Big Bay Boom San Diego and Made It Monday!!

Just returned from a 4th of July getaway to sunny San Diego!! The firework show DID NOT disappoint - much better than the Big Bam Boom Bummer of 2012.  We visited Coronado Island for the first time - so beautiful!! Went on a San Diego Ghost Tour - highly recommended; and enjoyed SeaWorld, OldTown, and of course, the BEACH!

Also, as we approach the new school year, it is time to get back into the Made It Monday swing of things!!  As I'm switching to a new district this year - that means I only have until 07/22 before I must report - that's 2 weeks (and 4 weeks til the first day of school)!!

#1 - Brownie Points

This is a cute lil' classroom management / positive incentive tool.  Reward your class for extraordinary behavior, classroom compliments, etc. and once the pan is completely filled with all 15 brownies, then reward them with whatever treat you'd like.  Examples include throwing a brownie party, lunch/movie in the classroom, class kickball game, pizza party, etc.  This is a great visual which is an awesome motivational tool to unite your students toward being responsible & working together towards a common goal!  If you'd like to try this in your class this year,  download my Brownie Points freebie here!

#2 - Paper Management Baskets

 

As a student teacher, I had the luxury of learning this tip from my mentor teacher.  In order to manage the piles of papers that accumulate in the classroom - have two paper collection baskets so students always know where to turn in their work and important forms.  Obviously, if it hasn't been graded yet, then the proper home for the paper would be the "ungraded" basket.  Any forms with parent signatures or assignments that have been graded in class may be turned into the teacher basket.  I just bought two lightweight plastic bins from the dishrack aisle at Walmart large enough to fit 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper.  I also keep a container of binder and paperclips nearby so assignments can be sorted and grouped quickly.  All I did was print out my labels, attach to black cardstock, laminate, and tape to the basket!!




I can't wait to scope out all the other Made It Monday projects online linking up with 4th Grade Frolics, I'm sure they'll give me great ideas for next week's projects!!

Flash Giveaway - New Pop Culture Homework Pack!!

Brand new Common Core homework pack just updated including high-interest subjects from American Pop Culture.  Your students will enjoy these opportunities for repeated reading with articles on Bruno Mars, LeBron James, the history of iPods, Starbucks, and Hersheypark, PA. 

One lucky winner will have the opportunity to score this pack for free!  Just be the first to accurately guess my favorite PIXAR movie & don't forget to leave your email in a comment below. 

Happy End of the School Year Countdown!! JUST 5 MORE SCHOOL DAYS!!

Greek Mythology HW pack completed!!

Just completed my latest homework pack - and it turned out great!  I'm so excited I was able to retell some amazing tales from Greek Mythology including Pandora's Box, Echo, Narcissus, King Midas, and Arachne!  As my personal solution to raise the rigor for my CCSS aligned instruction this year, and reinforce these standards at home I decided to "reinvent the wheel" by creating my own homework resources.  I've been getting such great feedback from students, parents, and other teachers on these since it includes repeated reading, and other skills that require PRACTICE!!

Yay we made it to MAY!!
I just recently got hooked on Lipstick Jungle on Netflix but I have a feeling it's going to be over shortly as it is no longer on the air on NBC.  However, it's based on a book series, so there's a chance I can get my fix and a chick lit summer reading done.  I'll need some sort of entertaining read since all I've been reading lately are case studies and college textbooks and I'm glad that time of required reading has now past!   Earlier today, I ventured out to a Cinco de Mayo festival with my chihuahua to enjoy the festivities and their annual Chihuahua Races - she didn't enter this year but it was sooo cute, lil chihuahuas decked out in sombreros and dresses parading down their lane...  I'll for sure have to enter one of my 3 next year!    
Woohoo!! This Friday is my official graduation for completing my MBA - but instead of walking and investing $200 into a horrendous grad outfit I'll never wear again; I'm going to celebrate by going out with my friends instead!!Also, I can't believe Mother's Day is next weekend - while out and about at the 5 de Mayo festival I found a fabulous spot for a Mother's Day brunch but I'm hesitant to book anything since we hate dealing with all the crowds.  Maybe we'll postpone our celebration until the following weekend, that way it gives us the time to celebrate all the graduations (as there are 3 of us graduating!!)  Finally, I tend to procrastinate the undesirable since I put off all my household chores until Sunday.  As far as my summer bucket list - I'd love to spend some time vacationing in the Southeastern United States - New Orleans and Myrtle Beach are on my must-see list this year!!
Be sure to link up your MAY currently with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade!