Monday Made It! & Monday Meet Up!

Happy Monday! 

I can't believe June is over! How did that happen!? I have not been nearly as productive as I had planned. Isn't that just how it always works out? Although I will say that I have finally finished my first big huge giant packet for TPT!

Which leads me to my Made It Monday! This is my first time linking up with the lovely 4th Grade Frolics and I am excited to get my craft on more in the future! Lord knows I have many projects on my to-do list!

So here it is! My sight word bundle! 215 pages of sight word practice aligned with 1st grade Storytown! I am pretty proud of this bad boy. And definitely deserve at least 2 glasses of apple cider ;) 

For those of you who don't know me, I love me some apple cider. My husband and I refer to it as my "alcohol" on the reg. 

Anyways, I had some difficulty pricing this bad boy. I asked my lovely IG followers and they said the general rule of thumb is $0.10/ content page, but I would love any additional help or input on pricing! 

I am also linking up with The Teaching Tribune for Monday Meet Up! Another first for me! I loooove link ups because I enjoy reading all of your blogs and interacting with all of you! And the traffic to my blog doesn't suck either ;)

So here goes, 3 things I am thankful for this week!

I can't wait to go blog snooping and see what all of you have been up to! 

Daily 5 Book Study {Chapter 7}

Whoa! This week kind of got away from me! But the good news is I stuck to my schedule AND my PD for this summer is done! Now I can really focus on my TPT store and blogging with all of you wonderful teachers! :)

Before I dive into my thoughts on chapter 7 of the Daily 5: Second Edition here are a few side notes:

- This "summer" weather is really bumming me out. Gotta love Oregon.

- I am still patiently waiting for my first Erin Condren planner to arrive! 

- I can't wait to get into my new classroom and start setting up/decorating. Is that weird!?

I was really excited for this chapter because it focuses on when/how to launch the option of choice within the Daily 5. This is probably the scariest part of Daily 5 because we as teachers are no longer "in control". The funny thing is that we are actually more in control during Daily 5 choices because we have given students the tools they need to be independent. Students are actively engaged in meaningful reading/writing choices during this time, that the room is actually very controlled. It's my favorite thing about the Daily 5 structure! 

The key components of choice as outlined by the sisters:

- Knowing the expectations                            

- Possessing the skills needed to meet the expectations  

- Being trusted to carry out the choices

 - Taking responsibility to carry out choices 

I thought this was perfectly outlined! It really solidified the concept for me and served as a great reminder. Choice is only successful if  all 4 of those components are in place. 

My biggest challenges with the Daily 5 choices:

- Preventing boredom within the choices (especially word work). The sisters' mention keeping the same choices year round and not introducing new ones. But I find that students burn out of the same word work choices day in and day out. 

I liked reading some of the word work ideas/materials that the sisters use. What kinds of materials do you use? How do you prevent boredom?

- Student accountability to make the "right" choice. By right choice I mean, making sure they are making different choices each time that focus on the skills and strategies they need to work on.    

The most important thing to remember about the Daily 5, which I am guilty of forgetting, is that it is completely flexible! Each group of students is different and we need to keep that in mind when progressing through the initial launching process. 

I actually have a question about checking in! Do you have students check-in before they make their choice or after? I struggle with this piece because I feel like it takes SO much time! If you have to ask each student their choice/strategy before they get started that can take 10 minutes easy! And then if stamina is comparable to their age, they've lost all their stamina before you even make it to a guided reading group! I haven't figured out the best balance for this yet. I want students to be checking in and making meaningful choices but I also want as much time as possible with my guided reading groups! Any tips!?

I am excited to read your thoughts on chapter 7! I am also super super excited to read about this new Math Daily 3 business. I sense a big change in my math set up coming!

Sweeping Declaration: My Summer Schedule

Hello lovelies! 

I don't know about you guys, but I need a schedule! Don't get me wrong, I love my summer breaks, but I don't like not having at least a general plan for how my days are going to go. I thrive on to-do lists, schedules and structure! 

