Day 1 {Freebie} Story Funnels for Retell vs. Summary

Happy Sunday! It's Day One of my eight freebie giveaways! I got started on TpT about a year ago and it's been so much fun connecting with other teachers and getting feedback on my freebies and products.  I just started my second year of teaching and it has completely transformed my outlook on teaching and the never ending possibilities for classroom resources and collaboration with teachers! To celebrate having 800 followers at my TpT store, I'm starting off the first day of freebies with some resources I used recently to help my kiddos with the difference between a summary and retell.....and then finally working down to the main idea of a book.

Throughout the week, we talked about the difference between a summary and retell. I gave the students an example of a summary and retell for the same story (after we had read them together, I just typed up the two examples) and they filled out this quickie venn to help with our discussion.

Later in the week, we started filling out these Story Stack and Story Funnel organizers for my kiddos that are visual learners. I like them because the students can see how a retell, summary and main idea each narrow down the details in the story and get more specific/shorter in length. I used two different organizers- the Story Stack gives the kids a little more room to write for the main idea, the Story Funnel is pretty small at the point for the main idea, but still a good visual. I also included where the kids create an alternate title (on the Story Funnel organizer) so they could see how the main idea could help create titles for books.

 If you think this is something that could help your kiddos, you can snatch them all up {HERE} for free. I have also included lined and unlined versions of the two story organizers- depending on what your students do better with.

Have a great day and stop back tomorrow for Day Two! Please feel free to share the "8 Days of Freebies" icon up at the top on of this post on your blog and let your friends know about the 8 days of freebies! I have it linked to my store, but I don't know if you just copy and paste it, if that will automatically work- proof of a beginning blogger right there! Thanks!! I have fonts, clipart, fall freebies and a big $8.00 giveaway from my store at the end of it all coming your way!

S'more Sequencing Freebie

Hi all! This is just a quick post to put up some freebie pages that some customers requested. I happened to have two requests for some changes in one of my freebies to make it more applicable for specific classrooms, so here it is! I added a spanish version to my S'more Sequencing reading response page from my Creative Reading Response Sheets for ANY Book 2 (I have some sample pages from this product as a separate freebie that you can check out {HERE}) and changed the wording on the english page to First, Next, Then, Last. If you want the updated versions, snatch 'um up for {FREE}.

Check out the new versions if you are interested or check out my entire set with over 40 pages of resources for $4.00.

It's Fall Y'all- Fall Freebies & Classroom Decor

It may be fall, and it certainly looks like it in my classroom now, but it doesn't feel like it outside! I got a few crisp evenings out on my cabana porch with apple cider and uggs before the muggy heat came back through. It was 88 degrees today!? I can't deal with these temperature fluctuations! 

Well, regardless of the scorchers we have been having, I couldn't wait any longer for my first decoration switch-up of the year in my classroom. It's all about fall and Halloween folks! Check it out:

I decided to change the color of my leaves on my jungle tree. Dollar Tree had stiff felt leaves that were the perfect size to just tuck on top of my other leaves :)

Gotta have a candy corn estimation jar! Candy corn is my biggest candy weakness and I will not confess how many times I have to refill this far before the kiddos actually got the chance to estimate because I kept snitching....

I thought these were the cutest little glitter pumpkins from the Dollar Tree!

Here's my monkey!!! My mom made him this pumpkin outfit! She made me a ton of seasonal curtains last year, so since I can reuse those this year, she was looking for a new project and has started making costumes for this big guy right here :) She is going to make a turkey costume and an elf costume for the upcoming months! I can't wait! The kids just love this furry chimp.

This spider web was from the Dollar Store and is over two feet wide! It came in a smaller package and popped open like a pop up hamper would. I was so excited to see how big it was! Gotta love dollar bargains...and those candy corn curtains!

More Dollar Store finds! My goodness that store may become the death of me :)

I just LOVE fall! I can't wait until the leaves start changing- and not just the fake felt ones in my classroom. 

In other news- having been COMPLETELY busy and totally missed the ball on my big 700 followers giveaway for my TpT shop that I had wanted to do, so I am now going to set up an 800 followers giveaway starting on Sunday and going for 8 days instead of 7 like I had planned. I will have 8 days of freebies, so check back each day to grab some fall/autumn goodies for {FREE}! Thank you so much for following my store and blog!

In the spirit of it being Friday tomorrow and a three-day weekend to follow- here's a little fun freebie to round out your week with :) Here are two Halloween reading response sheets with corresponding theme papers for you to pair with your seasonal favorites! Snatch them here for {FREE} because who doesn't love fall literature activities!?

I have also been working on TONS of new clipart sets and LOVE LOVE all the clipart requests I have been getting! You all have such fun ideas of images to create! Here is my newest bundle, just in time for election day! It includes over 40 images with black line versions included! Other clipart sets that are in the works are pumpkin life cycle, superheroes, alphabets, monsters under the bed, and kids!

{Election Day!} $4.00 at my TpT store

Okay, if you have stuck with this post for this long- THANKS! This marathon of a post is what happens when I go so long without posting I guess! Have a fabulous Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend (only a teacher would end with two alliterations :)

Free Clip Art Snatch-Up: Halloween Costume Party!

