Snookie for President?

Y’all this *may* be the first and LAST time that I ever mention Snookie on my blog, but I just couldn’t resist. This week, my students did a little essay where they explained their platform as they ran for class president. After the writing, we did a cute Pinterest inspired craft. Of course we made a craft…what were you thinking? So, I just have to share my favorite.

I present you with…Snooks for President {I’ll pause for a second as it seems Google has just exploded with searches for “Snookie”} Ha!

Her platform you ask? GTL all day long! {If you are not down with the shore language…GLT stands for gym…tan…laundry! AND…if you are not down with the shore AT ALL…don’t be! Seriously! It will make you wonder who *their* teacher was back in elementary school!} Ha!

Although I am about 90% sure that she did not intentionally recreate herself to resemble Snookie {or at least I am hoping}, I am pretty sure that it made me and my student teacher laugh for a good minute! And… her platform really wasn’t GTL, but that would have been pretty hysterical! Don’t you just LOVE the joy that kids bring into your life?!? Ha! 

Tomorrow I will be running a Super Saturday Sale in my TPT store from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. so go get your shop on! :) I am also hoping to have my Chocolate Fever Unit and Dictionary Skills Unit up by Sunday {see why this is delayed below!} :)

That is all I have for now. I am currently at Myrtle Beach for the SCIRA Reading Conference. Be jealous…be very jealous! Did I mention the beach is right outside my door? Ahhhh! Ok…I’ll stop!

Wish you were here! XOXO from the beach!

Tuesday Rewind???

Ok…so I am a tad late, but Sunday kinda turned into Monday and well…Monday into Tuesday! You get the idea. Anyways, before I blab on about all things procrastination, here is what we were up to last week {minus Valentine’s Day…see other post!} :)

  Since we had WAY too much fun playing “detectives” as we chased that little Sweetheart Snatcher, we continued on with the mystery theme for the remainder of the week. We read several Nate the Great books and learned how to use clues in our story + our schema to make inferences. Of course, we kept all of this new information in our detective tablets.

  Over the past few weeks, Amy Lemons has saved my life! Seriously, her units and ideas are super amazing…plus her little kiddos are my little kiddos pen pals! We love all of our sweet letters that we receive from her class! If you have not checked out her Black History Month pack, you are truly missing out. Last week, we spent several days integrating her unit into our genre study. I would have to say that a class fave was definitely the PB&J writing integrating informational text and George Washington Carver! We also enjoyed learning about Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges as we studied biographies and autobiographies…and if you ask my kids…apparently a bibliography is now a story about someone’s life as well! It just seems to “fit” now doesn’t it?!? Oh geeze! :)   

Then as we moved into learning a little history in preparation for President’s Day, I really wanted to do some unusual activities. You know…not just your average Washington and Lincoln things! My kiddos are super familiar with George Washington and Abe Lincoln, so I really wanted to stretch their thinking and possibly expand some of that academic vocabulary! Once again…Amy Lemons pulled through for me. Ha! Check out these AMAZING Washington Monuments! My kids also wrote an informational piece about George Washington to display with their creations!

After this little activity, we really started digging for information about other presidents from the past! I had the students research and create Presidential Trading Cards to expose them to many different presidents in a short amount of time. I forgot to take pictures of our finished trading cards, but here is the format that we used. Click on the picture to snag a copy. We will be laminating our cards and placing them into a class book to add to our classroom library.

This week, we are onto dictionary skills. Folks…today was a little rough…I’ll just be honest! It’s just something about those dang guide words! I am hoping lots of exposure, modeling, and practice will do the trick! Along with that wish, I am also hoping to post two new units in the next couple of days! Here is a little sneak peek!

Speaking of dictionary skills!

 

Keep an eye out for a little chocolate lovers giveaway with Mrs. Lemons and her Chocolate Fever unit!

Happy FAT Tuesday! ;)

“Seuss”sational Math Centers

I can’t wait for Dr. Seuss week in March. I always love the creativity that his stories bring out in the classroom and my kiddos are simply smitten by his stories and use of nonsense words!  They. Love. Him! I will definitely be posting lots of activities for Seuss Week in the next couple of weeks! Until then…here is another set of math centers. Ever since my realization {sorry…I must be a sheltered child} that not everyone is blessed with a colored printer at their school, I am really trying to make things more printer friendly.  Since my eyes LOVE color, I am trying to include options for both color and black and white printing in my units. “Suess”sational math centers includes all resources in full color and black and white! If you must are forced to choose to print in black and white, your kiddos can always add a special touch and color their cards, which will be super cute as well! All recording sheets are only in black and white.  I hope this will help save some of my teacher buddies some serious cash! I know that it must be terribly expensive to print at Staples or another outside source! 

Here is a little preview of the centers. Click on the pictures below to check them out at TPT.

 

These are perfect for small group math instruction, morning work, early finishers, or strictly as math centers. Honestly, I have been pulling these activities in during our morning work time to prep for our upcoming MAP testing! {Already? Really???}  These centers are also perfect for brushing up on essential math skills or to re-teach some of our struggling littles or bigs. :)  They can easily be incorporated throughout the year…not just during the month of March! So, head on over to TPT and pick up a copy for just $6!  

If you haven’t read my post about how this little gem works, you can check it out HERE!

And here is a little picture of how I set these centers up in my classroom!

Are you celebrating Dr. Seuss in the month of March? If so, I would love to hear your ideas! :)

Mathlete Mania

Along with requests for the Mathlete Champions: Subtraction, I have also received numerous requests for a multiplication focused unit. So, here you have it…Mathlete Champions: Multiplication. This unit is packed with 200 pages to help your kids not only master…but dominate their multiplication facts.  My kiddos will be working on subtraction over the next 9 weeks, and then we will move into memorizing our multiplication facts! Click on the picture below to check it out over at TPT.

 

And…if you are a newbie here at Shenanigans and missed it, here are the three units in this series! You can click on the pictures  below to check them out! They are all currently on sale for 6 bucks!

In other news…I am so excited to post my March math centers to TPT! I am hoping to have them ready for you by tomorrow so that you can get them ready to go! I have changed a few things up and made the much more printer friendly {don’t judge by the cover…ha!}. I didn’t realize that so many teachers are without colored printers at their school! Isn’t that considered teacher abuse?!? Ha! We need to begin a fund for you! I would die without our wonderful printer!

Here is a little peek!

Now…isn’t it “suess”sational? Can’t wait for Dr. Seuss week in March!

Have a fabulous Sunday, sweet friends!

Mathlete Champions: Subtraction Edition

Hi Friends! I hope that you are all having a nice…RELAXING Saturday! I have had so many requests for a Mathlete Unit for subtraction and I am so happy to announce that it is FINALLY ready to put to use in the classroom. I can not wait stop all of that counting on fingers {and sometimes even toes} to solve basic subtraction facts! If you would like to check it out, head on over to my TPT shop! Here is a little preview for the road! : )

Woohooo for a long weekend! I have been reunited with my long lost love…my couch! And she is treatin’ me so nice! :) Have a great weekend!