Fraction Leprechaun Freebie

Looking for some Leprechaun Fun for St. Patrick's Day with your firsties or kinders? Even your second graders would like this one!

My sweet, hilarious (best one-liners of ANYone. Hands down.), creative and lovely colleague Shelley (of Indoor Recess Bag fame) shared the Fraction Leprechaun a few years ago. 

It was a hit!

But now, it's a copy of a copy of a copy. Blech.

So, I re-did it using the uber-talented Ashley Hughes' St. Patrick's Day clip art. Love her clip art. AND her. She's fab-dorable. And so's her work.

At any rate...every kiddo colors their leprechaun however they'd like.

Then they cut it vertically in half along the line going up the middle (it's kind of hard to see, but it's there).

They each KEEP their left half and swap their right half (the half with their smile) with a classmate. 

Assemble it onto 9x12 construction paper.

Name their little Leprechaun & add their own names to the label.

This sample cracks me right up! The firstie who made this was QUITE sure that Leprechauns do NOT exist! Even wrote in both spots! Too cute!

You can also do it with fourths...

If you're so inclined, add a little glitter.

Glitter with first graders has been known to make me break out in hives so I probably won't. (Sorry, Greg!)

Maybe you'd like your sweethearts to do some writing about their leprechaun's adventures, too...

 Three types of writing paper: 

Plain, dashed & HWT-type lines.

You can have these pages by clicking right here or on either picture.

Sneak Peek & More Chances in FAB March Giveaway

I'm getting SO close to DONE with my next genre study unit for Writing Workshop! Just need to add more student samples and finish up the Teacher Lesson Plan pages...Can't wait to give some away, too! I LOVE sharing!

If you already entered this giveaway...go back to the rafflecopter and increase your chances...I added some more entries to the Rafflecopter....(click the pic to enter)

If you haven't entered, whatchya waitin' for? G.O. (click the pic)

How To Writing, Question-Answer Freebie

My fabulous team was discussing how we don't tend to love teaching the How To writing genre at this time because last year the students' writing in last quarter became less detailed after we completed the unit.

The students included the basic steps of how to do something (make a sandwich, build a snowman, get ready for school, etc), but there just wasn't a ton of elaboration or careful word selection any longer.

After we'd spent SO much time teaching and conferring about elaboration and details!

Of course, some writing was more delightful to read than others, but in general, the overall quality of our student's writing went down.

I didn't like dreading a new genre, so I decided to visit the local library to find some better mentor texts. 

So glad I did - I'm now super excited to get started on the genre this year! 

Here are some of the hilarious books the children's librarian helped me find!


With these elaborated and delightful mentor texts, I believe our writing will be a LOT more solid!!!

Plus, read aloud time will be a hoot!

AFTER we're done with How To writing, we're beginning Question Answer books...so I whipped up this little freebie.

Students will make inferences in order to match the question card with its answer and then record the matching pair on the recording page.

Enjoy!

I'd be SUPER grateful if you left me some 

TpT feedback!

The cover graphic is for St. Patrick's Day, but you can really use this center at any time of year since the cards and recording page graphics are more neutral.

And, finally for the winners of...

Don't forget to download the Preview of Common Core Crunch - it includes three freebie pages from the pack!

Winners of the Friendly Letter Pack:

aconnolly from See Me Teach

Aimee from Primarily Speaking

Winners of Common Core Crunch - March:

Cindy Calenti of Granny Goes To School

Michelle Jaquillard

Check your in-boxes, lovely ladies :)

Friendly Letter Writing Pack

For 3 freebie pages from CCC-March (ELA), make sure to download the preview file on TpT! Math Crunch is now available, too!

My Friendly Letter Pack, which I never blogged about back in November when I put it on TpT,  has been 

f.l.y.i.n.g. off the 

(virtual) shelves 

of TpT 

this last week.

One of my very favorite TpT comments is about this Friendly Letter Pack!

Awwww - thanks, Cherrie!!! (If you're reading this, Cherrie, please email me at growingfirsties@gmail.com for a little treat!)

