Category Archives: Uncategorized

How Calendar Time Starts MY Day!

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My favorite CALENDAR,,,Krista @ Creative Clips Paper
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!

classroom calendar
My classroom calendar wall

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!

Classroom calendar
first grade calendar…How to start the day!

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

Creative Clips Paper Products
teacher paper calendar

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!

monkey math, first grade math

It ALL begins with Calendar TIME.

Check it out on PINTEREST and TPT!

You can lead a horse to water…BUT

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Happy Summer! Today’s topic..CHICKENS!  WHAT???

I have been helping hubby…AKA…FARMER WITHOUT A FARM…

Keep the homestead happy while he works & I ..vacation!

I have weeded vegetable gardens, picked vegetables, mowed, watered & etc.

(I know..I like to work outside, but IT’S BEEN SOOO HOT!)

 

But, we also have..

 

2 CHICKENS!

Yes..chickens..in a chicken coop.

I live in a suburban town.

70,000 people…house 5-8 feet APART!

 

AND WE HAVE CHICKENS!

I REALLY like fresh chicken eggs…and baby chicks are  SOOOOO  cute!

 

Now I will say..our city allows you to have 5…

we only have 2! That’s enough!

Here is RAPUNZEL – she has LONG feathers

SNOW WHITE is black ( hiding I am sure ) – C’mon

..Snow White has BLACK hair!

 ( Granddaughter’s  named them)

Here is the TRI-LEVEL Chicken CONDO!

My hubby takes EXCELLENT care of his “chickies”…

BUT..

It has been hot here in NOR CAL…100 degrees plus!

Our “chickies” have a HUGE water tank (oustide the coop )

attached with a hose 

to the inside of the coop

 with a  “CUP” 

inside the for them to drink from.

It’s attached by a hose to our sprinklers

 so they always have clean, fresh water to drink!

(Smart HUBBY)

The only problem is….

THEY WANT ME TO FILL IT

…intead of “pecking it” , for the water to come out!

They would LOVE it ,

 if I would just stand there… 

& keep the cup full.

NOT!

So what’s a farmer’s wife to do?

Just as teaching anyone to do anything…

 

MODEL, MODEL, MODEL

Guided Practice

Independent Practice

 

Really? 

YOU  want ME  to Model this??????? To CHICKENS????

NOT!   REALLY???   ME????

 

So..I took a stick..pushed on the nozzel in the cup ( really just tapped it)

AND WATER FILLED UP THE CUP!

I had both of them in my hands

..NOT CHOKING THEM

   though I may have thought about it!

..just  enough so they wouldn’t scratch me!

I showed them where the water was & how to get it!

Then I stuck pushed,  pushed a little harder, their “LITTLE BEAKS” into the cup.

(MANY times!)

Over & Over

and

Over and Over…

Did I mention chickens are NOT  “above average” in cognitive development?

And again…and  again..

DONE!

NOW for independent practice! 🙂

Here’s my theory..

I WILL NOT POUR THE WATER INTO YOUR BEAKS!

If you are thirsty….

DRINK!!!!!

So..

They are alive.

 I guess sometime ( when I am NOT looking )..

they drink!

SUCCESS!

SO..you can lead a horse to water…

 

but make sure he teaches the chickens HOW to drink!

 

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

From me  to YOU…

 

CHICKEN DANCE!

 

(NO…I WILL NOT

 TEACH THEM

 HOW TO DANCE!!!)

 

Click Here 🙂

I think I will go practice the MACARENA! 🙂

What are YOU Packing? https://1stgradefireworks.net

It’s Time to Get Ready for…The END OF THE YEAR!

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A FREEBIE to Help you get PACKING! 🙂

What are YOU Packing?

WHAT ARE YOU

 PACKING IN BOXES

 FOR THE END 

OF THE SCHOOL YEAR??

Here is my list:

It’s ALL about ME!

What will I need the first week?

My TE’s…Sticky notes inside to remind my “aging” brain…what I INTEND to do!

