Pinterest Top Picks December Linky

 

To say that I am a tad addicted to Pinterest is a bit of an understatement, so I was excited to link up for this December Pinterest finds blog hop.  Check out my top three pins for December inspiration, then follow along with the other blogs for even more pins!

This first pin is actually a two for one!  I always give presents to my students each year for Christmas, and this year I am loving these adorable mugs!

 

Click to View Original Pinterest Link  

I am thinking of pairing them up with these:

 

Click to View Original Pinterest Link 

 Pin 2

This is one of my favorite Christmas crafts to do with my students.  Super easy!

Click to View Original Pinterest Link 

I absolutely love this idea for helping students to perform acts of kindness!

Click to View Original Pinterest Link  

Check out the blogs below to see what other people are pinning, and link up and share your own pins as well!

An InLinkz Link-up

Currently - December 2014

Where has this year gone??? It is flying by, and already the last month of the year!  Time to link up with Farley for Currently.  If you don't read her blog, (first of all where have you been??) you must because she is so funny - and she keeps it real!  Love her!  I swear her Currently templates get better each time! 

 

Listening: One thing about living in a house full of boys is the fact that I rarely get to pick what we watch on tv, which is probably why I have my internet/blogging addiction - LOL!  So tonight is a wrestling night, so that is what is on.

Loving: I am loving the Cyber Monday sale on TpT!  I may have just purchased a thing or two, or maybe 20!  Too bad my wish list is still miles long!  May have to make a return visit tomorrow after I catch up on some feedback! At least I remembered to use the code this time (I have forgotten a time or two!). TPTCYBER if you didn't know!  Have you purchased anything yet?  I may need to add a few more items to my wish list - I have a serious addiction!

Thinking: Even though December is a short month as far as teaching goes, I feel like we have so much to get done in the next few weeks.  Our power was out this morning which did not help matters much, but, what can you do?

Wanting: I am desperately wanting to feel better so I can get everything done that needs to be done this month.  I started feeling sick Thanksgiving morning and was in full blown yuckiness by the evening.  I even ate dinner in my pjs!  Luckily we just had family over because I was not the best hostess! I should have known it was coming because I had 6 kiddos absent the week before - one of those occupational hazards - Colds and flu!

Needing: It's December - enough said, right?

Giving: I am jumping on Farley's bandwagon with the Random Acts of Christmas Kindness!  I will be giving some in my real world life and some here on the blog.  I have several giveaways I am working on this month and a freebie or two up my sleeve, so stay tuned!  Remember to stop by on the 6th for my monthly TpT gift card giveaway!

Don't forget to head over to Oh' Boy 4th Grade to share what you are Currently up to!  If you don't know how to join a linky, I have a tutorial here.

3,2,1 Sale Linky Party!

In anticipation of the Cyber Monday Sale over at Teachers Pay Teachers, I am linking up with The Apple Basket Teacher for her 3, 2, 1 linky! 


Maybe you will find a few items to add to your own wishlist- I always get great ideas from other bloggers!

Rounding to the Nearest 10 – 32 differentiated task cards from Not So Wimpy Teacher  Task Cards are great for independent, partner, small group, and whole class practice.  In addition, this set is so versatile because of the differentiation built in.

Guided Reading Grade 3 Bundle {Levels M-P} from Jen Bengel This resource has been great for planning small group instruction.  She has given you everything you will need to run a reading group lesson for students reading levels M-P.

 Clock Clip Art To The Minute from Mai Huynh - We have been working on all things time, and this clip art has come in handy for extra practice for my students.

I have literally thousands of items on my Wishlist (I am not exaggerating!), but here are a few newer additions:

Ka- Pow Telling Time Game from Meet Miss Parker As I said earlier, we are working on telling time and elapsed time, and my students can always benefit from extra practice!

Nerds North Pole Bundle from Melonheadz - I am a fan of all things Melonheadz and this clip art is no exception.  Adorable!

The product I am highlighting of my own is currently my best seller, and my students' absolute favorite!  It has been the best way to get my students excited about mastering their math facts!

Multiplication Fact Fluency Program - Kicking It Math

I hope you have found some ideas to add to your wishlist for the sale!  Be sure to link up with Nancy to share your own - I can't wait to read everyone's!  

Also, don't forget to enter to win a $100 Visa Gift Card in our Thanksgiving Leftovers Giveaway!

Thanksgiving Leftovers - Recipes, Sales, and a $100 Giveaway!

Some of my bloggy friends and I have gotten together to share a little Thanksgiving Leftover Love with you!  We are giving away $130 in Visa Gift Cards, sharing some of our fave Thanksgiving leftover recipes and discounting some of our top selling products for one day only!

My Recipe:

This recipe is a great way to re-use some of that extra turkey while still making it go a long way.  With a family of 6 boys we need all of the food we can get!