As a thanks for all your support, I'm giving 

Common Core Crunch - March

AND the 

Friendly Letter Unit ---

to TWO winners each... 

Four winners in all.

Please follow these rules:

1. Be a google follower. (Choose Join on the right side of the blog.)

2. For each pack you'd like to win, Leave me a comment WITH your email address telling me WHICH pack you'd want and why.

For example, 

Comment #1

I would love the CCC pack because I'd use the sorts in my Daily 5 Working with Words. lkgj54556@gmail.com

Comment #2

I would love the Friendly Letter Unit because I don't love my current materials. lkgj54556@gmail.com

3. Want up to two extra entries? Pin one (or both) of the products and leave me the pin url in a new comment.

Good luck!!!

Ideas and Eyes, please...Common Core Crunch - March...

Oops - I think you're looking for this post...{Click Here}.

Love Notes & Typo (UGGGH)

This is not from today, but it just makes me smile.

"You're a pro"

first grade style

I haven't opened my Valentines from my students yet...gasp...was too busy celebrating with my own kiddos and...

fixing typos in...

I'm BEYOND dying about it.

Pretty much freaking out.

Imagining the printer ink and laminate and time spent cutting apart the cards.

I FEEEEEL the pain of a job that needs re-done in an already insanely hectic teaching world, which is why I'm so freaked out!!!

I am SOO sorry!

If I sent it to you but did not REsend it to you, can you please email me? (growingfirsties@gmail.com) I will resend.

If you bought it this morning (2/14/13) or before, can you please re-download it AND send me an email at growingfirsties@gmail.com? I will resend it with an additional treat attached.

Sigh.

Oprah's Favorite Things - Part 4

K...Oprah....Part 4...Meeting Her 
AFTER the Show

If you need to read the earlier installments, here you go...
Part 1 (How I got picked)

Part 2 (Pre-Show Experience)

Part 3 (During the Show)


Part 4 (After the Show...Meeting Oprah)

So...as you know...the Favorite Things experience was absolutely NUTso.

And...I was there with friends...this is important...

K...once the taping was over and Oprah said her good bye to the audience, the Harpo folks were having us leave one section at a time.

So we could pick our Burberry coat size (couldn't pick color) and Eileen Fischer lounge set size (couldn't pick color). Not complaining, just sharing.

And then go to security to get our phones, cameras, etc back. (This was 2004 so many folks had both phones & cameras...)

I think there were 4 sections to the audience...

All my friends and were in different sections...

My section got let out first...and we slowly made our way out into the mid-November weather...

There were news stations and lots of people milling about outside, carrying their stuff...

My guest and I hung out for about an hour and a half...right about that spot.

I REALLY wanted to hug and de-brief with my friends about the whole experience...

Two cutie pie friends had to leave. 

And I REALLY wanted a group pic of us by the Harpo Studio signs...

It's important to note that I had to...well...nudge the leftover friends...semi-forcefully to do this...

chilly temps

high heels

Awkward (but AWESOME) bags and boxes to carry

starving

BUT...I nudged...cuz I (was) a scrapbook girl...

and it was HARPO Studios

and we hadn't taken the pic before the show cuz we rushed to get our place in line.

So...I nudged...we trudged to the corner...

And there was no one around to take the pic...cuz EVERYone had left by then, 

plus it was on the other side of the block (Harpo takes up an entire city block) so it was away from the hubbub.

So...we waited...til a random couple was walking along and we I  accosted approached them to take our pic.

Smile...click...yay!!!

Trudge back to the car...giggling about how our feet hurt and how we were so hungry we could eat our arm.

We heard something behind us...but kept walking...

Heard it again...turned around...saw a black SUV...kept walking...

We'd been asked NOT to leak anything to the press until AFTER the show aired on Monday...

Heard it again...kept walking...

If nothing else...we are rule following teachers...

we didn't want to offend Oprah!!! 

She'd just given us the most insanely awesome experience of our lives!!!

