Big News and Giveaway!

Just in time for the 5 for Friday link-up I can finally share my big news!  I'm PREGNANT!!!!

 

 

Yippee....happy dance!

 

I've been going crazy keeping it a secret for the last 3 1/2 months and am so excited to finally have shared the good news with my students and now with you!

 

My due date is:  November 11th, 2013!  However, I will probubaly have the baby a little earlier.  Rumor on the street is that they usually induce us diabetics if we get to the 38th or 39th week.  With this being my first child I am curious, nervous, and extremely excited to see how it goes.

 

In class, I revealed my secret message with a quick game of phone tag.  It was a great way to see each students face light up as they found out one by one.

Afterwards I passed out little bottle shaped goodie bags for each student containing candy and a little baby bracelet momento.

We shared some cookie cake and juice, had a few laughs, and ended the day with some outside recess.

And now...time to celebrate.  I'm giving away 3 items from my Teacher Pay Teacher store to 3 lucky teachers since I have finally made it past the 3rd month.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!  Link up with your 5 things from the week with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

Teacher Appreciation Sale and Super Special Secret

I must admit, I've been keeping a little secret from all of you.  A super special secret that I've been dying to tell all of you for weeks.  Tune in Friday when I finally let the cat out of the bag.  In celebration, I will also be hosting a little giveaway!

In the mean time, stop by the Teachers Pay Teachers site tomorrow and Wednesday.  In honor of how hard all of you teachers have worked this year Teachers Pay Teachers, and many great sellers, are offering up to 28% off their fabulous teaching products.

My store will be on sale as well!  You can check it out here.

Remember, stop back Friday!  Until then, happy shopping!

Storyline Online for Tried it Tuesday

This week, for Tried it Tuesday, I'd like to share with you a fabulous (and free) website:  Storyline Online.

This site is brought to you by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation and showcases YouTube videos of famous actors reading popular children's books.

The site also includes activity guides to accompany each book with activities and information about the book and author.

If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet make sure you do!  Storyline Online is a wonderful site to use during reading center rotations, for small group or whole group instruction.


Check out what everyone else has tried on Holly's blog, Fourth Grade Flipper.

Vacation Memory Jars for Monday Made It

Over February break my husband and I, along with my in laws, traveled to St. Augustine, Cocoa Beach, and Universal Studios.  It was my first trip to Florida and I LOVED every minute of it.

I spent a little time over April break looking through our souvenirs from the trip and came across a cool idea to create a Vacation Memory Jar at Echoes of Laughter. 

I snagged a few glass containers and sand from the Dollar Tree and A.C. Moore.  I found cute little pictures frames and printed off a few pics from our trip.  I then filled the jars with sand, our picture frame, and shells that we had collected along the beach and/or purchased as souvenirs.

Next step, finishing up our scrapbook from the week.  Want more Monday Made It's?  Check out Tara's linky party at 4th Grade Frolics.

Tried it Tuesday - Fractions on a Number Line

Today I'm linking up with Holly from Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried it Tuesday.


We have just finished up our fractions unit (based on the Common Core Standards) and I have lots to share with you.

Today I wanted to share how we kicked off our unit on fractions.  We started with fractions on a number line (3rd grade standard:  3.NF.A.2).  Although I teach 4th grade, last year students didn't receive much exposure with fractions on a number line so I definitely wanted to start with bridging this gab. 

I passed out fraction cards to students and they created a human number line.  We organized the cards from least to greatest and talked about which fractions were equivalent.

My students loved the fraction pictures on each card.  It definitaly made the sorting process a lot easier and erased the common misconception that the larger the denominator the greater the fraction.

I made a little worksheet to go along with it for some independent practice.  Then students used a cute little board game to review the concept during math centers.

You can download my Fractions on a Number Line Pack in  my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Check out some of the other neat things teachers have tried for Tried it Tuesday!

Currently April

Yippee!  I couldn't be more excited that Spring has arrived and it is finally April.  Now, if only it would stop snowing. 

In honor of Spring I posted some new flower themed writing prompts.  Check them out here.

Check out everyone's currently at Oh' Boy 4th Grade!

Five for Friday

Hey bloggy buddies!  I am so so so very sorry that I have been M.I.A these last few weeks.  I disappeared in February when I decided to take a much needed vacation with my hubby to Florida.  It was my first time and we had to visit a million different places.  St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach, Orlando, and Universal Studios!  We had a blast and it was definitely a life changing experience. 

However, when I returned, I felt even more bogged down with school work than ever.  Although I had spent some much needed me time basking in the sun and crossing items off my bucket list, I had completely neglected my classroom over February Break.  Usually I pop into my classroom like 100 times.  So between trying to get caught up, cleaned up, and prepared for our upcoming state tests, I haven't had anytime to blog and create.  But, I'm back...and I've been gone for way too long.  I promise to never leave you for that long ever again.

This April Break my schedule is wide open.  I plan on finishing up some of my many TPT products that I've started over the last few weeks but not completed.  I plan on posting about some of the awesome happenings from my classroom that I have neglected to tell you about his month.  I also plan on scheduling some posts for the future so that when life continues to be crazy over the next few weeks, you will not be left in the dark.

So, I thought I'd kick off my return post with Five for Friday!  Here are five random things from my week!

1.  If students finish work early they can grab a peep on a stick.  They use these writing prompts to write stories, articles, and poems.  At the end of each day I select a few students to read their writing and to pick a treat from our bucket.

2.  I have a new favorite book:

 What If You Had Animal Teeth?  is so stinkin' cute.  It is more of a primary reader but my 4th graders loved it.  I thought it would be an open door to our animal adaptation unit coming up.

3. We also used the book for an adorable short response that we displayed in the hallway.  You can grab the templates to make this display to at First Grade Wow.

4.  Today my family helped install our first dishwasher.  Hallelujah!  I will hand wash dishes no more!

5.  Last but not least, Teaching Blog Addict is celebrating their 2 year birthday with a fabulous birthday bash on April 5th.  Stop by next Friday to get access to loads of freebies!

Well, that's all for now folks.  Check back soon for more posts.  I promise I will be much more present over the next few weeks.