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Monday, June 30, 2014

Mix it Up Monday AND Following Free Font Friday

Happy Monday!!  So very sorry that I missed getting to blog all last week!!  I could not kick a migraine, and it's been hanging around for WAY TOO LONG now!!  On top of that, I had my niece Lilly while my sister was at work.  I must give MAD PROPS to all of the mommies out there who are able to work and blog and create things for TPT while handling your little ones!!  Lilly is only 5 months old but boy did she keep me hopping!!  How could you not love this face though??


Here are a few goals I'm working on for the summer.  Mind you, I mean just a FEW.  As teachers I know we ALWAYS have TONS of goals to accomplish and items to check off of our To Do Lists, and I would never have time to share them all!!  So, just a few.

ONE

I have been thinking a lot about my TPT store and how to make it even better.  I currently have 74 products listed in my store, with over 20 freebies.  I have decided that my goal for the summer is to get 100 products in my store before school starts again in August.  I'm not sure if that's a goal I'll be able to accomplish, but I'm gonna give it my best effort!!  I do so enjoy checking things OFF my To Do Lists, so I created this little graphic to help count down to my being able to Create To 100 and get 100 products up in my TPT store, as well as adding to my collection of freebies!!  I think I'm more than a bit OCD (or, as my cousins Colleen and Heather call it, CDO since that puts all the letters in ABC order) when it comes to creating.  It's a lot like scrap booking for me, and I really enjoy making new creations.  Part of me wishes it didn't take so long to create them!!  Case in point, this little graphic took me well over an hour to get it looking how I wanted.  Okay, closer to two hours.  Does that mean I have a problem??  I used the awesome creations from Creative Clips (graphics) and Teachers Third in Georgia (font) to make my little count down picture!!


TWO

If you are a TPT regular you may have noticed that they have made a few changes.  If you are a TPT seller, there are even more changes.  One of the newest is their Feedback Section, where they have categorized the paid purchases downloaded and the freebies downloaded.  This provides an option where you can go leave a rating and feedback in the form of comments to the creator of the activity or clip art.  


I have always commented and provided feedback on purchases I have made on TPT because of the credits you can earn toward future purchases.  How selfish is that of me??  Anyway, I try to leave comments for the freebies I download, but I will be the first to admit that I don't leave comments for anywhere NEAR all of the freebies I have downloaded from TPT.  This newest feature tracks your downloaded freebies back as far as January of 2014.  If I have had this many downloads in only a short six (almost seven) months, I can only imagine how many I have had since I found TPT in 2012.


So I decided I really needed to go back and make sure I have left a rating and comment for ALL of the freebies I have downloaded since January of 2014.  I'm thinking if I can rate and comment on at least 10 a day (give or take) then I should be able to be caught up with all of them by the end of the summer.  I, as a seller, know how frustrating it can be when you put your hard work and creativity out there and there is no feedback at all, negative or positive.  Everyone needs to hear they're doing a good job every now and again, we are human after all.  :-)

THREE

I have been following the AWESOME linky party hosted by The Teaching Tribune.  They actually have a different linky party for every day of the summer, but so far I have only linked up with Friday. (I'm thinking of trying a few more!!)   This is their Free Font Friday linky.  I have never, ever created a font.  However, I simply love to add different fonts to my Font Book.  I know there are many others out there who love fonts just as much.  I want to share their posts so anyone who reads my little blog may learn about this awesome linky and go check it out for themselves.  I missed being able to post on this past Friday, but I wanted to share with you the fonts I grabbed.  Better late than never, right?



There are some truly awesome fonts up for grabs this week!!  There is a new blogger featured this week with a super-cool font freebie.  I just LOVE the name!!


Don't forget to check out the rest of the bloggers who have linked up for this Free Font Friday (unlike myself, they actually create fonts and are offering up some freebies!!)


I found an AWESOME free font that I simply LOVE!!  It isn't part of the linky party, but I wanted to share it with you anyway!!  It is created by Teaches Third in Georgia and is called TTG Scribble Fonts.  It is absolutely PERFECT to use on a black background or a chalkboard-type background.  Best of all, it's FREE!


If you don't have this font yet, make sure to hop over to TPT and download it for yourself!!  Just follow the picture above!  Don't forget to leave some feedback!!