What MATERIALS will I need to accomplish this?

USE THOSE STICKY NOTES INSIDE YOUR TE!

You will NOT remember months from now… what you are thinking about TODAY!

Use the next few weeks to make your NOTES!

Before the end of the year, get ready for the BEGINNING of the Year!

Don’t forget…hide a few

 water bottles, mints, chocolate, and Tylenol

 for the first week back…FOR YOU! 

Never know how that FIRST WEEK will go! 

BE Prepared!

Student materials ( packets, papers, journals, etc ).

RUN THEM NOW!

( Nothing feels better than pulling out MUCH NEEDED

things…ALREADY DONE!)

Whew! SO glad I prepped these BEFORE school was out!!

I ran off ALL papers I would need for the first two weeks, before the end of the year.

Beginning of the year..all prepped!

Get some puzzles, games, blocks, etc. out.

THEY WILL NOT BE INDEPENDENT!

Have a few things ready so they can have “down time”…

while YOU are doing ONE-TO-ONE assessing!

You know you will HAVE TO…prepare for IT!

Last….MANY BOXES for centers, games, things you need to go through

LATER!

I know you NEED these..

BUT

You will “SURVIVE” looking at them LATER!

NO STRESS!

( YEAH, right!)

Prepare today…

after a RELAXING Summer…

the thought of coming back

and redoing everything in a day or two is

 EXCRUTIATING!

Breathe…relax…make your lists…stick to them…and PREP AWAY!

The payoff is HUGE!

Now…where did I pack that STAPLER?

Here are some HELPERS to get your year started!

EVERYTHING?

Time to PURGE!

I think I need a LOT MORE BOXES!

Hi HO..HI HO…It’s off to pack I go!

Here is a little FREEBIE to help you get ready!

Back to School FREEBIE!Word Work Preview.
Back to School FREEBIE!Word Work Preview.

Do You teach NONSENSE words? YOU SHOULD!

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I’ll admit it! ( Head hanging down).

I DID NOT TEACH NONSENSE WORDS!

UGH! BAD TEACHER!

WAIT! Let me tell you why!

I teach first grade. My students speak 6 different languages this year. They are JUST learning to read!

I thought NONSENSE Words were…NONSENSE!

I THOUGHT I was helping them by NOT CONFUSING THEM!

I admit it.

I WAS WRONG!

They need to experience PHONICS all around them!

They need to understand the phonemic sounds of ENGLISH!

Thank YOu, Della Larsen.

It’s NOT CRAZY! It’s good. It’s HELPFUL!

As I am re-thinking my BALANCED LITERACY instruction, I will NOW be adding phonics fluency using real and nonsense words to my lessons.

A short “BURST” of phonics, multiple times during my day, will help my students become

PHONICS MASTERS!

My newest change of “TEACHER MINDSET” is …NONSENSE WORDS!

OK… I’m IN!

Here is my newest product to HELP my kiddos with NONSENSE WORDS!

EARLY PREVIEW for YOU! 🙂

Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency.
Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency.

Tpt Link HERE!

Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency. Great for EL's and EO's.
Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency. Great for EL’s and EO’s.
Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency. Fluency Practice and Sorting .
Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency. Fluency Practice and Sorting .
Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency. Fluency Practice and Sorting .
Real or Nonsense Words? How to help your students with phonics fluency. Fluency Practice and Sorting .
Real or NONSENSE? Helping your readers with BOTH!
Real or NONSENSE? Helping your readers with BOTH!

Finally…helping Readers is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE DO!

So, I will add READING REAL & NONSENSE WORDS to my literacy repertoire!

How about YOU?

Let me know how it goes!

Wendy

SPRING Word Trees with EXTENSIONS

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Spring Word Trees for Reading Fluency UPDATED with Easy-prep extensions.
Spring Word Trees for Reading Fluency UPDATED with Easy-prep extensions
.https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Word-TreesFluency-Practice-3646980

Spring is a time for renewal. A time for growth!

In our classroom, the “seeds” we have planted ALL year long, are NOW GROWING!

