0 I'm Back & I've Been Booking Across the USA

You’ve probably wondered where I’ve been for so long now…I’ve been up to my eyeballs in projects and other “teacher” stuff, but today I get to share with you the biggest project I have been working on!

 I am a huge fan of children’s literature – I don’t know many teachers who aren’t - and I have been working with an amazing group of bloggers on the project Booking across the USA!

I am so excited to share this project with you…and use it in my classroom.  What a better way to share the United States with our kids than through literature!?  I am in LOVE!

At first I thought this was going to be an easy project, find a book that features a person or place in your state, and create a unit or activity about it. Ha – was I wrong!!  There are tons of great books about North Carolina and the people who live here. So I decided to choose a “theme” of sorts.  I chose the Wright Brothers because I believe that children learn social studies and science best by reading authentic literature – it is easier for them to connect the material with their own experiences & because there are a ton of great books at all reading levels about the Wright Brothers. 

The book I am featuring is the Newbery Medal Winner The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane.

These activities can be used with any book about the Wright Brothers. You can download these by clicking on the picture below.

The materials that I have for you are:

• Ran (Reading & Analyzing Non-Fiction) Graphic Organizer
• Comprehension Response - Poetry Activity
• Be an Inventor Writing Assignment
• Making Words Activity
• Achievement Award

I loved this project so much that I created a whole literacy unit about the Wright Brothers that you can find at my TpT store.

Below are links to the other blogs participating in this great project! Please make sure to head over to their blogs read about their featured book and activities.

Alabama: Everyday Snapshots

Alaska: Little Wonders’ Days 

Arizona: Simply Kinder 

Arkansas: Homeschooling in Arkansas 

California: Juggling with Kids and The Outlaw Mom 

Colorado: Learners in Bloom and Living Montessori Now 

Connecticut: The Teacher Park 

Delaware: Mama Miss 

Florida: Teaching Stars 

Georgia: Fabulously First 

Hawaii: Teaching With Style 

Idaho: True Aim Education 

Illinois: Growing Book by Book

Indiana: Teach Preschool

Iowa: Surviving a Teacher's Salary 

Kansas: KCEdventures 

Kentucky: Chicken Babies 

Louisiana: New Orleans Moms Blog 

Maine: Maine Adventure Mom and Country Fun Child Care 

Maryland: Picture Books and Piourettes 

Massachusetts: Mama Smiles 

Michigan: Play DrMom 

Minnesota: The Wise Owl Factory 

Mississippi: Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk 

Missouri- Ready. Set. Read! 

Montana: The Honey Bunch 

Nebraska: The Good Long Road 

Nevada: Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts

New Hampshire: Elementary Matters 

New Jersey: The Pleasantest Thing 

New Mexico: Enchanted Homeschooling Mom 

New York: What Do We Do All Day 

North Carolina: Realistic Teacher Blog  (Look Mom, it's me!!  Yes, my hand is waving wildly in the air!)

North Dakota: ND HealthWorks 

Ohio: Smart Chick Teacher’s Blog 

Oklahoma: Herding Kats in Kindergarten 

Oregon: Journey of a Substitute Teacher 

Pennsylvania: Land of Once Upon a Time

Rhode Island: Smiling in Second Grade 

South Carolina: Cookies and Kiddos and JDaniel4’s Mom 

South Dakota: The Wise Owl Factory 

Tennessee: No Monkey Business

Texas: Curls and a Smile and Kid World Citizen 

Utah: Teach Beside Me 

Vermont: Burlington Vt Moms Blog 

Virgina: Once Upon a Story, and The Freckled Homeschooler 

Washington: Home Learning Journey and Boy Mama Teacher Mama 

West Virginia: This Week @ Great Peace Academy and Mamas Like Me 

Wisconsin: Reading Confetti 

Wyoming: No Twiddle Twaddle 

USA: The Corner on Character

Oh – don’t go yet!  I forgot to share the two great giveaways that are being featured as a part of Booking across the USA!  Growing Book by Book by Jodie (yes, she is the amazing creator of this project) is having to two amazing giveaways.  You can enter the first one – for a 3 month subscription to USA Little Passports from Little Passports -  on February 25^th.  Her second giveaway is on February 26^thfor a United States Bingo Game from eeBo. Talk about adding some great materials to your social studies curriculum!  Make sure you head over to Jodie’s blog and enter those giveaways – today & tomorrow!

