A Freebie & An Angry Black Man

Me: “Hi. My name is Catherine.”

BB (blogging buddies): “Hi Catherine.”

Me: “I have been a terrible blogger.”

It’s true, friends! It has been almost 2 weeks since I have said hi, and I have missed you all! It has been a crazy time here in the Bluegrass and there are lots of changes going on that I cannot wait to tell you about. But, for now, I wanted to ease back into the blogging groove with Kacey’s 5 for Friday! Plus, please accept my Worst-Blogger-of-the-Month apology with an end-of-the-year freebie below. :)

(1) Do you Scoot? I hope so! Scooting is an amazing way to check student’s understanding while keeping a hopping pace. I whipped this little ditty up to review all the math we have been learning over the course of the year. This scoot includes questions on place value, standard form, equations with 3 addends, fractions, number sense, sequences, comparing numbers, missing addends, expanded form, time, and money! It is the perfect way for friends to show what they know, as well as, a nice way to see what needs to be reviewed one last time before your 1^st grade friends become big, bad 2^nd graders! :) (Click below to grab it for free)

(2) While working on some reading comprehension passages, I stumbled upon the Lexile website. While I am sure most of you know this website, but for me, it’s a new discovery. My favorite part of this reading treasure is the Lexile Analyzer. No more creating texts and guessing if they are a ‘just-right’ fit for your friends. Rather, put the text into the analyzer and it zips a Lexile level out for you like magic. Seriously, magic I’m telling you!

(3) Do you use Power Towers in your classroom? They are a fun way to review automaticity in math or reading. Written on the bottom of a cup there is an equation, sight, or other quickly solved questions. If students answer the question correctly (as checked by a partner) they can place the cup on their tower. If not, the cup goes back into the bucket for someone else to pick. The goal? Build the biggest, tallest, and most awesome tower…of course! :) Your friends will have NO idea that they are learning – seriously.

(4) This week as been a long string of goodbyes starting with my precious first-grade friends. I have fallen in love over the past year, and it was definitely hard to say goodbye. The room mom’s organized a goodbye party, and my cooperating teacher created a precious ‘Goodbye Book’ (shout out to Mrs. S for an amazingly designed cover!). It was so fun to read what my friends think about me. And, guess what? I read with great expression! ;)

(5) Do you have a hero in education? Well, I definitely do. His name is Geoffrey Canada and he is a visionary in the field of education and in general, a spectacular person. He began the Harlem Children’s Zone (a grass-roots effort to revitalize Harlem) that has been wildly successful and began the Harlem Success Academy – some of the best set of charter schools in the US. Anyways, I could go on for days about how much I love Canada but instead, I’ll leave you with one of his TED talks. He’s bold, honest, and proudly – an angry black man. Watch below to learn more!

Well, friends, I am off to graduate! Happy weekend. :)

Just Keep Swimming!

As the weeks till summer draw near, we are SO close to mastering all of the Common Core standards. Still, a few of those tricky Language and Math standards keep us struggling. So, starting last week and for the next few weeks, our motto will be “Just Keep Swimming”…swimming through those Common Core Standards, of course! In math, we have been reviewing place value, fractions, sequencing, adding three numbers within 20, counting coins [not a Common Core standard but completely necessary!], and double-digit addition/subtraction word problems!

If you are starting on your last few laps with the Common Core or just need more practice, click here or the cover below to check out – Just Keep Swimming: 6 Common-Core Aligned Math Centers! It's ready just in time for the HUGE TPT sale starting Tuesday. :)

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Teachers Pay Teachers is hosting their Annual Teacher Appreciation Sale! I will offer my entire store for 20% off and then, TPT will offer an additional 10% off for a total of 28% off Tuesday, May 7^th – Wednesday, May 8^th with the code TAD13. My cart is full (literally), and I cannot wait to hit Order!

Now, head over to look at Just KeepSwimming and while you're there check out these packs that will make your last few weeks easy peasy! (Click on any of the previews to check them out!)

Also, make sure to check out The First Grade Fairytales tomorrow [Monday] where I'll be guest blogging about a new spelling app we have been using!

