Spring into a Giveaway!

With the onset of spring this past Thursday (yes, it is spring-like weather in South Georgia), Created by Mr. Hughes wanted to do a Spring Fling Giveaway. The winner will receive $5 per store listed, a clip art set, and a poetry unit that is perfect for the month of April. But hurry...the giveaway only runs from Saturday until Monday. You will not want to miss it!

In addition to the giveaway, he is also hosting a linky to find fabulous free and paid resources for Spring! It is a win-win. Simply peruse the resources that are linked, and then make sure you enter the giveaway! Also, make sure you visit the TpT pages of those who are donating to this giveaway. Their stores are loaded with resources for every subject area. What a spring-tastic idea! 

My TpT store will be discounted 10% off everything Saturday through Monday. Enjoy!

Happy Spring, Everyone!

It's Giveaway Day!

Good morning! If you will head on over to our All Things Upper Elementary Blog, you can enter for a chance to win my January Writing Bundle. I will randomly select three lucky winners. All you have to do is leave your email address in the comment section of the post at ATUE. While you are there, you can also download a freebie from me to use in your classroom. Good luck and I hope you have a fabulous Friday!

Bonfires, Football, and Family

ATUE Giveaway

Fall. It has arrived in south Georgia. Sometimes we do not really have a true "Fall" where we live; however, this year, it is has made its appearance. And we love it! Many times our weather switches from hot to cold and back to hot before we truly experience the cool, crisp air and the colorful leaves. But this year, we are thankful to have Fall upon us. 

The part I like best about Fall is family. This is the time of year where we love to sit around bonfires, roast marshmallows, and warm up by the crackling fire. We love to watch our UGA Bulldogs play. And we love to spend time together. So definitely the best thing I like about Fall is getting to spend quality time with my family making memories that will last a lifetime. 

We are excited about our FALLing into a Giveaway at ATUE. Hurry on over and enter for your chance to win a gift certificate. You will read each blogger's post and find out their favorite part of Fall. It will be fun! 

What's the Big Deal Anyway?

Check out my blog post over at All Things Upper Elementary today!

It's the Big Day!

It's BACK to SCHOOL which means TpT is throwing a MONSTEROUS SALE and ATUE is joining in!  

We are guessing that many of you have been adding items to your wishlist (or the wishlist in your mind!) and this is THE time to stock up on all the resources that will make your teaching better and your planning easier. Whether you need something "extra" to spice up a unit or are ready to try something brand new--this is your chance to get amazing resources at an even more amazing price.



Make sure to stop by all of our stores and stock up on the amazing savings!  UP TO 28% OFF in each of our stores!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Huge Back-to-School Giveaway!!!

Are you gearing up to go back to school anytime soon? If so, you need to hurry on over to the All Things Upper Elementary Blog and enter to win up to 50 fantastic back-to-school resources. My friends and I have teamed up to offer three lucky winners the opportunity to win some "must-have" resources to get their school year started. The giveaway ends on Monday, July 29th. The three winners will be announced on Tuesday. What are you waiting for? Go Beat the Back-to-School Blues with All Things Upper Elementary! 

Sensational Product Spotlight and Linky

I have a new seller that I would like to introduce you to. Her name is Samantha Harrell and she has some great products for you. One of her newest additions to her TpT store is called Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions. If you teach language arts, you need to check out this product.

Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions

This product is a wonderful resource to use when teaching coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, as well as forming compound and complex sentences. It is targeted for students in third grade through fifth grade. It is aligned to the Common Core Standards.

Included in this product are cards for your word wall and centers, booklet templates for both coordinating conjunctions/compound sentences and subordinating conjunctions/complex sentences, and assessments with the answer keys.

Above is a photo of two students working in their conjunction booklet. The students put their own books together using the page numbers. This booklet is awesome! For pages 1-10, the students receive instruction from the teacher. Pages 11-17 are independent practice designed for the students to demonstrate their understanding and knowledge of coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. There is even a page designated for partner sharing and collaboration. One thing I really like about the booklets is that there are two of them, one for coordinating conjunctions and one for subordinating conjunctions. (If you look behind the students in the photo, you can see some of the word wall cards that some with this product.)

I am sure that you will love this product! It is very teacher/student friendly and keeps the students engaged! Visit Samantha's store and follow her for resources to use in your classroom.

Now, it's linky time! I am so excited about this new blog and our very first linky party! The wonderful thing about this linky party is that the products are free! Yes, that's right...FREE! Head on over to the All Things Upper Elementary Blog and pick up some fabulous products. Be sure that you thank those donating by following their stores and leaving positive feedback/comments for them.

All Things Upper Elementary Linky

It's a New Year!

It's a New Year! Every January I reflect back on the previous year...I look at my resolutions (that I most likely did not keep), my finances and how I can improve or save more, my organization, and I venture to include new ideas and goals that I hope to accomplish. This January is no exception!

As I reflect back on my resolutions for 2012, I just shake my head. Now, this is both "good" shaking and "bad" shaking. I will confess the bad before I tell about the good. I wanted to run another marathon in 2012. It didn't happen. I didn't train like I should, and I just did not seem to have the motivation. I thought about it many times, then I would start back running, and then stop because, well, I don't exactly know. Another goal I had this past year was to save more money per month than the year previously. Well, that didn't happen either. There were some months that I was good, but there were other months that I wasn't.

Now to the "good" news from 2012. I become a seller on Teachers Pay Teachers. Who knew that people would actually buy something I created and use it in their classroom! I had never heard of TpT until I was looking for ideas to use with a new novel I was teaching in my class. When the search returned, one listed TpT as a source for information. I clicked on it, registered as a basic seller, and then did nothing with it. That was in February. At the end of March, I decided to begin to put together some of my teacher-created items that had worked well for me in the past and give it a "selling" try. I will always remember that first "sold" email I received. I do not look at TpT as just a financial win. It is more than that. It has helped me become a better teacher by creating activities that my students love and gain mastery by completing the activities. It makes me think ahead at what I want my students to learn and master. Collaborating with other TpT sellers has really been the best professional development I have ever had.

Fast forward to 2013...this year is going to be epic. I have teamed up with some of the best upper elementary teachers, and there is a new blog in town called All Things Upper Elementary. There are 14 contributors to this new blog, and each will bring their own voice, ideas, freebies, fun, and expert knowledge. I am so excited to be a part of this wonderful group of teachers and bloggers! Make sure you hop on over and check it out and follow us. (There is a button on my sidebar that will take you straight to it.) My introduction will be on Tuesday, January 8th.

Since it is January, I feel that I will publish my resolutions so that I am held accountable for them. Make sure to hold me to them, please!
1. Blog at least 2 times per week on this blog. (I will be on a rotating basis on the All Things Upper Elementary blog.)
2. Tithe more...enough said.
3. Get organized! I think at times I am organized, and then I look around my desk at school. It looks like a bomb exploded. I have got to get better!
4. Be an example for my daughter. She is still young, and I want to make sure that my actions and reactions are positive (even when it is hard to be positive).
5. Serve more...I use to be the President of the United Way for my county. I served at this position for several years, and then I rolled off the board. I would love to get back into serving my community. I also want to encourage the spirit of volunteering in my family.

I hope each of you have a blessed New Year, and that 2013 is good to all of you!