'Twas the Night Before 1st Grade...

Sometimes, after a deep long breath, all you can say is "Wow!" I have neglected my 'lil ol' blog these last few weeks...but, it was all in the name of my soon-to-be-firsties. 

I'm not gonna lie, more than once I thought I was crazy (make that kuh-razy) for deciding to change my classroom theme from beachy (for the last eight years) to Pirates...and more than once, amid all the laminated stacks of papers, haze of E-6000 glue, and the small moments of progress I made daily, I was SO glad I decided to go for it! Here are some teaser pics below...I'll do a honest-to-goodness, top-to-bottom, side-to-side classroom tour later...

So, as I sit here, between batches of Kissing Hand cookies, I sit and reflect on the years past, and the new year that is upon us all. Although I am starting my ninth year (yikes!), I have been a bundle of nerves this past week...excited for what this school year will bring, filled with slight trepidation as our school has a new principal (I have only had one other principal), and trying to bury the dreaded question, "What am I gonna do the first day of school?" No worries, I have that all figured out...(now)...

So, here's a snapshot (ha, ha) of what I have been up to these last few hours, days, and weeks...

Landry's on the pier

why do I look plastic?

I l-o-v-e the beach...

Imagine visiting the Selena memorial, as she overlooks the bay, while her song "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" plays on a fan's smart phone...although it was my third time to visit the memorial, it was still inspiring...

my goodies from Teacher Appreciation Days

my blank canvases... 

I painted these for my daughter's dorm room...JAM is for her and her roomie's initials (J and M)...so when you put it together, it is the JAM ROOM...so, if you see or hear about any craziness on FB in the "Jam Room," please let me know...(to my daughter, I have eyes everywhere...)

I am such a recycler, but what an eyesore...

duct tape is my new best friend...

making breakfast ahead of time...the flavored water is for my team...

so they look more like feet than Kissing Hands...lol...

collection of first week books

first day welcome book :)

Here's to a wonderful year (if you have already started)...and good luck if you start tomorrow like me!! I'd love to hear how your first day went or what you planned for your students as they walked in the door for the first time.

August Currently...Shoes...and a Giveaway!

It's that Currently time again...ya know, the one that Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade hosts...which means that my summer vacation is quickly coming to an end...sigh with me here...

Check out Farley's post to read about her rules for linking up...

And here's a couple of my back-to-school must haves...

Well, you know how I love books...and since Kohl's has the Skippyjon Jones series out currently, I could not resist. So, although I set out to get these...Skippyjon Jones, Skippyjon Jones Class Action, Skippyjon Jones in the Dog House, Skippyjon Jones Lost in Spice, and a Skippyjon Jones plush...

I also ended up with these...

and these...

AND these...

I would have l-o-v-e-d to get these...

In the words of Skippyjon Jones, "Holy jalapeño," I know!

So, to ease my guilt, I went to Target...no, really redemption is coming...and I bought another one of these:

What is it? Although it looks like a regular name tag, it is actually a giant magnetic dry erase board...this baby measures approximately 8 1/2" tall X 15" wide and comes with a magnetic dry erase pen, too!

So, I know what you're thinking...yes, well, now I have two...but ONE is for YOU! Now, I wish I could be like Oprah and say, "one for you" and "one for you" and "one for you,", BUT alas, I am a teacher just like you...so I have ONE to give away to ONE lucky YOU...

All you have to do is follow my blog, like my fan page, and leave me a comment telling me how you would use it in your classroom...don't forget to leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win...

The winner will be selected using a random number generator. *I can only ship within the U.S.*

Good luck! The contest ends on Tuesday, August 7th at 10:00 p.m.

In Pictures and In Words Book Study - Chapter 10

Hi, friends...we are almost finished with our In Pictures and In Words book study...my thoughts today are on Chapter 10 - Tone. Thank you to Deanna from Mrs. Jump's Class for hosting!

by Katie Wood Ray

The main idea of this chapter is to ponder the reader's emotional response to pictures through the use of tone...yes, that would be the same tone that got me in trouble more than once with my momma...

But, in the context of the classroom, it means helping your students understand that tone can be "crafted" through the use of color, background, size, space and further through the use of shape, texture, exaggerated features, and whimsical details. I will detail a few.

Author / Illustrator extraordinaire, Steve Jenkins, showcases his strength for making powerful illustrations in his books. (Can you tell I'm a huge fan?!) One of my favorite is Actual Size.

Look how he takes images across pages to draw in the reader.

It is a wonderful
example of Technique 35: Crafting Tone with Size.


Your students would not get the enormity of just how large a giant squid's eye was if it was not drawn to scale. Although you would think the life-like size might scare some of your kiddos, he also keeps in mind Technique 37: Crafting Tone with Shape and Texture. The lines are soft and curvy, the background is textured and not in stark contrast from the eye, which lessons the intensity.

Another one of my favorite authors, Judy Schachner, of the Skippyjon Jones series, uses Technique 39: Using Whimsical Detail to Lighten the Tone when Skippyjon Jones sets off on his adventure in Skippyjon Jones, Lost in Spice.

Not only does Skippyjon Jones have a mask, cape, mirror, and marble...but he has his precious sock monkey as well. His trinkets are what help make Skippyjon Jones intriguing for children.

And later, when he meets a Martian, you can tell immediately, by their proximity, that they're going to be fast friends. This is an example of Technique 36: Crafting Tone with Physical Space. They are both the same size, in the same physical space, and almost touching...visual imagery for friendship.

What are your thoughts? What kind of literature will you use to explain the use of tone in your students' illustrative work? I'd love to hear from you!

