Santa's Addition Bump - Freebie!

Your gift for today is a version of my FAVORITE math game!

Play Bump with these cute little Santas. Add bi-colored disks (like the one at the end of this post) or let each player use two different coins.

Use three dice or number cubes and you are ready for some fun. I usually run off enough so that I have one game board for every two kiddos, then place the game in a sheet protector. Turn your kiddos loose, and they are ready for some fun!

Just click on the pic above for your gift.

(I hope you'll leave me a comment and let me know how your kids liked the game.)

If you need a source for the bi-colored disks, click on the link below.

It's a Noun Hunt! -- Freebie

Need a "filler" that meets a CC Standard to keep your kiddos occupied while you try to finish up a report?

Try this Noun Scavenger Hunt. Put out a stack of Christmas books, library books, or even textbooks.  Students search through the books to find proper, common, singular, plural, abstract, singular possessive, plural possessive, and collective nouns.

Just click on the pic above to get your gift….and please leave a "gift of a comment!" I'd love to hear from you.

Two of My Favorite Christmas Books -- Freebie

These two books are just too good not to share again. 

How Santa Got His Job and How Santa Lost His Job are two of my favorite Christmas books. I'm sharing the freebies I posted last year with you again in case you missed them the first time around or just need to be reminded about these two fun, fun, fun books.

I always start by using the covers of the book as a writing prompt. Ask your kiddos how they think Santa got his job and have them write a short story with all the story elements.

Once you read the story, they can compare and contrast their version with the original. Do the same activity for their predictions on how Santa lost his job.

Click on the pic above to get your gift for today……and please think about leaving me a comment. I love to hear from you.

Christmas Syllable Hunt - Freebie

Grab your favorite Christmas or winter books, stick this sheet in a sheet protector, and you've got a quick literacy station!

Breaking words apart into syllables is a great way to beef up your kiddos' decoding skills.

Click on the pic above to get your gift.

Santa's Prefixes - Freebie

 A big focus of both second and third grade is decoding, understanding, and using words with prefixes.

Today's freebie is perfect to sneak into a literacy station for some extra practice in these crazy weeks before Christmas break.

Click on the pic above to get your gift.

Christmas Write the Room - Plurals -- Freebie!

Need a way to work off some of that extra energy bouncing around in your room?

Use this Write the Room activity to review regular and irregular plurals and sentence writing. 

Tape the cards around the room, being sure to make some a little hard to find.  I usually make a rule that there is no talking when we play. That just keeps the kids focused and lets them be a little sneaky when they are finding the words.

Click on the pic above to get your gift.

Happy December! Long Vowels Freebie

Happy December!

We have tried to amp up our phonics and spelling practice this year by emphasizing multi syllable words in our literacy stations.

Our kiddos need practice with basic phonics decoding skills, but we didn't want to use the same words that they had been using since first and second grade. The words that accompany our new basal aren't rigorous enough to meet the foundational skills of Common Core, so we've tried to use multi syllable words in our decoding practice.

Your gift today is a Scoot game. Put one card on each desk, give each child or team of children a recording sheet, and ring a bell. Each child records the word under the correct heading, then moves to the next desk when they hear the bell.

Just click on the pic above to get your gift.

I love Scoot because they kids don't even know they are reviewing. It's a fun way to do a formative assessment at the end of a lesson, too.

Thanksgiving is Over?

Can you believe Thanksgiving is over? It's my favorite holiday and it seems like we celebrate the whole week instead of just on Thursday.

One of my lucky followers has something to be thankful for! 

Patricia won my blog's giveaway sponsored by Carson-Dellosa and gets to choose either a copy of the ELA or Math Common Core Connections book for her grade level. Patricia, check your email for the details!

I've got a lot planned for December, so be sure to visit every day. I'll have some oldies, but goodies and some brand new freebies for you.

If you haven't heard, Teachers Pay Teachers is having a Cyber Monday Sale December 2 and 3. It's the perfect time to get those items on your wish list you've been wanting. I have some Christmas-themed products in my store, as well as items you can use year-round. I've also added two new stories to complement the third grade Journeys basal, so be sure to go look.

Every item in my store is marked off 20% and TpT is adding an addition percentage off, so you can get up to 28% off everything you buy!

Teachers Notebook is also having a sale starting tomorrow. It ends December 2. I've got everything marked down 20% there, too!

