Resolutions and a Sale!

It's that time of year again when everyone sets their resolutions for the coming year. This past year was one of the best and I am looking forward to what 2015. Even though 2014 was great, there are still some areas that could use a little improvement. One of those areas is this blog and creating products for TPT. So I decided that I would post some of my resolutions on my blog this year (considering I didn't have the blog last year to do so!) I am posting these resolutions in the hope that I will stick to them a little bit better this year.

Resolution #1: Blog at least once per week. Sometimes I have really good ideas and think to myself "That would be really great on the blog!" But then life happens and it never seems to get done. I really want to try to blog at least one new idea per week. I also need to take advantage of scheduling my posts, whether it's on my blog or on Facebook.

Resolution #2: Create at least one new product per month. I am very pleased with how my TPT store is taking off in the past couple of months. However, I know that I can work much harder to create new products in a timely manner. Again, I have some great ideas and things in the works, but then I never have enough time in my day.

Resolution #3: Pin a little bit every day. It doesn't matter when I do this: before school, after school, late at night...whenever. Just pin a couple of things at some point throughout the day.

Resolution #4: Read the forums more often. When I first started selling on TPT, I read the forums constantly. Granted, I had more time on  my hands. But I learned so much just from reading the forum posts every night. Now I occasionally read them. I need to put more effort into making my store the best it can be.

Resolution #5: Finish Teaching Blog Traffic School. I have had the subscription for awhile now and it really helped me out at first to design my logo, find my name, start my Facebook page, etc. But now that I have done all of that, I am at a standstill. I still have many lessons left but cannot push myself to finish it.

Now that you have read all of my resolutions...thank you to those of you who did...here comes the best part! For today and tomorrow only (Wednesday and Thursday) my entire TPT store is 20% off!! What a great time to stock up on items for the upcoming semester! Stop by and check it out: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Dabbling-In-Differentiation.

Have a great holiday!

Michelle

Christmas Conversation Linky!

Hop on over to The Inspired Apple to participate in the Christmas Conversation! Here are my answers below!

Happy Saturday!

Michelle

Cyber Monday and Tuesday Sale!

As many of you know, there is a Cyber Monday (and Tuesday) sale starting tomorrow! You can save up to 28% on items on TPT. I will be putting my entire store 20% off for the next two days. Also, if you enter the code TPTCYBER at checkout, you can get an extra 10% off!! I decided to link up with Ideas By Jivey and share what are the most wish-listed items in my store and what I plan to buy as well! Here we go!

The item that has been added to wishlists the most is my Mystery Picture Bundle!

I also have a Mystery Picture Christmas Edition!

Click on the pictures to add them to YOUR wishlist!

Another item that has been added to a lot of wishlists is my ABC Book. It's perfect for preschool and Kindergarten students. There are many different versions included, as well as both black and white.

Click on the picture to add it to YOUR wishlist!

I only have a few items on my list for this sale, but I still love a good deal when I see one!

The main product that I will be snatching up is Kourtney Payton's Map Skills & Landforms Unit. My students will be starting this unit this week, so purchasing this product comes at the perfect time!

Have a great start to the week and happy sales!

Michelle

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