With that in mind, I sat down and scheduled out my summer break! Is it weird that I am actually really excited about this!? I even have everything color coordinated in my planner. And no, I don't mean planning everything out for everyday. It's more like a structure for my daily responsibilities. 

I thought I would share it with all of you so that maybe I'll be better at sticking to it! So here it goes!

Eat breakfast - I am horrible, and I mean horrible at eating breakfast. Part of the reason is that my body is just not ready to eat first thing in the morning. In fact, if I try, I get really sick. But my goal is to take the time in the morning to make sure I eat at least a little something. This morning I had 2 hard boiled eggs and watermelon! That did the trick!

Orders - Many of you already know that I also work part time for my husband. He owns 2 businesses Stickerslug (decal stickers) and Pumabot (graphic tees). I help him everyday to fulfill the orders, it has been difficult to maintain during the school year so this summer we will be hiring his first real employee! 

Running - I mentioned before that I am trying to rehab my knee so that I can do the Color Run in September! My goal is to go running every day like I used to! I am also doing my 30 Day Fitness Challenges: 30 day arm challenge and 30 day ab & squat challenge!

Blog/TPT - I want to set aside some time every day to work on my blog and create items for my TPT store. Since I am new to this whole blogging/TPT world I have very little in my store right now. I have a lot of products made, but unlisted. A lot of products that are "in progress". And a lot of products all up in my brain! So I want to capitalize on the time off to bulk up my TPT store!

Here's a little sneak peek at something I have been working on! It is a classroom decor pack and also my first MEGA bundle! I may have bitten off more than I can chew…. It may actually kill me.

Make dinner - I get so lazy about making dinner during the school year. When I am really on top of my game, I do a lot of freezer cooking which helps a ton during the hustle and bustle of the school year.  Although this year was so chaotic, I was the worst. So now that I have time, I am getting back in the kitchen. Tonight, I am making chicken piccata with spaghetti squash instead of noodles! I'm so excited :)

{here} is the recipe I am using!

In keeping with my new schedule, let's do a little check in! 

Breakfast

Orders

Running

Blog/TPT - currently

Dinner

So far so good! I even had lunch with my momma today, went grocery shopping and did laundry! This girl is on fiiiiiire. (I amuse myself)

 Now if I can just convince my husband to go see 22 Jump Street tonight ;)

I gotta ask. Are any of you as crazy as I am with schedules? Or am I some freak of nature?

Daily 5 Book Study {Chapters 5 and Kind of 6}

Woo! 2 blog posts in one day? Who am I!? I just had so much to get caught up on and share! If you read the previous post, you can see why I am behind on my reading! But today is my "catch up day" and I am loving every minute of it. 

Reading Daily 5: Second Edition, drinking my water (up to 16oz which as you know is pretty good for me!), blogging and watching a Will and Grace marathon! Ahh summer, I love you. 

The more and more I read the second edition, the more and more excited I get for the new school year! Is that weird!? I am looking forward to all the changes I am going to make to my literacy block and I can't wait!

Before I jump right in to my thoughts on Chapter 5 and 6, I have a question for you! Do you use CAFE with your Daily 5 structure? Does it make it easier? What do you like about it? I am not super familiar with CAFE but the more I read this book, the more I want to explore it. 

Chapter 5 really dives into why it is important to give specific and focused instruction when launching Daily 5. I myself am guilty of rushing this step. I find myself doing minimal practice sessions and then rushing to independence before my kids are ready. I definitely place to much emphasis on their prior knowledge from kindergarten and forget that each year is a fresh start. Summer brain is a real thing, but I don't need to tell you that! 

"The tone for the entire year is established during the early weeks of school." (pg. 67)

3 ways to read a book

- Read the pictures

- Read the words

- Retell the story

When I teach this I usually do each one as a separate mini-lesson. I like the idea of combining the first 2 as a time saver, but I worry about the length of that mini-lesson! I would love to see how they squeeze that lesson into 6-7 minutes! 

