September Currently

Oh my goodness this months' Currently is ADORABLE! How could I resist!

Listening- My boys are taking a nap and I am enjoying some peace, quiet, and blogging!

Loving- Seriously it has been the BEST weekend in awhile. My past few weekends have been full of lesson planning, cutting, laminating, prepping, researching, etc. While I still did some work I had a lot more moments like these....

And it was wonderful:)

Thinking- I maybe should have done a little less working and little more cleaning because I am typing this amongst a pile of papers and such...ooopps!

Wanting- I desperately want to take the plunge and get a custom blog design and am so close to just doing it! I really want to make sure I can take the time to blog over the next few weeks and if I can stick to it and make a regular blog entry then I am doing it!

Needing- I really need another weekend just like this one...it was perfect:)

3 Trips- Have ya'll heard they are setting up a coffee shop in NYC that is made to look just like Central Perk from the show???

Words cannot express how much I NEED to be there! No seriously...I'm obsessed with the show and would LOVE more than anything to go here. Ticket to NYC should be cheap right? *sigh*

Besides being a Friends addict, I believe I am a Disney addict as well and DisneyWorld is for sure on my bucket list. And to enjoy pasta and wine in Italy would be a dream...someday:)

Miss Rumphius Freebie and a New Product

So I read Miss Rumphius for the first time EVER with my kids this week and I fell in love. Such a beautiful story and I loved every second we spent with this story! 

I was happy to find the read aloud on YouTube which my kids enjoyed during their Listen to Reading time. 

We did some activities with Miss Rumphius which you'll find as my newest freebie in my store! 

This is how we started out.... We get our Bear Essential News newspapers once a month and I sometimes like to do something with them before I send them home. We worked on answering the who, what, when, where, why, and how for an article in groups this week. We were also able to point out captivating titles and topic sentences and how they catch their readers' attention. 

After seeing how well the kids did with taking apart an article I decided to have them write one! I told them to imagine that Miss Rumphius was real and to write an article about her. I loved how they turned out!

We also did this writing during our Work on Writing time. 

These past few weeks we've been working on close reading so we used those strategies to read through this informative passage on Lupines. 

You can find each of these activities in my store for FREE...just click here. 

Now on to math! We've been reviewing multiplication. I created these multiplication puzzles for my kids and they really were a hit. They are doing more than just finding the answer, they are connecting the equation to models and repeated addition. It really was difficult at first but they worked together and figured it out! We will try again this week in pairs and then independently. 

You can purchase this activity in my store now! Just click the image below:) 

My Classroom

 

I think I am FINALLY ready which is a good thing because our first day of school is TOMORROW! Excuse me while I stop to wonder how summer flew by so quickly : /

 

This year I moved classrooms and grade levels! I'm looping and have the same kiddos I had last year so I really tried to make my classroom look different for our new year. Here's a peek...

 

Here is the library which is leveled for AR.

 

 

 

 

 



 

Right next to our bookshelf we have a basket of pillows and a basket of books that students can check out and take home for reading homework.



 



 



 

Math manipulatives are organized...let's home they stay that way!

 

Here's our supply station. It is looking pretty empty because all our supply boxes are on the floor awaiting tomorrows arrival of supplies!

This is where I will run the document camera. In front of our purple couch will be our meeting area.

 

Our meeting ready for our first of many read alouds:)

 

 This will more than likely be the cleanest our group table will ever be...

 

This is what you would see as you walk in...

Now I'm are off to get a good night of sleep...long day tomorrow!

R

Meet the Teacher Night

Last night was our school's Meet the Teacher night! It was a much more relaxing night than usual since I knew most of my kids. They were so surprised when they found out they I would be their teacher AGAIN this year! I didn't get many pictures but here are a few...and a freebie too ;)

At first I LOVED this poster that I made with window paint and black butcher paper. The colors really popped!...Then I rolled it up and took it to school. When I unrolled it I found that it smudged and it didn't look as nice as it did before :( Next time I'll use chalkboard paint!

The kids wrote how they felt about third grade on post its and I was happy to see that most were excited!

