Ideas to Keep Kids Engaged This Summer

Welcome to the Fishing For Ideas Extravaganza!!
Here's a great link up hosted by Robin Sellers of Sweet Tea Classroom! Several super education bloggers are working together from June 14th through June 20th--that's Flag Day through the first day of Summer and includes Father's Day and Fishing Day in between. 
Check out lots of special teaching resources, giveaways, sales at our Teachers Pay Teachers stores, sales at our Teachers Notebook stores, freebies, and more. 
Are you ready to go fishing for ideas?

                              

Swing by to check out several NEWLY added items in my Teacher's Notebook Shop! They are on sale through the 20th! Some of the ON SALE Items are below, but check out the others in my TN Shop!

First Person Point of View (From an ANIMAL'S Point fo View!)

Teach Personification with Creative Writing!!

                                           

Grab This Holiday Item Now Instead of Paying FULL Price Later!

Writing Prompt Part 1 of 2 Parts--BOTH on Sale!

SmartNotebook for Reviewing Parts of a Sentence and Functions!

Student Printable of Above Notebook Item!
For those without Smartboards  or to use with the Notebook File!

           
  Also, you can grab multiple FREE teaching resources in my TN or TPT Stores! Hope you enjoy!

      

Swing by other blogs participating in 

the FISHING EXTRAVAGANZA below! Have Fun!

Every Teacher Loves Freebies, So....

You would be absolutely crazy not to check out Kids Cog Works' Blog Post which provides lists of AWESOME Blog Pages with FREE RESOURCES!! How great is that for a go to source? Adrianne Meldrum is the author of Kids Cog Works! She has amazing ideas! Visit her blog, and definitely bookmark and share her post!!   Visit her on Facebook too!

Adrianne, thanks for this ULTIMATE FREEBIES LIST!! 

FYI: There are 20 FREEBIE PAGES by some spectacular teachers and bloggers! Who knows the actual number of FREE items!!! Too many to count, that's for sure.... 

Adrianne also wrote an awesome guest post on my blog titled "Ka Pow!" Check it out!!I promise that you'll enjoy it!

Do you have a freebies page on your blog? I'd love for you to let me know that you stopped by and visited her post! What did you think?

Regards,

 

An Innovative TpT Teacher-Author You Should Get to Know...

Heidi Befort of Globicate!

What grade level(s) and/or subject(s) are you currently teaching? What grade levels have you taught prior to this year?

4^th/5^th Multiage

If currently in the classroom, how long have you been teaching? If not still in classroom, how long did you teach?             

10 Years

When did you join Teachers Pay Teachers as a Seller? What made you decide to become a seller?

I originally joined Tpt to sell some classroom books and activities, but decided to do units and activities that I thought went along with my blog or that I was working on in the classroom.  I'm a work in progress and continue to refine and hopefully improve my items.

One piece of advice you can give to a beginning teacher & one piece for a veteran teacher:

Hang in there, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and be dynamic for your students!

Something unique about you both as a teacher and outside of the classroom:

I'm a National Board Certified Teacher, and I have a Master in Elementary Education, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing...I'm a registered nurse and worked for 15 years at the bedside before driving a school bus, and getting my teaching certificate!

TpT Store Link:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Heidi-Befort-globicate


A particular product you'd like to share?
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Go-Figure-Figurative-Language-Unit

Blog: http://www.globicate.com

What other bio information would you like to share?

I'm happily married to Wayne for 25 years, have 3 children...a daughter who is a nurse in Texas, a daughter who is a Peace Corps Volunteer and teaches Secondary English, and a son who is majoring in Electrical Engineering at ASU, my alma mater!  I love photography, flowers, camping, and blogging!

Are there any other sites you’d like posted for others to access?

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Globicate/150891008326206?ref=ts

Twitter: @Globicate

https://twitter.com/?emcamp=news_20110131&userid=24883373#!/Globicate

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/globicate/

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If you are interested in being a featured Innovative TpT Teacher-Author on my Blog, please fill out the entry form just under the tabs at the top of my blog! Thanks so much!
Regards,
Ann Marie Smith

Rated a Top Ten!! See These Top Ten Rated Blogs...

