tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83087588955922121702024-03-13T10:56:37.016-04:00Ms. BBZWelcome to my second grade blog! Follow my classroom journey as I learn to integrate literacy, math and writing with science and social studies to differentiate for learning types. Can't wait to share! - Ms. BBZMs. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-31899564559043809792015-08-23T16:35:00.002-04:002015-08-23T16:37:05.064-04:00Back to Basics: Long Term Planning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Step two of my "Back to Basics" series for the summer, inspired by all the little things I unintentionally thought I had "outgrown" as a teacher. HA! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTMT0kmVYe3LVfcCbFRj76OUFMVt54M-j6MggpOgW2LTTJDH0-ZAaWpSkdfgGxRxa6GEAS2fDt8wEi8UMoUED-Gus4dQ7ioubQfT2bNUJaJaUQ7L2USvLZTyaYN9SAvG6LfnvQr-LMW6D/s1600/back+to+basics.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTMT0kmVYe3LVfcCbFRj76OUFMVt54M-j6MggpOgW2LTTJDH0-ZAaWpSkdfgGxRxa6GEAS2fDt8wEi8UMoUED-Gus4dQ7ioubQfT2bNUJaJaUQ7L2USvLZTyaYN9SAvG6LfnvQr-LMW6D/s320/back+to+basics.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step one was {<a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2015/07/next-year-will-be-my-eighth-year-in.html" target="_blank">click</a> for that blog post} ... </div>
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<a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2015/07/next-year-will-be-my-eighth-year-in.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeEKb5w1i-mbuUrsLX_c0ObyNfHTEVfLDBZGvfJr1zF2NNxzYn1OFPCDToxqXOnokCOIBjh4JQjVFMfl349PMpfGodTrr-zS2UyD4Qt_-9Szd2vJvIcyxd-mbTQVOCbstXK2zx8TtpR_O/s320/goal.png" width="320" /></a><span id="goog_1084147606"></span><span id="goog_1084147607"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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So what's step two? Plan backward! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EIk-n8LVBv1IEV9a0D6FXVCMTvIcWKGKuc3nvQeC-q8X3D-mmkbxn4cNsL3bgomSumUXjuqL46PPekXoie_EGtO-cqiJQzhgRExG7WPfYlAxzZfLuNLFIiIcVqyCFO0dfTh15ESmIfTs/s1600/plan+backward.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EIk-n8LVBv1IEV9a0D6FXVCMTvIcWKGKuc3nvQeC-q8X3D-mmkbxn4cNsL3bgomSumUXjuqL46PPekXoie_EGtO-cqiJQzhgRExG7WPfYlAxzZfLuNLFIiIcVqyCFO0dfTh15ESmIfTs/s320/plan+backward.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I know this is sort of "duh" ... but I honestly moved away from this in my fifth and sixth year. I think it might have been because I moved to a new school whose units weren't aligned to an assessment, but it might also have been because I felt like I'd taught second grade for long enough to "know" what my kids needed to know.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> {Just keeping it real!}</span></div>
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BUT last year I checked myself and reigned myself back in. Truth be told, it was really hard to integrate the Common Core State Standards with the necessary MAP skills in each unit, and making sure that each of my students met his or her MAP goals (when skill levels ranged from Kindergarten to seventh grade ...) was really difficult. I needed a better plan. </div>
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So I took it old school and made a <b>long term plan {or yearly pacing, or scope and sequence} </b>for reading and math that included both remedial goals and enrichment goals, then used those to plan assessments. From there, I was free to plan the series of lessons that would most effectively help my students. </div>
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It. was. SOOOO helpful! That little bit of "back to basics" really freed up my mind while I was planning, because most of the "heavy load" had been done before hand. Not to mention our pull-out teachers loved it because they had the scope and sequence for the whole year, in addition to the key points we'd be using to teach. All the sudden pull-out classes became an extension of our classroom, rather than a separate entity. Kids and teachers rejoiced!!! ... {<span style="font-size: x-small;">That might be an overstatement, but it was really helpful.}</span> ;) </div>
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Using the UbD format, each of my unit plan includes:</div>
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<li>Common core standards addressed</li>
<li>Vocabulary addressed (base level and extension) </li>
<li>Learning targets paced throughout the unit </li>
<li>Key knowledge and understandings </li>
<li>Essential questions </li>
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Below, I've shared my long-term plans in my TpT store - maybe you can use them. Happy planning! </div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-BUNDLED-Long-Term-or-Year-Long-Plans-For-2nd-Grade-Math-and-Reading-1976567" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXh-RDkCB3XdgCxwgH62IZPKBoPnIa8IcVcBrfh14d7aRzvUGyCZ7qvVi9cj3glwa-BD597VlkF0LppxtoeUg3wkktwlLTu_OR4CFDVWZmSP_e7KTHBF5SIJ5wDcv6g6YE0Rmx5hqW4wZ/s320/Screenshot+2015-08-23+16.33.11.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D8308758895592212170%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-zsE0JsbCoUY%2FVZbNowcjmRI%2FAAAAAAAABCk%2FAMtocQFhxWQ%2Fs320%2Fplan%252Bbackward.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.36&xuid=nTfEqiYbCb7t&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 611px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D8308758895592212170%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-zsE0JsbCoUY%2FVZbNowcjmRI%2FAAAAAAAABCk%2FAMtocQFhxWQ%2Fs320%2Fplan%252Bbackward.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.36&xuid=nTfEqiYbCb7t&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 611px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-18921566447581101832015-07-27T13:00:00.000-04:002015-07-27T13:00:00.798-04:00Pump Up Music You know when you hear a song and it just pumps you up? It makes you feel like you could do anything? <div>
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When I hear one of the song below I'm all: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36CTvOb9-bjf0cdE3_75D4PAiqs3VENCNCicscOD6oQiY3cujvLrrCGgcirbSOSYqpv7eJVWTSRQ1wivBdPdge3L_g-_aORuadqktgVJccoBLH-jIxJJ7uMVjvCWYzS1RKXhJPtqM8v9W/s1600/Screenshot+2015-07-26+16.33.50.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36CTvOb9-bjf0cdE3_75D4PAiqs3VENCNCicscOD6oQiY3cujvLrrCGgcirbSOSYqpv7eJVWTSRQ1wivBdPdge3L_g-_aORuadqktgVJccoBLH-jIxJJ7uMVjvCWYzS1RKXhJPtqM8v9W/s320/Screenshot+2015-07-26+16.33.50.png" width="230" /></a></div>
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Sometimes you just need it. Anyway, I need more of those songs in my life, as I get ready for the school year. Leave me a comment and share your favorite pump up song! </div>
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Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-77647836588474114402015-07-26T15:49:00.002-04:002015-08-23T16:37:11.717-04:00Homework Craziness {End the Madness with Choice Boards!} <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Y'all, I really don't like homework. Parents stress about it, kids refuse to do it, teachers dread checking it - it's just a fight. </div>
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Two years ago, I decided I wasn't going to participate in that cycle anymore. I sat down and decided to pare away some of the "fluff" from my homework - I needed to focus on the <b>purpose</b> of homework, not my ideals about what "should" happen at home. I decided I wanted homework to achieve three goals: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhad7Gr1oOIjcBswtexMmIGWOLhbHE7mJXloDYjOSPB3BeFIockIoKtLm-HJixUrZoaFtcHdqZMIFabSJuKlSk8rnN-ONaC1glQVoLJpz1vJ1Yr7hCu-y6os6r8vTzXy43RjfpnDazpOYVc/s1600/Homework+Should.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhad7Gr1oOIjcBswtexMmIGWOLhbHE7mJXloDYjOSPB3BeFIockIoKtLm-HJixUrZoaFtcHdqZMIFabSJuKlSk8rnN-ONaC1glQVoLJpz1vJ1Yr7hCu-y6os6r8vTzXy43RjfpnDazpOYVc/s320/Homework+Should.png" width="308" /></a></div>
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At the same time, I thought it was equally important to decide what homework was NOT about: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXpvF6sGWmYeu1fNwhBU63MapozZEV8sBCO5q982-d87yX0woX1DuqLlBB1kcSXPsG2Y56w548dMYMRBSaUxUE376ck7oqCsJrXE5_NLJEhhu4lIE_Er2uCDPkSUF1ODrPRTVCy8nlgen/s1600/Homework+Should+Not.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXpvF6sGWmYeu1fNwhBU63MapozZEV8sBCO5q982-d87yX0woX1DuqLlBB1kcSXPsG2Y56w548dMYMRBSaUxUE376ck7oqCsJrXE5_NLJEhhu4lIE_Er2uCDPkSUF1ODrPRTVCy8nlgen/s320/Homework+Should+Not.png" width="308" /></a></div>
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With that being said, I asked myself what homework would look like if it achieved all my goals, while being simpler for me, for my kids, and for parents. With input from my team and our curriculum coach - I settled on a choice board ---- and I. LOVE. IT. {And so do parents and kids!} </div>
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Every three weeks I send home a choice board. Here's what weekly homework looks like -- each week, students must complete three tasks: </div>
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<li>Reading {for 20 minutes each day} --- The research says that reading MORE is the best way to become a better reader. This is simple and EASY. Just read! </li>
<li>Math {five boxes from the choice board} --- The choice board I give my students includes math work from all strands of the Common Core, and it's set up to run from simple to complex. Student have to complete five problems a week. They choose the problems. They write the answers. </li>
<li>Other {one choice of "reading response," "writing," "research and current events" or "other fun stuff"} ---- These are fun, real-life activities that help kids explore the topics we're learning about in class, in ways that make it seem less like work. Setting up a lemonade stand. Reading about current events. Writing a diary entry. Bringing in a book they love from home. FUN STUFF! </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJh6zMqULK2WZe9N0Hx7VUL9_afQRIuCDqIL1123QAU5crO2akqSRK_yP9Qs5TCGpOXH6aGlke0yFLAai5ZWK0xJjjZlq5nNR1lX_UoWMCTR02QoCT0YWPYHfy3u2mqrGEmAnUuJrI9gm/s1600/Screenshot+2015-07-26+15.17.46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJh6zMqULK2WZe9N0Hx7VUL9_afQRIuCDqIL1123QAU5crO2akqSRK_yP9Qs5TCGpOXH6aGlke0yFLAai5ZWK0xJjjZlq5nNR1lX_UoWMCTR02QoCT0YWPYHfy3u2mqrGEmAnUuJrI9gm/s1600/Screenshot+2015-07-26+15.17.46.png" /></a></div>
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Here's a close-up of the choice boards that I use: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NjmhgpOVaYyXpL87B4t2W05pGTZKN129MUWwRPEJYIKoBiin9PLAzwpLmRtR-Jwcty7e5JlfdlMF_EI8BcaWyiJxhPHuUT1yfD2fsuD484ryIg3G_neGC0OcwufwG30qOJF0NWWVfzLN/s1600/Homework+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NjmhgpOVaYyXpL87B4t2W05pGTZKN129MUWwRPEJYIKoBiin9PLAzwpLmRtR-Jwcty7e5JlfdlMF_EI8BcaWyiJxhPHuUT1yfD2fsuD484ryIg3G_neGC0OcwufwG30qOJF0NWWVfzLN/s320/Homework+1.png" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpsPI1hLyGjQLoGVgSSqwZTcXUJ0FqmgdIIEsaA87S_BNpETVDxX14BK1fZv0_OFn8DvUADRCRTrrvkcFkzoDjnzsp8BJYIgl8VjV4Z93vFR1G0A5ElXH5TfrHlBgULNxLtf67tFkcyee/s1600/Homework+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpsPI1hLyGjQLoGVgSSqwZTcXUJ0FqmgdIIEsaA87S_BNpETVDxX14BK1fZv0_OFn8DvUADRCRTrrvkcFkzoDjnzsp8BJYIgl8VjV4Z93vFR1G0A5ElXH5TfrHlBgULNxLtf67tFkcyee/s320/Homework+2.png" width="241" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLU_ll6n7_dgIHWdrNVtPu4iq5RUcWL8djJqIC6g09t0M1gUAMJy18bxyBZXpScBVFwPJ-j99Bz7KIiFk70pAo5HHm5D-q2e2jn7cAkH400VRhsE-FHCu4R69Jb4O8wFVCrriOpfizXMWv/s1600/Homework+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLU_ll6n7_dgIHWdrNVtPu4iq5RUcWL8djJqIC6g09t0M1gUAMJy18bxyBZXpScBVFwPJ-j99Bz7KIiFk70pAo5HHm5D-q2e2jn7cAkH400VRhsE-FHCu4R69Jb4O8wFVCrriOpfizXMWv/s320/Homework+3.png" width="244" /></a></div>
