Help...Help...Help...

 Hello friends!  Its been a thousand years since I posted anything and for good reason...I am swamped!  Second grade is not what I remembered it to be.  And, I am finding myself resting on my fourth grade laurels in order to get through each day.  We teach common core and I have word study and writing as well as small groups and I just don't know how I am going to meet everyone's needs!!!

So I come to you my fellow teacher bloggers, can I get sample schedules or advice.  I have read the Daily 5 book and have been trying to do that, but until I get my second grade feet wet or at the very least, get into the pool, I need to get a handle on the basic literacy structures.  Could I do nothing but small group?  What will the other students be doing so that I am not wrestling behaviors the whole time...So many things, so many things...I love second graders, they are so eager and willing to learn and they love to show off what they know...that much I have learned in the last four weeks.  I hope I can get some really good advice...Thanks!!

Creative Playground Blogger Product Swap...

    

What a fun time I had reviewing Paula Shaw's products with the Creative Playground Blogger Product Swap for Back To School.  Paula shared with me a wonderful little Goldilocks and the Three Bears Product for writing a fairy tale.  I have a kindergartner who loved looking at the pictures of the bears and Goldilocks.  She especially loved playing with the puzzles and putting the events in sequence. This video shows her working on the matching portion, using fine motor skills, sequencing, describing story events...Its a pretty long list for a little girl who just got out of preschool.  I like how she used her own schema to connect the story to her own "Daddy Bear" who comes to sit in his chair each night after a long day at work.  

Another thing I enjoyed about the product is how colorful it is.  An added bonus are the Melonheadz Illustrated Graphics she used in the product.  I love Melondheadz...they added just the right amount of whimsy to an already sweet and playful fairytale. 

The directions are easy to follow and there is so much presented in the package that you dont have to do it all or you can...You will get so much for your money's worth.  

Here is one of the parts I can do with my second graders...the story sequence

I would do a sample from Goldilocks and the Three Bears and then have them repeat the activity during our writing block with a fairy tale they are working on or maybe even writing a different version of a famous fairy tale. 

This was really was a fantastic product and I was proud to be able to review Paula's product and get to know her a little more.  The product is Common Core Aligned as well as aligned to Australian Standards! 

 

Goldilocks Please Say Sorry!! 

You get all these goodies for only $4

 

She is wonderfully sweet and I want you to go visit her at her Teachers Pay Teachers Store or her blog Paula's http://shawpaula.blogspot.com/Place...She has quite a few upper elementary products to offer and a wealth of math knowledge as well!!!

Please make sure to check out the linky over at Creative Playground and all the wonderful back to school products other bloggers have reviewed and shared!!!

I'm on Facebook...

So I had a facebook account of my own but I didn't do much to it because I love my blog so much.  My fear was and still is, how in the world can I keep up with everything I want to post.  I love my blog...It's a beautiful, cute place in my world.  but I won't post unless its just right.  You know what I am talking about #teacherperfectionists

So, I went over to my personal facebook page and made it my personal/professional everything I love about my life page..with the exception of my kids...I am still too scared to put my kids fully out into the online world.  My husband is a police detective and to say the very least, it ain't a pretty world no matter how pretty your blog and facebook pages may be...

I am going to try to cross post as many things as possible from here so I can keep my blog current (goal being twice weekly, once during the week and then on the weekend.)  I know I will be late to linky parties and currently's and Monday Made Its...that is unless I use those days to schedule posts.  I love thinking out loud and that I have place to do it :)  

Here are some things I have been posting to facebook and I hope you will click my facebook button on the left over there and be my friend or just like my page to get notifications!

Got some stuff moved into my classroom...check out the classroom library...I am in love with that space!  I am not done yet.  It will be post all by itself...Paper puffs and a tattooed teacher product to make the space come alive...that's all the teaser your gonna get!

 I have no shelving in my classroom...until NOW!!!  See how beat up this dumpster shelf was...I think the Rustoleum Company should send me some freebies to try because let me just tell you...I have spray painted two shelves and I don't know how many cans, tubs and bins...My feet even got in on the action from the backspray!!!

