Smile Makers

I teach in a Title I school with a large percentage of ELL students. While there are many challenges about teaching in this type of environment (and I've taught in both Title I and non-Title I schools), I do love it. I love the students, and that is something I feel passionate about - Title schools need passionate people! A lot of times when I'm dealing with frustrations, I have to remind myself that it isn't the students at all. A lot of times it's figuring out a way to work with other adults and follow through with communication, and that is a very good skill to know, regardless of the profession or what environment you are working in. These kids come from backgrounds that many of us will never know or understand, and school is their safe place. It is our job to provide a positive, structured atmosphere and to expect what others will not out of these kids. 

Anyway, off my soapbox now. :-) One strategy for working with ELL students is to label the classroom. In the past, I've had to create my own labels - type them, laminate them, cut them, and hot glue or tape them, all around the classroom. This year, thanks to SmileMakers, I received labeling stickers that are reusable! I love this product, and it makes it so easy to label the classroom. The lettering is large, so students can see from a distance, and it is easily readable with a nice, clear font. Additionally, the labels have not only the word, but they have a picture also. So perfect for ELL and emergent readers!!! The coolest thing is that the pack came with a large selection, and then I could pick which labels I wanted to use! The rest I've put in my closet for another year. :-)

Click the picture below if you'd like to order a set of these labels, or click HERE.

SmileMakers has a great teacher reward program, and they have a nice selection of top quality classroom products. They have a nice deal going right now, only until September 27. To receive 10% off, no minimum order, use code: SMILE25  and click HERE, or click the picture below!

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TpT - SUNDAY SUPER SALE and Referral

So Teachers Pay Teachers has been quite a ride for me. I have been a part of this website for about a year now, and I am absolutely AMAZED at the growth my store has had. I started out very very small, and it's just blown up from there. I was shocked to receive my check in the mail this last quarter (first time to get an actual check instead of a PayPal deposit - when it's over $500 you get a check to save on the PayPal percentage), as it was enough to pay half of our house taxes for the year!!! How awesome is that??!! And all from just sharing resources I've created for my own classroom that I'm already doing anyway. I absolutely love that people are using the resources I've created and are implementing them and seeing success. That is a truly great feeling. I love sharing anyway, and TpT has been an avenue for me to do that and to make a little extra "stipend" money on the side. I would highly recommend any of you who've been thinking about joining and just haven't yet to take the plunge. Click HERE or click the link below or the picture below to sign up and start selling!!! It does take a little bit of time to build your store, but once you do, you'll be amazed at how fast it grows each quarter. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Signup/referral:mrskilby

Speaking of TpT, they are having a Sunday Super Sale to coincide with Super Bowl on Sunday, February 3, 2013. Be sure to visit my store on Sunday, and you will be able to able to get 28% off anything in my entire store! The promo code is: SUPER. Click HERE or click the picture below to take a look around my store! :-)

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Dropbox - to download or check it out, go to http://db.tt/OhtmcAo6

I am in love with Dropbox. Dropbox is an online file storage site. As a teacher, and as you can all relate, I have to work on school work all the time at home. However, our drive space at school is kept on a server that can only be accessed in the district on district computers. So, for years, I was traveling back and forth with a jump drive (multiple jump drives actually, because I tend to lose those pesky things all the time) and/or e-mailing myself constantly. It was quite a pain! Then, our district moved to Windows Sky Drive, because it came free with our district Outlook e-mail. I thought that was pretty cool, at first, because it meant I could access my files anywhere. However, I found it difficult to download and sync multiple folders, and it wasn't an easy process. I would have had to manually set up folders within the Sky Drive. I've also tried Google Docs. I do like Google Docs just fine, but when a friend recommended Dropbox, I was blown away.

 

Dropbox is the easiest file storage/backup site I've ever encountered (and it is completely free). You can carry your photos, documents, and videos anywhere. You literally just download it, and you choose which files to sync, and it will sync them for you, exactly as you have them set up. Then, you can download Dropbox on however many computers you want, and it will sync to all of those computers. I can now access my school files at home on my laptop, at home on my desktop, at school, and on any computer I ever encounter (even if you don't "download" Dropbox, you can still access your Dropbox from the internet). I even have Dropbox downloaded on my phone. Dropbox automatically saves my items to all of my computers, my phone, and the website - it does it all for me, and I don't even have to worry about it.

 

One cool feature about Dropbox is shared folders. My coworkers all downloaded Dropbox so we all have accounts. We can now share files and folders in a secure way where we can all access them. It's like having our own 2nd grade drive that is accessible right at our fingertips, wherever we go.

 

My explanation will not do this tool justice. I would recommend just trying it! Just think - no more flash drives, no more e-mailing documents back and forth to work, just easy peasy and free. If you are interested in checking it out or downloading, please please please click the link below, click the picture below, or click here (you can get free upgraded space if you refer others and if they use your link - easy way to get more space)!

 

http://db.tt/OhtmcAo6

 

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Finally on Facebook!

Well, I'm finally on Facebook! I have no clue what I'm doing, but I'm there. :-) Help me out and stop by my Facebook page to "like" it.

 

If any of you have any tips or ideas on how to use Facebook in conjunction with my blog and TpT store, I'd love for you to share! Hope you are all having a terrific weekend. I'm one of those people that can't fall back asleep once I wake up in the morning, no matter what time it is. So, I've been up for the last few hours. While that is frustrating, at least I have a whole day ahead of me!

 

Here is my Facebook page url: https://www.facebook.com/confessionsofaprimaryteacher

 

Stop by to say hi!

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Multi Blog Giveaway!!!

