Monday Made It with 4th Grade Frolics - 06.19.2017

Hello All!!

I am back for another link up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It. I look forward to this every year.

This week Holly Hodges from Research and Play is in charge of the Monday Made It post. Jump over to the 4th Grade Frolics blog and check out her post. Then be sure to check out all of the wonderful bloggers that have linked up this week.

I feel like I have been a real slacker this past week because I haven't really got much done as far as physical items or even digital. I've spent a lot of time watching the tropical disturbances that could or could not possibly be heading my way. I have officially lived on the Mississippi coast for 1 year now but I don't remember any of these tropical issues last summer. Why is that?

Any way....let's just get started.

While I may feel like I haven't gotten anything done... as I told you all last week...I have made a decision on the colors for total classroom transformation for the upcoming school year. Just to refresh your memories...My colors will be Navy, Teal and Lime green. I am so looking forward to a refreshed new classroom. So with that in mind....I purchased these sheets at Walmart. They will be perfect for making my curtains in certain areas of the classroom.

The navy colored sheets will be transformed into curtains to hide certain teacher materials in HUGE book shelf. Let me just give you an idea of the size of this book shelf.

This is not my actual book shelf. It is actually one of the other third grade teacher's....but our rooms are identical. Where she has her long curtains, that is where I will have my navy ones. Where she has no curtains....I want to have these storage cubes.

Now....I need a short curtain in the same spot this other teacher has her black one....I'm thinking maybe I could use the middle sheet that is teal and navy print. What do you think about that idea?

I also am looking at these two rugs for my Reading/Library/Meeting Area. Which do you think might look best?

I really could use some feedback from you guys. I am going all cross-eyed trying to decide. I do not like making decorating decisions.

OK....now on to.......

I did manage to finish up this Solve the Room - Multiplication and here it is.

This now make three items in my TpT store on the same theme. I have the Solve the Room - Addition, Solve the Room - Subtraction and now Solve the Room - Multiplication. Is anyone interested in a GROWING BUNDLE?

That is all I have for this Monday Made It. Please check out all the other bloggers that have linked up over at 4th Grade Frolics. I just know you will find many great ideas!!

I look forward to seeing all your comments.

Until next time....Adios!!

 Dee

Monday Made It - 06.12.2017

Hello Friends!

I am very excited to be joining up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made series. I am a little behind this week but that seems to be the story of my life lately.

I don't have any physical "made its" this week. All of mine are digital. I have been working hard to make things for my 3rd grade classroom for next school year. The upside is that I put them in my store at Teachers Pay Teachers for anyone else who might need them.

So without any further delay, let me begin my showing.

I don't know about you but I found last year that I really needed to have some activities that could be versatile. You know the type of activities that could be done in groups, pairs or even individually. That is where this idea came from. Here is the first in a series that I am creating for Solve the Room. This one is addition and is with and without regrouping.

I know what you are thinking....these are just flash cards. But are they. I am providing several suggestions for use with these problems cards and they can customized to work with your theme. All you have to do is make that request. I am also providing black & white copies in the package for those that prefer to save on ink....ie..not have to use all the color ink.

My second Monday Made It is a sibling to the my first one. You guessed it, another Solve the Room. This one is the subtraction also with and without regrouping.

I am working on the multiplication at the present time and have in mind to also have elapsed time, money, geometry and fractions. Maybe I should think about doing a big bundle.

My next creation was a new logo for my TpT store. I realized this week that I have been selling on TpT since 2012 and I never created a logo for my store. Well here it is.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Just because you read to the end.....I have a little freebie for you. I am giving you this Main Idea & Detail activity that can be used with any passage or book. You can download this item from my TpT store. Enjoy.

Until next time.....Aloha!! (No I'm not in Hawaii....but that doesn't mean that I don't want to be.  :)

Whoa!!! Almost a Year!

Hello and how is everyone doing today?

I know....don't pass out because I'm actually posting again,

Switching back to 3rd grade after teaching gifted for 8 years was really a HUGE shift. I was super busy all year....first trying to keep my head above water just learning all the new things I haven't had to deal with. You know CCSS, RtI, TST....etc.etc. I also moved several hours south and was learning the ins and outs of a new school district.

But....hey....I made it. My 3rd Grade team is the best. We all worked together to encourage and assist our kiddos to show great growth during their 3rd grade year. I was so proud of my kiddos....they all passed the Mississippi GATE test!! Yay!!! They will all be in 4th grade next year.

Since school ended I have been working on some things to use in my classroom for next year. Of course when I get them finished they will go in my Teachers Pay Teachers store....Teaching at the Beach.

