Where Did July Go?!?

Grad School is k-i-c-k-i-n-g my butt right now and I have FINALLY been granted access to my classroom. This equates to one busy week!! My room is still a work in progress but I have a sneak peek for you! I probably won't be able to post again until after life winds down a bit. :/

P.S. I have enjoyed looking at all of your pictures! I love to see other people's classrooms!!

View from the door

Here it is!

 

I'm going with tables this year--VERY excited about it.

One of two new nooks :D

Nook 2!!

Still have a little ways to go but I am very pleased with the progress. I'll update as soon as I can :D

Friday FREEBIE!

The first 4 people to comment on this post will receive a FREE copy of my array cards, including activities for use. You can check out this previous post about them to find out what they are. :D

These 2 items are for sale in my TPT store.

Don't forget to leave your email address!

Changes Coming....

I decided to finally spend a little time on my blog design and make it prettier! I also didn't intend for my original blog title to come across as negative, so I decided to change that as well. :D Please bear with me, as it is still a work in progress!!

My button has changed so please grab a new one!!

By the way, I have BIG changes coming REALLY soon! You will have to stay tuned to find out. BIG, BIG Changes!!

Pinspiration Linky Party

Like many of you, I am OBSESSED with Pinterest. I constantly save photos of things I like, but mainly things I want to recreate. I actually completed my first Pinterest project tonight! I am NOT a cook at all, I don't like it (though I LOVE to eat). :) I can make cupcakes though! (From the box, of course.....) I pinned this picture of these adorable owls:

 And here is my own rendition:

The whole parliament of owls

Please excuse the iPhone pics :)

I want to see what YOU have used Pinterest to do. Have you recreated anything that you've pinned? Please join the party! :D

Attention Math Curse Fans!

While completing work for my online GT endorsement class, I came across an AWESOME project for Math Curse. Several of you mentioned that you used Math Curse in your own classroom so I thought I would share it! You can view it here. Enjoy!

*The project is geared toward GT students but can be modified (if need be) for regular ed.

10 Things About Me!

Join the linky party hosted by fellow 4th grade blogger, Mrs. Owens, by clicking here! What fun! You'll even get a freebie.

10. I'm a nerd! I've accepted it. I'm into highlighters, technology, science, math, reading, learning, organizers, random facts--anything academic. I love sudoku, brain games, mental math, and dictionaries.

9. I'm a Grammar Nazi. I can't help but judge anything I read. Sorry! I will rarely call people on it though.

8. It almost makes me cry sometimes when I  think about not ever seeing a new episode of Friends or Will & Grace again. I miss great sitcoms...

7. I'm so ADD and OCD. Ask my husband how fun I am to live with :D

6. The following verses best describe my life and my work ethic: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17 and "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters," Colossians 3:23.  

5. I'm terrified of bees, wasps and snakes. (In fact, I won't allow flowers to be planted in my yard because the bees will come!!) That being said, I thoroughly enjoy reading about and learning about snakes. Odd? I know.

4. I could eat chicken noodle soup for every meal, every day and never tire of it.

3. I love to c-r-e-a-t-e. I am very crafty and love visiting Hobby Lobby and Michaels, but never have time to do much!

2. I never wear make-up. In fact, I don't even own any. I wouldn't know what to get or where to even start!

1. I have been learning SO much and have really stepped up my game as a teacher since discovering the world of blogging (which also happened to be the same time I started grad school). I think I have grown more in the last 6 months than in my 4 years of teaching combined. (Don't get me wrong, I have learned and grown during those 4 years but not as rapid a pace as I have this year). THANK YOU to all my bloggy friends. You have helped me be the best teacher I can be.

Favorite Fonts Linky Party

Join in on the fun at Finally in First! She's having a Favorite Fonts linky party! Here are the ones I love and use for pretty much everything:

Read Alouds Linky Party

Mrs. Parker is hosting a linky party on Read Alouds you plan on using in the fall!

As you may recall, I teach math (and social students/science) so I don't actually get to teach Language Arts. However, that has NEVER stopped me from sharing my love of literature with my students. While I am not able to read a lot of books with my kids, I do have a few that I manage to somehow squeeze in every year. If I can help it, I always find a math literature book to go with each math unit. There is usually at least one per concept, so we read a lot of math-related books.

Here are my favorites that my students get to enjoy each year:

This is always an early read-aloud. I read it sometime in the first few days of school. My students always get a kick out of it. This book would be great to accompany a discussion or activity about how math is used in our everyday lives.

Another great one by Jon Scieszka. It has some pretty sophisticated vocabulary on some pages, but still enjoyed by students.

This series has been my absolute FAVORITE since my 2nd grade teacher read it to me! The books are h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s. My students and I always have a great time reading them.

This is a cute one to go along with polygons!

I always read this one before we begin long division. Such a cute little story :D

I look forward to seeing everyone else's lists!

Office Depot--whoa!

Teachers, you MUST head to Office Depot SOON! They have a lot of different sales going on right now! An employee told me to really keep an eye on sales in July because they will have several deals on school supplies (and free breakfast for teachers!). Check out what I bought:

 These 2-pocket folders with fasteners were only 25 cents a piece! In true teacher fashion, I bought 26 of them.

My BFF actually bought this for me a few weeks ago. I saw some other creatures today that included a turtle, mouse, and penguin. Each holds 4GB.

I also bought 2 LED flexlights (the cutest little lamp-like apparatus) and 2 USB hubs. I'm one of those that has like, 6 things plugged in to my computer at any given time. I bought the pink person hub and the blue square hub for those times I find myself out of open ports. Here is the pink one up close:

I'll probably use this one at school because the usb cord is a little bit longer. Here is the other in action:

I am SO ready to get to my classroom and get to work. Unfortunately, my district has a policy that keeps overachievers like me from stepping foot on campus from mid-June until the beginning of August. I'll have to wait :(

Array Cards

Array Cards are GREAT for introducing multiplication and can be also used for division, area, perimeter, etc. The cards provide a hands-on visual of what multiplication means and what it looks like. They also help students learn the facts (a biggie in my grade level)! I created a set of cards AND a list of activities. They are available for purchase in my TPT store. Click the links below to go directly to them:

Array Cards & Activities for Array Cards