I am so excited to announce that I am participating in a multi-blog giveaway this week with 6 other fabulous bloggers!!! Many thanks to Cynthia over at 2nd Grade Pad for inviting me to participate. I feel so unworthy as I'm kind of just starting out with my TpT store! :-) Anyway, you can win some amazing items from these ladies! The items from my store that I'm including are my Spring Butterfly Math Pack and Roll a Sight Word - 1st Grade List. It is super easy to enter the drawing - see the rules below.

1.  One entry for following all 7 blogs.

2.  One entry for following all 7 TPT stores.

3.  One entry for blogging about the giveaway and giving a link to Cynthia's blog.  (Feel free to copy the first picture showing all the blogs from above.)

Feel free to leave me some comments, but in order to "count", you will need to leave a comment for Cynthia for each of the 3 chances to win, letting her know that you are  following all seven blogs, stores, and that you blogged about it.

The winner will receive a free item from each of us! The drawing is next Sunday, April 8, 2012, at 7:00pm. Good luck! Below are all the wonderful items you could win:

 

from Cynthia at 2nd Grade Pad

 

from Mrs. Lemons at Step into Second Grade

from Mrs. Dixon at Sassy in Second

from Rachel at a-b seymour

from Mrs. Williams at 2nd Grade Pig Pen

from Miss DeCarbo at Second Grade Sugar and Spice

from ME :-) at Confessions of a Primary Teacher



Happy Monday!!!

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Pinerly

I LOVE Pinterest. I can spend HOURS upon HOURS searching and browsing through the amazing home ideas, recipes, clothing ensembles, diy projects, teacher resources, workout programs, funny quotes, etc... You get the point.... :-) Anyway, there is a newish website called Pinerly, and it's going to make Pinterest EVEN BETTER (can you believe that???)!!! Pinerly will help make your pinning more efficient and even better. If you'd like to sign up and are a Pinterest addict like I am, click HERE HERE - PINERLY to go to their website! Have fun! Pin It

Swag Bucks

Have you guys heard of or used Swag Bucks yet? Swag Bucks is awesome, and if you haven't been using it, simply put, you should! :-) Swag Bucks is a search engine that is used just like Yahoo or Google, but you can earn "swag bucks" that can be traded in for gift cards or other things that are listed in their "Swag Bucks store". It is the greatest thing ever, because you earn free things while working just as you normally would online. I installed the toolbar on all my computers, and that has helped me remember to use their search engine for everything. Anytime I get on the computer, I type the website I'm looking for in the toolbar. For instance, instead of coming straight to www.blogger.com, I type "blogger.com" in my search bar. It doesn't give you points/swag bucks everytime you search, but the more you search, the more you earn. There are other ways to earn swag bucks through their website, but I mainly use it for searching for things on the web. I think you can earn points by finding codes, shopping through their site, filling out polls and watching videos, and filling out surveys, but you'll just have to check it out for yourself. My favorite thing to redeem my bucks for are gift cards, such as Amazon.com, but they have a ton of things you can peruse through. This is such a great way to earn cool, free things for the classroom, your home, or just a treat for yourself! Check it out sometime. If you'd like to join and set up an account, click the picture below or click HERE!!!

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Common Core App

I found the coolest thing ever when I joined Deb's blog at Fabulously First. She had a great tip for downloading the Common Core Standards App to your blog. I LOVE this, as it makes it so super easy to quickly find a standard to correlate with whatever you are needing. If you look at the right hand side of my blog, you will see a little pullout bar. Click it and you will have quick access to all the Common Core Standards! Woo-hoo!!! To add this cool app to your own blog, go HERE - Mastery Connect to get your HTML code and to watch a short video on how to install if you aren't sure. What a great find!!! Thanks again to Deb for the tip - be sure to stop by her blog sometime by clicking her button below!:

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Kinder-2nd Linky Party

I know, double post. However, I had to do this now before I forgot. I love linky parties, and I found one that is just awesome. Jeannie over at Kindergarten Lifestyle had the BRILLIANT idea to link up all the wonderful K-2 blogs that are out there in bloggy universe. I just LOVE finding new blogs, as everyone seems to have great ideas, resources, and tips. Go now and check it out and be sure to start following some of the fabulous new blogs out there!!! Click the picture below to go the direct page and sign up!

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wegivebooks.org

I've stumbled upon an AMAZING website called wegivebooks.org. This digital initiative was created by the Penguin group and the Pearson Foundation. For every book that is read online on this website, they will donate a hard copy book to a campaign they support. To sign up for this great community literacy awareness tool, all you have to do is go to the website, sign up for an account, pick one of the campaigns that are on their website to support, and read a digital book. There are no limits to how many digital books you read, and like I said, each time you read one, a real one gets donated to the campaign you chose when you signed up. What a great way to get books into the hands of children! The books on this website are appropriate for children up to age 10ish. Pin It

An Oldie but a Goodie - TrackStar!

TrackStar has been around now for ages, but it is still a site worth mentioning. This is a terrific, free website that "bookmarks" sites that you approve and pick out from around the web. It's a great resource, because you can either create your own tracks or you can browse premade ones from other users. You are also able to annotate the different sites you set up.

You can find TrackStar at http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/index.jsp.

I use this site to handpick websites that I think will be beneficial for my students and that match our curriculum and standards. I create math and reading tracks, and I put a bookmark for each track on the laptop desktops for my students to use during centers (I usually go in and change the icon to a "star" also so they can access it and see it easily). This ensures that the students are only going to the websites I've approved of and not just randomly searching the web (this still takes training though with young students). I also sometimes send these tracks to the parents so their children can use the same sites at home for consistently. Enjoy exploring this wonderful resource! Pin It