Camp Week and New TPT item.

I cannot believe that camp week is next week! That means only 8 more days of school!  (But who is counting?  :)  )

I stayed for about 3 hours after school on Friday to start setting up the LaSota campsite.  I went home and swore that I would go in this weekend to finish- yet I didn't-  OOPS!  :)  That means that I need to get up super early and go in before work tomorrow.  It is always so much fun to see their little faces on the first day of camp.  I always hear a lot of "WOAH!","Did you see that???"  Which makes the multiple hours of work totally worth it!  I always have wanted to change my classroom theme monthly and get the same kind of reaction.  Sadly- unless I win the lottery and can hire an assistant or have teenage children to bribe- it probably won't ever happen!  :)

I took some pictures of my unfinished room on Friday to share with you.  :)

Alright, this is missing my camping chair, sleeping bag and cooler.  (Where I keep our daily snacks.)

I hang these from the ceiling.

My kids make scenery to help set the mood.  These are some of the highlights.

Isn't it cute?  This is new from Oriental trading!  :)

This is new too!  I didn't take a picture of my old construction paper one.  It was so sad.

My ornery side comes out with these.  I will place them on student sleeping bags or sometimes even in them.  ;)

This is my favorite part of camp and the idea is COMPLETELY borrowed from where I student taught.  A few weeks before camp, we send home a secret package and ask parents to write letters to their child while they are at "camp."  The students have a ball with this and have to write back each day.  Parents get REALLY creative with their letters.  "The dog has been sleeping on your bed." One of my kiddos LOVES, I mean REALLY LOVES Legos.  She told me that she cut out a Lego man picture and wrote the letter all in Lego lettering from his Lego man.  I can't wait to read it!  :)

The students write a daily journal entry at the end of each day.

I purchased plant and animal track rubbing plates years ago and the students create a nature guide that they can use over the summer.  :)

I have a bee, ladybug and butterfly.  Students are given one of these and they write their name on it. This is how I assign learning groups for the week.

Some of my read aloud books for the week.

I have 2 more movies but I must have misplaced them last year!  The Guide to Camping is a little silly but VERY informative!  It teaches all about proper campsite set up, how to handle food, garbage bags etc.

I also just submitted an updated for common core standards Marshmallow Madness item to TPT.  It has 4 pages of math using mini-marshmallows, a writing prompt and a website and questions to answer.

The first three people to comment with their email will receive it for free!  :)

I have my work cut out for me for Monday morning to finish my room! Regardless of what I accomplish- they will still be excited!

Have a great week! 

Writing Workshop and Donor's Choose Project!

Thanks to two lovely parents and my marvelous mother-in-law... my donor's choose project was funded!

I wanted blank hardcover books and the publishing books (with pages that are sewed together) for my kiddos.  They absolutely love publishing (since we only do it once a month.)

Here are some of my little ones digging into writing.  I swear my room is always the most quiet when we publish.  They are always super excited!

I started using a format this year that is heavy on pre-writing and I have been pleasantly surprised with their writing.  We took our first grade writing diagnostic last week.  As a part of the diagnostic they are told to sketch out a picture of ideas for their story on a blank piece of paper.  I was so excited to see my kids sketching out and writing things that are normally on our pre-writing.  :)  I was such a proud teacher!  ;)

As I graded some of them, I even had a few students that added alliteration, onomatopoeia and even inferences into their stories!  I have some great authors!  They often say, "Well... I was inspired by ....."  It is just adorable!

Today our nutrition teacher, who is a retired teacher (and is paid by a grant) taught my class for half a day so that I could get assessments complete.  She is working for free for each teacher half day. 

I just love knowing that I work with people with such big hearts!  She also was my long term sub at the beginning of the year when I was out for the first 3 weeks of school with vertigo!  YIKES!!!  It was awful! 

She NEVER substitutes in k-1 but is such a sweetheart that she did it for me because she knew how worried that I was missing the first weeks of school.

I hope that you have someone just as great as our nutrition teacher in your work life!  :)

WINNER of my favorite things giveaway! Also a small giveaway! Oh AND a nomination!!!!

Friends,

I cannot tell you how excited that I am to not only get so many new blogging friends this week but also a nomination!  :)

I was nominated for the 2012 Most Fascinating Blogs!  WHAT?!?!?!  I'm super honored because I have been blog stalking some super duper fascinating blogs that were nominated for the same exact thing!  ;)

Voting begins May 14th- May 21st.  So- If you think that I am just super fascinating... feel free to vote for me!  ;)
<br />
<a href="http://www.accelerated-degree.com/2012-fascination-awards-elementary-teacher-blogs/" ><img src="http://accelerated-degree.com/fascination-awards-images/elementary-teacher-blogs/fascination-awards-elementary-teacher-vote-for-me.png" alt="Accelerated Degree Programs" border="0" /></a><br />

I just posted a new product on TPT: Addition Properties.  Here is a peak:

The first 3 people to comment with their email address will receive this baby for free!  ;)

Winner of my Favorite Things Giveaway is.....

