Antonyms Galore!

I just wanted to let you know that I recently updated this packet.  I made the backgrounds myself, along with a little help from my 11 year old daughter!  She was my tech advisor.  From her point of view, camou doesn't have to be JUST for boys, so she asked that I make some 'girl camou' games that the girls would like, too.  There are 4 different sets of antonym matches in this pack so you can use it for Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, or just whenever you are feeling a little patriotic.  

Just click HERE!

Hope you enjoy!

Classroom Secrets and Tricks

This year I am going to be using Remind101.com to communicate with my parents through texting.  And, best of all, it is FREE!!

This year I am going to use one of these so that my students don't fight over pencils anymore!

Just click on the pic to take a look!

Last year, I used a gumball dispenser for my eraser tips.  Kids 'donated' a dime anytime they wanted an eraser and I used the money to buy more erasers.  It worked really well.

You can click on the pic here, too!

Here is another secret.  Did you know that you can download a program to pull your Kindle Library up on your PC??  Kids can read from there, OR you can project a book up on your Smart Board!!!  

It makes better use of your Kindle library....and.....more and more authors are showing up as a Kindle download on Amazon!  Just the other day I found Tomie de Paola, Kevin Henkes, and Patricia Pollaco.  They are much cheaper than the 'real' books AND they don't tear up!

Here is my 'secret' to getting my shipping so cheap.  I paid $70 I think, to be a member of Amazon Prime, but I have saved about 3 times that this year in shipping.  Plus, I get everything in 2 days!  Amazon has a program where you can try Amazon Prime for free.  My husband likes it because he watches the movies!  So, you can make yourself and family happy with this sign up!

Join Amazon Prime - Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Getting Ready

Well, I spent 5 hours working on my room today <pics to come!!> and got a lot of things done, cleaned up and then, of course, made an even bigger mess that I had to leave so that the custodians could lock the school up for the evening.  Don't you just love how that works???

While I was there I went through the supplies I had leftover from last year to see what I need to buy...as always I have a back to school budget also!  I got home and opened my email and found this nice little linky-poo.  It links you to everything imaginable plus some stuff that you didn't even know existed!!  So, I thought I might ought to share it with you.

Shop Amazon - Introducing Education Supplies for Teachers

Now, your assignment is to take a look and report back <in the comment section> a deal that you think others might need to take advantage of!  I can't wait to see what you find!  Make sure to leave the name of the product, the price, and your plans with it!

A little later on <I am writing this at 5 AM> I'll probably be back with some ideas of my own and some eye candy!  Until then!  Enjoy your shopping or browsing!!

Book Study Week 7

Hey everybody.  So sorry about not getting this out yesterday like planned.  My head felt like it a bobble head, so I just stayed in bed! 

Anyway, we are on to Chapters 12 and 13 this week and only have two more chapters left after that!

                                    Feel Free to Pin This!


If you haven't purchased the book you can find it at Amazon!  Just click on the link below and you can go straight to the book to purchase it.

Just click here to purchase!

Here are the answers for Chapters 10 and 11:

Chapter 10

1.  Did you know that any child can be gifted?  Gifted status is determined by the amount of words a child hears between the year of their birth and age 3.  Knowing that, why is teaching vocabulary important?

The number of words a child hears differs due to socio-economic status.  Did you know that the children of working parents and welfare parents are now lumped into the same category and do not provide enough verbal interaction?  A child needs to read at least 1,000 books and must be constantly talked with using words in context, not baby babble, in order to be ready for kindergarten.

2.  What is the difference between these words:  tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3?

Tier 1--words that are likely already known.

Tier 2--words that are part of the vocabulary of mature readers and speakers.

Tier 3--words that aren't used in oral vocabulary often and are primarily seen in literature.

3.  What is a morpheme?

A morpheme is the smallest word parts that are used to make new words.

4.  Summarize the 4 Week Word Cycle.  This will be on pg 255.

5.  What is your 'vocabulary' schedule like?  

I teach a few words each day.  Research shows that students must learn at least 6 new words a day in order to grow as a reader. An example of this might be print:  print, printed, printing, reprinting, printable, printer.  Variations count!!  Students need to hear the words in isolation, in verbal context, and in written use!

Chap 11

1.  What are 'think, pair, shares'?  Why does Maddie recommend using a partner checklist?

Students take time to think about an answer, pair up <usually with an assigned partner>, and they share what they have learned or work together on a project.  Partner checklists are a good way to teach students to be responsible.

2.  Why do teachers recommend using rubrics?

Rubrics are a good way to assess details of a project and also let students know the expectations of the teacher before starting to work.  In this day in age we cannot and should not have a written test for everything.  Rubrics allow teaches to look for the details.

3.  How are discussions supposed to be conducted?  <pgs. 279-285>  See these pages for the answer!

Here are the questions for Chapters 12 and 13.