And they are GROWING FAST!

All of the letter sounds, phonics lessons, sight words, guided reading, etc, etc ,etc are NOW

taking root!

So NOW WHAT? How to make it STICK?

First and foremost, Practice. Practice. Practice!

There is NO MAGIC! ( SORRY to tell you that!)

For student’s to internalize learning and to become independent readers.

They must read. And read A LOT!

These sight word fluency pages will help YOUR students practice the reading skills and strategies YOU have taught, with fun and engaging content.

Easy Prep Spring Word Trees help students with sight words, fluency, and grammar.

Students show their greatest growth patterns in the SPRING!

And TEACHERS…REJOICE!

Teachers doing HAPPY DANCE
Teachers doing HAPPY DANCE

Student’s have the “AH HA” moments…

Students also cheer! The

“LIGHBULB” goes on!

The student "lightbulb" goes on!
The student “lightbulb” goes on!

To help with the SPRING FLING…

I have added a new component to MY Guided Reading for Spring.

Spring Word Trees UPDATED with EXTENSIONS!

Spring word Trees for Fluency Practice. Now with Extensions
Spring word Trees for Fluency Practice. Now with Extensions
Spring Word Trees for reading fluency. Updated with extensions.
Spring Word Trees for reading fluency. Updated with extensions.
Spring Word Trees for reading fluency. Whole page or booklet style.Updated with extensions.
Spring Word Trees for reading fluency. Whole page or booklet style.Updated with extensions.
Spring Word Trees for reading fluency. Whole page or booklet style.New Scrambled sentences extensions.
Spring Word Trees for reading fluency. Whole page or booklet style.New Scrambled sentences extensions.
Spring Word Trees for reading fluency. Whole page or booklet style.UPDATED with new Scrambled sentences extensions.
Spring Word Trees for reading fluency. Whole page or booklet style.UPDATED with new Scrambled sentences extensions.

Now my students can read, practice sentence structure with words, AND WRITE!

ALL in one easy-prep page!

HAPPY DANCE! 🙂

Spring Word Trees for Reading Fluency UPDATED with Easy-prep extensions.
Spring Word Trees for Reading Fluency UPDATED with Easy-prep extensions.

Happy Spring!

1stgradefireworks logo
1stgradefireworks logo

Winter is Wonderful!

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Winter.

Winter is WONDERFUL!

Snow.

Jackets, mittens, scarves, & snowboots.

I am NOT an expert on SNOW!

I live in NORCAL.

Wine country. 

Not a lot of snow here.

My students LOVE to learn about WINTER!

Our favorite theme.

EAsy Prep & Go centers for JANUARY

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

Easy Prep & Go for January Centers

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

ELA  AND  MATH  CENTERS

English  Language  Arts

Contractions

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

Contractions

Verbs

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

VERBS

MIXED UP SENTENCES

Main Ideas & Details in writing

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

WRITING…MAIN IDEA  &  DETAILS

MATH

Math Mountains & Missing addends

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

Math Mountains

Missing  Addends

Making 10 Strategy for winter math

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

MAKING  10  STRATEGY

PLACE  VALUE

Easy prep & Go for January

Winter is WONDERFUL! Reading / Writing & Math Centers

WINTER  IS  WONDERFUL

Easy Prep & Go!  Get started organizing now..so YOU are ready for January!

Remember…2019 is the Year of BALANCED LITERACY!

Here’s a start   BALANCED LITERACY

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?

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

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?

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 spiced latte

Pumpkin Spice LATTE is almost HERE!  WAHOO!!

HAPPY  Fall. ‘yall from NORCAL! 
1stgradefireworks

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!

Dice for Math Games

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!

Let them play!

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!

Fantastic Fall Dice games

Learning is FUN!

But to share…A FREEBIE!

FREEBIE math game..You NEED DICE!

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 

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…
Spelling Practice
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
Blending Lines for Reading Fluency
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.
Teacher Talk
Leave me a comment !!! Good Luck!