Getting Ready for Christmas!

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Wow, it's been a hot minute since I've blogged!  You know, it seems like we just got started with school and now we're getting ready for Christmas!  It just does not seem possible!

I've been thinking a lot lately about my listening center!  I feel like it is so important for my kiddos to listen to good quality literature, but I must face it...my listening center stinks.  I mean, like

PPPPEEEEE-YYYYEEEWWWW!  It really stinks!  

I have a ton of books on tape (yeah, I know - I'm old), but the tape players never seem to be working correctly and you spend your time trying to fix them instead of being in your small group, which means I don't use my listening center.  I tried to convert them using audacity.com, and some of them turned out great while others - not so much...  So you see, I needed an intervention!

Enter QR codes!  My kiddos LOVE to watch YouTube videos of books they love so I thought QR codes may be the answer!  I didn't want them unsupervised in YouTube so I downloaded them in SafeShare first!  Love, love, love!!!  You just print out the single page in the pack that has the QR codes, laminate or put in a page protector, and VOILA! ---Your students are all set!

You can't get much simpler than that!  You can provide a copy of each book in the center or not.  Since, the actual video is of the book being read, it is not really necessary.

I hope this helps you and your stinky listening center too!  ;o)  And, for sticking with me through this post, I'll send it FREE for the first 3 folks who comment!  Just leave me your email address!

Till next time...

November Currently...

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It's time to link up with Farley over at Oh Boy Fourth Grade!  That is always such a fun linky!

So here goes...

In my house during the Fall, there is always a football game going on so it's no wonder I'm listening to football.  Well...I should say it is my background noise as I'm writing this and then I'll find something else to listen to!  

I am loving the cooler weather!  Summer is Georgia can sometimes be brutal so I alway look forward to the beautiful Fall days with all the pretty foliage!  

I would really love to POOF! have it be Thanksgiving Break next week!  I really need to stop wishing my life away!  

I am seriously wanting a fairy to come and clean my house, grade my students' work, write lesson plans, and anything else I need to get done!  Anyone got one of those to share?  If so, send her my way...and soon!!

I am needing my sweet, precious 10th grade son to focus on his grades and not his social life!  Ugh!  Those of you with teenagers can probably relate, but wowzer...his grades have slipped and he's got to get back in the groove!

And now, for a yummy pin...

Buffalo Chicken Dip!!  Yum!!!  I could eat this stuff all the time!

          

Here's the link for this awesome dip!!  It's from A Bitchin' Kitchen!  Yummo!!!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Now, head over and check out the fabulous Farley and her fabulous linky!

Happy Day After Halloween Sugar High!

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      So, it's Friday, which means it's time to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday.  It's been a hot minute since I've linked up with them!

                                
      The week started off with my son being sick...right when I was about to leave for school...So the whirlwind of trying to find a sub and getting my plans to school began!  Thank goodness, it was a short-lived illness and he was back to normal by later that night!

      We had our yearly Literacy Days competition this week.  It is a district/area competition and we got really late notice of it this year, but somehow our amazing staff got our school competition ready in time!  I'm not sure if any of your schools do something similar, but for the K-2 level, they have the categories of poetry recitation, read-aloud of their best writing piece, and a play.  For the 3-5 level, they have the same categories, except the writing is not a previously produced writing piece --they must write their writing at the competition!  Anyway, each homeroom should provide a classroom winner for each category except for the play.  We usually try to do at least one play for each of K-2 and 3-5.  With the late notice this year, we did not do a play.

      The great news is that my two classroom winners won for our grade level and get to move on to the district level competition.  They were awesome!!

Read Aloud Winner and Poetry Recitation Winner!  

         This is our school district's 60th Anniversary and they have some special events planned.  This past Wednesday was an early release day and we had a parade honoring our school district!  Each school was represented in the parade.  At first, I thought, "Seriously??" However, I changed my mind!  It was such a great event and sooooo many people showed up to support our district!  It was really a lot of fun and uplifting to see our community as one.

      Our float was "Past, Present, Future."  We had past principals and staff along with our present students, and had some of our students dress up as a future career.  We have heard a lot of positive comments about our float and participants!

                               

      I love seeing them dressed up for their Book Character Dress-up Day!  They are just so darn cute!  I didn't get any pics of my team, but we were the 3 Little Monkey Jumping on the Bed!  (We only have three 2nd grade classes so we told everyone that the other 2 monkeys were at the nurse's office because they bumped their heads!)    

      Here are a few pics of my class and our parade...

      And, now...Thank the Lord it is FRIDAY!  It has been a fun week, but a L-O-N-G week! I hope yours has been fun too!

Till next time...