The Think Aloud Cloud

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Five for Friday, Teaching Trio Giveaway and Freebie

Today I am linking up with Doodlebug's Five for Friday (on Sunday, of course) to share some odds and ends that are on my mind. I am also linking up with The Teaching Trio for an awesome giveaway! See the link at the bottom of this post.

I am so thankful for my college friends. We get together every now and then. It seems like old times except when we talk about our own children who are in their teens and some who are in college. It brings back great memories!

I think we are truthful when we say,"Wow, you haven't changed! You look exactly the same!"

Until...

we see pictures from our college days. Then, we say, "Wow, we looked like babies!"

One of our favorite things to laugh about now and then is a skit from Saturday Night Live. Dana Carvy. "Choppin' Broccoli." Classic.

And then there are my friends from my second grade team. Truly, they are a fun crowd!

Our team social coordinator (an unofficial title)
planned a "Talladega Nights" party. A couple of the teachers AND their husbands even dressed the part.

We had the same food that the characters ate in the movie...Dominos pizza, KFC, Taco Bell, and Wonder bread. Shake and Bake!

I am thankful for my new class this year.

They are such hard workers!

We played the "Write It! 3 Ways in 3 Days" (the September edition) apple scoot game. This time we wrote out the expanded form of each number. These students needed more time later in the day, so we moved the scoot cards to my reading table. Since the cards were scattered on this table, the students enjoyed hunting for the last few cards that they needed to complete the answer sheet. That kept the interest high!

Here is a worksheet that can be used after the activity as a follow up or assessment another day.

You can get it HERE for free.

I am thankful that my daughter got to march in a Drum and Bugle Corps this summer. They got to compete in the final competition in Rochester, New York. Fun was had by all!

My daughter is in the front and semi-center, kind of to the right. They did a great job!

And finally, I am thankful for blog giveaways!

The Teaching Trio is celebrating their new blog design and a birthday with a giveaway. They have several sets of products ready to give away. There are 30 bloggers/TPTers who have donated products for the cause.

And...I have a product in one of the sets! Yay! It is Write an App for That! A Research Activity with PebbleGo.

The giveaway will be open for the rest of this weekend through Tuesday at midnight. The Teaching Trio will post the winners on Thursday. It looks like some great prizes!

Check it out HERE.

Have a great day!

Carrie

Monday, September 1, 2014

Labor (of Love) Day Sale

... And Sales!!!

It's true...

the teachers of the world labor daily.

Even on weekends. And holidays. And snow days.

We teachers actually get excited about these breaks in the routine

to be able to have some time to

"catch up on all that we have to do."

Many times it is a labor of love.

Lots of people who don't teach have no idea of all that we carry on our shoulders.

Then, there are the super, wonderful student teachers.

When they get their first well-deserved job and enter it with gusto, eventually they exclaim, "Wow, there are SO MANY things to do!" It is hard to realize the magnitude unless you are standing right in the middle of it feeling the pressure of test scores, teacher evaluations, and parent expectations.

Yes, we all have ways of making the best of it, because that is what teachers do best. With great patience, we make it work making sure to add cheerfulness, enthusiasm, and innovation.

So, in honor of all of you teachers out there, THANK YOU for all of your hard work, diligence, and dedication!

I am absolutely encouraged and inspired by many teachers out there who take the time to post helpful teaching tips and methods on their blogs.

THANK YOU!
Thank you in particular to Amy Lemons, Reagan Tunstall, Deedee Wills, Deanna Jump, Math Coach's Corner, Ashley Hughes (technology for me), and Jessica Stanford (technology for me). Click on their names to visit their blogs.

I am also very encouraged and reenergized by the awesome activities that I have found on Teachers Pay Teachers.

THANK YOU to all of you sellers out there!

I know now that it takes quite a bit of time and effort to get just one product posted (to the seller's satisfaction).

In celebration of Labor Day, I have put all of the items in my store on sale for 20% off for today and tomorrow. Hopefully you can find something to make your school day easier.

Carrie

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Organization, One Year Anniversary Giveaway and Sale!

I am linking up with Blog Hoppin's Teacher Week...Why I like my organization tip.

Two Things That I Love:
1. Don't you love cute, decorative file folders? I don't like the thought of putting them in a file drawer so they are not in view to be admired.

2. Also, I love translucent file boxes with different colored latch tops.

The Mashup:
Why not put them together for a snazzy look? Then I can organize my files by topic or "genre," if you will, and not get them lost in the massive amounts of papers that I have accumulated as a teacher and now as a Teachers Pay Teachers buyer/seller.

Honestly, I am not naturally an organized person, so I have to really try. I am a stacker and can stack with the best of them. I just don't think in an organized way. When I organize files, I cannot remember my thought process of where I was filing things and why. So... my solution is to have multiple file boxes that have cute tops that look adorable with added decoration and are also portable to and from school or to and from one area of my home office.

Here are some more examples of my file boxes.