Vacation and Giveaway!

Just a quick update to let you all know that I will be leaving Blogland (as I affectionately call it) for a little while.  We are going on a family vacation and I am looking forward to spending some quality family time.  Now, if I can only pry my boys away from their iPhones, laptops and iPads. 


But before I go, you've got to check out my talented teaching partner's 150 Follower Giveaway.  It includes some awesome prizes so please go by and check it out.  

I will be stopping by on my way out of Blogland!  See you soon!


Diane

Time to Laugh, Award, and a Friday Linky Party

Let's start the weekend out with a good laugh!  This has been around for a while, but I still laugh when I read it.

How Do You Know You're A Teacher?

by Jeff Foxworthy

1. You get a secret thrill out of laminating things.
2. You can hear 25 voices behind you and know exactly which one belongs to the child out of line.
3. You walk into a store and hear the words, “It’s Ms./Mr. ____________ "and know you have been spotted.
4. You have 25 people who  accidentally call you Mom/Dad at one time or another.
5. You can eat a multi-course meal in under 25 minutes.
6. You’ve trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day, lunch and planning period.
7. You start saving other people’s trash, because most likely, you can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom.
8. You believe the Teacher’s Lounge should be equipped with a margarita machine.
9. You want to slap the next person who says, “Must be nice to work 7 to 3 and have summers off”.
10. You believe chocolate is a food group.
11. You can tell if it’s a full moon without ever looking outside.
12. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, “Boy, the kids are sure mellow today.”
13. You feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when you are out in public.
14. You believe in aerial spraying of Ritalin.
15. You think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.
16. You spend more money on school stuff than you do on your own children.
17. You can’t pass the school supply aisle without getting at least 5 items!
18. You ask your friends to use their words and explain if the left hand turn he made was a “good choice” or “bad choice.”
19. You find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils.
20. You are secretly addicted to hand sanitizer.
21. You understand, instantaneously, why a child behaves in a certain way after meeting his/her parents.

One of my newest followers has awarded me the Leibster Blog Award!

Many, many thanks to Olivia at Classroom Craft!  Olivia is a newbie, like me, so please stop by and visit her blog!  

Here are the details that recipients of this award must follow: 

1. Copy and paste the award on to your blog. 

2. Thank the giver and link back to them. 

3. Nominate five other bloggers and let them know by commenting on their blogs.

Here are the next five recipients of the Liebster Blog Award.

Please visit these awesome blogs!

And now for today's Linky Party!

http://funin4b.blogspot.com/

I am so excited about this Math Resource.

Problem solving is a critical skill for understanding and applying math concepts.  Analogies are a great tool to build problem solving skills.  They create connections between what is familiar and what is new.  Here is an example.

63 + 11   is to   60 + 10   AS   12 + 22   is to _____________

      How do you know? ____________________________ 

This analogy requires students to recognize the application of estimation and rounding.  In addition to finding the answer,
students are asked to think about and justify their answers, applying a metacognitive process that is so important to building a solid mathematical foundation for the future.  


This is a Carson Dellosa product and other grade levels are available.  Check it out for your classroom!

q Diane r

Giveaway Results & Back to School Shopping

Last week I announced my Inspirational Giveway!  For every new follower I received through the 4th of July, I would donate $1 to Smile Train.  I am proud to say that I have 22 new followers!  I am chipping in a little more to make a $25 donation to Smile Train.

Thank you to all of you who were "inspired" to follow my blog!

Now on to one of my favorite things to do.......shopping!


The other day I went shopping for some “school” supplies.  I know…it’s kinda early.  But, we’re about to go on vacation and I was afraid if I waited until we got back, I may not be able to find the things I needed.  So, off I went.

Purchase #1

A few years ago, I started using this rolling hamper as our lunch basket and it was a hit.  Soon, all 8 teachers on our team were using it.  It’s perfect for 3^rd or 4^th graders. It has wheels, only requires one operator, and doesn’t take up much space.  I decorate it with decals from the Dollar Tree, and then add my name and room number in vinyl letters.  To keep it clean, I line it with a kitchen trash bag.  After five years one of the wheels broke, so it was time to get a new one.

