Student Motivation Time (Freebie)

Here's a little freebie that might help you in your classroom.  If you are like me, you are probably emphasizing gratitude this month.  I wanted to make something that got kids thinking about what they are thankful for and have a place for them to write about it - so I used these graphics from MelonHeadz Illustrating to do just that.

Clip art seems to make anything special - any boring task can seem fun and engaging - which then gives students a buy in for wanting to learn and do the material…. That's why I'm linking it up with Joanne as my Saturday Motivation.

Where did I find most of my clip art collection?  I have mainly MelonHeadz Illustrating… if you go to her blog she has a ton of freebies that she has offered up directly from there.  Of course I also have quite a bit of stuff from Ashley Hughes.  How I organize it on my laptop is by creator, then broken up into files - animals, autumn, baby, balloon, birthday, camo, candy, etc… alphabetical for my sanity.  

Do you use clip art?  Who is one of your favorite designers?  Please share!  

Hope you have a great day!  

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Morning Meeting and a Football Freebie

Hi everyone!  Hope you had a good day.  :)  

My class has been working on switching into "big" numbers when we are multiplying.  I made up 12 task cards to add to my morning math meeting.  They are free over on TPT.  

Side note - I love morning math meeting!  It's like "calendar" or "number of the day" when I taught primary.  It doesn't involve any copies to pass out - LOVE IT.  Anyhow, I use Tara's morning meeting pack as a daily review over key concepts, and I add other task cards of specific things that we are learning at that moment.  

The kids come in, get out their homework and put it on their desks, and then they head to the carpet with their whiteboards to solve the problems.  They get a head start going through the problems while I'm going desk to desk checking in homework.  I don't collect homework because we correct it together after morning meeting.  

During morning math meeting we go over the problems together, it's a mixture of the kids talking to each other to compare answers, and them doing the problems with me.    

I hope this freebie helps someone!  

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Read Aloud Mini Book Packs - FREEBIES :)

You all know I love to read with my school kiddos.  Seriously, we have a chapter book read aloud going at all times in the classroom.  In past years I have my students write connections in their journals and they take a piece of copy paper to do main idea summaries for the different chapters.  I wanted to make it a little more organized for them (plus cuter), so I started putting together mini packs for the read alouds I get to during the school year.  I'm not done yet with all of them, but I have finished up Charlotte's Web, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Chocolate Fever, Chocolate Touch, and The Lemonade War.  Below is what is included in a typical mini pack.

Read Aloud Mini Packs (Link is to the custom category in the store.)

 Every pack has a journal cover.  

 The chapter summary pages have room for notes, main ideas, predictions, etc.  

The journal pages have room for illustrations, chapter summaries, connections to the text, etc.  

I'm still working on Beezus and Ramona, Stone Fox, The Tiger Rising, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Old Yeller, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The Family Under the Bridge, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan.  If you have an idea for another book pack that you would like me to work on please leave a comment or send me an email.  I'll do my best!

Hope this helps someone!  :)  

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End of Year Brochures Freebie

The last week of school I always make end of year brochures.  Well, I don't - but my students do.  

Here is what I did last year.  I didn't know many of you back then... or else you didn't know about me as I was totally new to this whole blogger thing... and I didn't bother turning on the follower widget until August.  :)  

It was just a piece of construction paper with the trifold - same information, just completely student created.  

This year I wanted to give my students a template to fill out.  I'm all about saving the environment and limiting copies - but when it comes to giving my students a piece of construction paper to create or giving my students a sheet that is already for them to fill in - well, I'll do the one that doesn't mean I will pull my hair out.

So I made up this for my special kids this year.  

 I'm going to give my students the choice between Super Kids or Robots - the information is the same, it's just about the presentation on the cover.  

 and the back side is the same for both.

 It's free in case anyone needs something.  Adding this to Manic Monday over at Classroom Freebies.  :)

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Sunday Store Update

It's Easter!!!  I love Easter!! He has risen - indeed!  

Before the kids wake up and I make cinnamon roll bunnies, and we go to church, or have our egg hunt, or eat our ham dinner, I wanted to stop by and say hi.

This week I had every intention of making more stuff, but then life happened. 

Here's is a freebie though.  It might help you out.  

Remember way back last summer when I wrote about my Homeworkopoly board?  Probably not since I didn't know many of you then.  Well, last summer I wrote about making my Homeworkopoly board that I picked up from Ladybug's Teacher Files.  There were cards that Kristen made to go with it, and I added some labels on the back of them before I laminated of the different prizes kids could win if they landed on that spot on the board.  Does that make sense?