FOUR

I've decided to link up with The Teaching Tribune to do another one of their linky parties.  On Mondays, they have Meet Up Mondays.  This is a day dedicated to learning more about the different bloggers who have linked up.



They have even provided a little template where we can state three things we are thankful for.  So, here goes!!


I had a lot of fun writing today's post, and am working on my post for tomorrows Book Talk Tuesday, and I think I'll link up with The Teaching Tribune again for their Tuesday linky party.  Make sure to check back with me tomorrow!!


Sunday, June 29, 2014

So Sorry!!

Hey blogging family!!  So sorry I have been out of touch for the past week.  I got laid low by a migraine that I just could not get rid of!! I also had my baby niece for the first week, and whenever I wasn't with her I was passed out trying to get rid of this bothersome headache.  I'm blaming it on the crazy weather fronts we've been having!!

I'm just starting to feel like myself again, so I plan to be back in full force tomorrow!!  I know I missed talking about my favorite books for Book Talk Tuesday, so I'll probably be writing about two books this week!! 

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and making the most of their time off!!

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Weekend Wonders - I have 10 FOLLOWERS!!!

This is the first weekend of my blogging schedules, which I've decided to call Weekend Wonders!!  Yesterday my little blog officially had 10 followers!!!  That's pretty wonderful and I couldn't wait to celebrate!!

As a huge THANK-YOU to the fabulous folks who follow my blog, I crated some note cards you could use to welcome your students next year.  There are 5 different designs and phrases, and each card comes on a sheet of two that can be cut apart and folded into a card.  The cards can then be placed into a small white envelope and addressed to the littles who will be entering your room next year.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2A9zzQLkVwaLTVNaktSOURnRWc/edit?usp=sharing

Each year, I have sent little notes to each of my students before they start their first day of kindergarten.  I try to send them the same day that the entry conference letters go home.  Every year during the parent/teacher entry conferences, I have had at least one family say how touched they were when the little note came in the mail.  it's such a simple gesture on my part, that takes minimal time and effort, yet it is such a HUGE thrill to my kinders when they get one in the mail!!  Click on the picture above for a copy!!

Since becoming a member of Krista Wallden's Summer VIP Club, I have gotten so many wonderful ideas to try out!!  She sends out an informative newsletter full of tips and tricks on how to make your creations pop using the awesome clip art that she sends out each week!!  This clip art is exclusive to members, she won't have it up in her store for at least another three months.  Click the picture below to go check it out on TPT!!  I'm really learning a lot of cool ideas, and getting some one of a kind clip art at the same time!!  It's awesome!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Creative-Clips-Summer-VIP-Membership-Creative-Clips-Digital-Clipart-1243318



Another wonderful thing I'd like to share with you is that I found an AMAZING deal being offered by Jennifer from Simply Kinder. This is part of her BOGO Sale.





For the AMAZINGLY LOW price of $5.00, I got the pre-primer AND the primer sight word set!!  I am SO EXCITED for my kinders to practice their sight words this way during the Word Work portion of our Daily 5 time.  I'll make sure to blog all about how it's going in my classroom, as soon as I get to use it!!  Please click {here} to go to Jennifer's TPT store and snag a copy for yourself.  HURRY, her BOGO sale ends tomorrow night!!


Friday, June 20, 2014

Following Free Font Friday

Oh my goodness, is it already June 20th?!?!?  Why oh why does the summer fly by so quickly??  I hope that, seeing as how tomorrow is the first official day of summer, all of you fabulous educators are now on your summer vacation!!

Today marks Week 3 of Free Font Friday linky party hosted by The Teaching Tribune!!  There are some REALLY amazing fonts being offered up this week, so you should totally go check them all out!!
http://www.theteachingtribune.com/2014/06/free-font-friday-3.html

I wish I was as talented as these fabulous ladies!!  I am SO addicted to adding to my Font book, honestly I don't know any teacher who isn't addicted to snapping up as many cute fonts as possible!!  With all these new fonts, and being a part of Krista Wallden's Summer VIP Club, I have decided to celebrate summer with my first SUMMER SALE!! 

