Flash Freebie and Special Congrats to a Super Blogger Buddy!

Read and click on the linked Monthly Writing Prompt Menu Picture below to get my latest TPT creation for FREE!!! It's a flash freebie, so you never know how long it will be free before I remember to go back on TPT and slap a price on it.

I am starting to work on school "stuff" now that we are in mid-July. My school doesn't begin officially until the end of August, but after teaching summer school last week, I can't stop thinking about this upcoming school year. I just finished rereading Pathways to the Common Core by Lucy Caulkins. It's a little dry for my taste, but filled with some excellent information about CCSS!

 I am impatiently waiting these two books to arrive: 
  and 


  I love, love, love Daily 5 and CAFE-they are great approaches to literacy and classroom management backed by such great research and they make such sense. As one of the Daily 5 activities, my students work on writing daily (once routines are up and running). This past year, I created some writing prompt menus to help provide some support when they wrote independently. After teaching my students what they were, the importance of them, why we are using them, how to use them and modeled/practiced with them until I was using them in my sleep, these writing prompt menus were utilized by them daily. 

This is how I used them:
1. I used gradual release of responsibility model to teach my students how to use them ("I Do", "We Do", "You Do").
2. I laminated a set of monthly writing prompt menus and placed them in the writing station. Later on in the year, I copied one for everyone, and they put them in their writing folders so they would always have one (didn't have to walk to get one if need be).
3. At the conclusion of each round of Daily 5, we'd have our check-in. Any student who worked on their writing lined up with their writing. As soon as one other student was ready to listen, the first author read what he/she wrote. The class gave immediate positive feedback, and I helped each student set goals for the next time they are working on writing. We didn't wait for everyone to get cleaned up before the sharing began. Wow...such motivation to get everyone cleaned up, though! No one wanted to miss this-it was really quite adorable.

Of course, you could use them in any way you want too :)! Now, go on and click below to go to my store and get this packet for FREE! 

 Now, onto other news...

My friend, Wendy, from Read With Me ABC just got to the 100 follower mark, and she is having an awesome giveaway. Just click on the image to check out her cute and informative blog and to enter this amazing giveaway. I'm giving away my Nonfiction Text Features Notebook. 

I am also super excited to be nominated for the Leibster Blog Award by Jess and Kheila at Two Friends in First.  I'm running out of time now...my kids are asking me to go to the pool. I will be back tomorrow with my Leibster info. 

Quick Writing Prompt Freebie

Just popping in quick to link up my freebie to the Manic Monday Linky, but I'm having technical difficulties this week with the url code? 

Anyway... I use these monthly writing prompts in the writing center. My first graders use them all the time, and they are never sitting there with nothing to write about! Just click on the image below to get it. 

My firsties are done next Tuesday, but I'm not done till the 17th! If you are on your summer break, I am so jealous! If you are still in school, hang in there!

Farley's April Currently, a Freebie and Laugh

Wow! I can't believe it's April already! In Central PA we are still donning our winter apparel, but hopefully warmer weather will be here by the end of the week.  I am fortunate to have the day off, but my summer break doesn't start until June 18th!!! I am on-time for the April Currently, and I added a writing freebie below. I don't know if you've seen the awkward family photos email that circulated a few years back(I'm sure you did). If you're like me, and you find that kind of stuff amusing, scroll below to see an awkward Easter morning photo of my boys-it's hilarious. 

Click this link to be a part of Farley's Currently for April:

I still can't believe I ran into my friend this morning! She lives in NC, and we haven't seen each other for about 5 years. We were hired together, we talked and we just hit it off. Well, our lives took separate turns, and we fell out of touch. When I saw her, I looked at her face and knew it was her. I kind of "whisper-talked" her name just in case it wasn't her, but it was. So, we reconnected and she's even thinking of moving back here to teach. 

Logan's Run (Autism Awareness) is this weekend. Our school's amazing autism support teacher organized a team to run. I happen to be one of the brave souls who signed up. I don't even run!!! I like to spin and do other things, but not run. This is one of those things to cross off my bucket list, so I'm doing it. Maybe I'll get out there tonight to practice.

Here is the freebie I promised. Just click on the image below. These are not fancy, but they have worked wonders in my first grade class. During our Daily 5 time, the students can use these when they go to the writing station. They just pick one up, take their notebook and go. I made my first one back in January, and when a student first used it, I was like, "Wow! These really work!". They've been using them ever since. After each round of Daily 5, we gather for a quick check-in. Anyone who has written can  share their work with the class. Nine times out of ten, their topic was taken from one of these menus. Quick, easy and, most of all, effective...that's my style!!!

And, last but not least, here is the awesome Easter picture of my 3 boys. At least the older two were actually getting along AND looking at the camera. My youngest, Nicholas, was just all-out grumpy. He even chucked his Peter Rabbit on the ground a few times. I was thinking, "Good times ahead since church won't be starting for 45 more minutes....". 

Thanks for reading!

Currently January

It's that time again to do Farley's Currently for January. I love reading other people's "Currently" lists. 

I just opened up my TPT store with a little freebie to use in a writing station. Since my goal is to simplify, I did just that with my writing station. I put away all of the little writing activities I had out because I was getting frustrated...frustrated that my kids weren't doing "real" writing. The only things I have out are their Writing Station Journals and the January Writing Prompt Menu I created (my freebie). I explained more about the menu in my store, on the 2nd page of the menu. My students' writing has much improved, and so has their motivation since they know they will have the opportunity to read their writing during our "check-ins"

Monday begins the Daily 5/CAFE grad class I am in. Some of you contacted me to find out how to get into the class/to find out more information. If you look at uiuonline.edu (University of Iowa), you should be able to find information. There will be a new session opening up soon. You can also go onto the Daily 5/CAFE site-that's where I first found out about it. And, the cost was so reasonable...$400-something!!! You can't beat that for a grad class!!! I am super excited.

If you do check out, and download, my freebie, please leave some feedback. I'd like to know if anyone used it/liked it.