Tell me Something Good!

I'm linking up with Jennifer at Rowdy in First Grade.  I thought this would be a great positive way to start off the week!

Something good at school-  I have a pretty good class this year.  It's nice to be at school and just simply enjoy the children and have fun teaching them.  I feel like we've started to really build a solid welcoming community.  We started Pennies for Patients this week and I just gave a brief little speech about helping kids that are sick and need help.  I emptied the change from my wallet and put it in the box.  Kids started putting money that they had brought for the school store.  It just melted my heart.  They are so excited about finding change around the house and bringing it in.  This just brings a huge smile to my face.  

Something good at home-  We're planning a fun trip with some friends this spring and I'm pretty stoked about that! :)  I love vacations!


Go link up and tell us something good!!!

Making Addition and Subtraction Facts Fun!!

The CCSS state that all second graders should be fluent in addition and subtraction facts to twenty.  We are having a hard time getting our students to master all these facts.  Very few students are practicing at home despite sending notes home and giving students and parents a plethora of activities to make practicing math facts fun.  We are also noticing that students really think they do know their facts fluently.  Here are some fun ways to help your students practice their facts:

Addition and Subtraction Rap and Rock DVDs.  (We got these from our local library!)

I've also seen some video clips I found on youtube:

Here's the add and subtract body part dance:

Flash cards!  Student get with a partner and quiz each other.  They make piles of ones they know and ones they don't know.  I go around and see if I can say them faster than them so show them how fast they need to know them.  Flashcards are their supply list and they can be found at that the dollar store.

Time Tests

We give out time tests each week.  Students have to pass mixed test of easy addition, easy subtraction, hard addition, hard subtraction and mixed tests.  At this point in the year I don't have anyone who has passed all the tests.  Once they pass all the tests they get their picture taken and have it hung on the Math Master Hall of Fame!

Games! Games!  Games!

Bump is a great game where students practice adding three dice.  I have some FREE winter bump mats in my TpT store.  Check them out here.

Some other games to play:

Beat the Calculator

I Have, Who Has...

Game Board Races using flash cards

Memory Match

Check out my Winter Addition Fact Fun if you're looking for some ideas!

These games can all be played with cards:

Addition War

Addition Top- It

Make a Number

Great math websites:

Math Magician Addition

Math Magician Subtraction

Math Machine

Addition Baseball

We also send notes home to parents encouraging students to practice their facts at home and providing suggestions.  

Do you have any other ideas for helping students master math facts?

Woo Hoo!!

Congrats to the winners of my first little giveaway!!

Lisa from Growing Firsties

Najat

Jessica from Literacy Spark

Please email me (smilesfrom2ndgrade@hotmail.com) and let me know what two items you would like from my TpT store!!

Is anyone else just so darn exhausted?  I feel like I can't even function.  My husband (also a teacher) is sleeping on the couch next to me already! Hahaha

I would probably be sleeping but....Dance Moms starts in a few minutes so I've told myself I'm going to get some work done and watch!  Anyone else loves Abby and Dance Moms?!  I know, it's definitely a guilty pleasure...the train wreck I just can't look away from!

Hope you had a great day!!

Music while Planning and Giveaway!!

My OLW for the month of January is HAPPINESS.  I want to find the happiness in life all around me. Don't get me wrong, I consider myself a happy person, however, I want to find little joys in each day and just truly embrace and love life as well as everyone around me!  

Today, as I was working on some lesson plans ( see, this post is a little education-related), I was rocking out listening to my iTunes library.  Music just makes me plain happy!  Anyone else??  Here are a few of my favorite songs to jam out to recently.  I hope you enjoy some some of them.  What songs are you loving lately?  I have an iTunes gift card from Christmas and I'd love to get some new jams to rock out to enjoy! :)

Some Nights  By: Fun
Just can't get enough of this song!  Love the rhythm/beat.


Hey Ho! By: The Lumineers




Walk Down This Mountain By:  Bebo Norman
It's a Christian song- might not be your thing, but it's really really good!



On My Own  From:  Les Miserables
(Have you seen the movie?  Loved it!!)