Click on the links to the right to visit either of my shops.

Proper Pilgrims -- Freebie!

Today, I am thankful that my mama taught me how to cook….including how to make her dressing for Thanksgiving! This is our family's first holiday season without her,  my mother-in-law, or my nephew. I guess it's time to combine some new traditions with the old ones and celebrate being together while remembering Memi, Nell, and Garner.

Your freebie today is a review of proper nouns.

Click on the pic above to get your freebie!

Don't forget to click {HERE} for a chance to win a copy of Common Core Connections for your grade level.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Common Core Connections Giveaway

Today I am thankful for companies and corporations that reach out to teachers and try to help in both big and small ways.

Carson-Dellosa is one company that aims to stay in the forefront of educational research and offer products to help make a teacher's life easier.

One of their new products does just that. 

Their Common Core Connections is a series of workbooks designed to help teachers as they implement the Common Core standards in their instruction.

Each book contains worksheets that offer more than the typical review on the CCSS. 

Go {HERE} to take a look at the books for your grade level.

I especially liked the variety of activities included in each book to address the standards. Although our school has gotten away from using so many worksheets, I think these are useful as homework and extra practice. They are good insights for parents to get a glimpse of what is going on in our classrooms. If you are like us and have to watch your copies, just make one copy and put in a sheet protector. Put all the sheets in a notebook and they will be ready for you to pull when you need differentiated practice for certain skills. As a bonus, each page includes the appropriate I Can statements for each activity.

Click on the pic for more info.

If you want to try to win a copy of either the ELA or Math Common connections for your grade level, enter through the Rafflecopter at the end of this post. Hurry! The giveaway ends on Friday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Skipping Turkeys -- Freebie

I have so much to be thankful for. Sometimes it's hard to narrow it down to just one item for a post.

 Not today.

 I am thankful that the call to our local high school last Friday saying there was a gunman in the cafeteria was only a prank. I am thankful that none of my friends who work at SCHS or attend school there were injured. I am thankful that our local law enforcement and school district personnel responded so quickly. I am hopeful that others who might consider playing such a prank in the future have learned how fearful the parents and family members of those at the school felt, not knowing if their family members and friends were safe.

I am just thankful.

Now for your freebie…

These turkeys are skipping around! Your kiddos have to figure out the counting pattern and sort them under the correct heading.

Just click on the pic above to get your freebie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bearing Down on Facts -- Thanksgiving Freebie

I'm thankful that I've had both of my kids home from school for the weekend. My son was in a friend's wedding, and I loved seeing him all dressed up in a tux! I'm also thankful for the couple that got married and their sweet, touching wedding. I've known the groom since he was a little boy and I am proud of the young man he has become. 

Your freebie for today is a game for practicing multiplying by ten.

Print off the game board, add a coin for flipping and some markers for moving and you are all set!

Just click on the pic above to get the file.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Falling for Syllables - Freebie

Today I am thankful for my bathtub. I am ready to get in and relax with a good book. It's been a long day!

Our kids need lots of practice decoding multisyllable words. Use this activity in a literacy station. Once the kiddos sort the words, let them write a narrative using the vocabulary from the activity.

Just click on the pic above to get your freebie!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey's Silent E -- Freebie

Today I am thankful that my sister lives less than twenty miles away. When we need each other, we can get there in no time at all!

Today's freebie is a game to reinforce reading long and short vowel words. Students try to read four words in a row on the grid to win the game. They can use their markers to block another player.

Click on the pic above to get your freebie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey's Possessives -- Freebie

Today, I am thankful that I teach in a school system that tries to make decisions that put the best interests of the students first. That's not always the case in some places.

Your freebie for today is a quick, fun activity to review possessive nouns. Students draw a card, determine if the noun is a plural possessive or singular possessive noun, and record it on a graphic organizer. You can have them make the graphic organizer or use the one I included. 

After writing the nouns, they highlight the apostrophe with a marker. Everything to the left of the apostrophe is highlighted in a different color. This helps them actually see the noun before the apostrophe is added.

After sorting the possessive nouns, students choose four nouns and use them in sentences.

Click on the picture above to get your Thanksgiving freebie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Addition Bump -- Freebie

Today I am thankful for my Sir Pizza buddies. We started out going to Sir Pizza after school when we all taught the same grade together, but now we've moved to different grades and different schools. We went tonight and I realized just how much I miss working side by side with them every day.

