*Teaching Maddeness*

Boy, am I ready to get my spring on! I'm loving that it is warming up consistently during the days, but it is so hard to dress this time of year! 35 degrees in the morning....70 degrees in the afternoon! Come on spring!

I must say that these weeks are flying by....only 9 more schools days until SPRING BREAK!! Well, really only 7 1/2 for me since I'm scooting out of town early to kick off my break with Maroon 5! {swoon}

How much longer until your spring break?? If you tell me you're on it now I'm going to go all Hulk on you.
Minus the muscles.
So, just green....green with envy.
Maybe that's more Kermit.

I would love to be on break now, but maybe it will be super warm by the time the first week of April rolls around! :)

Alright...enough rambling....on to the Friday Flashback!

We kicked off our week with Reading MAP Testing....yep, Monday morning at 8:20....right after springing forward and losing an hour of sleep! {cringe}

But, my kiddos ROCKED that test!!!!! I'm not going to say it was solely because of my testing turtles, but you never know! ;) Haha! They certainly did all take their time this year....NO rushers!

We had 100% growth and 18 of 20 exceeded their GOALS {one was only 1 point away and well, the other fell asleep several times during the test....yep, on the keyboard...sigh}!!!

So....to reward THAT awesome performance we had a little ice cream sundae celebration the next day!

Using individual ice cream cups for sundaes makes it soooooo easy! Just pass out the cups, squirt on the whipped cream and add the toppings!! Yum!Yum!

Let's cross our fingers that Math testing goes well next Monday!!

My students finished learning all of the cursive lowercase letters this week! I love that second graders are soooo excited to learn cursive! Although, without a program or workbooks to practice these days, it does make teaching it a bit tricky.

I incorporated it into my Morning Work PowerPoints this year and have absolutely LOVED this process! We'll fine-tune these letters the remainder of this quarter and then tackle uppercase letters 4th quarter.

Not bad so far, though!

They are really working hard to earn their cursive licenses. Once they've mastered ALL letters (lowercase and uppercase) they'll earn this little license which will be attached to their desk to let everyone know they have permission to complete ALL of their work in cursive!

We also had fun learning about multiple meaning words this week. Amelia Bedelia helped a lot with this! We made a class book...I always love their illustrations!

Heeehheeee....Don't you just love the girl rolling? So creative!

We also had a ton of fun exploring MAGNETS! They are loving every moment of being scientists!

Each day they make predictions {I use tape to "stick" their predictions down so that they're not tempted to change them....we talk about how it's okay to have your prediction be different than your result - that means you learned something NEW!}, they experiment, and then they write a daily reflection using key words from the day's lesson. All of this is kept neat in their Magnet Portfolio.

That's a little bit about what went on in our week. We're still practicing our Tall Tale plays and we're now writing our own original Tall Tale stories! We also worked on multi-step word problems in math. Such a hard concept for little ones!!

What did you do this week? Link up and let us take a peek into your week! I'm off for an actual DATE NIGHT with the hubby! We're going to see "The Call" with Halle Berry....have you seen the trailers? It looks soooo good!

WOWZERS! It is 76 degrees here today. Can you say LOVE? Anytime I can throw on a lil spring dress, is a good day! :)

I saw the cutest new linky party going around last week and never had the chance to join in. Well, it's a new weekly linky and I'm not missing out this week!

This week's topic to help us "get to know each other" is the old 2 Truths and 1 Lie. Mine will probably be pretty obvious, as I am the WORST liar in the world, but here goes....

1. If you've followed my blog for a while, you'll know that the hubs and I LOVE to travel to sporting events and/or concerts. Anything from football to NASCAR to baseball to hockey, or anyone from Madonna to Zac Brown Band to Boys II Men to Bon Jovi to Maroon 5 to Flo Rida.....we love it all sports and all music! But, did you know that I've had the opportunity to MEET some celebrities along the way? A few of the favorites that I've been lucky enough to meet include Bono from U2, Michael Jordan, New Kids on the Block, and Jimmie Johnson!!

2. As much as the hubs and I like to travel to events, did you know that I've never been on a commercial airplane before?? You've probably seen pictures of my love for skydiving so you know I've been on the small planes (but only to jump out!), but I've never been on an actual "big" plane. Ships, trains, buses....but no planes.

3. I am a photography junkie!! I always have one of my cameras (Canon Rebel or my new itty bitty Nikon 1) with me and take pictures of EVERYthing!! If I weren't a teacher, I would probably pursue a career as a professional photographer (although, I would need to take a LOT of classes first!) Needless to say, I have albums and albums and drives and drives full of photographs to document all of the "maddening" adventures of our lives!

So, go ahead....can you figure which is the lie? Comment below and I'll let you know in my next post which it was! I hope you'll go link up so we can learn more about YOU!

So, there were lots of guesses from the "Let's Get Acquainted Linky" - thanks for playing along...it was fun! I haven't been able to guess ANYONE's lie and I think only one person {Rachel from The Tattooed Teacher} guessed mine!

I've met celebrities such as Bono from U2, New Kids on the Block, Michael Jordan, and Jimmie Johnson - TRUE!!

I've never been on a big commercial airplane - TRUE!! {This was unfathomable to most of you....probably the only person in the U.S., right??}

I am a photography junkie with tons of photos to document all of my adventures - FALSE!! {I do have a camera addiction, but usually don't have either with me and NEVER take pictures. If I do, I never print them! The hubs and I have our wedding pictures from 13 years ago and family pics from 3 years ago...that's IT!! No other documentation of our marriage...kinda sad!} :(

Now that you know a little more about me, let's learn more about a NEW blogger...

About me:
My name is Erin, but I'm also known in the blogosphere as Miss Lifesaver, a nickname given by my students while I was student teaching. It actually started by mistake when someone butchered my last name, and it just kinda stuck. Cute, huh?

About my blog:
I've actually been blogging since 2008, but at that time, my audience was pretty much limited to family and close friends. In many ways, it's been a journal of my experiences, both personal and professional, for the past four and a half years.

Sometime in 2012, I branched out from reading only the blogs by friends and family and noticed what a great network there is for teacher bloggers. After being a lurker for months, I decided it's time for me to become an active participant in this community!

Personal Info:
I'm originally from suburban Chicago, but I moved to Baton Rouge last summer with my boyfriend when he took a job here. We live in a cute, little house in the outskirts of the city and dream of owning our own home (back home, of course) in the near future. We don't have any children or pets yet, but several of my students call me their mama, so I'll claim them for now!

What do you teach?
I teach middle school, specifically, 8th grade, ELA at a public charter school. It's a drastic change from the top-performing suburban schools where I worked in Illinois, but I definitely think I'm a better teacher for this experience.

How long have you taught?
Although this is my seventh year teaching (and subbing), though this year has often felt like my first because everything has been so different!

What's your favorite subject to teach?
My favorite subject to teach, of course, is ELA. Specifically, though, I love to teach reading. One of my favorite teaching moments is when I can win over one of my reluctant readers with an amazing book. I actually get giddy with excitement! In the future, I want to become a reading specialist.

