Pirates, Penguins, and Pugs: Photos from My Week

I thought I would do a quick post to share some of the cute things I have been doing this week with my class!  Click on the photos to check out the packets.  Click here to check out my lesson plans for this week.

 We actually made Abby's Pirate Mark last week.  I saved him and hung him up with the finished Pirate Art and Math Centers from this week.

 This is a new center I just added to my pirate packet.  I also added essential questions.  If you have already purchased the packet, please re-download for the updates!

My students loved DeeDee's center.  The kids who were not at the center were counting how many center rotations until they got to go.  It is amazing what a little timer, a race against yourself, and some cute graphics will do to motivate them!   

Sarah is so cute and talented.  She made the pug clip art herself! You also must check out her latest penguin freebie.  She introduced me to the book Pink! years ago and created this adorable craft to go with it. 

Almost Friday!!! TGIF

How To Do Spelling H.W. in a Notebook and Visual Plans

After Christmas break, I decided it would be time for my students to do their spelling homework in a notebook.  I usually send home a spelling packet, but I noticed my students were really struggling with writing properly in their writing notebooks.  They were all over the place!  I would help one student, get him/her on the right track and two minutes later he/she would start a sentence in the middle of the paper again. The students really just needed more practice and exposure to writing in a notebook.  So, I decided to go old school and assign the spelling homework to be written in a homework notebook.   I was also hoping this would better prepare them for second grade.   Do you think my genius plan worked and they miraculously learned to write on the lines and start at the red margin?   You are probably laughing at me!  NO it did not work.  The homework was just as all over the place as the writing in class.  What to do?  I needed to send home a clear visual and written expectation for spelling homework.  How were the parents and the students supposed to know what I was looking for, if I had not told them?!  A few photographs later...

This letter is going home with all the students.  I did a whole class model on chart paper, too!  Fingers crossed it works.  Click above to download the letter for free - and sorry,  I will not make it editable or customize it.  I understand you wanting to ask, but I just thought I would save you some time and effort by laying it out there -  that the answer would be a big NO. 

On to the visual plans!  You can click the pictures to download them. 

*This plan book format is called "Erica."  Click here to check it out in Ms. M's A Teacher's Plan Store.

**My visual plans are inspired by DeeDee Wills' visual plans.  

I look forward to trying these new activities this week:

DeeDee's Penguin Themed Fluency Packet

And Sarah's Smug Pugs

I already made her craftivity into an art center!  How cute is that pug?  The kids loved the word family doodle book, too! 

 Have a great week everyone!

Visual Plans Post Delayed & Just Be AWESOME

Hi Everyone!  Sorry but my visual plans post will be delayed.  I had a lot going on this weekend, including report cards.  Please, check back tomorrow.  In the meantime, check out this adorable video that is all over FB and YouTube!  I love this kid and his Robert Frost reference.    I hope I am on the path that leads to "Awesome," too!

Big 100th Day Giveaway at Blog Hoppin'

There is a big 100th Day Giveaway over at Blog Hoppin'. 

Enter to win my newly revamped 100th Day Packet and packets from other fab bloggers!  Click the button above to hop on over. 

Visual Plans: Classroom News, R-controlled a, Pirates, Penguin, & MLK

This week's plans are a bit all over the place - ar words, Martin Luther King Jr., penguins, and pirates!

Click any of the pictures to download the visual plans with clickable links from Google docs.

  

*These visual plans were inspired by my sweet friend DeeDee.

**My lesson plan template can be purchased through Ms. M's blog.  They are aptly called, "Erica."

I wanted to do something to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week.  Thank you Sarah Cooley for your adorable unit.  You saved the day!  I wish I had time to do the full birthday party, it looks like so much fun. 

Our phonic element for the week is -ar.  I like to do a mini-pirate theme along with the phonic element. In my plans, I have included units by Abby, Jodi, Anna, and me. 

 

 

I have included this listening center log as a freebie in my visual plans.  It is the last page of the plan packet. 

A few of my math centers this week: 

 

For more on pirates, check out my post from last year by clicking the image below.

Every week, I send home a "Classroom News" page.  It is a lot of work when you first start, but as the years go by, I have gotten pretty fast at it and I just copy and paste the "Peek at the Week" from the previous years.  

If you are not ready to do a weekly news letter, my long-lost shopping sister/friend Michelle Oakes sells a monthly editable one.   I really feel it is important to keep parents in the loop.  Click below to check it out. 

Thanks for all who entered the "Share the Love" contest!

For info on my penguin packet, check out this post.  

Have a great week!

Share the Love Contest

I thought I would "share the love" with this Valentine's Day themed contest.  You could win 18 Valentine's Day themed prizes from my lovely blogging gal pals and myself.  

Here are the awesome prizes and the fabulous bloggers contributing!  *If you don't already follow their blogs, I suggest you click on the images below to pop in and check them out.  They really are all fabulous.

Enter using rafflecopter below!  The contest runs through Tuesday, January 22nd.  Two winners will be selected. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway