Liebster Award!

I know I am late to the party, but thank you Reading Recipe Pals for your nomination for the Liebster Award! I was so excited to see this in my inbox! I am still a beginning blogger so I was so happy to see that I was nominated!

Here are the answers to the Liebster questions and then I will be sure to pass on the award!

Why and how long ago did you start blogging?

I started blogging back in May, but because of the the end of the school year, getting married over the summer, and then starting a new job, I really haven't had as much time as I would like to dedicate to my blog. I started my blog to share tried and true tips for differentiating in the classroom.

What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why?

Differentiation - it's in the title! I wanted to write a blog that shows how all students can achieve their learning. Whether, it's math, reading, science, or social studies, there are so many ways to make learning fun and engaging for everyone!

Is there something you learned late in your blog journey you wished you knew before?

How much time it takes to maintain a blog. As I mentioned, I haven't had the time that I would like to dedicate to my blog. I always think of ideas while I'm at school, but I never find the time to actually write them down.

What is your favorite pastime other than blogging?

Traveling and exploring new places

How many hours per week do you dedicate to your blog?

0-1. Like I said, I could use some work in this area.

What category of blog posts do you enjoy the most?

I would say that I love educational blogs as well as homeschooling blogs. I love all of the creative ideas!

Where does your blog inspiration come from?

Everything that is in my blog is something that I have done in my classroom, or plan to do in my classroom.

Which post that you've written are you the most proud of?

Sight Word Folders - I just really like how I laid out all of the steps to create sight word folders, which I think are a very valuable part of my reading program.

Is there any post that you have been planning to do, but have been postponing it for awhile now?

Fruit Loop math - different types of graphing. Stay tuned!

What is your favorite aspect of blogging?

I love that I can share my ideas and then hearing that other people want to use those ideas in their classroom is a great feeling.

Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you be most likely to try yourself?

I really like the reading websites that you listed in your post here. I like that these programs have placement tests that place the students at their level. It's all about the differentiation when it comes to reading!

And now...time for my blogging friends!

11 Favorite Blogging Friends:

Mrs. Dow's Little Owl's Nest

Mrs. D's Corner

Tricks of the Trade in First Grade

My First Grade Backpack

Grasty's 2nd Grade Goodies

Here's an idea

Mrs. Landry's Land of Learning

Mrs. Alexander's Amazing Ants

Nicki's Notepad

1st Grade Salt Life

A Trendy Teacher

To those who have been nominated, here are the "official" rules for accepting:

1. In your post, link back to the blogger who nominated you as a thank you and "shout out." (Follow their blog if you haven't already!)  

2. Answer the 11 questions given to you (the ones I answered above).

3. Nominate 11 blogs of your choice that each have less than 200 followers. Provide them with 11 questions to answer or have them answer the questions above.

4. Let your nominees know that they've been nominated and provide them with a link to your post so that they can accept.

5. Send your nominator a link to your post so that s/he can learn more about you as well! (You can just put your post link in the comments below!)

Thanks again and have fun!

Michelle

Sunday Scoop!

Before I head off to bed, I wanted to post my Sunday Scoop! It's interesting, but looking back on my past posts, I never seem to get the "hope to do" things accomplished....maybe this week!

Have a good night!

Michelle

Sunday Scoop!

It's been awhile since I have blogged, but I have been very busy. We cleaned out our spare room in our apartment, and now I have plenty of room for my planning and classroom projects! I have also been trying my hand at baking using my new KitchenAid stand mixer. I love it! So far, I have made pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting and a banana bread. So with all of the busyness, I thought I would just drop in for a minute to give you my Sunday Scoop!

Have a great week! I hope to write soon about the sight word strategy that I use in my classroom!

Michelle

Theodore the Teddy and a Freebie!

I recently heard of this great writing idea from another teacher at my school. She sends home a stuffed animal dog and a notebook with her students on a rotating basis. For homework, the student with the dog must write what they did with the dog from the dog's perspective. I thought it was an amazing idea and one that could easily be done. So I went to Walmart and bought my materials.

A stuffed bear for $5.00

A composition notebook for 75 cents.