Hope you enjoy all of the great books and activities – make sure you share – pin, like, or just send a teacher friend “links” to all these great activities.

Smooches!

~Realistic

Detail: I'm Back & I've Been Booking Across the USA

0 Missing in Action...My FREEBIE Apology

I know I have been missing in action for awhile now...I have been super busy!!  It is my track out (year-rounders you understand so skip the explanation).  Track out is approximately 3 weeks that year-round teachers and students receive every (approximately) 9 weeks during our year-round schedule.  It is often confusing, but to us, it is our "mini" summer break.  Anywho - I am rejuvinating (reading, spending extra time with my family, cleaning, etc.) and working on some really fun projects.

In exchange for your forgiveness, I offer you this freebie!  It is a poster that I created for my classroom to remind students of group expectations when we return.  I have not used this and am not claiming the idea...I've seen tons of other teachers use the same acronym, but if you like it, please head over to my TPT store and download it for free.

Please enjoy it....and forgive me...

Smooches!
~Realistic

Detail: Missing in Action...My FREEBIE Apology

0 Manic Monday Management Freebie & 5 for Five

Sweet – it is the last Monday of my track in!! Next Monday I will be taking youngest Realistic son to school and heading back home to snuggle in my comfy bed!  But, this week I have tons to accomplish before I can “shut down” my overactive brain!

So, let’s get started right away with my 5 for Five list!  Yes, my favorite Monday tradition thanks to Jenn and Jessica. 

The results are in and 3 out of 5 isn’t bad…but I’ll looking for better stats next week!

1.  Reschedule that massage. Yep – the appointment is Thursday & I can’t wait!

2.  Make those dentist and doctors appointments.  NASA, we have a problem…. we went from if only they would call me back to….”what, you don’t participate with my insurance and want $220?!?”  No, thanks.  I’ll get a different referral.  Ugh – seriously!!!

3.  Blog at least 3 times.  Check – done!

4.  Work on my North Carolina book project.  Well, kind of…I have the book, I’ve got some ideas planned, but I have nothing officially checked off the list.  Okay – track out is here, so that is on my long list of will do’s!

5.  Get to the gym – twice. Yes! Thanks to my great workout friends – shout out to you Zumba ladies – who inspire me and call me names if I don’t go.  Yes, that is what besties do!!

So, here is what I have on my list for this week…

1.  Schedule those dentist and doctors appointments.  I’ll be relentless, I’ll call, I’ll be demanding (in my sweetest voice), I won’t rest until I get an answer!!

2.  Get to the gym – twice.  I’m going to keep this on my list until it becomes a habit again!

3.  Have my classroom packed up and ready by Tuesday afternoon so that the teacher who tracks into that room is not overwhelmed with my current chaos.  It is so hard for people to move into cluttered and dirty rooms!!  I promise I won’t be “that” teacher!

4.  Make sure my kids have math and reading assignments to work on during track out and they are ready to be sent home with my kids on Tuesday.

5.  Schedule a facial.  I don’t know exactly when I became old; but my skin feels like it needs some pampering…so I am assuming it has finally “aged”.  Ummm…not sure when this happened – where was I during this process?

Yayyy – you’ve done it – you’ve reached the end of my list.  Hopefully you gathered some great ideas and will share some with me.  What are you doing this week?  Does your week look a little like mine, or are we absolute twins!?

