Count Down to the Election!

I have shared a lot of my favorite resources but I wanted to share a few more of my favorites as tomorrow is the big day. I am taking a poll in my classroom, we are voting to decide if we will have a new president or retain our current one. How would your students vote?

I love this site! A homeschool friend of mine sent it to me. Everything is free and the students will create a lapbook all about the election. I love this idea and could pair it with my interactive notebook pages easily!

I really like how this teacher remembered to include a voter registration card and taught her students how to register to vote! I need to remember this for the next presidential election!!

This is one of my favorite sites. In fact, I asked my students to use this site to help them find the answers to the INS pages in my Election Packet. This site has a lot of other great information as well.

Who does not love BrainPOP? I may have a BrainPOP addiction IF that is at all possible!

Fact Monster is also a favorite place for information! This one has great information on the candidates so you can compare and contrast and/or help your students make an informed decision about who they want to vote for!

And as always... Ben has some information to share with us as well.  Poor Ben he has always been an afterthought for me. For some reason, he just does not appeal to me.

What are your favorite sites for this year's election?

Word Families

We have all heard and read about word families and many of us even use them in our classrooms quite often. I love some of these cute word family displays:

You can find links to all 3 of these blog sites through my pinterest language arts board. Aren't they so fun and creative?

One of the issues we had with our ELL students was finding workbook pages that were simplistic for use with our students. When we did find some... they were missing some of the things we really needed.

There are 32 main word families but there are actually hundreds more. If students are able to recognize these families they can spell better, accurately read better, and develop language acquisition skills quicker.

Soooooooooooooo.... I made it! The first version I created has handwriting lines and was designed for my first grade ELD students. They need the lines so that way they can form their letters correctly. I also added a spot so that you can draw a picture to go along with the word.

The next package I made was for my second grade ELD students. They do not need the special handwriting lines BUT they do need more word families. This set has 300+ word families!

YEP! You read that right. It includes a worksheet for each one, answers (as I forget when standing at the front of the class and hate going through letter by letter all the time), and a chart of all the families for each vowel.

I added enough spaced for both real and non-sense words. However, I did not include the non-sense words in the answer guide.

This has made my life SOOOO much easier! I use these sheets for all kinds of things. Reinforcing spelling rules, helping struggling students with specific ending sounds, poetry, rhyming, and literacy centers. The ideas are really endless.

Personally... I like to use these in my interactive notebooks. My mentor teacher prefers to use them in a workbook format. I created 2 covers for this... one to use with my Wordville Series and one to use with my Phonics series. This way it will match either one.

PLUS it is generic enough that you can use with any other activities from your favorite sellers.

Here comes October!

I am so excited... October is almost here. A few more weeks of 100 degree temperatures and we will finally hit the 90s. By Halloween... we should be in the 80s and if we have any kinda luck by Thanksgiving we will be in the 70s. That's fall in Arizona peeps!

I remember a story several years back from my youngest son. He came home crying from Kindergarten because he thought his teacher lied to him. When I asked what she lied about he said she kept telling him about all these seasons where leaves change and snow falls but that only happens in the movies. After I stopped laughing, I had to explain where we live is different then planned a trip to a nicer climate to prove his teacher didn't lie afterall.

From that moment on, the child never really like his kindergarten teacher or trusted her despite getting proof that she told the truth. It is one of my favorite memories of fall....

Since I am always HOPING for fall to arrive, I always end up in full decorating mode. You should see the amount of decorations stored in my garage or maybe you shouldn't..... This has carried over to the classroom. I have files and files and files of Holiday STUFF!

But I admit, I forget the digital files exist. I need something all in one. Click... print... go! That theory is what prompted my new line of products. Each month, I will be introducing a new packet with lots and lots of resources.

So this guy here has everything that I need in it for the month of  October. I will probably add to it later but for now it is 39 pages and has everything I need as a teacher to prepare for the month ahead!

Calendar numbers (in both formats!) and letters for my classroom boggle board. Boggle is one of my early finishers options for the month. I have a wide variety of things they can do if they finish early but they are all grade-level common-core aligned activities.

Interactive notebook pages. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my interactive student notebooks... known as Brainy Matters in my classroom. It keeps both me and my students organized, it doubles as a portfolio and review tool. You will notice that a lot of my products are now including these pages as it is what I need and use.

There are also writing prompts that cover retelling, inferencing, and creative writing, 2 sight word lists with words that pertain to the month of October, and 2 word hunts.

Math review worksheets. Again, these are core-aligned and skills that all students need to know. My fourth grader was using this one tonight as he needs a refresher on basic math facts. I use these for my students who finish early during math. This way I know they are still getting those instruction math minutes!

There are also 2 roll and cover math game boards. I use this in multiple ways... matching numbers, creating a problem equal to that number (have students record in math journals), and use that number in a problem and have you buddy solve it (mental math). 

Now while all of the above stuff is awesome... Teachers need things too! So I created a 2 newsletter (1 Halloween & 1 Columbus), labels for this months centers, 2 letters home, and 4 pages of books to read (picture books and chapter books!) for the month.

