SOCIAL MEDIA

I'm a Guest Blogger! (and a quick fundraiser update!)

Monday, April 29, 2013

9 comments

I am SO honored to be the guest blogger today on Rachel Lynette's blog Minds in Bloom! Head over to her blog to learn about how I use math performance tasks to assess my kiddos. There are links to HUNDREDS of free math performance tasks for grades 2 through high school! 

 Do you want to make your own performance tasks? Grab this helpful FREEBIE from my TPT store, or download it here. 



Classroom Freebies Manic Monday


I just wanted to give a quick update about the Teachers for Boston fundraiser (I'm just so excited about how it's been doing!) Thanks to so many generous teachers, we have raised $4,600! The fundraiser will continue to run for two more weeks. After we blew my first goal of $1,000 out of the water, I set a VERY high goal of $10,000 and we are almost halfway there! If you haven't had a chance to check out the amazing bundles you receive with a donation of $20 (an 85% savings on the value of the products), you can see the original post here. Remember, 100% of each donation goes directly to the One Fund Boston, to benefit the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. THE FUNDRAISER HAS ENDED. Thank you SO much for your generosity!


Read More
at

What a Wonderful Day!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

3 comments
I am SO grateful to everyone who has helped me with my first fundraiser, Teachers for Boston. If you are interested in learning more or donating, you can find the original post here.

I really wanted to promote the fundraiser, but wasn't sure how large my reach would be, because I am still new to the blogging world and building up followers. I am very happy to announce that together we have more than TRIPLED my original goal of $1,000! We are currently at $3,400 and counting! Thank you to everyone who has donated, promoted, and shared!

Teachers for Boston Made the Newsletter! Making the newsletter is amazing, and will bring Teachers for Boston some great exposure! I hope that we can reach my huge goal of $10,000! Thank you TpT!



There's even more great news! I am SO honored to be K. Alvarez' teacher of the week! Visit her blog Our Future is Bright and check out the post while you're there!
Read More
at

Teachers for Boston - UPDATE!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

4 comments
I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on the Teachers for Boston fundraiser.

First of all, I am BLOWN AWAY by the overwhelming response to this fundraiser! We have already raised OVER $2,500!

Thank you so much to everyone that donated! My original goal for the entire fundraiser was $1,000 - I've obviously had to readjust my goals! Is $10,000 too ambitious? I think we can do it!

We were having some technical difficulties at the start of this. After what seems like 3,000 attempts, I believe I have fixed it! HTML and I have a love/hate relationship! Once you make a donation, you should be redirected to a page where you can click on a very small "click here" link and the download will open up. Within a few minutes, you should also receive an email with the link to the product. If for any reason you still have trouble downloading/opening the file, please email me at thecenterbasedclassroom@gmail.com
Read More
at

Teachers for Boston

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

43 comments

This last week has been an extremely emotional one. As a Massachusetts resident, I am extremely proud to be from such a strong and resilient community. In the face of unspeakable tragedy, I saw wonderful acts of kindness and bravery. I want to thank each and every first responder for their selflessness and having the courage to help those in need and protect our safety.

I wanted to help, but didn't know how. I am only one person and my contribution would be small (in the grand scheme of things).

I realized that, though I am only one person, I belong to a wonderful community of generous people who would be willing and able to help. I turned to the other sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers. I asked if anyone would willing to donate products from their store so I could put together a fundraiser.

 The response was overwhelming. I was astonished that in just a few short hours, I received product donations from about 40 sellers, the value of these products totaling well over $200!

 So here it is.. I have put together TWO bundles of products, grouped by grade levels (K-2 and 3-6). You can purchase either bundle for $20 (this is OVER an 85% discount!). Your entire donation will go to the One Fund to help the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. 

*UPDATE - Some donors have contacted me to let me know that they are unable to donate because they live outside of the US. I believe I have fixed the problem (finally!) I replaced the old checkout with a new one and all seems to be working well! Once you complete the donation, you should be redirected to a page where you can click a "click here" link (it's small) for the product. You should also receive an email with a link to your download! If, by chance, you still have any trouble purchasing/opening your file, please email me directly at thecenterbasedclassroom@gmail.com.

K-2 Bundle: 35 Products (valued at $150)

US Dollars
Add to Cart



3-6 Bundle: 37 Products (valued at $170)

US Dollars
Add to Cart


Please spread the word to other teachers about this fundraiser! Again, 100% of the money will go to the One Fund to help the people affected. Thank you so much for your generosity!

A BIG thank you to all of these generous TPT sellers for making this fundraiser possible: 

Kristin Stull - Aspire to Inspire
Anne Gardner - Common Core Connection
Brian Hopkins
Christy Heiple - 3rd Grade Theatrics 
The Creative Classroom
Teresa Hoover - Teresa's Teaching Tools
Amber Thomas - Shut the Door and Teach 
Alyssha - Teaching and Tapas 
Blair Turner - All Things Upper Elementary 
Darlene Anne - Meatballs in the Middle 
Mrs. Beattie's Classroom 
Silvia Garay-Sanchez 
Linda Jennifer 
The Puzzle Den 
Robin Ballew - Robin's Resources 
Jennifer Dowell - Love Teaching Kids
Charlene Sequeira - Diamond Mom
Lynn Hubbell
Rachel - Teacher Addict
Mary Carr
Lovin' Kindergarten with Mrs. Lindsey
Dee Ann Moran
Tori Rebholz - Tori's Teaching Tips
Kay Sommer
Rachel Nice - Pencils and Chalk
Meredith Anderson - Momgineer
Marcia Murphy - Learning Ideas Grades K-8
Jenny - Suntans and Lesson Plans
Fun in Fifth Grade
Fab 4
Rose Loiacono
Susanna Westby - Whimsy Workshop
Rachel Lynette - Minds in Bloom
Karen Jones
Diedre Eldredge - A Burst of First
Catherine Reed - The Brown Bag Teacher
Sally DeCost - Elementary Matters
Bethany Baptiste
Read More
at

ELA Center for Fast Finishers!