Foundation Lessons

I absolutely love how the sister's teach their foundation lessons! Esepically the I-PICK Good-Fit Books lesson with the shoes! That is my favorite lesson to teach! It is fun and really gets the concept across! I really appreciated the Appendix I that had all the lesson plans for these lessons! That wild definitely come in handy as I start to plan for the first few weeks of school. I'm not quite that ready for next year yet!

Read to Self Foundation Lessons

- 3 ways to read a book

- I PICKGood-Fit books 

- Choose a successful spot 

Work on Writing Foundation Lessons

- Underline words you don't know how to spell and move on

- Set up a notebook

- Choose what to write about

Read to Someone Foundation Lessons

- Check for understanding

- EEKK

{FREEBIE}

- Voice level

- How partners read

- How to get started

- Coaching or time?

- How to choose a partner

Listen to Reading Foundation Lessons

- Set up technology

- Listen and follow along

- Manage fair and equitable use with a limited number of devices

Word Work Foundation Lessons

- Set up and clean up materials

- Choose materials to use

- Choose a successful spot

** Do you let students choose their spot for word work? I just don't have the space for the so they have to stay at desks… Am I the worst? haha **

In all honesty, I kind of skimmed over Chapter 6. I'm not quite ready to get that in depth about the focused lessons, but I am excited to go back and read it throughly later!

I really liked the idea of the word collectors wall! In my class we use personal dictionaries that we add these tricky/robust words to throughout the year, but I like the idea of having it in a common place as well. I will definitely be using that. My new placement doesn't order personal dictionaries. I suppose I'll have to make my own this year! Just one more thing to add to TPT!

I can't wait to read all your thoughts on these 2 chapters and to see all the amazing resources you're posting! I have to be honest, looking at all the resources you guys have created makes me feel like I am slacking! It is intimidating!

I definitely still have a LOT to learn about this whole blogging/TPT business! You all inspire me so much! I hope one day I can live up!

Nursing Party, Car Shopping, PYP Training and Lip Sync Battles OH MY!

Boy oh boy was this week crazy! I am so happy to finally have some time to blog (and breathe)! I have so much to share, hence that ridiculously long title!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending my best friends graduation from nursing school! I have known this girl since we were 12 and I am so proud of everything she has accomplished! Many of you may have seen the photos all over Instagram from the party I helped throw for her, well spoiler alert, you're going to see more! 

I had so much fun planning this party! I swear, if I wasn't a teacher I would probably be a party planner. I love it! It's such a great opportunity to get my craft on! 

The first thing that I made was a 3-piece canvas set. I wanted something that was simple, fit the theme and that she could keep even after the party was over! I had my husband cut me some vinyl stickers for the letters, since no one wants to see my man-writing. The rest was easy! Being married to a decal sticker owner has it's perks ;)

I used one of the canvas' for the guest book! I had a variety of fun bandaids and colored pens (my grading pens). Guests placed a bandaid on the canvas and wrote words of encouragement next to it! I didn't take a picture of the final product, but I am asking her to take one and send it to me! 

The hit of the party was these bad boys! I found these syringes on eBay and made Jell-O shots out of them. I used the red to look like blood (obviously haha) and then made some with alcohol and some without. I labeled them +/- as if they were blood types. Get it!? I amuse myself sometimes…

Here's the recipe I used:

Ingredients:

3 ounces Strawberry Banana Jell-O

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup Whipped Cream Vodka

1/2 cup cold water

Preparation:

1. Pour Jell-O in bowl 

2. Add boiling water, stirring until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

3. Stir in chilled liquor and water mix

4. Fill syringes

5. Refrigerate until the liquid sets

6. Serve!

These little cups are filled with Mike and Ikes and Jelly Bellys!

I used marshmallows for the "cotton balls".

 All in all, I was super happy with how it all turned out! You can get the labels {here}!

Now for the not so fun part of my week…This week was largely dedicated to car shopping. I can't tell you how much research and time was wasted during this process. We had so many bad experiences!