To create this awesome sale flyer I used one of Krista's newest creations, the Bumpy Page Clings.  This amazing set came as my Week 3 goodies from being a part of the Summer VIP Club.  The font I used to create the flyer is PondFreeSummer that was created by Mel from Graphics From the Pond and offered on The Teaching Tribune as part of Week 1's Free Font Friday.  I am really enjoying the time to be creative this summer, as well as catch up on my To-Create List!!  I will be adding products to my store all weekend, so make sure to come and follow my store so you'll be notified of each new item that goes on sale from now until midnight Monday!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Erin-Murphy-7688

Simply click on the sale flyer picture above to go directly to my TPT store and snap up some of my creations while the sale is going on.  Hurry, sale ends Monday at midnight!!

Make sure to make the most of your summer everyone!!  I know I am!!  :-)


Thursday, June 19, 2014

Throw Back Thursday - Time for a Homework Change

It's Thursday, and we're sitting here waiting for the huge thunderstorms to hit the region.  Thursday is the day of the week I'd like to take a look back at the past years in kindergarten and how I did things, or how I'd change things.  It's also the day I'd like to look back at some of the original TPT products I created to see if I can improve them, list them at a cheaper price, or if they need to be removed from my store (I hope not!!).  Have I mentioned that I am now a proud member of Krista Wallden's Summer VIP Clipart Club??  So EXCITED to get a new set of AMAZING clipart every week of the summer!!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Creative-Clips-Summer-VIP-Membership-Creative-Clips-Digital-Clipart-1243318


Today I want to take the time to reflect on how I have done homework with my kindergarteners in the past.  For the past three years, I have sent home a 'Homework Book' to practice letter formation and finding words that start with the letter of the week.  This involved us (the teachers) having to copy, cut, and glue pages into the homework book.  Usually the pages wouldn't stick very well and sometime during the year they would come unglued and fall out, being lost forever.  We would have to spend either a portion of our planning period or stay after school to get the books set up.  This is the process I inherited from the kindergarten teachers who were there before me, and since it was already set up I went with it.  During my second year as a kindergarten teacher I began the process of changing the way I did homework.  I kept the book, but began making a 'packet' of skills for them to take home as well.  I included different math and language arts skills in the packet and left the book the same.  There were enough assignments to last the week, and the homework went home on Monday and was expected back on Friday.

Now that I'm getting ready to start my fourth year in kindergarten, I've decided to completely revamp how I do the homework process.  I am going to get rid of the book, since gluing the pages and keeping track of them was getting to be a royal pain.  Instead, I'm going to focus on the homework packet.  I JUST FINISHED working on an alphabet packet that we will use as part of the homework packet.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/All-About-the-Alphabet-Packet-1284503


I am lucky enough to be a tutor as well as a teacher, and twice a week I get to work with my favorite little 4-year-old, Kelli.  She just finished her year in pre-k and is ready to head to kindergarten in August.  I am working with her to help her master those skills I know she'll need during her kindergarten year.
How sweet is she, with all that beautiful curly, red hair!!  Here she is hard at work on one of the 'C' pages of the activity pack I'm working on. (she had a slumber party, so her guests were helping her find the letters too!) Every session, we work on a different letter page.  Each letter has three pages of activities to go with it, and the skills include writing the uppercase and lowercase letter, identifying them from a mixed group of letters, as well as identifying and reading words that begin with that letter.  The goal is to be able to use the pages from the packet to create her own ABC book.  We are putting the pages into sheet protectors and storing them in a binder as she finishes each one.
The first page for each letter has various pictures that begin with that letter.  Each picture has the word in small print next to it, and after we color the pictures we practice identifying each one.  The two letters in the middle are printed in an 'outline' font, and we fill them up with glitter glue.  When it dries, Kelli is able to trace each letter and feel the glitter.  This is a form of tactile learning that will hopefully help her to not only recognize the letters when she sees them, but also help her when she is writing the letters.
We take turns coloring the pictures.  I let her pick which ones she wants to color, and she tells me which ones I can color.  I help her color partly to help save time, but mostly because I really LOVE to color.
Each letter starts with this page, and the second page involves writing the letter buddies and identifying them.
I tried to include directions in picture as well as word form.  My hope is that students and parents will be able to work together at home to complete the pages.

Another page of the packet has Kelli creating a pattern using the uppercase and lowercase letters.  She can choose from an AB, AAB, or ABB pattern.  I have found that she REALLY enjoys using different colors when writing, so we have incorporated that into our patterns (and I added it to the directions!)  She also draws and labels two different words that begin with the focus letter.  Every session we review the pages she's already done, making sure to identify each letter buddy as well as the sound each letter makes.  We pair each letter sound with a motion to help her tie the letter sound to her muscle memory.