BTW....I decided this morning to make a logo for my store. Here it is...Tell me what you think.

 

I just love the summer time. One reason is the BEACH of course....but I also love that Tara over at Fourth Grade Frolics has her Monday Made It. I really do love going over there and seeing what everyone has made. I also love to participate. So off I go now to see what I can create so I will have something to share. 

Talk to you later!!

Dee

Monday Made It - July 25, 2016

Hey Ya'll, I am hooking up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics again this week for her Monday Made It series. I get so much inspiration from everyone that links up with her and the posts get me so motivated to get busy. Thank you so much Tara for hosting this...I love it!!

I don't have too much to show for this week because I have been so busy trying to get everything done in my room by Wednesday of this week. Thursday we have our curriculum meeting and Friday I am going out of town for one last bash...then on Monday August 1...it is back to school for this lady and all the rest in my district.

So without further discussion...here are my Monday Made Its!!

My school's theme this year is Dr. Seuss. So being that I am new to the school and the district, naturally I felt that I should follow the theme. But I am more of a color theme person than an object theme person. So this is what I came up with...I will use Dr. Seuss for certain ITEMS in my room. That should be sufficient....right?? So...I started with my behavior chart and yes...I borrowed photos from the internet...but I'm only using it in my classroom so that should be fine.

Next up is my rules and consequences chart. I did not really make the "rules" portion...just printed it and put it together. But, I don't remember exactly who I got it from. I did create the "consequences" part. I saw the wording somewhere on Pinterest (don't you just love Pinterest) and I thought it would be perfect for my 3rd graders.

Here is a close-up of the consequences.

I purposely made the consequences smaller because I want to draw attention to the positive more so than the negative.( That is my story and I'm sticking to it!!!) :)

OK...I would like to tell you that I made these next items from scratch...and I was going to try...but then I found them at the Dollar Tree (don't you just LOVE some Dollar Tree??). All I had to do was fluff them out!! Yay me!!

Oh Yeah....I need more than this but at least I know I can 'fluff' them!!

This next item is something that I made to use in my classroom then decided maybe someone else could use them as well. You can find it HERE and it is on sale until midnight July 27.

 You can also click the photo and it will take you to the item in my store.

And....my last item for this week's Monday Made It...

I made this Sub Binder/File Tub resource pretty much out of my own desperation. You can click the photo and it will take you to the item in my store. It is on sale until July 27 at midnight.

Thank you all for stopping by and looking at my Monday Made Its....Be sure to check Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for many more Monday Made It ideas.

Oh Yeah....if you made it this far....I have a little something for you. Hope you can use it!!
Click HERE.

Dee

Monday Made It

I am very excited to be joining up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made series. I have read all the blogs each week but couldn't seem to get my act together and get something made until this week.

So, I am really attending our District's TEA....that is the Teacher Enhancement Academy (because I'm new to the district this year). I will check out all the other MMI when I return home later today!

 

OK...several times in the past few weeks I have seen these Close Read Toolboxes linked up on Tara's Monday Made It and I knew right from the beginning that I wanted some of those for my classroom. Honestly, I can't remember who I first saw post about them. However, I do know that it was created by Create Teach Share and you can find it in her TpT store here for FREE. Here is mine.

 

 I also got really industrious and finished updating my Teacher Resource Binder package. There are more choices for the cover and dividers as well as some new forms included. This resource now has a field trip checklist, intervention forms,and a  data sheet for item analysis.

You can click on the photo and it will take you directly to the Binder resource in TpT.

I also decided that some of the items in my TpT store really needed some updating. One of the resources that made the cut this week was my Learning Styles Survey and Posters. I'm pretty embarrassed at how they previously looked so I will not show a before and after. But here they are now!

Click on either photo and it will take you to the Learning Style Survey and Posters.

Thank you all for looking at my Monday Made It with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics. Be sure to make a stop at all of the wonderful bloggers that linked up and see what all they created for this Monday Made It!


Dee

$25 Teachers Pay Teachers Giftcard Giveaway

This is not my first giveaway....however it is the first in a very long while and thanks to Kelly Malloy from An Apple for the Teacher I am joining in on this one. I am excited to be joining many other fine teacher authors to bring this opportunity to you.

We are all getting ready for that Back-t -School and what a better way than to win a $25 gift card for Teacher Pay Teachers. Good Luck to all!!!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Co-hosts:  Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher), 

Giveaway Organized by:  An Apple for the Teacher, Mrs. Humphries Class, Debora Marines TeachMagically, Dee Bibb - Teaching at the Beach, Ms. K, Kamp Kindergarten, SillyOMusic,  Sarah Griffin, and Creme de la Classroom.

