Printing Posters in Color Without Going Broke

My friends, I have discovered a CHEAP way to print our posters in COLOR!!!!  Staples offers a colored engineering print and it works beautifully for those anchor charts, clip art pieces, and just about anything else that you want to print "ginormous"!!! I am currently working on a "Teachers are Superstars" bulletin board at school and needed my melonheadz "stars" to be quite large. So...I was browsing Staples to see if it might be possible for me to afford to have it printed on an 11 x 17 page. Once I got to their site I browsed around and discovered that they now offer the color engineering print!!! SCORE!!!  Take a peek at my "star" I had printed. I hung it on my fridge so that you guys can get a good idea of how large it is. 

Fabulous, Right????  Here is the best part... I had 2 printed in this size and my final cost with tax...$12.53!!!! Whoop! Whoop!

How did I do it?  Easy peasy...uploaded the file to Staples print center and they had it ready for pick up within 2 hours.  

Steps to print colored posters:

1.  Go to:  Staples Print Center

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7.  Then click the add to cart button.  

I'll add pics of the finished bulletin board later this week.  :0)  

 

Oh Snap! It's Almost October

Oh my goodness, ya'll!!! I can't believe how fast this school year is going!  As teachers we are always planning ahead so I am linking up with some of my TPT friends to share some of our October products. I'm sharing my Halloween Writing Craftivity! It will be 50% off through September 17.  

 In this creative writing project your students will work independently and collaboratively. First they will choose the feet of the Halloween character that interests them and create the craftivity. Using a graphic organizer they will describe their character.  Then they will collaborate with a partner and use a story map graphic organizer to begin the process of writing a story about the two characters they chose. They will finish the project with a published product. Such a fun way to get your kiddos writing! 

If you want a quicker simpler craftivity have your students focus on one of the characters and write just one description of the character and display.

Halloween Writing Craftivity

To see more October products go to  Oh Snap It's Almost October!

Assess Often...Who Needs That?

Your students need that!!!! You need that!!!! Assessment is key to planning instruction.  If you don't assess throughout your lessons how will you know what your kiddos need?  Assessment and response to instruction are essential for effective instruction and improved student learning.  "The word assess is from the Latin word, assidere, which means to sit beside. This implies that assessment is something we do with and for students, not to them." (Green, 1999) 
 Four essential questions should drive instruction:

1. What should students know and be able to do?

2. How will we know when they have learned it?

(FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS)

3. What will we do when they haven’t learned it?

(INTERVENTION)

4. What will we do when they already know it?

(ENRICHMENT/ACCELERATION)

The 3 Types of Assessments

Where are you on the Assessment Continuum? We really want to move towards the right side of the arrow.  It's never too late to start.

Take a look at how one school uses formative assessments to differentiate instruction.

Here are some of my favorite quick assessments for reading. 

10 Quick Reading Assessments

Labor of Love Sale

Teaching first grade is an absolute labor of love!!! So I've joined with some of my first grade friends and we are having a LABOR OF LOVE SALE!!  You can grab some AWESOME first grade products for up to 1/2 off!!! Search #firstlove on Teachers Pay Teachers to see all of the products offered!

Here are a few of my products that are 50% off!!!

 Bundle of Interactive Notebooks

Brag Tags

Veteran's Day Lap Book and Craftivity

Reading Strategies Anchor Charts

Huge Phonics Games Bundle

Silent E is a Ninja

Frog and Toad Craftivity

Happy Sale Shopping!!!!

Instructional Newsletters

Each week I send out an instructional newsletter to our teachers.  It just gives everyone a glimpse of the week.  I always include a tip of the week. This tip revolves around our school focus. It might be feedback, student engagement, writer's workshop, etc.  I also include important info and reminder dates for the week.  I decided to offer this newsletter as a growing bundle and a template.  

I like to print the newsletter and keep them in a binder for quick reference and organization.

If you want the tips of the week prewritten then the growing bundle would be perfect for you.  However, if you want to write your own tips you might want to purchase the template.  

The template could easily be used for a classroom instructional newsletter.

Teach and Be Great!

Using Alphabet Clip Art to Make Anchor Charts or Posters

I love to make an anchor chart!!! However, I must confess sometimes I just don't have the time needed to make those beautiful titles!!! It's time consuming to letter those charts and let's face it sometimes we just don't have time to sit and color. So...it dawned on me why not create my titles using clip art??? Brilliant...right?? Not only does it look amazing but it's so much faster!!! It's easy peasy too!!!

1. Create your title in Power Point. Click insert. Add photo from a file.  Choose the clip art letters you want to use. I used my Funky Letters Alphabet Clipart.  You can choose your fave and use it. You can make your letters as small or as large as you want. 

2.  Print your title and cut it out.

3.  Glue it to the top of your anchor chart and you have an instant title that looks fab!!!!

Go make those anchor charts!

