NBC Sundays #1

Those of you who follow me are aware that last year I went through the National Board Candidate process. So what I've decided to do is make Sundays my NBC Sunday and write posts that will help you prepare for candidacy and if I didn't pass also help me stay focused to redo whichever part needs to be redone!

Today's post is all about organization. Now that the school year has already begun it is so easy to say I'll put it off to tomorrow...or next week...or even next month! If you can avoid it please do! I had every good intention to stay on my outlined path but did I? No! So how did I spend the week before I had to turn the paperwork in? Yes cramming and rushing and praying I wrote well enough to impress the reader who would be scoring my work! Which is why I sit here wondering if I passed rather than feeling confident that I did a great job.

So what I had done with my cohort is map out on the calendar when each task would be completed. So here was our plan: 

1. Mid-August - Finish entry 4, teacher accomplishments (before school begins)

2. October - Finish entry 2, social studies/arts

3. January - Finish entry 3, math/science

4. February Finish entry 1, writing

5. Sign up for the exam in January (which was actually pushed back to February this year).

IF I had actually stuck to this schedule then May would not have been so stressful! 

HOWEVER, making a schedule (whether you follow it or not!) would be pointless if you haven't paid your $565 to NBPTS. Just as early as last year they were still sending boxes out but they have since gone digital and everything is turned in online. I was a part of the first digital group! (The boxes were for turning in your portfolio and now its an ePortfolio). There are scholarships of all kinds and maybe you'll qualify. I was able to get a $1200 scholarship (which is no longer available) and a $750 scholarship from Amgen. It meant the only fee I paid was the $565. Without a scholarship you are looking at just over $2500. It's not cheap so find those scholarships! 

This week I encourage you to make a schedule and keep to it so you don't suffer like I did! (Unless you work well under pressure)

Next week I'm going to focus on where to look for scholarships and entry #4.

I wish you luck if you are going to do this process and want to let you know I'm here to go through it with you!  I enjoyed the process even though I was a procrastinator and am looking forward to helping others!

Good luck to those of you who decide to do this!

Sight Word Program now in TpT!

Well time has literally FLOWN by since having baby J!  It's been 7 weeks since he arrived and I knew I'd have to get those favorite things posts up BEFORE I had him and turns out I was right! I still have 2 more product reviews sitting in my post list just waiting for me to finish them up and share with you.  Those will come out {hopefully!} before September is done.  If not, I guess I'll just wait til next summer since they are beginning of the year products.  Why not?!  I've postponed it this long, right? *sigh*


So even though I was delightfully sidetracked with my sweet newborn I was determined to get this product finished and up on TpT. (especially since I needed it for my return to work next week!)  So on to the product!  It is a high frequency/sight word (whichever term you like to use more!) program.

Click {here} to pick yours up on TpT!

In the past I've begun this program by talking about how we are going to be working towards the most ultimate, incredible, fantabulous ice cream party. And of course that draws their interest in and I've found that this has been an incredible incentive for my students!

Now I must tell you that I have run this party 2 ways.  In years when a lot of children have learned 60+ words they only get what they've achieved at the ice cream party.  Each list they complete earns them one more ice cream scoop or topping.  BUT in years (like the year I taught Transitional Kinder) where the little ones didn't get anywhere near 100 we just had an ice cream party where they could pick what they wanted on one scoop of ice cream.

The first time someone can read 10 words we celebrate!  I give that child a certificate and make a big, BIG deal.  This is what the certificate looks like.  There is one for each level but there is also a generic certificate without a background that you could copy in mass and keep on hand.

This year they'll be tracking their progress on this little graphic:

There is a "topping-less" ice cream graphic to my packet if you want to go the 3D way and use art materials for the sprinkles and mini chocolate chips!

I've also created word cards that can be posted on your word wall.  They look like this:

But once again if you'd prefer to give it a background of your own I've also created word cards that have no background so you can personalize it to your classroom.

And how to keep track of their progress you ask?  Well, there is also an assessment piece to this program! There is a master checkoff list AND a checkoff for each individual list.  Like this:

The students will look at this list of words while you check off on your sheet above:

(Student Material)

OR further along in the year you may want to use this list:

I have an assessment folder where I keep all my student materials and I'll just tuck a stapled copy of the checkoff lists in the front pocket.  That way I never lose my master list or the student lists!

For my students' writing folders they must have a list they can access while in the writing workshop time.  So I've created this freebie for you! (It is a part of the packet as well) To get this freebie just click on my freebie link above. :-)

In kindergarten I work towards 100 words.  Seeing all 100 can be intimidating at the beginning of the year.  So the first time they are working with the lists in writing workshop I print out the first student material list, which contains only list 1 & 2.  This list will last through to the first reporting period in November.  After that I put in the list with all 100 words.  However, if a child is easily distracted and just can't focus enough to pour through the 100 words to find the one they are looking for I will print out more of the student material lists for them.  The freebie will also include all 200 words on one page for you first grade teachers (and end of year kinders!)

And lastly, parent involvement.  You do all you can do in class.  That's a fact.  But how about at home?  As a part of their daily homework my little ones are going to be getting this worksheet this year:

There is a list to go home for EVERY level with instructions in English AND in Spanish. I've also put in parents letters in English and Spanish!  There is an introductory letter which explains why reading sight words is so important and informs the parents of what list their child is beginning on and also there is a shorter letter that I attach to the list each time a new one goes home.  When the new list goes home it includes the parent letter, the list and their certificate of achievement for passing the previous level.

OK, so that was A LOT of information!  If you're still reading this and you've decided to purchase my program I have one itty bitty request! Please take pictures of your class party and send them my way!  I'd love to see how far each of your little ones got! Oh, and thanks for sticking through this LONG post!

Blog Follower Freebie!

Today is a special day!  

I created my first blog follower only freebie!  This freebie is just for you!  Just click on my freebies link above and you'll be able to access it. 

It's my little way of saying thank you for your support!  

Oh my! An Award!

Ok, so this is a sure sign I've just kept myself too, too busy during the school year!  My friend, Christy, over at Crayons and Whimsy nominated me for the Liebster Award...back in December!  Oh my! I didn't even see it until she had posted about it again yesterday.  I don't know about you, but once the school year starts I can very easily lose sight of anything beyond work and family and it certainly happened to my new blog this year. :-( Well, better late than never I say!

Ok, so there are some rules to follow when you receive the Liebster award.  They are:

*You must post 11 random things about yourself
*Answer the questions the nominator set for you
*Create 11 questions for the people you nominate
*Choose 11 blogs you love (with less than 200 followers) and link them in your post
*No tag back (but it would be great if you can me a comment on this post with the URL to your liebster post so I can learn more about you!)

Last summer I had received the Versatile Blogger award and in those rules, 7 random facts were to be posted.  So I'll start by posting a link to that award then add on 3 more random facts!

11 Random facts about me:

1.-7. Versatile Blogger Award Post - In this post I talk about my husband, my year teaching abroad, my love of scuba diving, where I live, my BA, and a couple more! (including pics!)

8. I just completed the work for National Board Certification. Phew! I'll find out in November if I've passed.  Here's to hoping I wrote well!

9. My mother is from Brazil.  I still have family there but don't get a chance to see them often. :-(

10. If you've been following me on Instagram you would probably already know this...I'm just a few days away from having baby #2! My due date is July 22 but he is measuring big so we scheduled a C-section for the 17th...if I last that long!

11. Probably the most random fact about me...my husband and I are attempting to open a preschool! Our goal is to have it open by September 2013. It is a VERY ambitious undertaking and one that we hope will pay off for both of our children.

OK, now for the questions from Christy:

1. How long have you been teaching?
I am about to start my 14th year.  I can't believe how time has flown by!

2. What is your favorite thing about being a teacher?
I'd say I love when a child has that "a-ha" moment and just flourishes because they finally get it. That is the most rewarding part of teaching!

3. What is your favorite grade to teach?
My favorite grade to teach is kindergarten.  I taught 1st grade for 4 years but eventually ended up back in kinder.  I just love it!

