Category Archives: Uncategorized

How to get ready for Christmas without the STRESS!

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I know…BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

Folks..LIFE IS BUSY! Christmas time is BUSY!

Sorry to be the one to tell you that.

BUT…

30 days …from TODAY (11.25.18) 4 SUNDAYS! YES, 4 SUNDAYS…

Christmas will be here!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

So??

How to get ready??

PACE YOURSELF!

Think

MARATHON…NOT SPRINT!

Where to start?

#1…..Make LISTS!

(I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE LISTS! )

List ALL ( YES ALL ) of the people you

WOULD LIKE to give gifts to.

Now…

PUT A STAR next to the people you MUST give a gift to.

(I know that sounds weird..but..I would LOVE to give gifts to

EVERYONE…but…my bank account says I must prioritize).

It doesn’t mean I won’t give a gift…

just might be a “thoughtful”… not-as-costly gift.

Reality people!

If money grew on trees…

#2…..DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN DEBT FOR THE NEW YEAR!

So…there is officially 1 more PAYCHECK until Christmas.

( Or figure out HOW many PAYCHECKS YOU have until DEC. 24 )

Take the number of gifts YOU MUST purchase

and divide by EXTRA $$.

***If you have been SAVING for Christmas, which you WILL DO for NEXT year, add that too!

That tells you HOW many GIFTS you MUST purchase and the amount you have to spend.

That’s important because

now you can begin looking for a gift

for the PERSON…not just a checkoff on a list.

SLOW DOWN! Not ready to buy yet!

Now….start talking, texting, asking others…

#3…..DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE!

ASK!!!!

What items do the people on your list WANT…NEED…LOVE?????

Add this to your LIST!

( If for kids…ASK THEIR PARENTS…sizes, likes, ages,etc )

Now…start looking…

online? Look for FREE shipping!

(AMAZON PRIME ..I am speed dial!)

Friends & Family …FAR AWAY??? ( Sorry )

SHIP TO THEM!

Don’t ship to YOU & then pay to ship to them!

SHIP DIRECTLY! FREE!

STOP!

YOU HAVE NOT MADE A BUDGET YET!

#4…..Figure out what you can spend..

AFTER PAYING YOUR BILLS & feeding your family.

They always come first…don’t forget to add them to your MUST list!

Your kids COME FIRST!

And NOT going into SEVERE debt!

Only charge what YOU can pay off the next month!

NO DEBT AFTER JANUARY!

OK..then..start listing whom you will purchase for.

After you purchase…keep the receipt!

I write the name of the person I purchased it for on the back..

RETURNS? Easy Peasy!

After you purchase…

or it arrives from SANTA’S HELPER

IN THE BROWN UPS TRUCK… 🙂

WRAP IT AND ATTACH A NAME TAG!

( This from a Santa’s Helper…who has forgotten and was wrapping WAY TOO LATE INTO CHRISTMAS EVE! )

After Thanksgiving..

#5…..I begin to look at my

LIST of ” WANT to purchase for”

but NOT necessarily,

“Must Purchase For”

on my list!

( Yes I keep it in a little book in my purse! )

Now I have a better idea of “extras”…

Do I need to do “homemade”….giftcards…..”I thought of you- but have no $$ left” card?

What kinds of gifts can you give for NO MONEY?

How about a picnic at the park? A TEA PARTY for kids? A trip to the library to read books? Take a young child to the ZOO???

Gifts of “ONE TO ONE” time…ARE THE BEST!

And you can schedule them AFTER the holidays.

The gift that keeps on giving!

Whatever fits YOU!

RELAX!

NO GUILT!

Christmas is NOT about who can GUILT YOU the MOST!

It’s about telling the people you care about..

THEY ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU!

Enjoy the season.

Spend time with friends & family!

TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES!

Make Memories!

And when JANUARY comes around..

SMILE!

(And maybe a mani / pedi for yourself?)

But…remember…

Christmas is from the HEART..not the WALLET!

Have FUN!

Elf on the Shelf… FAILURE!

Do OVER!

