tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55333214756283619942024-02-20T23:23:34.945-05:00Adventures in Primary EducationA teacher blogs about her experiences in educating primary students.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-91162113999523246992013-07-08T15:35:00.001-04:002013-07-08T15:35:52.779-04:00Confession<div style="text-align: center;">
So the <a href="http://www.kinderchat123.net/2013/07/kinderblog2013-assignment-1-confessions.html" target="_blank">first official challenge</a> for kinderblog13 is now posted.</div>
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I'd have to say it certainly intimidated me at first. However, after reading a few posts from other bloggers, I feel like I can tackle the challenge and confide in my readers.</div>
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My confession - I'm addicted to my iDevices! (I have a iPhone and an iPad, plus all full day kindergarten educators in my board have been given an iPad to use for documentation, so I actually have 2 iPads) My addiction is starting to become a bit unhealthy. It is the first thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do before going to sleep. It feels like I'm constantly connected to that little box. All day long I'm tapping in that passcode to look for updates, or I'm listening for that familiar ping. I will sometimes send my husband a text when we are in the same house but on different floors. It's out of control. Now that I'm home for the summer I feel my addiction is increasing. Normally when I was working I was too busy to check in on things during the school day. (Although I do use an iPad in my kindergarten class for documenting student learning and progress, I keep my work iPad relatively free of my home based distractions) But now that I'm home for the summer I'm connecting with that little box all day long.</div>
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When thinking through this post I asked myself what am I actually doing on this miniature box all day? Some of it was productive, some not so much. So I figured I'd share in detail all the silly and or productive things I check/do on that little device as a sort of full disclosure for my confession.</div>
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I'm guilty of logging into facebook just to troll and creep on all those statuses all day long. <span style="color: #cc0000;">MINI CONFESSION #1</span><i> I rarely post updates of my own.</i></div>
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This one is somewhat productive depending on how much junk mail was delivered that day to my email.</div>
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I have two twitter accounts, so this one can go either way. I created one account to connect with other educators and increase my PLN. This goal is going quite well and I'm learning lots. This is where I actually found the kinderblog challenge. My other account though is totally unproductive. I use it to follow celebrity gossip and reality tv updates. <span style="color: #cc0000;">MINI CONFESSION #2</span> - <i>I'm also addicted to Big Brother</i>. I use twitter to follow people who post updates from the live feeds. Yikes there sure is some crazy stuff happening in that house this season!</div>
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All of my appointments and celebrations are programmed into my calendar with reminders so this one is totally productive. Plus, I use the clock function to set my alarm every morning, although that function is currently being unused thanks to my wonderful summer vacation.</div>
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This is another one that falls into both the productive and unproductive categories. About half of my pinterest time is spent looking and pinning educational pins. The other half totally unproductive. Although I do pin some recipes, household and holiday things, the majority of my time is spent perusing the humor board. My goodness, some on the things on there are hilarious. The ecards, autocorrects, and other stuff often have me amused for hours.<span style="color: #cc0000;"> MINI CONFESSION #3</span> - <i>when I'm repinning things I rarely change the text.</i></div>
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This one is mostly productive. The majority of the blogs I follow are education based. So, I'm learning lots about teaching and blogging. I will admit though, a couple of the blogs I follow are not education based.</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">MINI CONFESSION #4 </span>- <i>I'm also addicted to all things Disney/Disney World/Disney Cruise.</i> So I'm constantly checking the DIS boards forums, even though our next trip won't be for a long time. I'm also checking <a href="http://www.easywdw.com/" target="_blank">Easywdw</a> my absolute favourite Disney blog. Josh writes awesome posts about the parks and has an amazing crowd calendar to help plan your trips. The thing I like the most though is his writing style. </div>
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Productive for the most part- actually using my phone for the purpose it was designed.</div>
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Surfing the world wide web - productive for the most part.</div>
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Games - totally unproductive, mostly silly games in which you build your own city/farm/hotel/airline/salon/etc. My current game addiction is Hay Day.</div>
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I'd like to think that having a camera is productive. I always have a camera with me now to document and capture all those important moments in life. A camera however does lead to Instagram which is probably not that productive. </div>
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Overall, I think my iDevices are used for a balance of both productive and unproductive things. But I'm still trying to cut back on my constant connection. The main reason of course is my little boy. My goal is to play together, create together and explore together this summer. This is my chance to be a mom.<br />
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Another reason is to distance my son from technology because <span style="color: #cc0000;">MINI CONFESSION#5 </span><i>he's quickly becoming his own technology monster</i>. As I was writing this post, he was busy exploring the new DJ app I downloaded for free thanks to my twitter connections. I didn't have a clue how to work it but he had it figured out in mere minutes. He loves Minecraft and also penned his first runaway note on our iPad. He inherited my old iPhone 3GS when I upgraded this fall. So he goes around telling everybody at school that he has an iPhone. I keep telling him that there is no chip in the phone so you just have an iPod but he doesn't care.<br />
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Technology is great and although we both really enjoy it we're going to have lots of fun experiences this summer without it. Thanks for reading and I can't wait to read all those other confessions.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-50754264397436645662013-07-04T18:48:00.003-04:002013-07-04T18:48:58.036-04:00#Kinderblog13One of the main things that attracted me to blogging was the incredible sharing of knowledge and ideas. This summer I have been trying to expand my knowledge and networking even further by using twitter for educational purposes (before I was simply following silly stuff like Big Brother updates - which I still do on a separate twitter account - my what a season this one will be) Anyways, while surfing around on twitter I stumbled across #kinderchat and their #kinderblog13 challenge. The challenge is just beginning, but you can join in at anytime. You can find the details <a href="http://www.kinderchat123.net/2013/07/kinderblog13-pre-race-packet-and-warm.html" target="_blank">here</a>. You can also follow me on twitter by clicking <a href="https://twitter.com/AmandaMacDonald" target="_blank">here</a>. I added some beautiful social media buttons to the top of my blog yesterday but I don't believe you can see them on mobile devices.<br />
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The first task of the challenge is to sum up myself in 250 words or less. Yikes, well here goes nothing.<br />
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<i>I teach full day kindergarten in Eastern Ontario where I teach a mixture of Junior and Senior students. Ontario rolled out a brand new kinder program three years ago where a Designated Early Childhood Educator and a teacher form a partnership and together we deliver a play-based program with an incredible emphasis on child led inquiry. As educators we have been encouraged to really look in depth at our practices and rethink/replace things that aren't working or aren't developmentally appropriate. This past year we discontinued calendar time, ditched my big bulky classroom teacher desk and increased the amount of time given to student directed play. We are encouraged to get rid of our theme based units, ditch our worksheets/prescribed crafts and let kids lead their own learning. Overall, I feel that its an exciting time to be a Kindergarten teacher here in Ontario. I love the new program and as each year passes (this will be my third year teaching the new program) I become better at "letting go" of the control. </i><i>There are still areas that I need to improve upon - like how to better document student learning and progress. I also hope to gather some more ways to further integrate technology into our program.</i><i> I believe that I'm working with my students in a way that is the best way for them and I'm having a blast learning and discovering with them. </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-15211445798369313702013-07-02T16:54:00.001-04:002013-07-02T16:56:07.264-04:00Goin' on a Blog Hunt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Good afternoon bloggers! I think that it's time to head out on a blog hunt! </div>
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<a href="http://corkboardconnections.blogspot.com/2013/07/bloghunt.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDq9uNTM4oWMmCpRPxzX8eibh91P6wssLUamylg1VG1ekQ6iWjsRWIdsx8kZiih-jrbO1r2iZx2qLK9JieM0ahiLFNrr55CT9GYHINql_lqsbjQMGhcV4TMTMqT3Y6mgta6zRmew3zZnw/s243/bloghunt.png" /></a></div>
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I'm linking up with Laura at <a href="http://corkboardconnections.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Corkboard Connections</a> for her blog hunt. What a cute idea to discover some new blogs to love and read. So go and ahead and click on that super cute bear to discover some new blogs. I keep singing Goin' on a Bear Hunt as I compose this post. My kindergarten students absolutely adore the following <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-hKr4qxUMI&list=PLbnbZjxRmC9ZjCoOamGUup-MKByOwPjDR" target="_blank">rendition</a> of the classic song on You Tube by The Learning Station. So much fun!</div>
