Teacher Gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week!

It's Teacher Appreciation Week and that means it's the perfect time for some bragging and loving on one another, right? #amen

One of my favorite gifts to receive (and give!) is a bottle of wine. One- I love wine! Red, white, I'll drink it! Two- It has so many purposes and can typically be used immediately! Wine will never go bad (or missing) in my house!!

That being said, I decided to create some wine labels for all the amazing teachers out there! Who doesn't love wine that says "You're just awesome" on it? Or "Thank You!" It makes the wine that much sweeter.

Be sure to check them out. Once you purchase them, you have them forever and can share them with all your teacher friends. And if you buy them today or tomorrow, you can grab them for 28% off! Just be sure to use the code CELEBRATE!

Cheers!

Life with a Co Teacher // GIVEAWAY!

Martina Cahill, from The Hungry Teacher, and I met nearly four years ago... but I feel as if we've known each other for a life time! The first day we met, she stopped by the school so we could meet each other. My principal was like, "Hey! You're getting a student teacher next year." And my jaw dropped because this was the first I had heard of it. But a teacher does whatever their principal tells them to, so I introduced her to our class (I was looping up with them) and she sat with our sweet Stewart and listened to him read to her for like an hour. It was really only 5 minutes in all actuality. But Stewart was not an easy student and so when she survived 5 minutes,  I knew she was a keeper.

Little did I know how life changing having her as a student teacher would be. First of all - I had only been in the classroom for 2 years before she came and taught with me. Ummmmm - do you know any 2nd year teacher that has their shit together? I'm sure there are some... but I was far from one of them. But having Martina in my classroom made me explain and justify every little thing we did. Why do I do word study like that? Welllllll.... {and into my hour long explanation I would go}. Working with Martina challenged me to think and explain more than I ever had as a teacher and I became a much stronger teacher because of it.

Typical day

I am also one of the most unorganized teachers known to mankind. Piles ontop of piles. Always. Martina changed this. She is uber organized and when she wasn't sure what to do, she would start going through my piles, my binders, and our books, and organize the crud out of our classroom. It was magical. {ANY FUTURE STUDENT TEACHERS, TAKE NOTE!} And I don't think I've ever felt so calm in the classroom {Acts of Service is totally my Love Language}.

Martina isn't just amazing for her organizational skills though. She also is a bombdiggity teacher. Seriously. Just take a look at her blog, or Instagram, and you'll know this in a heart beat. Her love for teaching is contagious... and I think my favorite thing about her is that she's not afraid to laugh at herself, or her students, when something is really funny. I think that her ability to be human while teaching is one of the reasons students and I love her so dang much. She is never once in a bad mood {it's impressive} and she loves and works harder than so many teachers. She's one of the good ones.

So please take a second to stop by her blog and enter her amaaaazing giveaway! Seriously. It's ridiculously bombdiggity and includes ALLLLLL of my favorite items!!

Thanks for stopping by and listening to me brag about one of my faves!
What experiences have you all had with co teachers and student teachers? Please share in the comments!

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What Should Writing Conferences Look Like in the Classroom?

Are you a Writing Conference master? Writing Conferences are something most teachers squeeeeze into their day. And when they're squeezed in, they begin to look weak. But did you realize we're doing a huge injustice to our students by not being prepared? Check out my quick tips for making sure you have Writing Conferences nailed!

 Challenging, I know! But if you let yourself mingle with students for 15+ minutes, you'll never be able to meet with everyone. It's a fine line you need to walk between quality & quantity.

If you discuss these 3 things every time, you should have a strong grasp of what your writers are working on at all times. Make sure the majority of your time is spent discussing the student's writing goal and how they plan to achieve it. (This is where I love to pull from the masters, like  Cynthia Rylant and utilize mentor texts).

Grab Free Writing Conference Forms Here!

 They're free and pretty - what more could you ask for? For personalized Conference Forms with the CCSS standards included, be sure to purchase one of my writing units!

Don't forget to enter our giveaway! AND check out the FAB Miss L's Blog for some seriously amazing tips for breaking up those November blues!








