First and foremost after years of saying I am going to get to it, I FINALLY made an email list and I can't wait to start sharing some of my favorite books and other content with you all that way. You can sign up for it by clicking HERE! Second, Brooke and I have heard you loud and clear. You wanted Kindergarten Storybook STEM after seeing how well our bundle has worked with first and second graders. We are taking some of your favorite books AND throwing in some new ones.... and coming up with the perfect STEM and Literacy activities for your Kindergartners. We completely understand that your students need clear and easy to manage STEM that ties into your science standards. For example check out a few things from The Napping House and The Mitten: We also took the this opportunity to REALLY hit home those ELA standards in an engaging way. And because once you guys tried one, that you would want more, we completed SEVEN at once! You can grab Volume One Bundle or The Whole Set. Here are links to the books we used in Volume One: AND...if you made it all the way, then you get a reward! Here is one of our units for free in Brooke's store: Thank you all for popping in <3

Learn about the South American country of Brazil for kids with super cute, printable Brazil Coloring Pages from Amazon jungle to colorful Carnival!

Well first off my little bloggy venture with Ffion from The First Grade Jungle is up! Please go check it out and enter in our giveaway! We are super excited about it! Second, since I have been absent for sometime now I figured I would catch you up and unload everything I have been storing on my camera. This means picture overload! Sorry. Generating Questions before reading (inspired by The Inspired Apple) Character Glove thanks to inspiration from Debbie Diller. I use this during small group as well. New workstation I added this year: Overhead. So far my students can write their words, make their words with magnets or letter tiles. I will be added sentence strips I made which I will print on transparencies and students can fill in the blanks. (Hopefully I will add this to TpT soon!) I just purchased the clear tiles and then wrote letters onto the tiles. Very simple and the kids LOVE this work station. Writing/ Handwriting Workstation. This will be transitioning into only writing next week. Another new workstation I added was the Non-Fiction Reading Station. I really wanted to promote my students to read to find out new information about a topic. I added a variety of books on various levels. I discussed with the students that they would still need to use the "good fit book" strategy to find books to read during this time. This year my kids REALLY love the Poetry Work Station. They get upset if they do not have time to finish and illustrate their poem. Love it. ABC/ Word Study Workstation Library Work Station Anchor Charts: Behavior Chart And a little reminder… Happy Monday :)

It's almost that time you guys! The parents are chomping at the bit to get their kids back to you, and you are most likely soaking up the last few weeks of break/scrambling to get ready for those new students! Books are my thing so I wanted to compile a list of tried and true AND some new picture books to use in the first couple of weeks (Did you like that rhyme there?) of school. These are not just your nervous about the first day of school books, but more along the lines of establishing the kind of climate that you desire in your room and among your community of learners. A loving environment where all students feel safe and accepted! Under each book I will give a short summary and link to any resources that I have co-authored for that book if there is one. I highly recommend adding some or all of these books to your classroom library! {This post contains affiliate links. You can access them by clicking on the pictures.} 1. The Big Umbrella Summary: A beautifully simple story of a big red umbrella. The umbrella protects and shields anyone that it meets. The people underneath the umbrella are all shapes, sizes, ages, and colors. For younger children the straightforward message is that all are welcome and loved in this classroom. Older students will be able to dive into the symbolism of the umbrella and dive into Text-to-World connections. 2. We're All Wonders Summary: Just like in the chapter book and popular movie, Auggie knows he looks different, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love all the same things that other kids love. It also doesn't mean that he isn't WONDER-ful. In a very simply text R.J. Polacio is able to to address the theme that different is beautiful. I also love that she also shows in the illustrations a child coming up to Auggie to be friendly. I think too many times adults tell children not to stare when really we should be spreading the message of going up and engaging. Be inclusive! Resource: Storybook STEM {August} 3. Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon Summary: Excuse me while I go find Molly Lou Melon and borrow some bravery! This book is PERFECT for Back to School, character education, or just a laugh. Molly Lou Melon doesn't let anyone get to her! I love the lessons she learns from her grandmother, and per usual, David Catrow’s illustrations are perfectly whimsical! Resource: Storybook STEM {Back to School} 4. Ada Twist, Scientist Summary: Ada, oh Ada! She is delightfully curious and creative. Isn't that what we want from our students? Curious and creative? Talk to students about how you will support them in their passions, just like Ada's parents did. That we need curious students or otherwise the world's mysteries will never be figured out. Bring up famous scientists and inventors and ask students what the world would be like if they hadn't been curious? Resource: Storybook STEM {October} 5. The Bad Seed Summary: I totally judged a book by its cover when I bought this one because look at that cover art!!! Luckily the insides are just as good. Let me give you the rundown on why I love this book: 1. We need to remember as teachers that our students are largely the product of some sad and scary stuff that happens to them outside of school- hence the reputation of a "bad seed". We just see the behavior that is a result of circumstances that they can't control. 2. NO student is ALL bad or all good. It's our job to highlight the good so that they want to showcase it more. If I was judged based on my attitude when I need more coffee, I would totally be labeled a bad seed. 3. Students can steer their direction in life with the right guidance and support. 4. The illustrations are awesome!!! This is a must for your read alouds K-5 teachers. You heard me- keep rocking those picture books 5th grade teachers! Resource: Rooted in Reading {1st Grade/Aug} 6. Quiet Please, Own McPhee Summary: Trudy Ludwig is the author of Invisible Boy. Owen McPhee is a perfect beginning of the year read aloud to address talking over our classmates or teachers. We miss SO much when we don't listen to others. In addition I think it would pair beautifully with Louder, Lili (a personal favorite about a girl who finds her voice to save her class pet from a bully). It would allow you to address how finding a balance of talking and listening is key to success in our classrooms! 7. All Are Welcome Summary: "We're part of a community. Our strength is our diversity. A shelter from adversity. ALL are welcome here." Well if that line doesn't say it all! This book shows students of all colors, backgrounds, and religions learning, playing, eating, sharing, and enjoying being together. This book is the perfect visual to let students know that they are safe and loved. You will set the precedent for the year with this beautiful book! 8. Ish Summary: There’s so much I love about this book. For starters, I’m a big fan of books that talk to students about staying true to themselves and that’s exactly what Ish does! My favorite teaching point to hit home with students from this book is the impact of kind words. Teaching kids to compliment each other is HUGE and not something that comes naturally to many. Think about what it means to you when someone goes out of their way to make you feel good? It’s so easy and something that we definitely want in our classrooms! 9. Pinduli Summary: Pinduli becomes the victime of verbal abuse from her peers. They make her question everything about her appearance. She tried to change who she was for them. In a surprising turn of events, she manages to scare the other animals and learn the strengths she didn't know she possessed. Pinduli also allows for a beautiful class discussion on the impact of one mean phrase and how it ripples out to everyone around. If you are going to impact the world every day, wouldn't you want to leave a positive mark instead of a negative one? Resource: Rooted in Reading {August/3rd Grade} 10. The Invisible Boy Summary: It is BOLD statement when I declare my favorite picture book but this is it. If you could only have one book in your classroom, this is it. K-12 WE ALL NEED TO BE READING THIS BOOK. It is not a new concept that many students feel lonely or left out, but it is one that we can directly address and try to fix. Relationships and connections will change the world, one day at a time. Trudy Ludwig, thank you for this beautiful book. Resource: Rooted in Reading {August/2nd Grade} 11. Spoon Summary: Have you read Spoon? If not, run straight to Amazon!! Spoon becomes jealous of the other cutlery because they appear to be better at things that spoon isn't really made to do. Spoon's parents help him to realize his gifts. Did I mention that there are tons of idioms and humor for adults and students alike. What an adorable, engaging way to talk to students about being proud of who they are!!! 12. School's First Day of School Summary: School is nervous about the very first day with students. The janitor helps ease worries. School ends up enjoying the day and asks the janitor to make sure the students return the next day! The change in perspective with engage students while helping to make them more comfortable about the new experience. Not to mention, the illustrator Christian Robinson has SUCH a beautiful style. Resource: Rooted in Reading {1st grade/August} 13. The Name Jar Summary: Unhei (pronounced Yoon-Hey) is leaving all that she knows in Korea to move to the United States. Kids on the bus immediately begin to poke fun at how different she is than they are. Unhei begins to question if maybe having an American name would help her feel more accepted. Not only is this book an excellent resource for addressing how classmates should accept each other, it is a nice reminder to teachers to respect a child's name. It is never okay to poke fun or change a child's name so it is easier for the adult to say. You can show a child just how much you respect them by putting the extra effort into pronouncing their name correctly! 14. Edwin the Emu Summary: Edward the Emu is in my top 3 B2S books. I first heard about Edward at a Kagan Training my first year teaching 13 years ago- goodness that feels like forever ago! I immediately fell in love with the book and shared it with my team because that is what I do when I love a book! The rhythm is perfection. The illustrations are dreamy. And the message is so on point. Stop trying to be like every other animal in the zoo! You are beautiful and wonderful being exactly YOU! If you don’t have Edward the Emu yet, what are you waiting for?!? Resource: Rooted in Reading {August/2nd} 15. Officer Buckle and Gloria Summary: If you have been in the classroom for ten years or more, you most likely know about Offier Buckle and Gloria. I occasionally like sharing books that have been around a while because the new-ish teachers may not know them! Officer Buckle is the PERFECT book to help establish school safety guidelines. I totally have second thoughts every time I stand on a chair thanks to this book! Ha! You can also pull in themes of friendship and forgiveness from this faqntastic picture book! Not to mention- the inferences from pictures!!! Do you love Officer Buckle and Gloria too?!?! 16. Chester's Way Summary: Kevin Henkes has my heart. I truly adore every book he has ever written. Chester's Way is definitely at the top of that list though because Chester learns just how much he will gain by creating new friendships. In true Henkes' style, the rhythm and illustrations allow children to enjoy the text with ease. Resource: Rooted in Reading {2nd Grade/August} 17. Sheila Rae the Brave Summary: Sheila Rae isn't scared of ANYTHING, that is until she gets lost. Her little sister Louise, who is pretty much scared of everything steps up to the plate and shows Sheila Rae that it's okay to be scared and depend on others for help. Resource: Rooted in Reading {2nd Grade/August} 18. Do Unto Otters Summary: I have had this book in my library since my very first year teaching. It’s such a fun way to open up a discussion on how we expect to treat each other in our classroom. I know many of you make a classroom contract at the beginning of the year and I think this would be a great opener for that lesson. The book also addresses the idea that just because someone is different (The otters) doesn't mean that they are weird or bad! I hope you really dive into that with your students. So much of hatred blossoms from not knowing and being scared of different. Talk to students early and often about the beauty and importance of diversity! 19. The Thing You Couldn't Do Summary: How do children react when they encounter something new that might be difficult? Even as an adult this is something I struggle with... the ability to push through. I think it is important to address pretty early in the year that every single one of us will be trying new things this year. The book also shows children playing outside using their imaginations. Seeing children acting this way will encourage students to continue this practice themselves, and we all know that PLAY is the most important work for children! 20. The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade Summary: I have shared this book several times on my Instagram ( queenof1stjungle ) because it is just that good. One little girl learns how important her voice is. By pointing out to her classmates how awful they are being to each other, the students are able to make a positive change in their behavior that impacts their classroom climate in a big way. I know just how slammed those first few weeks of school are, but I also know what it is like to have an unexpected 5 minutes of NO PLANS. Uh oh! Why not have a basket of these books ready to go just in case! I promise you will set the stage for an amazing year!

