Ms. Fiorini's Stadium

5 Below Find and Royal Readers

2012-03-04T16:31:00.003-08:00

Last month our PTO gave each staff member a Visa $30 gift card. (Thanks! :) ) Well today I went into 5 Below for the first time. If you haven't heard of this store it's like a dollar store except everything is $5 or below- just like the name says.

My class has been needing some inside recess games and I hit the jack pot today. Here's a picture of what I got. Laminator on the left not included, but that is a great find too Walmart for $25 I believe I got that a few years ago and LOVE IT!

When you think of March you think Reading- Read Across America / Dr. Seuss. I'm not a huge Seuss fan. (I know how un-American is that.) Well a few years ago I came across Beth Newingham's Mystery Reader and gave that a try. Only got 1 parent to read and it ended up being all teachers from my building. Well this year I have more parent support so I'm trying this again but with a twist. Royal Readers. It will be just for March, but it could be any month. I'm also doing a short Fariy Tale unit this week so that ties right in very nicely. Click on the picture to download this for only $1 at my Teachers Notebook store.

Check out Second in Line- She has a freebie she wants to give out, but is waiting for 50 followers. Let's help out a fellow 2nd grade teacher.

March Madness Giveaway Winner

2012-02-29T15:36:00.000-08:00

And the winner is . . . . .

Kelly Baka Queen Bee

Congratulations. I will be emailing you the files later tonight.

Thank- to everyone that entered my giveaway. Don't forget that I am having a Leap Day Sale at Teachers Notebook until Saturday. Everything is 20% off.

Leap Day Sale

2012-02-28T14:54:00.002-08:00

Leap Year comes once every four years so I'm having a sale for 4 days. (Actually a little longer if you count the rest of today.)

Everything is 20% off until Saturday.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway by tomorrow. I will be picking a winner at random.

Don't forget to "like" my new Facebook Page.

Goldilocks Freebie

2012-02-27T17:14:00.001-08:00

Well finally went back to work today after being off most of last week sick. Monday's always seem to be the hardest day for me to get through. Of course it's that much longer when you have a staff meeting after school as well.

Next week is a review week in reading so I'm planning a mini-unit on fairytales. Click on the picture below for a writing prompt based on Goldilocks.

If you downloaded it be sure to leave a comment.

Don't forget about my March Madness Giveaway in the post below this one.

March Madness Giveaway

2012-02-26T14:17:00.001-08:00

Today I've been busy putting the finishing touches on my Math Madness packet. I also decided to add my Facebook page for my blog. Be sure to click on the picture on the left hand corner to "Like" my new page.

As promised I have March Madness Giveaway.

Here's what you can win:

Click on the graphic above to visit my shop for more information.

Here are the rules:

1.) Make sure you are a follower of my blog if you haven't already done so.

2.) Be a follower of my Teachers Notebook store

3.) Like my new Facebook page

4.) Be sure to enter by Feb. 29- Leap Day. I will be picking a winner that evening.

And now for a freebie

Have a good week!

Multiplication Madness packet

2012-02-24T12:56:00.001-08:00

My multiplication madness packet is now available on TN along with a few new additions of March Madness.

Finally feeling better so hopefully this weekend I can work on a new giveaway since I reached 400 followers this week. But being home has some benefits I was able to browse Pinterest a lot and found so many new ideas that I will have to create for my classroom. Pinterest is so addicting.

Have a great weekend!

Seuss -tastic Winner

2012-02-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

Contratulations Jennifer form Keys4Education. You are the winner of our Seuss-tastic Giveaway from my blog. I saw Sandra had won over at Mrs. Bainbridge's site. After this email I will email your winnings.

This weekend I will be having another giveaway for reaching 400 followers. So be sure to check back later for more details. I'm not exactly sure what it will be yet. Just had a female procedure done today so I'm still tired from that. But I will be fine and can concentrate on another giveaway later this week.

Updating file- Seuss Graphic

2012-02-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the 2nd post today. I'm sure many of you have received the email from Scrappin Doodle today letting us know about not usint the word "Seuss" and "The Cat in the Hat" in titles descriptions, etc.

So I had to make changes from- Learing with Dr. Seuss to Learning with our favorite author
and Seuss Cafe- to Reading Cafe.

The content is the same just had to change the wording. So if you already purchased these units that is the only change. None of the content was changed.

Great Solution if you don't have a smartboard

2012-02-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

If your school is like mine. We have only a few Smartboards to share among teachers. Then you have the pain of cart the smartboard down the hall when you need it.

Just came across Primary Grafftie's link on a solution. Click on the image below for more information on her blog.

This is still expensive but maybe a Donars Choose Project.

400th Follower Freebie and Math Madness

2012-02-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

Awesome!!
I came to post about updating some of my math madness files and I saw that I am at 400 followers! :) :)

So here is a freebie- just click on the picture below to download. After the Seuss giveaway next week I will have another giveaway to celebrate.

Well now for the reason why I was going to post. I spent a good part of my evening tonight combining some of my addition and subtraction files for Math Madness to make package for my Teachers Notebook store. Well for some reason some of my files got damaged so I had to recreate my letter for parents and certificate of participation. Currently I have posted the addition/subtraction bundle for $4, but it is on sale right now. Hopefully this week I will have the multiplication/division bundle finished as well.

What you will receive in this packet:

(both addition and subtraction are included in the same packet)

● Letters (fillable but not editable)

●Study guides for students to practice at home

●Timed tests

●Player score cards

●Team score cars

●Certificate (fillable but not editable)

●March Madness sign

Don't forget about the Seuss giveaway. You must comment on the post below.

Seuss -tastic Giveaway and Linky Party

2012-02-17T17:36:00.000-08:00

Linking up again with Christina Bainbridge for a giveaway. When I think of March one of things I think about is Dr. Seuss, and I from the looks of all the blogs I follow I'm not the only one.

Christina has a WONDERFUL Seuss Party pack. To see her unit click on the picture above for more information about our giveaway.

We both will choose a winner so you have two chances of winning both of our stuff! Be sure to be a follower of both of our blogs and Teachers Notebook Shops.

Mrs. Bainbridges-Oasis Shop and my shop

Mrs. Bainbridge blog

I will be selecting my winner from comments here so be sure to leave a comment.

Here's what you can win: (Click on picture for more information)

Christina's Party Pack

Also if you have any Seuss ideas free or for sale check out Christina's Linky Party

Don't forget to comment on both of our blogs for 2 chances to win!

Good Luck!

Another Linky Party

2012-02-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

I love these linky parties. You get to read what other bloggers are up too. This one is hosted by Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

What Do You Love Linky Party

2012-02-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

I'm linking up with Funky First Grade Fun to have a little fun. Hop on over to her blog and join the party if you haven't already.