What do YOU do to get ready for CHRISTMAS????

When is it “officially” FALL?

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It’s 100 degrees in NorCAL!

My A/C has been on for WEEKS!

I don’t like to sweat.

My calendar says Fall ‘officially” begins on Monday, September 23?

WHAT? Why so far away?

I think FALL should begin TODAY!

WHEN is it “officially” FALL?

I am ready for… FALL!

When is it “Officially” FALL?

I have been looking for FALL-themed resources

to help get my first-graders into the

FALL MODE!

I hope these help YOU too!

(Thank You PINTEREST!)

The Best of Fall Read Alouds

Fall themes? YES! Many to choose from!

What do YOU teach in the FALL?

PUMPKIN EVERYTHING?

When is it “officially” FALL?

Need MORE Fall inspiration?

🙂

Bring on FALL! We are READY!

How Do You Know When It’s Fall?

Fall, Apples, & Johnny Appleseed

And so my friends…as YOU can SEE…FALL is ALMOST here!

Enjoy the changing season! Have fun with your students, hug your family!

Now…where did I put thise leather boots?

Hmmm…I may have to clean out a

closet or two!

pumpkin spiced latte

Pumpkin Spice LATTE is almost HERE! WAHOO!!

HAPPY Fall. ‘yall from NORCAL!

1stgradefireworks

The Day the Boys found Dice

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My boys have found…DICE for games!

Math games need dice!

Bring it ON!

My boys found the DICE today! Let the games BEGIN!

The kids found the dice for math games! Game ON!

The dice were rolling! Let the games BEGIN!

The learning, discussions, & giggles were contagious! YES!

I must THANK the Dollar Store & Target $1 Spot

for making their “dreams come true!”

I Love to have games in my classroom!

We PLAY LOTS of GAMES!

I once had a parent ask me if ALL we did was play games….

each day her daughter would go home & MOM would ask..

” What did you do at school today?”

Daughter….”Oh, we just played games...”

YES! BUT…

We play MY games…

educational games….

games that reinforce concepts I am teaching!

GOOD GAMES! 🙂

So, today,

MY BOYS FOUND….DICE!

Their world has changed FOREVER!

I have small dice, large dice, EXTRA LARGE FOAM DICE! LOTS!

We are working on beginning addition…

( YOU know where I am going with this!)

Roll…..ADD….Color!

We got out the dice games & had a ball!

Here is my FALL DICE GAMES...

7 games in one packet!

Learning is FUN!

But to share…A FREEBIE!

Let them Play! Dice games are so FUN!

So CHEERS to games that make learning FUN!

LEAVE me a COMMENT…

What games do YOU play in your classroom??? 🙂

You never know..I may choose someone to GIVE a GAME to!

WINK ,WINK! Leave a comment to ENTER! 🙂

Wendy 1stgradefireworks

How Calendar Time Starts MY Day!

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My favorite CALENDAR,,,Krista @ Creative Clips Paper

Calendar Time. I’m NOT sure WHO needs it more..

ME? or my students?

Coffee?

Restroom Time?

RECESS????

NO!

CALENDAR TIME!

I Love Calendar Time.

I Love reading through the MONTH.

What’s happening THIS week

Next Week.

All month!

It keeps my “getting older” brain…

FOCUSED!

It helps my kiddos stay on top of events for this week and this month.

This week we are discussing:

CALENDAR TIME

and

MORNING MEETINGS!

My calendar is next to my focus board.

This is where we begin our morning meeting.

After vocabulary discussions, calendar,

days of the week ,months of the year, HFW cards..

I get to do a READ ALOUD!

Working on reading strategies!

All of this in about 15-20 minutes!

Whew!

My calendar is in PLACE VALUE numbers!

I got it HERE.

I also have MELONHEADZ Holiday cards.

LOVE THEM TOO!

I try to “release” the CALENDAR instruction to my students as the year progresses.

By the end of the yer, THEY lead the calendar time.

But , I still get to do the READ ALOUD!

I LOVE IT!

Just a quick shout out to

Krista@Creative Clips Papers Collection

This is MY Calendar!