Then I set to work creating the journal. I came up with the name Theodore and then I made a cute cover and a direction page for the inside.

My plan is now to send home the bear with a different student every day. Then, either in the morning or during writing time, the student who took him home last would share what they did with him. Because we just finished talking about different types of sentences in language arts, this would be a great opportunity to demonstrate what they learned. It's also homework, without feeling like homework. I am also going to encourage students to take pictures with Theodore and they can bring them in to share as well. Or we can glue them in the notebook so we can see all of the fun things that he has done throughout the year.

If you would like to use this idea in your classroom, check out the FREEBIE in my store!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Journal-Freebie-1435844

Michelle

Sunday Scoop - New Linky!

Aahh! I stumbled upon a new linky today and I am so excited! I love linkies! This one is called Sunday Scoop and every Sunday you can link up and write 3 things that you have to do, 3 things that you hope to do, and 1 thing that you're happy to do. I am very excited to do the first one!

Head on over to Teaching Trio and link up your own Sunday Scoop!

Michelle

My New Laminator!

Hello everyone! I am writing to you this evening about my latest and greatest purchase. A laminator!! I have hemmed and hawed about this purchase for a long time, but a few weeks ago, it was the Amazon deal of the day and I just HAD to go for it (plus some laminating sleeves) on the side.

The laminator arrived on Monday and just in time! I needed to laminate THAT NIGHT for a write the room activity for Tuesday. And oh my goodness. You would have thought it was Christmas. I oohed and aahed over the laminator and put all other chores aside so I could get the laminating done. Here are some pictures of what I laminated:

Here it is! Getting ready to warm up!

Here we go!

All finished!

Here is what I laminated! Cara Carroll's Goodbye Rhymes and a setting and character sort from Rulin' the Roost. You can find it here.

I can't say enough about this laminator. It's the Scotch Thermal Laminator and I bought it with 100 laminating pouches. I would highly recommend it. The laminating is perfect and I can use it anytime I want!

Now I'm off to find more things to laminate!

Michelle

September Currently

September is here and school is in session! I can't believe that I have already been in school for three weeks. Time has flown by with these new students of mine. It feels like just yesterday I was eagerly anticipating what my new students would be like and now they are here and we are knee-deep in our curriculum. Even though we are very busy, I still had time to sit down and complete September's Currently!

1. Listening - I am currently watching my favorite show Friends. I only have two seasons, courtesy of one of my good friends. Goal: get the other seasons ASAP!

2. August just ended and the sales have been tabulated. I just had my best month since I started selling on TPT! This was my first August and I am so pleased with the results. Thank you to everyone who supported my store in one way or another. I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings!

3. I have taken a LOOOOONG break from creating products. Now that school is in session, I need to get going and create more fun and exciting activities for my students!

4. I now live in Texas and it is so HOT down here. Fall is starting soon and I wish I could be back home and experience the crisp fall weather and go apple picking and have bonfires and s'mores and go to pumpkin farms, all while wearing scarves and boots. But I don't think I will be having those experiences this year. I guess I will have to start some new fall traditions down here in Texas.

5. Now that school has started and because I live in a different climate than before, I am realizing that I need some new clothes for work. I recently ordered my first box from Stitchfix, which should be arriving next week. I can't wait!

6. I have three places that I would like to visit someday: Spain, Tuscany, and Ireland. Spain has always been on my list. I was all set to study abroad in Seville, Spain in college, but then decided against it. Every since then, I have wanted to visit Spain. I also studied the language for 8 years and it would be nice to go and see all of the places and try all of the things that I learned about in my classes. Tuscany is another place that I would like to visit someday, mostly because of how it looks in movies. It looks so romantic with its winding roads and vineyards and cute little houses. It would just be so beautiful. I would also like to visit Ireland. My brother studied abroad there a few years ago and it would be nice to visit and see what it's like. It's also in a lot of movies and the views look absolutely breathtaking.

That's all for this month! Don't forget to check out the other blogs who linked up over at Oh Boy 4th Grade.

Have a great Tuesday!

Michelle