Over the past *almost* two years (gasp!  Has it really been that long???!!!) I have immersed myself in the world of blogging.  It has been nothing short of amazing.  The blogging community is such a fantastic and inspiring group of teachers.  I have grown as a teacher, improved my craft, and shared a bit of it with you all along the way. So as a token of my appreciation to you for joining me on this journey, I have teamed up with 14 of my bloggy friends to bring you a downright awesome giveaway. First and foremost, as a blogger, I am thankful of course for you all.  Thank you for reading and commenting on my blog.  As a teacher, though, I am thankful for anything and everything that makes my life easier.  The things that I have used in my room that I can count on to not only be spot on with the lesson but also are ready to go.  In math, the Spiral Homework and Quizzes, as well as Calendar Math do both of those things.  It is b......

As an introduction to our year in math this year, I wanted to get the kids looking at all the ways the math that they were going to encounter would actually be found in the real world.  So last week, our first week back, I sent the kids on a little scavenger hunt. I gave them each a little sheet of paper (which you can get here ) with some math terms and items that we would be studying this year.  Things like negative numbers, percents, and decimals all made an appearance on the sheet.  I then asked them to look through magazines, newspapers, and the internet for examples of each.  They could be creative in how they interpreted each of the categories (ie: a box of cereal from an ad could be considered a polygon), but each category had to have at least two things that were representative of the math.  If they couldn't find a suitable picture in the magazines, newspaper, or internet, I did allow them to draw a picture....though I discouraged it slightly.  I......

You guys know me by now.  I am a huge spiral fan.  I love anything that constantly reviews those key standards that they kids need to know.  So I was super excited when Carson-Dellosa told me they were going to send me their new Common Core Language Arts 4 Today book!  I am trying to get my hands on anything that will help me understand and implement the Common Core a little bit better in my room, and this looks like it just might work. When I first opened the book, I noticed that there was a "problem a day" type feel to it.  The students are given a sheet that has four days worth of practice on it, where they read a teeny passage and answer some questions.  It starts off easier on Day 1 and progresses to be a bit more difficult by Day 4.  Day 5 is always an assessment of the skills that were practiced during that week. Some weeks are comprehension practice.  Some weeks are grammar skills.  Some weeks are spelling and word work. ......

So yesterday I was supposed to come back at 5pm and announce the winners of the Pin It to Win It contest.  I had every good intention to do that.  However, at around 3pm, I ended up taking an unexpected detour to the hospital.  Don't worry...I am fine now.  Turns out, I have a kidney infection and some hydronephrosis (the baby is sitting on the tube that goes from my kidney to bladder, so it is making some "water on the kidney")  So....I was a bit distracted and couldn't choose the winners. BUT I am here now with the names (for those of you on the edge of your seat waiting....) I am so, so excited by your choices.  They are some of my most favorites that I use in my classroom...and I hope that each of you will be able to use the packs in your classroom as I have in mine.  If you see your name and pin above, please email me at TeachinginRoom6@yahoo.com to claim your prize.  I will get it to you as soon as possible (and I promise to stay out ......

I don't know about you, but summer has been going by SO quickly for me.  I cannot believe it is already in the double digits of July!  It seems like things are just flying by.   You know how you start off the summer vacation with all of these grand plans?  And how you hope to get SO much done on your time off?  Yeah...I had those plans too.    So far, I have accomplished a few things (like the frame I shared with you and reading The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child ), but not all that I had hoped.  I have every intention to do it all, but then life gets in the way (namely this growing baby belly that seems to be draining my energy.)  However, I have done a few things.   1.  I joined Instagram .  It really is neat getting a glimpse into a more informal side of the bloggers that I follow.  I am still getting the hang of it...but if you are on Instagram , come join me!   ......

There are many things I am grateful for in this life.  High on that list is blogging.  Blogging has allowed me to share what is going on in my classroom with the rest of the world.  It has also given me an endless supply of support from the fabulous teachers who read along with me, comment on my posts, and offer empathy, suggestions, and just an ear at times.  Each of you know how to make me feel fabulous about my seemingly little ideas and know how to cheer me up when it was "one of those days".  And for that, I am truly thankful. As a small token of my appreciation, I am giving you a little gift.  For the Teacher's Appreciation Sale (Tuesday 5/7 and Wednesday 5/8), my Time for Math Clock Creativity will be free.  That's right.  You can go download this little gem of a product for free for those two days.  I have to tell you, I really love this one.  My kids were able to show off their number sense and I was left with an awesome (an......