What would we likely see if we popped into your classroom unannounced?
The first part of my ELA block is usually reserved for introducing new material. I like to incorporate Whole Brain Teaching when possible, so you may see me modeling our new moves or even my students creating them together. We also use this time for partner practice and review games on our white boards (oh, how I love the Dollar Tree).

The second half of our block is typically spent in three centers. Our centers are flexible, depending on the unit, but they can include: independent reading, Article of the Week, grammar practice, spelling work, mini practice tests, literary device practice, journaling, and any other skills we need to review. During this time, I typically circulate the room or pull a small group at my reading table for additional instruction.

What gets you through one of “those” days?

I have a serious addiction to reality television (especially The Real Housewives of... wherever). It's my escape after a stressful day! After a particularly rough week, I always have Friday "book club" to look forward to with my coworkers, which definitely keeps me smiling! :)

What is one “can’t live without” teaching resource?
Dropbox! I went paperless (well, as much as possible) a few years ago, which was one of the best decisions I've made. I love that I can access my files from any computer, my iPad, or even my iPhone. I never have to bring my work laptop home, and I know my files are consistent on each computer. It's seriously changed my life!

Give us a glimpse of your teaching style by sharing a brief summary of a favorite classroom activity/project.
One of my favorite activities is the I Am poetry assignment where students have to describe themselves through metaphors. Not only do they have to write the poems, but they also need to create visual representations, preferably 3-D, on which to display their writing. Years later, I can still tell you the metaphors for a good number of my students because they're so memorable! You can read about it and see some of the finished products here!

What is one of your blogging goals for this year?

More than anything, I want to extend myself to the teaching network, offering my experiences and learning from yours!

I will attempt a Friday flashback for this week. Why only attempt it? I have no pictures. Why? I take pictures with my phone. I dropped my phone in the toilet this morning. Don't worry, it was a sparkling clean toilet. Never put your phone in your back pocket. Sigh.

It still worked perfectly when I rescued it....it was barely wet thanks to the cover! I used it all day to text, email, surf the web....but when I went to make a phone call - nada! No sound whatsoever! Noooooooo!

Says prayers that the rice works. I'm not up for an upgrade. I just got this one {yes, the iphone 5} in December!!

So, nevertheless, I'll TELL you a bit about our week!

1. Our school is participating in Boosterthon for the first time ever. Does your school do this fundraiser? I was skeptical at first, but I am LOVING it!!

Students don't sell anything. Instead, they get pledges for running laps. But it is soooooo much more than just that. The Boosterthon team is at your school for two weeks and they teach character education and integrate it with famous leaders who displayed those character traits. We have 10 minute pep rallies each day, which are FUN yet controlled (I swear the Boosterthon team has been trained in WBT strategies!) The best thing is that ALL students are involved - even if they get NO pledges, they still get an "All Star Jersey" and get to participate in the Fun Run! If your school is looking for a new fundraiser, you should check it out! (Click here)

2. We had an in-service during our "break" today. Don't you just love those? I have to admit I actually enjoyed it! We had a representative from Promethean visiting to demonstrate some of their newer products. He showed us the ActivTables. OH. EM. GEEEE!!! Do you have one of these in your school? If you say yes, I'm going to be very green!

Think HUGE ipad that 6 students can use at once!!!!!! It was so cool...especially using Google Maps on there. The ways we could use these in our classrooms!!! {fingers crossed}

Click HERE to read more about them and to check out a video!

3. Do you follow Blake Shelton on Twitter? Yesterday, he randomly announced that he was going to give a FREE SURPRISE concert in my hometown! Talk about creating chaos....in a good way!

I didn't go. That would totally be cheating on Team Adam {5 more days until THAT concert!}, but one of my teaching friends did. The line was already forming right when he announced it (around 1:00) and only the first 2,000 would be allowed in. Whew! Craziness, for sure....but well worth it, I heard!

I just think it's so cool that he did that! Way to keep it real, Blake! And, I just saw on the news that he's doing it AGAIN tonight in Macon, Georgia! How fun is that??

4. Thanks to EVERYONE who follows one (or both) of my shops on TpT! Someone just told me this week that both of the shops were in the top 30 last week in their respective grade ranges! Whoot! Whoot! I was so excited to hear that - what great company to be in!

A couple of BIG things happening at the shops....

Teacher's Clubhouse for Primary Teachers

If you've followed the Clubhouse for a while, you know that we have an extensive listing of classroom -themed resources!! We've been asked for a while to bundle those into our beloved discounted "units" and we have decided to do just that!! We will be working on this (it will take a while!) and hope to have them all completed and posted (to both the site and the TpT shop) by the end of this school year. Just in time for you to think about NEXT year's theme!

Lightbulb Minds for Intermediate Teachers

As for Lightbulb Minds, we have added our first Math Mini-Unit. We are planning this to be the first in a series that will cover all of the common-core math standards. Within these mini-units, there will be anchor charts for the teacher, mini-anchor charts for student math notebooks, interactive notes, practice activities (such as games and task cards) and an assessment for EACH standard. Check out the first unit here.

5. I was really excited to get another email about "The Box" today. What is "The Box" you ask? Our music teacher has found a local farmer that provides a box of local fruits and vegetables for $15. We have started ordering them every two-weeks. I expected to get a little box of goodies, but the box is HUGE. So big that I almost couldn't carry it to my car - seriously! And there was so much in it I had to split the last box with my mom! Here's what we're going to get in next week's box:

6 large Fuji Apples
6 minneolas
2 lbs red grapes
6 lemons
4 lbs red potatoes
3 lbs yellow onions
1 stalk celery
2 lbs carrots
2 lbs zucchini
1 qt strawberries

I'm really hoping this helps me kick into those healthy eating habits! I truly enjoyed the strawberries, kiwis and cucumbers in the last box! Isn't this such a great idea? And, it's delivered right to us at school!

Since this was such a random "flashback", I'm also linking up with Doodlebugs for the Five for Friday party.

But, I hope you'll still link up with me for a flashback. I'd love to see some real pics from this week! :)

Hi friends! Well, today is the day. I'm working a half-day and then kicking off my spring break a little early with MAROON 5!!! I am so excited that I can't even try to contain it! Their last concert is at the top of my list and I know this tour is going to be even better!!

So, since I'm headed out of town today, I have another fabulous new blog for you to read! I am especially excited because it's another 2nd grade blog!!

Y'all {I threw that in just for Angela since I'm one of those "southern bloggers" :)) will love Angela and her cute blog. She's a cheesehead and has an obsession with hippos...she has more hippos in her classroom than children!! (Hippos, you say?? Yes! Check out her "About Me" tab to read more about that!) Read on and then hop on over to her blog for a visit!

I'll be back tomorrow with a linky and some freebies!!

Hi Friends! My name is Angela and my blog is Hippo Hooray for Second Grade!

HUGE thanks to Amanda for letting me share my story with you this week! :)

A Little About Me: I am Wisconsin girl, and yes, I do LOVE cheese! I also am a crazy fan for the Packers, Brewers, and Badgers! My husband and I have two kids (3.5 years and 17 months) and a 70-pound "lapdog," Daisy. Some of my interests (besides my fam and teaching) include: playing ice hockey, gardening, running, and crocheting hats for children. Check out my Facebook page for my hats here. I also have a slight obsession with hippos (hence the blog name). I probably have over 50 stuffed hippos and hippo figurines in my classroom!