The first place we went to (and wasted 3 hours of our life at) we had your stereotypical "sleazy" car salesman. They were the worst! We went in to see a specific car from their online inventory and when we got there, they said that car didn't really exist. It was a "phantom car" and that the car was actually $6000 more. They also kept manipulating the numbers and trying to manipulate us. So we stormed out of place #1. 

The next place we went to was just down right rude and unprofessional. We told them exactly what we wanted from the first moment. The exact car, the exact price, the monthly payments, everything. Like I said, we did a lot of research! We got to the financing phase and they tried to trick us by going over what we wanted to pay. So we left place #2. When we left, the salesman literally chased us out to the car and proceeded to yell at us for "wasting his time". He yelled at us until we were out of the parking lot. 

And finally, after being burned so many times (those 2 places were just the worst of the worst) we decided no more going in to places until we had to. We called around and found the place we wanted with the car we wanted. I did all the BS over the phone and just went in to sign papers. It was a wonderful experience, minus the fact that it took 4 hours… and that is JUST for paperwork. I almost died. 

But it is finally done! We have a new 2014 Ford Focus in candy blue metallic. It looks plain blue in the photo, but it's more of a turquoise in daylight! It's the first brand new car either of us have bought! 

 I love it! But mostly I am just glad this process is over!

I also had PYP training this week. Do any of you do PYP? I really don't understand why PYP is necessary. It just seems like more paperwork and hassle. So I would love any thoughts/input/tips you have on this. I spent 6 1/2 hours this week planning with my team and I still feel lost! And my brain hurts.

Lastly, this weekend was my parents 16th wedding anniversary! So they could have some time to celebrate, my husband and I had my 2 younger sisters and younger cousin over for a sleep over. We had so much fun! We ordered pizza, watched Space Jam and then decided to have a lip sync battle! 

If you have never seen the Jimmy Fallon lip sync battle videos, you totally should. They are hilarious! And ours definitely didn't disappoint. Each person picked 2 songs to lip sync/perform and no one knows your song ahead of time. The best part was that people got really into it and picked songs that you totally wouldn't expect. 

I chose Lonely Island - I'm on a Boat

My husband chose Michael Jackson - Billy Jean

My sister (15yrs) chose Eminem - Kill You

My other sister (12yrs) chose a song about video games that I didn't know

and the winner, my 15 yr old cousin chose some screamo song that took everyone by surprise! 

I would post videos, but I don't have them yet, and also they may have ben a tad inappropriate. Oops!  :) 

Ten Things I Want to do This Summer!

Well, it's the first week of summer and so far it hasn't seemed much like summer! Not only has it been cold and raining (Yay Oregon!) but I had PD all, and I mean all, day on Monday. Today was spent car shopping, grocery shopping and helping my husband with orders. 

I should clarify, my husband owns 2 businesses so I work for him part time year round. I help him with all the orders. I won't bore you with the details, but it is super super tedious work. I am happy to help, but it just means I don't really get time off for the summer. 

This is how I get all of the decals that I use in my classroom. People keep asking me about that, I will post about it soon I promise! 

(Stickerslug.com is currently down for maintenance but he also has a store front on Amazon (click above), eBay and Etsy).

This is where he takes his designs and turns them into t-shirts! This one is brand new so there are still some kinks to work out! 

{Click the images above to go check him out!} 

Anyways, tomorrow I have another PD, Thursday a Dr. appointment and Friday I have to go to court to *hopefully* get my ticket waived from the accident.  I swear someday this summer I will actually just relax and do fun things! 

In the spirit of that I thought it was about time to link up with Deanna over at Mrs. Jump's Class for my Top Ten Things I Want to Do This Summer!

1. I plan to spend as much time as humanly possible outside soaking up the sun. Laying by the pool, going to the beach, berry picking, hiking. I don't care as long as it's outside! That is, if the sun ever decides to grace me with it's presence. 

2. I have been DYING to go to Tree-to-Tree. It is an outdoor, aerial obstacle course through the trees! They have bridges, tight ropes, balance beams and zip lines. Now if only I could get my husband on board! 