In Honor of Pam the Vintage Teacher

2012-02-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

Today when I read my weekly email from Teachers Notebook, I learned about the passing of Pam of The Vintage Teacher. The blogging/teaching world has lost a wonderful woman. Her family request was made to make her products FREE. Click on the image below to check them out.

In honor of Pam many teachers are decidcating a freebie. This past week I started an economics unit in Social Studies. Here is a 2 page freebie that I am sharing in honor of Pam.

300 Followers Freebie

2012-02-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

Wow! In the past week I have gotten over 50 more followers. I knew that participating in giveaways with Mrs. Bainbridge and Swimming in Second would generate new followers, but I amazed at how many new followers so quickly. Glad to see that word of my blog is getting out! :)

Thank- you

As promised earlier in the week I have a freebie for my followers for reaching 300. Just click on the image below and you can down load it at my TN store. It's available for a limited time for free. So download it soon.

This is a great problem solving activity using all those v-day students receive. Students work in partners and talk about how their cards are alike and different. Then they group their cards into groups and name them. I tell my students they need to have at least 4 groups min. But of course you can differentiate. I also included a graph for those students who need more assistance.

Don't forget if you haven't checked out the 2nd grade giveaway at Swimming in Second. Information below this post.

I Love 2nd Giveaway

2012-02-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

I have have started working on my giveaway for reaching 300 Followers. I hope to have this completed by Friday. So check back for this freebie soon. (Hint- it's something for Valentine's Day)

Thanks to Courtney at Swimming in Second for putting together this AMAZING Giveaway. I am giving away my Valentine Day Scrapbook. Here's a peek at what you could win. To find out how to enter this giveaway check out Swimming in Second.

Check out the amazing resources that you can win!

Mrs. Bainbridge's Class blog

Christina's Teacher's Notebook store

2nd Grade Stuff blog

Jamie's TPT store or Jamie's TN store

The Honey Bunch blog

Erika's Teacher's Notebook store

Ms. Fiorini's Stadium blog

Sandy's Teacher's Notebook store

Smiling in Second Grade blog

Sara's TPT store

Primary Junction blog

Primary Junction's TPT store

Sunny Days in Second Grade blog

Sunny Days TPT store

Teach it with Class blog

Randi's TPT store

Ms. Alley's Class blog

Abby's TPT store

Live, Laugh, and Love to Learn blog

Lisa's TPT store

Stories from Second blog

Stories for Second TPT store

Ms. Rachel's Room blog

Ms. Rachel's Room TPT store

A Teacher's Treasure blog

A Teacher's Treasure's TPT store

Just Reed blog

Ashley's TPT store

Spend a Day in 2nd grade blog

Leanne's TPT store

Made in the Shade in Second Grade blog

Lisa's TPT store

Swinging Through 2nd Grade blog

Swinging Through 2nd Grade's TPT store

A Cupcake for the Teacher blog

A Cupcake for the Teacher's TPT store

Down Under Teacher's blog

Down Under Teacher's TPT store

Ms. Preppy's blog

Ms. Preppy's Teacher Notebook store

Taming My Flock of Firsties blog

Beth Ann's TPT store

Soaring Through Second blog

Swimming into Second blog

Swimming into Second's TPT store

The giveaway will end on Tuesday, February 6th.

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, February 7th.

Be sure to enter your comments on Swimming into Second.

Good luck!

Groundhog Day Winner

2012-01-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

And the winner is . . . #13 (FitBecky)

Sorry I did not count anyone who commented more than once. Need to be fair. So Fitbecky I will email you my Groundhog mini-unit and I will also email Christina so she can send you her Groundhog unit.

Thanks to everyone that participated. Keep checking our blogs.

Christina and I are will be having another giveaway soon.

Also tomorrow Courtney from Swimming in Second is hosting a HUGE Valentine's Day giveaway so don't forget back for information on that one.

I just realized that I am now over 300 Followers (Thank-you). I will have a Freebie later this week. So be sure to come back later and check it out. :)

A Groundhog Day Giveaway

2012-01-29T18:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the 2nd post in one day, but after you see this giveaway I'm sure you won't mind. So I'm teaming up with my good friend Christina Bainbridge from the Teaching Oasis for this Groundhog giveaway.

Each of us will be giving away our Groundhog Mini Units. Click on each picture for more details.

So here are the rules:
1. You must be a fan of each of our blogs.

2. You must "follow us" on our Teachers Notebook Stores.
Mrs. Bainbridge Oasis and Teaching Oasis-Sandy

3. Leave a comment on this post stating that you have followed the above rules.

Since Groundhog Day is this Thursday there is not much time to enter. I will pick a winner this Tues. night (Jan. 31st) so you have enough time to implement any activities. (It might be late in the evening since I have to take my car to the dealer.)

Good luck and be on the lookout for another giveaway by Christina and I- Coming Soon.

Sandy and Christina

More Presidents Day

2012-01-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

I have a new item that I posted at my Teacher's Notebook store.

Balancing the Budget

A great activity to get students to understand how difficult it can be at times to balance a budget. This is a problem solving activity where students have to $2 to spend on groups that need money. If you are interested in this product be sure to check out my store. It is only a $1.

And here is my Free item. Included is one for George Washington and Abe Lincoln (back and white also included if you want to save on colored ink). Just click on the picture to find the download.

Just added another President's Day Freebie.

Presidents Day Freebie and Report Cards

2012-01-22T09:25:00.000-08:00

Well report cards go home this Thursday. Started to grade some papers so I can do those report cards, but I needed a break. So I am sharing a President's Day Making Words activity. Just click on the image below and it will take you to the download on my TN store.

Need a brunch break and it's back to report cards- maybe.

Giveaway Winner

2012-01-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you for everyone that left comments.

Since some of the posters posted more than once to let me know they were following my blog and my Teacher's Notebook store. I thought it was only fair to count each person once.

So the winner is Emily from Second Grade Silliness! Congratulations

Emily, just you didn't leave your email so you can get in touch with me at

sandrafiorini@sbcglobal.net . To get your two freebies.

If you missed out on this giveaway I will be having another one soon since I see that I am close to 300 followers.
Both files (Persuasive Writing Unit, and Groundhog mini-unit) are now both on sale at TN. Be sure to check out my TN link on the left side of this page.

Enter a lower limit:
Enter an upper limit:

Random Number:

Groundhog Mini Unit

2012-01-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

Is now complete. This is one of my items at I have for my giveaway. (Look at the post under this one.) To enter you must do so by Friday night. I will be picking a random winner on Friday Night/Saturday morning.

If you missed the contest I do have this on sale at the Teacher's Notebook until Jan. 27th. Just click on the picture for more information.

I should have my persuasive writing unit ready to upload soon.

Giveaway Time

2012-01-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I have had a giveaway for this seems like a good time to have one.
This weekend I've been working on units: A Groundhog Mini Unit and a Persuasive Writing Unit. Still putting the finishing touches on them. I'm not exactly sure of the prices yet. It all depends on how much I can get done to put into the units. The giveaway is approx. value is $5 as of right now.

