Linking Words in Writing - FREEBIE

Just a quick post about using linking words in writing.

We've worked on introductions, reasons and closings.

We added some linking words to our writing journals,

but my kids weren't using the words.

So, I created this sentence matching activity for them.

I put the kids into groups of three.

Each group was given six sentences.

Three of the sentences were reasons

and the other three were sentences with linking words.

All six sentences were about the same topic,

 so my kids had to make sure the linking word sentence

matched the reason.

It's a short activity that can be completed

independently or with partners.

You can grab the cards for free by clicking here!

Have a great weekend!

Sharing Pictures with Parents

I love taking pictures!

I'm constantly taking pictures of my family, 

places I visit, 

and the kids in my class.

I love to see pictures of what my two little girls

are doing during the day when I'm at work.

So I really wanted to be able to share the pictures I take during the school day

with all the parents in my class.

This year I started to use the Shutterfly Share Site.

I had a regular Shutterfly account, so I just logged in.

Then I created a Share Site.

It's free!

It's easy to sign up!

Parents need to sign up 

and get approved by you

before they can view the pictures.

Parents can download pictures 

or order directly from the site.

I use the Shutterfly iPhone app

and it's really easy to download the pics 

from my phone straight to the site.

A few parents have thanked me for setting it up.

They love to see what is happening in the classroom.

How do you share pictures with parents?

KABOOM! - A Review Game for Any Subject

My kids LOVE to play Kaboom!

You can use it for any subject

and it can be played whole class or small group.

Here's how it works.

Make cards with questions you want the kids to answer.

We were reviewing parts of speech,

so I put different words on the cards.

I put all the cards in a bowl 

and divided the class into teams.

Team #1 picked a word and decided if the word was a 

noun, adjective, verb or pronoun.

If they were correct, I awarded them a point.

If they were incorrect, Team #2 had a chance to answer.

Sometimes, numerous teams get a chance to answer

because no one gets it correct.

What is so fun about this game?

The KABOOM cards!

If a team draws a card with the word KABOOM,

they lose all their points.

I have used this game with parts of speech, math facts, 

social studies review and math story problems.

You can download my grammar card games for free.

Just click HERE.

I'd love to hear if you have played this game with your class.

Enjoy!

Who Loves to Win Awesome Prizes??

Right now, there is a HUGE giveaway that you need to check out.

Laura Graham at Where the Magic Happens
put it all together!

Come and join us, as  this is our way to THANK YOU for all your support and friendship!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Schools Around the World FREEBIE!

School hasn't started for me yet,

but I'm already thinking about activities for us 

to do the first few weeks.

Last year, my students really enjoyed reading about 

schools around the world.

It was interesting to see how schools are the 

same and different than our own.

We went over to this link:

http://www.factmonster.com/world/statistics/school-years.html

and started our research.

 To help keep the kids organized, 

I created a guide for them.

You can download two different forms HERE.

I'd love to hear how you could use this activity 

or the information on the site.

I Love Foldables!!

I can't tell you how many items my students

cut, folded and glued last year.

I Love Foldables!

We used foldables in reading, writing, spelling, math, science and social studies.

I love them because they keep my students focused.

They only have so much space to write their ideas

and the required info is on the front.

The cutting and pasting gives the kids a bit of a break.

They are always talking during this time,

but still getting the materials ready.

To get myself ready for next year,

I created my latest set of

Foldable Reading Responses!

I love using these in so many ways.

Sometimes, my kids glue a single foldable 

into their reading journal for a text we are reading together.

Other times my kids use them with a guided reading article.

I used readworks.org a ton last year.

I would print an article and the kids stapled it to a piece of construction paper.

Under the story, we glued one of my Common Core foldables responses.

On the back of the construction paper, 

we stapled the text question from the site.

I didn't do this often, but I liked having the multiple choice questions

and the foldable reading response for more open ended responses.

I have even put a bunch together and made a lapbook.

The best part is they can be used for ANY text!

I'd love to hear how you use foldables!

Happy Thursday!

Printable Boggle Boards - ON SALE

Just a quick post about one of my favorite items..

Boggle Boards!

 I don't know about you, but I have limited space on my classroom walls.

