Oriental Trading Teacher's Wishlist and Giveaway

Back to School can almost feel like Christmas for a teacher!  All of those new supplies and boxes of new supplies!  I definitely felt like it was Christmas when my boxes from Oriental Trading came!

Do you want to take a peek at what was inside?

Tons of math supplies!  Dice have always been a favorite with my students!  I love to use these large dice for whole group activities.

We have already used the Operation Dice for mental math during the first few weeks of class, and the kids LOVED it!  I will be using these in small groups and for games throughout the year as well.  I love that you can easily differentiate by picking which operations the students work with!

I ordered this addition graphing game because my students always could use more practice with coordinate planes, and I loved that this would be hands-on practice.

I am also excited to use the Who Spelled The Beans Games in small groups during Word Work Time.

Oriental Trading has a ton of amazing borders!  No matter what your theme or classroom colors, you are sure to find ones that will fit beautifully!

I used the lime green dots one to pretty up my white boards.  I can't wait to change out my boards throughout the year with the others as well.

Red  Dots on Chalkboard

Doodle & Dots  

Black and White Chevron


The box behind the borders has this Fadeless Weathered Wood Paper Roll that I had planned on using on a bulletin board, but unfortunately some carpeting delays left us with only a few days to get our classrooms together.  This is on my later list right now.

Did you know that you can start your own Teacher's Wishlist at Oriental Trading?  You can share it with students' families or pull it out when you are gifted with unexpected school funds to spend.  Last year I was given an Oriental Trading Gift Card from a parent at Christmas time and it was such a blessing!  

I have shared my own wishlist with you in case you need some inspiration.  You can find it here.  I would also LOVE to see your wish lists!  You can never have too much teaching stuff!  Right?!

And... you can get a head start on turning that wish-list into a have it list because some of my blogging friends and I are giving away a $25 Oriental Trading Gift Card!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Oriental Trading Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by:  Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher), 

Co-hosts:  An Apple for the Teacher, Kovescence of the Mind, MM Bilingual, Exceptional Thinkers, Lindsey's Classroom Creations, It's a Teacher Thing,

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 9/8/16 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was given the products above at no cost to me from Oriental Trading to facilitate this review.  However, all opinions and thoughts are mine.

An Apple for the Teacher $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway Aug 26, 2016

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher), 

Co-hosts:   An Apple for the Teacher, The Chocolate Teacher, Mickey's Place, Lindsay Marcaccio, Teaching Biilfizzcend, The Creative Social Worker, Brynn's Teacher Bag, and DLT's Teaching Resources.

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 9/2/16 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reading Strategies Goal 10: Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction - Text Features

Welcome to our book study of The Reading Strategies Book:  Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers by Jennifer Serravallo! I am joining forces with some other fabulous teacher bloggers to discuss the reading strategies we come across in this AMAZING professional text!  If you missed my first post about this book study, you can find it here, along with a suggested way to set up your book for easy reference.

You can also find my thoughts and ideas on other goals in this book below:

You can also find my thoughts and ideas on other goals in this book below:

Goal 1: Supporting Pre-Emergent and Emergent Readers   
Goal 2: Reading Engagement   
Goal 3: Supporting Print Work  
Goal 4:  Fluency
Goal 5:   Supporting Comprehension in Fiction Main Idea and Plot
Goal 6:  Supporting Comprehension in Fiction Characters
Goal 7:  Supporting Comprehension in Fiction Theme  
Goal 8: Supporting Comprehension in Non-Fiction - Main Idea  
Goal 9: Supporting Comprehension in Non-Fiction - Key Details

This week, my friend, Kristin Muse from Samson's Shoppe is writing a guest post for me. 

 Here are her thoughts:

Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction

Getting the Most from Text Features

This goal is important to young readers because text features are a big part of reading nonfiction text. Text features help students to read, navigate and understand what they are reading. Text features help to support the main idea of the text by including relevant information, adding to the ideas or helping students navigate through the reading. There are numerous types of text features; graphs, illustrations, diagrams, charts, maps, photographs just to name a few. Many teachers already understand the importance of text features but studies show that students need to do more than simply identify the feature. Students need to be taught how to use these features to gain more information. Students should be able to identify the feature but more importantly, be able to understand the purpose and function of the text feature.

