Oh, Vacation is Bliss! New Boots, New Books, and a Homemade Caramel Macchiato!

Have I told you that my husband makes the best coffee? OMG. The. Best. His espresso tops any drink I've ever had at Starbucks or Peet's. Don't get me wrong... I'm very happy with Starbucks and Peet's drinks. Love them, in fact. But Ken's drinks are even better. Several years ago, he started talking about buying an espresso machine. And then came the research... and one day he came home with an Italian, black and silver machine that cost... ahem...several hundred dollars.  I was aghast. All I could think about at the time were all the groceries and kids' shoes that I could have bought with that much money!

HOWEVER, when I drank the first mocha he made... I was immediately convinced! What a smart man! Omiword! So good! And now, several years later... maybe eight? The machine has more than paid for itself. And so today, I've been lounging in bed... a little reading, a little work... and a homemade caramel macchiato! (And he made the caramel, too!)



 

Bliss! Don't you love winter break?!

And I'm excited... I'm ordering these boots today!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My fabulous kindergarten and first grade families gave me all those gift cards, and one will make a significant dent in the cost of the boots. I have a brown pair already and I love them! Cannot wait for them to arrive! I've had my eye on these for ages!

And books... Books!

My kiddos know that I love books! I have more than 4,000 books in my classroom. I know that because one year I had my son tally the books in each book box... farm books, habitat books, school books, weather books, books by Mo Willems, Patricia Polacco, Mem Fox, Tomie dePaola, Donald Crews, Kevin Henkes, and the list goes on and on and on.

So those sweet kids told their parents how much I love books, and I was treated to some gift cards that I can use to buy books, too. And here are a few of the books I'm buying:

The Snow Globe Family by Jane O'Conner 



Such a fun story! And it is perfect to use with a paper snow globe project like the one I did with my students last week.

Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft



 

 

 

 

 

 

When we get back to school in January, my students will be learning about the ways in which different animals survive the long, cold winter. This book is a great resource, and I've been wanting my own copy!

And New Year's Day by David F. Marx



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone else feeling like they just can't have too many informational texts in the classroom? I love the Rookie series... good information for young children, and appropriate for their age!

I'll share more books tomorrow. I've got a long list, as you might have guessed!

Happy, Happy Winter Break to you all!

Winter Break is Here! Time to rest, relax, hang out with the family... and prep for January!

Friends, I'm exhausted. But that's okay, because it's time for two weeks off!

I had the most wonderful day with my kiddos today. The day began with giggly excitement: everyone was wearing pajamas for Pajama Day! First thing in the morning, our buddies came to visit. That's right. Sixty kids in my little old room. It was completely packed full of cross-age goodness! There were kids everywhere! Sitting at desks, working on the floor, packed into the library area.



The buddy pairs worked together to make paper snow globes. It's a simple idea that was completely engaging and exciting because we used paint and glitter! Adorbs! They're already up on the wall, and there they'll stay for all of January!





Then, they made a blizzard worth of snowflakes! Most of my students hadn't made paper snowflakes before, and they were mesmerized by the magic. I made a bazillion copies of big circles. I taught my students to cut the circle, fold it in half like a taco, then like a fan, then like an ice cream cone. There were squealing children all over the place! They loved it! Each buddy pair made one snowflake for me to hang in my room, one for the fifth grade teacher (Hi, Gwen!) to hang in her room, and then they could make all they wanted to take home. It looked like it actually snowed in my room with all the little bits of paper that ended up on the floor. But with sixty kids helping... we had it cleaned up in no time!

After lunch, my little darlings made gingerbread houses with graham crackers (thanks to my awesome room mother, who gathered all the supplies and tons of parent helpers!) and then she had a really fun snowman project for the class.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures! Or really it's more like "I was so busy helping students that I didn't have a chance to take pictures!" I'll try to take some when we get back in January. Marvelous Room Mom Shauna mixed up some magical puffy paint using equal parts of white glue and shaving cream. Who would have thought?! Students used the paint to make snowman pictures and then embellished them with googly eyes, yarn, pompoms, buttons, and paper carrot noses. They turned out sooooo cute!  Puff paint. With shaving cream and glue! Am I the last one to hear about this cool medium?!

