Spring Cleaning Sale!

Well, I just have to join in the spring cleaning sale!  How can I resist?  

Check out my store here!!

Here are some of my favorite units:

All About Arrays

Super Sequencing Fun!

Reading Response Activities

Be a Contraction "Mon-Star"!!

Cause and Effect:  A Plethora of Activities

Have a wonderful Easter!!  These made me smile! :)

Place Value Fun!

Last week we had a lot of fun with place value.  I have the high math class this year.  We did a basic place value review earlier in the year, so now we built on that and expanded!  (get it, expanded! haha :) )

We had place value races.  Students were put in groups.  I put a number in word form on the board and they had to create the number with commas out the the numbers their group had.  It was a lot of fun!  They are begging me to play it again and again! haha!  My class is very competitive!  They must get that from their teacher! ;)

After it was in word form for a while, I even put some numbers on the board in expanded form and they had to create the number.  It was tricky for them at first, but then they got the hang of it and they are getting really good at expanded form!

Then, we played a little dice game that I made up.   I'm sure I'm not the first person that has created it.   It was nothing fancy, but again, the kids loved it.  They rolled the dice and every roll they were able to decide where to put the number.  Then, in the last column they had to write the number all together and read it.  Oh- it's not over yet.  They had to compare the number with their partners and decide which was great.  So many skills were being practiced and they had a blast!

We did a little match game using these free cards I found on TpT.


Then, we did some independent practice similar to the game.  I used this great freebie that I found on TpT.  Each student had a board and cut out numbers.  I put numbers in word and expanded form on the board, and they had to create the number.  We also played mystery number.

All in all, my kids had a great time and have some great understanding of place value.  I was one happy teacher! :)

If you'd like the numbers that my kids used for the number race game or the template I created for the dice game, send me an email at smilesfrom2ndgrade@hotmail.com or leave a comment.  I'd be happy to send it your way!

Spring Break Sale!

I'm on Spring Break this week- so let's celebrate!  My entire Teachers pay Teachers store will be 20% off through Friday!  If you have anything in your wish list, now is the time to snatch them up! :) Hope you have a great day!

Great Website Full of Resources!!

Have you ever heard of livebinders.com?  I just found out about it at school last Friday and it is SO.SO.COOL!! :)  

There are a million resources on this site and you can download things and organize what you want into your binders!  You can search the site and then create binders based on topics you want.  Once you become comfortable, the kids could even start making their own binders...oh the possibilities!

It takes about two seconds to sign up and it's free!  Go check it out today...you will be so glad!  We are starting our weather unit so I looked up some weather resources.  Another one of my favorites is some common core math resources that I found.  You can make your binders private or share them with others.  It's such a great resource!

An Easter Freebie!

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted!  As an apology, I am here with an Easter freebie!  I've been working on my lesson plans, and we are going to read The Easter Egg by Jan Brett laster this week.  I just love that book!  Here is a little freebie with some story activities to go along with the book.  I hope you enjoy it!  Leave me some love if you like it or use it in your classroom! :)  Have a great week!  Click here to grab a copy! :)

WINNERS!!!!

Hello, friends!  Sorry I've been so MIA this week.  I think I'm getting sick and it's just been a L-O-N-G week.  I have some great posts for this upcoming week- so stay tuned!!  However- it's time to announce the winners of my 100 followers giveaway!! :)  Thank you to everyone who entered!!  

CONGRATULATIONS...

I am going to send out emails right now!! :)

Music in the Classroom!

I love playing music for my kids!  How about you?  When students are writing during writer's workshop, cursive practice, or any other quiet work time.  My favorite CDs that I use during that time is Baby Einstein.  It's fabulous, and my students seem to enjoy and look forward to it!

