Measuring Scavenger Hunt

If you want a fun activity to practice measuring length, then this measuring scavenger hunt is for you. You can also find a short description of the activity (minus the free printable download) in the March 2012 issue of the Really Good Stuff newsletter. I do this activity after covering measuring length, and making sure students know how to use tools with standard and nonstandard units to measure the length of items. To go along with the activity, I created a free printable download in both nonstandard units of craft sticks and standard units of inches and feet. When I have used this activity in the classroom, I had students work in pairs to complete the scavenger hunt. Then we came back together as a class and shared some of their answers. We talk about what they found easy and what was challenging for them (for example, many students will find it difficult to measure something that is longer than their measuring tool). It's fun to see the things students to measure and see their different answers. And the students get plenty of measuring practice.

And if you are looking for more measurement freebies, check out this Measurement Mania Freebie Collection. Just click on each picture to take you to a different blog to collect a whole slew of freebies!

Personal Word Walls

As I was cleaning through a pile of papers this weekend (if you know me, you know how unusual that is... I am highly organized at school, but at home, not so much), and I came across something from back in my grad school days. I had a project for one class where I tutored a little kinder sweetie in reading and writing. And one thing I made for her as a reference was her own personalized word wall... in a file folder.

There is not a lower elementary classroom that I have been in that does not have a word wall. Even a few upper elementary classrooms have them. But this one is perfect for small groups, as a reading reference, as a spelling reminder, or all at once. It could even be used to remember academic vocabulary words.

All I did was take a blank file folder. I just used a plain one because that's what I happened to have around, but you could certainly use fancier ones. I gave the cover its title, and again, I just wrote it simply, but you could go as crazy as you'd like, or even have the students decorate their own covers.

On the inside, I used alphabet letters and gave each letter a section with a capital and a lowercase. As the tutoring continued, I added in some blends since we were working on the th, sh, and ch sounds. Then you just add the words you want. I added the sight words we were working on, the words with the blends, and a few we were using in our shared writing project.

Now each student can have their very own personalized word wall. They can write words you tell them to, or add words of their own that they need extra help remembering. And it's quick, easy, inexpensive, and compact to store. What could be better?

Adventures in Subbing

I am so thrilled to be able to host Brandi Jordan from Really Good Stuff as my guest blogger today. Brandi and I connected through #TeachChat one night. It was my first ever Twitter chat, and she was so helpful. So when she suggested swapping guest blog posts, I thought it was a fantastic idea. I know you will love reading about Brandi's journey as a substitute teacher.

It is true. A substitute teacher is the steady rock on which classroom teachers and students rely. Subs are the ones who can save the day and give teachers peace of mind, because they know that their students will be taught, encouraged, and cared for in their absence. It takes courage, enthusiasm, adaptability, patience, and a keen sense of adventure to be a sub.

After having my classroom for many years, I took a couple of years off to pursue an entirely different career. What I quickly discovered was that this new career, which was commission-based, did very little to supplement our income. While I was not quite ready to return to having my own classroom, I decided that substitute teaching was the next best option. 

I was quickly accepted into the substitute teaching pool and had my first sub job within a couple of weeks of the start of the process. I ended up teaching a third grade class and realized how much I missed being in the classroom. Thankfully, before the end of the day, the principal approached me and asked if I would be interested in taking a long-term sub position for a first grade teacher who was going out on maternity leave... the following week. Talk about jumping feet first into subbing!

I was there through the end of the year and was lucky enough (said entirely tongue-in-cheek) to be there for state testing. I was thankful for the position though, especially because only a week after I started I found out I was pregnant with our first child. Over the summer I worked at the other job and decided that I would continue subbing until the beginning of October if I got called. A week before school started, I got the call that a second grade teacher in the same school had been involved in a bad car accident, and they needed a long-term sub for her class immediately. So, I became a second grade teacher and had the pleasure of having many of the same children as they had moved up from first. Mid-October arrived, and while the teacher was not quite ready to come back, pregnancy issues forced me to step-down from the position. 

I continued subbing occasionally after my son was born and enjoyed every moment of it. These days, I teach my own children at home, and while I love it, some days I sure do wish I could call a sub of my own! They are worth their weight in gold.

Brandi Jordan is a mom, teacher, wife, author, and expert multi-tasker. She is the Managing Director of Really Good Stuff’s blog, The Teachers’ Lounge, and her newest ebook, A Teacher’s Guide to Using Social Media and The Internet in the Classroom, was just released for free download.  Follow her on Pinterest and chat with her during #TeachChat every other Wednesday night from 9-10 p.m. EST.

Leap Into TpT Sale!

