Shop Til You Drop

Happy spring!  While I could not be happier that snow is ending, my allergies are going to be the end of me.  I don't think I've been able to breathe normally for the past 2 weeks.

Today I want to talk about some of my FAVORITE products I've purchased recently from Teachers Pay Teachers.

These are amazing labels from First Grade Glitter and Giggle.

As you may remember, I went through a long process of redoing my classroom library. That tends to be a necessity when you are a first year teacher with over 400 books. Oops. However, I organized my books by theme/character NOT level. I have a ton of leveled books filed away in a cabinet (due to lack of shelving in my classroom) so I pull books for my kiddos. I'm really not a huge fan of that whole situation.  One of my summer projects will be buying MORE of my beloved neon book bins from Really Good Stuff and organize the books from my file cabinet into those.

I'm interested in getting MORE good leveled readers.  Any suggestions??

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know how much I love Susan Jones' products.  This one is no exception!  I've struggled with figuring out how to incorporate money into the year when it's not part of the Common Core for 1st grade. This unit is PERFECT! When we come back from spring break (Monday), my grade level is starting data and measurement. We will be taking a mini break from our curriculum in that unit to focus on money for a week. I couldn't be more excited to use this great resource!

One of my other favorite TPTers is Haley O'Connor. I have purchased plenty of her products in the weeks I've been away from blogging. However, this is one of my favorites!

This product is everything I have ever wanted for the end of the year AND THEN SOME.  I can't wait to see how much I love it when it's time to put it to use.

I absolutely adore this seller.  She makes the BEST no prep packs I've found on TPT, hands down. Everything is Common Core aligned, not to mention adorable. I bought this packet, printed it, stapled it & sent it home with my firsties for spring break! I'm anxious to see how much they got done!!  I have her fall and winter packets and am trying my hardest to wait for a sale for the spring packet. (read: I have an addiction to TPT).

However, hands down my favorite product I bought over the last month has to be…

Let me just say, WORTH EVERY PENNY. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I'm Teacher of the Year or anything - I need help with guided reading. It's one of those things where I know I'm helping the kids but I know I could amp it up a little, too. This is seriously an incredible product.  Go look at it.  Not to mention, it's on sale right now.  Thank you sooo much Rachelle for helping a new teacher out!

Now, I don't want you to think that I'm just spending money on teacher things on my break. I still have a life outside of school! Today was an incredible sale at Express (all dresses 30% off!) - not to mention I had a coupon. I got $50 off of this gorgeous dress.  I decided it was a must because of the sale and the fact that we have spring pictures Friday. Yes, the awkward ones where all my kids are on risers and I stand next to them. Please tell me I'm not the only teacher out there who has to endure this.

Next up? I'm basically spending the rest of my break watching Breaking Bad on Netflix and eating. Definitely need to start thinking about getting back into a regular schedule.

I'll be back in a few days to show you WHY I need your help with organization.

Have a great weekend,

Shelby

Reason #3743 Why I Have a Shopping Problem

Seriously. It's real. I used to just be shoes. Then children's books. Then Teachers Pay Teachers products. Now (apparently) it's jewelry.

Let me show you all the goodies - both school and non-school related - that I scooped up this weekend.

PRAISE to the Super Bowl sale holders. Forreal. I can't walk away from a sale. Basically, it just gave me a reason to chop a chunk out of my wish list without feeling guilty.

Here's what I bought and my opinions. Click the links to go to the product.

Dang, Cara Carroll has outdone herself! This is incredibly legit. I had been pining over this for awhile but felt like I didn't need it since I teach 1st (is that weird?!). However, a couple of my firsties are struggling still. There are so many games, activities and fun ways for your kiddos to practice different CVC words. It's amazing how MANY things are in this product. Definitely worth the money.

Another great Cara Carroll product. This packet has all the same activities and games as the CVC packet, but with CVCE words. I think this is great for 1st grade to keep practicing silent e throughout the year. I can't wait to get this printed and used in my classroom!