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Of course now that Google Reader is gone, how will you keep up with all of these fantastic new blogs? Well I think that you should give Blog Lovin' a try. Its super user friendly and even has an app. I love that I can scroll through new posts on my iPhone or iPad so easily. I think that I'm even more addicted to blogging with this smart new app. If you would like to follow me on Blog Lovin' click the pic below.</div>
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A special thank you to Melissa at <a href="http://www.commoncoreandsomuchmore.com/2013/06/how-to-get-my-bloglovin-icon-tutorial.html" target="_blank">Common Core and So Much More</a> for the awesome button! Now go ahead and make some new blog discoveries on the Blog Hunt - go and click that bear at the top of this post!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-66746186685529084112013-07-01T18:44:00.001-04:002013-07-01T18:44:13.220-04:00Happy Canada Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I hope all of my Canadian followers have had a great day proudly celebrating our nation. We were hoping to hit up the local fireworks but I don't think Cameron can stay awake that late for the second night in a row (he had a sleepover at his Aunt and Uncle's house while Mr. G and I attended a wedding out of town last night.) We might just sit out on our back deck later and catch some of the higher fireworks from there.<br />
In honour of Canada Day I'm linking up to a Canadian Teacher linky party over at <a href="http://teachingisagift.blogspot.ca/p/blog-by-province.html" target="_blank">Teaching is a Gift</a>. Lots of Canadian bloggers have already linked up organized by province so I'm going to join them. <br />
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My next job will be to add each of the blogs to my ever growing list on Blog Lovin'. Anyways enjoy the day bloggers! I'm off to watch a special Canadian themed episode of Phineas and Ferb with my boy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-48424714591374528392013-06-30T09:33:00.001-04:002013-06-30T09:33:17.670-04:00CurrentlyI'm linking up a day early to Currently with <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2013/06/currently-july.html" target="_blank">Oh' Boy 4th Grade</a><br />
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I know that I'm a bit late to join the summer vacation party compared to the majority of bloggers out there, but I am so happy to have finally arrived. By the way we do not have air conditioning in our schools and the past week of teaching was not pretty. The temperature with the humidex was around 38 degrees. We were practically melting. Anyways, I have big plans for the summer including some home improvement projects - installing new baseboards and a kitchen backsplash. I needed a new battery for my watch and the nice lady who was helping me commented on how scratched up my current watch is, so I guess I need a new one along with a pedicure for my sorry looking feet. The world of blogging can be overwhelming, there is just so much information out there. You could spend a lifetime just reading blogs, without even taking the time to post your own stuff. Don't forget to relax and enjoy the well deserved time off from work. Recharge your batteries and reconnect with those you love. Well I'm off to make some cake pops with my son and enjoy a relaxing summer day out by the pool afterwards.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-16645677611830950422013-06-29T15:19:00.000-04:002013-06-29T15:19:01.206-04:00Five for Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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After an unplanned blogger break, I'm back to posting again. I figured I would try my hand at posting in the Five for Friday<br />
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#1- Creating blogs on iPads!<br />
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I am trying out blogger on my iPad, any other bloggers out there compose blog posts using iPads? Give me some tips/hints/apps/suggestions if you use an iPad. My iPad is always with me so I'm thinking it may be easier for me to update on my iPad than anywhere else. If you've had any experience with this please let me know in the comments. </div>
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#2 - Schools out for Summer!</div>
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I teach in Eastern Ontario and Friday was our last official day of work! Our students attended school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were professional activity days meaning only teachers in attendance. We had team meetings, staff meetings and prepared our rooms for "deep cleaning" over the summer. I am thrilled that this year I don't have to switch schools or classrooms! Hooray! Bring on the summer!</div>
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#3 Relaxing Staycation!</div>
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We have no big plans for the summer, just some day trips here and there. This is due to the fact that our vacation budget was spent/blown on the amazing March Break trip we took this past year. We visited Disney World and sailed on the Disney Dream! It was an incredible vacation and I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled we were. The cruise was amazing! Here's a few of my favourite pics.</div>
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#4 Reflecting on the past School Year - Play Based Inquiry Learning</div>
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As you may or may not know Ontario phased in a brand new play based kindergarten curriculum with its introduction to Full Day Kindergarten three years ago. Basically the entire document stresses the importance of children learning through play. It encourages us to let children guide their own learning and for educators to help them extend and challenge their learning through their play. Anyways it seems to be a stark contrast between every thing I've read about the common core curriculum so many bloggers talk about. Here's a link to the <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/kindergarten_english_june3.pdf" target="_blank">curriculum document</a> if you are interested in reading more. Hopefully I can create a few more in depth postings about this later this summer. Here's a couple shots of the students in my classroom involved in play.</div>
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#5 Wedding Season</div>
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Mr. G and I are off to attend our first wedding of the summer season this weekend. Love is in the air. The wedding is for a former work colleague of Mr. G, so it should be a lot of fun. Anyways I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I'm very excited to be returning to the world of blogging.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-89469775512387315052013-06-28T19:11:00.000-04:002013-06-28T19:11:17.220-04:00Claiming my Bloglovin' SpotWell what can I say, I've been a very bad blogger. The switch in assignments one week before school began last fall really took it's toll on me. That combined with the political situation faced by teachers in Ontario this year, needless to say left me exhausted. Today, was my last day of work, and I have been assigned to the same kindergarten class again next year. I'm very happy about this, and I hope to be able to post some thoughts/reviews about how my year progressed with all of you. Again you have my apologies for being such a bad blogger, I will try again this fall.<br />
Anyways while living under a rock this year I guess I almost missed the bloglovin' train that everybody is jumping on. So I'm claiming my blog with this post.<br />
Happy Summer everybody!<br />
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5717095/?claim=sujzga8td4t">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-17016208980365980262012-09-14T19:39:00.000-04:002012-09-14T19:39:10.890-04:00Kindergarten Common Core<div style="text-align: center;">
I have to tell you about this great resource that I learned about from Laura over at <a href="http://kinderkraziness.blogspot.com/2012/09/kindergarten-common-core.html" target="_blank">Kinder Kraziness</a>. Its called The <a href="http://corecommonstandards.com/core-curriculum/kindergarten-common-core-workbook/" target="_blank">Kindergarten Common Core</a> Workbook. It covers both English and Math standards. It has both worksheets and activities for you to use with your kindergarten students. The book contains over 600 pages of activities and worksheets! What an amazing resource to supplement your students' learning!</div>
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Even though I teach in Ontario (and we do not formally have the Common Core Standards) many of the Ontario Curriculum expectations link perfectly with the Common Core. I can not wait to get my hands on this amazing resource. I am constantly searching for activities for my students that have purposeful practice opportunities and I think that this resource will provide them. I am already planning to use one of the activities this week during my small group instruction. I think that my students will love these activities. </div>
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If you are a blogger, and you act fast you can grab a copy of this awesome resource <a href="http://corecommonstandards.com/blog/free-kindergarten-common-core-workbook-giveaway/" target="_blank">here</a> by following the instructions provided. I hope that you will enjoy this amazing resource! I know that I will!</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-25604320297944703282012-09-14T19:14:00.001-04:002012-09-14T19:14:50.992-04:00Change is a good thing...right?Well it's been awhile since I've posted, but a lot has happened since my last post. Remember that over the summer I was preparing for my combined Grade One/Two classroom. Well, the week before school started my principal called me to offer me a position teaching kindergarten. That meant switching classrooms if I accepted. I said I would call him back the following day, but ended up calling him back a half an hour later to say yes I would accept the kindergarten position. So remember that beautiful classroom I had all ready and set to go...dismantle it, and start over from scratch at the complete opposite end of the school (which I swear is like a kilometer away) Thankfully, I have great friends and family that helped me make the switch.<br />
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We have just finished our second week of school and I would have to say that I am extremely happy with my decision to switch. I love teaching kindergarten and my students are great. I also get to work with a full time Designated Early Childhood Educator in my classroom. My DECE seems wonderful and our personalities/styles are a great match. So we have 22 students (an even mix of JK and SK) that we will teach together. There are also two other kindergarten classrooms, so we have a great team to work and collaborate with. I think its going to be a great year! A lot of stress the week before school started but it was worth it. Hopefully now that things are settled I will be posting more regularly. I will be creating a post about an awesome kindergarten blogger opportunity that hopefully I will post tomorrow morning.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-76771388970792704232012-08-14T15:39:00.002-04:002012-08-14T18:33:21.903-04:00My First Freebie<div style="text-align: center;">