And finally, Marvelous Room Mom Shauna and my kiddos and lots of their parents presented me with the coolest gift I've ever gotten! M.R.M.S. bought a beautiful wreath at Costco, and embellished it with gift cards. I was completely overwhelmed. Oh, my families were so generous and I'm feeling very appreciative. And appreciated.



And what happened next, you ask? I semi-cleaned my classroom as fast as I could (will probably have to go in for an hour or two during the break to get a few things ready, because it's not spotless.) I packed up all my goodies, drove home, and promptly fell asleep on the couch. I sampled a few bites of chocolate yumminess, given to me by those sweet little children, made my list for thank you notes, and I'm already enjoying some family time.  Aaaaaaaaah!

Of course, I'm also thinking about my Happy New Year unit, which I am going to update, and some Snowman Centers!

 

Getting Ready for January: Numbers for the Pocket Chart up to 120

What a week! I KNOW y'all know what I'm talking about. My class is the sweetest! On Monday and Tuesday, they were completely delightful. Wednesday was challenging. Now I'm just hoping that we all survive until Friday!

Today we completely finished off the calendar projects. Yahoo! And math was awesome (more on that later--with pictures!) And we read The Gingerbread Cowboy and did some activities (more on that later!)

But just to keep myself from going completely nuts, I'm prepping materials for January.



I made these numbers for the pocket chart, plus an extra 20, since 120 is the "magic number" for first grade Common Core math.

Snag a set for yourself HERE, laminate this week, and cut out at your leisure (in front of the TV!) during the break. You'll be all set!

Two. More. Days.

Happy New Year Emergent Reader for Kindergarten and First Grade

I'm trying to think ahead... to the week after vacation. We don't have students on the first day back because it's an inservice day... which is awesome! I'm going to be presenting, which is also awesome, but it means that I'm going to be pretty focused on that task! So I think it's best to do as much as I can right now to get ready for my students to come back the day after that.

One thing we will be doing is reading this little book about the new year: 2014!



 

The book uses high frequency words and has pictures to support the text.

In 2014 I will learn on the computer.

In 2014 I will be responsible.

In 2014 I will be a good friend... I will take care of my body... I will write new stories...

And more. It's a perfect "fresh start" kind of book, with affirmations for a positive and productive year. Click on the picture above, or click HERE to get your copy!

I made copies (love the staple feature!), cut the books, and they are ready to go now. My kinders and first graders love having their own books to read, and it will be a terrific focus for their first day back in 2014.

Now to survive the next four days!

 

 

Kindergarten and First Grade Calendar for 2014 ...Darling Handprint Art and Poems for Each Month

I love this little calendar. It's magical.

There's a beautiful full-color cover with a place for the students to write their names.



For each month of the year, students make a handprint picture of some kind. The picture shows the snowflakes for January and the hearts for February.



Plus, there are cute, thematic graphics, a thematic poem, and an accurate 2014 calendar.





OMIWORD. It's precious. My babes were completely enchanted when they discovered the pictures they could make with their hands.

Click on any of the above pictures to get your copy. My students made these for presents for their parents for the holidays. But you could also make one month at a time, or create the whole calendar as a "Happy New Year!" present.

Four more days, Teacher Friends!

 

Hysterical Laughter While Reading the Word Wall

Oh my. Things just happen... in even the most innocent situations.

Read the Room... we do it every day. The Superkid is always first. He or she chooses a pointer and leads the class to a chart or poem or shared reading or anything else in the room that we can read together. There are definitely some "old favorite" poems to read, and the wall where we have all the color words is popular, too.







 

But the most popular choice BY FAR is the Word Wall. Great, right?! All those yummy high-frequency words?! Of course I want students getting extra practice with those! So every time a student chooses the word wall, I cheer a little inside!

Now normally, we read the words  from left to right, just like we'd read them in a book. So we'll start with the words that start with "a" and we'll read them from left to right, across one row and then down to the next. Then, we'll read the words that start with "b" in the same way. It's NEVER been confusing... until yesterday.

A darling little kindergartner got her turn with the pointer, and rushed to the word wall. She started pointing to the "a" words in a rather random order. The students didn't miss a beat and read the words, anyway. And the she started on the "b" words... and this time, she decided to read them column by column, which was fine, until we got to "big, but" and the class just completely lost it. I might have giggled myself. But the more the students laughed, the more I laughed, and then they laughed, and pretty quickly we were just a mess of hilarity. I love my job!