Here is a little tease of what of what my 2 units look like.

All you need to do is be a follower of my blog and my Teacher's Notebook store and leave a comment below. Contest ends this Friday, Jan. 20th.

Good luck!

Super Bowl Unit

2012-01-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

I just added a Super Bowl Mini Unit for all of my football fans. This can be used whether or not you participate in my Super Bowl Reading Contest.

Just click on the file below to visit my shop. Right now until Jan. 21st this unit is 20% off along with some other files I transfered to my new shop. I hope to add more this weekend.

Award- accepting this award late

2012-01-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

This has been a long week. Earlier this week I Haley from Following Optismism awarded me with the Versateile Blogger Award.

So Thank- you Haley from Following Optimism! :)

Sharing 7 things about myself

1. I am a huge sports fan. Love the Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Soxs.

2. Love anything with chocolate.

3. This year I am trying to be more organized.

4. I don't have any children, but I do have a spoiled beagle/lab mix dog named Pebbles.

5. My favorite author is James Patterson

6. I love to create activities/lessons for my new Teacher's Notebook store.

7. I enjoy trying new recipes.

Now to dominate another blog for this award:

2nd the Best

2nd Grade Ponderings

Thanks again for the Award!

New items now on Sale and another freebie

2012-01-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

Been busy this weekend creating new things. I have just uploaded a few new items on Teacher's Notebook. The sale runs through Jan. 14th, and new items only are 20% off.

Valentine's Day Scrapbook

Friends See Things From Heat to Heart

Dental Health Min-Unit

Biography Book- People That Make a Difference

And now the freebie

Biography Door Hanger

Check back next weekend for another new item sale.

Have a good week!

New Freebies Added

2012-01-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

Added two new freebies to my Teachers Notebook shop tonight.

Determining Importance lesson activity and follow up activity based on Tanny McGregor's Comprehension Connections.

and a MLK Making Words Activity

Check back soon for new units available at my shop.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T11:35:00.000-08:00

As 2011 comes to an end I have been reflecting on the past year. This past year I have taken the plung an entered the world of blogging. Finally got serious about losing weight and lost 50 pounds (3 dress sizes). So needless to say I have done a lot of clothes shopping lately.

In 2012 I hope to continue my weight loss journey and continue working out. Unfortuantely I still have lots to go in that department. But it took years to put on so it will take some time to take it off.

Also in 2012, I plan to spend more time creating lesson/activities for my new shop at Teachers Notebook. I always have great intentions on starting something, but somehow never finish it. (at least not good enought to want to post/sell).

Speaking of Teachers Notebook- Don't forget my sale goes to 1/3/12. Just added an -ow word work file folder center today.

Have a great rest of your 2011 and Happy New Year to everyone.

Can't sleep

2011-12-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

Well I have my days and nights mixed up during this winter break. Should come in handy for NYE.
Yesterday I launched my shop on Teachers Notebook. Today I added a few more things. Here's a new one for Goods/Services. It's on sale until Jan. 3rd. along with many other items.

I'm working on a (Ow- center activity, as well as a persuasive writing unit.) So stay tuned for more information on that to come.

Expanding

2011-12-28T21:07:00.000-08:00

Well I have just opened up a shop on Teacher's Notebook. I haven't had.the time to upload much .I do have a few things on there, and plan to add more items soon. So now I will be able to post my ideas here, Teacher's Notebook, and The Teaching Oasis.

Right now I added my addition and addition/subtraction puzzles. (An idea that was posted on here earlier.) Also in the past few years my Reading Super Bowl Contest has been popular on the Teaching Oasis. So those items are posted on there as well. Hopefully if time allows me too I will be adding more to my SuperBowl collection.

Right now all my items are 20% off until 1/3/12. So be sure to check it out.

Holiday recipe Linky Party

2011-12-22T20:53:00.000-08:00

Rowdy in First Grade is having a Linky Party for the holiday season. Who couldn't use recipe ideas with all the family and friends get to get togethers we have this time of year.

Teaching Blog Addict is also having a Linky Party.

Here's a recipe that I just found and made a few weeks ago that I love. I love artichokes and I'm always looking for new ways to make it. This would be great for football parties. (Too bad my Bears are not going to be making the playoffs this year.)

Artichoke Bread

1/3 cup butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 French bread loaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the artichoke hearts, Mozzarella

cheese, parmesan cheese and sour cream. Stir toblend. Remove from the heat and cool. Slice the

bread lengthwise and scoop out some of the center. Spoon the artichoke mixture evenly into the

bread shell and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Place each half on a baking sheet and cover

lightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another

5 to 8 minutes or until the cheese melts completely. Cut into slices and serve warm.

Merry Christmas!

Hand Santizer gift

2011-12-19T16:28:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I came across this post on Proteacher. This year as a grade level we decided not to do gifts, but to go out as a grade level team for dinner drinks in January. However I have a wonderful aide that I wanted to get her a gift and thought this would be perfect. This also would work great for parent volunteer's.

Here's a picture of what I made for my aide. I added some clear stickers for decorations.

A close up of the mini hand santizer for her purse.

Here's a few links where the idea came from. On one of these links you can dowload the labels that are on the bottle.

http://www.proteacher.net/discussions/showthread.php?t=268818

http://www.proteacher.net/discussions/showthread.php?t=268916&highlight=teacher+gifts

1 more day until Winter Break!

Sorry for the 2nd post today- Polar Express writing

2011-12-18T16:03:00.000-08:00

As I send in my earlier post today I have 2 more days of school. On Friday and tomorrow (Monday) our second grade learns about Holiday traditions around the world. Then on our last day of school we watch the Polar Express. Of course anytime we watch a movie we have to tie it into our curriculum. So we are comparing the book to the movie. I also just created a writing activity for the students to complete.

Enjoy

Non-fiction retelling Homework

2011-12-18T13:58:00.000-08:00

From reading many blog posts I hear that many teachers have already started their winter break. (I"m jealous BTW). Well we still have 2 more days until our winter break.

This past week I finished up my Then and Now unit in S.S. and I gave my students a retelling assignment for homework. I have done this activity before in class, but never as a homework asssignment. It turned out to be a successful one. Students were eager to go home and tell their parents about what they have learned. How many times do we hear from parents or students when asked about their day "What did you learn?" They answer "Nothing". Well this assignment helped put that response to bed.

I set aside some time the next day for students to share what their parents wrote with a partner. I believe that part is what made it successful.

Well if you are lucky enought to be on break- I hope you are enjoying it. As for the rest of us- we can get throught it.