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Secrets for Teachers!

There are thousands of teacher secrets out there.  Let's be honest, with Pinterest, Teachers Blogs,  Instagram, etc... it feels like we've seen them all.  But implementing them all is a whole different beast. 

When teaching gives you lemons, how do you react?  How do you cope?  As we all know, teaching does get stressful.  Teaching does get hard.  And most of all, teaching does get frustrating.  Parents, data organization, observations, discipline, conferences, report cards, scheduling changes, school mandates, and on and on.  The things they never teach you in school.

My first reaction is to cry.  That's just how I cope.  Preferably in a corner where nobody can see me.  But then my second reaction {and absolutely the most appropriate of the two} is to grab my mentor teaching texts.  Such as Wondrous Words by Katie Wood Ray.  Or Still Learning to Read by Franki Siberson.

These are my lifelines.  My friends.  My confidants.  They remind me of what's important, what matters, and help me clear up or fix any problems.  When I'm stressed, I look to these guys to help me focus on what's important.  Or when a new school mandate frustrates me, I look to these guys to figure out how I'm going to make it work in my classroom.  I find solace in these books.  Their flagged pages, broken and unglued spines, highlighted quotes, notes in the margins, and folded down corners remind me of how far I've come as a teacher.  And how much further I have to go.  They help put me in my place.  And that is worth every penny I spend on them.

Typically, any problem I have can be solved by looking through these books.  Sometimes it takes time to find the right one, but it makes a difference.  Go to the Pros, and make it work for you.

After reaching for the Pros, I always always always keep as much of a routine in my classroom as I possibly can.  ALWAYS.   As Michael Linson mentions in this great article, routines remove the guesswork from the day.  A class that knows what to expect next will have fewer questions, fewer explanations necessary, and way higher productivity. I believe that sticking to a routine (even in those nutty, insane, May days) help my students exponentially.  EXPONENTIALLY! 

So now that I've shared some of my classroom secrets, what are your's?  How do routines help you?  Who are your favorite "GO TO" Pros?  Be sure to enter the giveaway below and follow the links for more secrets to teaching!!

 

Don't forget that we're hosting an AMAZING giveaway!  Enter BELOW!  

Just look at everything you could win!! 

Prize Bundle #1 Includes

Mountain Math/Language Resource of your Choice (up to $99.95)

$100 Gift Card to Teachers Pay Teachers

$50 Amazon Gift Card

Smart Class Website Designed by Flapjack Educational Resources

Pencil Sharpener by Classroom Friendly Supplies

Year-Long Writing Prompts by Mrs. D's Corner

Mentor Sentences Unit by Jivey

Dealing with Math Homework by Teacher's Clubhouse

Your Choice of Melonheadz Graphics (up to $7.00)

Growing Bundle Purposeful Problem Solving by Pawsitively Teaching

Pop Art Coloring Page for Seasons and Holidays by Art by Jenny K

Game Pack from Flap Jack Educational Resources

PLUS....$140 Gift Box of Fabulous Teacher Supplies sent to you from Amazon

We aren't even finished yet!!  Take a look at everything you can win!!

Prize Bundle #2 Includes

Mountain Math/Language Resource of your Choice (up to $99.95)

$100 Gift Card to Teachers Pay Teachers

$50 Amazon Gift Card

Smart Class Website Designed by Flapjack Educational Resources

Pencil Sharpener by Classroom Friendly Supplies

Year-Long Writing Prompts by Mrs. D's Corner

Mentor Sentences Unit by Jivey

Dealing with Math Homework by Teacher's Clubhouse

Your Choice of Melonheadz Graphics (up to $7.00)

Growing Bundle Purposeful Problem Solving by Pawsitively Teaching

Pop Art InteractiveColoring Page for Seasons and Holidays by Art by Jenny K

Mega Task Card Bundle from Flap Jack Educational Resources

PLUS....$140 Gift Box of Fabulous Teacher Supplies sent to you from Amazon

Be sure to enter both rafflecopters for a better chance at winning one of these amazing prize bundles!

