WEDNESDAY FUN!!!!

Man what a day! It has been so busy! I wanted to make sure to come and give you a little encouragement in this last few weeks until summer break. So without further ado, welcome to 

As the end of the school year is starting its slow crawl (which I totally don't mind) to the end, I wanted to help encourage you with those writing pieces you have been working so hard on. 

I know in my classroom we are officially done! We have edited and revised our pieces and all have been published. I am super excited about that because normally, we are still working hard on our pieces. At my school we have these blue and white folders that we are to write the school year, grade, school and homeroom teacher. Being the writing teacher for a team of teachers, I have had to put together 60 folders. They are labeled and ready to go. 

I don't know what your requirements are for your students but at my school we must have one of each type of writing, (narrative, information, opinion) and this year we added short answers or an extended response. 

Here is my encouraging words to you! YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! YOU WILL MAKE IT! THEY MAY NOT BE THE WAY YOU WANT THEM BUT YOUR STUDENTS HAVE GROWN AS WRITERS BECAUSE OF YOU!!!!

It is because of your hard work that your students will be amazing writers next year!!!! 

To celebrate your hard work, I have a freebie that you can keep for the next school year. It has cover sheets for a writer's notebook and the graphic organizers that I used to teach the 3 types of writing. I also included the writing paper that my students write on everyday. I hope that you will enjoy it! 

Click HERE for your Freebie!

If you have any questions about writing, feel free to email me at talesofthesassyteacher@gmail.com

Liebster Award

Happy Sunday everyone! I got a sweet comment on my glue sponge post from Yukari of A Pinch of Kinder for the Liebster Award. She said she had nominated me for this award! Thank you Yukari! I feel so blessed and honored by this! 

You may be asking what is the Liebster Award. The Liebster Award is a way for newer bloggers (with less than 200 followers) who have great content, to link up, meet other bloggers and share a little about themselves! 

Here are the answers to the 10 questions I recieved:

1. Why and how long ago did you start blogging?

I started blogging in 2011. Yep that long ago but I never really did much with it! I read others blogs and kept saying that I can do this. I have a lot to share but still never got busy. Well, I join Teaching Blog Traffic School and that helped change my entire mind set. 

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

Passion! I have a passion for what I do. I want to share that passion. I want to inspire others. I want to make others find their love of this craft the way others have inspired me to do the same. 

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

This takes time and it is like a second job but if you really want to share this life with others, then you have to work for it! 

4. What is your favorite past time other than blogging?

Oh that is so easy for me. I love to scrapbook! I love card making and have thought about making a bunch and selling in an Etsy store. I am learning to sew so I am sure that will be another past time I will love soon. 

5. How many hours a week do you dedicate to your blog?

I try very hard to post at least 3 days a week. I try and make Monday and Wednesday a weekly day and the other day is up for whatever I want to share or for linkies I join. 

6. What category of blog posts do you enjoy the most?

I love engaging blogs. Blogs that tell what they are really doing in their classrooms. Sometimes I love a blog that is brutally honest about how they are feel with the trends in education. I do love a little fun too.

7. Where does your blog inspiration come from?

From my class! I teach K-2 writing and so those sassypants really keep me going. I love sharing what they are saying and doing. 

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

I have to say my favorite was when I got the opportunity to be a guest blogger on Learning to be Awesome! It was such anopportunity  that I was not expecting. I loved sharing a little bit about my world. 

9. Is there any post that you have been planning to do, but have been postponing it for a while now?

I do a Wednesday Writing Tip day. This is a day that tell anything that is happening in my writing room. I have been wanting to make it a linky party once a month. I just have been nervous about doing it. You know that old fear of nobody wanting to link up! I just need to face the fear and keep going. Like they say in the movie Meet the Robinsons, Keep Moving Forward. 

10. What is your favorite aspect of blogging?

I love being able to meet other people and to read their views on teaching. It is a wonderful community! 

11.  Which idea from a blog would you like to try yourself?   

Ashley from Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd wrote a blog post back in December about organizing your clipart and TPT products. I need to take time this summer and organize myself so that I am ready for the fall. 

