Friday, November 30, 2012

Share the Wealth- December 1, 2012



Holiday Greetings My Dear Friends!

     I am super excited about this week's round of AWESOME free resources for you! I just LOVE this time of year. Regardless of your beliefs, the holiday season seems to soften the heart of even the most grouchy and stubborn. With so much happiness and cheer all around us, it is hard not to get caught up in wanting to share and give to our fellow men and women.

     I hope that as you move forward in the short time we have before this season ends, that you will look for ways to share YOUR "wealth" with others (ya know... like service, a smile, a quiet hello, singing carols! The list is endless). For, the best gift is the gift of peace and happiness we feel inside that only comes from helping    those in need.

     Happy Holiday from My House to Yours,
                                                                 
-MrHughes

P.S. Remember to click on a SOCIAL MEDIA button at the bottom of the post and "Share the Wealth".

December 1, 2012 

"Share the Wealth" Saturdays Participants
1. Comprehension Graphic Organizer by MrHughes (Grade 3 )
2. SMARTBOARD Attendance/Lunch Choice (animated) byLeah MG Abatiell (Pre-K -3)
3. Independent Reading Bookmark from Middle School Matters Blog (Grades 5-8)
4. Christmas ABC Order from All Y'All Need (Grades K-2)
5. Geom-e-tree (Grades 1-4)
6. Snow Poetry by Arlene Sandberg 1st-2nd
7. Common or Proper Nouns of the Season (Grades 1-3)
8. English Winter Mini Guided Reading Books PK-K
9. Spanish Winter Mini Guided Reading Books PK-K
10. Holiday Reader with Task Cards
11. Free Holiday Teacher Time Savers Created by Leah MG Abatiell (Pre-K - 4)
12. Santa's Prickly Punctuation Problem from Jan Bernard (Grades 1-5)
13. Free Christmas 4x4 Sudoku Pack
14. Game Pieces Clipart by AliMath (All Grades)
15. Graphic Organizers for Extended Response for Math and Language (Gr.1-8)
16. Christmas Cracker ABC match-up by It's a wicked Good Life! (Grades Prek-1)
17. Christmas Themed Word Problems from TheHappyTeacher (Grades K-2)
18. Study Tips You Won't Forget by Scipi (Grades 7-12)
19. Problem solving on three levels (grades k - 3)
20. Gingerbread Contractions from Primary Essentials (Grades 1-2)
21. Shapes All Around Us Memory Game (K-1)
22. Holiday Treats Class Book by Linda Nelson (K-2)
23. Snowflake Borders by Graphics From the Pond (All Grades)
24. Science Stuff
25. The Christmas Mystery (Preposition Practice) by The Peanut Gallery
26. Gingerbread Bump! Addition Game by Teacher Tam (PreK -2)
27. AlwaysLearning
28. Learning Letters by Andrea Knight
29. Lisa Lilienthal
30. Reindeer Roadtrip by School En Casa (2-3)
31. Science Teacher Resources
32. Rock Cyle Simulation Lab from Science Teacher Resources
33. Rock Cyle Simulation Lab from Science Teacher Resources (6-9)
34. Smedley'sSmorgasboard of Kindergarten
35. Coloring Calendars Freebies!
36. Letters to and from Santa-First Grade Fun
37. Chris Cadalzo
38. Fact Family Forest
39. Kinder Karla
40. Freebie Elf on a Shelf
41. Faith: math morning work
42. Christmas Writing Prompt Pages by Dee Bibb
43. Penguin Odd and Even Sorting
44. Bob The Goofy Reindeer Reader's Theatre
45. Leah MG Abatiell
46. Piling Up Presents Number Sense (K-2)
47. FREE Place Value Activity Packet (1st - 3rd) by Mr Elementary Math
48. FREE "Magnifying" Addition Strategies Packet by Mr Elementary Math
49. FREEBIE! Nonfiction Reading Responses 2nd~5th Grades
50. December ABC Order Teacher Gone Digital
51. Herding Kats In Kindergarten's Free Holiday Gift Pack!
52. Chanda
53. Action and Linking Verbs (Grades 3-5)
54. Merry Crunch Christmas!
55. Mary Carr
56. Merry Christmas Make It Words by Christine Maxwell All Ages
57. Multiples Light Up the Tree Created by Math Mojo
58. Writing Stories From the Point of View of the Rock Brothers
59. Two-Step Equations Notes & Maze!
60. Christmas Tree Glyph (K-3)
61. Free Unit Test for the play A Raisin in the Sun
62. ELA 7-12
63. The Hunger Games Prediction Chart
64. Jason's Online Classroom
65. The Hazel Owl
66. Polka Dot Digital Paper by The Hazel Owl
67. Lap Book to Big Book Teaching Preschoolers
68. 123 Teach With Me
69. Boom! Addition Facts Game
70. Love.Laugh.Teach.
71. Relax With a Great Book
72. Santa's Math Stations Freebie
73. December Calendar
74. Count Tally and Graph
75. The Balanced Classroom
76. Miss Galvin Learns Free Fonts
77. Winter Solstice Activity (Middle and HS Science)

