tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6022609539425136482024-03-18T05:47:30.553-04:00Smarter Balanced TeacherSmarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.comBlogger187125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-85109924634983939572020-01-25T20:57:00.000-05:002020-01-25T20:57:56.821-05:00Metal Tooling Easy & Safe Enough For FIRSTIES!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Metal tooling is usually one of those projects saved for your older students, right? I mean, sharp edges, scary tools, what was I thinking giving it to littles? Well, I figured out a way to make it super easy and super safe for any age student to be successful and have fun with metal tooling, just in time for Valentine's Day!</div>
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Start with 36 gauge metal foil. I buy mine in rolls from Dick Blick, but it's available on Amazon, too. Pre-cut your foil with regular scissors, or even your guillotine cutter, into 4" x 6" or 5" x 7" pieces, whichever you prefer, and use a metal ruler to fold back just one edge 1/4 inch.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6Myp6_UJtRe3b2kAX0pcupObCeXe-Bxg7EEv2hbqgyom5UfTeXVnV3TI3hWPodf1Ry8XXmETLgj9JKjs0io-inkZ1aqTx4uBXdNiwo9FrytA3_7aUdoj1ZWJ2mX3ryLrDcCSPWGch_8/s1600/20200113_103413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6Myp6_UJtRe3b2kAX0pcupObCeXe-Bxg7EEv2hbqgyom5UfTeXVnV3TI3hWPodf1Ry8XXmETLgj9JKjs0io-inkZ1aqTx4uBXdNiwo9FrytA3_7aUdoj1ZWJ2mX3ryLrDcCSPWGch_8/s320/20200113_103413.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Prepare enough of these for your whole class. Next, cut craft foam just a bit larger (5" x 7" or 6" x 8"), one per student. If you have foam shape stickers, you're golden! I didn't, so I let my kiddos choose from plain foam shapes and use glue sticks to glue them in place on the craft foam sheets to create their designs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKsgN09l3cd1e8bZlky8SUoxMTtuvvghT1mM8zbYjlR95fvBeJ88lSEnT5z5Hn3BXFEJjtKMhIQpchjPVgzgXCAHpLzsLjDFZhEBYFiPd6lg5sIoiWGPjDM7_Ynx8vAvnyoz9G0wcuZQ/s1600/20200113_103506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhcsCpVyN5cMo43XdVLD4oIi3XGEZWLm-_2ou7gkUpdDMQvOLeRRsL58ncCS0_94mvtrkKEeemuToKjhXqZQXSIN08YjvlWyxedgEPk2rsobt0p_n8nwweOx6w0CA5472vAFIoJ5ZT_A/s1600/20200113_103406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhcsCpVyN5cMo43XdVLD4oIi3XGEZWLm-_2ou7gkUpdDMQvOLeRRsL58ncCS0_94mvtrkKEeemuToKjhXqZQXSIN08YjvlWyxedgEPk2rsobt0p_n8nwweOx6w0CA5472vAFIoJ5ZT_A/s200/20200113_103406.jpg" width="150" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKsgN09l3cd1e8bZlky8SUoxMTtuvvghT1mM8zbYjlR95fvBeJ88lSEnT5z5Hn3BXFEJjtKMhIQpchjPVgzgXCAHpLzsLjDFZhEBYFiPd6lg5sIoiWGPjDM7_Ynx8vAvnyoz9G0wcuZQ/s200/20200113_103506.jpg" width="150" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtvH1wkx3DowE2k_HHhDUGtoD4Ozvp0Mfp_ZjKOk5WDdjzw27i6-rGwCwvWPGTiMWkTc7TYta3LDSwnfcGmfodlxc9i0KfqBtNEAhv15piKRO4s5yfsPSYaArmwe87EiS9oN-0-Dl_HI/s1600/20200113_103659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtvH1wkx3DowE2k_HHhDUGtoD4Ozvp0Mfp_ZjKOk5WDdjzw27i6-rGwCwvWPGTiMWkTc7TYta3LDSwnfcGmfodlxc9i0KfqBtNEAhv15piKRO4s5yfsPSYaArmwe87EiS9oN-0-Dl_HI/s200/20200113_103659.jpg" width="150" /></a>Next, we used masking tape to secure the metal foil to the craft foam, centered over the design. Notice, we taped only the three sharp sides of the foil. Using metal spoons, we began to gently rub over the foil to "find" our designs. After rubbing with the back of the spoon side, we used the back of the handle side of the spoon to define the design. Although this pretty well defined the designs, I went ahead and introduced plastic paper folding tools to further get into the spaces between the foam pieces. Finally, I removed the foil for each student and folded the tape back over those sharp metal edges. We flipped over the craft foam to the "blank" side, just to have a soft surface, and flipped over our foil to talk about chasing, as a part of the tooling process. The kids caught on right away, using the spoon handles first, then going back to the paper folders for details.</div>
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Finally, I folded those last three sharp edges to the back, and we called it good. With older students, you can take these further in a couple of different ways...definitely, you can go the easy route and color the foil with Sharpies. I've found that the super fat ones work best. They don't seem to leave those scratchy-looking marks, as your students go over large areas (actually scratching the color off from the first time the marker touches the foil). Even more interestingly, you can use melted crayons (I keep mini loaf pans of melted and cooled crayons ready for my electric frying pans) and old paint brushes, devoted solely to the wax, to fill in depressed areas with color. Once the wax is cool, it stays in place and looks really neat! If you're interested in more with hot wax, stay tuned for my hot wax paintings and print-making lesson. It's a true favorite!</div>
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As a bonus for the little kiddos, we can now use our craft foam to do monoprints!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-10959112787100659562019-12-20T15:22:00.000-05:002019-12-21T12:14:49.717-05:00Sandra Silberzweig Inspired Winter Trees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I recently attended the South Carolina Art Education Association Conference, where, in one of the break-out sessions, we did a fun hands-on project inspired by the work of artist Sandra Silberzweig. </div>
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<a href="https://sandra-silberzweig.pixels.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="501" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LBYtbRNZ3dl-jTeuo0RrlfRuQL_rfRtsDAb3nlILBVrJGKWPIXU8pzeTlRw4FiMuejlWmJCCK5KE8Y3Bg8OVAZv9DSkalpntzgKgRxf8riQybCJ7MqxiKKd1qfyCfZ5GFUQLxYhGB_I/s200/sandra+silberzweig.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://sandra-silberzweig.pixels.com/art?page=2" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="298" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTO2AgfSsNURZVPp-b9IJEhLWCk5gYEkndmBzmxPL4alK_6xvx5hgDzYRSz_AxNC6w4uFBF3CIK08G1ObMR56i8saN0ZiOoQQGGokKaqUIAHkoGTc_UWtiGIAcsa8U0RAKaEnf9MxAvT0/s200/amethyst-gem-goddess-sandra-silberzweig.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Just in case you aren't familiar with her work, she's a pretty amazing artist from Toronto, Canada who has learned to use her potentially debilitating condition of Synesthesia as inspiration for her vibrantly colorful, multi-layered artwork. "Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway (for example, hearing) leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway (such as vision). Simply put, when one sense is activated, another unrelated sense is activated at the same time. The most commonly seen type is grapheme-color synesthesia, in which individual letters and numbers are associated with specific colors and sometimes colorful patterns. Chromesthesia, the association of sounds to colors, is also common." (</span><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/synesthesia" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Psychology Today</a><span style="text-align: left;">) Many of Sandra's pieces are abstract paintings of women, like the one pictured above, with bright colors, bold, black lines, and vibrant patterns.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">At the workshop I attended, we were encouraged to paint in this style on large sheets of cardboard (maybe 18" x 24", easy enough to cut from the sides of boxes), let the paint dry, and then add patterns with oil pastel. What I thought was cool was that the instructor used this in her classroom as a group project, in which she had small groups of kids choose from an envelope whether they would be painting the face, the eyes, the nose, or the lips, and then they assembled the cut-out cardboard pieces, when finished, with a couple of layers of cardboard behind each piece for a 3D effect, with hot glue guns.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxgY0TneCZvuzn6y6eS1FnixMz3lcTCHI1Libn0DagcHovE3FCozJ7TEHpL6boPNjQ2nQkx72L959CpsObS3fk-bLIxFkxlWbJt7YW4XfTBGHd01lMAelJ0KcO_kqP_9_BcXe6ICl_zU/s1600/Sandra+Silberzweig+face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxgY0TneCZvuzn6y6eS1FnixMz3lcTCHI1Libn0DagcHovE3FCozJ7TEHpL6boPNjQ2nQkx72L959CpsObS3fk-bLIxFkxlWbJt7YW4XfTBGHd01lMAelJ0KcO_kqP_9_BcXe6ICl_zU/s320/Sandra+Silberzweig+face.jpg" width="302" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">That's when I got my inspiration to do Sandra Silberzweig Inspired Winter trees! I have a group of 15 gifted 4th and 5th graders I meet with once a week, after school, for "Art Club" and I offered this up as a choice for them to try. They were all pretty excited and took off with the idea. We didn't do the small group thing...I wasn't sure my kiddos would want to trade their work around, but they drew tree shapes, some realistic, some abstract, with pencil on large sheets of cardboard and then partitioned off the trees for areas of color. We chose to use acrylic paint, although I think tempera would be fine. Next, we cut out the trees and used the cardboard scraps to design ornaments, which we also painted and cut out. Once everything was dry, we added thick black lines, using big, fat Sharpies. Finally, we used oil pastels to add patterns to the painted trees and ornaments. One really cool thing we discovered was that the corrugation of the cardboard allowed for a surprisingly pleasant pattern of its own, and not just striped, just by rubbing the pastels over the paint! You can see that best in the dark teal area of this tree, where white oil pastel was rubbed over the paint in some areas. I really love the "stacked" cardboard scraps behind the ornaments to make them pop up off the trees, but some kids decided not to do that, and they looked great, too! Today was our last day before Christmas break, and I, unfortunately, only took this one photo:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXQhmYKzTr0GccZKyFtrv9KNyUfsG-urIqhcutZ8pL2PI1x40CUYmizTD4YMEYs7ayqGVaozTkZi8NpQ3UZgdMZL03ZwVe0bNnvyPGY8m3SceuvE_3LvVz6UDJHiSWDaJlKyYnsWBz68/s1600/Sandra+Silberzwieg+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXQhmYKzTr0GccZKyFtrv9KNyUfsG-urIqhcutZ8pL2PI1x40CUYmizTD4YMEYs7ayqGVaozTkZi8NpQ3UZgdMZL03ZwVe0bNnvyPGY8m3SceuvE_3LvVz6UDJHiSWDaJlKyYnsWBz68/s640/Sandra+Silberzwieg+tree.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">This one is pretty Christmas-y, but you could definitely do this project after Christmas, leaving off the ornaments and star. You might try adding pine cones, icicles, berries, or even little areas of snow if you want to add the 3D pieces, but, honestly, the painted trees themselves are beautiful without anything glued to them, and if you do this as a "winter" tree project, it's a great opportunity to teach about cool colors...just offer only cool colors of paint and oil pastels, and discuss that the winter-y look of the trees is emphasized by the use of the cool colors. I also love that it's an opportunity to teach about a modern female artist, who has what some might view as a disability, but who has learned to use it to her advantage!</span></div>
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One more thing...if you're into reading picture books to go along with your art lessons, <span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><u>The Girl Who Heard Colors</u>, by Marie Harris is a true story about a little girl with Synesthesia, and pairs perfectly with this lesson!</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/308881/the-girl-who-heard-colors-by-marie-harris-illustrated-by-vanessa-brantley-newton/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="376" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1ZFHq8yqUMDsp_7fLdMDRX5Cu5vQ3H_jOSmOQOtVfSG6jc8fZy1DZA4_dVqjK-H4qxw33y24qSOMKzzlvVXY9XbMyWGwi5wKE3yjoYEpZlgo8yvVcGCVv-Z9C7DQm4IISDy-p7scAnc/s200/the+girl+who+heard+colors.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-88102452954199849422018-02-12T14:38:00.001-05:002018-02-12T14:38:10.981-05:00TPT Sale & Gift Card Give-Away!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" /></a></div>
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Teachers Pay Teachers is having a sale...and I'm giving away a $10 TPT gift card to help warm your </div>
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if not your toes this cold Valentine's Day! You can click right on the sale logo to get to my store and start saving! But to enter for the gift card, I'm going to need you to follow me here on Bloglovin'. </div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Smarter-Balanced-Teaching" target="_blank"><img alt="Leader Board Superb" height="80" src="https://ecdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbsuperb-1518460079/leaderboard/416191.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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All ya have to do is click on the little Bloglovin' symbol up there at the top of my blog and I'll get an email knowing you're a new follower. If you're already a follower, fear not! I'm not leaving you out in the cold! Just comment on this post, letting me know you're already a follower, and I'll make sure to enter you in the random drawing for that gift card, too! Since the sale starts on the 14th, I'll be sure to let you know the winner tomorrow night before 10:00 Eastern time (I'll have to go beddie-bye by then, or I'll never be able to get up for school on time). Be sure to leave me your e-mail address, so I can get you that gift card...good luck, friends!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-1154988549956919602017-04-10T14:41:00.003-04:002017-04-10T14:41:57.112-04:00Classroom Supply Tips from an Art Teacher - Sharpies Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Don't kids make you kind of nuts over your beautiful classroom supplies? I mean, I love all my little babes, but my OCD takes over after school, and I'm a raving lunatic over the silliest little things! This year, I've learned a few tricks to help any teacher organize, and take care of, all kinds of supplies. Better yet, I've learned how to get the kiddos to do it for you!</div>
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Ah, Sharpies! All bright and new, sharp and crisp, and oh so permanent! For about a week...am I right? Here are my best tips (ha! ha!) for Sharpies:</div>
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<li>Always store them "upside down". Gravity is in your favor, here. Whether you keep your Sharpies in a pail, jar, cup, or organizer bin, train the kiddos to put them back so that the tips are pointed down. I know, you can't tell what color they are - I'll get to that next - but the ink naturally flows toward the writing tip when not in use, instead of away from it. They last twice as long, I promise!</li>
<li>So, your Sharpies are upside down. Surely you have more than one of each color, right? Use another Sharpie to color in the little indentation on the bottom of each one. So, color the bottom of the red ones red, etc. Now everyone knows what color they all are, and they're more likely to get the right lid put back on them, too.</li>
<li>Speaking of lids, they are absolutely the worst at being on tight! There's no sound, like "make that cap snap" on a Sharpie. My best tip for the lids is, teach the kids to put the lid on, then "bang" it on the table/desk/floor (whatever) three times - lid side down, obviously.</li>
<li>Let kids know that Sharpies are "strong, yet weak". Explain that they needn't press hard to get beautiful color, and that pressing down ruins the tips of these markers. Show them some new ones and some old, dented-in, mushed-up ones. They'll get the idea. If you're looking for a Sharpie-like product that colors in larger areas, try Ticonderoga's RediMark markers. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rqW_TEtNAk_RXISYXKj_OufDOuuJhAe0_00ampGxpGU7nJ2pweN1LxKpzBKQG9xa-lLcCKDPelVlIZGx9ssDKmC4_gDR1yVc_k2RHb8bnmCJYXqrpqcA7nH2mJA0TIXfTpWxrEJxAtQ/s1600/RediMark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rqW_TEtNAk_RXISYXKj_OufDOuuJhAe0_00ampGxpGU7nJ2pweN1LxKpzBKQG9xa-lLcCKDPelVlIZGx9ssDKmC4_gDR1yVc_k2RHb8bnmCJYXqrpqcA7nH2mJA0TIXfTpWxrEJxAtQ/s200/RediMark.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="156" /></a></div>
They are amazing, long-lasting, and color a large space in minutes. Best of all, they won't bleed through paper, much like a Mr. Sketch, but permanent. Bummer - they only come in 8 colors!</li>
<li>So when they're all dried up, don't throw them away! Go to your trustie dollar store and buy spray bottles tall enough to hold your Sharpies. Sort them by color, or even color family (all the shades of blue can go together), and put them tip down, without lids, in the squirt bottles with a little water and mostly rubbing alcohol. The ink that's left inside will run into the water and alcohol and make kind of a water color paint mixture. (The picture below is similar, but uses watercolor markers and just water.) You could paint with it using brushes, or on a warm spring day, take the kids outside with the bottles. Hang large white banner paper and let them spray away, adjusting the nozzles to a fine mist or a jet stream. Let them create beautiful paintings. I wouldn't advise spraying each other, though. I'm not sure how permanent this mixture is on clothing!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuRZ2P5DsH4BVEexVerX35J5SgXurxvdE663aZC_koUHbUCXynHkm8ANCMlANWsAFJr1b5J2mHZQDg31dd_r7WnWzsxkOus-dqZjiQuqQbVgA0lvd9VZjdAzOGBXJzQ_3yd9m6k4vsKg/s1600/marker+bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuRZ2P5DsH4BVEexVerX35J5SgXurxvdE663aZC_koUHbUCXynHkm8ANCMlANWsAFJr1b5J2mHZQDg31dd_r7WnWzsxkOus-dqZjiQuqQbVgA0lvd9VZjdAzOGBXJzQ_3yd9m6k4vsKg/s200/marker+bottles.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Pinterest</td></tr>
