That's PINteresting :)

Wow. So it's definitely been a while! I've gotta tell ya, things here on this end have been a little bit of a whirlwind as of late--more about that over on my personal blog--but I'm BACK! And READY!

So, to jump back into the blogging game, I thought I'd share with you some of the really cool teacher pins I've found. I hope you get as much out of them as I have!!

Setting Up Guided Math

Source: mandys-tips-4-teachers.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I've recently changed my math block to a guided math format and am REALLY loving the change. It gives me a chance to really work with each kiddo. I can see the understanding (or confusion) on each of their tiny little faces and adjust accordingly  This pin really helped me get started. Let me know if any of you have any good guided math tips!

AR Clip Chart

Source: Uploaded by user via Stephanie on Pinterest

Our school is pretty big into AR tests and quizzes and sometimes it's hard to keep track of which little kidlet needs to take an AR quiz. I found this little beauty on Pinterest and will definitely be making it for next year...because who doesn't love a clip chart?!

WEBSITE BONANZA!!

Source: edudemic.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

A million and a half (...or 20...) websites. Enough said. Too cool.

More Guided Math 

Source: 4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Another great Guided Math resource. I love how she's set this all up.

And Finally.....

Source: Uploaded by user via Stephanie on Pinterest

April Already....WHAAAAAAAT????

I'm completely blown away because I canNOT believe that it's already April.

Seriously, let that sink it.

It's. Al. Ready. April.

HOLY MOLY!!!!!

Anywho, now that I've freaked out, here's this month's currently brought to you, as always, by the fabulous Farley over at Oh Boy 4th Grade :)

Listening: My springtime playlist has some oldies but goodies as well as some new stuff. Favorites include (but are not limited to...) Sweet Disposition by the Temper Trap, Gone Gone Gone by Phillip Phillips, and Counting Stars by One Republic. Oh happiness.....

Loving: Today was finally (!) over 40 degrees. I'm happier than a bird with a french fry.

Thinking: I am thinking about our Nashville funcation for spring break. I have never had so much fun in my whole entire life. So much laughing. Seriously, my stomach hurt (physically! hurt!) from laughing so hard...and from so much delicious food.

Wanting: I feel like there are so many places I'd like to travel to (a few in particular...) and I'm really just sitting here wishing I had the unlimited time and funds to do that! Or my own private jet. Either one works for  me.

Needing: I need to cool my heels and just breath. Slowly. In and out. Maybe yoga will help with that....

Advice: Que Sera Sera...whatever will be will be. I'm not sure I'm anyone to be giving advice, but I do believe that there's some sort of plan. I also believe I have no control over this grand plan and I need to just let it happen--even though my type-a personality really wants to control the situation....que sera sera.

The Great Butter Battle

Our classroom has been a little bit Suess Crazy for the past couple weeks!

(I'm just sayin' why celebrate for a day when you could celebrate for two weeks??)

Yesterday, we honored the Great Butter Battle with our very own Butter Battle Experiment! If you throw a buttered slice of bread up into the air, will it land butter side up or butter side down more often?

To prep us for our experiement, we watched this little gem of a video on Youtube.com


The kidlets filled out a hypothesis page that included a hypothesis for both the student as an individual and for the group they were working in, a page that asked them to graph their results, and an experiment analysis page.

I've posted our project on TPT so you can do it too--here's the linkity link! The kids really had a fun time with it--for some reason, throwing buttered bread up in the air really is just a hoot and a half :) Who knew?!

March Currently

WHOOPS! A little late on this one....Thanks Farley!

Listening: Ok, this song is (as one of my students would say...) FABU. It makes me wanna hop around my apartment like a lunatic and sing into my hairbrush :)

Loving: Has anyone else out in bloggy land read The Fault In Our Stars??? I had every intention of starting only the first chapter last night before drifting off into dreamland....50 some pages later, I've fallen in LURVE with this book. It's wonderfully written. If you haven't read it yet, stop what you're doing and run immediately to the nearest book store to pick it up. You won't be sorry that you did!

Thinking: There's a semi-empty bulletin board in my room that desperately needs some of my undivided attention...

Wanting: Two of my nearest and dearest friendlies and I are heading off to Nashville for some Honkey Tonkin' the first part of spring break and we are just so excited we can't stand it :) Can't wait for some warmer weather than what we've got up here....

Needing: The grading pile....it sits there...taunting me.....ugh. Need to get that done.....

Like: Cooking. I never used to dig cooking until recently. Now, I can't wait to cook for my friends. It's one of my new favorite passtimes.

Love: BLOGGING! Duh :)

Hate: Canceled plans. Don't you cancel those plans on me. Reschedule them? Sure! Cancel? Grrrrrrrrrrrr

Edit: Ok, so I'm a total direction ignorer and didn't have a like, love, hate that started with the same letter as my name!! My students would be so disappointed in me...haha

SO! My new Like Love Hate that Follows the Directions is....

Like: Sillyness
Love: Starbucks Coffee
Hate: SPOILED Plans

haHA! Fixed it :)

Where ya'll from??

I'm linking up with Fifth in the Middle to share where I'm from!

I'm a (very proud!) Indiana Blogger! I love my little state and couldn't be prouder to be from a good old fashioned midwest town.

Seriously, sometimes it's like living in Stars Hallow from Gilmore Girls.

There are festivals, parades, and sometimes you'll go to breakfast in the morning and someone will (seriously!) come up to you and say "Hey! I saw you at Target the other day--hows your dog doing??" Because that's how small-town it is.

I love it :)

Suessie Suess Stuff

...and a new classroom display!

March 1st is here and that means changing up the room again! We're all lovin' on Dr. Suess right now (especially The Lorax!), so we've brought some of our favorite stories into the classroom this month. :)

Here's our new funzie bulletin board! I drew our little Lorax friend and the Trufulla trees are made out of tissue paper. Here's a great tutorial by Martha Stuart on how to make them!

Besides the usual Dr. Suess favorites, our class has really latched onto a new favorite story book.

These stories are just too much fun!! They're relatively short as far as read-alouds go, which is nice because they're a good way to fill that little bit of time between transitions. Here's a link to the book on Amazon!

I'd love to hear what you're all doing! Our week of Suessie Fun Time has only just begun..... :)

AWESOME PIN ALERT!!

Ok folks. So I was perusing pinterest the other day and came across what is (in my opinion) one of the COOLEST teaching pins I've seen in a while and needed to share with you.

I was getting a little fed up with my work on writing centers. I tried to follow the Daily 5 sisters to the "T", but the thing is my little kidlets this year were just not feeling work on writing...so I was desperate to tweak it and make it more exciting for them.

Enter Pinterest Fate and/or Destiny.

I found *THIS PIN*

Source: secondstorywindow.net via Stephanie on Pinterest

It's lean. It's mean. It's themed. There are different (ready-made....I REPEAT. READY MADE!!) writing centers for every month of the school year. EVERY. MONTH. I have died and gone to work on writing heaven. Seriously, I'm in nirvana here and everything is right with the world.

Ok, so set-up is a bit much. But think about it this way--now you'll have awesome monthly themed writing centers for the whole entire year and next year and next year forever and ever amen.

I'm happier than Yogi Bear with a picnic basket. Let me know if any of you wonderfully creative teachers out there get a chance to try it!