Friday Favorites

Favorite Team: The Blackhawks

If you are a Blackhawks fan, then this should come as no surprise. In honor of the Blackhawks facing the Ducks in game seven this Saturday, I felt it was only appropriate to showcase them in my Friday Favorites list. After seeing their performance this last Wednesday, game seven is sure to be one of the most intense games of the playoffs.

Favorite Scent: Fresh Lavender

Flowers these days are in full bloom, especially the row of lavender that lines the side of my house. Throughout my house you can find little bouquets in vases or mugs. Lavender is so soothing and calming, it instantly relaxes me and makes me feel at home.

Favorite Refreshment: Pineapple infused Water

I recently discovered pineapple infused water, and I don't know how I can go back to regular water. I decided to try out brunch at Standard Market in Naperville a few weeks ago, which could honestly be a Friday favorite in itself, and was amazed at their little water station with different flavored waters. Pineapple was hands down my favorite, and it's so easy to make!

Favorite Quote: "Being positive in a negative situation is not naive. It's leadership."

In my opinion, positivity is a mindset. Being a positive person in any aspect of your life will not only make a good impression on other people, but it will make you feel good as well. The ability to be positive in a negative situation isn't always easy, but it is something we should all strive for. 

Favorite Recipe: Indoor S'mores

Let me make this simple, I love s'mores. I tried out this recipe from Dessert for Two with my family and we absolutely loved it. When I found it on Pinterest I knew I had to try it, and it is definitely worth keeping around. 

Let us know your Friday Favorites in the comments below or send us an email with suggestions for next week's Friday Favorites!

A Very Merry UnBirthday

The first graders have been completing an ABC countdown for the last 26 days of school. Today was letter, U, Unbirthday Day. It was originally intended for those students that have summer birthdays and do not get the opportunity to celebrate their birthday in school with their friends and teachers. However, as I was preparing for the day this morning all I could think about was the scene from Alice in Wonderland, with the MadHatter singing A Very Merry Unbirthday To You! 

That's when I realized this was an opportunity to celebrate all students in my classroom. Birthdays are about celebrating what makes each individual unique. Celebrating all the good they bring to the classroom. To help make our day about celebrating my students, we started the day by reading one of my favorite birthday books, Happy Birthday To You, by Dr. Seuss. 

We then shared our favorite memories from the year, sung happy birthday to each and every student and spotted our birthday Elf on the Shelf! 

Today made me realized how important it is to not only celebrate our students on their special day, but each and every day. My first graders light up my day and teach me something new! Without them my days would have a lot less laughs and smiles, have a lot less sticky encounters and be a lot more boring. 

To help make celebrating birthdays in your classroom a little brighter, we have provided self-created birthday tags to give students on their birthdays. Tape these to the top of a silly straw or pencil or print on stickers! This will surely bright up their special day.

Find the birthday toppers HERE and birthday certificates are soon to come!

June Calendar Download

Just like every month, I can't believe that May is already coming to an end. It's already almost June? Unbelievable. Each and every year goes by faster and faster. But this year is absolutely flying by. I can not believe that summer is upon us. 

In excitement of the warm weather and summer festivities I've created a printable calendar. Enjoy June with a stylish calendar to spruce up your office space or home decor. New designs for each month will be uploaded at the end of each previous month. Collect them all! 

I'm extremely excited to debut my new Etsy shop. Although it's a bit bare at this stage, I look forward to creating some awesome designs over the next few months. Make sure to take a look in a few weeks to check out all the new additions to the shop.

If there is anything in particular you would like to see on my Etsy Shop I would love to get input and feedback. Contact me!

Appsmashing to Compare Numbers

When asked to recall details from our own elementary school experience, the details seem to be far and few between. However, one of the few things remembered is the alligator to compare numbers.

As I approached the topic of comparing numbers, I wanted a way to engage my students in their learning. Sure, I could simply just teach how the alligator eats the bigger number, but I wanted a way for my students to grasp WHY the alligator eats the bigger number while using mathematical vocabulary.

As a first grade team, we had decided that students would create a project where they would choose two numbers and place their self-created alligator between it. I wondered how they would explain their knowledge though. While walking down the hallway to pick up the printed alligator templates, it hit me. I would use technology to make the alligator come to life, through appsmashing! Appsmashing is when students use two or more apps to create an engaging project. This allows students to share their knowledge and understanding. I will post more on appsmashing soon!

