Teacher Appreciation Freebies Roundup

Teacher Appreciation Week may be coming to an end, but the celebration isn't over yet!  Teaching Blog Roundup is teaming up with 20 of the best blogs to host this Teacher Appreciation FREEBIES Roundup blog hop.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  I would like to show my appreciation with this great freebie for you.

It is a little reading homework worksheet to encourage your students to continue practicing their reading strategies at home.  Simply place a Post-It Note, or Notes, inside the box.  Then, send home as homework.
  

I'm glad you hopped by!  If you are new to my blog and liked what you see, don't forget to follow me!  Now head over to Love to Teach 123 to roundup the next FREEBIE!


We Appreciate You!

Facebook Fun and a Sale!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!  Are you feeling appreciated, yet?  I sincerely hope so.  You deserve it.  I am so proud to be a part of this profession, and to work among such wonderful people.

Ok, so a couple of things on today's agenda.

1)  Head on over to my Facebook page...like NOW....to participate in some Facebook Fan Fun!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mrs-Rios-Teaches-Second-Grade/338927152855049?ref=tn_tnmn

2)  Have you heard about the big Teacher's Appreciation Sale over at TPT running May 7 - May 8th?  Of course I will be shopping, but everything in my store will also be 20% off!  TPT will throw in an additional 10%, if you enter the promotion code:  TAD13!  Click on the image below to go to my store!

Here are some things that might help you finish out the year.  Click on the covers to learn more:

But, SShhhh, the first three people to comment with their email address below, get to pick one of these great items for FREE!  I appreciate you!

Happy Monday!

Calming the Chaos

Welcome to the Calming the Chaos Blog Hop hosted by 2peasandadog.

All of us bloggers have come together to share our top tips for making the last month of school run smoothly. Visit each of our blogs to learn something new and catch a freebie or two!  Happy Hopping.

Are you exhausted yet?  This is the time of the year where teachers have to be more creative than ever.  Put on your tap shoes, people! Trying to gain and keep students' attention can be more challenging than ever.  So, I will share an idea, and then I would love to hear what you do in your classroom.  So please, leave your ideas in the comment section at the end of this post!

My absolute favorite go-to strategy, is taking any lesson and adding an opportunity for students to get up and move around the room.  I use Kagan's Cooperative Learning structure "Mix-Pair-Share" A  LOT!  If you are not familiar with this, here are the steps:

I use this simple structure to have students respond to questions or prompts about a lesson, share their writing pieces, and find fluency buddies.   

Thanks for stopping by! Keep on hopping!

Primary Grades

Check out this Great Giveaway!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Magical Product Swap - Round 4!

I am so excited to be participating in Jessica Stanford's 4th Magical Product Swap.  I always look forward to participating in this blogging event because it gives me the chance to peek into someone else's store, and try out some great, new teaching materials with my students.

So, happily enough, I was paired again with my "Swap Friends" Katie and Lisen from Second Grade Smartypants.  You might remember that last time,  I had the pleasure of reviewing their Fourteen Common Core Math Games for Second Grade. (Loved it!) Well, these ladies could not be any sweeter, and every time I go back to their store, they have even more wonderful items, especially if you are looking for things aligned to the Common Core.  They also have a great blog for you to follow. 

This time, I chose to review their Common Core Second Grade Language Arts and Math Homework-4th Quarter Bundle, and I have to say that I love this bundle! Here's why:

First of all, this set contains 10 weeks of Common Core Language Arts and Math work that can be used for homework or morning work. (I choose to use this as daily classwork because our homework routine is pretty much set.)  Each week contains 4 days of work. There is a half sheet of math, and a half sheet of Language Arts work for each day.  But, get this, my kids loved it so much that they demanded a full sheet after Day 1!  So, to please them, and to make sure we got the full flavor of the activities within this bundle, I copied a full sheet of math on one side,and a full side of Language Arts on other. 

