Special Visitors...Planned and Unplanned!!

What a day!   I had an observation planned with my peer evaluator - my district has adopted a new Robert Marzano evaluation system and all teachers who have taught for less than 3 years have a peer evaluator from the district observe them several times a year.  He had just walked in and I was getting ready to start my lesson on common and proper nouns when the door opened.  Who walked in, but our principal ready to do his own observation (unplanned observations from administration are yet another part of our new evaluation system).  For a split second I panicked - especially when the principal sat down at my messy desk!  But I resisted the urge to run over and clear it off for him.  I kept my cool, smiled and started talking about nouns.  My class was fantastic - I think they were a little concerned as to why we had two visitors but it definitely helped their self control!  I introduced Common Cate and Proper Penelope and drew pictures of each.  We talked about the difference between the words common and proper and related the differences to nouns.  Then we made a list of all the common and proper nouns we could think of.  After my lesson, the class practiced using the Christmas themed common and proper noun sort I had made.  As our principal was leaving, he complimented the class by telling them they work like second graders - which is the highest form of praise you could give my class!  They just love to be considered as smart as second graders!

We had another special visitor today!

Can you see him peeking out over the top of the tree??? 

 

Our elf finally made his appearance - a day after I planned but better late than never.  I found my elf at Michael's a few years ago.  I started using him when I taught preschool.  I do my own little version of the elf on the shelf - the elf moves every night and we use him for writing prompts and other activities but I don't have the book or the movie. 

The kids came in this morning and found red and green footprints on their desks and a note from Santa in the rocking chair.  Of course they didn't know it was from Santa.  It was folded and when I went to sit down for the morning meeting I asked who put a note in my chair.   Everyone glanced around, trying to find the culprit who didn't follow Miss Watters' directions.  I asked where we put notes in the morning.  "In the basket on your desk" eighteen little friends recited (we've gone over this A LOT).  I looked sad and sighed - like I couldn't believe after 71 days of school someone still wasn't following directions.  Then I picked it up and gasped.  (I'm pretty sure the parent volunteer who helps on Tuesday mornings thought something was seriously wrong - I'm telling you I missed my calling as an actress on a soap opera!)  I shared the note from Santa.  He explained that he sent an elf to keep an eye on us and he hoped everyone would make good choices. Santa also mentioned that he was worried anyone who had to move their boat from Smooth Sailing to Stormy Seas might end up on the naughty list.  Santa was really looking out for me, making sure everyone knew how important it was to do their homework and use kind words! :)

The elf also left us a gift under our palm tree.   

You can imagine the confusion when everyone realized it was a worksheet.  What??  Santa sent us work??? They simply could not believe it.  But they LOVED it!  This is an awesome freebie from Kelley over at Teacher Idea Factory.  It's a story about an elf and the kids fill in the blank spaces with adjectives!  (I ran the adjectives on the back in an attempt to be green - I'm not always as green as I could be and I'm trying to get better!)  They had a great time writing their silly elf stories and an even better time sharing them with the class!                     

 

 

 

 

Head on over to Kelley's page to grab your copy of this freebie!  Thanks Kelley!

 



My first Currently!

I am so excited to be linking up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for December's Currently!!  I have loved reading these in the past and they have led me to so many amazing blogs!  I am so happy to finally have a blog of my own to link up with! :)

I had seen the commercials for Scandal during Grey's Anatomy, but never watched it until I was home sick one day.  I found it on Netflix - one episode and I was hooked!  I have the past 3 weeks of episodes on my DVR.  Since I am officially finished with all the grading, printing, laminating, cutting and planning I needed to do this weekend, I am snuggling with the puppy, catching up on Scandal and blog stalking! 

I'm not sure if I mentioned how much I love my dog, but to say I'm obsessed is probably an understatement!  I also love showing all my friends and family how adorable she is by sending out Christmas cards with her picture on them!  I'm thinking it's about time to start on that!