And, yes, finally, a Manic Monday freebie.  I created an I'm a Great Kid Behavior Checklist to use with some of my babies when I come back to help them remember the daily expectations during literacy and math.  We’ve got our anchor charts and review daily expectations, but these guys (and gals) just need a little more.  They need to be able to check each little box to see they are successful! 

I plan on making the copies front to back and posting it on their clipboards.  I know they will love it….and it will provide me with some great data about their most problematic behaviors and which times of day are most difficult for them (that part I already know, but the more information the better!).

Happy Monday peeps!

Detail: Manic Monday Management Freebie & 5 for Five

0 Friday Test Prep Freebie

We are working on test taking strategies in my classroom this week…well, we have been for a few weeks.  I want my kids to have the strategies to do well on their quarterly assessments.  Some of them get so stressed that they can’t even thing straight.  I feel so bad for them.  So, I have been teaching them the same strategies that I used with my seventh and fifth graders.

I’ve modified it so that it is much more kid friendly.  Actually, I can’t remember where I learned these tips – it was before blogging and Pinterest, but I’m sure it was online somewhere.  If it was you, please let me know so I can give credit where it is due!!

I think when students get these tests they are so focused on answering the questions that they skim the reading passage and head straight to the questions.  I’ve tried to teach my kids to slow down and think about each step in the process.  Hopefully these posters will help them.  The adorable backgrounds are from Fun for Learning.  Make sure you head over to my store and pick up your freebies.

 I hope that your week was simply amazing!

Detail: Friday Test Prep Freebie

0 5 for Five & Manic Monday Main Idea Freebie

How many of you are lucky enough to have the day off today?  Yes, I am waving my hand in the air!!  Yayyy – an “extra” day to get things accomplished.  I LOVE it!! I know we just returned to school, but I was already in need of a break.  Yes, it continues to be a long year. :)

I am so excited because today I actually get to sit and enjoy my hot coffee in quiet.  Yes, you read that right – QUIET!!  The house is absolutely silent. Youngest Realistic is still in bed and Mr. Realistic had to work (bummer) so the only thing I hear is my keyboard. Even with Oldest Realistic at school it is still loud in our house, and I adore quiet – I thrive on it.  Okay – so let’s get down to business.

It’s a 5 for Five Monday with Jessica and Jenn and I am so excited to share my accomplishments this week… here is how last week turned out.

1.  Schedule my massage appointment for this month – not accomplished yet… I just couldn’t get 5 minutes to make a phone call last week. 

2.  Schedule dentist appointments – this was a half accomplished task.  I cancelled one because it didn’t fit into our schedule and didn’t have a chance to reschedule yet.  It’ll get done… hopefully.  I need a personal assistant to make all these calls for me!

3.  Go to the gym this week – Yep, done.  Only went to Zumba on Monday, but I went once.  I hibernate in the winter – seriously. Straight to work and home.  I don’t like the cold.  I know – it is single digits in the Mitten so I should be used to cold weather, but I still don’t even like the 30’s and 40’s where I’m at.

4.  Print next week’s lesson plans, copies, and homework assignments– finished!!

5.  Blog at least twice this week – yes, and boy, did it feel good!!

Okay  - 3 out of 5 isn’t bad.  Let’s hope that I actually accomplish everything on this week’s list.  This week I have to focus on taking care of myself again.  It seems like I’ve been so busy focusing on everyone else as a mama, teacher, wife, and daughter, that I’ve lost sight of my own well being.  I’m sure most of you know what I’m talking about – I think a lot of women tend to do this!

1.  Schedule my massage appointment for this month – yes, back on the list it goes.  I have to get it done!!

2.  Go to the gym at least twice this week – do you see the trend? Hopefully I can get myself back into the routine if I ease into it.  I think I’m just going to have to take the plunge and get there on a schedule again!!

3.  Make doctor’s and dentist appointments. 

4.  Get next week’s lesson plans, homework, and materials printed, copied, and ready! I’m on a mission to be a week ahead of myself.  Hmmm… then I’ll have to catch up with myself that way too, but at least I’ll be headed in the right direction!

