First Year Bliss

The 3AM Teacher is hosting this super fun first year of blogging LINKY!!

This first year of blogging has made such a huge difference in my teaching! I am reflecting more than ever and I'm getting some AMAZING ideas from other bloggers!

I am also very happy that I opened up a Teachers Pay Teachers store!

I have made some super product that I use in my classroom! I absolutely LOVE knowing and seeing my products being used in other classrooms and helping other students!  I also have a Teacher's Notebook store, if you prefer shopping there! I've only been blogging for 10 months but I love every second of it! I wish I had MORE TIME {every teacher's dream, right?} to blog more. I need to set myself a schedule so I am more consistent!! In other news, it was my birthday yesterday!! It was an awesome day! In the morning my mom had flowers for me. At school, I was spoiled by my students with flowers, a candle, a sweater, a cake and some candy! Then at home, I found a homemade cake {by the husband} and some roses!  It was such an awesome day that I didn't even mind that it was LATE NIGHT CONFERENCE NIGHT!  I survived and all of my conferences have been great! Parents have been very supportive and I couldn't ask for better students! Check out the pictures!

Flowers, teddy bear, and LOVE from another first grade class! :)

Looking rough but happy with my cake! 

If you have ever thought about blogging... YOU SHOULD! It's an amazing way to share your thoughts, ideas, and join the wonderful community of teacher bloggers! 

Also, do you create materials for your classroom and your student's learning? 

Have you thought about opening a Teachers Pay Teachers store? If you are thinking about joining TpT, please use my referral link by clicking {HERE}! 

Have a super day! I'm finishing up conferences this week... should be fun! :)

FB Page, A Cauldron Full of Centers, and Grammar Wall Stuff!

Hi sweet followers!
I hope your year is going by as fast as mine! We are almost at conference time! EEEK! I'm nervous already.
As I'm finishing up starting report cards, I think back at these last 10 weeks! I have such a good class and with 26 firsties looking up to me everyday and I feel super lucky!
Since I am supposed to be working on report cards, I decided to make a FB Page for this little blog!
I have the pop-up, so please like it!
I am working on having a SUPER giveaway this week {maybe Thursday, when I should be done with report cards since they will be due} from my FB page so make sure to follow!
Click {HERE} to head on over to FB!
I also have two new items in my TpT shop!!
The first is my Halloween themed math and literacy centers, A Cauldron Full of Centers!

Here are some pics of what's included!

Making complete telling sentences!

Number order!

Comparing Numbers!

Addition Equations!

Reading Real and Nonsense Words!

Reading and Matching Words!

You will find 6 centers that are PERFECT for first graders for the next few weeks! :)

My kiddos will be working on these next week!! They are excited!

The second product is my Grammar Wall Cards {Everything You Need for a Perfect Grammar Wall}!

As an SEI {Structured English Immersion} teacher in Arizona, we are supposed to have grammar wall in our classrooms!

Here is the preview!

Seriously, you just print, laminate, cut, and hang! You will have the cutest and useful grammar wall around! 

Check, check it out! :)

I will be back later when I announce the giveaways!! :)

Have a lovely rest of your Sunday and have a fabulous week!! 

The Magical Product Swap Featuring TGIF!

We are at it again!! Jessica over at Mrs. Stanford's Class organized another product swap.

I super enjoyed the last product swap because I had the super awesome Fluttering Through First Grade as my partner!
Now, I know that this product swap is going to be just as good because I am paired up with Susan from TGIF (Thank God It's First Grade)! This is her old button:

But she got this awesome blog makeover and check out her new button:

I'm loving Susan's new look!

I got to pick one item from Susan's TpT Store {HERE}

I got to pick this bad boy!

Here is the description from TpT: This unit has everything you need to help your students meet the Common Core Standard {1.NBT.1}: Students will count to 120, starting at any number less than 120. In this range, read and write numerals and represent a number of objects with a written numeral.

In this packet:
(p.1) Title page
(2-14) Spin n' Graph: Activities for number recognition as well as numeral and number word identification. There are 6 different games to allow for growth and differentiation.
(15-16) Flip it, Say it, Write it, Draw it: Partner activity for number identification.
(17) Order Up: Group activity for ordering numbers 0-120.
(18-23) Number cards 0-120 for use during activities
(24) Games to play with 10s and 20s frames
(25-26) Individual 10s and 20s frames for students to use during whole group instruction
(27-31) Numeral cards 1-20 with matching 10s/20s frames to use during games
(32) Games to play with a 120 chart
(33-36) A complete 120 chart for student use, and 3 incomplete 120 chart for fill in.
(37-46) 120 Chart Puzzles: Students work together to put together the "broken" 120 chart.
(47-53) Read the Room: Activity for number word recognition. Numbers 0-25 as well as multiples of 10 to 120.
(53-56) Three different assessments to use throughout unit
(57) Acknowledgements!

I am in LOVE with this packet! 

Look at my little nugget helping me laminate the goods!! :)

My laminator was hard at work!

Here are the contents...

8 different 120's chart PUZZLES!! They are awesome!

My kiddos loved them!! :)

I initially printed them out on white paper but Susan suggested printing the different puzzles on colored paper! Brilliant!

Here they all are printed! Just need to laminate and cut! They will then be ready for my kids' little hands!

The pack also includes 120 charts that have some numbers missing! I laminated them and my students write in the missing numbers with dry erase markers!

Here is a filled in one! :)

In this pack, there are also number cards to 120... with another activity!

