Are you ready for Valentine's Day.....

I LOVE Valentine's Day and creating materials for this great holiday! I have just added some new bundles that I think you will love... Check them out by clicking on the pictures below.

Five for Friday Linky Party....December 20th

 

Santa came to church this week and Rance was super excited! He has always loved Christmas but this year more than ever!! Loved it!

Rance and Faye told Santa they want a Buzz Lightyear and a Baby....Check and check! I am glad they asked for things I already got! Score for me!

 

Rance had PJ's, Pizza and the Polar Express today at Pre-K. He was excited to wear his new Batman PJ's WITH a cape!

My AMAZING mother in law came over to surprise us with this Keurig! I was super pumped because I have wanted one for a long time but didn't want to spend the money! It is more amazing then I ever dreamed!! LOVE IT!!

If you are looking for a FUN last minute winter break homework packet make sure to check mine out at my TPT store! It has been a huge hit this week!

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Five for Friday Linky Party...{December 13th}

My goal this year is to relax and enjoy the Christmas season while making some great memories with my family so...I have taken a different approach this year! I am that person who likes the presents to all match, the tree to match and everything to look just right. I have to admit in the past when my kids have helped decorate the tree and wrap gifts I have felt frustrated when things didn't look the way I wanted them to.  BUT this year..I have decided to let them really help and have fun doing it! It has made everyone much happier including me! This mama thing is a journey that I am finding I just learn as I go. This is a present that my son wrapped by himself. He was super proud and so am I!!

  The second thing I cut this year is baking..I know many LOVE to do this but not me! So, the kids and I bought some Christmas Oreos, filled this jars and delivered them to our neighbors! It was easy, cheap and we loved doing it together!

 

My sweet mama came over to help deliver our treats! My kids dressed themselves and then we were off!

 

I am currently reading this two great books. The first one is Hide or Seek by James Dobson and the other is Just a Minute by Wess Stafford. So far both books are about encouraging our kids and enhancing their self esteem. Both books have really made me think about how I interact with my precious kiddos and the impact my words have on their sweet souls. These books motivated me to create the freebie below!!

 

 

  

If you do a Polar Express unit in your classroom this is a great way to end it! It is a quick and meaningful way to affirm your students and tell them why they are so special to you!!

 

Blessings!

Kristen

Seasonal Scrambled Sentences....

This bundle includes a total of 40 cut and paste scrambled sentences!

1.Winter Theme:
•20 winter cut and paste scrambled sentences
•Winter Words chart to assist students with reading the winter vocabulary
•Picture directions on how to complete the cut and paste sentences for students to follow

2.Christmas Theme:
•20 Christmas cut and paste scrambled sentences
•Christmas Words chart to assist students with reading the Christmas vocabulary
•Picture directions on how to complete the cut and paste sentences for students to follow

If you LOVE these more Seasonal Sentences will be coming soon!!

This item is on SALE because it is a NEW item! This sale will only last 48 hrs!

I just discovered some AMAZING clipart.....

I always like to share when I find great things! I just discovered some AMAZING clipart over at TPT! It prints so clear and bright! I just used some of  it in my new Figurative Language Anchor Charts product if you wanna see how it looks! If you want to create fun products you should check out her store! It is by Cara Taylor and you can check out her store by clicking on her store button below! You will love it!!

 

 

 

Have you heard.... BIG TPT Cyber Monday & Tuesday Sale

TPT is having a big Cyber Monday and Tuesday Sale and so am I!! I am offering 20% off of everything in my store! Now is the time to get all of those fabulous things off of your wish list! Make sure to check it out! Check out my store by clicking on the picture below!

Five for Friday Linky Party...{ November 22nd}

 WHEW! I don't know about you but this week has been CRAZY! Crazy fun but still crazy!! The highlight of my week was going to Muffins with Mom at my son's PreK. There is nothing I love more than being with my kiddos one on one! This was a very special time for me and him!