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 7/16/16 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c396cb38101/ 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Dee

Working on new products for my TpT Store.

Hello All!!

I have really gotten fired up lately and have begun to work a lot harder on items to add to my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

I am revising some of the products that are already there...making them New & Improved for all of you!!

I am also taking some of these ideas that are floating around in my head and getting them on paper so I can begin work on them as well.

One of the items that I am revising and almost finished with is My Teacher Binder. I was horrified to see that I hadn't revised that thing since 2013. WOW!!! How neglectful can one person be. But I almost have it finished and from this day forward, I will update yearly and anyone that purchases one of my Teacher Binder kits--which is really a whole organizational kit....will be able to update their file for free each year.

This year there will be some choices to make in regards to which covers to use and I am including spine labels as well. Here is just taste of the update for the Teacher Binder Organizational Resource.




I am also working on some different task cards for figurative language, graphing and data....as well as some other things.

I will let you know when everything is ready to roll. Once finished and uploaded to my TpT store....I will be running a flash sale for 48 hours as a New Beginning Opening for my store.

Be on the lookout for it!!

Tootles for now!!!

Dee

New Me...New City....New School District....and ...yes...a NEW Grade.

Dear fellow bloggers.....I am going back to my roots. I began my teaching career as a third grade teacher and with the 2016 - 2017 school year I will return to that grade level. Yes....I know things have changed much for every grade level and especially for the third grade level with the GATE test. But I am so excited about being back in the general education classroom.

Now for my problem.

I have not had to really worry about classroom themes or colors or anything like that when I was teaching gifted/talented. So....I need my fellow bloggers/teachers help.

What is HOT right now for themes??

Please...any help would be greatly appreciated.

 Dee

One Crazy Year

This school year has been ... lets just say it has been an eventful year. My school district consolidated with another district and it has been interesting.

I knew coming into the school year that I would be back on the School Leadership Team and that I would be in charge of the annual Christmas production. These things never change. However, what I didn't count on, was that I would also be designated as the Assistant School Test Coordinator (ASTC). Would you like to know how I found out that I was the ASTC? The School Test Coordinator called a meeting of all certified staff after school one day and as I sat down and looked at the agenda......yep...there was my name listed as assistant. What a rude way to find out you have another hat to wear! Oh well....just another step.

Due to testing, I think I have been out of my classroom as much or more than I've been in it this year. My students haven't gotten nearly as much accomplished as in previous years. All this testing is overkill....if you ask me...which no one did!

On a happier note, My students are learning about civil rights and using primary source documents to do it. I am so proud of them. They jumped right in after having the process explained to them and began to analyze photos from the 1940's - the 1960's.

This is something they have never been asked to do...but they have risen to the occasion and I am a proud teacher!

Just look at them go!!

OK...now that I have bragged about my kiddos...guess I will sign off for now. I look forward to seeing you next time!


Dee

My Absence From Blogging

In the past when I would have a long period of time between blogs, I would always say that life just got in the way. Usually this just meant that I didn't take the time to do any blogging. However, this absence has been different. Oh...life or rather death did get in the way. You see, my sweet husband lost his battle with cancer in July. Let me tell you, even though you know its coming....it isn't any easier. You think you are prepared....but you aren't! The past 6 weeks have been extremely tough and I know this process they call grief isn't done.

This post is a tribute to my husband of almost 22 years. We had some good times, we had some not so good times....but we had more times that were absolutely AWESOME!!! I am so happy that we met and fell in love! He was and is the light of my life! My soul mate and I miss him terribly!!!

 

This photo was taken in September 2012 on Chesapeake Bay while he was visiting our daughter. We were a year into the cancer treatments at this time....if you didn't know he was sick....you couldn't look at him and tell.

I love you Sweetie....all the days of my life!!!

Dee

Showing Off My Stuff....well the beginnings of it...anyway!!

Truthfully, I was having a hard time getting going this summer, which is unusual for me. So, I am really late getting started....especially since we head back to school on July 31. Yeah....that soon! I know some of you just got out for summer.

But....now that I've gotten into the swing of things.....Christina, over at Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge is having a SHOW OFF YOUR PILES Linky Party and I am joining in on it.

Keep in mind....that I just got my "school" on yesterday....so my "stuff" is in short supply right now....at least what I have physically in my hand.