Daily 5 Book Study - Chapter 7 and a Freebie

Well, friends, after seven wonderful, collaborative weeks together, our book study has come to an end. I want to thank Kimberly from Funky First Grade Fun for hosting Chapter 7: Putting it All Together and Troubleshooting.

I want to start off by sharing this quote which "The Sisters" believe to be the "heart of choice: knowing the expectations, possessing the skills to meet them, being trusted to carry them out, and taking responsibility to do so"...isn't that what WE want from our administrators?

We know our grade level standards, have earned educational degrees in our content areas, maintain classroom structure and guidance for our students, and are held accountable so that our students succeed. We are trusted to use quality, yet challenging teaching materials as long as we follow our state-mandated curriculum. We have choice...I'm sorry if that sound soapboxish...but, it's something for me to keep in mind...

A few lingering questions I have:
I'm not sure how transient your school population is, but I had a revolving door last year...my class list did not become stable until April. How do you transition your new students to the Daily 5 structure? Do you choose partners for awhile? Do you do one-on-one mini-lessons? Since the newbies probably missed the mini-lessons and good/ not good model, I would love to hear your suggestions!

Fortunately or unfortunately, (it depends on how you look at it) I have not have any parent inquiries as to why they do not have daily worksheets that go home for literacy...yet. My student have journals, word work folders, work on writing folders, etc. to "show" their work. I just want to be proactive and not reactive if there ever was a question from a parent/ administrator. So, I found this gem from Bethany, a parent letter that informs them not only to what our students are doing during the Daily 5, but also ways they can support these same literacy activities at home:

get here

Here's a lil' something I created to assist those students that need a little more help once everyone has selected their literacy choice...and you are right in the middle of your small group lesson...and you do not want to be disturbed. Maybe they forgot how to access a website, or the volume is not right on their headphones, or they can't find the book that they were reading yesterday...enter Tech Support.

You can print these out (I would laminate them and print on card stock), punch a hole and use yarn or make a slit for a badge clip and your "tech helpers" can wear these to identify themselves to their peers.

click here to get them

Of course, I made these printer and classroom-theme friendly, but I also made some that match my new pirate theme :)

These are part of my larger packet, The Daily 5 I Can...Literacy Choice Picture Displays and More, that I have been adding to throughout our book study. I would love for you to take the time to give me your feedback if you download it on TpT :)

Over the course of our book study, I hope you were able to glean something useful for your classroom, gain a better understanding of implementing the five literacy choices, and realize that your students will succeed because they have a wonderful teacher guiding them...YOU!

As always, I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions :)

If you want to read about the previous chapters, you can find those here: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, and Chapter 6.

Book Treasures Galore and More...part 3

So, who hasn't been school shopping yet? Said no teacher ever...lol...well, it happened to me...I got not only the shopping bug, but the fever as well! I don't know about you, but I might need to go back to school to keep me from spending! If you're like me, you can't help it, a bargain is a bargain...

The last of my book orders arrived and here's what I have to share with you:

Peace Week in Miss Fox's Class by Eileen Spinelli is about getting your students to be mindful about how they are supposed to get along with everyone else...wouldn't it be great if it carried over to their home as well? It will be good to use to build classroom community and start discussions about the what they did and how they did it when faced with conflict. I'll be waiting for the sequel, Peace Month and Peace School Year...

The CAFE Book: Engaging All Students in Daily Literary Assessment and Instruction by "The Sisters"...Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. After participating in The Daily 5 book study this summer, I am ready to sink my teeth into The Cafe Book. Thus far, it's unread...anyone hosting a book study?

Fifty Shades Freed: Book Three of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E.L. James. This is the third book in the 50 Shades trilogy...I'm still on book 2...I think you know what it's all about...

The Worst Day of My Life Ever! by Julia Cook is about poor RJ who just can't seem to make a right decision due to his inability to listen closely or follow directions...sound familiar? After a heart-to-heart with mom, RJ gets explicit how-to's on ways to "really listen" and "follow directions" which makes his next day the best day ever!

Miss Fox's Class Goes Green also by Eileen Spinelli is about teaching our students how they can actively participate to keep our earth healthy. This would be great to reread on Earth Day.

You Get What You Get by Julie Gassman...a perfect book to go along with one of our favorite phrases, "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit!"This is about Melvin who lets his teacher's classroom rule slip out and is forced to abide by it at home, too.

And, here's some adorable student packs I found at my local Dollar Tree store: If I Were President, My Favorite Things, and All About My Trip. Now, I know I could make these and add some cute clip art...but these are pretty cute and were only a $1 for the pack...so worth the time it saved me!

Now for the treat...here's a Blueberry Crisp recipe that I found in the May issue of People...see, you get valuable fashion advice, celebrity gossip, and recipes...

Here's the recipe...I actually only had one pint of blueberries, so I cut the recipe in thirds and it turned out great!

Blueberry Crisp (serves 8)

for the filling:
6 cups (3 pints) fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. coarse salt

for the topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
1/2 cup chopped nuts, such as almonds
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Make the filling: mix blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and salt in a bowl. Transfer to a 8-in. square baking dish.

2. Make the topping: in a medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, nuts, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir flour mixture into butter. Using your hands, squeeze topping pieces together to form clumps. When I made this, I read "make the topping" and stopped reading and mixed all the ingredients together without using a mixer...and it turned out fine...up to you :)

3. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake until filling is bubbling in the center and topping is golden brown, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 30 minutes before serving.

Let me know how it turns out...

What are your latest book / recipe finds? Thanks for stopping by :)

Check out my other book finds and a smoothie recipe here and even more book ideas and a lemonade recipe here.