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Tune in later this week for more tips on all your classroom supplies!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-34508667129951282992016-08-21T21:56:00.000-04:002016-08-21T21:56:12.610-04:00One Week Down, SALE, and Freebies!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I made it through the first week of school! Is that what you're thinking this year? Or are you still dreading that first week? Either way, you might be in the wrong place...and maybe not even know it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghr9NYjCOr7dkr0jdFkJN3TuGE-JkmdOk0pyJlPH6RqySE17FGyPsPl3Hr_CIOSZWxMiDiFb7BbByr-Pi3r5zpwfCQVjzx90-Xyxoj95_BctqF5k3YkB88HxPZJsA4uLVbGwfolS3PYS4/s1600/schoolhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghr9NYjCOr7dkr0jdFkJN3TuGE-JkmdOk0pyJlPH6RqySE17FGyPsPl3Hr_CIOSZWxMiDiFb7BbByr-Pi3r5zpwfCQVjzx90-Xyxoj95_BctqF5k3YkB88HxPZJsA4uLVbGwfolS3PYS4/s200/schoolhouse.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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This year, I am teaching art for the first time ever. After 20 years, I finally finished everything I needed to do to add art to my certification. And I moved classrooms. Again. It was AWFUL!!!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7oOuDx_di80nx0TDTEcfCjFXb4ysztIE_kQgGXv37r_Bj3n3m33J9z_ocCNe2QEMvo2Us-XQvzrY0k8NGSim_gNRbhc9thgYBEeUIJ_32AcKyylBhXvn71l0K7qRBYIl0CfjSEWFL4U/s1600/IMG951288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7oOuDx_di80nx0TDTEcfCjFXb4ysztIE_kQgGXv37r_Bj3n3m33J9z_ocCNe2QEMvo2Us-XQvzrY0k8NGSim_gNRbhc9thgYBEeUIJ_32AcKyylBhXvn71l0K7qRBYIl0CfjSEWFL4U/s320/IMG951288.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The room AFTER throwing a dumpster-full away!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyswz3QtLbebhfhUmQ72GZ_84cOBKVTYHE74sqC_i8PDOEyA6X3DzjBtghHfHIUqYCToGrQKQcv4Av5YohtbVIjP2UJvwsCqHNnsAbbKqfvJtfkAp9rmBrtfo7IyzuZroOyCrqlhSaXW0/s1600/20160601_134506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyswz3QtLbebhfhUmQ72GZ_84cOBKVTYHE74sqC_i8PDOEyA6X3DzjBtghHfHIUqYCToGrQKQcv4Av5YohtbVIjP2UJvwsCqHNnsAbbKqfvJtfkAp9rmBrtfo7IyzuZroOyCrqlhSaXW0/s320/20160601_134506.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roach and mouse poop...EVERYWHERE!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYey8n7xD_xysrU0tdMQcAb88nCI7k9Iwo2X7yW37OjCpaEdmSDs7x4En2JHZ078vtH6K8vDCJ3vw0AArLCZZ0XnBGZ0ecAOaaagD_fXZuVZGrRGpbzYQVIz2ZOVAg2KKsuJQ_2hp_Un0/s1600/20160602_131047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYey8n7xD_xysrU0tdMQcAb88nCI7k9Iwo2X7yW37OjCpaEdmSDs7x4En2JHZ078vtH6K8vDCJ3vw0AArLCZZ0XnBGZ0ecAOaaagD_fXZuVZGrRGpbzYQVIz2ZOVAg2KKsuJQ_2hp_Un0/s320/20160602_131047.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least I know what it is now!</td></tr>
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The room I went into hadn't been cleaned out in over 20 years, but with lots of help, I got it all cleaned out and set it up <i>my</i> way. Then I went home and worried all summer. Was I doing the right thing? What if I didn't like it? What if I wanted to go back to second grade, or fourth, or <i>any</i>? But after one day, I knew. I couldn't stop smiling. It was like I'd won the lottery! I LOVE it! And now I know. After the first week, if you feel like you survived, you might need a drastic change, because I thought I loved teaching. And maybe I did, but, y'all, this is amazing! I practically skip down the halls. I have fun all day, every day. I'll take some pictures of the "after" this week!<br />
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I'm probably working harder than ever...all new lesson plans, no curriculum, just standards, weird supplies that I don't know how to use, and going from fifth graders to baby kindergarteners to TMD classes. I know, we all think the related arts teachers have it SO easy. We're wrong. <strike>They</strike> We get pulled in a million directions all day, every day. We have more hall duties, less lunch time, combined into planning, not both, more committees, and everyone comes to related arts teachers for ideas and favors. We're the first ones to fill in when a sub can't get there on time, and the custodians? They empty my trash. That's all. Meaning I clean my tables, I sweep my floor, I clean the sinks and wash the walls and make sure crayons don't get slid across the tile, jammed into the cracks, permanently. BUT, I love it! LOVE IT! I feel like, after all those years, I am finally doing what I was meant to do. It really is my #bestyearever!</div>
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Here's a FREEBIE for you, if you're a TPT seller: </div>
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It's a sale banner, so if you're not a TPT seller, you know what that must mean...A SALE. Yep, it's tomorrow, one day only, site-wide, with up to 28% off. Use sale code OneDay to get the best pricing!</div>
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Now I have another freebie for all of you! It's the lesson I'm currently teaching in art, but it is all math-integrated, with some vocabulary and ELA, and a dash of self-esteem thrown in!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0-cZIW5GR-GyejzJW6KkNZjSBL0IkfbeCjX_0gD6B2yyq0JGeNm73KFOZti-WEfXkBhn2Cs10nU37KwK7zsGyATXvvqiLXpW8dkv5qpMGl9U8ujvi3mMCEVboQoQMG-Lx9-SIGjlKk0/s1600/20160821_095925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0-cZIW5GR-GyejzJW6KkNZjSBL0IkfbeCjX_0gD6B2yyq0JGeNm73KFOZti-WEfXkBhn2Cs10nU37KwK7zsGyATXvvqiLXpW8dkv5qpMGl9U8ujvi3mMCEVboQoQMG-Lx9-SIGjlKk0/s200/20160821_095925.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I know you've seen zentangles all over Pinterest, and in every book store and craft store known to mankind. They are pretty Zen, after all! This summer, I started fooling around with them and decided they were the perfect first lesson for all my art classes. They're easy to differentiate. You really can't "mess up". And they easily teach at least two of the elements of art, and can teach more. They tie in with math - think patterns, measurement, geometry, language arts - think vocabulary, and even social studies, if you want to explain Zen, as a religious practice. I'm using rectangular zentangles as covers for my students' sketchbooks. In art, this will be a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Zentangles-an-Integrated-Lesson-in-Art-Math-and-ELA-2745778" target="_blank">three-part lesson</a>. In the regular classroom, I'd just use parts one and two (if you even need part two). See the whole thing at <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Smarter-Balanced-Teaching" target="_blank">my Teachers Pay Teachers store</a>, but hurry! It's only free during the one day sale!<br />
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Have your #bestyearever and check back soon for more!<br />
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XOXO,<br />
Brooke<br />
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-325178555453520432016-08-08T00:00:00.000-04:002016-08-08T00:00:28.446-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's official! I start back to school this week, and my children start <i>middle school and high school</i> next week. Where does the time go? It seems like just last summer they looked like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGw5Tk8uod1BiUxCvdtG7tqs8CkfP2dvYOgbjG6DkUrX3R9n_hhJSn77CTKTGr3mBLq6aRrlf11eQqfOmuaoqRhu-_S3MUsnBSBRIT4yyA0-wuxq4wNm2qzv0rIHNXaej7wN17RWpz9Pc/s1600/c+and+c+my+fav.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGw5Tk8uod1BiUxCvdtG7tqs8CkfP2dvYOgbjG6DkUrX3R9n_hhJSn77CTKTGr3mBLq6aRrlf11eQqfOmuaoqRhu-_S3MUsnBSBRIT4yyA0-wuxq4wNm2qzv0rIHNXaej7wN17RWpz9Pc/s320/c+and+c+my+fav.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, there's makeup all over the bathroom counter, jewelry everywhere, and not a hairbow to be found anywhere! They're both excited, though, and so am I. I begin a new adventure in school this year, as well.</div>
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Since earning my masters' degree to teach, 20 years ago, I've wanted to teach art, but didn't have all the coursework I needed. Slowly and steadily I took classes to fulfill the art requirements, but still needed one more course, only offered in fall, only at one local college. My favorite bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," said the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans for hope and a future." (NIV) Two years ago, my principal sent out an email asking if anyone was willing to have a student teacher, who just happened to need placement in fall, and just happened to go to that one local school that offers the course I needed. I emailed him back so fast, his head was probably spinning! God sent me the best student teacher ever...Larz. </div>
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She's a teacher in the Myrtle Beach area now. My compensation from the college was a free class. So this past fall, I took my last class needed for art. In December, our art teacher retired. In March I took the Praxis exam, and passed. I sent in all my paperwork for certification, and after a long battle with the state department, over two classes I took years ago in Nebraska, I received not only my certification, but also a job offer at my own school!</div>
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This year, 20 years after starting my teaching career, I'll be a new teacher again, in ART, and I can't wait! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjCk7bN_6_OAhXCUiYKHazXCU4QjB0IBg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.finearttips.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fpalette-tips-%25E2%2580%2593-organize-your-paints%2F&bvm=bv.129391328,d.eWE&psig=AFQjCNGGtC0RaAVUb8BWrm5Jvd07z9XDOg&ust=1470683060136909">www.finearttips.com</a></td></tr>
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My goal, refined through so many years in the core curriculum classroom, is to incorporate as much of each grade level's core standards into art as I can. I hope to build background knowledge of classroom standards, as well as reinforce prior classroom teaching of grade-level standards. I have found so many incredible resources on Pinterest, and have so many new followers of my <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/brookegravett/artistic-pinspiration/" target="_blank">Artistic Pinspiration</a> board. Whether you teach art or not, you can find tons of ideas <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/brookegravett/artistic-pinspiration/" target="_blank">here</a> for incorporating art and craftivities into your lesson plans, or just to do for yourself, family, and friends, so come along for this wild ride, as we all go back to school, refreshed and ready to begin a new adventure!</div>
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I'm excited to continue to bring you new classroom products, as well as inspiration for your own arts incorporation. A peek at my new classroom is coming later this week. For now, get ready with this little give-away!</div>
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Follow my Artistic Pinspiration board for a chance to win a custom tee shirt just like mine! Let me know you're a new follower in the Rafflecopter below:</div>
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XOXO,<br />
Brooke<br />
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-47716890207395568162016-08-02T18:46:00.000-04:002016-08-02T18:46:26.847-04:00Get Ready for Back to School!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Three Easy Ways to</div>
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Get Ready for Back 2 School</div>
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I don't know about you, but this time of summer makes me sweat. Not only the fact that it's 100 degrees with 45% humidity, but the thought of getting my girls and myself ready for back to school, really makes me sweat! If you're with me, give me a holla! Well, I've figured out three quick, fun, easy ways to at least get organized, if not mentally prepared.</div>
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"Polyvore" it Up!</div>
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My girls have more clothes than they know what to do with. Really. From Gramma's shopping sprees to hand-me-downs from cousins, to the "OH! I have to have that!" moments, they have so many pieces, but don't always know what goes together. Until I thought of this, they inevitably wore the same outfits over and over again and ended up looking like they had about 4 shirts, 1 pair of jeans, and a skirt or two. Now, they mix it up, match it up, and all the clothes get seen every once in a while. Here's how to make it fun and get them involved:</div>
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First, clean out the dressers and closets. Yes, even that "dresser" under the bed! Okay, well, first, you might want to let your kiddos know the whole plan, or you'll never get this part done. While everything is out, get rid of the things they don't like or those that don't fit.</div>
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Now, take photos of every top, bottom, accessory, and pair of shoes.</div>
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This is where the fun begins. You can do this in PowerPoint, Publisher, or even Word. Choose one picture of a "bottom" and then go through all the "tops" to make outfit pictures. Add shoes, scarves, and other accessories, even jewelry. I usually do a warm weather and cool weather version with the same initial "bottom". Here's one:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUCusTDG_YpQ87OiKpemtZuodMXDb3OGuW3QO3FMhj15XTTlziI8vh8w6DqB9yn_D8x65XllR34jRNqVM-6tXi_CNMlcRJgZ3i_Eys9Co99D3TzIo2AzUylpVjb2ldK92Lblh1cswknc/s1600/polyvore+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUCusTDG_YpQ87OiKpemtZuodMXDb3OGuW3QO3FMhj15XTTlziI8vh8w6DqB9yn_D8x65XllR34jRNqVM-6tXi_CNMlcRJgZ3i_Eys9Co99D3TzIo2AzUylpVjb2ldK92Lblh1cswknc/s640/polyvore+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The black and white striped skirt was where we started. Then we chose five summer tops, six winter tops, leggings (for winter under the skirt) and shoes. My girls love doing this!</div>
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Last step is to print out the "Polyvore" pages you've made, and tape them to the inside of the closet door, back closet wall, or wherever you have room. There's no more, "I can't find anything to wear," or, "Honey, Mommy's really tired of that outfit...can't you find something else?"! Bonus: You can go ahead and pick out the perfect first day back outfit!</div>
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Personalize It!</div>
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I know, it's not safe to have your kids' names all over their backpacks, lunchboxes, and clothes, but every mom and every teacher knows that every kid needs his name on every single thing. Here's my solution: add a luggage tag to backpacks. You can find the cute single initial monogram ones just about anywhere, but, in case you're having trouble, click here. Now, you could just turn that little paper with room for address, etc. on it over and write on the back, or you can use these <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q6yJawQa8RfADh7r4goaL7eaDjcMBSHB6NJh64RGLGY/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">free editable labels</a>. I'd go for easy, myself, and print out a bunch of labels at once! I've even used them on individual glue sticks, markers, and crayons!</div>
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For everything else, as long as it goes inside the backpack, I think you're safe putting your kiddos' names on the item in large enough print to be easily recognized, and super cute! Grab some paint pens and Sharpies and label everything with your kids' names. Get creative, add some flowers, sports logos, or whatever your kids are into! Don't have beautiful handwriting? Cheat! That's right, cheat! Find a font you really like, type your child's name, size appropriate for the item you're personalizing, print it out, and either practice copying the name on scrap paper, or use Sharpie to trace the printed out name onto the item you're personalizing, then go over the Sharpie with paint pen. Trust me on this one...I used to work at a store where all we did was paint names on things! Bonus: Everything is labeled at once, and it all looks so cute!!!</div>
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Cook It Up!</div>
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Have dinner ready for the first night you've gone back to school. Whaaa? Here's my favorite easy peasy recipe for chicken, rice, and broccoli casserole. Best part? You can prepare it in one pot and mix <i>and</i> bake it in one dish. Then just freeze it until your first day back.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chicken, Rice & Broccoli Bake</span></div>
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1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded, or 1 pkg. fresh chicken tenderloins, boiled until done and then shredded</div>
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1 cup white or brown rice, cooked to equal 2 cups, as prepared</div>
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1 head of broccoli, cut into bite sized florets, or 1 12 oz. bag frozen broccoli florets</div>
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1 can cream of broccoli soup</div>
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1/2 c. mayonnaise</div>
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2 c. shredded cheddar cheese</div>
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3 oz. cheese crackers</div>
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2 T butter, melted</div>
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So, a little prep work...either buy your chicken pre-cooked, as in a rotisserie chicken, or simply boil fresh tenderloins for about 10 minutes, or until 165 degrees. Either way, shred the chicken with two forks. Cook your rice, according to package instructions. I use 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water, bring it to a boil, lower the heat to simmer, adding a lid, and cook for 20 minutes. It comes out perfectly every time! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once you have your chicken and rice ready, the rest is a breeze! Put everything, except the crackers and butter, right into a 9 x 13" baking dish. Mix all together. Crush cheese crackers - the kids can help with this part! If you're using these individual bags of crackers, like I do, snip a tiny edge at the top of the bag to let out the air. </div>
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You won't spill any, and the crushing is much easier. Use a spoon to break up any large chunks. </div>
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Pour the cracker crumbs over the mixture in your dish, and drizzle the melted butter over the crackers. At this point, you can use freezer wrap to cover your dish for later, or pop it in the oven for 30 minutes. Everybody's happy with this one at my house!<br />
