Feeling Thankful.

It's hard not to feel "guilty" about neglecting my blog.  I started this because I LOVE sharing ideas with teachers from across the country.  I've had some great feedback and some loyal followers (nearly 400 on Instagram!) - and it's a great way to chronicle a school year.  I am doing my best to put it into my "schedule" and post at least once a week, but I have just been so busy!!

I recently got to thinking and I realized that I am neglecting it not because I am busy, but because I am  blessed.  Blessed with a great husband and  two BUSY (busy, busy…) boys who keep me on my toes with homework and sports.  Blessed with a full time job that I love (and that consumes most of my day).  Blessed with a side business (hobby?) with Jamberry Nail Wraps - and my team of nearly 50 girls who I try to encourage and motivate.  Blessed with a home that I *try* to keep organized. Blessed with an extended family, friends, and coworkers.

So - if I don't have time to post or update, it's because I am busy with my blessings.  And for all of those things, I am extremely thankful.

SO thankful, that I was inspired to create a lil' TpT project tonight.  I want my students to list something that they are thankful for each day for the 12 school days leading up to Thanksgiving. I threw in some fun printables, as well - and if you catch it tonight or early tomorrow, you will snag it for FREE.

While you're visiting, FOLLOW ME on TpT.  I am planning a giveaway when I hit 100 followers on that site!  :)

Nearly Two Months….

I cannot believe it's been two months since I blogged.
Two.whole.months.
If you are a fellow teacher, you know that the first eight weeks of school are busy with routines, assessments, and behavior management.  For a mom of two school-age children, that is "triple" true.  We are finally settling into a routine at home and school, so it's time for me to work this back in!

My new(ish) class is one of my most challenging by far, but they are coming along.  They boys far outweigh the girls - which is a challenge in itself at times - but they are super chatty and super "busy."  I am considering trying out Class Dojo (have you tried it?  Thoughts?  Comment below!) as a way to help parents at home understand how their child behaves and performs during the day.

One thing I've started to do for Classroom Management - as a way to spread out a bit and maintain some organization and a classroom environment conducive for an effective Daily5 block - is to send a small group to the library with some parent volunteers.  Because of our new schedule, there is usually one day per week that each small reading group has "off" from guided reading and I want them to still interact with text, but have it tied into their small group texts with me.  Enter…PEBBLE GO!  Pebble Go is an AMAZING online database just for kids at the primary level.  Besides animals, they cover Earth and Space, Biographies, and Social Studies. The text is simple, around a level J/K (Fountas & Pinnell level) but there is also an audio component that will read to the kids.  There are videos as well as the option to print the text and a diagram that the students can label for some topics.

Once a week, each group works in the library on a topic that ties into our curriculum or the text we are reading together.  For example, one small group read "Bat Loves the Night" by Nicola Davies.  When they went to work on PebbleGo on the computers and iPads in the library, they researched Bats. They loved it and I loved that those five students were on-task and working independently on a meaningful topic.  It's a win-win! :)

(We also used it as part of our Nocturnal Animal Mini-unit…the possibilities are endless!)

Here is an open-ended Pebble Go Research FREEBIE - meaning you can use it with any topic your students are researching!   I have also linked you to my TpT shop and the Nocturnal Animal packet that you can also use with Pebble Go!

Back to School!

Once Labor Day comes and Starbucks starts serving Pumpkin Spice Lattes, there's no denying it - summer is over.  As I look back at this blog, I can't believe that I didn't blog AT ALL this summer!  It was nice to take a break from teaching and school, but my creative mind is anxiously awaiting the chance to start developing activities to use in my classroom.
Summer was wonderful - a chance to connect with my own kiddos, time to focus on a fun hobby-turned job with Jamberry Nail Wraps, and time to just live a more relaxed life - sleeping in a bit, sipping coffee on the couch in the morning with my hubby, taking walks….you know the deal.  We had a great family vacation to Baltimore to take in a few Yankees games, as well as many Minor League baseball games, baseball camps, travel baseball with our Little League….do ya' see a theme here?  I loved every.second.
I posted a few new products in my TpT store this summer - not many, but a few.  I hope to keep up with this blog as I navigate through another second grade year!
I will leave you with a favorite picture from the summer….

It's been a while...

