Spotlight Saturday on a Sunday?!

Yes, Spotlight Saturday is a day late...one of the hazards of being a mother of boys in the middle of the playoff season for Lacrosse.  :-)  I didn't even see my laptop for 24 hours.  But the good news is they're WINNING and one step closer to the state championship!  


 I DO have some freebies for ya'll (in my best Kentucky/Tennessee twang)  to check out.  With Teacher Appreciation Week upon us, you know you'll be writing some Thank you notes to your students.  Why not save yourself some time and print these FREEBIE PRINTABLE THANK YOU NOTES from Sue over at SOS Supply?  They are simply adorable and just LOOK like you've taken tons of time to put together...when Sue's done all the work for ya'.  The image will take you right to them!  


The next FREEBIE highlight is really a WHOLE BUNCH OF FREEBIES...That's right...you've hit the JACKPOT!  Several fantastic bloggers/teachers are giving away some incredible items for ONE DAY ONLY!  So take some time today to visit the following blogs (Click Jackpot image) for hundreds of dollars of savings!  Don't forget to take the time to THANK these teachers for their generosity!  


In closing today, have you shopped the sales at TpT and TN?  There are some amazing items at huge discounts up for grabs!  :-)  I know I am a teacher and I feel quite appreciated from my students' parents, but I'm a mommy too.  So I want to give a shout out to my own children's teachers who touch their lives daily!  I truly appreciate you and all you do for my own kiddos!  I am thankful for each of you!


Bananas for ALL teachers and the hard work and dedication that you unselfishly give each and every day!

Giveaways, Sales, Jackpots...What Else Could You Ask For?

Wow...this is the weekend to be a teacher...You can't help but feel appreciated after what's taking place this weekend.  FIRST, TpT is having a HUGE Teacher Appreciation Sale.  Most teachers are posting items at 20% off and TpT is tacking on another 8%. (with a special code) "TAD12"  That's a total of 28% off your favorite items.   I know I've got EVERYTHING in my store marked for a sale this weekend.  Don't forget to leave the creator some feedback so you can earn MORE POINTS for MORE SHOPPING!  Click here for deals May 6-8th!  

  Keep a close eye on some of your favorite blogs too...A little birdie told me there's a BIG JACKPOT up for grabs from some fabulous teachers & bloggers!  
  You also can't forget to check out Teachers Notebook this weekend.  Tons of stores are having a Teacher Appreciation Sweepstakes Sale with items anywhere from 5%-50% off! (Including me!)   You can't miss, no matter where you turn for classroom materials this weekend!
As if sales aren't enough good news, I decided to celebrate all the MOMS out there with a little GIVEAWAY on TN.  Entries for that giveaway will be accepted from May 4- 12th....Just in time for Mother's Day.  It's such a fun 45 page unit on the genres.  It currently has activities for fairy tales, biographies, fables, and a project to use with any genre.  Click on the unit to enter the giveaway (starting May 4th)
School may be winding down, but it's never too late to start stocking up for next year!   
So as the weekend progresses...HAPPY SHOPPING!  HAPPY WEEKEND! :-)  

Bananas for SHOPPING & SALES!!

NOVEL STUDIES

I love to do Novel Studies with my 3rd graders!   My kids seem to enjoy Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing the most.  They simply love humorous fiction.  They identify most with the 4th grader in the story, whose annoying little brother stirs up more trouble than one can imagine.  I, on the other hand, identify with the parent, who at his wits end with the younger sibling's misbehavior with food says, "Eat it or wear it." lol  

  I'm starting a new novel study this week on Indian in the Cupboard.  It's a far more challenging book for my soon to be 4th graders, but they truly enjoy it, and almost inevitably dive in to the sequel over the summer! Nothing makes me prouder when they come back in the fall with their comments about Return of the Indian.  I'm always looking for ways to create something fun for the kids to put together while doing their novel study.  This year  I was successful with a paper bag book (used with Chocolate Touch), a novel study house foldable (used with Stone Fox), a fish bowl foldable for Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, and will be using my latest "cupboard creation" for Indian in the Cupboard.  What are some cool things you do to implement novel studies or literature circles?  I'd love to hear about them.  I know there are some other GREAT ideas out there! :-)  PLEASE SHARE!  