My Nominations

1. Elizabeth from First Grade Stripes.

2. Tiffany from Shoelaces & Sweetfaces

3. Chynna from First Grade  FairyTale

4. Elsa from The Whole Wheat Class

 

5. Jennifer from A Dab of Glue will Do

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 10 questions given to you (the ones I answered above).

3. Nominate 5-11 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).

Glue Sponges

Hey guys! How is everyone doing? Tonight I thought I would talk to you about that end of the year not fun time. You know when the glue wont come out of the bottles and your running out of glue sticks. Well have you tried or heard about glue sponges! Excuse me for a moment while I shout!!!!

THESE ARE THE MOST AMAZING THINGS EVER!!!! I WILL NEVER GO BACK!!!!!!

Okay not that is over let me tell you about how you can make them and what the benefit to having these amazing boxes are in your classroom.

Okay here is the materials needed:

Yep! That's it! These 3 products will change your life. Now I have them them put together is lots of ways but I am going to tell you what I do! 

Step 1: Pour a whole bottle of glue on the bottom of the bowl.

Step 2: Lay the sponge on top of glue.

Step 3: Pour a HALF a bottle of glue on top and seal the lid.

Step 4: Let the sponge sit for a week or two to allow the glue to soak in.

Now I will say this: Make sure that you pick your sponges first so that you can find the perfect container. I had to cut mine so a couple of my sponges. Also, spray them with water at least once a week. I was doing every other day but it didnt seem to be necessary with the amount of glue I use. 

Now you may be asking what is so special about these sponges, why should I use them, and how did you find out about it?

Let's take this a question at a time.

1. What is so special about these sponges?

Before I answer that question, think about your classroom. Do you hear these phrases? "My glue stick is dried up. I can't find the glue lid. The glue bottle won't work." These phrases made me crazy!!!!! Crazy I tell ya!! So what is so special. They are easy to store and can make glue life easier. 

2. Why should I use them?

Simple: NO MORE COMPLAINING ABOUT STICKS AND BOTTLES!  You can't beat that peace in your classroom. 

3. How did you find out?

Well after all those whines and cries. I had to find something different. I searched the internet for alternatives to glue sticks and bottles. A video popped up in my search about glue sponges. WHAT???? GLUE SPONGES!!!! I was super excited and had to watch. That video changed my life. Just watch the link below. 

My glue sponges have lasted all year except for this little guy.

This little fellow ended up with mold. I was shocked! Well, here is a tip that I missed and you will DEFINITELY need to use!!! In your spray bottle of water, add a small amount of mouthwash. I KNOW RIGHT!!! This will help your sponge not get my sponge's problem. LOL! 

Well I hope this will help you to push until your last day! Maybe you will consider it next year. They will truly change your life. 

Wonderful Wednesday

Hey everyone! I'm back! Its time for my Wednesday Writing Tip. Tonight will be more about a lesson that I did with my 2nd grade writing room than a tip. I hope you will enjoy it. 

As I mentioned in Monday's post, I would tell you about my fun activity with the story the Jolly Postman. Have you read this cute book? 

This is a cute, lovable story about a postman that meets different fairy tale characters. They each receive different type of mail from the postman. Here are a few pictures from the story.

The witch receives an ad for items that witches need. The big bad wolf gets a letter from a lawyer telling him to leave the house of grandma. Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk writes a postcard to the giant telling how much fun he was having with the goose that laid the golden egg. LOL! This book is great to help kids have fun with writing. 

I thought about the fun of the story and rewrote it for my students. They have been super excited! The first 2 days require you to read the book Hey Little Ant! 

and Frog and Toad (I read the story Spring.)

With Hey Little Ant, we wrote letters to either the Boy explaining why he shouldn't step on the ant or to the Ant to explain why stepping on him will not matter. There is one other page in the book that will require a letter but the rest of what you want them to write would be up to you. 

