Thursday, August 30, 2012

Creative Displays for Writing

I thought I would share some great displays that showcase student writing!  The one above uses the book, The Sandman by Ralph Fletcher. What a great way to write about dreams and display them for others to enjoy!
This is a great idea for the beginning of school!  Children can introduce themselves and proudly display their pictures!

Do you have a Hollywood theme?  This is a cute way of showcasing writing all year long!
Love this jungle-themed display!

These guys are on a Safari to find the most interesting writing!
This just makes me smile!
Flip books are everywhere!
I love this one!  This shows a great deal of learning!
Using the school mascot!
Springtime display!  

I hope you enjoyed these great ideas!  I wish that I could give credit, but I just can't remember the school!  If you find these and recognize them, let me know!
                                                   


Saturday, August 25, 2012

Teacher Travel


I thought I would share a few pictures from my wonderful vacation in Europe this summer!  It was so much fun and a wonderful family experience.  One of the things that made it so special was our tour guide extraordinaire!   You would love to have John take you around!  He is a delightful Brit who has tons of patience and a great sense of humor!  I can personally vouch for his his enthusiasm and impeccable service.  So, if you just want his company to schedule your hotels and travel, you will not regret it!  I told him that I would share the info with teachers in the USA who would definitely appreciate a discount!
John having a Gelato with us in Rome!

The collage above is from Italy.  We started in Venice and then went to Tuscany and Rome.  John filled us in on all the history and informative tidbits!  He had minibuses or trains scheduled to transport us from city to city.    We stayed in family-owned hotels that were great and reasonably priced.  Every hotel was clean and more than adequate.  A few didn't have air-conditioning, but that is to be expected in Europe.  All of the hotels in Italy were air-conditioned.  It is very hot in Italy during the summer!
We really enjoyed a trip to a winery.  The views were just beautiful!
We had a wine tasting and then a great meal!

  
John departed in Rome, but we headed by train to Interlaken, Switzerland.  Words cannot describe the beauty! 

Our hotel! Seehotel Bönigen

We took the Jungfrau to the Top of Europe.  This was a great experience for the kids.  They loved snow-tubing and zip-lining in the Alps.  I know that this is a touristy thing to do, but it was worth it, especially if you have young people!  The views from the mountains are gorgeous!
View from the Top!

Bundled up in the Ice Palace!

We then headed to Germany!  Check back next Saturday for more pictures!  



Sunday, August 19, 2012

First Grade Kid Friendly Math CCSS Freebie

Printable Math CCSS for First Grade.  These match the ELA CCSS for First Grade found here!  


I have included blank cards.  You can rewrite some of the standards into a more simple "I Can" statement.  I wanted to create cards with the correct language, taken from the Common Core.  However, you can adapt these to fit your class. 
Another great use is to take the vocabulary words for first grade, and use the blank cards as flashcards.  Write the word on one, the definition on another, and an example on a third.  Students can match the three cards!


I would love to hear from you!  Let me know if there are any problems with these!


Friday, August 17, 2012

Writing Notebook Labels Freebie



Writing journals and notebooks are such a great idea!  Here are a few labels to use on the front cover.  Regular-sized composition notebooks work great for older students that write a good bit. Younger students can use the permanently bound notebooks that are usually very inexpensive this time of year.  (You need smaller labels for those.)