Florida Georgia Line is my absolute favorite band! If you listen to country music you've probably heard their song 'Cruise' on the radio.  If you haven't, you should check them out! Like right now!  I can't wait to buy their first CD on Tuesday!

Does anyone else feel like they are never going to fit in all the fun holiday activities they want to do?  This year I have three whole weeks of school in December, but even with that extra time I feel like I'm not going to get in the fun, crafty holiday activities I love.  This time of year is magical and I don't want it to pass by too fast!

As for Random Acts of Kindness - every year I say I am going to take cookies to work.  But I never seem to get to it.  This year I am ahead of the game! I have all the ingredients I will need to make all my favorite Christmas cookies and I've already made a batch of peanut butter blossoms!  What better was to spread Christmas cheer to my team than with yummy Christmas cookies?!

 

Don't forget to head on over to Farley's blog and link up!

Holly Jolly Christmas Fun! and another Liebster Nomination!

 

I can't believe it's December already!!!   I've been trying to keep my cool because I still have three more weeks before Christmas break - the last three weeks of the second quarter.  We still have a fair share of work to do...but I will definitely be fitting in some fun holiday activities too!!!  Next week we are celebrating Holidays Around the World.  Each first grade teacher has a different country, and the students will rotate through our classes with their passports and suitcases!  I will share pictures next week!

To celebrate Christmas I have been working hard on my Holly Jolly Christmas Fun! Math and Literacy Activities.  I am so excited for my very first TPT product!  You can click on the picture below to check it out!

 

I have really been pushing even and odd numbers in the classroom so I included an even and odd number sort.

 I also included some fact family practice!

 

My common/proper noun freebie is included in this, as well as reindeer ABC order and a Christmas sentence scramble.

 

My evening has been spent laminating and cutting everything out to use on Monday!

 

 

I am also so honored to be nominated for another Liebster Award!  Thank you so much to Brittany from Lovely Literacy and More!  It was so much fun reading about other bloggers and finding more amazing blogs to follow!  The support in the blogging community is overwhelming, and I am so happy to be able to share it with 11 more bloggers! 

 

 

So the rules are:  

1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the question that the nominator set for you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
4. Choose 11 other blogs with under 200 followers to nominate and link them in your post.
5. You cannot "tag back" the other blog, but leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster post so I can learn more about you and see who you nominate.

Here are 11 random things about me:
1. Yellow is my favorite color!
2. I didn't attend the University of Florida, but it was the closest big university to the college I actually attended.  I love to go to Gator games so I became a "Gator by association" and I will cheer for them even when I move out Florida.
3. Notice how I said "when" I move out of Florida.  I have been here for just over 6 years and I love it, but I would like to see what else is out there one day.  Although I don't see myself leaving anytime soon.
4. I have taught at 3 schools in the 3 years that I've been out of college, and I am so thankful for all the changes because it led me to the amazing school I teach out now.  And it taught me to be grateful for my job, even on the most challenging days.
5. I love rainy days when I can lay on my couch and read all day. 
6.The only song I never skip on my ipod (ever - no matter what music mood I'm in) is "Fire on the Mountain" by The Marshall Tucker Band.  I have no idea why I love it so much.
7. I love jewelry and am always buying something new because I just know it will match that shirt/dress/skirt perfectly.  But I keep the same pair of studs in my top hole in my ears and the same necklace on every day.  Never take them off.
8. When I adopted my sweet Sage from the pound, she had heartworm.  The treatment was just over $1000 and I spent another $300 on x-rays and medicines because she was so sick afterwards. But she is perfectly healthy now and she is the best investment I ever made!
9. I would probably eat at Panera everyday if I could!
10. I am always about 4 months behind the curve when it comes to what's "cool" in the music world.  If they don't play it on the country station I've probably never heard it.  By the time I first heard "Call Me Maybe" (in July) the rest of the world was sick of it!
11. I am horrible at teaching students proper pencil grip because I'm left handed.  I can never quite hold the pencil correctly with my right hand to model it for my students. 