I have been searching for a classroom library label set for quite some time now. I never found one that exactly fit my collection of books. It never had the right categories, or Canadian spelling. So I decided to create my own. I figured I would offer it as a freebie to anyone else who could use it. If there is interest, I can change the spelling of favourite to the American version. Just leave a comment below. All of the graphics for this freebie come from The 3am Teacher.</div>
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<a href="http://the3amteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/04fallingstar/The%203AM%20Teacher/smallvutton.png" /></a>
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She has lots of easy frames to start creating. I will be posting the pdf document to Google Docs. Eventually I hope to open a shop at TPT and I will add it there as well. Just click on the picture to grab the labels.</center>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2IEYX1u6if4Z2hCcGp4cmtwZE0" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KlNsnFiRgT24EtJsvhoEjzpDHahl9dJBj3ww_cWVriQWaR4LXf3sTKQESi5lvOmcZgi0GTwbBEoxG1_DdvF3JipcFN2iRn2teOfRnUPp3DXEawgKmXbmv3a4kDO9ByEIH4pnvu4s41M/s320/frr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I hope that you enjoy this freebie. Thanks for reading and following,</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-90114741335158131312012-08-13T09:14:00.003-04:002012-08-13T09:14:15.523-04:00First Day Jitters Link up<div align="center">
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Well I survived our family camping trip. The weather was certainly not great. It rained the first night but the tent had no leaks. Then a big storm rolled in on Saturday afternoon and broke all the poles in the back room of our tent. Everything got pretty wet inside. Yuck, wet sleeping bags = miserable Mommy. We managed to fix up the tent the best we could with rope, duct tape and a tarp. Luckily it stopped storming after dinner. Cameron absolutely adored our camping weekend. He had a great time with the other kids in our camping party. A great trip despite the yucky weather.<br />
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A special thanks to Laura over at "Kinder Kraziness" for featuring me on her "Someone New" Sunday post and a friendly welcome to any new followers who found me through her link. Here's a link to her post that featured my little Canadian blog.<br />
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<a href="http://kinderkraziness.blogspot.com/2012/08/someone-new-sunday_12.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXH-PpJx2Hj5sHCBfZOanm6U0Hwbz7titl_zlJRTIEFj0n7OttfCZMsxv_8yJ6StOkbFQTRpGGwlqyJPTro8RCTrUfi7-_Df4x_Dz3MsSumbDaz6VLS2GMJvAp-1B52O_nc-2644rkLaQ/s1600/someonenew.png" /></a></div>
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Once school starts back I hope to be sharing lots of classroom ideas that work well for my combined Grade One/Two class.<br />
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Though my constant blog stalking I have heard many people mention this lovely book First Day Jitters. I am on the hunt for my own copy. Hopefully I can pick one up on our trip to the city this week. Anyways, Jessica at "A Turn to Learn" featured this great jitters inspired linky. I just adore her blog. Her tutorials are so simple and easy to follow. I have learned so many awesome things! So to show my bloggy appreciation for all the great things she shares on her blog I am linking up to the party. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgL4Zn_YdQjPCpspt1KUF46CvTaGF3GdPSJTyJtnHk_cXw_EyadBO6OTwIt3caRVOdZcA9RY92QOhzith_OWX5zsvXfJpD7E2UrHgR1yQg0lmitcxQvx8yxa-JHHTokq_LLTWwB2eGQxg/s1600/jitters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgL4Zn_YdQjPCpspt1KUF46CvTaGF3GdPSJTyJtnHk_cXw_EyadBO6OTwIt3caRVOdZcA9RY92QOhzith_OWX5zsvXfJpD7E2UrHgR1yQg0lmitcxQvx8yxa-JHHTokq_LLTWwB2eGQxg/s640/jitters.png" width="494" /></a></div>
What are you feeling 'jittery' about? I hope that you can join in on the fun too!</div>
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<a href="http://aturntolearn.blogspot.com/2012/08/back-to-school-jitters-linky-party.html" title="Back to School Jitters Linky Party"><img alt="Back to School Jitters Linky Party" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o66tVljEABw/UCgYMNQI3xI/AAAAAAAABnM/cUBgMksmzqM/s400/Back+to+School+Jitters+Promo.png" style="border: currentColor;" /></a><br />
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Thanks for reading and following, </div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-62487280270040216932012-08-10T09:17:00.001-04:002012-08-10T09:17:31.534-04:00TPT SALE<div style="text-align: center;">
Happy Friday! It looks like its going to be a rainy weekend:( We have reservations to go camping and Cameron was so excited. Now the forecast is calling for rain all week. Not just rain though but thundershowers. Double yuck.We have a tent. I'm not a big camping person but I was excited for camping with my little boy. Camping in a tent in during a thunder storm just doesn't seem safe to me. We will cross our fingers that the forecast is wrong or will change. Send some good weather vibes our way!</div>
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It looks like I will have some shopping to complete before our hopeful camping expedition. TPT is having a Back to School Sale! Awesome! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXRlQeCQdA9PfPEMmy2yFq5HsrmU3-bwQWwtZ9XJ1_dXuvJdTt8D_Lx_7aLLNxtV4YZqNcTzn89ZIR88z1QFmwbTEcbi1UtyLpoP7uDim9y4w2mbi50vDbe81L9l99N07_B9hGHJZorU/s1600/sale.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXRlQeCQdA9PfPEMmy2yFq5HsrmU3-bwQWwtZ9XJ1_dXuvJdTt8D_Lx_7aLLNxtV4YZqNcTzn89ZIR88z1QFmwbTEcbi1UtyLpoP7uDim9y4w2mbi50vDbe81L9l99N07_B9hGHJZorU/s1600/sale.png" /></a></div>
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My wish list is getting quite large, so I think that I will definitely grab some those fantastic deals! Some sellers are offering additional sales at their stores too, so you could save up to 28%!</div>
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While checking google reader this morning I came across an awesome blog hop where some sellers are featuring one of their Back to School products. I think I've added ten more products to my TPT shopping cart already! I love to gather a little bit more information about products before I purchase them. So if you feel the same way go check out the blog hop.</div>
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Also don't forget to enter the Cameo giveaway. </div>
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<a href="http://imbloghoppin.blogspot.com/2012/08/silhouette-cameo-giveaway-and-linky.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrMxJ5kyXk0ln96QZr0rhshzJ3JLifxRjUzjpAuGJnNXlFLYAZWYMEhOhC-0yypzGylw6qFqTIYkVJFYsaAlQH_Nzg7iiwhyiZ3Ru7m90WPWI4T-QBmEW4vrg3gQogBgMXfkuFzjKLss/s320/Blog+Hop+Cameo+Button.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I can't believe how amazing everyone's creations are turning out! Every trip I take to Michael's usually involves me eying up the Cricut machines. I could never justify the price once considering the cost of buying additional cartridges. But the Cameo seems like a dream. My understanding is that you don't have to buy any cartridges! The cameo works with your existing clip art and fonts. Sounds fantastic to me! It's definitely been added to my future wish list. Maybe Santa can deliver one to me for Christmas, although I'm not sure I can wait that long! </div>
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I hope that everyone has a great weekend. Hopefully the storms stay away, I'm OK with rain but please no thunder and lightning. Thanks for reading and following,</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-32174860322933173272012-08-06T17:59:00.000-04:002012-08-06T17:59:08.125-04:00Monday Made it<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm linking up again with <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2012/08/monday-made-it-10-its-start-time.html" target="_blank">4th Grade Frolics</a> for Made it Monday. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZ26adADcj2pMPGzBGlk9V1J0RVYKitHReVHFBVbP7duGXkC4oFahStg2mf80tj1GHN0EKwVco647xa-zmll7M238Hai3d2xf4P7BHtZx7LYp2k0bk0ROp0Vzs9SxFJyMIjCRYfODeys/s1600/mondaymadeit2_240x240.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZ26adADcj2pMPGzBGlk9V1J0RVYKitHReVHFBVbP7duGXkC4oFahStg2mf80tj1GHN0EKwVco647xa-zmll7M238Hai3d2xf4P7BHtZx7LYp2k0bk0ROp0Vzs9SxFJyMIjCRYfODeys/s1600/mondaymadeit2_240x240.png" /></a></div>
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I didn't have much time to craft this week because we were celebrated my son's sixth birthday yesterday with my side of the family. (His actual birthday falls on Wednesday) I did make a cake, does that count? I'm kind of embarrassed to even post a picture. Normally, I would buy a cake but Cameron recently fell in love with a cake that my sister in law made using Dream Whip for icing. He raved about that simple cake for weeks, so I had to bake one for his birthday. I figured I would pick up some green coloured icing to write Happy Birthday and was swayed into purchasing this lovely product.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCHkFmFJRQHTgNn1M51lp03tWPaThVKRvi9GgPP8k19TX0ulR4OZH2m7TblW50rElCusqSBac2OYB-3p19XSX_MhlKMEWqlldqxwH152G4CkiTzQVCaYOlm0-wtAunD0kPH0bkYz8Yco/s1600/icing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCHkFmFJRQHTgNn1M51lp03tWPaThVKRvi9GgPP8k19TX0ulR4OZH2m7TblW50rElCusqSBac2OYB-3p19XSX_MhlKMEWqlldqxwH152G4CkiTzQVCaYOlm0-wtAunD0kPH0bkYz8Yco/s1600/icing.jpg" /></a></div>
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I thought that I could write on the cake and then switch tips and make some decorative 'thingys'. As you can tell by my cake decorating vocabulary, this is not my hidden talent. Anyways, the star tip made some lovely star 'bursty' like lumps. However, that can of icing was not user friendly when it came to writing. Certain times tons would come out. Then nothing came out for the next letter. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong. But hey it tasted good, so I guess that's all that matters in the end.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCqzeJQzJ3y9JxA4LmekkYPM_aek_i-6IuUS-png0kAdL-NDjliWKqU05XI9uZjQnSGEo-hk88g4IOB-7EzUmw-whVw3evN5iIUBN2DffajQz4mW6vdp1CRLrL8wN4B7SR3WwL4IRV90/s1600/IMG_3138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCqzeJQzJ3y9JxA4LmekkYPM_aek_i-6IuUS-png0kAdL-NDjliWKqU05XI9uZjQnSGEo-hk88g4IOB-7EzUmw-whVw3evN5iIUBN2DffajQz4mW6vdp1CRLrL8wN4B7SR3WwL4IRV90/s320/IMG_3138.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The masterpiece - notice skinny P versus fat P in the word HAPPY</td></tr>
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I did make one thing for school this week. I printed out and put together my teaching planner binder. I used the free printable from <a href="http://theresourseroom.blogspot.com/2012/07/bindercalendar-in-green-and-blue.html" target="_blank">The Resource(ful) Room</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXswapoisRmfqNYnVNC0lip424pVYmFo05CiwjMPLkiwPj-CzTU4IddNH8C6xnlp6T5iJbzD7Zqa_HtQlr0ZDhex4Y2aOoUljRD5RUm7UPjhHuUL4TeMuoG6FtzHzyREm1k7vO0q401LE/s1600/bluegreen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXswapoisRmfqNYnVNC0lip424pVYmFo05CiwjMPLkiwPj-CzTU4IddNH8C6xnlp6T5iJbzD7Zqa_HtQlr0ZDhex4Y2aOoUljRD5RUm7UPjhHuUL4TeMuoG6FtzHzyREm1k7vO0q401LE/s320/bluegreen.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Amy has lots of amazing things on her site. Be sure to go and check out her website. I ended up organizing my things into two separate binders. One binder contains my lesson plans, calendar, standards, student info/IEPS, meetings. The other binder will contain my reading information - groupings, conferences, tracking/assessment information, etc. I think that they will really help me stay organized next year. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsDIM2sFbfcN89wnOLgBFLVJhYt1fdlqsvF2tJkROoxH8JRWFjiLOErdX9GwnVvxToPiTcbRjroFCHDxwKK1dbALvnx2OjRdcQ2_-Mbyw3zCpsh7pB1-apzQ42vuEcPahGv03SVDRs3Y/s1600/binder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsDIM2sFbfcN89wnOLgBFLVJhYt1fdlqsvF2tJkROoxH8JRWFjiLOErdX9GwnVvxToPiTcbRjroFCHDxwKK1dbALvnx2OjRdcQ2_-Mbyw3zCpsh7pB1-apzQ42vuEcPahGv03SVDRs3Y/s320/binder.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I can't wait to see what everyone else was creating. Thanks for reading and following, </div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-88232828777403569342012-08-04T20:29:00.000-04:002012-08-04T20:29:07.974-04:00August Currently<div style="text-align: center;">
I am linking up for the first time to the 'Currently' linky party over at <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Oh' Boy 4th Grade</a>. I've been wanting to link up since I first started blogging last month, so here it goes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1Bgmwowq2AbHhuuX9nc7X_8xfnsKFupYQSHLcpaW4CcJBes_SJNlfqHSHYx_XYTMV5gIQ6JGkxy-e7fMNffnxNIeUHBiDCakDJpL97SDzNlMfonoFpKV0XuXcqS_SWJzQNf-S_Lx_e8/s1600/August.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1Bgmwowq2AbHhuuX9nc7X_8xfnsKFupYQSHLcpaW4CcJBes_SJNlfqHSHYx_XYTMV5gIQ6JGkxy-e7fMNffnxNIeUHBiDCakDJpL97SDzNlMfonoFpKV0XuXcqS_SWJzQNf-S_Lx_e8/s320/August.png" width="247" /></a></div>
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I am currently loving the Olympics, and to my surprise my five year old son is loving watching them too. I kind of expected him to put up a fuss to watch his Disney Channel shows but he hasn't at all!</div>
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Today I finished Cameron's yearly shutterfly photo book. I make one every year just before his birthday. This year's book includes photos from when Cameron was five years old. If you haven't created a photo book you need to right now! I am horrible at printing off photographs, but each year I create and order a photo book for Cameron. They are my most treasured possessions. You can check mine out at the link below.</div>
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab" height="425" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/slideshow-ui.swf"/><param name="flashvars" value="configXMLURL=http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/config/config-share.xml&slideshowModuleURL=http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/slideshow-module.swf&projectGUID=0EcNmzFm5asddS&swfName=slideshowFlashContent&showReplay=true"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><param name="quality" value="best"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><embed width="425" height="425" align="middle" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" name="wrapper" quality="best" menu="false" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="configXMLURL=http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/config/config-share.xml&slideshowModuleURL=http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/slideshow-module.swf&projectGUID=0EcNmzFm5asddS&swfName=slideshowFlashContent&showReplay=true" src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/slideshow-ui.swf"></embed></object></div>
<div style="margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 425px;">
<a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books" style="color: #6666cc;">Shutterfly photo books</a> offer a wide range of artful designs and embellishments to choose from.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 425px;">
<a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EcNmzFm5asXXw&eid=118">Click here to view this photo book larger</a></div>
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The next three items all involve B2S of course. Squeezing every last bit of fun out of summer, getting some pampering for myself, and dreading the organizational task of sorting books.</div>
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My B2S must have items are pretty self explanatory. #1 - Love my laminator, couldn't live without it. #2 Love my sharpie markers, need to get the 80's set before its gone. #3 Need my checklists to survive. Love technology and now I use my iphone for this task all the time! Thanks for reading and following, </div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-2755916857705686552012-08-03T11:45:00.001-04:002012-08-03T11:45:47.081-04:00The challenges of a combined class<div style="text-align: center;">
Happy Friday bloggers and blog stalkers! In Ontario, we teach until almost the end of June, but we don't go back to school until after Labour Day in September. This means that I have exactly one month of summer vacation remaining. Wow, that first month of July just flew by! We had a quick visit to school earlier this week and I took a couple pictures of my classroom but I only had my cellphone. Please excuse the quality of the pictures. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsv1E-6_tu-OLLzMZMZHs2e2DbRhM_m-3t9cLIySStxYf4HLnCi44X8xFey1DNIdgWJgq_O_oJatO9jddzBvTnzQpT5iwiVsGcBRuykCzqQTFwEFf1RMdD-fnzJXvJ9rNnCA_borResc/s1600/photo+(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsv1E-6_tu-OLLzMZMZHs2e2DbRhM_m-3t9cLIySStxYf4HLnCi44X8xFey1DNIdgWJgq_O_oJatO9jddzBvTnzQpT5iwiVsGcBRuykCzqQTFwEFf1RMdD-fnzJXvJ9rNnCA_borResc/s200/photo+(11).JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My word wall will go here</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuv4ndlUo3FKQQy1QPf9glJFZBSq0I2Evb8So3INFYxBYcFky7wy3Ju53Ia855g7j42qmhVwKD2ksiPbib4Ar6KmX7_1tLbeMwQbvyjKk2wIq6pR31crji54peBDVvBeOhK_n_E7ncrk/s1600/photo+(13).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuv4ndlUo3FKQQy1QPf9glJFZBSq0I2Evb8So3INFYxBYcFky7wy3Ju53Ia855g7j42qmhVwKD2ksiPbib4Ar6KmX7_1tLbeMwQbvyjKk2wIq6pR31crji54peBDVvBeOhK_n_E7ncrk/s200/photo+(13).JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking to see that my Cafe Strategies fit so I can add a space for the post it goals</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwis9HZdcljxndYvORgADUQXUSSY98NUwxEBNWncvSHnnzy0u9IZQPoeWLwv9FxKOgyR4tLrtnCgJy_k8GnjWFT-Z3T-54_NWooN02IYgwrzrcxsiHpFNq2h7eAaTH9aXehveJ1Nbkwg/s1600/photo+(12).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwis9HZdcljxndYvORgADUQXUSSY98NUwxEBNWncvSHnnzy0u9IZQPoeWLwv9FxKOgyR4tLrtnCgJy_k8GnjWFT-Z3T-54_NWooN02IYgwrzrcxsiHpFNq2h7eAaTH9aXehveJ1Nbkwg/s200/photo+(12).JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My teachers desk along with a small work table.</td></tr>
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As many of you are aware, I am scheduled to teach a combined Grade One / Two class in September at my new school. Among my efforts to work smarter and not harder I was searching for a document that would easily let me compare the expectations in each subject area across the two grades. Well I searched and searched and came up empty. There doesn't appear to be any document available that shows this information in an easy to read format. </div>
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I decided that I should attempt to put something together myself. I figure it will allow me to easily compare the expectations and plan accordingly to accommodate both sets of expectations within my lessons. I don't have the time or the energy to present two totally separate lessons so this comparison document will allow me to easily visualise the differences between the two grades. I'm hoping that I can deliver my whole group lessons to cover common expectations, and use my small group and guided instruction to cover the unique expectations. Hope that all makes sense.</div>
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So far, I have completed the language and math comparisons for the Ontario Curriculum in Grades One and Two. I have uploaded the documents to Google Docs, hoping that some of my fellow Ontario colleagues can also benefit from the information. Here are the links. </div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2IEYX1u6if4aTRCdm9Xdmc1dkE" target="_blank">Ontario Combined Grade One/Two Language Expectations</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2IEYX1u6if4eURSOTJuX2ZTZ3M" target="_blank">Ontario Combined Grade One/Two Math Expectations</a></div>
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I am hoping to complete the other subject areas over the next few weeks and I will continue to post the links. I am hoping there are some Ontario teachers who can benefit from their use. Thanks for reading and following,</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-44782983120324734272012-07-30T18:29:00.001-04:002012-07-30T18:29:40.267-04:00Monday Made It<div style="text-align: center;">
Although I've only been blogging for just a few weeks now, I have blog stalked for a bit longer. One of my favourite linky parties to stalk has always been the <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2012/07/crunch-time-monday-made-it-9.html" target="_blank">Monday Made It</a> Linky. So I figured it was time to get a bit crafty and join in on all of the fun.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-hq_lxv1PWefkNgJr_JeH-c2ZswRaaq-288NC4q3n8mCM7madXIb9JODrdptnx6H9Qp5rxqHaTfK8Wpu36qODn52_nTGjcwZDoldH2kttE9QVEkYFJml01LINiD3cG6oc58poyNYy00/s1600/mondaymadeit2_240x240.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-hq_lxv1PWefkNgJr_JeH-c2ZswRaaq-288NC4q3n8mCM7madXIb9JODrdptnx6H9Qp5rxqHaTfK8Wpu36qODn52_nTGjcwZDoldH2kttE9QVEkYFJml01LINiD3cG6oc58poyNYy00/s1600/mondaymadeit2_240x240.png" /></a></div>
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I created a few things for my classroom. First off, I printed and laminated some awesome signs for Whole Brain Teaching. Click the link below to grab these awesome freebies for yourself. I would love to chat with anyone else who is beginning to implement this system in their own classroom. Hopefully we can share and collaborate together.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSF-ob6Sj7VCloz4OXRQkl11Yg7neOb-LiOEqmm1PBZmSo6vwkfkZJ-WR3DeN5GYIGRUVjaaQZZlHjH_K1SfWnbEGLEZDjA2eo9BoV9stfIVpnGq2t0_XbLkeb5Z5vFRIE58Wy-nhUyc/s1600/IMG_3131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSF-ob6Sj7VCloz4OXRQkl11Yg7neOb-LiOEqmm1PBZmSo6vwkfkZJ-WR3DeN5GYIGRUVjaaQZZlHjH_K1SfWnbEGLEZDjA2eo9BoV9stfIVpnGq2t0_XbLkeb5Z5vFRIE58Wy-nhUyc/s320/IMG_3131.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://heerenshappenings2.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mrs. Hereen's Happenings</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmpqktDLNU4B3N3JPA0bMBtEsAJtDONCae4M-CFBu60EpM3xhAQjZstnBQG6YlF1wKaUZItze0-UZbJjKFfFLTtP-HIiRRPSiI_7OO8d9Iv1Xg9HobNktzfRb2ns2uVrfywRVuzLZ6VU/s1600/IMG_3132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmpqktDLNU4B3N3JPA0bMBtEsAJtDONCae4M-CFBu60EpM3xhAQjZstnBQG6YlF1wKaUZItze0-UZbJjKFfFLTtP-HIiRRPSiI_7OO8d9Iv1Xg9HobNktzfRb2ns2uVrfywRVuzLZ6VU/s320/IMG_3132.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Whole-Brain-Teaching-Posters-with-Clip-Art" target="_blank">Third Grade Thoughts</a></div>