Oh. My. I think we're all ready for a little vacation! When does Winter Break start? That's right, kids.... SIX MORE DAYS!!

 

 

 

 

Friday and Saturday and What I'm Working On

And just like that we're down to ten days until Winter Break!

On Friday, some teachers from my school met at a nearby... ahem... restaurant for a little TGIF fun. Can I hear a "Yahoo?!" We had a lovely time together. Since I'm new to the school, it was really my first chance to see everyone off campus and chat outside of work discussions. And oh, the laughing! It was just what I needed!

And today?

I slept late. Relatively, that is. Since I'm usually up by 5:30 am, 7:30 this morning felt nothing short of luxurious! I "played some house sports," as my husband says. A little laundry, a little cooking, a little organizing. It felt good to get it all done! I still have a list a mile long... I haven't done a thing to get ready for Christmas. Not. A. Thing. Bleh. I need two of me!

I've been trying to talk Rose Kitty into helping me out, but apparently she's not in the mood!



I've got a bunch of things in the works... some sign language alphabet activities, word work packet, holidays around the world, gingerbread, an interactive calendar... I'm hoping for just the right circumstances to get creative tomorrow!

Enjoy the weekend, teacher friends!

 

Gingerbread Kids... Sharing Information Through Glyphs

I thought my students' gingerbread kids turned out so cute! Plus... each one is unique! Every gingerbread project tells the story of the child who created it. The components convey information about children's families, birthdays, age, interests and favorites.





See my post below for the legend, and instructions. My students loved doing this, and it's been even more fun "reading" the glyphs! My little geniuses are getting to be pros at looking at a gingerbread person, and quickly being able to figure out who it belongs to based on the eye color, number of brothers  and sisters, and birthday month. So smart!

 

Gingerbread Glyph in Kindergarten and First Grade

Well the joy continues...

I forgot to take pictures of the gingerbread kids that my little sweeties made today, but I will do it tomorrow! They turned out great!

This little activity is in my Gingerbread Goodness Unit, and I'm offering it here as a freebie! Snag a copy of the instructions for the Gingerbread Glyph and get busy with your kiddos!



A few tips for creating glyphs with your kinders and first graders... I first distributed this page to each child. I had my own copy up on my teaching easel, and students were seated on the floor, where they could see well. First, we numbered each of the boxes. I showed them how to number 1-2-3 down the left column, then 4-5, then 6-7. This was just to make it easier for them to keep track of where we were! Then, I read each box, and students circled their answers. As we went through all the questions, we talked about how we would represent that data. I explained carefully, "My birthday is in July. In the middle of the page, it says, 'July=red, white and blue,' and that means that I will make hair using red, white and blue paper." We discussed every box, and students shared some of their answers and how they would represent the information on their gingerkid.

Only after all that do I recommend tracing and cutting gingerbread men. I have tagboard gingerbread man shapes that children traced onto 9" by 12" tan paper and then cut out. I modeled how to cut eyes, nose, stripes, hair, etc.... and then I put out a ton of colored paper and let the students work independently. So fun! The room was filled with the buzzing sound of children working, and it got messy! But we cleaned up and all is well!

Pictures tomorrow, I promise!

My Marvelous Monday... and Don't Forget About the Sale at TpT!

Truthfully, I wasn't looking forward to going back to school today. I mean, I LOVE my students. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

But that long weekend? Sleeping late, lounging in my pajamas for hours, reading books, walking on the beach, hanging out with my own children... That was pretty darn amazing!

So I admit that I went to school a little reluctantly today. Especially since I had to go extra, extra early due to some crazy car logistical issues that were a result of the long weekend.

But let me tell you---- We had the BEST day!

I changed the activity that students do first thing in the morning, and I added a bit to the routine (more on that later.) We started reading gingerbread stories (one of our big themes for the months), had a smoother-than-usual reading/literacy block, learned a couple of new poems, talked about characters in books, began work on our gingerbread math project (might take all week!) and had group time. During group time, three parents come work in the classroom and students are engaged in a variety of activities. Today one group was reading Time for Kids, one was working on some Marcy Cook math lessons, and one was busy with December calendar activities. I was working with a group and we discussed Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett. I created a class book that's related to the story, and each student completed a page. It's going to be darling!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was one of those amazing days. Children were kind to each other, they followed the rules, and they did their work. It was a total treat! And now... I'm excited to go back tomorrow!