Purchase #2

I’m so excited about a rug I found for my classroom at Office Depot (click  for more rug choices).  It’s perfect!  It's bright and colorful and   < BONUS!> has a geometric pattern.  Math teachers love patterns!    I mean, how often do you find a rug that matches your classroom AND can be used for a Math lesson…….all for $29.99!  Score!!! 

Purchase #3

I have a treasure chest in my class that I use to store classroom rewards.  The problem is that it isn’t a chest…..it’s a shopping bag.  I had a cardboard treasure chest a few years back, but it got trashed rather quickly.  So you can imagine how excited I was to run across this plastic container shaped like a real treasure chest at Walmart.  The best part is the price is right!  Come on down! I’m getting out my hot glue gun and decorating it with some fake jewels.   What a find!

Purchase #4

You never know what you are going to find at The Dollar Tree.  This trip was great!  Each of these items was $1.00!

Tickets – They are the currency in my classroom. 

Pom Poms (in my colors!) – I’m going to hot glue them to the end of dry erase markers to use as erasers.

Mini containers – I use these to store items in my anchor stations and to store number tiles (0-9) to use with Marcy Cook Number Tile Activities.  I also put a pair of foam dice inside and hot glue the lid shut. This makes a very quiet dice roller and the dice don't go everywhere.  

Bingo Daubers -  Daubers have tons of uses. I use them to make borders on Anchor Charts and in anchor stations to make arrays and fractions of a set.  The kids love to use them.

Clip Magnets & Pencil Holder - I can never have enough of these.

My last stop was Lakeshore.  I wanted to get a new owl set I saw in a catalogue, but I discovered that Lakeshore is having a "Back to School" Sale starting today through Sept. 2.   With that in mind, I left, saying in my best Arnold voice....I'll be back!  

Please comment and tell me about your back to school finds!  If you've blogged about it, leave me your link so I can visit!  Have a great day and stay cool!  

q Diane r

I love the USA!

I can't imagine living anywhere else in the world than the United States.  We are so blessed!  I love to create lessons that get kids excited about our country's history.  Here are some of my favorite American Revolution resources.


1.  Liberty's Kids - This 2002 video series covers the American Revolution from the Boston Tea Party to the Constitutional Convention. They really help to bring the events to life.  

Episode 1 - The Boston Tea Party 

To extend the lesson, there is a fun feature at the Liberty's Kids website called "Then & Now".  These short episodes report on the differences between colonial life and today.  The kids really love them!


2. Midnight Rider Virtual Museum - This is an awesome webquest that incorporates lots of differentiated activities.  It can simply be reviewed or the class can be broken into groups to complete activities. The teachers guide includes all the blackline masters and rubrics to assess.  You can even build a model of Paul Revere's house. My favorite part is exposing the children to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's historical poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere".  

3.  "Will You Sign Here, John Hancock" by Jean Fritz - What U.S. History unit would be complete without including a Jean Fritz book?  I love using this book to highlight one of the most important signers of the Declaration of Independence.  John Hancock was a colorful character and the book is very witty.  It makes a great short read-aloud (be sure to preview as there is one word to change on page 12).   I guarantee that your students will never forget John Hancock after reading this book.

  
Have a fun Fourth!  

q Diane r

I'm SO Excited! And I Just Can't Hide It!

I LOVE surprises and today I received an awesome one on my blog.  Drum roll please.....


I have been nominated for TWO  Awards!  And here they are..

 


I'm going to "mushy gush" for a moment, but it feels really good to     know that I am adding value to this awesome teaching community of bloggers.  You all have inspired me SO much, that it feels good to contribute in my own small way.  


Most importantly, I must thank these terrific bloggers who nominated me. Please check out their wonderful blogs.

Allison at Busy Teacher Love

Sarah at Laughing with Lane

Emily at I Love My Classroom

In receiving the Versatile Blogger Award, there are some rules that go with it.