I made a short trip to ....Dollar Tree today....because I wanted some baskets for my new color scheme to go in my library. I got 4 of the 5 colors that I wanted....that isn't too bad....is it? Here is my color scheme....short one color....the orange.

I know....I know....this isn't nearly enough baskets for the book in the library....but thanks to another friend of ours out here in bloggy land...Sara over at Smiling in Second Grade....I will be taking a trip about 45 minutes away to visit.....you got ....the Big Lots store. Maybe they will have some orange baskets, too!!

 BTW....I also made a stop at the Wal Mart here and picked up these little journals for my student's shared journaling. Now I just have to decide (1) what the journaling topics will be for these books, and (2) how they will get decorated....you know they will be decorated in some fashion.The orange journal will give you an idea of the color orange I want for my color.

Now, I'm thinking I want orange and white chevron curtains for my two windows...but I haven't totally decided on that aspect yet. What do you think???

 

I did purchase one other item today while I was on my shopping spree and I will tell you that it has something to with Tara over at Fourth Grade Frolics and her Monday Made It posts. That is ALL you are getting out of me on this one until Monday. Here is the item.

 

 Can you guess what I might be using them for????

 Dee

My "To Do" List That Needs to be Finished Before July 30

I have been procrastinating doing all the things that need to be done before going back to school. So....I have decided to link up with Lorraine over at Fabulous Fourth Grade Froggies for her To Do List Before School linky.

I do have a disclaimer to add before listing my "To Do" List....and that is......this list is only for the items that I need to have done for school. There truly is a larger list for home and then there is my personal list as well. Oh Well....there just isn't enough hours in the day or days in the week to get everything done. Thank goodness for "To Do" lists and Lorraine's Linky party.

So.....here is my list: (Well...actually...it isn't the whole list but what I deem most important right now)

1. Make a Back to School To Do List.  (OK...I really felt the need to have something to mark off)
2. Complete Donors Choose grant for library books.
3. Create PowerPoint and brochure handout for teacher professional development on gifted/talented.
4. Plan Curriculum map and begin lesson plans for units.
5. Make a class schedule.
6. Print and assemble my Teacher's Notebook (I created my own...you can find it in my TpT store)
7. Purchase library baskets in class colors. (as soon as I figure out ...which colors)
8. Make T-shirt pillows for library.
9. Plan room arrangement
10. Create a Reader Biography packet
11. Decide how Reading will be incorporated into my classroom (since I teach Gifted/Talented students.. we don't teach reading, per se...but I have a passion for reading and so it is highly stressed in my classroom.) We did Reading Olympics last year...so I'm thinking....100 Book club or something. Any help with ideas for this would be greatly appreciated.

These are what I consider the most important on my list that is 40+...so I will not bore you with the rest.

Seriously....if you have any ideas for how I can incorporate Reading this next school year....please comment and let me know!!

OK...now that you have seen my list...why not hop on over to Fabulous Fourth Grade Froggies and link up with your own list.

Dee

Understanding Gifted/Talented Children Series - Pt III - Social/Emotional Issues

First of all, let's get one thing straight. The needs of a gifted child is the same as those of other children. They go through the same developmental stages, just usually at an earlier age.

There are some unique social and emotional issues that gifted children face. It is important to recognize these issues and help our children deal with any problems they may face as a result of their giftedness.

Generally, gifted children seem to be better adjusted than most children their age, are very independent, and usually know exactly what they want.

However, gifted children are usually very aware of their differences as related to their age-mates, and for some finding real friends can sometimes be a difficult and disappointing task because of the differences.

Gifted children are sometimes introverted and like to spend time alone, but at the same time they are eager to have contact with friends their own age. Becoming active in social interests such as sports, music, art lessons, or some other interest activity outside of school will help the gifted child develop relationships with other children who share their interests and talents.

It is not uncommon for gifted students to relate their self-worth to their success in school. Because of their tendency toward perfectionism, this can result in a feeling of low self-worth. If this should happen, we need to help them set reasonable goals for themselves and create opportunities for them to feel more positive about themselves and their talents.

Children often experience and internal "tug-of-war" between themselves and being what they think everyone wants them to be.

To help your gifted child be sure to:

• nurture and encourage your child's unique talents
• help your child set reasonable goals
• encourage friendships with other children who have common interests and abilities
• accept your child as an individual and openly express that acceptance
• be flexible without being too permissive
• if you notice problems....communicate them with the school/teacher and let's solve the problem together!

You can access the previous posts in this series below:


Understanding Gifted/Talented Children series - Part I - Characteristics of Gifted Children

 Understanding Gifted/Talented Children series - Part II - Encouraging Creativity


Dee