Don't forget about the big sale at Teachers Pay Teachers! Everything in my store is already 20% off, and if you use the code "Cyber," you can get an additional 8% off. I used this opportunity to moved a pile o'stuff from my wish list to my cart to the "Downloads" folder on my laptop... and I'm thrilled to get working on some new projects!



Have a terrific Tuesday!

 

Hop on Over to Teachers Pay Teachers! There's a Big Sale This Week... It's Cyber Monday!

If you didn't make it to any Black Friday sales, here's a chance to do some serious saving right from home! I've gotta say... this is a sale I can really get excited about! New gaming systems, televisions or toys? Nope. Great deals on clothes and shoes? Tempting, but no thank you! TWENTY-EIGHT PERCENT OFF at Teachers Pay Teachers? Don't mind if I do!



Click on the picture above to go to my Teachers Pay Teachers store for a big discount on every product! Now is a great time to grab those items you've been wanting... heck, I have a little wish list of my own! I'll be taking advantage of the discounts this week and acquiring some new clip art for future units!

We just love a sale, don't we? Happy Shopping, Teacher Friends!

Last Day of November: My Holiday Joy Math and Literacy Unit is Nearly Finished! Ho ho ho!

Did November just fly by or what?!

December, here we come!

This is an amazing month full of all kinds of holidays and activities and cuteness... but too many times I've seen children truly overwhelmed by the festivities and excitement. They get tired and cranky, and before we know it,  they're just struggling to keep it together! I'm determined to do everything I can to prevent my babes from getting too stressed out. Here's my plan:

1. I already sent home a note about sleep! The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a minimum of 10-11 hours per night for children ages five to seven. A recent study on children and sleep found that “a modest addition of sleep  each night (27 minutes in the study) resulted in significant improvement in their ability to regulate their emotions.” Many parents don't realize how much sleep their kiddos need, so I decided tell them!

2. Routine, routine, routine! We have worked so hard to establish routines since the first day of school. Now is not the time to throw all that out the window. In our classroom, we'll be sticking with the routine as much as possible. Yes, it's that time of year with the schedule is constantly changing, and it does require flexibility. But the fewer the disruptions the better!

3. I try to keep the number of holiday activities in check. We will stick to our usual Writing Workshop activities, and our Reader's Workshop won't change. I'll include fun holiday activities in each day, but I'm careful not to overwhelm my students with CHRISTMAS EVERYTHING.

4. We're going to spend some time focusing on others. What can we do to show our appreciation for our office staff, our buddy class, the lady in the cafeteria, and our custodian? Is there anything we can do outside of our school to help those in need?

5. I'll be including extra community-building activities this month, in addition to some "reminder" lessons for showing respect, being responsible, and showing compassion.

That said, I will make certain that we have a completely fun month! Santa, reindeer, toys, candy canes, gingerbread, music... we're going to have a great time!

My Holiday Joy Unit is almost ready! I can't wait to share with you!



Enjoy this last day of November!

Black Friday for the Classroom: Units on Sale at Teachers Pay Teachers

I'm really not a shopper.

I like to research things from home, go pick them up as fast as possible, and get out of the stores!  I'm not crazy about the crowds at the mall, the food at the mall, or the parking. Ugh!

I know my sizes at Banana Republic, Old Navy, Gap, J. Crew, most Nordstrom brands, and of course... shoes. I also know my husband's size, and the places where my children would like gift cards. So ordering online is pretty easy.

Don't get me wrong--- if my kids need something or my husband needs new clothes for say, a business trip to Korea, I'm all over it. I can zip through that mall and get it done. I just don't enjoy the shopping part. It's the "cross that off my list" part that motivates me.

I live in a town with a sweet little downtown area. Oh my. It's oozes adorable! Occasionally I will look in windows and go into the quaint shops on my way to get a cup of Peet's or Starbucks. There's a cute little bookstore, a pet store with darling toys and accessories for my RoseKitty and Violet, some cool places to get clothes, a great party store, Hallmark, bakeries and gourmet restaurants, and many antique and gift shops. It's great. Occasionally.

But shopping today? Um. Let me think...NO. WAY.

Instead, I'm getting a pedicure, hanging out with my family, going for a run, and working on my Sweet Holiday Reading Unit!

But in the spirit of shopping and good deals, I'm having my own sale over at Teachers Pay Teachers. Everything is 20% off, just so that you can shop from home! My sale, unlike the malls... is a Black Weekend Sale. Gather up all the goodies you want all weekend long!

Beanie Babies? Yep. Totally on sale!



Contractions? Yep.



Blend and Digraph Fun? Oh, yes!



I could go on, but you get the idea... Everything is 20% off!

Have a great day, Teacher Friends, no matter how you choose to spend it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh, I am loving this weekend already! Is it possible that I feel rested and recharged already?

Yesterday was a great day at school. Even though it was short, there was TONS of learning and writing. Students finished their turkey books, which were loaded with facts! And the circular pages were a huge thrill!



Students ate the Stone Soup we made on Tuesday. Sometimes they don't like it, but this year, nearly all the soup was eaten. I did have one little boy look at the soup and look at me with a serious expression. "There's no way I'm going to eat that with all that stuff mixed together," he said. And then he told everyone that he was allergic to carrots. Ha!

The smarties also worked on an adorable little soup project to complete the unit. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture to show, but it's a big construction paper soup pot with pages to flip. I'll try to post a picture soon. All week the poem was in the pocket chart with picture cards to show vegetables that can go in soup: potatoes, beans, carrots, onions, corn, etc.

Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!

The soup is getting hot.

I think it needs some ______

So I'll put some in the pot!

 

Students wrote and drew to show which ingredients they wanted in their soup pots. They were reading and chanting as they worked, which I loved! I had them working right up until 1:34 p.m.

And then school was out yesterday at 1:35 pm. I hugged my darlings, wished them all a Happy Thanksgiving, and dashed out my back door! My husband had taken the day off, and he met me in the school parking lot with all the kids, the packed car, and my favorite Jamba Juice (Pomegranate Paradise without the mangos!) We went straight to the freeway, where we found about five bazillion people headed the same direction. Sigh.

And so began a long drive. We stopped for coffee, gas, more coffee... and at the kids' request, we picked up some tacos. We never eat fast food except for when we're driving on long trips, and it was a treat for them. Funny, the part of the drive where there was the least amount of traffic? Right when we got to L.A.

We stayed up late laughing with family and got up early this morning to get to the Turkey Trot.



My sister ran her first 5K, and we all enjoyed getting some exercise! ON THE BEACH!! Some said it was chilly, but I thought it was excellent running weather!



It was a gorgeous morning!  And I love this photo with the seagull photobomb!

We got some coffee at Peet's, started breakfast preparations, and claimed our spots on the couches!

I think there are a few errands for tomorrow: a trip to the Sprinkles cupcake ATM, possibly a fun run at the local Fleet Feet, and maybe one or two others. But there will be no Christmas shopping! Nothing but relaxation, lounging, eating, reading and sleeping.

Just what we all need.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day with family and friends!

 

Thanksgiving Fun in First Grade: Stone Soup

All week we've been reading different versions of Stone Soup.

 And we read some stories that were similar, but with some interesting cultural variations...



 



 

We made a chart (and I forgot to take a picture!) to compare some details in the story, and we've been talking about the way that characters in the story were tricked into working together, being helpful, and contributing to the well-being of others. We discussed what the villagers in each story might do next time they are faced with strangers coming to town and why they might react differently.

And today, we made our own stone soup.

Each child brought a vegetable to contribute. We had potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, sweet potatoes, green beans, mushrooms,  Korean sweet potatoes, garlic, tiny cherry tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, and perhaps another vegetable or two that I can't remember in my "isn't Thanksgiving here YET?" state. My fabulous room mother organized several parents to help, and they appeared at the classroom door with their cutting boards, knives, peelers, bowls, and two crockpots! The students cleared their book boxes off their desks, washed their hands and got started! And let me tell you--- all those little choppers were adorable! They peeled, they chopped, they chatted! So cute. They worked for nearly half an hour. And when they were done, we piled all the vegetables into the crockpots.



And then came one of the most darling moments of the whole week!

One student was looking at the pile of vegetables, pointing, and talking to a classmate.