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That's it! Read, do a math problem, and do something fun. Students bring in their work on Fridays and share the work from their "other" section with each other. I look through it and give feedback immediately. All in all the process takes around thirty minutes, and the benefits are SOOOOOO great: </div>
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For Students: </div>
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<li> LOVE the choice! They love to pick. They LOVE that their homework is "fun." </li>
<li>They learn valuable lessons about how to manage their time. We always start the year with a conversation about how they get the work three weeks in advance, so they can decide when the best time is to do their homework. Maybe they have swimming on Tuesday! They'll need to do more work on Monday so they have time for swimming. Or maybe they know that one week is going to be super busy, so they plan to do homework on the weekends so they have no work. </li>
<li>They get to share their work with others! Kids LOVE this - it's immediate feedback, and they want to impress their friends. There's no better investment tool. Seriously. </li>
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For teachers and parents: </div>
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<li>Parents LOVE that they get the work in advance. </li>
<li>There are always conversations about how much parental involvement is best, but the vast majority of parents let their kids do the work. </li>
<li>The amount of choice for kids means that there are MANY fewer disagreements at home. </li>
<li>I love that I print out homework once every three weeks, and that I can give feedback immediately. Other than that, I spend very little time on homework. </li>
<li>I LOVE Fridays, when the kids share their work. It's such a great community-building time, and it's SO interesting to see the different ways that kids approach their assignments. I went from dreading homework turn-in day to waiting for it with bated breath! </li>
<li>I love seeing how my kids independence grows. It's magical. </li>
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If you want to use the {EDITABLE!!} files I use {for the whole year -- 33 weeks!}, as well as information about how I set up homework folders AND my feedback forms, check out my product listing at TpT <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-Year-Long-Homework-Choice-Boards-ALL-SUBJECTS-1984238" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-Year-Long-Homework-Choice-Boards-ALL-SUBJECTS-1984238" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ICDpPqawA44Z4L7TljzmcYWoDWjF8Bd-QTbP4pOa5ETU9nFKJWK6OaSIjbJDA_XY4W4n6kcLGcCegoDoHz-qEJpMd4VwzhrQJw9WWXhvQPzgLSIyK7OCdMBJ44XXbfEgi0EebK7KLZSn/s320/Cover+1+.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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The preview for that product includes the first three weeks of homework free {!!!!}. If you have questions, leave them in the comments! </div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-74454737971393766132015-07-20T18:12:00.002-04:002015-07-20T18:18:58.425-04:00Using MailChimp For Classroom Newsletters <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Y'all, one of my co-workers showed me a program/website/company that changed the way I send classroom newsletters and I want to share with you! It's called .... MAIL CHIMP! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYADu6zgsO_jR4nwBpJVucI310Ag_zkIOJT8QbZuIkW17fCsxiBCVFMi7l-YKyWT3UNvBs5J0t5rKWWekdIoF9ywm8Jd9-lh3DW_MpDVnXl05pgZHTOkZdh-C7trrFdI3Y3yE3om7gOvOJ/s1600/MailChimp+and+Newsletters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYADu6zgsO_jR4nwBpJVucI310Ag_zkIOJT8QbZuIkW17fCsxiBCVFMi7l-YKyWT3UNvBs5J0t5rKWWekdIoF9ywm8Jd9-lh3DW_MpDVnXl05pgZHTOkZdh-C7trrFdI3Y3yE3om7gOvOJ/s320/MailChimp+and+Newsletters.png" width="299" /></a></div>
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It's a silly name for a seriously awesome product --- and it's FREE. Here's what awesome about it:<br />
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I used to do paper newsletters .... they made it home mmm, 70% of the time. And then they got lost 100% of the time. E-mailing parents directly means that it gets straight to parents (no child middle man), they receive it instantly, and it can't get lost.<br />
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Plus, you have the chance to link to SignUpGenius for volunteer opportunities, embed files (permission forms, surveys) directly into the document so that all parents have to do is CLICK! So easy.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I import my parent list once, then send them the link so they can add themselves to my list. No more "did I get this e-mail correct?" SO. EASY. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Presentation is </span>really<span style="font-family: inherit;"> important. MailChimp's templates make everything look super professional and I like things that are well done. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's the really, really, take it over the top part --- you know who has opened your newsletter, who has clicked on links, etc. You also know when e-mails have bounced out of mailboxes, etc. I can't tell you how often this has helped me figure out when a parent's filter is sending my e-mail to their spam folder. It's also cool to see what things interest my parents - the click through percentage is primo. From my last year using this --- pictures of the kiddos are always #1. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Want to see </span>what it looks like? Here's a sample e-mail that I sent to my kids' families a week ago, as soon as we got our class lists: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmK2eNjc004XezW4j7yZwMibsNxVNfNSogXsq5fTl_YrR6GTn-AUIKRAaAK9p5_L-1-35ISB65YiR8ALNNvm67QS4MEKIV6cTsP0VnU7d3W7ufmG7rNjGc4pCuWuAIxzjU4eM9f25zsqW/s1600/welcome+letter+real.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmK2eNjc004XezW4j7yZwMibsNxVNfNSogXsq5fTl_YrR6GTn-AUIKRAaAK9p5_L-1-35ISB65YiR8ALNNvm67QS4MEKIV6cTsP0VnU7d3W7ufmG7rNjGc4pCuWuAIxzjU4eM9f25zsqW/s1600/welcome+letter+real.png" /></a></div>
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In this e-mail I'm getting a TON of information across in one super super simple e-mail. Everything my parents need to be ready for the year is in this one e-mail! Hallelujah! </div>
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Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-70067762279701582142015-07-02T14:36:00.002-04:002015-08-23T16:37:46.780-04:00Back to Basics: Setting Class GoalsNext year will be my eighth year in the classroom. WHAT. Teaching is still hard - every day is something new and I've never, never, never had a year that I did the exact same thing as the previous year. That's wild, right? It reminds me of this quote --<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWgqIUCAts2JhHT79i9oRBHAo9JLF-7SpT9WVJZ7TKA6KtNAGWsMu6huuWfM86wzxtf1zkvPZ5ejI_iraQXulp84A-CRfdFFsKRfIupe4H_e9gvrYKT9zTLvZ3xXsxQDeYEBuJ-3Kwza6M/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWgqIUCAts2JhHT79i9oRBHAo9JLF-7SpT9WVJZ7TKA6KtNAGWsMu6huuWfM86wzxtf1zkvPZ5ejI_iraQXulp84A-CRfdFFsKRfIupe4H_e9gvrYKT9zTLvZ3xXsxQDeYEBuJ-3Kwza6M/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ain't that the truth? We have to keep it fresh - for ourselves AND out students. </div>
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There are inevitably parts of our practice that we begin to leave out as we grow as teachers. I know that I'm a better teacher than I was in my first year (by a lot), but there are things I had sort of decided I'd outgrown. When I examined them closely, I'm not sure why. Maybe my "simple is better" mantra? Maybe I thought I was doing those things in a less formal way? </div>
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Whatever the reason - I brought back five best practices last year, and it made a HUGE impact only my classroom. Maybe you need a little inspiration to bring back these "oldies but goodies"? I'll share one goal per day until we've shared all five!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBaPqB_eLJQeqGFb8AY2cHxYt81G8Awv6C99_YYKKLoj2N4IrPp161RWSvUeHUF-B4cmAkkUdN760qA4I9YvT6cD5RSEmrnXsJf9IPHcvGb0oOt-urv8F0qRSojI7QS48YxYNhi3xgXor/s1600/back+to+basics.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBaPqB_eLJQeqGFb8AY2cHxYt81G8Awv6C99_YYKKLoj2N4IrPp161RWSvUeHUF-B4cmAkkUdN760qA4I9YvT6cD5RSEmrnXsJf9IPHcvGb0oOt-urv8F0qRSojI7QS48YxYNhi3xgXor/s400/back+to+basics.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is so simple, but I haven't done it since my first year of teaching. Sure - we set smaller goals during the year, but there is *nothing* like setting some long-term academic and culture goals, and investing kids in them. Last year my goals were: </div>
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What's so great about this goal? It's focused on the<i> habits and mindsets </i>of students, rather than something external that they can't control. It also tells not only what they will become, but how -- by reading as much as they can. Here's where the measurable part comes in - I change the amount that correlates to "as much as we possibly can." </div>
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<li>We will become published writers by meeting or exceeding our "second grade writer" goals on our writing rubrics. </li>
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What's so great about this goal? Writing is super important to future success. Think about how many times you've had to communicate your message effectively using writing. All day, every day, right? And I know many of us are guilty of judging the grammar of others ... </div>
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SO writing has to be part of the goals of the classroom. I also like to throw that "or exceeding" in there too - ain't nothing wrong with an overachiever, y'all. </div>
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Ugh. Standardized testing, am I right? We use NWEA's MAP assessment at my school. I will say that one boon of this test is that it offers <i>individualized </i>growth goals for each students. I really appreciate that it doesn't set one set goal. More on MAP later. </div>
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This one is my favorite, y'all. It's all about the <i>grit.</i> I can't tell you the difference it makes for kids when you set perseverance as a goal for the class, name it and LOOK for it. When a student says to themselves, "This is hard for me, but I'm up for the challenge." It. is. so. good. </div>
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Welp -- those are my goals for my class. What are yours? </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Up next in the "Back to Basics" series: Plan Backward </span></div>
Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-11894487792738108072014-11-30T19:33:00.001-05:002014-11-30T19:34:29.373-05:00EASY Tech Tip! <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Technology, technology, technology. That's one of the buzzwords at my school ... 21st Century Learning ... Integration ... Rigor ... Data ... Assessment ... WHEW! </div>