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Fly Away By:  Sugarland I love love love Sugarland!  This is not their most popular, but I LOVE IT!
Dynomite  By: Taio Cruz I know this isn't new or anything- but I just love it! Ok, well congratulations if you made it all the way to the end of this post!  I hope that you liked some of my music choices!   I realized these aren't even new songs.  I've been listening to Christmas music for so long, I don't even think I know what is on the radio now!  As you can see, I love a wide variety of music!  I'd love any suggestions!!
Don't forget to about my sale going on until Monday!

Click here to go my store!
Click here to go back to the post where you can win two free items from my store!  All you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment telling me so!
Happy Sunday!! Have a great week!

Back from Break Sale!!

It's time to go back to school, so stock on some new units and activities this weekend!!

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday get 20% of my entire TpT store!!

Click here to go to my store!

I have some great units and many freebies, too!  Here are a few newbies I'm very proud of:

Reading Response Activities

Click here!!!
This unit includes:
-24 Fiction Reading Response Cards (Questions and Statements to finish)
-12 Nonfiction Reading Response Cards (Questions and Statements to finish)
-Reading Response BINGO card
-Empty Reading Response BINGO card
-18 Reading Response Sheets and Graphic Organizers

Next, be sure to check out my Sequencing Activities

Click here!!!
This unit includes:
-5 graphic organizers/worksheets to go with any story
-2 cut and glue sequence activities with an inference question
-1 blank cut and glue for students to create their own
(possibly even switch with a partner!)
-6 different sequence writing activities

I'd like to have my first little mini giveaway!  I'd like to give away any two units from my store to two people!  All you have to do is follow my blog and leave a comment here telling me you do so!  Then, follow my TpT store and leave another comment here telling me you do so!  (2 comments in all on this post!)  Then, I will pick two lucky random winners on Sunday night!  

Looking for good music to listen to?  Check back tomorrow for some fun tunes! :)  Enjoy the rest of the weekend! :) 

Friday Freebie!!

I'm linking up with TBA for Friday Freebies today!

I know it's a little early, but here is a How to Make a Valentine freebie.  I am almost done creating a huge unit on Sequencing.  It includes many reading and writing activities, and this is a small part of it.  I really hope that you enjoy it.  

Click here to download it for free!

I'd love it if you left some love for me here and rated this product! :)  I'm just getting started in the blogging and TpT world after being so incredibly inspired by so many of you!

Check out all the other awesome freebies that are being shared today on TBA!

Have a great weekend!!! :)

Books! Books! Books!

There are a few linky parties going on right now that both have to do with BOOKS!  Check out these books and then go join in the fun and link up as well!

Courtney from Swimming into Second is having a linky party about books for boys.  Here are some of the books that the boys in my class seem to enjoy...

Nonfiction

They also love Extreme Animal books.  There are tons of them out there...here are few in my classroom library!

They also seem to love books about extreme weather.  Do you see a pattern here?  Haha...

I have some high readers in my class.  They have really taken to Roald Dahl books.  Here are just a few of his awesome books.

Captain Underpants!  They find it hilarious!

To go right along with the above is the new Super Diaper Baby books.  They are just cracking up as they read!

I hope this helps with some of those reluctant readers that you have!  Go link up with Courtney and add some great books to your classroom library!  I'm excited to see what books others have included.  She is even offering an Amazon Gift Card as an incentive!!  WOO HOO!!

Mary, from Pitner's Potpourri is also holding a linky party about books you want to read.  Go check it out!

A professional book that I'd like to read is:

It is about writer's workshop and helping primary students with writing!

Two books that I'd like to read for pleasure:

I've heard Bossypants is really funny! It's already on my Kindle ready to go! 

Wedding night doesn't even come out until May but Sophie Kinsella is like my favorite author ever!  She is hilarious!!  I figure it's good it doesn't even come out until May considering once school starts again, my time to read will become very limited!!

A book I want to use in my classroom is:

Tonya from Tonya's Treats for Teachers mentioned it on her blog and I'm excited to use it!  It has a pattern of Fortunately...Unfortunately... 

I can't wait to add to my reading list and see what everyone else links up with!

Happy Reading!!