I also wanted to have a little snack for them. I remember seeing something similar to this years ago and I thought I'd try it out this year. I brought 5 different types of snacks that each stood for something I wanted the kiddos to know was important for a successful year. The scoops and and bowls are all from the Dollar Tree and the scoops came 2 to a pack so this wasn't super expensive but it still looked nice! It was definitely a hit!

Click here if you would like to use it in your own classroom:) 

Well our first day of school is on Tuesday! Ready or not....Here they come!

Motivational Folders

My brain has definitely been in summer mode (which explains the hiatus). I have enjoyed spending my days in my pajamas chasing after my toddler. With the first day of school just over two weeks away (omg omg omg) I have been thrown back into teacher mode and I am busily preparing for the upcoming year.I will also be in uncharted waters this new year because.....

I'M MOVING TO THIRD!

I just found out I'm looping with last year's class and I could not be more excited to have them for another year. It's great to already know the students and just where they are all at. It makes the beginning of the year a bit more smooth. As soon as I got the news I started to think about where I left off  my kids, especially that handful that struggled more than others. One particular student stuck in my head. It's one of those students I know I will remember forever. I watched him change and grow SO SO SO much in just one year and I don't think I have ever been so proud. It was not an easy journey for him. He lacked confidence....BIG TIME. He constantly doubted himself and would regularly shut down. I had to encourage encourage encourage and then encourage a little more. I encouraged other classmates to do the same. I had to get this kid to believe in himself and it was difficult. He finally came around by the end of the year and definitely built some confidence. With more difficult content in 3rd grade, I worried that he would struggle again this year so I put together a little pack to spread encouragement and motivation throughout my classroom.

Here's how I plan to use it:
The first week of school I will hang our quote posters {insert photo here} and we will do several activities in which we discuss the meaning and how words of others can motivate us. Each student will get a motivational folder that they will keep in their data binders for them to look through regularly.

The folder will contain some motivational materials for students to have access to when needed. I will teach students to write encouraging notes to each other, I will collect encouraging notes from parents, students will have their own quote book as well, all in which will be kept in these folders. 

I am so excited for this pack and can' t wait to use it! If you would like to try it out as well it's up in my store! Click Below!

Hope back to school planning is going well for you! Until next time!

June Currently

I so love Oh Boy Fourth Grade's Currently link up! 

Listening- My hubby got a sound bar for his birthday and now listens to everything just a little too loud. Apparently movies are really great if you can feel the walls shake..... I may exaggerating a little bit ; )

Loving- I so love spending all day with my little toddler! He is so much fun and at the same time so exhausting...is that possible?

Thinking- I am all caught up and Scandal (OBSESSED) and Revenge (a little disappointed). I really want to get hooked on a new show...any suggestions????

Wanting- Guys it is 108 degrees here in AZ....108 DEGREES. Too hot! I need some cooler weather...ASAP! Too bad the worst is yet to come : (

Needing- I have a summer to do list that consists of products I want to fine tune for TPT, new products I want to make, and new decor for the classroom. I really need to get started...it's a long list. 

Summer Bucket List- Though I have a super long to do list, I think what matters most is that I take time to RELAX. I want to get refreshed and ready to take on another year. 

Mother's Day FREEBIE

Each time I go for long periods of time without blogging I guess I'll just have to try to apologize with a freebie! I was soooooo late on planning Mother's Day this year. I have been wanting to try something new! I have been on Pinterest way late each night trying to figure it out and I never knew that my answer was right there in my very own bedroom.
My dear friend Alyse over at Keep Calm and Apple On made this for me a while back.

It's an I Love You Because board that I use with my hubby. It's great to find love notes and write love notes back and forth. As I was trying to figure out what to write my dear hubby I thought...wow this would be great for kids to write their moms! Now it's not the cheapest thing I could have put together and it's minimal student work BUT I really think it's going to be a gift that keeps on giving! Plus, kids will get some writing practice in at home right? That's a win in my book!

I bought all my frames at the Dollar tree and will be including a dry erase marker too. I found a small pack of dry erase markers that I purchased in the Target dollar section, 3 for a $1! The kids color the 4X6 insert and BAM! Easy, adorable Mother's Day present that I think moms will enjoy!

Click the pic below and it's yours:)