B2S Sales at Teachers Pay Teachers

Hey guys!  I am so excited about the Teachers Pay Teachers site wide sale that starts on August 3-4!  Most sellers will be putting their entire stores on sales for 20% off.  TPT will be giving an extra 8% if you use the Promo Code at check out, BTS15.

I have so many things in my in box... Here are my top 4...

Number 1

Writing Center Starter Kit by A Cupcake for the Teacher

 This is going on my Daily 5 writing wall!  All you have to do is print out the posters, laminate, and staple.  I love it.  It even comes with printable worksheets.  My students will love this!  I even read  Amy Lemons' Blog, Step into Second Grade,  about how she uses this center.  She places a star beside the pieces of writing she has introduced to show students which pieces of writing they are aloud to use in her writing center.

Number 2

Math Centers (2nd Grade) by Catherine Reed - The Brown Bag Teacher

Who doesn't need more print and go math games to reinforce Common Core math standards?  Catherine has created a fun product my students will love.  They always love when the dice and cards come out.


Number 3

No-Cut Interactive Math Notebooks Bundle 2nd Grade by Teacher's Clubhouse

Who is not a fan of Teacher's Clubhouse?  Teacher's Clubhouse has been my go to WAY before TPT was ever heard of.   These NO-CUT interactive notebook activities are great for extra practice, centers, and enrichment.  The activities are made with Common Core in mind.

 Number 4

Directed Drawing for the Entire Year by FirstGradeBlueSKies

I am so excited to use these this year.  I have promised myself that my students will publish most, if not all, of their writing this year.  I have taught 2nd grade for 8 years.  I have only had a handful of students that could draw.  I feel that it is so important for students to develop spacial sense and drawing is a great way of teaching this skill.  

I hope you visit these amazing teacher authors and their stores.  We need to make sure we are supporting each other all the way.  Have a great night!

Severe Weather

Hi everyone!  We have been very busy finishing up on our weather unit.  My students had an exciting three weeks of reading, researching, participating in group work, and presenting.  

 First we started off with amazing power points created by my team with awesome pictures and movie clips.  After grabbing their attention, we read the Severe Weather book included in my Weather Unit.  We used highlighters and highlighted important details.  As we highlighted we took notes.

 

At the end of the first week, we had enough notes and background information to work in small groups to write about a form of severe weather.  I made groups of three students.  One student wrote about the parts of a storm, another wrote about the damage, and the third wrote about the safety tips.  They prepared, practiced, and presented.  Each student had to illustrate their part.  It was fun to see what they came up with.

The second week we spent time learning about the water cycle.  We sang songs, read poems, researched the parts of the water cycle, and wrote about the steps.  

As we finished the water cycle, we finished the second week learning about our seasons.  It is very tricky teaching winter and snow in the Sunshine State.  Our winter is not cold and snowy.  IT IS JUST BEAUTIFUL!

Now, time for Native Americans! 

Let's Make Some Words

Last week I completed my making words unit.  I compiled all of my making words activities from my Journeys units.  My students love using this resource.  All they have to do is cut out the letters and the game is on!  Students compete to see who can make the word the fastest, they love being the speller, and they just love figuring out the puzzle.  I, as the teacher, love being able to see light bulbs turning on in the classroom when students figure out the spelling pattern.  It has made a huge difference in the encoding and decoding of my students.  The activity also allows me to walk around the room check for students that are struggling with the spelling pattern.  This is the best activity, students feel that they are playing a game and you are getting valuable data.

 

I have used making words in my small groups for my struggling readers.  We tap out the words then spell them.  After, we touch and slide the letters as we are sounding them out.

I have also used making words in my RTI groups.

The activity is quick and easy.  Letters are all included. Hop on over to my Teacher Pay Teacher store and check it out!

Have a great weekend!