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Trimming the Tree (with Sight Words)

Greetings Dear Friends,
I hope that this finds you well and gearing up for the holiday season. Putting up the tree is one of my favorite activities. I love how the tree goes through different stages. The tree, then the lights.

 Then the topper (an angel in our house). This is my beautiful wife (the mastermind behind my Mystery Sight Word Pictures) adding some of the more delicate decorations.

 The the kids take over and go crazy hanging decorations like a whirlwind!
As my family put up the tree this year, it made me think about how much I loved decorating as a child. The wonder and awe of adding ornament after ornament to the tree until it was a glowing, eye-catching masterpiece. I wondered how I could capture even a tiny part of the "magic" in a sight word game for my 6th grader's reading buddies.

This is what I came up with:

It was the closest thing I could think up with out actually setting up a tree and having them hang decorations on it with sight words written on them (which DID cross my mind.. ha ha). In the game, up to four students have a tree mat with spaces that must be filled out. Then students take turns drawing a card. If they read the word correctly (it uses Fry's first 100 words), they put the picture on a matching space. If they draw a card that has a picture with spaces that are all covered, they just layer the card on top of a matching picture.
The goal? To "trim" the tree first.

After I made the game, I had my own kids play (5 years-12 years). I wasn't sure they were going to enjoy it. Boy was I WRONG!





I have to say, that even my kindergartener, who can't read all the words yet, LOVES this game. For the words he can't read, he SPELLS them. If he says all the letters correctly, he get to keep the card.

I feel that I have captured the fun and magic of "trimming" a tree while getting kids to practice their sight words.

Check it out for YOUR kiddos by clicking on the picture below.



Cheers!
-MrHughes

Friday, November 23, 2012

Share the Wealth Teacher-Author Spotlight- The Peanut Gallery


Greetings My Dear Share the Wealth Friends!

I know that I am jumping the gun just a little bit by going with the holiday theme here, but I can't help it. Christmas/Winter Holidays are my favorite time of the year. The warm fires, the tasty hot cocoa, warm fuzzy blankets, and of course, the opportunity to give to those we care so dearly about.

I do hope that you had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday and that you are looking forward to the amazing Cyber Monday + Tuesday sale over at TpT (Just remember the magic code of: CMT12 at checkout to get an additonal discount on what will sure to be amazingly low prices). I am absolutely giddy about the sale. I have a ton of items on my wishlish that I have been saving for the next sale! WAHOO!

On that note, I wanted to introduce you to a rising star on Teachers Pay Teachers. This amazing teacher-author has been highlighed in the TpT newsletter multiple times and has created some of the most engaging and inspiring resources to be found. Without further ado, I would love to have you meet Mrs. S, the owner and creative mind behind The Peanut Gallery.

Because it is always nice to get to know the person behind the genius  I wanted to share what Mrs. S shared with me: "I am in my 24th year of teaching middle school students and  still love it! I enjoy creating products for both my classroom and TpT which add creativity and fun to teaching and learning."

As you can see, this is an experienced teacher that knows what's going on! After all, 24 years teaching MIDDLE SCHOOL and she STILL loves it. That alone shows how amazing she is.

But, of course, it doesn't stop there. The Peanut Gallery currently has over 125 products for you to browse. I can guarantee that if you visit her shop, you will find yourself still viewing resources 30 minutes from now! There is so much to see from common core resources to classroom theme kits to in-depth grammar lessons. Need MORE reasons to visit her?  You can get quite a few FREE items (Click HERE to check them out). 

I think it is important to point out that this teacher-author is also consistently donating her items to good causes, like teachers who lost everything in Hurricane Sandy, others who have experienced devastating illness, and more. I think that is a large part of why she is so amazing and successful. From what I know about Mrs. S, it isn't so much about making money as it is sharing amazing ideas and resources with those around her.

On that note, I want to share 10 amazing resources with you that I think you will find yourself adding to your Cyber Monday wishlist! (I know I have a couple tucked in there...ha ha). Yes, many of these come with a price tag, but remember that good classroom tested resources can be hard to come by. And, with almost 700 teachers following her store, you KNOW that she is GOOD!

Here are the 10 resources I thought you would enjoy:


Teacher-Author Spotlight Resources Participants
1. Christmas Mail (Writing Point of View Postcards)
2. The Christmas Writing Mega Bundle (Three Packs in One!)
3. The Christmas Mystery (Preposition Practice/Writing Activity)
4. Synonyms & Antonyms: Color-Coded Candy
5. Get Bitten by the Reading Bug: Using Active Reading Strategies
6. The Figurative Language Mega Bundle (Four Items in One!)
7. "Book Buffet" Fiction Book Report/ Book Project
8. Pronoun Picnic (Personal, Possessive and Reflexive Pronouns)
9. Let's Play Reading Bingo!
10. December Prompts (40 Writing Prompts/Discussion Starters)

Now, I truly hoped you paused in reading this post and clicked on a few of those links. No, really- it will be worth it. After all, with almost 900 teachers leaving feedback and an average rating of 4.0/4.0, you can't really go wrong!

I mean, here are a few comments made  by those who have purchased her items:


punkinpie123

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Creative Writing Is For the Birds (Turkeys..that is!)

Being the writing teacher for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students has many challenges all on its own, but add in holiday break fever, and you have a REAL challenge. I knew I had to try something new this year to keep my students interested in writing. Hence, my Turkey Pick-A-Story came into existence. I love how it turned out. I had purchased some fun clip art that had the feathers and the body of several different turkeys and I knew what I wanted to do. 


I added some fun characters to the body pieces and some silly settings to the feather pieces.


To play, I laminated the sheets and had my amazing wife cut out around each piece. Then, when I got to school, I placed the bodies in one plastic deli container and the feathers in another. (I love these little deli containers. They are so useful for everything from crayons to art projects.) The students then drew one piece from each container and then, giggling to themselves (and sometimes moaning), the set to work writing their stories!






I must say, I had some VERY amazing and some pretty crazy stories created. The classes all enjoyed sharing and laughing at the creations each student had made. I even hung the best examples for the other students in the school to see. I must say, that this is ONE activity that I plan to do every year.

Cheers!
MrHughes :0)

P.S. You can get your FREE copy of this activity by clicking on the picture below, or by clicking HERE. Enjoy!


Friday, November 16, 2012

Share the Wealth- November 17, 2012


A great big HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you my dear Share the Wealth Friends!

I hope that as we near this wonderful holiday that allows us to reflect on all the blessings which we have received over that past year, we can share our good fortune with those around us. I know that I have much to be thankful for.

As you head to your amazing dinners, parties, and family events, remember to pause and appreciate the small things we have.

Below are many FREE items, brought to you by some amazing Teacher-Authors! I am sure thankful that I know all these wonderful people (and you amazing friends that stop by to check it out).

So..... Let's Get Started!

Remember we would love it if you would leave feedback for items you download and use- and if you like what you see- Click on the FOLLOW ME in those teacher-authors stores so you can be notified of new and useful resources!

Happy Fall-
MrHughes :0)

              November 17, 2012 


"Share the Wealth" Saturdays Participants
1. Turkey Pick-A-Story by MrHughes (Grades 3-7 )
2. Polka Dot Paper Pack from The Hazel Owl (Grades: K-8)
3. Thanksgiving and November Activities K-2
4. Programmable Game Boards (K-5), by Linda Nelson
5. "Bell Work" Sheetfrom The Engineer
6. Winter Mini Guided Reading Books
7. Thanksgiving Puzzles: Subject & Predicate from Practice Makes Perfect (G: k-3)
8. Rock Vocabulary: Word of the Day (3 -5 Ann Fausnight)
9. FREE Christmas Polka Dot Calendar Numbers created by Clever Classroom K-2
10. November Reward Cards by 4mulaFun (all grades)
11. Winter Word Problems Solve and Snip (6th-7th)
12. Trash to Treasure - Using Recycled Items (Grades PreK-3)
13. Christmas Homework Passes by The Peanut Gallery (Grades K-6)
14. Gingerbread Story Elements Charts Linda Kamp Gr. 1-3
15. Number of the Day Worksheet Created by Portia Pitts
16. Thankful Writing Paper by Christine Maxwell PreK-2
17. The Best Gifts-Class Compliment Project from Blair Turner (Grades 1-6)
18. Place Value Boards by AliMath (Grades 1-4)
19. Turkey Pinecone Craftivity from TheHappyTeacher (PreK-3rd)
20. Thanksgiving Bookmarks - Addie Williams (Gr. 3-8)
21. Winter Mini Guided Reading Books (PK-K)
22. Spanish Winter Mini Guided Reading Books (PK-K)
23. Oral Practice PowerPoint for Beginner Elem. ELL students by Ms. Joanne (K-5)
24. Observation Station Recording Sheet from Using My Teacher Voice (Grades: 2-5)
25. Let's Talk Turkey Words by Barb Evans (1 - 5)
26. All About Winter Snowman Glyph by Primary Paradise (Grades K-2)
27. Holly Borders - Graphics Clipart From the Pond
28. Reading Response Chart Freebie
29. thebeezyteacher
30. Apple Math Journal
31. High Five to Fire Prevention by thebeezyteacher
32. Enrichment with Class
33. Fruit Frenzy Logic Puzzle from Enrichment with Class (grades K-2)
34. Turkey & Feathers Farm Figurative Language
35. Teachingisagift (All Grades) Parent Teacher Conference Form
36. Brain Breaks freebie
37. US States and Capitals Memory by Mrs. D's Corner

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Thursday, November 15, 2012

WeAreTeachers Blog Hop STOP #14: Guinness Book of World Records 2013



WeAreTeachers Blog Hop STOP #14: 
Guinness Book of World Records 2013

 Welcome to the WeAreTeachers Blog Hop Stop #14. If you're just joining us, head back to the BLOG HOPLAUNCH POST to find out how the Blog Hop works so you can collect all of the necessary clues for a chance to win an iPad, a $50 gift card and much more!

As a participant in this blog hop, I've been asked to write a review of my favorite educational gift. I've chosen:

Product: Guinness Book of World Records 2013
Age range: 9+ (3rd grade and up)
Subject areas: Reading, Writing, Science, Social Studies
Hot Deal:  $16.75 (A Savings of $12 RIGHT NOW at Amazon.com)

  I remember being in 5th grade and looking through these fabulous books that my teacher had on her shelf and thinking, "You know, I want to be amazing and famous someday!" This book was engaging to me and encouraged me to read non-fiction. It wasn't as much about the pictures as it was about learning that there are fantastic things "out there" and I wanted to be a part of that!

Now, many years later as a teacher of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, I have come to understand just how "smart" my teacher was. She didn't push me to read these engaging books, she provided them and let me discover on my own time and terms. Remember this lesson learned, I keep in my classroom the last several editions of these books. I love that they are hardback and very durable. They are the number one checked out non-fiction books I own.

Need MORE reasons to love this book? It provides a perfect jumping off point for a non-fiction features lesson (you know- captions, diagrams, titles, subtitles, etc). Need a writing prompt? Just open to any page and POOF-You have one! Need to get your boys excited about reading? Hand them the book and tell them that you want a verbal summary of their top 5 favorite records. the list of ideas goes on and on!

I guess what I am trying to say is that this is much more than a book. It is a door to reading, an amazing teacher tool, and just downright cool!

WeAreTeachers Blog Hop Clue #14: KOCH

The next stop on the blog hop is: LAST STOP

More chances to win!!! 
Check out the details below! 


You can win $10 in products from MY Teachers Pay Teachers Store!
To see my store and the goodies you could win, click HERE.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, November 09, 2012

Share the Wealth Teacher-Author Spotlight- Primary Paradise


Happy Fall my Dear Share the Wealth Friends! I hope that last week has found you happy and healthy. I am sitting here trying to wrap my brain around the fact that Thanksgiving is less than TWO WEEKS away! How did that happen? Didn't we just have Halloween? Didn't school just start? Apparently my weeks are running away from me.

