$60 to TpT Giveaway!

Want to win $60 to TpT!? I won a $10 gift card on TpT to share... and I thought to myself, $10 is never enough.  So I added $50 of my own just to make it an extra delicious offer. Want to enter? Go for it, below!

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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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Drumroll Please....

The winners of our giveaways are..........

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kelly-Anne-Appleslices

HUGE thank you to all who entered! Please stop by my store for some deals, everyone is a winner!

Hurry! Giveaway Ends Tonight!

Have you entered yourself in our giveaway!? It ends tonight at midnight! Be sure to join us for your chance to win some great prizes!! Hop on over to Instagram or enter below! Visit The Hungry Teacher and Miss L's Busy Bees for more chances to enter!!

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Teaching Writing to 6th Graders

Teaching writing in general is HARD.  Teaching it to 6th graders.  Who don't want to write.  And who are, well, 6th graders, is a completely different challenge.  Luckily I've made it simple for you.  Like, lesson plans every day.  All materials provided.  And they're fun!  You'll finally enjoy writing,  they'll finally enjoy writing, and you'll see growth!  I promise!  Check out my 6th grade writing curriculum and go ahead and enter the giveaway I'm hosting right now!  Win a unit and try it out for yourself!

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Argumentative Writing Lesson Plans for 6th Graders + Giveaway!

If you're on the East Coast then you probably are still swimming to work. This rain has been absurd. Every time I look at the weather, I swear it's a constant sea of green, yellow, or red.  We're definitely ready for some sunshine. Luckily I'm not in any danger, but many around me are. That's why 50% of my Argument Writing Unit sales, from today until next Wednesday (Oct. 14), will go directly to those who have been effected by the storms.

 
Which leads me to... my newest writing unit!! Just for 6th grade teachers- this unit shows you how to teach argument writing and has EVERYTHING you could ever need. Seriously.

In fact, I'll be giving away one of these units to a few lucky teachers! All you need to do is enter below!

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Monday Letters // NF Text Giveaway

Happy Monday teachers!

With report cards around the corner, the classroom stresses get a little more overwhelming.  I'm definitely feeling it, as you can see from my desk this week!  

Anyone else feeling like this is your life right now?

How would you love to have some nonfiction texts to help you out and save you time?   These Nonfiction Leveled texts are just what you need.  Be sure to check out the amazing giveaway, below, sponsored by the adorably fab The Sweetest Thing!  

And of course, it's time for our Monday Letters!  

Dear Classroom Floor, I apologize for all the crayons that were ground into you today.  It was apparently the only thing that calmed our sweet friend whose anger was off the charts.  Thank you for providing a calming, therapeutic effect... Even if the beautiful crayons had to suffer.  {Time to repurpose some crayong pieces!!}

Dear Beautiful Weather,  I am looking the cool/warm combo we've got going on.  Scarf and boots in the morning?  Please!  Short sleeves in the afternoon?  Bring on the suntan!!  Please don't go away Southern Fall :)

Dear Bottle of Wine, Big Bang Theory, and Purple Pen,  You're about to make a daily presence in my life as report cards come tumbling up all too soon.  Thank you for always being there for me as I grade 3,928 pieces of paper that I've procrastinated over for the past few weeks.  

Dear New Mac Book, WHYWHYWHY did I wait so long to make the switch to a Mac?  5 minutes in on my newest TpT product and there's no going back!!  Have you made the switch?  What did you think?

Inspired by Elle & Co., Monday Letters is a weekly installment where I write four letters each week.  Two letters are to my classroom or are school related.  The other two are for anything else in my world during that week. 

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The Hungry Teacher Giveaway!

Hey teachers friends!

Do you know Mrs. Cahill over at the Hungry Teacher? She is celebrating her adorable new blog design and is hosting a great giveaway!  You could win $25 to TpT, her Back to School Packs, and my entire 5th Grade writing Units bundle.  What are you waiting for?  Go check it out!

$100 to TpT! Will You Win?

It's Monday!  Monday always comes so quickly.  Just like the end of our giveaway... less than 4 hours to go!!  Be sure to enter for your chance to win some great prizes... $100 to TpT, an adorable custom pencil by TallahasseeSunday, and fab products by some of my fave bloggers.

Seriously, you don't want to miss this one!

Back to today... I've had quite the Monday y'all.  And you know what Monday means on AppleSlices... Monday Letters!