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The other thing I created was the popular birthday favours I've seen on so many Monday Made It links. I decided to place mine on crazy straws instead of pixie sticks. I'm very happy with the way they turned out. I haven't found a container for them yet, so they are temporarily sitting in my travel coffee mug.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eBA7f-lRBK5edMRHsmtvV8riWw4SbN8WGUGmyq0HcYEIQam3B-PISziTl4gfCYN7V9UCom2bBuDwt2u3k9qhRG8PkkhzKrbNrMVUmVWgDqZFr7kXAQ-raFvaOst5EKVKF_rN3ZauyUc/s1600/IMG_3134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eBA7f-lRBK5edMRHsmtvV8riWw4SbN8WGUGmyq0HcYEIQam3B-PISziTl4gfCYN7V9UCom2bBuDwt2u3k9qhRG8PkkhzKrbNrMVUmVWgDqZFr7kXAQ-raFvaOst5EKVKF_rN3ZauyUc/s320/IMG_3134.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Can't wait to see what everyone else was creating this week. Thanks for reading and following,</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-68747679091825792972012-07-29T22:00:00.000-04:002012-07-29T22:00:07.869-04:00New {School} Year Resolutions<div style="text-align: center;">
I was catching up with some blogs tonight when I stumbled across an awesome
linky by Amanda over at <a href="http://www.teachingmaddeness.com/2012/07/new-school-year-resolutionslink-up.html" target="_blank">Teaching Maddeness</a>. <br />
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<center><a href="http://www.teachingmaddeness.com/2012/07/new-school-year-resolutionslink-up.html"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o601/madden_amanda/New_School_Year_Resolutions_Linky-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></center><center> </center>
It makes perfect sense to
make our resolutions now rather than in January, so here we go.<br />
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#1 - Stay
organized - I'm lucky to be switching schools because I will start the year off
in a completely clean and organized classroom. I intend to keep it this way,
including my dreaded teacher's desk. I really need to make one of those teacher
toolboxes.<br />
<br />
#2 - Embrace change and try new things - New school, new
administration, new students equals lots of change. I'm also embarking on a new
journey with two whole new teaching 'strategies/systems'. I'm so excited to
employ whole brain teaching strategies with my students and also to change up my
literacy block with the Daily Five.<br />
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#3 Connect and Communicate with
Parents - When I first began teaching I felt quite uncomfortable with this
aspect of teaching. As time has passed I have begun to feel more at ease with
this challenge. I'm also super excited to employ technology to my advantage and
use it to help keep parents informed.<br />
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#4 - Use my time wisely - I really
want to have a balance between home life and work life. I also need to
squeeze in some time for my new found blogging life as well. I usually arrive
early to school, so I want to make the most of the time before my students
arrive each morning. Less gossiping around the Keurig in the staffroom and more planning and preparing.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Do you have any resolutions to share? Be sure to link up and share. Thanks for reading and following,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-17676472271248025402012-07-27T13:58:00.001-04:002012-07-27T13:58:40.914-04:00Fabulous Find Friday<div style="text-align: center;">
Wow! I can't believe its Friday already. Time is simply flying by. Friday means one thing - Fabulous Find Friday at <a href="http://funin4b.blogspot.com/2012/07/fabulous-find-friday-week-5.html" target="_blank">Fun in Room 4B</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyY7XOvRj2Ozb0FZn_HK6WcHNCRunDs8Rd4WKAR0-MDTccVYPlAXr6yrYVLRqTxK7d2MiJMfHstjAI4CTLKqTpn-ced6DSjQv94SK5xXx1Qw4LQhOvnN7m5SOJCuyuZ-hSn5dXo9j6ow/s1600/button3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyY7XOvRj2Ozb0FZn_HK6WcHNCRunDs8Rd4WKAR0-MDTccVYPlAXr6yrYVLRqTxK7d2MiJMfHstjAI4CTLKqTpn-ced6DSjQv94SK5xXx1Qw4LQhOvnN7m5SOJCuyuZ-hSn5dXo9j6ow/s320/button3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Maybe some of you already know about this product. I first saw it a few months ago at Walmart in Canada. Perhaps those of you in the U.S.A. have had access to this product for quite a bit longer. This always seems to be the case. Here's my fabulous find for the week.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKeLvcQEY6kuX0APLwjx5vAUMHbspXzWRj8t6W2_07uVjYzdrdIxY_aH6ICvTn887cNfVoiMWCg9wTJSXMP2l-NjaAhWe1vwWirpAU0n6xnMUBWMcB8ClI3JyuXVw9QdtkGxvTXlEjkk/s1600/letter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKeLvcQEY6kuX0APLwjx5vAUMHbspXzWRj8t6W2_07uVjYzdrdIxY_aH6ICvTn887cNfVoiMWCg9wTJSXMP2l-NjaAhWe1vwWirpAU0n6xnMUBWMcB8ClI3JyuXVw9QdtkGxvTXlEjkk/s320/letter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They cost about $4.00</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixnkhc_XNgD9jnNvKsLEbqJbxaRS2-Ke0VPyn1qRGxnAnud_x8rNsEJ8oq9n5oZQRh3UjACnS4WshhVXHuDR9Uj2iYvtPlXKWDFUOu8piYZOe62VeEHQ_fVc1iPupmKuwzB0aU3nCEvU/s1600/letterback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixnkhc_XNgD9jnNvKsLEbqJbxaRS2-Ke0VPyn1qRGxnAnud_x8rNsEJ8oq9n5oZQRh3UjACnS4WshhVXHuDR9Uj2iYvtPlXKWDFUOu8piYZOe62VeEHQ_fVc1iPupmKuwzB0aU3nCEvU/s320/letterback.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back of the package shows how many of each letter is included</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
I finally broke down and purchased these the other day. I love this product! Basically they are like a post it note in the shape of letters. Which means you can reposition them on your project until you achieve your desired layout. Which is amazing! I used them on a project that I was creating for Made it Monday, but I'm sure there are many more uses for this fantastic project in the teaching world. I am thinking they would be great in kindergarten. I would give each student a letter to stick on their shirt and ask them to tell me their letter/sound/something that starts with that letter. Anyone else have a great use for these letters? Please share it in the comments below. Have a fantastic weekend! Thanks for reading and following,</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-46748115892651627532012-07-25T16:52:00.001-04:002012-07-25T16:52:22.445-04:00Classroom Update & What I'm Pinning Wednesday<div style="text-align: center;">
Cameron and I have spent the last few mornings working away in my classroom. I have all of the bulletin boards covered and bordered. I had heard that someone used plastic tablecloths to cover bulletin boards so I thought that I would give it a try. We ran into a slight problem, the plastic tablecloths were too thin so we had to double them. Not a big deal, just slightly more time consuming. I put up my number line, and alphabet line. We arranged my letter headings for my word wall, and arranged my Cafe strategy board. We also arranged the desks and organized some stuff in the drawers of my teacher desk. </div>
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Still lots of jobs left to do, but it doesn't feel like such a huge task when we go for a few hours each week. The following still needs to be done before school starts - organise my classroom library, set up Daily 5 center areas, and beg/borrow/steal more manipulatives for my classroom, set up plan book and plan for first week. Still lots of time - School doesn't start here until September 4th.</div>
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Anyways, it's time for one of my favourite linky parties over at <a href="http://kinderkraziness.blogspot.com/2012/07/what-im-pinning-wednesday_25.html" target="_blank">Kinder Kraziness</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyv7VAwqPkMERtWR5pGxij-iYclemRpX2BEVJ8BJWA4BOF8-xjHZPzUxwaRD5D9gYZBqks8A1U8jTguVYK2bJDJ4BgQ5EJLlnxBsWugaZcXwgb5-Rf0X4aJ4M7Rsz8npGXB_xKZNu4vw/s1600/WIPW.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyv7VAwqPkMERtWR5pGxij-iYclemRpX2BEVJ8BJWA4BOF8-xjHZPzUxwaRD5D9gYZBqks8A1U8jTguVYK2bJDJ4BgQ5EJLlnxBsWugaZcXwgb5-Rf0X4aJ4M7Rsz8npGXB_xKZNu4vw/s1600/WIPW.png" /></a></div>
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Ahh how I adore pinterest! I swear I am absolutely obsessed with it. There are just so many awesome ideas out there. Here are some of my favourite pins for the week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhq0YkcSN8V3nc14JftErsisQeo3ag138jfXWF2tQMqEMNM3uRn0S_UgS9xZ7dF03DBmtwdokn7X8EbP-pRawKaTWkDsPppGYzlBwuS-48cg0aL7kfrnkSo3_7LPv9UQYerxT4OAwh74/s1600/tool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhq0YkcSN8V3nc14JftErsisQeo3ag138jfXWF2tQMqEMNM3uRn0S_UgS9xZ7dF03DBmtwdokn7X8EbP-pRawKaTWkDsPppGYzlBwuS-48cg0aL7kfrnkSo3_7LPv9UQYerxT4OAwh74/s320/tool.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a sale on "teacher toolboxes" so once I score my deal I can print these awesome labels off and save myself some time and frustration hopefully. You can grab these wonderful labels <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Teacher-Toolbox-Kit-Turquoise-Dot-Theme" target="_blank">here</a>. (Teachers pay teachers is currently down for maintenance so I can't verify that this link is correct right now, please comment if it doesn't work)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBL9Nk6J50H2s4IfeXy_kNtSZ2q045zonMB1_gnVN2tigkouLatYj2UU6sOxGdmOsjF0xVktdQ8mNcmg3wmK7Tgtsj2kRO7SoVSjbMuBrsLghujmJut5H72tN_u2aGgnXcAJ9kpapB1DQ/s1600/num.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBL9Nk6J50H2s4IfeXy_kNtSZ2q045zonMB1_gnVN2tigkouLatYj2UU6sOxGdmOsjF0xVktdQ8mNcmg3wmK7Tgtsj2kRO7SoVSjbMuBrsLghujmJut5H72tN_u2aGgnXcAJ9kpapB1DQ/s1600/num.jpg" /></a></div>
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I've also been planning on organizing my students by number this year. So these are some great free printable number circles. I hope to use one set for my book boxes and another for documenting who's out of the classroom (bathroom, office, etc..) I like these numbers because I can print them on coloured paper and save ink. You can grab these awesome numbers from <a href="http://www.rundesroom.com/2012/04/still-having-fun-with-factors-and.html" target="_blank">Runde's Room</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharYpsDZ1dRYbpFGM3Y9Ru9EnzhtTk9sVOup01jQy1B7ECdXzVtOI4cGIatyp20RQOfTfXf-5Zw8-5lvTEw9RrvqHdXfin0gC-BKUcgWKXejv23AYa3_k2tsJ5szdiLw2Qq99rEzlVKJ4/s1600/mathgames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharYpsDZ1dRYbpFGM3Y9Ru9EnzhtTk9sVOup01jQy1B7ECdXzVtOI4cGIatyp20RQOfTfXf-5Zw8-5lvTEw9RrvqHdXfin0gC-BKUcgWKXejv23AYa3_k2tsJ5szdiLw2Qq99rEzlVKJ4/s320/mathgames.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These are some awesome printable math games from Mrs.Clapp over at <a href="http://serenadetosecondgrade.blogspot.com/2011/08/math-games-galore.html" target="_blank">Serenade to Second Grade</a>. They only require simple manipulatives like dice and cards. Be sure to visit her next post to grab the labels for the game if you want them too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3veU_3Ft-4tp3m0fyTYsUEDf06ukWx3G-yX3joIZcK3_3Q8aZBxF-ReQvQi25Dhb-WMTM_lk-UbD0CwCdLU5eJtCXX4ss6P-vwzt6mF7zVC-x7BhJtq2U7m_DvYqAQGmZAojsrXcpCcI/s1600/torch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3veU_3Ft-4tp3m0fyTYsUEDf06ukWx3G-yX3joIZcK3_3Q8aZBxF-ReQvQi25Dhb-WMTM_lk-UbD0CwCdLU5eJtCXX4ss6P-vwzt6mF7zVC-x7BhJtq2U7m_DvYqAQGmZAojsrXcpCcI/s1600/torch.jpg" /></a></div>