3. My husband and I are hoping to plan a trip to NY to visit one of our close friends who recently moved there to do some trading. I've always wanted to go and now we have the perfect excuse! I also really want to go visit Carlo's Bakery and see Buddy ;)

4. I would love to finally get pregnant this summer. *Fingers crossed*

5. I am so not on the "good tv" bandwagon. I only just recently watched Game of Thrones. Now that that is over (until April 2015…I'm already having withdrawal) my husband and I are going to binge watch Breaking Bad. He has seen the first 2 seasons but I haven't seen any of it. Maybe that will hold me over until GoT comes back. Maybe. 

6. I hope to finally finish our backyard! We got the hose fixed so now we just have to start over with the grass planting. Urg. But hopefully it will turn out like this. 

(I am posting this photo because a photo of my real backyard would just be embarrassing for everyone).

7. I plan to eat a whole lot of crepes. A few summers ago a couple of girl friends and I took a trip to Vegas and eating crepes kind of became a thing. Now that fresh berries are in season it is the perfect time to indulge again! 

8. Which brings me to the next one: Take a girls weekend. This year has been a whirlwind for all of us with a lot of ups and downs. We thought a girls trip was in order. Although we can't go to Vegas this year (which is a bummer because the TPT conference is there) we are thinking possibly San Fransisco!

And I guess I'll throw in a few educational ones.

9. I need to fill out my TPT store now that I finally have the time to get my already created products up and also create some new ones! I am pretty excited! I have a billion things "in progress" that I can't wait to get up and share! 

10. And lastly, I need to revamp my classroom library. I always plan to and then give up because I can't figure out what categories to separate into! So if you have any tips/ideas I would greatly appreciate it! I think an IKEA trip is in order to get some tubs (and other classroom organization pieces) first! I am not going to post a photo of the current state of my library because, well, embarrassing again. 

I also plan to get back into my freezer cooking and start running outside to rehab my knee for the Color Run in September. And spend a lot of time with family! 

What about you? Have you already linked up your summer plans!? I would love to hear what all of your fun (non-educational) plans are for the summer! :)

Daily 5 Book Study {Chapters 3&4}

Hey guys! It's my first weekend of summer and it has already been jammed packed with fun! The only downfall is this nasty weather we have been having. I want the sun back! 

 I went to the scholastic book fair this morning for the first time. I had heard mixed reviews about the book fair, but I am pleased to announce it was wonderful! I found so many books for my classroom library. Unfortunately, I had a hard time finding the books that were on my list but I did get plenty of good fit books! I also got a pretty sweet pointer with glitter! I love me some glitter. 

I also had the pleasure of attending my best friends pinning ceremony this afternoon. This beautiful, strong and genuine woman is going to make an incredible nurse! I am so proud of her! 

(I particularly like her mother photobombing this photo)

Tomorrow I have her graduation party and father's day! Oh, and did I mention I'm planning her party? I love party planning. Pictures to come :) 

While I am taking a break from all the fun of this weekend (and binge watching Will and Grace) I wanted to share my thoughts on chapters 3&4 of The Daily 5 (Second Edition). These chapters went by much faster for me! I'm not going to lie, it got me super excited for the next school year! Is that weird!?

I started by making these Daily 5 posters! You can get them {here} or by clicking any image below!

        

        

Chapter 3 talked about the 10 steps to teaching and learning independence. Independece is a huge component of what makes Daily 5 so successful! Reading these steps was a great refresher and gave me a lot of ideas on how to better instill a sense of urgency in my students!

The 10 steps:

1. Identify what is to be taught

2. Set a purpose & Create a sense of urgency

3. Record desired behavior on I-chart

4. Model most desired behaviors

5. Model least desired behaviors & then most desirable again

6. Place students around the room

7. Practice and build stamina

8. Stay out of the way

9. Use quiet signal to bring students back to gathering space

10. Conduct group check-in

My thoughts:

 * It important was to focus on the positive and not the negative when choosing desired behaviors for the I-charts. For example, stating what you want them to do (ex. read quietly) vs what you don't want them to do (ex. don't talk).