Dear whoever scheduled a day of training and progress reports due the same day... Seriously?  Don't you realize sub plans and this teacher's cup now runneth over?  It was a 12 hour school day + Dominoes Delivery for sure. 

Dear bright pink paper airplane flying through the classroom... why are you in the air?  Shaped like an airplane?  During reading?  Where did you even come from?  Seriously?

Dear crisp cool weather... You were a much welcomed friend this weekend.  Add a few cups of tea, a scarf or two, and some boots.  I'm ready for you!

Dear Dominoes... Thank you for your gluten free pizza loaded with mushrooms, banana peppers, and onions.  You make me one happy eater! 

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Inspired by Elle & Co., Monday Letters is a weekly installment where I write four letters each week.  Two letters are to my classroom or are school related.  The other two are for anything else in my world during that week.

Huge Milestone Giveaway!

Y'all- it is time to celebrate!!  I am SO excited to share with you that I have reached a new milestone.  To make the most of it, I have joined together with some amazing bloggers to host a great giveaway!!

You could win $100 to TpT, a beautifully custom painted pencil from TallahasseeSunday, and some AMAZING products from some of the top sellers on TpT!

Check it out and enter, below, friends!

  

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$25 to TpT + Monday Letters

You could WIN $25 to TpT... below!  Seriously, have you entered yet??  It ends at 11:59 tonight!!

Before you enter below, or after- if it's reaching 11:59 pm and you want to meet the deadline, I wouldn't blame you,or if you are scared you'll forget.  I'm not judging. But make sure you come back!  Have y'all heard of Elle & Co.?  She's not a teacher- but she shares the sweetest phone backgrounds {for free!} once a week.  They are all full of inspiration, prayer, and beautiful designs. She also has a fun thing she does once a week, where she writes 2 quick letters to her husband and then 2 random letters to whatever else is on her heart.  I love this idea and plan to begin sharing 4 letters on Monday... 2 to my classroom and then 2 to be determined receivers. 

Click on the picture or here to grab this background!

So here goes my first four letters...

New Classroom... you are still all covered with sheets and have a freshly polished floor.  Who knows how long that shiny floor will last {not long!}. You do not know what to expect of this year with this new-to-you teacher and her class of 4th graders.  We look forward to many excursions in and out your door, tears {of happiness and sadness} shed on your floor, hundreds of books read in our heads and aloud, and hopefully very little vomit, boogers, and other 4th grade things shared with you. 

Soon to be 4th Graders... You do not now what to expect of 4th grade, what your new teacher will be like, what the expectations will be, what the schedule will hold.  Have no fear, I am just as nervous as you!  Those butterflies in your tummy are just like the butterflies in mine!  Sure I know the expectations and the schedule, but I do not know what our year will hold.  How exciting that what you will teach me and what we will learn together is still a mystery that we will get to solve together! 

Fabulous College Friends... It was amazing seeing you ladies this weekend in Savannah!  I love that we pick up right where we left off.  You take me right back to how it was when we were still 21, living in our cruddy apartment, eating ramen for dinner, always with a glass of cheap {boxed} wine to share.  Thank goodness for our new-found cooking abilities and our love for early nights.  We are friends who truly laugh together.  

New home... Today is our first day together as your new renters.  We look forward to filling you with our home-things {which we haven't seen for 18 months!} and getting to set you up and make you your own!  In this week of so much new-ness, we thank you for the shelter you will provide over this coming year and the stability of "home" you will give us travelers! 

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My Favorite Things!

Happy Sunday sweet friends!  I am SO excited to be linking up with some great bloggers to share our Favorite Items for starting the school year!  Not to mention, there are some seriously FAB prizes to be had!  Please make sure you check it all out :)

So what are your must-have, cannot-live-without, items for going back to school?

For me, I cannot live without my binders.  I have a binder for EVERYTHING and everything has it's place in a binder :) {And I just have to share, I am not an organized person, but this system works for me.}

Anecdotals?  Yup!
Reading notes?  Yup!
Writing notes?  Yup!

And it goes on and on. 

I always assign my students a number- like so many other great teachers out there.  It saves times and money every year since I can just keep the numbers the same and switch out my tiny little list. 

the list

For if you're feeling not-so-rich...

For if you're feeling rich...

