Unpack your Adjectives!

December is here and I can't believe it. This is my second favorite time of the school year (back to school is 1st, of course!). Not only is this a busy and fun time of year, but there are so many wonderful, exciting things to teach. I am currently in the middle of my writing unit for Christmas Sensory Poems. I love teaching poetry to my thirdies and this is a great way to start off learning how to write one. Also, their finished piece makes a great remembrance for their parents. In addition, we attach them to snack bags that we are assemblying as part of our Service Learning Project. So, let's just say - we are very good at multi-tasking in the third grade!!

Today we watched an oldie, but a goodie! We viewed "Unpack your Adjectives" on Teacher Tube. Who doesn't remember the great Grammar Rock videos? If you haven't used any in your classroom lately, I guarantee you won't be disappointed! My thirdies loved every minute of it!! Plus- they are free and easily accessible!

After watching the video, we did a quick little formative assessement (worksheet). Click on the picture to get your own copy.

If you want to see the rest of my Christmas Sensory Poem Unit, check it out at my TPT store.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Senses-Poetry

Melissa

Thank you, Public Library!

This weekend I ran into the library with my kiddos to find a good movie (just didn't want to spend that $1.00 at Redbox!) and stumbled upon something great in the children's section! I can't believe I hadn't noticed this wonderful tool sooner- but I am grateful I found it when I did. Have you ever heard of a Playaway View (The All-in-one video player)?? I hadn't until just now.
It is this remarkable little gadget that houses preloaded videos. It is about the size of a cellphone, so your students can hold it in their hands while viewing.

It comes with a jack for headphones.
I was so happy to find this amazing piece of technology! Each of my little ones checked out one for themselves and I snatched one up for my classroom. I couldn't believe my luck when I was able to get the "Great Places and Faces" video. The very first video (it has over an hour of watchable video) was Thank You, Sarah. How perfect for Thanksgiving and for my Turkey Task Centers that I had planned for Monday and today. My listening center promptly changed into a video center!!
Let me tell you, my students were so excited about this new piece of technology. Of course, a couple of them who are frequent visitors of the library had already checked one out and knew all about it.
The icing on the cake was when I read a comment on one of my posts from Elizabeth over at Fun in Room 4B. She shared some great printables from another blogger for, you guessed it, the book Thank You, Sarah! Could things get any better!
I hope you have a great public library like mine that has wonderful resources! If they don't have these yet, maybe tell them about them! I can't wait to check more out for my Listening/Video Center!!

Making Time for Thanksgiving!

Whew!! What a busy time of year this is right now! I have parent- teacher conferences coming up and I am NOT ready! So, of course, here I am talking to you guys. Can you say, Procrastinator!!?? I am looking forward to my two day week that is coming up the week of Thanksgiving. Since we only have a two day week, it is really hard to introduce new concepts, so I spend Monday and Tuesdsay doing a lot of reviewing. I use my Turkey Tasks to keep my students busy and engaged. These are low prep activities or centers that your students can do independently. Take a look at my Thankgsving Making Words activity. Your students can do this in a center or you can assign it to the whole group. Grab it here by heading to my TPT store. If you are interested in more great Turkey Tasks, head on over to my TPT store! Gobble, gobble!!

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons'

Have you ever thought that things are going just the way that you planned only to find out that everything was going wrong? Well, that is exactly what happens to the Tappletons in this sweet tale by Eileen Spinelli. This has always been one of my favorite Thanksgiving stories. My students always love it as well and I think it is because we all can relate to it.

If you haven't read this story now is the perfect time to introduce yourself and your students to it. This story has a great message at the end that really gets to the heart of the true meaning of "Thanksgiving" and the Holiday Season.

Check out my Story Pack by going to my TPT store http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-at-the-Tappletons-Story-Pack and in the spirit of ThanksGIVING, I will give a copy away to the first three followers who comment on this post. Make sure to include your email address!