I use it every DAY!

My Preps, meetings, Notes, appointments, etc.

AND I GET TO USE MY FLAIR PENS! 🙂

One PAD lasts 2 years!

I LOVE MINE!

I do MATH Calendar after lunch.

Math wall, focus wall, math calendar wall

We go back to number of days in school, place value, etc.

This begins my REVIEW of math concepts BEFORE we begin anything new!

We count to 120 by 5’s & 10’s ..2’s to 50 at the end of the year.

This is my FAVORITE!

It ALL begins with Calendar TIME.

Check it out on PINTEREST and TPT!

No More “HOW DO YOU SPELL???”

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Spelling.

( I know..I cringe at that word.)

Kids want to SPELL perfectly…every time!

My fear is…students who STOP writing a wonderful story, because they can’t remember HOW to spell a word.

Just one word. And then..they stop writing! UGH! They ask themselves, “What does it start with?” Oh..I dunno…so where do they look? What do they do? Ask a friend…look on your word list…check the word wall…ASK THE TEACHER! NO!!! I want INDEPENDENT readers & writers! Those DREADED words…

“HOW DO YOU SPELL…????”

Ugh! What to do FIRST? We have gone over letter sounds, word families, vocabulary, picture prompts, word walls, word lists, dictionaries, pictionaries, and so on..and so on. And still they ask. “How do you SPELL???” So what is a teacher to do?? Then what?

PINTEREST! ( The place where ALL questions CAN be answered!) And so I search…

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/5911043239308984/

Spelling Practice from Samantha Almaguer FREE!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/515802963551850222/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/42784265188753752/

SO MANY SPELLING CHOICES!

So many Spelling WORD LISTS! ( And don’t EVEN get me started on WORD WORK!) Balanced Literacy Word Work And so…what’s a teacher to do? Head to YOUTUBE! Here is a great video from Angie @ Center Station

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZhkKImvI4g

Still, no answers! AND SO? What to do? What to do? Create MY OWN! My district has adopted a curriculum. I have 18 boxes waiting for me to unpack! My PD for this new curriculum is 5 days before I have students! I probably won’t have time to REALLY dig into the program. Surface teaching for a few weeks! BUT… My kiddos are ready… BEFORE I AM! And so.. I create! Bookmarks for Sight Word PRACTICE

Here are a few of my newest

SPELLING creations!

The spelling word lists in this program can be used anywhere, anytime, with ANY program!

Homeschools, interventions, homework, practice pages! Here is KINDERGARTEN

Here is FIRST GRADE

And Grade 2

All of the lists are printed in black and white. SAVES ON COLORED INK! ( I print mine on colored paper!) I print one copy of SPELLING word list for the student’s desk. A little tape on top..and voila! Instant word wall for writing! (NO MORE …HOW DO YOU SPELL…) The other word list I send home for homework each MONDAY! They have to read & practice each night. Spelling tests on FRIDAY! I give “rewards” for 80% correct or higher! I don’t expect perfection…just effort in their work. I add these word lists to SPELLING CITY on our computers. (If you don’t have SPELLING CITY….GET IT!) 🙂

They practice EVERY DAY!

They also must use the week’s spelling words in their journals.

They read their journals to a partner. WOW! Spelling, reading, writing, word lists, & homework! I think we’ve got this! I have also added BLENDING LINES for READING FLUENCY PRACTICE!

**BLENDING LINES….View Preview VIDEO Here**

I hope you can use my new SPELLING Packets!

This may help, too! For more thoughts and talk for November, please visit these great posts. Like what you see, and want to join us? Before posting your link, please email RETTA at retta.london@gmail.com.

Leave me a comment !!! Good Luck!

HI Ho, HI HO…It’s OFF to High-FrequencyWord Work we go!

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High-Frequency Words…or Sight Words

(depending on your generation..) 🙂

Back in the “OLDEN DAYS” when I became a teacher…

( um…Let’s just say in the late 80’s..)

I was taught to work on HFW (High Frequency Words) DAILY!

