Math Monday and a few freebies

I am linking up for my very first Math Monday with A Burst of First (love her blog!)

I love math time and my kids love math games. They don't even know they are learning! Today I wanted to share a quick post to show you some things I have been using with my Tier II RTI group. 

The friends in my group are having issues with counting to 100 in less than a minute so we are now starting every lesson counting to 100 using a hundred chart and pointing to each number. I have a large sand timer so we can see if we are counting fast enough. I created this super boring simple chart to have students graph their progress after each progress monitoring probe. Good documentation and the kids like seeing their progress. 

Click the picture to snag a copy

We are also working hard on teen number identification. My kids can tell me what the number is called on a hundred chart, but can't name it in isolation. One of our progress monitoring tasks is quantity discrimination. The kids look at 2 numbers and name the larger one. Well, the kids can point to the larger one every time. However, they have to name it and they call 12, 20 and 13, 31 so they get them all wrong. So sad. They love this little review we do before each math lesson - proving that sometimes simple is fun. I hold these up like flash cards and the first person to read the number correctly gets to keep the card. Simple.Fast.Fun.Effective. If you want these cards, click on the image below to get them from Google Drive. 

Teen Number Identification 

Lastly, my whole class is working on solving addition and subtraction problems within 20. I created these Fall-themed problems to practice 1 per day whole group. This is just a quick time for us to talk about strategies and attack a problem together. Click the picture to get your copy in my TpT store.

If you grab any of these freebies or you have other ideas to help with RTI, I'd love to hear from you!! Night!

Who's That Blogger??? A fun way to win LOTS of prizes!!

Welcome Everyone!!

         Are you ready to have some fun??
        
                                              ....Play a game?
           
                                                              .....Win  prizes and cash?

I have teamed up with 65 AMAZING blogger buddies to put together the ultimate Back to School Linky/Giveaway!!!

Each one of my blogger buddies submitted a cute childhood photo & generously donated something special from their online TpT shops for this occasion!! We have included a fun game for you to play for a chance to win over $300.00 in prizes and a BONUS  CASH-PRIZE raffle you can enter at the end of this post!! 

CHA-CHING!!

The game is easy to play....

 Your job will be to try and match each blogger with their childhood photo!!! With over 60 childhood photos and bloggers to match up, this might get tricky!! As I mentioned above, each blogger has generously donated one awesome prize from their TpT store. Successfully match a blogger and childhood photo, and you win the prize offered from that blogger!!! The more you matches you make, the more prizes you win!!! 

Check out some of the prizes you could win!!!

but Wait....

That's not all....

ONE lucky follower will win a $125 Amazon Gift Card!! Scroll to the bottom & follow the directions in the Rafflecopter for a chance to win $$$

The link below will open a form that will allow you to submit your answers for the match up. 

Use the blogger links and numbered images to help you along the way!! Each childhood photo has been assigned a specific number. 

Once you open the form, use the drop-down menu beneath each blog button and select a number that corresponds to a childhood photo. 

The form results will be collected throughout the week. At the end of the week, each submission will be "graded" and you will receive a prize for each blogger and photo you successfully matched up!!

The game closes on Friday, August 23rd at midnight (Arizona Mountain Time). Answers will be announced on Saturday, August 24th. Winners will be notified through email throughout the week. 

Use the blog links below the photos to search for clues!!

Click HERE to Play the Matching Game!!

AWE!!! PuFfy HeArT SWEETNESS!!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Click HERE to Play the Matching Game!!

Follow the directions in the Rafflecopter for a chance to win a $125 Amazon gift card!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much for participating!!! Good Luck!!!

If you would like to post about this linky/giveaway, grab the special image below to display in your post and link up below!!! Make sure to use the link to the actual post,,,

An InLinkz Link-up

10 Random Things About Me for Teacher Week

1. I cannot make decisions about decorating or crafting or classroom design. Seriously. I am not sure when that happened, but it is super annoying. I stand and hem and haw for.ev.er.

 2. I am moving from 9 years as a third grade teacher to being a first grade teacher. It was my decision but now that it is so soon, I am equal parts excited and terrified.

