Saturday, July 30, 2011

Who's Your Team? Linky Party

10 Teamie Questions about Kim & Shanda
#1 How long have you and your Teamie been teaching together?
This will be our 4th year teaching together.  We have been through so much in our 4 years together ~ I was RIF'd my first year due to budget cuts and then re-hired during the summer for my old position, we've helped each other through family heartaches, family excitement, and my husband's deployment this year.
#2 What is your Teamie's best quality?
Kim ~ #1 we share the same last name and both have a special Brian W in our lives!!  Kim has such a nurturing quality.  She is like the mom of the group.  She is usually the most leveled headed of the 3 of us, but she's also not afraid to defend Kindergarten against the administration, who sometimes just don't understand Kindergarten!
Shanda - is hard working and makes me crack up all the time with her stories of life at home.  She is always trying to save baby kittens abandoned by their mom or working cattle from her horse.  Her life is truly a western circus and she keeps us laughing at all her tales!
#3 Who will retire first?  
Kim's got one grandson and a granddaughter on the way, so she will be first just so she can travel to spoil grandbabies!!  But I hope that's not for a LONG time!  We'd miss her too much!!
#4 What makes you 3 an awesome team?
We work so well together.  We look at other grade level teams and are always commenting how we are a true team and work well with each other.  We each bring different qualities and specialties to the table and we don't judge one another by these.
#5 Do you both have any rituals that get you through the day or a hard time?
We talk!  At the end of each day we wind up standing in Kim's room talking.
#6 What is a word that describes your Teamie?
Kim - nurturer
Shanda - farm girl

#7 Is your Teamie in the blog world?  If so...what is their blog? (Don't forget to link it:) If not...will this post push them in?
Kim just started a classroom blog - I'm so proud of her!!
I haven't got Shanda convinced yet!  LOL
#8 What is the funniest thing that you and your Teamie had to face at school?
My first year @ school, the principal had moved several teachers into new rooms.  The teacher that had previously been in my room decided that she would keep some of her things in my room since she had to move to a smaller room - one item was a large monkey inside a big, black trash bag.  So, Kim and I decided that we would move the large monkey to the storage closet.  We were trying to be real sneaky and not get caught, when - Guess Who - came out of her classroom to see what was going on.  BUSTED!!  We've never laughed so hard!!
#9 Complete this sentence...I would not trade my Teamie for a $1,000 gift card at the Dollar store  because...
We work so well together.
#10 Add a special tribute to your Teamie:)
Before you know it you will see me flying through your room, late - once again, and heading to my classroom!  I'm so glad you two have my back!!  LOL
I can't wait to see what this school year brings!  See you in a couple of weeks!!


Just copy and past into your post and answer in color.  So stinking easy!
10 Teamie Questions about ______________
#1 How long have you and your Teamie been teaching together?
#2 What is your Teamie's best quality?
#3 Who will retire first?
#4 What makes you two an awesome pair?
#5 Do you both have any rituals that get you through the day or a hard time?
#6 What is a word that describes your Teamie?
#7 Is your Teamie in the blog world?  If so...what is their blog? (Don't forget to link it:) If not...will this post push them in?
#8 What is the funniest thing that you and your Teamie had to face at school?
#9 Complete this sentence...I would not trade my Teamie for a $1,000 gift card at the Dollar store  because...
#10 Add a special tribute to your Teamie:)


Grab the code below:
<!-- start InLinkz script -->
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=72066"></script>
<!-- end InLinkz script -->



Thursday, July 28, 2011

Volunteer Form

I have looked on both my school computer and my home computer and can't seem to find my volunteer form that I have used in the past.  I seen Michelle's volunteer form at Fabulous in First and decided to tweak it a little to my classroom needs.


This morning, I decided to add a few more items to the volunteer form, so here is the newest:


Pirate themed nameplates/desktags

I had a request for pirate themed nameplates - so . . .here you go!!  They are separte files, so you will need to click on each one.  Mrs. Shepard - if you want something changed, please let me know and I will do my best!!  ARRGH Matey!!



Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Behavior Management tip from Olivia . . .

My kids are watching Olivia  based on the book by Ian Falconer.  Anyways, the teacher on there had a cute little sing-song that she said "Apples, peaches, pumpkin pie - when the teacher's talking no hands in the sky".

Amazing!!  I love it!!  I always have little ones that want to tell me a story when I am trying to talk or a guest is talking.  Who knew I would find Behavior Management ideas from a cartoon?!?!