Happy Sunday and Happy Teacher Appreciation Week. You deserve it! :)

Bison and Bald Eagles

Happy, super Friday! The weekend has arrived and it feels good. :)

For my third field trip in a week, we headed to the closest wildlife refuge and I was SUPER impressed. From elk, to bison, to bald eagles there were so many awesome animals…a very successful venture in my book. Plus, there were no causalities and only 1 lost tooth! :)

Winners, winners! Andrea and Melissa are the winners of my two newest units (Conjunctions Under Construction & Parts of Speech: Grammar Printables)! Also, as promised, I am SO pleased to show you my first bundle! :) This Parts of Speech: Grammar Bundle includes 5 of my classroom-test and approved grammar packs. This mega-pack include 173 pages, 24 anchor charts, 16 centers, and 50 printables! Plus, it hits most uncommonly taught parts of speech that the 1^st grade Common Core requires – Articles, Conjunctions, Pronouns, Prepositions! Click here or the preview below to check out my baby. :)

Mom suggested I used a rotary for cutting lamination and it is GENIUS! Talk about easy, smooth cutting. You end up with more scraps, but it has easily reduced my cutting time by half. Watch out though…the blade is ridiculously sharp. Don’t believe me? Just ask my poor pointer finger…. 

From my Wildy Whimisical Birthday centers!

So, my most popular freebies  are my two main idea freebies (click here to learn more). A Chicago teacher contacted me and asked if I could create a set based on this freebie. I was thrilled and came up with a pack highlighting 15 different plants/animals from different habitats (tundra, forest, rain forest, desert, swamp, ocean…). Each animal includes a 100-200 word non-fiction passage, as well as, a main idea graphic organizer.  Plus, the pack includes anchor charts on main idea, topic, and how to identify a main idea. Everything came together in this little ditty and I’m proud!

This week I was able to spend some sweet time with my boys. We crafted and read and ate junk food. It was wonderful and I cannot wait for our adventures tonight!  I am so blessed to have families that share their children with me. :)

Well, friends. We did it! For this post I am linking up with Kacey at Doodles Bugs Teaching. Make sure to stop by her blog and say hi! 

Happy Friday, again! I wish you a weekend full of family, friends, good food, Pinterest, TPT, and of course, PJs.

Currently & Conjunctions

Thanks so much for Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for hosting Currently! Make sure to stop by her blog and check out all the amazing teacher bloggers in cyberspace. :)

Listening: Have you heard of JJ Heller? She is a fantastic Christian artist that I was introduced to by another blogger (I think it was Ashley Hughes or Kelley Dolling via Facebook....but I'm cannot remember!), and now really enjoy her music. Such sweet, sweet tunes. :)

Loving: I am so, so happy to show you Conjunctions Under Construction my latest grammar pack. With the Common Core, 1^st graders are expected to know A LOT when it comes to the parts of speech. We have been tackling one part of a speech a week, hitting grammar hard, and all is going well. Our friends have been scooping piles of dirt (figurative dirt, of course), using hammers (fake, of course), and have been constructing three-story buildings compound sentences! 

This week, conjunctions will finish us up. Still, I know my firsties need more practice reviewing all the parts of speech we have covered, so I put together a set Parts of Speech Printables Pack. This little ditty has sorts, cut and pastes, reading passages, assessments, and SO much more. We’re using it for morning work, homework packets, and some in guided reading groups. Both of these packs have been  combined with my packs on Articles, Conjunctions, Prepositions, Pronouns into a Parts of Speech: Grammar Bundle that will save you oodles – so stay tuned!

I would love to give 2 friends my newest units. So, share these packs  on Facebook or on Pinterest, paste your link on the Raffcopter below before Friday at 5 PM. You can also get an entry for following my TPT Store, Pinterest, and blog! Then, using the magical number generator, 2 friends will have some fantastic conjunction and grammar resources in their mailboxes! :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thinking: Last week I signed up for some vegetarian cooking classes over the summer and I am super pumped! The classes will be using plant-based foods grown in Kentucky. Although it’s a month away, I am already dreaming of delicious meals. :)

On a kind of related note, have you seen the article about the New York elementary school that has gone vegetarian? Check it out here!

Wanting/Needing: It is well...with my soul! It is well, it is well with my soul. I am truly content right now, and it is such a wonderful feeling. I have been so blessed, and it is fantastic to be able to sit back and appreciate life.

