Five for Friday {August 29th)

It's Friday!  So that means it's time for

I am linking up with Kacey for my Five for Friday!

My nephew turned one this week!

 Micah is such a joy to our family!

We have been working on digraphs.  Here's one of our activities.

All grades in our school administered Interactive Achievement assessments in reading and math this week.  It has been a crazy week!

the sign in the middle of the door is my testing sign ... "Shhh!  We are testing.  Please come back later!" 

Our school librarian is doing a reading challenge for the 4th-6th graders and in our faculty meeting this week, she gave the challenge to us, too!  Read 40 books this school year.  I'm getting started now!

We begin our plant unit next week.  On Tuesday we are going to do this!  I took pictures this afternoon of the kiddos making funny faces.  They are going to love this lesson!  Click here for the pin.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Five for Friday {August 22}

Happy Friday!  I am linking up with Kacey at Doodle Bugs Teaching for my 

Here's what has been happening this week ...

My family spent some time together on Saturday.  We swam at the pool where my grandma lives.  Here's my niece with her great-grandma.

 My birthday was last week, so along with the swim, we had a picnic.  Katie loves having her picture taken!

 I watched my niece and nephews for a little while last Sunday evening. Micah screamed every time I put him down, so instead I received lots of cuddles!  You can see the tears on his cheek!

 We started working on nonsense words this week.  My first graders are fabulous readers already and have been rocking this out!  I am so proud of them and kudos to our kindergarten teachers!

We read Have You Filled a Bucket Today? yesterday.  Then we colored buckets and attached them to the front of pocket folders (no space in my room for buckets!).

We LOVE Maximo from GoNoodle!  He has been part of our Morning Meetings this week!

Our classroom teachers have been going through training by Responsive Classroom in the last couple of years.  During the training we had this summer, the concept of student choice was brought up.  During a vertical team meeting at the beginning of the school year, the kindergarten and first grade teachers decided that we could do student choice during math centers on Fridays.  We took the plunge today!  The children could choose where they wanted to start - 3 centers and 15 minutes at each center.  There could only be 5 at each center (because I had 5 iPads to use).  I randomly chose name cards and they chose their center.  The ones at the end were excited that they were at the seat work center with me because that's what their first choice was!  Such sweet firsties!

We have a lot of math apps on the iPads.  The students could choose which one(s) they wanted to play.

 Clipping numbers after counting the pictures - game center.

 Count the image and glue the number that corresponds - seat work center with me.

The moms of two of our staff members have recently learned they have breast cancer.  One of the moms had surgery this week and we wore pink to support our co-worker and her momma.  We took a staff picture this afternoon.

 With the para in my room - she's fantastic!

What a busy week!  I hope you have a great weekend!

Five for Friday {August 15}

Happy Friday!  I'm linking up with Kacey at Doodle Bugs Teaching for my 

We started school last Thursday for teacher workdays and yesterday was our first day with kiddos.

All ready for the first day to read Too Much Glue and do an activity!

 Our principal and some staff as we got ready to welcome the kids off of the bus.  We write bus numbers on hands of our PreK, kinders, and firsties to be sure we get them back on the correct bus in the afternoon!

 My new teaching partner, Ashley

Yummy treats from the family of some of our children.

 Writing activity by one of my firsties

Go Noodle!

Have a great weekend!

Meet the Teacher

I am linking up with Stephanie at Falling into First for Meet the Teacher!

A little about me ...

My husband, Josh, and I celebrated our 11th anniversary this summer.

We have 2 nieces and 5 nephews.

We are foster parents and are anxiously awaiting our first placement!  Here's a peek into the room we have ready for a little girl who needs a home.

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

Mr. Sketch markers.  Yellow Box sandals.  York Peppermint Patties.  Barq's Root Beer.  My Jesus Calling devotional.  My owl Tervis tumbler.  Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

 IF YOU WEREN'T A TEACHER, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO BE?

Something creative, but not sure what it would be.

THREE LITTLE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOU.

Loyal.  Sensitive.  Loving.

FINISH THE SENTENCE, "________,  SAID NO TEACHER EVER!!"

