Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Liebster Award!
During my Thanksgiving break I decided I should also take
a break from my computer. From Wednesday
morning through Sunday night I didn’t check my blog or write any new
posts (though one posted on Thursday that I wrote Tuesday night). So imagine my surprise to log on
today to find that Jayme from Trendy in Third nominated me for a Liebster
Award!!
Now, if you’re like me, you might be asking what a
Liebster award is. After doing a little
research I found out that it is given to new bloggers with 200 followers or
less. There are also a few rules:
Rule 1:
Post 11 random facts about yourself.
Boomer |
- I have a dog named Boomer.
- I’ve been married for 2 years.
- I love my job!
- I’m originally from Oregon.
- I ran my first marathon this past July.
- I think I will run another marathon next July.
- I have my teaching license in three different states.
- My first year teaching I was only three years older than a few of my seniors.
- I wish I was more creative.
- I love the outdoors.
- I love spicy food.
Rule 2:
Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.
1) What grade do you currently teach? Have you taught any
other grades?
I currently am
a K-8 Reading Specialist, but I used to teach 9-12 English/Language Arts.
2) What is your favorite thing about teaching? Least
favorite?
I love working
with students! It is amazing to see how
much they grow (intellectually) in a year! I don’t know if I have a least favorite part…
when I taught high school English the grading could be a little grueling at
times, but nothing is too bad.
3) If your school was donated $25,000, what would you
want your principal to purchase?
Oh boy! I would probably like a few classroom sets of
ipads with some money left over for purchasing apps. If I thought longer, though, I might have a
different answer.
4) What is your favorite TV show?
Breaking Bad…
and just a reminder that I am an English teacher NOT a Chemistry teacher :)
5) If you could go back in time, what era would you
choose to visit?
I would love to
go back to the 1920s.
6) What is your school mascot?
The Lumberjacks
7) How many kids are in your class?
I do reading
interventions so I work with students in groups of 1-5, but I work with about 50-60
students overall.
8) What is your current obsession?
Teachers Pay
Teachers
9) What is your idea of relaxing after a crazy day of
teaching?
I love curling
up with a good book while my dog curls up next to me.
10) Do you have a favorite holiday treat or drink?
I enjoy a good
hot toddy (although I don’t know if that is a ‘holiday’ drink)
11) Heels or flats?
Both – it depends
on the outfit.
Rule 3:
Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
- What do you prefer: dogs or cats?
- What do you love the most about your job?
- If you weren’t in your current career, what job would you want?
- If you could have one wish granted, what would it be?
- Have you ever done karaoke? If no, would you ever?
- What is your favorite holiday?
- What is your favorite movie?
- What is your favorite book?
- What is your favorite website?
- Why did you start your blog?
- What is your favorite part of blogging?
Rule 4: Choose
11 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers to nominate and link them in your
post.
Rule 5: You
cannot “tag back” the other blog, but leave a comment on this post with the URL
of your Liebster post so I can learn more about you & see who you nominate.
- Mrs. Orman’s Classroom
- Kindergarten Squared
- Terry’s Teaching Tidbits
- The Crazy Pre-K Classroom
- It’s About Time Teachers
- I Dream of First Grade
- Devoted to Vocabulary Development
- Caught in the Middle
- Middle Grades Maven
- Teacher Talk
- Lessons From the Middle
A big thank you again to Jayme at Trendy in Third.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Ideas for the Classroom: Bear Hunt
This short two-day Thanksgiving week was going to
be great. I just knew it. I was in a good mood. My students
were in a good mood. What could go wrong?
Well, pretty quickly Monday morning I realized that many
of my students hit Thanksgiving overload. They had done so many fun
Thanksgiving activities in class, that coming down for reading intervention to
find yet another thanksgiving activity left them less than enthused.
Glancing around the room for an idea as my disappointed second graders sat in front of me, I pieced together this game
that I am calling “Bear Hunt.” I used it all this week (all two
days!) and my students love it. Here it is:
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
TPT: Cyber Monday Plus Tuesday Sale
My Teachers Pay Teachers store as well as many others will be throwing a sale for Cyber Monday Plus Tuesday. I'll be offering 20% off on items like:
So check out my store: Margaret Vaughan - iHeartLiteracy and load up your wishlist now for Monday & Tuesday!
