Welcome to My Classroom!!!

Hi everyone! I know that I've been promising a classroom tour for several weeks now. Well, I finally snapped some pictures for y'all today! So let's get right to it :)

The outside of our classroom door

I had someone make me my PRECIOUS owl door hanger. She is someone local, but she can ship anywhere in the U.S.! Check her out on Facebook - she's very reasonably priced!

My desk

Behind my desk

How cute is this little stand? I'm using it to hold my weekly lesson plans.

I love all of my storage! I have 2 cabinets this size :)

Our classroom library

Our communication/sink area

Our data wall & Show What You Know chart

Our job chart that I made with paper plates from WalMart! (As you can see, I've already had to adjust some of our jobs) :)

Small group area - love my Ikea stools!

The 2 bottom drawers hold crayons in specific colors

You can get the "STAR WORK" headers plus many more phrases here

Lunch count and attendance in one!

You can find the clip chart that I use here. Using a clip chart is the BEST classroom management technique that I use. The kids love it, and so do the parents!

Another reading area - I think it's important for students to have cozy places to read!

I love my document camera..our principal purchased them for every teacher. I use it every.single.day. I'll post more about the Interactive Notebook in the picture in the next few days. Can't wait to share!

Our hallway display. Can you tell I was SUPER excited to find the chevron plates at Walmart? :)

Well, I am sorry for the picture overload!! I have been excited to share my classroom with you, so I'm glad that my camera finally decided to cooperate :) Please comment below if you have any questions, or would like to know more about something you see.
I will be back in the next few days to share some EXCELLENT interactive notebook resources with you. Thank you for stopping by!!

xoxo,

World Gratitude Day Blog Hop & Giveaway

September 21 is World Gratitude Day – a relatively unknown special day, but a great opportunity for us to have a quick chat to those that we teach and love – and tell them what we are grateful for! I had no idea there was such a day until my friend Mel at Graphics from the Pond let me know! She organized this amazing blog hop :)

--for God. I am thankful that He saved me and that He loves me no matter what. Even when I feel like a total mess-up, which happens a lot!

--for my wonderful husband. I am so glad that our paths crossed almost 4 years ago. Without getting too sappy, my life would be incomplete without him in it. 

--for my loving family. They have always stood by my side and supported me. I know there are so many people who aren't as lucky as I am, so I am very thankful!

--for my amazing friends - both "in person" friends and my bloggy friends. They all give me inspiration!

--for my sweet furbaby, Gracie. She's our little baby! :)

--for my job. I am so blessed to have a job that I truly love and feel passionate about!

Part of the reason I have found great joy in my life is that I feel very fulfilled and connected to the teaching and blogging community through my Teachers Pay Teachers store. I have told you many times, but thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a very valued blog follower of mine. It means a great deal to me, and I am showing my gratitude today by turning one of my products into a Flash Freebie for you!
Head to my TPT store to find my Telling Time to the Minute {CCSS Task Cards} FREE for today! Click the picture below to head over to my TPT store to download! :)

Then hop around to see some of my bloggy friends and find what surprises they have in store for you! Here are some of my buddies who have FLASH FREEBIES for you today!

Graphics from the Pond

Teach with Laughter

Teacher's Toolkit

Ms. Fultz

Fifth in the Middle

My Kind of Teaching

Life in Special Education

Well, Michelle

Teaches Third in Georgia

Chalk One Up for the Teacher

A Series of Third Grade Events

Ms. Smarty Pants

The Fun Factory

Thank you for visiting – head over to The Teaching Tribune to enter to win a $50 TPT voucher!

 XOXO,

Budding Blog Linky + Best Selling Reading Activity Linky!

Hi everyone!
I just stopped by to link up with I {heart} Recess for her Budding Blog linky!

This fun linky is for blogs with less than 200 followers...which is me! :) The last time I checked, I was at 149, which is AWESOME!

1. Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging as a way to connect with other amazing teachers! I started out by creating a teacher Instagram this summer, and decided to launch my blog in August. I have already learned so much from the wonderful teaching community! :)

2. What is your favorite subject to teach and why?

My favorite subject to teach is definitely math. I love hands-on activities!! I loved math when I was in school, so I hope to instill the same love into my students.

3. Describe your teaching style.

One major component of my teaching style is technology - I try to incorporate it into my lessons as much as possible. I am also organized - I like having all of my plans, copies, activities, etc. ready for the coming week. I do not do well "flying by the seat of my pants"!! Unfortunately, I'm not as organized in other areas of my life :/

4. Give three interesting facts about you.

(1) I have terrible vision - without my glasses or contacts, I can't see 2 feet in front of my face!

(2) My husband proposed to me on Christmas morning.

(3) My favorite type of food is Mexican.

5. Do you have a TpT store? If yes, post the link :)

Yes I do! http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Fabulous-Life-Of-An-Elementary-Teacher

If you are a newbie blogger with less than 200 followers, make sure you link up with I {heart} Recess!! Or, take the time to visit some of the awesome blogs that have also linked up!

I'm also linking up with Table Talk with C and C to share my best-selling reading activity from my TPT store!

 

Visit her blog for a chance to win 16 prizes from some wonderful TPT sellers! You can even enter to win my best selling reading activity, which is my Figurative Language Task Cards!