The students began by using the app, Chatterpix Kid, to give the paper alligator voice. Here they recorded if their alligator was the greater than or less than sign. I then wanted my students to place their video into, Explain Everything, which is an interactive whiteboard. They would choose two numbers and explain why the greater than sign was facing towards a specific number using their knowledge on place value. Our previous unit focused on place value to the tens and ones place. By combining content from two math topics, I figured this would be the perfect activity to assess student's knowledge and learning.


Below is an example of a student's comparing numbers video.

To have the alligator speak first, the students clicked record and then played the video. After the video was down recording the student's explained their knowledge on place value and comparing numbers. 

Want to try this in your classroom, click HERE!

Open Faced Avacado and Egg Toastie

I wish I was one of those people who come home from work and prepare an entire delicious meal. But realistically that just doesn't happen for me. I'm more of a breakfast and lunch kind of girl, and tend to just forget about dinner. This tends to leave me ravenously starving at 6:30 when I get home and desperate for any edible morsel that I can get my hands on. This little recipe is my go-to for a healthy and delicious last minute dinner that is also extremely simple. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Ingredients:
1 slice whole grain/whole wheat bread
1/2 ripe avocado
1 hard boiled egg
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put the bread in toaster, and set to desired toasty level. Cut the avocado in half, carefully slice into cubes in the rind. Once toast is ready, scoop out and spread the avocado on the toast with a spoon or knife. Next, sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Finally, peal and slice the hard boiled egg and carefully place on top of the avocado spread. Enjoy!


What is your go-to last minute dinner recipe? Share yours in the comments below!

iPad Rules and Expectations

Teaching with 1:1 technology may seem like an overwhelming experience, especially when teaching primary aged students. How do students stay on task? How do students know what app to use? How do students keep their device clean and safe? How do you manage 22 students on a device at once? The answer I always give to visitors in my classroom and other educators is like any well managed classroom. Define and set clear expectations for student. 

Spend the first couple weeks of the school year establishing guidelines and rules with the technology. This is the key to integrating technology into the classroom. In my classroom, I had a conversation with my students on what does it mean to be responsible. We then talked about how we need to be ready, responsible and respectful with our technology. That meant keeping food and drinks away from our device, charging it nightly so that we are ready to learn the next day, keeping our hands clean before using it and ALWAYS carrying it with two hands.  While the rules were posted in our room and everyone had signed them, I wanted a way that these rules were always visible to students. I decided to set the rules as their lock screens. Students are always agreeing to the rules that were set when they unlock their iPads. This will help create consistent expectations with technology in your classroom. 

Check back later this week, to continue to learn how I integrate iPads into my first grade classroom. I would love to hear your experiences with technology also! 

                              

 Access a copy of the iPad rules here!

Friday Favorites

Friday, we meet again. As summer draws closer, the weeks have started going by faster and faster. I continuously find myself thinking the week will never end, only to find that Friday has arrived in no time. We are now in the season of patio nights, summer dresses, and sangria. And I couldn’t be more excited. In preparation of summer, Friday Favorites Posts seem to be the perfect way for me to share all the little things that you need in your life.

1. Baby Lips Dr. Rescue Medicated Lip Balm
I can pretend it’s just a summer thing but let’s be real, lipstick is an all year staple for so many of us. I find lipstick to be the easiest way for me to instantly change my simplistic makeup to that ideal “A game” status with the perfect shade. However, the downside to lipstick is that no matter how moisturizing it claims to be, my lips become instantly chapped and dry. Luckily I found the perfect solution - Maybelline’s Baby Lips Dr. Rescue. There are a variety of different shades; I prefer the clear because seriously I slather this stuff on.




2. White High Top Converse
Now we all strive to be as put together and stylish as we can, but i’ll be the first to admit that realistically it just isn’t always possible. Seemingly just a pair of sneakers, my White High Top Converse have become a godsend for outfits that just need a little extra. Whether you’re a high top or low top kind of girl, you can’t go wrong with white. You might be worried about the pure stark white perfection of these beauties. Here’s a little secret: spray them with fabric sealant to prevent scuffs and stains. Get yourself a pair, throw on your favorite black skinnies, a simple tank and a jean jacket. Whallah! You’re good to go.



3. Toasted Coconut Vanilla Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt
I still haven’t come to grips on the fact that summer no longer means tanning poolside, vacations, and spending countless hours out with friends. Here in the real world, we work. All summer. But that doesn’t mean you can’t at least take a five minute break at your desk to pretend you’re on the beach. This Toasted Coconut Vanilla Yogurt will take you there. I promise. Peal open your heavenly yogurt, sit back, close your eyes, and just imagine it. I can hear the waves crashing now.



