Getting Ready for the Best Year Ever!

Teachers Pay Teachers is having a sale!  I love the Back to School Sale!  My cart is overflowing with new resources for my classroom!  I absolutely love this time of year, even it is stressful and I can't sleep! :)

I've been creating lots of new things for my classroom and they are now uploaded in my store and on sale for you!  If you love using games to engage in your classroom, please check out these new resources!  Both include directions and cards for several games for group, partner and independent play! 

I've also updated and added some new math resources to start off the year! 

These 120's Puzzles are great for differentiating at Math Tubs.  These puzzles help students maneuver through the 120s chart and make sense of the patterns.  While your students are having fun writing on the puzzles with dry erase pens or crayons, they are practicing so many valuable math concepts (more than, less than, +1, -1, +10, -10, 

This summer I've been reading about the importance of subitizing with dice and ten frames.  This resource introduces students to various ways to "show" a number!  Students will learn to look at a group and recognize the number....they will learn to subitize!  But they won't know it!  They'll just have fun playing the games!

I also like to build in the 120s into my daily routine!  That's where these come in!

I've created "Fill-it-in" Charts for the year!  I think the changing themes keep it fresh and my kids love to come up and write in the answers!  These sets come with Math Tub activities to play, as well! 

I still have a couple of weeks to enjoy summer, so I'll probably head to the Dollar Spot or maybe check out Amazon to see what I absolutely need for my class!  Actually, I'll probably laminate some of my new puchases and try to get into my classroom!  I'm obsessed!

I hope you'll hop over to my store and see what I've got on sale for you!  

Techy Tuesday - GoNoodle

This week's Techy Tuesday is about Brain Breaks!

Hopefully you have heard of and use GoNoodle in your classroom!  But if you haven't, don't wait any longer! This is not the first time I've blogged about GoNoodle, but I couldn't resist adding this to Techy Tuesday!

Brain Breaks!  You know your students need them!  They need them more often than we probably realize, too.   I implemented a new procedure last year and my students loved it!  Do you ever have those students that are "too cool" to participate in a brain break?  Yes, you know the ones!  Since using GoNoodle in my classroom, most of my students participate simply because it's so engaging, but I still have my stinkers!  So I implemented the GoNoodle Champ system.

I keep my eye out for a student that is doing a great job participating during our brain break and they become the GoNoodle Champ!  This means that they get to CHOOSE the next GoNoodle activity! OMG!  They love this!

And let me tell you, we GoNoodle several times a day in our class, so we have lots of chances to be a GoNoodle Champ!

Watch the video above to see my little firsties in action!

I have a GoNoodle lanyard that I picked up at the I Teach 1st Conference, but any lanyard will work. I attach a badge holder to it and slide in one of these cards!  You can download this free.  Just click the picture!  Students wear the lanyard until they pass it to the next champ.  It's simple, engaging and keeps us all happy!

Our first graders love GoNoodle so much, we couldn't resist these costumes last year!
If you haven't signed up for GoNoodle, what are you waiting for?  It's FREE!

Sign up for GoNoodle!  Your students will thank you and you will love it!

Techy Tuesday

Welcome back to Techy Tuesday!  This week I want to share a favorite app in my classroom!  It's not new, but it's a favorite!  If you haven't discovered this app yet, you'll want to check it before the kids come back!

Do you use technology during Reader's workshop or Daily 5? Are you thinking of adding some tablets?  This may be something you want to add to your lesson plans!

There are several ways I use iPads during reading time, but this app is one of my favorites for Read to Self!

I've installed this free app on all of my classroom iPads!  My kiddos can use this app during "Read to Self" time!  This app has increased the book choices for my students!  They can choose from and read from a huge library of fiction and non-fiction titles!  Some of the titles offer a "read aloud" option! I've found this app particularly helpful with providing a huge assortment of non-fiction titles!

Check out the website here Epic!

This would be a fun app to introduce to families for summer reading!  Try it out this summer!

Have fun!