I'm On a Roll! {No Pun Intended}

I have been a madwoman this summer! I really don't feel like I've had much of a break really. Between packing up my classroom, moving into a new room, reorganizing and setting up my new room {which still is not done yet! EEK!}, and creating things for our new reading series, I've barely had any time to just sit back and relax. Most nights, once Kayleigh goes to bed I've been coming upstairs to work on things on the computer. The hubs has not been a big fan of this, but I keep telling him it should make my life easier once the school year begins. I just hope I'm right.

Having said that, I've created a couple of things that have been added to my TPT store over the last couple of weeks.  First up is a Roll & Write pack specifically for the 1st grade Nat Geo Reach for Reading high frequency words each week. You know these little dice...

Well I started using them last year for Roll & Write activities and I fell. in. love. with them! The best part-SO DID THE KIDDOS! Roll & Write quickly became one of their favorite station activities.  The pack includes word cards with each of the high frequency words from the series that will fit perfectly into these die.  Simply print, laminate, and cut and you're ready to go! This pack wouldn't be complete without the recording sheet, so I included that too. It's in my TPT store for $3.50. Click the picture below to see more.

Next up, a homework binder. I have struggled with keeping track of student homework every year! I'm hoping this is the key to my problem. I now have a binder, known as the homework binder that will be beside my desk everyday.  As I pass back student homework each day, I can quickly tell who did and did not do their homework. Those students who do not complete their homework will have to put their name in the homework binder for that week. The student will also have to put what the assignment was and why it was not completed. It is the student's responsibility to get the homework completed at some point throughout the day {more than likely during lunch recess}.  Once the homework is completed and checked by me, the student may highlight their name in the binder showing that they completed and turned in the work.  This will be great to have as a reference at conferences to show parents. I'm really hoping as great in "real life" as it does in my mind. It is for sale for $2.50 in my TPT store. Click the picture below to check it out!

And last, but not least, Math Fact BANG! Just like my Nat Geo vocab. word BANG!, I have created a math set for both addition and subtraction facts. I am really looking forward to using these as part of our math stations this year! I'm sure the kids will love them just as much as they love the vocabulary version.  Simply print the facts on some Avery labels, apply the labels to the large popsicle sticks, and put them in a container. Instant math fact practice at your kiddo's fingertips.  They are both in my TPT for $2.50 each. Click the pictures to get to each product.

Well folks, it's off to bed for this girl. I'm hoping to get a little time in my classroom tomorrow morning while the hubs is smoking some pork loins for our nephew's birthday party tomorrow afternoon. We'll see if that actually happens.  To end on a good note, next Friday at this time we will be leaving to head to Florida for a week. I. CAN'T. WAIT!!!!

P.S. Don't forget to follow me through Google or BlogLovin'! I'm considering a giveaway of any item in my store once I hit 15 followers!

BANG! Nat Geo Style and Oh Yeah...I'm Moving

Hi there blogging world! It's been awhile....a long while. I'm really sorry. I wish I could tell you that I have an excuse, but I really don't. Well kinda. Besides wrapping up the school year, packing up my classroom that I've been in for 3 years and moving it to a completely different classroom (more on that to come), a trip to Chicago with my Wolfpack (gotta love Hangover), my sweet girl's 2nd birthday, and my 5th wedding anniversary, I guess you could say summer started off busy, and really doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.  In my little bits of free time, which basically are the hours from 9 pm-1 or 2 am, I have been working on quite a bit for school.  I am moving classrooms this year so I am using that as an opportunity to get rid of my jungle theme and go for the ever popular chevron/polka dots/chalkboard theme all in bright colors. I couldn't pick just one of the three so I figured why not mix them all. Hopefully when it's all said and done it looks good.  I'm still unpacking/organizing/decorating but I will be sure to get some pictures up when I get it all done. It's getting close. I have been going to school every Tuesday and Thursday for the past 2 weeks to get things done. When I get home it's family time, but once the hubs falls asleep on the couch around 8:15 after Kayleigh has gone to bed I am a busy little bee.

I volunteered to be on the Reading Adoption Committee for 1st grade this year. I had never done anything like this before so it was definitely an eye-opening experience in many ways. P.S. Who knew teachers could get so caddy and vicious about a textbook choice?! Not this girl! It's definitely a shame the way some grown adults act. Nevermind the fact that those grown adults are also K-3 teachers!! Wowza! Anyways-we fell in love (most of us that is) with National Geographic's Reach for Reading program and so that's what our building ordered for 1-3. Kindergarten ended up going with Benchmark Literacy for those of you wondering.

I guess I didn't anticipate all the work that goes into things when you get a new reading series.  All my files that I labeled by stories when I got hired 3 years ago, I now have to relabel and reorganize to match up with the new series. Not to mention the spelling tests, lists, vocabulary cards, roll & write cards and recording sheets, etc. The list just. goes. on! I think I have about 10 lists of things I need/want to do before the school year starts. I know I've gotten a lot accomplished off of that list, but not as much as I would like.

One thing that I have completed are labels for the game BANG!  If you haven't played this game with your class you need to! They will love it! It's a vocabulary/sight word game that can be done in many different ways with index/word cards or popsicle sticks. I've done the word card version before and am not really a fan, so I'm going the popsicle stick route this year. Here's how it works: get large popsicles and Avery 5160 labels. Print the words on the labels, cut the labels down, and put on the popsicle sticks. Divide the popsicle sticks by units and put them in a storage container. Crystal Light containers work great! Put some of the BANG! sticks in with each unit.  You can play this game whole group, small group, or with a partner.  Students take turns pulling a stick. The student has to read the word on the stick. If they successfully read the word in 3 seconds or less, they get to keep the stick. If they don't get it, a partner has to help them with the word and the stick goes back in the container. If a student pulls a stick with a BANG! on it, they have to put all of their sticks back in the container. Play continues on until someone miraculously gets all of the sticks (minus the BANG!s of course) or time it up.  The kids are learning and practicing their sight words and they don't even realize it.

I have made the labels for you.  They are already up on my TPT site for $1.50.  Click on the picture below and take a look.

I'll be back soon friends with some new products I've been working on and pictures of my new room! I'm hoping to be done unpacking/decorating by the end of this week. Stay tuned!

P.S. Don't forget to follow me through Google or BlogLovin'! I'm considering a giveaway of any item in my store once I hit 15 followers!