American Revolution Videos

~ Tara

Patricia Polacco Reads Thunder Cake

One of my favorite authors reads her book Thunder Cake.  It's everything I imagined with her reading her own book.  One of my favorite books of hers is Pink and Say about the American Civil War.  I'll warn you it's a tear jerker.






~ Tara

Why I Broke Up with Office Depot

Why I broke up with Office Depot:
After 11 long years, I finally called it quits with my teacher, class, extracurricular activities, supply distributer. I have been faithful and feel there hasn't been any wrongdoing on my part. I came to make my usual purchase of composition notebooks this year. Yes, I teach about 100 awesome and sometimes smelly fifth graders. I equally attempt to keep them engaged in class by using interactive note-booking techniques. Composition notebooks are great for this because they are tough mudders and can take a beating all year. Usually, they are $.25 which is why I was elated when I found out they were only $.10. Yes, I scored the mother load!!!! "But the limit is 3" friends would say. Nahhhhh, they always let me do repeat purchases for teachers. Hah, was I fooled.

I can in and stocked up and proceeded to ask for a manager. Teachers are always causing trouble as they slink up to the counter and ask for a discount. (You don't see other professions asking all the time for a discount do you? Nope) But teachers think they are special, or at least I do. The manager on duty proceeded to tell me it wasn't possible to purchase that many at the discount price. I asked why not? I had always been able to in the past. I explained it wasn't allowed to be added to our supply list, blah, blah, blah... he rudely replied.... "Ma'am, WE HAVE TO SAVE SOME FOR THE CHILDREN!" Wholly SNAPS- ARE YOU FOR FREAKIN REAL? I then turned into Madea and asked, "what do you think, I'm going to go home and COLOR in 100 NOTEBOOKS?? It is for the children, in fact, I'm saving parents a trip or they would be buying these notebooks." Short story shorter, we went a few rounds, I was really trying my FBI techniques on him trying to get him to budge. He said I was, "taking away from their bottom line." I told him they wouldn't take anything out of his paycheck if he scanned my products 33 times. it went on and on. At the end of the day, I am a terrible negotiator, I lost. But here's the catch. Nothing would have taken from the bottom line. I have purchased thousands of dollars of supplies yearly for our recycling program, science Olympiad, field trips, and basic school bulk orders. Ink recycling has gotten harder and harder, until I realized. I didn't need Office Depot. They were using me, I could be just as happy with Staples or Wal-Mart or EVEN ( I shudder) ONLINE ORDERING.... So you win Office Depot, I will not bother you or even scream at other shoppers as they enter your doors. I will take the higher road and take my butt to Costco or Staples! See YA!

So I called customer service and someone who knew very little English tried to help me... I asked for a supervisor in customer service....30 minutes of... So what is you problem again? I don't understand. Really?

I'm so thankful for all the kind strangers that offered to purchase notebooks for my students and all my family and friends that have been stealing from their bottom line to get what the kids need! Thank YOU SO MUCH!!!!! Where is Tyler Perry when you need HIM?

Back to School Sale and Awesome Behavior Management Books

Back to School Teachers Pay Teachers SALE 4th & 5th

 

 

 

 

Select the Back to School Sale image above and it will direct you to my store.  But don't stop there.  So many amazing teachers have their store discounted for a total of 28%.  So, make your list and check it twice. 

 

ALSO, here is a set of books I have had my eye on and now's your chance to win them....

 

 

I have heard wonderful reviews of these books and I just can't wait to get my hands on them this year.  Hopefully, out amazing Librarian can get them so our whole school has access.  And what is even better, a local teacher (who is just AH-MAZ-ING) wrote these books.  They even have activity guides.  So if you are a huge fan on incorporating positive behavior management systems, you need to get these books right away before the school year begins. 

 

 

Summer Fun Plus a little Learning

            The school summer slump can take many shapes and forms.  Maintaining skills in all subjects doesn’t have to mean pulling out a worksheet or purchasing a computer program for their grade level.  JUST SAY NO!  There are so many different ways to incorporate a little bit (just a little) of study skills in your daily routines to maintain and keep those creative juices flowing. 

While school is not in session reading skills and routine are essential to setting your child up for success for the next year.  Here are a few ideas so many parents have shared with me and a few I have discovered through loving life with my two children.

Allow children to help prepare meals.  I know what you are thinking, yeah right!  It took me a while to get used to my kids helping with dinner.  However, it does get easier.  They learn a routine to prepare the table (children as early as 3 can help with this), prepare drinks, prepare salads, cooking dinner and cleaning up afterwards.  Some parents overlook these details because let’s face it, we can do it quicker and more efficiently.  Give them some time they need to be taught to be successful in this area.  Cooking is so amazing to help support reading informational text and incorporating math skills.  My second grade child works with measuring cups as she deciphers the difference between ½ teaspoon and ½ cup of an ingredient.  It is amazing how involved boys and girls can get when allowed to help in the kitchen.  Cupcakes are my favorite!  Once kids get involved in helping cook, they can read through cook books and create shopping lists for dinners they would like to make.  I’m sure if you have a picky eater they might be more inclined to eat a dinner they investigated and helped to prepare. 