So, it's been a while.  A long, long while.  Life has been crazy - school with end-of-the-year activities, assessments (ugh), and organizing, and home with baseball, baseball, and ---baseball.  If we're not at the field, we are watching the Yankees at home, or playing baseball in the yard.
My class is wrapping up our final 14 days together.  June is always bittersweet for me. I am so ready for the summer, but by this point, the class is functioning so well together - they know the routines, are aware of the expectations, and have become a true "family." I will miss so many of them and their funny personalities.
We are working through our plant unit in science, our fables & tall tales unit in reading, and are finally illustrating our realistic fiction pieces.  The class worked so hard on their drafts, editing, and revising.  I didn't want to make them re-write everything (some of them well over 10 pages), so I asked my students' families to do some typing.  They were happy to do so (and quick!) so I am really excited about their published pieces.
Check back next week as we move into CAMP LEARN-A-LOT1

Busy, Busy, Busy

It is always so amazing to me how FAST the end of the year goes!  All of a sudden I find myself in the "thick" of it all - review activities, assessments, filing, sweaty kids (23 to be exact!)---and field day and report cards are on the horizon.  We teachers deserve the summer off since our final weeks are as jam-packed as they possibly can be!

I've been polishing up a few end-of-the-year activities and wrapped up a great SNAPSHOTS Drawing/Writing activity that can easily cover 3-4 days of Writing Workshop in your classroom.  It's a great way to reflect on your year together as a class, too!  The link is below---grab it, copy it, and go!  :)

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone!  Thank you to everyone who fights for our country.  

28 Days…..Crazy.

Today, my class and I counted how many actual days of school left there are.  28.  Can you believe it!? I don't know how the end-of-the-year snuck up on us, but it did! For all of you teachers who are done in the coming days/weeks, just know that we didn't start until AFTER Labor Day!  (I am still jealous of you all….or y'all!)
Within these last 28 days, of course - are the activities that make the end of the year so memorable - field day, a walking trip to our local farm/ice cream stand, Kindergarten Celebration (we get to watch the rehearsal---I dare you not to cry when those kiddos sing!), 3rd grade play (again…we get to watch!), and of course, CAMP-LEARN-A-LOT - my annual weeklong celebration when I transform my classroom into a campground.
There are also the not-so-memorable (for the students, anyway) End of the Year Assessments.  Ugh.
What do you look forward to in your school?  When is your last day??

Happy (almost) Friday!

     Wow, this has been a BUSY week.  I jumped back into the classroom (we still miss our student teacher!) full force and we launched new units in reading (mysteries), math (data & graphing),  and writing (realistic fiction).  The kids were engaged and excited about our lessons and put forth excellent effort!
     Our PTA spoiled us as part of Teacher Appreciation Week!  We received goodies each morning - Mentos (I Mento tell you you are a great teacher!), a Starbucks Gift Card (Thanks a latte for all you do!), a local restaurant gift certificate, and beautiful bookmark.  We are a lucky group of teachers!
     Today we finished our writing a little bit early and headed out to our school courtyard.  The weather was absolutely perfect to spread out with a blank page and a clipboard and compose some "found poems."  Some students wrote simple acrostics and list poems while others worked hard to craft just the right details.  Our visit to this "outdoor classroom" included the discovery that our "school duck" had returned once again (and is sitting on eggs!), as well as a bird dropping a little present right on one of my student's poems.  Just.Great.
Here are some pictures from the week! :)  I will post some goodies this weekend, and who knows….maybe a giveaway/freebie will be in the works!

Teacher Appreciation Sale on TpT!

I love that I am part of the TpT community!  I have loved creating items for other teachers to use and enjoy, but I REALLY love all of the great ideas and activities I've purchased!   My wish list is all filled up and ready to go for the big sale tomorrow, and my own store will be 20% off, as well.  Click the link below to go right to my store and with the coupon code, your discount ends up being 28%…WOW!  A great time to stock up on some end of the year goodies….and some of my favorites from my shop just  happen to be linked below :)

I spent some time tonight creating a printable pack for our little "identifying genres" study this week.  I told my class that since my four year old son knows the difference between fiction and non-fiction, that as eight year olds, we need to "dig deeper" and be more SPECIFIC!  Today they brainstormed as many genres as they could think of and I think they were impressed with all of the "fancy" terms we were using.
Included in the pack are ready-to-go printables that require very little prep - basically books, and if you have them - leftover book orders.  I really want my class to be thoughtful in identifying genres, so there are activities where they have to "prove" that it is a specific genre with text evidence.