Happy Birthday to my Husband

Happy Birthday to my husband, Brian, today!!  He is currently deployed overseas, so the kids made a couple videos for him.  Check them out on our family blog http://oakleywolfsden.blogspot.com/

Monday, July 25, 2011

Froggy Template

One of my teammates - Kim - just started blogging so I made her a quick template to try out.  See what you think.

My test blog

DonorsChoose.org Giveaway!!

Jennifer at Herding Kats in Kindergarten is a having a FABULOUS giveaway for 3 gift cards to DonorsChoose - one of my favorite organizations!!

If you are a teacher blogger you'll want to check out her giveaway here - If you have never heard about DonorsChoose.org, go checkout my current and completed projects for my classroom here.  It is a great organization that brings needed supplies to classrooms and students!!

Writing Center

About 4 years ago, I started using mini-picture dictionaries in my writing center.  Most of them are theme based.  I use cheap picture albums to hold the pictures.  I just find the pictures off the internet, download them into an index card document and then use a text box to write the word for the students.  They love them and use them all the time.  Some of the picture dictionaries I've made include:


  • Our school: classmates, faculty, objects found during the day
  • Kansas Day
  • Food
  • Holidays & Seasons
  • Science & Social Studies themes ~ Five Senses, Weather, etc.
I wish I had pictures or even documents to share with you, but they are at school and on my school computer.  One more reason to move everything to google docs!!

Animated Literacy

I have been using Jim Stone's Animated Literacy program for 6 years now and I don't think you could make me change.  I love it!!  This is the second school I have taught at that has used the program and I think all 7 team members I've had would agree with me when I say it is truly the BEST literacy program for Kindergarten!!

The program produces great readers and writers!!  It amazes me how easily the students slide into writing.  When we begin writing our sentences closer to the 2nd semester, I like to use the following papers for writing.  The students illustrate the drawing lesson above the dotted line.  I do not use "railroad" lines in my classroom for sentence writing.  I went to a conference once that said Kindergarten students are not ready for these lines, so I use a single line.  The students do really good.  I do alot of modeling.

Sentence Paper



Favorite Fonts

I know I'm a little late to this Linky Party, but I still wanted to participate.  Jenn @ Finally in First hosted a spectacular Linky Party - Favorite Fonts!!  Here is a few of my favorite fonts!  If there was Fonts-Anonymous group, I would so be a charter member!!  Most of these are downloaded from the internet except ABC Print.  It was from a CD of fonts called - Fonts4Teachers.  I love it to use with my kinders.



Enjoy!!

Owl Nameplates - Freebie

I had a couple different requests for my owl nametags.  Here is the working link to download.  Please enjoy!!  If you would like something changed on them, let me know and I will see what I can do.  If you would like something other than owls, I would be happy to try to make one for you!!



Sunday, July 24, 2011

Back to School Bonanza Giveaway

Erica over at Erica Bohrer's First Grade is hosting a fabulous giveaway!!  Go check it out.


Friday, July 22, 2011

Schedule Cards for Pocket Chart with Downloads

Well, Thank you to Alicia at First Grade Factory for helping with this.  I was able to get the documents (6) uploaded correctly to Google Docs for all of you!!  This is my first, so please let me know if it's not working.  Enjoy!!



Schedule Cards

Here are the schedule cards that I have been working on.  I've been trying to get them do upload to Google documents correctly, but seem to be ha
ving some difficulty.  Google docs keeps changing the size of them so they are not sized correctly.  Hopefully, I can figure it out soon or find someone that can help me with it. 

Hope you enjoy!!


     

 

















UGH!!

I usually think I'm pretty tech-saavy, but I have been having some difficulties with updating my teacher blog to add some things I've been working on. I can't seem to get them to load to Google Documents as a pdf without messing up the dimensions. If someone out there could help me - - Oh, I would be one happy Blogger!! :)

Thursday, July 21, 2011

New Template ~ DESIGNED BY ME!!!

I did it!! I designed the new template for our blog!! A couple of weeks ago I designed the template for my teaching blog from the Land of Aha-Z. It took me almost 2 weeks to figure all the coding, but tonight it only took me about 2 hours from start to finish to do this blog. I think I may have found myself a new hobby ~ designing templates for others!! Let me know what you think of the new design.

The Wolf's Den


Tuesday, July 19, 2011

My Nameplates for the Beginning of the Year

I've been working on back to school stuff. I am doing the "owl" theme again this year. Yesterday, I put together these deskplates. They are very simple for the beginning of the year. I didn't want too much information on them.





Wednesday, July 13, 2011

I DID IT!!!

I'm so excited!!! I created my own blog header and background. It took me about a week to figure out the right html, but with some help from my blogger friends, I FINALLY got it to work. I know it is not as perfect as a designer template, but I am pretty proud!! :)