Wishing you the best!

I hope all of you are having a safe, happy, and fun New Year's Eve!

FREE "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Chevron Pennant Banner!

New Year's Eve is right around the corner!

I was in need of some decorations, but couldn't find anything at the store that was tacky.

So I created this!

The entire thing says:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I added a blank page at the end of the pack so you could make your own banner!  The fun thing is, you could use this at home or school!  

Click any of the pictures to snag it for free!

And make sure you stop by TBA's New Year's Linky Party!

Have a fun and safe New Year's Eve!!!

Anchor Chart Pack - Finished/Uploaded!

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays with family and friends!

We had to come home early because the hubby had to work.  And my sister is stuck for two extra days at my parents house since the blizzard is taking over the NE.  She'll fly back to DC Friday morning.

I've been working on the anchor chart pack for a while now.  I wanted it to be absolutely perfect!  Here are some pics of anchor charts I've drawn in the past:

The digitally-designed anchor chart pack is finally finished and uploaded.  :)

The pack can be printed and put into a notebook.  

Or you hang the anchor charts as you get to each topic/concept.

Click on any of the pictures to check it out in more detail.  I've listed EVERY topic/concept in the description.  This way you know exactly what you're buying.

The pack is also listed in my TpT and TN stores.

I'm going to print mine out in black and white on colored paper.  I'm going to put them all in a huge binder with dividers so my kids can find them easily.

Here's an awesome anchor chart linky party!

Thanks Katie for hosting!

Happy Holidays!!!

I wanted to wish all of you a very happy holiday season!  

I hope it's full of love, laughter, and quality time with family and friends.  

With love,

Dana

A Holiday Wish from a Student

Every year in Technology specials, our students write a "Holiday Wish" story.  They type it on the computer, add their own fonts and graphics, and print them. 

The specials teacher put them in my mailbox and I handed them out to my students.  I don't read them because I don't want to invade the kids' privacy.  Some of them are very heartfelt and personal.

When I was finished passing them out, Emily ran up to me. 

She handed me her story.  "It's for you!"

I was in tears.  I hugged Emily and told her it was the best Christmas gift I'd ever received from a student.  How sweet and thoughtful?!

It meant the world to me that she devoted her wish to me.

Words can't express how grateful I am for her kindness and love.

Today was our last day before Winter Break.  I pray that each one of my students has a very happy holiday season.  I pray that each one stays safe while playing at home and traveling around the state/country.

I pray the same for each one of you as well.

Big "Good" Wolf - CCSS Rdg/Writing FREEBIES!

This was originally scheduled for my "Friday Freebie" post, but after coming home Friday and finding out about the shooting...I had to hold off.  My heart pours out for the families, the school, and the community involved.  May God bring them peace and guidance as they work through this.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Second chances are the name of the game in this adorable book!

We read it and the kids LOVED it! 
Then we completed the following pack of Reading/Writing activities:

The next day, I read this book to them:

We also completed a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the two books.

It's in the pack too!

Enjoy the books and activities with your students!!!
And HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

I also linked this up to Classroom Freebie's Manic Monday!

Swing by and check out the other freebies!

Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

Thoughts, Prayers, and Love

I'm speechless.  My heart pours out for the students, families, teachers, school staff, and community of Newton, CT.  I'm overwhelmed with emotions.  I can't even begin to imagine what they're dealing with.

To show my respect and condolences, I'm taking a couple days off of blogging.  Saturday and Sunday will be my days of "blogging silence."
Feel free to use the picture above if you want to join in.

(Thanks to Michelle for creating the picture.
Thanks to Farley for the idea.)

God bless this community and everyone involved.  

My thoughts, prayers, and love are with you.

Anchor Chart Notebook SNEAK PEEK!!!

Do you use anchor charts?

I use both the handwritten ones and the ones I make on the computer.

My newest project is an anchor chart notebook.  It will contain anchor charts for the following 3rd grade subjects:  Reading, Language Arts, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies.

