An oldie but a goodie . . . freebie that is!

Things look a little different around here. I decided to freshen up my blog look, despite the fact that I haven't blogged in forever!

But the new blog look is not why I'm here today . . . I'm here for a freebie! I'm linking up with Freebie Friday over at Teaching Blog Addict, so make sure to head over there for more great freebies! Today, it's an old freebie - but still one of my favourites - it's my Summer Vacation Printable Mini Pack!

I don't know about you, but the end of my school year looks crazy. We still have five weeks to go, but those weeks are packed full of assemblies, field trips, special events, and, oh yeah, a *wee* bit of downtime (and learning, too!). In between the busy moments, I always find we have little chunks of free time where the kids are still all kinds of crazy, but we don't have *quite* enough time to get anything substantial done. Enter this mini pack. It is NO PREP for teachers - you are already busy enough - and has a few fun & simple activities to get you and your students through the last few days of school.

You can click {HERE} or the picture above to check it out - hope you enjoy!

A Random Assortment of Books, Shoes & Reviews

Can you believe the end of the school year is just around the corner? No? Me neither. The school years keep passing faster and faster and I cannot believe it.

So, it's the end of the school year and I haven't blogged in over a month, of course there are a few random, unrelated things about which to talk.

Number one is new books. Lately I have been finding a ton of new books/authors that are "new-to-me." It doesn't matter to me if they came out a year ago or one month ago, it is great to find new classroom books to add to my classroom library. I may or may not have a bit of a book obsession. It doesn't matter what age/grade level the books are meant for, if I like them, I buy them. Here are two that have caught my eye lately.

The first one I found came out about a year ago. It's called Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light. If you teach preschool, kindergarten or even first grade, this one's for you. It's a great book for little learners who are practicing counting up to 20. The heavily detailed illustrations are in black and white *except* for the object that is being counted. Students will enjoy spending time counting the objects and searching for the dragon in each picture.

Click {HERE} to check it out on Amazon.

Another great book is Oh No, George! by Christ Haughton. This is a great book for students who are *trying* to make good choices, but may be struggling. George demonstrates how to make things better when his choices have negative repercussions (hello restitution!). **Spoiler alert** The unfinished ending provides a perfect opportunity for students to decide what the best decision would be, providing great practice for students who are struggling in that area.

Click {HERE} to check it out on Amazon.

Another thing I've been thinking about lately - shoes! I am not a huge shoe person, but I do love a great ballet flat. These new colors of Tieks have been calling my name. What's your go-to shoe?

And finally, I'm thinking about the end of the year - what teacher isn't? I don't know about you, but the next few weeks (still almost two months left) are full of assemblies, field trips, meetings and, oh yeah, curriculum. It is so important to make sure students are prepared for next year, so I have created a few reviews to help cover that. With an answer key provided for each packet, you just need to print and you are ready to go - a busy teacher's best friend at the end of the year!

You can click {HERE} or the picture to check them out.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend because you know Monday will be here before you know it!

Great Books for Earth Day

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I LOVE Earth Day! As soon as the calendar turned April (hello April Fools' Day) I started thinking about Earth Day. When I was in the library the other day, I found another Earth Day gem (check out number 2 on the list below) so I've put it together with some of my other favorites to create this list for all things Earth Day.

1) The EARTH Book by Todd Parr

2) 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh

3) The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

4) The Earth and I by Frank Asch

5) Why Should I Recycle by Jen Green

6) Why Should I Save Water by Jen Green

7) I Can Save the Earth! by Alison Inches

8) The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle by Alison Inches

9) The Three R's: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle by Nuria Roca

10) It's Earth Day! by Mercer Mayer

11) The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

12) Curious George Plants a Tree - H.A. Rey

13) Earth Day - Hooray! by Stuart J. Murphy

14) Don't Throw That Away! by Lara Bergen

15) We are Extremely Very Good Recyclers by Lauren Child (not pictured in the image above)

**All links via Amazon**

A REVOLUTIONARY Teaching Tool!

Do you ever find something that just CHANGES your teaching. Dare I say, revolutionizes it?? Well, I don't know that I've found that, but this year I did try something new that I really like and use all the time . . . SHEET PROTECTORS!