A Fabulous Fellow Teacher/Blogger, Louise Morgan of The Frugal Teacher, awarded me the "Rated a Top Ten" Blog Award!! Thank you very much, Louise! I am honored and have only waited a week to post because I just passed along the "Lovely Blog" award...didn't want to "toot my own horn" too much! Again, Thanks Louise at The Frugal Teacher. Teachers, check out her blog!  I have chosen some spectacular blogs that most of you may be familiar with but felt as though they should definitely be sporting some "My Blog is Rated a Top 10" Bling....as they are definitely 10's!! They are as follows:

Terri's Teaching Treasures

Hunger Games Lessons by Tracee Orman

Jennifer Runde of Runde's Room

Sally's Elementary Matters

Mrs. J's 5th Grade Chalk Talk

A Middle School Survival Guide

The Polka Dot Owl

Leanne Baur's Teaching Tales

Lorraine Vasquez's Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies

A Modern Teacher

Please Stop by TBA's Blog for Award Details and Grab Your Award to Post on Your Blog!
Have a great Friday and Weekend!! Happy St. Patrick's Day (early...)--Wear you green!!!

And the Lovely Blog Award Goes To...

I received the Lovely Blog Award, THREE TIMES this weekend!! How wonderful is that? A BIG "Thank You" to Rebecca of The Teacher's Chatterbox , Andrea of One Teacher's Take, and Dani of It's Grow Time for passing this award along to me! Please visit all of these great teaching blogs!

Here are the rules for the Lovely Blog Award:

1. Link back to the blogger who gave it to you.

2. Pass the award onto 15 followers.

3. Follow the person who sent it to you.

Here are a few blogs that inspire me!

1.    Lessons from the Middle
2.    Addie Education: Teacher Talk
3.    Teacher Park
4.    JD's Rockin' Readers
5.    Raki's Rad Resources
6.    The Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher
7.    Ms. Jordan Reads: Reading. Writing. Thinking. Sharing.
8.    Fun to Teach ESL
9.    Classroom Magic
10.    Simple Steps to Sentence Sense by Charlene Tess
11.    Make, Take, and Teach
12.    Globicate
13.    Teaching Tweens
14.    Treasures for Teaching
15.    Teaching Tales

My apologies if any of my lovely blog choices above has already received this award in the time I picked blogs and the time I posted! I must say it took me a while to choose 15 and link them all up after making sure they hadn't already received the award!  Please stop by these "lovely" blogs and find tons of neat ideas, lessons, etc!

Happy Blogging Everyone!

Innovative TpT Seller You Should Get to Know...

Mary Lirette of  

Mrs. Lirettes’s Learning Detectives!

What grade level(s) and/or subject(s) are you currently teaching? What grade levels have you taught prior to this year?        

Currently, I am teaching 2nd grade- previously taught kindergarten and first…

If currently in the classroom, how long have you been teaching? If not still in classroom, how long did you teach?                 

This is my 6th year!

When did you join Teachers Pay Teachers as a Seller? What made you decide to become a seller?

I joined Tpt at the end of November 2011.  I have always enjoyed sharing my creations with others.  Many of my colleagues and friends recommended that I make my creations available to everyone on Tpt.  I finally caved in and joined. I have had such a wonderful experience with it so far!

One piece of advice you can give to a beginning teacher & one piece for a veteran teacher:

Regardless of where you are in your teaching career, it is important not to get discouraged when things do not go as planned in your classroom.  It happens to all of us.  Our job is not easy.  It is so important to be flexible with your teaching because you never know what is going to happen!

Something unique about you both as a teacher and outside of the classroom:

In the classroom, I am that highly energetic teacher that looks quite silly most of the time.  I sing, dance, dress up, make up jingles to remember things, stand on chairs, etc.- whatever it takes to get my students interested and engaged!

Outside of the classroom, I am the complete opposite!  I am calm and reserved.  I much prefer to stay home and read a good book or watch a movie than go out for a night on the town.

TpT Store Link:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mary-Lirette

Blog: http://mrsliretteslearningdetectives.blogspot.com

If you like, please leave a link to one of your best selling products here:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/American-Government-Local-State-National

What other bio information would you like to share?