I do! We do! You do!: Goal Setting

Goal setting has become a big part of my classroom life this year. As an instructional coach, I had a professional development session that focused on using MAP to differentiate in the classroom. I included goal setting with MAP scores as an added element to this training. This year, in my third grade classroom, we are setting goals with our MAP scores in Reading and Math. This is actually a school-wide activity.
I have truly enjoyed the conversations I have had with my students as we work together to set realistic goals for them for the Winter round of MAP testing.

Take a look at one of my sessions. If you want to try your hand at goal setting, grab a copy of my MAP goal setting document. This one is different from the one my school uses. I have made a generic one so that everyone can use it! Enjoy!!

Making a good impression!

We have been studying fossils this week and spent some time discussing the definition of a cast, a mold and an imprint. As a culminating activity each child made their own imprint of an object found in nature. Before they made their own imprint- I shared 3 different examples: a ring, a key and a fork. Then I asked them to record what each imprint will show future people about how we lived. You can get the recording sheet by clicking on the picture.

Here is the recipe to make your salt dough if you want your students to try this activity:

• 4 cups of all purpose flour


• 1 cup of salt


• 1 and a half cups of water


• bowl

Mix the above ingredients in the bowl until dough forms. Add extra water a little bit at time if needed if the dough is too dry.

Give each student a small ball of dough and have them flatten it on wax paper. Students will gently press their object of choice into the dough. Have your students carve their initials into the dough before collecting. Place the creations on a cookie sheet (take off the wax paper) and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. This will harden the dough and make the lasting impression! Have fun!!

Gimme a "Fall" Break Sale!

Hey ya'll! I hope you are enjoying the autumn leaves as they fall upon us! I am throwing a sale to celebrate my fall break which is coming up starting on Friday!! So, from October 13th- October 17th you can get 20% off of everything in my TPT store. Just click on the Autumn Leaves and "fall" in love with my products!

Stick it to 'em!!

I just had the most fun ever with my guided reading groups! I have an obsession with post-it notes. I have all sizes, colors, designs, stickness strengths....too many by far! My obsession seeped into my instruction awhile back and I love coming up with new ways to use the little magic pieces of paper with my kiddos.

Today I used my Non-fiction Text Feature post-its with my guided reading groups and they loved it! I love being able to find hands on activities during reading and what a way to keep them engaged. My students worked in pairs to find various text features in their leveled readers about penguins. The discussions that were taking place were focused on investigating the text and learning about each feature. After the pairs had ample time to search the text and slap their post-it labels (which by the way is a text feature!-just saying!!) we spent time letting them share their findings. It was such a worthwhile mini-lesson. I can't wait to do it again.

If you would like to try your hand at this guided reading activity, click on the post-it picture and head on over to my TPT store and grab your FREE copy of my post-its! They will be free until next Friday, October 14th. I'd love to hear from you all if you use this activity with your kiddos!! Have a good one!

Melissa

BANG! BANG!

Now that the school year is in full swing for my kids, we have been doing a lot of testing. I like to make sure my kiddos are prepared as much as possible, so we do a lot of reviewing. I try to find lots of ways to review with them and one of their favorites is BANG! It is quick, it is easy to make, it is versatile and it is FUN and ENGAGING! The best part is- all you need is an empty Pringles can ( the perfect excuse for a snack), BANG! can cover sheet and BANG! game cards. My games are all in one pack at my TPT store. Click on my BANG! game pic to get yours!

Guided Reading Rotations Made EASY!

My third grade team has 4 guided reading groups that we meet with 4 times a week. I meet with my groups on Tuesday- Friday. Each Monday I front load with a lot of whole group activities, so we don't meet on that day. I also share the centers that students will be working in that week on Mondays so I do not take up any whole group time explaining on Tuesdays before our rotations.

I wanted a way to have my guided reading groups leveled but then let my students work with students outside of their guided reading groups during the other rotations each day. My system is pretty simple and the kids caught on right away! We practiced one day the first week of school and then they were ready to do it "for real".