Grade I Teach: Second! I love second grade for lots of reasons. The kids are old enough that I don't have to wipe noses or tie shoes, but they still love their teacher and they love to learn! I also love that kids at this level are starting to be more independent.

How Long I've Been Teaching: This is my 8th year, all in second grade.

My Favorite Subject to Teach: This is a REALLY hard question for me, because I honestly love all subjects! Any other year I probably would've said Reading, although this year I've started using Interactive Notebooks in Science, and I'm SO loving that!

If You Stopped in my Room Unannounced: You'd probably see me working with a small group while the rest of the class is working on something independent at their levels. I am BIG on differentiation, and while I do teach whole-group lessons, I think students learn best when I can give them more individualized instruction and attention.

What Gets Me Through One of "Those" Days: My teammates for sure! One of them has a stash of Hershey Kisses in her room, and I have no shame when going in there (sometimes while she's teaching!) and grab a few. Pretty sure I will owe her 3 or 4 giant bags by the end of the year! Oh, and a glass of wine (when I get home of course!) doesn't hurt either... :)

My Can't Live Without Teaching Resource: No doubt about it... my 2nd Grade Teaching Teammates!! They are so creative, and we work SO well together!

Since you can't have them, I'll share some of my go-to resources: TpT (of course!), SMARTExchange, Discovery Education, Brain Pop Jr.... the list goes on and on!

My Teaching Style: The word that comes to mind is balance. I like to have fun and be silly, but I also run a tight ship. I can be loud, but I crave the quiet too. I think routines and expectations are vital in a primary classroom. I do a lot of modeling and coaching so that my students know exactly what is expected of them. I will do pretty much anything to engage my students and help them grasp and retain new content. I have been known to hop up on the counter, dance around and sing like a lunatic. But SHHHH! Don't tell my district's safety committee.... :/

My Favorite Project/Activity:
I have two big things going on right now. One is a Weebly site for our second graders. We're trying some flipped classroom activities. The site is definitely a work-in-progress, but feel free to check it out!

The second are my interactive notebooks that I'm using in science. I went to a training over the summer with Jane Pollock (of Classroom Instruction that Works fame), and I've continued to meet with her over the course of the year to make this totally engaging project come to life for my second grade bunnies. Here are some pictures of our work:

My notebooks don't have dividers or tabs, so we made our own! It's just a sticky note that I've "laminated" with clear packing tape. Works like a dream!

This is the back cover. I taped an envelope to keep small pieces we cut/glue in the notebook. The piece of yarn can be used as a book mark.

This is how we set up the notebook pages.

This is my favorite foldable to date. It's a Venn Diagram, but instead of trying to cram all your information in the tiny circles, students write underneath the flap!

This moon wheel allows the students to see all the phases of the moon.

I love this "hands on" way for students to see how the Earth revolves around the sun, and the moon revolves around Earth.

Here we are learning how to highlight important information... and NOT using our highlighter to doodle ALL over the page!

Blogging Goals: I think it's easy for new/small blogs to feel like "a little fish in a big sea," and try to keep up with some of the more well-know bloggers. My goal is to continue to be true to myself and share my ideas with anyone who wants to read them. Example: I'm not from the South. I don't use the word "y'all" in my everyday vocabulary. I have nothing against the word; I actually think it's pretty fun when southern bloggers write like how they speak! But again, I'm not from the South, and so you won't find me using "y'all" in my blog posts. I think we all have great ideas to share no matter how many followers we have, and there is no reason to pretend to be something you're not to try to impress others.

So that's me in a nutshell. If you like what you've seen, hip hop on over to my blog to say hi. I'd love to "meet" you!

Thanks again, Amanda! Have a great night!

It's Friday!! :)

My Spring Break starts today!! :)

Hip! Hip! Hooray!! :)

There is nothing that makes me happier than getting to sleep a little later!

Well, maybe having awesome tickets for the Maroon 5 concert.....here's a little teaser, but I'll share more about the concert in my Sundays in the South post in a couple of days.

If you are an Adam Levine fan, you will not want to miss that post! :) *swoon* #mostamazingconcertever

But, back to my school flashback for this week. Seeing that I was only there for 2 1/2 days, it'll be a short one!

On Tuesday, we finally had our Tall Tale Tea. This is the culmination to our Tall Tale unit where students performed three Tall Tale Readers' Theaters for parents, sang a tall tale song, read their own original tall tale stories, and shared their region scrapbooks that we had created in social studies.

It was an AWESOME day! :)

Here's a little clip from our John Henry practice.

I found that videotaping a practice for them to watch really helped them improve their final performances. Unfortunately, I didn't get to tape the final productions since I was at the computer controlling the backdrops on the computer.

Here's a clip of them singing the tall tale song practice....

After finishing up Tall Tales, we jumped right into our next genre of Poetry. I always incorporate Dr. Seuss into the rhyming aspect of this unit. I know, I know...the entire world studied Dr. Seuss in March so we're a little late to the party, but it just fits better during this unit in my mind. :)

We read Green Eggs and Ham and then students created their own pages telling about crazy foods they don't like for a class book!

We've also been studying facts vs. opinions and we create our Fact/Opinion spiders.....they loved them!

Well, that's about all I could cram into my short work week. What did you do this week?

There are a lot of "non-school" related stuff I could talk about this week with the start of my spring break, the opening of an Anthropologie in our city, Easter....but let's get real. This entire post will be dedicated to my Maroon 5 concert experience.

If you're not a Maroon 5 {aka Adam Levine} fan, you'll probably want to stop reading right now. But I wouldn't suggest it. ;)

This was my second time seeing Maroon 5. I saw them on their last tour, but it was at an outdoor ampitheater in Charlotte. In 105 degree weather! It was still at the TOP of my {long} concert list...until now.

As soon as the Overexposed Tour was announced, I had it on my calendar and it did NOT disappoint!

The day started with me working half a day and then we boarded the dogs and headed out of town. Luckily, this time, I did not forget to hold my breath crossing the state line. You see, I forgot to do that when we went to the Bon Jovi concert last month and I was sick, sick, sick. {So, maybe not really, but I did have trouble breathing, got a brief headache, had stomach cramps, a panic attack and a GIANT case of hypochondria.} haha - Long story, but my mom's family is from Georgia and my uncle always used to tease me as we headed to maw-maw's and paw-paw's house in Toccoa that we had to hold our breath crossing the state line....once I forgot and was MAJORLY sick. I have held it ever since....and some of my friends from my childhood still do it, too! {side note: I should really add one of those 25 things you don't know about me lists to my About Me page....I'm full of quirks like this!}

Anyway, I didn't take THAT many pictures from the concert because I was mostly taking video {yes, I've relived it SEVERAL times already} or screaming and singing along at the top of my lungs. Love, love, love the video option on little Nikon 1!

The concert began with quarters dropping into a payphone and the operator saying "The number you have dialed..." all while it was pitch black. Then the letters spelling out "Maroon 5" would flash randomly on the stage. Finally, they were all lit with a blue backdrop showing the shadows of the band all playing instruments. The crowd went wild.