Determining if This is the Right Goal for Your Students:

Ways to determine if this is the right goal for your students include:

ü        What level are your students reading on?

o   Below level N – text features support the main idea

o   At level O – text features begin to give additional information

o   At level Q – text features become more heavy; they may include their own main ideas and details

o   At level U – readers need to be able to explain how the text feature relates to the main text

ü How to assess?

o   Ask questions when conferencing

o   Stop and jot

o   Respond to questions

o   Look at student writing

o   Listen to student conversations

ü Gauge where your students are from your assessment. Think about their reading level and what they can/cannot do. Is the student

o   Ignoring the text features?

o   Able to identify the text feature?

o   Able to identify and name its purpose?

o   Able to explain what the feature is teaching?

o   Able to make connections between the meaning of the text feature and the text? 

Focus Strategy 1: Cover Up Then Zoom In

 One strategy Serravallo discusses in this chapter is applicable to all levels of readers. Students use a sticky note to cover an image on the page. After reading the text on the page, they think to themselves, “What is this teaching me so far?” After determining their new knowledge, students’ undercover the sticky note and then ask themselves, “What new information am I gaining from this feature?” I like this strategy because it builds upon students’ ability to question and determine importance. 

Focus Strategy 2: Bold Words Signal Importance

This strategy is appropriate for reading levels F-Z+. Students look at the bold word to see if they already know it. If they don’t they try to use context clues to determine the meaning. Once they have a definition they review the sentence again and explain the fact with a new understanding of the word. This strategy helps students to synthesize information and monitor for meaning.  Here is a sample Anchor Chart from Life in 4B

Focus Strategy 3: Why a Visual

This strategy works best with students at reading levels G-Z+. When students encounter a visual, they stop and think, “What information is this visual giving me? Why is it important to the information in this section?” Some prompts that you can give your students to assess this strategy are:

·       What did you learn from the picture?

·       Why did the author choose to put this picture on this page?

·       What can you learn from this?

This book has so much information and is a great read for any teacher, at any stage in your career. Please review the book on your own for many more strategies to use with your readers. 

Remember, we are only picking and choosing some of the strategies to share with you - there are so many more great ones in this section as well as the rest of the book!

If you would like to purchase the book mentioned above, you can find it here.




Other books by this author that I LOVE!





This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love. 

If you would like to link up your own blog posts about this book, feel free to do so in the linky below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Win an HP OfficeJet Pro 6978

One thing about teaching is that you do A LOT of printing!  There is nothing worse than being in the middle of a print job when you run out of ink!  Well, it can be worse if it also happens to be 9:00 PM on a school night!  

Thank goodness for Insta-Ink, this has no longer been a problem for me!  I put the first batch of ink into my printer and they mailed me a new set shortly after.  They keep track of how much ink I use and send me new cartridges before I even know I need them.  In addition, this ink lasts for a really LONG time, so I rarely have to even change it out!

Save up to 50% on Printer Ink Replacement with HP Instant Ink! Receive the 1st Month Free - Sign up Now!

I love the Insta-Ink program so much, that I decided to host a giveaway for an HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 so that you can share in the happiness!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: HP OfficeJet Pro 6978

Giveaway Organized by:  Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher), 

Co-hosts:  An Apple for the Teacher, The Literacy Garden, The Chocolate Teacher, Schoolhouse Treasures, Teaching Ideas For Those Who Love Teaching,Carrie Lutz,Growing Grade by Grade, Mrs Humphries Class, Teacher Gameroom, Julie Davis - Big Ideas For Little Hands,Teaching Superkids, Samson's Shoppe, Third Grade Giggles, Katie Roltgen, Tried and True Teaching Tools, Teach with Hope, Planet Happy Smiles, Debora Marines TeachMagically, Little Smarticle Particles, It's a Teacher Thing and Glistening Gems.

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 9/3/16 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!

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Tieks $40 Gift Card Giveaway

Back to School means back on your feet, and that often means pain and discomfort!  No Bueno!  Tieks are a comfortable and stylish alternative for keeping your feet comfortable during a long day of teaching.  

If you have been wanting to try them out, but were worried about the cost, or you just need a new pair, we have got you covered!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $40 Tieks Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by:  Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)

Co-hosts:  An Apple for the Teacher, Katie Roltgen, Teaching Ideas For Those Who Love Teaching, Teach with Hope, The Literacy Garden, Sliding into 1st, Mrs Humphries Class, Peas In A Pod, and Mrs Irvins Toolbox.

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 8/29/16 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Harry Potter Sorting Ceremony for Back To School and Giveaway!