Good luck, and thanks for stopping by! I'll be back soon to post about the amazing interactive notebook resources I've been using in math with my 3rd graders :) 

XOXO,

Giveaway Winner Announced {FINALLY} & September Currently

Hey y'all!! Wow - has it really been over 2 weeks since my last post? I am soooo sorry!! I started back to school last week, and yesterday was my first day with my new group of 3rd graders - 24 of them to be exact! I've got a couple of sassy pants on my hands, along with a room full of CHATTERBOXES. Oh my gosh - I've never had a group that liked to talk so much..they're gonna drive me bonkers if I don't figure out something soon. I use the clipchart system (with daily rewards/consequences) in my classroom, so that seems to be working pretty well. But, I think I may have to come up with something else. Do you have any suggestions for getting your kids to SHUT UP listen quietly?!? :)
Well, if you remember, I had a great little giveaway a couple of weeks back for a chevron pack, and the lucky winner was Laura M.! I first "met" Laura on Instagram, and she's such a sweetie! I hope you love your chevron goody pack!

I'm linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for September Currently.

I know I've been promising a classroom tour, but I haven't been able to get any real pictures because I couldn't find my camera cord. Well, I finally broke down and just ordered a new one. It's supposed to be here by the end of the week, so I will (hopefully) have the tour up by next week! I am loving my room this year - it's my favorite year by far! Here is an iPhone shot of my room :)

I hope you have a great week - tomorrow is my 3rd day in 3rd grade! :)

XOXO,

100 follower giveaway -- already!?!

I am so excited to announce that I hit 100 followers over the weekend - I can't believe it! So, you know what that means...it's time for another giveaway :)

Remember the cute watch I shared on my post the other day? Well, I decided to go ahead and order another one to use as a prize for my next giveaway! So here it is..

Prize #1!!

The next prize in my giveaway bundle is this adorable chevron bag...

It's the perfect size for makeup, pencils and pens, or small snacks!

The last prize in the bundle is a $10 credit to my TPT store!!

The giveaway will go through Monday at 12 AM, so make sure you enter before then!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Speaking of giveaways, how cute is this Vera Bradley bag?!?

I won it at a giveaway hosted by Jamie over at Teaching Tidbits and More. It was such an awesome giveaway, and I can't wait to get my brand new teacher bag in the mail :) Thanks, Jamie!!

One more thing I wanted to share for today is my new organizing drawers. They are sooo cute, and go perfectly with my chevron and owl classroom!

You can get these adorable drawer labels here!

It was super easy to put these together - I bought the 3-drawer Sterilite drawers, printed the labels, and attached them with double-sided tape. I can't wait to put these in my classroom :)

Well, that's all I have for today. This is my last full week of summer before going back to work next week! I don't have anything planned, except working in my classroom..as soon as it's finished, I'll be posting a classroom tour!

PS - Don't forget about the huge TPT sale going on right now - you can get 28% off EVERYTHING in my store (be sure you use code BTS13)!! It ends tonight at midnight, so be sure you get your shop on before then!

Click to go to my store!

XOXO

Oh Happy Day!!!

Good morning, everyone! I just wanted to do a quick post to let you know that it's finally here...The Teachers Pay Teachers Back to School Sale!!!
How perfect is this graphic?? Owls and chevron on the list?? Those 2 things make me a HAPPY girl!

Thanks to Graphics From the Pond for this adorable graphic!!

The sale will be Sunday and Monday ONLY, and you'll receive 28% off your purchases!! Be sure to use the  code BTS13 when you check out. My entire store is 20% off today through Monday, but on Sunday and Monday you can use the code for an additional 8% off. Such a great deal!!
I did want to highlight a couple of my best sellers..just in case you need some ideas :) Click each image to go to the product.

HAPPY SHOPPING!! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

XOXO

Days 4 & 5 Teacher Week + Giveaway Winners!!

Yay, it's Friday!!! I know for those of you who have already started back to school, you're especially excited that it's Friday :)

I'm linking up for days 4 & 5 of Teacher Week..this has been a lot of fun!

I'm combining days 4 and 5, since I didn't have time to do a post yesterday..

My number 1 Classroom Management Tip is the clipchart system:

Clipchart available here

Student number labels available here

I will be using calendars this year from Alyssa over at Just a Primary Girl. Students will have a copy of the calendar for the month in their communication folder. At the end of the day, students will color in their color for the day on the correct day, and the parents will initial it each night. This will allow me to have an open line of communication with parents regarding their child's behavior. These calendars are also fully editable, so I can fill them in to fit my needs - awesome!!

Click the picture to get this fabulous resource!!

Day 5 is Teacher Tips, and my biggest teacher tip would be to use VistaPrint! I have gotten so many great things to use from this website. You can actually create your own designs for things such as business cards, stamps, and postcards, and upload them on the website. Groupon runs deals for VistaPrint where you get $70 worth of products for $17. I bought that deal recently, and was able to order several things for my classroom. Unfortunately, the $70 won't count towards taxes or shipping, but I was pretty happy that I got $70 worth of product for less than $20 :)
Here are some things I've ordered lately..

Also, this is totally random, but how cute are these watches?! I ordered one from Groupon yesterday in gray, and it was only $8.99!

See them here

Ok...now to the winners of my blog launch giveaway!!!

I will be contacting the winners by email shortly - as soon as I grab some lunch!! :)
Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. I think it was a HUGE success!!

XOXO