Then, the backdrop fell and "Payphone" began.

I wondered which version of Payphone it would be, but Wiz was there through the big screens. :)

We were so close that I can officially say Adam knows I exist. Major eye-contact. ;) My husband warned me not to even try to "put anything" on the stage. I have no idea why he felt the need to mention that. ;) haha

The stage was shaped like a great big "M" and he did a great job at working all three sections constantly.

The sets were amazing....this one was for "Harder to Breathe."

I mean, really? Does this picture say "rockstar" or what? #teamadam

For the encore, a bridge was lowered across the audience. He sang Stereo Hearts, Daylight, She Will Be Loved, and Moves Like Jagger for the encore. INCREDIBLE!!

I thought maybe Gym Class Heroes would appear on the big screen for their part of Stereo Hearts, but amazingly Adam did his vocals and the rapping part. Be still my heart! :) Seriously, I wish I could post the video of that one...love, love, love!

I would HIGHLY recommend their show. Unfortunately the rest of their North America dates are SOLD OUT, but I would put their next tour on your bucket list. I know I will....maybe I'll run into you there!

I vowed to myself that I would blog EVERY DAY during Spring Break week.
I totally missed Monday.
MONDAY!
And I almost missed today. Geez!

I'm pretty sure we are all in need of that one little week of "break" that comes our way in the spring!
I have been working my little fingers to the bone these past few days and finally feel like I'm able to breathe....a little.

Today, I went to check my email and realized that all ~~15 million~~ seven of my inboxes were overflowing with emails I had not responded to! Yikes!! Please tell me that I'm not the only one this happens to?!

I think I am finally caught up with all of my emails (well, except my school account....I do need to hit that one up tonight!), so if you have sent me an email of late (and late could be within the last month) and haven't heard back from me - I am so sorry! If that's the case, send it again....I am bound and determined to stay on top of my emails starting TODAY!

It might help if I didn't have seven - yes, SEVEN email accounts. Why do I even have seven accounts? I have no idea!? But, as of now, they're all in order and I'm staying on top of responses before I lay my head down at night. ;)

Speaking of emails, I was very excited to get an email from Tammy over at Forever in First letting me know that she saw my post about creating Author Ts and did this publishing activity with her firsties! Check out her post here to see how her adorable T's turned out! I love that she ended up creating one for herself, too!

And now....for Currently....

I'm almost always listening to the washing machine...is it like that in your house, too?

I'm loving every moment of spring break, but it really is making me want to just fast-forward to summer. I love sleeping a little later, working out in the mornings, and doing everything at a more leisurely pace. :)

I don't know what it is about spring, but I always get the itch to go looking for houses. I love, love, love touring new homes - getting ideas and dreaming big! ;)

Spring Break for Me + Day Off for Hubs = *Rare* Much Needed Time Together

And, it also means a special treat for YOU today! Another...

Hi guys! I'm Aris Rossi from Sailing into Second!

I'm super excited to have started my own teaching blog this year since I've spent way too long blog stalking so many of you lovely teachers this past year! It's amazing to see all the great resources and ideas that are shared by everyone! I seriously can't get enough. :) A little about myself...I'm a newlywed married to a wonderful man who puts up with daily stories of my adventures in 2nd grade. As contrived as it may sound, our love story actually began when we first met. We set eyes on each other from across the room, secretly snuck in conversations when we weren't supposed to, and even shared our Valentine's hearts. Did I mention we were in 2nd grade?!? Here we are at our destination wedding in Italy last March. The hubby and I love to travel and experience new places, people, and MOST importantly...the FOOD! :)

I teach 2nd grade at a wonderful school in sunny Southern California. This is my 5th year teaching and I think 2nd grade is my new favorite grade level. I was convinced kinder was where my heart was, but as I've taught 3rd, 1st, and now 2nd, I know 2nd is where I belong! :) Especially since I got to loop with my firsties into second!

My favorite subject to teach is definitely social studies. I love teaching students all about our country's rich history, cultures, and traditions. They all have such amazing personal connections to each unit. It makes all our discussions so interesting and meaningful. I especially love using GLAD strategies with social studies! This pictures shows a lesson where I created colorful visuals of information (picture notes) to describe each of the three branches of government. I drew the picture as I described each of the vocabulary words and concepts. I also used colors to organize/chunk important information. We always keep our pictorial input charts available as resources all around the classroom. At the end of the unit, I "auction" the charts or KWL's off to students...they go b-a-n-a-n-a-s over them! It's super cute. :)

If you popped into your classroom unannounced, you'd most likely see us in the middle of either ELA workshop or math workshop time! My students love workshop time because they get to feel so independent. They have certain tasks they must finish before they pick out a center, but either way, they LOVE the activities for centers. :) Here's an example of one of my units they get to work on after the whole group lesson.

What best gets me through the day is *gasp* a nice glass of red wine. The hubby and I are winos and love to try all sorts of wines from all over. Our faves are the Italian reds (obviously...Rossi!) and the pinots. :) We love to go wine tasting with friends and family! Here's a picture from our last wine tasting tour in Temecula. The hubby surprised me with a hot air balloon ride through the countryside and we went tasting afterwards.

I can't imagine teaching without two things...I know its says ONE but I can't simply pick one! Anyway, one of the most important tools I use are my DJ Inkers fonts/clipart! They make everything super duper cute. The next is my grade level teacher/partner in crime! She is seriously the BEST teacher I've ever worked with and cannot imagine teaching at another place without her! We make each other laugh all the time. :)

I just started blogging this year and have really enjoyed sharing ideas and collaborating with other bloggers. I'd love to meet more bloggy friends! This is a major goal of mine and can't wait to share more ideas and learn more about the blogging world. :) Thank you so much, Amanda for hosting my post today! I hope you all come and visit me at Sailing into Second to get more ideas, share ideas, and pick up a few freebies while you're there! :)

As much as I hate to admit it, Spring Break is almost over....time to start thinking about school. Luckily, we get to dive into Poetry when we return!

I LOVE poetry. I was one of those nerds who loved writing poetry in high school....and even had several published poems back then. I've always loved playing with words and expressing thoughts in unique ways.

Not much has changed....I love seeing my kiddos do this, as well! I really love that we teach a reading poetry unit at the same time as our writing poetry unit. The kiddos are able to read a variety of poems from a diverse group of poets and then use those as models or inspirations to write their own poems!

Here are a few resources that I use when working on this genre with my students.

{Poetry Styles Unit #1 available here}

This unit contains the 10 types of poetry that I have my 2nd graders write. The unit consists of a PowerPoint that explains the format/requirements for each style of poem as well as an original example (written by yours truly). :) It also comes with a PDF poster for each type of poem. Typically, I use the PowerPoint for instruction daily throughout this unit and then once we've learned about that poem type, practiced writing them, etc I will display the poster for that style of poem in the classroom for students to use as a reference. They often love to go back and write their favorite styles of poem over and over again during free-writing time!