5.  Schedule at least 3 blog posts…. this is going to be a tough one, but I’m going to get back into a routine so I might as well start this week!!

You can probably see a pattern at this point. Once I’m out of my routine it takes me awhile to get it back together. But I know I can…just in time for track out (ha!).

So, if you’ve stuck with me long enough, here is my Manic Monday freebie!  Students have to underline the main idea of the paragraph and illustrate one of the details.  I know it looks so plain, but I think once my students get their art on the paper it will be really stinking cute!!  My students LOVE to draw and illustrate and I thought what a better way than to get them to focus on the details. Yayyy – they get what they want and so do I.  Don’t tell them though, or they’ll decide it’s not so fun after all!

Have a fantastic Monday everyone!!

Detail: 5 for Five & Manic Monday Main Idea Freebie

0 5 for Five Monday and Butterfly Research Freebie

Yes, it is another 5 for Five Monday with Jessica and Jenn and a Manic Monday Freebie!  Yayyy – Monday is becoming one of my favorite blog days!

Here is how last week turned out:

1.  Set up 3 different doctor’s appointments.  Done – sort of; due to circumstances out of my control, I only needed to set up one… and have about 2 follow-ups now. Ugh!

2.  Gather and organize a ton of testing and student data.  Yes – I accomplished this one too!!

3.  Hit the gym at least twice this week.  Nope – again, medical stuff so this one was out of my control.

4.  Lesson plan for the next two weeks. Sweet – done!!

5.  Eat breakfast & lunch every day this week!!  Yep – another one I can check off the list!

Without further ado here are my goals for this week:

1.  Schedule my massage appointment for this month.

2.  Schedule dentist appointments… do you see a pattern? I have returned to school, and started to neglect personal “stuff” so to hold myself accountable I have to add it to my goals list…ugh, seriously??

3.  Go to the gym this week – at least once.  I really need to get back into the groove; hopefully now that I have resolved my headache issue I can get there this week.

4.  Print next week’s lesson plans, copies, and homework assignments.

5.  Blog at least twice this week.  I feel like I have been neglecting my third child.

And my Monday freebie!  We are getting ready to start our butterfly unit in science and I can’t wait for my kids to complete some butterfly research. You can pick it up at my TpT store.

Have a great Monday friends!

Detail: 5 for Five Monday and Butterfly Research Freebie

0 5 for Five & Manic Monday

Whoa – I can’t believe it is Monday again, already! It seems like November has zoomed by!!

One of the great things this week is that my son and his girlfriend will be home from college for Thanksgiving break on Tuesday evening! Yayyy!! I’ve missed the oldest Realistic son and girlfriend. Of course, they will have to leave again on Sunday, but that means 5 days with him! Youngest Realistic has already signed up for his “time slots” so that he can get some video game time. Seriously!?! Boys!

I’m linking with Jenn & Jessica's 5 for Five list again this week.

Here is how last week turned out…

1. Finish the Nutcracker Unit – Check, done! It turned out great and I can’t wait to use it!! I won’t go into all the details again so if you’re curious check out my blog post here.

 2. Go to the gym…um, not so much. It is going on the list again this week. Since I have been tracked out I’ve found it hard to fit my typical workout into my routine.

3. Focus on the growth of my blog and Facebook pages – Check, done!! I have a few new followers this week and I have posted quite a few times. I’m not done growing, but can say I’m happy with the progress I made this week!

4. Start & possibly finish my Christmas Eve Pack – Check, done! I am so excited about the way it turned out!! I can’t wait to give it to my kiddos before break. It is always amazing that when I give them “extra” work they race to do it – like it’s a holiday treat! You can check out my post & get it for FREE here!