There are also 3 October calendars which I use in my classroom. I have a plain calendar for behavior and a math calendar that we use with our circle time. None of the calendars are dated as I have my students do this to help reinforce counting skills. On the math one... the right the digital date as part of our calendar time on their math calendar.

The one pictured here is the reading log. Students record minutes on the calendar and books to the right. The rubric is on the bottom. No daily minimums are listed on this calendar so you can use it as you wish. This goes home in our file folders which stay inside out binders. The left side has the instructions and the right the calendar.

We worked on this bundle for 3 days solid and I wanted to get it to you before this weekend so you would have time to use it for the upcoming month. In future packets, I am planning on adding the Family Zebra Quest Challenge and our monthly book project. I just ran out of time and steam this month.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this project. This includes clip art from 5 of Melonheadz Illustrating sets as well as exclusive pieces made just for TWT. Each month's kit will be created in a similar fashion and cover two different topics. This kit covers Halloween and Columbus Day. I will do Fall next month when it kinda feels like it here.

Leave me a comment and I will randomly select a winner!

Reusable Anchor Charts

I have learned so many incredible things from my mentor but I think reusable anchor charts has to be one of my favorites!

I will apologize for the pictures in advance... they are from my iPad and embedded into a PDF... I will share more about this great invention that I love tomorrow.

Onto the anchor charts!

My mentor created several of these "reusable anchor charts" at the beginning of the year. Primarily she uses these to teach grammar - hence the titles of the charts you see in the pictures.  

She took a poster ( 8 1/2 x 11) and then mounted it on cardstalk to make it pop and then glued it to a piece of anchor chart paper. Then she laminated it all. The above picture shows what it looks like ready for use!

To use it, she hangs it on the white board with magnets or pins it to the bulletin board. It is moveable to wherever it is needed in the room AND it is its own many whiteboard. =)

Each poster has one term on it, a definition, an picture, and 2 examples. This way students always have a handy reference. As an added bonus, she can add what ever we are currently working on to the chart. Here we are working on tenses of verbs. 

When they are not in use they are hung up on a moveable pocket chart thingy (love that term right?!). There is a complete set here. We simply take it off of the rings and move it to wherever we need it and put it back when we are done. Students know that the can access this at any time. 

Interactive Notebooks! 

I love interactive notebooks. My take on this is to create mini anchor charts with the same information for my students. This way the can copy what we have on and add it to their notebooks. This will help them to have the information at their fingertips instead of having to go across the room to get it. Plus when we erase, they will still have the information to reflect upon at a later date. 

I am contemplating a grammar section/tab of the notebook just for these charts. So that way students will have an easier time locating the information when they need it.

Honey Bunch Blog Designs

Some of you have just realized that I am "THAT Misty." 

Yes, in the little free time I have, I have partnered with Erika to bring you some of the most amazing blog designs. We just introduced two new lines of premade templates. First, a seasonal/holiday line to decorate your blogs and second, an exclusive line of Melonheadz templates. To celebrate we are currently offering $5 off with the coupon code melonbeez.

Introduction to Polygons

For my last class, I had to create an entire scripted lesson plan for use with ELL, ESS (SPED), and G&T students. As I have been focusing on creating a framework from which to base my lessons, I decided to create a math lesson plan to use for this assignment as well as for use with my plan.

I decided to open my lesson plan with an amazing book that my youngest son loves. The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns is a reference utilized by many teachers. I found it on YouTube! 

After each shape is introduced pause the video or stop reading. Using a Chinese Jump rope have each table group recreate the shape. If you prefer to have your students do this independently use a geoboard.

To help students remember the names of the various regular polygons. I found this song on YouTube. My seven-year old is still singing this in the background as I write this blog. He loves it, he asked me to print out the words to it and it is hanging up in his room.

I next used this amazing kit from Laura Candler which was available for free during the Teacher Appreciation Jackpot. I only used the polygon sort for the lesson plan.

I followed this up with my BUILD Math Masters Interactive Notebook. Where we took notes and drew pictures of the various polygons. Once I finish completing my unit on polygons, I will have the complete set of materials for sale at my store.

To help further support this I used some of the WBT techniques I have been sharing with you. Class-Yes, Switch,  and Teach-Okay. This lesson was my first with WBT and I can't wait to do more! (During this class, I discovered WBT for the first time so have been learning about this while studying.)

I am so excited about how this came out! This unit is aligned to the Common Core Standards (CCSS) 3.G.1.

After introducing this concept, we will move onto more complex geometry concepts. The items introduced will then be moved into BUILD so that students can reinforce this less by repeating various parts of it.

B - Polygon Sort can be added to the games section.
U - The geoboards can be added here along with cards asking them to recreate a shape. Answers on back of the card.
I - Having an iPad or computer set up so students can re-view the video "The Greedy Triangle." Also include this in book format and other books on polygons.
L - There is no "L" for this lesson plan.
D - Worksheets from our curriculum.