My teammates and I have lots of discussions about seating arrangements. They like rows. I prefer group seating. To each their own, but hear me out. 1. Cooperative Learning. My first year teaching I was blessed to attend a full week training on cooperative learning at the Kagan Institute. Kagan stresses the importance of engagement and accountability which you can accomplish through structured group work. 2. Communication. I am going to make myself feel really old here, but now more than ever we need to teach our children to communicate. So many of our kids sit in front of televisions, ipads, ipods, or iphones without having to speak to other human beings. They need us to show them how to speak purposefully and kindly. 3. Relationships. Kids build great relationships with each other during the school day. Let me give you an example. I had a little girl come to my class from Mexico last year. She knew zero English. She was scared out of her mind. I purposefully sat her beside a kind and chatty little girl. They became the best of friends and were inseparable by October. I attribute their friendship as the majority of the reason my little girl from Mexico learned to speak English proficiently by the end of the year. For all of these reasons...I will be heading into my 9th year of teaching with kids in groups of four, but this year with a little twist. I love having desks simply because I hate wasted time. When I ask my kids to get out their math books, I really dislike waiting for the math books to be passed out. I also like that desks teach kids responsibility. I do think that there may have been too much in my students' desks this year so I love the added table storage that I have going on here. My inspiration comes from this adorable photo here: First Grade Teacher Lady I will be adding labels to the front of the containers and table numbers to my caddies as well, but I wanted you to have a teeny peek in what is going on in my room! In other news for Christmas in July I am putting my Superhero Back to School Unit on SALE today and tomorrow! You can snag it for a really good deal! Here are my own cuties using my unit at home!

First and foremost after years of saying I am going to get to it, I FINALLY made an email list and I can't wait to start sharing some of my favorite books and other content with you all that way. You can sign up for it by clicking HERE! Second, Brooke and I have heard you loud and clear. You wanted Kindergarten Storybook STEM after seeing how well our bundle has worked with first and second graders. We are taking some of your favorite books AND throwing in some new ones.... and coming up with the perfect STEM and Literacy activities for your Kindergartners. We completely understand that your students need clear and easy to manage STEM that ties into your science standards. For example check out a few things from The Napping House and The Mitten: We also took the this opportunity to REALLY hit home those ELA standards in an engaging way. And because once you guys tried one, that you would want more, we completed SEVEN at once! You can grab Volume One Bundle or The Whole Set. Here are links to the books we used in Volume One: AND...if you made it all the way, then you get a reward! Here is one of our units for free in Brooke's store: Thank you all for popping in <3