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Hope these tips make your back to school easier than ever.</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-81663474612886899092015-08-04T17:40:00.000-04:002015-08-04T17:40:55.412-04:00Fourteen Hours and Flip Flops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Fourteen hours. In 14 hours, my summer is over. Well, sort of...I have 2 professional development days, beginning in 14 hours. Then, I'm back in summer mode until the 11th. Two more days of professional development, a "Meet the Teacher" on the 13th, and back to summer. So, officially, I go back to work, for real, on the 17th, with kiddos coming on the 18th. It's a good thing I like flip flops!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_7EqSoxxAZSonyj83c4LCI9pQ_rW5xw1tSrDG4DTzEqVJwndNi52GY_8WoHSQAaZRYFLetgp1Oar4ISDFOW4lN8D7Acaq63j6RzsZMjbhjStEsvajlqvRq89XVpnOle8H5CxOcuKqqA/s1600/flip_flops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_7EqSoxxAZSonyj83c4LCI9pQ_rW5xw1tSrDG4DTzEqVJwndNi52GY_8WoHSQAaZRYFLetgp1Oar4ISDFOW4lN8D7Acaq63j6RzsZMjbhjStEsvajlqvRq89XVpnOle8H5CxOcuKqqA/s320/flip_flops.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Meanwhile, I kind of dropped the ball on getting my TpT store ready for the big sale, so my sale began a few hours late, BUT I'm extending it through Friday, just in case you are in flip flop mode, too! Be sure to use the code BTS15 through tomorrow (hint, hint...I think TpT is doing a little extension, too) for 28% off. After that, I'm offering 20% off everything in my shop.</div>
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Now, I have to ask you, is anyone nervous this year? I am so super nervous I'm about beside myself! I don't know what it is...maybe the new, new SC standards? Maybe the fact that I've never even seen three of the four textbooks I'm supposed to use? Maybe that I moved rooms during the last three days of school, which was really just a case of "shoveandhide" to get junk off the counters and floors? Maybe it's the grade-level change? Maybe the fact that I was going to be departmentalized, but now I'm not? Maybe it's that we haven't been able to get in our building since an hour after the last day of school and we still can't...until the 11th? MAYBE it's all of that!!! Anyway, I know I'm about to load up my cart on TpT and probably wing it for a few days, get those kiddos to help with the room, and just not worry. Okay, I can tell myself that, anyway.</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-33519922250381478352015-07-28T16:38:00.002-04:002015-07-28T16:38:48.728-04:00Tried it Tuesday - Interactive Journals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This year, I'm moving back to fourth grade, but...a little secret...I'm terrified! It's been six years since I moved to second grade. Our standards have changed to the common core and from the common core. This summer, our new state standards were released, and my district is working furiously to put together pacing guides, but isn't quite finished. My classroom library, so lovingly collected and organized by Lexile, only goes up to about a 500! And that's with about 1,000 books! I have never seen the fourth grade math, science, or reading textbooks (not that I'm that big on textbooks, anyway), and just before school dismissed, I moved classrooms, removing all the non-U.S.History "stuff" from the room. Since then, I've decided to go self-contained, and teach all subjects to my kiddos, rather than let them switch around all day. My school has been a "hard-hat area" all summer, so no one can get to their classroom, either!</div>
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I need a Tried it Tuesday rescue, so I'm linking up with Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper!</div>
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So, my Tried it Tuesday? Well, I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure going full-force! I've bought several interactive journals and plan to use them in and across all subjects. That, too, will be new for me. Yikes! I decided today that I wanted a uniform look for all the icky composition notebooks that I'm requiring students use for their journals. Although all the journals I've purchased come with covers, I just kind-of wanted my own thing, ya know? So, here it is:</div>
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You can pick up a copy of all six covers from my TpT shop, or by clicking on the picture below:</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Everyday-Journal-Covers-for-All-Subjects-1989637" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ok_GAQC7PZ2ISwuLpfSVpORGDs4w6wnhst-FH6ueV2iSJxCKIhsn_qtcN0nLvhUg7Q2sEvrz691TJq1fv2wOLeKprKmSV-U1sqEsVx8CpzdEoNe6xVBxXKEO8EEUnwPecvTF1aKWoMY/s400/journal+covers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Well, I'd best be getting back to my long-range plans. Just EIGHT days until I'm back at work!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-54994951255223442942015-07-27T21:10:00.001-04:002015-07-27T21:10:08.138-04:00Monday Made It!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today something scary happened. I realized I have exactly NINE days before I head back to work! Nine days. Summer is fleeting, and I'm not nearly through! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwuxSBbC0VXAzJ-VWFpUyt73I6CClSYmRAnUpQK7fRu0uk4eLYXxTF44vxt2-_PcxZAYarzhnOu7aSTJs4blwUxSxLVRsU6KbGeur_YTRZPFNg_rGsyeGceXxjL5yqNThvdqlqGcaK4wE/s1600/20150709_175332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwuxSBbC0VXAzJ-VWFpUyt73I6CClSYmRAnUpQK7fRu0uk4eLYXxTF44vxt2-_PcxZAYarzhnOu7aSTJs4blwUxSxLVRsU6KbGeur_YTRZPFNg_rGsyeGceXxjL5yqNThvdqlqGcaK4wE/s320/20150709_175332.jpg" width="240" /></a>I haven't spent enough time with my beautiful daughters. We haven't gone to the pool enough. We haven't just hung out having fun enough. How can this be???</div>
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Well, to be honest with myself, I've spent nearly every day this summer waiting around the house for cable guys, delivery guys, painters, electricians, plumbers, HVAC guys, and basically every other kind of guy you might wait around on when you've just bought a house. Yes, we've decorated. Yes, the girls did get to pick out their room colors and decor. Yes, we've baked cookies and delivered them to my parents, my hubby's parents, and even my grandma. Yes, the stupid cable works now. But, really, <i>nine days</i>?</div>
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To have something to show for some of my waiting around, I'm linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for Made it Monday! We have been <i>busily</i> waiting around, after all.</div>
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<a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2015/07/monday-made-it-july-27-crunch-time.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGR1bE_DeECDKXLBlJTCkQov8BJ_aKWVVO7xYnyuyu8z20HGePgWzUM_d8l89AhZ2JOTXZ_PiOEtyA3gBV4M74FH99CPPQzcsxqUUSki18iXi1cvpG2QlMD3uI9ZAJK1INQvJ0iXcd8c/s400/Monday+Made+It+1+%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvj2rR4MPCy2aE877gFUaQuSHVb1mceg2duAZq4Jl21UxsNjxXII3IUUwPtm7Ti78vkUg_ldqnCQYDjNP4kvXYu45BYRkiU0l1VlHDobyRn7f8VJganJfijqCZ63W-YrodXz2-YhYT44/s1600/20150727_170450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvj2rR4MPCy2aE877gFUaQuSHVb1mceg2duAZq4Jl21UxsNjxXII3IUUwPtm7Ti78vkUg_ldqnCQYDjNP4kvXYu45BYRkiU0l1VlHDobyRn7f8VJganJfijqCZ63W-YrodXz2-YhYT44/s320/20150727_170450.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
The girls and I tried some mixed media artwork last week...I found some great directions <a href="http://christytomlinson.typepad.com/christytomlinson/2010/12/christmas-mixed-media-canvas-tutorial.html" target="_blank">here</a>. We always have canvases lying around, so we chose some scrapbook paper, copied pictures out of magazines, gathered all the materials and got busy. I will tell you that this project took several days, probably because working on my own, while teaching the girls to use Mod Podge, wasn't easy, so we only worked for about an hour at a time. We had fun learning the process, being creative, and I'm pleased enough with mine that they <i>might</i> make it in our bedroom, to hang over the bed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZqxX0eJwl68hyphenhyphens4Pwk8WvfBhhiI31NXb8h_N0eLHh81YJetjH8nSWJvUvhx3ScGxOGyP-MFcbw7XxJUlgw84kUJv2nzOb4zb-IvlfjhNOrHF-w8KOF4QXWSOqldN3tGPZUrosId3YkA/s1600/20150727_170512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZqxX0eJwl68hyphenhyphens4Pwk8WvfBhhiI31NXb8h_N0eLHh81YJetjH8nSWJvUvhx3ScGxOGyP-MFcbw7XxJUlgw84kUJv2nzOb4zb-IvlfjhNOrHF-w8KOF4QXWSOqldN3tGPZUrosId3YkA/s320/20150727_170512.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_V0o_5eP1H8liNZ6_NQYbqEWr6bJZ9HOMd64lklr6v8nR25YOU-J3RIiAR0Tc0Pb5SiINAyZuq8xrWtrd3EJKPBvP67qyoXx0yXb8n0qkuZif_OoOHhxm0i53c4PaKy7AoXug4KEbghg/s1600/made+it+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_V0o_5eP1H8liNZ6_NQYbqEWr6bJZ9HOMd64lklr6v8nR25YOU-J3RIiAR0Tc0Pb5SiINAyZuq8xrWtrd3EJKPBvP67qyoXx0yXb8n0qkuZif_OoOHhxm0i53c4PaKy7AoXug4KEbghg/s200/made+it+2.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Clare wanted her room to be pink with an orange chevron wall. Yikes! After looking at lots of tutorials and youtube videos, I think I found the easiest one, for me, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erQmO9ERc6Y" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7_BzmgNbVOe5TTGC7uNybLGZy3gGVIOD0EFRphifiFCSjK3bfFriSmsAxNbDQn7ZsaPjb3nVJ31OUsjKIl3FDRLrXYOs82AX8scvO1zbEcKD3IXWwNzs1lzlIzKwZDtxbePEZXYWLMY/s1600/chevron+wall2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7_BzmgNbVOe5TTGC7uNybLGZy3gGVIOD0EFRphifiFCSjK3bfFriSmsAxNbDQn7ZsaPjb3nVJ31OUsjKIl3FDRLrXYOs82AX8scvO1zbEcKD3IXWwNzs1lzlIzKwZDtxbePEZXYWLMY/s320/chevron+wall2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After measuring, marking, and taping, I knew I wanted a monogram over her bed, so I printed out the full size I wanted on four pieces of paper, taped them together, and cut them out. Then I traced the frame shape onto the wall. It's one of <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Krista-Wallden" target="_blank">Krista Wallden</a>'s freebies. If you don't follow her on TpT, you should! She is a very talented artist and always has lots of freebies. Then I painted the chevron and the monogram frame. I did find that "cutting in" along the tape caused more bleeding, rather than sealing the tape, as the tutorial suggests, so I just rolled the paint on. Finally, I used my cameo to cut out Clare's monogram and stuck it on the frame.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNLHJ7YUSXIW-wnarjMdpyrzMiVssnE0Kq4MICxPdxPBPbH8rE_YMVEdKZkPgW61ojK9sKcNXRpbJYoelVk6J4E_ANfm44XQta3Qw4XlgxztJc9FBdgBHF7vJsAsL86BXvuGgl-r6kPU/s1600/20150713_170752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNLHJ7YUSXIW-wnarjMdpyrzMiVssnE0Kq4MICxPdxPBPbH8rE_YMVEdKZkPgW61ojK9sKcNXRpbJYoelVk6J4E_ANfm44XQta3Qw4XlgxztJc9FBdgBHF7vJsAsL86BXvuGgl-r6kPU/s200/20150713_170752.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F_JvgBwYtKfy2zv-ZXPyWIkOhbtNm64B7dSA55qnbcaBFNRQED-hImpWJCjIzC8V2D2CZ3xlKJq-AMeMWqjPmRcsj1zkOMSRrguntRt3OF2FIsp700Kq5kXBvm3pY-IdbQl5B0U9hpc/s1600/20150727_170339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F_JvgBwYtKfy2zv-ZXPyWIkOhbtNm64B7dSA55qnbcaBFNRQED-hImpWJCjIzC8V2D2CZ3xlKJq-AMeMWqjPmRcsj1zkOMSRrguntRt3OF2FIsp700Kq5kXBvm3pY-IdbQl5B0U9hpc/s320/20150727_170339.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
Oh my! Have I shared the best secret ever to use as transfer paper? It's Glad Press n' Seal. Y'all, it is seriously the easiest thing I've ever used with my cameo cuts. You'll never buy transfer paper again, and you can give your husband his painters' tape back, too! Okay, these pictures are from last-day-of-school buckets I made, but you get how easy the press n' seal is, right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3vjqbElQdvREnPSbgpYr8Ju0KZ5_QnADhX10zoXJJn9dxjk_ZSqBMtDzm2h3ExNMFELdzcwGGldNyGisoxtEDeEuY_kNryDT5k5Ti6UKaZ4P_1Q9W01ha7P-A1IqpihhhjcJf1oXo_U/s1600/20150531_122645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3vjqbElQdvREnPSbgpYr8Ju0KZ5_QnADhX10zoXJJn9dxjk_ZSqBMtDzm2h3ExNMFELdzcwGGldNyGisoxtEDeEuY_kNryDT5k5Ti6UKaZ4P_1Q9W01ha7P-A1IqpihhhjcJf1oXo_U/s200/20150531_122645.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gdF5ZqOQRA9q6Dpp_TMqWHU2Od9YJwYrEFrlWoUi2PErDlV6Es1b4hb0UoQs6dNPfsrCG6eXCGpZRWsqqU-r-O1XOdJ_xqg2S1KneEn475CxOsR639DRDhDif8a6aAqnnm8GsdfPt2g/s1600/20150531_122751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gdF5ZqOQRA9q6Dpp_TMqWHU2Od9YJwYrEFrlWoUi2PErDlV6Es1b4hb0UoQs6dNPfsrCG6eXCGpZRWsqqU-r-O1XOdJ_xqg2S1KneEn475CxOsR639DRDhDif8a6aAqnnm8GsdfPt2g/s200/20150531_122751.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
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No Sew Window Treatments? Yes, please! </div>
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Y'all, I can sew, but you don't have to with these easy peasy curtain ideas. The first one, I made when I first got married, and I didn't know how to sew. I used iron-on hem tape to do the whole thing. We had bought a house, and it had a black and white bathroom that was pretty dated. I loved this sheer "buggy" fabric, so I "hemmed" the sides and bottom, then ironed in a 3 inch folded-over pocket-thing for the rod. I found the ribbon, accordion folded the bottom, and tied the bows around a tension rod I'd threaded through my pocket at the top. Last week, while cleaning out the boxes upon boxes in our garage, I found that old curtain and knew it would be great in the girls' bathroom, also black and white, just like in our first house. All I did was fold it a little more to accommodate such a short window!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfyNXij9rqQ7B20ExLT5oQ3K1NluFpfPYB3JINgeTAyl8krgcKdyDt9aWK8o85QB7kEYXCgdwjVVQ2_Dt1Uy96M73E1me9khnAzmehJLjGZ0fmjoL_vfQTQvo82FCLygsuj4nJ7BJKNQ/s1600/20150727_170420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfyNXij9rqQ7B20ExLT5oQ3K1NluFpfPYB3JINgeTAyl8krgcKdyDt9aWK8o85QB7kEYXCgdwjVVQ2_Dt1Uy96M73E1me9khnAzmehJLjGZ0fmjoL_vfQTQvo82FCLygsuj4nJ7BJKNQ/s320/20150727_170420.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Below is Clare's little curtain. Again, you could use the iron-on hem tape to make your rod pocket (I sewed this one, and hemmed it, too) and hem. For this little valance, I first sewed my fabric into a big loop, like a cylinder of fabric, so that it was doubled for some extra body. Then, I sewed the rod pocket at the seam. The edges are just the selvedges, which are finished off the bolt of fabric. I made the little bunting out of some left-over ric-rack, used my pinking shears to cut the triangles so they wouldn't fray, and hot glued the whole thing together, adding some cute buttons for fun! Clare painted the birdhouse herself.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrq2KKnWKnCOs8BL40J-rPw8IHRa3jsCYCpiZ2w7AaMNPD-4tNknaUhspt26_Ir0Dhyh4qjrGDRdCySPYgsQbVJWcpgYwOSOygYH6GlQO42i2ObOwbrjE1LvzUJxoR0QE_GKElhpJx7cA/s1600/20150727_170325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrq2KKnWKnCOs8BL40J-rPw8IHRa3jsCYCpiZ2w7AaMNPD-4tNknaUhspt26_Ir0Dhyh4qjrGDRdCySPYgsQbVJWcpgYwOSOygYH6GlQO42i2ObOwbrjE1LvzUJxoR0QE_GKElhpJx7cA/s320/20150727_170325.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8azfSmdhWmj9ENLopKitHCrgeWetDf9bDT_dKtQN5B_5FZ_SoyTaTyBhEHED33AElTb_7GsTXIqBObrf05YyHaXsKKZZezAPeJvXvDAMeaxh9mkLp1mnD8UvWgZfo4EAQJsfAEpYT44/s1600/bedskirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8azfSmdhWmj9ENLopKitHCrgeWetDf9bDT_dKtQN5B_5FZ_SoyTaTyBhEHED33AElTb_7GsTXIqBObrf05YyHaXsKKZZezAPeJvXvDAMeaxh9mkLp1mnD8UvWgZfo4EAQJsfAEpYT44/s320/bedskirt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cGYAlQTtBhNQASTiuZKYH-ZtNcC0G7Wc8Pzpz_sSPLry6wUJjBy28cD1UKwkP5fvDpbTdd5HvzOriwI-CAQMEj3djWGtXjJFRazUeP9YEQ1jAgtaWxX6Lb6M4aCa_qfA3AoHwHpOrp4/s1600/20150718_112129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cGYAlQTtBhNQASTiuZKYH-ZtNcC0G7Wc8Pzpz_sSPLry6wUJjBy28cD1UKwkP5fvDpbTdd5HvzOriwI-CAQMEj3djWGtXjJFRazUeP9YEQ1jAgtaWxX6Lb6M4aCa_qfA3AoHwHpOrp4/s320/20150718_112129.jpg" width="320" /></a>Here's another no sew project we whipped up last week. After struggling with what to do about a bedskirt, after raising Callie's bed seven inches for under-bed storage, it hit me. The fabric I had upholstered her walls with, in our rental house, was perfect! First, I measured the length of the box springs. Then I pinned the fabric length at the corners. From there, I kept finding the middle (eyeballing it) and putting another pin. When the pins were about seven inches apart, I started stapling pleats and gathers. Then, I'd pin them to the boxsprings. That's it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUbZLOFTBMy_h8cFarFGI84y3WMmnx9MZcn-2XoGzEwFVHaBZFp5yG3bItRyaLq9WRJAjqCuW5FXkmTpphkaG1YrHn5ifx6-8Vf9u_8qLwmihWCkXuHkthyCapo3K7HQiqZqKgdSGMho/s1600/made+it+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUbZLOFTBMy_h8cFarFGI84y3WMmnx9MZcn-2XoGzEwFVHaBZFp5yG3bItRyaLq9WRJAjqCuW5FXkmTpphkaG1YrHn5ifx6-8Vf9u_8qLwmihWCkXuHkthyCapo3K7HQiqZqKgdSGMho/s1600/made+it+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUbZLOFTBMy_h8cFarFGI84y3WMmnx9MZcn-2XoGzEwFVHaBZFp5yG3bItRyaLq9WRJAjqCuW5FXkmTpphkaG1YrHn5ifx6-8Vf9u_8qLwmihWCkXuHkthyCapo3K7HQiqZqKgdSGMho/s1600/made+it+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUbZLOFTBMy_h8cFarFGI84y3WMmnx9MZcn-2XoGzEwFVHaBZFp5yG3bItRyaLq9WRJAjqCuW5FXkmTpphkaG1YrHn5ifx6-8Vf9u_8qLwmihWCkXuHkthyCapo3K7HQiqZqKgdSGMho/s1600/made+it+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUbZLOFTBMy_h8cFarFGI84y3WMmnx9MZcn-2XoGzEwFVHaBZFp5yG3bItRyaLq9WRJAjqCuW5FXkmTpphkaG1YrHn5ifx6-8Vf9u_8qLwmihWCkXuHkthyCapo3K7HQiqZqKgdSGMho/s1600/made+it+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUbZLOFTBMy_h8cFarFGI84y3WMmnx9MZcn-2XoGzEwFVHaBZFp5yG3bItRyaLq9WRJAjqCuW5FXkmTpphkaG1YrHn5ifx6-8Vf9u_8qLwmihWCkXuHkthyCapo3K7HQiqZqKgdSGMho/s1600/made+it+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUeS63Km4lyc_0x2NdB6o8dEUH3wr4hv6poUCs-pmgCiwZ9GhMr_6KO9qi0_-vxynPPxNe3Ny6BerpetghbbbRnbOr6Hlchnpq595IKgnLVLMIBmvDwgNTUivaZRW2_vDwFa0E15b8Vo/s1600/20150727_170204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUeS63Km4lyc_0x2NdB6o8dEUH3wr4hv6poUCs-pmgCiwZ9GhMr_6KO9qi0_-vxynPPxNe3Ny6BerpetghbbbRnbOr6Hlchnpq595IKgnLVLMIBmvDwgNTUivaZRW2_vDwFa0E15b8Vo/s320/20150727_170204.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYeWIQ5_sOWMjESG0PGOLEHSa67Bax5jt4XPNV1Zp7a7ighMJXYEnDyHpePO4_OEUurcK4iLUCau6_FNQ3m3efJf4Hw9VHvOtjh8rDK9pt6l0uty3YJLUJvCrXY8Q1tinXgBiCOORWXE/s1600/20150727_170209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYeWIQ5_sOWMjESG0PGOLEHSa67Bax5jt4XPNV1Zp7a7ighMJXYEnDyHpePO4_OEUurcK4iLUCau6_FNQ3m3efJf4Hw9VHvOtjh8rDK9pt6l0uty3YJLUJvCrXY8Q1tinXgBiCOORWXE/s320/20150727_170209.jpg" width="240" /></a>The last thing we made was this wreath. I used one roll of burlap ribbon from Wal-Mart, about five feet of another roll (the green), some linen I cut off of some pants I hemmed, and some left-over buttons. First, wrap a foam wreath form with the natural burlap ribbon. Use floral pins to secure the ribbon. To make the roses, I cut strips of linen and then just kind of wound them up. To get them the way I wanted them to look, I loosened the strips and pinned them in place on the wreath, loosening toward the center as I went. Next, I hot glued some old buttons on, and last, I tied a bow and pinned it on with floral pin.<br />
