Two for Tuesday: 50% Off - All About California History

I'm taking a break from my glue gun and school crafts to show 2 products that are currently 50% off.  A disclaimer... it's all about California today!

I have decided I like writing reading passages.  Every year I teach these units, and every year I wish I could find Reading Passages that spoke about the men and women that my kids learn about.  I finally decided to write them myself.    

Native California Tribes: Miwok, Cahuilla, Chumash, Yokut, and Pomo Tribes

California Explorers: Juan Cabrillo, Francis Drake, and Sebastian Vizcaino

These are the same format as each other.  Passages, strategy grids, multiple choice, short answer, answer keys, thinking maps... everything I could think of to get my students to dive deeper.  My own boys were my testers - we have gone over a lot of interesting facts over the past weeks.  I personally am so thankful that I don't live back in the 1500's or even the 1700's.  Some of it grossed me out!  

Check them out if you're interested! Now head back to Chalk One Up for the Teacher to check out the other deals. :)  

Two for Tuesday - All About Research!

Another Two for Tuesday - the day that 2 products are reduced by 50%!  Love these deals!

The other day I had a flash freebie over on FB with one of my research products.  I was reminded how much I LOVE using these in my classroom.  Every week my kids get a chance to visit the computer lab and when they are done doing the task I assign them, they get a chance to work on their research folder.  I have a crate in my classroom with all these little papers.  I switch them out over time, but the crate contains these research slips for students to study about... Kind of like Genius Hour, but with some more direction from me.  

So here's what I have marked 50% off for today only.  (I'll switch them back when sitting at the airport on Wednesday.)

My Animal Research Bundle contains 4 categories of animals to learn more about.  Each animal also comes with a lined piece of paper (with clip art) for students to write sentences and paragraphs about their animal.  Perfect for reports, or for the fun of learning about animals!

Zoo Animals - 24 animals

Ocean Animals - 20 animals

Farm Animals - 7 animals

Forest Animals - 14 animals

         My Big Research Bundle contains 6 products to study more in depth.  Each topic also includes lined paper (with clip art) in order for students to write sentences or paragraphs about the men, women, countries, careers, or animals.  

Here's what's included:

Rainforest - 11 Animals to learn about.  We study these during our Ecosystem unit.  

Famous African Americans - 12 men and women that are crucial to know about.  We study these people in February for Black History month.

When I Grow Up - 11 careers to learn about, we study these in conjunction to our Monday college days (when we have to dress up and learn about different careers and where to study).

What a Small World - 13 Countries from around the world.  We study these during the Olympics, or during our Government unit (to compare/contrast).

Arctic Animals - 11 animals that live in the Arctic, we study these during Winter.

American Presidents - 12 presidents to learn about, perfect to use around President's Day.

I hope these help you!  Go check out the other links ups over at Chalk One Up for the Teacher!

Public Service Announcement: My Store is On Sale

This week has been absolutely wonderful.  Spending days with my family with the beach in the background... sure beats the 100 degree heat of living in the valley.  Celebrating my hubby's birthday, visiting CA missions with my now fourth grader, eating at all our favorite spots...  This is what vacation is all about.

Then we got home, and laundry happened.  I lost count of all the loads I tackled Thursday and Friday.  Trying to get my boys back into home mode (rather than at the beach mode).... mainly meaning trying to motivate them to complete chores.  "Let's clean your room!"  "I need you to empty the dishwasher."  All the "fun" things that I don't have to say during our time away.  

Hubby and I have stayed up way too late the last couple of nights having a TV marathon, catching up on shows and I was updating products over on TPT.  Changing up covers, adding some extra pages, etc.  This morning I was looking at my statistics, and realized that there are a lot of wish listed products.  That makes me super happy, so I wanted to throw a sale.  EVERYTHING is included in the next 3 days... even bundles are 20% off!

Hope it helps!  

Rainbow Edit is Updated and on Sale!

This month I'm participating in the #TPTSellersChallenge

This week the challenge was to update a product in our TPT stores.  I chose one of my first products from 2 1/2 years ago, Rainbow Edit!  I've come a long way with learning about digital paper, clip art, fonts, and what printing options I like as a teacher over the past 30 months.  I changed somethings around in the product.  Same idea, but a fresh look. 

Look at it now!    

What is Rainbow Edit?  Well it has worked magic in my classroom!  It makes students look carefully at their writing to become better writers.   

It is HALF OFF for the next 48 hours.  Only $1.75 to grab up this pack!  I hope your kids love it as much as mine!

Celebration Sale - EVERYTHING 20% Off

Yesterday was quite the day.  It was so much fun to watch the numbers literally fly on the blog, TPT product stats, and FB when TPT showed off my milestone flash freebie.  Did you grab it yesterday?  I also had another blog freebie that I was giving away over here too!

With all the celebrating happening, I wanted to mark my ENTIRE store (that means BUNDLES too) on a 20% discount from Wednesday to Friday of this week.  Bundles are now discounted up to 40% off, and that GIGANTIC Whole Year Math bundle with 22 products is now 70% off.  I also have 125 products under $5 - have fun!

I've also added a bunch of freebies over the past couple of weeks.  For instance...

The Best Part of My Year

Symmetry Challenge

Triangle Flower Art

My Medical Writing Book

My March Favorite Things (Spring Themed)

I want to thank you for everything over the past 2 years on TPT - Thank YOU!  Now Stay Tuned, because something BIG is coming this weekend as well!!!  

TPT Sale is STILL GOING!