"See those carrots right there? I did those. And that piece of potato right there? Aidan cut that one. And Bryan cut that piece of celery right there, but he didn't do those other pieces over there."

PRECIOUS!

I was nearly rolling on the floor with laughter! There were 25 students in my room today (3 absent!) and everyone chopped a little of nearly everything. I just love the way my babes took ownership of the project!

Those fabulous parent helpers took the crock pots home to "babysit" them overnight. They'll add the broth, some salt and pepper, and maybe a sprinkle of herbs. I sent them with butter to add to the soup, too, because I think it was Julia Child who said that the difference between a good soup and a great soup is a tablespoon of butter. And the soup will cook for hours. Tomorrow morning, we'll plug in the pots, heat up the soup and eat lunch in the classroom. It's going to be great! (Families contributed rolls and juice, too.)

And as far as other Thanksgiving activities this week...

We've been reading books about real turkeys. And we created this chart to show our learning. I had a little lightbulb moment and decided to hang the chart outside my classroom so parents could see it at pick-up time. I think I'll start doing that more often!



One parent commented that unlike our Spider Unit, this chart didn't contain any misconceptions! We had noticed that in class, too, and one of my first graders hypothesized that it was related to the fact that we didn't really know much about turkeys to start with! Could be!

We also made some cute turkeys with coffee filters. I pulled out the liquid watercolor paint that I love because of the intense colors. I also let students use the metallic gold liquid watercolor, which had a nice effect... a little like the iridescence of real turkey feathers. Of course after that, we got all silly with googly eyes, so the connection to real turkeys pretty much stopped there! Haha!



And so I leave you with my favorite Facebook quote from last week!



I'm feeling pretty thankful for my awesome students, their awesome parents, my awesome colleagues, my awesome husband and awesome kids, and the awesome FOUR DAY WEEKEND that will be mine in less than nineteen hours!

Two More Days of Thanksgiving Activities: Reading Response, Addition Practice, Writing and Tons More!

I discounted my Thanksgiving Literacy and Math Unit on TpT. It's on SALE just until Thanksgiving! There are just a couple days left until Thanksgiving, and you will for sure get your money's worth! And if you're already on Thanksgiving Break, you will be all set for next year. Click on the picture for the link!



 

There are several quick-to-prep (or NO prep!) activities that meet rigorous Common Core Standards, and your students will love them!

Watch for my Cyber Monday sale on TpT next week! How can the holidays be coming so quickly?!

Happy Monday, Teachers!

Thanksgiving Literacy and Math: Reading Response, Interactive Journals, Graphing, and more!

First of all, I'm happy for those of you who have next week off. I'm not gonna lie, though... I'm a little jealous, too. Yesterday I told a friend, "I'd rather add three days to the end of the year than work next week!" But y'all know I'll be changing that story come May!

I spent some time updating my Thanksgiving: Math and Literacy for Primary Grades pack that is available on TpT. It's even more full of seasonal goodness! It's a cornucopia of Common Core activities!



 

The unit now includes several activities that you can just print and use. Immediately. No prep required. I've included activities to support Informational Reading and Literature standards. Simply print, read the book, and your kiddos will be good to go. And think. And work. And write.

Check the library or your own collections. These are some of the Thanksgiving books for which I've included lessons aligned with CCSS.







 

 

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons has a couple of different versions of illustrations, but they all have the same hilarious story!





 



I've been using Interactive Journals with my students for a couple of years now. This year, last year, and the year before, that is. At first, I was very, very careful about what I wanted to include. Everything that was added met my own, self-imposed, ridiculously strict criteria. Now, though, I include a much wider variety of activities, skills, formats, etc. I love looking back to see how much we've accomplished and how much my students' skills have improved. I've adopted the attitude that I can make almost anything into an appropriate entry for students' interactive journals. Last week, students added information about what life was like on the Mayflower. We read, and read, and discussed, and made a chart of important words/ideas, and then the students did their own writing. Did I mention that this year's class absolutely goes nuts for any kind of writing?! They love it!

I added some activities for Interactive Journals when I updated this pack. Check out the preview!

To my friends on vacation--- enjoy! You KNOW how fast it will fly by, and I hope you can savor every moment. For the rest of us--- our time is coming! Just a few more days until the long weekend!