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I'm not one to hop on a bandwagon before I know for sure it will make my life easier or vastly improve my students' learning experience. Well ... I HAVE to tell you about this super awesome tech tool that is changing my classroom (and the classrooms of my teammates!). </div>
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It's called ... <a href="https://plickers.com/" target="_blank">PLICKERS</a>! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sYKEtDpeWioQdi30vifVH3qo2ACEBWgBvllaNEEJXy3s_Yfrmykq6bMmj50LdqI6SSCFFirE6gcgPq3mC7JPYQiCPkjXlPC80KHQ-2Yh1UdLvZE5EuwAC8puw0SiIKSM2v5rFBZAJtlR/s1600/plickers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sYKEtDpeWioQdi30vifVH3qo2ACEBWgBvllaNEEJXy3s_Yfrmykq6bMmj50LdqI6SSCFFirE6gcgPq3mC7JPYQiCPkjXlPC80KHQ-2Yh1UdLvZE5EuwAC8puw0SiIKSM2v5rFBZAJtlR/s1600/plickers.png" height="327" width="640" /></a></div>
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Paper + Clickers. Yup - a super easy way to assess ALL the students in the classroom at once, or even just a few at a time. Plus you can save SO much time by adding the rest of your teammates' classes onto the application. Saving time + easy assessment + fun for kids? WIN, in my book. </div>
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Here's what you do: </div>
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1. Sign up each student for an individual Plickers number using the computer app. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNK0nSEcl7cXvpQJq4nkxB0t1wBv8kQNyKwo8uMPax1WH9F0JQ-X0pOMnJAJM0wkfWGi5evipKJU78EhSP1CvEps4a0lC6M5CKcHJQvbYMxcJJVjc7TCPYhS5-CSlqoSJrhT3g-VLm_xP4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-28+at+1.32.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNK0nSEcl7cXvpQJq4nkxB0t1wBv8kQNyKwo8uMPax1WH9F0JQ-X0pOMnJAJM0wkfWGi5evipKJU78EhSP1CvEps4a0lC6M5CKcHJQvbYMxcJJVjc7TCPYhS5-CSlqoSJrhT3g-VLm_xP4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-28+at+1.32.17+PM.png" height="118" width="640" /></a></div>
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2. Download the Plickers app on your mobile device. </div>
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3. Plug in a question you want to use for your assessment. It has to be a multiple choice or true/false question. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9Em5WO43XSwl9Nvj9t7koW3EBGATsXBhxAfg1DsgyYYipCHzAcjG-CvLcB5FWzhT8uYViMDSemMp0b7AqEv-ftv2T5E7ZClAcW4DAGxySSWWbkGckUHHjTrnIQKd22HKFgCLz45C7Snt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-28+at+1.31.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9Em5WO43XSwl9Nvj9t7koW3EBGATsXBhxAfg1DsgyYYipCHzAcjG-CvLcB5FWzhT8uYViMDSemMp0b7AqEv-ftv2T5E7ZClAcW4DAGxySSWWbkGckUHHjTrnIQKd22HKFgCLz45C7Snt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-28+at+1.31.18+PM.png" height="304" width="640" /></a></div>
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4. Print and pass out Plickers cards to your students. Each shape is different, and has a number written on it very lightly in gray. Also written on different sides of the image are the letters A/B/C/D. Students will pick the answer they think is correct, and hold that side upward. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5QfLolRNDpv7szbSz56bnZIwLA6VsiawETaC-tcqwziY_z4NA9P6WDIPEhuVSr0iMWUvgBiNeficPDuJJUlxLq3odtFRE4Y-O0kgoN0DWG0DMmnhg3sjSihnWdmMPKVVkKRSXWdBexJL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-30+at+7.19.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5QfLolRNDpv7szbSz56bnZIwLA6VsiawETaC-tcqwziY_z4NA9P6WDIPEhuVSr0iMWUvgBiNeficPDuJJUlxLq3odtFRE4Y-O0kgoN0DWG0DMmnhg3sjSihnWdmMPKVVkKRSXWdBexJL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-30+at+7.19.44+PM.png" height="320" width="245" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGz_pX5BtoirQJpmk7g1yQhuc7VmJrwerevkdAph1X_BHOLnsdqmsf8IuR1-ZifdxY7i71UwYt-QrYZzw6eC68gzU3uBKg1z6MfN_QxuFBypUsuCeHAPjQxbCDScUSKs35dAvMV2sPaEAU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-30+at+7.19.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGz_pX5BtoirQJpmk7g1yQhuc7VmJrwerevkdAph1X_BHOLnsdqmsf8IuR1-ZifdxY7i71UwYt-QrYZzw6eC68gzU3uBKg1z6MfN_QxuFBypUsuCeHAPjQxbCDScUSKs35dAvMV2sPaEAU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-30+at+7.19.53+PM.png" height="592" width="640" /></a></div>
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5. Assess! To assess you open the app on your computer and mobile device. The question on your mobile device is mirrored in a test format on your computer for projection. Kids hold up their cards, and you use the camera on your device to "scan" their answers. The results show up on your phone immediately! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0TKemps5U6R7N4xyruRFEnTLTxTG00sPzwNqagHOAsOvl4q7f0xkomMNqMEJLaVeO5dkx6Twad3VcKZ4Bs4szWl3Qnu6De9mOVQCDtk01WL3SbHm2nItiRkmUVqbp6IRy9_WDE-gCd49/s1600/image2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0TKemps5U6R7N4xyruRFEnTLTxTG00sPzwNqagHOAsOvl4q7f0xkomMNqMEJLaVeO5dkx6Twad3VcKZ4Bs4szWl3Qnu6De9mOVQCDtk01WL3SbHm2nItiRkmUVqbp6IRy9_WDE-gCd49/s1600/image2.PNG" height="400" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-W6sCjx4yTx_J1CWRxEsz-yB9ojCXmN4RutPK7fZxbbF7SqmgWD4zf9bgewyavYNXc7ueLFKJ1FHLXGR0fAhyphenhyphen9WsjQh0EQatjZP0J3pJiItLBeKKOl5GiXuKyH766D0wnV7RH7sD61pUY/s1600/image1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-W6sCjx4yTx_J1CWRxEsz-yB9ojCXmN4RutPK7fZxbbF7SqmgWD4zf9bgewyavYNXc7ueLFKJ1FHLXGR0fAhyphenhyphen9WsjQh0EQatjZP0J3pJiItLBeKKOl5GiXuKyH766D0wnV7RH7sD61pUY/s1600/image1.PNG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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I even added classes for the two other teachers in my team so that we could share the burden of loading questions onto the program. </div>
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How did it work? Like a dream! I had immediate, accurate data on what my students understood and didn't understand. I was able to access the data immediately, and give feedback to the kids. I even cleared up a few misconceptions almost immediately. </div>
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I highly recommend! Let me know in the comments what YOU think of Plickers! </div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-81811269206937928772013-07-23T18:21:00.003-04:002013-07-23T18:31:42.821-04:00Outfit Remix: Using What I Have To Dress For School <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
**Classroom Decor Extravaganza 2013 is being interrupted for a quick teacher clothes post!**</div>
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It takes me 15 minutes to get ready in the morning. What I mean by that is: from the time I roll out of bed until the time I get into my car, 15 minutes elapses. I'm pretty proud of that, but what it means is that I don't have a ton of time to get creative with my teacher clothes. </div>
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The other issue is ... purchasing clothes. I *do not* need to spend a bajillion dollars on more clothes, I definitely have enough {that doesn't mean I won't *want* to}. So - I decided that before school starts, I'm going to work on picking one article of clothing, and building different "looks" around it. That way I'll have idea of what to wear before that 15 minute crunch time. </div>
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First up - my white eyelet top. I found this picture in a magazine and thought I could pretty reliably re-create it with things I had in my closet. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyXHp_UBQC2wd8ZZ_JlosQr2915zFj4HHZs6JZU4iJoQl6zOCk3_q2iglkxGzcvbFPETmVtREA33_1Chv878REp3g8ZAvgASQYIM8djS65Uc8nHrtsTIpHTA4Y8rv_3rCLHeWwy9bflk7/s1600/IMG_6030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyXHp_UBQC2wd8ZZ_JlosQr2915zFj4HHZs6JZU4iJoQl6zOCk3_q2iglkxGzcvbFPETmVtREA33_1Chv878REp3g8ZAvgASQYIM8djS65Uc8nHrtsTIpHTA4Y8rv_3rCLHeWwy9bflk7/s640/IMG_6030.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is what I came up with -- </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7R4cXtr4euwFcqJnFphwsrSo_cQQnOjHdrpYLGhQLEvlahbs5iGpn8aaGG8jAOrjz7HoUqklW7NErayE1Uo5ZcWYQ_O4zNYI96knWW_YlQDcnDz2MVaCtfsiKm2QnoM_x75DPP_wl4-gM/s1600/eyelet+with+skirt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7R4cXtr4euwFcqJnFphwsrSo_cQQnOjHdrpYLGhQLEvlahbs5iGpn8aaGG8jAOrjz7HoUqklW7NErayE1Uo5ZcWYQ_O4zNYI96knWW_YlQDcnDz2MVaCtfsiKm2QnoM_x75DPP_wl4-gM/s640/eyelet+with+skirt.png" width="394" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skirt and shoes {Target}, Top and belt {Gap}</td></tr>
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Next, I tried on these colored skinny jeans. They were ttiiigggghhhttttt but they went on, with only a few squats {hallelujah}. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuO8b7p7DS7KeEj1Rr3KOBG-ZmbNsunqxcVIUQrmlCmJ8e3uS_r9dcACbW3ms0HP5hQsXSjXTrN2TI5X-W8JYaiAeQvwDWLh8L4IgSvRAk6c6F8y4ipJjSpqsuKuc1mr1PBv6cTsihdt9/s1600/eyelet+with+pink+pants.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuO8b7p7DS7KeEj1Rr3KOBG-ZmbNsunqxcVIUQrmlCmJ8e3uS_r9dcACbW3ms0HP5hQsXSjXTrN2TI5X-W8JYaiAeQvwDWLh8L4IgSvRAk6c6F8y4ipJjSpqsuKuc1mr1PBv6cTsihdt9/s640/eyelet+with+pink+pants.png" width="370" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pants and shoes {American Eagle}, Top and belt {Gap}, Cardigan {Who knows}</td></tr>
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For the last outfit, I kind of liked the idea of adding a collar to the shirt. I don't have a white button-down, so I grabbed one of Mr. BBZ's old ones. The result is kind of bulky, but I don't hate it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35tY0H8INkwEnV9SPu-48sXD5VuPWU2DUA1eFfyfQT7XcsuRUxM9VPKYCgRoBOPf46JpVpS4MJvl7fxIFJT0zxNWySqqJvhBwgBa-hAb_aVHzCru8cx660KKumgq6BxWLSN979FueTN90/s1600/eyelet+with+cardigan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35tY0H8INkwEnV9SPu-48sXD5VuPWU2DUA1eFfyfQT7XcsuRUxM9VPKYCgRoBOPf46JpVpS4MJvl7fxIFJT0zxNWySqqJvhBwgBa-hAb_aVHzCru8cx660KKumgq6BxWLSN979FueTN90/s640/eyelet+with+cardigan.png" width="412" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoes {Sperry}, Pants {J.Crew}, Top {Gap}, Cardigan {Tommy Hilfiger}</td></tr>
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Next up: black cotton dress {which is sort of like cheating, because it goes with everything}. Oh well! </div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-65478929876713176202013-07-22T12:28:00.003-04:002013-07-22T12:29:09.353-04:00Update: Getting Ready to Use Lucy Calkins Units of Study <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was excited and delighted when our school purchased the Lucy Calkins Units of study for us - so excited I posted <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-review-of-lucy-calkins-units-of-study.html" target="_blank">a review</a> on the blog that's been pretty popular, so I know y'all are pretty excited too. :) </div>
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When we purchased the set, I was lucky enough to go to<a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/03/show-dont-tell.html" target="_blank"> a workshop with Lucy</a>. {Spoiler alert: it was amazing, I highly recommend it.} As a way to share our knowledge, my principal asked those of us who were part of the workshop to share our thoughts on implementing the Lucy Calkins curriculum. We spent a long while digging into the curriculum ourselves and found sooooo much great stuff, I thought I'd share some thoughts here! </div>
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I think it's really important to "root" yourself in WHY you're doing something. This chapter (the whole book is great, but we're going for biggest "bang" for your buck, here) does a really good job of explaining some of the shifts for writing in the Common Core standards, and uses those shifts to really drive home how important writing instruction is in the classroom and throughout the school.</div>
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One of the things we discussed as a school team was the idea of protecting your time. Sometimes I feel like I don't "protect" my writing time in the same way that I protect math, reading and science/social studies time. What I mean by that is that when there are interruptions, I'm far more likely to bump writing and make sure I get to the other subjects. We talked about making our school rule something along the lines of - "I will commit to direct instruction in writing just as often as I have direct instruction in math and reading." Boom. Move writing on up that list. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPj6bchro-NpL1uDnad37H9DsO6bSLKgWDWFgETe02GNZDOp82W1tFm1S-FqQX3yG8lGvVJGZgIUwOlmbk5RMYr46vqB2Xek6Ws8I70zjEjvc-6ojdr2CiPHjyF3KWSJchZQEWbY3waxwv/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-07-22+at+11.41.16+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPj6bchro-NpL1uDnad37H9DsO6bSLKgWDWFgETe02GNZDOp82W1tFm1S-FqQX3yG8lGvVJGZgIUwOlmbk5RMYr46vqB2Xek6Ws8I70zjEjvc-6ojdr2CiPHjyF3KWSJchZQEWbY3waxwv/s640/Screen+shot+2013-07-22+at+11.41.16+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm telling you, this series is a wealth of knowledge. One of the things that I love are the rubrics, exemplars and continuums. Having a common "bar of excellence" is so important for norming across classrooms and even across grade levels. I recommend "tabbing" {I used post-its, but I'm sure you can come up with something cuter} each of these resources for each of the different types of writing {informational, opinion and narrative}, so you'll have it to refer to late. I've included a brief description of each below. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRQ561XKLNwXJj7gn9NkkP1BRyMPDXJfJ7FSdbSVK-GkQzs85_B70pPHZxfTvCTtm5JMwE9PCL0lPiwV0lMYtB-IGUlwft6AXF-hXBKcRCaZHPRAuVOTckQPbE9FOGs5heFLVTTXyMJ-0/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRQ561XKLNwXJj7gn9NkkP1BRyMPDXJfJ7FSdbSVK-GkQzs85_B70pPHZxfTvCTtm5JMwE9PCL0lPiwV0lMYtB-IGUlwft6AXF-hXBKcRCaZHPRAuVOTckQPbE9FOGs5heFLVTTXyMJ-0/s640/1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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The learning progression explains how kids should progress from K to sixth grade {imagine that} in each of the rubric areas {overall, lead, transitions, ending, organization, elaboration, craft, spelling and punctuation}. Super helpful for identifying where kids are and what they need to learn next.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxJDz_H_xNG3O5AxGzWCW0TYj1jZ_Fp64iJpNhyphenhyphenJeJPMDX7tMKLz1CxoD1uOotNv-G14gw3pmT4hVmnm4qW16UXwgji6rgCmSXubYvD9A3bE8M1W5O3b2PEg93BZ0_gtBET6jcrN0lTg8/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxJDz_H_xNG3O5AxGzWCW0TYj1jZ_Fp64iJpNhyphenhyphenJeJPMDX7tMKLz1CxoD1uOotNv-G14gw3pmT4hVmnm4qW16UXwgji6rgCmSXubYvD9A3bE8M1W5O3b2PEg93BZ0_gtBET6jcrN0lTg8/s640/2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Each type of writing has an on-demand prompt that you can use for pre- or post- assessment. They are general enough to be used as many times as needed - and you don't have to think them up! {HALLELUJAH}<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPy30nxGlC8JHYWDYbAyUaurq6Rb3-M63miInKDo-H-7ac1Krh7AdPmMRjonDqXLNVKTuwj4jeiB_-JO_YuRyPADhU-xFGFoZFuCltmn-EtlDI1Jh_j1NK8SsKrp0tMlYp8IzdYf05VW6m/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPy30nxGlC8JHYWDYbAyUaurq6Rb3-M63miInKDo-H-7ac1Krh7AdPmMRjonDqXLNVKTuwj4jeiB_-JO_YuRyPADhU-xFGFoZFuCltmn-EtlDI1Jh_j1NK8SsKrp0tMlYp8IzdYf05VW6m/s640/3.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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There's also a student checklist for each type, with the standards for that grade level. I love that ALL grade levels are included in this book, because I know I'll have kids above and below grade level. I plan on laminating these for my kids to keep as a reference. That way when it's time to conference with me for the final time, I'll have them self-check and tell me if their checklist lines up with what I think about that writing piece, and I'll know if they're understanding how to develop each row on their rubric.<br />
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PERFECT for using as an exemplar as we write. I know I'll be storing these either on my computer to project, or possible in hard copy to refer to as we write.<br />
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Teacher-created exemplars are a really neat idea. Basically they took the same topic/prompt for each of the three type of writing, and wrote exemplars for every grade level and annotated how each section of the rubric was shown in that piece of writing. So, there's a persuasive piece about football at recess written as the "perfect" K, 1, 2 ... through 6th grade sample. That way we know what to look for in every piece. LOVE IT.<br />
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The CD is awesome. It has so many resources - they're all in the book, but they're conveniently in one place where I can print from my computer and/or project without having to lug the book around and scan it.<br />
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You also HAVE to have the CD to access the online resource, which I think is interesting.<br />
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Resources are organized by type OR by unit of study.<br />
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Now it's time to dig in to the real "meat" - the units of study. It'd be crazy to think you could read each one, but a quick perusal will be helpful. I think one of the most important sections is located right inside the front cover of each book. It's a description of each of the three "bends" for each unit as well as a list of what each part of the lesson will focus on.<br />
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Okay, okay. I know. It will feel silly. But seriously - if you don't actually TEACH it, how will you know what works and what doesn't? It's also important to know that the Lucy Calkins books aren't necessarily in a scripted format. They're more narrative, so if you don't try it out, you won't know what feels right and what feels forced. So I straight up sat down in my living room and "taught" my puppy a lesson, just to see how well prepared I was, based on my initial read. It went ... okay. :) I'll get better! </div>
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SO! There you have it - five steps to implementing the Units of Study in your class. Leave me a note about how you're using this awesome resource! </div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-84587835291529411522013-07-21T17:48:00.005-04:002013-07-22T12:29:37.658-04:00Part III: Decorating a small room on a small budget <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So far, y'all have seen my <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/07/decorating-small-classroom-on-small.html" target="_blank">new color scheme and pillows</a>, as well as my <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/07/part-ii-decorating-small-room-on-small.html" target="_blank">makeover of the class buckets</a>, pencil holders and bathroom passes. </div>
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Today, I'm going to share the quick update I did on my office chair, the cheap and easy border I made for my bulletin boards as well as some new bean bags I made! </div>
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First, exhibit A - boring old office chair. Nothing wrong with it, of course, I just knew it could be more "fun." I can't resist an easy way to make my room more fun!</div>
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I thought about just hot-gluing the new fabric to the existing seat, but at the last minute I decided that I was classier than that. {LOL} So, I flipped that bad boy over, and started hunting for the screws that were supposedly {I read it on Pinterest} on the bottow of this thing, holding it all together. </div>
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I found them, but there was one small problem -- all my screwdrivers looked like this. Pardon my French, but WTH? </div>
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I found another one, but ... why do they make screwdrivers that look like that? #dumb</div>
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Annnnnyyywwwaayyy ... I unscrewed all the screws, and the plastic part just pulled off! </div>
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So from there {and I don't have pictures of this part, it's pretty self explanatory}, I just put the fabric on the bottom, and hot glued it in a few strategic areas. I know a lot of tutorials say use a staple gun, but I don't have one ... and I'm not buying one! LOL. So I just glued it, and when I put the plastic right back over it, the plastic was enough to hold it in place. </div>
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The top of the chair was a different story. I pulled and pulled, and looked and look but there wasn't a single screw that would pull off the back panel. It was going to be pretty sad to have a chair with a fun bottom and boring top! </div>
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Then ... genius struck. {If I do say so myself.} I couldn't get the back panel off, but there was a small amount of space between the plastic and the fabric - enough that I could probably "stuff" the fabric inside it, if I could find a tool skinny enough. Enter ... the butter knife. </div>
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LOL! I put the fabric on the top, making sure there was some overlap of the fabric over the plastic. Then I used the knife to wedge the fabric between the plastic and cushion. I trimmed off the edge of the fabric ....</div>
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And cleaned up the edges by pushing them into back behind the plastic. Bada-bing, bada-boom ... office chair!! </div>
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And the before / after {with cute burlap polka dot} ... </div>
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NOW! That was a "major" project (it only took about an hour, woo hoo!). Now for two smaller projects. First, bean bags. I had two bean bags that (to me) were a little flat and didn't match my new color scheme. Fortunately I also had some oilcloth that wasn't quuuiittteee big enough to fit over the table in my room, so I used it for a new bean bag. It was SUPER simple. I folded it, sewed it into a square(ish) ... and put the filling from the old bean bag into the new one! I will say this ... those little pellets were A. GIANT. PAIN. They got everywhere. And looked like the dehydrated marshmallows that come with hot chocolate {But they weren't.} </div>
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A view of the finished product .... BAM. Done. </div>
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Next up ... border for my bulletin boards. I used a TON of border last year, and pretty much used up my store of "normal" bulletin board border {say that five times fast}. Cheap little ole me didn't really want to go purchase more, so what did I do? I made it out of crepe paper from the dollar store! And I'm SOOOO happy with the result. </div>
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All I did was take two pieces of crepe paper, overlap them, and sew them together. The trick is ... {are you read for this?} .... {probably not} ... </div>
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.... to up the tension setting on your sewing machine! Put that bad boy all the way up to its highest setting. {Mine's 9.} It ruffles it up! ... Voila! I used two packages of two rolls {so four total}, and I have one in reserve in case it's not enough or I think of something else to use it for. </div>
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I told you it was easy. :) Now I'm off to Michael's to use the 20% coupon! {Thank you Instagram friends for the heads up!} </div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-20698417431254703202013-07-17T11:39:00.001-04:002013-07-22T12:29:37.652-04:00Part II: Decorating a Small Room on a Small Budget <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm still a decorating fool! Last time I introduced my new rug and color scheme - this time I'm here to share a little project I did with these mystery materials ... </div>
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... and a cheap{ish} solution to a big {decorating} problem. If you've been following my Instagram, I bet you can guess the project!! </div>
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SO here we go!<b> Project one: </b>mystery materials. These two are pretty important areas in my classroom - pencil bins and girls' / boys' bathroom passes! I LOVED those vinyl chalkboard labels {$3, OKAY?!}, so I slapped a few on the mason jars and BOOM: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EOflV7hmqqYR5YQ_rmlH_xJOqVucAWNINx8UpTIL4cbb4l8rC5gTM0ltGShNS9IbykKB04FQlrKMMo2QP1i9immHRYKAGlLPCuh_y9eT1UVo7mGLSkBEbsGHkXFPZQJLrMdH8mVay988/s1600/pencils.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EOflV7hmqqYR5YQ_rmlH_xJOqVucAWNINx8UpTIL4cbb4l8rC5gTM0ltGShNS9IbykKB04FQlrKMMo2QP1i9immHRYKAGlLPCuh_y9eT1UVo7mGLSkBEbsGHkXFPZQJLrMdH8mVay988/s400/pencils.png" width="351" /></a></div>
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Next up: <b>bathroom passes</b>. Always a pain, and I am NOT a fan of spending lots of money on something that inevitably gets lost. So I took a little bit of that ADORABLE burlap and polka dot ribbon and some rope, added a chalkboard label and again ... BOOM. Done. I will probably laminate the writing part so it doesn't wash off when it gets wet (I used a chalkboard pen --- soooo much easier than actual chalk). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkwKpmJBvfnD13B3rWNX2QIkVkOp-fenRJtJA644TAln_VE-G6XdtJONUnS4aiedvxW7BF_iOjWZ9rlGfp1CZHlfFEH7K_Uzn3xaataZjjbQlZeUXUud7pJih0R9vDXo7TP221OK8f2tK/s1600/bathroom+passes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkwKpmJBvfnD13B3rWNX2QIkVkOp-fenRJtJA644TAln_VE-G6XdtJONUnS4aiedvxW7BF_iOjWZ9rlGfp1CZHlfFEH7K_Uzn3xaataZjjbQlZeUXUud7pJih0R9vDXo7TP221OK8f2tK/s640/bathroom+passes.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now ... how about that BIG decorating problem? It's definitely the bajillion tubs I have floating around my room, with the four different color schemes I've tried throughout my teaching career. Last year I just went with a "colorful" theme because I had so much going on in my room (#AMIRIGHT?!!)</div>
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But this year, as you know, is my "make-my-room-feel-more-homey-I-spend-enough-time-there-that-I-want-it-to-be-a-space-I-like-and-that-kids-feel-comfortable-and-relaxed-in" year (say that five times fast). The primary colors were not doing it for me: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4GmXe-b78jjvpOUKlIC_7MJ-gZ-uXAS-H_u5z8rErMicIWXinaXuvporKdaXB4rCtpbFh-28nNDaeN2RxEa6xwO0EE69jNoirYKA0FWtfMoAmGS_qJUycwpgg6adklLmbkbxsn90reUP/s1600/too+many+primary+colors.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4GmXe-b78jjvpOUKlIC_7MJ-gZ-uXAS-H_u5z8rErMicIWXinaXuvporKdaXB4rCtpbFh-28nNDaeN2RxEa6xwO0EE69jNoirYKA0FWtfMoAmGS_qJUycwpgg6adklLmbkbxsn90reUP/s400/too+many+primary+colors.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Plus I had this {ultra-cute, oh my gosh ... but still primary ...} easel. </div>
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<a href="http://www.primaryconcepts.com/images/RC005_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.primaryconcepts.com/images/RC005_l.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The point is: I needed to change the color of those bins, and I didn't have a whoooolllle lotta dollars to spend buying new ones. Enter ... spray paint. I know. It doesn't stick to plastic. BUT! BUT!! After a lot of googling I found out that some smart person over at Krylon had engineered a spray paint that bonds with plastic! And it had great reviews! HALLELUJAH! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVqPlDk5JtQbXuJh8NgyNOjYpmVwDU_lrB8IV-s7c5Lykqu-ofMLTerBi-mqkesSpXl4LsrjRCGZN1MQu0ZgPGmPxPzRKQvRhVh8-Yxo5I3IBwfISsuiJ2SEJJlZLrXoc2lWpN1C0NZ6X/s1600/krylon+fusion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVqPlDk5JtQbXuJh8NgyNOjYpmVwDU_lrB8IV-s7c5Lykqu-ofMLTerBi-mqkesSpXl4LsrjRCGZN1MQu0ZgPGmPxPzRKQvRhVh8-Yxo5I3IBwfISsuiJ2SEJJlZLrXoc2lWpN1C0NZ6X/s640/krylon+fusion.png" width="414" /></a></div>
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So, I laid them all out on an old plastic tarp we had leftover from painting our living room, and got to work. I was REALLY pleased with the result. There are a few touch-up spots here and there, but overall the paint is sticking and I'm hopeful they'll last in my room. </div>
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A few pro-tips {HAR HAR}. </div>
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<li>Give yourself enough time, and do it outside. This was definitely a two-day project because of the number of bins, and the smell that comes from the spray paint. I plan on leaving mine outside to air out for at *least* four days. </li>
<li>Wear gloves and a mask. Painting the outside isn't hard, but when you get to the inside of the bins the spray paint billows up and gets all over you and in your face. I *should* have worn a mask, because I *know* breathing in that spray paint wasn't a good idea. <b>Be ye not so dumb.</b></li>
<li>Get close to the bins. Keep the paint moving so it doesn't drip, but if you stay too far away you'll waste a TON of paint. Get close enough that you can see it going on in a nice even coat. </li>
<li>I didn't see a huge difference in the gloss vs. satin finish, but I liked the way the satin coated better, FWIW. </li>
<li>It does take a LOT of paint. It took a good 2-3 passes on each bin for each to be covered fully. I painted probably 50 bins and the easel with 6-7 cans of paint (I stopped counting after the third trip to get more). Get more than you need and then return the rest. </li>
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WHEW! I'm not done yet! I'll be back soon with more decorating updates, my summer/fall teacher wardrobe annddddd a Lucy Calkins update. :) See you soon! </div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-81779277493244192272013-07-13T17:44:00.003-04:002013-07-22T12:29:37.655-04:00Decorating a Small Classroom on a Small Budget <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've shared several of my small-room solutions and class decorations (<a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/03/crates-as-storage.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/03/door-decorations.html" target="_blank">here</a>), as well as <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/03/classroom-design.html" target="_blank">my new bee carpet </a>(which I loved). One thing I didn't LOVVEEE about that carpet was the amount of dirt that was tracked onto it every day, and how the yellow of the carpet showed every little bit of dirt. I even rented a carpet cleaner after one quarter ... but it didn't do much for the look of the carpet. {Anndddd... I might have blown a fuse on that side of the room, rendering the outlets on that side useless for the rest of the year. Ahem.} </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu2cKHIMoo0PcdZj4iJgCMbd8ZSHcqgYvgOv8CjbCFvhMWzVrSY4MMW6q_SQCBPt6nrgbiqwGjLAXsY7YKOzl-EefGyEaXOn8HYibcqM-WM3dIbHq55ZqRN0NghTtRzzLu1Ht_mUn850/s400/classroom+setup+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu2cKHIMoo0PcdZj4iJgCMbd8ZSHcqgYvgOv8CjbCFvhMWzVrSY4MMW6q_SQCBPt6nrgbiqwGjLAXsY7YKOzl-EefGyEaXOn8HYibcqM-WM3dIbHq55ZqRN0NghTtRzzLu1Ht_mUn850/s200/classroom+setup+3.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was when I first got the carpet ... {sniff, sniff}</td></tr>
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After watching my precious bee carpet get dirtier and dirtier, I decided I needed to move it to a not-as-high-traffic area and replace our primary lesson carpet. Naturally, I turned to the bajillion Pinterest photographs of classrooms {and got SUPER overwhelmed ... #amIright?!} ... I decided I really wanted to tone down the "THIS IS A KID ROOM!!!" vibe and make my classroom feel more like my home {I'm there more than I'm at my own house ... #againamIright?!}. </div>
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My inspirations were classrooms like Reagan's {click on picture to see more} ...</div>
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<a href="http://tunstalltimes.blogspot.com/search/label/classroom%20pictures" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW03F50bztzZHwfUYWmbHy2JZCPlqdb1l37iv_MUx2MHqG0Y1m5Olt7DJqi6ufdVuVHavof91hyWoytkZ0d2vuVyixf3jCyrxY1en4o-spoPIUS49vGtoqdhSpLFDjHD4DXV_F_YEOHYU/s400/Screen+shot+2013-07-13+at+4.34.47+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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... and these images ... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiv8wwK5rmEAoLlbV4-ylTaqqMNpFo4GXlTuVzkLTZ3Xbxr96OIGRJ00ntvC9zigrOpRDiMF1SLnuA6duWkZ4CeBhy5cMpCjW2Ut0wUINgrpy0JLsZcSGde81ex9JlX3_FFalXA3ZxSat9/s1600/IMG_4329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiv8wwK5rmEAoLlbV4-ylTaqqMNpFo4GXlTuVzkLTZ3Xbxr96OIGRJ00ntvC9zigrOpRDiMF1SLnuA6duWkZ4CeBhy5cMpCjW2Ut0wUINgrpy0JLsZcSGde81ex9JlX3_FFalXA3ZxSat9/s320/IMG_4329.JPG" width="212" /></a> <a href="http://l.yimg.com/ea/img/-/120411/kitchen_17oa6d5-17oa6ea.jpg?x=450&q=80&n=1&sig=oqxN.VnQBXHTz5dghcwD5Q--" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://l.yimg.com/ea/img/-/120411/kitchen_17oa6d5-17oa6ea.jpg?x=450&q=80&n=1&sig=oqxN.VnQBXHTz5dghcwD5Q--" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then, I found this rug on overstock.com {OY! I got it on sale, but I'm going to have to make it up elsewhere ...}. I loved how this rug had the yellow and blue from my bee rug, but pulled in the red from my desks. Plus, it didn't look so much like I bought it SOLELY for a classroom.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCVVk7qfk9Eonc38gtUvq97EexpNtJIGdi_qZjvmvr1H6xI5aQEBjRIryoHAW5w7eNZR3FEVdUkgtYEo1S9RrJyikADu5dW8yejSeFag2PRPoBzDI8u5SkQogaFA85XCBgO_uWh0y2QJr/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-07-13+at+4.27.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCVVk7qfk9Eonc38gtUvq97EexpNtJIGdi_qZjvmvr1H6xI5aQEBjRIryoHAW5w7eNZR3FEVdUkgtYEo1S9RrJyikADu5dW8yejSeFag2PRPoBzDI8u5SkQogaFA85XCBgO_uWh0y2QJr/s320/Screen+shot+2013-07-13+at+4.27.19+PM.png" width="220" /></a></div>