Forgot to grab something yesterday? The sale is still happening and my store is still on sale!! Yesterday I checked out once, used the promo code, but completely forgot about my TPT credits. What are TPT credits? You can earn money off by leaving feedback on past purchases. Then during checkout (under the promo code box), click the tab to use them. 

Today I'm diving back in to grab up some cute clip art. Love finding new stores to shop at. The sale is also the time to grab up bundles! That extra discount really helps! 

What did you grab? Who did you find? Please share!

Super Hero Time!

Teachers really are superheroes!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/287174913713242202/

My most favorite teacher (other than my mom) was my 2nd and 3rd grade teacher Mrs. VanMastrigt.  She was firm, but she LOVED us, and pushed us to excel.  I already wanted to be a teacher, but meeting her sealed the deal.   She made teaching look easy...  It wasn't until I had my own classroom that I realized how much teachers do besides teaching.  I'm sure you can relate...

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/284852745155071067/

This coming Wednesday, TeachersPayTeachers is having a quick, one-day sale in honor of all the Super Hero Teachers out there.  Several TpT teacher-authors will have their stores at 20% off, and then you can add an additional 10% off when you enter the code HEROES at checkout!  Super Savings!

I want to say thank you as well to my TPT followers.  I have a freebie that I will be sending via a google doc link to your TPT inbox later on this week.  Please make sure that you are following me over there so you will receive the limited time freebie.  I assure you - it's Super-tastic!  

My Best Blogging Buddies (my BBB's) want to help you find "heroic" products that have helped others in their classrooms. I love hearing how my products work in your classrooms, so I wanted to share some fabulous feedback on one of my bundles.

I wanted to give a shout out about my Whole Class Writing Journals.  They are by far the best thing that has happened in my classroom over the past 4 years.  Every year the kids LOVE writing, and learning about our classmates.  I've shared about them before, I just wanted to tell you that they are still working great.

The premise behind them are that they are community journals.  The covers are easy to print off, glue on the top of spiral notebooks, and they are ready to go.  I have the journals in 2 baskets in my writing center.  During writing time, when students are done with our writing activity or when it's workshop time, they grab a topic to write in.  Throughout the year they write in all of them, each student has their own page in the book.  During silent reading time the students can choose to read the journals and learn more about their classmates.

I contribute the journals as helping students form friendships, as they are helping students make connections with each other.

It always makes me happy to read how they are working in other classrooms.  I chose 4 out of the many feedback comments to share with you.  I'm so glad that people like them!

Click on the image above or {here} to go to the bundle.

Browse around the linky for other "heroic" products, or feel free to grab the graphic and link up your own!

Link-Up Steps

1. Link to a post containing one heroic product and its feedback. Use the graphic if you wish. (No direct links to stores or products, please.)

1. Include the linky button and link it back to this post so others may find great "heroic" products.

An InLinkz Link-up

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Tis the Season to Shop!

Have you heard the news?  Cyber Monday (and Tuesday) are quickly approaching!!  I have been so busy this past fall, that I am looking forward to picking up more resources that I know will work beautifully in my classroom.  Before I go on and share my wish list, I wanted to share 3 new things that I just uploaded! 

Yep!  My students need a little extra help working with Contractions, so Contraction Task Cards and Match Up was created over break.

My kiddos also need some more review with Multi-Digit Multiplication and Long Division, so I made up some winter themed task cards for them to use during our December and January math centers.  Then I bundled the sets because why not?! 

Maybe something can help someone.  :)  

On my own wish list, I'm excited to pick up the following products on Monday and Tuesday!

Cooking with Science

Bulletin Board Book Report

Winter Close Reading

Presentations

Fluency Passages

Now, talking about my own store and what people have tucked away... I guess a lot of people do what I do, they tuck freebies on their wish lists.  I do the same thing until I have a chance to download them.  :)  

 

My most wish listed items in my store are my Whole Class Writing Journal Bundle and my Starter Pack.  I've done this now for the past 3 years in my classroom, and every year it amazes me how much I can contribute the journals to helping build relationships in my classroom.  

Here's my picture from 3 years ago.  

The kids share about themselves in the journals and then they learn about each other when reading them during silent reading time.

Here's my picture from 2 years ago.  Now I just have tons more.  

I store them in just a couple of big plastic baskets in my writing area.  This year I actually prepped the journals before school even ended, I had my "future teachers" help me glue them onto the spiral notebooks.  During class time I have the students write in the journals during our ELA workshop, when they are done with their main writing piece of the week, and when they finish early.  Students are allowed to read them during Silent Reading time or during ELA workshop.    

 

My next paid Wishlisted item is my California History Bundle.  This history bundle has everything I use throughout the year with my kiddos.  The first week of school my students get their own California ABC book that has vocabulary words that they will learn throughout the year.  I use my Regions Pack to start out the year.  The kids create postcards and a mini book as they research their region.  We create Salt Dough maps and form the boundaries.  For our Native Tribe unit my students research and create a writing journal, outlining what they would do if they were part of their specific tribe.  After Native Americans, the students learn about our California Early Explorers, and we research and write about the 3 men that are most famous for exploring our state.  California Missions are a huge part of our curriculum, and my students research a Mission a Day and record the information into our Research Books, and then they create a Mission Project.  After missions we learn about the California Gold Rush and they write a historical narrative as if they were a miner during that time period.  We end the year creating our State Symbol Fact Fans, creating our own drawings on the bookmarks that form a fact fan.  

Want to share what you are excited about picking up in the BIG sale?  Or something that has worked wonderfully in your own classroom?  Please link up or comment below!    

An InLinkz Link-up