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So, as you can see, it would seem I've done nothing school-related. That's why:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3cYwOqizDz5PQb2KdGSDyNPWqLE0gJ5Z0TvLssk0XKIdGchhXYta_RS9IvNHYaayReQsvstDykRdYpGmNl7x3IWqVYbAPBFdfG3xnp1eH3zMSlsQ7FR8Z5gwcLGsgppRt3AAEI3acRY/s1600/go-crazy-because-summer-s-over.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3cYwOqizDz5PQb2KdGSDyNPWqLE0gJ5Z0TvLssk0XKIdGchhXYta_RS9IvNHYaayReQsvstDykRdYpGmNl7x3IWqVYbAPBFdfG3xnp1eH3zMSlsQ7FR8Z5gwcLGsgppRt3AAEI3acRY/s320/go-crazy-because-summer-s-over.png" width="274" /></a></div>
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Nah! Just relax, take the last week or so easy, and everything will fall into place!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-17390508539500603862015-06-27T22:39:00.000-04:002015-06-27T22:39:06.120-04:00The End of Year Crazies!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We made it to the end of the school year! Really, this year flew by faster than any other I've ever had. And now that we've been out of school for almost two weeks, it seems more like two days! </div>
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Before school let out, we had a fabulous Field Day! The games were so much fun, and even the teachers got in and played.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cutest game! Pitchin' Pigs...<br />The kiddos had to try to hike the<br />rubber piggies through the hula hoops<br />behind them. Then, regardless of<br />whether they made it through the<br />hoop, they retrieved the pig and handed<br />it off to the next in line - awesome relay!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiON0OfgC55ay5nmknmlEA_yh_oh2GZVLXE-zM3l5bnRm6iGSIHa5AMYo5SR0qU83SfXEbYosHUzSCeJAbY6Kd8whOUwFDTiiwXe_FW2tLgsmEDRtPcV6nGXHI2cwQheaYOnwVOE1FJ4LA/s1600/20150527_130329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiON0OfgC55ay5nmknmlEA_yh_oh2GZVLXE-zM3l5bnRm6iGSIHa5AMYo5SR0qU83SfXEbYosHUzSCeJAbY6Kd8whOUwFDTiiwXe_FW2tLgsmEDRtPcV6nGXHI2cwQheaYOnwVOE1FJ4LA/s320/20150527_130329.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you see that face? He's having a blast hopping down<br />the field and around a cone and back, racing<br />kids in the other classes. Then, all the teachers raced<br />each other - TOO FUNNY!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio3-7L_Q7n4RI3I8DS7urcWzqwtm4TxpKmFSeEr6HNwzmLsZJdB4lAbGMXjcxsYaBQGRXdSf4YSbz72fRMprTKYsD7WHRkP31Boo6ll1a3yDV1axTf8PdYM-4JlaRlq9oOf_Z_M2m-vEo/s1600/20150527_132311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio3-7L_Q7n4RI3I8DS7urcWzqwtm4TxpKmFSeEr6HNwzmLsZJdB4lAbGMXjcxsYaBQGRXdSf4YSbz72fRMprTKYsD7WHRkP31Boo6ll1a3yDV1axTf8PdYM-4JlaRlq9oOf_Z_M2m-vEo/s320/20150527_132311.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good ole' sack races - fun for everyone!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Our last field trip of the year was to LegoLand! The kids had so much fun, and LegoLand fit nicely with our school's STEM initiative. Our STEM teacher uses Legos several times throughout the year to have the kids build structures, make battery-powered robots, explore circuits, and more.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-EnwmzvYeYZeSF9-Tyf6mjNIU3DxC60Djg_nZXvNB9c9xKslOankHk_4zaoDCf7yIZoe38df6gmB1W6d2IhYKDpYgBN0PQTpPrO3GGE5B4MHpHRVCf-TwqWLmqCSd_fzZY4jCFsnNsQ/s1600/20150508_111838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-EnwmzvYeYZeSF9-Tyf6mjNIU3DxC60Djg_nZXvNB9c9xKslOankHk_4zaoDCf7yIZoe38df6gmB1W6d2IhYKDpYgBN0PQTpPrO3GGE5B4MHpHRVCf-TwqWLmqCSd_fzZY4jCFsnNsQ/s320/20150508_111838.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsj_eNNCJGRTAEPeaEhVrw_DFESEjj9aZ2z-vj-0dkOQ_2-dHuQpUhbfBwqoJ_KjFRhfJ9_VwUZE2Z8Gxh96cs2x645HegMqCYYEuvDOPeoBWdlCxCpxRgRz9RVdbKQkb-1XcIVa37Xc/s1600/20150508_122437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsj_eNNCJGRTAEPeaEhVrw_DFESEjj9aZ2z-vj-0dkOQ_2-dHuQpUhbfBwqoJ_KjFRhfJ9_VwUZE2Z8Gxh96cs2x645HegMqCYYEuvDOPeoBWdlCxCpxRgRz9RVdbKQkb-1XcIVa37Xc/s320/20150508_122437.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtnm3biQFODA6IEHK8LIOH9iH10hZOJ4TWZodg9IzHMcFyIgYkIXePsJ2FMce2SCsSzWTCHi8OV0fDO_Z-1OuWI1tb8v8CXk_Hpo_PkyKueDszQHQOcQIMfYqgAC0uqf_Ls73X-EDf_o/s1600/20150508_122342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtnm3biQFODA6IEHK8LIOH9iH10hZOJ4TWZodg9IzHMcFyIgYkIXePsJ2FMce2SCsSzWTCHi8OV0fDO_Z-1OuWI1tb8v8CXk_Hpo_PkyKueDszQHQOcQIMfYqgAC0uqf_Ls73X-EDf_o/s320/20150508_122342.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYhw0dosE6ru78f6OZzbAo14TmWznHru70QNMJ34OdxVLEfi0n3JR-6N4OztPst9P1dmRrxLa9KYrBumh6aGvUHbXjdGrFJ8LbB_f0JVrqzifJAVtVaQ6wYS9btPGbYK6F7Ssgo9998g/s1600/20150508_112023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYhw0dosE6ru78f6OZzbAo14TmWznHru70QNMJ34OdxVLEfi0n3JR-6N4OztPst9P1dmRrxLa9KYrBumh6aGvUHbXjdGrFJ8LbB_f0JVrqzifJAVtVaQ6wYS9btPGbYK6F7Ssgo9998g/s320/20150508_112023.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACjUJiSZqNskLRV2U2nlk5DE7RESqutjT34LGcU2CNHBw2yWEIGojz2RxYKh8XPihixNjzBfSkSBOCFBIyFko_YzU7w70TjVb7dAOFuhGFR3YdKSzmuSpdhS12CvM_wfDlBpdjy9FNww/s1600/20150508_122643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACjUJiSZqNskLRV2U2nlk5DE7RESqutjT34LGcU2CNHBw2yWEIGojz2RxYKh8XPihixNjzBfSkSBOCFBIyFko_YzU7w70TjVb7dAOFuhGFR3YdKSzmuSpdhS12CvM_wfDlBpdjy9FNww/s320/20150508_122643.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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For the last three days of school, the kids and I moved every. single, thing. to my new classroom. Can you say cah-ray-zy? This is right after school on the first moving day:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8k_jL8E0QBN-8N0c-_aqPwQu8H2DCexjSAefdvKnVFc1E94nLVh5E4wg0ies7hdL1Yj5VYx_KmxnHjhidr4NuE-xCieafMqekKunvNhD85atS5dSwtLZIWKjJ8eCyBF2R91UJeqtnFg/s1600/20150424_153412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoYSmLAgoMeifyadGOm8EDvfbvMGNQIFExa6F2fPP5yYPBhUZAnN4zvLlZjexFbK_Nw-P17gFtlswcdeLO8gR4VEoPFmLR6Pzk0cDsg0VuNYNXSZdPTXzeDvLHbPs4ZGWo2gEhp-U4CM/s1600/20150424_153506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoYSmLAgoMeifyadGOm8EDvfbvMGNQIFExa6F2fPP5yYPBhUZAnN4zvLlZjexFbK_Nw-P17gFtlswcdeLO8gR4VEoPFmLR6Pzk0cDsg0VuNYNXSZdPTXzeDvLHbPs4ZGWo2gEhp-U4CM/s320/20150424_153506.jpg" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8k_jL8E0QBN-8N0c-_aqPwQu8H2DCexjSAefdvKnVFc1E94nLVh5E4wg0ies7hdL1Yj5VYx_KmxnHjhidr4NuE-xCieafMqekKunvNhD85atS5dSwtLZIWKjJ8eCyBF2R91UJeqtnFg/s320/20150424_153412.jpg" width="240" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0ZjBjyrb8gev2cjXd0Xc97AFlzfNyB302E4zh6USLRXfECJDEh1W93zYaoQrr4w8hwyb3mBdBpkR81mf_qOa8FWIfNFWfbD0Y9RylHyZCLcuRfEytailg6h3LOneLoanHzNKuPaXm08/s1600/20150424_153428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0ZjBjyrb8gev2cjXd0Xc97AFlzfNyB302E4zh6USLRXfECJDEh1W93zYaoQrr4w8hwyb3mBdBpkR81mf_qOa8FWIfNFWfbD0Y9RylHyZCLcuRfEytailg6h3LOneLoanHzNKuPaXm08/s320/20150424_153428.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9FNmPng59tRvwQu6S1kslYNntOq8KEM_pzIGGCn7FYYfQNwOqrt_e7Gmiera3P8Dko4SDcfaxCAB0Jt9PmoxnSnd6350xiA18jA9s2YBo1frucitrjNSeE_6CJRiKJXBrbM63esE2yc/s1600/20150426_154422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9FNmPng59tRvwQu6S1kslYNntOq8KEM_pzIGGCn7FYYfQNwOqrt_e7Gmiera3P8Dko4SDcfaxCAB0Jt9PmoxnSnd6350xiA18jA9s2YBo1frucitrjNSeE_6CJRiKJXBrbM63esE2yc/s320/20150426_154422.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Thankfully, on the very last day of school, my fabulous room mom helped me get everything put away, organized, and packed up for next fall! This is how I left it:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv484Erp1Fp9g9jeza9UIysd4kbaXnHSw_0DjG6WxB3NLkiHAqNqnbQa6lDBGc0DDA2WlWY9fLN9B3FMp61CcmRIKkYFuqyzH_AgRanrbR2GtmOT_2q8KGWv3svnWW3r9ktyj1xPn_1U0/s1600/20150426_154454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv484Erp1Fp9g9jeza9UIysd4kbaXnHSw_0DjG6WxB3NLkiHAqNqnbQa6lDBGc0DDA2WlWY9fLN9B3FMp61CcmRIKkYFuqyzH_AgRanrbR2GtmOT_2q8KGWv3svnWW3r9ktyj1xPn_1U0/s320/20150426_154454.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to ALL great room moms!</td></tr>
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SO, at the same time I was moving at school, we were moving into our new house!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkGMD-P7GfFkMRzj2jCudhKkv8oS6mRuLgpmgrlMWXeqYnEyPTgawfgTj8_5R_H9scwl5LzKZzAICLVOQ9yXa1YAf0xlZeb11LHfIPd3UgFqR58A0_xdotcgW_Yg3EkgTuQXDiDbCZiE/s1600/20150606_135522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkGMD-P7GfFkMRzj2jCudhKkv8oS6mRuLgpmgrlMWXeqYnEyPTgawfgTj8_5R_H9scwl5LzKZzAICLVOQ9yXa1YAf0xlZeb11LHfIPd3UgFqR58A0_xdotcgW_Yg3EkgTuQXDiDbCZiE/s320/20150606_135522.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen - before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The movers seemed to think that the best thing to do with all of our stuff was stack it on top of itself. I can NOT complain!<br />
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We are finally in our own house, I've had almost every room painted, and my hubby's being super-patient with me, letting me enjoy my summer and unpack slowly. It's a heaven-sent luxury to be able to paint, finally use all my pins for design and decor (outside the classroom), and give my girls their dream rooms!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4uVh3cBlaMA-ISWS8H7FBhjdk2dlnImoXPDfP1WD-iK6ynOxlPGXIGxF-rxPPIQpEACZmZEPmyQDcByixMZgcde25lN-RxujleaQgJjvr60dk30uKfydFRdInEdemAAV_PTnnYDlCpk/s1600/20150616_115355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4uVh3cBlaMA-ISWS8H7FBhjdk2dlnImoXPDfP1WD-iK6ynOxlPGXIGxF-rxPPIQpEACZmZEPmyQDcByixMZgcde25lN-RxujleaQgJjvr60dk30uKfydFRdInEdemAAV_PTnnYDlCpk/s320/20150616_115355.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcET-TOAsaM_omwHEWOEAPDqFAuG7Bjt5NOA8Aqt2Dx4euBXleaBravn4zecwR5Z6R5Btq_KZVpundRgXmPiKKwO1vkLk39b98HvRq9YEohlalD0s8iQ-ybwUdzCCduipcG-PI5fpTDA/s1600/20150616_115335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcET-TOAsaM_omwHEWOEAPDqFAuG7Bjt5NOA8Aqt2Dx4euBXleaBravn4zecwR5Z6R5Btq_KZVpundRgXmPiKKwO1vkLk39b98HvRq9YEohlalD0s8iQ-ybwUdzCCduipcG-PI5fpTDA/s320/20150616_115335.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Tiffany Blue paint in the kitchen...LOVE!</td></tr>
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Before we bought the house, I found these candle holders at TJ Maxx, and loved them. I knew they'd be perfect to replace the icky track lights in the kitchen. I drilled holes in the bottom of each one, bought new light kits for the track, and hung the repurposed light fixtures. I just have to cut the wiring to the right length...and I will. I promise!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoOqwAe9lrVvBn4kIcrOoYFxlWz2R_KLAwOesrf-RQOvC3IW7a2hA4oaMGsieoN7wV1qBVOUZbF5n8GQpL27uFdap9QgUF-8wArVF-UA3hIHs-gW-eKkNUo76Bcl320nAuNRgxfSAh7c/s1600/20150606_135612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoOqwAe9lrVvBn4kIcrOoYFxlWz2R_KLAwOesrf-RQOvC3IW7a2hA4oaMGsieoN7wV1qBVOUZbF5n8GQpL27uFdap9QgUF-8wArVF-UA3hIHs-gW-eKkNUo76Bcl320nAuNRgxfSAh7c/s320/20150606_135612.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living Room - before</td></tr>
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How to not get all grandma in here??? I'm working on unformalizing the living room. Yes, I made that word up, just now!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkAlEoNMg22NHRNGCJz_KEusIsEmmXEJ2zbqo8Yz7zToKPY2FW79fam_6kRIT8tF5NDcoKzTPECc_BODfjAY2gibUq3YVDOXC98v_qxIZA8BEAxgDbf5igveVI9dltJdVaxerNe9G_TM/s1600/20150615_134106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkAlEoNMg22NHRNGCJz_KEusIsEmmXEJ2zbqo8Yz7zToKPY2FW79fam_6kRIT8tF5NDcoKzTPECc_BODfjAY2gibUq3YVDOXC98v_qxIZA8BEAxgDbf5igveVI9dltJdVaxerNe9G_TM/s320/20150615_134106.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeB8foC8z634gnUmf9J-7GimHwcjw8yeB_eJiv1KThknvx3MX0m22q1WTzl4WJqKNMXfIU-ePyJfaXkmV_XfYSgH646U7ApQcWR8oUy8ALt55GsBuBGAwpHYZRvs0zowipyURD7RLVFxM/s1600/family+circle1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeB8foC8z634gnUmf9J-7GimHwcjw8yeB_eJiv1KThknvx3MX0m22q1WTzl4WJqKNMXfIU-ePyJfaXkmV_XfYSgH646U7ApQcWR8oUy8ALt55GsBuBGAwpHYZRvs0zowipyURD7RLVFxM/s200/family+circle1.PNG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedU3TSiwKOS6_ReCkBem5gvrKxcvrAb9-U1s6bzhQdxmcO2O85kmb2YAhUCcqpg7318R9N8CBj8MWhqeJmnF5hT2kQc2EWFRGfj6XomuyrdL7vhbwV9XMavURBRuf2nmkBUdmpcqLHcY/s1600/sisters.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedU3TSiwKOS6_ReCkBem5gvrKxcvrAb9-U1s6bzhQdxmcO2O85kmb2YAhUCcqpg7318R9N8CBj8MWhqeJmnF5hT2kQc2EWFRGfj6XomuyrdL7vhbwV9XMavURBRuf2nmkBUdmpcqLHcY/s200/sisters.PNG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpLn9_OGU0d0OE2zft3TBh7IGC_xiAgKA9KMAk_ec9eHTHo127JhvaCO8Vbn0l7SHEMLIR2rezaX_wgvZ90A5uVvgIiNeDRXX20bGUh2ATKJQLXFeKmEZ0Fw5S73SttiYqaYVEtFVq_A/s1600/20150615_134141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpLn9_OGU0d0OE2zft3TBh7IGC_xiAgKA9KMAk_ec9eHTHo127JhvaCO8Vbn0l7SHEMLIR2rezaX_wgvZ90A5uVvgIiNeDRXX20bGUh2ATKJQLXFeKmEZ0Fw5S73SttiYqaYVEtFVq_A/s320/20150615_134141.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Living Room - in progress...I'm trying to decide what to do about that weird place above the lower left photo of one of our daughters. I designed these two vinyl ideas to cut using my silhouette, but I can't decide which one I like better. Let me know what you think!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The den, getting there, gotta hang pictures and open the blinds!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The den, as the movers left it...</td></tr>
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While we're unpacking, I have to start packing. We're off to the beach for a week of vacation! What a perfect ending to a perfect school year, and a perfect beginning to our new life in our new home, and my new life in fourth grade!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_20aySRyVMKH0vmB4eXrbBWkYO2Bshf60DSC65mYf0onIfZTo4jlWLe9ZqO5JyiDwCmkklz2cyWIWTh7oVqqtf-84rKUoOgmfv-GqRzqBUlCHlu3ZYhRiHllnUTpOR_3PTdZKV9qLA4/s1600/sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_20aySRyVMKH0vmB4eXrbBWkYO2Bshf60DSC65mYf0onIfZTo4jlWLe9ZqO5JyiDwCmkklz2cyWIWTh7oVqqtf-84rKUoOgmfv-GqRzqBUlCHlu3ZYhRiHllnUTpOR_3PTdZKV9qLA4/s320/sunset.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My happy place...Sunset Beach, NC!</td></tr>
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I have lots of ideas for integrating my subject areas - ELA and US history - that I'll be working on this summer. Although South Carolina has officially withdrawn from common core, our new state standards look so much like CCSS, I think you'll be able to find plenty to use in your classroom. Right now I'm thinking "big kid" stations, which seem kind of hard for me to find, but I know fourth graders certainly aren't too old to use them or learn from them. I also think they might be the perfect answer to the RTI requirements in my school. We have 30 minutes, per day, to work with the lowest achieving ten percent of students. Rather than use stations during guided reading groups, I think I'll be using them while I work with my RTI group. I'll keep you posted on how it's going, and let you know as soon as I have some stations ready.</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" /></a></div>
Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-44153464054106478442015-05-26T21:13:00.000-04:002015-05-26T21:13:57.089-04:00Movin' on Up!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After five years of begging, pleading, and throwing fits in the halls (okay, maybe not), I am finally going back to fourth grade!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbECYOvCtECf6jh4d04i-3F6o6lDqlLph-2PbQgCuGDMG_fNQgGy0PYDF5y4qpSRIyevueCIEPfDJvZ0lqApjrndUnnGRxG8Gyd1RljHHSiuLWhL9AvklVog2vWzqukfnlBTTIinO-OQ/s1600/4th_Grade_Rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbECYOvCtECf6jh4d04i-3F6o6lDqlLph-2PbQgCuGDMG_fNQgGy0PYDF5y4qpSRIyevueCIEPfDJvZ0lqApjrndUnnGRxG8Gyd1RljHHSiuLWhL9AvklVog2vWzqukfnlBTTIinO-OQ/s320/4th_Grade_Rocks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Woop! Woop! I'm super excited and even motivated enough to give this little blog the attention it's been lacking for way too long.</div>
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More good news? I'm moving on up from a teensy apartment to our own house! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYgrO6ea3YuoevvRy-WbPAVAhhwr35t4Lfxbq1t7JBJA0i8sLd-dlPVjCs8pNZP9T9EYWqRBwOgSNUFKThw8pzA_yYsl2bQ_cLLSDkKRWTX93LEguOTC5yIRF5bmCOhhlFwjl68W7c0o/s1600/412+elizabeth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYgrO6ea3YuoevvRy-WbPAVAhhwr35t4Lfxbq1t7JBJA0i8sLd-dlPVjCs8pNZP9T9EYWqRBwOgSNUFKThw8pzA_yYsl2bQ_cLLSDkKRWTX93LEguOTC5yIRF5bmCOhhlFwjl68W7c0o/s320/412+elizabeth.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the past seven years, my family and I have rented. Partly due to losing a house, right before there was mortgage assistance available, to a foreclosure, and partly due to some really poor money management and marital stress, we've been unable to buy a home. I'm happy to say, we close in three days, and we can't wait! I'll tell you, I have learned so much through these crazy years, that I honestly wouldn't trade them for all the stability and the most beautiful house in the world. </div>
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<li>I've learned that humility is godly. I confess that I was <i>way</i> too proud. Of stupid things. Like antiques, and crystal, and five sets of china, and <i>really</i>, just stuff! </li>
<li>I've learned to pray. Not just the regular, everyday routine prayer, but to <i>really talk</i> to God. To ask for His guidance. To confess my sins. To beg for Him to show me His will. And to promise, no matter what, that I will do what His plan holds for me.</li>
<li>I've learned to understand my husband. To listen. To love unconditionally. To forgive. To try to be the kind of wife he wants and deserves. To be a godly wife and mother.</li>
<li>I've learned to be patient. More than anything else, I think that's the lesson I needed the most. And I think that both school and home have taught me to wait gratefully and gracefully. I've learned that what I've been waiting for, begging for, hoping for, and wishing for is so very unimportant in the greater scheme of things!</li>
<li>I've learned to be truly thankful. We all have so much, and yet we see others' successes, accomplishments, jobs, homes, lives - whatever it may be, and that tiny little bit of jealousy creeps in. Don't let it happen to you.</li>
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With eight days left in second grade, I think I might even miss it a little. I <i>know</i> I'll miss the friends I've made, especially this year, and the special little classes I've taught. But, guess what...my second graders from last year will be movin' on up to fourth grade next year, and hopefully, I'll get the chance to teach them what I really love and to show them how to love, love, love to learn!<br />
