All products in my store will be 20% off!  Happy shopping!

Follow the link below:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Merrissa-Peralta

Certain products on sale (including Halloween products).  15% off!  October 27th and 28th only!  Click on the link below to visit my store! 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Merrissa-Peralta

Copy Parent

Help Wanted!!  Parent to help with copying for the class.

When I first put that request out to parents, I had several immediately reply that they would love to help.  For years I have put out a sign up sheet asking for help with copying.  At least one parent has been willing to help each year.  Once I have volunteers, I work with each to decide how long and how often they will come in.  Parents love the opportunity to help and how flexible this opportunity is.

This is such a helpful task because I can then focus on planning and figuring out how to best help students.  If your school is ok with parents helping in this way, I highly recommend asking if anyone would be interested in helping in this area.  Sure, I still have to spend time making copies.  However, it is so helpful to have some basics taken care of each month.  Huge time saver!!

I arrived to school this morning to find this email from a parent waiting for me:

     Yesterday, we had "movie day" at home (we watched "Singin' in the Rain").  At one point halfway through the movie, as Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds were becoming interested in each other, Susie (name changed) leaned over to me and said "Dad, I'm pretty sure they're going to kiss.  It's foreshadowing."  I said "Foreshadowing?  That's a pretty big word.  Where did you learn about foreshadowing?"  Susie answered, with a big, proud smile on her face, "Mrs. P. taught me about it."

     Stories like this make teaching worth all the hard parts!  My day has been made...a student really remembered something and totally applied it!!  See my Facebook page to share your own stories like this!

Are you teaching in a school where field trips have been cut/reduced?  Are you a parent and disappointed about the lost opportunities for your child because of field trip cuts?  I was so disappointed last year when I heard my students would not enjoy the enriching activities previously provided.  I realized that if I worked together with parents that we could still come up with a way to provide this enrichment.

Chances are good that the places your class would be going to see on a field trip are open to the public and that you can invite families to join you for a visit.  Whether it is a walk through the woods in a local park or a visit to a museum or planetarium, look into having your class meet on a Saturday or evening.

My room parents and I picked a date/time and encouraged parents to bring their children on our "fake field trip".

Not everyone was able to make it, but I was glad some families had taken the opportunity.  Those that went had a great day and new family/class memories.

Help Getting Started With TpT

If anyone is wanting to start using TeacherspayTeachers and is unsure of where or how to begin, sign up using this link.  I would then be happy to guide you through getting started!  Helpful hints would also be provided for using marketing tools, such as Pinterest, Facebook, and blogging.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Signup/referral:mperalta21

Just go to my store.  Click on the link to the right.

Campfire template now available at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Merrissa-Peralta (use the link on the side of this blog).  Free for a limited time only!!!!

A great story about just wanting to stay in bed for the day.  I recommend this book for a read aloud on a rainy day!  Great for k-5.  It is an easy reader, which makes it great for younger students.  3rd-5th graders will easily connect with the idea of not wanting to get up.  Laughs for everyone!

I love to cook and bake!  More than the cooking, I love to eat delicious food.  That being said, it is really hard to cook great meals during the work week.  My solution...cook several meals on the weekend that can be put in the freezer.  Then all that needs to be done during the week is pull out your meal and stick it in the over.  See my Facebook page for some of my favorite meals.  Feel free to post some of your own favorites that can be frozen!

The View At The Zoo by Kathleen Long Bostrom is a fun read.  Great for a point of view lesson.

Story Sharing Campfire

This is a fun way for students to share the stories they have written.  Set up a campfire and have class sit in a circle around it.  I even turn the lights off and stick a glow stick or little flashlight in the center of the fire so that it glows.  Students can then read one story they have written (I allow my students to pick a work in progress).  Students always love this change in pace from the regular routine.  A template for this activity will be coming soon on my TPT website.  