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My last pin is this awesome treat to celebrate the start of the Olympic games! I love watching the Olympics and this treat will be a great way to celebrate tomorrow night. Bake some yummy cupcakes in ice cream cones and then decorate with some flaming icing. Looks easy enough, right? I hope I will find the time to make these before the ceremony starts, wish me luck. </div>
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Thanks for reading and following,</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-18337718879434735942012-07-23T11:45:00.002-04:002012-07-23T11:45:35.083-04:00Tell Me More and I'm a Winner!!!Wow, I am just sooooo excited!!! I had been planning to join Amy's Tell me More linky party, so I logged into my computer this morning to begin composing my blog post. I decided to quickly check my email first. I won a $50 Amazon gift card from Amanda Madden over at Teaching Maddeness to celebrate her 500 followers milestone!!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.teachingmaddeness.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Teaching Maddeness" border="0" src="http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o601/madden_amanda/teaching-maddeness.png" /></a></div>
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Wow, I was so shocked! Of course I had to log on immediately and start shopping! I had commented on Amanda's blog that I would be purchasing more non-fiction titles for my classroom library because my personal collection is lacking in that area. So I stayed true to my word and bought 7 National Geographic for Kids books! I can't wait for them to arrive. Here's a picture of my titles. (I spent a little over the $50.00 once tax was added on)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlFExr1gzYRkFVtokWTbeP6F5mQWnyzoQ_MAEb8tFACFFB-BRuHdNBlzCDm2GoeRx_Zcrov2j7efn4rIQzt7zs7PW8Ql_4z2kFF67Kk7ewq_U__FecxC3jN4kg8kL1lWwOTn8AzPmpW4/s1600/cat7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlFExr1gzYRkFVtokWTbeP6F5mQWnyzoQ_MAEb8tFACFFB-BRuHdNBlzCDm2GoeRx_Zcrov2j7efn4rIQzt7zs7PW8Ql_4z2kFF67Kk7ewq_U__FecxC3jN4kg8kL1lWwOTn8AzPmpW4/s1600/cat7.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56y8hpa7OXIgjx_vq3Ab3_nROlaSFgH5mgBGXaIp6dMxUqvwHPZxRrZHYanDEoSW5P52MXsIXuu2lJEACe85vicx2DrrqgyIYSRakH2aI31OqiUECpYAIAWxniW_pVRarsJqTAcrITAM/s1600/cat6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56y8hpa7OXIgjx_vq3Ab3_nROlaSFgH5mgBGXaIp6dMxUqvwHPZxRrZHYanDEoSW5P52MXsIXuu2lJEACe85vicx2DrrqgyIYSRakH2aI31OqiUECpYAIAWxniW_pVRarsJqTAcrITAM/s1600/cat6.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59U38v43nwjaKNbfYMufo3lvYPLOcv7cdMGNQvpmI8Ja-_HhWiX2OswCWZnQ0RZkU960d_5YojFn-Du6Wdnk19uyOC5JbwuN4oSY_H2Gn6ekuvCTacVimuC_u3muSzrIl70H2cNy2x40/s1600/nat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59U38v43nwjaKNbfYMufo3lvYPLOcv7cdMGNQvpmI8Ja-_HhWiX2OswCWZnQ0RZkU960d_5YojFn-Du6Wdnk19uyOC5JbwuN4oSY_H2Gn6ekuvCTacVimuC_u3muSzrIl70H2cNy2x40/s1600/nat1.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoYJuC33TlQfNphKIHWX8uhxHqwLcB53ZEpQqI918ZcD_UZM8EZ_Nbi_24Yheo7VNSmJ9CDSrO7QZPoBukhuyNNx29GTRFtjkbGU2T7woLuVV09P9mg64IxpqNbddMmDb0YGi6b_xhH0/s1600/nat2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoYJuC33TlQfNphKIHWX8uhxHqwLcB53ZEpQqI918ZcD_UZM8EZ_Nbi_24Yheo7VNSmJ9CDSrO7QZPoBukhuyNNx29GTRFtjkbGU2T7woLuVV09P9mg64IxpqNbddMmDb0YGi6b_xhH0/s1600/nat2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />Anyways, a huge thank you to Amanda. I cannot wait for these awesome books to arrive! </div>
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Now for Amy's awesome <a href="http://stepintosecondgrade.blogspot.com/2012/07/tell-me-more-tell-me-more-linky-party.html" target="_blank">Tell me More</a> linky party. I've only recently started blogging but I am totally addicted. I love reading everyone's posts. I get so many helpful tips and resources to use in my classroom. But I love this linky because it gives me a little glimpse into the lives of these wonderful bloggers. So here are a few random things about me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2vWqn_a14yvZfCfvvZu43TWoIPhbiM9gcveXRhee8sXvYd0FAezftcqJ_duBmuz03RNNa6aVNAeuJSRby8JQFHNGMwPva6yzxxP9GmqszsfuAXNznhC9Jd50CdkuyJA3zRYdPNwuNqE/s1600/dis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2vWqn_a14yvZfCfvvZu43TWoIPhbiM9gcveXRhee8sXvYd0FAezftcqJ_duBmuz03RNNa6aVNAeuJSRby8JQFHNGMwPva6yzxxP9GmqszsfuAXNznhC9Jd50CdkuyJA3zRYdPNwuNqE/s320/dis.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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I love everything Disney! I'm slightly obsessed actually. I even read forums about visiting Disney World, even though I don't even have a return trip planned. Two years ago we took our dream trip to Walt Disney World and stayed onsite for eight days! It was a magical trip! I would love to visit the world again, but I would also love to take a Disney Cruise. Maybe I can convince my husband to let me do both, right?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J8fWsa2CjpPCvSbW_m-CAhDQBZ4y2UznNez3VsEGK0bMFFAyA_HSf9yp9CLnZJwjiqIGedxj9V1V9T2sL6g6TbCbs1KzTAxr6uzahSbMvc3AMC_AXkvHmdP6uXLfQu9QiYsDxe3JQHU/s1600/sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J8fWsa2CjpPCvSbW_m-CAhDQBZ4y2UznNez3VsEGK0bMFFAyA_HSf9yp9CLnZJwjiqIGedxj9V1V9T2sL6g6TbCbs1KzTAxr6uzahSbMvc3AMC_AXkvHmdP6uXLfQu9QiYsDxe3JQHU/s1600/sun.jpg" /></a></div>
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Sundays are family dinner days. Family has always been very important to me. When my Grandmother was alive she held Sunday dinner at her house every week. A normal Sunday usually involved at least 15 dinner guests. If there was a birthday or holiday to celebrate the typical guest roster floated around 30+ people. My mom now hosts Sunday dinners and the crowd is much smaller, but my entire family still gets together for holidays and special occasions at least a few times a year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyJ60BImDa8U2WYxbSqfIiDXLpaZa-6uYh2djtnEgHE-Ag3Hvp2OlrYTHsypKDfx3aL8DxSu21lcm1oED7hWO5C2TPctbtwG9FT6F68hyphenhyphenFmDTTxjntpBySJTuC58zaLogDPEM2DEh0JA/s1600/dutch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyJ60BImDa8U2WYxbSqfIiDXLpaZa-6uYh2djtnEgHE-Ag3Hvp2OlrYTHsypKDfx3aL8DxSu21lcm1oED7hWO5C2TPctbtwG9FT6F68hyphenhyphenFmDTTxjntpBySJTuC58zaLogDPEM2DEh0JA/s1600/dutch.jpg" /></a></div>
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I adore Dutch licorice! I don't know many people who even like regular black licorice but I love Dutch licorice, even the 'dubble zout' (double salt) My mother's parents immigrated to Canada from Holland when my mother was just a baby. So my childhood was filled with numerous dutch treats like chocolate sprinkle sandwiches, speculass cookies and olliebollen. But by far my favourite treat has always been salty Dutch licorice. </div>
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I recently conquered one of my many addictions. Unless you're Canadian, I don't think you would really understand this addiction. Some say a 'double double' (two cream, two sugar) is the quintessential definition being 'Canadian'. Near the end of the school year I gave up my daily Tim Hortons cup of coffee. Every morning began with dropping Cameron off at daycare and then swinging through the drive thru for my large 'double double'. I still have my morning coffee, I just grab one from my Keurig now. My favourite current flavour is Jamaica me Crazy by Wolfgang Puck.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOWojRoTVqAssQH2SCBVsKny0-vkJsqh9wrVoQ2uC84gniNeYuOTCXvIixv6ecpG8hU-sHXoFZFKLDqdYZCR_rg7FnBp4T3NDK1mdOr9Ug9O_oq-f3QEGr9bagZSBQrfpTvP7udcsL08/s1600/j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOWojRoTVqAssQH2SCBVsKny0-vkJsqh9wrVoQ2uC84gniNeYuOTCXvIixv6ecpG8hU-sHXoFZFKLDqdYZCR_rg7FnBp4T3NDK1mdOr9Ug9O_oq-f3QEGr9bagZSBQrfpTvP7udcsL08/s1600/j.jpg" /></a></div>
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Anyone have any other favourites they would recommend? Thanks for reading,</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-54442278707129660342012-07-22T21:54:00.001-04:002012-07-22T21:54:33.244-04:00Newbie Blog Hop<strong><span style="font-size: large;">I'm linking up with Janis over at <a href="http://gr3istheplace4me.blogspot.com/2012/07/newbie-blog-hop.html" target="_blank">Grade Three is the Place for Me</a> for a newbie blog hop. </span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1KUGSBDZLjT7Rf1GhAamIW5-kSh13NysUmzUjjWFxyjBHPaEDnj39GdZm03nuYgr23ckbiDLE_z9zmmhwkk31ZVAbSQE02q6GSsmBxVi120YGRSpUo8wkJcvU-ira5kN8oRPi8lx8n0/s1600/Newbie+Blog+Hop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1KUGSBDZLjT7Rf1GhAamIW5-kSh13NysUmzUjjWFxyjBHPaEDnj39GdZm03nuYgr23ckbiDLE_z9zmmhwkk31ZVAbSQE02q6GSsmBxVi120YGRSpUo8wkJcvU-ira5kN8oRPi8lx8n0/s1600/Newbie+Blog+Hop.png" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">This weekend has been crazy busy but tomorrow I hope to visit some of the blogs that have already linked up. I know that I will find more fabulous new blogs to follow.</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">1. What state you are in? I'm actually not in a state. I'm from Canada, a small town in Eastern Ontario to be more exact.</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"> 2. What is your current teaching
position? This year I am switching schools and grades. I will be teaching a combined Grade One and Two class.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"> 3. What is your teaching
experience? I have been teaching for nine years. I've taught Grade One, Grade Two, Grade Three, Grade Four, Special Education aaaand Kindergarten. I feel a bit like I'm stuck in the book Moira's Birthday Party by Robert Munsch. I've also switched schools numerous times during those nine years.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"> 4. When did you start
blogging? I actually just started blogging about two weeks ago.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"> 5. Share a blogging tip / blogging