An easy dinner recipe- off topic

2011-12-11T19:59:00.000-08:00

Not a teaching idea, but who wants to spend a lot of time in the kitchen after a busy day- work or during the weekends. A friend gave me this recipe and I tried it this weekend. (I believe it orginally came from Mr. Food- picture below is from Mr. food- the recipe did come from that site. If you click on the picture it will take you to the site there's a video on there.)
I just love Mexican food so I had to give this a try.
Not much prep work and you just put everything in the crockpot.

Tamale Pie

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1 (2-1/4-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
1 medium-sized onion, diced
1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16-ounce) package cornbread mix
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine cooked beef, diced tomatoes, corn, olives, onion, and taco seasoning; mix well then pour into a 6-quart slow cooker.
Prepare cornbread mix according to package directions then spoon over beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.
Cover and cook on high setting for 3 hours or low setting for 6 hours.

The Cutest Christmas Ornament

2011-12-06T17:40:00.000-08:00

Well being a dog-lover I definitely think so. One of my teammates saw this ornament last year at a craft fair and I just had to make one. :) (Thanks Dana! J)

All you need is 1 large biscuit, 1 medium biscuit, 2 small wiggly eyes, 1 black bead for the nose (or black Pom pom), brown felt for ears, red felt for the tongue, ribbon for the bow and ornament hanger, and tacky glue.

Directions:

Glue the brown felt (ears), ornament hanger, tongue to the large biscuit and let dry. Then glue the medium biscuit at the top over the ears/hanger. Last glue the wiggly eyes, and nose.

Oh, don't forget to write their name and year on the side.

Of course make sure you tell students to hang these ornaments at the top of their Christmas trees. We wouldn’t want our four legged friends to eat these biscuits! Well my poor dog Pebbles was going crazy when I was making this sample.

Well just after posting this idea I came across a Linky Party from Finally in First. Just click on the Logo below to check it out. For more wonderful ideas.

5 Days of Christmas at The Teaching Oasis

2011-12-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

Are you a fan of the Teaching Oasis? If not click on the logo above to become a fan. Starting on Monday Dec. 5 we are having giveaways. (I believe Monday's is up already!)

I've also noticed that my Guess My Number Puzzles have been posted. I hope to create another set over the Winter Break. Also if you read Stregna Nona to your class check out Christina's Stregna Nona unit.

Gifts for students

2011-12-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Looking for an easy and inexpensive Christmas gift your class? Well look no further. I have an idea just for you. Last year I had forgotten to order books for my students from Scholastic. So I was frantically searching for something else at the last minute. Well I was shopping at the $1 store and saw they had playing cards. They came in a pack of 2, and you can't beat 50 cents for a gift. My students love all the math games we do in class. So I quickly typed up math games they could play at home with a deck of cards.

I can't tell you how many parents told me how much their child liked playing the math games at home.

So if you are still looking for a gift for your students just click on the picture below for the download. I'm sure your students will enjoy the gift as much as my class did last year.

Here are some labels that I printed off and put on the deck of the cards.

Elf on the Shelf

2011-11-26T17:36:00.000-08:00

Two years ago I came across an idea on Proteacher about Elf on the Shelf. It sounded like a good idea. At first I thought the elf was a little creepy, but was willing to give it try. My students that year loved it. Every day they looked forward to finding the elf in the classroom every day.

The Elf on the Shelf is a cleverly rhymed children's book that explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home or in this case a classroom. During the holiday season, the elf watches children by day and reports to Santa each night. When students come into the classroom each morning, the elf has returned from the North Pole and can be found hiding in a different location.

So I plan to use the Elf on the Shelf again this year. This year I wanted to incorporate more activities to go along with book. So that is my plan to create additional activities to go along with the book.

Here's my first idea- a writing activity.

Hope to post more ideas later.

I'm Thankful For

2011-11-22T19:44:00.000-08:00

Well I had great intentions of posting this last week, but never got around to it. I had several IEP meetings and helped my parents pack-up my Grandma to move her into a memory care place. Needless to say I haven't had the time I would like to post on my blog.

Even though I've been busy I have a lot to be thankful for. With all the focus in our school on student growth there hasn't been enough time to do some "fun" learning activities. Last week I had my students write about what they were thankful for. I was looking for things like "I'm thankful for my video games." I wanted something more thoughtful. They were to write a sentence on each of the turkey's feather's.

Here's a picture of the turkey (without the writing.)

Of course you could a number of differnt ways. I just thought this turkey pattern was so cute. I'm sure it is too late to use this year, but file the turkey pattern away for next year.

Turkey Pattern Download.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Learning Matter with Food

2011-11-15T18:21:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't enjoy an activity where food is involved? I know that usually has my attention. This week I am trying to finally wrap up our matter unit, and thought this activity would be a great lesson on teaching mixture and soulution. Plus we have lunch so early that everyone once in awhile it is good to have a snack in the afternoon.

Enjoy!

Math Puzzles

2011-11-12T17:01:00.000-08:00

Over the summer I took some math classes on the new common core standards. One of the biggest things I took away from those classes was getting students to "think" more about the mathematics.

Students love to solve puzzles so I created some math puzzles for students to solve during math centers. I have a free sample which I will upload to this post. A larger set of these will be available for sale soon at the Teaching Oasis. Since I have not had a giveaway in awhile so I thought I would combine this with a giveaway.

For this contest I'm looking for the first 3 posters who would be willing to check over the puzzles with answer key to make sure I have the correct answers to each puzzle.

Puzzle #1 answers: circle- 6 triangle 5 square 7

Puzzle #2 answers: circle 2 triangle 9 square 4

So if you are interested in winning the whole set (26 puzzles) please leave a comment below and include your email address. I will be picking the first 3 posters who leave a response/email.

Halloween Ideas

2011-10-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. The last two weeks have been extremely busy. I can't believe Oct. is almost over. Well here's a Pumpkin Seeds making words activity.

A favorite game that my class enjoys every year is Mummy wrap. Divide your class into groups of 4-5. One student gets to be a "Mummy". the other students have to wrap the "Mummy" up in toliet paper from the shoulders all the way down to the ankles.

What is your favorite activity to do with your class for Halloween?

Fire Safety and Columbus Day

2011-10-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

Last week our class learned about fire safety. Here are some videos you can watch with your class.

If you like these ideas I have some Fire Safety Activities at the Teaching Oasis for sale. They have just been uploaded.

This week we will be studying Christopher Columbus. Here are some youtube videos to check out.

Math Fact Puzzles

2011-10-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

One of my teammates was telling me about a website where you can create basic math facts puzzles.
All you have to do is enter in a greeting and it generates a puzzle for your students to solve. I thought it would be a great activity for students to do for homework. I can see my students enjoying solving these math puzzles. Anyway to get them to practice their math facts works for me.

Here's an example of one I completed. I believe this puzzle says "Practice Your Math Facts Every Night". or something like that.

Here's the link to the site.
http://www.softschools.com/math/greetings/

There are a lot of other worksheets that you can generate. The best part is that it is for free.