If you haven't discovered the resources at Teachers Pay Teachers, now is your chance. And if you already know of its value, this will make you giddy with happiness. It's a Leap Into TpT Leap Day Sale! If you enter the promo code L2P9Y at checkout on February 29, you will automatically get 10% off. And tons of sellers will be throwing additional sales as well. Almost all of the best sellers will be participating, so now is your chance to stock up on lots of phenomenal items.

Yes, I am participating in the sale too! On top of the 10% flat discount, I will be offering everything in my store for an additional 20% off. That's 28% off the regular price. I know; it doesn't sound right, but if you do the math, it's 28% off the original price. That's all of my Just Add Paper plans for K-5, including the bundles. And the Down with Downtime activities, including the bundles. Even my new line of CCSS Emergency Sub Plans that has grades K and 1 available will be on sale.

So, fill those carts now and shop 'til you drop (or get carpal tunnel syndrome) on Feb. 29. After all, it only happens once every four years.

Win a $200 Amazon Gift Certificate!

** Contest Is Now Closed**

Winners are: Meagan E. and Teresa P.!! Check your emails for a message from Charity Preston at The Organized Classroom Blog. CONGRATULATIONS, ladies!!!!!!

Yes, you read that headline correctly. Charity Preston at The Organized Classroom Blog has spearheaded a phenomenal contest! She has gathered 11 teacher bloggers along with Marygrove College MAT blog as a sponsor, together to pool resources and offer a HUGE prize! And there's not one, but TWO $200 Amazon gift cards up for grabs!

What do you need to do to enter you might ask? 1) Just visit the Pinteresting Teacher Blogs board on the Organized Classroom Blog's Pinterest page. 2) Create your own Pinteresting Teacher Blogs board on your Pinterest page, and repin all of the pins from the contest board. 3) Then enter your information into the entry form by CONTEST CLOSED. TWO winners will be chosen using a random number generator and notified via email.

Here are the participating blogs: Marygrove College MAT blog, Sunny Days in Second Grade, Technically Invisible, Laura Candler's Teaching Resources, Sub Hub, Teaching Resources by Shelley Gray, Cooperative Learning 365, The Organized Classroom Blog, 3rd Grade Gridiron, The Lesson Plan Diva, Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies, and The Cornerstone for Teachers. Make sure you show them love by becoming followers if you aren't already.

Good luck!

*This contest is no way endorsed by Pinterest.

Animal Picture Writing Prompts Freebie

Picture writing prompts are making their way into standardized testing. As a sub, you can kill two birds with one stone with a picture writing prompt... you can fill time, and it can be purposeful. And many other bloggers are on the picture writing prompt bandwagon with a collaborative Pinterest board and a linky party at Diary of a Wimpy Teacher and co-hosted by Classroom Magic. But I know that not all subs have computer access in the classroom (I don't), so I created a freebie document of Animal Picture Writing Prompts you can download and print.

Or you can visit the Writing Picture Prompts Pinterest board for these and plenty of other picture writing prompts from other fabulous bloggers. Here are my prompts that can be found on the board and in the download.

Everything I Learned in Kindergarten Yesterday

Yesterday, I had the privilege of subbing in kindergarten. I have not spent much time in kinder. In the four years I have subbed, I think all of three days have been in kinder. So, I was feeling excited, nervous, and a little bit scared. I arrived at the school my usual 30 minutes early to prepare myself, locate everything necessary, and review the lesson plans. It all turned out beautifully! The kiddos were great, and we all had a lot of fun. I did make a few observations, so here is a list of everything I learned in kindergarten yesterday...

Kinders are used to routines. Most students are, but nowhere is this more apparent than in kindergarten, espcially during calendar time. Choruses of, "That's not how we do it!" rang out around the room. So I changed my strategy and told them that I needed help. I would choose helpers to "do it the right way" by who was sitting quietly. The rest of calendar went smoothly.

Kinders are loving. I had been there an hour with students whom I had never met, when no fewer than 3 students said, "I love you!" and gave me a hug.

Kinders are a good workout. I came home with my quad muscles aching, and I couldn't figure out why. Then I remembered all the up and down I had done. Squatting down to meet them at their level makes for quite the leg workout. I decided that I would have wicked thighs if I taught kinder all the time!

Kinders are fun. I spent the day singing songs, reading books, coloring, cutting, and pasting.

Kinders are appreciative. I was reading the second book of the day, which happened to be The Three Billy Goats Gruff." I was using my best "troll" voice. One student giggled every time I spoke in "troll." And then another pops up with, "Ms. F, you sure are a good reader!" Why, thank you! Ha!

Kinders are exhausting! It was a day of love, fun, and learning, but I came home pooped! I realized it's that there is no downtime in a kinder classroom. There is no "work on this while I get the next lesson prepped." And I am pretty sure they broke a record for the number of times my name has been spoken in one day.

So, hats off to all you full-time kinder teachers! You have my utmost respect for doing all that every single day. Feel free to share your kinder teaching and subbing observations.