This week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Have you heard about the big sale TPT is having? On May 7th and 8th you can save up to 28% by using the code TAD13. My entire shop will be on sale during this time so you will be able to save 28% on all of my products! Check out my shop at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kerry .
Also if your shop is participating in the sale please post a link in the comments. I would love to come check out your products and follow your shop! :)
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Spring is in the air!!!!
This year is flying by! Spring has sprung and I have been busy working on some new products for my shop. In the spirt of spring, I have created a ladybug counting book that can be found in my TPT shop.
What are you teaching about in your classroom right now? Any fun units coming up? We have our big ocean unit on the horizon. It is my absolute favorite unit of the year! I don't know if it's because it was the very first unit I taught when I was a student teacher eons ago or just all the wonderful animals and nonfiction texts available, but I just love teaching about the ocean.
Friday, August 24, 2012
New Year, New Projects!
My oldest started kindergarten this week, so my inner teacher was overly eager to volunteer to help in any way possible during meet the teacher last week. Her teacher asked if I would pull out and organize all the math workbook pages for the class, which I of course, jumped at the chance to help. So this has put me in the mood to start creating more teaching materials. I have a couple of freebies in the works, but was wondering if anyone had something they needed or wanted created for them. Respond to this post and I would be happy to help create what you need! :)
Sunday, August 12, 2012
HUGE Teachers Pay Teachers Sale!
My Teachers Pay Teachers Shop is holding a back to school sale for the next two days! All of my items are 20% off and use the code BTS12 for additional savings! Don't miss out on these great items! In my shop you will find behavior management tools, classroom stationary sets, alphabet games, math practice, and much more. So check it out during the big TPT Back to School Sale!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
School supplies make me giddy!
Oh, how I love school supply shopping! This weekend we went to pick up the last of school supplies my oldest daughter will need for Kindergarten. She is definitely my child! She was hopping with excitement over pencils and crayons.
I also love that Target's dollar spot has been loaded with teacher stuff! Last year I loaded up on bins for the classroom. My favorite Target Dollar Spot purchase was plastic magazine files (except they were larger) similar to these that Lakeshore Learning carries for $2.50 a piece. It took me most of the summer but I found enough blue ones to put one in each child's cubby to use a mailbox, so their papers wouldn't get crumpled up.
What has been you best or favorite find on the back to school front?
I also love that Target's dollar spot has been loaded with teacher stuff! Last year I loaded up on bins for the classroom. My favorite Target Dollar Spot purchase was plastic magazine files (except they were larger) similar to these that Lakeshore Learning carries for $2.50 a piece. It took me most of the summer but I found enough blue ones to put one in each child's cubby to use a mailbox, so their papers wouldn't get crumpled up.
What has been you best or favorite find on the back to school front?
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Beginning of another school year!
As the beginning of another school year is looming, I know everyone is thinking about classroom setup and management tools. Today I would like to feature my behavior management plan that I created for my classroom many years ago.
I've always used a traffic light behavior management plan. It is simple for even my youngest students to understand. I've put together a packet of wonderful tools to go along with this plan. If you are interested, the packet can be found in my TPT and Teachers Notebook stores.
This packet includes the following letters and forms that I use in my kindergarten classroom:
Letter to the Parents:
This is a letter that I send home at the beginning of year to explain the classroom behavior system to the parents.
Weekly Behavior Chart:
I used this behavior chart in my student's Take Home Folder. In my classroom, I use a light system to monitor behavior throughout the day. At the end of the day the student's are responsible for coloring in the block for the day, either green, yellow, or red to reflect their behavior and then I initial the box to ensure the have correctly recorded their behavior for the day. I also require the parents to initial each night to let me know they have seen the behavior chart. I use the comment section to relay to the parents any issues or accomplishments that the child had throughout the day or the parent can comment in that section back to me about any follow-up they have. Later in the year I will often have the student write what their bad choices were for the day and what the consequences were for their action or what good choices they had made for the day.
Traffic Light Chart:
I print this out on card stock and laminate it to post by the "How are we doing today?" pocket chart as a reminder.
