Place Value Pizzeria

Multiple representations of numbers…UGH!  This is just a little something I did last year and decided to do it again a few weeks ago.  The kiddos liked it because it was sort of “artsy” (which we don’t have many opportunities for).  Here’s a couple of pictures….

                                 

Pretty simple to do…I just made a pie graph and wrote the multiple representations in each triangle—I mean “slice”.  Number words, Money, Place value, Base Ten Pictures, Standard Form, Expanded Form, and in the crust they added different ways to show their number.  This was easily differentiated with the number I gave them.  If you have any ideas to add---Please do. 

Here is a link to the sign and the pie graph.  Hope it’s something you can use.

Place Value Pizzeria Place Value Pie

Together for our kids,

Denise

I’m back…I hope…

Well, it’s been quite a while since I last posted.  It has been a very rough start to the new school year.  Other than the usual busy, busy first couple of weeks of the year getting to know my students, getting lesson plans done, getting used to a brand new administration at my school and the usual drama with my own 3 kids, one starting college another Jr. High…my youngest brother passed away unexpectedly Labor Day weekend.  My brother is in the military and stationed in Nebraska—he and his family had only been there 3 days when the accident happened.  We left Texas immediately to be with his family and help make arrangements for my brother to be brought home to Texas.  I have always had the upmost respect for people who serve in the military and their families, but after my experience, I have to say that my respect grew immensely. If any of you are from or around Offutt AFB, thank you for all the kindness you have shown my family and especially my sister-in-law and my niece and nephews.

That being said, I’m excited to get back to blogging and more importantly blog hopping and stalking!  I’ve got so many questions I want answers to and you all are just the people to help! 

I will talk to you all soon!  I’ve got staff development to get ready for tomorrow….

Together for our kids,

Denise

Freebie for 100!!

I’d like to be all casual and say something like…”I haven’t been on the computer in the past few days, and now I have 103 followers”, but I would be lying…You see I’m ALWAYS on the computer and ALWAYS checking my blog to see if I have a new follower.  {I'm my own blog stalker--is there such a thing?}  A big “Thank Ya!!”  goes out to Third in Hollywood who was my 100th follower.  Head on over to her Super Duper Blog and follow—You will not be disappointed. 

Along with having 100 followers comes with a bit of stress for me.  Now I’m going to have to have some sort of contest giveaway {to pay it forward to y’all wonderful, supportive new teacher friends who’ve shown me so much love}.  Here lies the “FREAK OUT”.  I am horrible for finding just the right thing.  What am going to give as a giveaway?  As my son use to say when he was a bout 3 and had the CUTEST speech, "Hmmm.  Let me tank."  I’m going to let the ideas simmer for a couple of days before I decide on something.  Until then, here’s a freebie to say "Thanks a Bunch!" 

This freebie isn’t anything really big, but it is an activity my team likes to do at the beginning of the year.  Thanks to Scrappin Doodles and DJ Inkers I’ve cutsied it up a bit.  So, here it is.  If you have any questions about it, please let me know.  If you have any suggestions on how to improve it—let me know. 

You teachers out there are just too darn inspiring and I need you to stop it—You’re making me look bad!  JUST KIDDING—Don’t stop!  You are so inspiring—Keep it up!  Teachers really are the best people.  Thank you all for sharing your wonderful creations and inspiring me to attempt to follow in your footsteps.  You’re opinions of my work really matter to me!

Summer Vacation Writing
Together for Our Kids,
Denise

A Reading Website You NEED to READ!

So, I was browsing the message boards on Second Grade Teachers' Club. {Yes—I know it’s Saturday night and this makes me look very pathetic.}  A wonderfully sweet person posted about this must-see site--ReadWorks.org.  I can’t tell you about all the great stuff you will find on here, but I will tell you this—It’s FREE to join and it aligns the strategy you are teaching with your grade level, state standards, and will offer trade books that go along with the lessons it suggests.  Trust me!  Look at it and play around with it.  You will LOVE it!

                                       

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Advice for New Teachers

I really like this Linky Party.  Fun In Fourth would like to share advice with new teachers.  As an “old” teacher, I feel like I also learn a lot from a “new” teacher, or maybe I’m just reminded of some things—like the wonderful enthusiasm they bring with them and the “I’m going to turn this whole education system around” attitude.  I remember thinking that this school is not going to know what hit them when they see what I can do.  Well, after day 2 or 3 I was feeling a bit defeated and even more overwhelmed. 

My advice—

1)  Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Don’t freak out if you forget  to send out report cards on Thursday and you send them home a day late, your forget to call a parent, your late for specials—again, or you had to be reminded everyday this week you need to do attendance. 

2)  Make sure you greet each child each morning with a smile.  You will be amazed at how YOU set the pace.

3)  Follow your instincts.

4)  Be VERY nice and make friends with the people who actually run the school—the custodians, the secretary, receptionist, and attendance clerk. 

5)  Don’t give up and KEEP GOING!  At least 22 little people are super excited that you are there!

Good Luck!

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

UGH!!!!

Ever have one of those days when everything seems to be going OK and then--BOOM!--something happens that puts you in the worst mood?  That is how today went. 

Good news is that tonight I have dinner plans.  My grade level team meets a couple of times over the summer just to catch up.  I LOVE my team!  I am the Team Lead and I have the BEST team!  Tonight I am going to laugh, eat, have an adult beverage or two, laugh, talk, laugh with some of my favorite people.  We have 6 on our team, one man, and obviously the rest ladies.  We have so much fun together, I know that the minute I arrive, I will have calmed down over my day’s interruption.  I LOVE, <3, Love, each of them.  Did I mention I love my team?  They really are like my family at school.  I know that if I ever needed anything, I wouldn’t even have to ask, they would just jump in. 

If you LOVE the people you work with.  Show me some love and tell me about them.  I know most of us teach because we love the kids, but tell me about the people that make your job even that much better!

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Linky Party! Linky Party! Woo Hoo!

My daily routine lately is TRY to get up before 11:00 am (Yes, I have been blog stalking & pinteresting into the wee hours of the night and sleeping till 11).  Back to the story….Getting up around 9, running a couple of errands, stopping by my school, visiting, moving piles of stuff from one spot to another in my classroom, socializing, moving stuff back to the spot I moved it from before, chatting, sighing with an overwhelmed feeling, laughing with some of my teacher friends I see on my way out of school, arriving home and flopping in my computer chair because I’m so exhausted from all this “running around” and wanting to reward myself for getting up so early by checking blogs and pinterest to make sure I’m not missing anything super exciting.  I know, I know.  I am ONE BUSY TEACHER (said with way too much sarcasm).

While relaxing in front of my computer, I came across a really fun linky party that really has nothing to do with school.  Please, click your way over to Oh' Boy Fourth Grade and join in!

Here goes---

Write down what you are currently…

Listening to—My son laughing while watching “Good Luck    Charlie”.  I LOVE hearing my children laugh!

Loving—Next to hearing the laughter, I’m currently loving Sonic Route 44 unsweet tea with lots of lemon and 2 packs of sweet & low.

Thinking—I wonder if my teenage daughter is really going where she says she is?

Wanting—to keep my 3 children little and in our house a little longer (even the 2 teenage ones).

Needing—to relax and stop over thinking EVERYTHING.

Stalking--Quench Your First because Tina and I are great friends and she makes me laugh.                                                   

Second Grade Shenanigans because I just like her blog.

Eighteen25 because it’s Eighteen 25.

And if you must know—I also stalk my own blog hoping for comments or at least 100 followers….Goofy, huh??

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

A Little Classroom Management & Organization

My grade level used to have those cute little behavior ladders that are all over Pinterest.  Last year our principal wanted us to have something that was school wide.  Yes, we could have all used those little ladders all the way from PK to 4th grade, but, the belief was that sometimes one thing doesn’t work for everyone.  So to keep everything “the same” but “different”, we had to come up with a system where PK-K got 7 colors for changes, 1st- six colors, 2nd- five, etc.  The thinking was that the older the student gets, the more they should already know the rules.  So…here is what we use in 2nd grade.  “Wow” of course is going above & beyond.  The students receive positive rewards for staying on green and moving to purple.  We have a school wide ticket system so the students can trade their tickets in for special privileges. (Notice the clips I made—Pinterest.)
                   
Green is “YEA”, yellow-warning, red-10min off recess, blue-call parent.
Those little cards in the holder are “Expectations” (for lack of a better word) cards.  I will choose the expectations before we start each activity.  I added magnets to the back so I obviously won't have them all displayed at once.  They work pretty good.  I also have some for materials they will need—glue, pencil, markers, etc. 

Organization---Here is what I did to SNAZZY up my bins.  This is how I organize my daily lessons.  Each box has just about everything I need for the day.  The other bins hold “JUNK”, which is why I wanted to hide it.  I just cut some of the new border I will be using and taped it on the inside of the drawers.  (LOVE, <3, LOVE Dots on Turquoise).


Hopefully I gave you something you can use. 
Together for Our Kids,
Denise

Back to School Blog Party!!!

Effective Teaching Articles is hosting a party with freebies and prizes EVERYDAY from August 1-5!  You definitely won’t want to miss this!

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Some Little Freebies

Where I live, teachers go back to school on Aug. 11.  School starts on the 22nd.  It will definitely be here before I know it.  I was going through my files to see what I should have done before Meet The Teacher and I thought I’d share these. 

1.  Families are in and out of my classroom during Meet the Teacher, and it can get pretty crowded, (which by the way totally stresses me out!)  I always have a couple of parents who want to discuss and talk about EVERYTHING and I’m AWFUL at cutting a conversation short—you know how it goes.  Anyway….I cut our student information sheet down from 4 pages to on half a page (front & back).  If you copy 2 sided,  the front and back should line up for a half sheet.  If you’d like a copy….Here it is….

Meet the Teacher Student Info

Meet the Teacher Info

I also found these that I made a while ago.  I’ve always been really interested in the whole “touch math” concept.  (I actually even use it myself—SHHH! Don’t tell)  I haven’t used it in my class, but I made these at one point to try it.  Does anyone out there use this method?  What do you think?  Do you have the TouchMath program?

My Touchmath Posters

If you would like to learn more about it, here is their website…TouchMath

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Triple Threat Giveaway

Second Grade Shenanigans has a super cute giveaway AND freebie.  She’s also got a great blog with a lot of really cute and useful information.  Go check it out and follow her blog. 

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

It’s a Good Day!

I not only received my box from Really Good Stuff in the mail today, I also got to FINALLY go into my classroom.  What made it an even better day is when I saw that my tables had been replaced with desks!  WOO HOO!!  I was so tired of those tables….it was really hard to keep supplies, books, & binders organized.  It was a MESS!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the custodians at my school, they even set up my computer!

This wreath is one of my favorite things.  I made it a couple of years ago with my class and it hangs outside my door.  This is not the best picture of it, but I love it!  I love to read their names on the back and remember each of them when they were in 2nd grade.                       

                                

I love to see what other teachers’ rooms look like, so here’s a peek into mine.  This is what my room looked like when I walked in this morning.  I didn’t do any room “set-up” today, (I’m going to hold off until after registration…I’m afraid of finding out I’m moving to the portable or the “Porto Pod”, which is what I refer to the little village of classrooms for 2nd grade outside the school).  I spent all morning separating and organizing my Math “stuff”.  Thank you Debbie Diller for your FABULOUS ideas. 

                                        

                                     

It’s not a lot, but I have a smartboard, docu cam, a sink, and a big desk.  I also have the second best air in the school.  I love it, and I don’t want to leave.  Keep your fingers crossed.  I’m the only one on the grade level who hasn’t had to move rooms. 

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Contest Crazy!

Yes, today I’m entering just about every linky party and giveaway contest I have run across.  This one is HUGE if you LOVE clip-art. 

Oh’ Boy Fourth Grade is giving away over $800 of clip-art Heaven.

Enter now…it ends Thursday, July 28.

Book Club Giveaway

Check out the Giveaway and the super cute blog over at First Grade Pandamonium.

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Pinterest Linky Party?

I’m in! 

Michelle's Math in the Middle is having a pinterest linky party!  Hurry over and get linked up!

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Just Some Stuff

This year my goal is to GET ORGANIZED!  I am embarrassed even reading this as I type it!  I don’t even have parent communication, lesson plans, birthday calendars, student info, or ways the kiddos get home in one central location.  These things are located in a variety of locations none of which are together.  YIKES!!!!

I know I’m not sharing anything new.  I know there are plenty of more creative documents out there, but I thought I would share in case I can inspire someone or offer you something that was tweeked in just the right way for you, too. 

So…these documents will all be together in my teaching binder.  I may be adding some more stuff as I go along, but here it is so far.

Student Info

I wanted something where I can have ALL of the students’ important information.  (Thinking about this now I should have made an RTI column or I’ll just make a separate RTI page).  “Med” stands for anything like allergy, etc.  “Photo” is if I’m allowed to use the child’s photo on a bulletin board or something like that.  “Text” if the parent doesn’t mind me texting them for things like, “your child forgot their lunch”.  I also wanted something with both parents names and information.