This packet is still a work in progress, but my goal is to have it uploaded to my store by the end of next week.  Keep checking back with me, because as soon as it's ready I'll be throwing a Summer Sale!!

Don't forget that tomorrow is FREE FONT FRIDAY hosted by The Teaching Tribune, and I CAN'T WAIT to snag a new font or two!!!


Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Wish-List Wednesday -and- a Book Talk Tuesday FREEBIE!!!

It's Wednesday, and what a HOT one around here!!  Not nearly as hot as those out in the Midwest, but the humidity here MORE than makes up for the difference!!  SO GRATEFUL to now live in a house with central AC, as opposed to an ancient window unit....  :-)  (a few hours after I took this screen shot the temperature shot up to 97 with a Real Feel of 104!!!)


My Summer Schedule says that today is the day I talk about my Wish-List.  Remember my Summer Blogging Schedule?





Wish-List Wednesdays will cover all sorts of Wish Lists, not just the one I have going over at TPT!!  For this first Wednesday though, I'm going to talk mainly about my TPT Wish List and at the end of the post will add on a few Wishes for my summer list!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Erin-Murphy-7688
Like many of you, I joined TPT as a buyer a few year ago and the very first thing I did was search around for different resources I could use and many of them ended up on my TPT Wish List (in case you've never 'wish-listed', there is a small button underneath the orangey purchase button.  This says 'Add to my Wish List' and is a great way to set aside different resources you would very much like to purchase but can't at the moment.  Your wish list can be visited any time, and anything you ever wished for can be purchased whenever you want to.  When I became a TPT seller, my wishes changed a bit but I still utilized the Wish List.

Today I checked my TPT Wish List for the first time in a LONG time and decided it was past time to start actually BUYING the resources I had pinned.  Today I granted myself 1 wish...and added 3 more!!  Just a bit ago I purchased another AMAZING creation from Krista Walden who is the creator of Creative Clips Digital Clipart, which I LOVE!!!!  You should really go check out her TPT Store!!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bubble-Gum-Trouble-Creative-Clips-Digital-Clipart-603183
Here is the Wish I bought today.  Isn't this clip art just too precious!?!?  I have been tossing around an idea for a few months now about how to revamp the way I introduce and encourage sight word mastery, and this is exactly what I was searching for!!  Silly me forgot ALL about it being on my Wish List and I was honestly excited to find it on there because it reignited my desire to change how I handle sight words.  Now I can start turning my ideas into creations, all thanks to the awesomeness of Krista!!  I am so in love with her creations that I simply HAD to join her Summer VIP Membership!!
I am IN LOVE with this idea of hers!!  Each week of the 10 weeks of summer, she will send out a new set of EXCLUSIVE clipart along with a newsletter chock full of tips and tricks for how to get the most out of your clipart.  She started this on June 1st and membership was only $10, but I just now found out about it on Week 3 and paid $14 (still WAY WORTH IT!!)  If this sounds at all interesting to you, you really need to go grab a membership for yourself before the price increases next week!!
**PART OF KRISTA'S PACKET, NOTHING I CREATED**

This shows some of the goodies that Krista included in the Week 1 set.  I love the brightness of those neon papers, and the flowers are just too cute!!



**PART OF KRISTA'S PACKET, NOTHING I CREATED**

Week 1 has these super cute thank you cards that you can print out and use.  Week 3 also has a set of note cards with smaller versions for student desks.  So wonderful!!

**PART OF KRISTA'S PACKET, NOTHING I CREATED**

She also included this little surprise, where each week she will include a different kidlette graphic. I'm so excited to see which graphics are added each week!!  I'm telling you, it's like a little bit of Christmas all summer long!!

I also added a few things to my TPT Wish List that I'm actively saving up for.  I REALLY want to be able to use these little gems in my creations...but it will definitely require me to save up my funds!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Clip-Art-Mega-Value-Pack-Phonics-Clipart-Set-Commercial-Use-Okay-966334
Here is one of my newest Wishes.  This totally awesome Alphabet Clip Art Mega Bundle from Pink Cat Studio.  I am ALWAYS on the look out for new clip art sets to add to my 'beginning sound library', since they are so very useful when creating materials for my kinders.  This bundle of 312 graphics is $99 on TPT, and is one of the top Wishes on my List.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Super-Set-Clipart-for-Teaching-Line-Art-Included-490535
Another one of my top Wishes is an alphabet clip art set from Mel at Graphics from the Pond.  I love her creations SO MUCH that I am proud to call myself one of her 'Clipart Addicts'!!  This set has 533 graphics for the alphabet, and is also listed at $99.