We normally did the Language Arts in the morning after our SIPPS Rotations.  Some of the activities included editing sentences, looking at spelling patterns, alphabetical order, synonyms, antonyms, author's purpose...and my favorite, and the most timely, inferring practice!  This really could not have worked out better if I had created this product myself.  Katie and Lisen included some short, scenarios/stories with lots of great text clues. The stories were designed carefully, so that they included common/familiar topics, allowing kids to really use their schema to make their inference.  You can see that my students highlighted the text clues in each story, as well.  My students felt super successful with this new skill using Katie and Lisen's product.  Yay!

After lunch, the kids and I would work on the math side of the sheet.  Math topics for this bundle included fractions, graphing, multiplication, measurement, and division.  Once again, impeccable timing as we prepare for our state assessment in about a week!  EEK!  

I loved that the graphing sheets used phrasing that my students will see on the test like, "How many more..."  Oh, that one can get so tricky!  I also appreciated that not only do the sheets provide great practice, but especially in the case of the multiplication and division sheets, really focused on revealing students' conceptual understanding.  LOVE!

I know you will appreciate their attention to detail, as they have provided a list of the Common Core Standards addressed for each day, Answer Keys for each sheet, and covers for a common core language arts homework book or morning work book. I already have my next week's packets ready to go for Monday!

This is a very practical and easy to use product.  Better yet, Katie and Lisen have the same bundle available for the other three quarters, too.  You can find them in their TPT store, HERE.  

If you are a new visitor to my blog, I hope you will consider following me.  You can also stay connected by liking my Facebook page, HERE!

Ok, I am stepping down now.  Don't forget to stop by their blog, and check out their review of my Multiplication - Circles and "Spring Things" Practice Book. You can click on the product cover below to check it out!

Click on the button below to check out some other great product reviews.

Happy Saturday!

1,000 Followers Celebration Giveaway Winners!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my first giveaway.  We received over 5,000 entries!  It was such a great experience!  

The winners have been chosen, and notified!  Congratulations to....

Kinder Bundle Winner:  Melinda C.

1st Grade Bundle Winner:  Cheri Mae O.

2nd Grade Bundle Winner:  Rachel M.

3rd Grade Bundle Winner:  Kirra L.

4th Grade Bundle Winner:  Deniece R.

Hurry! It's the Last Day to Enter the 1,000 Followers Celebration Giveaway!

Just a friendly reminder that today is it!  Over 100 great teaching items divided into grade levels K -4!  After today, it is over, gone, finito, POOF!  Head on over to enter, by clicking the Giveaway Button below.  Good luck, friends!

1,000 Followers Celebration Giveaway

So, I am so excited because my little TPT store recently hit 1,000+ followers!  I have to pinch myself when I think about how far I have come in just one year.  I have learned so much, and met so many wonderful people during this journey.  I am truly so grateful, and feeling so very blessed to be a part of this community.  So....

Without further ado, I am ecstatic to announce my very first, real giveaway- A 1,000 Followers Celebration Giveaway!  Yipppeee! (Visualize streamers, confetti, and party horns, here.)

Alright, now onto the goodies.  A generous group of fabulous people donated over 100 products, so we will have 5 prize packages:  Kinder, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.  I hope this way, each winner will receive items that will be truly useful to them.  Not to mention, you all have the great opportunity to meet bloggers and TPT sellers who are experts at your grade level! The giveaway will run through next Saturday, April 13th.

So first up, with 19 products up for grabs....Kindergarten! I am also adding my new, "Packing Up My Year in Kindergarten:  Memory Book and Craftivity."

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Next, with 20 product donations...First grade!  Once again, I am throwing in a "Packing Up My Year in 1st Grade:  Memory Book and Craftivity."

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My home, sweet, home....2nd grade, with 23 great items! Plus...yep, one "Packing up My Year in 2nd Grade:  Memory Book and Craftivity."

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Up next, our third grade friends, with 22 great treasures!  This time, I will be adding my "Countdown to Summer Writing Journal."

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Finally, our fabulous fourth grade prize has 19 instructional gems, including "My Writing Tools Flip Book."

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Whew!  Best of luck to everyone who participates, and thanks again, for all of your support this year.  I am grateful beyond words.

Wait?  You still want more giveaway greatness?  Then, head on over to 3 Hoots for Little Learners who is celebrating with her own fantastic giveaway.  Click on the image below to enter.

Nicole