My plan is to put them in sections (according to the subject) in a binder.  Then my students will have constant access to all of our anchor charts.  They love getting up to reference them.  And for those of you who have limited wall space or fire marshall issues, the notebook is a great alternative for you.

You wouldn't have to keep them in the binder either.  If you're working on a specific topic, you could pull that anchor chart out and post it to your board.

I'm hoping to have the pack finished by Monday night.  :)

Division - Picking Apart the Problems

Each year, the kids freak out when we start division.

To them, it's tougher than multiplication, there are new vocabulary words to learn, and new parts of the problem to figure out.  

To help ease my kids' minds, I use this minilesson:

It eases their minds and opens them up to the possibility that division isn't quite so bad.  :)

After the minilesson, I have my kids participate in this center.

The kids completed this center this week during centers.  They did very well and have started using the division terminology fluently!

What do you do to get your kids more comfortable with division?!

Motivation Monday: Blogging Bliss!

Starting my blog has been one of the BEST decisions I've ever made.

I'm a pretty shy person, but love to share my ideas and collaborate with other teachers.  I'm beyond thankful that you guys can use my ideas and activities.  And comments like this keep me going:

It was instant motivation!

I hope everyone has moments like that keep your spirits lifted and heart filled with joy!  Hope you have a fabulous week!

New Math Center!!! "Merry Multiplication" Game Board

My kids love it when our centers match the current season/holiday, 

so I knew I needed to make a new math center for the Christmas holidays!

And my kids LOVE game boards!!!

All I have to do is print, laminate, and add game pieces!

Click the picture to check it out!  It's also in my TpT and TN stores.

When does everyone get out for the holidays?

Our last day is December 19th!

"When I Was in ___ Grade!" Linky Party

Mrs. Daniel from Second Grade Sparkle is hosting the most hilarious linky party:

This brings up memories of bad haircuts, gap-tooth smiles, and awkward outfits that I swear my Mom LOVED to put me in.  For example, a head to toe orange outfit or a pants jumper set with (wait for it....) ruffles at the bottoms.  OMG - hopefully those pictures are locked in a dungeon somewhere!

So this is me when I graduated from kindergarten:

And this is me in first grade:

Look at those high-top Keds.  :)

And here's a picture of me now:

If you feel like joining in, definitely link up!  Just click on the linky pic up top.

It's fun to see what all the bloggers looked like "back in the day!"

Motivation Monday: Team Morale

It's no secret - teaching is difficult.  Between the paperwork, the extra meetings and trainings, and the emotional connections with your children, a teacher pours their heart and soul into their classroom and students.  

When one of the teachers is having a rough day/week, it's great to know that you have colleagues who will do the little things to pick you up and lift your spirits.  

I had a particularly rough week about two weeks ago.  I can't go into details, but I've never experienced ANYTHING like this in my nine years of teaching.  And to my surprise, one of our guidance counselors had left this note for me:

It's great to know that others notice you, your rapport with your kids, and your hard work and effort.  It brought tears to my eyes to know that Ginny noticed and it meant so much to her.  It made a difficult week a little easier knowing that I wasn't alone...I was part of a team!

And to go along with the difficulties of teaching, 

here's an amazing post by Angela from The Cornerstone.

Have you filled someone's bucket today?  

You have no idea how much it will mean to them.

December Newsletter: It's a BIG one!!!

I've been working on the December newsletter this morning.  

It's going to be jam-packed with holiday goodies!

There are over 10 activities, four craft ideas, and a 25% off coupon!

             So if you're looking for tons of holiday ideas and resources, be 

      sure to sign up for the newsletter.  It will be hitting inboxes tomorrow!

Festive Flashcard FREEBIE!

We're all gearing up for the holidays both at school and home.  I can't really help you at home, but I can certainly help at school!  :)  

Here's my latest holiday freebie!

It's a 12-page flashcard freebie!  My kids love these triangle flashcards for both multiplication and division, so I thought why not create a set for the holidays?!

Click on the picture to snag it!