Parent Communication How We Get Home Student Birthdays Staff Celebrations Planning Ahead

Everything else is pretty self-explanatory. 

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

HUGE Giveaway!!!!

Sunny Days in Second Grade is having a  HUGE
It is so big I don’t even have enough space to tell you about all the things you would be missing out on if you don’t enter this giveaway.
Good Luck!!
Together for Our Kids,
Denise

Time Practice

I was looking at a teacher supply catalog and I saw these clock boards and I thought, “That is just what I was looking for all those months ago when we were learning and reviewing time.”  It was something quick and easy where I could call out a time and the students could quickly show me the time in analog or digital.  I love me some Judy Clocks, but there wasn’t a space for them to write the time digitally.  I also love the scratch paper or dry erase board, but waiting for the sweet children to draw a clock would take FOREVER!
Sorry…back to the point of the post.  I wanted some of these clock boards B-A-D and was all ready to shell out the money when I read that they were $19.99 for 5.  Now, I may have 24 or 25 2nd graders in my class next year (Thank you budget cuts).  I want each of my students to have one, so we can do this '”drill” whole group on the semi-spur of the moment.  So, my total would be $100 plus tax—YIKES!  I said, “ I can make these!”, while I thought, “I can make these?”. 
When I get an idea, I have to do it right then.  So, I whipped these up.  I’m pretty proud of them.  I’m going to laminate the clock faces once I’m able to get back into the school (so it’s free laminating), and then I will attach them to the back-to-back on the tongue depressors so one side is digital, the other is analog.    Lookie there, I’ve got my write-on, wipe-off clock paddles.  Click on the link below if you want a copy of the faces.
              Clock Paddles


Together for Our Kids,
Denise

I Love Pinterest! Yes, I Do!…

I love Pinterest!  How ‘bout you?

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Pinterest!  Did I mention I love Pinterest?  I found this wonderful bookmarking site, that has consumed much of my time since the first week in June.  Not so much my blog stalking time, but my laundry, kitchen cleaning, closet organizing, sweeping, mopping, bathroom scrubbing time.  It has also kept me awake long into the wee hours of the morning.  There’s so much stuff to see and pin, that you can’t stop.  That next wonderful “picture” might be just the thing I need to make, purchase, or do in my classroom. 

Seriously, if you need something to peruse around…this is IT.  If you need an invite let me know.  Here is a link to my Pinterest account for you to check out! 

My Pinterest Account

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Going to the Beach!

How am I going to make it for 3 days without all the blog stalking I’ve grown accustomed to this summer?  I hope I don’t miss anything too exciting.  Oh, well, maybe it will curb my frustrations of not being able to get into my classroom yet—I have SO many things I’d like to get at to share!  I knew I should have brought some stuff home with me over the summer—Dang it!

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Awesome Giveaway!

Go Fourth! With Mrs. Owens is offering a super cute tote…FOR FREE!  Check out her blog for details!

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Top 10 Things About ME! (in no particular order)

I saw that a very good friend did this, so , I can’t be left out!  Here Goes…

10. I have 3 fabulous children.  My daughter just graduated HS and my oldest son is going into Jr. High.  I do A LOT of praying.  My youngest son is still in elementary, so not too much drama yet. 

9.  I teach at the same elementary school I attended.  All 3 of my kiddos go there or have gone there.  I love living in the community where I teach!

8.  I can’t sit still.  (Unfortunately that doesn’t help to motivate me to exercise.)

7.  I’m very funny.  (In real life…not so much on paper).

6.  I have tons of patience for people and especially kids, but no patience for traffic, waiting in lines, or wasting time.  (Which is why I don’t always read my posts before I post them.  Sorry, for all the mistakes.)

5.  I like to have lots of fun at school.  My students said they will miss my singing the most when they go to 3rd grade.  (Anything to keep them interested)

4.  I can do the splits!

3.  I’m not as goofy as I sound as you’re reading this.

2.  I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than teach.

1.  I LOVE to be outside.  Even in this Texas HEAT!

If you haven’t already done this…Head on over to Go Fourth! With Mrs. Owens and link up!

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Marzano….