resource? Find some linky parties or blog hops that interest you and join in. Also make sure you find time to comment on other people's blogs. I know I love to read when people have commented on mine.</span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-38784443417672145462012-07-20T09:29:00.001-04:002012-07-20T09:29:58.771-04:00Fabulous Find Friday<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm linking up again with Elizabeth at <a href="http://funin4b.blogspot.com/2012/07/fabulous-findweek-4.html" target="_blank">Fun In Room 4B</a> for a linky party called</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NjbC2SAK9L_1aZigC7sofETU_7S0ZYdpobIvhrvQgK9cZhyphenhyphenU4BlMH5WT9JeIauRW6z3lEWU0AMu_6AokbzV9FO7gy5sEXdWI9LlLbdCv3xnWuAcA_amsdLogisKxXZ_4sGLlwfJik48/s1600/button3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NjbC2SAK9L_1aZigC7sofETU_7S0ZYdpobIvhrvQgK9cZhyphenhyphenU4BlMH5WT9JeIauRW6z3lEWU0AMu_6AokbzV9FO7gy5sEXdWI9LlLbdCv3xnWuAcA_amsdLogisKxXZ_4sGLlwfJik48/s320/button3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I scored a few really good deals for school this week, along with something a little bit different. I will share my school items first. First off I got some plastic drawer units for my classroom at 50% off. I've been keeping my eye open for a sale on these, and I finally found it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmQABG4wN2lAyglcnMAdLFTC4BEySGjjqUWeSrZSnHf3LIuv1B8Yg3QjHGwlAg0pSVh4Py4R0alZElN-yhn3wv9K1JJxkLJGcqkdrG8Dn3N-hqJRswuTGGlZZe0Ny0F2-rISq4DsKen0/s1600/plastc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmQABG4wN2lAyglcnMAdLFTC4BEySGjjqUWeSrZSnHf3LIuv1B8Yg3QjHGwlAg0pSVh4Py4R0alZElN-yhn3wv9K1JJxkLJGcqkdrG8Dn3N-hqJRswuTGGlZZe0Ny0F2-rISq4DsKen0/s1600/plastc.jpg" /></a></div>
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I think I will leave off the casters and place this along my back counter to hold math games/centres/manipulatives or something along those lines. I bought two, so I basically got one for free. They were $9.99 each at Canadian Tire.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilPv6abmo35TVpdZLtwkzJuukXke8B3DSJQonJQl2YvUTX1FD19xmX0tGRxQIVhfeGFisnQcCcidP4FldIlusxxRqfnb2U9bkwvjI-NnAVbEbuA0T8JUD0mfC8pwFYRK1gIl26IZpsG8/s1600/photo+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilPv6abmo35TVpdZLtwkzJuukXke8B3DSJQonJQl2YvUTX1FD19xmX0tGRxQIVhfeGFisnQcCcidP4FldIlusxxRqfnb2U9bkwvjI-NnAVbEbuA0T8JUD0mfC8pwFYRK1gIl26IZpsG8/s320/photo+(9).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Michael's had a buy two get one free sale, so I picked up a few items and applied my teacher's discount as well. I had a gift card from awhile back so my deals felt even better. No debit to my account or charge to my credit card.</div>
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My last find is not school related, but I stumbled across these while shopping online for my son's upcoming birthday. My son and husband have been obsessed with playing Minecraft lately, so I ordered this Lego set at Amazon.com.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGO0uNW06vuG7Kqr-UUlSPITIQHp66Sj94uHeooANY0Lcaa-QxZAiS-RW-ZXuLh4o_BWBQuUfJPzMFJV9t5xdWqSPQWPRIxZDP0QDue8NgoFfaMBrqTRqQ2v52xVayMAKvbUY2AztgfM/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGO0uNW06vuG7Kqr-UUlSPITIQHp66Sj94uHeooANY0Lcaa-QxZAiS-RW-ZXuLh4o_BWBQuUfJPzMFJV9t5xdWqSPQWPRIxZDP0QDue8NgoFfaMBrqTRqQ2v52xVayMAKvbUY2AztgfM/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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Not exactly a great deal, but if you compare it to the price these are fetching on eBay, I guess its a pretty good deal. Anyways, while searching for this Lego set I ran across this website to create paper crafts. <a href="http://agpapertoys.com/" target="_blank">A.G. Papertoys</a>. Basically you print off templates to fold, cut and paste little paper minecraft characters. Here's a picture off their website.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkq5pOBNzAVF8KZyGcMNeI8ryzoQ7pdq6p7UFd0-NQqdf7_3EtvAKeQwyNCysR07djNMKvcXA4hm6ubTur9MHNCdWiqECrDfktTJ8CO6rzfbYqYhZdIJ8j7dtqTP6bNADskQKOlg9Tak/s1600/DSCN059211-200x150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkq5pOBNzAVF8KZyGcMNeI8ryzoQ7pdq6p7UFd0-NQqdf7_3EtvAKeQwyNCysR07djNMKvcXA4hm6ubTur9MHNCdWiqECrDfktTJ8CO6rzfbYqYhZdIJ8j7dtqTP6bNADskQKOlg9Tak/s1600/DSCN059211-200x150.jpg" /></a></div>
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You should know that this is <strong><u>NOT</u></strong> a child friendly craft, the cutting and folding is extremely intricate. Definitely an adult or older child job. But they are just sooooo cute and Cameron LOVES playing with them. A great afternoon activity. Plus Cameron is happy to 'play' minecraft using his imagination and I'm happy to get him away from the xbox. Hooray! A quick picture of Cameron with some of his new paper minecraft toys. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj656xKE4RCYM1PBoVsdKTyLSiHen1EL0rJmvpwpItmOgiJ4MEvfmhjkKA_ySUi2ZGJkmBpWImoV4G7Ij3atQ3Fasw3ktwsbVai8_a7g0IlNxc6WMdLwR8mQEma5JSuwud5tk29-H99_ok/s1600/photo+(10).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj656xKE4RCYM1PBoVsdKTyLSiHen1EL0rJmvpwpItmOgiJ4MEvfmhjkKA_ySUi2ZGJkmBpWImoV4G7Ij3atQ3Fasw3ktwsbVai8_a7g0IlNxc6WMdLwR8mQEma5JSuwud5tk29-H99_ok/s200/photo+(10).JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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He played with them all afternoon cooking up various scenarios, he's a very happy boy! Thanks for reading and Happy Friday!</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-42369378072107991672012-07-18T11:26:00.001-04:002012-07-18T11:26:42.926-04:00What I'm Pinning Wednesday!<div style="text-align: center;">
I can't believe it's been a week since my first link up to <a href="http://kinderkraziness.blogspot.com/2012/07/what-im-pinning-wednesday_18.html" target="_blank">What I'm Pinning Wednesday</a>! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wOaNzBNRhAuN4zAxLIaWYQhunPQvdGZX9msP8iqyDlhyphenhyphenbLbmfy0r8pkSX8Ccs-2O_ld_n6GmdqJg0UjF3MCOR1kRJ5RoJTWkIVAvMOXO4Qd4lFOLYJHB_LbaiAa9AjG0yw9sYnL5D6w/s1600/WIPW.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wOaNzBNRhAuN4zAxLIaWYQhunPQvdGZX9msP8iqyDlhyphenhyphenbLbmfy0r8pkSX8Ccs-2O_ld_n6GmdqJg0UjF3MCOR1kRJ5RoJTWkIVAvMOXO4Qd4lFOLYJHB_LbaiAa9AjG0yw9sYnL5D6w/s1600/WIPW.png" /></a></div>
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I'm so excited that I've gained some followers since then, and I'm anxious to gain even more! Most of my pinterest searching has revolved around two new things I am introducing in my classroom this year. Daily Five and Whole Brain Teaching. So here are some things I discovered this past week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAKSFLCQTBcvvIlsW9fD6k1CWByTifsSVMf8kiA4VOp55v5H995dydpMW925RTj7aHrJmz8hlz8HDpLgLHZzEyrwafc5Cit7HS7LLwyJdHJIUwSX7GSCmvbwy2jmTUtSEXeUefgjTQ3s/s1600/word.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAKSFLCQTBcvvIlsW9fD6k1CWByTifsSVMf8kiA4VOp55v5H995dydpMW925RTj7aHrJmz8hlz8HDpLgLHZzEyrwafc5Cit7HS7LLwyJdHJIUwSX7GSCmvbwy2jmTUtSEXeUefgjTQ3s/s1600/word.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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These are some awesome word work task cards for Daily Five. You can grab them <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Work-Task-Cards-Recording-Sheets" target="_blank">here</a> from Mrs. Mabe. I love these cards, they are going to provide lots of engagement for my students.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0-1quQ1w_2bASAYv26NPwu2RZCUncE0HN3dP4BQZacKRZwgkEqgoXtSQQdmGVFpf7Khcog0mM0QwRanlugnEYUocKMOQbPSex3p7vgb73zi6jONdwXkrCZOvCziVjGPGpaJny6sb-dk/s1600/wordsear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0-1quQ1w_2bASAYv26NPwu2RZCUncE0HN3dP4BQZacKRZwgkEqgoXtSQQdmGVFpf7Khcog0mM0QwRanlugnEYUocKMOQbPSex3p7vgb73zi6jONdwXkrCZOvCziVjGPGpaJny6sb-dk/s1600/wordsear.jpg" /></a></div>
Another word work task. I like how they are searching for more than just things that begin with a certain letter. You can grab this cute activity <a href="http://inspiredbykindergarten.blogspot.com/2012/06/wednesday-rewind.html?showComment=1341257867851" target="_blank">here</a> from Michelle at Inspired from Kindergarten.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIW2ivkeF8eGgTMkUj-MyT-GbpGEIqFZxD7gYItSEzerPVHuT6AZxhMA378cPk3XLAJJ1zWZKS_yH63Ks-jGOw37bsvN-IfvkoDCmn3AJs4ukO_HsnM8hfRPWHopecbLmhROdvZW7EY8/s1600/readsom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIW2ivkeF8eGgTMkUj-MyT-GbpGEIqFZxD7gYItSEzerPVHuT6AZxhMA378cPk3XLAJJ1zWZKS_yH63Ks-jGOw37bsvN-IfvkoDCmn3AJs4ukO_HsnM8hfRPWHopecbLmhROdvZW7EY8/s1600/readsom.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDNFyqbF27aRJJLlbtHZAU14W6IRrQUebrLJumAswsSkS4_QckEzSaIXW2M_Vc0FB6IRAwTNlRLTNa0nPeK8JXMmQkzDggDAmtoBJcUJogY5P6Zsh-gxPDLpbUvfavYdvmiMvFPEWuyk/s1600/reas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDNFyqbF27aRJJLlbtHZAU14W6IRrQUebrLJumAswsSkS4_QckEzSaIXW2M_Vc0FB6IRAwTNlRLTNa0nPeK8JXMmQkzDggDAmtoBJcUJogY5P6Zsh-gxPDLpbUvfavYdvmiMvFPEWuyk/s1600/reas.jpg" /></a></div>
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I actually had two pins for read to someone ideas link to the same awesome website this week. Actually if you look through my pin boards you'll probably see tons of pins leading to this site. This is actually the blog that first got me thinking about Daily Five and how I could use it in my classroom. Head on over to Mel at <a href="http://seusstastic.blogspot.com/2012/07/daily-5-chapter-5-book-study.html" target="_blank">Seusstastic Classrooom Inspirations</a> to be inspired and grab her amazing freebies.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lksJlRKjiGHheA5qi7SLMtZBCOdpQOiMrx9shOB-StLmsUa2-T7QhClVa3nTAsZQCtS0eO6uKRW2h_gYCNA_nzhDFHQLqYoO5STUOUg1k7A_yRPWVBs_PU5yNyG_8Mm34YNqI4JtUP4/s1600/whole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lksJlRKjiGHheA5qi7SLMtZBCOdpQOiMrx9shOB-StLmsUa2-T7QhClVa3nTAsZQCtS0eO6uKRW2h_gYCNA_nzhDFHQLqYoO5STUOUg1k7A_yRPWVBs_PU5yNyG_8Mm34YNqI4JtUP4/s1600/whole.jpg" /></a></div>
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I pinned this for the whole brain teaching classroom rules but when I visited the site I found so much more! An awesome blog with amazing freebies! Go visit <a href="http://heerenshappenings2.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mrs. Heeren's Happenings</a> right now, and checkout her Open House activities too while you are there. So many great ideas!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoYyW7-VLL09dURcFJe_rN5L8vF7T3_hIx2BJMdubLPkR6HbrDERcR7_FtJ72OBP2RLoVstBjMsxFZ3IIDgB_vf9WzP0JSCZEv1TMhl_kY06SQ89jLw48yMXtm_6W8Avl5ZLzLwhv87E/s1600/openhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoYyW7-VLL09dURcFJe_rN5L8vF7T3_hIx2BJMdubLPkR6HbrDERcR7_FtJ72OBP2RLoVstBjMsxFZ3IIDgB_vf9WzP0JSCZEv1TMhl_kY06SQ89jLw48yMXtm_6W8Avl5ZLzLwhv87E/s1600/openhouse.jpg" /></a></div>
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One last pin to wrap this up. I've been know to have quite a sarcastic sense of humour and this pin made me giggle out loud.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqu-3qHQv0PKELNQLbrkCKWbp2NHObhazwMHtX3VJkVWtZ6q2QoeNTEZxUuN2pZpJhJppkEIxVkcqST-5gAFcUBYiOAO0rDe-1pSqMcREFDFnIVp0OmXf4NqbD6JM5j4zFaWqTdZRETo/s1600/funny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqu-3qHQv0PKELNQLbrkCKWbp2NHObhazwMHtX3VJkVWtZ6q2QoeNTEZxUuN2pZpJhJppkEIxVkcqST-5gAFcUBYiOAO0rDe-1pSqMcREFDFnIVp0OmXf4NqbD6JM5j4zFaWqTdZRETo/s1600/funny.jpg" /></a></div>
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We all know this is true. Have a great day bloggers and thanks for reading and following:)</div>
