Daily Calendar Routine

This summer I purchased a calendar routine and was so excited. It was made for 2nd grade. I got it all printed, laminated, and up on my board. I started it with my class in August and we did it maybe the first month and never touched it again. I was so disappointed. It was way too easy for even beginning of the year 2nd graders, so I decided it was time to create my own calendar routine and make it align with 2nd grade common core standards.

 I wanted it organized into 4 nine week sections with skills that students could stand to see examples of every day such as word problems, correcting sentences, place value, etc. Then some skills I included in only certain nine weeks such as fractions, multiplication, etc. Here's the breakdown:

1st:
Basic addition and subtraction
Word problems
Even/Odd, number/word/expanded form, place value,10/100 more/less than
Greater than less than
Money
Parts of speech
Sentence correcting

2nd:
Word problems
Even/Odd, number/word/expanded form, place value,10/100 more/less than
Greater than less than
Money
Time
Parts of speech
Sentence correcting

3rd:
Word problems
Even/Odd, number/word/expanded form, place value,10/100 more/less than
Greater than less than
Fractions
Money
Time
Irregular plurals
Sentence correcting

4th:
Word problems
Even/Odd, number/word/expanded form, place value,10/100 more/less than
Greater than less than
Arrays
shapes
Parts of speech
Apostrophes in contractions and possessives
Sentence correcting

The great thing about it is you don't have to follow this layout. You can move stuff around each nine weeks to match your needs.

I am such an organized person so there are organizing materials included.

There are all the things you need to get your calendar board set up included too. Mini posters, addition/subtraction key words, shapes, and more. There are also teacher copies (on the left) that match what the students have in their personal notebooks which are explained below.

 

Each student will have their own notebook. They will have copies in sheet protectors so that they can record their answers each day with a black dry erase marker. No need to make copies all year and the kids LOVE using the markers and having their own notebook. You will get several options of front covers that I will even personalize for you if you want.

Head on over to my TPT shop and check it out. It is almost 260 pages to get you through the year. Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and a great spring break! I know I'm looking forward to it!

Spring Math Centers and 1 Year Blogiversary Winners

I wanted some good spring themed math centers for my kiddos to start on that were a little more challenging since it is after all almost the end of the school year. I came up with these 12 math centers that each have a task for the students to complete based on a common core skill. There are 3 different tasks for the 4 subtopics in the math CCSS (geometry, measurement and data, operations and algebraic thinking, and numbers and operations in base ten). Some centers even have an easier and harder version.

There is then an assignment if you want to get a grade or just see if they have mastered the skill.

At the end of each center is a Fabulous Math Fact game that is basically a fun way for them to practice basic math facts since that is a huge thing in 2nd grade and we all have those darlings that still just don't have them down yet.

So head on over to my TPT shop to pick up Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail. Oh and Shhhhhh wanna get in on a little secret?!?! If you comment with you TPT user name that you bought this packet this month only you can pick out another product from my shop for free of equal or lesser value.

Now to announce the winners of my blogiversary giveaway.

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Congrats Ladies!! Have fun picking your items and a BIG thank you to everyone that entered!!

1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway + St. Patrick's Day Freebie

First I want to share a little St. Patrick's Day freebie with you. Just something I put together with skills that my class is working on right now. Click the picture to get it for free. It includes contractions, parts of speech, and adding four 2-digit numbers.

I have been a member of the blogging world for a whole year now. WOW! Time sure does fly by when you're having fun. To celebrate I am hosting a giveaway this week. Enter below now through this Sunday. I will pick 3 winners. The first winner's name that is drawn will get to pick three items from my TPT shop for free. The second winner will get to pick 2 items and the third winner will get to select one item. The only item that is not included in my giveaway is my math common core for the whole year packet. So hurry and enter today. Several ways to enter!!


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Amazing Winter Writing Prompts

I recently teamed up with Jaime from Bright Concepts 4 Teachers to do our own little product swap. She reviewed my Morning Basket Work which you can read about here. She reviewed the Jan/Feb edition but I have recently uploaded the March/April edition.

The product I reviewed for Jaime is her Winter Writing Prompts packet. And let me tell you it has got it all. It is common core aligned and covers opinion, informative, and narrative writing.

 

In her packet you will find :

 

3 different versions of grade level appropriate writing checklists and 6 different graphic organizers.

 

 

6 writing prompts There are 2 choices for each type of writing which is one thing I and my kids LOVED.

 Student and class writing covers

 

3 different versions of grade level appropriate writing rubrics

 

 

 The paper to write the final draft is included along with the template for this adorable craftivity.

 

So why did I and my kids love this so much you ask.....well my kids loved the graphic organizers to help them get their ideas down on paper. They also loved that they had more than one choice when writing. After we had covered all three types of writing I let them pick their favorite piece and we added the hot cocoa craftivity to it. We were supposed to share today but we ran out of time and they all reminded me more than once that tomorrow morning the first thing we have to do is share. They are so excited about their writing. You know this makes for one happy teacher!!

