SUPER Sale Weekend!

Just wanted to write a quick post to let you all know I'm saving a SUPER Sale this weekend on both TeachersPayTeachers and Teacher's Notebook! My entire store will be 20% off and, if you shop at Teacher's Notebook, you can get an additional 10% off everything with the Promo Code sb2015. The sales are running from 1/31-2/2 so clear out those wishlists and do some shopping!

Have a SUPER weekend!

Novel Units Galore!

Since my elementary students have been spending the past few weeks on assessments (AIMSWeb and NWEA), my classroom has been pretty quiet. In my downtime between testing, I've been working on another of my novel units per customer request.

Novels units are one of my favorite products to create. I've created them for years, prior to posting them on Teachers Pay Teachers. I knew what I wanted for my students, and I just couldn't find it anywhere out there. When completing literature circles or read alouds, I think it's important to devote most of the time to actual reading, but it's also important to review key concepts and work on comprehension skills and vocabulary. So, in my novel units, I always pull vocabulary words and use them in context to help students hone that strategy. Then, I use a combination of short-answer and multiple choice questions to focus on comprehension. My favorite part of each chapter is, of course, the chapter activity. I try to keep these fun, interactive, and educational. These activities push my students to think a little more about the reading, to make connections to the reading and the world around them, and to have a little fun. So many of the novel units I've found out there look great and work on thoughtful and important concepts, but they are so time-consuming. I want something that's a quick review, so we can get on to the rest of the story.

I know I should probably spend more time discussing and talking about the story, but I've found that if I've chosen a good chapter book, my students are excited to read. They don't want to stop to do the questions because they want to know what's going to happen next. They don't want me to stop reading...they want MORE! So, I use my novel units to work on key reading strategies, but I bring the love of reading to my students with my read alouds and literature circles.

So, with that said, I'll post a link to some of my most popular novel units. Maybe you'll find something that works for both you and your students. Bring them the love the reading!

Have a terrific week!

Classroom Scrabble! An Interactive Way to Manipulate and Learn Words and A GIVEAWAY!!

In the days leading up to Christmas break, I've been playing Classroom Scrabble with my 7th and 8th graders as they finish their work. Being a Title I teacher, I have 7th and 8th graders during their study hall time. I was looking for a way to keep them entertained after they finish their work during this time, but I wanted the entertainment to be educational. So, I created a bulletin board sized Scrabble game!

The students play against me and they LOVE it! Now, this works out great because it's all of the students against me, the teacher. So, no matter what study hall it is, if there is one person done with his or her work, that person can play a word; if it's more than one student, they can work together to play words. We've had a lot of fun with it, and I can't even count how many games we've played since school started! I think this is a fun, interactive way for my students to work with words, and a bonus: they have to do math to figure out their scores! :)

I just taped the board on top of my current whiteboard, then I printed the letters on magnetic paper, but there's a number of different ways to print and use this product. If you think this is something you can use, especially now as Christmas break nears...head on over to my TPT store and check it out:

Would you like to win a copy of my Classroom Scrabble? Just enter using the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy your break! :)

A Tool to Use When Classifying Quadrilaterals

What is a quadrilateral? 

Can your students easily distinguish between the hierarchy of quadrilaterals based on attributes? If so, I'm JEALOUS!! Every year I've taught math, I have a good majority of students that cannot understand this hierarchy. They think a rectangle looks exactly like the picture above and that's it! But we, as teachers, know that in math, there is a particular definition to describe a rectangle: a quadrilateral (4-sided polygon) with two pairs of parallel sides and four right angles. It's really only natural for students to struggle with this concept, since they've been told for many years that a rectangle is the blue shape you see above.

Well, last year I had an epiphany! Why can't I create a tool to help my students with this concept? There's got to be a way for them to visually assess each quadrilateral. So, I created a "foldable" (I know I'm not supposed to use that word, but what else do you call it?) to walk my students through the classifying process.