Have fun looking around.

Parent Teacher Conferences

2011-10-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

Can't believe that we are past the half-way mark of first quarter. This week I will be setting up Parent Teacher Conferences for the end of our first quarter. Here are some Parent teacher conference letters/handout that I shared a few years ago on the 2nd grade teacher's club. I have had requests to repost those.
So here they are.

A preconference form so I have an idea of topics that parents would like to address.

I always start off a conference using this student evaluation of themselves.

Have a good week! :)

Work on Writing/Word Work

2011-09-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

I have had several emails requesting that I post my I-charts for Work on Writing, Word Work, and Listening to Reading.

I have Work on Writing/Word Work complete and hope to have the Listen to reading finished soon.

Coming Soon

Parent Teacher Conference Information

Walk and Talk

2011-09-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

This past week I introduced "Walk N Talk" as part of my Read to Someone Activities. I got this idea from a workshop I attended last year. I adapted the idea to make it my own. Once a pair of students is finished reading they can pick an activity to dicuss what they have just read. This helps students be more accountable when listening to each other read.

For this activity I have the students lay the cards on the floor. (I have them numbered on the back so they are in correct retelling order.) Each student reads the prompt on the card (question) and answers the question. There is a sentence starter to help students answer the question in a complete sentence.

(Hmm, I thought I had the picture going up and down. Oh, well.)

I have created these for both fiction and non-fiction. So far my students have enjoyed this activity. It gets them up and moving. A break form reading but they are still on task discussing their book. I just love it when they have a good book discussion.

These are available for purchase at The Teaching Oasis- click on the picture of above. (It's under reading strategies.) I was also thinking of creating these in a bookmark style as well. If that is something you would be interested in please leave a comment below.

Giveaway Winners

2011-09-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

I decided to giveaway the freebies to all the posters that left a comment prior to this post. (See it pays to leave comments.)
So the following posters can email me at sandra@teachingoasis.com
and I will send you the files.

Congratulations to Shelia, Erika, Ms. Lies

Mary and Kelly you already left your email so I will go ahead and email after I post this.

Number Bonds

2011-09-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

So my giveaway (the post below this one) is asking for teachers to comment about math ideas that work for their classroom. I thought I would add an idea that I learned about this summer.

Number Bonds: Our district does not use Singapore Math, but the concept of Number Bonds does address the new common core for math.

Each student has a set of these (numbers 3-10 each number ring is a different color). Students use these to show all the different ways they can make 6. (0 +6=6: 1 +5= 6 etc.) I love how this is hands on and it is great for the visual learner. I also like how you can flip the ring over and you can see the turn around fact. This has been a great resource so far for my 2nd graders.

2 + 4= 6

4 + 2= 6

Don't forget to post your math ideas on the post below for the chance to win some math activities from the Teaching Oasis. Details below.

Freebie and Giveaway Time

2011-09-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

Well I tried uploading this document with Google Docs, and for some reason it won't let me upload this document. So I'm going to try and upload this with Scrib.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/64625717/Fiorini-rollingfornumbers

Giveaway Time:
This week with my students I am starting math centers so I thought for my 200th follower Giveaway I would make it about Math.

What you have to do is leave a comment below (or give us a link to your blog) on something new or something you have taught for math that is successful. I will pick 3 names through a random number drawing.

The winners will recieve:

Subtraction Bump
Place Value Hop
Digit Cards/Pocket Holder with both 2 and 3 digit Guess My Number Clues.

Contest ends Thursday night. Good luck! :)

200 Followers!

2011-09-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Yeah! I have 200 followers. So this weekend I will be back with a freebie and a giveaway. So check back this weekend for more information.

Proud Americans

2011-09-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

Every year our school celebrates Patriot Day by reciting the Pledge of Allegience outside, and wearing red, white, and blue.

This ends up being a perfect time to incorporate our symbols unit in Social Studies. Here are a few activities I do during the week leading up to Patriot Day.

I pledge Allegiance By Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, Candlewick Press 2002

This is an excellent trade book that explains the pledge to the flag in simple terms. There is a brief discussion about the words we recite every day at school. Your students will think differently about the Pledge of Allegiance after reading this book.

I pledge Allegiance By Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, Candlewick Press 2002

The Flag We Love By Pam Munoz Ryan, Charlesbridge Publishing, 1996

This is a perfect book for primary students. The illustrations alone are inspiring. The book gives factual information below a poetic text.

Later in the week I tie in writing, art, and social studies together for a student independent activity. Students write about what they learned about the American Flag and its symbolism- what it represents and why. Once the writing is completed, the students glue their writing on a piece of blue construction paper. They attach 12 inch streamers to this that will be red and white to represent the red and white stripes on our flag. Last they take a white crayon or colored pencil and draw fifty stars. I hang these from our classroom ceiling to display our patriotism that we are Proud Americans.

Here is writing paper to download.

Later in the week I will upload pics of our flags once my students create them.

Have a great 4 day week! :)

Daily 5

2011-09-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Just finished our 2nd week of school. On the first day of school we started building our stamina for Read to Self. This past week we started Read to Someone. Both are going well. With limited wall space in my classroom. It's hard to find places for all of the anchor charts we create. I first write student responses for the anchor charts on chart paper. Then I type them up into a smaller poster and/or we add them to our reading workshop folders for reference.

Here are the anchor charts for Read to Self and Read to Someone.

and EEKK

Well I see that I'm close to another giveaway time (200 followers). So I will be working on that this week. Stayed tuned for more freebies and giveaway time.

It's Been a Busy Week

2011-08-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

This has been my first week back to school. Needless to say it's been a busy week. It's 11:00 central time on a Sunday night and I'm now just starting to plan for my week and getting ready for Curriculum Night this Wed.

Speaking of Curriculum Night I have a free download of "An Apple for the Teacher" poem that I always use for Curriculum Night. It is always important to let parents know that their involvement with their child is very important and that both parents and teachers need to work together.
I have this in a baggie on each of the students' desk when the parents arrive.

I see that I'm just 15 followers shy of 200. So if you are not a follower yet; please be sure to do so. When I reach 200 followers. I will have another giveaway from the Teaching Oasis.

Within the next week I will upload pictures of my classroom.

Reading Bookworm Incentive

2011-08-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

So it seems that every school year it is struggle to get students who will read their 20 min. for homework. Of course there are always a good portion of your class that will do their homework nightly. It's the other half that frustrates me. A couple of times a year I will a have reading incentive such as Super Bowl Reading Contest; March Madness (sometimes that can be for math facts also.

One of my co-workers has a reading bookworm incentive that she does every year in her classroom. She has been telling me to do this for a couple of years now. For some reason or another I never get around to it. Well this year I have decided to do this. I know if I don't start off the school year implenting this I won't do it. So thanks Dana for the great idea! :)

Once the students earn enough links to make it around the room we will have some kind of celebration. The class will be voting on what type of celebration. It can be things like pajama day, popcorn treat, extra recess, ice-cream party, etc.