The last of my BIG THREE WISHES is definitely the most expensive wish I have ever listed, but once I can purchase it I know it will be SO WORTH IT!!  This wish is from Kimberly Geswein from KG Fonts, and is a lifetime license to use every single one of her fonts in my products.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Commercial-Font-License-ALL-FONTS-348298
This license gives the buyer unlimited usage of over 230 fonts in all commercial products, and it is definitely worth the price of $259.  I can't wait until I'm able to purchase this!!!  I love her fonts so very much, and cannot wait until I get the chance to use them in my TPT creations to make them even more amazing!!


Here's a few things on my Summer Wish List:
http://www.crayolaexperience.com/


I am SO GOING to the Crayola Factory this year!!  My parents took my nephew a few summers ago, and I have been DYING to go ever since!!!  All my faithful readers know how OBSESSED I am with all things Crayola.  I am totally touring the factory this year!!



The Great Wolf Lodge, complete with large indoor water park, is somewhere my family and I would like to spend a few days.


I have a few other Wishes on my Summer List, but I'll share those on a different Wednesday!

Now, for those of you who read through my whole post, here's a reward!!  Yesterday I posted about David Shannon's book David Goes to School as part of my Book Talk Tuesday.  {click here to read that post}  I had a very kind and thoughtful comment left by Mrs. Brown, who commented about something she does with her kinders.


She makes a reading response sheet to go along with the literature books her class reads during the year, and at the end of the year she binds them all into a book for her littles to take home.  I LOVE this idea, and I can totally see a use for it in my classroom!  My school does a 'Guess That Book' trivia game on the morning news, and my kinders would definitely be able to benefit from a resource they could refer back to in order to find out the mystery book.  Thank to Mrs. Brown's comment, I decided to whip up a simple response sheet that could be used with this book. Since I tend to use this book during the first two weeks of school, I'm keeping the sheet SUPER simple for my kinders!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Response-Sheet-for-David-Goes-to-School-by-David-Shannon-1282493



I used some of Krista Walden's Summer VIP Members Only Newsletter and clip art to make the cover for this resource.  Pretty cool, huh?  I hope that you are able to use this in your classroom, and I hope that the sweet Mrs. Brown will be able to use it as well!!



Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Book Talk Tuesday: David Goes to School

This is Week 3 of the  Book Talk Tuesday Linky Party hosted by Deanna Jump from Mrs. Jump's Class!!  Just like before, I'll be talking about one of my favorite books.  Then I'll be hopping over to Mrs. Jump's blog to check out what literature so many other educators are blogging about!!  When you're over there, make sure to click on the link for The Very Busy First Graders and check out the AWESOME giveaway that Kim is having!!  You have a chance to win some great TPT stuff!!  She also blogged about one of my very favorite books to read during our World of Animals Theme, What if You Had Animal Teeth? by Sandra Markle {click the title to go to Amazon.com to get a copy for yourself!!}.
http://theverybusyfirstgraders.blogspot.com/2014/06/100-facebook-follower-giveaway.html


My goal is to talk about books I intend on using next year during one of our Themes or to teach a specific skill/trait.  The book I'd like to talk about today is one I intend to use during the beginning of the year.  This is a book I purchased well into this school year, so I have not been ale to use it with my kinders yet. However, all of this author's other books were a BIG HIT in my classroom so I just know my next year's kinders will love this one too!!
http://www.amazon.com/David-Goes-To-School-Shannon/dp/0590480871/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403032555&sr=8-1&keywords=david+goes+to+school
It's David Goes to School by David Shannon, and like the majority of my classroom books I got my copy from Scholastic.  You can click on the pic or the title of the book to go to Amazon.com and get a copy for yourself (just in case you don't already have his ENTIRE collection!!)  :-)