Most of you probably do a lot of Marzano’s High Yield Instruction Strategies everyday in the classroom.  Last year my reading group really needed a lot of work with non-fiction texts… we did KWL charts A LOT.  I would just have the kids them draw the chart in their writing spiral….not very exciting.  So, you can imagine how excited I was when I stumbled across the Education Journey blog and read the post “So What's In Our Desk?” only to find this awesome idea of a KWL journal.  Ashleigh has her 3rd grade students do a KWL not just before reading, but also when they begin each unit in Science and Social Studies.  I think it is so neat that they will have a journal of all the great stuff they have learned in 2nd grade.  When I first started doing the KWL with the class I had to do quite a bit of modeling, but they started to get the hang of it and did quite well.  I loved this idea so much that I whipped up a template that I will be using in my class this year.  If you’re interested click here for the chart , and click here for the journal cover.  I added the lines because my 2nd graders REALLY need them.

Here are some pictures of the document. 

        

Hope you can use.  If you like the idea head on over to Education Journey where you will find lots more Super Cool ideas!

Together for our kids,

Denise

An Awesome Giveaway

Head on over to My Second Grade Journal!  She is giving away a wonderful making words unit!  I WANT one and I know you will, too!  Hurry, hurry, hurry!  It ends today. 

Denise

Add a Little “Fluff”

I’m not sure how much longer I can wait.  After reading and learning about Math Stations, and getting a theme together for my classroom, I am ready to get in there and start organizing and decorating. 

I put together this Musical Hundreds Chart that will go along with my “This Class Rocks” theme.  Thank you to Scrappin Doodles for the super cute clipart that just dressed this chart right up.  WOW!  The fluff added some fun, don’t you think?

       Musical Hundreds Chart

Together for Our Kids,

Denise

Freebie Linky Party?

Woo Hoo!  I’m in!  Just Add Clipart is hosting a Linky Party.  To join in on the fun, all you need to do is share something you’ve created.  Hmmmm….well, I’m new to this blogging, so I’m just learning how to download, upload, share, so, I think I’m going to share this little sheet,  Write Around the Room.  It is an activity that has the kiddos going around the room searching out words  and then using them in their own sentences.  I like to have a number of letter per word minimum which helps with differentiating and also the sweet little children who would only be writing words like “I”, “it”, “is”…you know the ones.  I hope you can use this and keep your fingers crossed that I linked up to this party correctly.  LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!! 

PS-I’ve also done it where they can only use words from the Science or Math wall.  It really helps with vocabulary. 

Write Around the Room

Denise

Highest Form of Flattery…

Coco Chanel said, "Imitation is the highest form of flattery."  That being said…when I saw this on Pinterest I thought it was the cutest idea.  I had all my “cheers” and “breaks” on cards on a ring.  I really like the idea of the anticipation of not knowing what we’re going to get when someone draws a stick. 

I got this idea from Miss Sullard’s Blog, http://keepcalmandteachon.blogspot.com/ .  Hers is much cuter than mine.  I thought I would paint and decorate each tongue depressor, but in retrospect, I could have saved a lot of time and still come out with a super cute collection if I would have bought the sticks already colored.  Oh, well, they will match my theme, at least this year.  Click on the link below to get a copy of some of the extra “Cheers” I added.  I’m not sure where they came from, so I will apologize in advance. 

Thank you Miss Sullard, I hope you are flattered. 

Together for our kids,

Denise

Cheers

If reading blogs is wrong....

I don't want to be right!  Yes, I'm addicted!  Isn't the first step admitting I have a problem?  I have become so obsessed that I can't even find time to make this blog half-way informative, interesting, or follow worthy.  So....right here, right now, in print, I am saying that by Wednesday, I will have something, even if it's a little something, to share.
I better go....I've got tons of work to do.

Denise

First Post....EVER!!!

Well...here it is.  My very first post on my very first blog.  I am a 2nd grade teacher in Texas and during the first two weeks of my summer vacation I have become OBSESSED with teacher blogs.  So obsessed that I thought I'd join in on the fun. 


A little about me?  Hmmm...I have a great husband and 3 wonderful (most of the time) kids.  I am outgoing and I enjoy hanging out with my friends and family whenever I get the chance.  I am a little OCD & probably ADHD, too.  I also am always trying to lose just 10 pounds, but that enchilada and margarita keep calling my name.  :o)


I am so very blessed to absolutely have the best job around.  Where else can you walk down a hall or into a gym and feel like a ROCKSTAR?  (Other than being a rockstar.)  I love teaching.  It is my passion and I am always learning new ways to do things.  I guess this is what brought me to blogging.  Reading all the creative ways teachers are teaching ALL children is very inspiring. 


I hope that I can give you something to use or just smile at through this blog.


Together for our kids,

Mrs. Ponder