 |
| Graphics by Ashley Hughes |
Happy New Year friends!
I hope you all had a restful break and a wonderful holiday with your families! I wanted to share a few of my favorite things from 2012.
First up has to be the Common Core Stress State Standards relief I have found in these two fantastic ladies and their fabulous blogs! Donna and Jen are my go-to girls for all things common core math and reading! I have learned so much from both of these extremely knowledgable ladies and their posts, resources, and experience have been invaluable! If you haven't already, you have to check them out!
My favorite blog posts
If you've been following for a while, you know how I love Tomie books,
and this Tomie dePaola post is one of my favorites!
and this Tomie dePaola post is one of my favorites!
I even started a Tomie dePaola board on Pinterest!
Another of my favorite posts is A Peek Iniside Our Gingerbreadland! I love all things
gingerbread about as much as I love Tomie dePaola books! My kids and I had so much fun
in our little gingerbread world this past December! So much that I did two posts!
You can find them here: Gingerbreadland Part 1 Gingerbreadland Part 2
My Favorite Graphic Artist
Over the top talented and heart of gold kind, Michelle, from The 3am Teacher
is my oh, so favorite graphic artist! She has made me some of the most original
and creative images based purely on my ramblings! I think I should add mind reader to her
long list of lovely atrributes! She is also the sweetest friend will drop anything (and she is one busy girl!) to help when you need it! I have learned so much from her this year and so appreciate
the tutorials and putting things incomputer dummy like me layman's terms
that she does for teachers and bloggers.
Michelle's blog is a must-read (she's hysterical!), and I know I am not alone
in my true appreciation of her! Check out her blog by clicking the picture!
I literally squealed when she posted these!
Ginger-Bets! She promises to make a number set, too! (No pressure though, Michelle! hehehe)
Another of my favorite posts is A Peek Iniside Our Gingerbreadland! I love all things
gingerbread about as much as I love Tomie dePaola books! My kids and I had so much fun
in our little gingerbread world this past December! So much that I did two posts!
You can find them here: Gingerbreadland Part 1 Gingerbreadland Part 2
My Favorite Graphic Artist
Over the top talented and heart of gold kind, Michelle, from The 3am Teacher
is my oh, so favorite graphic artist! She has made me some of the most original
and creative images based purely on my ramblings! I think I should add mind reader to her
long list of lovely atrributes! She is also the sweetest friend will drop anything (and she is one busy girl!) to help when you need it! I have learned so much from her this year and so appreciate
the tutorials and putting things in
that she does for teachers and bloggers.
Michelle's blog is a must-read (she's hysterical!), and I know I am not alone
in my true appreciation of her! Check out her blog by clicking the picture!
I literally squealed when she posted these!
Ginger-Bets! She promises to make a number set, too! (No pressure though, Michelle! hehehe)
My Favorite New Product
My favorite new product is Building S.T.A.R Readers by Lisa Mattes.
I had the privilige of getting a sneak peak at this little treasure while Lisa was in
the final stages of the editing process. Lisa is a prior reading specialist who knows her stuff! This resource is so thoughtfully created and well put together with the Common Core standards in mind.
It includes the original concept of being a S.T.A.R Reader (one who will Study, Think, Ask, and Respond while reading) with original poems, anchor charts, and student awards. She has also included fantastic parent communication letters to keep your parents informed about what each strategy looks like in the classroom and at home. It truly is a fabulous resource to help you
launch or advance your reading workshop to the next level!
You can find it by clicking the picture!
I had the privilige of getting a sneak peak at this little treasure while Lisa was in
the final stages of the editing process. Lisa is a prior reading specialist who knows her stuff! This resource is so thoughtfully created and well put together with the Common Core standards in mind.
It includes the original concept of being a S.T.A.R Reader (one who will Study, Think, Ask, and Respond while reading) with original poems, anchor charts, and student awards. She has also included fantastic parent communication letters to keep your parents informed about what each strategy looks like in the classroom and at home. It truly is a fabulous resource to help you
launch or advance your reading workshop to the next level!
You can find it by clicking the picture!
FLASH GIVEAWAY!
The first person to leave a comment AND include their email address will get a copy
of this little treasure!
Stop by and visit Lisa at Growing Firsties!
My Favorite YouTube Video
Oh my gosh you guys, I still laugh so hard every. single. time I watch this.
I just watched it about 8 more times before posting it.
I just watched it about 8 more times before posting it.
It's hysterical! (This is a clip from Good Morning America when they aired it so you
might have to click on the Watch on YouTube link to view it. It's worth the extra clicks!)
might have to click on the Watch on YouTube link to view it. It's worth the extra clicks!)
My Favorite Picture
This is my favorite picture of 2012! I was leaving Target this summer and walked
into this monstrosity! For those of you who know me, I am the LEAST
tech savvy person on the planet! So for me to figure out how to take a picture
of this baby with my phone was HUGE!
It's an Arizona dust storm! Yikes!
Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!
Linda,
ReplyDeleteThose dust storms are the worst! I especially hate it when I get stuck driving in one of those.
I absolutely love Tomie! I gave him all of March and you know what? I end up reading his books all the way until the end of the year because the kids go crazy over him and his books are always so fun to read and discuss. I found your Tomie unit too late last year to use it and now I am getting all excited about March this year because I actually get to use it. I will be posting pictures when I start my activities on my blog :)
Learning In Wonderland
Hi Mrs. Shehan! Oh, driving in a dust storm is the worst!
DeleteI can't wait to see pictures of your Tomie study! Maybe we should do a Tomie activities linky party? I'm sure there are lots of Tomie book lovers out there! I start mine in March as well and usually finish mid April. His books are just so wonderful and every teacher's dream, aren't they?
Happy 2013!
Linda
I think that is a wonderful idea! I would love to show off your unit for sure :) It is AWESOME!
DeleteDid you know you can get personalized books from him? I kind of went crazy and bought a bunch of them (even some that I already owned) with his personalization to me! I would love to meet him, but since he only tours on the east coast, this was the closest thing to meeting him.
Happy New Year to you too:)
That dust storm looks pretty cool. I mean. Scary.
ReplyDeleteTania
My Second Sense
Hi Tania! They are scary for sure! My Mom lives in Ohio and calls to check on us every time she sees one on the news!
DeleteOh, Linda, what a GREAT post! LOVE seeing all your favorites!
ReplyDeleteNot to be a weird name dropper or anything, but I have an interesting Tomie de Paola connection...he actually came to my school in Burnsville, MN (in the late 70s) when I was a second grader as a week long artist in residence. So cool! I didn't really know it at the time how cool it was...
I bought The Popcorn Book from a Scholastic Book Order and I still have it with my own handwriting inside saying my name.
About 5 years ago he came to a book store near my school to do a reading and signing. I waited in line forever to see him and brought my book along, yellowed edges and all.
When I got to him and mentioned Burnsville's Sky Oaks Elementary he remembered it right away. He said it was his first and last week long artist in residence cuz we tired him out! :-) He was darling and gracious and so cute!
Thanks for the shout out!
And - that storm picture???? Amazing, girl!
Hugs - Lisa
Oh my gosh, Lisa you've met two of my favorite people! Tomie and Oprah! I love that story, and you must treasure that book!
DeleteThanks for sharing that with me, and you are so welcome for the very well-deserved shout out!
Have a great week back to school!
Linda