My third grade team has also jumped on board and I think they are seeing great results with management during reading. They used to have each group rotate as a whole and the entire group would do one center each day. This meant that 6 students would be at one center together. Management nightmare!

I have 4 different rotations (since I have to meet with 4 Guided Reading Groups). They are Guided Reading (with me), Read to Self, Seatwork and Centers. During the seatwork rotation students are practicing skills that we have been working on during whole group or guided reading. During the Centers rotation the students visit one center per day for a total of 4 centers each week. My centers change from week to week but include: technology, word work, listening, spelling, art, science, social studies, math. It really depends on what stories/genre we are working on and skills we are practicing.

Your Reading Rotation Cards should be posted in a centers chart. I leave all of my student cards where they are and just rotate the center cards each day. Be careful to make sure that you are spreading out your students so that they are not more than 2 students at a center per rotation.

Check out my rotation cards for free at my TPT store! Click on the pic of my center chart to snag your copy. Let me know what you think!

Organization is the key!

In my quest to become more organized and to have a fabulously attractive classroom, I have created some cute little labels for my filing cabinet. Head on over to TPT to grab your free copy. I have also created some cute little "locker fairy" cards (in the spirit of my new sports/team theme) to keep my kids organized. Click on the pics and head on over to TPT to grab your free copy of each!!

Hats Off to Team Work!

Here are some of the hats I have made for my totally terrific thirdies! Each table or "team" has their own color and I hand painted hats for each of my students. They have been wearing them everyday in class! How fun! My "teams" have all come up with their own creative names that sound much better than "The Blue Team", "The Green Team", etc. How does Go Green!, Mellow Yellow and Orange Crush grab you? What about The Big Red Machine (shout out to the Cincinnati Reds) and Blue Thunder? I love them all and they reflect the uniqueness of each of my groups!!

TOTALLY TERRIFIC TEAM THEME!

I am so thrilled with my new classroom theme for the 2011-2012 school year. My third graders are loving it too! Not only is my team theme colorful and fun- but it also goes great with alot of the beginning of the year activities we are doing. I love that I can incorporate my theme with so many of the things I do to build a great classroom climate. I plan on posting a few of the activities we have completed thus far in my next post but for now I am going to give you a glimpse into my room.

This is my sign that hangs above my room number in the hall. I just love it! I made it with supplies from Michael's and my Cricut.

Instead of a Star Student I opted for MVP of the week. This hangs in my hallway so everyone can see it as they walk by our room.

I will add more pics soon!!

I day down, 186 to go and a WINNER!!

Hey blogtastic friends! I had a terrific first day back with my tremendous thirdies! They truly are a great bunch!! I am quite exhausted after a full day and a trip to the ballpark for the ALS Awards banquet to celebrate a great walk in June. Now I am ready to crawl into bed- but alas, I remembered that I have a promise to keep to all you faithful followers. So here it goes! The winner of the Graphics Factory Membership is..... comment number 46- Debbie! Congratulations to Debbie! Her first day back to school with kids is not until September 6th. Debbie, I hope you can enjoy a little time fiddling around on the Graphics Factory website before then. Please email me with the following info so I can get you registered:
your email
a user name
a password (you will be able to change this after you logon the first time)
your address
Thanks!!
mcurrin@insightbb.com

100 % and Giveaway ends soon!!

Hey all you bloggie friends! I can't believe it! I had a terrific turn- out at Meet the Teacher Night last evening. 100%!! Not sure if I can remember the last time (if ever) that happened. I am hoping to post pictures of my completed room ASAP.
My first day of school with my adorable kiddos is tomorrow! That means that my Graphics Factory giveaway ends tonight! I will be announcing the winner sometime on Wednesdsay ( I hope!!)
Make sure to go to my Giveaway post for your chance to win!!

Graphics Factory Giveaway!!