5. Eat breakfast everyday… nope, didn’t make this one either. Like I said before, my routine is totally off since I’m tracked out. I feel like a traditional teacher in the summer, except I still have to get up early to get youngest Realistic to school I just eat what I want when I want. Not a good thing…

This week’s goals…

1. Check out a new – non-teaching – library book. And READ it! I need to take some time for myself this week.

 2. Get oldest Realistic his new phone – for his birthday! Yayyy – I can’t wait to get him the new i-phone. He needs a new phone for sure!!

3. Get to the gym at least twice this week – today for sure!! I can’t miss Monday Zumba!!

4. Continue to grow my little slice of cyberspace… a repeat from last week, but important to me right now. 

5. Take time to enjoy my family and friends. Maybe we can make some time to see the new Lincoln movie – no, not the one with vampires, the other “historical” one. I have to convince the kids to go with me…I might have a plan!

 Okay – I know I’m long winded today, but don’t leave yet – I have a Manic Monday freebie for you!! A creative writing freebie – If I Had Magic Shoes…

Have a great Monday all!!

Detail: 5 for Five & Manic Monday

0 Scattered Pilgrim Hats Freebie Monday

I’ve linked up today with Manic Monday Classroom Freebies!  My students are really struggling to put numbers in order from greatest to least and least to greatest.  Here is just a little something I created for morning work.

Enjoy!

 

Detail: Scattered Pilgrim Hats Freebie Monday

0 Presidential Persuasion Freebie

Happy Monday!  Wow – what a day!  Storm Sandy has left me exhausted – my kids were wild today!!  Of course, that could be the moon too!  I just hope my friends closer to the east coast and the storm stay safe.  It’s a great time to cuddle up under the blanket with a good book (or your laptop) and have a cup of coffee or cocoa.

In honor of Sandy, I’m posting an election freebie! This is a great graphic organizer for students to use to convince you why they would make a great president! 

Presidential Persuasion

Check out my TpT store for other great election resources!

Happy Monday…almost Tuesday!!
 

Detail: Presidential Persuasion Freebie

0 Friday Freebie

Head over to my TpT store and check out a great Friday freebie.  This worksheet is a great math reminder during holiday season!!  Enjoy!

Check out more Friday freebies at Teaching Blog Addict.

Detail: Friday Freebie

0 My Week in Pictures and a Linky too!

Wow – my kiddos and I have been super busy this week.  Although I don’t have time to blog all of the details, here is a sneak peak of what we’ve been up to!

We made these super cute owls to go with our writing project!!  They turned out adorable. These two are a little girly with pretty necklaces and ribbons!! LOVE!!

Students responded to poetry this week....students read about the sounds of fall.  I loved it!!  "The leaves go snack crackle pop!"  Hahahaha!!  Sooo cute!!!!

 

Our floor was a mess when I left today! Even though we spent 5 minutes cleaning up the floor we couldn't get it all - and you know, some of my students put more effort into it than others.  The picture really doesn't do it justice....the floor was a MESS!!  It looked like we had shredded construction paper and just tossed it around.  Well worth it though because our owls and spiders turned out fabulous!!!

 

Here is what our cubby area looked like when I left...and yes, I left the mess!  We'll clean it up tomorrow and start our Friday fresh and ready!

I also took a few seconds tonight to link up with Peacocks and Penguins rubric linky party today!  I LOVE working with rubrics!!  It makes breaking down the task for students easier and makes sure they understand everything that must be done to complete the assignment.  It also makes it that much easier to grade. 

Here is a link to a free writers notebook evaluation rubric at my TpT store and the link to Peacocks and Penguins linky party!

Happy Thursday!

Detail: My Week in Pictures and a Linky too!

0 Thematic Paper

After spending time yesterday focusing on CCSS math materials, I wanted to sit back and do something fun creative for my classroom.  I created some great thematic paper which is available at my TPT store.

Dinosaurs

Food

Holidays

Animals

October

And, of course, I couldn't resist adding a few freebies!  So head over to my TPT store and get some great materials. 

Detail: Thematic Paper