Here are my answers to Brittany's questions:
1.  What is your favorite holiday?  I love them all!  Any cause for celebration is alright with me!  But Christmas is probably my favorite because I love snow and visiting my family in New Jersey!  And two weeks off doesn't hurt either!
2.  What type of music do you like to listen to?  Country music is my absolute favorite!
3.  Have you had an embarrassing moment while teaching this year?  I am happy to say that I have not! (Knock on wood!)
4.  Do you have a recipe that you would recommend?  My favorite thing to make is Sicilian Meatloaf.  I got the recipe from a Wise Guy Cookbook written by Henry Hill (Ray Liotta character in GoodFellas).  It has a layer of provolone cheese in the middle, which is my favorite part!
5.  Do you mostly have sweet dreams of nightmares, or do you even remember?  I usually have good dreams and I can remember them when I first wake up, but once I'm out of bed they're gone.  Every once in a while I have a nightmare, and of course those are the ones I remember.  I can still remember one I had as a little girl.
6. Who is a person that had a great impact in your life?  My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Leonard.  I always wanted to be a teacher, but she made school so much fun! I knew I wanted to be just like her!  When she would read our journals she would always write little notes back to us - I loved that so much that I decided I would do the same in my students' journals.  They love it as much as I did!
7. If you could be any Disney character who would you be?  I would be Ariel! But as a mermaid, not a human.  I would love to just swim all day!
8.  What flavor ice cream do you prefer most?  I love Mint Chocolate Chip and Rocky Road the best!
9.  When was the last time you were surprised?  I was pleasantly surprised this week when a struggling reader picked up a leveled reader and read fluently in Guided Reading!  The coolest part was I think he was as surprised as I was!  It was great to see that lightbulb click on!
10.  What can you not leave the house without?  My chapstick.  I would be lost without it.  I actually have one on the nightstand, one on the coffee table, one in my purse, one in my car, one in my desk at work....the list goes on!
11. If you could go anywhere, where you would you go?  I have always wanted to go out west to the Dakotas, Montana or Wyoming.  All the pictures I have seen always look so beautiful!

The blogs I'm nominating are:
1.  Closing the Gap
2.  The (mis)Adventures of First Grade
3.  You Might Be a First Grader...
4. First Grade Magic
5. Polka Dot Firsties
6. Crazy About First
7. First Grade Follies
8. The Happy Teacher
9. Miss Whimsy
10. Mara and Lauren
11. Kinderfriends

And here are my 11 questions for you!
1. What made you decide to start blogging?
2. What was your first job?
3. How did you meet your oldest friend?
4. Was there a defining moment in your life when you knew you were meant to teach?
5. What is your favorite dish to cook?
6. Do you live near your hometown?
7. What is your favorite book to read to your students?
8. Where would your dream vacation be?
9. What is your favorite Christmas song?
10. Are you a cat or dog person?
11. What is at the top of your bucket list?

I hope you have fun answering the questions and finding new blogs to follow!!!
Don't forget to leave a comment with the URL for your post! :)

First Day Back and TPT Sale!!!

I don't know about you, but my first day back was AMAZING!  I left New Jersey at midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning and was back in Florida around 1 pm yesterday.  I ended up sleeping for most of the afternoon - instead of getting some last minute things ready for work!  But fortunately I was well rested by the time 5:15 am rolled around.  I got to work super early to finish up my newsletter and set up for the day.  Since this was our first big break, I was expecting my class to have forgotten some of the rules and routines.  Attendance was taken, lunch choices were made, morning work was completed - and then we had the best Daily 5 rotation EVER!  Now, let me say, I have a great class this year.  Seriously 18 of the sweetest kids I have ever taught.  But, like most six year olds, they LOVE to talk.  Transitioning between rotations was rough at the beginning, and I honestly thought they were going to have a difficult time today.  Boy, do those kiddos like to prove me wrong!  They found their materials quickly and quietly, and they worked the WHOLE time!!!!  I was so proud!  I just had to snap a few pictures!

