Thanksgiving Linky

I'm joining Promoting Success for their Thanksgiving Linky party. Click on the picture to see all the great Thanksgiving products. I've included a thematic unit and fact/myth discussion freebie (#31 and 32)

Fabulous Freebies Friday Linky!

I'm linking up with Catia Dias for her Fabulous Freebies Friday Linky! My freebie is a Thanksgiving Fact and Folklore packet which is a great companion for my 1st Thanksgiving Unit. Check it out, then click on the linky logo to go back to Always a Teacher and Forever a Mom.

    

Happy Halloween!

We're celebrating a day early, because we're off tomorrow for Nevada Day. Woohoo! Can you believe most of our 5th graders couldn't figure out what our costumes were? Maybe we should have laid out like a domino game :)

Halloween Tips and Tricks to keep you sane:

1. Put a volunteer in charge. I always have a parent to sign up as party coordinator at the beginning of the year. This year I used signupgenius.com to ask for volunteers.

2. Stipulate your coordinator to limit sweet treats. I always say 1 baked good, everything else must be fruits and veggies.

3. Sit back and let your coordinator take charge!

4. Copious quantities of caffeine (for you, not the kids)

5. Smile and repeat over and over: "It's only once a year, it's only once a year"

 

Liebster Award

Thank you, heather a from "My Life at the Pencil Sharpener" and Lisa Robles at "LisaTeachR'sClassroom" for nominating me for the Liebster Award! This is an award for those new to blogging, and I'm honored to be receiving these nominations!

 

1. Why and how long ago did you start blogging?

I      I started blogging August 2013. I had been getting so many great ideas from blogs I'd read, and I wanted to be part of that community. It was a slow start (I only posted a few times that year), but I've really picked up over this last summer.

2. What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why? 

Creative tips and resources. I'm all about PLC's and sharing ideas. When I find something effective or unique for my classroom I can't wait to let others in on the good news. 
 3. Is there something you learned late in your blog journey you wished you knew before?

I still have so much to learn, but one thing I wish I knew at the beginning was how to join in a blog hop. I love reading other teacher experts' views on a topic, and getting comments on my own perspective.
4. What is your favorite past time other than blogging?

 My family. I'm married with 3 kids (1 at college, and 2 at home), and I love spending time with them, whether we're working in the yard together, going out, or just sprawled across the living room with our favorite books.
5. How many hours per week do you dedicate to your blog? 

I try to post 2-4 times a month, and spend about 3 or 4 hours a week reading and responding to other blogs.
6. What category of blog posts do you enjoy the most?

I like usable tips and resources, and I love to look at other teachers' classrooms...it always gets my creative juices going.
7. Where does your blog inspiration come from? 

My students. I use their talents and their needs to create hands-on learning experiences, that I can share on my blog.
8. Of which post that you have written are you most proud?

My favorite subject to teach is writing, and I've written a couple of posts about my Writer's Workshop. This one I shared on a blog hop with Jasmine McClain is probably my favorite: http://troutenitselementary.blogspot.com/2014/07/you-oughta-know-aboutwriters-workshop.html

9.Is there any post you have been planning to do, but have been postponing it for a while now?
I want to share a little about my science lessons, since this is the first year I've really taught science. I have 2 science classes 4 days a week, and I've been having so much fun! I just need to get all my pictures organized before I post. Look for it soon!

10. What is your favorite aspect of blogging?

I love the feedback I get from other bloggers, and from other teachers (especially my mom). 

11. Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you be most likely to try yourself?  

I've already tried so many! I get great ideas from blog hops that I want to implement in my own classroom. One that I started this school year was from the August "You Oughta Know" blog hop: learning scale as a formative assessment of students' understanding. My 5th graders are especially reflective and honest about where they feel they are in their learning, and I get immediate feedback for who I need to work with independently or in small groups without waiting to grade that day's assignment.

My Nominees:

KinderKapers

First Grade Stampede

The Redish Brown Crayon

iheartliteracy

Emmy Mac's Class

The 3rd Grade Zoo

The Apple Tree Room

Mrs. Cain's Creations

The Elementary Math Maniac

A Teacher Mom

Crockett's Classroom

To those who have been nominated, here are the "official" rules for accepting:
1. In your post, link back to the blogger who nominated you as a thank you and "shout out." (Follow their blog if you haven't already!)
2. Answer the 11 questions given to you (the ones I answered above).
3. Nominate 11 blogs of your choice that each have less than 200 followers. Provide them with 11 questions to answer or have them answer the questions above.
4. Let your nominees know that they've been nominated and provide them with a link to your post so that they can accept.
5. Send your nominator a link to your post so that s/he can learn more about you as well! (You can just put your post link in the comments below).

Halloween!

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but this is my favorite time of year! My classroom is all set up for Halloween, and I have a few fun Halloween products in my TPT store.

 Check out these links for some of my spooky products:
Bat CCSS Literature and Informational Text Unit
Dem Bones Graphing Activity
October Math Meeting (must have Smart Board Notebook installed)

Being in a modular classroom means I have to borrow a bulletin board inside the building.

                                               

Fall!

I love fall! It has always been my favorite time of year, from the smells to the decorations...

This was taken at Lagoon, an amusement park in Utah.


...and the fact that my classroom is running (more or less) smoothly. The kiddos are still excited about the wonders this school year will bring, as are all the teachers. We just finished our local hot-air balloon festival, the first units in math, reading, and science are coming to a close, and writer's workshop is up and running full force! Our school is focusing on writing this year, and I'm lucky enough to be facilitating our professional development for the first semester.

I have used writer's workshop for 10 of my 11 years of teaching, and I can't imagine teaching writing any other way. It is universal--works for kindergartners on up. After our last staff discussion I learned that there are many preferences to how it looks. It all depends on your teaching style...and ability to tune out the extra noise.

In my class, I always start with a mini-lesson with either a picture book (even for my 5th graders), anchor chart, or student writing (the exemplars from the CCSS appendix are great, or writing examples from a previous class). That never lasts more than 10 minutes.

Narrative Anchor chart--we add to it with each mini-lesson

Then we write, write, write! Some teachers like silence during this time, some like quiet music in the background, I like the quiet hum of students sharing ideas, peer conferencing, teacher conferences, writing together, along with the students who choose to write independently with a variety of music playing in the background (it's different every day). Wrap up with 1 or 2 students sharing what they are working on with the class. I have found in my own experience that my kids learn as much from each other as from me, so I don't make them write silently on their own during workshop time. Journal time is different; that should be quiet and independent, but I believe workshop time is just that--a workshop. I allow students to co-author books, or split up the job of writing and illustrating if they choose. Some students choose to brainstorm together, then go off on their own and write. Some students stay together from planning all the way through publishing. And there are always others who prefer to work alone.

Whatever works, as long as they're writing!

100 TPT Followers!

I've hit my first big milestone on TPT: 100 followers! I am so excited I just had to share :)
To celebrate, everything in my store is 20% off, plus the first 3 people to comment on this post will get their  choice of any item in my store...free!

Here's an example of one of my items; I hung it on a mini-bulletin board, but it can easily be strung together as a banner.

The next milestone give-away is for 100 Pinterest followers ;)