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" /></a></div>
Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-68187760937538886912015-03-10T10:16:00.000-04:002015-03-10T10:16:21.804-04:00A Wow!, a Sale!, and a Birthday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
First the Wow! I'm home with a sick daughter today, so I was looking through Pinterest, one of my favorite pastimes, when I spotted this:</div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/brookegravett/it-s-elementary-my-dear/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwWSIkJWhTQvBDTg8WhbfuuJI0nZNJR52fDoRBPQnIRDd98oUQ5rjqMFVJ4k0L97Vq13HQbgWSA_rl69F9AiASwF76mv_VESz8XYHlHH_IWnZZod5-rTpXO8a39oGtAAItzCMYk-q1V0/s1600/lory+evans.jpg" height="118" width="640" /></a></div>
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Wow! <a href="http://loryevanspage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lory Evans</a>? THE Lory Evans? Well, yeah - that one! I was amazed. I was happy. I am (still) Wowed! Lory Evans is following one of my Pinterest boards! Okay, and Sonia N., thank you for following, too. Y'all, I may not be the best blogger, certainly not the most frequent, but I am dang good at pinning, so if you want to join Lory and Sonia, click the picture above to go straight to my "It's Elementary My Dear" board. I have lots of other good stuff, too, "2+2" is where I keep all things math, "Scientifically Speaking" is for science, and "Around the World in 180 Days" is my social studies board. If you're interested in home decor, seasonal decor, house design, healthy eating, fashion, and much more, just click <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/brookegravett/" target="_blank">{here}</a> for the whole shebang.</div>
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A Sale and a Birthday!</div>
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My birthday is on St. Patrick's Day, and to celebrate, I'm having a sale at my TPT store! Most everything is 20% off now through the 17th. Click below to check it out. </div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Smarter-Balanced-Teaching" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TGaf6MYSHDWSPABpXc42RBUt3WzrnZcPuJVofCpE0CgH-jtwa6QDVbzr2gVngux2ZnM0ECMVhIRgn6wZark4VBo0PYPtL-WDp6vTLDFaGIen9iooaDvYh_Bd6d1f0t2y3jpC-uevNmg/s1600/bday+sale.png" height="80" width="640" /></a></div>
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I just added a <u>There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover</u> accordion book craftivity that focuses on visualizing and summarizing to celebrate St. Paddy's:</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/There-Was-an-Old-Lady-Who-Swallowed-a-Clover-Visualize-Summarize-Craftivity-1752717" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOS1TFgK3lVPtSlJ0A1NhIZ2yxH-WyeIqp6UkO0CV_PJ1z1VoFpcHjR1TY6_rq4TBHUm3UBeTjJ9QHsii9bDDAUve45Pb5tX2nf0K3Nya8kKu9fIJwKF962mv9kxlWEb1tPc7mkfWMxb4/s1600/old+lady.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
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We'll be doing this on Thursday - my substitute, who just happens to be my student teacher from last semester, is getting it ready right now! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqVJ9icpWHb7fMz6sAATn-NOH-0AsY6Bl-Mop04aKn9WZFYZ9DepIjcKX8UOkbaO2ED4eX2hNRS36X9l0FlbtVp9q7WzsEP5JSZo7vRdj88DmlBIZeltsdSdFYW9KqXYDEUIDBMZg1cM/s1600/larz4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqVJ9icpWHb7fMz6sAATn-NOH-0AsY6Bl-Mop04aKn9WZFYZ9DepIjcKX8UOkbaO2ED4eX2hNRS36X9l0FlbtVp9q7WzsEP5JSZo7vRdj88DmlBIZeltsdSdFYW9KqXYDEUIDBMZg1cM/s1600/larz4.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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She rocks - thanks, Larz!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" /></a></div>
Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-47847011684315895852015-02-08T17:04:00.000-05:002015-02-08T17:04:01.132-05:00The 100th Day & SMOOCH!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What a cah-ra-zy time of year! We've just completed our 100th Day of School - which was a blast, thanks to the sweet Cara Carroll, and it's already Valentine's, President's Day, Chinese New Year, and Black History Month!</div>
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We had the BEST 100th Day EV-AH! when I found The First Grade Parade's fantabulous activities on Cara Carroll's website! If your 100th Day hasn't arrived yet, go there NOW to make it the greatest! We started the day with some estimation, then had our tee-shirt fashion show, and followed it with Cara's 100th Day Stations. I heard my kiddos say, several times, "This is the best 100th Day ever!" Just look at them enjoying their time:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAf6fnQd7gWD0UGT9dK6_ZR4ugZ46Rt79Dw8ldMqL8ZRZPbzcT3ztrfp0OzJaFFDE-j6NGYDRwX8v_F8yJRpaBsbdO8LaNcuSVl6WAxUpaxsBj8cfVmIuWvgjE0AvvNGIvG8JC57c0QNI/s1600/100th+day.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAf6fnQd7gWD0UGT9dK6_ZR4ugZ46Rt79Dw8ldMqL8ZRZPbzcT3ztrfp0OzJaFFDE-j6NGYDRwX8v_F8yJRpaBsbdO8LaNcuSVl6WAxUpaxsBj8cfVmIuWvgjE0AvvNGIvG8JC57c0QNI/s1600/100th+day.png" height="456" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPBzgsaoXC_ZH0o-ehjjheR7o8yIkOKDeuz5YY3ZFAHBSPWQhSe-j88w4eZZudXuA0OyFIHn83DornoYxD4FbGcsNLngZPisx_Z2TH9kb1pmzclxUewrDo94hTOs9ZtyZxOdpGoATX-s/s1600/20150129_151417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPBzgsaoXC_ZH0o-ehjjheR7o8yIkOKDeuz5YY3ZFAHBSPWQhSe-j88w4eZZudXuA0OyFIHn83DornoYxD4FbGcsNLngZPisx_Z2TH9kb1pmzclxUewrDo94hTOs9ZtyZxOdpGoATX-s/s1600/20150129_151417.jpg" height="640" width="339" /></a>I know the kids had fun making their shirts, but I feel sure I had more fun than anyone else! Yep, my owl and branch, together, are made of exactly 100 buttons! And, no, I didn't sew them on. Meet E6000 glue! It works on everything! SMOOCH! Valentine's Day is Saturday, and we have a teacher workday on Friday, so Thursday's the deadline at our school! It seems like, around this time of year, my kids have forgotten how to add and subtract with regrouping, so I whipped up a little practice for them. I have this little cutie for just $1 at Teachers Pay Teachers. Click on the picture to go directly to the page.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Addition-and-Subtraction-Centers-1696230" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUU3BXI-qOljtUqDzqe2Dcfvmm72Wkh0Q-U_meCb_7N_1NQMvSXSmb4GSyn9wwBBJi24hTLSXzajLcVkpXmG6DLaSoMZ5ZVjPfXxcGAPMV-JKdptByKDG-YfN0hyBSuSZ5EUFuN9jksSM/s1600/add+station.jpg" height="400" width="307" /></a></div>
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Just in time for Valentine's Day, I also shared my "famous" matter and measurement introduction with my class: I bake a cake every year, mixing the ingredients from scratch right in the classroom, and then taking the pans to our cafeteria to bake. The kids LOVE it, and I think they remember more about matter from that one activity than from weeks of studying it. We talk about each ingredient and identify each as a solid, liquid, or gas. We measure everything very accurately, and talk about how important that is in baking. We talk about mixtures and solutions, as we combine the ingredients, and we talk about physical and chemical changes in matter throughout the entire process. Best of all, after lunch, we dig in! This year, I made Thundercake, from Patricia Polacco's book of the same title. We were using it as a mentor text for describing senses in our personal narratives. No matter what book I've used, the cake lesson is always a hit. Kids from years and years ago come to see me and ask if I remember baking that cake that one time...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihY2oV00chQe3xgGjm7ABL5t1W49EhDSNRzJiB-v0KJfA_QSIKNdE_OJHAZuuYqquUaGf5iDU-Enl_qN83CXPWFXdSOunsV-0-5oQihwIukSlngaEtiJFX0-joce2reU2h9vyy_5xdGC8/s1600/20150127_124741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihY2oV00chQe3xgGjm7ABL5t1W49EhDSNRzJiB-v0KJfA_QSIKNdE_OJHAZuuYqquUaGf5iDU-Enl_qN83CXPWFXdSOunsV-0-5oQihwIukSlngaEtiJFX0-joce2reU2h9vyy_5xdGC8/s1600/20150127_124741.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We sort the ingredients into solids and liquids. The gas forms<br />during the mixing (addition of air) and beating the eggs.</td></tr>
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This year, kids said this was the best cake they'd ever eaten - WOW! Even with tomatoes in the recipe, the best they'd ever had? Maybe it's the first home-made cake they've ever eaten.</div>
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Happy Everything February!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-36903423276328145572015-01-19T22:05:00.001-05:002015-01-19T22:05:04.315-05:00Peek at My Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Peek at My Week: MLK, Jr. and How to Make a Snowman</div>
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<a href="http://www.mrswillskindergarten.com/2015/01/polar-bear-week-source-looks-like.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33MSEAaMEEGu7Dnoh9Q7J_1TC4JDqJYrWiqPX99b0y6gK1T2nXslu_iJLM5am2YAIyguF2sqGusbh7vVpfpg2kPOOrcsvEWeHA5lUwnrNRFk-QaEeTmgvam4RpnqOdc_yck7KHbpVj5k/s1600/peek+at+my+week.png" height="285" width="320" /></a></div>
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Oh my! It's been ages since I linked up with Mrs. Wills Kindergarten for a Peek at My Week...</div>
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This week, we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a state holiday in his honor today, and I'll be using a few of my favorites to be sure my babies know who he was and why they were out of school.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zXjJuOIVoqqZgMigMJxnPt2c3934WOYdHJ91ACavFEeg9xtaHgsKcZ_LmSWw8u3UTc0z3btaYnbxJXgsKdidhFY7wTePl79kmGOGjs-ON3t6aH4YLrut_9pUoEmAOhKCGA8wgFZmDuo/s1600/martin's%2Bbig%2Bwords.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zXjJuOIVoqqZgMigMJxnPt2c3934WOYdHJ91ACavFEeg9xtaHgsKcZ_LmSWw8u3UTc0z3btaYnbxJXgsKdidhFY7wTePl79kmGOGjs-ON3t6aH4YLrut_9pUoEmAOhKCGA8wgFZmDuo/s1600/martin's%2Bbig%2Bwords.jpg" /></a></div>
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First, my all time fave book about MLK is <u>Martin's Big Words</u>, and I always show it being read aloud on this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdlCWrsAbIo" target="_blank">link</a> to youtube. The voice-over is amazing, and the video zooms in and out of the pages. It's absolutely captivating. Now, I've learned to put all my youtube videos in safesharetv. If you don't know about that, let me tell you...it's the BEST! Just go to your youtube video and copy the address. Then go to www.safeshare.tv and paste the link in the box. Click Generate and the website edits out all the commercials, sidebar junk, and everything else but the content of your video. Good-bye inappropriate pictures on my PolyVision board!</div>
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As you can see, from my schedule, Tuesday is a really light teaching day. My kiddos are gone to all sorts of special activities, and I have them all to myself for only a couple of hours, so, after watching <u>Martin's Big Words</u>, we'll talk about who he was, what he stood for, and what happened to him. Then it's off to the library and STEM lab. When I get my babies back, we'll make an MLK anchor chart together and brainstorm some ideas for how we can make the world more peaceful. I'll end the lesson with having the kids write about their dreams for a better world.</div>
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Later in the week, we'll continue using these great resources from Amy Lemons and Jessica Hursh during stations, while I meet with my Leveled Literacy Intervention reading groups:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/I-Can-Regroup-Addition-and-Subtraction-with-Regrouping-Centers-194849" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRUKhU2HPo4RVBwPEChdbTlICPpd3m6hUT4cgEHCu1Ww2mm1R69VSk8oRyevojVfpEu5RqTzXttFv_xAl4w9q5J7gsgWoP79q5JfjXlCj12W6EgLb6vkuQlW7hYGCySKcaT6_BzvMqKw/s1600/i+can+regroup.PNG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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This unit from Amy Lemons is amazing, and is perfect for keeping my little ones' minds focused on basic addition and subtraction with and without regrouping.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Subtraction-Jeopardy-Second-Grade-Interactive-PowerPoint-Game-1659492" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQgygZ-BIfAfZxsMj5e5BsPpo2lyWaccEer8a3SVaXzUTcIeQ0au6-PHM3_Brzbgaq0EXU6522_2av6nsvJ4N9376fRZUuVR25d1gLLZXVkVbJ0vGlHKU0ENVYqXZYxhTqHiTWkGW8-E/s1600/subtraction+jeopardy.PNG" height="239" width="320" /></a>I'll also introduce my newest project, which I'm so excited about! I learned to make a Jeopardy-like game in PowerPoint this past week and can't wait to play it with my kiddos!<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Polar-Pals-10-Winter-Themed-Literacy-Centers-455135" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLDft1cDVxvUrAmhJRiApwihzyJreqU6sOJsP2KqNjTeRdJHxFTiMNpFG9deJJq6pj3M9heZVOskFYhGnRmuGWPNXXK75uDwGSxgMCnWuKqretOA5ozxkjoCp_w3rCp8CcGmDZVX48TU/s1600/polar+pals.PNG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
Another great resource from Amy Lemons, this set of station activities focuses on everything from synonyms to compound words, and all sorts of goodies in between. My kids love doing stations, and they learn so much, both independently and with partners, while working on them. I have to thank my friend JWoo for introducing me to what stations even were! They have literally changed the way I teach.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Literacy-Stations-10-Stations-984208" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-8AKTnCKvm4nQ4AtQVBYyLIwhcLPlpk4NckB5Wu6_JeDhHog9e1U9qD_m4QbwP-ZnQu_eu-tktEv4I65es0qPbgFwHmY9Cl2Xkguj2IbEvE2zMDihJBehaREMiFKHSk51E0j0Mc995k/s1600/winter+stations.PNG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm mixing Amy's Polar Pals with Jessica Hursh's Winter Literacy Stations for the third week this week. These activities are so similar to the ones from Polar Pals that it's perfect for reinforcement of the skills my kiddos have practiced in one or the other to mix the two, repeating the same skills!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3jOW86cc9X9-D3AFhw0CuTUP-VPn3Ne0yzxcHwindlClEZtcDf3nfRkWizIgbfx3vkJaOEN7pXuqN32uCXFCuCfkcQNa9yuxi7OkhjSq8ww8-2rKjipb6532e_vxaGGnecX2Q16ov-E/s1600/snowman+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3jOW86cc9X9-D3AFhw0CuTUP-VPn3Ne0yzxcHwindlClEZtcDf3nfRkWizIgbfx3vkJaOEN7pXuqN32uCXFCuCfkcQNa9yuxi7OkhjSq8ww8-2rKjipb6532e_vxaGGnecX2Q16ov-E/s1600/snowman+2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>With all these wintry stations, our read-alouds last week were all about snowmen, and we even made snowmen from, of all things, Dunkin' Donut Munchkins! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4GTvqDxOqd1FDTZrbOwNHUpaHzwv6ZZrMKbbCDTIB_xzp84KkM66cfkPSxoM1qCWN9ybd9DzjL2Mz6HZaBKUUMrqLWsRA_seZfEVuLCCdpcceBWGKTyynd7hNtEv_hy-KHxcyoOKa-s/s1600/snowman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4GTvqDxOqd1FDTZrbOwNHUpaHzwv6ZZrMKbbCDTIB_xzp84KkM66cfkPSxoM1qCWN9ybd9DzjL2Mz6HZaBKUUMrqLWsRA_seZfEVuLCCdpcceBWGKTyynd7hNtEv_hy-KHxcyoOKa-s/s1600/snowman.jpg" height="200" width="157" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xezLBVMRuSDj1PDyJnSTIRW-B3Bu5Yq5cezpgMja3be5AWiB5v9O_UkK9iQ09z5JS3UGwsDsY33iAJF1UxhNdbblAi9Y52E0xgJte6FvsX5xvdA8NUvGHaFAgRLJtCq048GmMVkMU2Q/s1600/snowman1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xezLBVMRuSDj1PDyJnSTIRW-B3Bu5Yq5cezpgMja3be5AWiB5v9O_UkK9iQ09z5JS3UGwsDsY33iAJF1UxhNdbblAi9Y52E0xgJte6FvsX5xvdA8NUvGHaFAgRLJtCq048GmMVkMU2Q/s1600/snowman1.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi15DoO3ea7crcrySbJW2xpYi4VkzX0yqbnin7DFKeHSyJZZUJjQyBPcDiDOFrt4ebImj2JyjK_cxrcOZeRvK3552e3miqnUecslZEPZppEgyHQlPJpzT3wFZPTHcDdNOfeTkT74RWhRU/s1600/snowman+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi15DoO3ea7crcrySbJW2xpYi4VkzX0yqbnin7DFKeHSyJZZUJjQyBPcDiDOFrt4ebImj2JyjK_cxrcOZeRvK3552e3miqnUecslZEPZppEgyHQlPJpzT3wFZPTHcDdNOfeTkT74RWhRU/s1600/snowman+3.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI8Eq0SUCV_zqP5bMdsWmhoWOomV-rfh-_ZJT4AcArXwj6Ct7hXWYgvrriuMF2-Awja1CYZYj8pAJoh4Mbwm5BayothJvD7dEKNZJjlQHV8C6xdPyrQWSxsZMY7EFER7VUkH3IcJYHb4/s1600/snowman+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI8Eq0SUCV_zqP5bMdsWmhoWOomV-rfh-_ZJT4AcArXwj6Ct7hXWYgvrriuMF2-Awja1CYZYj8pAJoh4Mbwm5BayothJvD7dEKNZJjlQHV8C6xdPyrQWSxsZMY7EFER7VUkH3IcJYHb4/s1600/snowman+4.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok! I have no idea why he's upside-down!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">or why he's sideways!</td></tr>
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Then we began a piece of expository writing about how to build a snowman. Of course, we had fun eating the ones we made in class! This week, we'll take this piece through the writing process, with the tough tasks of revising and editing. This is so hard for my babies, but I made a breakthrough last week! Of course I had modeled what to write and how to use transition words, but I wrote exactly what the kids told me to write (no making sense of it, just taking dictation). The next day, I read each sentence aloud, one by one. After the first one, one of my smarties said, "That's NOT a sentence!" Ding, ding, ding!!! It hit everyone that there was no subject and that the phrase didn't make sense on its own. After so many lessons on rereading your own writing, I don't know what made it hit home, except that maybe, because we wrote it together, and reread it on another day, the kids didn't see it as they meant it, but exactly as they had written it. Awesome! Now we really get the value of rereading.</div>
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In math, we're spending the week on analyzing and solving word problems. It's time, now that my littles can read and comprehend on grade level, that we tackle the beast head on! A few years ago, I bought Hope King's PSA Approach to Problem Solving. Later, she and I met and I wrote a teeny-tiny sister product, PSA Froggy Problems, with her permission. I'll be using both this week to show the kids how to get through the words to the math, choose an operation, find the important information, solve the problems, and check for accuracy.</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/PSA-A-Math-Problem-Solving-Strategy-155317" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA079l72TdlbNGrcOM4a3MuethzqzhxvCmYzH3fWW5ESdHBRF8lcHow9fqAFRh_bVXoE43_rifjZ1FURZeuaY7iG4eQVtbI_imLrT23XG6KemngTFL6dg5T7aNByY_kiimfMj2NW0kF3A/s1600/PSA.PNG" height="240" width="320" /></a><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/PSA-Froggie-Problems-334448" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYT_1s0dR9wKeD3FHBD9Q9NordWS7LjDP254864JOyEYN9zt1zm2xSG-uN8E1GH8p_p1rDsxpl9AD3Q56vsVQlrk7vuxJN2ga8Y6nymHKRrZSr3g_I5HLaIPyCWMbAQOYXKjB_iO3CdWw/s1600/PSA+Froggy.PNG" height="320" width="243" /></a></div>