I am not a parenting expert by any means, but I am a momma to three (Nash 9, Emmie 7, and Smith almost 2) and a LOVER of picture books. I know that one of the hardest things to do as an adult is watch the children you love, your offspring or your students, struggle. We want them to succeed so badly that sometimes we are tempted to let them bypass the hard parts by too much extra help renegotiating, or letting them quit if they get frustrated. Yes, there are kids who naturally do things easier, BUT there is no person in the history of forever who has never struggled to do something. Here is an image I found on Pinterest (with no link boo), but this really resonated with me. Some of the most successful people in the world have been rejected or failed over and over again. I think the following quote is true for both educators and their students. I constantly look back at my first year teaching and wonder how my kids learned anything :). But that's the thing, I changed and I grew and I did better. (I think that would be a great example to use with your students by the way!) If we are just teaching kids straight content, we are missing HUGE opportunities to prepare them for the future. Picture books serve as amazing vessels to show kids success stories of characters and real-life people who faced challenges. Side Note- I do think it is important to show both regular day challenges AND huge, famous people challenges! They need to be able to apply the lessons to themselves not just to the famous people! As a mom to a perfectionist, I have had to address failure with my daughter over and over again. She takes every little criticism to heart and so often only hears the negative. I tell her again and again that no one is expected to be perfect- that her failures only better prepare her for the next challenge. With all of this in mind, I have rounded up ten of my favorite books that teach students how to persevere. This list does include affiliate links, but you can find these books in other stores as well. 1. Mia Hamm: Winners Never Quit: Mia Hamm is one of the world's most well known female soccer players. Hamm tells us a story from her childhood when she attempted to quit the game every time she messed up. Hamm also takes this opportunity to highlight the importance of teamwork over personal successes. This story is extremely relatable to young readers as many of them dabble in recreational sports. 2. Rosie Revere Engineer: If you are a follower of mine then you know that Amy and I included this book in March Rooted in Reading because we were so impressed by it. Rosie is a creative and ambitious young girl. She eventually becomes discouraged when people laugh at her inventions. Her spunky Aunt Rose helps her find the courage to keep pushing toward her dreams. My favorite part of this book is this line here "Life might have its failures, but this was not it. The only true failure can come if you quit." 3. Salt in His Shoes: This story of Michael Jordan is a powerful one. When I taught this book and unit with my second graders, I first showed them a highlight reel from Youtube so that they understood just how amazing Michael's Jordan's athletic ability was. The picture book tells us of a story from Michael's youth when he was picked on for his size and mistakes on the basketball court. Michael continued to work hard and eventually scores the winning point for his team. You can find resources for this book Here. 4. Akiak: A Tale from the Iditarod: Kids are immediately enthralled by this Iditarod Tale. It is something so unknown to them (the travel without a car, the extreme cold, the length of time) that they can't help but drop their mouths wide open. Akiak has the kids cheering her own throughout the whole book! Link to some engaging activities to use with this book. 5. Catching the Moon: Marcenia has big dreams of becoming a professional baseball player one day. There is only one problem. As her parents state the girls from her neighborhood only grow up to be teachers, nurses, or maids. At first even her parents don't want Marcenia to pursue her ballplayer dreams, but then a manager from the St. Louis Cardinals gifts her with a pair of cleats so that she can attend his summer camp. Keep reading through the Afterword so that you learn details of Marcenia Lyle's real life success. This book is also included in April Rooted in Reading. 6. Koala Lou: Koala Lou starts her journey seeking attention from her overworked momma koala. She practices day in and day out to win the tree climbing race in front of cheering crowds so that her mom will notice her again. Koala Lou ultimately loses the race, but realizes that she doesn't need the trophy to have her mother's love. 7. Leo the Late Bloomer: I probably say this about fifty different books, but THIS is definitely one of my favorite books. I read it on the first day of school for ten years straight. Text wise the book is very simple and the reader gains most of the information from the illustrations. Leo the lion starts out not being able to do anything very well and his parents are very worried. By the end of the book, Leo BLOOMS, and he and his parents rejoice. This book provides the perfect opportunity to talk about learning at different rates and how excited Mrs. King would be to be a part of their journey towards blooming this year. *If it is any clue as to how much I used to reference this book, I had a student write me the sweetest note at the end of one year telling me how excited he was that he finally "bloomed just like Leo." 8. Me...Jane: Jane Goodall, one of the world's leading scientists, always had dreams of the jungle! This beautifully illustrated book focuses on those dreams and how one day they became a reality. I love the way that this story is written because it just seems to have a way of telling kids that their goals are important. I also love how the ending switches from illustrations to a photograph of Jane with a chimpanzee! Here are some activities that focus on the craft of the writing in addition to the lessons learned. 9. Thank you, Mr. Falker: This book also available on Storyline Online takes a peek at a struggling reader who is helped greatly by her teacher. Get ready teachers, you will most likely shed a few tears on this one! The wonderful surprise ending lets students in on the fact that the "struggling reader" is actually the author, Patricia Polacco herself. 10. Emmanuel's Dream: And last but not least, a relatively new book to me, Emmanuel's Dream! Emmanuel is born in Ghana with only one functioning leg. He faces MANY hardships in life that would have caused any people to give up, but Emmanuel doesn't give up. In fact, he sets out on a journey to show the world that disabled people are still capable of doing amazing things in life. A couple of weeks ago Amy and I finished a Special Edition: Rooted in Reading unit for Emmanuel's Dream! There is so much goodness is this book that we thought significant time could be sent digging into it! I hope you found at least one new book to use in your classroom! I truly believe that the FUTURE of the world is in our classroom. I know that teachers can handle that challenge!

First Grade WOW, Windows on Wonder

Hey hey there! I know that many of you are enjoying long and lazy summer days. I also know that many of you are still trucking away in your classrooms and my thoughts are with you! I wanted to give you some extra insight into Rooted in Reading and especially give you an idea of how I set up my interactive notebooks with my students. If you have NO idea what I am talking about when I say "Rooted in Reading" read THIS POST here to see all about the 2nd grade version. You can also look at the Bundle or the August unit by itself. Amy did an amazing job on the previews so we hope that answers a lot of your questions! If this is your first time using interactive notebooks, having them organized from the beginning can help you avoid a lot of headaches down the line. Most 8 and 9 yr olds need the extra help with organization (goodness my 34 yr old husband needs a lot of help with organization), and I think these notebooks will be a great way to scaffold this skill! Step 1: Clearly mark the covers of your notebooks. We always had several notebooks for different subjects so this helped lessen confusions. I have included a color and black and white cover that you can print on bright paper if you would like! Step 2: Print out tab dividers on Astrobright paper AND laminate. I promise the laminating step is key to having these bad boys last! Step 3: After cutting dividers out use clear packing tape to put your dividers into your notebooks. The order I chose was Anchor Charts, Comprehension Activities, Vocabulary Words, Daily Deep Dive, and Grammar. Before doing this you will want to think about how long you want to use the notebooks. I personally liked a notebook per semester so I would put enough pages between each divider to get me through the semester! I also suggest lining up the tabs so only the bold words stick out the side- cover up the cursive word with the clear tape. If you are using a standard size composition notebook AND all five tabs, you will also need to overlap them a little! Step 4: Glue in the book list to the inside of the notebook on the first page. Either one or two copies depending on how many books you plan on covering using this book. I LOVE this addition because I think students will love looking back over the list of books that they have so lovingly studied this year. I also think the genre column is a key component for test-taking skills! You can find all the materials I used in a freebie found in my store Here! If you have other great ideas for setting up notebooks, we would love to hear them! If you are on instagram use our hashtag "RootedinReading3rd" and Amy and I will definitely check you out! Phew now that we have those kids all set up, we can talk about YOU- the teacher! My personal favorite way to store my units is in binders. I spent a couple hours one morning and printed all four weeks of August out. I went a head and laminated my anchor charts and prepped the nonfiction mini-readers so the students can see an example. Don't they look pretty?!?! We even have binder spines for each books so you can feel extra organized! You can find everything you need for organizing your teacher binders in the freebie below from Amy! Other Blog posts you may want to check out to learn more about Rooted in Reading: 2nd Grade Complete Book List and Overview 3rd Grade Complete Book List Establishing a Kind Classroom with Picture Books September Rooted in Reading October Rooted in Reading Bats! The Rough Face Girl