I am adding it as a freebie for you! I hope that you will enjoy it so much! (HINT: Make a big book version and have the kiddos decorate each page. Then make a copy of their work so that you have their work forever with you!) 

Click HERE for your Freebie!

This has been an amazing writing week! I hop that yours will be just as great! Download the freebie and tell me how your kiddos like it!

The Weekly Plan

Hey everyone I hope everyone has had an amazing day! I am here tonight for another installment of Monday Wrap Up!

Tonight I thought I would share what fun we had in my classroom today and what the plan is for the week. 

So today was the first day back from Spring Break. I woke up super happy. 

1.) I missed my kids.

2.) I started T25 beta round. 

3.) I gained 100 new followers on IG froma loop giveaway. 

4.) I started fasting for my pouch reset. 

Anyway, I'll focus on school but these were a few reasons I felt so great. 

Today we started our Jolly postman version story. I'll write more about for Wednesday Writing Tip. The kids listened to the story little ant and did a great job. 

The Kinders and first grade began writing about their opinion of summer. Wow! I'm super proud of these kids. After reading blogs and meeting other teachers from across the country, I am super excited for the inspiration and help. They are awesome writers. 

This week we will be completing our   jolly Postman books and summer writings. Plus we are starting extended response for grades K-2 this week. Tomorrow we will be giving our first testing to see how the kids write. I see my students write wonderfully but I get nervous when it comes to tests. We are scoring them in our PLC's after school. Wish me luck! 

We will also continue with our close reading in the afternoon with 2nd grade. Here is a few pics of them working. 

Okay I'm super excited to be back. I can't wait to tell more about my adventure. I would love to here about yours. 

2gether is Better: Schedules

Hey everyone! I am so excited to get to blog early. I am on SPRING BREAK!!!! I am so needing this time to plan, create, and get ready for the end of the year push. I decided instead of my normal Monday Wrap Up!

I thought would join Angie from Lucky Little Learners and Ashley from Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd in their monthly link up! This month they are discussing schedules. I am happy to explain my schedule. 

Now I will say I am not self contained! I teach in a school that has the teachers in departments. Yep, you read right departments. I teach K-2 writing. If you want to get a better understanding as to how the clusters work, click HERE and read a post that I wrote all about the pros and cons for this way of teaching. 

First, let me show you my daily schedule. 

I a special class or planning period everyday except for Monday. Monday is always my longest day of teaching. Especially when lunch is all you have to stop to go to the bathroom.

Now the bathroom break usually happens in my room because I have a bathroom. 

Now let me explain a typical day in my classroom. 

My day starts with me picking up my 2nd grade homeroom. Our school has common areas that have white boards and bleachers in them so that if you want to teach multiple classes then you can do that. The 2nd graders come in and follow my morning routine. Then they head to their table and get out their Minute to Win It paper and card from my table basket. If you want to read about my table basket just click HERE! 

I purchased Deedee Wills Handwriting set just for the Minute to Win It game. My kids look forward to it everyday. They LOVE Friday the best because if you pass your letter level then you get CANDY!!!!! Who doesn't love a treat at the end of the week. The purpose of the game is to write neat but quick. My district has us do Handwriting Without Tears so I look for the strokes starting at the top. HWT is a great program and has an assessment that goes with it. It helps to know what problems you students have when forming letters which help in your classroom. Just click on HWT to check it out. 

After the game, we come to the I do their Writing lesson. This month we are writing opinion pieces. I am super excited because we are going to the take the story The Jolly Postman and change it. I can't wait for them to write their own version. I do play to put a copy plan in my TPT store for you guys to check out. 

Once the writing lesson is over, we do a little grammar and we are out the door. Now I don't always make grammar separate only because I want my students to apply it in their writing. So it really depends on what I see in the previous days lesson. Most of the time I can do a quick warm up and that gives extra time for my writers to write. 

Now with my 1st grade class, they have a lunch in between so after lunch I read to them. With the kinders, I do my Writer's Eye paper. I created a Daily Fix it product that has been helpful to my kinders. At the beginning of the year we do HWT Sentence School! I helps so much and gets kiddos thinking about proper sentences.  Click HERE to see my Daily Fix It UP and HERE for Sentence School. ONce the kinders finish their Writer's Eye then we move on to build a sentence. Click HERE to see what we use. 

