Subtraction Center FREEBIE!

     If your students are anything like mine then you probably receive more chocolate boxes than you could possibly stomach around Valentine's Day. This video shows how you can use these leftover boxes to teach subtraction to your students! If know this post is a little late, but I wanted to publish it now... just in case any of you still have some boxes lying around that you may want to save for next year.

     Here is a blackline FREEBIE so you can easily turn this activity into a math center after you have introduced it to the class! Did I mention it includes differentiated recording sheets? The picture below will take you to the free math center. 

TPT SALE!!

      Teachers ARE HEROES! I can't think of a truer statement! My entire TPT store will be discounted 30% off on Wednesday, February 25, as a part of the site wide sale! This is the perfect time to grab my new St. Patrick's Day creations to prepare for March.

     This sight word game includes all of the Preprimer, Primer, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade dolch words! Check it out in action! It is a huge hit with the K5ers!

    I also created St. Patrick's Day Playdoh and Counting Mats that are very similar to my Valentine's Day Playdoh Mats.

Five for Friday!

      Groundhog's Day! We read my favorite groundhog's day books, made an adorable craft, and played with our own shadows! BOO for six more weeks of winter. 

We had some fun with our new Valentine's Day math and literacy centers! 

Grab this freebie here, then check this post to grab another freebie and see what else we accomplished in centers this week ! 

      Stop the world, I have found the ultimate classroom management tool for my kiddos and it is a book. Not just any book, a chapter book. If you don't have this, you seriously NEED this.

     This ridiculously silly book has chapters that are only 2-5 pages long and perfect for developing listening skills. It is a great book for transitioning from picture books to chapter books. My students think it is the best thing we have ever read. I think I could have read all 124 pages in one sitting and my kids still would have wanted more. We have only been reading for 4 days and we are on page 77. Kids have asked to take it home. Kids have begged to stay inside and read it instead of going to recess. It is now being utilized for classroom management. Excellent behavior and hard work during a lesson earns one chapter.  

        My students have been studying the science, including the scientific method, for the past week and a half. They were extremely excited for their visit from Dr. Nose A. Lott which included a white coat ceremony (during which students received their Doctor of Kinderscience degree), and participation in a science experiment (mentos and coke). These pictures say everything. 

      

It was really cool seeing these pictures on my phone after school. (Big shout out to my curriculum coach and guidance counselor for helping out with pictures and such today!) It was cool seeing my students from a different view point. They made me proud! 

 Do you see this look? I LOVE THIS! She just received her white coat and doctoral degree in Kinderscience. 

I accidentally goofed and forgot I was out of ink at home. Ended up printing these "diplomas" in black and white on the printer at school. 

    Here are some more pics from when I did this same project a few years ago! 

You can grab these diplomas here: 

You can find some other great science ideas by clicking the link below!

     It is Friday! That says enough. I am heading to Nashville to see my college roommate and my man. Cannot wait! 

Breakthroughs and Achievements

      It is official. I have survived my first 100 blog posts. Navigating the online world has been an exhausting and rewarding adventure, and Lord willing, I am only just getting started. I am so thankful for those followers who have joined and supported me throughout this journey! Be sure to grab the freebie at the end of this post.

      

      Today's post is all about breakthrough and achievement, because that is just the kind of week we are having in my classroom!  Here is what I am most excited about this week. 

     We are a GoNoodling class and we have MAJOR moves. My babies dance and belt out "Ice Cream and Guacamole" like nobodies business. Since August, 11 of my 12 kindergarteners have danced their little hearts out and mastered the Sid Shuffle, all of the Zumba videos available on GoNoodle, and most recently, Pop See Ko. All the while, my Shy Girl has stood frozen by her chair, her arms crossed, mouth shut, not making a move, every single day, every single time I have pulled GoNoodle up on the projector. Until this week, the child has been a statue, but yesterday morning I looked up to see her DANCING, SMILING, and SINGING ALONG! It only took a few seconds for the other students to pick up on it. "Look Miss Peden, look at ____! She is dancing! She is doing it with the class. Good Job, _____! I like how you dance, _____! I'm so proud of you!" Seeing the other students celebrate her participation was one of the best parts of this week. 

     We have mastered those teen family numbers! Goals are being met and students are making progress. Just check out these books my students created today. This activity was a breeze for my babies, when just two weeks ago they would have been completely confused by these equations. 

     I am also excited to announce that I will be attending the Spring Blogger Meet Up at the French Lick Resort in March! This is my FIRST EVER blogging event and I literally cannot wait to spend some quality time with my online friends and to, hopefully, meet new blogging/teaching buddies. I would appreciate any advice you have on how to prepare for an event like this! 

Lastly, to celebrate my 100th blog post, here is a Freebie! Just in time for Valentine's Day! 

February Currently

I'm linking up with Farley again for February Currently... LOVE this linky! 

Loving...

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Memphis Grizzlies! So glad to see us winning so often this season. I am VERY excited for playoffs. 

Wanting...

Has anyone been to the French Lick blogger meet up before? I am thinking about just driving up for the day on Saturday. I don't think I can afford to stay the weekend... which brings me to my next point...

Needing...

My sweet, sweet baby Yorkie is SICK! She has been having some potty training issues and it turns out that something is wrong with her bladder. The vet is telling me that she may need surgery. Y'all, I cannot afford surgery, I cannot stand to let my baby be sick, and I will never ever let go of her. Please, please say a prayer for miraculous healing and no more vet bills! 

In other news...

I am one post away from my 100th blog entry. It may have taken me a while, but I am still proud of myself for hanging in there! Check back soon for some great Valentine's Day freebies! 

Coming Soon...

Thought I would give you all a sneak peak of what I have in store for the first week in February...

   On Monday, we will read some of my favorite Groundhog's Day books! We will also experiment with shadows and make an adorable Groundhog craft using construction paper hearts. Perfect for February! 

    On Wednesday, my students will attend the Living History Museum, put on by our middle schoolers. This is always a wonderful event. The middle school students each choose a historical figure and dress/act as this character to create a "living" museum. Great project for Black History Month! 

   In centers, my students will begin working with some Valentine's Day themed activities. Check it out! 

Most of the center activities from the week come from my Chocoholic CCSS Math and Literacy Centers. All of the centers are in color and black and white! I just printed the black line version because I was low on ink! Every center is CCSS aligned, has options for differentiation, and includes differentiated recording sheets. 

Differentiated Recording Sheets: 

You can grab some of the additional resources I will be using by clicking the images below: