New Button!

After googling and researching, I've finally learned how to make my own blog button! Whoo hoo!!

Now I just have to figure out how to link my website back to it!

My View Tonight

My view tonight...creating quadratic matching cards for my Math II block. Whooo!! (Will be on TPT as soon as I find time to put it up there!!)

Sorry Poor Blog...

My poor blog...I knew once school started that I wasn't going to have a lot of time to blog but geeeeez. I never thought I would be THIS swamped - especially since it's just the beginning of the school year! A few thoughts:

• This school year - I've had a great start so far. If you've read my previous posts, I moved to the eighth grade and followed my students. I was a little sad when I received my roster and saw that the majority of the students I taught last year weren't on my roster. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love the students I have now, but I also miss my kiddos from last year. At least I have the pleasure of teaching my new students and a handful of mine from last year.

• Back to school activities - This year, I reserved more days for ice breakers and get to know you activities than before. Best decision everrr. This allowed me to teach all of my rules and procedures, our new PBIS slogan (PROWL), and allowed me to get to know all of my kids and them get to know me. A few things I did - Math Survey, Spaghetti challenge, all about me banner, time capsules, and a T/F game about the teacher. The kids loved the T/F game...mainly because they learned things about me that they had no clue about and I made a powerpoint with answers to each question with a funny picture of me. I love doing the math survey. I'll definitely have to add it to my store when I have time. It allowed me to get to know them from a math aspect. They listed some things that they were comfortable with math wise and things that they struggled with. They also let me know of things I can do for them as an effective math teacher. Some of the things they were telling me were great ideas. They seemed to have struggled last year in math and were really scared about taking algebra and how their learning experience will be. My Algebra (Math 1) class has the most kids that I taught last year and they assured the other students that I was everything they listed for an effective math teacher and that they shouldn't worry. That definitely made my day!

• ISN's - I will need to get pictures up ASAP on my notebook so far. I've been coming up with new templates and foldables that I need to put in my store, I just haven't had time! Yikesss. But the interactive notebooks are going very well and the kids love them. The only fail I had with these is trying to implement them in science. It is just not working, but I think that is just me not spending the same amount of time on science ISN than I am on math ISN. I will find a balance eventually.

• Time, Time, Time - This I do not have enough of. This is my 5th year teaching. I have always had 3 preps, whether I have 3 math classes or  2 math classes and 1 science. I don't know what it is but I am having the hardest time keeping up with everything. Right now, I am teaching Math 1, Math II, and Science. Math 1, I'm okay with since I've taught that forever. Science, hopefully I will be okay with soon. My problem is that I'm starting out new in terms of resources. So I'm having to make all new powerpoints for 8th grade instead of reusing the once I had last year for 7th grade. That takes up a lot of time. I also have a lot of EC students and low level learners in my science classes with many accommodations and modifications.  I am having to readjust my plans and it takes a lot of time. The biggest headache would be  math II. I spent a lot of my summer refreshing myself on Geometry and studying the Geometry standards and making resources. A week into school starting and we find out that our county is switching from Geometry to Math II effective immediately. Just imagine my face when I find this out. So all of middle school Math II teachers received subs one day to meet and make a pacing guide for the county, decipher the Math II standards that we've never seen before, and find new resources. It is craziness! I am just glad that I know these teachers and that I know I'm working with awesome people. They know what to say to calm me down (if you've taken the color personality test at PD, I am a perfect score GOLD).

I think that is enough ramblings for the night. Kudos to you if you actually read through this entire post! Will post pictures soon! (hopefully!)

In need of a serious blog update

SOOOO much has happened since I last blogged. I can't believe it's almost been an entire month since I've been up here. Time flies when you're super busy! Will update this weekend - PROMISE!!!! :-)

Teacherspayteachers SALE

I am having a teacherspayteachers back to school SALE! Visit my store for some great deals!!! :)

Last week of Summer...

This upcoming week will be my last week of summer. I'm kind of sad that summer will be ending, but always look forward to going back to school, especially since I'll be on a new hall this year. This past week has consisted of:

• Going to school to set up my new classroom.
• Making new TPT products
• Working on my Master ISN
• Shopping, shopping, shopping

Yesterday, my sister came with me to school to help put up my bulletin boards. I figured I'd put her to work before she leaves for college on Monday! :) My front board has a cute lime green chevron pattern. I think I've decided this will be my board for absent students/make up work.

I have no idea why the picture came out so bright! And the owls are totally there to cover up mistakes! Shhhh!

Here is my back board. This year, we are implementing PBIS at our middle school. Our motto at school is PROWL. Since I'm on the PBIS team, I figured I would dedicate my whole back board to how to PROWL in the classroom.

Andddd my classroom is still a mess. I'm hoping to go back to school one last time on Thursday to clean up and finish putting stuff away, and then I won't have to come back to school for a whopping 3 days before school starts.

I've been trying to work on TPT stuff because I know when school starts, I won't have a lot of time to dedicate to it. I've been making inserts for my ISN and posting them in my TPT store. Hopefully there are some teachers out there that need them! They range from $1.00 to $1.50, depending on how much is in the download. Hopefully I can get to the point where I can just sell bundles.

I've been working on my master copies of my ISN for Algebra and Geometry. I'm really trying to get as much done as I can so for once, I can be ahead! I'm only one chapter ahead in Algebra and only three sections in for Geometry. Here are some pictures of the first couple pages of my ISN that I will expect my kids to have as well.

Here is the table of contents that you can download for FREE in my TPT store. I like how clean it looks in the ISN compared to having students draw lines...cause you know how their lines can look!

Here is a copy of my ISN expectations and the rubric I will be grading them by. Last year, my kids had questions about why we were so particular about our markings in the notebook and even what an interactive notebook was. They've never heard of it before. So I created this to glue into their notebook for them to know why we use it, what to expect, and how they're going to be graded. This is also in my TPT store as a FREE download.

Here is a table that I made for students to keep up with their username and passwords for various apps and websites. Last year, my district moved to a 1:1 ipad classroom. My students ALWAYS forgot their logins and passwords, especially after their ipads were taken up to be synced. So, I'm hoping this will eliminate that! This is also in my TPT store for FREE.

And lastly, here is a copy our PBIS matrix for CLASSROOM. I'm on the PBIS team, so I felt that it was important for my students to have this in their notebook as a reference.

Whew! That was a lot!

Tax Free Weekend and New Products!

This past weekend was tax free weekend in NC (and the last one we will have). I definitely took advantage of all of school supply sales and hit up the teacher stores in Raleigh. Staples had a great deal on 5 pack mechanical pencils for 25 cents, so I had to get up to the limit! I also went to Target where they had a good deal on glue sticks, colored pencils, and mechanical pencils. I have a huge stash of mechanical pencils from purchasing them when they are so cheap over summer. Of course I buy them for my kiddos, but then I never give them away because it's so hard for me to part with them!

I then went to the teach me store and stone's in raleigh where I bought border and other necessities. Does anyone ever feel the need to purchase border every year, even though you know you have enough and don't need it? Yeah, that's me! Every summer, I buy cute border that I know I don't need, and then I end up with packs that I haven't even used yet! There needs to be some kind of school supply addict meeting that I can go to!

Another thought - I noticed that I am all over the place with the theme in my room! Last year was easy - polka dots everywhere! This year, I'm torn between chevron, zebra print, and polka dots. And what's worse is that I've been buying all these decorations and border that are all these different prints and don't match at all! And because I am torn between all these patterns, I'm crazy enough to mix all of them and make it work! They are just so cute, I can't not use them!

Lastly, I've been working on my TPT store. I'm trying to get as much done as I can now because I know when school starts (in 2 weeks, yikes!) I know I won't have a lot of time to mess around with it. I posted a couple new products, including a foldable freebie that I promised a couple posts ago that I would load. Go to my store and check it out (and it would be super duper awesome if you left a comment!) And while you're there, you should totally "follow" me for updates on new products! And, I see a back to school sale in the near, near future....  :)

Foldable for Math Keywords for translating expressions. Comes with foldable, pictures of examples, and 2 practice sheets to all glue in your interactive notebook!

6th and 8th grade math common core posters. Just print, laminate, and hang around your room for you students to see! Also, if you're not a fan of the polka dots, but want the product, please let me know! I am willing to change the backgrounds to fit your needs!