 My girls were working on their Contraction Surgery Book - an awesome activity I purchased from Christie over at First Grade Fever.  Check it out here (it's on sale right now!!!)

 This little boy would read all day if I let him!  I love it!!!

 

I'm sure by now you have read all about the awesome sale going on over at TPT. You can save up to 28 percent if you use the promo code CMT12. I am loving my purchases! I have had my eye on these Daily Language and Daily Math Sets from Turnstall's Teaching Tidbits.  I can't wait to start giving these out as morning work!

    

    

 I also purchased some adorable fonts from Mrs. Stanford!

 

 And to help my kiddos get into the Christmas spirit (HA yeah right - like they really need help there!) I purchased these amazing Christmas math tub activities from Cara Carroll over at The First Grade Parade! 

 

If you haven't already, head on over to TPT to check out all the amazing sales that are going on today and tomorrow!   I'm off to print and laminate while I watch Amanda Brown kick some serious behind on The Voice!

    

Liebster Award

I was so excited to see that Michelle from Miss King's Enchanted Kingdom nominated me for the Liebster Award!  The Liebster Award is awarded by bloggers to new bloggers with less than 200 followers.  This is such a fun way to see what new blogs are out there, and I am so grateful to be a part of this wonderful world of blogging!

The rules are:
1.  You must post 11 random things about yourself.
2.  Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.
3.  Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
4.  Choose 11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers to nominate and link them in your post.
5.  You cannot "tag back" the other blog, but leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster post so I can learn more about you & see who you nominate.

11 random facts about me:
1.  I can't remember a time that I didn't want to be a teacher.  I honestly have no idea what I would do if I didn't teach.
2.  I taught pre-school all through college.  It was the perfect job for me!  I couldn't see myself working retail or in a restaurant.
3.  I spent this past summer working at a foreign exchange summer camp.  It was a wonderful and crazy experience.  There were 120 students, ages 14-18, from France, Italy, Spain and Norway!
4.  My first year teaching was in a Catholic School and I miss teaching religion.
5.  I love country music.  I rarely listen to anything else.  If I could I would spend my entire paycheck going to see my favorite country singers in concert!
6.  I have three best friends.  One is in the Navy, stationed in Chicago.  One is in the Peace Corps and living in Guatemala.  One is teaching English in Beijing.  Needless to say, I don't see any of them as often as I would like, but when I do it's like no time has passed at all!
7.  I think the most important quality a person can have is respect.  I work very hard to ensure that my students are respectful, both in and out of my classroom.  It drives me crazy when I see other students or children in public who are disrespectful.
8.  Gone with the Wind is my all-time favorite book and movie.
9.  I went on a student ambassador trip to France, Italy and Greece the summer before my senior year in high school.  I meet one of my best friends on that trip.
10.  I love Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place.  You are pretty much guaranteed to find one of them in my DVD player at any given time.
11.  I have always wanted to visit Wyoming and South Dakota.  One day...