These are the words my student’s would see in their daily reading.

Some can be “sounded out” and some JUST HAVE TO BE MEMORIZED!

In order to memorize a word…

a student MUST work with it at least 30 times!

WHAT???!!!!

Each word??? YEP!

So we do…DAILY!

Now the list of grade level high-frequency words is ever changing.

You can see FRY WORD LISTS, DOLCH word lists, CURRICULUM word lists…

BUT the main focus is NOT on the LIST,

BUT WHAT YOU DO WITH IT!

Again…to embed a word into a first grader’s BRAIN..

they must work with it at least 30 times!

(Some kids more..some kids less)

HOW??

READ…..WRITE….SPEAK

Say it with me, “READ..WRITE..SPEAK”

OK. Now the work begins. PINTEREST!

These samples came from Pinterest..

MANY,MANY,MANY boards to help YOU

create a class list &

MANY, MANY, MANY

different activities to help your kids

WORK WITH HFW!

They need to practice DAILY!

I myself, am a KINESTHETIC learner…HANDS ON!

NOT a SUPER fan of worksheets.

( Yes..we do some..I AM ONLY HUMAN!)

Thank You PINTEREST!

And so you see…Practice..practice..practice..

This year my class is a One-to-one classroom with ipads!

(THANK YOU TO WHOMEVER DREAMED OF THIS!)

My newest LOVE is an app called

“SHOW ME!”

It’s an individual interactive whiteboard!

We play word games, I SPY, word ladders, etc. each on their own tablet…

and then SWISH!

CLEAR ALL…and we start again!

We do daily practice for about 10 minutes.

That’s about ALL they need in a “chunk” of time 10-15 minutes.

Later in the day…they each have individual word rings.

I have sets available in my store or you can search TPT for others.

Here’s a sampling…

Roll, Read, Color

Happy HFW..Snowman Style

High Frequency Words Tpt 1stgradefireworks

Available at:

1stgradefireworks TpT Store

And so…

HI HO

It’s OFF to HFW

WE GO!

Enjoy! 🙂

Are your students ready for CENTERS?

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How to add games for independent centers!

We have been in school for 4 weeks. I know…we began JULY 31! I spend 3-4 weeks working on whole class routines & schedules. Then we spend a week or two working on centers ( without me actually taking reading groups) so I can monitor HOW they are doing during independent centers. AND THEN????

We begin INDEPENDENT CENTERS without the teacher!!! WHAT??? Yes!!

Release the KRACKEN!

Release the Kracken

And yes..we begin small group reading.

I used to call it GUIDED READING.

But I have added Guided Reading Skills & Strategies.

Sometimes, we work on words. Sometimes we work on skills.

Sometimes we read. Sometimes we write.

I use my assessments to guide my instruction.

I know WHO needs WHAT.

So what are the other kids doing?

MUST DO’s & May Do’s.

And this week..enter their FAVORITE CENTER SO FAR!

( Yes…in their WHOLE LIFE…as they say!)

Here is the FUN game for centers!

And they are LEARNING! WIN! WIN!

Short vowel dominoes

SHORT VOWEL DOMINOES

294 CARDS! WOWZA!

294 domino cards for short vowel practice. Domino games can be differentiated by vowel sounds, picture cards, or word cards. Fun activities for student learning. Games help students stay engaged while practicing short vowel CVC word families.

They LOVE THIS! They beg for more time! Get your WORK done so you can PLAY!

YES! I love it when a plan works!

And so here we go!

Small groups for me..independent centers for them.

WIN! WIN! All around. Check out the video!

Getting Ready to READ in SMALL Groups

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AKA… After I assess them, NOW what?

SMALL GROUPS!

small group table for reading

We are back in school. I spent the first few days going over schedules, routines, set up, clean up, etc. As the week went on, we got better.

Now, it’s time to introduce content. I need them to start working so I can ASSESS.
ASSESS for WHAT?

Assess for READING!

First grade is ALL ABOUT READING!

Small groups are leveled so I can reach each student at their level and help them become

BETTER, INDEPENDENT READERS!