- 2nd-5th Grade Creative Writing Cards: Aligned with Common Core Standards
- Common Core Literacy Centers - Pack 1
- Common Core Literacy Centers - Pack 2
- Long Vowel Posters & Word Work Packet
- Short Vowel Posters & Word Work Packet
So check out my store: Margaret Vaughan - iHeartLiteracy and load up your wishlist now for Monday & Tuesday!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Food For Thought
In Dr. Alec Couros’ short post Tips Up or Tips Down?, Couros
recounts a missed learning opportunity with his son.
The post is a powerful reminder that we as teachers
and parents need to foster and deepen our students’ curiosity. Technology
can provide simple answers in an instant. However, often more important
than the answer is how we use our minds to find, discover, search, and
create. Technology is great, but when it replaces thinking it can become
more of a hindrance than a help in the process of learning.
Again, Tips Up or Tips Down? is short, but it is well worth the
quick read.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Reading Research Monday: Toxic vs. Positive Self Talk
One of our students was having a rough week last week, in
his reading group. I volunteered to take the student out into the hall so
we could talk and walk around a bit to cool off. Working with all ages of
students from preschool through twelfth grade, I have encountered many reasons
why kids break down: dad got a DUI, mom hasn’t been home for three days, a
best-friend turned on a student, someone is bullying, a dog died, grandma is in
the hospital, it’s just a bad day… the list goes on and on. I knew the
first grader I was working with had difficulty with his parents and I was
expecting to hear his usual, “My mom was being mean.” I wasn’t prepared
for his reasoning this time. When I asked him what was wrong, he turned
and looked at me straight in the eyes and yelled, “I’m a jerk!” He kept
repeating it, “I’m a jerk! I’m just a jerk! There’s nothing I can
do about it! I’m a jerk!”
Friday, November 16, 2012
Friday Freebie: Thanksgiving
Today's Friday Freebie has a Thanksgiving theme for the upcoming holiday. On this I Am Thankful For sheet, students are able to trace over the pre-written words, complete the sentence, and a draw a picture.
The sheet comes in color (as seen above) and in black and white. You can download it for FREE here: Thanksgiving: I am thankful for.
Enjoy!
The sheet comes in color (as seen above) and in black and white. You can download it for FREE here: Thanksgiving: I am thankful for.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Friday Freebie: Comprehension Sentence Starter Cards
Sometimes my students who struggle with comprehension simply don't know where to start. That's where these free Comprehension Sentence Starter Cards come in. The cards can be used independently, in small groups, in large groups, or in literature circles.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
TPT: Common Core Literacy Centers Packet
This Common Core Literacy Centers Packet includes 8 different centers with 160+ pages for your kiddos. My students enjoy playing/learning at these centers. They especially love "Puzzle Words," "Rolling for Words," and "Small Word Finder."
I use these activities with 1st and 2nd grade students who are on level and with several of my 3rd and 4th grade Tier II and III intervention kiddos.
I use these activities with 1st and 2nd grade students who are on level and with several of my 3rd and 4th grade Tier II and III intervention kiddos.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Friday Freebie: Non-Fiction Text Feature Scavenger Hunt
This week's Friday Freebie is a Text-Feature Scavenger Hunt for Non-Fiction. This two-page scavenger hunt works great with so many subject areas.
Using the scavenger hunt really allow kids to explore their math, history, business, health, etc. textbooks. Doing so helps students build a better understanding of how to read all parts of their non-fiction books. Also, students will gain an understanding of how and why their non-fiction books are structured the way they are.
Hope you and your students find it useful!
Using the scavenger hunt really allow kids to explore their math, history, business, health, etc. textbooks. Doing so helps students build a better understanding of how to read all parts of their non-fiction books. Also, students will gain an understanding of how and why their non-fiction books are structured the way they are.
Hope you and your students find it useful!
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