I'm really excited to try this reading incentive in combination with nightly reading. Click on the images below to download my letter/link strips that I adapted from my teammate at school.

Students will be given 1 sheet per week for homework. I give homework Monday-Thurs. If students need more strips they will be able to get more.

During the school year I will post some pictures of our growing bookworm.

Happy Reading!

For my clip chart fans

2011-08-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

This summler while creating the themed clip charts I had several requests for notes for good/bad behavior. So I created clip chart notes available at The Teaching Oasis. The notes are for Outstanding Behavior and an Oops note if a note is to go home to the parents.

For the Outstanding Behavior I write what the student did that day to move their clip up. So many times at our school- students go home and say that they made it to the top of the chart, but they don't always know/remember what they did.

For the Oops note I have the student write what it is they did that resulted in their clip moving down. The student also writes what they will do next time to make a better choice. Having students write in their own words/handwriting makes it harder for parents to say their child did nothing wrong. (We all have a couple of those parents I'm sure.)

Currently I only made the clip chart notes for the themes I made the clip charts for.(If I forgot one please let me know.) Since the clip charts have been so popular I will do my best to create clip charts for the rest of themes sometime during the school year. Here's the sample of the Hollywood clip chart notes.

Tomorrow I will be back with an idea for a year long reading incentive for your classroom.

Problem Solving2

2011-08-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

Just realized I forgot a problem solving strategy. Write an Equation. So add this to the others.

I will be adding more Problem Solving ideas this school year. So check back often.

Problem Solving

2011-08-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

So as a kid I hated problem solving (word problems). I dreaded working on those problems. As a teacher I don't want my students dreading word problems as much as I did. With the common core standards problem solving activities is going to be a must do. So I've been trying to come up with activities to help students with this. I created these problem solving posters. So many times students don't know why they do what they do. This year I want to emphasize thinking/think alouds in math.

This is a good visual to start students with the math extended reponses. Be sure to check out the Teaching Oasis for more Problem Solving ideas and for extended response ideas check out the Show and Tell Math.

Pinterest Linky Party

2011-08-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Usually don't post twice in a day, but when I saw this Linky Party I just couldn't resist. So head on over to Michele's Math in the Middle. Pinterest is a great place to organize all the great ideas you find when searching blogs. I will warn you in advance if you haven't checked out Pinterest- it is quite addicting, but it's well worth it because you will come away with many great ideas.

This past weekend I started my own Pinterest page. You can find this by clicking on the red button on the top of my side bar.

Open House

2011-08-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

This past school year I stalked many of blogs and received so many great ideas. The problem was you would see these wonderful ideas being posted after a holiday/season. So I just had to file away that idea for next year.

Hope to plan and share some ideas ahead of time so that followers of my blog can use seasonal ideas this year. We usually have our Open House in Sept. so I was going through some of my Open House ideas. I have shared this scavenger Open House doc. on my classroom website for years and have gotten many requests to make that a fillable doc. So here it is. Just remember it is fillable not editable doc. I created the boxes so you have room to type out two lines of text in each box.

So if you like this document and like to see more Open House Ideas be sure to let me know by leaving a comment below. So I know what you would like to see more of when I blog.

Be sure to also check out my classroom website for more ideas on Open House. (The same file of above is on there, but that one is not fillable.)

http://secondgradelockerroom.com/open_house_ideas.html

Everyday Games for Math Centers

2011-08-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

This past weekend one of my neighbors were having a moving sale. They were selling many of the games their children had when they were kids. Well I found three games and I thought would make great games for math centers. No papers to check and would keep students busy for a quite awhile when I'm working with small groups.

Number Sense

A game for 2-4 players. Object of the game: Get your rack of cards in order from least to greatest first.

I would start off by having kids order 4 cards from least to greatest and then increase the number.

Adding 3 Digit Numbers

Add up your points as you match up the Tri-ominos. For younger students you can have them just match up the numbers for recognition. 2^nd graders and up and add up the three numbers as they discard the Tri-ominos. Students can play according to the directions or you can adapt it to fit the needs of your class.

Students use skill and strategy to create sequential stacks of cards. The winner is the first player to use all their cards in their stack pile.

Here’s another game that I have in my classroom that I purchased from Learning Resource.

I ran out of score sheets so I created a new sheet of my own. You can also have students just write the math equations on dry erase boards to save paper. (I know our district is always on our case about making too many copies.)

Back to School Freebie

2011-08-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

This week I finally get to go into my classroom and upack. I have two weeks to get my classroom ready and of course there are meetings/workshops already before school starts. I'm starting to get stressed that it won't all get done by the first day. I hope to start posting some pictures (that's if I can find my camera that I packed up in my room.)

Well here's a back to school freebie for everyone. I know we all get those students who never write their name on anything. Having students highlight there name has cut down on the amount of no name papers.

Another way to make it easier to track down no name on papers is to have a basket. On the rim of the basket have clothespins with either student names/numbers. When students turn in their work they just look for their clip. I do this for turning in homework. It makes it real quick and easy to see who turned in their homework.

Last update on Clip Charts

2011-08-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

**Themed Clip Charts for Purchase**
Are now available at the Teaching Oasis. These are the themes that are available for purchase:
bee, camping, detective, frog, groovy, Hollywood, ocean/beach, pirate, polka dot, rock star, safari/jungle sports/baseball, star, Seuss, and western.

An apple theme is available for free.
All of the clip charts can be found on the classroom theme page. Just click on the theme.

Aug. 8th- I can finally get back to my classroom. During the next two weeks I will be unpacking my classroom and have several meetings to attend. So I will not be creating any new clip chart themes at this time.

Recipe Linky Party

2011-08-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

This week I'm taking a graduate class and it got me thinking about planning out recipes to make for quick and easy dinner ideas. I know during the school year we all are exhausted and the last thing we want to do is fix dinner. I know I enjoy picking up the cell phone and ordering pizza or chinesse food. That can get to be expensive and not always the healthy choice. (I always like to use left overs for lunch.) My goal this year is to make more homemade meals that are easy to prepare after an long day.

When the linky party is over I will post all the recipes collected into one document to share with everyone. So you have a favorite recipe to share. It could be a main dish, side, or a dessert. (my favorite.)
Here's a recipe to get us started:

Zesty Chicken Nacho Bake

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup chunky salsa
1/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup crushed tortilla chips
3/4 cup shredded Mexican Style four-cheese blend

Preheat oven to 400.
Place chicken on foil-covered baking sheet. Slice 3 cuts on top of each chicken breast with sharp knife.
Top each chicken breast evenly with salsa, sour cream and tortilla chips.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese.
Bake an additional 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Back To School Freebie

2011-08-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

Reading many of the blogs I follow I am amazed at how many schools have started or will be starting next week. I thought our district started early. So to celebrate going back to school I have a freebie. All I ask is if you download the file be sure to become a follower of my blog if you haven't done so already.

