Common Core Assessment - Editable!

I'm so excited about this!!! I have had about a million requests for an editable version of my Common Core Assessment, so I finally decided to go ahead and do it! The entire document is editable...the text can be changed and the order of the items can be rearranged. It's completely customizable! I have included assessments for each of the kindergarten common core standards in language arts and math as well as recording pages for writing samples, sight words, alphabet and numeral writing, etc. I also added a neat little checklist at the end of the file so you can record your students' grades in one convenient place. Head to my store to check it out!

Cyber Monday Sale!

I can't wait for the BIG sale tomorrow! I have about 100 things on my wish list that I want to buy! What are you all planning to buy for your classrooms this week? 

Just a little reminder...everything in my store will be 28% off on Monday and Tuesday with the code CYBER. The best thing about shopping online is that nobody is going to trample you to snag that fabulous deal! Plus, you can shop in your PJs! Have fun shopping!!!!

Exciting news...a giveaway!!!

I have some exciting news! Lori from The Kindergarten Pod is hosting a giveaway to celebrate 100 followers on her blog! Congrats to Lori...she is so awesome! I'm so thankful that she invited me to participate in this great giveaway! And would you believe this is my first giveaway, too? Now that I know how it works, you might see me doing some more giveaways in the near future!

You REALLY don't want to miss this!!! Some of the top bloggers have joined in to offer 8 AMAZING prizes to the lucky winner! Head over to Lori's blog to enter! And don't forget to follow :)

I hope you all have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Math & Literacy Centers + FREEBIES!

Gobble gobble! Thanksgiving is coming soon! What are you thankful for? I'm so thankful for my family first of all. I'm also grateful for all my followers and the support you've given me. When I started this blog, I never imagined what a success it would become! I can't say it enough - thank you!!! And a great big thank you to all you other bloggers out there who share so selflessly everyday...you've been an amazing source of inspiration and support. I couldn't imagine teaching in a world where we didn't have one another to rely on! <3

Since many of you have been asking about it, I just finished making a few minor updates to my math and literacy centers. I added the Common Core Standards to the table of contents so that you can easily see which standard each center aligns to. I also included a freebie in the preview file! Check it out!

And here's some other fun Thanksgiving stuff! More freebies below!

Here's the template for the turkey hand print poem. This would be cute to put in a frame or even to make place mats. Click the image below to download.

And finally, here's a quick and simple writing template. Sometimes it's helpful to read some books before writing so that the kids understand the concept of being "thankful." I listed a few ideas below. The Secret of Saying Thanks is one of my favorites!

Random Fall Fun!

Check out some of the fall activities we did last year. These are just some random things that I never got around to posting! Sorry this is a super short post!

Happy October! {Freebies & Centers}

Happy October everybody! This post has tons of Halloween treats for you! I posted some of these things last year, but since I'm not in the classroom this year, I figured I'd recycle some things that you may have missed. There's LOTS of freebies here, too!

I just finished updating my October Math & Literacy Centers and added a couple of new games! You can get my Halloween Count the Room for FREE when you download the Preview file from TpT!

 Click here to download my Pumpkins Mini-Unit for FREE! This was a freebie I posted last year as well, but just in case you missed it...

Here are even more Halloween FREEBIES!!!!! Download my FALL FREEBIE PACK here!

I found the book Ten Timid Ghosts last year and I thought it would be perfect for a subtraction lesson! The kids love modeling the subtraction problems based on this adorable story! You can use small ghost erasers, packing peanuts, beans, etc. as counters.

Finally, this quick and simple Pumpkin Patch Math Game will give students some fun practice counting and recognizing numerals to 12. This is part of my Freebies download also.

That's all I've got for now! Have a great weekend everyone!

Literacy Centers Management & FREEBIE!

It sure has been a while! Going back to school full time is exciting, but very exhausting! We've also been renovating and doing lots of work around the house, so I apologize if I've been neglecting you all! I decided to share this freebie with you to make up for it! I had made something similar a while back, but I remade them with cuter clipart, PLUS Lillian Davila translated them into Spanish for us! Thanks, Lillian! These Literacy Centers "I Can" Posters now include both English and Spanish - perfect for a dual language classroom! Yay! If you like these, you might also want to check out my Literacy Centers "I Can" Cards.

With these posters, children can visually see the tasks that are available for them to work on at each center. Not only does this help them gain independence, but it also gives them ownership of their learning. They get to "choose" the activity they want to do, even though it's actually what WE want them to do (shh, don't tell). The kids love being able to choose their own activity, and I've found that using task cards helps them to remain focused on what they're supposed to be doing at centers.

I think the simplest and easiest way to manage centers is to use a pocket chart. Visuals are essential for emergent readers and ELL students, so I use big icons for each center along with photographs of the children. I also hung posters around the classroom for each center so students know exactly where to go. You can get my center management kit here: Literacy Centers Management Board. It includes 40 posters and 40 center signs, as well as some editable cards.

I usually had my kids visit three centers per day, with each rotation lasting about 15 minutes. This would give me three 15 minute sessions to meet with my guided reading groups. When my timer went off, I'd ring my chimes and students cleaned up. While they cleaned up, I would rotate the center icons. When I saw that everything was cleaned up nicely, I'd ring the chimes again and the children would make their way to their next center. This method worked pretty well for me and my kiddos. Of course, it took a lot of practice - first introducing each center, modeling it, and practicing it. Then having them practice reading the chart, finding their centers, cleaning up, and rotating. But in the end, it's all worth it! Children LOVE this time of day; they are so engaged in the activities and usually don't even realize they're learning! I think that's the best kind of learning! Plus, it frees me up to work with my small groups and meet the needs of everyone in the class!

I'll try my best not to neglect you anymore! But for now, I've got to go because I have 3 papers to write and a project to work on! See you soon :)

Polka Dot Name Plates

I just finished a new addition to my polka dot theme! Can you tell I'm obsessed with polka dots?! My Polka Dot Name Plates set includes 48 unique name cards (8 designs x 6 colors). Plus, they're editable so you can type in your students' names! Check them out below!

Back to School Sale!

Hey everyone! It's been a while. I've been having so much summer fun, I haven't had much time to blog lately. Unfortunately, the job situation here isn't looking too great - I had one interview and was told that since there's a hiring freeze, they can't hire anyone without a specialty license, such as Special Education. Sooooo...I decided I'm going to go to school full time this year to work on my Masters in Literacy. I'm also taking courses to get my Special Ed license since it seems likely that I'll need that to get a job! The good news is that I will be working from home on my TpT store as my full-time job this year! I'm really sad that I won't be in a classroom, but my hopes are high for next year!

Anyhow, don't miss the big TpT back to school sale today and tomorrow! Everything in my store is 28% off when you use the promo code: BTS13. Click the image to go to my store!

NEW Chevron Theme!

Get organized for back to school with my brand new chevron themed products! More to come! I also just added some new sets of Common Core "I Can" Posters to my store, including First Grade Posters & Spanish Posters. Click the images below.