K-2 Math Journals: Place Value!!

Yippee!! I finished my K-2 place value pack for math journals! It's 70 pages, so there are plenty of ideas for differentiating!

These documents are printables and they are here, in my TPT store! Have a look if you're curious......

I'm off to bed super late again! I just have so much on my mind I really can't sleep!

Have a great start to your week everyone!

Kelli

Sneak peak: Place value pictures!



my visa application!!

Busy days and nights wowsa!! How are you all doing?!




Between working, gathering documents for my visa, planning wedding details (found my dress!), and all the teaching ideas in my head......there is so much to do!



I wanted to give a sneak peak of some of the Numbers and Base Ten ideas I'm working on to help make K-2 math journals a bit easier. I've created about 30 pages, but after reviewing a Common Core website for second grade NBT, I have more pages I'm working on before I put it on my TPT.

K-2 may seem like a wide range, but I think it's necessary for differentiating work and meeting the needs of the students.

Some of the matching activities can be played like a memory game at their seat first, and then glued into their journal the second time around. Some activities will be quicker than others (more time for math centers/stations!)

Off to bed! Hope you're all doing well : )

Kelli

car and laptop fried!!!

In the past 5 days, my laptop booted up for the last time (pretty old, so this is not unexpected), my 13 year car is done (as in, too expensive to fix, so we are donating it), and printer is not working at parents house!!

But I really don't even care because I finally have my spousal visa appointment!!!

I have not seen my husband (although still kindof feels like fiance) since we got legally married at the end of August! Our wedding with friends and family is in London in April.

This visa process has taken sooooo much longer than I thought, but it should all be good to go a couple weeks after my interview! Wahoo!

AND, I'm working on a place value packet to support K-2 math journals and I can't wait to put it in my TPT store! So far I only have free things in my store; can't wait to try and sell!!

Have a great day!

Kelli

Versatile Blogger Award and some INSPIRATION!

Wow!!! Thank you Haley, at Following Optimism! She nominated me for the Versatile Blogger award--I am so pleased!!

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who gave it to you.

Thank you Haley.

2. Share 7 things about myself.

-I met my husband when I was backpacking through Europe.

-I played the piano and had one put in my room my first year of teaching. Needless to say, I had it moved out by January because there was never time to play it (Did I think it was Leave it to Beaver days or what?!)

-I have been living like a gypsy for many years now and I CANNOT wait to settle in a bit (soon!) and decorate/organize our flat (apartment) and maintain a routine that now excludes the army!

-I got completely hooked into yoga about 18 months ago (soooo good for my bad back and anxious mind!)

-I hate it when people don't follow the rules! (speeding when driving, lying, cheating, etc) This really gets under my skin---why do some people think rules don't apply to them?

-my mom is my everything.......she is everything that is good and sweet in this world. I look up to her tremendously and tear up when I think about the wonderful influence she has had on me.

-my dream job would be to work on a documentary that compares/contrasts school systems around the world (my 2 favorites: different cultures & education!)

3. Pass this award on to 15 other bloggers who deserve such a great award!

I would love to add more, but this rickety, ancient computer is going so slow and keeps shutting down!

So I will end with a blog that I am O-B-S-S-E-S-S-E-D with and share some pins from her site:





even and odd street-so cute!



I am now convinced I must have all her posters and anchor charts : )

fact families

she put sheet metal on her wall which is magnetic!!



And, in a word, I desribe her classroom as heaven.  I.love.it.

I'm off to bed finally! Have a great weekend!

Kelli

K-2 Journal prompts for MLK Day (FREEBIE!!)

So not what I should be doing right now, but in that "mode" you know?

Similiar to my last resource, for those that use journals/notebooks, here are some options for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day for K-2 social studies journals..........hope you can use it--let me know if you do!

Click HERE for documents!!

Have a great week everyone!!!!!
Kelli

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! Where have I been? I feel so behind in blogland!

I've been filling myself with as many vitamins and supplements as possible for my chronic SINITIS (anyone else suffer from this?)...........here is a list infact:

-pantothenic acid (fancy multivitamin I think)

-vitamin C

-quercetin

-echinacea goldenseal

-nettle leaf

-daily allergy pill

I take all those.every.day.some twice a day.  But I shouldn't complain coz I can breathe again!!

The good news is that it seems to have helped, as I've been hiking a ton this week, and back to yoga 4 times this week!!! YAY!!!

Since I'm making lists, here is the list I made before I decided to get carried away and organize my K-2 geometry resources for math journals:

1) wedding stuff (there's so much.......don't know where to begin......too stressful!)