I am a southern girl from Tennessee. I am happily married to the love of my life and am the proud mother of a two-year-old daughter named Gracie.  I love spending time with my family and my two cats, Hercules and Xena.  Also, I love to get my hands on a good book!  I dabble in organic gardening, and spend most of my spare time these days surfing the internet, stalking blogs and Pinterest for creative ideas to incorporate into my classroom!

Are there any other sites you’d like posted for others to access?

Mrs. Lirette’s Learning Detectives:  http://mrsliretteslearningdetectives.blogspot.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/mrsliretteslearningdetectives

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MrsLirette  @MrsLirette

Networked Blogs: http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/mrs-lirettes-learning-detectives

TpT: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mary-Lirette

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/marylirette/

________________________________________________________

Thank you, Mary Lirette, for participating!

If you are interested in others getting to know more about you, feel free to fill out the google doc under my heading/tabs or here: Innovative TpT Seller to Get to Know

Regards,

It's Blog Hoppin Tuesday!!!

I think I'm addicted to Link Ups!!!Join in on all the Blog Hopping Happening!!! You must be a memeber and have a badge on your page somewhere, but that's all!! Don't Miss Out!!Happy New Year Blog Hopping!Regards,

Get to Know this TpT Teacher-Author...

GO FIGURE With SCIPI

What grade level(s) and/or subject(s) are you currently teaching? What grade levels have you taught prior to this year?

      College—I have either taught every grade, observed student teachers, or supervised teachers of a grade...

If currently in the classroom, how long have you been teaching? If not still in classroom, how long did you teach?         

      Together, this is my husband’s and my 70^th year! And we are both still teaching because we love it!

When did you join Teachers Pay Teachers as a Seller? What made you decide to become a seller?

       I do many workshops and create materials for them.  My partner "in crime," my workshop partner, suggested I try to sell things on TPT.

One piece of advice you can give to a beginning teacher & one piece for a veteran teacher:      

       Never judge a student by his/her appearance.  There is potential in each one.

Something unique about you both as a teacher and outside of the classroom:

       When I worked for the public school system, I was a math resource teacher for ten years.  For three years, I worked at the school where the visually impaired were assigned.  I loved trying to think of how to make a math concept "visual" for them.  I also worked three years with the hearing impaired, and had to learn to work with an interpreter.  Both experiences stretched me as a teacher.

TpT Store Link: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Scipi

Blog:  http://gofigurewithscipi.blogspot.com/

One of your best selling product links:

Http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Number-Tiles-Hands-On-Math-Activities-for-the-Primary-Grades

What other bio information would you like to share?

       I love gardening - it's my therapy.  I love to read.  I am a breast cancer survivor of eight years, and I wasn't supposed to make it.  Miracles still happen!

Thank you for participating, Scipi!!

Regards,

Ann Marie

Get Your Free Read Alouds eBook Right Here! - The Organized Classroom Blog

Get Your Free Read Alouds eBook Right Here! - The Organized Classroom Blog

     This awesome product is from Charity Preston at The Organized Classroom Blog! She's offering it for free; All you do is "Pay with a Tweet," and you can download it!!

     Charity is Awesome!! If I haven't mentioned before, she has the greatest video course "Teaching Blog Traffic School" ---which I highly recommend as well! Find out more at Teaching Blog Traffic School ---You will be glad you did it!

     I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful break and has had a beautiful holiday!! The sun is FINALLY out (no more rain) so I'm headed outdoors!!

Regards,

Ann Marie Smith

Edublog Awards!

Announcing the 2011 Winners – Congrats to All!

Just a taste of the winners...

Best New Blogs:

• Tech With Intention
• Speech Room News by Jenna Rayburn
• Kleinspiration by Erin Klein
• All 4 My Child
• Drydent Art by Tricia Fuglestad

See all of the winners at the link above! Congratulations to you all! I hope you spend some time visiting these blogs; I surely will!  

Regards,

Ann Marie Smith

Get to Know this TpT Teacher-Author...

Kathy Ellison at Info & Lit!

