Well, if you aren't in school yet, I bet you are heading back in a day or two! I'm going on week 4 already! Time sure flies and I have really been MIA this summer. I guess I really needed some ME time! I was reflecting on that as I realized there are a lot of things I haven't even told you about yet. 

One of the new things that I am LOVING is my word flippers. I was inspired to make these because of a picture I saw on Pinterest. Every time I tried to make them out of sentence strips, I couldn't get them folded just right. I wanted them to be a little more accurate, so I made these. They are a neat way to help kids see the new word immediately. 


There's a step-by-step instruction sheet and a video so you can see just how to put these flippers together!


Once I made some for endings, I decided to even try abbreviations and contractions! It's a flipper folding frenzy! Click the pics to check out them out or pick up the BUNDLE!

I had the privilege of trying out an awesome product from {Smilemakers}. I received it over the summer. It took me awhile to get all my routines rolling, but I have it up and running in my room now. 

I have this awesome tool at my word work station. Each week, I switch out the strip of pictures for the kids to make the ladders. They love seeing the new pictures for the new week! Check out this video of one of my cuties making new words by changing letters!

I told you how spelling is set up in my classroom, and I would like to share with you the way I give my spelling and dictation tests. I always make sure that the children read over the words that they have written. I explain to them that sometime words just don't look right! I took 2 videos to show how we review the words before the tests are turned in. This first video is our spelling test check!

Well, today was the first day back at school after winter break. It was so great to see my little nuggets and they did an awesome job! However, today during math, we all hit a wall . . . Big Time! So, what do you think we did? A BRAIN BREAK of course! Today was the {Sid Shuffle}. Check out the great dancers we have in math! 

LOL What do you think? Awesome, right?! Now we are working on settling right down and getting right back to work. It took us about a minute and a half today. We did just back from vacation, but we are going to try for 30 seconds tomorrow! 

Have you tried brain breaks with your kids yet? You need to do it! I'm telling you, it will help you out too. When I'm not filming I'm jumping around with the kids too!

Have you ever felt like you need to do a song and dance to get your kids to hear even one word you are saying? Yeah, me too! I figure if I have to do a song and dance, then they do too! We have started doing brain breaks and it has been a life saver! 

My friend Ali compiled a nice list of them at school and I decided to put them here for you too! This first one is my kids' favorite! It's the Gummy Bear Song and I like it too! It really wakes me up in the afternoon. 

Well, I hope this helps you get yourself organized in your classroom. If you would like the cards that I have on here, just click the {pic} to get them now.

I love to watch and listen to my students run their own book clubs. I decided to get them started early this year. I have kids that I thought could handle them independently, and I was right! Check out the video. Every time I listen to them, I get cold chills! Amazing what the little munchkins can do when you give them a chance. 

Here is the {packet} that the kids use to walk them through the process. Well, what do you think? Do you think your kiddos would do well with this? I bet they would . . . You just need to give them the chance!

Good morning to you all! I'm sitting on the back porch enjoying a cool breeze after about a half hour of pouring down rain. That hasn't happened in such a long time in central Indiana. I know lots of you are in the same boat . . . if you can say boat during a drought!  


Anyway, I asked my buddy {Monica} if she would try something out for me. She tutors a couple of kids and I asked her to try using my math mysteries on her computer to see how it worked. She sent me this awesome video to show the excitement and how well it worked.



Click to see the {math mysteries} that I have currently written.


Hope this works for you! If you try it out and come across any problems or any other neat ideas, just let me know!

Since I showed you how I clean off my Homework Lotto pieces, I figured I should show you my {Homework Lotto} game. I play this game at least once a week and sometimes more at the beginning of the school year. Here's how it works . . .


For example : I assign a weekly reading log that goes home on Friday and is due the following Friday. If the student brings their reading log back and it is signed, they get to place their game piece on the lotto board.


After the game pieces are on the board, I draw a letter-number combo from my jar.


If their piece is on the correct square, they win! I usually pull out 4 or 5 each week . . . I have a variety of junk that they can win. LOL


I also use this board for behavior as well. Rather than make a whole new board, I just cut the title off of one of the pages, and velcro the one on that I want to use!


 Check out the quick video for a little more info on how I make this lotto game work for me! Don't worry . . . Just 1 minute again!

Hi there kids! Hope you are all having a Super Saturday! I am . . . just hanging around playing on my computer and trying to get a little work done! 