If you have spent anytime at all talking to me about books, than you know that I am pretty obsessed with picture books, but more specifically, the genre of narrative nonfiction. I love the idea of combining real life factual events and putting it in a format that flows nicely and pulls in readers who may not typically go for nonfiction books. So to that point here are 25 nonfiction narrative books that I love for elementary classrooms! This post does include affiliate links. 1. The World is Not a Rectangle Zaha Hadid grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, and dreamed of designing buildings. At the time, there were not women architects. Hadid did not give up and now you can see her stunning buildings around the world. For activities related to the book, click on the pic below! 2. Manjhi Moves a Mountain Dashrath Manjhi used basic tools and a lot of determination to drill through a mountain so that his village could access hospitals, schools, and more! This act took Manjhi 20 years! Manjhi Moves a Mountain shows how everyone can make a difference if they refuse to give up! For activities related to the book, click on the pic below! 3. Wangari's Trees of Peace This true story of Wangari Maathai, environmentalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is a shining example of how one woman’s passion, vision, and determination inspired great change. For activities related to the book, click on the pic below! 4. The Girl Who Thought in Pictures Temple Grandin When Temple was diagnosed with autism as a child, no one expected her to talk. Little did they know that she would become one of the most powerful voices in modern science. Temple's visual thinking enabled her to improve the quality of life for animals all over the world. For activities related to the book, click below: 5. Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum Bubble gum was invented in 1928, when an enterprising young accountant at Fleer Gum and Candy used his spare time to experiment with different recipes. Use this book to learn the history of one of their favorite treats! For activities related to the book, click below: 6. Ticktock Banneker's Clock Benjamin Banneker was born a free man in Maryland at a time when most African Americans were enslaved. At the age of 22 he taught himself how to build a clock. This amazing book does a wonderful job giving a timeline for how long an invention can take and the amount of perseverance required to succeed. 7. On a Beam of Light The true and inspiring story of Albert Einstein and his struggles as a young student. Click below for activities related to the book: 8. The Boy Who Grew a Forest As a boy, Jadav Payeng was worried about the destruction of the forest and the erosion of the land around him so he began planting trees. What began as a small patch of bamboo, grew over the years into 1,300 acre forest filled with native plants and animals. Click below for activities related to the book: 9. Whoosh Trying to create a new cooling system for refrigerators and air conditioners, inventor Lonnie Johnson instead created the mechanics for the super soaker water gun. Click below for activities related to the book: 10. I Dissent Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg learned to argue and defend people at a very young age. Click below for activities related to the book: 11. Trombone Shorty Today, Troy Andrews is a Grammy-nominated musician who tours the world with his band, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. He inspires hope for the next generation in New Orleans and for music lovers everywhere. Click below for activities related to the book: 12. The Darkest Dark Chris loves rockets and planets and pretending he's a brave astronaut exploring the universe. Only one problem: At night Chris doesn't feel so brave. He's afraid of the dark. But when he watches the groundbreaking moon landing on TV, he realizes that space is the darkest dark there is - and the dark is beautiful and exciting, especially when you have big dreams to keep you company. Click below for activities related to the book: 12. Joan Proctor, Dragon Doctor While other girls played with dolls, Joan preferred the company of reptiles. She carried her favorite lizard with her everywhere--she even brought a crocodile to school! When Joan grew older, she became the Curator of Reptiles at the British Museum. She went on to design the Reptile House at the London Zoo, including a home for the rumored-to-be-vicious Komodo dragons. Click below for activities related to the book: 14. The Marvelous Thing that Came from a Spring With the help of his wife, Betty, Richard James took this ordinary spring and turned it into a plaything. But it wasn’t just any old trinket—it was a Slinky, and it would become one of the most popular toys in American history. Click below for activities related to the book: 15. Henry and the Cannons In 1775 in the dead of winter, a bookseller named Henry Knox dragged 59 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston - 225 miles of lakes, forest, mountains, and few roads. It was a remarkable journey and lesson of determination. 16. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind When fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba's village was hit by a drought, everyone's crops began to fail. William spent his days in the library and figured out how to bring electricity to his village. Against all odds, William built a functioning windmill out of junkyard scraps, and thus became the local hero who harnessed the wind. Click below for activities related to the book: 17. Mae Among the Stars Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents' encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space. Click below for activities related to the book: 18. One Plastic Bag Isatou Ceesay teaches women how to take trash and make something useful out of it. Through her ingenious idea Isatou has employed many women who may not have had opportunities otherwise. Click below for activities related to the book: 19. Me...Jane As young Jane observes the natural world around her with wonder, she dreams of "a life living with and helping all animals", until one day she finds that her dream has come true. Click below for activities related to the book: 20. Emmanuel's Dream As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way due to a deformed leg. He rode an astonishing 400 miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Click below for activities related to the book: 21. The House that Jane Built Ever since she was a little girl, Jane Addams hoped to help people in need. In 1889, she bought a house in a run-down Chicago neighborhood and turned it into a settlement home, adding on playgrounds, kindergartens, and a public bath. By 1907, Hull House included thirteen buildings. And by the early 1920s, more than 9,000 people visited Jane's home each week. Click below for activities related to the book: 22. When Marian Sang This book follows Marian Anderson from childhood to concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, which drew a crowd of 75,000 people. Click below for activities related to the book: 23. Finding Winnie In 1914, Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian on his way to tend horses in World War I, followed his heart and rescued a baby bear. He named her Winnie, after his hometown of Winnipeg, and he took the bear to war. Click below for activities related to the book: 24. Salt in His Shoes Michael Jordan wasn't always a basketball legend. When he was a kid on the playground, he was the boy that people didn't want on their team. Michael works hard, grows a couple inches, and grabs the opportunity to show the boys at the playground his skills! Click below for activities related to the book: 25. The Tree Lady Katherine Sessions grew up in northern California surrounded by trees and then moved to the southwest part of the state to become a teacher. She missed her trees and began an effort to transform San Diego. Now, more than 100 years after Kate first arrived in San Diego, her gorgeous gardens and parks can be found all over the city. Click below for activities related to the book:

Hey hey there! I know that many of you are enjoying long and lazy summer days. I also know that many of you are still trucking away in your classrooms and my thoughts are with you! I wanted to give you some extra insight into Rooted in Reading and especially give you an idea of how I set up my interactive notebooks with my students. If you have NO idea what I am talking about when I say "Rooted in Reading" read THIS POST here to see all about the 2nd grade version. You can also look at the Bundle or the August unit by itself. Amy did an amazing job on the previews so we hope that answers a lot of your questions! If this is your first time using interactive notebooks, having them organized from the beginning can help you avoid a lot of headaches down the line. Most 8 and 9 yr olds need the extra help with organization (goodness my 34 yr old husband needs a lot of help with organization), and I think these notebooks will be a great way to scaffold this skill! Step 1: Clearly mark the covers of your notebooks. We always had several notebooks for different subjects so this helped lessen confusions. I have included a color and black and white cover that you can print on bright paper if you would like! Step 2: Print out tab dividers on Astrobright paper AND laminate. I promise the laminating step is key to having these bad boys last! Step 3: After cutting dividers out use clear packing tape to put your dividers into your notebooks. The order I chose was Anchor Charts, Comprehension Activities, Vocabulary Words, Daily Deep Dive, and Grammar. Before doing this you will want to think about how long you want to use the notebooks. I personally liked a notebook per semester so I would put enough pages between each divider to get me through the semester! I also suggest lining up the tabs so only the bold words stick out the side- cover up the cursive word with the clear tape. If you are using a standard size composition notebook AND all five tabs, you will also need to overlap them a little! Step 4: Glue in the book list to the inside of the notebook on the first page. Either one or two copies depending on how many books you plan on covering using this book. I LOVE this addition because I think students will love looking back over the list of books that they have so lovingly studied this year. I also think the genre column is a key component for test-taking skills! You can find all the materials I used in a freebie found in my store Here! If you have other great ideas for setting up notebooks, we would love to hear them! If you are on instagram use our hashtag "RootedinReading3rd" and Amy and I will definitely check you out! Phew now that we have those kids all set up, we can talk about YOU- the teacher! My personal favorite way to store my units is in binders. I spent a couple hours one morning and printed all four weeks of August out. I went a head and laminated my anchor charts and prepped the nonfiction mini-readers so the students can see an example. Don't they look pretty?!?! We even have binder spines for each books so you can feel extra organized! You can find everything you need for organizing your teacher binders in the freebie below from Amy! Other Blog posts you may want to check out to learn more about Rooted in Reading: 2nd Grade Complete Book List and Overview 3rd Grade Complete Book List Establishing a Kind Classroom with Picture Books September Rooted in Reading October Rooted in Reading Bats! The Rough Face Girl

So I TOTALLY teased y'all a few months ago with a series of posts about Math Work Stations. I had a great first post and then ***WALL*** I...

Oh boy! We're getting SO close to the end of the year...I can taste it :) I love my kiddos but we're all starting to get summer fever... So ...

One of my top goals this year is to convince my kids that they are writers. Writing is not just something your teacher makes you do. It is a way to express yourself. I feel like one of the best ways to get through to my kids is to give them authentic purposes for their writing. As we neared the end of writing personal narratives, we decided to have a Publishing Party. We invited the principal, the class across the hall, and few other guests! The kids were pumped and worked extra hard to polish up their final pieces. On the day of the party, I typed up a list of our favorite authors (In Cara Carroll fonts of course). After I cut out the names, I glued them to a big piece of butcher paper. The paper would serve two purposes. One- I could hang it behind the kids as kind of a backdrop. Two (and much more importantly) the kids would see THEIR names by some of the greatest authors out there. They grinned from ear to ear. They got my message loud and clear (they also tried really hard to get their names right by their personal favorites). One by one the kids read their personal narratives to their audience. After we read we celebrated a little more with a little snack, but don't worry- we were back to the grind the next day. I can't WAIT to celebrate our informative writing next time! This week I took a little break from our reading series to do a Patricia Polacco author study. If you follow me on FB or Instagram, you know I am borderline obsessed with Polacco. NO ONE tells a story better than she does. Yesterday we read Thundercake and so of course we had to make some! I had already decided that I was going to have the kids write a summary of Thundercake since we are working SO hard on that skill, but as I was making a mad dash through the grocery story to find everything I needed- an idea struck me! Isn't that how it always works! I decided that I would much prefer to have my students make personal connections to the book and write about their own fears. We decided instead of making "Thunder"cake, we were making "Fear"cake. So first we brainstormed our fears. I *may* have had to hide a snicker over seagulls. After we brainstormed our fears, I had them do a little bit of prewriting. I have found that when my kids fill out an extensive graphic organizer before they write a final draft, that their final draft is almost the "summarized" version. So I decided I was going to give the kids one pink post-it and three blue post-its. The pink post-it was for their fear and the blue post-its were for the three ingredients that they would add to their fear cake to help them get rid of their fears. We talked about "cooking lingo" and I was blown away by the voice they added to their writing. This little cutie said her cake needed a "dash of bravery, a sprinkle of protection, and a cup of happiness" I was THRILLED with their pieces because they were able to give a one to two sentence summary of Thundercake, a personal connection, and a bit of creative writing when making up their cake recipes! Perfection! And of COURSE I let them bake! Smiles, friends- tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!