Friday, April 19, 2013

3 comments
Do you have students who finish their work before others? That's a silly question.. Who doesn't?! 

 Want something that allows student choice and a variety of skills without needing to spend hours each week creating and photocopying extra activities/busy work? 

 Look no further!

I created the Fast Finisher ELA Center for my 3rd grade classroom earlier this year! (There is a fast finisher math center also.. but I'll share that another time!)
Some of the activities are games that I bought:
Story Cubes - These are SO fun! The possibilities are endless! You'll never create the same story twice!

Scrabble Slam - I'm not going to lie. I REALLY want to play this with my fast finishers.. I MUST think of a way to tie this game into my intervention group! (Now my wheels are turning.. stay tuned - I'm determined!)

Mad Libs - Who doesn't love Mad Libs! Practicing parts of speech while creating silly stories! My kiddos forget they are learning! 

Scrabble - My third graders don't play "actual" Scrabble (I don't blame them, I even get frustrated during Scrabble!) I do see them dumping out the tiles and building words - which is good enough for me! 

Alphabet Dice Game - Similar to scrabble, just using dice!
 

Others are wonderful FREEBIES i found online:
Writing Cards

 
FCRR Folder Games (Never heard of FCRR - Check out my FCRR Center Game blog post!) 
Cursive Practice - Thanks for these Confessions of a Homeschooler! We don't have much time for cursive these days, and the kids really want to practice whenever they have a chance!

Printable Boggle  - I print a blank sheet and let the kids fill it in each time!

 And of course, some old standbys:
  • Read a Book   
  • Write a Story/Letter
This is all I have (so far!) I am always looking for new and fun activities to use in my classroom.. Do you have any other activity ideas? I would LOVE to hear them! 
Read More
at

Hundreds of FREE ELA Center Games!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

4 comments
One of my 3rd grade team members walked into my classroom the other day while my kiddos were working on their literacy centers. She later asked me where I got the great game one group was playing on the rug. 

My response: "FCRR! That's where I get tons of reading games!" 

She looked at me like I had 10 heads.. She had never heard of the Florida Center for Reading Research! That got me thinking, there must be more teachers who've never heard of this AMAZING resource! I felt the immediate need to share it with you, my lovely blog followers, just in case you hadn't heard of it either! 


The Florida Center for Reading Research put together FREE center activities/games for grades K-5. They break the grade levels up by categories. These are listed below. Each category is broken down even further into subcategories (I LOVE how it's organized!)
  • Phonemic Awareness 
  • Phonics 
  • Fluency 
  • Vocabulary
  • Comprehension
Screenshot of Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Categories


Screenshot of Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension Categories

They even have a teacher resource guide! Here you can find FAQs and tips on implementation and management of literacy centers.  

Teacher Resources Guide

Sample Phonemic Awareness Activity - The Phoneme Game

Sample Phonics Activity - Syllable Scoop

Sample Fluency Activity - Pass the Word

Sample Vocabulary Activity - Affix Action
 

Sample Comprehension Activity - Story Line Up

Doing this all at once would be insanely overwhelming! I started last year by printing and laminating 1 game per week. Now I have a large collection for my classroom! 

What are you still doing here?! Go get some of these fabulous games! :)   
Read More
at

Craftivity - Geometry Monster Glyph

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

2 comments
I wanted to share with you a fantastic FREEBIE that I recently used with my kiddos at the end of our geometry unit! 



This Geometry Monster Glyph: Craftivity, comes from Melissa at More Time 2 Teach.

I LOVE glyphs! I am so happy to have found a glyph that is geared toward older students  - and one that ties in perfectly with our geometry unit! 

I gave this craftivity to my kiddos as a performance task. They had a blast, didn't even realize it was an assessment, and I was able to see how well they understood the concepts taught in math! 


 


 







About this Product:
Need a fun activity to end your Geometry Unit? If so, then this might be just what you're looking for. With this Geometry Monster Glyph craftivity your students will have a blast creating their very own unique monsters all while reviewing geometrical terms learned in class.

 
This activity reviews the following:
*polygon vs. not a polygon
*different types of polygons (ie: triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and octagons)
*closed shape vs. open shape
*isosceles and equilateral triangles
*acute, obtuse, right, and straight angles
*intersecting and parallel lines

This craftivity can be used to review, assess, as a center activity, or for small group work... just to name a few!

Thanks so much to Melissa at More Time 2 Teach for creating and sharing this amazing freebie! 

Where you can find More Time 2 Teach:
More Time 2 Teach Blog 
Teachers Pay Teachers 
Teachers Notebook 
Facebook Page 
Read More
at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Copyright © Reading Royalty. Blog Design by SkyandStars.co