                As far as math skills, you would be surprised how far practicing math facts will go to helping your child in math class next year.  There are multiple apps for different devices as well as math drill computer games.  If you don’t have computer access, traditional flash cards go a long way and they can be found in every Dollar Store in the school department. Lower grades addition and subtraction facts and third grade and above drill those multiplication and division facts.   These skills are the foundation of all word problems and everyday common sense math problems. 

                Get them a watch! Sure, find a $5.00 watch that is water resistant and take your watch off.  Ouch!  This is a killer for me.  I realized I look at my watch every couple minutes.  It’s great for explaining length of time for kids.  For example, “you have 10 minutes to straighten up your room,”  “10 minutes till we leave for the grocery store,” or “at 3:00 we’ll leave for the park.”  Teach students to manage their time wisely.  Also, if your child is really into TV shows, video games, and computer time a watch is a great way to help them manage their own time wisely.  Multiple studies have proved the decrease in attention electronics can encourage in young students.  Summer is a great time to play outdoors and explore!

                Talking and sharing stories with older family members.  Possibly helping them or doing small chores for them during the day.   This is wonderful for listening and comprehension skills as well as helping family members.  I can think back to my own childhood as I listened to my Great Grandmother tell stories and I fought relentlessly to not wiggle in my seat.  I appreciate those stories now and recollect those stories even now to my own children.  Kids love to hear stories.  Have them write about their own summer and share it with an elderly person. Most people that have the time to spare enjoy listening to children share stories.  This really develops an important life skill, do you know any adults that can’t listen to a conversation without butting in? (Giggle)

            Another great adventure if you have the opportunity to explore outside the house this summer is museums and aquariums. Usually these are low cost and provide children with an abundance of information of local history and native species (plants and animals).  One of my children’s favorite sights in museums and aquariums are the simulations and hands on experiences.  My girls can stay in the Children’s Museum for the entire day.  This kind of creative play gets overlooked, but is so essential in our daily life.  Building, problem solving, communicating and so on.  The Fort Fisher Aquarium is another favorite.  We take a routine trip there almost monthly.  We always learn new information and speak with different volunteers. 

            Encourage kids to keep a nature journal when they go on their adventures.  Many kids love art and science.  This is a sure-fire way to encourage them to maintain reading and writing skills. Allow them to research through books or digital resources about different local species of plants and animals  and draw them with labels. 

Local and some school Libraries are sometimes overlooked.  Who doesn’t love a free book to borrow?  Many of these libraries also have reading programs and/or themes to further inspire your young learner.

Let’s not forget the importance of fitness and arts!  There are multiple organizations that provide summer programs for sports and fitness.  These not only help children to make healthy life style changes but keeps them communicating with children their age, adults and pushing their limits.  Art programs inspire creativity and allow children to continue growing on their level.  There are paint programs, pottery, building, design, creating web-pages, blogs, and more. 

Building routines not only helps you out as a parent, but cultivates children to gradually be responsible for their own life and routines.  Waking up and brushing their teeth automatically.  Putting clothes in appropriate places when dirty, clean, or wet.  Helping with regular household chores.  No, this isn’t child slavery; it is helping the family be able to spend more time together when mom or dad isn’t continually cleaning.  Children can take out the trash, help clear the table, load and unload the dishwasher, fold towels, put away clothes, sweep or run the vacuum.  Kids love the chance to have more responsibility and eventually (about the teenage years, or so I hear) that will to want to help gradually leaves. LOL

Some kids might be apprehensive to so anything that resembles schools work.  That becomes an opportunity to share with them the successes they have had and explain how they will be maintaining skills to start the year off right.  Much of their enthusiasm begins with the adults around them.  It might take a little prep work and energy to get them interested, however, once they get going in a direction they love they are sure to keep the learning juices flowing.

~ Tara

Fun Fonts for YOU!!! Happy Monday!!!!!! MUAH!!!

Enjoy, follow this link to my TPT store to get this Happy Monday FREEBIE!  Please link my button to my store so more teachers will find my freebies!  Happy MONDAY!!!  ENJOY your SUMMER!!!

~ Tara

Computer Schedule and Ideas for Classrooms, Monday Made It

 

I'm linking up with Tara for my Monday Made it and Charity Presson for Manic Monday!  I love this new computer planning chart we made at a recent technology workshop I taught.  So feel free to read on to see how we created this time on task management tool for the classroom. I hope you absolutely love it and enjoy this awesome FREEBIE!!

