Teaching Stuff I Can't Live Without

Linking up again with Teacher Idea Factory...This time for the fun stuff I can't live without in my classroom. 

First thing is this saweeet pencil sharpener.  I had the professional grade electric kind that eventually started eating my pencils.  I swore it was just cheap pencils until I came across this heaven sent sharpener. Sharpens pencils to perfection.   You can read more about it here.

Classroom Friendly Supplies

Next, is Lakeshore's Sight-Word Sentence Builder Kit.  The best $50 I have ever spent.  The sentences are organized in sets of 5.   The children then "fill in the blanks" with the correct word.  The sentences become more difficult as you go from the first set to the last.  It includes pictures and words which are perfect for beginning firsties.  You can see how we use them below. I haven't seen them in the most recent Lakeshore catalog so they may have discontinued them....sorry.

This is how we use the sentences pictured above.  I have two of these magnetic pocket charts from Lakeshore.  The magnet is so strong.  I place one on each side of my filing cabinet and they become a center during my 90 minute reading block.  I use two because my center rotations last a week.  The kids do one side the first week then go to the other side the second week.  So for this particular center I only have to change it out every two weeks.  Makes my life so much easier.  Even better my sweet daughter is old enough now to help me change it out.

After filling in the sentences the children write the sentences out
on story line paper and illustrate one of the sentences.

The next item I LUUUVVV is my new gently used Lakeshore easel.  I've been making due with a small Little Tykes easel that I bought for my daughter at a yard sale for $5 a few years ago.  I actually had to cut my chart paper in half so that it fit the easel.  I purchased this from a friend who got a new one.  I am so excited to use it this year.  My hubby is putting locking casters on it this weekend.  WooHoo!

Finally this little easel is another favorite.  I use it at my Rhymes and Chimes Center.  I create small word family poems that the children have to copy, highlight the word family rhyme, then illustrate.  It's magnetic, doesn't take up a lot of room, and stores so easily. 

Well those are all the goodies I can't live without. Can you tell I love Lakeshore.  We have a store about an hour away  that I visit before school starts.  I haven't been yet!  School starts in a week so I better start making my list.  It's a dangerous place.  You know that feeling you get as a teacher when you pull into the parking lot.  Your breath catches, you jump get out of your car and sprint  walk to the front door.  Such a fun place to shop.



Thanks for looking!!!









Better Late Than Never

I'm finally joining the  Tell Me More Linky Party from Step into 2nd Grade with Amy Lemons.  Doesn't she have the cutest name!

It's been so fun reading about some of my favorite bloggers.  Now here's a little about me.

1.  I've been teaching since January 1993.  My first teaching job was at the elementary school my husband and I attended.  And believe it or not the principal that we had is still the principal now....what?, yes it's true.
I've taught Title One, Third Grade, Second Grade and First.  I'm currently teaching first. 

2.  My husband lived around the corner from me in elementary school and I started dating him when I was a senior in high school.  He asked out my best friend and she asked if I could go along (what a third wheel) but he and I talked all night about growing up in the same neighborhood and going to the same elementary school.  Our first date was August 1983 and here we are in our wedding photo (big hair and all). 



3.  We have two very sweet kids.  Our son will be 16 in a few days and our daughter is 10.  Both of my kids went to the school where I teach.  I only have two more years with my daughter, then she will be off to junior high.  My son  is starting his sophomore year at the same high school my husband and I attended.   My daughter is going into 5th grade and her teacher will be a friend of mine that went to high school with me.

Believe it or not our city is not that small...but, being born and raised here and having a dad that retired as asst. fire chief of our town makes it feel like we know everybody. 

4.  I went to The University of Central Florida and my husband owns his own business.  He's a jeweler and has owned his own store since 1985.  You can take a peek here.  Luckily I am not a big jewelry wearer and own very little.  I had a friend that once said "You should be drippin in gold".  Ha!  Could you imagine....we would be broke.  

5.  My favorite t.v. show is

Love the old time values and small town surroundings.  Just the other day they were complaining that Opie needed to get outside and play more because he was doing "Too much listening to transistor radio".  If they only knew what was to come.

6.  Could eat these in mass quanity. Rarely have them in the house.

7.  Our all time favorite place to visit is Tennessee.   After finding this amazing hotel we just can't get enough of it.  We took our kids to see snow for the first time this past Christmas.  While we were there I overheard a lady talking in the lobby about how she was a teacher in Florida.  I asked where she was from and can you believe she teaches in my district at a school only 15 minutes away from me.  She found the hotel on the internet and said on a whim drove up with her sister.  How strange is that?

The Inn At Christmas Place

Well that's enough about me.  Head on over to join the party.  Would love to hear more about all of you.  If you made it this far and loved my big hair picture give me a shout out...Ha!

Tammy

Blog Hop

Christina from Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge found a little blog hop at Grade 3 Is the Place for Me and I'm joining. 

1.  What state are you in?     Florida

2.   What is your current teaching position?  1st grade

3. What is your teaching experience?  1 year title one, 2 years 3rd grade, 5 years 2nd grade (2 of those looping up with my firsties), 10 years 1st grade.

4.  When did you start blogging?  September 2011

5.  Share some blogging tips or a resource... Read lots of other blogs and comment, comment, comment, also joining a linky party and have give aways or contribute to them. 

Enjoy
Tammy