HOW? How do I know?

ASSESSMENTS!

Assessments drive your instruction.

DATA. What DO they know? What DON’T they know?

All of this data becomes the source of my instruction.

If I have a concept that a LOT of them don’t know…. whole class lesson!
RETEACH THE WHOLE CLASS!

BUT, if only a FEW are missing a skill or strategy…SMALL GROUPS!
Reteach it during small groups.

OK. HOW?

How to Group students for SMALL GROUP reading. 1stgradefireworks

Assessments drive your instruction for small groups!

I use MULTIPLE ASSESSMENTS.
Curriculum, DRA, Running Records, BPST, Letter sounds/names, blending, segmenting, sight words, etc.

PLEASE…. DO NOT sit a child down and assess for more than 15 minutes!

Better to assess over DAYS than HOURS!

You want to know what they truely know.

I put ALL of my data on a spreadsheet,

I like to see ALL of it together.

THEN WHAT?

Look for patterns.

Do they know letter names & sounds?

6 kids are “inconsistent”? GROUP THEM FOR practice! Small intervention group with letters, white boards, & pictures,

Your first small group is ready to go!

Missing sight words?
BAM! Small group for sight word practice, reading with the teacher, writing sight words in sentences, and more sight word practice.

Fluency? Do they “robot read”?
Another strategy small group! Fluency practice. I read. You read. We read. I read. YOU read. WE read.
They need to hear YOU for fluency & intonnation practice.

Here are some “helpers” for small groups that I found on PINTEREST!

Effective Grouping for Small Group Instruction – Learning with Mrs. Langley

How to Use Small Group WarmUPs with MissDeCarbo.com

What is a BALANCED LITERACY CLASSROOM? 1stgradefireworks

Check out BALANCED LITERACY HERE!

So.

Assessments
Decipher your data. (Look for patterns).
Make your small groups.
RETEACH
Practice
Reassess
Regroup students ( keep groups fluid).
Again. And again, And again!
Watch them GROW!
SMILE. You are great! 🙂

If you need more help…

check out these posts for MORE information:

Balanced Literacy

Book Clubs- Reading

Writing

I was taught “Hard Work” by the BEST!

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I am such a SLACKER! I think I am a hard worker!

I think I have it all together..

I DO NOT!

My Grandmother & MY MOM

raised a family, worked at home & outside the home,

and we always had stuff when we wanted it.

THEY were hard workers!

AND I NEVER ASKED HOW?

Gma & Gpa taught me to work hard!

This is my GMA & GPA…

I miss them both.

They lived on a dairy.

My GPA taught me about cows, HARD work, & what “silage” tasted like! ICK!

My Gma always wore a dress & heels. She was a petite little thing.

She wore toilet paper around her hair at night, so she would look “good” in the morning.

My Gpa didn’t give us candy.

When we left his house, he would give us a teaspoonful of brown sugar

, from the jar in Gma’s kitchen.

Nothing fancy..but it meant EVERYTHING to us!

They owned a peach orchard.

40 acres of peaches.

I never really thought about it when I was little.

It was just a “lot of trees”.

My Mom & Dad who taught me about Hard Work.

This is my MOM & Dad ( I just found this engagement pic.) HAHA

My happy parents who both work hard!

They are hard workers.

My dad went to work every day.

Dressed in his suit & white shirt

( that my mom ironed..I know ..with an iron & ironing board! )

And my mom worked a self-owned business,

was ALWAYS there when we got home form school,

and helped us with EVERYTHING we ever did ( sports, clubs, school, etc).

And I never asked HOW?

How do you do it ALL?

And now this….

Both my GMA & My MOM canned fruits, made pickles, and baked goodies!

Now I don’t bake ( leave that gene to my sister, Susie).

I have NEVER made pickles..& probably won’t..BUT

I CAN FRUIT!

I CAN FRUIT, A LOT!

I remember walking into GMA’s garage & seeing shelves FULL of canned goods.

I grabbed bottles of canned fuits from my mom’s shelves in our garage.

Peaches, pears, cherries, etc, etc, etc,, whenever we wanted!