Enjoy Teacher Appreciation Week, everyone, and Happy Shopping!  

Back to School...

It's BACK TO SCHOOL this week---well, for me anyway!  My awesome student teacher wrapped up her time with us on Friday, so I am back to the role of classroom teacher.  This means a lot of things--back to talking to myself during planning time, fewer bathroom breaks, and the shift from (somewhat) laid back to jam-packed days planning, organizing, and correcting.  We only have about 7 weeks and change, so my mantra for the balance of the school year is "I think I can, I think I can…" 

Let's face it---May/June - or whenever your "End of the Year" is, is BUSY.  Review activities, assessments, placement, report cards---all of it is jammed into the final month.  It's the "storm before the calm," so it is sure to fly quickly.  

I try to stay on top of things with lots of sticky notes and activities to keep the kiddos engaged and learning--even as the weather warms up and we start to "lose" them.  My favorite activities to wrap up the school year are our MYSTERY UNIT in reading and our REALISTIC FICTION unit in writing.  Throw in some CAMP-LEARN-A-LOT and ICE CREAM, and those kiddos are fooled into thinking that we are done learning and just having fun!  In reality, they are practicing the skills that they've learned this year….mission accomplished!   

I have been updating files and creating new activities---click on the images below to be brought right to them or just visit my TpT store and browse a bit.  There's a BIG sale May 6-7, so fill up your carts now and check out then to save 28%!  

Do you Wordle!?

Today we created one of my favorite (and easiest) projects of the year - our Mother's Day Subway Art designs!  We do a bunch of craftivities for Mother's Day, but this one is so simple - and FREE!  Plus - 'subway art' is all the rage and these are just that!
The students typed words to describe their moms - I saw the usual "helpful" and "kind" {nothing wrong with those traits!}, but this year I saw words I hadn't seen before---humble & modest (Thank you, Charlotte's Web!), stylish, warm-hearted, and cute--among others.  These came out great and I know the moms will just love and cherish them.
I uploaded my planning page to TpT as a FREEBIE for 24 hours - get it quick and please leave feedback.   I also uploaded a new item that I can't wait to use with my class---"How to be a {fill in the blank} Grader."  This is meant to be a book that your students create for your incoming class.  I included two sizes of the book (full and half page) as well as some mentor texts you could use with it.  This fun product is HALF OFF through the weekend.  Enjoy!

BUY ONE, GET ONE!

I am trying to reach a milestone on TpT by the end of April…that's tomorrow---YIKES!
So - I've decided to run a little promotion.  Purchase ANY of my products on TpT and then email me with your choice of a second item for FREE!  It's that simple.  I will email you the file within a few hours (unless it's overnight---then it will wait until the morning!).
Just shoot me a quick email:  afunsecond@gmail.com with your TpT user name (to confirm the TpT purchase) and your FREE choice (equal or lesser value).  Please enjoy your products and if you do, leave feedback.
Also---the GIVEAWAY is still going on!  Scroll down and enter if you haven't yet.  :)

Busy, Busy, Busy!

We have been BUSY in second grade! I really wouldn't have it any other way.  My {fabulous} student teacher just wrapped up day 3 of her "solo week" and I have been busy working on this blog and my TpT products.  In the past week I have created/polished up the following units:  Mysteries, Informational Text Responses, Charlotte's Web, and today - (four hours later!) - Realistic Fiction (a writing unit).  I had a giveaway on FB over the weekend for that Informational Text Response Pack, and have a giveaway running all week for my TpT shop---any products of your choice totaling up to $20.  Enter below (scroll down to the Rafflecopter below) or enter via the Giveaway tab on FB.
Back in the classroom, Miss C is teaching my kiddos all about BUTTERFLIES.   The larvae arrived last week and they have been observing them daily, taking notes, and learning about the life cycle.  Today, they performed two songs for me about the life cycle - one was to the tune of Row, Row, Row your boat (with the most adorable hand motions) and the other was to "Call Me Maybe" (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=call+me+maybe+butterfly) They LOVED performing these songs----SO cute!  The room is all decorated with butterflies and there is so much excitement among the students.
If you are looking for some great butterfly resources, check out Miss C's TpT page.  I've linked you to her great FREEBIE and while you're there---check out her other items and follow her.
Also - just because I have had a great TpT day…my new REALISTIC FICTION writing unit is 50% off for the next two days.  I can't wait to start it with my class next week!