It's almost that time you guys! The parents are chomping at the bit to get their kids back to you, and you are most likely soaking up the last few weeks of break/scrambling to get ready for those new students! Books are my thing so I wanted to compile a list of tried and true AND some new picture books to use in the first couple of weeks (Did you like that rhyme there?) of school. These are not just your nervous about the first day of school books, but more along the lines of establishing the kind of climate that you desire in your room and among your community of learners. A loving environment where all students feel safe and accepted! Under each book I will give a short summary and link to any resources that I have co-authored for that book if there is one. I highly recommend adding some or all of these books to your classroom library! {This post contains affiliate links. You can access them by clicking on the pictures.} 1. The Big Umbrella Summary: A beautifully simple story of a big red umbrella. The umbrella protects and shields anyone that it meets. The people underneath the umbrella are all shapes, sizes, ages, and colors. For younger children the straightforward message is that all are welcome and loved in this classroom. Older students will be able to dive into the symbolism of the umbrella and dive into Text-to-World connections. 2. We're All Wonders Summary: Just like in the chapter book and popular movie, Auggie knows he looks different, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love all the same things that other kids love. It also doesn't mean that he isn't WONDER-ful. In a very simply text R.J. Polacio is able to to address the theme that different is beautiful. I also love that she also shows in the illustrations a child coming up to Auggie to be friendly. I think too many times adults tell children not to stare when really we should be spreading the message of going up and engaging. Be inclusive! Resource: Storybook STEM {August} 3. Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon Summary: Excuse me while I go find Molly Lou Melon and borrow some bravery! This book is PERFECT for Back to School, character education, or just a laugh. Molly Lou Melon doesn't let anyone get to her! I love the lessons she learns from her grandmother, and per usual, David Catrow’s illustrations are perfectly whimsical! Resource: Storybook STEM {Back to School} 4. Ada Twist, Scientist Summary: Ada, oh Ada! She is delightfully curious and creative. Isn't that what we want from our students? Curious and creative? Talk to students about how you will support them in their passions, just like Ada's parents did. That we need curious students or otherwise the world's mysteries will never be figured out. Bring up famous scientists and inventors and ask students what the world would be like if they hadn't been curious? Resource: Storybook STEM {October} 5. The Bad Seed Summary: I totally judged a book by its cover when I bought this one because look at that cover art!!! Luckily the insides are just as good. Let me give you the rundown on why I love this book: 1. We need to remember as teachers that our students are largely the product of some sad and scary stuff that happens to them outside of school- hence the reputation of a "bad seed". We just see the behavior that is a result of circumstances that they can't control. 2. NO student is ALL bad or all good. It's our job to highlight the good so that they want to showcase it more. If I was judged based on my attitude when I need more coffee, I would totally be labeled a bad seed. 3. Students can steer their direction in life with the right guidance and support. 4. The illustrations are awesome!!! This is a must for your read alouds K-5 teachers. You heard me- keep rocking those picture books 5th grade teachers! Resource: Rooted in Reading {1st Grade/Aug} 6. Quiet Please, Own McPhee Summary: Trudy Ludwig is the author of Invisible Boy. Owen McPhee is a perfect beginning of the year read aloud to address talking over our classmates or teachers. We miss SO much when we don't listen to others. In addition I think it would pair beautifully with Louder, Lili (a personal favorite about a girl who finds her voice to save her class pet from a bully). It would allow you to address how finding a balance of talking and listening is key to success in our classrooms! 7. All Are Welcome Summary: "We're part of a community. Our strength is our diversity. A shelter from adversity. ALL are welcome here." Well if that line doesn't say it all! This book shows students of all colors, backgrounds, and religions learning, playing, eating, sharing, and enjoying being together. This book is the perfect visual to let students know that they are safe and loved. You will set the precedent for the year with this beautiful book! 8. Ish Summary: There’s so much I love about this book. For starters, I’m a big fan of books that talk to students about staying true to themselves and that’s exactly what Ish does! My favorite teaching point to hit home with students from this book is the impact of kind words. Teaching kids to compliment each other is HUGE and not something that comes naturally to many. Think about what it means to you when someone goes out of their way to make you feel good? It’s so easy and something that we definitely want in our classrooms! 9. Pinduli Summary: Pinduli becomes the victime of verbal abuse from her peers. They make her question everything about her appearance. She tried to change who she was for them. In a surprising turn of events, she manages to scare the other animals and learn the strengths she didn't know she possessed. Pinduli also allows for a beautiful class discussion on the impact of one mean phrase and how it ripples out to everyone around. If you are going to impact the world every day, wouldn't you want to leave a positive mark instead of a negative one? Resource: Rooted in Reading {August/3rd Grade} 10. The Invisible Boy Summary: It is BOLD statement when I declare my favorite picture book but this is it. If you could only have one book in your classroom, this is it. K-12 WE ALL NEED TO BE READING THIS BOOK. It is not a new concept that many students feel lonely or left out, but it is one that we can directly address and try to fix. Relationships and connections will change the world, one day at a time. Trudy Ludwig, thank you for this beautiful book. Resource: Rooted in Reading {August/2nd Grade} 11. Spoon Summary: Have you read Spoon? If not, run straight to Amazon!! Spoon becomes jealous of the other cutlery because they appear to be better at things that spoon isn't really made to do. Spoon's parents help him to realize his gifts. Did I mention that there are tons of idioms and humor for adults and students alike. What an adorable, engaging way to talk to students about being proud of who they are!!! 12. School's First Day of School Summary: School is nervous about the very first day with students. The janitor helps ease worries. School ends up enjoying the day and asks the janitor to make sure the students return the next day! The change in perspective with engage students while helping to make them more comfortable about the new experience. Not to mention, the illustrator Christian Robinson has SUCH a beautiful style. Resource: Rooted in Reading {1st grade/August} 13. The Name Jar Summary: Unhei (pronounced Yoon-Hey) is leaving all that she knows in Korea to move to the United States. Kids on the bus immediately begin to poke fun at how different she is than they are. Unhei begins to question if maybe having an American name would help her feel more accepted. Not only is this book an excellent resource for addressing how classmates should accept each other, it is a nice reminder to teachers to respect a child's name. It is never okay to poke fun or change a child's name so it is easier for the adult to say. You can show a child just how much you respect them by putting the extra effort into pronouncing their name correctly! 14. Edwin the Emu Summary: Edward the Emu is in my top 3 B2S books. I first heard about Edward at a Kagan Training my first year teaching 13 years ago- goodness that feels like forever ago! I immediately fell in love with the book and shared it with my team because that is what I do when I love a book! The rhythm is perfection. The illustrations are dreamy. And the message is so on point. Stop trying to be like every other animal in the zoo! You are beautiful and wonderful being exactly YOU! If you don’t have Edward the Emu yet, what are you waiting for?!? Resource: Rooted in Reading {August/2nd} 15. Officer Buckle and Gloria Summary: If you have been in the classroom for ten years or more, you most likely know about Offier Buckle and Gloria. I occasionally like sharing books that have been around a while because the new-ish teachers may not know them! Officer Buckle is the PERFECT book to help establish school safety guidelines. I totally have second thoughts every time I stand on a chair thanks to this book! Ha! You can also pull in themes of friendship and forgiveness from this faqntastic picture book! Not to mention- the inferences from pictures!!! Do you love Officer Buckle and Gloria too?!?! 16. Chester's Way Summary: Kevin Henkes has my heart. I truly adore every book he has ever written. Chester's Way is definitely at the top of that list though because Chester learns just how much he will gain by creating new friendships. In true Henkes' style, the rhythm and illustrations allow children to enjoy the text with ease. Resource: Rooted in Reading {2nd Grade/August} 17. Sheila Rae the Brave Summary: Sheila Rae isn't scared of ANYTHING, that is until she gets lost. Her little sister Louise, who is pretty much scared of everything steps up to the plate and shows Sheila Rae that it's okay to be scared and depend on others for help. Resource: Rooted in Reading {2nd Grade/August} 18. Do Unto Otters Summary: I have had this book in my library since my very first year teaching. It’s such a fun way to open up a discussion on how we expect to treat each other in our classroom. I know many of you make a classroom contract at the beginning of the year and I think this would be a great opener for that lesson. The book also addresses the idea that just because someone is different (The otters) doesn't mean that they are weird or bad! I hope you really dive into that with your students. So much of hatred blossoms from not knowing and being scared of different. Talk to students early and often about the beauty and importance of diversity! 19. The Thing You Couldn't Do Summary: How do children react when they encounter something new that might be difficult? Even as an adult this is something I struggle with... the ability to push through. I think it is important to address pretty early in the year that every single one of us will be trying new things this year. The book also shows children playing outside using their imaginations. Seeing children acting this way will encourage students to continue this practice themselves, and we all know that PLAY is the most important work for children! 20. The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade Summary: I have shared this book several times on my Instagram ( queenof1stjungle ) because it is just that good. One little girl learns how important her voice is. By pointing out to her classmates how awful they are being to each other, the students are able to make a positive change in their behavior that impacts their classroom climate in a big way. I know just how slammed those first few weeks of school are, but I also know what it is like to have an unexpected 5 minutes of NO PLANS. Uh oh! Why not have a basket of these books ready to go just in case! I promise you will set the stage for an amazing year!

Have fun learning about Kenya with these printable Mini Books for kids from k-5th grade. . These books help teach about kenya for kids including the culture, way of life and interests. They will also learn about Kenya, an African country with many exciting landmarks and places to visit.

Here are a few more pictures from my Rainforest Open House, although these are from last year. The sloths have a report about sloths on the back, and the monkeys have a report about monkeys on the tummy. These are some of my favorite projects to teach with. I used a lot more green tulle this year, and had it coming out from the tree, but in these photos it was just hung on the ceiling.

I tried to give some seat work on the 2nd to last day and my kids looked at me like I had 4 heads. I knew I had to have SOMETHING to keep them engaged and busy for our last day- mainly so I didn't keep checking my watch every ten minutes :) So I came up with this (CLICK TO DOWNLOAD: Before school I made 3 copies of the cards, cut them, and put them in 3 different bags. I had a mom and an instructional assistant to help me monitor 3 groups of 8 students. I armed each child with a piece of chalk and we headed outside. It was so neat to see them excited to do the skills that we had worked so hard on ALL year- just in a fun way. One slip called for an even number of kids to go down the slide. Another called for an odd number of monkeys to swing on the monkey bars :) The sidewalk chalk was a PERFECT way to show their learning. I sneaked a peek a few times to alternate chalk work with active work-like walking backwards as they counted backwards from 30 to 0 or skip counting by 5 as they sprinted to the fence and back! We even showed off our 2 digit addition with regrouping on the sidewalks so the big kids could see how smart we are in first grade! We had a BLAST and walked away from the activity with only 2 minor injuries :) First grade is tough stuff. When my kids left at the end of the day, I only shed a couple of tears, but I am sure it will hit me in a few days. These kids spoiled me rotten, and I am SO sad to see them go. I have never felt more confident about my kids being ready for the next grade, and I hope the 2nd grade teachers see what I have seen this year!