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I also fell into deep, deep love with the work of Stephanie Ryan, a beautiful watercolor artist whose work I bought for my moms {my mom and mothers-in-law!} for Mother's Day. I decided I could use the combination of the rug, the inspiration pictures and Stephanie Ryan's work as the "base" for my classroom decor. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTvxz8YjBXFCJTWucD8hjAqsaEjZcOWJpXbckTvoLGSYzBVXFSBDwVWhyphenhyphenBqXszd2uotud7h7duL1Q8ZT7iLFhLC0e2nxwQ3-Dph_2ywQHGqkAS-_oFr1Ao-T6GyQ1dd45W8tDUL95ckDO/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-07-13+at+4.58.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTvxz8YjBXFCJTWucD8hjAqsaEjZcOWJpXbckTvoLGSYzBVXFSBDwVWhyphenhyphenBqXszd2uotud7h7duL1Q8ZT7iLFhLC0e2nxwQ3-Dph_2ywQHGqkAS-_oFr1Ao-T6GyQ1dd45W8tDUL95ckDO/s320/Screen+shot+2013-07-13+at+4.58.22+PM.png" width="244" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8eNo_1ac88ubdnvi80lO_F6bikvlunJUkwVI22P-9Il2A2teLIrQwwO2aIOxKpjeUYfZo8wL-_hUVNKoqxuQlTTNPBN74CiG0EUMl6QB0p6iZxIACivPmpDij5veP-DcvY9Y6MVPv_Ki/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-07-13+at+5.00.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8eNo_1ac88ubdnvi80lO_F6bikvlunJUkwVI22P-9Il2A2teLIrQwwO2aIOxKpjeUYfZo8wL-_hUVNKoqxuQlTTNPBN74CiG0EUMl6QB0p6iZxIACivPmpDij5veP-DcvY9Y6MVPv_Ki/s320/Screen+shot+2013-07-13+at+5.00.37+PM.png" width="253" /></a></div>
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So I headed off to JoAnn Fabrics, which, can I just say --- totally overwhelming. Way too much stuff. I knew I wanted to pull the colors from the above pictures, but use a variety of patterns and textures so it had depth. {HAHAHAHAHA I'm channeling some HGTV here, can you tell?!}</div>
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I wandered around, pulling up these pictures on my phone, hoping I could find something that would work. Finally I settled on these three as a beginning {LOVE that gold polka dot burlap...}</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoCynR8dJZShIp8zNY5YggOywuRgACTQ52LVdIVWmYPr9b8NUqMPnqCXP-QuYUxbHtc32UMlBm2xFbq25pYjy7yXVGmdjpmjhy2LVSZdiXZRAOIF2Tk6verPKxElzbO3kHn3ehqHUIhkK/s1600/fabrics.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoCynR8dJZShIp8zNY5YggOywuRgACTQ52LVdIVWmYPr9b8NUqMPnqCXP-QuYUxbHtc32UMlBm2xFbq25pYjy7yXVGmdjpmjhy2LVSZdiXZRAOIF2Tk6verPKxElzbO3kHn3ehqHUIhkK/s640/fabrics.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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One of the things I knew I needed to do was take care of some of the various pillows I have in the reading nook - they were cute, but didn't go with the whole color palette I have going on. So I headed up to my closest thrift store and bought some $2 pillows. I didn't care how they looked, I just needed cheap filling. </div>
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I placed each of the pillows on top of the inside-out fabric and pinned it on three sides -- </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUHjs-msqz9lh4u1aVXT-8A-UV7uzzMV-oQMCzh7nP-hQjMD84tlkzNgV4uu0VEsuw_NOeh-CJDJuKsHXR96tQ-Ch8h4Vhs-3xjwh3zPNn7H7Xxo5D91zsYB99ZeaIUcsj3LKC7CH49Ep/s1600/steps+of+pillows+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUHjs-msqz9lh4u1aVXT-8A-UV7uzzMV-oQMCzh7nP-hQjMD84tlkzNgV4uu0VEsuw_NOeh-CJDJuKsHXR96tQ-Ch8h4Vhs-3xjwh3zPNn7H7Xxo5D91zsYB99ZeaIUcsj3LKC7CH49Ep/s400/steps+of+pillows+1.png" width="300" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDd2LlKIfVRnhkyQSHXGeEi8trNgPkO1qmlsed3XyhyphenhyphenJ52gELOMx7hKneZ_qCfjJ4qA5xvMAI70iZxmyuZjGGpmnwQWzMl9qSvoPnmt8V6LqxBbSHvdLaeVUcIl2zz4ABIdQj9K1AG29n/s1600/steps+of+pillows+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDd2LlKIfVRnhkyQSHXGeEi8trNgPkO1qmlsed3XyhyphenhyphenJ52gELOMx7hKneZ_qCfjJ4qA5xvMAI70iZxmyuZjGGpmnwQWzMl9qSvoPnmt8V6LqxBbSHvdLaeVUcIl2zz4ABIdQj9K1AG29n/s400/steps+of+pillows+3.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Then I pulled the pillow out, and popped it in the washer/dryer to get the cooties out, while I sewed three sides. {Oh! I should also mention that I used the gold polka dot burlap on the front-only for the pillows, mainly because it was $12.99 a yard. This budget only allowed for 1/2 a yard of that adorable-ness, so I bought some cheap-o $3/yd. brown cotton quilting fabric for the back. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjk5EcuRlW6iCwZyncdE3MyhemnafMJoSuf5GayaPvAwd7OlGaBJEJIdjo-fSn9UqKrqDSz8JO9nuLP8ildZmTgbY0KBh_Hzq20kO24kjz72sbc_viUQiZaaqCiLwfvj7IDmP-AYR-TLH/s1600/steps+of+pillow+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjk5EcuRlW6iCwZyncdE3MyhemnafMJoSuf5GayaPvAwd7OlGaBJEJIdjo-fSn9UqKrqDSz8JO9nuLP8ildZmTgbY0KBh_Hzq20kO24kjz72sbc_viUQiZaaqCiLwfvj7IDmP-AYR-TLH/s400/steps+of+pillow+5.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">When the pillows were dry I flipped the sewed fabric right-side out (so now the seams are on the inside), put the pillow back in, and sewed up the one side I hadn't done before. Bam! Adorable pillows that I love! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MXIuU3CQp9aKyw5ZEAgNIbAx4zRsoFbX9hgLynVOtkAExP-T7B1xR73whjEEvIzI4sUbe-T4pXcV24mobcYV3pjVbhmt8y4jE7qrTvmghRpFVfzgyPsA7O2U2OobKZYX2MNvheOZ0HLQ/s1600/final+pillows.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MXIuU3CQp9aKyw5ZEAgNIbAx4zRsoFbX9hgLynVOtkAExP-T7B1xR73whjEEvIzI4sUbe-T4pXcV24mobcYV3pjVbhmt8y4jE7qrTvmghRpFVfzgyPsA7O2U2OobKZYX2MNvheOZ0HLQ/s640/final+pillows.png" width="560" /></a></div>
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Here's what I have so far --- Cici approved, of course ... (there are some other fun things happening there too ... can't wait to share)! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbcW_6KeBnnXbipKODESpvOlkvgvYeb3o2x_yXyFGJXCXYVc6UYigjTdh0UNjMNY9gblqV0ZDFXvIiEGlxXYmVM2hxbfz9QaGdMDtTz7aR752XhwNgS8CIXNTy3iEM1GOgJMjgVppf5Pn/s1600/cici+on+things.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbcW_6KeBnnXbipKODESpvOlkvgvYeb3o2x_yXyFGJXCXYVc6UYigjTdh0UNjMNY9gblqV0ZDFXvIiEGlxXYmVM2hxbfz9QaGdMDtTz7aR752XhwNgS8CIXNTy3iEM1GOgJMjgVppf5Pn/s640/cici+on+things.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Check back later for two of the fun projects I made with these Hobby Lobby supplies ... !</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KCaLd-SQmD9GZ30mxRHv7ue3hbIbBSPmnsZauzDTxMe2BMeIQ36qlG84dMCPM7eO7N2XEeL6ubi5dQiOriNBEsTDbvCTUfOMcO5CsBKLldmxpvI16gBkDSCuhfgqAmhbmMC4Q3he2GZH/s1600/materials.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KCaLd-SQmD9GZ30mxRHv7ue3hbIbBSPmnsZauzDTxMe2BMeIQ36qlG84dMCPM7eO7N2XEeL6ubi5dQiOriNBEsTDbvCTUfOMcO5CsBKLldmxpvI16gBkDSCuhfgqAmhbmMC4Q3he2GZH/s640/materials.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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See y'all soon ... </div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-10053299244133727932013-07-13T13:03:00.000-04:002013-07-13T13:27:43.330-04:00Liebster Award! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What a wonderful surprise! I've been happily vacationing, soaking up some fun and sun, only to come back to the wonderful surprise of three of my fab teacher friends nominating me for a Liebster! Heidi from <a href="http://secondgradealicious.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Secondgradealicious</a>, Jo from <a href="http://tinytoestpt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tiny Toes </a> and Krystyne from <a href="http://msrichardsmusings.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mrs. Richards' Musings </a>-- y'all are too sweet! :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>To accept the nomination I must:</b></span></span></span><br />
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Link back to the blog that nominated me</span></span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers</span></span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Answer the questions posted for me by my nominator</span></span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Share 11 random facts about myself</span></span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Contact my nominees and let them know I nominated them!</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">Here are my 11 facts -- </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">I love purple and teal. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">I like dogs more than cats.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">I worked as a pastry chef for two years. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">Photography is another one of my favorite hobbies. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">I've just discovered a love of Green Ginger Tazo tea.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">My favorite childhood school mascot was a crocodile. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">I wish I had curly auburn hair. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">I never thought I'd be a teacher ...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">but I love it! </span></li>
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<span style="line-height: 26.99652862548828px;">Here are my answers to Krystyne's questions --</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. What is your favorite part about the summer?<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Relaxation! Reading books, visiting with friends and having absolutely no time table. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. How do you relax?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Reading a good book. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. What is your favorite non-school related activity?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Photography! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Why did you start blogging?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I LOVE reading others' blogs, and it's a great community to be a part of! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">5. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Finland. I LOVE their education system! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">6. What is one thing you want to try with your students next year?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Using QR codes for math centers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">7. What is your favorite Pinterest-inspired meal/activity/etc. that you have made or want to make?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I LOVE this pasta/tomato/basil/mozzarella bake that I found there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">8. What is your favorite blog? (Besides mine.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">HA! I love reading Hope King's blog. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">9. If you weren't a teacher, what would you be?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A photographer! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">10. What is one thing you are looking forward to next school year?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">School supplies and decorating my classroom! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">11. When was the last time you were on a plane and where did you go?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just came back from Cartegena and Bogota, Colombia. :) It was great! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Here are my answers to Heidi's questions -- </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">1. <b>How did you get started with blogging?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">I've always loved social media. I have a bachelor's degree in Public Relations, and for one of my classes I kept a blog. It's silly and embarrassing now, but I loved writing and sharing. When I started teaching, several *wonderful* teaching blogs inspired me daily, so I thought I could share little from my own classroom too! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">2. <b>What is your favourite season and why?