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Other than our winter MAP testing, that's our week. Hope yours is wonderful!<br />
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" /></a></div>
Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-86596562036835699142015-01-13T19:41:00.000-05:002015-01-13T19:48:40.696-05:00New Year's Update & FREEBIE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few weeks ago, I linked up with Mrs. D's Corner to share my New Year's Resolutions. I thought I'd check in for an update.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQedAhUNQIq9wrrpvF6ZX9r2lxquiaGW5R6TEI462gCfk6FeyxJ81u0A1CRPnSRCeRvjOSJ2p_iNSZe4COgk8kRLCvzdE9tlHcgIXo4CjWQBCJ23n3ytdpmKvGKcKzxUitu9QVZcVDeC8/s1600/new+years+2015.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQedAhUNQIq9wrrpvF6ZX9r2lxquiaGW5R6TEI462gCfk6FeyxJ81u0A1CRPnSRCeRvjOSJ2p_iNSZe4COgk8kRLCvzdE9tlHcgIXo4CjWQBCJ23n3ytdpmKvGKcKzxUitu9QVZcVDeC8/s1600/new+years+2015.png" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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On the <b>personal</b> front, I'm trying hard, and I'm finding that it gets a little easier each day. God is right there, at the front of my heart and mind, and He has led me to be able to let so many things go! For the first time in a long time, I'm fully at peace with whatever may come our way. I know His plans are perfect.</div>
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<b>Professionally</b>, I'm getting better at planning in advance, buying stations on Teachers Pay Teachers, rather than always trying to produce my own, and being able to use my planning period to make copies, look over student work, and, yes, plan!</div>
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On that note, <b>planning</b> has become easier for me because I bought 30 activities before Christmas, made all the copies, and laminated all that needed to be laminated. During the bowl games, I cut everything out and organized it all into Ziplock bags. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laminated, and ready to cut...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcYpeAFvppaeckzc1z3vgrN2_SBelbwiqxOPGe8beAsttW3vyPrO1I2jWIndI4lfTQRqjDWyFCBdISKTJDuNu9XA3lkRcRw-huHt0laDNzcwbWpqhkfxI8uyOsczwk0l4eYZSZkL8gqg/s1600/stations+mess+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcYpeAFvppaeckzc1z3vgrN2_SBelbwiqxOPGe8beAsttW3vyPrO1I2jWIndI4lfTQRqjDWyFCBdISKTJDuNu9XA3lkRcRw-huHt0laDNzcwbWpqhkfxI8uyOsczwk0l4eYZSZkL8gqg/s1600/stations+mess+2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the copies, ready to sort out...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlx5oA_PmwbYgf92XfOY-4DDNd0oJn0_TWYyeYCHxADPQVpS-Df9xmrba6Azpt1UbCIsn4vqMTNQlgXAqUlWVgmBELkzPP0OQ1PRmVl-SkohcDXAsMosZGkQ5XRUraBrkC4cc7545c7vo/s1600/stations+mess+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlx5oA_PmwbYgf92XfOY-4DDNd0oJn0_TWYyeYCHxADPQVpS-Df9xmrba6Azpt1UbCIsn4vqMTNQlgXAqUlWVgmBELkzPP0OQ1PRmVl-SkohcDXAsMosZGkQ5XRUraBrkC4cc7545c7vo/s1600/stations+mess+3.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laminated, cut, sorted, boxed, and trash ready to toss!</td></tr>
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Y'all, I know there's tons of Pinterest pages devoted to organizing and storing stations, but I gotta tell ya, put the directions and any cards or pieces in a page protector and put that, with the recording sheets in a gallon bag, and it is per-fect! Every kids knows where everything is, how to put it back neatly, and it's ready to go for next year, or reviewing later this year!</div>
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Okay, I admit, I haven't started the <b>Organization</b> goal yet, but there's still time - we're only 2 weeks in, and I did just tell how I organize my stations!</div>
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<b>Students</b> are always first in my class. Really. I love, love, love them! When they're having a bad day, I have a bad day. If they cry, I almost always do, too. So when work is hard, and I see that look on their little faces - the one right before frustration sets in, I practically RUN across the room to catch them, <b>before</b> they get frustrated. So far, in 2015, they are still fighting to learn, and that's more than most of us can ever wish for!</div>
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If you stuck with me this long, you <i><b>deserve</b></i> a freebie! We've been working really hard on knowing when to regroup in addition and subtraction. Yes, we have the posters. Yes, we've used base ten blocks, Unifix cubes, and every other manipulative in the universe, but the most effective thing we've started to do is CHAS. <b>Circle</b> the ones place. <b>Highlight</b> it if there's more on the floor. <b>Analyze</b> what we have to do, regroup or not, and <b>Solve</b>. To help us, we've sorted a ton of problems into little booklets. Click on the pic to get your copy of everything, including directions!</div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1_pnDJdWLlQczRsdVptSWkxWTg/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjX3-8Z0gEIHDUVyIgZlRQq2Vvgz2jncns83fBPj1mgHblxtWvB8NkEiQV00MHuBogENCbSen0AxSKkwqVropp7gTfE5npx6rLt6ALtZ5Gc70nQ2ItgTYdQR2GCQaHSohgzr5GYD3Er7o/s1600/+-tools.png" height="489" width="640" /></a></div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-40848790917260075892014-12-26T19:49:00.000-05:002014-12-26T19:49:59.545-05:00New Year, New Goals!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" /></a></div>
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Here I am again, a month later, well-rested, and excited about the new year! I'm linking up with Mrs. D's Corner to share my New Year, New Goals:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eZp_dr820_68ctzVyUXbjzOcdeSlae-f3pkGtaaSJzX1QUcqfYsQ0az4fRLYei-1JO4cmOYzpthyphenhyphenML3P_02LgQeXS5a5GfFKK4ZM_1uo06jHbygGopWs2yKwJrWcTsLQ1kfbWaEOP2A/s1600/new+years+2015.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eZp_dr820_68ctzVyUXbjzOcdeSlae-f3pkGtaaSJzX1QUcqfYsQ0az4fRLYei-1JO4cmOYzpthyphenhyphenML3P_02LgQeXS5a5GfFKK4ZM_1uo06jHbygGopWs2yKwJrWcTsLQ1kfbWaEOP2A/s1600/new+years+2015.png" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Personal:</div>
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My family and I recently re-joined my former church, the one from before I married, before I moved halfway across the country, before I moved back and joined my husband's childhood church. As new members, we went to a new member class for several weeks, and I had so many Aha! moments, it was ridiculous. If you've been reading my blog for a while, and hung in there with me through the drama of moving, marriage counseling, and disappointments, you may remember that last Valentine's Day was {romantically} spent moving into a little townhouse, from a huge home. A couple of weeks ago in church, the minister was talking about what makes people feel secure, and what we get caught up in...work, kids, voluntarism, and "stuff". BAM! It hit me. Stuff makes me feel safe. Stupid stuff. Stuff I don't need. Stuff I don't have room for. Just stuff. Teary-eyed, I started praying right there that God would speak to me every. single. day. and help me let go. So many times, I've prayed that I'm giving this situation, or that, to Him, but you know what? I never did. I always let worry consume me, and I always had to keep my "stuff" to feel secure. I get it. I HAVE to Let It GO! I know there is a reason and a plan for all that we experience (including the black mold in our current rental townhouse, forcing us to move again!), and that God is using all of these events for His purpose.</div>
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Professional:</div>
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Same church class, different Aha! Work-a-holic? Right here! Everything I do has to be perfect. I haven't created a new product for TPT in over a year, because I can't think of the perfect unit or set of station work. My lesson plans take hours. My classroom has to be the cutest, my stations, the best, my ideas, the most creative, blah, blah, blah. You know what? The kids I teach are seven. SEVEN! They couldn't care less what my room looks like, how cute my lesson plans are, how perfect the stations are, or how creative my latest bulletin board is. They just want to be loved on and noticed. They don't care, their parents don't care, my co-workers don't care, my boss doesn't care about any of that other junk, so my goal is to get the job done at school, get the stations put together, do my best, most effective and efficient planning and teaching, and then leave school at school...stop bringing it all home to fuss over, fidget with, and perfect! Is professional imperfection a real goal???</div>
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Planning:</div>
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Ironically, I want to keep up the creativity in my planning, but pick up the pace. My plan is to actually <i>reuse</i> things I've used in the past. Why in the world I think I have to have all new plans every year, in order to teach the same standards in the same grade, is a brainteaser! Of course, I need to tweak my plans to fit my current kiddos, but really, if good practice was good practice last year, it probably will be this year, too!</div>
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Organization:</div>
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To get better organized, both at work and home, I need to, once again, LET IT GO! I really need to go through one file drawer or notebook at a time and get rid of the millions of papers I've had for fourteen years of teaching. Hey, that could be cathartic! Then, one box at a time, as we prepare to move, I need to get rid of lots of that <i>stuff</i> I've held onto.</div>
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Students:</div>
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My students are awe-inspiring. They qualify for my class by being in the lower-performing quartiles on standardized testing in first grade, or are identified as at-risk for one reason, or many. When they get to me, they know they are behind. They already don't like to read or do math, because they know they're not necessarily as good at either as their peers. This year, I told my class that there was a reason they were in my little bitty class of 12 kids. I told them that they were the very best second graders, the smartest, the fastest, the best behaved, and that they were there to show all the other second graders "how to do it". I also told them I was the best second grade teacher, the smartest, the one with the most experience, and that that's why we were together. Yes, I got it from<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?language=en" target="_blank"> this awesome video</a>, but you know what? It WORKS! I remind my kiddos, at least once a week, that they are the best. And they are. They <i>are</i> the best behaved class...in the halls, at related arts, in the cafeteria, on the playground, and in class. They are the fastest learners...every single one began the year at least half-a-year behind in reading, and every single one is on, or above grade level now! So, lots of times, they tell me, "It's hard!" They mean the reading, or the math, or spelling, or writing, or just about anything they've not done before, but by reminding them that they are the best second graders, I've been able to keep them motivated to learn. I can't wait to see where they go in 2015!</div>
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Motto:</div>
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Isn't it obvious?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dXK4ecaaeDCzW7k8b8_5CbqwkY8B5jrVGU3qZRi5VC50iIfBkN0BtqAWE3cmJADouujoKsGJyIhPaDwk3dWlMKgIlGKwhLSbfdXu-z-6ywG9L4SxVCuJn6MslX7qgUgQADRxs7dXEE4/s1600/let+it+go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dXK4ecaaeDCzW7k8b8_5CbqwkY8B5jrVGU3qZRi5VC50iIfBkN0BtqAWE3cmJADouujoKsGJyIhPaDwk3dWlMKgIlGKwhLSbfdXu-z-6ywG9L4SxVCuJn6MslX7qgUgQADRxs7dXEE4/s1600/let+it+go.jpg" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
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Happy New Year, Friends!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-3551909472068180122014-11-15T19:31:00.001-05:002014-11-15T19:31:59.756-05:00Five for Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySBop0aEKfFcD93JBaNLJYYXLT9KkFcng3fSOp5sSe2bxDJj1bGjhpufD0MrS8B2Y8MKjT0ovli1Rdc0oPCYDG2AOZcIQHEN7cS6DSGcjo1OeFwgnxbos0wUQc61T3b5mFksl7r8DBh4/s1600/fiveforfriday2_thumb3_thumb.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
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I know, I know. I drop off the planet for months at a time. I'm probably the worst ever blogger at keeping in touch with my friends. I have no idea how those big blog bloggers do it...write a post every night, or even every week, when it's about all I can do to keep my home and class running smoothly. I suppose my "smarter balance" is to let things slide, so that the see-saw stays balanced and I'm not the one sliding off of it!</div>
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Anyway, it's been so long, and I've done so much, so I wanted to share a few things with you, and link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmTbWCBxJunDUJt79HznYXPHKgvkWfDWTR0LNv0UPXqFpGg58BDE7-m7pL5yoV4YwyGfPBpGjtDRGb_mrMWoHzTFfCo4c0g8o13rgNEHRDasxwduuU3C88iML3nxS84l-OCLthZjmxsI/s1600/banner+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmTbWCBxJunDUJt79HznYXPHKgvkWfDWTR0LNv0UPXqFpGg58BDE7-m7pL5yoV4YwyGfPBpGjtDRGb_mrMWoHzTFfCo4c0g8o13rgNEHRDasxwduuU3C88iML3nxS84l-OCLthZjmxsI/s1600/banner+1.png" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
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"I Have the Best Handwriting!" Paper:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2nyQQbqHIHeo7-2Zr917LtyKfe9zwdSd8BaBC5MEHpvVz_LEJQRSuw0D8bltlSyxVkYfMAQJybVkNL0DYod5VzjGI0ESGS8bR3FTibbN6_RxJRewhT17DhhCcy46MOO3n35wc35qL3A/s1600/20141113_095031.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDRhnp1wKaIsZdBAXxtlF56VNvPqX838Qr62LN53fV2NmuHXZpFIxEa5Il79ukNnb8DjUVxDM3JObt4WndhTPJUCBSAHe_QkYXfiTp5HX_OWXPhYT2goD6s-DPLC-Mc_Q5gqBN-yuQeY/s1600/20141113_095037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDRhnp1wKaIsZdBAXxtlF56VNvPqX838Qr62LN53fV2NmuHXZpFIxEa5Il79ukNnb8DjUVxDM3JObt4WndhTPJUCBSAHe_QkYXfiTp5HX_OWXPhYT2goD6s-DPLC-Mc_Q5gqBN-yuQeY/s1600/20141113_095037.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>I made my own handwriting paper this week to help my little fella with a probable L. D. in written expression. Our district has decided that RTI will take the place of our former Student Intervention Team system of referring students with potential special needs. This was all in response to our state's quick decision to change the way we refer students because too many kids are being tested and found to have learning difficulties. Unfortunately, because of the super-sonic speed with which we had to react, we only put reading RTI into place this year. So, if we think a student needs help with math, written expression, emotional, oral language processing, central auditory processing, or any of the other endless possibilities, we teachers are just doing the best we can. That said, we have some fabulous school psychologists, who have been super-supportive and who have excellent ideas and resources to help us "wing it"! But necessity breeds ingenuity, and I looked everywhere for O.T. highlighted handwriting paper only to find that NONE on the market has a line for the letters that hang below the base-line. So, I made it. In fact, I made four kinds...a landscape big one for beginning writers, a portrait one a bit smaller for maybe first graders, another portrait, even smaller, for those who need assistance with spacing, and my final one, which has no dotted mid-line, but still has a top, highlighted middle, and bottom line for each line of handwriting. That one is shown here. This precious boy has struggled for years, and according to his mom "hated school" until now. WOWZIE! That's the best compliment a teacher can ever hear...he's not frustrated or anxious about his ability to succeed anymore! Because of paper??? Maybe.<br />
To get a look at this little miracle, head to my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Smarter-Balanced-Teaching" target="_blank">TPT shop</a>, where I've decided to add this sanity-saver to my product list. You can click <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Perfect-Handwriting-Paper-1559767" target="_blank">HERE</a> to go directly to the paper.<br />
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Lookie, Lookie What I Got!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEgUEX7F_juDanhEyWidZ42I3TMNMqE0x4K94u39jCdU7Ro-Cr7mH4O3zEwXfYm_KlW9qoWdbcRJadFuG_9_V_YeL5XWS2tIrBhkqR80Lb05Bvr9VvlaSffu6b0IMLa9jmw2cod7sBnU/s1600/20141106_175221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEgUEX7F_juDanhEyWidZ42I3TMNMqE0x4K94u39jCdU7Ro-Cr7mH4O3zEwXfYm_KlW9qoWdbcRJadFuG_9_V_YeL5XWS2tIrBhkqR80Lb05Bvr9VvlaSffu6b0IMLa9jmw2cod7sBnU/s1600/20141106_175221.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Man, oh man, what a deal! I ordered stability balls for my littles to try out. They arrived in just THREE days, and we are lovin' some bouncin'! I researched using stability balls in the classroom for weeks before deciding to get some. I mean, I only have 12 little people, so at $11.64 each, they were very affordable. Then, when I got the approval to order them, the site was having 20% off! Woop, Woop! We've had these gems for about a week, and have gone from about ten minutes of use at a time, to about 25 minutes. My kiddos are more focused and able to pretty much stay in one spot and do their work (!) on their stability balls than lying in the floor, sitting in their chairs, or on the stools you see in the background. They are a little too short for our desks, so when/if we transition to using them full-time, I'll have the desktops lowered. For now, we use them during whole group instruction on the rug and during stations. If you've been thinking about getting a set for your class, I highly recommend <a href="http://www.promedxpress.com/products/cando-ball-with-feet/" target="_blank">ProMedXpress</a>. The ones I chose are the smallest ones, but they come in three sizes. I am NOT being paid for telling you about these, nor am I being compensated in any way...so, no bias!</div>
