geswein Fonts & kevinandamanda.com
Graphics: KPM Doodles & Graphics From the Pond

•  . . . you shush people . . . in public . . . without realizing it.
• a simple trip to the grocery store (in yoga pants) results in any number of shy waves, exuberant hellos, and quiet stares from past, present & future students.
• you spent 1% of the summer relaxing in the sun with a book and 99% organizing, stressing, creating & laminating.
• that book you were reading in the sun was a professional development book of some kind.
• in the book store, you head to the children's section first.
• school/office supplies of all kind are exciting.
• you know more than you ever wanted to know about Minecraft, Lalaloopsy & Beyblades.
• weeknights will always be referred to as "school nights."
• the last two weeks in August are the most exciting, nauseating, nerve-wracking & stressful time of the year.
• you will always experience the Back to School, even though you're no longer a student.

How you know when YOU are a teacher?

On a completely unrelated note, I've finished the next two Daily Math sets for First Grade, click the pictures if you're interested:

Each pack contains 40 days of printable math that works to review the Kindergarten Common Core Standards, while transitioning into the First Grade Common Core Standards.

Well, here's to two and a halfish more weeks of summer!

A Little International Inspiration

With all the free time I've been having this summer, I've been doing a lot of thinking about school (no surprise). I keep going back to the classroom and thinking "What can we do to improve?" In short, I have been looking for inspiration. Sometimes it seems like the job of a teacher just gets harder and harder each year - class sizes get bigger, prep time decreases, services for students declines as the students who need those services goes up. What are we to do? How much can teachers do in the classroom when it seems like there is a bigger change needed? Do we need to look abroad for inspiration?

Have you seen this pin on Pinterest?

I was recently doing a little more investigation (no, I am not a detective) and found another interesting article from The Cornerstone: 12 "Myths" About Education in Finland Debunked.

Although not all the Finnish education "rumours" are true, there are definitely some key differences in their education system vs. the North American model.

The Finnish model might not be the solution to all the problems, but it's definitely food for thought.

How does your school (or school district) stack up?