* I have gone back and forth with this concept of modeling the least desired behaviors. I worry that by doing so, you are giving those off tasks students ideas on how to do things incorrectly. Not only that, you are providing them a platform to get positive rewards (laughter) for their off task behavior. I don't know. That's just how I feel. Do you think it is a good idea? 

* It is important to ask: If ______ continues to do these things will he/she become a better reader? after each modeling. I definitely didn't do this with any consistency.

* I need to make a fancy stamina chart! Summer bucket list :)

* I need to remember to do whole group check-ins for students to self-reflect after each Daily 5 round. Do you have any tricks for keeping students from looking around at others responses? I mean, I tell them that it's personal, and everyone is in a different place, blah blah blah, but I swear I'm like the teacher in Charlie Brown when I say these things because they still look around at their friends replies. 

* I am still a little confused by the term 'barometer students'. Haaayyyulp.

One of the things that I love about the Daily 5 is that so little is required to start out! 

Here's what you need:

- Quiet signal --> I need a new one. I used to have this cute bird that chirped, but it died and I haven't been able to find another one. :(

- char rack or interactive whiteboard

- book boxes

- a gathering place (and focused lessons)

- I-charts

- classroom design

I would personally add that you also need word work activities for students to engage in! Here are some fun ideas that I have been considering incorporating next year!

This week I linked up over at Sharing Kindergarten because I still haven't figured out this particular link up. Be sure to head on over there and check out some other responses to these chapters! If you happen to know how this particular one works please let me know! 

Five For Friday {And Some Good News!}

A HUGE sigh of relief as this week comes to an end. I thought it was never going to happen.

Many of you know that this week wasn't the greatest for me. From my job placement still being up in the air, to getting into a car accident on Tuesday and then finding out my fertility treatment failed (again). But it looks like things are finally (!) turning around and just in time for Five for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching! So here it goes!

So on Tuesday, I got into a car accident. My first one. I had never even been pulled over in my life. Needless to say I was a little rattled! Some guy decided last minute to turn off of a busy street across 2 lanes of oncoming traffic without any warning. He slammed on his brakes, the car in front of me slammed on there's and swerved out of the way. I slammed on mine, but was not as fortunate. My car went right into the back of a big truck. Luckily, no one was hurt, but as you can tell my car is totaled. A cost we were not expecting. 

To add insult to injury, the guy who started this whole mess drove away. The other person in the accident called the police (even though it wasn't necessary since no one was hurt). Since the police had to come out, they are required by law to issue a ticket. Guess who was the lucky one!? 

On a much happier note: PRETTY LITTLE LIARS is back. Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited!? I am obsessed. Mostly because of Ezra *don't tell my husband* I am so glad it is back, I think I was actually having withdrawals! It is definitely my guilty pleasure! 

I am already patiently waiting for next week!

Today was our last day of school! Well, last day for teachers, yesterday was the last day with students. It was bitter sweet! I'm sure going to miss those kiddos! 

Also, I must say it was so much easier to pack up/clean up this year! All we had to do was stack chairs and remove things from the windows/window seal. 

Last year was intense. EVERYTHING had to be removed from walls and bulletins, EVERYTHING had to be packed into boxes and EVERYTHING had to be moved (by ourselves) onto the linoleum. 

Thankfully I didn't have to do that! Although I still could use a massage :)

I finally found out my placement for next year! I got the call as I was loading my car! I am so excited. It is such a huge relief!

I will be 1st grade still too which is even better! 

To celebrate my new job I bought my very first Erin Condren planner! I have been drooling over these bad boys for years now and have never purchased one because my job stuff has been so crazy the last 3 years! Now that things are settled an EC planner is long overdue. 

It should be here by the end of June. I am already counting down the days!

Well, I'm off to a fabulous date night with my husband! We are going to celebrate the good news. After this week, we really need it! If you follow me on Instagram, be prepared to see lots of date night food posts ;)

Tomorrow I will be linking up with everyone over at Freebilicious for the Daily 5 (Second Edition) book study: Chapters 3&4. It will also include a freebie!

Have a fabulous weekend!