 3. I LOVE listening to music. I listen to country, pop, rap, classical, show tunes.... everything but heavy, heavy metal.

 4. I prefer baths (nice, quiet, warm baths) over showers. I love to read while in the bath too!

 5. I grew up in Ohio. I did things like ice skating lessons and ski club. Now that I live in Texas, people laugh when I tell them and they assume I mean water skiing, not snow! I also say things like pop when I mean soda...

 6. I met my husband the first week of college at the University of Cincinnati. We were friends for a short time and then dated for about 5 years before getting married. We just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this July.

 

SAE formal circa 1999

Our Wedding Day, 2003

With the kids and Donald in Disney this summer

 7. I love to sing - loudly.

 8. I cuss like a sailor. For real. (I am crediting The Tatooed Teacher for helping me know it was okay
to share this fun fact)

9. I cannot draw even a little bit. Every time I see those beautiful anchor charts on Pinterest, I cry a little inside.

10. I am a procrastintor to the extreme. I have about 15 projects in a folder on my desktop titled, "to finish for TpT'" I think this goes hand in hand with #1!

I have had so much fun reading all the other blogs today!! If you haven't linked up already, you still have time!

 

Optimum Organization : Reward Coupons

I am dropping by with a quick post about my reward coupon organization system! 

I simply print, cut out, and laminate my reward cards. Then I place one of each type inside a baseball card holder like the ones here (I bought mine at Wal-mart) and then I put the rest of those cards behind it in the same sleeve. Students could look through the 2 pages of rewards quickly and just pull out the card they were choosing! No more cards scattered everywhere! 

One more small tip. I would have the students write their name with a sharpie or Vis-A-Vis on the back of the laminated card so if they dropped it before using it, I could return it to them. Then, when students "cashed" in, I would erase their name by covering it with dry erase marker and wiping clean so that it could be reused (like this). Gotta save money on that colored ink!

Thanks for stopping by. Please head on over to Fun in Room 4B or Ladybug's Teacher Files and see all the other amazing ideas!

Favorite Pins Friday

I am joining Cara over at The First Grade Parade for her weekly pinning party! The rules are simple, share you favorite pins of the week and link back to the original source! 

{Favorite Bob Vila pin}
I plan to redo the kids playroom this summer. Hmmm, I better get busy! Hubs and I are not the fix-it-uppers but this blog post almost makes me think maybe we can make this table. I'll let you know what happens!

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{Favorite wanna be paparazzi pin}
Love all the photo op ideas I got today from Mel over at Suesstastic. This whole class 100th day picture makes me smile!

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{Favorite toy wrangler picture} This goes with wanting to redo the playroom. A trunk from Hobby Lobby and tension rods? Genius!

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{Favorite sanity saver pin} This is one of those "why didn't I think of that?" kind of pins...

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{Favorite NEED to eat healthier so I'll pin healthy ideas pin} There are 9 quick healthy breakfast options from Real Simple. I love this one!

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{Favorite make the world a better place pin} I adore The Bubbly Blonde and her freebie on the new collaborative blog is so cute it makes my heart pitter-patter. Can't wait to use it the first few days of school!

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{Favorite "sub" pin}Lol! Please don't judge - those books where HOTTTT!

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There you have it, some of my favorite pins from this week. Sorry I have been such a bad blogger... I was having LOTS of fun the last few weeks in Disney, North Carolina (Outer Banks) and Ohio!!! Pictures to follow. 

I would love for you to follow me on Pinterest here. See you soon,

                                      

Ten Pin Linky: Top 10 Reading Pins

I love me a pinning party! I am so excited to be linking up with Just Reed for the first time ever! I have tried to include pins I have actually tried out or used in my own classroom (there may be one or two that I am planning to try out next year) Click on any picture to go to my pin, click the blog name to go to the blog post about the pin!

1. I LOVE this you tube video - Impossible Wordless Film. I used it at the beginning of my formal observation this year to teach an inferencing / asking questions lesson. My principal and class LOVED it!! 

 youtube.com via Heather on Pinterest

2. This anchor chart comes from One Extra Degree and I used this same idea at the beginning of the year with The Recess Queen. A Great way to start to talk about text evidence with the character traits / actions (proof) and discuss recess rules/ treating others with respect at the same time!