 

 

 

 

This is part of our Monday Made It. I recently taught a technology workshop on how to effectively use the few computers in your classroom.  It was a ton of fun.  This craftivity was our teacher make and take and I'm going to walk you through the easy peasy steps to make this wall decoration that will help keep students focused while choosing a technology activity. In addition, it will assist you in what students should be working on as you glance at the Planner on the wall near your computers, you will be able to identify what they are working on.  This will help me see if they are off task. This will be a new focus strategy I'm using this year to help my students be more accountable for their computer time and products.

The materials I used:

Scotch Thermal Laminator (I inherited this from someone who never used it- Great and worth every penny if you have to laminate centers, task cards, etc) I'm not sure what kind of laminator you have at your school, but ours in thin and eventually falls apart from the sheet.  These never will separate, they are great for so many on the spot laminating projects in the classroom.
 
Sam's and Costco have the laminating sheets in bulk (Which is great)

Scrapbook Paper- Colors of your choice

Small magnets

Cookie Sheets- Dollar Store

Ribbon- optional

First you will want to download the computer document from my TPT store for free and change the document to what you want your computer objectives to say.  Add your email, any websites you want and any specific directions for students to access particular webpages and print. 

Trim the scrapbook paper to fit inside the laminating pouch.

Trim and back the chart on scrap book paper. 

Laminate chart and stop signs.

Tape or hot glue the computer chart on the cookie sheet making sure it goes against the cookie sheet as close as possible.  This will help to ensure the magnets don't have extra space in which they have to exert extra strength to connect with the cookie sheet.  

Print your stop signs in color or in black and white then color red.  These are used when certain websites or assignments are off limits.  For example, if students should be working on a particular project, interactive activities might have a stop sign on them. 

Laminate and connect a magnet to the stop signs.

Laminate and connect a magnet to the back of the computer #1, #2, #3, etc.  Depending on how many classroom computers you have.

Add ribbon and tah-dah!!!

Here is the link to my TPT store for the FREE activity sheets!  I hope you enjoy this activity and I would love some great feedback, thank you.  Also feel free to check out so many resources that are geared for upper elementary and middle school.  Enjoy your summer all you awesome teachers!!!!

~ Tara

History Related Kid Snippets and History Review Videos

Have I told you how much I love Kid Snippets? LOL

Well, it adds a little humor to the fun rigamaroar of test prep.  Oiiiivay..... I'm not sure I'm going to make it.






And now, on to the more serious review videos.  My new favorite subscription is to Learning Instantly on Youtube.  These history, science, and math videos are created by middle school students.  Sure to keep the attention of your upper elementary kiddos.  Enjoy.








I can't wait to see how the kids react to these great educational videos tomorrow.  HA!

New EOG Videos for Motivation

Last year when I posted End of Grade motivational videos I was mainly using videos I used in third grade.  Since then, I added a few more for 9-11 year olds.  I think middle school kids would enjoy them as well.  In North Carolina we are getting ready to embark on our End of Grade Testing the week of June 3rd-6th.  So the review becomes critical in helping kids remember most of the spiral review they have learned all year.  I'm all about hands on learning and real world projects, but the world shifts and everything becomes testing oriented two to three weeks prior to End of Grade Testing.

Please preview these videos to make sure they are appropriate for your children.  Some of them may be strong or have gymnastics girls in leotards.  We live at the beach, so in a sense our children are desensitized to seeing girls in swimwear.  Plus, it's the Olympics so it is televised on public tv.  I don't know, just wanted to put a warning out there.  I know some parents can be really sensitive. :)
This video is Coach Flowers inspiring his football team before the game. 



Eric Thomas: Focus



Dream- Motivational Video



I love this dance routine and the message behind the song. 

~

2012 Olympics: Gabby Douglas at 25:00 minutes
http://youtu.be/rp4NKWb7dXk

2012 Olympics: Jessica Weiber at 6:00
http://youtu.be/hjoDzK0siaM

So anyhow, I hope you are hanging in there.  Let me know how you are motivating your children at the end of the year for test prep. 

Summer is just a day or two away!!!!

Kid Snippets, TOO FUNNY! If you need a brain break, these are great!

If you need a humor break, here ya go.  These are great, I can't believe I have stumbled upon something so hilarious!!

I'm rolling in laughter.  This is just the discovery I needed to start my week.  I have added a few that I have seen, however, they have a multitude of these videos out there.  I prefer to add these to my blog so I don't have to scroll through the YouTube stuff (you know what I mean, occasional bathing suit models, haha).

These are my three favorite so far!