I intend to read this book during the first week or two of school.  I don't know about you all, but the first 6 weeks of the kindergarten school year seem to be the most stressful for me.  Think about it for just a minute...I ended the year with students who were, for all intents and purposes, first graders.  Then I'm beginning each and every year with many students who have never, EVER been to school before.  All of a sudden there is structure and routine and things are being expected of them, and many of my littles have never had those experiences before.  So the first 6-9 weeks in K-Town is all about routine, routine, and more routine.  The littles practice what is expected of them over and over and over, and they discuss again and again what they are not supposed to do.  Don't get me wrong, it is also an incredibly fun and amazing time, but it is also a super-stressful one!!
EXACTLY!!!  I try to include as many stories as I can into the year, but never more so than the first nine weeks!  There is just something about a good children's book that can make the rowdiest most energetic of classes sit and listen with rapt attention.  They especially enjoy books where the characters don't always make the right or best choices...because they can relate to those experiences.  I believe this is one of the reasons they enjoy the David books so much...that, and David Shannon is an AWESOME author and illustrator!!

Before the kiddos come in, I am going to add the word tardy to our Word of the Day board.  You'll find out why as you keep reading! {sorry about the bad picture, but this is the only picture I have that features the Word of the Day board)  What I do with my Word of the Day board I'll post about at a later date!!  :-)


This book has very simple text with bright, colorful illustrations that pop right off the page.  Something I love about this book is that every page, from the front cover to the back cover, offers up a great opportunity for a class discussion.  This is a great beginning-of-the-year book to help the littles understand the importance of having rules at school as well as where different important places in the school are located, and I can throw in a mini-lesson on the importance of illustrations in telling a story and a few other Common Core Standards (K.RL.1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10).


When I use this with my kinders in August, we'll start by looking at the cover and then taking a Picture Walk.  This just means we go through the book page by page and look at the pictures.  I set them up for this by telling them that when we're done taking our Picture Walk they need to tell me either something they notice about the book or something they wonder.  I remind them that while we're taking our Picture Walk we are using our eyes to examine each picture, and since we don't look with our mouths there is no reason to talk during the Walk.  To give them an example, I tell them that when I look at the cover I NOTICE that David is getting ready to throw a paper airplane and I WONDER where the teacher is.  Usually we need to have a 'chit-chat' {my code name for class discussion} about why it is important to think of our own ideas instead of just repeating what we heard another person say.  After taking a Picture Walk I ask each of them to tell me either something they noticed or something they wonder about the book, and I write their answers down onto the SMART Board.  They REALLY love to see their spoken words written down as sentences.  They always get a kick out of seeing their thoughts turned into words, and chances are they start to compete with each other to see who can say the most and have the 'longest sentence' on the board!!  :-)

I tell them that David Shannon is the author AND the illustrator for this story, and we go over the job of each.  I tell them to look at the picture on the cover and the title page and ask them if they know where the story is taking place.  Hopefully someone will say the classroom, which I will then ask them how they knew that.  Next, we'll look a little bit closer at these two illustrations.  I'll ask them how they think David feels and how they can tell by looking at his face.  Then they will look at the illustration of the teacher on the title page and talk about how they think she feels.  They will have to look at her body language since they cannot see her facial expression.  SO MANY  great discussion points and we haven't even made it past the title page yet.  SCORE!!!

This is the first page of the book with text.  We will read it and talk about what my littles think about those rules.  At our school we are a Gold Medal PBIS school (achieved that status this year, WOO-HOO!!!) so we will talk about which of our 'BEs' these rules would fit under best: BE Respectful, BE Responsible, and BE Safe.  Sometimes our rules will fit into more than one category so we talk about which is the best fit.  I plan on pointing out the style of text, and how the very first line is the only one in all capital letters.  We'll talk about why they think that is so, and then I'll tell them that it stresses the importance and urgency of the speaker (the teacher).  Am I going to require them to remember why?  Of course not, but you'd be surprised how many of them will remember that little tidbit.

This page is a great place to stop and tell them about 'Fancy Nancy' words.  I always tell them that there are many words out there that have more than one meaning, and sometimes a fancy name.  I'm going to ask them to look around the room and see if they can find this word in the classroom...and hopefully one of them will notice the word.  We'll use the illustrations to try and help us figure out what the word means (Eagle Eye strategy).  I'll ask them who is talking (the teacher) and where they think she is (the classroom).  We'll look at how David is wearing a ball cap and peaking around a door that was closed and ask them if they think David came to school on time or if he is late.  We'll then talk about how tardy is a 'Fancy Nancy' word for being late, and then I'll explain to them how the Word of the Day board works.  {see how we're using the illustrations to help teach different strategies and standards!?}

This is the picture where we'll talk about what the rest of the class should do if they notice a friend not following the rules.  Should they copy that behavior?  Should they laugh at the friend, which encourages him to be sillier?  Should they kindly remind the friend which BE he needs to be following?