Have a great week!

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY

Welcome to Spotlight Saturday, where I hope to share a couple of great FREEBIES I've found while out searching Pinterest, TN, and TpT.  I've quickly learned that this is going to be a FUN task for me each week.  Maybe in my retirement there's a future for me in Private Detective work....out sneaking around for good deals.  Who doesn't love a good freebie? There are plenty out there, that's for sure!  So LET ME GET STARTED...First, I want to introduce you to 2 quick downloads this week.  The first one is from DOWN UNDER TEACHER...Yep...a REAL Aussie!  Kylie has a 50 page multiplication unit focused on the 2's, 5's, and 10's.  It has 8 different activities that can be used as centers or small group instruction.  The pages are colorful and very attractive for little eyes. A great grab for 2nd-3rd graders learning multiplication.                                                                                                                                                 
 Check out freebie #2 from my new friend, Kristi over at LUCKY IN LEARNING.  Kristi is a 2nd grade teacher and NEW to the world of blogging...so you know what to do...show her the love!  :-)  We've ALL been new bloggers once.    Who isn't inspired by a trip to Disney? Kristi was, and created a cute Fairy Tale foldable that focuses on the story elements and the characteristics of  fairy tales.  An adorable add to your genre units!                                                                           
So....not to bad for my first week of searching, huh?  I'm on the prowl again this week....No blog, pin, or store is safe.  ;-)

Happy Weekend friends!                                      

A Sale, A Giveaway, and a New Saturday Feature

I am really enjoying the new TN site.  This is SALE & GIVEAWAY week for me!  I've got everything in the store on sale for a variety of percentages off!  (Some even 50%) Check it out!  With the Kentucky Derby fast approaching (May 5th), I also put the Probability & Kentucky Derby unit in a giveaway on TN!  Be sure to enter before Sunday!  
Finally, I'm going to add a new feature to my blog each Saturday called SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY!  I plan to Spotlight a couple of my favorite freebies & provide links to them.  That means I'll be on the prowl for some outstanding goodies for us all!  Check back each Saturday for the newest treasures I've found.  :-)
  

S.P.O.R.T. day & a SALE on TN! :-)

Well, I survived, (ahem) I mean WE survived S.P.O.R.T (Students Preparing Outrageously for TESTING) day on Friday. Call us crazy, but my teammates and I decided to review for testing in a FUN way!  8-9 year olds get a little uptight over their first BIG state mandated test, so we thought this approach might be a good strategy.  (Ask me after results come in if I'll do it again! lol)  Check out the photos below:  Students (and teachers) arrived wearing their best sporting event attire (jerseys, uniforms, headbands, ponytails, etc.)  We stretched and warmed up with a little "YMCA" action. 

Our games included a few games/activities from my TpT and TN store.  (Bullseye, Corners Game, Road Runner, and Match!)  Then we moved to the outdoor activities, including a balloon pop relay where students had to run to a chair, sit on and pop their balloon to get their review question, answer it correctly, and return to tag the next student!  *A favorite of all!  Students also had to give up one of their shoes for a shoe relay, where the teachers stuffed their shoe with a review question.  Students had to race to retrieve their shoe AND answer their question before returning to tag the next student.  Finally, we concluded with a beach ball toss.  The beach balls had different subject matters written on them.  Students took turns catching the ball and we'd ask questions from the different subject matters.  

I TOTALLY needed a nap afterwards, but my students will never forget how they prepared for this test!  * Email me if you need a list of activities, parent letter, ideas, etc.  It was a BLAST!   

    

    In closing today, I'm excited about my TN "Countdown to Summer" sale running from April 22-27th, with some items up to 50% off!   Link @ right on my TN link.  :-)   

Analogies Driving School

I got tired of not having anything CUTE to teach Analogies with, so created this unit to help.  My students are anxious to earn their "Analogies Permit" upon successful completion of "Analogies Drivers School."  (click link to view) Also, it's the last 3 days for my giveaway on TN.  I have a Story Map collection in there for GIVEAWAY (3 lucky winners!)  Here's a link to that giveaway. 
    STORY MAP COLLECTION