Turkey Casserole 

Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken broth
  
• 1 cup fresh chopped celery
  
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped onion
  
• 1 cup frozen green peas
  
• 1 1/2 cup plain croutons
  
• 1 1/2 skinless cooked turkey breast, diced
  
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
  
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix together 1 cup chicken broth, celery, and onion in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until veggies are tender. Add diced turkey breast. Add peas, bread cubes, and black pepper. (You could add other seasonings as well if desired)
3. In a bowl, mix together the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth and cream of mushroom soup. Add this to the other ingredients.
4. Spoon mixture into a baking dish sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

I have discounted four of my top selling items from my Teachers Pay Teachers store 20% - for today only!

  

Multiplication Facts Fluency Program - Kicking It Math

 

Addition Facts Fluency program - Kicking It Math

                                                             4th Grade Math Journal 

 

3rd Grade Math Journal

Don't forget to enter to win our giveaway!  Who couldn't use a little more cash around Christmas time???

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanksgiving Special BOGO SALE - Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to wish all of you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you get to spend lots of time with your family, friends, and loved ones!  But... in the case that you catch a little time to sneak on the computer because football just isn't your thing, I am offering a special little deal.

I can't begin to thank you enough for all that you have blessed me with this year!  From your encouraging comments, helpful suggestions, and your all around support - I really appreciate all of you! My classroom and teaching would not be the same without all of you!

I just wanted to say Thank you and offer a token of my appreciation with a Buy One Get One Free Sale to tide you over until the big TpT sale on Monday!

 

Thank you  so much to the ever talented Melonheadz for the adorable clip art!

Classroom Sign Out Sheet for Bathroom and Bathroom Passes Freebie

We have been having some issues in the bathroom at our school lately - students playing in there, making messes, and even breaking stalls!  Good Grief!  Our Vice Principal asked us to keep some classroom sign-out sheets for the bathroom so we might be able to figure out who is and who isn't causing trouble while out and about.  I looked on-line but couldn't find exactly what I wanted, so I made my own. 

I made bathroom passes (one girl and one boy) for the students to keep on their desk and a few that are smaller that could be used to hang on a lanyard for them to take with them.  I really hate the idea of them carrying a pass to the bathroom with all of those germies in there and then bringing them back - YUCK!

They put the pass on their desk when they leave the room (only one boy and one girl is allowed out at one time), and then sign out on the classroom sign out sheet for the bathroom. 

As you can see from the picture below, they were quite excited to use our new system.  I ALWAYS let my students use the bathroom when they ask unless it becomes a major problem because I had one student have an accident when I refused to let him go because it was almost recess and he had just gone 5 minutes before.  I really don't want to deal with that again!

And... being the teacher that I am, and the fact that we are working on elapsed time, I also made up a sheet that allows the students to calculate their time in the bathroom.  I will introduce that to my students next week.  Any excuse to get in some extra practice!

By the end of the week the newness had worn off, and we were back to our regularly scheduled bathroom breaks.  And now, if some naughtiness does happen outside of the classroom at a certain time, I can refer back to the bathroom sign in sheet to see exactly who was roaming the hallways at that time.


In addition to appeasing our VP, I can see some extra benefits to these sign-out sheets:

1. If I notice that a student ALWAYS goes to the bathroom at a certain time of day, it might make me wonder if they are avoiding a certain class activity?  

2. What if a student starts to frequently use the bathroom out of the blue?  This will give me some documentation to show the parents in case their might be a medical issue.



If you would like to give these bathroom passes and restroom sign-out sheets a try, you can download the freebie at my Teachers Pay Teachers store using the link below:

Bathroom Sign-Out Sheet & Passes Freebie

While you are there, be sure to click on the green star to follow my store to be eligible to win a $100 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card each month!  

Measuring Mania

A while back, Bill Nye came to the University I attended and gave a presentation.  One of the things that he said was that we don't measure enough in schools.  I would definitely have to agree.  When I taught 7th grade math, one of the projects we did when we learned about statistical measurement (mean, median, and mode) we did a project called, "Is Mrs. Malloy shorter than the average 7th grader?"  (The answer by the way is yes - I am only 4'11).  It was always a comment, so I turned it into a math project.  Anyway, when we started the measurement process, I was always amazed by how few of them could use a meter stick.

So, determined that my third graders will not have the same challenges, we began a little measurement this week.

We measured some common household items (post-its, dice, a sponge, and a small wooden block).

We measured the length, width, and height (using centimeters like scientists of course).  We also measured the mass in grams using a balance scale and some gram cubes.

We even recorded our data in our science notebooks.

Lots of mathematical discussion!

 

We were even able to discuss fractions and decimals as some students noticed their measurements had a half centimeter involved.  We talked about how just like in AR, .5 or five tenths is equal to 1/2. 

I just found this Bill Nye video with an introduction to the metric system that I will share with them today.

How do you practice measurement in the classroom?