However, if you're looking for a more diverse set of poetry styles to use (probably with older kiddos...grades 3-6), we have a Poetry Styles #2 Unit that digs even further into styles of poetry that students have probably not been exposed to already.

{Poetry Styles Unit 2 available here.}

**Update**
If you teach in the Intermediate grades (4-6) you might want to check out this Poetry Reading Unit, too. It's one of our best sellers at our Lightbulb Minds site...

{Lightbulb Minds' Intermediate Poetry Unit is available here.}

After students have written a TON of different types of poems, we publish them in a special hardbound book. I got the book covers and binding pages from a grant YEARS ago and they lasted forever....

Unfortunately, I'm almost out of them now and so I'm working on a "little something new" for our publishing party this year! Once they're published we share some of our favorite poems with parents during our "Poppin' for Poetry" party.....get it? Pop IN for Poetry? We invite families to come celebrate our learning with us!

Before we do this however, we have to make sure we are REALLY good at reading poetry to an audience. This means we need to be fluent and expressive.

I LOVE to use our whisper phones to help get fluent....if you have not made these from pvc pipes yet, get on it! Google it and head to Lowe's. The cheapest and most effective project EVER and the kids eat them up - they beg for them - honestly!

Another way I build fluency during this unit is through our "Great Poetry Race" - I've had success with this project for many years in my classroom and it works wonders for fluency!

{The Great Poetry Race Unit is available here.}

While we're studying the art of Poetry there are several books that are at the top of my list. I LOVE, LOVE this series of books....

They are FUNNY, catchy and creative. They really teach students to get into the rhythm of poetry since they're all based on well-known childhood songs. I've even had students to write their own before - they're always so creative and cute!

I also love to pull out these books...

The format is perfect for building on fluency and expression.

And, of course, while learning about the craft of writing poems, we also examine poems by some of our favorite authors like Shel Silverstein!

{Shel Silverstein Extensions Unit available here.}

I can't wait to finish up my Poetry Celebration resources to share with you! It's the last learning celebration that we invite parents to each year and I'm aiming to make it a memorable one this year!

Link up with Sabra at Teaching with a Touch of Twang to share some of your favorite poetry ideas! Actually, you can share poetry, weather, or testing ideas at her new Monthly Market linky!

Can you say hodgepodge?? Since I've been on spring break this week I don't really have much to show you as far as a flashback goes this week.

I know some of you have been back (or still) in the routine though, so I hope you'll link up to share!

What you must do is comment on this post. Why? Because then you can see my CUTEnew bordered comments created by the ever so fabulous Michelle from 3am Teacher.

You've seen her adorable clipart and precious buttons all over blogland, right? But, did you know that she also has blog add-on packages, like these bordered comments? I didn't either...until I saw Rachel get the bordered comments on her blog, The Tattooed Teacher, and then I knew I had to jump on board.

Not only did she cutesify (yes, that's a word!) my comments section, she also made my design have threaded comments (with the reply option) which I was previously told was not possible with my particular template. She's a genius, I tell ya!! :)

She was so easy to work with and super fast! Highly recommend her help! :)

****************************************************************

Even though today is Friday, you do NOT want a flashback of my week. Trust me. It would be me in my workout gear (I did hit the gym each day!) cleaning, working on the laptop, playing with the dogs....yada...yada...yada. Nothing exciting, but I loved every moment of it!

I spent much of this week bundling up many of our Classroom-Themed Resources at Teacher's Clubhouse into units. Over the years we've had MANY requests for this, but it was always such a daunting task.

Well, we're finally tackling it! Having the themes bundled into units means that you can now get the resources for half the price! We're still working on them, but they'll be ready by the end of the year so that you can get a head start on next year.

If you're not familiar with our themed resources, you can see a complete list of them here. It's quite extensive! So, what is your classroom theme? I was Madden's Movie Stars for years and years and absolutely LOVED that theme. Here's a look at some of our "Hollywood Bundles" that are already available on our site and our TpT shop.

Hollywood Classroom Theme Pack #1 (26 resources)

Hollywood Classroom Theme Pack #2 (34 resources)

Hollywood Classroom Theme Pack #3 (33 resources)

So, you can see....if you're looking for classroom-themed resources, chances are we can help you!

Last year, I decided to change my theme to Madden's Mon-STARS (a monster theme) and while it was a HUGE undertaking, I've loved every moment of it. Many of my summer posts last year were dedicated to preparing my room for this new theme. I'm sticking with it for a few years, but can't wait to have the summer to put a few new ideas into place! ;)

Do you have a classroom theme? Are you keeping it or changing it up next year? I would love to help you get a jump-start on your new theme or spice up your existing theme!

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter - (it'll ask you to leave a comment telling me what your classroom theme will be next year....see I told you I really wanted you to use my new, cute comment section ;) )

I'll announce a winner on Monday and that person will get to choose a FREE theme pack from Teacher's Clubhouse!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So all of your cute Dollar Tree finds that I've been seeing this week led me to head on over there yesterday! Here's a look at what I found for the classroom....

First of all, I was very excited yet disappointed to find this little thing there. I know it says "dinosaur" but doesn't it kind of look like an alligator hat?? I just made an alligator hat from green foam and a visor for our "Sally Ann Thunder Ann" tall tale play!! Of course, they would get these in AFTER our play! But, I will save it for next year! They did have brown dinosaur ones, too, if anyone needs those!

This little container is what sent me on my shopping trip! I had seen "soap travel containers" used to hold card games on Pinterest before, but these little snack containers are even better! They are super sturdy with locking sides. I bought enough to hold all of my decks of number cards that we use weekly during math!

I also bought new decks of cards and took the time to number the containers and cards in each set so that when those cards get "left out" the kids will know which set to return them to. I didn't do this for my last investment, and well we have some decks of cards that have twice as many cards as other decks at the moment. :(

I think these little containers will help with that, too. No more rubber bands snapping and cards being mixed at the bottom of our card box. My dice containers have worked beautifully this year, and I'm pretty confident these will, too! I bought a different color to store our "Scrabble Slam" cards.

I like to pick up coloring books that go along with our genre studies whenever I can find them. I tear the pages out and have them in our centers so that students can color a page and make up their own stories (fairytales in this case) to go along with them. It's amazing how when just given one picture students don't usually know the story it came from....and the stories they create are adorbs!

We're well into learning cursive and these mini-whiteboards with writing lines will be perfect for that center....and you can't beat 4 for $1. :)

Y'all sucked me into looking for these cardboard coasters! Not sure how I'll use them yet...I think I will save them to use for an activity during our nutrition unit! :)

And, of course, I had to pick up these LARGE popcorn containers that will be perfect for holding our popcorn treats during our "Poppin' for Poetry" celebration that I'm working on!

I ended up going back and picking up some of these Safari Hats. They would precious for those of you who do a jungle theme, but I'm going to use them during our animal unit and/or animal informational research. These are NOT those flimsy little safari hats you typically see. They are super hard plastic and would last FOREVER!

I didn't buy these, but I was in love with them. They would be super cute for an insect classroom (ladybugs, anyone?), a frog classroom (that green would be perfect!) or just a polka-dot room! I had to resist since I already have a collection of EMPTY containers in my classroom.

