Some Great Things About Spring!!!!! {Crafting & Writing Freebie}

I can't believe I'm saying this, but SPRING HAS FINALLY SPRUNG here in Illinois!  We've had three consistent days above 50 degrees!  I know, right?  Many of us never thought this day would come!  And now that it has, we all have a little Spring Fever.  

So I pulled out my craft binder and found these cuties:

We always have a solid hour on Wednesday afternoons when kids are getting pulled out for Math RtI, Reading RtI, Title I, or the Reading Grandparents.  So instead of trying to do lessons,  I plan extension activities and crafts.

This is the result:

  

 Click here and here to get your own copy of the patterns.

And of course, these spring-y crafts got me thinking about all the great things about Spring.  So I pulled out all the books in my library that are Spring related.  I also like to keep old issues of Time for Kids.  I dug out magazines about gardening, thunderstorms and tornadoes, the effects of the sun, and insects.  We spent the last half of our crafting time reading.

I was actually amazed how many books I had that related to Spring in some way.

Hibernating Animals and Holidays 

Fiction and Gardening 

Weather and Life Cycles 

Non-Fiction and Time for Kids

And to put all that new information to good use, we wrote about all the great things about Spring!

Since most of my class struggles with writing, (and don't we all?!?!) I like to do a whole-class writing before I set them loose on their own.

Though this writing is more expository-like, I encourage my students to write using elements from narratives: an introductory and closing paragraph, and feeling and transition words. 

Now it's time to see what they can do on their own!

At my school, we use the 4-square writing method.  (I guess technically this is a 5-square.)

Click here to get your own copy of this graphic organizer.  

Here are a couple shots during our pre-write.  This part of the process is very slow because I have each student share what they're planning to write before they write it.  This gives the strugglers a chance to "steal" some ideas on what to write themselves.  I also refer to our whole-class writing often during this stage.  

But I gotta say that we are ROCKIN' this!  My kiddos are coming up with some A-MA-ZING sentences!

Then we did a little peer editing . . .

and voila!

Isn't great when a craft leads to a reading opportunity, which leads to writing opportunity?  Some connections MUST have been made. Right?

Tuesday Art Linky

Today I am linking up with Mel at Frog Spot for her Tuesday Art Linky!

(This craft is also featured in a post that I am working on for later this week.  Click here to see that post.)

Spring Fever has struck here in Illinois.  So I pulled out my crafting supplies and had my kiddos make these cuties.  Click here and here for your own copy of the patterns.

And didn't they turn out SO CUTE!?!?!

Five for Friday {A First for Me}

This is the first time I have liked up with Doodle Bugs for her Five for Friday.  Linkies are always so much fun! 

     
I like to read books to my class that have been made into movies.  So far this year we have read: Because of Winn Dixie, The City of Ember, Holes, and we just finished Indian in the Cupboard.  After we finish each book, we watch the movie and discuss the similarities and differences between the book and movie.  We're moving on to Charlotte's Web next!    

You may know that I am a HUGE fan of the Decorah Eagles in Decorah, Iowa.  My class and I watch them everyday and observe their growing eaglets.  You can check them out here.
Anyways, yesterday we switched over to watch some hummingbirds.  I thought it would be interesting to compare the size of the birds and the nests.  While there, we actually got to watch one of these adorable baby hummingbirds fledge from the next for the first time!  We all cheered like we were watching a sporting event!

My kiddos and I have been working on a writing project this week.  We've spent time reading and talking about the great things about Spring.  We finished a whole-class writing.  I was very pleased with the sentences they supplied for it.  I'll be sharing a longer post about this next week. (Click here to see that post.)

I finished re-reading the Divergent series this week.  My husband came to bed to find a blubbering, snotty mess of a wife as I read the famous "Chapter 50" in the Allegiant book.  For those of you who haven't read it, I won't spoil it for you.  But for those of you who have, tell me you didn't sob like a baby!

Technically, this event didn't happen during the week but it's something that I've been psyching myself up for all week!  I get to babysit my sister's three youngest tomorrow.  Adding them to my own and the potential neighbor kids that might show up, I could be looking at 7 youngsters running around my house!  It's going to be a madhouse!

Liebster Award

This is so cool!  Theresa at True Life I'm a Teacher just gave me the nod for a Liebster Award!  What a great way to recognize new and budding blogs, and I send my thanks to her.   

Here are the rules:

1.  Link back to the blog that nominated me.

2.  Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

3.  Answer the questions posted for me by my nominator.

4.  Share 11 random facts about myself.

5.  Contact my nominees and let them know that I nominated them.

Here are the questions from Theresa:

1. What grade do you teach? What grades have you taught? How long have you been teaching?

I teach 2nd grade.  I have taught 2-5th grades.  This marks my 10th year in teaching.

2. What book do you read to your class each year without fail?

"Because of Winn Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo.  I even read it with a slight southern accent.  The looks on the kids' faces the first time I do that is priceless.  