Since homework is something that students will be doing during the school year- It is important that students set up a homework plan. Here's a freebie for students to fill out along with their parents to set up a homework plan of their own.

I either give out the homework plan on the first day of school or during Open House. Both days you are sure that this sheet gets in the hands of the parents.

If you like that idea, you may also like this one. On the first day of school I send home a Parent Brag Sheet. This is homework for the parents. The students love the idea that their parents have homework to do. Parents fill out a form telling/bragging about their child. There have been times where I had tears reading the parents comments about how proud they are of their children. If you are interested in this check it out here at the Teaching Oasis.

Parent Brag Sheet

(Look under "Other Documents")

Bee Themed Clip Chart

2011-07-31T13:26:00.000-07:00

Beee Themed Clip Chart is now complete. It will be available soon at the Teaching Oasis. If you need it before then visit my classroom website for payment information.

More Clip Chart Themes Being Added

2011-07-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

First of all thank you for your patience as I create these. New themes added our Camping, Frog, Groovy, and Pirate. I have added a link on my classroom website if you wish to purchase these before they are uploaded to the Teaching Oasis site. Please be sure to include the theme you would like and your email address. Hopefully this will speed up the process up a bit since I will be taking a graduate class next week and working on my own classroom. I also included full samples of the clip charts. Again if you are interested in the student sheet check the sample click here. (They are pretty much the same.)

I'm still working on the Bee theme and will do a Star, Apple theme.

Giveaway Time

2011-07-29T16:13:00.003-07:00

First of all thank-you to all of my 137 Followers.

And the two winners are:

Courtney from Swimming into Second
and

Dina

Email me at sandra@teachingoasis.com and I will send you your subsitute activities.

In the next couple of weeks I will have a Back to School Freebie. (Probably in 2 weeks) So check back often. :)

clip chart update

2011-07-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

Just saw that the themed clip charts have been uploaded to the Teaching Oasis site. Thank you Ms. Winston! :)
These are for the themes Seuss, Polka Dots, Hollywood Western, Ocean/Beach, Detective, Sports, Rock Star and Jungle Safari. These can be found on the classroom themes page.

As word is getting out about the themed clip charts. My requests list is getting long. I will do my best to complete as many as I can. Next week I start I math class and will be getting my own classroom ready. So please be patient. It takes time to upcome with sayings for each of the themes. I work in spurts, and right now I need a little break from the clip charts.

The pirate theme is almost completed, and then I will be working on frogs bees and many more.

Just wanted to share my log sheet that I keep to track student behavior. So far I've only kept a log of anyone who has moved their clip down. I have students fill this out. I will this way a lot because students take ownership of their behavior by writing down what it was they did. Plus it always helps to show that to parents when they say my son/daughter said they didn't do anything wrong. Just show them the records- it's in their child's own handwriting so it's hard to dispute that way.

I keep this in a binder. You could also have a sheet for each child. This past year I started off with using a daily one that all students who moved their clip down would use. But after the first quarter I only had to use it for one child. So they had their own personalized sheet. (Students hate writing in the Behavior Book- whatever works)

I will be back later tonight to select my 2 winners for the latest giveaway.

Polka Dot, Hollywood, and Seuss Clip Charts

2011-07-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the samples. Like in my post below, if you need these before they are uploaded to the Teaching Oasis site please email me at sandra@teachingoasis.com Thanks.
$2 for clip chart $1for student behavior sheet (see post below)

Either Friday night I will have Clip Charts for Hollywood, Jungle/Safari, and Pirate theme completed.

Thank you for your patience.

Don't forget my giveaway ends Friday night. Scroll down for that post.

Themed Behavior Clip Charts

2011-07-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

Feeling a lot better today. Thanks for all the get well wishes. I have 4 themed clip charts completed. I will post samples here. They will be for sale at the Teaching Oasis, but I'm sure Ms. Winston is busy getting her new classroom ready so please be patient.

If you would like to make a purchase before they are uploaded please contact me directly at
sandra@teachingoasis.com

Themed Clip Chart Sayings are $2.

I also created student behavior charts. The format is very similar for all themes so I am going to post one sample only. These are $1. (These you can add your own rules and add dates. These are not editable.)

Tomorrow I will be working on a Dr. Seuss and a polka dot theme charts. Then if I have time I will update my Hollywood, Sports and Jungle/safari theme. What other themes/general clip chart would you like to see? I rather take some requests instead of guessing what teachers would like to see at the Teaching Oasis.

100 Follower Frebbie and Giveaway

2011-07-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

So today I reached 100 Followers. Enjoy your freebie. This is great to use as an emergency substitute activity, homework, or as a center.

On Friday evening I will select 2 winners for a set of emergency substitute activities. This is what is included in the set.

The Case of the Missing Teacher

Evening News

Noun/Verb Hanger

Rock N Roll Addition and Multiplication

All you have to do is be a follower to this blog and leave a comment below on this thread. Good luck I will pick a winner on Thursday night.

Update on Themed Behavior Clip Charts: The last day and half I had the stomach flu. So I'm a little behind in my plans, but plan to have some samples in the next day or two.

100 Followers

2011-07-26T09:24:00.001-07:00

Yeah!!! I see that I have reached 100 followers. Thank-you.
Later today I will post a freebie for everyone, and give some information on another giveaway.
So check back later.

Behavior Clip Chart Fans

2011-07-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

After many requests for more behavior clip charts. I've decided to work more themed sets. These will be sold at the Teaching Oasis. These will be more "cutesy" than the plain ones I have posted here. (I will be redoing the sports, hollywood, and safari/jungle from plain to fancy)

Right now I'm thinking of starting with Ocean/Beach, western, pirate, detective, space, rockstar, and Dr. Seuss.

Don't have a theme. I will creating some general ones as well.

I will be starting to work on these this week. Please be patient the next 2 weeks are very busy for me, and then I have to work on my own classroom. I will do my best to get as many as I can done before I start school again.

I will keep everyone updated on behavior clip charts.

I see that I am 26 followers away from 100. So if you are not a follower yet do so. When I reach 100 I will have a freebie.

Fun in First Grade Linky Party

2011-07-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

Fun in First Grade is have a having party about teacher's favorite Back to School Ideas. It's always great to get new ideas for Back to School. So head over to Fun in First Grade for some inspiration.

I got this book last summer and my class loved it! They really did believe teacher's do what the story says. Gotta love 2nd graders. Can't wait to read this again to my new class.

Here's another idea. Every year my class always requests that we chant this poem.