And, now....since it's Saturday....my last day to link up, I'm joining in the fun again...

This week is a favorite survey, so here goes....

Favorite Place to Shop

I heart that they love teachers so much. :)

Favorite TV Show

I watch waayyyy too much TV, so I'll stick with shows that are currently on (sorry, Dexter!)

I'm a suspense gal and the twists and turns in this show keep blindsiding me - love it!

My guilty pleasure is The Real Housewives...I watch them all, but the OC originals and BH are my faves. DRAMA!!

And, like the rest of America, I'm addicted to The Voice. #teamadam here!

Favorite Sweet Treat

Chocolate + Peanut Butter...especially as ice cream or a milkshake = Heaven!

Favorite Food

This one is a toss up - Mexican? Italian? Mexican? Italian?

BOTH, please! :)

Favorite Restaurant

Luckily, my favorite little restaurant is just minutes away. We eat there at least once a week, but if it were up to me it would be at least once a day. Not sure why the husband needs variety! Geesh!

Tomorrow we'll be on the road for a day trip to Virginia before heading back to school on Monday. It'll be nice to get away one last time before getting back into the grind. See you on Monday with some FREEBIES!!

Don't forget that tomorrow is the last day to win a FREE Classroom Theme Pack from Teacher's Clubhouse in my giveaway!! I'll announce the winner on Monday! Good Luck!

Congratulations to Krystyn R. for winning a FREE Classroom THEME Pack of her choice from Teacher's Clubhouse!! I sent you an email, Krystyn. :)

Now for a few FREEBIES for everyone!

Are you required to post a writing rubric in your classroom? This is one of the billion things on a checklist that our admins walk through to make sure we have posted in our classrooms. (Does anyone remember the days when we got to put up what WE thought our OWN students needed? I digress....)

I actually think having a writing rubric posted is a good thing....just not the one the actual one they provide for us to post. The kids do not even notice it. At all. They have no idea what it is. Even after we talk about it. Typed text in columns is meaningless to 2nd graders. So, this year I decided to turn it into a visual rubric that students COULD understand and use.

Here's a picture of it posted in our classroom.

It is broken down into two sections - content and conventions. Students can easily see a sample of what 3 star content looks like vs. 1 star content, or 2 star conventions vs. 1 star conventions. Their goal is to have 5 star writing by combining the highest content with the best conventions. So as I monitor writing, I can easily say "Is this 5 star writing?" and they know exactly what to check. (The pictures on the content pieces also show what 3, 2, 1 illustrations look like and I updated the file to mention that....I was just too lazy to update mine for this year.)

If you would like to use this visual (based on our SC state writing rubric) in your classroom, just click the picture above to download your copy!!

We've also added a couple of new freebies to our TpT shop so if you haven't snagged those yet, you might want to drop by and pick them up. If you do, we'd love for you to leave some feedback on them. Hope you can use them!

In our classroom, we're currently working on our Matter Unit and this game is a great way to practice identifying solids, liquids, and gases! Click below to download it for FREE!

We're also working on Money so I wanted to share this Piggy Banks Math Learning Center FREEBIE!
Just click the image to access it....and leave some love if you like it!

If you like the layout of this center, you can check out our entire Math Learning Centers Unit or our Grammar Learning Centers Unit.

See y'all tomorrow! Have a Terrific Tuesday! :)

Just another FREEBIE for ya today. Boy, I'm full of these this week! If you missed yesterday's three freebies, head here to pick them up!

Actually, I shouldn't claim today's FREEBIE, as it isn't from me...I'm just passing it along!

The ever-fabulous, Diana, who created my blog has created some FREE social media buttons to use on your blogs! Here's a look at all of the ones included in the download....

With all of those colors and icons, I think it's pretty safe to say that if you're in need of these, there's a set that would look FAB on your blog! Just click the image above to head over to her blog and pick these up. Be sure to leave her a "thank you" if you snag them!

Now, I'm linking up with the Fabulous Holly from Fourth Grade Flipper for her linky....

I'm going to have a GREAT new "tried it" idea next week (because I'm borrowing it from another blogger and testing it out in my room this week), but for this week I just have a fun little ditty....

We're working on Poetry right now. We're reading it. We're writing it. They're even listening to it.

Our current read-aloud was chosen for this particular reason.

Gooney Bird Greene is one of the first chapter book read-alouds I use in second grade. They love her. She IS absurd!

In this follow-up book, Gooney's class is learning about Poetry....they write Haikus, Couplets...my kiddos can relate. But, Gooney Bird....well, just look at the cover.

Yes, that is underpants on her head. Well, they used to be underpants. Now, they're a "two ponytail hat." Gooney thinks that this warms up her brain and helps her to be a better writer/poet. The rest of her class ends up bringing in "odd hats" (head warmers) to help warm up their brains, too!

So, once we get to this part (tomorrow), I'll invite my kiddos to bring in "odd hats" (head warmers) to wear while we write poetry. I "tried it" the last couple of years and they ATE IT UP!

Seriously....they swore by it. Who knows? Maybe we'll start a new trend. Of course, I made a strict rule about "no underpants." I don't think those would have helped at all. ;) And, luckily it's always chilly in my classroom.

We'll see what this year's batch brings in. Anything to get those poetry juices flowing, right?!

It's Wednesday, y'all....you know what that means!! We're halfway through the work week AND it's time to showcase another blogger....Mandi is a brand new blogger herself and was just moved to 3rd grade over Christmas break!!!! I can't even imagine changing grades in the MIDDLE of the school year. Read on to find out more about her and then hop on over to her blog and give her a follow. :)

Hi ya'll!! {I'm from Texas......we say ya'll} :)

My name is Mandi and I'm the loud and southern twang behind Third Grade & Lovin' It!

I teach 3rd grade in Texas {NOT one of the 45 states, the District of Columbia, and 4 territories that have adopted the Common Core State Standards.......which makes shopping on TpT that much more.......interesting}. I am married to the love of my life, Jerramy and we have 3 fabulous kiddos {Jordon-15, Caitlyn-10 and Jaci- 11 months!}. We love a challenge......what can I say?!? We live out in the country and have 3 Siberian huskies. Our pets are our other furry children :)

I am departmentalized and teach only math and science to 41 "thirdsters". I can't decide which is better: teaching only math and science to 41 students or teaching it ALL to 22 students??? I have only taught 3rd grade since January. I started out in 1st grade, but my principal saw an opportunity to "move me up" and I took it. My principal knew I wanted an older grade level and had enough faith in me to do so. Let's hope that all works out ;)

I have always wanted to teach math, so this position is a dream job for me. For me, math has always come easy and I have always enjoyed learning about numbers. It's the universal language. I love, LOVE, love me some math!!! If you walked into my classroom, announced or not, you would see a multitude of things going on at once. During our math workshop, we do stations. You would see me at my guided math table with my small groups (grouped by ability). You would see another group working with hands on activities/manipulatives to enhance their understanding of a concept we had just learned or reviewed. You would see another group working independently on problem-solving, using our strategies and our "Look, Know, Solve" strategy boxes. My last group would be practicing their math facts with some sort of technology or game. I use lamps and try to avoid those awful florescent lights! This seems to create a calming atmosphere for my rather rambunctious kiddos. You will hear some music in the background and hopefully, you'll see some light bulbs going off {visible only to the "teacher" eye!}. We are very, very busy in room 14! Lots to do, lots to learn :)

When I am having one of "those" days......you all know what days I'm talking about......I need 2 things: a fountain drink {Coke please.....and none of that diet crap.....I need the real thing} and my family. My home is truly my place of peace. It's my safe haven. My husband and babies can turn my whole day around with one look, one hug, one smile. It's amazing.

