SALE!

Don't keel over from the shock of me posting two times in two days... but I wanted to help Susan at Middle School OCD promote her TPT Sale!

When I started teaching back in the day (heehee) and Susan helped me SO much with everything, so trust me when I tell you that everything in her store is wonderful. Plus, she doesn't post just anything, she makes sure that it's the best of the best.

Go visit her store!!

Also,  since I have you around... I did make a new item for TPT. It's the 5 Stages of Writing Poster to help you keep track of your classroom writing situation.

 

Go and check it out here!

298... 299.... 300 and Monday Made It

I've been watching my followers for awhile now, watching them quietly tick upwards.  First it was 277.  Then, I noticed I was in the 280's.  Then slowly, but surely... 298... 299... and then finally

300!!

Yay!  {cue balloons and streamers!}

And - for YOU my wonderful, dear readers and followers - I'm putting all my TPT materials at 15% off for the next three days.  I started this blog back in September 2011 because I missed my school that I was transferred from.  I never knew that I would be entering the wonderful teacher blogging community and the wonderful friends I would make along the way!

So, thank you for reading and commenting!  I love reading your comments!  I hope that I will have more things for you in the upcoming year, now that I'm back with my love 7th grade Language Arts and Social Studies.

I've also been working on a cute set of posters to fit my 7th Grade ELA Common Core Standards for Monday Made It!

I noticed that a lot of people make these posters for the new Common Core Standards and I thought that I would create a set that I could use in my classroom.  I posted them over at Teachers's Pay Teachers!  These are just for 7th grade, but if you like them, I will happily create a set for your grade level for the same price I have my posters set at.  ($2.50)

I actually enjoyed making these and I have to give props to the awesome bundle that I'm Lovin' Lit has posted in her TPT store.  They were my backgrounds and frames for this project.

Cute, right?  Plus, what's great about I'm Lovin' Lit's package is that these are just the tip of the iceberg in the pack!  There's so much more.  I can't wait to create more stuff!

Mini Quiz, Exit Slips, Plot Charts

As a middle school teacher, it's so very important that I know where the students' understanding of the daily concepts falls.  Some days, I know that none of my lower end students had any idea how to solve for X, subtract decimals, or solve the Pythagorean Theorem.

So, I started using exit slips or 4 question mini quizzes to test their knowledge.

4 Question Mini Quiz
I love the 4 question mini quiz because it's a straight shot at their comprehension of the basic problem.  Plus, you can make your own 4 question mini quiz in about 4 seconds without any copying!

Steps:
1.  Ask the students to fold a new paper into hot dog style, then hamburger style.  You should end up with your paper in fourths.
2.  On your paper - place 4 quick comprehension questions for the kids.  I usually try to do two types of problems, so they have two attempts at each type.
3.  Let them get to work!

I love the setup because sometimes, they write their problems so messily that I can't read their work.  The 4 boxes really help me clearly see how they are working through the problem.

Exit Slip

The exit slip really works well because it allows the students to reconnect with their learning target (or learning goal) and work through a problem for you.  Also, I've included a section where they can discuss how they felt about the problem, which is always so insightful to discover their "true thoughts!"

The key to a good exit slip session is not forcing them to rush doing it out the door.  It really works best in a Cored Setting, where they have to complete the exit slip before moving on to another activity that's not whole-class in nature.

I've attached my copy of an Exit Slip for everyone to download here!  Since I work in a cash-strapped district, my exit slips are a little small and 4 up on a page.  That way I can save my precious paper (....preciooooouuuuussssss....) and copy limits!



Plot Charts

I designed this Plot Chart for my Language Arts classes last year because I needed something that would hit all the elements of a story we needed to discuss AND not waste a million copies doing so.  (Again, cash-strapped district... I'm lucky I don't have to beg for white paper on the street corners!)

I'm pretty happy what I put together, combining a form my neighbor made along with my plot graph idea and summary section.  It's available over at TpT!

Hello, Hello

Yeah, I know... I've been really GONE lately.  Life has been crazy, but I'm hoping that it has settled down to the point where I can blog again.

I just created a Middle School Animal Research Project and uploaded it over at my TpT store.  Check it out!  I had to make it because I searched Google and Pinterest alike to no avail.  Sometimes, you just gotta make what you're looking for.

I'm planning on trying and uploading all my forms and documents that I've created for my classroom to my TpT store this summer.  Maybe you guys will be interested in my obsessive form creation abilities! :)

In other news... my son on Easter was so super cute that I just have to share him.  Dance!  Dance!