We know we're not supposed to chew gum in school, so we'll examine this illustration with our Eagle Eyes and try to figure out how much gum he has in his mouth {notice his bulging cheeks??) and if that is safe or not.  We also talk about if it's a good idea to chew gum while you're reading a book.  What could happen to the book?  What if it's a library book, or a book that belongs to the teacher or a friend?

Here I'll use the illustrations to talk about our BLURT! Board for calling out.  I'll also ask them if they can tell how the little girl next to him feels.  She is raising her hand and waiting her turn to answer, and then David just blurts it out.  We will relate how she feels to how our friends would feel if we did that to them and vice versa.

These pages are GREAT for predicting what might happen next in the story!!  I'll stop here to check our Notice & Wonder chart to see if any of our questions were answered.  We will also point out any details that may have been 'noticed' by my kinders.

I LOVE these illustrations!!  They lead to such a great discussion about what may be causing David to not pay attention to the teacher.  Here I'm going to stop and talk about taking Brain Breaks, and how those little breaks can help us to pay better attention when we're on the rug.

I am going to ask them if they can figure out which part of the school David is in on these pages, and what details from the pictures help us figure that out.  We will also talk about the Cafeteria BEs and how they should be followed when students are in the lunchroom.  Every school has their own little system for students buying lunch, and ours in no exception.  We'll go over those procedures at this time.

This is an awesome time to talk about how we 'BE Responsible' and tell the truth when something happens.  I tell them that people will really trust them if they remember to tell what really happened.  We also predict what kind of trouble David could get into at school for doing this.

This page is where we will talk about our recess procedures for lining up when they hear the whistle or the teacher calling.  We will go over the consequences for what could happen if they don't get in line when they're supposed to.

On these pages we talk about what clues the illustrator gives us to tell us which area of school we're in.  We will then talk about the clues he gives us to show that the other students in the library aren't happy with David's behavior.  We will go over how we should behave when we're visiting the library.

Here is where I'm going to talk to them about they sign we use to signal that we need to use the bathroom.  We will also talk about times during the day when it is okay to use the bathroom without having to ask, and times when they shouldn't use the bathroom (like during lunch).

On this page I'm going to point out how the author has the words written in red, and what they think that means.  We will also take this opportunity to talk about our classroom and school-wide behavior policy.  They will get a chance to tell me what color they think David should have to move his name to for his behavior at school, and what happens if he were to land on Red.  I will also ask them what they think David should have to do now.

These pages show us what David had to do as a result of his choices at school today.  I'll ask them if they think having to clean off every single desk taught him a lesson, and what they think that lesson is.

Here we talk about the reward David received for his good behavior.  I will tie that into the positive rewards the students can earn individually and as a class.  I want them to know that their hard work WILL pay off!!  :-)

The back cover of the book leads to a discussion about one of the consequences of David's choices.  I really like how the 'teacher' circled, in red, the spelling mistake that David made!!

I really enjoy using this book with my kinders at the beginning of the school year, and there are just so very many great places to pause and have a class discussion.  If this is not already a book you use with your littles, I hope that you get a chance to read it this next school year, and that it can help drive class discussions about the behavior expectations in your class as well as your school!!

Please make sure to hop back to Deanna's blog so you can link up with all of the other wonderful bloggers who are telling about some of their favorite books!

http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com/2014/06/thanks-to-everyone-who-linked-up.html


Since I've spent this whole post talking about books, it only seems fitting to show you what my nephew Mason and I did today.  We emptied out my classroom library so that I can work on getting it inventoried and labeled for Daily 5 next year.  I had to borrow my dad's SUV so I could fit all my books, and then dropped them off at storage so I can work on a chunk at a time.

Here is a before and after shot of the SUV.  It's a bit hard to tell, but closer to the front seats are six crates stacked on top of each other, and there are also two large Rubbermaid bins you can't really see.  Needless to say, I own A LOT of books!!  I can't wait to finally inventory them all so I can know just how many I have!!