Now, I have a really great and skilled Daddy!  He built these shelves for me to go under the bulletin boards of my classroom.  You can see it action in the library picture above.  He did say that from now on, any other shelf building projects would be more of a team effort and when he said team he meant for me to come learn how to use power tools so I could do the job myself :)  #worldsbestdaddy #doityourselfer #noshelfclassroom

 Been doing some organizing and digipublishing...I loathe being able to see what is inside of my sterlite organizers, so I made some cutey patootey covers for the drawers.  I have found printing on photopaper is much better but photopaper is expensive and someone gave this package to me...#printingonphotopaper #colorprintingisexpensive

 For my bestie...I have been making these dry erase boards to put outside of my classroom and the classrooms of those I adore!  I am thinking of giving one a way (all custom and tricked out with colors and fonts of your choice...)  Whatcha think?

This is from an tip and trick I got from Krista Wallden's Summer VIP Club...I have learned so much from her this summer.  She should teach a class in cute!  And yes, I made these and yes, you can get them here by clicking the picture!  

Lastly, this is how far I have come in my #digipublishing endeavor since starting this little blog and joining the TPT community...(also inspired by the Creative Chalkboard)

So much more visually pleasing...interesting...higher quality...completely made by me!!!!!

I am so supercharged for the school year to begin...it has been a quick summer but in my situation with all the anticipation and unknowns, it has kind of been like waiting for Christmas and Santa Claus...I will likely be up all night the night before school starts like I was when I was a kid...

Long Time I know…Needed To Get My Head Together!!!

I have tried to sit down and write this post eleven thousand times really…I just couldn’t get out what I wanted to say.  As you can see from the change in my blog, there have been some really big changes going on around here.  I was reassigned schools and grade levels after 14 years.  I am no longer a 4th Grade Shearer Shark.  I am now proudly a 2nd Grade Conkwright Colt!  Now you can see why I had to change my blog name, my store name, my facebook page etc…
I don’t do well with change AT ALL!  When I got my letter, I didn’t even look at it at first.  Then I read it and saw that I would be leaving my school for another school.  After being in a place for 14 years, building the relationships there and finally feeling like I was being accepted for the person I am, the powers that be decided I needed a change.  God knew I needed a change.  I had been wanting out of fourth grade for a couple years.  I am being placed in second grade and I couldn’t be more happy.  I have been stalking all sorts of second grade and primary blogs.  My old principal texted me the other day and said she knew I was busy trying to become the best second grade teacher in this county, but reminded me to slow down and enjoy my family.  God must’ve thought I needed a really big change because he brought me out of my little hole in wall at the end of an isolated hall and placed me in one gigantic classroom!!!!!  

I mean that is one really big place.  When we got to enter the building back on June 10, you could hear my big ol’ mouth ring out into the whole downstairs of my new building “OMG!!!  THIS ROOM IS HUGE!!!”  Sometimes I have trouble containing my feelings :)  Every person who will be working in my new school will have a new experience.  This is a newly remodeled building and we aren’t even allowed into our classrooms to work/setup/decorate/cute-i-fy until July 14 (first day of school for students is August 12, so not even a month for all the moving in and the planning)  This is all helping me accept the change I have been given. I don’t know if any of you have seen Evan Almighty.  It was a religious/political comedy with Steve Carrell playing Noah.  In the movie, Morgan Freeman mentions to the Lauren Graham, who plays Carrell’s wife, that God isn’t going to just give people what they pray for.  He will give them opportunities to embrace what they need or just the opportunity to grasp what He knows you need.  God is giving me an opportunity to start over and recreate so many areas of my life.  I can be a better mommy, wife, teacher, learner, friend and daughter.
I know it may seem a little far fetched that a change in my job placement/grade level could have this many life altering implications, but I tend to live in every aspect/moment of my life.  I put all of myself into things and my job is an easy one, because I truly in my heart love what I do.  I love being Mommy and Honey first and foremost.  That is the most rewarding part of my life.  Having someone learn from me and make something of themselves and I get to be a part of that, have an influence on that…that is the fluffy frosting on the top of my life cupcake! 
So, there you have it.  My reasons for being MIA from the blogosphere.  But I am back in the game.  I have so many post ideas to share with you in the coming weeks and I create my hiney off getting things ready for my second grade sweeties! 
I’m off to start on a little first day of school assessment fun pack to get us started off!  Until Thursday my friends!!!