The picture above is a basket of laminated folders.  I laminate one folder per child in my class.  Then I put a mailing label on the folder with the child's name.  Laminating makes folders more durable and they will last for the year.  Use scissors or a knife to gently slice along the inside of the folder (top or side of the pocket, depending on kind of folders), where papers are inserted.  Be careful not to go all the way through...just a slight slice through the laminating to allow papers to be put in.  When students finish an assignment, it goes into the folder.  At the end of the week, I am able to easily check to see who has/has not finished all of the assignments.  *Durability makes them great for writing workshop too!

Great Back To School Read Alouds 

How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Mark Teague                                Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard

Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco                                                 David Goes to School by David Shannon

Oh The Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss                                                   Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

Teachers Pay Teachers Sale

Everything in my store is on sale 8/18 to 8/19!  I hope you will check it out!
Just look to the panel on the right and find my store link.
Click on the link and have fun shopping.
Remember to use the promo code from the above add.

I use this chair for birthdays and Author's Chair.  Students love the chance to sit on this decorated chair!  I found the chair at a garage sale.  Once you have a chair, decorate and have fun!  

I love plastic baggies!  They are such a helpful item to have around the classroom.  Each year I ask the kids to bring in a box of baggies.  I have half the class bring small baggies and half the class bring gallon size baggies.  Do you already have a list of things you use baggies for?  If this sounds crazy to you, it isn't!  I know other teachers do the same thing and would agree that baggies are so helpful.

Here are some (and only some) of the ways I use baggies in the classroom:
-putting projects in to take home                                    
-students store their classroom money in them
-girls often ask for something to put jewelry in and I hand over a baggie
-using them for fraction strips, flashcards, etc in math
-vocab cards can easily go in them and be safely stored in backpacks or desks
-I put work in the baggies for helpers who are taking things home (separating book orders, cutting laminated materials, etc)
-putting extra clay in so that it doesn't dry out between projects
-when sick students are absent and sibling/friend/parent is picking work up
-taking seedlings home at the end of the plant unit

A colleague shared this idea with me and I loved it!!  This is an efficient and organized way to collect Box Tops.  Cut a cereal box in half and cover with wrapping paper.  Then print out a label.  Students loved filling up the box and I loved not having to worry about handfuls of labels floating around every morning.

Looking for an efficient way to do lunch count each day?  These are just milk cartons with the tops cut off.  Then they are wrapped in wrapping paper and the choices labeled on them.  Student puts a popsicle stick with his/her name into the carton labeled for his/her choice for the day.  I know a lot of people love to use SMART Boards for lunch choices, but mine is used for other things in the morning.

Has anyone else struggled with how to deal with lost writing utensils?  It made me crazy to find writing utensils all over the room and not know which desk to return them to.  It also made me crazy to have my students bringing them to me all of the time.  Then, after 5 years of teaching, the solution hit me.  Grab a thin basket, throw on a label and put it in the front of the room.  I explained to the class that if a writing utensil was found, it should be put in the basket.  If a student realized he/she was missing one, he/she should go look in the basket.  I used it last year and loved it!  This simple solution has taken care of wasted time dealing with missing pencils, crayons and markers.  If you have a similar story or a clever idea, please share!

Need help blogging??

Today is my 2nd day of setting up this new blog.  After running into a few obstacles, I YouTubed blogging help.  By far, the most helpful tutorials have been by Ms. Fultz's Corner.  If you are new to blogging or just want to learn something new, I highly recommend her tutorials.  There are several tutorials to walk you through set up.  Go here to get started: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpKuk5M4w5E .  Thank you Ms. Fultz for being so helpful and easy to understand!!!!

Summer Fun

Which of these things has your family done this summer?  What cool things have you done that are not on the list?

http://www.babble.com/home/100-things-to-do-this-summer-with-your-kids/

Facebook link

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lessons-Learned/492806430803135

Check out my TeachersPayTeachers store!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Merrissa-Peralta