And then each tab in my binder(s) is numbered!  All you have to do is find the student's number and insert their work.  Easy peasy!  Let's be honest- it's is all about working smarter, not harder, if we want to keep our heads above the water.  Would I go around numbering student desks?  NO.  But some things are just better being numbered :)

And NOW, for the fun stuff!  First of all, see that ugly label on my binder up there?  I'm going for longevity this year in my classroom.  I want to make binders that can last over the years.  That little Guided Reading label will just not cut it.  So I made these guys below.  Binder labels, numbers, and a numbered class list.  Grab them from dropbox, here!  I plan on laminating, and gluing or taping these guys on.  {I would have pictures BUT my stuff is still locked away in Storage for another week.  Waaaaahh!}

AND WAIT!  It gets even better... be sure to enter below to possibly win all sorts of goodies!  Be sure to visit all 30+ of us participating to see all there is to see!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Paying it Forward { + Blog Hop & Giveaway }

We teachers know all about journeys.  Many of us are getting ready to journey back to our classrooms to prepare for the new school year.  Each school year becomes a journey of sorts, with its own set of students, challenges, and rewards.

We teachers also know all about support.   Year after year, we give so much of ourselves to help our students learn, build confidence in their abilities, and empower them to become the future our world needs.  We also support our fellow teachers, our families, our communities.  In the midst of it all, it becomes easy to forget that, simply put, teachers touch lives.
 Every. Single. Day.

Graphics credit to Melonheadz;  Font credits to Hello Literacy, Miss Tiina, and DJ Inkers.  Thanks to Joey Udovich for designing!

While many of us are thinking of back-to-school, the sweet Jen Bengel and her family have been preparing for a journey of another kind.  They will soon be traveling to Uganda to adopt a child!  Check out Jen’s blog post HERE! (Prepare to be inspired, y'all!)

A number of fellow teacher-bloggers have joined forces to offer a measure of support to Jen and her family as they prepare for their special journey.  Each of us has chosen a resource from our store that, between now and August 31, a portion of each sale’s proceeds will be donated to Jen’s adoption fund!

This is the resource I have chosen:

Between now and August 31, I pledge to donate $2 of each sale of this resource to Jen’s adoption fund.

Hop around to the blogs featured below to see what my friends are pledging!

Apple Slices

Apples & ABC's
Beyond the Worksheet
Crafting Connections
Create Teach Share
Flapjack Education
Learning with Mrs. S
Miss V's Busy Bees
One Stop Teacher Shop
Tales of a Teacher
Teaching Trio
The Teacher Desk 6

We hope you will find this to be a win-win opportunity, where you can purchase some great resources for the upcoming school year, knowing that you are supporting a meaningful cause at the same time!

Note that Jen also has a fundraising bundle available at her store. Don’t miss checking this out, too!

Finally, to make it worth your time to check out all the resources, we are also hosting a raffle giveaway!  The winner of the giveaway will score a great prize package, full of resources from our team – just in time for BTS!

From me, the giveaway winner will receive a notepad of their choice from my store,
shipped to their home or school!:

So, hop around, check out some fantastic resources, support a cause, touch a life!

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Monday Meet Up & Beating the Summer Slide GIVEAWAY!

I am very excited to share two fun things with you today!  1)  I'm linking up with The Teaching Tribune today for their Monday Meet Up to share one of my BBB, Martina from Mrs. Cahill's Class.  You can find her blog over at The Hungry Teacher! and 2)  I'm hosting a quick giveaway with the fab Martina!  Learn more below :)

 

How do you beat the Summer Slide?  I love sending books home with students and even some math games.  A few years ago I pulled together some games that reviewed the toughest math concepts for 4th graders.  I sent them home with my sweet learners for the summer, praying and hoping that they would use them.  Some did and some didn't. When they came back to me in 5th grade (I looped up with them!) it was obvious to me who had been practicing (you know how it is...).  Basic skills and concepts came so much quicker and easier if practiced over the Summer months.  Fractions and decimals are SO tricky... what better way to review the most important skills than a few fun math games!?  My Summer Math Games Packets has gotten a MAJOR uplift this past weekend.  If you own it, please be sure to re-download everything to get a NEW math game and updated pages.  If you don't own it, be sure to enter our GIVEAWAY for a chance to win it, any product from my store, Almost Summer Math Centers from Mrs. Cahill's TpT Store!!

Enter below!!  The giveaway ends tonight at midnight though, so be sure to jump on it!

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