This week has been a crazy (and draining) week for me.  We are in the midst of state testing and, well, you know how it goes.  It is just a stressful time for all -- me and the kids -- that my brain is mush.  I feel like I have SO much to write about (as we are still doing things in the class that I would love to share with you all!) but I just can't.  I also blame the baby for the mush brain ;) So, to reward you all for hanging in there with me, even though I am not blogging as much, I am taking after my soon-to-be for sure Teacher of the Year friend Elizabeth at Fun in Room 4B and having a Pin It to Win It contest.  All you have to do is visit my TpT store and pin ANYTHING you would like to own.  You can pin one thing.  You can pin everything.  Then, come back here, with a link to your pin, and tell me why you wanted that particular product.  If you pin more than one thing from my store, comment separately for each one (with the link t......

I don't know about you, but I have seen these Hot Dots all over the web.  They are cards with multiple choice answer and a fancy pen that lights up when you choose an answer.  Cute, right?  But, to be honest, I thought that there was no way they would work in my room.  They are WAY too babyish.  Boy...was I wrong! Educational Insights sent me a set of their Hot Dots for spelling .  There are a whole bunch of funny jokes on the cards, with a word misspelled within the joke.  The kids then need to find the correct spelling of the word.  When they find it, they use the nifty Hot Dot pen to check their answer.  By putting the pen on the black dot next to their choice, it either lights up green for the correct answer or red for the incorrect answer.  There are also sound effects....which is what my kids LOVE! Now, to be fair, some of the words are fairly easy for them.  However, to up the rigor with the cards, and to tr......

One year ago, on December 16, I logged onto my computer, signed up on blogspot, and began writing down the different ideas and activities that were going on in my room.  My intention was simply to share the things that I was doing with others because I thought a few people might like to read about it.  Little did I know how much this year would mean to me. In one year I have made new friends to bounce ideas off of and learn new techniques from.  Some of these people (and you know who you are ;) ) have become true friends, even though we have never met. In one year I have been welcomed into a community of other bloggers, which is endlessly supportive and fabulous. In one year I have gained a new set of teaching "tools" with which to draw from in my lessons. In one year I have come to depend upon you, my readers, for support and a "shoulder". In one year I have streamlined my instruction, making better choices, heading in new directions, trying things out, an......

Hi all!  Thanks so much to Stephanie at Teaching in Room 6  for hosting me today! We wanted to do something special for you all since it is the time for giving thanks to those we are truly thankful for and since I am thankful every day for my readers and my bloggy friends, I thought a fun giveaway was in order.  :) We have teamed up with some super fun friends below who have agreed to help - yay!  Make sure to visit each one of these blogs on the date listed below their name to get your freebie and enter for a prize pack valued at about $40, which includes approximately 800 pages!  Wow! The theme of the day is the Space Theme !  This classroom theme is out of this world! First up:  A freebie!  Looking to redo your classroom library?  Grab these free book basket labels , customize to your levels or categories, print, and attach for some super space cuteness!   Enjoy! Ok - I know......

Boy, oh boy, do I have something fun for you all. Educational Insights is on a race to 50,000 Facebook fans and they want YOU to be apart of it.  All you have to do is head over to their page and "like" them.  Then, come back and tell me you did.  Next Wednesday (on Halloween!) I am going to pick one lucky Teaching in Room 6 fan who is now an Educational Insights fan to win.....wait for it..... A $50 giftcode to Educational Insights!!!!! Yep, you heard it right.  $50....for liking their page (don't forget to tell them I sent you!).  That's it.  You can't miss this one.  Remember that Book Blog Writing Center I gave away?  That was just ONE of the many many things you could buy with $50!  So head over now, and come back to tell me you joined up (enter the Rafflecopter and, if you would be so kind, leave me a comment...about something you have your eye on over there!) a Rafflecopter giveaway ...

I am always on the look out for new and different ways for my students to respond to their reading.   The same old, "write a paragraph about this book" gets tedious and boring book after book.  So I have done quite a few things in my room to try and combat the boredom, while still engaging the students in meaningful book reflection. One thing I have instituted this year came into my room thanks to Educational Insights .  They send me this really awesome Book Blog Writing Center and my students are hooked!  The idea of them "blogging" about books has really peaked their interest.  Though they are not on the computer, it is set up in a very similar way.  There is a section for a post, comments, and "tabs" for book recommendations and author recommendations.  It really is sort of neat! I  have this set up as part of my Reading Response options during LAR time. The students who are at this station have the option to respond to their b......

One of the most favorite things I do all year is teach my students Greek and Latin Roots.  I just feel like if they can master these roots, from which so very much of our English language is derived from, the expansion of vocabulary and word attack strategies will increase ten-fold.  So I dedicate time each week to these important pieces of language.   Last year, I wrote a few posts about how I taught them ( you can find the posts here ), and this year I have revamped it just slightly....and I wanted to share. I really don't have a Root Word program (though I honestly am still searching!  I would love to have a more prescribed way of doing this other than what I just came up with)  Like last year, I teach my students 2-4 root words per week.  I am actually thinking of upping that number as the year progresses.  I really believe they can handle it.  But for now, it will stay at 2-4.  Like before, to introduce the words, I have the stu......