 

Thank you so much Jaime for letting my class try your product!


ReadWorks.org and Morning Baskets for Spring

First, I wanted to tell you that I have uploaded my Morning Basket Work for March and April to my TPT store. It is the same as my January and February edition but for spring. If you missed the post about that and how I use it in my room click here.

The next thing on my list to tell you is that I stumbled upon this amazing site the other day called ReadWorks.org that has lesson plans for all kinds of reading topics. Just to name a few there is main idea, plot, setting, sequence, cause and effect, fact and opinion and the list keeps going. When you click on a topic it will take you to a page with lessons for each grade level. I loved this so I could differentiate. You pick the grade level you want and there are usually 3 lessons for each topic. It even has a tab so you can see which common core standard it aligns to. I LOVED it!!

Hope you can use it too! Have a great weekend!!

Sale and Addition Bridges

I went to a training this past week and was shown this adorable idea for centers or early finishers. The best thing about it is you can differentiate it. So all you need are 3 cut outs of something (I used hot chocolate mugs for January) and craft sticks and counters (I used white craft poms for marshmallows). Lay the 3 mugs out and take a handful of the poms and lay any amount on each mug. This tells you what numbers to write on your sticks. The numbers in the middle of the stick have to equal that amount when you add the poms. You also write A, B, and C on the sticks so they know how to lay them out. I feel like I did not explain that well so here is my example:

2 poms plus 5 poms equals 7 poms for A and C, 2 poms plus 7 poms equals 9 poms for B and C and so on. On the backs of the craft sticks you can write in a different color and make them harder. I just thought this was really neat. I made a template for some cuter mugs for January and set of for February. If you want to download these templates for free click here. In Feb. I was thinking of using the candy hearts instead of the poms. If you have any ideas for the other months let me know and I'll try to come up with a set for those as well. I was thinking clovers for March but not sure what to use for the counters. Hmmmmm???

Also, as if you didn't already know, there is a big sale going on at TPT (Feb. 3rd) and TN (Feb. 2-3). You can enjoy 20% off of my TPT shop and 25% off of my TN shop on these days. Plus if you use the code SUPER at TPT can you get another 10% off.

 

 

Were any of you lucky enough to get out for snow today??? I was!!!!!! Have a great weekend!!

 

Beginning, Middle, and End

Last week we focused on beginning, middle, and end. I'll share with you what we did each day last week. First, we read some books together and on chart paper wrote the BME as a class just so they could get the idea. On Monday we listened to Alligator Baby here. By the way, if you didn't know about this site you have been missing out. Robert Munsch reads all of his books online. The kids LOVE it. So we listened to that and then we used Amy Lemon's Teaching With Robert Munsch packet and wrote about the BME.

 

The next day we read Wemberly Worried and they wrote about the BME again. This time we made a cute little Wemberly to hang with our writing. You can get the template for Wemberly here.

 

 

On Wednesday we read Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend. This idea came from Amy Lemons. I just made the templates for Mudge and as a class we wrote about the BME on big dog bones.

 

On the final day I read a story to them from our classroom library called Oink? and they wrote in their ELA spirals about the BME for a grade.  Well, that about covers our BME week. Hope you had a restful weekend!

 

What a Wonderful Winter Giveaway!

Just wanted to let you in on a little secret. I am part of a HUGE giveaway going on right now. Casey at Second Grade Math Maniac is having a What a Wonderful Winter Giveaway to celebrate 600 followers plus her blogiversary! Congrats to her by the way!!

I am giving away $15 to spend at my TPT store and here are some of the other wonderful prizes you could win:

 

1 free product from Kate's store @ Second Grade Sparkle

1 free product from Corinna's store@ Surfin' Through Second

Mystery Word of the Week #1 from

Jen @ Hello Mrs. Sykes

Math Problems and Math Brain Teaser Cards Set B

from Teresa @ Games 4 Learning

Winter Friends with the "Core" Math Stations and Activities from Krista @ Stellar Students

Learning in a Winter Wonderland from

Samantha @ Mrs. Kelly's Class

Winter is Snow Much Fun! from Heather @ Teach it Today

Here a Chick, There a Chick Literacy and Math Unit from

Teresa @ 2nd Grade Pig Pen

Menu Math Working Center from Realistic Teacher

Valentine's Day Math Centers from

Jessica @ What I Have Learned

Common Core Math Practice Posters (K-3) from

Ashley @ Primary Teacherhood

Monster Fact Families - Focus on Multiplication and Division from Brooke @ Teachable Moments

Winter Literacy Centers from Jamie Williams

Learning in a Winter Wonderland: 10 Literacy Centers from Heidi @ My (Not so) Elementary Life

Holiday Hoopla Math Centers from

Tara @ 4th Grade Frolics

Sensational Snowmen Math and Literacy Unit from

Lisa @ Learning is Something to Treasure

Emperor and Rockhopper Penguins - A Nonfiction Unit from Angelia @ Extra Special Teaching

 

So you really should head over to Casey's blog and make you enter this awesome giveaway!