The first week of school is in the books for me!  I am exhausted, but it was a great week, and I have an amazing group this year!  Today I am sharing how I put my students into table groups this year, and I have a giveaway for you if you stick around until the end!

Since we have a Harry Potter theme in our classroom this year, we used a Sorting Hat Ceremony to put the students into table groups.

I gathered the students to the carpet where I had a giant luggage case similar to the ones that the Hogwarts students brought to school.

Inside the trunk was baggies filled with white play dough.  The kids didn't know it at first, but we had put food coloring in the middle of each ball of play dough.

Each student took their turns wearing the sorting hat.  I took a picture of each one and then they chose one of the bags of play dough.

I LOVE that this one was wearing an owl shirt the first day of school!  Perfect for the theme!

Then they squished the bag of play dough until it changed color revealing their "house placement".  I used the bags because I didn't want them to get the food coloring everywhere!

We have a Slytherin!

And a Gryffindor!

The kids absolutely LOVED this!  AND... bonus... NOT ONE kid complained about being in the groups they were put in.  Usually I have students complain if they don't sit with their friend or if they feel "boy-trapped".  Not one peep this year!  They trusted the Sorting hat's judgement!

They will stay at these tables for one quarter when I will switch it up a bit.  They earn house points for their team just like in the book.

Whether or not you have had your first week back or not, I am sure you could use a $25 Teachers Pay Teachers gift card to help you prepare for the upcoming year!  Thanks to some of my blogging friends, you can win one now!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by:  Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher), 

Co-hosts:  An Apple for the Teacher, The Chocolate Teacher,  A Plus Kids, Amanda Kristofferson, Glistening Gems, and 180 Days of Reading.

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 8/27/16 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reading Strategies Goal 9: Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction - Key Details

Welcome to our book study of The Reading Strategies Book:  Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers by Jennifer Serravallo! I am joining forces with some other fabulous teacher bloggers to discuss the reading strategies we come across in this AMAZING professional text!  If you missed my first post about this book study, you can find it here, along with a suggested way to set up your book for easy reference.

You can also find my thoughts and ideas on other goals in this book below:

Goal 1: Supporting Pre-Emergent and Emergent Readers   
Goal 2: Reading Engagement   
Goal 3: Supporting Print Work  
Goal 4:  Fluency
Goal 5:   Supporting Comprehension in Fiction Main Idea and Plot
Goal 6:  Supporting Comprehension in Fiction Characters
Goal 7:  Supporting Comprehension in Fiction Theme  
Goal 8: Supporting Comprehension in Non-Fiction - Main Idea

This goal focuses on supporting comprehension in non-fiction, specifically in determining key details.  Serravallo points out that "there is a difference between reading for details and reading for key details".  That difference being that a student has the ability to determine importance.

Students who might benefit from this goal are those who:

• can support a main idea with just one detail, but need prompting to list more than one.
• can support main idea with just one portion of the fact
• lists random facts to support details.

Focus Strategy 1: A Spin on KWL

This strategy is a pre-reading strategy and is a take on the traditional KWL method. Like the KWL, this method helps the student to prepare their brain for new information or learning.

You would have the student jot down:

1. What you know for sure.
2. What you think you know.
3. What you wonder.

Focus Strategy 2: Gather Up Facts

This strategy has students to gather up the facts that they learned in a particular book, article, or section of either.  You would tell the student that one way to remember all of the things they learn is to stop often and gather up all that they know.

Some prompts you could use include:

1. What did you learn in this part?
2. List what you remember.
3. That's one fact, let's see if we can list anymore.

Focus Strategy 3: Important VS. Interesting

This strategy asks the reader to consider whether a statement is an important detail that supports the main idea or just an interesting fact.  You would let the student know that in order for a detail to be considered a key detail, it must connect to the main idea that the author is presenting.

Young Teacher Love has a great anchor chart that goes with this strategy.

Life in 4B also has a great lesson that would help you to teach this strategy.

Remember, we are only picking and choosing some of the strategies to share with you - there are so many more great ones in this section as well as the rest of the book!

If you would like to purchase the book mentioned above, you can find it here.



Other books by this author that I LOVE!






This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love. 


Diane from School House Treasures is officially hosting goal 9 over at her blog, so make sure you head over there to see which strategies she chose to share!  While you are there, be sure to leave some comment love!

If you would like to link up your own blog posts about this book, feel free to do so in the linky below!

An InLinkz Link-up