YAY FOR THIS. I've been wanting this since it came out! I really want to give my kiddos some extra practice with digraphs. My favorite part of this packet is that it has both beginning AND ending digraphs. I think we forget (at least I do) to give them examples of both kinds of words.

The last thing I bought was this great product from Haley O'Connor. I LOVE her products. This is a spin on the game concentration with CVC words. Definitely printing this out ASAP so I can get it going in my classroom with my struggling kiddos.

All I need now is to print off an obscene amount color copies on card stock. Any tips for this? I usually just send it to Office Max, but I know it's going to be ridiculously expensive. I'm sure a lot of bloggers print a TON of color copies & laminate them - so how do you afford it? I only have 100 color copies/year at school, so I couldn't even print all of this there. Thoughts??

As far as jewelry, here we go. I went a little crazy at Stella & Dot online.

I'm really excited for these to get here so I can get my bracelet stacking on.

What do you think? How'd I do on my shopping?

Shelby

That's That Stuff I Like

Happy Monday!

I'm dedicating a post to some of my favorite things - teacher clothes and anchor charts!

When I first started this blog, I had hoped to do some style posts.  Teacher clothes are a beautiful and complicated thing - trying to look fashionable yet accommodate standing up all day/bending down/sitting criss cross on the floor etc.

Here's what I wore + my style inspiration (J's Everyday Fashion):

Top: Express, Pants: Target (old), Flats: Steve Madden via DSW

I'm pretty proud of myself on matching this look.  Please ignore my shadowy background vs. this obviously professional blogger look.  I definitely could use more accessories, but that's my big goal for my next paycheck.  I'm lusting after tons of gorgeous jewels at Stella & Dot.  Their Spring 2014 line just came out today!

As far as this outfit for teacher wear, it was perfect!  I love Express portofinos for school because the v-neck feels feminine without being too revealing and the shirts are insanely comfortable.  They're a little pricey, but well worth the quality!  They're on sale right now for buy one, get one $29.90.  {Disclaimer: my blog has around 12 followers so no, I'm definitely not getting paid for saying any of this.  I just love a good deal.}  I love the colored pants with a print!  One of my students asked me if they were jeggings - HA!  Shoe-wise, flats were a MUST - it's still somewhat snowy in patches of the parking lot.

I do have to give a shoutout to my girl Darcy for inspiring me to link my outfit like a REAL fashion blogger.  If you are looking for fashion ideas, definitely check out Darcy's blog (linked above) - she's a good friend from college and now in the real world :)

Back to teaching.  I whipped up an anchor chart really quick today during my plan.  As I've mentioned before, we do EnVision Math (anyone else out there?!) and our topic right now is about number patterns to 120.  This will help us build some background before starting place value.  We worked exclusively with the 100s chart today to notice patterns in the rows and columns.  I think this will be a great thing for my firsties to refer back to :)

{those gorgeous letters for the board header are here}

Please ignore the really bad not straight line--actually please don't look.  My OCD is freaking out.  This was attempt 2 after I drew too many lines the first time (grr) and I refused to make a 3rd one.  Also sorry that my 1's look like lowercase l's.  Ha!  But I love this puppy and know my kiddos will get a lot of good use out of it :)  And it's another great thing in my room to point at when they ask questions.

What do you think of today's style?  Do you use EnVision Math?  Do you use a hundreds chart to help teach place value?

Can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Shelby

The Week That Was

Hope all of you teachers out there had a good first week back!  I am linking up with Doodle Bugs again this week to show you what we were up to in Room 102.

{ONE}

We started our character unit study in Reader's Workshop this week.  We created this anchor chart:

{of course all my little darlings had to worry about why the girl on the side doesn't have a face}

I added to it each day as we learned the ways we can learn more about characters: actions, likes/dislikes, dialogue.