Well, friends thanks so much for stopping by! Come back Friday to learn about our fun with au/aw words, our class field trip to a wildlife refuge, and so much more. See you then!

A {FREE} Field Trip to the Apple Store

Thursday I helped chaperone a trip to the Apple Store with a group of 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade students! We live in a very small town and headed about 40 miles to the closest store. It was so fun to hear our friends say, “I’ve never been to a mall before!” They were pumped, Apple was ready, and the evening was perfect!

We were paired with 3 trainers (2 males, 1 female) and sat on stools around a wooden conference-style table. At the head of the table was a huge flat screen TV that was connected to an iPad, so everyone could see what was happening.

Our school librarian organized the trip, and we learned all about iMovie! (You request what iPad or Mac skill you would like to be taught!) So, the trainer started with the whole group mini-lesson about iMovie and then, we worked together to create a Super Kids movie trailer adding pictures of our kids, changing titles, and editing music! Of course, we had a very dramatic viewing of our creation, too!

Then, we pulled out our school iPads and our friends had the opportunity to explore. From dancing robots to Sneaky Ninjas, within 20-30 minutes, our friends had awesome, optimized movies!  It was SO crazy easy. Plus, the 3 trainers were great at explaining to students how to troubleshoot (rather than just grabbing the iPad and doing it themselves). I had only used iMovie on a Mac, so I was shocked to see that our friends could create the movies with ease. Although it is an expensive app at $4.99 an iPad, it is AMAZING and worth the investment.

I cannot wait to see what they can do with more time and an academic lens. From book reviews, to dramas and plays, to digital storytelling, to documentaries, to animal/life cycles…the opportunities are endless!

The training session last 90 minutes and every student walked away with a yellow t-shirt with the Apple Field Trip logo. No doubt our friends were parading them around school on Friday!

Have you ever taken a field trip to the Apple Store? What did you learn about? (Also, they offer Teacher Field Trips, too! You can take a group of teachers down and they will give you a iPad 101 on the skill of your choosing.) Now, friends, go and click here to learn more about your Apple Field Trip! 

All you have to worry about is paying for the buses.

#5forFriday

#a2fieldtripweek

#lovinghashtagsandnaps

#hashtagshoutouttoapplesandabcs

#fishyfieldtrip

#baithandsfordayz

#paintingprepositions

#commoncoreskills

#imthinkingofanumber

#freebie

#poet-trees

#bestfreefieldtripever

#applestore

#learningimovie

#thanksDoodleBugsforhosting

#peaceandblessings

Poet-Trees and All that Jazz

Hi, friends. Celebrating the conclusion of our poetry unit, we hosted a 1^st Grade Poetry Coffeehouse (an idea by Amanda Nickerson) and it was a smashing success. 17 of our 21 friends and their families came dressed in black ready to share their best poems and reader’s theater. Jazz music played and our snapping fingers got a work out. Of course, hot chocolate and cookies were served, too!

Inside the coffeehouse, tables were set up covered in bulletin board paper. As the poems were read aloud, parents wrote comments and words of praise to our awesome poets. The next morning we shared all of the compliments. Our firsties cut out and saved notes that were specific to them or their poem. In addition to crayons, a potted Poet-Tree sat at each table. This is how I make these fantastic centerpieces!

(1) Find an unsuspecting tree with appropriately branchy and low limbs. Maim it.

(2) Deflower said limbs.

(3) Gather green planters foam, newspapers, fish tank rocks, clay pots, and ribbon.

(4) Crumble and place a layer of newspaper at the bottom of a clay pot.

(5) Place a small block of green planters foam in the pot.

(6) Push a tree limb into the foam.

(7) Tightly pack newspaper around the green foam and limb (but do not allow the newspaper to reach the rim of the clay pot).

(8) Spread a layer of fish tank rocks covering the newspaper.

(9) Punch holes in your typed poems.

(10) Using ribbon, tie the poems to the tree limbs.

and….celebrate the cuteness!!!!

These were SO much fun and our friends (and their parents) loved seeing their awesome work on display. At the end of the evening, our friends untied their poems and took them to use as bookmarks. :)

Are you and your friends studying and writing poetry? Have you done anything special to celebrate or have any great ideas?

Happy day, friends!