I've also tried to incorporate music into some lessons as well.  If we are playing a SCOOT game (class fav!) or a scavenger hunt, I'll often play some fun "party" music.  HAHA!  This is nothing new- but Kidz Bop is just fabulous.  It is a CD of popular radio songs, but none of the bad words!  It's not the original singers, but it sounds pretty darn similar!  I explained to my kids that the music we are going to listen to was Kidz Bop and most of them had already heard of it!  We talked about how it had all appropriate words, and they all agreed to not sing any of the bad words if they knew them!  It's amazing how much this has energized my class.  They ask for it all the time!  If you haven't- check it out! :)

I just read on a blog recently- (please help me if it's you or you know what blog it is!  It's one I follow because I know I found it through my feed)  about playing a song as a signal for something.  For example "Some Nights" would signal one minute to finish up morning work and get up to calendar.  She said it was awesome- and I just thought it was brilliant!  If that's you please let me know so I can give you some credit!

I also use songs to teach concepts and skills ALL.THE.TIME.  That is a whole other post! ;)

Don't forget- I'm hosting a 100 followers giveaway!  Click here to go to yesterday's post and read about the great prizes!

I hope you had a great Monday!  We're supposed to get hit with a ton of snow overnight.  We'll see if it actually happens! :)

March Currently and 100 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY!!

Hello, Friends!  I'm loving that it's March already- here's hoping the warm weather is not far behind!!  I'm so ready for it! :)  I'm linking up with the great Farley for her Currently Linky.  Here we go!

Everything is pretty self explanatory except the last.  K was a hard one- but I like Kix cereal, I love kites (so pretty, colorful, and it means spring!), and I just hate ketchup.  My family gives me a hard time about it all the time- it just simply GROSSES.ME.OUT.   Please don't judge me! :)

NOW...GET EXCITED...

I am very excited to announce my 100 follower giveaway.  I know that many blogs are way way beyond 100 followers, but for me, it is huge milestone and I'm stoked!!  :) I have some great bloggers who are joining me in celebrating-  check out their blogs here!

Background from Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da Designs, Clipart form Creative Clips and Font from Creating & Teaching

Look what you can win!!!

Amanda and Stacia from The Collaboration Cuties are giving away any item from their tpt store!

Catherine from The Brown Bag Teacher is giving away her Making Connections unit!

Angie from The First Grade Scoop is giving away any item of your choice from her tpt store!

I am giving away two items from my tpt store as well as a $10 amazon gift card!! WOO HOO!!



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Five for Friday and a Freebie! WOOO HOOO!!

That is a huge WOO HOO!!  This week just seemed like it took forever...even today seemed like it took forever!  But here we are on Friday night with the weekend finally here!! :)  I don't know about you- but I have a three day weekend!  Those are definitely the best kinds of weekends!  Thank you, Mr. Casmir Pulaski.

Well, I love to link up with Doodle Bugs for the Five for Friday Linky.  Without further ado...

1.  Gotta love a Friday Freebie.  Today I have a simple little antonym I Have, Who has game. My kids are obsessed with I Have, Who has games.  I hope that you enjoy it!   Click here!

2.  One of my reading groups is working on their Stone Fox book trailer.  They are so excited and have been working really hard.  I am so excited to see the final product.  We'll see how it turns out!  I'm very proud of them so far.  Once it's finished I plan to do a whole post about it, but here are a couple pictures of the planning process.

3.  We had a lot of fun with Measurement: Gangnam Style.  Click here to check it out on tpt.  It's from Kindergarten Smorgasboard, and it's so awesome.   We used it as a SCOOT game, and played Kidz Bop Gangnam Style while they moved about and measured.  THEY.WERE.OBSESSED.  There are a variety of recording sheets so we measured in inches and centimeters.

4.  Today we celebrated that awesome man who wrote some fabulous books.  We had so much fun today and there were so many fun books and activities.  It was a blast.  I won this awesome packet form Rachel Lamb at The Tattooed Teacher (Thanks, Rachel!!)  It is fabulous.  I totally recommend that you check it out.  It can be used year round, not just at this time of year.

5.  I'm stoked that I am over 100 followers!! Can I get a WOO HOO?!  I just started blogging regularly in January of 2013.  I still get nervous writing an blog post and wondering if anyone cares what I have to say.  Stay tuned this weekend for some great prizes!! :)

HAPPY WEEKEND, MY FRIENDS! :)