3. Another LOVE - sight word sticker books by Sarah over at First Grader at Last! I actually made my own copy of the book for my daughter who had specific kindergarten sight words. I plan to make a set for my whole class to keep in their homework folders - our district has a set of words (where they came up with these words, I have no idea) Update: Now she has a math fact sticker book... I just added to my wish list! 

4. I haven't tried this yet but I definitely plan too! I love using foldables in my room and think this is a super activity for a guided reading group to add to our spelling or reader's notebook. 

source

5.  I used this adorable {freebie}from Fourth and Ten to introduce author's purpose. I loved that it wasn't the typical PIE activity (although there is nothing wrong with those!)

6.  I fully intend to organize all my reading series stuff like this when our campus reopens in August. In 3rd grade, we didn't use the basal ever but the 1st grade team does - so I'll be ready!! Thanks for the tip from Elementary Organization.

7. Ball words from the fabulous A Differentiated Kindergarten. I have told everyone that will listen to me about this system and I can not wait to get it rolling in my class next year. I want all my kiddos leaving me knowing their first grade (and more) sight words and I think this will be great motivation! I also love her party idea after all the kids pass a level - click here to read the post about it!

8. Another fabulous idea from First Grader at Last. My daughter loves to play candy land and she likes to practice her sight words. Perfect!

9. We always read Charlotte's Web at the end of the year (in 3rd) and this idea from Clutter-Free Classroom looks like way more fun that the typical question/answer worksheets that we used to do! Love the creativity of writing a summary like a diary entry!

10. We made it!!  I think this is a fun way to practice reading with expression! I think I will start with letters and then move onto other short phrases ... This idea came from ?? The link didn't go anywhere! If you know who it belongs too, please let me know. 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing my pins. I can't wait to see all of yours and keep on pinning! Have a great rest of your week. I am off to the beach with my family. #summerrocks

If you're not following me already, I would love for you to start. Follow me on Bloglovin' over on the right side of my blog and Instagram as well. See you there!

Eating, drinking, and Linking party : Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

I am linking up with Teaching Tales Along the Yellow Brick Road to share one of my favorite recipes. I have so many that are yumm-o from Pinterest so choosing just one to share today was tough! I thought I would pick a more summery one.  These sweet and spicy bacon chicken rolls are to die for... I love the sweet/spicy combo and who doesn't love bacon? 

source: Diary of a Recipe Addict

The full recipe with pictures can be found at Diary of a Recipe Addict (linked above) I am telling you, don't let the little bit of prep work scare you aware - de.lic.ious.ness. You will need;

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds 

Bacon slices

salt and pepper to taste

garlic powder

chili powder

brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar. Spray the grill with oil really well (or lay down tinfoil sprayed with oil) and grill until chicken is cooked through. 

If you are interested in seeing more recipes I've pinned, click here If you want to see weight friendly recipes, click here. I would love for you to follow me on pinterest and bloglovin'

Have a great day,

Organizing Timed Tests

Hi friends! This is going to be a quick one today. I am linking up with Kristen and Elizabeth (two of my favorite bloggers) to share my timed test organization!

Have you seen these pretty accordion style check file things at Target's Dollar Spot?

I used one to organize my multiplication timed tests. I cut the tests into strips {freebie linked below}

and filed accordingly. In my classroom, I differentiate fact mastery by allowing all students to take a fact test at their own pace. This system of having them precut and filed saved me so much time when passing out the different tests. 

Here are my students taking their tests! I will come back and write another post about my Out of This World Multiplication Mastery wall....

If you give timed tests, feel free to grab the freebie below. My team and I have used these for the past 2 years. The kids love them because the assessment is super quick and not overwhelming. I love that I can grade/score a whole class set in no time at all. If you grab it, I would love to hear from you!

Click Here to grab your copy from my TpT store. 

Head back over to Fun in Room 4B to see her awesome tip for organizing all your digital papers and clipart... pure genius!