Let me back up. This year, I have a projector in my room, but no SMARTBoard. I know, I know, first world problems, but I still had to stop and think about my regular routines. I was so used to demonstrating things for the students so easily on the SMARTBoard, that it took me a second to think of how I could still do it, without wasting paper. It took me a few seconds, but then it occurred to me - hadn't I seen sheet protectors used a ton of times in all those fabulous pins I had pinned on Pinterest?

So, I went to Staples, picked up ten sheet protectors and tried it out. I initially wanted to use them just when I was demonstrating how to complete a worksheet to the whole group, but I soon found out there were SO many more uses for them.

In that completely out-of-season picture above (from Halloween), I used the protectors to house a fun roll-a-monster game (found for free HERE) for the students to use. They kept the papers from getting creased, dirty, etc. and they are still in perfect shape for next year.

I don't know about you, but at this time of year, the school is running low on paper, so tons of copies are kind of frowned upon. Don't get me wrong, I try to save paper whenever and wherever possible, but it's beginning to be less of a choice, and more of a necessity. So instead of printing off worksheets, printables or activities for each student, I can now print off one or a few copies and place them in a center for rotation. Students can use whiteboard markers to complete the activity and wipe it clean for the next student. And these do wipe completely clean; I have seen no evidence yet of stubborn marker sticking around.

Long story short, I have now bought about 100 of them (it probably only cost me $10!) and I use them all the time. Not only that, it is nearing the end of the school year and they are still in perfect shape, so I'm hoping I'll be able to reuse them next year.

So that's my little, unoriginal tip for the day - sheet protectors, go get some for yourself! Unless of course, you already know about the awesomeness of them and use them all the time, then just disregard this post, as you could probably give me some tips on how to use them!

Some new units, some new-ish units and a TpT SALE!

Are you counting down the days until Spring Break? Yeah, me too. We're at less than two weeks here and I can.not.wait!

In other exciting news, did you hear about TpT's Teachers are Heroes sale?

Starting tomorrow, my whole store will be 20% off and if you use the promo code: HEROES, you'll get an additional 10% off in savings.

I only need the slightest nudge of encouragement to buy clipart, so my TpT cart will be filled!

Some of my new units that will be on sale:

Math Mystery Phrases without Regrouping (2- & 3-Digit)

Regrouping Math Mystery Phrases (2- & 3-Digit)

Some of my new-ish units that will be on sale:

Daily Language 4 (Spring) Second Grade

Word Problem a Day - 2nd Grade (Bundle)

Daily Language Second Grade Bundle Pack 

A few favorites:

Reading Comprehension Printables for any Picture Book

Multiplication within 100 Task Cards

While you're there, you may as well pick up a few freebies, too!

Let's Read & Write with Leprechauns

Place Value Mystery Number Cards 

Telling Time Math Unit

Happy shopping!

10 of My FAVORITE Chapter Books for Kids!

I am so excited about this post. I LOVE reading. Picture books, novels, non-fiction, I get excited about it all. So today I wanted to talk about 10 (I know, how could I narrow it down to only 10?!) of my favorite chapter books for kids.

When I was making this list, I was getting excited. That is the power books hold over me. Just glimpsing the cover of a book I haven't read in years is enough to bring back great memories.

I have to preface this list by saying that it may seem completely unorganized and seemingly disconnected. There is no set age-range or theme, but rather I solely chose books that have somehow impacted me. These are books that have stayed with me since childhood or have somehow impacted my teaching. This list is a book of favorites - my favorites. I'm sure I've left out some masterpieces, but when I sat down to think, these are the 10 that popped into my mind. So without further ado, let's move on to the list!

10) The BFG by Roald Dahl

All books via Amazon

Of course I had to start my list off with a Roald Dahl - you'll see that this will be a reoccurring theme! I first heard this book as a classroom read-aloud in third grade and have loved it ever since. The detail, the humour, the suspense, it is great.

9) From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

Mystery, intrigue, and New York City, what more do you need?

8) The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

I love this book because it is the perfect first chapter book read-aloud for young readers. Plus, it's a really great story - who can't help but love that sweet, little Despereaux?

7) The Giver by Lois Lowry

When I read this book in seventh grade, it was so different than other books I had previously read. The concept had a powerful impact on me then that still resonates to this day.

6) Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

When I read this book, all I wanted to do was eat tomato sandwiches and carry a spy notebook. Love it.

5) James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Another Roald Dahl. I'm sure I could have filled this entire list with his books but I limited myself to three. This one makes the list because it was the first novel read-aloud I heard while in school. One of my favorite teachers read it to my class in first grade and it sparked my interest in novels. Before that I had been a voracious reader, but I had only ever seen picture books for kids - I thought novels were limited to adults! The thought that there were novels - amazing, long, intricate stories - for kids, opened a new world of reading for me.

4) Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

This is another book that has stuck with me since childhood. Novels can be powerful way to introduce tough historical topics to students, and this novel does just that.

3) The Breadwinner Trilogy by Deborah Ellis

This book came out when I was in university and by the time I started student teaching it was SO popular among students. The school library could not keep it on the shelves and boys and girls alike were devouring it. It brings current news and issues into the classroom and sends a powerful message.

2) The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

This series came out when I was a kid, but for some reason I didn't discover it until adulthood. I heard about it over and over again, but for some reason, I resisted reading it - big mistake! As soon as I picked up the first book, I couldn't put it down. It was a stay-up-until-2a.m. read for me and I continue to re-read the series all the time. I always feel that the hallmark of a great children's book is that adults love it too, and this series is a perfect example.

1) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Hands down, this is my favorite chapter book for kids. It's great as a class read-aloud, to inspire struggling readers or for students to re-read over and over again. This book has stuck with me since childhood. When I was in elementary school, as soon as my teacher finished reading it to the class, I immediately went to the local library and checked it out. I have read it countless times over the years and it will always hold a special place in my literary heart.

So those are my favorites, what are some of yours? Even as I was going through the list, I know I've left off a bunch, so I might have to make a 2.0 list!

I've seen a lot of students that struggle with reading & responding to chapter books. If you're interested in something to help your students with their comprehension, I have a bunch of prinables just for that . . .

You can click {HERE} or the above pictures if you'd like a closer look.

If you're interested in similar printables designed for use with picture books, you can check out a blog post I wrote {HERE} about using picture books to make predictions.

Daily Language Bundle Pack

You are about to see a rarity on this blog (well actually two rarities if you count blogging, since that has been pretty rare lately, too!) - a real picture. That's right. I actually took out my camera phone, and snapped a picture. I never do this. It took me two or three days to get first day of school pictures - SHHH! - of the students because I kept forgetting my camera.

But, on this rare occurrence, I took out my phone to get a picture of my new Daily Language pack. Perhaps I just had to mark this occasion, because in finishing up this new pack, I actually have finished up my ENTIRE Daily Language series for firsties, so I was able to bundle it, yay!

So, without further ado, here is one of the few pictures that will probably ever grace this blog . . .

I know, I know, but please hold your applause. I mean just look at that artistic angle, the blur, the ability to be two feet from it and still not have it fully in focus . . . is there an award or contest this should be entered into?

But seriously, how is that I can take a photo of something that is not moving, and it STILL appears out of focus. I tell ya, it doesn't matter how new/expensive/easy-to-use a camera is, I can not take a good picture to save my life, yikes!

But, back to the subject of the picture, my Daily Language pack. I now have 6 Daily Language packs available for first grade, including a Summer Take-Home booklet. You can click the pictures below to check out each individual pack:

Each page in the first five packs contains five questions, covering various common core language and reading standards. For the summer booklet, each page contains two days of practice, with each day covering one or two topics with one or two questions per day - gotta keep it simple in the summer! The packs spiral in difficulty, starting with a review of Kindergarten common core standards in the back to school pack and ending with a review of the first grade standards in the summer take-home booklet.

I chose to only do 5 questions per page because I wanted to keep it quick, simple and to the point. I find that the students that most need these reviews are usually the ones that also need something simple and not too overwhelming.

Constantly reviewing concepts, while adding new topics and questions makes this a perfect daily review that can be used for morning/bell work, to fill a few free minutes during the daily schedule or as homework. Each pack comes with an answer key - easy marking!

Click the pictures above, or {HERE} to check out the full bundle.

Now I've just got to finish the 2nd grade bundle, wish me luck!