When I saw the Boggle boards all over the internet,

I quickly jumped on the bandwagon.

Then I realized it was taking up space

and I would forget to change the letters.

That's when I created...

Printable Boggle Boards.

In the past, I've used them as a morning worksheet

or an activity for substitutes.

Do you have a Boggle board?

How do you use it in your class?

As a special treat,

I'm marking them down to $1.00!

Hurry, this offer won't last.

Have a great Wednesday?

I think it's Wednesday!

Beginning of the Year Ideas....To Save and Read Later in July!

You would think summer means a lot of time for blogging,

but it doesn't for me.

I've been enjoying time with my two little girls

and reading some great professional development books.

Thank goodness for Laura over at Where the Magic Happens

and her awesome linky about digging into the new year.

It's giving me a specific reason to blog! 

Get the new year started!

I'm not thinking about it too much,

but I will share a few ideas I'm having so far.

One thing that will be different is that we are having a 

supply drop off before the first day of school.

In the past, the kids brought their supplies on the first day.

I really like this idea better instead of wasting

two hours on the first day while we put all the supplies away.

I've been all over Pinterest looking for fun ideas.

Here are a few links I want to check out.

I'm sure I will be making some changes with math and reading.

Here are two of the six book I bought to read this summer.

Last year I created a Back to School/End of the Year Lapbook.

My kids loved it!

It was fun to fill it in at the beginning of the year

and check it out at the end.

We also added to it on the last day of school.

Here is the lapbook cover at the beginning of the year.

What are some tried and true back to school tips

you can share with us?

Two for Tuesday - 50% OFF Two of My Products!

Today's link-up gives you a chance to purchase

some great products at 50% off!

 

Here are my two products that are 50% off all day!

Click on the pictures to purchase each product.

 Your students will have fun as they roll a die and record 

the words they roll.

Then, they will use the words to write the correct type of sentence.

There is practice for quotations, simple, compound and complex sentences.

I used these all the time last year.  

There are different math fact forms included in this pack.

Some pages look like this.

 The page can be cut and each student is given a strip.

If you make it two-sided, then the students get to practice 2 different facts.

This is the other form. 

All factors from 1-5 are included on this page

and other pages have 6-10.

Remember, these will be 50% today ONLY!

Be sure to head over to The Teaching Tribune 

to find other great products that will be on sale.

Monday Meet Up Linky - Week 4

The Teaching Tribune has a fun linky going on this summer

and it will give you a chance to get to know me.

So there you have it, 3 facts about me!

Happy Monday!

Reflecting About Reading Comprehension

I'm linking up again with Laura from

Where the Magic Happens.

teach 

READING COMPREHENSION!

Next year I'm going to be making many changes

to how I teach reading.

I'm currently reading the book, 

The Book Whisper by Donalyn Miller.

I've only read three chapters, so I haven't really made it to the "meat" of the book.

So far I know that I want to reorganize my classroom library.

I also want to quickly read more books that the kids are interested in reading.

I'm hoping that Donalyn will share how she conferences with the kids

and holds them accountable for reading 40 books.

I'm going to set a goal for the kids in my third grade class. 

I'm not sure about 40, but maybe 30.

I can always change it next year.

I want to plan more mentor text reading lessons

and really try to get my class to LOVE reading.

Our district helped us to get organized and find a reading level for each student.

I'm going to start this at the beginning of the school year.

I'm also going to keep going with my small reading groups.

I'm sure there will be some changes there as a read some other books this summer.

Here are two products I use all the time for whole class lessons, 

small group and even individual reading lessons.

These foldables are my top selling item.

They are easy to cut out and paste into reading journals.

You can also choose a few different foldables

and make them into a lapbook for any text.

These are another one of my favorite items.

The pages are meant to be cut in 1/2.

I often copy two pages back to back.

Each kid then gets a 1/2 sheet of paper.

You can put a few pages together to make a small packet.

I'll be honest, reading is not one of my favorite subjects to teach.

I have a feeling by reading some professional books and making a few changes,

I will learn to love it.

I'd love to give away a copy of each product above.

Simply answer this question and I'll pick two winners in the next day or two.

What are some professional books you have read 

that changed the way you teach reading?