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!

Tax Day and Ice Cream…..Does One Lead to the Other? ;)

…it is "Tax Day" and I've jumped on the TpT bandwagon and put my entire shop on sale for 20% off. That's on top of some other discounts on popular products, like my Hatching Ducks Powerpoint, "Waddle We Learn?" Duck Pack, and my BRAND NEW (just posted!) Ice Cream Pack.  Check out the ice cream link below, and the 20% off pic will bring you to my TpT home page.  As I move closer to 100 likes on my FB Page, A Fun Second, I will be sharing information about a GIVEWAY!  Horray!

Goin' Buggy…..and My First "Linky Party!"

I vowed to myself that over Spring Break (this week for us in the Northeast!), I would devote some time each day to this blog and my Teachers Pay Teachers products.  I have followed so many great teachers for so many years and want more than anything to share my ideas with teachers from all over the country (world!).  Because I've been a devoted follower, I've been on the receiving end of so many freebies, and The Creative Chalkboard has been having daily freebies to celebrate her milestone of 10,000 followers on TpT!  Wow!  I decided to jump in on a Linky Party that is part of her celebration by offering a freebie made exclusively of her clip art.  Her work is great and I hope you click through the "Linky Party" and find something you can use with your class.  The link to my freebie is below, as well.

Check out the "Linky Party!" for some great FREEBIES!

#Mystery Skype….Mystery Solved!

Today we had our first "Mystery Skype."  I heard about this from a co-worker who was taking a class with a tech guru….basically, you connect on Twitter with another classroom somewhere in the country and set a date/time to Skype.  Through the wonders of technology, the classes meet and try to solve the mystery of where the other class is.  It all came together today at 2:00pm (our time---because time zones matter in an activity like this!).  We had greeters, note-takers, mappers, questioners, answerers, and even "photographers" who documented everything for us.  It took my second graders just seven questions to determine that the other class was in Indiana (which is the same time zone as NY…..who knew!?)  Then, it was our turn to answer and the Indiana class was excited to discover that we reside in the same state as "The Big Apple."  I was so proud of my class for their know-how and so proud to be part of a school that is investing in technology so that these kinds of activities can take place.  We do it all over again tomorrow afternoon….can't wait!  Here are a few pics from the Mystery Skype!

An Egg-cellent Review of Counting Coins

One of the trickiest skills each year is counting coins.  Identifying the coin, knowing the value, counting on, skip counting….there are multiple building blocks that need to be in place for students to be successful.  The best way for students to make progress in this area is definitely through continued, hands-on practice.  This year, our money/time unit happens to fall right around Easter.  I created a simple coin counting math station for students and incorporated the fun, colorful plastic eggs that kids just LOVE hunting for.  Instead of candy, I filled them with plastic coins.  Anytime you can "trick" a student into doing work with fun manipulatives is a definite plus for the teacher.  I hope your students LOVE it as much as mine did!  It's a FREEBIE on my TpT shop.  Enjoy!

Click on the image below for a TpT FREEBIE!

Mystery Skype - No longer a MYSTERY!

This week our class is about to embark on our first MYSTERY SKYPE!  Basically - I found a teacher on Twitter (#mysteryskype) and set up a date/time to Skype with our classes and figure out what state they are in using geography-based yes/no questions.  Each student has a specific role and all in all, it sounds pretty.darn.amazing.
We are so excited to meet another class and solve the mystery of where they are from!  We actually have a few "appointments" and will run through a few practice mysteries to make sure we know our roles and what questions are best.  This was all new to me and I had a lot of questions about it when I first heard the idea.  So, I created a little guide that helped me set my mind straight and get organized - I hope it does the same for you.  The link to the packet is below as is a FREEBIE for Mystery Skype Note-taking.  Have you Mystery-Skyped?  Share your experiences and ADVICE, please!!

Freebie…Click on image

"Waddle We Learn?"

It always amazes me how once March and April arrive, how "duck crazy" teachers become.  I get notifications throughout the day that my Hatching Ducks Powerpoint was sold/downloaded.  While it's no longer a unit we do in our school (budget cuts don't allow for us to purchase eggs and they are quite expensive for us to get on our own!) - I created a few resources that I know many of you will love and that I will hopefully be able to use again someday.  The freebie on my TpT store is actually within this packet - it's called "Breaking News, Eggs Hatch!" and is meant to be a student-written "news" article about the ducklings debut.  I hope you enjoy it - and check out the new stuff, too!