I have included my wishlist for use with introducing polygons.Many of these I have already read, I just need to purchase them for my class. As the unit continues, I will add additional books on this topic.

What are your favorite books about polygons? Do you have other resources you use for teaching this?

Sight Word Value

I have come to realize that making an 

assumption is dangerous.

Especially in the classroom.

Every child is unique.

They have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Their own experiences and values.

Their own story to tell.

Being a teacher allows us to become a part of the story. We are helping to form their strengths and weaknesses. The decisions we make, the assumptions we act on determine the fate of the children in our care.

I will admit, I am guilty of assuming something. I even assumed it was true of my own children. After all, I know they can read. I know there favorite place in the entire world is a Barnes N' Noble.... especially if it includes a trip to the Starbucks!

What I didn't know, was that they did not know all of the sight words. GASP! How? How can they not know these words?

I saw this with my ESS (SPED) students. They struggled with the simplest words. I saw this with my nephew when he came to live with me: an 14 year old African-American (well.... half any ways!) male from a poverty stricken neighborhood. I see this in the ELL students. I see this ........... everywhere.

Yet I assumed that when I reviewed reading strategies that I could skip the sight words as everyone knows those. Sometimes, it is the smallest things that make a difference.

So.... even in fourth grade, I created sight word cards for use with my students. I have them work in pairs, one reads the words, one uses the list to cross out the ones missed. If they get them all right, the can spell them or define them.

 You can find this item in my store. For a limited time, I have it listed as a free resource!

Sight Words is an App for your iPad or iPhone that has all 5 lists on in it plus nouns. It is great for review with kiddos who prefer technology to flashcards. Even if it is flashcard-like.

Sight words are something they should see and use daily. Being a strong reader means you know these. One of the best gifts I can give my students is to ensure that they are the best readers they can be when they leave my classroom.

Don't forget!

BUILDing Math Masters

I have been trying to pull together a format for how I want to teach math. Part of my final project for grad school is to explain how I would teach various subjects. Math is the subject I fear teaching the most. Why?

1 ~ Most kids either hate math, find it boring, or are afraid of it
2 ~ It is fundamental for everything in life
3 ~ I hate worksheet based curriculums
4 ~ I struggle with how to make math come alive, to make it fun, exciting, and engaging.

So this is the area that I have spent the most time on. The one thing that I want each of my students to know and be able to do by the time they leave my class is to have a foundation in math and to know how they best learn math concepts.

To do this... I need to create a multidimensional environment in which to teach the subject. I need my students to have a way to organize their thoughts on this and be able to reference them if needed. I need to be able to teach to the whole as well as to unique individual levels. I need to make it fun and real and exciting. I need to not be bored when teaching it.

The first thing I created was an interactive notebook. I took my brainy matters idea and improved it. Brainy Matters is a type of interactive notebook only I didn't know that at the time I started working on it. I will use this primarily for whole group lessons. Students will end up creating their own math textbooks. It will be AMAZING!

Second... I discovered this great idea!

The name of my math program and interactive notebook will be BUILDing  Math Masters! Each of my students will become a Math Master in their own right! Go to the link above or click on the picture to read more about this great idea!

I will be changing this up a little of my classroom. I love how this is organized so will be setting it up to where my centers for the week or set up as above and I will store all my math centers below. I will work on figuring out how to do that better later but for now. I am so excited to have a format to build off of!

B - Buddy Games (with partners or small groups)

U - Using Manipulatives (exploring the concept!)

I - Independent Work (The original focused on reading math books independently. Mine will primarily be working on completing worksheets or other assessments for the unit. I will include a book scavenger hunt if I have a related math book available.)

L - Learning (The original was titled Learning about Numbers. Mine version is small group lessons and working on deficient skills at independent levels. I want my students to have those basic facts mastered and we will be doing a lot of that here at this stage.)

D - Doing Math (This will be our actual curriculum materials. So whatever the district requires will go here. I will also use this time for teaching the whole group lessons, working on interactive notebooks, and introducing new games, manipulatives, activities, etc...). 

Mrs. Thompson created this great free hand-out to go with it to help keep track of the which centers her students choose. 

Soooooo.... why do I like this method so much?

1 ~ Lots of flexibility. I can add in great things I find from other teachers, things from my district, team teachers, etc... all within this one easy to use format.

2 ~ Reminds me of the daily 5. I love the thoughts around this set up. I am planning on implementing my own version of this for language arts and perhaps science/technology as well.

3 ~ I love the freedom the children have to choose what they want to learn. We all get bored, there are somethings that excite us more... this gives the students the power to choose what works best for them

I will be creating labels for baskets, tubs, etc... as well as posters in the black,white, and red them for this in my store soon. I will also be sharing soon my interactive math notebook as I create those for each unit. It will take time but eventually I think this will be AM~AZ~ING!

I will also create additional posts on what I will include in each category for various units as I sort through things and get them ready for class. 

Don't forget!