"I Will Always Write Back" - A MUST READ

I know, I know...I've been MIA for quite some time. The end of the school year got rather busy, and I just couldn't find the time to write. Besides, it's not like I have numerous followers just begging for a new blog post! But, here I am again, to share with you a book I just finished that I am planning to read with my 5th & 6th graders next year.

I've started reading a number of different novels for summer break to find something new for my students next year. The thing is, with a combination class where I do read-alouds with the whole group, I've nearly ran out of all of my favorites this past year. Now, I'm on the hunt for some new, wonderful reads to keep my students excited about reading. So...I found this GEM in one of our recent Scholastic book orders. It is a true story, which will keep many of my students engaged, but it almost has a fictional flair to it, because you fall in the love with the characters, and, honestly, you just can't believe it's happening in real life.

The following summary was taken from Goodreads:
The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.

It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but when Caitlin saw Zimbabwe written on the board, it sounded like the most exotic place she had ever heard of--so she chose it. Martin was lucky to even receive a pen pal letter. There were only ten letters, and forty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one. That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.

In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends --and better people--through letters. Their story will inspire readers to look beyond their own lives and wonder about the world at large and their place in it.

I could not put this book down! Now, mind you, I have four boys, ages 9 months - 9 years. I found time to read this baby. And it only took me a few days! So, I'm looking to create a product to go along with this book that I can use with my students next year. I don't want to do a full novel unit with comprehension questions for each chapter. I think I'd like to do something more along the lines of character analysis. Something we can add onto as the story unfolds. What do you, my readers, think? Any suggestions? Have any of you read this book yet? I'd love to hear your thoughts! :) 

More Breakout EDU with Parts of Speech!

I'm back with some more Breakout EDU news. I just created and played my first breakout! I brainstormed various ideas that would help my students review some of the things we were working on in class, and I came up with a parts of speech breakout that I named "Grammar Gurus." Students are working on nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs throughout the game. I also threw in a little coordinate graphing too, even though I don't teach math.

As I was creating the game, I loved how I was challenging myself. My brain was working overtime in the creativity department, but I was using a ton of critical thinking skills, just as my students do when they're solving the breakouts. This was the most fun I've had creating a lesson in a long time. To plan the connections of all of the locks, boxes, clues, puzzles, and so on was very taxing on my brain. But, I got it done and tried it out with my kiddos last week! I wasn't sure if I had made it difficult enough or too difficult and was happy to find out that it was about right. They were on the last clue when time ran out, so I did stump them, but they got stuck on some clues that they found out weren't quite as hard as they were making them out to be.

Anyway, I wanted to share my breakout with you, if you're interested in using it in your classroom. It's also in the shared drive on the Breakout EDU website. So, if you would like to peruse other games, go to www.breakoutedu.com and click on "get started." You'll get access to a variety of game for many different grade levels and subject areas. Here's a PDF of my game, if you'd like to try it out!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_AryyTOXWaHaTZaVHNlZnBNeEE/view?usp=sharing

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Valentine's Day and a GIVEAWAY!

I'm here with a quick post because I finally finished my newest novel unit, "Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Secret Valentine" just in time for Valentine's Day!

My students love Jigsaw Jones books, and this will be no exception! Plus, it's perfect for this time of year! If you're looking to start a new novel with your kiddos for whole-class instruction or literature circles, this is sure to be a hit with your students as well! Can Jigsaw figure out who's sending him secret valentines? Students will work through many of the Common Core Anchor Standards for a variety of grade levels, including figurative language, summarizing, and point of view! This packet includes vocabulary, comprehension questions (both multiple-choice and short-answer), as well as chapter activities!

Also, if you're looking for some fraction practice in math, I've had this Valentine Math product in my store for awhile now. It's great for 4th & 5th grade Common Core standards practice, and kids love it because they get to learn with CANDY! 

What kind of fun Valentine's Day activities do you have planned for your students? I love changing learning up for the holidays; it keeps students interested and, most of the time, they don't even realize they are still learning!! :) 

Would you like to own my newest novel unit? Now's your chance! Just use the Rafflecopter below and you AND your students could be winners! Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Breakout EDU: The Good, The Bad, The INTERACTIVE!! :)

Have you heard of Breakout EDU? If you haven't, it's definitely worth checking out! Our local education coop bought a kit for each school in the area, so I had to see what it was all about. For starters, you need to go to www.breakoutedu.com to get a login to access the games. This program is just getting started, so it seems to me like there a lot of kinks to get worked out. However, there are six games on the website for you to try out once you have a kit. If your school doesn't have a kit, you can purchase one for $99 or you can make your own.

Breakout EDU follows the same idea as an "escape room" or something of that nature. However, instead of students trying to escape the room, they are trying to break into a box. At first I saw this as a team-building exercise or something to help students think creatively and critically. As I've done more research, joined the Facebook community, and so on, I've found that there are ways to tie Breakout EDU into any curriculum. I'm looking forward to making my own Breakouts, and I will DEFINITELY be sharing them on this blog.