WOW!

I am in awe over these past two weeks.  I have flown past 100, then 150, and now 160 followers on Facebook and am currently followed  by 142 on Instagram.  I upgraded my TpT to a "Premium Seller" account and have more sales in the past week than ever before.  "In awe" might be an understatement.
I have some fun blogs planned for this week and some new product ideas, too.
For now, I am running a GIVEAWAY until Friday at noon.  Enter below for your chance to win $20 towards products in my TpT store.  With my recent creations and updates, you are sure to find something you'll love.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless Wednesday

I'm linking up once again with Miss Decarbo!

We are nearing the end of Charlotte's Web and my sweet librarian made me this canvas for my classroom!  I just LOVE this book and the overall theme of friendship.  What books do you love reading to or with your class? 

Hangin' with US Heroes

I am in love with my new blog design.  In love.  Thank you to Dreamlike Magic Designs---it's just what I was looking for.
Time to catch up and share what's going on in our classroom.  We are back from Spring Break and jumping right back in!  Before the break, we were working on composing complete paragraphs.  The students had a variety of practice topics with both informational and opinion paragraphs.  We had been learning about American Heroes, so it made sense to have them write informational paragraphs about how those people made a difference.
This is where it gets fun…

Did I mention that I have a GREAT student teacher right now?  She is down to her final 9 days with us (sniff sniff) and is almost ready to SOLO in the classroom for five days.  She is just meant to be a teacher and loves creating materials to use in the classroom.  Enter Hangin' with US Heroes.

Miss C found a great freebie on TpT:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hanging-Out-with-History-A-Fun-Alternative-to-the-President-Report-Sample-18046.  After having the students read multiple sources about their American Hero, they filled out a research packet and then wrote their informational paragraph.  Miss C then used the Hanging Out with History Freebie and turned it into a "Hangin' With a US Hero" hanger.  Students used a variety of materials to turn a hanger into their hero.  We then attached their informational paragraphs to the hangers.  The end result was informative, and adorable.

You can check out Miss C's  American Hero Research Packet in her TpT Store (she's new, but you won't want to miss her ideas--give her a "follow"!) with the link below.

End of Spring Break & a Crafty Gift!

We are officially at the end of our Spring Break here in the Northeast.  It was a lazy week in our house - no major plans - but I feel like it was super productive.  I got this blog up and running, gained 142 Facebook Fans (and counting), have (almost) completed my first GIVEAWAY (you have until Midnight to enter on FB!) and finished a Drake Graduate Course on Differentiation and Literacy.  On top of shuffling the kids around town and the normal household duties - going back to work should be a breeze.  Especially since it's solo week for my student teacher coming up (a blog about her and her awesome ideas is coming this week!).
I have always loved crafts and creating things, so I fell in LOVE with my Silhouette Portrait (craft cutting machine) from the moment I first used it.  I've created a few things for around my house and classroom - mostly organizational vinyl labels - but I really love creating gifts with it.
For my niece and nephew's Easter gift, I personalized some bubble wands and it got me thinking about what a great end-of-the-year gift it would be when paired with a cute tie-on-label and ribbon - and of course, my Summer Reading Incentive Response Journal .  So, I hopped right to it and the result is adorable.  The tag is a freebie in my TpT shop (click on the link) and you can grab the bubble wands in most stores during the summer.  I grabbed mine at Target, but saw them in the Dollar Tree, as well.  So cute.

Click the image above to be brought to a FREEBIE gift tag.  

I also played around with the Portrait and copied a cute Subway Style Art Canvas I saw on Pinterest for the classroom.  This might be a gift - and the recipient might be reading, so I will leave it at that.  But again - a great gift for a co-worker or for the teachers of your own children.  My machine will get PLENTY of use in the coming weeks/months.

What do you give your students at the end of the school year?

Freebie Friday, Blog Lovin', and My GIVEAWAY

So in teacher-blogger land, Friday is FREEBIE FRIDAY! I am making my WADDLE WE LEARN Duck Activities Pack FREE just until I go to bed tonight…starting NOW! You probably have until about 11/11:30pm.  I just ask that you PLEASE leave feedback if you take advantage of this freebie….a  big part of TpT is feedback, and it's super quick. Enjoy!