This is such a great time of year. There is so much to be thankful for: good friends, beautiful views, all the blessings that we have received over the past year, and more. I hope that each of you will take a minute and express your gratitude to those around you.

And speaking of gratitude, I am thankful that I have the chance to share another amazing teacher-author with all of you! This week, I would like to introduce, Martha from New Jersey. She has a great shop called Primary Paradise

In order for you to get to know all about Primary Paradise, I want to share what Martha has to say about herself: "I am a third year teacher, and I have spent all of my teaching experience, including student teaching, in First Grade. It is truly where my heart is. I absolutely love how much students grow as readers and mathematicians in first. I love to create a variety of fun teaching resources, and I have recently started creating my own clip art. I believe learning should be hands on and musical whenever possible. I live with my husband, Chris, and our two cute guinea pigs, Bamboo and Peanut."

I was very amazed that Primary Paradise even creates her own clip art. How stinkin' cool is that? As someone who tried ONCE to make clip art, I can tell you that that alone is amazing! But, if you take a peek in this store, you will find yourself scrolling and scrolling and clicking and scrolling. I seriously spent over 20 minutes just looking, clicking, previewing, and scrolling some more. With almost 200 products to choose from, there really is something for just about everyone and every classroom in the elementary level.

In fact, I want to share 10 amazing items from Primary Paradise that are worth your time. Many are FREE! WAHOO! And, YES, a couple of them come with a price tag, however, unlike big company books, you know that these resources are classroom tested and teacher approved:


Teacher-Author Spotlight Resources Participants
1. Lesson Thirteen: My Alien from 15 Writing Lessons for Primary Grades
2. Ready to Use Reminder Bracelets
3. Roll Out a Story: A Dice and Writing Center
4. FREEBIE Tremendous Transportation Clip Art
5. Primary Writing Paper (Landscape and Portrait)
6. Counting Coins- Hair Method
7. Brain Sprinkles and Shhhh Spray Labels
8. Pesky Patterns-Monster Pattern Activities
9. All About Winter Snowman Glyph Activity
10. 15 Writing Lessons for Primary Grades

As you can see, there is tons of items to choose from! AND, I think it is important to point out that Primary Paradise's 4.0/4.0 record say something as well. This is after 500+ people have left feedback about her items. And, speaking of feedback, here is a sampling of what real-teachers have said about her products:


Colleen Davis

djmap1122

TheHappyTeacher




Parts of a Book Posters
Parts of a Book- Diagram
Title
Author
Illustrator
(These posters are AWESOME! These make great anchor charts for your classroom to help students remember the vocabulary. HUGE PLUS! LOVE LOVE LOVE THESE!)




Story Element Posters
Character
Main Character
Personality
Setting
Plot
Problem Solution
Connection (general)
Text-To-Self Connection
Text-To-Text Connection
Text-To-World Connection
Prediction
Inference
Cause and Effect
Author's Purpose
(WOW! I can not believe how extensive this kit is. Not only would these double as reading anchor charts, but these would be perfect for my writing workshop and I teach 6th grade. I am excited to use these in the future! I love the thought and succinct wording- no fluff- just the important "stuff".)








I am still in awe of this kit. The price for this kit is more than worth it. After all, it has a 4.0/4.0 rating and 55 teachers have rated this product, and I am guessing there are many, many more who have not left feedback.

Primary Paradise is waiting for your visit. I hope you will also click on over to her Pinterest page AND her Facebook page. Remember to click on "Like" or "Follow" to stay in the "know" of Primary Paradise.

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Turkey is the Word!

So I found this awesome linky that I just joined up with. It's all about TURKEY ideas and activities. What with Thanksgiving just around the corner, the time HAS COME to be seriously thinking about all the fun "stuff" you want to do. Because there are over 75 items linked (both paid AND free- mine is free), you will want to spend a minute or two checking it out! :)

Click on the picture below to visit Primary Inspiration and check it out!



And speaking of Turkey, these are some FALL resources in my TpT store that you might want to take a peek at:







Cheers!
-MrHughes

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