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

It didn’t matter…it was always there.

HOW???? Hard Work!

I never asked.

So now..I apologize to GMA & MOM.

I should have asked to help you peel, or slice, or wash, or……..or….or……to do the hard work!

But, I cannot take it back.

SO?

I will follow in your steps.

I will teach MY DAUGHTER to can!

And my granddaughters!

I will continue the family tradition. Work Hard!

Only…we will use the recipe on my laptop.

( I know GMA & MOM didn’t do that!)

So here was my day TODAY ( from start to finish ).

Canning fruits & vegetables is Hard Work!

Work Smarter not Harder!

Wash the jars ( hot water & heated dry) in dishwasher.

Pick the fruit from the trees, Hard Work!

Wash them for safety. Hard Work.

Blanch them to peel them easily. Hard Work.

Wash..rinse…BLANCH ( Boil whole peaches, then put in pan of ICE WATER!)

Their peels just slide right off!

Slice, Slice, slice!

Work Smarter not Harder!

Too hot to cook inside!

Set up our campstove OUTSIDE!

Pan on the left is a sugar/water mixture.

Cook the peaches in for a short time, then pour into jars!

Hubby is sooooo good at this!

Hard Work.

Harder Work.

Hubby does the hard work.

Then…

Boil in a water bath ( 25 minutes ) to seal.

Hard work pays off.

and…

VOILA!

Canning is hard work, but so worth it!

Hard work pays off for MONTHS to come!

There we go!

11 quarts of fresh canned peaches!

They will be sooo good this winter!

(Daddy gave us more peaches

…so I am thinking peach cobbler for dinner!)

or maybe…..

I SHOULD MAKE JAM!

Gma made jam……so did MOM….WOW…Hard Work!

I should THANK them. 🙂

Making A LIST and Checking it TWICE!

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IS SANTA ON HIS WAY?

Is SANTA on his way? In JULY?

NO! I am checking MY list.

My Back to School LIST!

And that list get LONGER, every DAY!

My Back to School is next week.

In my district ( a modified traditional calendar) we start at the end of JULY!

No tears for me…we are off the first two weeks of OCTOBER! I LOVE FALL BREAK!

And so first, I make a list – A LONG LIST!

Thank You @createteachshare

Teacher To Do list@createteachshare

Here is how my list begins…

Clean teacher desk
Clean students desks
Number each workbook ( I put numbers on EVERYTHING!)
Get student materials ( books, pencil holders -FILLED, & other things that stay IN THEIR DESKS) on their desks. We will go over them the first day.
Number homework folders, Read at Home folders & books
Tear out & runn of homework for the first two weeks.
Clean out & check literacy & math centers.
Purge ANYTHING I have not used in two years! YES!!!!
Find my teacher tools.
Check technology… after updates…check technology. After call to district office…check technology AGAIN! Finally works! UGH! I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with technology!
Schedule teacher PD meetings. ( 5 days before kids come..starting tomorrow!)
Write Lesson plans for the FIRST WEEK! ( don’t go further…things WILL change.)
Update list.
Unpack the 10 boxes of NEW Science Curriculum. Inventory. Find missing pieces. Inventory again. Store? Stack in a corner.
Add to my list: Unpack science curriculum & go through it. Plan?
Make sure resources on the WALLS are for Back to School ( Not END of School). Update.
Are class lists ready? I need to ADD names to numbers!
Make a LIST ( alphbetically, of course) of students by first names. (WOW! I have an “extra” student on my list…boy will that mess up my alphabtical list. TEACHERS: YOU GET THIS!)
Don’t care that my alphabetical student names will be OUT OF ORDER! 🙂 Breather!
Cross things OFF list. ( After you have added MORE) I know. It’s LONGER than when I started. It’s OK. Ths kids won’t know!
GO HOME EARLY! Relax. Take a walk. Pour some wine. Hug your family. It’s a job. The kids will be there ready or not. THEY won’t care if I didn’t finish ALL of the ANCHOR CHARTS I want to make. ADD that to my LIST!