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">First, LOVE that Canadian spelling, Heidi! :) My favorite is fall -- the colors, smells, pumpkins, apple cider, my anniversary, the clothes ... :) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">3. <b>What is the most exciting thing you've ever done?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Gosh! I don't know. I'd say one of the bravest things I've ever done was spend a summer in Oaxaca, Mexico by myself. I worked for a small zoo that specialized in rehabilitating injured animals and then inviting school-aged children to visit so they could learn about disabilities. I was scared to death to go by myself but I learned a TON! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">4. <b>What are the three best words that describe you?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">creative, independent, driven </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">5. <b>Favourite movie?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Sweet Home Alabama?! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">6. <b>Are you a morning person or a night owl?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Night owl FOR SURE. I really, really struggle to get up earlier than 8 a.m., but can stay up all night! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">7. <b>If you could have a dinner party with 5 famous people, who would they be?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Five of the founding fathers! I think it's fascinating how many genius thinkers we had in one space at one time, and I'd love to see what they were really like. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">8. <b>What is one piece of advice you would give to a new teacher?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Don't try to do everything at once! Pick one thing to change today, or this week, or this month. Change that thing and then move on to the next thing. Everything can't be perfect right away and even seasoned teachers have a million and one things they think they could do better. Be kind to yourself. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">9. <b>What is your favourite thing about being an educator?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">The chance to continually challenge myself and others. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">10. <b>What is your most memorable teaching moment?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">When my kids find their "reading personality" and start finding books they love without my input. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">11.<b> What is your best childhood memory?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Making a gym in the basement, complete with a "vault" made from a trampoline and couch. I am Olympic gymnastics OBSESSED. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">And to Jo's -- </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;">1. <b> Are you married? How long? Children?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Yes, for two years in October. We have one puppy daughter - Cici. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">2. <b>Do you prefer a snowy winter or a hot summer?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Snowy winter, probably because I've never really had one, growing up in the south. ;) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">3. <b>How early do you do your Christmas shopping?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Thanksgiving? HA! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">4. <b>What is the one thing you've always wanted to do but haven't been able to?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Get a tattoo! I can't decide what to get, but I WILL get one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 21px;">5.</span><b><span style="line-height: 21px;"> Which gift certificate would you most want to </span><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">receive</span><span style="line-height: 21px;">?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Visa - or cash, baby. LOL! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">6. <b>What drink (alcoholic or not) do you most order when you eat out?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Water? (boring!) but I'm most likely to order a hard cider like Woodchuck or Angry Orchard. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">7. <b>Have you ever wanted to learn to sew, crochet, or knit? Can you?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">I learned to crochet at one point, but don't remember how. I think I'd like to knit but I don't know if I'd have the patience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">8. <b>What does you ideal date night look like?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Great dinner, great location, and a chance to dance! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">9. <b> If you could bring your act to X-Factor... what would you bring?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">HA! I'd sing. Mirrors would shatter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">10.<b> Are you a night-owl?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">YES! (see above) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">11. <b> On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest ability...where do you put your technical abilities at school?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;">I'd say I'm pretty technology-inclined, so ... 8. Was this the question? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;">My nominees are: </span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">The Elementary Math Maniac - </span><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">http://theelementarymathmaniac.blogspot.com/</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Mrs. Price - </span><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">http://mrspriceskindergators.blogspot.com/</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Bridget (Hardcore Teacher Resources) - http://www.hardcoreteacherresources.blogspot.com/</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Heather Langley - http://www.learningwithmrslangley.blogspot.com/</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Mrs. Storey - http://magicmistakesandmayhem.blogspot.com (she's slightly above 200, oops!)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">My questions (I'm cutting them down to five, oops!) are: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">1. What is your favorite lesson to teach? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">2. What is your perfect "teacher outfit"? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">3. How you spend your Saturdays? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">4. What is your favorite color? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">5. What do you eat for breakfast during school?</span></div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-70828488895442319092013-06-18T15:14:00.001-04:002013-06-18T15:14:53.664-04:00Camp Sunshine: A cause near and dear to my heart! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hey-o! As my <a href="http://instagram.com/ashleybbz" target="_blank">Instagram </a>friends know, I've been at camp ... which has made it really difficult to "plug in" to the online world (boo!). I am enjoying the beautiful outdoors, but I had to stop by and drop y'all a quick note to plug my favorite, favorite, favorite charity - a children's camp called Camp Sunshine. </div>
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It's a camp and community that supports children with cancer and their families, and while it began as a week of camp for children with cancer, it's grown to become so much more. Camp Sunshine is truly a support system for children with cancer - it's a place, one a week a year, that they can feel "normal," rather than feeling like an outsider with the big, bad cancer monster looming over their shoulders. It's a group of people who understand what you may be going through. For families, Camp Sunshine functions may be the only time they see their child smile. They might even be the only times they themselves relax enough to enjoy a moment or two without the, "What if ..." questions looming over their heads. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIOJiwelmXXWLNeb3LTC-V8t7F82aqVe_pt6AssVDwxKdxQlwkxa0YgZ6PeyVBbYWNptJAXR4xWbUQLP6VzlsYgK0yoDBhlELDWzkC2uusM1zSl5uKYPZSy-q2TwyrKaeboZ5ErtfvY4N/s1600/camp+sunshine.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIOJiwelmXXWLNeb3LTC-V8t7F82aqVe_pt6AssVDwxKdxQlwkxa0YgZ6PeyVBbYWNptJAXR4xWbUQLP6VzlsYgK0yoDBhlELDWzkC2uusM1zSl5uKYPZSy-q2TwyrKaeboZ5ErtfvY4N/s640/camp+sunshine.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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My brother, Christopher, is a cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with leukemia when he was ten and I was twelve. We spent many, many nights in the hospital room where he was a patient on and off. For years he wore a baseball cap to school - when he was well enough to attend. His friends from middle school still remember him as the kid in the baseball cap. For a middle schooler, who just wants to be like everyone else, being "the kid the baseball cap" was agonizing. At Camp Sunshine he could be one of the crowd - everyone was in a cap (or not!), everyone had to go to the health hut and get their medicine, everyone had a scar on their chest from the chemotherapy port. At Camp Sunshine he was just a kid, getting to run, play, swim and tie-dye with the support of doctors and nurses who could keep him safe. It was the biggest blessing we could have imagined at the time. </div>
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Now a healthy 25-year-old engineer (I'm bragging!), Christopher uses most of his vacation time from work to volunteer at Camp Sunshine functions (I'm still bragging!), and he's committed to raising $5,000 to support children at camp and the many functions Camp Sunshine offers through the year as a support for these kids and their families.</div>
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I would be so thankful if you'd consider donating any small amount to the cause that is near and dear to our hearts. <span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;">The link is <a href="http://campsunshine.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1057422&supid=293186421" target="_blank">here</a>, if you're interested in learning more (and reading Christopher's story) or donating.</span></div>
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And ... because he's awesome - a special Camp Sunshine clothes post to go along with our teacher clothes posts!! :) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbf9yBrcy9-NkqUxv51zNTRCaTI0Fxe_uj1ufGBZG8ddN8QjrlvKsLeOpHcgpJi4Bcqt_ihT7joURGjsUreQJk4sP8jV30n97Ym06LqYrNdCdOuUsc2kYBqRlkumuU-_8BnZgUM-vpmXPA/s1600/cjcampsunshine.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbf9yBrcy9-NkqUxv51zNTRCaTI0Fxe_uj1ufGBZG8ddN8QjrlvKsLeOpHcgpJi4Bcqt_ihT7joURGjsUreQJk4sP8jV30n97Ym06LqYrNdCdOuUsc2kYBqRlkumuU-_8BnZgUM-vpmXPA/s640/cjcampsunshine.png" width="370" /></a></div>
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He says: </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Some style points to note:<br />- Bracelets: one for every year I've been to camp!<br />- Watch: have to make sure we're always on time for all of the amazing activities!<br />- Nametag: Everyone has to wear a nametag so that the nurses know who's who when giving meds.<br />- Camelbak: Hydration is key. Not to mention its perfect for lugging camper's stuff and schedules<br />- Sunscreen: it's always sunny at Camp <span class="il" style="color: #222222;">Sunshine</span>! But unfortunately bald heads and UV rays don't mix...<br />- Running shoes: They're neon! What's not to like?! And they make me run faster.</span><div class="yj6qo">