Whew, my. goodness. I have been neglecting my blog this week! I have so many things I want to write and share, I just can't find the time to get them into a post! It's after 2am right now and I am heading off to bed, but I wanted to post a clip art snatch-up for my newest bundle of clip art: Halloween Costume Party- for all you blog hoppers who eat breakfast in front of their computers, you will be the first to see this :)

This set includes the color AND the black and white images for just $3.00 at my little TpT shop. The first three people to post a comment on here, follow my blog and TpT store will get this festive set for FREE! If you aren't a breakfast blog hopper and miss the giveaway, you can grab the set {HERE} at my TpT store :)

I have also passed 700 followers on TpT so I am gearing up for my big celebration giveaway for that! Thanks for following! I'm actually at 732 followers now, but it's been such a crazy week I haven't put together all the giveaways I have planned. I'm talking lots of freebies folks!! It will be 7 days of freebies- FOR EVERYONE! Plus 7 big winners at the end of the week. Stay tuned and I'll try to get my act together for setting it up soon!

Hope everyone enjoyed their *first* official days of fall! Bring on the apple cider, sweatshirt weather and pumpkin flavered food in every shape and form :)

Two big Freebies for almost Friday!!

Hi blog friends! Today was a fabulous day! After two in-service days on Monday and Tuesday, being bogged down by curriculum changes, teacher stress and just pure exhaustion, today was exactly what I needed. My kiddos have been great all year, but today was just fantastic all around. On my high from a great day and because tomorrow is Friday :) I thought I would share a bunch of freebie of activities we have done this week. Get ready for a hod-podge of stuff, but take what you want and hopefully some or all will be useful for you :)

First up, an Awesome Alliteration Activity. My kids L-O-V-E-D alliterations today and spent the whole rest of the day finding examples in our classroom, other books and around the school. I had the kids pick an animal and the letter that it started with was their alliteration "sound" or letter. We used this brainstorming sheet to record words with the same letter sound before the kiddos wrote a funny paragraph/story with them. The sheet really helped them plan and was a great review of parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, verbs). Here is a {freebie} of the activity if your interested. The first sheet is the brainstorming sheet and the second one is the publishing page. The kids wrote their alliteration letter in the small circle and did a small illustration at the bottom of the page under their alliteration paragraph:

   

Next freebie is a math activity that I came up with to practice sampling and graphing with my class. I wanted them to see how sampling could be used in real life situations, so I put a circus scenario together that required them to solve a problem by making conclusions about a sample and population. You can grab it here if you want it. The only thing I don't have included in this freebie is the graphing paper, because I used a blank graphing sheet from our math curriculum and didn't want to post it for copyright issues. Here is a little peak at the activity and click {HERE} for a free download :)

   

One last questions for you. So last year I taught first grade and still have a TON of resources and freebies that I created for that grade that I would like to share this year now that I have a blog. I am currently teaching third grade, so I am also posting ideas from this year and resources for third grade. I would really like to keep ONE blog, but how should I present these freebies since my posts will be a mix of first and third grade resources? Anyone else in the same boat? Is there a way to categorize them on my blog? Lemme know! Have a fantastic Friday and weekend all!

Actually made it in time for Made it Monday!

Mark your calendars! It is the first time I have actually remembered/had time to/had something to blog about on a Made it Monday! Actually I have had this "made" for a while, but didn't have the photos taken.

When I was getting ready for this school year, I discovered paper cake doilies. Okay, yes I knew they existed, but I didn't know they went beyond those lacey white ones that shed and leave white flakes everywhere. I found these little beauties at AC Moore (sorry for the glare):

I forget exactly how much they cost, but I used a 40% off coupon and I think they were only like three dollars for 10 doilies? There are other smaller sizes of the same type and you get like 12 or 16 in a package.

I had been going through black ink "like whoa" and I thought these papers would prolong the life of my black ink cartridge. I used them on my binder covers and I think they are too cute if I do say so myself:

The binders are the white kind with a clear overlay. I used scrapbook paper and then printed out the white circle/lettering on my computer.

Because they came in packs of ten (and of course I bought two packs), I also found other ways to use them in my room/decor. I glued these "Welcome" letters on them before I laminated them and glued them on the ribbon.

I slipped one under my estimation jar to jazz up my little table here. 

And yes, those are truffala tree pencils!

I bought the mini ones and have yet to make anything with them, but I can tell you that I have lots of ideas! They also come in white I believe, but I liked the bold black edge with the black and white zebra that I had in my room already.

Well, it wasn't a very elaborate Made it Monday, but if you are lookin to put a little "fancy" into your classroom, these paper cake doilies are perfect!

P.S. I excitedly went to Starbucks yesterday (well it actually is a Starbucks kiosk in my grocery store, Dover doesn't have a stand alone Starbucks) and was all pumped up and in the autumn spirit to order my first pumpkin spice latte of the season.....they were out!! Oh the defeat. I didn't even order something else instead- the Caramel Apple Spice Cider is usually my other go-to fall favorite. I will have to try back- for now I am relying on my other true coffee love: my Pumpkin Spice Keurig cups, which are now sitting next to my little pumpkin in my kitchen. Never too early for autumn and picking up a pumpkin while grocery shopping!

Have a great Monday!

Free Font to start off your week!

Just thought I would leave you with a quick free font to start off your week. This free font is called Walk in the Park and is very similar to another one of my fonts, but it doesn't have the dots on the letters. It is a bit more simple for worksheets or text heavy resources that you might make. It is {FREE} so check it out at my TpT store and download if you like!

Enjoy your Sunday evening!