Anyway, the kids love the prizes:

Sit on the ground for a lesson... Choose a new pencil... Eat a piece of candy during the test... Take your shoes off during the test... Sit by a friend... Computer Time... Use a pen... Surprise Treat (I give out classroom tickets, Homework Pass, or school cash.)...

They really do love the prizes and remind me if we run out of time to play the game.

I only use Homeworkopoly for perfect homework though - not meaning the homework has to be perfect, but the kiddos have to have all their homework in to be able to play.

To make a long story shorter, basically I wanted the same prizes on a cute little "sweet treat" card for the remainder of the school year.  I want to have them be able to draw a prize for being awesome, or for staying on green, or for any other reason that they really should pick a prize.  

So, enjoy!  I updated my little store when I set up the TPT sale so this is the main freebie at the top of my page or you can click the image above to head over to pick it up.     

Have you entered yet?  The image above is linked to the post.

My stores are still on 20% sale until Monday  :)

Hope you have a wonderful day!

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Easter Freebie: Bookmarks and Homework Passes

Second post of the day - I doubt you will mind though - it's a FREEBIE!

With my day at home, I am quickly trying to make sure everything is prepped for the end of this week, and finally go on our spring break!!!  The laminator is humming and I'm prepping these bookmarks for my school kiddos' Easter baskets.  Click on the image above to go and download. 

 What?  Easter baskets?  Yes, my school kiddos make up Easter baskets on the day before vacation.  It's a quick little art project, but they love it and I enjoy a place for them to store all their goodies.  By goodies I mean their Easter egg that has their name on it (they find their specific one during the Easter egg hunt), the cute bookmark, a Homework Pass, a brand new pencil, and some other odds and ends.   

How do they make up their Easter basket?  With just a plain paper bag.  That's it.  I then let them put a quarter piece of tissue paper inside to help fill it out a bit.  Then they decorate it.  This year I splurged on the foam egg stickers - usually they just color or trace a bunny on it.

Here are some pictures of how to create it, in case you are interested.

Step 1: Take a plain paper bag and cut an inch strip from the top going vertically down about halfway.

Step 2: Open up the bag and fold the outside parts down, leaving only the middle inch strip sticking up

Step 3: Staple (or tape) the strip together - creating a handle.

Step 4: Decorate! (My 6 year old did this project - can you tell?  He's a helper!)

Have a great day!

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Spring Break Bucket List, Sunday Store Update & Sale

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!  I need to remember to wear green today, don't want to be pinched!!

Today I'm linking up with Brigid to let you in on my bucket list for Spring Break.  I still have 9 school days left until Spring Break... not that I'm counting or anything... ha ha!  Yeah, like none of us are counting!! :)

Okay - here's my plan for break:

1.  Drive to Pismo Beach with the family...

We love to go for part of our break.  We stay at the Sea Gypsy Motel.  It is directly on the beach.  I've stayed at that same hotel my entire life...   

2.  I will walk every morning on this beach and on this pier.  

3.  I will go shopping on this main street... they have a magically delicious frozen yogurt place about 1/2 way down the street.  This is about a 3 minute walk from the hotel.  


4.  I will most likely eat at Splash's Cafe, Giuseppe's Cucina Italiana, and Old West Cinnamon Rolls sometime during our stay...

5. ...and will most likely go with my mom and my sister to shop at the outlets.

 

6.  We will also take the boys to the Dinosaur Park - it overlooks the ocean.  :)

7.  I will also spend a lot of time reading.

8.  I should probably do some laundry... or some cleaning... or some organizing... or some grocery shopping when we get back home.

9.  If I get inspired, I might create some more things for my class and for TPT.

Of course there is a chance that none of #8 or #9 will get accomplished... :)  

Sunday Store Update:

Here are the things I've added to the store since last Sunday.  Thanks to All Things Upper Elementary and Mrs. Wheeler for the adorable buttons!  Mrs. Wheeler is having a linky party - so check it out! Everything is still 20% off the rest of today.    

Main Idea Caterpillar

Gnome Activity Templates

California Regions

ELA Review Example Book

Have a great day.  

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Main Idea Caterpillar FREEBIE!

Before I dive into sharing what my class did the other day, I wanted to remind you about my 20% off TPT sale that is going on this weekend.  Happy Shopping!

Our lesson the other day was on main idea and supporting details. We are getting ready for the district writing test and needed to review finding author's lesson...

First we went through all the stories so far in our anthology and the kids brainstormed the theme/lesson the author was trying to teach us.

From there the kids chose a story, took a caterpillar body and wrote out the main idea. They looked in the texts and found supporting details to back up their conclusions.

We turned them into 2 caterpillars hanging over the windows.  The girls wanted pink, the boys wanted blue... I needed 2 of them since space was an issue to hang 32 of them...

This is free in my store. I hope it helps someone!

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