Great Book List from Burkins and Yaris...

I subscribe to the Burkins and Yaris blog and today they had a great post on their top ten children literature books and how they can be used to teach different things.   I wanted to share the Burkins and Yaris blog post today and will share their post on Thursday over nonfiction mentor texts!  

 Top Ten Fiction Books for Teaching….EVERYTHING!

This is exciting for me...Real reading begets real writing and vise versa!  I am always looking for ways to teach using real children's literature.  My wish is that instead of investing big bucks in a basal, schools would go to putting real books into the hands of children.  Text book companies could still make their teachers guides and supplemental materials but the book experience would be so much more meaningful to have a real book in hand...as you can tell, I'm not a basal gal...Nothing against them, but the real deal is the real deal...plain and simple.  

Please go to that list and check it out...New titles and old titles...there is something there for everyone!!

Check back Thursday for the second post on nonfiction texts or simply subscribe to their blog!  A big thank you to Jen Jones (Hello Literacy) for turning me onto Burkins and Yaris!!!

CH CH CH CH CH CH Changes!!!

 I posted about all the crazy things my school district is up to about 6 weeks ago.  Today the bottom fell out of things completely!  All of elementary and middle school principals were demoted to classroom teachers a few weeks ago and had to re-interview for their jobs.  My principal had a group interview this past Friday and had to find out for herself that she would not be called back for a second interview.  Needless to say, this has crushed me.  She has been the absolute hands down bar none the best principal I have ever ever worked for!  I know she will be fine and land on her feet.  My concern is now for my staff and me....Who will lead us?  Will they let us stretch our professional legs and teach from the standards or will they try to put us back in and make us teach a big box program for reading and math.  I DO NOT WANT TO GO BACK INTO THE BOX!!!!!  My kids have actually learned something this school year and retained that knowledge.  I don't even know if I will be in present position or not...I have many prayers that God is answering...I believe that God will have me where I am supposed to be and have me working where I am supposed to be working.  I know that God has a plan for who will be my little girl's teacher next year for Kindergarten...I just have to trust in Him that he will do what is best for me.  He knows what is good for me...I just have to let go and let Him lead me.  

Thanks for listening and I will keep you posted!!!

An Ocean of Water….

One good decision and stick to it all week…that is how I am going to go about this weight removal process.  Dr. Pam Peeke from Body for Life for Women calls it weight removal.  Weight loss would imply that I have lost something and we generally want to find things we have lost like our keys or our tablets etc.  I most certainly don’t want to find this weight once its gone.  So…my one good decision this week was WATER…and a whole lot of it. 

I need to drink 89 oz of water daily. I figured this by taking my weight and dividing that by 2.  Don’t judge :)  I have a long road to travel here :)  I have been drinking right at 5 bottles of water daily.  I am recycling each and everyone, because that quite the carbon footprint…I have been to the restroom like 1834 times today.  I am about as far from the staff restroom as a person can get at my school, so getting to go is a challenge. BUT, I can already tell my body is kicking out some impurities.  The only movement I have done this week is picking up after my kids and playing outside with them.  No formal exercise. 

I had a free health screening last week provided by my insurance company.  It indicated that I was technically obese as determined by the BMI, I am pre-diabetic and I have high cholesterol.  All of this can be remedied by exercise, but not by exercise alone.  I have to get control of what I drink and eat first and then the exercise will come shortly there after. 

That is fine, when I am ready for that, I will do it…This journey is a process and I believe that slow and steady wins the race.  The more gradually I remove this weight, the more likely I am to stick to the good habits I will develop.  My students noticed that I was not drinking my usual soda drink and one even asked what was up with the water…literally…”Hey, Mrs. Sadler…What’s going on with the water bottle.  Aren’t you an ale-8 gal?”  (Ale-8 is our regional softdrink around here and since its bottled in our town, most of us are weaned from the baby bottle to the Ale-8 bottle…I promptly and replied “well, its time to get healthy kids and I am starting with ale-8…They just laughed and said sure!  They know how I am about my Ale-8 so they have no faith in me. 

Well, I’m checking out for tonight.  Thanks for stopping by…Have a great day and a wonderful tomorrow!!!