Yesterday, I went in to school so I could put a few things away, and got a little distracted. I started cleaning the names off of my Homework Lotto game pieces. As I was doing this, I remembered one of my friends coming to ask me for fingernail polish remover so she could take the permanent marker off her name cards. I couldn't believe that she didn't know about this little trick! Don't worry . . . the video is only 1 minute long!




Well, what do you think? Pretty cool, huh? I love this trick because I can't stand the smell of fingernail polish!  Happy Saturday!

Hi y'all! Hope everyone is relaxing this summer. I know I sure have been! I guess I needed to recuperate from the end of school, graduations/parties, etc. I'm feeling much more relaxed now! I've been to Lake Lemon in Southern Indiana and I'm headed up to Lake Michigan in just a bit! It's a lake kinda summer! I figured that I'd better get a post written and at least one product uploaded before I went though . . . Heading back to the land of no cell reception and no Wi-Fi! 


I thought I would show you my latest and greatest idea. I've always had great luck teaching homophones to my kiddos, but I know they know what the different words mean, but they still mess up on which word to use when they are writing them. I don't know about you, but if I see "Your the best teacher ever!" one more time, I'm going to flip! Apparently I'm NOT the best teacher ever, right?!


The sliders are really cool, but you will have to assemble them to get them ready. You will want to print them on card stock . . . for sure! You will also want to laminate them as well. Here are a couple of pages so you can see what you will need to do to get these ready to use. 
Here is a video to help you get them together . . . Not the best video . . . I made it with my computer on my lap! LOL It might help though.


Well, what are you waiting for? Get these {awesome sliders} now and get them ready for next year . . . since you have the time to put them together, now! 


Oh, and did I tell you that everything is on sale to! Today, June 22 - Sunday, June 24, everything is 20% off. Oh, did I spell something wrong? Maybe I need to practice with my sliders! Have a great weekend y'all!

After Cracker Barrel this morning (Can you say 'YUM'?!) I had my hubby head over to my school and help me tape a little video about my data binders. I thought it might be helpful for you to actually see what I put in mine. You must realize that this is a work in progress . . . it has changed many times and will probably change again. If you have no idea what I am talking about, be sure to stop over at my last post to check it out!

We had a meeting today about another 'GREAT' idea on helping us differentiate for our students. I don't know about you guys, but I don't know how many more 'GREAT' ideas my little mind can take! 

Now don't get me wrong, I really do like learning about new things. . . how else would I come up with more ideas for you guys???  I also really think that the common core standards are going to be great . . . I even think that the new evaluations for teachers and administrators is a good idea . . . I guess that my problem is this . . . 

WHEN am I going to get everything done??? I'm already working 24/7 and I feel like I'm getting a little grouchy. G-r-r-r! I even literally growled at the kids today and they just laughed at me . . . THE NERVE!!!

Oh well . . . I'll get over it . . . This video at my meeting improved my mood . . . hopefully it will give you a little chuckle as well!


Hehehehehe . . . 

Maybe this Reflections page will help you out, too! Just click the pic to get yours. I give this page to my kids each week after they have gotten their work from the previous week, returned to them. 

One little boy said he didn't have any goals for this week since he got all of his spelling words right! :)  We brainstormed other types of goals that we might set. Some of the goals we came up with were:

• Read a little longer each night for our reading log
• Write more thoughtful comments about our books
• Use better handwriting when we tell about our books or on our spelling tests
• Choose more challenging books for our reading log

I want to buy this or make a t-shirt!

I was just reading comments from a post on the NEA Today Facebook page, in response to a Survey: Teacher Job Satisfaction Drops to a New Low, and decided to help inspire our fellow teachers!


 I know that last year, I was very stressed out at school and felt very defeated. I was going home at night and would tell my husband all about my day. As some of you may know, spouses don't really want to hear about all of your 'kid' problems after they have worked all day! (Of course, he listened and he was great, . . . but still . . .) I was also talking in my sleep (apparently) and dreaming about what I was going to do the next day. 


My best friend was so worried that I might quit teaching, she talked to the principal about how she might be able to get some help in my room! (That's a BEST friend, don't you think?) 


However, when I started checking out some of the amazing teacher blogs that are out here, I started to get some of that excitement for teaching back. And then, Pinterest came along . . . Oh my! Lots and lots of pictures to really get my gears going. 


It makes me sad that teachers feel blamed, degraded, overworked, . . . and the list goes on and on. I know that I still get a little overwhelmed with all that is being asked of us, but then I look at the little faces in front of me . . . where else can you touch so many lives and perhaps make an impression that will change a life.