So then we heard, in a man's voice, loud and authoritative...

LADIES, you will WANT to stop right now.

We turn back and there's a security guard there...

and...

the SUV door is opening...

and...

it's...

Oprah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saying, "Girls - I was just asking you where you got all that cool stuff!!!"

We basically behaved like Justin Bieber fans...

at first...

then we chatted with her for a few minutes...

And asked her to take a pic with us...

She obliged...

I wanted her security guard to take the pic (he was not verklemmt)...

But a random stranger was walking by and offered...

The fact that she also did the Bieber thing a second beforehand should have had me sticking with my gut...

But, I didn't want to offend her OR Oprah by being rude to the kind stranger and I didn't want to take up any more of Oprah's time...

Result...blurry picture...no shocker...adrenaline-hands and all...

but I like it...

It speaks to the experience...

Still can't believe that happened. Any of it, really.

My last Oprah installment will be about the spa trip to Miraval.

Not sure when I'll get to it, but that was an AMAZINGLY cool experience, too.

Valentine Note Freebie

This simple, yet meaningful, Valentine Love Note freebie is one of my favorite things to do with my class each year. So sweet and easy to set up - I use that big paper from the rolling cart to make the speech bubble and heart, and thick Sharpie markers for the I and U...then tape it to my smartboard. My class loves getting their pictures taken!

I absolutely KNOW I saw a photo similar to this on a blog recently. But it was a chalked-in speech bubble on a black chalkboard with "I love you!" wiped off the chalk with something wet.

I have searched blogger and pinterest and google for QUITE a while to find it and I just can't.

Please help if you know where this came from.

Must. Give. Credit.

At any rate - I modified it for my class and you can have it, too! Just click right here or on the first picture.

This freebie is featured in the incomparable Laura Candler's site Corkboard Connections...you can find LOADS of February freebies by clicking the picture below!

Jen Hatmaker

Folks.

I'm all kinds of messed up.

For reals.

I spent last night and this morning listening to Jen Hatmaker.

Pardon my I've-almost-hit-the-ugly-cry-sheen and 4th-case-of-pink-eye-since-November glasses.

Are you familiar with her?

She hails from Austin, TX. 

Words that describe her...

On her website, she's: 

wife. (to Pastor Brandon Hatmaker of Austin New Church)

mom. (to 3 biological kids and 2 kids adopted from Ethiopia)

author. (of 9 books)

speaker. 

blogger.

My friends and I would describe her as:

loving.

genuine.

hilarious.

adorable.

real.

poignant.

powerful.

soul-changing.

My soul is all tangled up after hearing her speak about Christians and Christianity.

How polarizing we can be...

When all there really is, is to serve with love. Be like Jesus. That's it.

As a Christian, am I REALLY living out these principles day by day?

I had seen her a few years ago and she ripped me apart then. I'm in a different place now so I'm ripped apart differently.

I don't quite have words yet or even an inkling of an idea of where God's path will take me. 

But I will listen to Him.

You will see what we all saw if you like her on facebook (along with 20,000 others) or follow her blog or see her speak.

I own several of her books and I'm going to be reading and re-reading them.

I own: 

Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load

A Modern Girl's Guide to Bible Study

Tune In: Hearing God's Voice Through The Static

Make-Over: Revitalizing the Many Roles You Fill



Jen, thank you.

In other, less-soul-searching news, there are a few more hours left to enter this giveaway:

We HEART A Good Giveaway!

To say that I am honored to be teamed up with and offering this Valentine-y giveaway with these three ladies is a total and complete understatement.

You could win some pretty fabulous products to help make your Valentines Day even sweeter!

Fabulous Kelley Dolling from:

Lovely Lindsey Kuster at:

&

Darling Amy Howbert at:

Here are the two products I'm including:

If you'd like to make Valentines Day in your classroom even sweeter, you'll want to enter this giveaway right now! It only goes until Saturday night!


Head on over to Kelley's blog to enter!

If you'd like to link up with the February Shout Out Linky click the pic below...We'd LOVE to have you!