So I TOTALLY teased y'all a few months ago with a series of posts about Math Work Stations. I had a great first post and then ***WALL*** I...

When Brooke and I saw it, we KNEW the latest Mo Willems' book was going to be a must for your first week of school. {Amazon Affiliate Link} We tried to think of all the things that you would like on those first few weeks from a book. Through these fun and easy puzzles, your students will have a chance to connect. The pigeon's anxiety serves as a perfect springboard for connecting to all kinds of emotions on the first day! These simple but engaging STEM options will have your students giggling and creating from Day 1 in your classroom. Brooke thinks of everything you need to make these challenges happen. She even introduces simple machines to them through QR codes. Science the first week of school? Check! This amazing book allows you to jump right in to discussing author choices, text to self connections, and vocabulary. If you snag it today (7/13 or 7/14) you can get it at 20% off. I can't wait to hear what you think!

As a parent, I think you begin thinking about your child starting kindergarten pretty much as soon as he/she is born. Not in terms of “Can’t wait to get there,” but just as some distant point WAY off in the future. Somehow it still sneaks up on you. My little man started kindergarten this week. I feel so blessed to have him at my new school with me. He has a beautiful classroom and a wonderful teacher. Happy Boy= Happy Mommy In addition to Nash starting school, I taught my first three days with my new second graders! I am in LOVE! They are absolutely darling and already so independent! About halfway through my first day of teaching, these gorgeous flowers arrived for me… ….they were from my old teammates in Kentucky!!! It means so much to me that they still think of me and wish me well! The first two days were FULL of superhero activities. We learned a lot about each other and established our expectations for the classroom. I also used some of the activities to give me a benchmark of what skills my students felt comfortable with and which skills needed more practice. We also spent some time reviewing short vowel sounds. I created this chart to look like one my Reading Recovery teacher gave me at my old school. After I introduce this chart to my students, we use our pointer finger and middle finger to help use practice isolating the initial vowel sound- “a-pple, a-pple, a,a,a” “e-ddie, e-ddie, e,e,e” and so on. Clear as mud? I promise it works! You can snag this free chart on my FB fanpage After lots of practice, we begin the Vowel Drill!! I created these cards four years ago and they are still in perfect condition. It is important that when you are making these cards that all the a’s are the same color, e’s the same color… you get the point! You will use the color as quick way to scan the room and see how your students are doing. These are simply index cards folded right down the middle. In order to practice, I would yell out a vowel sound and the students hold up the vowel they heard! They LOVE it! After we hold up our card, we say our vowel chant so we can implant the sound even more in our brains (a-pple, a-pple, a,a,a…A says a). By the end I was selecting students to be the expert and say the sound. On Friday my students worked on the vowels in isolation. Since they did such a fantastic job {great job first grade teachers} we will move on to Vowel-Consonants on Monday, and Consonant-Vowel-Consonant later in the week! Now, since we survived the first three days of school, Emmie and I are treating ourselves to a pedicure! Have a wonderful weekend!

50 Best Jungle Facts for Kids Odds are, your kids may have seen movies or read short stories about jungles. If they are showing an interest, here are 50 best jungle facts for kids you can

Guys.... it's time! 3rd Grade Rooted in Reading is coming your way. Amy and I have read a gajillion picture books over the past few weeks in search of the VERY BEST literature for your 3rd graders. Thanks to Amazon Prime we've had several books delivered to us daily {#booksuponbooksuponbooks}. Some were great. Some were NOT. You see... we needed FORTY books... FORTY books that were wonderful, deep, and engaging. FORTY books that would captivate your students. FORTY books that would help your students find new authors, characters, and storylines to love. FORTY books to make some of your readers fall in love with reading again. And, y'all, I think we did it. We've got a collection of books that are diverse, from different genres, and set in different time periods. We've got FORTY of the most beautiful stories you ever will read! Are you ready for it??? HERE IT IS FOLKS: Are you in love yet??? Because we are already so attached to all of these great reads! Without further adieu, here are the books for each month... August: Picture Day Perfection Crow Boy Pinduli Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun September: Saturdays and Teacakes The Raft Princess Hyacinth Finding Winnie October: Substitute Creacher Picnic at Mudsock Meadow Creature Features Two Bad Ants November: Turkey Bowl The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses How Many Days To America? Cactus Soup December: The Legend of Old Befana Seven Spools of Thread The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree The Carpenter's Gift January: Patricia Polacco: My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother and Rotten Ritchie and the Ultimate Dare I Wonder Why Penguins Can't Fly Ruby's Wish The Polar Bear Son February: When Marian Sang Last Stop on Market Street Trombone Shorty Martina and the Beautiful Cockroach March: I Dissent Hoop Genius The House that Jane Built On a Beam of Light April: What Really Happened to Humpty? Book of Animal Poetry Tree Lady The Great Kapok Tree May: Thank you, Mr. Falker Humphrey the Lost Whale Pecos Bill Invents the Ten-Gallon Hat Memoirs of a Hamster All of the books above are linked to Amazon. We are in no way saying they have the best prices. We are just obsessed with Amazon Prime because we like fast delivery, ha! Here's what we suggest... Print out the 3rd Grade Book List that you can find {HERE}. Take it with you when you go to Half Price Books, garage sales, your friend's house, etc. Collect books as you find them, beg for books from neighbors, heck... take the list to your principal and see if they are willing to buy the collection! Click Below to grab a printable list off of TpT. We will be adding an overview of skills in a couple of months. In the document you will also find unit release dates and the genres included! Our August unit will be released in May so that you can have it waaaaaayyyy before back to school! We hope that you enjoy all of these charming picture books as much as we do!

So I have to admit that I was SUPER nervous about starting Two-Digit Addition with regrouping. We tackled regular two-digit addition before Spring Break and the kids had no problem. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy! We used a couple of activities from my Spring Packet for Math Work Stations. I had started regrouping in small group, but I just imagined that my lower kids would struggle with it. You would think after six years, I would learn to stop doubting them :) To start with on Monday, we spent a lot of time with tens and ones. We played Race to 100 with tens and ones. We usually play the game with a Hundred's chart, but I wanted to reinforce the idea of exchanging ten ones for a ten. The smarties were making connections to pennies and dimes as well! After the game we went on to some guided practice. We used this template (click to download) that I made really quickly to practice. There is also a exit slip on the first page of the document. I printed a class set on colored paper and then put them in sheet protectors. We used Dry erase markers and socks for lots of practice! Today- I felt much better about our regrouping abilities- so I let them go- just a little bit :). We used cards from my math game Tennis Top-it. Students used the template again for more independent practice! I am putting this game on TPT for free until I go to bed tonight (and I am warning you I am super tired friends)- then I will charge just a very tiny fee for it after that! If you want to check out the whole set, it is available below. I am very impressed with how we are tackling the hard task right now, but we will continue to drill this skill home through May 17th (I promise I am not counting). Off to Church to be with my precious little four-year-old class!