2) clean out my room

3) cancel junk mail, phone, gym etc

4) book families flights for wedding

5) organize mini-Europe trip for when family comes for wedding (Amsterdam or Berlin? Thoughts?)

So, needless to say, I cut straight to my blog!

The rules of this award are as follows:

1. Show your appreciation to the blogger who nominated you by linking back to their blog.

Thank you Tanya! A Class Act

2. Nominate five happy little blogs (200 followers or less) by posting a comment on their blogs.


3. Post the award on your blog.


4. Check out what the other up-and-coming blogs have to offer.

 







 

 
http://teaching-with-style.blogspot.com/
 

Goodbyes and Merry Christmas

The good news: I'm finally on winter break!!!

The bad news: My long term sub job in second grade finished today : (

As I mentioned before, this

w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l class

(at a super-fabulous school) had a fantastic teacher that was asked to fill a program coach role that unexpectedly opened in November. So I stepped in while they interviewed for a teacher. They found one that would begin in January, and so I had my glorious 6 weeks with the lovely class.

I really do hate goodbyes, but I've done it so often now with my moves abroad, my long term positions, friends, family, etc. that I have found a way to maneuver around it. I simply try to feel forever GRATEFUL for the experience(s) and reflect on what I learned from the person/situation/class/etc.  Then my heart doesn't seem to hurt so bad.

Now I know my lifestyle is not for everyone. Moving overseas here and there, enduring the schedule of a loved one in the army (although he's out now!!), working at different schools (sometimes completely unknown), finding a place to live in a new city, being away from friends and family.

I enjoy the challenge of meeting new people at all the schools, being a part of all the teams and seeing how they do things, observing efficient schools vs. poorly managed schools, gaining experience in various grade levels, and of course meeting all the children with their shining personalities!

I started to write about my past teaching jobs, but that got too long and so I put it here if you want to read it : )

One of the things I liked about this job was that the teacher had already started journals for everything (as in, everything is documented in journals......and if at all possible, we try to avoid worksheets) which is totally my philosophy for independent practice as well !

So I got to have fun coming up with ideas for their journals.......here's some pictures.

This was in connection with their basal story that week.

Centers: Sort spelling words by sounds
(this was a review week). I made directions, and gave them
a word bank to look at each week.

The word banks I made each week
for the spelling lists (copied on
cardstock, about 5 in a center)

Centers: Directions, spelling list, whiteboard......
Give your friend a spelling test!

Centers: Build spelling words and record in journal

up close picture of Sort by Sounds center
recorded into journal

math journal

Centers: Directions and worksheet (yes, sometimes you
can't avoid it!) for using spelling words in context.

I don't always use the sticky pads,
but sometimes as a surprise, I put it
in their centers tub. This center has
cards to make various lists

A writing prompt about a rain forest story
we read. I find prompts and sentence starters
especially important for ELL students.

Sentence starter for making your own gingerbread man

Beginning, middle and end of
Gingerbread Baby. We edited and made
a final copy

Final copy of beginning, middle and end of
Gingerbread Baby.



Trying to get some weekend writing going like we did
in Australia at the language school. They did so good!



I gave them weekend word banks and
past tense verb word banks for their tables.

 

Let me know if you're interested in the word banks. I've been thinking of making my first item in my TPT store an ELL packet.

A few more pictures from today (our day before Christmas break!)

But let me first say that last night we had the annual Second Grade Polar Express night (from 5-8 pm at school).......the kids come in their pjs, enter with their special ticket, have pictures with Santa, make crafts, enter the decorated hallway (train) and have hot chocolate and cookies, and then watch the movie on a big screen in the cafeteria and get bells at the end.

All very sweet, but today I was tired (well my fault because I was at Fed Ex so late).

But I was greeted at school with an amazing staff breakfast (they put one on once a month).

Then it was onto gingerbread houses with our kindergarten buddies.

so many people came to help

I have never seen so much candy!!

OK, here's one more thing as I write this post and continue to unwind from this very long day.

ignore hole punches on bottom of blue, we were playing with it

Our classes rotated to the other second classes this week, for different activities. Our class read The Mitten, brainstormed beg/middle/end and then wrote (in our own words) each section on each of the mittens.  Then they designed/drew on the back. Finally they put yarn through the mittens so they can hang it across a window or wall at home. What do you think?

If you do a Jan Brett or snow unit, this lesson went really well. A word bank of words from the story was helpful for them.

Alright now. Onto some peaceful sleep (now that I've got a handle on my sinus infection and have meds!!) and sleeping in tomorrow!

Enjoy your break ladies!

Kelli