August is right around the corner and I spent the entire day yesterday (except when I stopped to watch my two little ones in a play at Theatre Camp and take them out to dinner) from 7:30AM-9:30PM in my classroom working. I don't even think I made a dent in it!!
So, this morning I decided to check my emails and I had a great offer from Graphics Factory for a 2 year membership for $39.95 and a free companion membership for a friend. Well, of course I thought of all my bloggie friends first!!
So I will be giving away this awesome membership to one lucky follower on my first day of school, August 17th!!! The giveaway will end at 8:00 PM. Hopefully I won't be too exhausted to get on and post a winner. Here are all the ways you can get entries:
1. Leave a comment on here telling me the date of your first day back.
2. Become a follower of Life's a Teach!! and leave a comment telling me you follow.
3. "Like" my Life's a Teach!! facebook page and leave a comment here telling me you did it.
4. TWO ENTRIES-Go to my Life's a Teach TPT page, download a freebie and leave me some feedback. Then come back here and tell me you did! (don't forget to do it twice!!)
5. Follow my Life's a Teach!! TPT page and leave a comment telling me you follow.

Thanks! and Good Luck!!

Book Basket Labels Part 2

Hey all! Hope you are having a great Tuesday night. I have recently revised my Book Basket Labels. My Lexile Level Labels set has some added levels (plus a blank one) and my Theme Labels set has quite a few more options. I have different sized baskets so I have my labels formatted in different sizes. Hopefully, I will have my baskets completed by Thursday so I can post some pics for ya! If you want to download the new sets, head on over to my TPT store! By the way- I still do not have any feedback. If you like my FREEBIES, please consider leaving me some:)

Help me help my students!!

Okay, I will admit it! I am being totally selfish with this post! I am asking EVERYONE to take 10 seconds out of your day and head over to the Teachers Helping Teachers FB page, click like and then tell them Melissa Currin referred you! They are going to feature The Donor's Choose Project of the person with the most referrals on their group's giving page. This is my first project and I have a long way to go to get it funded! Thanks!!!

Staples Deals Time!

I took a look at next week's ad and I am excited because I have been waiting for 2-pocket folders to be 1 Penny!! I can't wait to get 25 (or 50!) next week! The bad news is that is the only item for 1 cent next week (and don't forget you have to spend a minimum of $5.00). The good news is there are still some pretty sweet deals!
Here's what you can get:

• Zebra Z-grip pack of 7 pens for FREE (after rebate!) This will help me reach my $5.00 minimum purchase when I buy my 25 folders!!



• Ream of paper $.50 (after rebate!)



• 2 pack of black Sharpies $.25 (limit 2)



• 4GB flashdrive $5.99

There is also a coupon for $5.00 off a $25 purchase! Pretty sweet!

Head on over to Staples and don't forget to tell them Life's a Teach!! sent ya!!

Post-its here, Post-its there, Post-its EVERYWHERE!

I love post-its! I use them all the time at school and at home! I love to personalize my post-its by running them through the printer. If you haven't printed your own post-its yet, here are a few tools to get you started. But, be warned....you will get addicted!!

Directions for printing post-its!

Example Primary Edit Check-list Post-its

Example Exit Slip Post-its

Shoeless Joe Jackson, NOT!!

Head on over to Just Another Day in First Grade for a wonderful and FREE unit on shoes! Hurry though...you have to snag it by Monday.

Something has been buggin' me lately...

I love bugs! Bug clipart that is!! I purchased a darling set of buggy clipart from Scrappin' Doodles and just had to do something fun with it...so I made a math and literacy center that I think you will love. It is going to be FREE until 10:50 to all of my followers, so act quick! If you like it, please leave me a little feedback love! I don't have any yet and am dying to get a pat on the back:)

STAPLES 1 CENT DEALS

Next Sunday through Wednesday Staples has 3 great penny deals going on. Normally the limit is 2 of each product per customer, but teachers get 25 of each product by showing their teacher identification!! There is a $5.00 minimum purchase required, but I am sure we all will have NO problem meeting that! Here's what you can get:

• Sharpie 2 pack yellow highlighters



• 8 pack of #2 yellow pencils



• pack of 3x5 index cards

You can bet I will be there on Sunday morning grabbing mine!!