This tool works for having students list ALL names that classify the quadrilateral, but it can also work for the most specific name, as that's the last name on the list. Here's how it works: 1. Student determines if the shape is a quadrilateral, 2. Student determines if the shape is a parallelogram or trapezoid. 3. If it qualifies as a parallelogram, the student continues through rectangle, rhombus, and, finally, square. 4. Student stops writing names when the quadrilateral no longer classifies, according to the description on the flaps.

Here's some pictures of the tool in action:

As you can see, my students are going through each flap to determine the shape's properties, then writing down the specific names as it qualifies. This shape was a square (which is its most specific name), but it also can be named all of the others based on its attributes.

If you find this foldable useful, please download it in my store! There are two versions of this foldable, both included in the one product. You can print out the foldable with the notes already included, or you can bring a blank one with space for the students to write the notes. (I used the pre-printed one because I only have my students for 20 minutes at a time.)
Here's the link:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classifying-Quadrilaterals-Foldable-1374246

Have a Happy Wednesday!

What I'm Thankful For and Cyber Monday Sale!!

Happy Wednesday, All! There is so much to be thankful for, and I hope this holiday/long weekend finds you appreciating all of the goodness in your life as well. I thought I would share some of the things I'm thankful for.

First and foremost, I'm thankful for my family. Even though this picture is old, it is a great picture of the most loved ones in my life. (Except we are missing my sweet little niece, Emmie Joy.) My family is incredibly special to me. I would not live in this cold tundra of North Dakota if it weren't for my family. They bring me so much joy, love, and support. One of my favorite titles is "Auntie," alongside "Mommy." The best part of the holiday season is time with all of these wonderful people, as well as my extended family.

I'm also incredibly appreciative of my wonderful friends, both near and far, I'm thankful for this new position in education, as I find myself less stressed, but feeling more creative and more connected to the small groups of kiddos I work with each day. I'm thankful for my health, as well as my family's, and I continue to pray for this wellness. I am also very thankful for the new church family I have found over the last year, and the peace I feel each week as the kids and I attend worship services each Sunday.

I could go on and on about all of the things/people/places I'm thankful for, but I'll end this post with a final piece of gratitude. I'm thankful for the Internet, which gives me the opportunity to write this post, whether or not anyone reads it. It also gives me the chance to sell the products I continually create to use in my own classroom. With that said, I'm sure you've heard of the TPT sale going on for Cyber Monday! My entire store will be an additional 20% off, and by using the following code, you can get an even bigger discount too!! I hope you find something to help you in the coming weeks, especially with the Christmas holiday right around the corner!

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a relaxing and enjoyable break from work. Take care!

Using Kahoot! to Review for Tests

Have you ever used Kahoot? This FREE website can be used with computers, cell phones, iPads, or iPods, so it's very versatile, even if your school doesn't have 1:1 technology. You must have an interactive whiteboard or a projector in order to use it, however. First of all, go to getkahoot.com and create your free account. This is where you will create all of your Kahoots. You can make quizzes (this is what I use all the time), do a quick poll, or create a survey.

This site is SUPER easy to use! You just type in your questions, add a photo or graphic (if you choose), put in the answer options, select your correct answer, and go on to the next question. Once you're finished, there are a few additional options to choose  from if you'd like. You can rearrange your questions too. Then, you're good to go! 

Working with Title I students, I'm always looking for fun ways to review for tests, and this website does just that. But, you don't have to only do it in small groups! I've done it with my 5th graders as a whole class, and it's a ton of fun! Everyone loves playing games to review for tests, and this site also puts a little competition in the mix. The student who answers correctly with the fastest time gets the most points assigned for that question. After each round, the points for the top students are displayed, but students can also see where they stand from their device too.

When you are ready to project your Kahoot, you will click on it in your account and launch it. Then, the website address and game pin will project on your screen. This is what students will use to sign in. 

Once everyone has logged in, you are ready to start! The questions and answers will  be displayed on your screen, but students will only see the color of each answer and the shape that corresponds:

They will click on what they think the correct answer it, everyone will finish, and the correct answer will be displayed on your screen. It's incredibly engaging, and it allows time for teachers to review the correct answer because you click "next" whenever you're ready!

This is just one of the ways I review for tests/quizzes in my room. I hope it's useful to you in yours!!

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