I used several mentor texts as well.  We used a Froggy book (Froggy Goes To Hawaii) for actions because there are so many actions!!  We used Chrysanthemum for likes/dislikes - one of my absolute favorite books!  Dialogue was an easy choice - Junie B. Jones!  I have all of the Junie B books and she's easily my favorite book character.

{TWO}

We began our 3rd unit in Writer's Workshop as well.  SO excited for my kiddos to start persuasive writing.  I made this anchor chart yesterday; this was inspired by Spotted in First Grade.  

I cropped my kiddos names out but it says "Writing Goals" & after each goal are post-it flags with their names.  My firsties met with me one-on-one & we discussed which goal would be the best fit for them.  I  put their name by their choice for what to work on.

{THREE}

One of my newest students gave me this as a present yesterday:

It was so nice I didn't have the heart to tell her I'm a KU fan.  One of my little sweeties saw the whole thing & is a diehard Mizzou fan (and knows I hate them!) and I was SO PROUD of him for not spilling that I like KU to her.  Not sure what to do with this now - ha!

{FOUR}

We started Class Dojo!  One of my good teacher friends at school uses it with her kindergarteners & loves it.  I really wanted to try something new with behavior management and this was perfect!  I felt really inspired to do it after reading this post from Erica Bohrer.  If you're thinking about using Class Dojo then this is a MUST READ for all the ins & outs.

{FIVE}

This one is just about me - I did some shopping today and am super excited!  It's been awhile since I've shopped for myself and I love finding new things for my teacher wardrobe.  Here's some of the great things I got while I was out this morning.  Click the links to find them online :)

Green Sleeveless Portofino, Polka Dot Portofino, Black Scarf

Sorry the picture quality isn't the best but I DID take it with my NEW iPHONE 5.  YAY!  I'm so happy to have upgraded to a faster phone!  I already love it, especially the fingerprint login.  So cool!

Also - I do realize all of these clothes are from Express.  I used to work there.  I have a problem.

Hope you have a great weekend,

Shelby

Things That Make Me Happy

Something you should know about me is that I love to smile.  Here's some things that I am loving lately:

1. THE BACHELOR.  Let's be honest, I've been watching this since I was about 12 years old (or whenever the 2nd season came on).  I actually almost applied for it this season (shh!).  I love the start of a fresh season, the predictions, the extravagant dates, the amazing clothes all the girls wear & whoever the current Bachelor is (except Brad.  I banned his 2nd season because I loathed him).

2. Being back at school.  I loved break, but it's definitely nice to be back in a routine.  I love to accomplish things/complete tasks so having a daily to-do list makes me feel so much more productive :)

3.  THIS. DOG.  I don't know why I'm so random & weird, but his face just cracks me up every time.

4. The fact that my new phone case came in the mail today!!  Which means I can feel safe upgrading to an iPhone 5.  Click the photo for the link to the site - it comes in 3 different patterns and is a STEAL.

5. This freebie from one of my favorites Cara Carroll:

I basically love everything she does & who can pass up FREE?!

6. This video:

http://www.amazingoasis.org/2013/12/restaurant-owner-with-down-syndrome.html

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a super huge heart for special needs.  This story is incredible and makes my heart happy :)

Here's to a great rest of the week - full of smiles!

Shelby

I Love Anchor Charts, Anchory Anchor Charts!

I realize anyone reading this is just getting to know me.  But!  If you knew me, you would know I love anchor charts.  In fact, I have an entire Pinterest board devoted to anchor charts.  Definitely check it out if you're an anchor chart enthusiast like myself.

I have never considered myself to be a particularly talented artist (putting it nicely).  However, I can look at an picture and draw based on looking at it.

We started working on Author's Purpose today.  Our lesson only allowed for one day of this but I felt my kiddos needed more topic on this important topic.  I decided to take 3 days and focus on different purposes authors can have (to inform, to entertain and to persuade).  I was inspired by Amy Lemons' gorgeous charts.  Here are hers:

Here are my recreations:

I'll admit my kiddo drawings are a little on the hefty side.  How do you think I did?