Here are the 11 questions Miss King asked:
1. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?  Nashville.  I love that it is a city with so much to do, but it still has a small town feel!
2.  What is the one thing in your classroom you can't live without?  My Scotch laminator.  I love it so much that I cart it to and from school - not every day but definitely a few times a week!  I even brought it to New Jersey for Thanksgiving!
3.  What is your favorite food?  I love anything raspberry - and if there is chocolate involved too I am in heaven!
4.  What is your favorite holiday and why?  It's hard to pick a favorite - I love all celebrations! But my favorite is probably Christmas.  I especially love Christmas Eve.  We get dressed up and go to Christmas Eve Mass.  Afterwards, we go over to my aunt and uncle's for a big Christmas party.  They live in a small town where Santa comes around on a fire engine to give presents to the kids.  There's always amazing food and lots of fun memories!
5.  What was your first car?   My first car was a black Chevy Cavalier that I bought a few days before I took my driver's test.
6.  What do you like to do in your free time?  I love reading - especially at the beach or pool!  I also love listening to live music, trying new recipes and visiting new places!
7.  When did you start blogging?  I have spent much of the past year looking at all the amazing ideas other teachers have posted, but I just started my own blog about three weeks ago!
8.  Have you always taught the grade you teach now?  I taught first grade my first year teaching, but I desperately wanted to be back in Kindergarten (the grade I interned in).  I spent a year as an associate teacher in a Kindergarten class before moving back to first grade in a new school this year.  At first I was a little disappointed to be leave Kindergarten, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I actually LOVE first grade.  I don't know if it's my students, my school or my amazing first grade team, but I am so happy with where I ended up!
9.  Do you prefer books on electronics (ipads/nooks/kindles) or reading a real book?  I love my Kindle, but there is nothing like holding a real book in your hands!  I also love being about ot add new books to my bookshelves (yes-bookshelves, as in more than one, and all three of them are overflowing)!
10.  Have you ever taught in another state or country than where you teach now?  No, I've been teaching in Florida all three years.  But I would like to teach somewhere else eventually - Nashville maybe!
11.  Who do you most admire?  Rose Kennedy.  I was always intrigued by the Kennedy family, but after reading a biography about Rose in middle school, I was so impressed by the woman who held that family together.  I admire her faith and the grace she had, despite all the tragedy she endured.

The questions for my nominees:
1.  What made you decide to start blogging?
2.  What was your first job?
3.  How did you meet your oldest friend?
4.  Was there a defining moment in your life when you knew you were meant to teach?
5.  What is your favorite dish to cook?
6.  Do you live near your hometown?
7.  What is your favorite book to read to your students?
8.  Where would your dream vacation be?
9.  What is your favorite Christmas song?
10.  Are you a cat or dog person?
11.  What is at the top of your bucket list?

And my nominees are:
1.  Coloring Outside the Lines
2.  The Teacher Garden
3.  Oceans of Fun in Grade 1!
4.  The REAL Teachers of Orange County
5.  First Grade and Fearless
6.  For the love of teaching...
7.  Grade One Fun
8.  Kick Starting Kindergarten
9.  Leading and Reading
10.  Sliding into First
11.  WILD About First Grade

Be sure to leave a link in my comments after you have posted your answer!

Happy Thanksgiving...Now on to Christmas!!!

I am so happy to be blogging from my home sweet home - New Jersey!  On Tuesday morning I decided to make the 14 hour trip home for Thanksgiving!  So after a fun-filled day at work (complete with a turkey scavenger hunt and a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving feast!), I went home, took a cat-nap, loaded Sage in the car, and headed up north!  I am so glad I made the trip!  I love seeing my family, and I absolutely LOVE the weather!!!  No matter how long I live in Florida, I don't think I'll ever get used to celebrating Thanksgiving when it's 70 degrees outside!

I am definitely enjoying my time off, but like most teachers, my mind is still on school!  I've been busy working on my Holly Jolly Christmas Mini-Unit!  I still have a few more activities that I am putting together, but I wanted to share a freebie in the meantime.  On Monday my class will be jumping in to common and proper nouns - I can't wait to let them use this Christmas-themed noun sort during Word Work!  Click here for your copy!

Now I'm off to get some rest so I can head out to the stores for some Black Friday shopping tomorrow!!!

New blog design!!!

All I can say is...WOW!!!  I have to give a huge THANK YOU to Christi Fultz from Ms. Fultz's Corner for my AMAZING new blog design!  I followed Christi's teaching blog, which led me to her blog design webpage Design by Christi.  When I finally decided to start blogging, I thought it would be cute to have my blog match the ocean theme I have in my classroom.  I never dreamed it would look this cute!  If you are looking for a new blog design, I highly recommend you check out Design by Christi!  And be sure to check out her teaching blog for great classroom resources, too!