When it comes to something that my "teacher self" cannot live without......I have 2 words for you......Erin Condren. This woman rocks my world. I have her life planner and the teacher planner. When my car was broken into a few months ago, my planner and purse got stolen. I honestly don't know what upset me more......all my credit cards and money getting stolen......or my personalized teacher planner getting stolen! I love that thing!!! It was one of the first things I replaced!

To give you a glimpse of my teaching style, I'll share one of my favorite activities that we have done this year. When we were studying area & perimeter, my students had to create a blueprint of a carnival with rides, ticket booths, restrooms, etc. with specified areas and perimeters. Certain rides had a given perimeter, but no area. Others had a specified area, but no perimeter. The students really had to have a good understanding of the two concepts and know the difference between them to create this blueprint. The critical thinking and problem solving that was going on absolutely blew my mind! It's amazing what they produced! I loved it.....and so did the kids. They still ask me if they can create another carnival :)

A blogging goal of mine this year is to get to 100 followers. I'm not sure if that's reasonable or too modest or what, but I'm hoping that the more followers I get, the more advice I'll get and the more bloggy friends I can make! This blogging experience has been so inspiring and I just hope that I can inspire as well! We are all in this for the same reason......to help each other, in order to help our kids. What better goal than that?

Thanks for stoppin' by, ya'll......I've enjoyed it! Hope you did too :)

Keep livin' the dream,

Not that I'm counting or anything. ;) Actually 8 more, but only 7 more with students....and 7 sounds better than 8!

I was not very good at taking pictures this week. At all. Chalk it up to getting back into the swing of things!

In math we worked on Money, Money, Moneyyyyy - MONEY! I use this little flipbook to introduce coins.

There's a page for each coin and students have to write the amount with a cent sign, a dollar sign and using words. This lets me see what students need to work on.

Then students make "coin rubbings" - I'm always amazed at how many have NEVER done this - they think it's magical. ;) Finally, we record the images that are on the heads/tails of each coin.

Once students can identify the coins and their values, we move on to counting sets of coins. After teaching this, we play LOTS of games to practice.

We played coin match, I Have...Who Has, Go Fish!, and Show Me the Money this week. They have GOT IT! I don't even have any students who have to rely on "hairy money" this year! Whoot!

In the above picture they are playing "Show Me the Money" in group of 3. One person is the "salesperson" and he/she flips over an item for sale and announces the price. The other two take coins out of their bags to show that amount. The first person to "show me the money" wins the item and becomes the salesperson next. They could play it all day. Once they get the hang of it, I have them make sure they use the fewest coins possible to make the purchase or else the other person gets it!

We also dove right back into our Matter Unit. Can I say how ready I am to be over this unit??? My class is sweet this year. Just precious. But, oh my word - they are so silly and immature. EVERY time they hear the word "gas" they bust out in uncontrollable giggles. It's not funny. It's not. I'm over it! :(

But, we're plugging along anyway. We started out with a very simple experiment to illustrate the matter takes up space.

After learning about the three states, we began observing their properties.

Solids - pretzels, marshmallows, and gummy bears

Liquids - juice, maple syrup, and ketchup

And we played LOTS of games to identify the types of matter....like this one....

{Click above to snag this FREEBIE if you haven't already!}

Next week, we'll start exploring how matter changes.

My highlight of the week was POETRY. I L-O-V-E writing poetry, teaching poetry, reading poetry. And, so do my kiddos! They're poetry books are going to be AWESOME! Unfortunately, I didn't snap any pics during poetry this week, but trust me we had a ton of fun writing acrostics, haikus, and even limericks!

We focused on RHYMES this week during word study and it helped so much! They are finally understanding rhymes - even tricky ones....chalk it up to ALL the rhyming games we played!! :) This will help a ton as we progress through poetry.

I like to be a bit ahead on things. You never know what will come your way if you wait until the last minute. Absent students. Broken laminators. You know they all happen at *just* that right moment!

So, next week we're going to start working on our Mother's Day gifts. I like all the fun crafty things on Pinterest. Like, maybe this...

{Original Source}

Or this....

{Original Source}

Nothing too fancy, because let's face it, I'm not THAT crafty! But, our main Mother's Day gift each year is a special Mother's Day Magazine that my kiddos make all by themselves. I figure that moms have probably been getting the crafts with a few words/sentences up until now. But, as second-graders my kiddos should be able to express themselves through words - and how special is that!

{Scroll down for a giveaway...or pick up your copy now for $2.99 here!}

We make this six-page magazine that turns out simply adorable! They're able to show their love of all the special things mom does for them and I'm sure it becomes a treasured keepsake.

Now, I know that we're not in school when Father's Day rolls around, but it just breaks my heart to think about those special daddies not getting a little gift, too. So before the end of the year we always create a special magazine to "put in a secret place" until that special day rolls around.

{Scroll down for a giveaway...or pick up your copy now for $3.99 here!}

The Father's Day magazine is an 8-page layout in a special "Sports Illustrated" style. They turn out hilarious...I especially love the "All-Star Driver" and "Homerun Hitter" pages....you learn so much about their family lives! ;)

Would you like to win one of these? I'll pick a winner for a FREEMother's Day Magazine and a winner for a FREE Father's Day Magazine on Wednesday.

You can gain an entry with each of the following:

1. Pin the Mother's Day Magazine to Pinterest

2. Pin the Father's Day Magazine to Pinterest

3. Share this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter

Just comment below with each of your entries and I'll use a random generator to pull the winners on Wednesday! Good Luck!

And, while we're talking about giveaways...head over to check out the 300 follower giveaway at Ideas by Jivey!!

Ahhhh....why do the weekends have to pass so quickly? I am grateful though. On Friday morning, I woke as usual, went to get in the shower and discovered that we had NO hot water. Not even lukewarm water. Only ice cold water. Brrrrrrr!

Now, this girl likes to take steaming hot showers...as in, burn the top layer of your skin off. I do NOT like cold anything (except for beverages). ;) It turned out that our hot water heater had kicked the bucket. Talk about taking things for granted. I will NEVER take hot water for granted again.

Despite the advertisement of "same day service if you call before noon," we did not get a new one installed until midday on Saturday. Needless to say I did not leave the house....I did get some new things created for school so I guess that was a good thing. But, boy - was that long, hot shower the best thing EVER!

After that shower, I felt like I deserved a little more pampering after spending the last 24+ hours looking like a hot mess. I treated myself to a little mani/pedi and a little shopping. I had to find that just-right outfit for the Carrie Underwood concert on Tuesday!