Enter to Win Prize Bundle #1 Here

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Enter to Win Prize Bundle #2 Here

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You won't want to miss out on all the other great secrets being shared by successfull teachers!  Be sure to check out all the other great posts below.

An InLinkz Link-up

Teachers Are Heroes

 It's that time, again!  It's time for a SALE!  TpT is hosting another fab sale and everything in my store will be 28% off.

    

Changes

MIA I have been... but for good reason.  Sometimes change comes and forces it's way into our lives.  Whether we want it or not.  I have always been a huge planner.  I knew my 6 month plan, my 1 year plan, and my 5 year plan.  I knew what I wanted to do with my career.  I knew where I wanted to live.  I knew who I would spend my life with.  I thought I knew it all.

However, these past three months have taught me that sometimes your plans change.  And they're not at all what you would expect. (More to come about these, later).   But, what it means for my readers, is that some big changes are coming to Appleslices - for the better - due to these life changes!  I will be dropping by much more to share classroom tidbits, you can always drop by for Monday Letters (which will resume as a regular staple starting this Monday), and I'll be adding lots of new writing units to my TpT Store! (By the way, have you noticed that there is a 4th grade writing unit available now!?  Hooray!)

As for now, I'm going to stop planning, live my life, keep on TpT'ing, and pray that my new life will come together as it should!  I'm looking forward to it!  Thanks for sticking with me, friends!

5 Things I Said Before I Became a Teacher That Are Complete Bull

(5) Then - My students will all love each other and I will leave every day knowing they love me. 
Now - Will the kids leave every day knowing I love them?  Yes.  But will they always love me?  I'm afraid not.  And I'm okay with that.

(4) Then - I don't need to give grades.  Rubrics are the best.
Now - Ain't nobody got time for that.  Rubrics are great for big projects and assessments.  But for the every day math worksheet?  Sometimes a 5 out of 5 or a checkmark {or the recycling bin} is all I can manage.

(3) Then - I will spend at least an hour on each subject and I will set a timer so I don't run over.
Now - Oy.  Scheduling is the bane of my existence.  I barely have time for 50 minutes per subject.  And who has time to set a timer?!  And what if I remember to set one and the timer goes off and I'm not finished?  AH!  An hour-ish and miniiiii lessons will have to do.

(2) Then - I will differentiate every lesson I teach to make sure I reach every student.
Now - I will make sure my lesson is heard/seen/experienced by as many students as possible.  I will make it as engaging as possible, and when I see fit, I will differentiate.  Right there.  On the spot.  But not always before the lesson or on the weekends.  Because there are only 24 hours in a day people.

(1) Then - I will return all tests, papers, and work within three days of completion and with thorough feedback.
Now - HA!  Haahahhaha! HA!

Have any more to add?  Leave them below in the comments!

Monday Made It - Wooden Letters Remade!

Happy Monday Made It, friends!!  It's a rainy day and I'm all settled into our new city, Greenville, SC.

Tonight is the first meeting with my new 4th grade teaching team and I really wanted to bring something more than a bottle of wine and an app.  I racked my brain and finally decuded to try something I've been eyeing for a while- decorated wooden letters.  So I ran up to our nearest Michaels {the first of many trips I'm sure!} and grabbed these important materials {+ all the wooden letters I needed}.

  I'm looking forward to sharing these guys with my new team teachers and getting back into the groove of teaching!  What's the best teacher gift you've given or received?  Have a great week!

Informative Writing in the 5th Grade Classroom

Y'all- my 5th Writing Unit is up and on sale!  As of yesterday.  It is the most extensive product I have created yet and I'm so excited for it.  It took me over three months to develop and I am just happy it is all ready for 5th grade teachers to enjoy :)

 

If you're curious about what's included- don't you worry.  It has EVERYTHING you could possibly need to teach Informative Writing.

Lessons? Check!

Interactive notebook pages?  Check!

"How-To" PowerPoints that compliment the lessons?  Check!

Multiple examples of Informative Writing?  Check! 

Pages to track student data?  Check!

AND SO.MUCH.MORE!

I hope you're intrigued :)  Hop on over to my lil old store and check it out!