FIVE FOR FRIDAY — SOME SHENANIGANS & CHANGES

Merry Weekend!  We made it and we’re still standing.  That first week back in the saddle is always so tough.  I absolutely love seeing all of the little kiddies and getting back into the swing again, but boy this week sure does have you runnin’ to keep up.  I managed to reestablish a amicable relationship with my alarm (only one spotty patch on Tuesday when I didn’t hit snooze . . . I reset the thing for 20 minutes later after quickly deciding that I didn’t need to wash my hair).  How did y’all do this week?? 

I am excited to be sittin’ down to share some of the fun we had.  I swear our little babes grew 10 feet over the break.  Do you feel that way too?  This vacation turns your little babies into cute kids.  It’s so funny how this miraculous growth always seems to happen around the holidays . . . but, I digress.  Here is a little look-see at what the crew and I have been up too.  

ONE – SENTENCE WRITING WARM-UPS
Are you sick of me talking about this yet??  I know . . . I did a whole blog post on it earlier this week, but we actually tried these this week and it was better than I could have EVER imagined.  Seriously, folks.  I am not trying to toot my own horn here, but this low-prep levelized writing set has changed my life. We are using these as our Good Morning Job.  However, it fits easily into any transition time.  

On our first day back, I explicitly taught what I wanted to see in a small group setting.  I knew better than to try and teach three levels whole class . . . especially with all my “listening-challenged” sweeties 🙂  Some kiddos used a word bank to create their own detailed sentences, some took a basic sentence and added details, and others simply copied a basic sentence.  I highly recommend doing it this way on the first day!  

LEVEL 2 – ADD DETAILS TO A SENTENCE Swoon . . . adjectives!!!

Every page comes with a challenge for your early finishers. This page asked kids to find the word WERE in the sentence, write it 5 times, and illustrate their sentence. If they didn’t finish the back . . . no big deal.

The next day this quick page became their morning task.  It was so successful and the kids loved it.  Every day they got a little bit better at rocking these out. I am one happy teacher.  

I let my kids write crazy sentences. I don’t promote it, but I don’t make them change it. Different strokes for different folks, but I dig silly. “My mom made hot snot booger balls for lunch.” (My favorite from the week!) She fixed the capital problem right after this photo 😉

Yes, we stick our tongues out a lot in Room 13 🙂 This shows LEVEL 1 (copy the sentence) and LEVEL 3 (use the word bank). LOOK . . . they have finger spaces!!!!  #itsthelittlevictories

If you want to try these, I have a FREE TESTER SET up for grabs HERE.  I heard this link might not be working (Dropbox limits downloads).  If this is the case . . . try this ONE. You can try them two days in a row and see if you experience the same writing magic. If you do, come on back and treat yourself to the January Collection. They were designed for K-1 and 2nd Grade Intervention.

This packet comes with 25 pages for each level (75 total warm-ups). It’s a whole month of differentiated learning for only $4!!! Check out the collection HERE.

TWO – WHITE BOARD MATH
We jumped into the higher-level Place Value this week.  Before I even gave them any manipulatives, I had them practice their number writing.  This class is unlike any other group that I have had in the past 9 years.  It’s sad, but 75% of the crew is below benchmark in reading and 50% are below basic in math.  We are working our tails off to come up with fun activities that keep their attention (easier said than done).  White board math is always a great way to hook them into a concept and sneak in a bit of spiral review.  I always give them about 2-3 minutes to draw BEFORE we begin.  I looked up and a whole table group was working on a sweet farm scene together. #blesstheirlittlehearts

THREE – A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
I had a little of help from my friends this week.  As I was snagging pictures, I noticed that many different bloggers were hanging out in Room 13 throughout this 5-day run!  Here are just a few . . .  

Teaching With Love & Laughter New Year Goals FREEBIE

The Moffatt Girls We worked on oodles of pages from her January No-Prep Packs (K+1st) Let’s be honest here.  I have most of Annie’s packs and I love them ALL.

A Year of Many Firsts We jumped into winter this week. I forgot to take pictures, but we used a ton from Lyndsey’s Snow Pack!!!

FOUR – WHOLE30 MIRACLE
Alright . . . so a new year means resolutions and I made some.  The biggest one was jumping on the WHOLE30 train.  Yup, I did it.  It wasn’t to lose weight (a few pounds maybe), but I jumped on board in desperation – to help me manage my endless gut issues.  With four abdominal surgeries tucked tightly under my belt (three directly connected to the digestive system), I struggle with food all of the time.  Things constantly make me sick despite being gluten and dairy free most of the time (I snuck bites off of my hubby’s plate all too often).  Well, I was sick of the 3 to 7 pm stomach ache that visited like clockwork each and every day.  I saw Erica Bohror’s Facebook post on trying this program and quickly recalled the success that Rachelle Smith had with this method. When Erica asked me to join a group of teachers who decided to go “all in,” I decided to give it a go. 

I am not in cahoots with these guys {PROMISE} . . . just wanted to share my success 🙂

I’ll be honest here, on Day One and Two I hated both of these ladies for a moment and I almost quit.  I had a headache like no other and the cravings were off the chain . . . right at back to school time (ouch). However, by Day Three a magical turn around began.  The headaches were gone.  It was easier to wake up in the morning and my tummy was in check. By Day Five I actually cried. Tears of JOY I tell you.  I felt the best I have felt in 6 LONG ASS years and it gets better ever day – no afternoon naps needed, I sleep through the night, I can go longer at the gym, I wake up fresh and before my alarm, my digestive issues are in check . . . the benefits go on and on for little old me. I’m now on DAY 7 and am loving it!  #bringitremaining23

The WHOLE30 is hard as all get out at times as you are trying to change how your body reacts to food and cravings, but it has completely changed my life. I am a believer!  I will be making serious changes when my month long run with the program ends.  A huge thank you to both Erica and Rachelle. I wouldn’t have known the life that was possible without your support.  I know I sound a bit crazy, but I don’t care.  If you are thinking about this program, I strongly urge you to TRY IT . . . what do you have to loose?  

FIVE – PK1 CONFERENCE
I am so excited to be presenting at the upcoming PK1 Conference in Santa Clara, California.  It’s next weekend.  Are you going??  If not, and you live in Cali, you should CLICK HERE to take a closer look.  This conference is always so much fun and there are oodles of my favorite bloggers going to be there. 

CLICK HERE to learn more about this awesome conference!

Ron Brown’s Intelli-Tunes is also going to be presenting (D-01).  Ron and Nancy put on a heck of a show and it’s a definite class to catch.

I am presenting right out of the gate on Saturday (A-07).  I have been working on my CCSS math games/activities presentation for the past three days.  I am running WAY TO LONG, but at least that’s better than too short.  I have some “tightening” to do today!