3. If you weren't a teacher, what would you be doing?

I would be a nurse.  I even strongly considered attending some courses at our local vocational school when I was in high school.  But when I found out how hard it is to find a job, I reconsidered.  Because it's not hard to find a teaching job at all, right?  (insert sarcasm here)

4. What's one thing you're just dying to buy for your classroom?

I would LOVE to get a class set of tablets for the kiddos.  I've thought about going paperless and the tablets would get me going in the right direction.

5. What's your non-teaching guilty pleasure?

I absolutely CAN NOT miss my weekly shows: Bates Motel on A&E and The Americans on FX.  I've also recently picked up Believe on NBC and am looking forward to the new season of Under the Dome on CBS.  

6. Favorite book (non-teaching related)?

I could read the Hunger Games series over and over.

7. What's one thing on your bucket list?

Take an Alaskan cruise.

8. Favorite restaurant?

Applebee's

9. Who would play you in a movie about your life?

Emily Blunt.  She seems to have just the right about of "crass and sass" in her, AND that way my husband could be John Krazynski!

10. What's one thing you could eat everyday?

Haagen Daz Coffee Ice Cream

11. What inspired you to begin blogging?

I was never one to brag about the things I do in my classroom.  But when I began following the blogs of other teachers, I found myself wanting to contribute, too.  I knew I was doing some pretty cool things with my students and I wanted to share that with people who appreciate just how much work goes into it.  

11 Random Facts About Me

1.  My husband is 15 years older than me and I am closer in age to my step-children than I am to him!

2.  I'm pretty sure my 103-year-old house is haunted.

3.  I have never been ice skating or skiing.

4.  I am in the process of getting my Concealed Carry permit.  

5.  I teach at the elementary that I attended as a child.  I even work with my 2nd and 3rd grade teachers and my high school volleyball coach.

6.  I have a three-legged dog named Mira.

7.  I don't like sweet potatoes or squash.

8.  I spent a week in the Bahamas on a 40 foot sailboat scuba diving with sharks and among shipwrecks.

9.  I love to read.

10.  I can't drive a manual transmission car.

11.  I absolutely adore my two boys, Cameron (7) and Benny (6), and tell them everyday to stop growing up.  I want them to stay my little boys forever.

Questions for my Nominees:

1.  What is your favorite recipe to make?

2.  What was the last book you read?

3.  Who would you choose to be the actress in the movie of your life?

4.  Have you met any celebrities?

5.  Who was one of your favorite teachers growing up?

6.  What were you doing on August 21, 1987?

7.  How many years have you been teaching?  What grades have you taught?

8.  What is your least favorite subject to teach?

9.  What has been the proudest teaching moment of your career?

10.  If you could be anything else besides a teacher, what would it be?

My Nominees are:

Alisha @

Lindsay @

Courtney @

Jana @

Meredith @

April Currently

Feels like a lifetime since I've linked up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for her Currently Linky.  But in reality, it's only been two months!  I guess the school days haven't been flying by as fast as I thought they were.

Listening:  My two boys love to watch documentaries about the earth and animals.  When I came down the stairs this morning, they were watching one on monkeys in the Amazon.  Then we switched to one on caves. (we have the whole series recorded on our DVR)  But this one didn't keep their interests and they've wandered off.  But as with most of the kids' shows, I find myself continuing to watch even when they're not around!

Loving:  Instead of being in charge of 13 kids everyday, this week I'm only in charge of 2.  That's an improvement, if only for a week.  :0)  Besides, we were all needing a little break from one another.  I'm sure I was getting on their nerves as much as they were getting on mine!

Thinking:  Here I am on the third real day on break and I have very little to show for it.  I brought home my stuff to work on TpT products but so far I'm having trouble getting inspired.  Instead, I've rolled out of bed at 8:30 AND managed to take a nap everyday!  I know, L-A-Z-Y.  Getting groceries and a few loads of laundry done counts, though, right?

Wanting:  Wind gusts up to 55 MPH for the last two days doesn't exactly help the temperatures.  The other morning I woke up and listened to a howling wind that could of had snow with it.  To my relief, there was not a snowflake to be seen.  At this rate, I won't be getting my garden in until June!

Needing:  A pothole discovered my husband's rear wheel last week and caused $300 worth of damage and it STILL isn't fixed.  It's a lucky thing I'm on Break because he has been using my van to get to work.  We tried me taking him to work but his day starts at 7:00, which meant I had to get up at 5:30.  Not cool.  So instead, I am stuck at home with no vehicle.  

Hours and Last Day: Though there has been recent talk of lengthening the school day, right now our days start at 8:30 and end at 3:10.  And all the snow days this winter pushed our last day through the first full week of June.  

That's all for me.  Head back to Farley's to link up!

~Stacy

Throwing a Sale!

Who doesn't love a good sale?  Today I am linking up with Mrs. Sanderson at Flying High in First Grade to spread the word about my sale.

All of the items in  my TpT store are 15% off through Monday, March 31st.

Click on any of the images below to go to my store.

Here are a couple of my latest and greatest:

  

And here are a couple of oldies, but goodies:

And just for the fun of it, here are some freebies!

Have an awesome weekend, everyone!
~Stacy