Check out next week's ad here!!

Giveaway Winner!

We have a WINNER!!!

Book Basket Labels

Hey Bloggers! I recently posted about my quest to Lexile level all of my books in my classroom library. Well, I have made it through one rubbermaid bin! So, I took a break and made some new labels for all of my baskets. I made a set for lexile levels and a set for my "themed" baskets. If you would like to grab your free copies head on over to my TPT store. If you like them I would love to get some feedback on TPT!! Thanks and enjoy!

Calling all Pirate Lovers & Sports Fans!!

Ahoy me mateys!! I have to tell you about this fabulous find at Michaels!! If you are sporting the pirate theme in your class this fall check this out!! You can get this fabulous decal set for the low price of $4.99! They are on clearance so you better hurry! This is a very large set that is made to decorate a bedroom from Me and My Big Ideas. You will love it! I snatched 5 up for the 2nd grade teachers at my old school. They are sooooo excited!!

For those of you doing a sports theme they have an adorable baseball set! I grabbed one for myself.....at $4.99, I should have grabbed two!!

Don't forget to check out my giveaway post! My 100 follower giveaway ends Thursday at midnight!!

Get 2 more entries in my 100 Followers Giveaway!!

Here's your chance to get TWO more entries in my giveaway!! Put my blog on your blog roll and you get 2 additional entries!! Don't forget to go to my Giveaway Post and comment so I know you have added my blog. Make sure you comment TWICE for two entries!! Thanks for following!
Melissa

Duh, WINNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it is Friday night and I just returned from an indoor soccer game (I scored a goal and we won!!). So in keeping with the high I am on, I have decided to have my 100 followers giveaway!! I really can't wait any longer.

The winner of my first giveaway will get this beautiful Marie Osmond ID case stuffed with a $10.00 gift card from Target. Who couldn't use ten big ones to spend in the dollar spot right now? I know I just blew $50.00 today at Staples and Michael's (by the way they have a 20% off coupon good through Saturday!!).

So here is how you can win:

1. Comment to this post- 1 entry
   





2. Become a follower of Life's a Teach!! - 1 entry
   





3. Blog about my giveaway!- 1 entry
   





4. Like my Life's a Teach!! Facebook page- 1 entry
   





5. Follow my TPT store - 1 entry
   





6. Grab my button and post it on your blog. - 1 entry

Don't forget to post one comment for every entry for a total of 6 entries! I will announce the winner next Friday so make sure you come back and check to see if you are the lucky one!

Happy Blogging!!!!

To Lexile or not to Lexile!

So, I have been knee deep in books for the past few days! I have every book I own and I am tackling the task of Lexile Leveling each and every one of them!! I thought I had this licked a few years ago when I went ahead and found the Reading Counts level for each of them!!

So, now that I am right in the middle of all this, I am wondering-

How do you organize your books in your classroom?

I have always had them by RC levels with a few baskets of series, authors, etc. I am leaning towards using Lexile Levels as my main baskets (thank you ELA Common Core Standards!) and then keeping my special baskets and adding non-fiction in the mix.

What do you think? I would love to hear from all you blogtastic teachers out there!!! And, hey by the way, while you are here go ahead and click on that little followers tab so I can have my first giveaway!!

Melissa

I need 10 more followers!

Emergency EXIT here!!

Formative assessment is such an important part of my daily classroom instruction. As teachers we naturally gauge where our students are through observation, anecdotal notes, etc. Then we use this data to differentiate within our groups. I like to use exit slips as part of my formative assessment. It is important to change it up and use lots of variety to keep our students engaged. If you'd like some easy to use EXIT slips check out my TPT store.

Freedom Freebie Time!!