Shelby

I Went Back To The Sale...

Just when I thought I could handle my shopping addiction…oh TPT, you have gotten me into trouble again!  I love a good sale especially one for teachers.  I'm going to attempt my first linky party link up and share with you what I bought at the sale!  Make sure you click on the links of the products to see them in stores.  The sale is still going on through Tuesday!

Let's start with the things I bought on the first trip:

I adore the Busy Teacher's Best Friend sets.  They really do live up to the name!  I love just sending these puppies to the printer and not having to worry about extra preparations.

Please bear with me as I obsess over how much I love Susan Moran Jones' amazing writing packets.  I've had these bundles on my wish list FOREVER.  I can't wait to use these to add some pizzazz to my writing curriculum!

I'm planning on using these with my small reading group kiddos that need the extra practice on digraphs and blends.

This little packet is great for my firsties struggling with writing.  I have a few who struggle with ideas and where to begin so this will be a perfect fit!

To say I've been counting down the days until this came out would be the understatement of the year.  If you are a first grade teacher and DON'T own these packets, get out your Visa now.  They are a total Common Core game changer.  We are doing workshop models in both reading and writing this year and I have struggled with where to include language standards in my day.  These resources are so incredible, my kiddos don't even feel like I'm putting more information in their brains!  They love these activities.  I can't say enough about this product.  Susan has a bundled set of both parts in her TPT shop.  Obviously, the TPT stalkers like myself already owned Part 1 and had to buy Part 2 separately ;)

Believe it or not, that's all I bought……from Susan's shop.  Ha!  Now that I'm done selling her ah-mazing products, another TPT seller I'm a huge fan of is A Cupcake for the Teacher.  Here's what I got from her little shop:

My last item of my FIRST shopping day was this great product:

I bought the fall version on a whim & absolutely loved it!  I was patiently waiting at my computer for the winter version :)

If you're still with me, here's my mini-shopping trip from today.  I realized I wanted some fun activities for fact families and was browsing through the linky party and stumbled on this post which completely inspired me to buy this craftivity:

Being the wise person that I am, I figured I better throw a few more things in my cart to "make sure" I hit $3…which led me to these…

As an avid follower of both of these blogs, it was an easy decision to click :)

Thanks for reading this never ending post.  Guess this little blog was destined to be as long as my TPT receipt!

Happy Cyber Monday,

Shelby

Thankful

What a whirlwind of a break!  I have so many shoutout thanks to give as I work on this little blog of mine.

1. The Cutest Blog On The Block - They designed this free gorgeous background.  It was essentialy idiot-proof for new bloggers like myself.  I am in love.

2. Cara Carroll - Anyone who knows me knows how obsessed I am with this woman.  She's a Teachers Pay Teachers icon and fabulous blogger!  I am constantly blog-stalking her and purchasing her amazing products on TPT.  My header is in one of her beautiful fonts (CCWhackadoodle).  I have all of her font sets (did I mention I'm obsessed with her?!) but the font used came from this set.

I am beyond excited about how good this blog looks.  Kinda looks like I actually know what I'm doing, amiright?!

I spent a bundle on some ah-mazing TPT products.  I cannot wait to send them to the printer and get them to use in Room 102!  I'll have to make a separate blog post about that as I have BIG plans for today!  The Kansas City Chiefs play at 3:30 CT today and I have tons of work to do before then so I can cheer on my main man Dexter McCluster.  Here's my rockin' Sunday to-do list:

-Finish writing detailed plans for Writer's Workshop this week. (I am so blessed that our district purchased a Writer's Workshop curriculum but the books can be a tad overwhelming, so I like to write out my own mini-versions of the plans)
-Finish grading papers
-Send tons of goodies to the school printer (How incredible is it that I can use my school laptop at home and send things to the printer at school to pick up on Monday morning?!)

Have a great last day of your weekend!

Go Chiefs,
Shelby