What grade level(s) and/or subject(s) are you currently teaching? What grade levels have you taught prior to this year?  

Grades 5-6 but have taught ALL grades nursery through 12

If currently in the classroom, how long have you been teaching? If not still in classroom, how long did you teach?           

                                       Twenty Years!

When did you join Teachers Pay Teachers as a Seller? What made you decide to become a seller?    

I'm a school librarian and technology teacher at a 5th and 6th grade intermediate school.  I partner with the classroom teacher and have to present things to them that work for their teaching style.  Some of my teachers are very project oriented and are focused on helping their kids create a finished product that they can be proud of.  Along the way, their kids are learning great life skills like how to follow an idea to completion.  Other teachers are more focused on the process.  They like to watch their students collaborate, have fun, and work an idea through until they stop feeling engaged in the learning process.  Both points of view are valid. 

I love creating ideas that work for my colleagues!  I really enjoy making the resources that we use look fresh and appealing and have certainly been tested out in lots of different classrooms.

And, realistically, librarians are on the chopping block in a lot of schools. I was on the chopping block last year.  I may be again this year.  But this the time when librarians are so important in helping kids learn the skills that they need to filter information.  I'd like to think that what I'm sharing is helping kids in other schools learn these valuable life skills. 

One piece of advice you can give to a beginning teacher & one piece for a veteran teacher:     

            Believe in yourself.  Teaching is a really hard job where many people will criticize the work that you do, even when you're doing a great job! 

            Make yourself a "COMPLIMENTS" folder in your e-mail account or another file and throw the compliments and thank you notes in there so that they will be a place that you can turn to when you're having a bad day.

Something unique about you both as a teacher and outside of the classroom:

            Every year I get to run a school-wide SALMON RAISING and RELEASE program.  From January to March I'm responsible for 1,000 little baby salmon that incubate in a tank right outside our library.  Then all of the students go down to the stream right behind our school and release their salmon fry. 

            I love living in the Pacific Northwest!!!

TpT Store Link: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Info-Lit-Resource-Kit

Blog:    http://infoandlit.blogspot.com/

One of your best selling product links: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wikipedia-The-Game-Power-Point-version

What other bio information would you like to share?

Four-year-old son named Andrew!

Ball State University grad!

Thank you for Kathy for participating!

Regards,

I Received the Sunshine Award from Vicky at Scipi!!!

A very big THANK YOU to Vicky at Scipi for nominating me for the Sunshine Award!! 

She has truly been great in advising me and encouraging me as a TpT seller. Thank you, Vicky!   Vicky, aka Scipi, has a super teaching blog! Check it out! 

For the Sunshine Award, I was to post my answers to the following questions:

•            What is your favorite color?

              Hard to answer: Purple, Cobalt Blue, Red

•            What is your favorite animal?

              Again more than 1 answer: 

               I Have 5 Dogs & a Kitten, so...Dogs & Cats

•            What is your favorite number?

              I guess 4; 4 quarters makes $1, 4.0 is a perfect rating  on TpT and a perfect score on the state writing test; 4 seasons in a year, and I could keep going...

•           Facebook or Twitter?   

              Facebook

•            Your Passion?

              Besides teaching, I find peace and "stress therapy" (lol) in painting, and gardening! 

•            Giving or Getting Presents?

              Giving....but it's fun to unwrap too! I am a kid at heart!

•            Favorite Day?

                  Saturday is my favorite weekDAY; Christmas is my favorite holiDAY; that first warm weather day at the end of Winter/beginning of Spring is another favorite DAY of the year! I always catch that Spring Fever!!! 

      I get to pass this award along to other fabulous blogs. Two blogs and people I think "Shine" and so receive the Sunshine Award from me are:

       *Teacher Park by Ruth Spears

       *Wise Owl Factory by Carolyn Wilhelm

      Both of these ladies are gracious in sharing ideas, supporting fellow TpT Sellers, providing advice and/or comments via TpT forums, Facebook, etc. I have gained invaluable knowledge and inspiration from visiting their blogs, observing their techniques, and seeing their wonderful ideas! They have lots to share on their blogs, inspiring teachers everywhere!