I also am linking up to Blog Lovin'. I added some cute buttons to the sidebar on my page  and the + will bring you right there, or you can click here: Follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Lastly, the GIVEAWAY.  At last check, there were only TEN entries.  It ends tomorrow at midnight, so get over to my FB page to enter (again..use the cute new gray button!)  Thank you to Andrea from Tricks of the Trade in First Grade ( http://tricksofthetradeinfirstgrade.blogspot.com) for her help on getting those up on my page.  :)

100 Facebook Fans GIVEAWAY!

So, the picture is a little too big in the Rafflecopter, but here is a better one. GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

iPads in the everyday classroom...

Are you lucky enough to have iPads in your building?  Our school is just getting started with them and we have about a dozen that can be signed out on an as-needed basis.  I was lucky enough to receive one through Donors Choose in the fall, and my family upgraded our original iPad, so I donated that one to my classroom, as well.  So…we have two in our classroom at all times.  It would seem like it would be hard to share just two iPads between 23 students, but I have found a way to make it work.
Each day, during our modified "Daily 5" (we really do a  Daily 3--another blog, another day), 6 students get a turn on the iPad.  They all have an assigned shift, and they can use their time for Read to Self or Word Work with the tech-y tool.  (There are screen shots of some of my favorite apps for these below). That leaves us with a few open slots throughout the week for students who or absent, or for students who have earned additional time (classroom rewards, special helpers, etc.).

Besides Daily 3 time, we have Math Stations each day and students work in partners for this. Here, four students per day get to use an iPad for math games/activities and these rotate.  ( I actually modeled it after the amazing Amy Lemons' recent blog post about Math Stations in her classroom (http://stepintosecondgrade.blogspot.com/search/label/math%20stations) and it has worked so well!)  On Fridays, we review and spend our entire math block rotating through math games/stations/practice activities/etc. and I grab a few extra iPads and leave one station as strictly iPad Math.  The kids love Hungry Fish and Sushi Monster, and Math Fight is really fun for facts with a buddy (BONUS:  2 kids "share" the screen in Math Fight---less iPads needed this way).

Lastly, in regards to iPads, I have started using a fun app called Name Selector (pic below) to call on random students during lessons and activities.  It keeps track of students whose names have been called and won't repeat until all names have been selected.  It's FREE (with ads) or you can upgrade to go ad free.
As a whole class, we've signed out iPads and made Digital Timelines in Keynote, as well as some fun iMovies.  We've also just started MYSTERY SKYPE experiences (read about them in earlier blog posts!) and have used the Skype App and Apple TV to mirror it to a large screen  The possibilities are truly endless!  I feel like I've really been able to balance independent and whole group iPad time and am so grateful to be part of a school that is investing in this technology.  :)

And…finally….I am so close to 100 followers on FB! Just seven  to go!)  The adorable chevron sign below (personalized for the winner) will be a GIVEAWAY once I reach that milestone.  Please share my FB page with your teacher friends so I can get that going ASAP.  It's been a great week and I hope to keep the momentum going.

 We LOVE Storia for Read to Self!  The activities are an added bonus. 

Name Selector, Word Work Apps, and Math Apps

Have you liked my FB Page?  Click above to be brought there! 

Three reasons to be excited. One reason to NOT be excited.

1.  I am linking up with Miss DeCarbo at Sugar and Spice for a Wordless Wednesday post.  Check out the picture below and answer the question in the comments section.  My blog tomorrow will be about iPads, but I'd love to know your favorite apps!

2.  I woke up to 81 followers on FB!  I am getting ready to announce a GIVEAWAY as I approach 100!

3.  I FINISHED my new Camp Learn-a-Lot Pack…..chock full of FUN activities to support a camping theme.  And, this leads me to why I am NOT so excited.  It SNOWED last night.  As in, my grass is covered with snow.  But---I am offering up this Camp Learn-a-Lot Pack for FREE until the snow is melted and I can once again see my lawn.  The price will go up to $6.00, so grab it now, share it, and PLEASE leave me feedback on it!  Enjoy!

What are your favorite APPS to use in the classroom?

It's FREE….but only until the snow melts!