1.  Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you.
2.  Include a link to their site.
3.  Include the award image in your post.
4.  Give random 7 facts about yourself.
5.  Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award.
6.  When nominating, include a link to their site.
7.  Let other bloggers know they have been nominated.

And these are the rules for the One Lovely Blog Award.


1.  Follow the person that gave you the award.
2.  Link back to the person that gave you the award.
3.  Pass the award on to 15 new bloggers.

So here we go...

7 Random Facts About Me

1.  Besides teaching, my other passion is genealogy. 

2.  I was an Avon Representative while I was a stay-at-home Mom.

3.  Someday, I hope to visit Lourdes, France.  

4.  My oldest son is a high school senior this year. (Boo Hoo!)

5.  The "Mayhem" commercials crack me up!

6.  I'm not from Texas, but I love learning about Texas History. 

7.  I'm having my annual mammogram today...don't forget to have  yours!


Here are my nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award.

Jessica at Mrs. Stanford's Class

Jennifer at Teaching Simplicity

Christina at Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge

Stevi & Tamara at 2 Crazy Texas Teachers

Nicole at Teaching, Stitching, and Parenting

Layla at Fancy Free in Fourth

Jess at From Blood to Books

April at The Idea Backpack

Crissy at Cade's Campers

Rene at A Passion for Primary

Mechele at Barrow's Hodgepodge

Jen at "T" is for Teacher

Christy & Tammy at Fluttering Through First Grade

Ms. T at Journey of a Substitute Teacher

and my most favorite blog of all, my BTFF,

Megan at I Teach. What's your Super Power?

In nominating blogs for the One Lovely Blog Award, I'm going to bend the rules a bit.  I'd like to use this award to introduce you to  some of my blogger friends at Edublog.  This is the site where I will be hosting my classroom blog.  

These nominees represent classroom blogs from all over the world.  What I love about Edublog is that it can be password protected.   You are going to love these blogs and the ideas they have to share on making a classroom blog great!


Here are my nominees for the One Lovely Blog Award.

Dare to Learn Something New (Mexico)

Classroom 2 Kids (Canada)

4KM and 4KJ (Australia)

Year 3 Superstars (Australia)
Hawes Primary Class 3 (UK)
Room 2 Burnham School (New Zealand)
Mrs. Kistler and the 49'ers (USA)
Mrs. Salsich's Class (USA)
Mr. Avery's Classroom Blog (USA) 
Year 5 RC (Australia)
Vonsild School Blog (Denmark)
Tarradale Blog (UK)
Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog (Canada)

q Diane r

My first Currently

Farley at Oh Boy, 3rd Grade has posted a July "Currently".   She also has a freebie....go see what it is!

My Currently is below.   It's my first!   Please comment to let me know you visited! 

Also, don't forget to read my previous post about my Inspirational Giveaway!  

It's a Giveaway.....with a TWIST!

Yesterday, I spent about 3 hours visiting blogs.  I visited linky parties, entered giveaways, and commented, all for a selfish reason.....to entice people to join my blog.  It was exhausting and unproductive.  And I still only have 11 followers.  


I didn't feel good about my motives and have been thinking about a more positive way to invite people to my blog.  Then, the light bulb turned on.  A Giveaway!   But, a different kind of giveaway!  I'm calling it an Inspirational Giveaway!


Here's how it works.....for every new member that joins my blog starting now through the Fourth of July, I will donate $1 to one of my favorite charities, Smile Train.  

There are millions of children in developing countries suffering with unprepared clefts.  They aren't allowed to attend school (I can't imagine) or hold a job. They suffer from shame and isolation, pain and heartache.  Their clefts go untreated because they are too poor.  Smile Train is a charitable organization that helps these children get their smile back by repairing this birth defect at no cost.  


Let's get our moxie going!  Please join my Inspirational Giveaway and help provide inspiration to children who desperately need it.  Imagine this.....250 clicks of a mouse will pay for one child's cleft surgery.  I have chill bumps just thinking of it!  Grab my button and spread the word!