Whew! I am exhausted after a week at the beach and then all the Independence Day festivities that have been going on. I am enjoying a little time here at my computer to wind down! Here is another freebie for all my blogging friends! These are great to print on cardstock and put on a binder ring. Then you can house them in your writing center or make a set for all of your kiddos! I hope you enjoy!! Don't forget to follow me! I am so close to 100 and ready for a giveaway!!!!!

Melissa

Let Freedom Ring!!

I am so thrilled that I had such a huge response to my Fables pack!! If you didn't get your freebie- here's your chance to snag it on sale! I am offering 25% off of everything in my TPT store today and tomorrow in honor of my WONDERFUL country's birthday!!! I am so proud to be an American and even prouder to be an AMERICAN TEACHER!!!!


Click on the picture below to get the direct link to my store. And if you grabbed my Fables unit I promise- there is more to come!!!! Happy blogging!







Melissa

Aesop's Fabulous Fables Freebie

So, I just finished my Fables Unit! I am looking forward to using it this fall with my thirdies, but for now I will just have to be satisfied with sharing it with my wonderful blogging friends!! The new Common Core Standards ask that we have are students read and work with many different genres- fables included. Also, the common core asks for students to understand non-literal language.

I love fables for many reasons! They are short, they have great, rich language and they always teach my kids a lesson or MORAL!! Click on the photo to get to the page on TPT where you can download the whole 33 page unit or check out my sample. In honor of my wonderful day at the beach today I am going to give the everyone who follows my blog and comments on this post by Midnight tonight a FREE copy of the entire FABLES Unit!

Please make sure to leave your email and tell me you're a follower in your comment and I will send a copy your way!

Thanks!!

Melissa

Great new blog with a great giveaway!

Hello readers! Check out Erica's new blog for your chance at some great gifts! You get several chances to win!
Good luck!!

Check out the latest giveaway!

Click on the picture to find out about this fabulous giveaway!!! First Grade Frenzy is giving away some terrific trinkets! Don't forget to follow me so I can have a giveaway too!!

Give me the Finger!

Hey friends! I am planning to use a teamwork theme for my third graders this year!! I have lots of little projects going on and through my head as I plan to create a stimulating and organized classroom. I have these wonderful foam fingers that I am planning on hanging over my student tables (groups of desks). I usually have 6 groups of 4 (or some with 5 depending on how many students I end up with!). I can't wait to hang these adorable fingers. They are going to add so much color to my room. I know I am going to put big numbers on each one (1-6) but I am not sure what else I would like to do. After spending so much time painting them (it took a couple of coats), I want to get them just right! Any suggestions???

Summer time Giveaway!!

Check out this SUNsational Summer Giveaway! The prizes are too many to mention! Click on the button to check out all the goodies and get your entries in! The contest ends on Sunday. Good luck and don't forget to follow me so I can have a giveaway soon!!

Technology Makes a Difference!! (Classroom Project at DonorsChoose.org)

I have my first Donors Choose project! I am hoping to secure a listening center and Ipod touch that will help me differentiate with my students during literacy centers. Take a look at my proposal if you get a chance. Thanks!

Technology Makes a Difference!! (Classroom Project at DonorsChoose.org)

Idioms Animal Pack is Here!!

I have been working very hard on creating materials to support the ELA Common Core Standards for next year. I am excited to post my new Idioms Animal Sports pack to my TPT store. This set includes 17 animal theme idiom posters to share with your students, an I Have Who Has Game that can be printed on cardstock for durability and used with small groups or whole class. There is also a student response sheet included for individual work. I hope you have a chance to look at it! Click on the picture to check it out. I would love to hear your input!! Have a great Monday morning!!

Great goodies for next year!

Check out this FABULOUS giveaway! I hope I win!!
Kinderglynn
Good luck!!

Dressing Down!

I love that on Fridays we can dress down at my school. We have tons of "spirit wear" options, but I love this awesome tshirt that Amy is sharing on her blog. She is giving one away to a lucky follower!! Check it out at Step into 2nd Grade with Mrs. Lemons.

Katie's Giveaway!!

