Thursday, November 29, 2012

Holiday Curriculum

Normally, I avoid the controversial topic of Christmas in the classroom this time of year.  School just isn't what it was when we were kids and I know that we must be sensitive to all faiths this time of year.  But as a kid, I always LOVED the holidays and learning about Santa and singing all the Christmas standards.  But none-the-less, I haven't felt comfortable doing anything red and green (if you know what I mean).

Well, this year I am excited to share that I have taken a risk and written a Christmas literature unit and am teaching the folklore behind many of the familiar Christmas traditions like Santa, reindeer, etc ~ and my 5th grade kids are loving it!  They have been eating up the folklore and have so many questions about the history.

I would encourage you to pull out some of your favorite lessons and share them with your class.  It's fun and your kids will thank you for what you do.  But what ever you do, have FUN with it!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Teachers pay Teachers Sale

I am very excited to announce that TpT is hosting a HUGE sale for Cyber Monday and Tuesday!  I will be throwing my own sale too to help you save even more.  With the exclusive promo code you can save up to 28% on my (and others) already deeply discounted materials!  This is HUGE!!

As a little extra surprise, I am putting up some new products on my store just in time for this wonderful event.  You can see some of those items now at my TpT Easy Lit Units store.



Be sure to visit my store and see what is being offered for sale on Monday, November 26th and Tuesday November 27.  You certainly don't want to miss out on this amazing savings opportunity.  So, shop your hearts out on Black Friday (I know I will), but remember to hold back a little extra for your self on Monday & Tuesday.

Hope to "see" you there.  I know you will find some Fun Stuff for your BIG KID Monsters!

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Common Core

I was having a discussion with my principal recently about Common Core.  The topic centered around making the transition between State Content Standards to the new Common Core.  It got me to thinking about how different schools/districts are planning on handling this transition.  Are you planning to take a year or more to transition or are you expected to just jump straight into the fire. 

While my school doesn't plan to "transition" until we are required, I have been playing in the Common Core pool for a couple of years now and finding that I really like the Common Core.  I am looking forward to the complete change and hope that the madness isn't too insane.  I am in California, and our state has elected to add 15% to the standards.  From what I can tell thus far, it makes a minimal impact 5th grade.  Our biggest change for ELA appears to be the addition of Informational Texts to the reading standards. 

I am looking forward to some collaborative time with other teachers to really dig deeper into the Common Core.  In the meantime, I plan to keep having fun!