Learn Animal Classifications for Kids with 10 FREE printable Cootie Catchers! Fun animals for kids activity for all ages!

K-1 NONFICTION WRITING My nonfiction writing unit is here! This is the perfect way to introduce kindergarten and first grade students to what informational writing is. This unit is so engaging for students because it uses real life photographs and animals. We discus

If you have read my blog more than a couple of times, you know I love Math Work Stations. Well today, I put my money where my mouth is and DOVE into day one of work stations. I have written two posts about Math Work Stations in the last few months.... Part 1: The Why Part 2: The Set-Up Today will be a super quick post (did I mention I work up for the gym at 4:40) to show you what is going on in my room. Here is my board this year: I actually have 25 students this year so I have chosen to go with a couple of groups of 3. If this doesn't work well I will reevaluate and might add two more stations. Here are two of my cuties using my Zoo Number Sense Freebie. I was SO impressed by their gumption. They were writing number sentences with the numbers on the cards as sums. Way to go girls! This station is from my Ready or Not pack and was prefect to help me see some beginning of the year skills from some other kids. Here is another game that required my students to do 10 more, 10 less, 1 more, 1 less. They knocked it out of the park....I'm thinking about running down the hall and kissing those 1st grade teachers! For computers, I had these boys on an oldie but a goodie Fruit Shoot! Umm do all kids love seeing things blow up like mine do? I also use these stations to learn about my kids as workers. I was impressed by their ability to set up, work together, and play the games with each other. For a first attempt...really I couldn't ask for more! A lot of people ask what I am doing during this time??? Well right now I am running around like a chicken with its head cut off. No really? Usually I am conducting a small group. Today I gave my group some easy tasks and then monitored the room. I will eventually get my kids to 100% independence. BUT for now, I am realistic. They still need me. It's all about gradual release! So today I had my girls list ways to "make" 13, 14, and 15. PHEW! Now this tired teacher is headed to bed! Night y'all!

Sample a day of Rooted in Reading with these lesson plans and activities for Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Grammar!

K-1 NONFICTION WRITING My nonfiction writing unit is here! This is the perfect way to introduce kindergarten and first grade students to what informational writing is. This unit is so engaging for students because it uses real life photographs and animals. We discus

This is my favorite Busy Teacher yet (mainly because of Annie's FABULOUS frames)! They are on SALE Saturday and Sunday for 20 % off! I included 2 freebies in my Preview so head over to TPT to snatch them up! Have a wonderfully relaxing Sunday!

Hi guys!! Brooke and I finished up March Storybook Stem in time for you to get prepped for next month! If you are like me you are getting that Spring Fever itch!! These fun and high level activities will keep your kids engaged and learning all the way until Spring Break. In this unit we picked our books and activities based around common classroom themes for March. We cover St. Patricks day, Weather, Basketball, and Read Across America. We picked The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco, because it addresses the love of reading and how amazing adventures through books. Bonus points: with this book you get to learn about the amazing creatures- BEES! Here is a sneak peek into some of the literacy activities: Math Connections: And then here are some images to show you what goes along with our STEM activities: Did you see that Potato Pulley!?!? How cool is that! And last but not least, here is a passage that I wrote on bees! The little freebie also comes with a life cycle poster. Click on the image to head to my store: Here are Amazon Affiliate links to the books if you don't have any of them yet!

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, that means it's time for Valentine's themed art projects. Kids both young and old love printmaking. I've done this project with high school kids, (minus the Valentine's theme) and it was always one of their favorite projects. If you are looking for a project to do in your classroom, your child's classroom, or just at home with your kids, read on.This activity is also a great way to make homemade valentine cards. With one print you can make cards for a

Yes, Pure exhaustion. We have been in school 9 whole days, and it feels like at least a month! Things I can tell you about my students: 1. They are absolute dolls. 2. They are asleep for the first 30 instructional minutes of the day. Hopefully their little bodies will adjust soon! 3. Their entry reading levels vary across 4 different grade levels. 4. They are an extremely compassionate group of children. 5. They L.O.V.E. the ipads. Every last one of them. (check out my next post for examples!) 6. They like to say "Mrs. King" no less than 3,000 times a day. 7. They are a very energetic and enthusiastic group of learners. I love my class. To make up for the complete lack of posts this week- due to my 8:00 p.m. bedtime, here is a big 'ole mess of pictures of what we have been doing! We have practiced what good readers do. Just to make sure we all understood, we practiced what good readers DON'T do as well! We began the groundwork for Literacy Centers and eventually Daily 5. Susan's fab unit! Cara's Blast off! Caitlin's Free Magnetic Letter Center As usual my bloggy buddies come to the rescue with great resources! I will be spending a lot of time with my Daily 5 book this weekend to decide what my mini-lessons this week should look like! By the end of the week we were doing two Math Work Stations in addition to our whole group math lesson. My absolute favorite time of the day! Reagan's too perfect Back to School Math Centers Motion Math's Wings (fabulous app) My favorite game to play on the SmartBoard Since I knocked out their DRAs in record-breaking speed, I was able to start guided reading groups! Ipads are so much help with follow up word work! This app is a free one- Magnetic Letters! My kids really enjoy it (clean-up is way easier as well!). AND by far my favorite and most daring venture yet this year pictured below. We always go on a Safari the first day of school to point out all the key places in the school and meet important people. Since our first grade theme is Jungle, we look for our names on jungle animals. The kindergarten students go on a hunt for gingerbread men! Well I figured- why not jump into this 1-to-1 business head first?? We took our ipads with us and documented our school through pictures. Next stop on the ipad journey- learning how to put these pictures into a presentation! Hope you enjoyed seeing my first full week in pictures!

Young students will love learning about there Social Studies Lesson on Mail Carriers letter writing and delivering mail. this creative activity will engage your young student to learn and want to learn more.

I had read on Jodi's blog The Clutter-free Classroom that one of the best things she had ever done in her classroom was start a behavior clip chart. Well let me quote her BEST. THING. EVER. Flipping Cards-Sign the Book- Name on the board- no system at all. I have tried them all. The Clip chart is the best for the following reasons: 1. I hang it on the side of my lockers so that it is not a focus of our day, but I can easily move it to the front of the room to praise a child. 2. My teacher pleasers are rewarded-- and my stinkers. It is so easy to build a child up by simply saying-- "Ben, I love how you helped Jackson out with his problem. Go move your clip up." 3. I have record of their daily behaviors without all the hassle on me. I created a form that stays in my kids S.A.F.A.R.I binders and they color in their behavior for the day right before they pack up. Click Here to download. 4. I can reward them without having a darn treasure box- never liked those things, ever. I am going to use my zebra-loving-soul-sister Christie from First Grade Fever's adorable punch cards to keep track of their progress. When they fill out the punch card they can pick a reward out of the binder. You should have seen their faces when I read swap seats with a friend for the day. You would have thought I promised them the moon. Thanks for hanging out! Katie

Challenge your first grader by having her connect the dots from 1 to 50 to complete the picture of the friendly lion.

The first days of school are always hectic and stressful. If this is your first year teaching elementary art it probably feels downright overwhelming. For me it is about getting to know my students, getting them comfortable with me, introducing rules, and giving them a quick drawing activity. I do it the same every year and it works great for me. I have 30-40 minute classes. I move very quickly through the following activities. I also have these steps outlined on the board, so that I don't forge