2nd Grade Army Song

Second Grade, second grade, what do you say? (repeat)
We're gonna have some fun today!
(repeat)
We're gonna read and write and spell!
(repeat)
We do these things very well!
(repeat)
Sound off
1-2
Sound off
3-4
Bring it on down now (at this point my kids stand up and boogie down)
1-2-3-4
1-2
3-4!!!!

Emergency Substitute Activities

2011-07-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

This summer I wanted to set up Emergency Substiute Plans. I usually do have lesson plans available, but sometimes there are activities I'd prefer to do with my class rather than having somebody else do it. So I have been going through my files for activities that would great for substitutes. (Many of these ideas I did use while I was a sub. teacher before getting my 1st teaching job.)

Many of these activities need little or no preparation. (dice and deck of cards for math activities)

If you want more Substitute Activities check out these links at the Teaching Oasis.

Substitute Items

Also check out Ms. Winston's book units under monthly resources. They make more great emergency sub. plans in a pinch.

One more thing we need 49 more followers to reach 100. When I reach 100 followers I will post a freebie on this blog.

New Blog Design

2011-07-17T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well I have a new blog design, and I love it! Finally found something that was just right for me.
If your interested in a blog design check this site out.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/dreamlikemagic

I finally have a Button. So go ahead and Grab that and post that on your blog if you have one. My blog is still new so many teachers don't know about my blog. I hope to have 100 followers soon so I can post a freebie for everyone.

Mrs. Bee's Linky Party

2011-07-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Bee is having a Parent Involvement Linky Party. Hop on over there and check it out.

Here are the things that I do in my 2nd grade classroom.

Weekly Newsletter
Website
STAR Binder
ABC brochure
First Day Guidebooks

Stamina Graphs

2011-07-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

When I first started teaching centers and even when I moved to a guided reading approach my biggest issue was student stamina. Starting off the first day of school building reading stamina and charting our progress was a huge success.

My 2nd graders were very eager to see the bars on the graph increase. When student stamina increased significantly I start bragging to other teachers, the principal etc. Students love it when you brag about them about their progress. Students even love to use the word "stamina".

Some tips: I usually start at 3 min. but this will vary depending on your class and grade. If I see that students might be able to go another minute or two on the first day I let them read longer. The goal is to have students feel success right from the very beginning, especially those students who haven't had tons of success in the past. This gives students motivation to go even further on the next attempt.

For the most part I do take things slowly. If I have students getting up or start talking I stop. I am very strict at the beginning of the year with this because I want students to reap the rewards later.

Here are the stamina graphs that I use.

Reading Workshop

2011-07-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

Looking for ideas to start your reading workshop? Here are some mini-lessons to get you started.

Looking for more Reading Workshop Ideas check out The Teaching Oasis. We have great resources for author and genre studies, reading skills/strategies, reading logs, and much more. So be sure to check us out!

Beginning of the Year Writing Mini Lessons

2011-07-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saw Mrs. Bainbridge's organization of her reading and writing. So today I started organizing my own binder of writing workshop ideas.

Here are mini-lesson ideas for w.w. They are just ideas not necessary in any specific order.

Hope you find them useful.

Be on the lookout for more writing ideas soon.

Giveaway Time Congratulations Dmelo34

2011-07-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

And the winner is Dmelo34 you win your sports theme First Day Guide Book, end of year memory book and reading log. Please email me with your contact information so I can send your freebies. (just click on the football player) Congratulations

Thank you for all your suggestions on science and social studies activities. This weekend I worked on activities for the moon and the scientific method. So look for that soon at the Teaching Oasis.
This week I'm working on weather activities.

Hollywood Clip Chart for Behavior

2011-07-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

Just trying Google Docs for the first time. Hopefully this works.

Hollywood Clip Chart Sayings

Hollywood Clip Chart

Another Giveaway

2011-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

So here's my giveaway for having 400 + fans of the Teaching Oasis.

I will be giving away Themed First Day Guidebooks, Fillable ABC brochure, End of Year Memory Book (I know I don't have all the themes finished yet- I'm working on that this summer.), and a reading log. This is a $9 Value.

Here's what you have to do:
1.) Become a follower of the blog if you haven't already.
2.) Comment on this post and tell me what theme you would want to have.
3.) What science or social studies topics would you like to see added to the Teaching Oasis website.
4.) If you have a blog, spread the word about my giveaway.

A winner will be picked from a random number generator on Monday night. (July 11th)
Good Luck! :)

Mrs. Bainbridge is also doing a Classroom theme giveaway. So you may win both; you never know.

Giveaway Time

2011-07-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

The Teaching Oasis has reached 400 Facebook fans. YES!!!
(Thank you) so we are having a giveaway; so check out the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Teaching-Oasis-LLC/140757939283256

1. If you haven't already "Liked" us yet do so.
2. ) Then write a comment under the post telling us what you would like from the site now.
3.) Then tell us what would you like to see added to the Teaching Oasis site in the future.

On Fri. night Ms. Winston will choose a winner who will receive $10 worth of free materials of their choice from our site.
Good Luck!

I'm also celebrating our 400 + Facebook fans so I am giving away a freebie, (Coming Soon- by Friday) and I after I reach 100 follower on this blog I will post another freebie. So pass the word along about my new blog.

Survival Kit

2011-07-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

Greet your new students with this Back to School Survival Kit. I attach the sheet to a white paper bag and all the items are inside the bag. It makes a for a great surprise on the first day of school when the students see this on their desks.

Back to School Survival Kit

Facebook

2011-07-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

The Teaching Oasis has 344 fans on our Facebook page. The 3 of us have decided to do a give a way when we reach 400 fans.

So come Like us on Facebook.

Back to School Ideas

2011-07-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

On my website I have several activities for Back to School. Be sure to check it out.!

Back to School Activities

Teaching Oasis

2011-07-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Winston has been working hard on updating The Teaching Oasis site for us this summer. (Thank you! :)
If you haven't already checked it out be sure to do that. More updates will come this summer. So check back often.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook also for updates.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Teaching-Oasis-LLC/140757939283256

Singapore Math

2011-06-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

This summer I am taking 2 math classes. The first one (An Intro to Singapore Math) started this week. Our district does not use Singapore Math, but I'm always looking for new ideas. So far what I like about Singapore Math is how they go from contrete to pictorial to abstract. Reflecting on how I teach math I have to say that the pictorial part is lacking and now it makes sense as to why students struggle with the abstract. I really think that this sequence gives students a solid understanding of basic concepts and relationships before working at the abstract level.

After searching the internet for ideas I came across these websties:
Number Bond Machines
Bonds of Ten
Number Bonds Game
Math Word Problems

Well that's it for now

Testing

2011-06-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

This morning I finally decided to start up a blog. I'm not sure how much time I will have to work on the blog over the summer, but I'm looking forward to learning more about this. As from the looks of how my blog looks in my preview. I have some tweaking to do.