 I ordered my Christmas cards! It is always nice to get this checked of my list AND they have some great card deals this week at Shutterfly... 40% off   WOOT WOOT!! You may wonder why I have "Team Buck" on  my Christmas card. Well....our family has a chant and really tries to work as a team by encouraging each other at all times. It doesn't happen all the time but we sure try! The kids have really bought into it so, I am all about it if it works! What a blessing it is to be a mama!

 

 

 

 I made my first printables bundle and really LOVED doing it! It includes Common Core Math, Reading and Writing activities. You can check out it by clicking on the above picture!

 

 

  I am lumping four and five together this week because the highlight of my week is planning for Thanksgiving! I am hosting this year and am truly blessed with a wonderful extended family! I can't wait to spend time relaxing and enjoying my time with them!  

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Blessings!

Kristen

We are THANKFUL for.... { New ideas}

Something new I started doing in my Title Reading Room was spending the entire first month of school on reading strategies. I chose wonderful picture books at various levels and would focus on one reading strategy per week. I noticed a great improvement in my kiddos comprehension level when I didn't just focus on preparing them for the big state assessment! They actually did better on the tests when they began to understand and apply the reading strategies. One tool that helped me get started is a fabulous website called Readers Toolkit. I heard this gal speak at an IRA conference and she was amazing. Her website has some great lesson plans and ideas. If you click on the picture below it will take you to her website. Just click on "lessons" at the top and it will take you to some great lesson plans for free!

I also started using sticky notes and anchor charts all of the time! Each kid got a stack of sticky notes and would be expected to jot down their thinking as they were reading. We would call this making tracks. Just like an animal makes tracks in the snow, I wanted to see their thinking while they were reading. I expected them to jot down things on their sticky notes and stick them in the book they were reading! I created a "Making Tracks" anchor chart the that you can download by clicking on the picture below.

I would also use these fun graphic organizers weekly in my classroom. I mounted them onto a file folder and laminated them. The kiddos would use white board markers to fill in the information they could find while reading. After sharing what they found, we would wipe them off and use them again! It was just a fun and different way to motivate my students to use their strategies. You can download this freebie by clicking on the pictures below!

 

 The last thing I would always use with my reading strategy instruction is these anchor charts! I made them simple but effective for teaching the strategies and the kids utilized them a lot! These are available in my store!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are THANKFUL for... {Activities like...}

Today I am sharing a WOW lesson and one of my very favorite things to use in the classroom and Title Reading room. It is..Reciprocal Teaching!!! Honestly, I had never heard of this or used it until I interviewed for a Reading Specialist position The head of our reading department told me if I got the job I would use Reciprocal Teaching with my small groups and use a lot of it:) So, as soon as I got the job I read everything  I could find on this. After researching and trying it out I found that it worked and soon incorporated it into my weekly lessons! I am going to give you the SHORT VERSION:) of it and if you already know about this you may just wanna check out my bundle I created over at my TPT store. I have made two primary bundles with a super hero theme and an animal theme! I also created an upper level bundle that includes summarizing instead of retelling.

Step 1: Introduce the four reciprocal teaching tasks. They are retelling, clarifying, questioning and predicting. You will want to spend a lot of time modeling each skill so your kiddos can eventually perform these tasks on their own.

Step 2: Put students into groups of four. Assign each student one of the four reciprocal teaching tasks and provide each student with a task card.

Step 3. Assign a small portion of text for students to read aloud or silently. When the assigned text is completed have students will  complete a graphic organizer for accountability. This is something I added....and I highly recommend using one of these. I saw a great improvement in the group discussions if students had a moment to preplan what they wanted to share with the group. I could also do a quick assessment by collecting these when the groups were done. Then students will perform their tasks. Example: The Reteller will retell the portion of text, the Predictor will predict what happens next etc.

Step 5: Assess...This is something I added because I was always looking for easy ways to collect data. I created several rubrics so I could assess the kiddos while they were in their small groups. It was quick, easy and effective!

I hope you love this and try it out! I think once you do, you will see the amazing difference it makes in your kiddos comprehension and learning!! I am a believer:)! If you want to learn more check these out at my store!