Today, I had my students try out the "Candy Caper" Breakout from the website. I found it somewhat difficult to set up, even though there was a video. The written directions and the video didn't really mesh for me. So, as I was setting it up, I was thinking about how I would do my own and the differences I would have in my Breakout. Anyway, my students had a complete blast on this Breakout and solved it a lot quicker than I was expecting. It was fun to see them work together and see the gears turning in their little heads as they were trying to solve the clues.

I took some pictures to go along with our Breakout today.

This is what I found when I opened my box: lots of different locks, a smaller lock box, an invisible ink pen, and a UV flashlight. My brain instantly started thinking about what I could do!

 Here are some pics of my students solving the clues. Of course, they found themselves surrounding my desk, hoping I'd offer some help!

If you've tried Breakout EDU before, have created any of your own games, or have any ideas, please share them in the comments! I'd love to collaborate on this and learn more about it. It's totally right up my alley as it's so interactive, and I saw how much fun my kiddos had today! 

Lastly, there are sales going on at both of my shops: Teacher's Notebook and Teachers Pay Teachers. They are site-wide and store-wide. So, you can save an additional 20% in my store this week!! Check it out, if there's anything you've been looking for or waiting to purchase!

                            

Thanks for all your do for your students each and every day! 

Find something INTERACTIVE and engage them each day!! :)

Encyclopedia Brown - New Product and a SALE!!

Hello Everyone! I've finally added a new product to my store: "Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFOs" Novel Unit!

This is another of my complete novel units, loaded with comprehension questions, vocabulary, and chapter activities. Your students will be sure to love it! With the addition of this new product, I've decided to throw a sale on all of my Encyclopedia Brown novel units. So, if you've been looking for the perfect time to add one of these novel units to your collection, now's that time! The units will be on sale for $4.00 instead of $5.00.

I've been making my own novel units for many years. I enjoy the simplicity of my novel units because the students are still getting comprehension and vocabulary practice, but it does not take up too much time in your day. Also, the chapter activities are completely optional, so you can choose to do them, if time allows, or not. They just add a bit more understanding to the overall story, and students get to do some cross-curricular work as well. I use these novel units frequently in my classroom, and my students always enjoy them. I hope yours will too! Take look around, and I hope you find something that interests you!

Thanks for checking in!! Have a great rest of your week!!

Back to Blogging in 2016!

Hey strangers! I know I've been quite MIA for...hmm...about half a year. There's a reason for that, I promise!

Yep...I've been on this roller coaster of life with one more little guy to enjoy it with. Meet Winten Bernard Gunderson! Isn't he a cutie?! He was born in August, and I was able to stay home with him until the beginning of October. He's a little honey, and we love our little addition SO much!

But, that's only part of the story. I came off of maternity leave to a new teaching position. I am now teaching a 5th & 6th grade combination class in the town I grew up in and currently reside. So, the sweet thing is that I get to walk across the street to work with my three big boys, which is totally awesome. I also only have 5 students, which is pretty amazing. Oh the wonderful hands-on learning that can be done in a small classroom! I'm LOVING it! The only thing I'm not loving is that I don't teach math to my wonderful kiddos, but I get them for every other subject. It's a juggling game and a lot of work, so that's why I've been so MIA lately. I'm hoping to be better in the new year, now that I've finally settled in to my new position as teacher and mommy. Thanks for checking in! I'll be back online soon with some teaching tips and tricks, as well as some new novel units I've been working on. Check back soon!! :)

TPT Back to School Sitewide SALE!

Hello fellow teachers! For those of you who follow my blog, I'm sorry I've been MIA for the entire summer, but this is what I've been up to:

Yep, that's right...I've been cooking up a baby! My fourth boy, to be exact, so I've been rather busy either taking care of my other three or myself. Looking forward to 2 1/2 weeks from now when my little man will enter this world. So, I will be taking my maternity leave at the beginning of the school year, right when I'm supposed to start a new position at a new school. No stress....right!?!?!?! 

With that said, I will attempt to continue to get some blog posts out to you, as well as new products as much as I can. I'm currently working another Encyclopedia Brown novel unit, and you just can't miss the Teachers Pay Teachers Back to School Sitewide Sale! You can get up to 28% savings if you use BTS15 at the checkout. My entire store is on sale, so now's the time to get ready for the upcoming year! Here are a few items you might be interested in:

Reader's Notebook Starter Pack

Classroom Scrabble Bulletin Board

Star Cards - A Behavior Management System

Wishing you all a wonderful beginning to the school year! I hope you find lots of joy in your new students, your new roles, or whatever you may have going on in the coming months! Hopefully, you will be making a difference! :)