4. A Thousand Wishes Bath & Body Works
During the warmer months it’s time to switch up your scent to something fruity and fun. I’m a huge fan of body sprays. Obviously there’s a time and place for high priced perfumes. But for those of us on a budget I’ll stick with my Bath & Body Works. A Thousand Wishes is my absolute favorite. It’s fruity but sophisticated. Plus, I’m a sucker for good packaging, and this one is just gorgeous. Immerse yourself in A Thousand Wishes and you’ll be smelling like summer.



5. Matcha
Need I say more? If you don’t know about matcha yet, you need to. It’s basically magical green tea. With matcha I guarantee you will feel refreshed. Here’s what you do. Go to Starbucks and order a venti ice water with 3 scoops of matcha and 2 sweet n low. Then you fall in love. But seriously this simple drink packs major health benefits. It seems too good to be true that something so delicious can be so nutritious but it’s real.



Do you have any Friday Favorites? We would love to hear what you're loving this week!

Small Moments

My school uses Lucy Calkin's Units of Study for their writing curriculum. We begin the school year writing small moments, otherwise known as personal narratives. A small moment is one moment from a person's life that can be stretched across a book.

As I sit here reflecting on the school year, small moments flood my mind. Walking into my classroom for the first time. Meeting my co-teacher. A student reading to self. Receiving 1:1 iPads. Books with Buddies. Partner reading. The excitement of learning. The moments are endless, however, I am struggling to complete a simple task that I ask my students to complete their first week of first grade.

Why is it that writing about one moment is such a difficult task? So I've decided instead of sitting here beginning my blogging experience about one specific moment in my classroom, rather give a virtual tour of my classroom.

Walking into my room, you would instantly walk into a group of students laying on the floor listening to QR code stories on their iPods. Stepping around the engaged students, you would enter into the classroom library; where students sit on handcrafted Dr. Seuss crate seats, reading authentic texts, making stories come to life through the gift of literacy. Turning left, you enter into the heart of the classroom where, students are spread amongst the room. Some students are partner reading on a very loved, ABC carpet. Other students are sitting on a handcrafted Dr. Seuss chair, sharing small moment stories, expert books or how-to stories to their classmates.Others are sitting at the very loved multicolored tables, as they engage in word work, writing, and fluency activities. Some are searching the crevices of the room, engaging in a  differentiated QR scavenger hunt. While the rest of the class huddles around a rather small brown kidney shaped table, where they receive individualized, guided instruction. It may seem like the typical primary classroom, however, it is far from it.


My classroom is a co-taught classroom comprised of 19 students, with 4 students who have IEPs. We are not a typical co-taught classroom, our co-teacher splits her time between Kindergarten and first grade. We begin each day by eating breakfast, taking lunch count and reviewing homework from the previous day. We then move into our reader's workshop, where student's engage in differentiated learning centers, while teachers work with strategy groups on individualized instruction. We then move into a shared reading time, writer's workshop block and math workshop block. The most exciting aspect of my school is that we are a 1:1 technology school district. Each one of my students has a piece of technology. We began the school year with MacBooks and transitioned to iPad minis in December. The 1:1 experience has transformed my classroom, but i'll elaborate more on that in future blogposts.

The teacher I am today and the environment that I have created is created by hundreds, maybe thousands of small moments. Without a small moment, where would our professions, passions and life be?

The Best Planner

If you're like me, you suffer severe separation anxiety without your planner. The confusion and unease sets in the moment I get to work and realize that I've left it behind. With not only events, birthdays and contacts; my planner includes daily to do lists and notes.

Essentially, my planner is my life.

If you totally know what I mean, or if you're looking for ways to be more organized, I have the perfect planner for you. For the last two years I have been a huge supporter of Erin Condren planners. Not only are they adorable and extremely durable, they include motivational quotes, both daily and monthly calendars, stickers, and extra paper. Basically anything you could ever want in a planner, these have it.

Although they don't come cheap, they are completely worth it. Keeping organized is extremely important for me. Knowing that I have everything I need to remember in one place allows for me to stay stress free. Which is key with such a hectic and busy schedule.

Ready to be amazed? Make your first purchase with this link to receive $10 OFF! I promise you won't be disappointed.

How are you able to stay organized? Do you have a favorite planner that you just can't live without? Share how you stay organized!