Check your email Kelly!  :)



Here is my project for today... I thought that I'd give you a sneak peak.  :)  Books, brainpopjr websites, bloom's questions etc. for each first grade math standard.  I also have my quarterly math skills written up one page for parent contact and also for a progress report.  WHEW!  This should take another week or so to finish!  ;)

Have a wonderful week friends!  ;)

Another Teacher Appreciation Week Freebie!

Hi Friends!

Wa-hoo for tomorrow being Friday!  :)

I have another freebie posted for you today.  It is a part of my common core newsletters and assessments.
You can download it here.

Don't forget that you can still enter my mega Danielle's Favorite Things giveaway!  :)

More Teacher Appreciation Week and a limited time freebie!!!

Happy Wednesday!

I have another free offering today: My Weekend News Templates.  I use this to have my students practice certain nonfiction features.  They are easy to use and my kiddos really enjoy changing up their weekend news.

You can download it here for free until I go to bed tonight or after I wake up tomorrow!  ;)

Funny story:
We have been meeting with our 4th grade buddies all week working on animal reports.  As I was meandering through the 60 kids in the class- I heard two students discussing an animal item and questioning it.  I came up and helped them figure it out.  My kiddo said, "Mrs. LaSota- how did you know that?"  I of course said, "Well, you see this brain up here?  It is HUGE and full of knowledge.  I don't even know how I can fit it in my head!"  The 4th grade student just stared at me and calmly said, "Ummm... Mrs. LaSota... actually no.  You probably only use like 10% of your brain like most people."  LOL  I'm so glad that I teach 6-7 year old students that believe everything that I say!  Keep those 4th graders away from me!

Just a reminder that I am having a mega giveaway of my favorite things!  I'd appreciate you telling your friends to share the love!

Click here to go enter.

Have a great night!

-Danielle

P.S.  I am going to try to leave lots of bloggy comments tonight but I have to finish our first grade ordering tonight.  :( 

Teacher Appreciation Week- 2 giveaways and free problem solving!!!

What a great start to teacher appreciation week!  Tons of TPT sales.  Yummy goodies and gifts from PTO!

My kiddos were lovely today.  (I should probably tell you that I only worked half day. lol. )  I also have lots of new blog friends!  I'm so excited!!!! 

I know how excited that I get when people comment on my blog- so I have been spending my time trying to comment on each blog that I read.  I just need to get better at that!  I read them- I just never take the time to comment.  I need to share the love more!

Speaking of love.... Heather from Heather's Heart is having a nice little giveaway until this weekend.  Stop on by and enter or at least look around on her blog.  She has a lot of wonderful things!  :)

I also have a mega Danielle's favorite things giveaway going on as well until Sunday!  Click below to enter for your chance at a $25 tpt gift certificate, 31 mini organizer, chocolate, smellies and fun paperclips!  :)

I also put my problem solving posters at TPT for FREE until I get home from work tomorrow!

So head on over and download your copy! 

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

-Danielle

Teacher Appreciation Week Giveaway on May 13th!!!!!

I cannot tell you how excited that I am for teacher appreciation week because it means the school year is almost over! The last month of school is always my favorite because I start to gather things and put them away and am reminded of how much my little ones have matured and grown. I always turn into a giant sap!!!


Well I've been out of commission for a while... A lot of school events... Sick.... Catching up on work and then sick again!!! So sorry for the long time between postings!

Well in honor of teacher week I thought that I'd make lists of favorite teacher things!

Favorite teacher things:
1. Fun paperclips! I don't know why but using paperclips other than just the plain silver just makes me smile! :-)

2. 31 bags organizers. I seriously cannot get enough organizers!!! I use them for everything!!!

3. Electric stapler! A dear teacher friend purchased one for me this year and I don't know how I lived before I had it! I don't even mind stapling anymore. :-)

4. Chocolate. That is a teaching tool right?? I went out a week ago and bought tons of candy and divided it into big bags for my teammates for our survival kits! I can't say that mine hasn't been open at least once a day!!

5. Mechanical pencils. I sharpen so many pencils each day that I just want a never ending piece of lead!

6. Chapstick. This may seem odd so allow me to describe. A few years ago on proteacher I read that someone used scented chapsticks as rewards. You rub the chapstick on the back of their hand and call it a "smelly.". It smells for about 30 minutes?? My kids LOVE it! I have a reward box for being on purple with candy, bookmarks, stickers, etc. Yet the kids ALWAYS choose to have a smelly. Let me tell you each smelly gets a ton of usage!!!! It is such a cheap little investment!!!

7. Tpt!!! This has truly made my teaching life so much easier!!! There are so many talented teachers out there that have creative gifts!!! I just love finding new treasures all of the time.


So the giveaway....

I will be going away the following to one lucky person!:

A 31 black and white jacquard mini organizer

Chocolate! (You can even request your favorite because I haven't purchased it yet!) :) 

$25 (I upped it to $25 from $20) to TPT

Fun paperclips

Scented chapsticks

Any 7 items that you want from my tpt store.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Danielle-Lasota

This is how to play:
*1 entry if you follow my tpt store and comment with your email.
*1 entry if you follow my blog and comment with your email.
*****5 entries if you blog about my giveaway!!!! (And I also will be super grateful for it!!!!! :)  I would love more friends!!!!)

Thank you teacher friends for all that you do!!! I appreciate all of you!