At around 1:15, my 2nd graders return to me and we do daily Close Reading. I am helping my reading teammate with this since she wasnt quite for sure about it. My kids have baskets that have a folder and close reading tool kit baggies in them. The baggies have post it notes, index cards, pencil, highlighters, and close reading symbol sheet. 

Once close reading is over, we go ahead and do our classroom jobs, flip chairs, put our backpacks on our chairs, and buy from my snack shop. We do all of this because they have specials at the end of the day and I want to make sure they are read to head out the door. Dismissal is so much better for me since I started doing this last year.

We then head outside for recess! After their special I pick them up and we head to our dismissal areas. 

So as you can see I have a very packed day! I hope that you have enjoyed reading about a life in my Writing classroom. 

You Oughta Know About

Hey everyone! I am super excited to link up with the You Oughta Know blog hop for the month of April! I decided to share something I started doing in my room and I hope you will find it helpful! 

In my school I teach writing for grades K-2. I'm in a cluster with 2 other teachers. With that said, there can be times that I have lots for them to do. I have came up with a system that has started changing my life. 

This basket has made such a HUGE  difference. I have paved 4 basket in the room. One for each of the tables. When I play handwriting Minute to Win It ( a product from Deedee Wills) I just have them get their cards and papers out of the basket. If we are sorting or building sentences, well you guessed it, it's all in the basket. It has changed the flow of my room. This basket could change world. 

Here is a few other items I use to make my day run smoothly. 

This rolling cart is used to hold my students writing folders. When we finished Minute to Win it! The students know to get in their drawer, retrieve their folder, then sit on it in their carpet square. The yellow is for kinders, blue for 1st graders, and red is for 2nd graders. The tub on top holds my students leadership binders. If you want to know about how I use the leadership binders just let me know. 

Now the picture above is what I use on top of the tables. I bought the caddy and the big basket it is in from Really Good Stuff. The blue bucket I bought from Party City on clearance for $.70.  The caddy typically holds only pencils and markers. The white baskets, as you can see, hold their crayons. The blue bucket is to hold their trash. So when we are cutting, there is no running back and forth to the trash can. They put their trash in that and a table captain will dump it throughout an activity. The green lids you see is my glue sponges. OMGOODNESS!!!!!! They will change your life. If you want to know to make your own I will put the link to Mr. Greg from Kindergarten Smorgasboards youtube page. Click HERE to see it. It has made my year as well. 

I hope that you would consider using some of these ideas and let me know what you think. I can't wait to hear. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Wrap It Up

Man what a day! I mean it has been a fun day. I loved every minute of it. We have been working so hard. So with that, Thanks for joining me for Monday Wrap Up! 

I loved how hard my second graders worked. We are working in opinion writing through letter writing. Today we made our "mailbox" for our class. We wrote letters to our classmates for a warm up. They were so excited. I did forget to take a picture of our box so when they finished decorating it, I will post on IG. This afternoon they loved their letters. I can't wait until tomorrow when they write back. 

Now with my Kinders and 1st grade we have been doing Writing Through the Year Unit 4 by Deanna Jump and Deedee Wills. I just have to say that I NEVER thought that giving your opinion about a book would be so difficult. They really struggle. They just want to give a summary. If anyone has some ideas to help, I'm all for it!!! Anyway, they loved the books we have read, especially I Ain't Gonna Paint No More. Secretly I love this book because of the boy about to paint his butt. The picture of him being all painted and that white tushy just makes me laugh. 

Tomorrow we will be working on making our opinion stand out. I can't wait. I love what I do! 

Before I leave you tonight, I just wanted to remind you that my IG friends and I are having a giveaway. Head to IG and loop around. 

Then check out their blogs. First Grade is a Fary tale.  First Grade Stripes.  Shoelaces and Sweetfaces