Katie over at Once Upon A Teaching Blog is having a great giveaway to celebrate 5o followers!! Before you head on over to check it out follow me so that I can do the same!!! Thanks:)

Kleinspiration: A Tech-Tastic Give-Away:#c7516515297125661472

Kleinspiration: A Tech-Tastic Give-Away:#c7516515297125661472

Kindergarten Works Raffle

Kindergarten Works is having a raffle on an AWESOME Calendar Pack! Get your ticket to win!

Schedule Schmedule!!!

I am so excited to be returning to my third grade classroom!! We have a lot of changes in store for us this year!! I have been thinking about so many things that need to be ready and in place by August and of course, my schedule is one of them!! That's why I am so excited about this linky party. Here is what I am thinking of for my schedule in the fall. This is, of course, a work in progress:

8:05-8:30 Morning routine/Morning work
8:30-9:00 Word Work/ Vocabulary
9:00-9:45 Specials (PE, Computer, Music, Art, Library)
9:45-11:15 ELA Block (Whole Group Reading, Guided Reading, Speaking & Listening Skills,
and Language
11:15-11:40 LUNCH
11:40-12:00 RECESS
12:00-1:15 Math Block
1:15-2:00 Writing Block
2:00-2:15 Teacher Read Aloud
2:15-3:00 Science/ Social Studies
3:00-3:15 Homework/Wrap-up
3:16 Dismissal

I hope this sample helps. I know it is pretty standard, but it works for me! Looking at it it looks like the days are just going to fly by!!

Teaching with Idioms!!

I am preparing for the switch to the new ELA Common Core Standards. Today I created a great Idioms packet that I can't wait to share with my class next year. I plan on doing a lot of work with idioms to help my students understand the nuances in our language and to learn what figurative language is. If you are ready to tackle the ELA Standards, have a look at my new packet and grab it on my teachers pay teachers site:) Just click on the above picture of my packet.

Thanks for taking the time to look!!

Guided Reading

Hey friends! I am very excited to be returning to the classroom to teach third grade after two FABULOUS years as an instructional coach. I have big plans to do some major overhauling of my classroom, schedule, reading program, EVERYTHING!!! I can't wait to dive in with some of the great things I have learned during my coaching days.

I have big plans to delve into my two feet tall stack of professional books this summer. I know I am biting off more than I can chew- especially since our summers seem to shrink more and more each year like a wool sweater that we just keep tossing into the dryer!! I have so much to do now that I will be teaching in the fall. I feel like I am starting over again. I will have to drag my classroom out of the garage and basement and set up shop all one more time!! It almost feels like I am a first year teacher again- the butterflies are already starting to flutter!!

Currently I am reading Guided Reading in Grades 3-6 by Mary Schulman. I am almost finished!! It has some great information in it and resources to use with my groups but I am looking for more! Do you have any book suggestions for me? How do you do Guided Reading in your classroom?

http://rundesroom.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-just-couldnt-wait.html

Check out the great contest going on over at Jen's blog!

Sticky Notes

Check out this great post about using post-its in your classroom. I have been using Post-its for awhile in the classrooms I visit as a coach. We have used them as exit slips. Another great use is as an revising & editing checklist. Students love to use them and you can stick them write on their writing pieces. No more stapling, paper clipping or losing the checklist.
How would (or do) you use post-its in the classroom??

http://ladybugsteacherfiles.blogspot.com/2011/05/readers-response-with-sticky-notes.html

Walk for ALS

This Saturday I will be walking for Team ALS with my husband Patrick and daughters Loghan and Olivia. Help us raise money by going to my page:
http://web.alsa.org/site/TR/Walks/KentuckyWalk?px=3006854&pg=personal&fr_id=7447

Thanks! Any amount helps!!!

Giveaway!!

Funky First Grade is having agiveaway to celebrate 200 followers! Take a look! Check out the button on the right.

Free stuff!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/notes/teaching-resources-by-shelley-gray/facebook-mega-contest/192017314177173