"I'd really love to grade papers all weekend ... said no teacher EVER!!"
 

Q: IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND YOU CAN INVITE ANYONE {DEAD OR ALIVE} TO THE PARTY. WHO ARE YOU INVITING?

Karen Kingsbury

 Dr. John MacArthur

George Washington

Abraham Lincoln

 Q:YOU GET TO PICK ONE SUPERPOWER. WHAT IS IT?

 

 I have a 33 mile one way drive, so I wish I had a button in my car to drive itself so I could sleep!

Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE OR SAYING?

"Hello, my name is child of the one true King

I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing" 

 

Q: IF YOU HAD TO SING ONE SONG ON AMERICAN IDOL, WHAT WOULD IT BE? 

 "Hello, My Name Is" by Matthew West

 

 Q: ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON OR A NIGHT OWL?

Much of my creativity comes at night, but I have to have a lot of sleep to be able to function the next day!  

 

Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE RESOURCE THAT YOU'VE CREATED IN YOUR TPT SHOP?

I love my money unit!  When it's time for money, I can print and go!  I have sets of money cards and money amounts and my children rock out counting money with these!  I added extra pages in the spring.  When I first made this unit, it was near St. Patrick's Day, but then the following year we started school earlier and money was in February!  I kept the St. Patty's Day theme, but added a whole set of pages and activities for any time of the year!

Q: SHARE SOMETHING WE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU! 

 I am the fourth generation teacher in my family.  My mom is near the end of her teaching career (high school Spanish).  My granddad was an elementary teacher and principal.  He was asked to be a high school principal and he turned it down!  My great-grandmother taught in a one-room schoolhouse beginning in 1919 in Northeastern Ohio.

Check the linky on Stephanie's page to find other bloggers!

Have a great night!

Monday Made It: Meet the Teacher

Happy Monday!  I'm linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for 

One of Tara's projects a couple of weeks ago was a "Meet the Teacher" board.  I LOVED her idea and wanted to make one for me! :)

I went to Michael's and bought a corkboard and used fun wrapping paper from Hobby Lobby to cover the board.

 Then I hot glued on a 6 foot pink feather boa around the edges.  {After I finished and held the board up, I realized I didn't get the boa glued on very well.  Be sure to use a lot of glue and push the feathers into the glue.}

 I added a hot pink flower and an "H" for my last name.  I used hot glue for attaching both of these.

 I made a little sign and had a bunch of photos of my family and teaching friends.  I put those on various scrapbooking pieces and laminated them.  I stapled everything to the board.

I love how it looks and it's a great way for my new firsties to see me as a person and not just their teacher! :)

I had extra pictures (because how can you choose?!), along with a little bit of space on a nearby wall, so this happened on Friday, even though I had a lot else to do!

Have a great week!  Our kiddos begin on Thursday!

Five for Friday {August 8}

Happy Friday!

It's time for Five for Friday!

I started back yesterday with our first teacher workday.  What a busy two days!  Here's a snapshot of my week!

My husband turned 40 last Friday and I had a surprise party for him on Saturday.  My grandma gave him this over the hill cane!  We had such a great time celebrating with our family and friends!  I am so thankful to God for Josh!

 Went shoe shopping yesterday for school appropriate shoes and I am so excited about these new ones and hope they don't hurt my feet!

 Our faculty is being trained in Responsive Classroom and the school has chosen 3 school wide rules.  A lot of what we teach in first grade at the beginning of the year is character education.  I found this adorable clip art from Educlips this summer, which put a picture with various character qualities.  I love the children who portray these different qualities!

 I had SO much to do this afternoon, but was very distracted.  Instead of putting things away and working on my math group differentiating plans, I put pictures up!

Today is my birthday!  Denise, the kindergarten teacher who is next door to me, has the same birthday!  We went out to lunch today to celebrate!

One of my kiddos last year gave me this adorable owl at the end of the year.  I found these cute flower stems at Michael's over the summer and I love how bright it looks on the corner of my desk!

Have a great weekend!  I am for sure going to enjoy sleeping in tomorrow!