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Voluntarism in Full Swing!</div>
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Y'all might remember "Miss Patty" from last year. She is one of my student's (from last year) grandmother, and she is fabuloso! The kids love her, and so do I. Patty's a certified, retired music teacher, who loves kids and wants to still help out in <i>my</i> room. I swoon! She shows up every Wednesday morning and works with one sweetie at a time. She'll review sight words, listen to them read for fluency, teach them learning games to reinforce skills practice, and, best of all, she brings her i pad, which everyone wants to get a turn using! Patty even keeps a tracking folder for each of my students, what words they've mastered, what she's doing with them, and how they're progressing.</div>
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Readers' Theater</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOmS9p7kZYxYUJURuYHf3K8HMrycRxMyby8R-BPx8IpN4K-SgRMYvhveK2h_Dk58YWJGnRCZvSlQpd2eA0V3deBQUqi7MwHxYKUGvRJT5VqL65jvL6NijUGxkk2ENj-PqUiUHyrshNtA/s1600/20141112_111128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOmS9p7kZYxYUJURuYHf3K8HMrycRxMyby8R-BPx8IpN4K-SgRMYvhveK2h_Dk58YWJGnRCZvSlQpd2eA0V3deBQUqi7MwHxYKUGvRJT5VqL65jvL6NijUGxkk2ENj-PqUiUHyrshNtA/s1600/20141112_111128.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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My whole reading program is based on small group, individualized instruction. We use Fountas and Pinnell's Leveled Literacy Intervention. I'd say, though, that this program is the absolute best reading instruction I've ever used, and could be for any students, not just used as an intervention. It has overlapping sets of leveled readers, in sets of ten lessons before moving up to the next level. The great thing is, if a group's not ready to move up, you can get ten more readers out of an overlapping kit and keep on teachin'! I've never had to do that...everybody succeeds. Yep, I used a period there. As in, everybody, PERIOD! I have never seen anything like it. It's a little "scripty", but you know, I can use my personality to add to that mess, and the script is actually helpful for pre-reading, making sure you've covered every single thing in a guided reading lesson, and I learn more about teaching every day. </div>
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Anyway, these babies are doing a readers' theater production of <u>Jack and the Beanstalk</u>, right from their leveled readers. That's another great thing about LLI. It has a fabulous mix of fiction and non-fiction, in every genre imaginable, on every topic imaginable, and appeals to all sorts of readers because of the variety. And, no, they're not paying me, either.</div>
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Our sad, HAPPY Friday:</div>
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This is Larz. She's my student teacher. She was...until Friday. We were all so sad to see her finish up, and I kept thinking, "What are we going to do without her?" Well, what started out as a sad morning, ended up as a ecstatic afternoon! She got a job, two doors down - at least for now. She's going to be doing a long-term sub job for a maternity leave in second grade! I was excited. She was excited. My class was excited. Her class was excited. My pregnant co-worker was excited. What a great turn-out for everyone! We had a party to celebrate, complete with cupcakes, cards, and even dancing!</div>
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Happy Weekend, Y'all!<br />
XOXO,<br />
Brooke<br />
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-13868415088587378102014-09-27T22:29:00.000-04:002014-09-27T22:29:13.108-04:00Finally a Classroom Reveal!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Remember that list I made for summer? The one that said I'd try my best to just enjoy my time away from school, spend my summer with my girls at the pool, and not work? I did it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIu2Sdq01W6mmypZUO0kjrD3Sx5gNdf7bQLHWNQmzOgQQ8q-dxV-j69K_2bb1PmkM6OiK4sQ0kTi7G3rvndKsqqVmiOvVsiEvy7d6XORY9zuAIrO9hY8fFcfWkxzYprzz9WPIDo_G-L8/s1600/20140414_192349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIu2Sdq01W6mmypZUO0kjrD3Sx5gNdf7bQLHWNQmzOgQQ8q-dxV-j69K_2bb1PmkM6OiK4sQ0kTi7G3rvndKsqqVmiOvVsiEvy7d6XORY9zuAIrO9hY8fFcfWkxzYprzz9WPIDo_G-L8/s1600/20140414_192349.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADfE0S4z1GHwalKqBwDyvSgqS7IxhasuNX5lhKnY1sg6RgykXC548_2YrDySLowpd0zQmkDUQ8NRulXE2rLUJAXJuDU7neGjTm822eis0LnFQUcjRRGAjwtqhv80ohsSuheKkXwkJ1ko/s1600/030.jpg" height="240" width="320" /> This was the day we arrived at the beach for our summer vacation. We stopped in Calabash (you've heard of the shrimp, right?) for lunch before we even got to the house, but then it was straight to the surf!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1gCz8IopXOQhI0CFiWeT9-ASZ7_VNTusPIT3lNBlb1kjs2DFhm4ueBdunzZk2lv9wJd1lN4mb5QziOJz2fQvVhvNjeRCrkeNUmOqfD0CB4vHQmq1urjPr6wF31fFYsE-2heqojRSvDI/s1600/20140405_171456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1gCz8IopXOQhI0CFiWeT9-ASZ7_VNTusPIT3lNBlb1kjs2DFhm4ueBdunzZk2lv9wJd1lN4mb5QziOJz2fQvVhvNjeRCrkeNUmOqfD0CB4vHQmq1urjPr6wF31fFYsE-2heqojRSvDI/s1600/20140405_171456.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNszE5N5heUGy8-HizxGNgQkAVz_Tvhx03RCQbbw0LmqpuTWVEHCYv59oVnx345jcYTXNIlxmugtzXq5PxTla1LZUGxKW2P3LYJ_FqoLaFyWXhfUf2OYHynOSudifMEWLpIauEKggR9o/s1600/20140624_182720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNszE5N5heUGy8-HizxGNgQkAVz_Tvhx03RCQbbw0LmqpuTWVEHCYv59oVnx345jcYTXNIlxmugtzXq5PxTla1LZUGxKW2P3LYJ_FqoLaFyWXhfUf2OYHynOSudifMEWLpIauEKggR9o/s1600/20140624_182720.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>The awesome thing about living where we do is, we can be at the mountains in an hour or so and at the beach in about three. We went to both several times this summer! We also love spending time at my parents' lake house, just 30 minutes from home! The girls climbed up Caesar's Head Mountain one afternoon and sat on this huge boulder, surrounded by rhododendrons and azaleas.<br />
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Life just wouldn't be southern if ya didn't have some tractor shots from summer! Honestly, we took these at the Biltmore Estate on Callie's birthday. We really don't have a tractor, or enough land to need one, but they looked so cute up on that big ole thing I couldn't resist!<br />
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My mom found these belly tats, and everyone had<br />
one on Labor Day weekend...aren't they hilarious?<br />
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I promised a classroom reveal, so here it is...I just wanted you to know that I really did take the summer off, not just from school, but from blogging, Teacher Pay Teacher-ing, and anything having to do with work, at all. It was a first!</div>
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I rearranged this year, because, for the first time EVER, I got a classroom rug! It is so stinkin' cute I can hardly stand it! I found it at <a href="http://www.kidscarpet.com/">www.KidsCarpet.com</a> for less than $300, and it's 12x8 and beautiful! My friend Jen made me the adorable pencil, and I painted my name on it with a paint pen. It might be my new favorite thing. But, maybe it's my classroom library, because, for the first time ever, it's all leveled! Woot! Woot! Student teacher to the rescue! She worked for one afternoon straight and found every single book I have on Lexile.com or Scholastic and leveled every single one. Next, she's going to type all the titles in Accelerated Reader to see which ones have tests available. LOVE!<br />
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My small group area is better than ever this year - same table, same stools, same teacher chair, but I moved it to a weird corner in the room, and I love it there! I can see everybody everywhere, and keep and eye on them during their station work. I know they should be accountable for themselves, but, let's face it, seven-year-olds still need a little extrinsic motivation (read: the raised eyebrow) once in a while.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chalkboard-Banner-Alphabet-1383667" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqL87usH8v9TI15eBGDadOn6IHD1FGtQ08jJbrLSRmqByh-YHayK4d2L47DqFeup8qgI0Shsw-mz3MERtrWQk83L66fB9kwLk5qVbTIh9b5X6kd7JP3FX2U20hgwsM_UyYQMjwRVNbG2I/s1600/20140827_161300.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkUpRL4-zwqHyNr9hx34sMCvUs1n26QO9Em121U9DJeU7O323i1qewrO287mWamNXg4KzZ4tkN0sUoQc7kHtxQkpd0L2_1T4yk-gyZIB6kb3lbI1B2SHJ5-WOF7-Q0dLTyvzirUAnN9c/s1600/20140827_161338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkUpRL4-zwqHyNr9hx34sMCvUs1n26QO9Em121U9DJeU7O323i1qewrO287mWamNXg4KzZ4tkN0sUoQc7kHtxQkpd0L2_1T4yk-gyZIB6kb3lbI1B2SHJ5-WOF7-Q0dLTyvzirUAnN9c/s1600/20140827_161338.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
I'm loving my chalkboard themed alphabet, CAFE board, and number line! You can find them <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Smarter-Balanced-Teaching" target="_blank">here</a>. They are a great reference for the kiddos to use. I never realized how confused my kiddos were by my word wall, until one of my princesses was saying the alphabet wrong, because she was looking at the word wall. There's no room in my little class for a straight-across-a-wall kind of word wall, so it's on cabinet doors. Wherever a letter's words happen to end, a new letter begins, and sometimes that looks like the alphabet's all out of order, so I love the pennant banner alphabet I made this year! The number line has been a lifesaver, as well, because my littles can't quite read all those number words, and my number line includes the words, tens frames, and numerals - it's great!<br />
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<a href="http://www.kidcarpet.com/products/Counting-Owls-With-ABCs-Childrens-Rug?gclid=CMbWmebmgsECFZDm7AodtTAAkA" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePO1ei9h-O90qGkKEUbgdOXtply6VqE1hFqXGVYmHLWYS16W48UwGFrjZRPaG9zNkOfx-5iFPnzR5x0pnFisANrLdyBKPtyb8hYX_Im1S0ttXT60OtjFKbK3Xyai1vJUoeOnpJrVTpu4/s1600/KidCarpet.com-Counting-Owls-with-ABCs-Kids-Rug.jpg" height="355" width="640" /></a><br />
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Here's that fabulous rug, y'all! Isn't it cute? My kiddos have all kinds of room, it's all clean and bright, and it totally keeps my pink and orange thing going, but brings in the blue for the boys.</div>
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I do have to say that the very best thing about my room this year is my class! They are the best I've had in years! So sweet, so good, and trying so hard! I'm still teaching that little group of twelve, but they're in a special program, sort of like a transition class between first and second grades. They're behind in reading and math, so that's all I teach, but, y'all, they are working so hard I know they'll be all caught up by the end of the year, and ready for third grade!</div>
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Now that I'm back in the swing, I'll keep you up-to-date on all our learning...promise!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" /></a></div>
Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-6972234350514610412014-07-21T22:57:00.000-04:002014-07-21T22:57:44.225-04:00Monday Made It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I know, I know! I've been MIA...again! This summer has been so weird...the girls and I have been, surprisingly, bored! I know, right? We should be enjoying the time off from school, hangin' at the pool, going to the lake, drawing or painting or crafting something together. Instead, we've been driving each other crazy with "What are we going to <i>do</i> today?"</div>
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Well, I finally have something to show for it, so I'm linking up with Tara for Monday Made It!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiN7kypIiXoIXVn2cikL3DRVfmPjPa0MbCKzM1mNU3-ASN9RntJKr_VffLTQDdFn7JRM_0PrtirSfq-fEQpuYPmMO7k57FpaPcnNp0QAT9SDIYzPiMxgjCptQI_n825dNBVHALuPQhX5I/s1600/Monday+Made+It+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiN7kypIiXoIXVn2cikL3DRVfmPjPa0MbCKzM1mNU3-ASN9RntJKr_VffLTQDdFn7JRM_0PrtirSfq-fEQpuYPmMO7k57FpaPcnNp0QAT9SDIYzPiMxgjCptQI_n825dNBVHALuPQhX5I/s1600/Monday+Made+It+1.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fpgvgBr3xPqiUWJ9hAiwvqycuCHAf11J9Gn4XYE8_VGpmH1h9PdY-ZDx-i2qCN4U5SIBARf74ppA9-YB5I_2mZlomUCddri5FD2UcDgFh0j7gUTNzWQT5QGlyu8W_OvE6R75rtygbZc/s1600/097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fpgvgBr3xPqiUWJ9hAiwvqycuCHAf11J9Gn4XYE8_VGpmH1h9PdY-ZDx-i2qCN4U5SIBARf74ppA9-YB5I_2mZlomUCddri5FD2UcDgFh0j7gUTNzWQT5QGlyu8W_OvE6R75rtygbZc/s1600/097.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
I finally got around to my first chalk paint project, but, y'all, I have to tell you, chalk paint ain't all that! You HAVE to look for this newer, way, way better product: <a href="http://paintcouture.com/" target="_blank">Paint Couture and Glaze Couture</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8jeF6Ce0UDCNQcoaB8n26sSDGZCSj6C1fYonot7yr4-TkSZJv9BCOYGIFL84UpX0v1608CEfo6c-pIGsAPXZgkUKLSH7DxERxkIlE1kt2HilyXmqirmBKWRgIW2dZT41l0OfT0Ze-a8/s1600/320x280paintcouturefront.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8jeF6Ce0UDCNQcoaB8n26sSDGZCSj6C1fYonot7yr4-TkSZJv9BCOYGIFL84UpX0v1608CEfo6c-pIGsAPXZgkUKLSH7DxERxkIlE1kt2HilyXmqirmBKWRgIW2dZT41l0OfT0Ze-a8/s1600/320x280paintcouturefront.png" height="271" width="320" /></a></div>
There's NO waxing. Ever. It's easier to use than chalk paint, yet gives the same look, only better. There are about a million combinations between all the paint and glaze colors. A-Maz-Ing! So, this is similar to the cabinet I redid:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXcYKdUMSEDiSocNHTmAX5U3ooNxE_aMj9s-5QQRiph-16Gw7HVwEYIso2Jl_Lhl4UxeN56m4IBCPpzC6QHQyaGR1DtQ78IzlLumm3mKTMOQRjihtHHZdz4ZTjUtpfrCb2-0siyPH5Fg/s1600/china+cabinet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXcYKdUMSEDiSocNHTmAX5U3ooNxE_aMj9s-5QQRiph-16Gw7HVwEYIso2Jl_Lhl4UxeN56m4IBCPpzC6QHQyaGR1DtQ78IzlLumm3mKTMOQRjihtHHZdz4ZTjUtpfrCb2-0siyPH5Fg/s1600/china+cabinet.png" /></a></div>
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My mom gave it to me about ten years ago, but the top piece was broken in several places, so I tossed it when we moved across-country. We've been using the bottom half as an entertainment center ever since, but it was just too dated and too formal for me, so I bit the bullet and painted it peacock and glazed it copper. Easy Peasy and I LOVE it now!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9u7dEHkC_yA9IayVvJsPm-ts8WAL4E1mcl5d3jRqRnaJ1F1gmvz6EZ2q08KR3Ra0kc1gW-o9y8fCklsliYp_E2pc2Za8hcnMsvyPVUn7EJoN-ocf1QCV97p4m54tdt0z-gljOyf_5v0/s1600/made+it+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9u7dEHkC_yA9IayVvJsPm-ts8WAL4E1mcl5d3jRqRnaJ1F1gmvz6EZ2q08KR3Ra0kc1gW-o9y8fCklsliYp_E2pc2Za8hcnMsvyPVUn7EJoN-ocf1QCV97p4m54tdt0z-gljOyf_5v0/s1600/made+it+2.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBCdC6MDl3UT6T1YpR4DKuznrEe_p3Wx_PqV0yjF9GhjdReITLC43eqSp2iTEyoeKqwrUSvqkmVt8Jzenp12lYdwNS3NO5Pt9cpv5FlTrOWoSFyvjtBXXGBQscCtP2lY-i0XNqg1GjME/s1600/088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBCdC6MDl3UT6T1YpR4DKuznrEe_p3Wx_PqV0yjF9GhjdReITLC43eqSp2iTEyoeKqwrUSvqkmVt8Jzenp12lYdwNS3NO5Pt9cpv5FlTrOWoSFyvjtBXXGBQscCtP2lY-i0XNqg1GjME/s1600/088.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgnpvTBZvptrJfB0sKRhcFlHcbQQ56wCaHQpFfkc8780HznixY0fFFxvcmolR2Fnr9iQWtDmh8xd7Qefc85dNwXciQ9HhAFvL1FoEEWT1HZVauDtbkp_ZqTcgTIm3poaHMceFQVw5W8c/s1600/089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgnpvTBZvptrJfB0sKRhcFlHcbQQ56wCaHQpFfkc8780HznixY0fFFxvcmolR2Fnr9iQWtDmh8xd7Qefc85dNwXciQ9HhAFvL1FoEEWT1HZVauDtbkp_ZqTcgTIm3poaHMceFQVw5W8c/s1600/089.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
Before, my lamps were pretty outdated, and they really didn't match our new bedroom decor at all. I ripped out the beading - very easily by snipping one bead off and then un-threading the rest. Then I copied the pattern from an embroidered pillow from my bed and used a paint pen to lay it out on the newly plain lampshades. Finally, I repainted with acrylic silver metallic paint (it's not shiny, I promise!) until it looked solid and even. I'm fairly happy with the new look:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTg0KRWynMplk46REQPnZdUG45xHeRHaChKe0bghRuaX9xAhifMey-h4_UmMGwKuRAYXhterR_rFXUHm4ya-y_d5tORgrxPchn3EHwwpT_naP_u4gGv5Jrn-S-1HN0zsF8udGr3StYiB4/s1600/099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTg0KRWynMplk46REQPnZdUG45xHeRHaChKe0bghRuaX9xAhifMey-h4_UmMGwKuRAYXhterR_rFXUHm4ya-y_d5tORgrxPchn3EHwwpT_naP_u4gGv5Jrn-S-1HN0zsF8udGr3StYiB4/s1600/099.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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And one for school, which starts in less time than I'd like to think about! I was inspired by the Bright Ideas Blog Hop to get a wireless doorbell from Lowe's. While there, I picked up some paint samples (always, always get paint samples) with little windows in them and thought of two ideas immediately:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dVf8ZOGeqqkY-CRx_wOYRjLLjuS6osJKRo__vLF1_8zkgfglf-81QKXcuT_PIC6UtuYpcn1jnepCtXvnScym_e3o6ASyL66SWUe0HGwpkXgQeNlj0oa3Bc2YAknI0OwbNWgio_bMPXc/s1600/104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dVf8ZOGeqqkY-CRx_wOYRjLLjuS6osJKRo__vLF1_8zkgfglf-81QKXcuT_PIC6UtuYpcn1jnepCtXvnScym_e3o6ASyL66SWUe0HGwpkXgQeNlj0oa3Bc2YAknI0OwbNWgio_bMPXc/s1600/104.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Okay, I cheated and wrote on tape, which you can see in my picture, but I want to create these with my kiddos, so I removed the tape after the pictures! Anyway, the idea above is to laminate these for each student. Then we can generate digits with dice, cards, dominoes, etc. and write them in the windows. Then, I thought we could draw the base ten blocks in the space above the windows, and finally, write the number in expanded form at the very top. Of course, we'll use dry erase, so we can use these little babies all year!<br />
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Next, I thought of how hard it was for my last class to identify word parts, so I made this vocabulary paint chip. I'm thinking we'll write each word part in the windows, the meaning above that, and the whole word, including any spelling changes, at the very top, or maybe on the back, which is blank, so I can have the kids flip their cards over to check their spelling.</div>