Teach and Be Great,

  

Recognizing Positive Behavior with Tags

Praise tags...why are they so effective?  It's a tag that a child is proud of!  They received it because of something specific accomplished. It's something that they earn.  

These tags take me back to when Cady and Trey, my kiddos who are now 21 & 20, were in elementary school. They had a PE teacher that did something similar to positive behavior tags.  For so many laps/miles run Mrs. Stone would give out a small rubber foot that could be placed on their shoestring. It was a HUGE deal to get that foot.  Tonight I asked them if they remembered those feet and it sparked some great memories of childhood. Now if Mrs. Stone had given trinkets from a treasure chest I don't think it would have made the same impact.  Those feet stayed on those shoestrings all throughout the school year and they were so proud of them!!! 

Motivate your kiddos to work hard, play hard, and build character with praise tags.  It's simple and inexpensive: print, laminate and cut! I think storing in storage drawers like the pic below is the best way to keep them organized.

I'm always looking for ways to engage and motivate kiddos so when Sayward asked if I could create some tags I was all about it!!! I'll be sharing these with my teachers at school this year!!! I can't wait to see them swinging on the zippers of back packs in the hallways.  

How do students keep up with these  tags?  

1.  Purchase binder or book rings to place on the zipper or strap of their back packs.  Hole punch the brag tags and place them on the ring.

Book Rings

2.  Purchase lanyards and hang in an area in your classroom.  Hole punch the brag tags and place them on the lanyard.  If you choose this method make sure you have designated days that the kiddos can where them home and show them off.

3.  Purchase lanyards to use for both name tags and praise tags.  Hole punch the brag tags and place them on the lanyard.  If you choose this method make sure you have designated days that the kiddos can where them home and show them off.

Name Tag/Praise Tag Lanyard

Grab the whole set of Praise Tags HERE.

HUGE Phonics Games Bundle

This is a HUGE Phonics Games Bundle. The game boards are all the same format but the pictures and skills change with each game. I used these for the entire year with my first graders and they loved them. They are simple and engaging. I used as a choice in my Word Work center for Daily Five. Perfect for Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade literacy centers. Print and laminate for a year's worth of activities.

Contents included:

26 different phonics games ready for your word work
literacy centers

• Backpack Attack Short a & ck
• Big Pig     Short i
• Socks the Ox Short o
• Ellie the Elephant Short e
• Looking on the Bright Side Suffix ing
• Fun in the Sun Short u
• Shelby the Shark sh & th
• Don’t Be Late for the Plane Long a a-e
• Mike the Kite Long i i-e
• Jump Rope with Hope Long o o-e
• Pete the Mule Long u&e u-e e-e
• Lee the Bee Long e ee
• My Fuzzy Puppy Y sounds like i or e
• Don’t Get Skunked nk & ng
• Happily Hopping Suffix ing
• Super Girl to the Rescue er, ur, ir
• The Fudge Shop dge
• Play the Train Game ai & ay
• Knead the Bread ea
• Row Row Row Your Boat oa & ow
• Mighty Flies igh & ie
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow Compound Words
• Take a Dip in the Pool oo
• Don’t Tattle on the Turtle -le endings
• Shout Out to the Clowns ou & ow
• A Good Book oo

PHONICS GAMES

Markdown Monday

I've linked up with Kelly and Kim's Kindergarten Kreations for Markdown Monday.  

I'm offering my best seller for 1/2 price through July 24!!! You can grab Ruby Bridges for just $2!!! It is kid tested and teacher approved!!! My kiddos loved learning all about Ruby and creating both the craftivity and the lap book.  Other teachers and kiddos approve too!  Take a peek at some of the feedback I've gotten:

Deborah D. said, "SO many wonderful activities. My kids really enjoyed learning about Ruby during Black History Month. This was a huge hit across the school, Thank you!"

Rachel R. said, "Absolutely one of the best purchases I have ever made from teachers pay teachers! Thank you so much!"

The craftivity includes a writing piece and makes a 

fantastic display!!

The lap book will keep your students engaged in the learning!!!

You can get a copy of Ruby HERE OR HERE!!!!

To find more markdowns click on the Markdown Monday picture at the top of this post.

Oh Snap!! It's Almost Back to School!!!

One of my favorite activities for back to school is this Back to School Craftivity and Lap Book.  The first week of school is always so exciting! With this craftivity and book your kiddos make you have a first week or open house display that is the awesome! As an added bonus it gives you several activities for that first week!!

 Me in My New Classroom

These next items are great to help with organization in your classroom during those first few hectic days! My Where Are We and How We Get Home clip charts help you keep up with how your kiddos get home and lets others know where you are during your school day!

How We Get Home Clip Chart Bright Colors

How We Get Home

Where Are We Clip Chart

If you are looking for a different theme for your classroom I have both a Mustache Classroom Theme and A Gnome Classroom Theme.