Did you watch the Masters today? Wow! What a finish. I was totally Team Adam on that one, too! So glad an Aussie finally pulled off a win!

I'm going to link up with the always cute girls, Amanda and Stacia, over at Collaboration Cuties for their Mentor Text Linky (Math).

I LOVE to use picture books to introduce concepts in all subjects, but especially math! There are soooo many to choose from, but since I'm already thinking about my next unit to teach - measurement - I'll share about my favorite picture book for that unit.

If you've never seen this cute book - get it. NOW! Here's the Amazon description of this book (click above to go to the Amazon page):

Lisa has an important homework assignment--to measure something in several different ways. She has to use standard units like inches and nonstandard units like paper clips to find out height, width, length, weight, volume, temperature, and time. Lisa decides to measure her dog, Penny, and finds out ...

Penny's nose = 1 inch long
Penny's tail = 1 dog biscuit long
Penny's paw print = 3 centimeters wide

... and that's only the beginning! Lisa learns a lot about her dog and about measuring, and even has fun doing it.

This clear and engaging concept book, delivered with a sense of humor, is certain to win over the most reluctant mathematician.

Of course, after sharing this book and learning about measurement, I assign my students a similar project to my students that we call "The Magnificent Measurement Project." They love that they get to choose something at home to measure - I've had everything from their favorite toys, to their pets, to their parents! I also let students decide how they want to present their projects to the class - they can create a PowerPoint (which we've done in class so they're already familiar with it) or create posters. Most choose PowerPoints....let's face it - they love technology! From the type of projects to the choices of nonstandard units and the various measurement options, this project and book lend themselves to differentiation. If you're interested in the project/rubric, they can be found here.

If you don't have this book in your collection, and you teach measurement, I'd highly recommend it!

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win our Mother's Day Magazine and/or Father's Day Magazine. Click on the images below to read more, if you missed that post! The winner will be announced on Wednesday!

Just a quick little reminder that today is the LAST day to enter to win our Mother's Day Magazine and/or Father's Day Magazine. The winner will be chosen tomorrow!

Today, I'm linking up with Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper for....

It's only Tuesday and this has been the longest week ever. Monday and Tuesday are always long since I don't have a "break" at all on those days, but seeing that my first break isn't until THURSDAY this week, I knew I needed a stress-reliever...something that gave me a minute to breathe.

My kiddos have been GREAT, but let's get real....they need a break, too! It's been drizzly and gloomy around here so far this week, which hasn't helped the fact that they're confined within these four walls for days.

So, today I decided to give Adventure to Fitness a try. I've been seeing this website all over blogs and pinterest as an option for indoor recess and have been "saving it." I thought today was the perfect chance to test it out!

I registered (simply requires entering your school email address and choosing a password) and we got started. How easy is that??

I LOVED the concept behind this site, but you never know how it will go over with the kiddos! :)

There are different adventures that you can take, like Expedition Egypt, Super Volcano, Greek Gauntlet, Captive Castle, Everglades Exhaustion, or Hawaiian Hero (just to name a few!). And, each adventure is SO educational. I can definitely see integrating these to match our studies - the castle one during fairytales, the everglades when we travel through the south region, Hawaiian Heroes as we travel through the West, Super Volcanoes as we study landforms, etc.

The premise is that there's a tour guide (Mr. Marc led us today) and he leads you through an adventure on a mission.

Today, we started with Expedition Egypt. Our mission was to find a missing medallion. At the beginning, Mr. Marc introduced the movements we would use today (running, climbing, jumping, leaping, etc) and the different modes (slow, medium, high, and MEGA).

The entire mission lasted for 30 minutes and students were completely engaged and moving the entire time! As they are traveling, Mr. Marc also taught them tons of knowledge about Egypt. As we traveled through Egypt, students learned about the desert, sandstorms, the Nile River, pyramids, cobras, archeologists, and mummies!

They loved every moment of this adventure and even related it to being "like a video game, but you're in it!" Oh, yes....I think I will bookmark this site right now. ;)

I hope you take the time to check it out and try it out with your kiddos! The perfect way to get some energy out and learn at the same time!

Super quick post today to announce the winners.....

and to share a little love...I'm loving that today is Thursday. It was my first planning period of the week and I was SUPER productive during that quick 45-minutes! I hope to share my productivity {a little freebie} with you tomorrow!

You know how I feel about this time of year. It's a love/hate relationship. I LOVE the weather, but I HATE the sibling syndrome that sets in. Well, this week, I found the solution! I LOVE to play music in my classroom. In fact, my very first linky party when I started blogging last summer was about MUSIC. If you missed that, check it out here.

There are soooooo many great music ideas there that I still go back and visit those links quite often. It really is full of treasures!

I definitely have a musical class this year. My girls even put on "Taylor Swift" and "One Direction" concerts for me at recess - they're quite awesome, I must say! :)

Well, this week, I broke down and bought some Kidz Bop CDs (21, 22, and 23 to be exact). I have the 80s one and play that some in my classroom, but let's face it - the kiddos do not know those songs!

They BEG for these new ones - they know every single song and will do anything to listen to them! I love that they make these so that today's pop music is appropriate for 2nd grade ears!

I started out by just playing them at dismissal - you know that 30 minutes when we're basically "babysitting" while they're waiting on their car #s or buses to be called....when some students have left but others are still there so you can't do actual work? This 30 minutes has been filling up more and more with bickering and arguing and picking....the sibling syndrome....not anymore. I turn this on and they sing their little hearts out! I've even started playing it during some writing times and math games - it's precious. I seriously almost cried today when their sweet little voices were hitting Adele notes. ;)

Just thought I would share that this has saved MY sanity this week, so if you're in need of something, it might help you, too!

TOPIC - Skittles Game

Here is the code:

Red- Favorite Ice Cream Flavor

Hands down....Chocolate Peanut Butter....Yummo!

Orange- Favorite Memory from College

College Football Games of course, Go Cocks! :)

Yellow- Favorite Sports Team

College Football - Carolina Gamecocks

Baseball - Atlanta Braves

Racing - Hendrick Motorsports (#24/#48)

Green- Favorite Fast Food Place

McAlister's Deli (Does that count as fast food?)

Moe's

Purple- Wild Card(Tell anything about yourself)

My favorite holiday is Halloween!!

Friday Flashback - Link Up!

Let's Get Acquainted Linky

Budding Bloggers Showcase: Miss Lifesaver

Friday Flashback....Sort of!

Budding Bloggers Showcase: Hippo Hooray for Second Grade!

Friday Flashback Linky

Sundays in the South: Maroon 5

I'm Currently.....buried in emails!

Budding Bloggers Showcase: Sailing Into Second

Poppin' for Poetry

Friday Flashback: Shout-Out, Themes, & a Giveaway!

My Favorites & Dollar Tree Finds

A Winner and Freebie, Freebie, Freebie (x3)!

Tuesday Tried It & a Blog Freebie

Budding Bloggers Showcase: Third Grade & Lovin' It

Friday Flashback: 7 More Fridays :)

Parents are So Special! {A Little Giveaway}

Sundays in the South & a Mentor Math Text Linky

Tried It Tuesday: Adventure to Fitness

Winners, Music & Skittles Game