Chapter 12

1.  What are the two strategies that students MUST master in order to do well on a standardized test?

2.  What are some strategies that good test takers use?

3.  What is test taking stamina?

4.  When should teachers begin working on the test genre?

Chapter 13

1.  Why should you test using texts that students have read before and have not read before?

2.  What is spiraling?  How is it used?

Here is a button for you to use on your blog if you would like to incorporate your thoughts into a post:

Book Study Post Will Be on Thursday

Sorry!  I will post the book study on 7/25/2013 due to a dreaded sinus infection.  So sorry!

Jo-Ann Teacher Rewards – Registration & Benefits

Do you like benefits and rewards??  Thought so!!

Most teachers shop at

to pick up fabric, craft items, etc. for going back to school.

Well, now teachers and educators can save 15% every day on every purchase in-store or at Joann.com by signing up or re-enrolling in the Teacher Rewards program.  This program was created in order to help teachers purchase things needed for their classroom.  

Jo-Ann Teacher Rewards – Registration & Benefits

Teachers and educators can register online or in-store to receive discounts on classroom craft and sewing projects, classroom décor and organization products.

 The benefits include:

• Free discount card for 15% off every purchase.
• Bonus coupon for 20% off any one total purchase when you enroll or re-enroll in the program.
• More money-saving coupons as a Jo-Ann Preferred Customer.
• Personal notice of the latest sales offers, crafting trends and inspiration.

So, click on the JoAnn logo or a blue link and go, go, GO!!!

Shop Educents!!

If you haven't been to this site yet, you are missing out!  We are talking great deals!  Take a look!!

Featured Deal of the Day: World Record Lesson Series - $33.60 or $40.70   The Amazing World Record Lessons Series from Sunflower Education includes 5 books, 100 different lessons, and 300 activity sheets. Each book covers a unique topic and includes 20 innovative, easy-to-integrate lesson plans to teach key concepts and motivate students. This series is popular with students because kids love extremes-they want to know about the biggest, tallest, and greatest. Amazing World Records delivers by using the extremes of our world to capture student interest and then capitalizes on that curiosity to achieve real student learning about core concepts! I WANT IT!   T O D A Y ' S   D E A L S

Science Experiment Pack - $22.57   Make science come alive with this incredible Science Experiment and Activity Pack! Perfect for kids ages 8-12, this pack includes three fun books filled with exciting hands-on experiments and Science knowledge.

Human Body Systems eBook Bundle - $2.99   81% OFF! Four Human Body Systems eBook PDFs. Human Body Detectives teaches kids about specific body systems and their nutritional needs.

Mayan Mysteries Classroom Edition - $149.50   Turn your students into archaeologists as they embark on an exciting educational adventure to learn about the ancient Maya civilization and culture with Mayan Mysteries!

Integer Bingo - $21   30% OFF! Reinforces addition and subtraction of integers! With every roll of the dice, there are 12 right answers, each obtained by players using a negative number.

Fractions Playing Cards - $25   30% OFF! Fun math practice for middle school students!

Intro to Architecture Homeschool Course - $99.95   33% OFF! A 9 - 18 week course that will introduce your student to the very beginning elements of Architecture.

Parental Involvement Kits - $24.50   30% OFF! Each kit includes 8 Rising Readers Leveled Books, a personal journal, and a Parent Guide to help parents guide their students.

Garden Set for Kids - $20   26% OFF! Follow a tear through the earth and the atmosphere to see how it helps the garden grow! A Zen and visually rich introduction to the water cycle for all ages.

Award-Winning DVD Pack - $46.40   42% OFF! The Brainy Baby 4-Pack DVD set includes four educational videos for kids ages 2-4. Covering topics including ABCs, Shapes & Colors, 123s and Animals!

Travel Peel & Play - $15   50% OFF! Use these PEEL & PLAY sets in the car, on a plane or train, or on vacation. Each set comes in a compact and portable package that fits perfectly on a child’s lap and fold up easily to store in a suitcase,

Back-to-School Bundle - $30   80% OFF! Over 2,100 craftivities, centers, readers, activities, décor, posters, and printables!

Get Ready for PreK-1st Grade! - $22.57   33% OFF! Reinforces essential, age-appropriate skills through fun and engaging activities such as coloring, completing patterns and mazes, matching pairs, connecting the dots, and more.

Amazing Science Pack - $34.93   30% OFF! Great for ages 6-13! This collection of outrageously entertaining science experiments and cool tricks in guaranteed to get ooohs and ahhhs from kids and adults alike!

Creativity Building Set - $25   25% OFF! Award-winning creativity kit for kids! The ZoLO Blanko Building Set from Zolo Inc. lets you build your own creations, and then color and decorate them too! Paint, draw on, or style the 30 plastic pieces in any number of ways.

FREE $10 Gift Card   Time4Learning.com is an award-winning online education program for PreK to 8th grade, offering standards-based multimedia lessons in math and language arts. (Science, social studies and art are also included as a bonus in most grades.)