"Caught You Being Good" Slips:
I cut these out and keep them in a basket on my table. Anytime I see a student making exemplary choices, I fill out what I caught them doing as a way to celebrate good behavior. I send the slip home in the student's home folder so the parents can see what their child was doing well with at school that day.
Red Light Report:
I use this form when a student has a red light. At the beginning of the year, I transcribe what the student says on the form. As the year progresses, the student takes over the responsibility of filling out what choices they made and what actions they are going to take to fix the problem.
Letter to the Parents:
This is a letter that I send home at the beginning of year to explain the classroom behavior system to the parents.
Weekly Behavior Chart:
I used this behavior chart in my student's Take Home Folder. In my classroom, I use a light system to monitor behavior throughout the day. At the end of the day the student's are responsible for coloring in the block for the day, either green, yellow, or red to reflect their behavior and then I initial the box to ensure the have correctly recorded their behavior for the day. I also require the parents to initial each night to let me know they have seen the behavior chart. I use the comment section to relay to the parents any issues or accomplishments that the child had throughout the day or the parent can comment in that section back to me about any follow-up they have. Later in the year I will often have the student write what their bad choices were for the day and what the consequences were for their action or what good choices they had made for the day.
Traffic Light Chart:
I print this out on card stock and laminate it to post by the "How are we doing today?" pocket chart as a reminder.
"Caught You Being Good" Slips:
I cut these out and keep them in a basket on my table. Anytime I see a student making exemplary choices, I fill out what I caught them doing as a way to celebrate good behavior. I send the slip home in the student's home folder so the parents can see what their child was doing well with at school that day.
Red Light Report:
I use this form when a student has a red light. At the beginning of the year, I transcribe what the student says on the form. As the year progresses, the student takes over the responsibility of filling out what choices they made and what actions they are going to take to fix the problem.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
I love teaching about the ocean!!!
I'm sure we all have a favorite thematic unit we enjoy teaching. Mine is the ocean! I love teaching about the various animals and aspects of ocean life. It all started when I was an intern eons ago. My student teaching was in the spring and the timing was perfectly aligned for me to teach the ocean unit when I was to take over the class. I had an amazing mentor teacher that let me sift through her ocean unit weeks ahead of time and really develop and awesome unit. With each book I picked up, I got wonderful ideas of comprehension lessons, crafts, math center, etc to go with. Over the years, I have added tremendously to this unit. I probably have enough activities and books to teach ocean for MONTHS now in all different grade levels! I don't know if it's because it was because ocean was the first unit I every taught or if it's because all of the ocean animals just amaze me, but I LOVE teaching about the ocean!
Last year, I lent my unit to my oldest daughter's preschool teacher. She was new to teaching (had only been teaching for a couple of months) and asked if she could borrow a few ocean book (we had become very friendly since I was her room mom and she knew that I had been a teacher before having kids). I almost jumped for joy when she asked! I'd been out of the classroom for four years and was so excited to see all of my beloved ocean stuff again. When I got home, I quickly dug out the multiple ocean bin out from under my stairs and loaded them in the car to take to Ms. M the next morning. She was so appreciate and I was so excited to watch my little girl learn about all the wonders of the ocean. Each day my daughter would come home to tell me about how she learned octopi or starfish and I would just light up listening to her because she had also discovered the same love of all things ocean.
What is your favorite unit to teach?
P.S.~ Be on the look out! If I can rustle up the time, I will be posting some ocean goodness!
Last year, I lent my unit to my oldest daughter's preschool teacher. She was new to teaching (had only been teaching for a couple of months) and asked if she could borrow a few ocean book (we had become very friendly since I was her room mom and she knew that I had been a teacher before having kids). I almost jumped for joy when she asked! I'd been out of the classroom for four years and was so excited to see all of my beloved ocean stuff again. When I got home, I quickly dug out the multiple ocean bin out from under my stairs and loaded them in the car to take to Ms. M the next morning. She was so appreciate and I was so excited to watch my little girl learn about all the wonders of the ocean. Each day my daughter would come home to tell me about how she learned octopi or starfish and I would just light up listening to her because she had also discovered the same love of all things ocean.
What is your favorite unit to teach?
P.S.~ Be on the look out! If I can rustle up the time, I will be posting some ocean goodness!
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