Another activity is the Read the Room! You place the number words around the room and the students need to record the number word next to the number!

It also includes a bunch of Spin n' Graph activities!! I also laminated them!

ANOTHER activity includes matching ten frames to numbers. LOVE!

And last but not least... ASSESSMENTS! There are 3 different assessments for the Common Core Standard 1.NBT.1!

You NEED this is you teach first grade!! Grab it at Susan's TpT store {HERE}

If you don't already follow TGIF... go there now!! She has awesome ideas and is super nice! Plus, you can check out the product that she picked from MY TpT store!

On to some good news... 

Susan and I decided to put our swap items on sale {20% off} for this weekend!!! :)

Grab her unit for only 4 bucks!!! GO THERE NOW!! It is a must!

First Grade Common Core

Have you seen this book around blogland??? I know I have!!

If you haven't, this is a workbook aligned to the Common Core Standards!!! 

It includes worksheets and activities for EVERY standard!!! I am sure that it is going to be a big time saver!

This FIRST GRADE COMMON CORE workbook is a must for first grade teachers! I can't wait to get mine!

Check out their site {HERE}!

I'm so sorry and it's Fall sale!!

I've been a super bad blogger!!! I've been super busy at school... getting my room ready {I feel like I am not done with my room... 7 weeks after school has already started}, teaching a PD class for my district, planning, preparing, and everything else we all do!! I am super impressed with the bloggers that do it ALL!! :)
I would love for you to check out my TpT store!! I am having a 20% off sale on ALL products for the rest of today and all of Sunday.

You can grab the following plus more for a super price:

I promise to be back with classroom pictures very soon!! :)

How is your school year going?? Is anyone feeling as overwhelmed as I am??? 

Diana's Paint Dot Sight Words!!!

Ok, I am going to tell you about something AwEsOmE! These are Cole's Little Pups Paint Dot Sight Words! Do you need a way to reinforce certain sight words? Maybe during word work? These are perfect for you!!!

The kiddos are able to highlight the word and then "dot" the stars with bingo dotters. They will also re-write the word and on Diana's first grade words, she has added a spot where the students can write a sentence that has their sight word! PERFECT!!!
They LOVE this word work activity! I used these ALL last year as a word work activity (in Daily 5). They are super easy to maintain and I can't wait to start them again this year!
Last school year, I was using the first grade Fundation sight words and Diana made me a special set!!! She is awesome!

Click on over to Diana's blog: Cole's Little Pups. She has some great ideas and is super sweet!

This year, I am doing sight words in my room a little bit differently! My teammate is using 11 sight word lists and they are individualized to each student to make sure that the students learn them all (that's another post!! Coming Soon!!) but Diana is making me a set just for those words!!
Click {HERE} to check out her Kinder sight words for only $1.50!!! and click {HERE} for her first grade sight word set for only $6.00!
Hop on over to her blog and check out her ideas!! :) Let me know if you have any questions about using these in your classrooms!

Lovely Three Day Weekend! Catch up!

I must say I was BEYOND excited when I found out Labor Day was on Monday and that we wouldn't be going to school that day. I very much needed this 3 day weekend.
All last week, I was super super sick and still went to work (I know I should have stayed home to rest but I HATE sub plans!). I also had a lovely MAC-Ro training (school-home math program) and I had a morning of looking at my DIBELS data and setting up my small groups so I did have to plan for a half day sub! Blah!
Overall, it was a very successful week!
Let me go back and talk about the first week of school. We started on a Wednesday and we went over procedures, rules (WBT), and did fun "about me" activities. The following Monday, we started going over the Alphabet, sounds, and the Kinder sight words my firsties are SUPPOSED to know.
My kiddos were so cute and kept saying that they already knew their letters and sounds and it was too easy... that's when I let them in on a secret... We were working on Kinder stuff!!! That first grade wouldn't start until we reviewed all of their kinder work so they had to do their best. WORKED LIKE A CHARM!
2 weeks later (this past Monday), they were super excited to start REAL first grade.
In my district, we use Harcourt's StoryTown so after the 2 week inventory (working on letters and sounds) we start the first lesson.
The first lesson is on short a words and my kiddos rocked it!
I'm so excited to work in an Intermediate SEI class this year! It is such a huge difference academically than my Pre-Emergent to Basic class that I had last year. I struggled very much last year just getting some kids to know their letters and sounds in first grade!
...
I'm pretty sure I forgot to mention this but on the first day of school, I got an amazing email. It was from Donor's Choose and they told me that my project had been funded!!!
A week and a half later, I had 2 iPod Touches in my hand!!! The kiddos are so excited about them and I can't wait to show you guys what I'm doing thanks to a wonderful new teammate!
Talking about teammates... My school is huge! As in we have over 700 students in a K-3 school so there are also a lot of teachers (not enough)... There are 7 teachers in my first grade team and 3 of them are new! One taught kinder last year, another one taught kinder for the last half of the year last year, and one is brand new!
They are soooo awesome because they love cute stuff like me and they are all into really TEACHING the kiddos and making it a fun experience!
I mean, they shop on TpT... How awesome is that! I am not the only one!!! :)
I'm really excited because we have also been planning together and really talking about our assessments and scores and making goals.... LOVE!
This year is going to be awesome.
That is enough blabbing... I feel like I need to catch everyone up since I haven't been blogging!!!
I hope to be back sometime next week to show you some pictures of my room! It feels like it isn't done but it does look pretty good.
I'll leave you with a beautiful pic of my very own Kindergartner...

Love that little lady!

<3