4. What type of lesson planner do you use? (old school paper and pencil or online?)
Up until last year I used old school paper.  Now I do it all in powerpoint.  This year I want to do a visual lesson planner.  I hope to learn how to do it before the baby arrives next week!

5. Do you have any hobbies?
Well, yes I do.  But I don't get to them.  Scrapbooking, scuba diving and traveling.  I've been told I need to squeeze in more time for me...but I really love working with children so that is my stress release right now, whether it be with my class or my son.

6. What is your favorite place to travel?
London.  It's my home away from home.

7. If you were stranded on a desert island tell me 3 things you would take with you.
The 3 things I would take are things that would help me to survive the deserted island!  A toolbox full of tools, emergency medical supplies, and food.  That's boring I know!  But I'd want to be able to live long enough to figure out a way back to my family like Tom Hanks did in Castaway except my family was able to wait for me!

8. What was the last book you read and did you like it?
I usually listen to books on audible while I'm driving to and from work. I can't sit and read for pleasure anymore with a kid at home. So the last book I actually read was The Daily 5 last summer.  I liked it and implemented most of it in my class.  The kids did really well! The last book I listened to was The Host.  I loved The Host and haven't seen the movie yet.  But I'm hoping it doesn't fail my expectations.  The worst thing for me is when they cut so much from the book out to make the movie!

9. What is your favorite food?
Umm, dessert!  I love most desserts!  It's probably why I've got a few extra pounds on me but I seriously have a hard time saying no to cakes, brownies, trifles, anything sweet really!

10. Do you watch TV? If so, what is your favorite show?
I don't watch TV much...can't sit still for long.  But when I do I love to watch Yard Crashers. I don't like my landscaping much so I'm always watching to get ideas to change our yard up.  It's come A LONG way but there is still much to do!

11. What is your favorite app?
I suppose I could say Instagram because I'm always on it!  I love seeing what other bloggers post about whether it be about their lives or about work.

So now for my 11 questions to the 11 new bloggers:

1. How long have you been teaching?
2. Did you always want to be a teacher?  If not, what did you want to do?
3. What is your favorite thing about teaching?
4. How long have you been blogging for?
5. If you could travel anywhere in the world, no expense spared, where would you go?
6. Do you have a favorite techie tool or any techie advice? If yes, what is it?
7.  What is your favorite dessert? (I love dessert!)
8. What is your favorite movie of all time?
9. What is your favorite holiday?
10. Are you a dog person or a cat person?
11. What was your favorite toy or doll from childhood?

And without further ado, here are the 11 blogs I am recommending for the Liebster award!

1. Gluesticks 'N Giggles
2. Diary of a 5th Grade Teacher
3. A Kindergarten Life For Me
4. 2 Preschool Pals
5. Tailor-made Teaching
6. Owl in A Vowel Tree
7. 2 Super Teachers
8. Life in Room 24
9. Whoooo's Ready to Teach
10. History Chalk Talk
11. ~Mrs. Mathis' Homeroom~

Check these ladies out!  Lots of tremendous ideas from them!

Bloglovin'

Hello all!  I finally registered my blog on Bloglovin'.  Since google reader is no longer..most bloggers are moving over to Bloglovin'.  So click the link below to follow me on there! Thanks!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

My Favorite Things #2: Behavior Calendars

My next favorite thing was the behavior calendars I used.  The calendar itself came from Teri at

Last school year I used her original calendars and really liked the behavior codes she had.  It seemed to really get the point across to the parents.  Although... I have to admit I tended to use #3 (I wasn't following directions) A LOT!

AND since this is California most schools here are not enclosed (rooms open to the outside of the building) we never EVER used #8 which says "I misbehaved in the hallways".  We have no hallways to misbehave in!

Earlier this year she wrote a post about her calendars.  She not only updated them for the 2013-2014 school year but she now has an editable version and a Spanish version! Click on the links below to see her blog post or direct links to her TpT store for each item.

A Cupcake for the Teacher's Blog Post

Original Calendar - non-editable

Editable Calendar

Spanish Calendar

So here's how I set mine up.  First, I used a color file folder.  Next I put a label on the front cover using our school mascot and a space for their name. But since not everyone has an eagle for a mascot I used this adorable space kid!  Here is a link to my eagle label.  I used Avery label's 5168.

I was a bit anxious getting out of school so I had thrown my original out already. These pictures are a mock-up of what it would look like in use.  I had also left my labels at school so I printed on regular paper and used packing tape to affix it to the cover.  I don't like it as much because it's not as uniform and tape can leave a crease if you're not careful (as you can see!).

This next picture is what the calendar would look like.  When the child achieves a white day they use a black crayon to outline the box.  This lets me know that it wasn't a day they forgot to color.  I also forgot to show a sample day of when a child is absent.  They are to write in a capital A on the day they missed.  (If they miss 3 or more days I usually don't allow for a prize.)  I add in a line on the Saturday boxes for the parents to sign.  To make a complete week I'll add in either the beginning of the following month (as you can see at the bottom) or move to the next month and add in the final days of the current month.

When the child has to change to yellow, orange or red I write in the number for the reason that caused them to obtain that color.  Normally I'll talk to the parents that very day when they get a red or if they are consistently changing their card to an undesirable color. 

This picture shows how I note that those days were already accounted for during the July calendar page.  I just put a large X and don't start the parent signature line until the following week.

Here is a picture of the parent explanation letter. I did have to trim the white edges so it would fit better.  I usually put in 2 - one in English and one in Spanish.  I don't double side because it is stapled in.

 I copied most of the text from the pocket chart explanation I got at Lakeshore.  The Lakeshore pocket chart starts at green and goes down to red.

I didn't like that the children started at the top and never had a chance to move up. So I added blue and white colors that allowed the kids to move up from green.


It seems Teri from A Cupcake for the Teacher didn't like that either! This blog post of hers from May explains how she changed it up as well.  The calendars I use are the ones she offers for free.  But as you saw earlier in my post she now has other options and those are available in her TpT store.

So how can my students earn a blue or a white?

Blue is the first step above green.  I tell my students that they can move up here when I see them making good choices.  That can be anything like, helping a friend in need, getting a pencil themselves without asking me (solving their own problems), sitting and ready to learn more than once, etc.  By the end of the year I change it up a bit to motivate them even more.  I tell them that if the whole class stays on green EVERYONE will get blue.  And if it continues for the following day EVERYONE will move to white.  If the class, as a whole, can achieve white they get a pizza party!  But inevitably, as you can imagine, there is the "one"! So it took my class a REALLY long time to achieve this goal.  It wasn't until the 2nd to last week that they were able to earn a pizza party, which meant my planned pizza party became a reward!  Woo-hoo!

OK, so finally white.  What do the students have to do to get white? White is when they are consistently making good choices.  This is your child who is often moving to blue.  She/he is typically reliable, responsible, independent and helpful.  These kids who reach white get an immediate reward from me.  This past year I had what I called the "big prize".  It was reserved for those who got white.  Since our school is Title 1 we qualify for a lot of aide.  So the Molina Foundation had our teachers come over to their warehouse and take as much as we wanted!  I got enough Scholastic books to last me the ENTIRE school year!  This was their "big prize".  Of course when I changed it up to the whole class needing to be on white the big prize changed to the pizza party.

And lastly, the students get a prize for taking it home and having it signed by their parents.  I give them 2 picks from my treasure box if they achieved an "all green or better" week and if they happened to get a yellow, orange or red the students can still pick 1 treasure from the box for at least getting it signed.  I decided to reward them for getting their parents signature because it rewards them for having a discussion with their parents about what happened that particular day.

Now if a child is changing to yellow, orange or red on a regular basis I change up their calendar a little bit.  I draw 2 horizontal lines in each calendar week.  This breaks up their day into 3 equal parts.  This allows them to see that they are getting green some of the time and it has actually helped to motivate them to do better!  And it let the parents know that their kid wasn't always making bad choices...that sometimes is just as important as helping the kid to feel better about himself isn't it?

I hope this post helps you to refine your communication with the parents about their child's behavior or has given you a new method to it!  It's worked wonderfully for me and I hope it will for you!

My Favorite Things #1: Daily Calendar

So now that summer is here and my national board process is nearly complete I thought I'd take some time to share what products I used and LOVED from TpT.  My absolute favorites were things I used daily.  Every morning I start off with attendance and calendar.  For years I stood at the calendar bulletin board and somewhere mid-year I could tell the kids lost interest with the monotony of it and had trouble with understanding calendar concepts...such as today, tomorrow, yesterday, where is Monday, etc.  I tried having helpers, so they could take ownership of it.  But that didn't seem to engage them after awhile.  So next I tried to change it up with different songs. Nope, that didn't work either.  Then I got a smartboard and while that was exciting for awhile it also was something that by mid-year bored them from monotony that information was not retaining. So last fall I came across this product and it has made a WORLD of difference in my class!  

It is the Kindergarten Calendar Binder from Kindergarten Lifestyle.

Just click on the highlighted words above to connect directly to the product on TpT or her blog name to read her wonderful blog.  The front cover label I made on the Avery label website.  I used Avery label 5168.  Here is a link to the one I created: Calendar Label

 I put together these calendar binders for each student to use.  They LOVED having their very own calendar to follow.  It was something that they could each interact with.  

Here's my class procedure:

1. I put the days of the week and months of the year mini-charts in a sheet protector and we sang a months of the year song and a days of the week song using them.

 2. Next we would turn the page and talk about what number day of school it was.  We would color in one box in a ten frame.  When we reached 10 or a multiple of 10 we would write the number.  That way as the year progressed we could count by 10s quickly and easily by reading the numbers, not just the 10 frames.

At the end of the school year I had the children write it the numbers for the last 30 days of school.  This way we could keep track faster of how many days were left in school.  The end of the year is always rushed, isn't it?!

3. Then we would turn to the month page. The pages come blank.  But since this is kindergarten I idd the following:  Each month we filled in the numbers on the first day of the month.  For August the numbers were there for them (we start mid-August) In September I had the children trace the numbers.  In October and November they copied me as I wrote the numbers.  Each month's beginning we discuss where to start numbering and what number to stop with.  Once we have completed that (this takes a long time in the beginning of the year) we then circle the day it is.  It helps the children to see where today is, what was yesterday and what tomorrow will be.

From the previous picture and this one you can see we either drew pictures to denote holidays or used stickers.  They preferred the stickers obviously!

4. Next stop in their folders was the lost tooth tally. Whenever a student excitedly came to school telling us they lost a tooth we'd make a mark for them.  They LOVED this too!  But finding it was difficult.  So I eventually put little tabs to help them find it quickly. Everyone had the same color so I could say, "turn to the green tab."

5.  Second to last stop was the birthday page.  I also put a tab on this page so they could turn to it quickly.  As a child had a birthday we'd write their name in as part of their birthday celebration for the day.  The child could come up and tell us what letters to write for their name over the class microphone.

6. The last stop in our calendar binders was the weather page.  I teach in California, 10 blocks away from the port of Los Angeles so as you can imagine, sunny days is the norm here!  We often had to go to a second page to continue our graph which would create problems for them visually.  Later in the school year I contacted Jeannie from Kindergarten Lifestyle and she created a special page just for me!  It had twice the number of boxes for the kids to color in.  It worked out so much better and used so much less paper.  Something we all need to worry about with budget cuts, right?!  At the end of the month we would color the winning type of weather and of course sunny won a majority of the time.  I think we had one month where cloudy actually beat sunny!  We were all surprised!  

My students really knew calendar well by the end of the year.  I could talk about days of the week and events that were going to be upcoming and they all seemed to understand well enough to not ask, "when is that?" or  "what's next?"  Jeannie has since updated the product so if you purchase it today it might look slightly different than what I've got pictured.  I loved how independent it made my students and highly recommend this product to any kindergarten teacher!