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P.S. Don't forget to visit Amanda over at <a href="http://www.teachingmaddeness.com/2012/07/bunting-and-500-follower-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Teaching Maddeness</a>. She's celebrating 500 followers with a $50 gift card to Amazon!!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFitcsj0t928WcSCkWoorfQgY9QUbeiU2WV1FBtKRTwK-wRsnNuAapleVFPXY_h9SCBHi9csdIdiJyxg2MRYywSMOmQzpV5BZDxvP3xeEMKHhohO6FlgKFu3OkeNv8u_AdTeZtaSizC0/s1600/500Giveaway.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFitcsj0t928WcSCkWoorfQgY9QUbeiU2WV1FBtKRTwK-wRsnNuAapleVFPXY_h9SCBHi9csdIdiJyxg2MRYywSMOmQzpV5BZDxvP3xeEMKHhohO6FlgKFu3OkeNv8u_AdTeZtaSizC0/s320/500Giveaway.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-85273226370184525232012-07-17T10:32:00.001-04:002012-07-17T10:32:29.933-04:00Favorite Picture Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I came across another interesting linky party yesterday while blog hopping. Share your favourite picture books. I can't wait to read through all the link ups to add some more great books to my collection. Thanks to Lindsey over at The Teacher Wife for organising this great linky party.<br />
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<a href="http://theteacherwife.blogspot.com/2012/07/must-have-picture-books-linky.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Teacher Wife" src="http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk236/neumey/BOOK-LINKY-IMAGE.jpg" /></a></div>
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Choice #1
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qxTmLp9iXhaFcb17Vzu7whjV-uP8NjP7Dm9x2N_h-ckURs1gy09mkP1fNv3Q0XwJ3eqiSXxbfdUIMAAZAf35GAEavGz-Dj9__Jk_QnTkUZSfwZdlVGmIAGOsNx6RFdyC9apR3oj1a_U/s1600/cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qxTmLp9iXhaFcb17Vzu7whjV-uP8NjP7Dm9x2N_h-ckURs1gy09mkP1fNv3Q0XwJ3eqiSXxbfdUIMAAZAf35GAEavGz-Dj9__Jk_QnTkUZSfwZdlVGmIAGOsNx6RFdyC9apR3oj1a_U/s200/cat.jpg" width="200" /></a>This one has a special place in my heart because it was one of my son's favourite books. My students at school have always loved this book too. You can grab this book <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-Eric-Carle/dp/0582504716/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1342531343&sr=8-16">here</a>. Here is a picture of my son Cameron at the age of two and a half retelling the story all by himself.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbFGQL7JNcAPVd243KdF0kZMgKwjI-7uzpfpsAYu6qo-1ZxeZLH-HEAnx-gYvVjk_GWLlsqMwiibwXDdrl1twC_4KxLW61boaUAOvLrN2_rUxP97zvAShsYi2HDAQfbXKF3jhFtgZ0U8/s1600/ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbFGQL7JNcAPVd243KdF0kZMgKwjI-7uzpfpsAYu6qo-1ZxeZLH-HEAnx-gYvVjk_GWLlsqMwiibwXDdrl1twC_4KxLW61boaUAOvLrN2_rUxP97zvAShsYi2HDAQfbXKF3jhFtgZ0U8/s320/ca.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Choice #2
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPZE7YCO-wlAYcrTIK0NHxC3hrmu_ya21huuJIvVIQHZ9c-B2aXFOgYc3TD_Y-WHt0jrr8GxAAS_Ho-v6Tm_FWMTCjGRqD0ynUwprMJTyluE1dWnArp_hf_SVDQ3zOQJbdrV6tsliqow/s1600/munsch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPZE7YCO-wlAYcrTIK0NHxC3hrmu_ya21huuJIvVIQHZ9c-B2aXFOgYc3TD_Y-WHt0jrr8GxAAS_Ho-v6Tm_FWMTCjGRqD0ynUwprMJTyluE1dWnArp_hf_SVDQ3zOQJbdrV6tsliqow/s400/munsch.jpg" width="150" /></a>How do you choose just one Munsch read aloud when you adore them all. I'll choose this one because I loved hearing it read aloud when I was a student at school myself. I will also choose this one because I love how my students chime in together with, "Grade One, Grade Two, Grade Three, Grade Four, Grade Five, Grade Six aaaaaannnnnnnnddddddddddd Kindergarten!" Priceless. The only thing better than reading aloud a Munsch story is having the master read it himself on Tumblebooks. You can grab this book <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Moiras-Birthday-Robert-N-Munsch/dp/0920303838/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342531765&sr=1-1">here</a>.</div>
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Choice #3</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8I5DNOwZ6WyfTDK8-fDMmci-9ERQ2RpEMYZ6B4vSQm6zRsg4mBD1i4ajlMthGqDhyphenhyphenWwCAI9XKyYgNo_xiQabBPL8QBKFFS4cJSBUcUJcwg1KvcDeJLin9R5LL3Mh3CWEvIPStk4Z-mA/s1600/ch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8I5DNOwZ6WyfTDK8-fDMmci-9ERQ2RpEMYZ6B4vSQm6zRsg4mBD1i4ajlMthGqDhyphenhyphenWwCAI9XKyYgNo_xiQabBPL8QBKFFS4cJSBUcUJcwg1KvcDeJLin9R5LL3Mh3CWEvIPStk4Z-mA/s200/ch.jpg" width="200" /></a>I adore Kevin Henkes books! I usually start off the school year with a Kevin Henkes author study and Chrysanthemum is my favourite. You can grab this book <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Chrysanthemum-Kevin-Henkes/dp/0688147321/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342533112&sr=1-1" target="_blank">here</a>. The messages in this book are perfect for back to school, reminding kids how we should be treating others. There are so many awesome teaching extensions and possibilities. While browsing pinterest I came across a great extension activity I plan on doing with my students this year. I think I will have them sign the wrinkled heart as a sort of pledge to treat others kindly. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESvVzHrKxE3SBWIHWkM-ZVv-8kb9e5Z-yp6otRg-DVVwWHRbFxSxYUHSC5F3Sf3CmI1bfZNrbsGDMJ1J4L5CtQwb11crcJapmHMNhoqdXpp4Alzocp3vm0i-4kzuE-KP2MuRAtdR5_9Y/s1600/heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESvVzHrKxE3SBWIHWkM-ZVv-8kb9e5Z-yp6otRg-DVVwWHRbFxSxYUHSC5F3Sf3CmI1bfZNrbsGDMJ1J4L5CtQwb11crcJapmHMNhoqdXpp4Alzocp3vm0i-4kzuE-KP2MuRAtdR5_9Y/s200/heart.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Choice #4</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAJgMafeoEGxD5irGX-k7VQF3S2zLFVKP9dvFzkKziQeJXjhhT4ONF6lw-4pskBzS3OBohbSBdA1e2b7USZTm01SkWcOajBNLcuvwq_Egd12X4VpQhZFKjbgZY4lg3YOvWDueJCnKe9E/s1600/lucad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAJgMafeoEGxD5irGX-k7VQF3S2zLFVKP9dvFzkKziQeJXjhhT4ONF6lw-4pskBzS3OBohbSBdA1e2b7USZTm01SkWcOajBNLcuvwq_Egd12X4VpQhZFKjbgZY4lg3YOvWDueJCnKe9E/s200/lucad.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Ahh the wemmicks and their dot stickers and star stickers. I just love to read this story to my students. There are so many fantastic points to stop for student discussion. The injustice of the dot stickers fuels long heartfelt conversations with my students.The message of this story is just incredible. You can grab this book <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/You-Are-Special-Max-Lucado/dp/0891079319/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342532371&sr=1-1" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Choice #5</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8MntpzoUNRwA8Svff5zMrLysGukqw9_RImkXHXBkaTmHiQQyc8cUQLh9qLzmLiovv7loq3Kgh1N1ruToG_pAAyChFN0GQm3jf-4xCyl75HJJxPK4UFuA10506d9uYHL4G-y-Z2mDKQE/s1600/pr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8MntpzoUNRwA8Svff5zMrLysGukqw9_RImkXHXBkaTmHiQQyc8cUQLh9qLzmLiovv7loq3Kgh1N1ruToG_pAAyChFN0GQm3jf-4xCyl75HJJxPK4UFuA10506d9uYHL4G-y-Z2mDKQE/s200/pr.jpg" width="200" /></a>This is a book that I added recently to my collection. I read it on Anti Bullying day when the whole school wears pink. It creates lots of wonderful discussions around stereotypes and social injustice. You would be amazed to listen to the conversations my students have had about this book. You can grab it <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1442429887/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_g14_i1?pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=09HEQQ6AQZFPH9E26FQR&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1375923922&pf_rd_i=915398" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Thanks for reading and make sure you follow me because I will be posting some great pinterest finds tomorrow! Some amazing freebies for Daily Five! </div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533321475628361994.post-85348355327551180642012-07-15T16:41:00.000-04:002012-07-16T17:23:38.870-04:00A Blank Slate to Make my MarkOh my! I have a lot of work to do in my new classroom. Cam and I stopped in the other morning to take some photos of my empty classroom. Looking at it was very overwhelming to say the least. I thought I could unpack a couple boxes before swimming lessons, but we didn't get much accomplished, just sorted through a few bins of teacher resource books. Here are some photos so you can see the magnitude of work ahead of us. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb3YQG3RE8NsAQoMMNySiL6EpzTNyy3osLnEKSH345hQ_ZcuniAn_zfAUtnw_tBVzf5YRcqkpkBRxnuGMhwnw272-pQMa3MNnr3yb2r7W2GkvCpwUKFs-9Q8m2Bog7ICN2F9H2iPSLCc/s1600/IMG_3099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb3YQG3RE8NsAQoMMNySiL6EpzTNyy3osLnEKSH345hQ_ZcuniAn_zfAUtnw_tBVzf5YRcqkpkBRxnuGMhwnw272-pQMa3MNnr3yb2r7W2GkvCpwUKFs-9Q8m2Bog7ICN2F9H2iPSLCc/s320/IMG_3099.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hooray! I have a smart board in my new classroom! Along with a document camera, scanner and printer.<br />
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You can also view the rats nest of wires that I will need to sort
through under the desk. Yikes, it's a mess! A job for another day. My computers have to stay in that location, so I'll place the carpet in front, not ideal but no other place will work. I think I will cover all the bulletin boards in blue, with a uniform border. Maybe something with blue, green and purple. I'm not sure what to do about the 'green' blackboards. I've thought of maybe covering them, but I'm not sure. I will attach my CAFE strategies to one board, and my word wall to another board using magnets. Not sure about the others, I most likely won't write on them so I figure I could post some stuff on them instead.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwU-omm8mTQ_k8WewGtdzwVJ0W_UdeAHCGbi_CIpUd6ktTsvRq5IgmioSBeEb8IqjcYNihda_LJnDSgGFrR_f-jWwWkTnRrU28-XLjNMa0T_Ha3drcW6TadfvZJvH_-aXIrbVzl1CHNE/s1600/IMG_3092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwU-omm8mTQ_k8WewGtdzwVJ0W_UdeAHCGbi_CIpUd6ktTsvRq5IgmioSBeEb8IqjcYNihda_LJnDSgGFrR_f-jWwWkTnRrU28-XLjNMa0T_Ha3drcW6TadfvZJvH_-aXIrbVzl1CHNE/s320/IMG_3092.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm not thrilled with the location of these shelves but my thoughts are to use them for my leveled books and other books for students to choose for their reading bins.<br />
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My teacher's desk will go back here in this corner with my personal frequently used resources on that tall shelf behind my desk.</div>
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A shot of the back of the classroom. All of the stuff on top of the big brown cupboard has to go. I just need a ladder to get up there. I will take down the clothesline while I'm up there. Not my style. You can also see all the boxes I need to unpack. The bulletin boards back here will be done in the same style as the front, with a blue background. Maybe my work with words and listen to read centres can be on the long counter.<br />
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Anyways, I think my first job will be the bulletin boards. Any thoughts on what I should cover them with? I've heard of people painting them, covering them with wrapping paper, covering them with plastic tablecloths or covering them with bed sheets. Any thoughts on the best plan of attack? Please leave a comment with your best solution. <br />
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Thanks for reading,<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/223/31AE7F382D075E24CC8D3B2D7D66F4A8.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056538229845215481noreply@blogger.com0