(If you haven't had a Sir Pizza pizza, you don't know what you are missing!)

Your freebie for today is an addition version of Bump. My kiddos have always liked playing Bump and would play all day if I let them. Put three dice or number cubes and the game board in your math station and you've got a quick and easy addition facts fluency practice.

Just click on the pic above to get your freebie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Plurals -- Freebie

Today, I am thankful for my local Ruby Tuesday restaurant. They donated twenty percent of their profits on Friday, Saturday, and today to our school. I ate there three times this weekend to show my support for them! They were so used to seeing me by today, that they gave me my own copy of a cookbook full of their recipes! Debbie, their manager, is friendly, compassionate, and willing to go the extra mile to help schools.

Today's freebie is all about plurals. Set a timer and get ready for some fun practice.

Just click on the pic above to get your file.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

Today I am thankful that our high school football team won the first round in the State playoffs! Both my husband and son played for the Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles when they were in high school. Way to go!

(I'm betting Coach Hardy really didn't mind getting wet and cold!)

I know someone else that will be thankful when she hears this news.

Congratulations to Leigh! She followed me on Pinterest and won the Rockin'Reading game from Educational Insights!

Email me, Leigh, so I can get the details of claiming your prize out to you.

Gobble Up Some Freebies!

I am thankful for friends of my children that have become friends of mine. Watching these kids grow up makes me proud!

These are two of my favorite activities I shared with you last November. Let your kiddos draw two feather cards, find the numbers that match, and write the corresponding problem.

Just click on the pics above to get the goodies.

Don't forget to click {HERE} to enter my giveaway for the Rockin' Reading game from Educational Insights.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Writing Fun for Thanksgiving -- Freebie

Today, I am thankful for my co-workers in the Reading lab. We make a good team and have lots of fun together. Who you work with makes all the difference!

Use today's freebie in a writing station. Cut out the pics, place in a bag or box, and let the students draw two to use as the basis for a narrative. Having to base the story on the two pics makes them plan before they begin writing. The activity includes a graphic organizer to use in the planning phase.

Just click on the pic above to get the file.

Don't forget to click {HERE} to enter my giveaway for the Rockin' Reading game from Educational Insights.

Thanksgiving Rounding - Freebie

Today, I am thankful for getting to wear blue jeans to school in exchange for helping with our mega-party after school! Teachers will do anything to get a jeans day!

Your freebie today is all about rounding to the nearest ten or hundred. Let this cute little turkey give your kiddos some practice.

Just click on the pic above to get your file.

Don't forget to click {HERE} to enter my giveaway for the Rockin' Reading game from Educational Insights.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful for YOU!

I had big plans for November….

I wanted to offer you a freebie correlated to a Common Core Standard for at least every other day, if not every day. Sadly, my mother-in-law passed away and I am getting a late start. My heart just wasn't in it. It's been a hard time for the past few months for my family. In addition to my mother-in-law, my mama, my nephew and my grandmother-in-law have all passed away since May. Although I miss them all, I am thankful for the role they all played in my life and in the lives of my children.  

Take a few minutes and think about someone you are thankful for and let them know now! 

I am thankful for you, all of my blog readers, and the kind comments you send me. Often, your sweet, funny words are the highlight of my day.

Here's your first freebie. Combine writing sentences with identifying verbs with these cute Thanksgiving characters. Give each student a sheet and have them write at least five sentences describing the picture. Each sentence must include a present tense verb.

If you don't have the ink to print a page for each kiddo, make one copy and post the sentences under the picture.

Just click on the pic above to get your freebie.

Don't forget to click {HERE} to enter my giveaway for the Rockin' Reading game from Educational Insights.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween Rounding -- Freebie

Here's my last Halloween treat for you. It's a rounding game that you can either post as a write the room activity, put in a math station, or use as a Scoot activity.

Students draw a card and round the number to the nearest ten and hundred.

Just click on the pic above to get the freebie.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Don't forget to click {HERE} to enter my giveaway for the Rockin' Reading game from Educational Insights.

Literal and Nonliteral Language -- Halloween Freebie!

Halloween is the perfect time for some extra practice on distinguishing between literal and nonliteral language. Put these cards in a literacy station and let your kiddos have some fun!

Just click on the pic above to get the freebie!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Go {HERE} to enter my giveaway for a copy of a  Rockin' Reading game from Educational Insights.