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I'm feeling pretty productive today, like maybe my TOTAL creative block is finally broken! Y'all can pray for that, 'cause we're getting a new roof at my school and no one can get in to to any prep work all. summer. long! Holy Moly, Guacamole! I always, always go in super early to get things ready, because our Meet the Teacher Night is the very first day after teachers report for our first day of professional development, and there's NO time to work in our rooms before kids and parents are there expecting to see it all pretty and put together. Yikes!</div>
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Hope your summer is going great, lasting long enough, is full of creativity and relaxation and is NOT boring!!!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" /></a></div>
Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-12190643220437668262014-07-04T09:00:00.000-04:002014-07-04T09:00:09.565-04:00Happy Fourth, Y'all! and FREEBIES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love the Fourth of July! Always have, always will. Ever since I can remember, I've loved fireworks, and they're legal for anyone to shoot off here in South Carolina. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPxckxx2YopN1wHPzOH0hbJrRIJJbYvrxSEccEJHp7Z6QMfeh9rbSJhE5TJvCgyDTkpDZWP-vwenl1jLTTWVAqFhOn5noip6fBo00Fbp0VYaFSf2kKvn7o6gNBdUrUAtRJpSqvVJAXmA/s1600/fireworks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPxckxx2YopN1wHPzOH0hbJrRIJJbYvrxSEccEJHp7Z6QMfeh9rbSJhE5TJvCgyDTkpDZWP-vwenl1jLTTWVAqFhOn5noip6fBo00Fbp0VYaFSf2kKvn7o6gNBdUrUAtRJpSqvVJAXmA/s1600/fireworks.jpg" height="320" width="243" /></a></div>
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Yep, that's how we roll - legal fireworks, no required motorcycle helmets, riding in the back of a pickup is just fine, we can text and drive. Man, there's nothin' here to keep ya safe! It's all about the land of the free.</div>
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In honor of our freedom, and our country's birthday, I'm offering my absolute newest products for FREE today! Just click <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Smarter-Balanced-Teaching" target="_blank">here</a> or on either picture below to go right to my TPT store and check out the featured products for your two freebies. After today, they're $5.50 each, so snap 'em up while you can.</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Basic-Addition-Games-Crafts-and-Activities-1306264" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmWbTNOEP8Ro_MJ6-aWM_50F8HZDFpT6wyVjOtJqm7byPmVEcOUmhLge8k37WM27lRUGYuFRw98WvYreJIQHgSpQYKkCMe_burA1m4dyrStB0cswkumVFs4gdIEzHLRJ9Fb_2XpE88U0/s1600/addition+edition.png" height="320" width="242" /></a> <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Subtraction-Strategies-Practice-1044069" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikyHZnyDRwDdhDE-YPpstYgknxWkoQUmGxwlWnWw0eE9xL8631Nm-AbSqEf1JSCzG7oI6taMzvr6gkoxxNrv31Wy7ZNT-FDJXmgdCYibclvLRjKVd6U5xpxZ2BJW9UnEr1EFLM3XslmM/s1600/subtraction+action.png" height="320" width="244" /></a></div>
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Happy Birthday, America!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" /></a></div>
Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-43123844320403660902014-06-12T11:26:00.001-04:002014-06-12T11:28:59.185-04:00Throwback Thursday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.theteachingtribune.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqUgJFrVFW0Chgh3IMKIxumftBxHe6vg-FgQbeQ_yJwMFwediWeG6y78mLWEboQuwRhyphenhyphensIR5of0J9ugvcR0IUTkAANOCRGxDYvuVB88bhPEv2l8kn2vCh6UM3FaKyarMsz1MT23HPVKk/s1600/TTT+Thursday.jpg" height="307" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7PxHeIuZ1zYlLzhS2m7E8ZUlWiPhzlG9uc2ji_aFjvURyeHqdDb07bcP2_rmnPVcQmUqVSAqKcpFYnHzpgoBCj_Zuoc5ls7RrSocQPd8bJYqm4Z7F_lYLA4dSwPXJqE4pNkltFGi4Ac/s1600/eighth+grade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7PxHeIuZ1zYlLzhS2m7E8ZUlWiPhzlG9uc2ji_aFjvURyeHqdDb07bcP2_rmnPVcQmUqVSAqKcpFYnHzpgoBCj_Zuoc5ls7RrSocQPd8bJYqm4Z7F_lYLA4dSwPXJqE4pNkltFGi4Ac/s1600/eighth+grade.jpg" height="448" width="640" /></a></div>
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Okay, people! I have never, ever participated in a Throwback Thursday, and now you'll all know why! That's me at the bottom left, front row. Check out the sullen look, the "winged" hair, the oversized glasses, and that lovely outfit! My best friend was Jennifer, three to my right in the blue and orange plaid shirt. Strangely, I can name every single person in this photo, although I was in school with some of them from third grade through college (yep, Doug was in every class I had all the way through Clemson - he's the one in the USC shirt right in the middle). As if being in the eighth grade over 30 YEARS ago isn't bad enough, I have to confess that this is the absolute oldest photo I have digital access to, so no, I don't teach eighth grade, but it is when I knew I wanted to be a teacher.</div>
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My teaching career went something like this:</div>
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Senior year of high school - "Mom, I think it's stupid that they ask you on this college application what you want to major in. That means I have to pick a job for the rest of my life right now!" </div>
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"Yes, Brooke, it does. What do you want to do?" </div>
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"I have no idea...how's a 17-year-old supposed to know that? I would like to teach English."</div>
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"You can be anything. You don't have to be a teacher or a nurse. That's all I was supposed to be when I was in school. That's all women could be. Think bigger."</div>
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"Oh. How about an astronaut? The first woman astronaut?"</div>
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"That's crazy. They don't let women be astronauts."</div>
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Really? This is the conversation my mom and I had at the kitchen table. Here she is telling me I can be anything and in the next breath, I can't be an astronaut because I'm a girl! What up with that? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0xWReEtnPmmyE2unqEq08UFuxwfnCL10_N9wM0Op0tbXl1_3giwF1HergNS0HXxQuM7vkDkzo8aCBKbmQwWJPsOcE9hXk99FnnfHyao9McZMTmy1kkD1nd9EYq39DnTkyS_lh3axUWo/s1600/indecision.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0xWReEtnPmmyE2unqEq08UFuxwfnCL10_N9wM0Op0tbXl1_3giwF1HergNS0HXxQuM7vkDkzo8aCBKbmQwWJPsOcE9hXk99FnnfHyao9McZMTmy1kkD1nd9EYq39DnTkyS_lh3axUWo/s1600/indecision.png" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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THREE majors and two careers later, at 29, I decided to go to grad school to be a...teacher. The hold-up? That very conversation right then, right there at the kitchen table. Oh, well, a late start, but I never looked back. Teaching is perfect for me! :) "Miss ADHD" has never been bored. Every single day is different. The curricular changes, themselves, are enough to keep me on my toes! Let's see, whole language, basal, four-block, basal, trade books, basal, CCSS and who knows what's next for us in S.C., now that our brilliant governor announced that we will no longer educate children...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2y8tPV0sOSCvTZ4OlxwCaoAKo58NdQMj-PVnd1Is67CeBHWaExi-3juOAve0nr7tttZ-CzkfMO4zqxqc8hpySB-EUOXKm2masdJOpzlFw1qlMPZNaRRXBI-Dx7LIFtb_CodPNZxF-dI/s1600/tweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2y8tPV0sOSCvTZ4OlxwCaoAKo58NdQMj-PVnd1Is67CeBHWaExi-3juOAve0nr7tttZ-CzkfMO4zqxqc8hpySB-EUOXKm2masdJOpzlFw1qlMPZNaRRXBI-Dx7LIFtb_CodPNZxF-dI/s1600/tweet.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Honestly, I love every day of teaching. The children are precious, my co-workers are amazing, the parents at my school are great, and I pretty much have the same schedule as my beautiful daughters. I knew I would love it. </div>
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My third (and fourth) grade teacher, Miss Bruce, was my hero - not to mention my babysitter. She invited me to her wedding, and she came to mine, too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-u-glZfRyJuKHILKBke12Kmmjgn5E-qAAA4_oF1Aii62bwcC2KPvD_3XnoP8vSutBttQGM3SffexcoArFL01A9zCszDvllLB3gG7b6yW1Ttdawmn6-Saij30PsMv4LM332W02xGQXN4/s1600/TaylorsHigh1952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-u-glZfRyJuKHILKBke12Kmmjgn5E-qAAA4_oF1Aii62bwcC2KPvD_3XnoP8vSutBttQGM3SffexcoArFL01A9zCszDvllLB3gG7b6yW1Ttdawmn6-Saij30PsMv4LM332W02xGQXN4/s1600/TaylorsHigh1952.jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
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My elementary school, Taylors Elementary, was in a cotton mill!</div>
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My sixth grade English teacher, Mrs. McDaniel, was awesome! Eighth grade social studies? Coach Edmunds was hilarious and perfect for a bunch of hormonal pre-teens. By high school, I was totally hooked into education. I should have listened to my heart way back then, but, as they say, better late than never!</div>
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Happy Throwback!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" /></a></div>
Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-84980026347810440162014-06-11T19:53:00.001-04:002014-06-11T19:53:21.900-04:00Worksheet Wednesday Linky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.theteachingtribune.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjInIyBMA_rnFZe15uzO3FTUYol4-mv3zfutzvy6MXTfI7MxciO-En840E-GfVIX3o3e0FMI7Y8DkvOLMjUU7oHooGX3nEcH5LbodOEEmTE2qTBpRYOEffv_OcfClvpCEzjaBqD6qu1E/s1600/TTT+Summer+Bloggin+Week+02-29.png" height="307" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm linking up with The Teaching Tribune again today to bring you a math activity my kids just love! Okay, I admit, it's not exactly a worksheet, but then again it is. I have these cute frog sets from Oriental Trading Company, where my husband used to work. Don't hate me because I have some connections on the best teacher prize box ever!</div>
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<a href="http://www.orientaltrading.com/flip-frog-game-a2-12_5809.fltr?Ntt=frogs" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-wISh9yBYWmWxKn0BLif0GTqj8m2km3UGQeOm-pSTNCgFvsNceXvIqu42DBVGvjGJzSVIr3aLnj2-isOVygJF9hN15Dni3aKjp9md-CRt30SNRK1PG80lwmZ83HpMMzviohcprbkJIg/s1600/flip+frogs.PNG" height="282" width="320" /></a></div>
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One year, on Leap Day, I had a student with a birthday in my class, so I pulled these out during my planning period to whip up something fun to help him celebrate, since he only gets a real birthday every four years. We were studying measurement in math, and I thought it would be fun to see how far these guys can jump. The "worksheet" I'm sharing with you is the refined result of that off the cuff lesson, which has turned into a class favorite every year. You can order the flipping frogs for $11.00, and you'll get a dozen sets like the one above. Click on the image to go to OTC's website. Then it's off to the races! Have kids predict how far, in inches, they think the frogs can jump. Jump away, and measure to compare to predictions and fill in the chart on the worksheet you'll find <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jrPYz_AIWf2_pT7WmpGQjrX2NvAn1ymRfd23In1I8yw/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>. Don't save this one for Leap Day - it's fun year round and really gets kids thinking about reasonable estimates, measuring accurately, and recording their results.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijftP-YVT-HCwBFGr7JWjqRLtw-Gi21oUujXC-SLKhICwYkeXJufVnCoXBEDk_jQkW2dRaG8yFrnN5pTb8b9FBBC25J_Ow_8I4l10cfPnc7ZWsG-QY-WOCrUIZsRW4qYKJZp52-P8lWZM/s1600/frogs-sang.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijftP-YVT-HCwBFGr7JWjqRLtw-Gi21oUujXC-SLKhICwYkeXJufVnCoXBEDk_jQkW2dRaG8yFrnN5pTb8b9FBBC25J_Ow_8I4l10cfPnc7ZWsG-QY-WOCrUIZsRW4qYKJZp52-P8lWZM/s1600/frogs-sang.bmp" height="322" width="400" /></a></div>
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Happy Jumping!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRN4eoddESybqJZmAt45kTAnfrWBqHtJSbQN1IJdl9mEGpen9FdpUIGkB5n30lTQgcSOT4QnfD3jv9Rj1rU5eP2S7H0QZZCavcZXpebT2J00E4RSuwqoQbn6yutsoMQHJDcd7mRG92Kw/s1600/Signature+3.png" /></a></div>
Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-82344577492878549322014-06-10T20:01:00.001-04:002014-06-10T20:01:25.144-04:00Two For Tuesday FREEBIE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.theteachingtribune.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BXVEvUr2FyBDkOUQwHrGwjqH50W_2_1GwrhEdunotijeHPZNj5iRMU8QkxHqZ15IhVgoR1xDYyB4NLgLw5nTjOR74zI5MZTKFS6ax2sXwtIKp7gR4ZNT9RQQsDW_O6hw437E-YKGMjU/s1600/TTT+Summer+Bloggin+Week+02-28.png" height="307" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hey! I'm back today with a quick link up with <a href="http://www.theteachingtribune.com/" target="_blank">The Teaching Tribune</a> for their Two for Tuesday party! I have no idea how anyone can get Teachers Pay Teachers to give 50% off, so I'm improvising a little with the rules today...If you buy one of my best sellers within the next 24 hours, that's 8:00 p.m. EST June 10-11th, email me to get your choice of equal or lesser value FREE! </div>
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My number one seller is my </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Amelia-Bedelia-4-Mayor-Mini-Unit-278725" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5dIQ1HFg1DfxLoQlcRsON5N-CO0xo-tsQo-EJJALnheXJpnTc5KqIr25oxGsX92yRb8FpGHbmy6cWLvICHNY5E5_NENS1ZBevohn7U7vDMoWpV2ZxjOzUOBgIhS38MrHsVYVdjTKsUs/s1600/AB4Mayor.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Amelia-Bedelia-4-Mayor-Mini-Unit-278725" target="_blank">Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor Mini Unit</a> for $4. </div>
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A close second is my </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Amelia-Bedelia-Reading-Language-Arts-Mini-Unit-541335" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghX2YGejKd3F0OVVYwPV2Dcieu5HGy0eB-VHKjGhLZP9r4aswKrTkbARbIKtfpLiX5JdQrtzv4cN1H9dB7jQ-wcGRGQLMbjqjB-XawGe1A_su91ckKeMZAbWrkzL9dYKx468SspYAa-w/s1600/AB.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Amelia-Bedelia-Reading-Language-Arts-Mini-Unit-541335" target="_blank">Amelia Bedelia Reading & Language Arts Unit</a>, also $4. Both of these units are perfect for second grade, and are common core aligned to meet second grade standards, but could also be used to meet CCSS standards in first, third and fourth grades. Click on your choice, email me at whooosinsecond@gmail.com to let me know you purchased a unit today and to tell me what you'd like for free, and I'll email you back with your freebie. Even easier, just leave me a comment below, but be sure you're not a "no reply" comment (your comment should have a link back to you - see <a href="http://www.teachingsuperpower.com/p/want-people-to-find-your-blog.html" target="_blank">this post</a> by Megan Favre for a quick fix).</div>
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Have a great Tuesday!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602260953942513648.post-29214933298380048672014-06-09T08:14:00.007-04:002014-06-09T08:14:48.375-04:00Monday Meet Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.theteachingtribune.com/2014/06/monday-meet-me.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ONUfnWP-fhwCRqAp4DtOPNtKBNUA8CGMFKE6rGcOirFjCQNHqOiGPOAMG9VW8CXN0KvsiUBM_7gPmqjNJH34FrLbnVxN0f-5BSpgHaZxCrFsarsy9Jgji1iZNJVYZ9sPkzLxcIDSft4/s1600/TTT+Summer+Bloggin+Week+02-22.png" height="307" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hey, y'all! I'm here linking up with <a href="http://www.theteachingtribune.com/2014/06/monday-meet-me.html" target="_blank">The Teaching Tribune</a> for their Summer Bloggin' Monday Meet Me party, hoping to meet some new bloggy buddies while I'm on my first official day of summer vacay!</div>
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<a href="http://www.theteachingtribune.com/2014/06/monday-meet-me.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_kNEZnI6rQOQ0LZMXi0zfVVxmuIHx3LUBMRNKNy_ItTzR4zGjcSVQkzX-JLd2snVywDyvDeRu98VKn6u6lM9Yj3M5Agg5IZ8CmZ-pDZRXSQR3RqKXRX-e1i6qqC4z_Fbbb1QF9X1uwk/s1600/meet+me.png" height="640" width="492" /></a></div>
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I teach...second grade in South Carolina. My class is so special! It's kind of like a transition between first and third grades, with just 12 babies! We concentrate all our efforts on reading and math intervention. This was my first year teaching RTI, and I was thrilled with the results - I had one baby move from a level 8 to 30 in reading!</div>
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I have...a wonderful family and feel so blessed! Brady and I have two beautiful daughters - one going into 7th grade and one going into 4th. Where does the time go? Thankfully, LuLu the yorkie stays puppy-sized!</div>
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I watch...a lot of HGTV and have never even seen one episode of reality TV! I know.</div>
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I listen...to Pandora Radio all day. I love music - all kinds - and I love being able to choose my own genre, songs, artists, and have NO commercials! My favorite channel right now is Katy Perry. I might be her oldest fan.</div>
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I read...professional development books, even in the summer! I just went to Barnes and Noble and bought <u>Strategies That Work</u>, and a pack of new highlighters. What a geek!</div>
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I do...make handcrafted jewelry, love using my silhouette cameo, and miss scrap-booking. I'm so far behind on my girls' scrapbooks that I don't know if I even could catch up! This <i>could</i> be because I try to do about fifty things at once and never quite get around to actually printing off the photos from my laptop.</div>
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Link up at <a href="http://www.theteachingtribune.com/2014/06/monday-meet-me.html" target="_blank">The Teaching Tribune</a> to meet lots of other bloggers and teachers today, and check back through the week for more fun linkies!</div>
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XOXO,</div>
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Brooke</div>
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Smarter Balanced Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17272286573163198157noreply@blogger.com19