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-32507492062883696062013-05-31T14:27:00.001-04:002013-06-04T17:59:12.756-04:00Getting Fit: Instagram Photo a Day and My Fitness Pal <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm so excited that other bloggers, Instagrammers, teachers and TpT sellers are as excited as I am to get fit this summer! Together I think we've created a fun and motivating course of action: </div>
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1. An <a href="http://instagram.com/ashleybbz" target="_blank">Instagram</a> "Photo A Day" challenge {more details below}</div>
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2. <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/05/summer-fitness-goals-my-fitness-pal-fun.html" target="_blank">My Fitness Pal app</a> and web site {more detail below} </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Instagram Challenge:</u></span> I've participated in a PAD (photo a day) challenge before, and it was super fun. All you do is post a picture along a certain theme or prompt every day and add a <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="color: #351c75;">hashtag</span></span> </span>so people can see who's participating. {Ours is <span style="background-color: #fce5cd; color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">#PADfitness</span>} Not only are you thinking about the topic, you're spreading the word to friends about how you're staying healthy and they can join in! Plus, Instagram is just fun. {My addiction detailed <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/05/life-lately.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/05/force-and-motion-teacher-clothes-black.html" target="_blank">here</a>.} Without further ado ... the challenge! Feel free to copy this image and post it yourself, and while I'm going to try and post every day, don't feel like you HAVE to do so. Jump in any time. :) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickT3yIIte3S13jUjJwo_6TBEyZ6kJOGPNzba7_p3FbjcVQkicK8mLGT7J1H7CTTAk9_hig8B-Z96C204aS4bal3DPR465MeSLzuonH-x9Aa9pwvtEXe1qsDicFT5AOuDRjNtyPWtMYzVe/s1600/summer+fitness.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="611" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickT3yIIte3S13jUjJwo_6TBEyZ6kJOGPNzba7_p3FbjcVQkicK8mLGT7J1H7CTTAk9_hig8B-Z96C204aS4bal3DPR465MeSLzuonH-x9Aa9pwvtEXe1qsDicFT5AOuDRjNtyPWtMYzVe/s640/summer+fitness.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>My Fitness Pal: </u></span>As I mentioned <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/05/summer-fitness-goals-my-fitness-pal-fun.html" target="_blank">here</a>, MFP is an awesome tool that you can use online or as an app on your phone. You plug in your height, weight and activity level, then pick whether you want to lose, maintain or gain {HAHA} weight. It tells you how many calories you should net each day. That "net" is a great word, because it means that if you exercise and plug it in, MFP will take it away from your total eaten calories and you get to eat MOREEEEEE. {Is that horrible? It's honestly a very motivating factor for me. More working out = more brownies and I can SEE it on my phone!!}</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rHI29ZC7U267jy2xfL9fHthSw7uMf797kZdK8N7zy2yhCG9FiXuwF39dyPvifq_YDYMrnmn9lneclVfra7l_7zZ3s8lBNDpfkEmbaTmCb3ElQjbxI5jTXgQ9rVnNHDeepnN8rKdWkej4/s1600/photo+(1).PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rHI29ZC7U267jy2xfL9fHthSw7uMf797kZdK8N7zy2yhCG9FiXuwF39dyPvifq_YDYMrnmn9lneclVfra7l_7zZ3s8lBNDpfkEmbaTmCb3ElQjbxI5jTXgQ9rVnNHDeepnN8rKdWkej4/s400/photo+(1).PNG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the iPhone app - this is what your diary looks like. At the top you can see that it adds your calories from food and subtracts calories from working out. I didn't really eat a sausage patty for lunch, but the pasta sauce had sausage in it and I couldn't figure out how to key that in, so I just roughly estimated, lol. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwxxAVNW91f1wB0hy3-vmxgAjITW2m3v2WYB6TERJmPfLhwlAqRIQE1m4Jk31rsd1nxLZJ-Y7J4vZpfSNO0yXZn6dbiAkrECHFIKmiwH7G_MV9hMKRW6hX-zL_w9VC995lD6IXOm5XI9j/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-31+at+11.50.42+AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it looks like on the online site when you add your food. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwxxAVNW91f1wB0hy3-vmxgAjITW2m3v2WYB6TERJmPfLhwlAqRIQE1m4Jk31rsd1nxLZJ-Y7J4vZpfSNO0yXZn6dbiAkrECHFIKmiwH7G_MV9hMKRW6hX-zL_w9VC995lD6IXOm5XI9j/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-31+at+11.50.42+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_a1f-_RTzO5hZhUuUYSS1BDTFN-CMd5qtdcfMpje-NAfIq18YCikgOXP-XtmjDqIkeeIUtejztlqoXPB7QUlAR57BEJj76iOPz7Q40l0py7vwYsc5RCu1noQLqY9f7GOIh0TwaEyEsin1/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-31+at+11.51.10+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_a1f-_RTzO5hZhUuUYSS1BDTFN-CMd5qtdcfMpje-NAfIq18YCikgOXP-XtmjDqIkeeIUtejztlqoXPB7QUlAR57BEJj76iOPz7Q40l0py7vwYsc5RCu1noQLqY9f7GOIh0TwaEyEsin1/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-31+at+11.51.10+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it looks like on the online site when you log your exercise... or not, as was the case today. :) </td></tr>
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Plus, it's an awesome way to check about how much fat, trans fats, vitamins, carbs, etc. that you're consuming each day and try to get more of the "good" stuff in. It even has a place to add in the amount of water you're drinking. It really is an overall fitness app, not just for losing weight. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72We_fOLsAVAbUk8LY7cXkkO5rko3lhNUqrl7RlIzedaevKjTgkY3opdoB19ZHvDD2wuCIgXPmc6qzCRbHJNYwp2J1PTJ4ILxsNmuRC3LidM5zE8nlj6cc22WxnrB6ZqaPL_cJ-5EqBt8/s1600/summer+fitness+2+.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72We_fOLsAVAbUk8LY7cXkkO5rko3lhNUqrl7RlIzedaevKjTgkY3opdoB19ZHvDD2wuCIgXPmc6qzCRbHJNYwp2J1PTJ4ILxsNmuRC3LidM5zE8nlj6cc22WxnrB6ZqaPL_cJ-5EqBt8/s320/summer+fitness+2+.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a really cool feature that lets you see how you're doing in terms of nutrition, not JUST calories - I think I ate eggs for dinner that day so my cholesterol is high and I ate a TON of protein {not typical}. I also ate a lot of sugars {VERY typical}. </td></tr>
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The other cool part about it is that you "follow" each other and can see when someone works out or if they come in under their calorie goal. No worries, it doesn't say how much you weigh or what exactly you eat, it just posts when you burn calories or when you come in under your net goal. Then you can comment on others' status and cheer them on, or get motivated to go workout yourself! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfS3vYMiz1eHqrRCe_zF1nqvx2hJLm5uXCzx5OZiq0KfcD87cRirNAGAedQUFvRqtocDc394jClIICFufI3n233GhyphenhyphenOIiNRnS3oenSg_hODFMNIjiZLB9MkGTZG4YFiiRhPQnO75wKQO5/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-31+at+11.49.32+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfS3vYMiz1eHqrRCe_zF1nqvx2hJLm5uXCzx5OZiq0KfcD87cRirNAGAedQUFvRqtocDc394jClIICFufI3n233GhyphenhyphenOIiNRnS3oenSg_hODFMNIjiZLB9MkGTZG4YFiiRhPQnO75wKQO5/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-31+at+11.49.32+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it looks like when you're adding friends on the online site. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG4TaKbYChN47vEO3zdfA0qYD0MBe4vS7R9liIUR7RbCQCn5hxRV3_6bBE_joeWv-KPwg9KU7mmCZguFAlQm4C8amRi6-qI3QhnaATBI-HQpqnIeemDVsH69l3PLxPVCQFFbV4LfF4Ofk/s1600/summer+fitness+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG4TaKbYChN47vEO3zdfA0qYD0MBe4vS7R9liIUR7RbCQCn5hxRV3_6bBE_joeWv-KPwg9KU7mmCZguFAlQm4C8amRi6-qI3QhnaATBI-HQpqnIeemDVsH69l3PLxPVCQFFbV4LfF4Ofk/s320/summer+fitness+3.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what your "newsfeed" looks like on the iPhone app. Ms. Price (kindergator) is WORKING IT!! #soproud</td></tr>
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The online tool has a TON of cool options for reports, community boards and other things, but I'm more likely to check my phone. :) </div>
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SO if you want to follow me or anyone else, check <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/05/summer-fitness-goals-my-fitness-pal-fun.html" target="_blank">this post</a>, or find me on <a href="http://instagram.com/ashleybbz" target="_blank">Instagram</a> or My Fitness Pal {ashleybbz in both places}. Can't wait to "see" y'all and get FIT! </div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-74378292985901927112013-05-30T19:33:00.002-04:002013-05-31T14:36:43.799-04:00Summer Fitness Goals: My Fitness Pal Fun! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Alright, y'all -- I am
SO SO serious about getting fit this summer.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I just started with an
app called "My Fitness Pal," which is a social app where you track
your diet and exercise. I love it because a) it helps me keep track of what I
am and am not eating (enough protein? enough fiber?) and b) my friends see a
newsfeed-style list of what exercise I've done and if I've logged in to track
my food (not what I've eaten, just if I've logged in and if I'm under my
calorie goal it will say that ... but not over, lol!). They post encouraging
messages and it's a fun way to stay motivated to just MOVE.</span></div>
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SO ... my question is, would anyone here be interested in joining up for some
cheerleader-style social media motivation? I'm thinking there are a few
options:<br />
<br />
1. Join up on My Fitness Pal (I'm ashleybbz --<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>find
me using my e-mail, ms.bbzteacher at gmail.com</u></b>). OR<br />
2. Do a photo-a-day challenge or something similar on Instagram. (I'd make a
list of exercise/fitness things to keep track of.) OR<br />
3. A book-club style blogging check-in once a week or so, with everyone setting
a goal and stopping back in to share their progress. (Sort of like Chris sets
up here for our TpT goals.)<br />
<br />Editing to add: We decided on My Fitness Pal and Instagram! More information <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/05/getting-fit-instagram-photo-day-and-my.html" target="_blank">in this blog post.</a></span></div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-66886192581031918872013-05-29T21:15:00.001-04:002013-07-22T12:31:04.021-04:00A Review of Lucy Calkins' Units of Study for Writing Workshop <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Update: After you read this, head <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/07/update-getting-ready-to-use-lucy.html" target="_blank">here</a> for Five Steps to Implementing Lucy Calkins! *</span></div>
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When some of my colleagues and I attended <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/03/show-dont-tell.html" target="_blank">Lucy Calkins' writing workshop</a> in March and found out there was a NEW writing curriculum being published, we crossed our fingers and toes that we could get this curriculum for our writing instruction ... and we did! {WOO HOO!!} </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6j-LSVHYUDHYCaMYCRRGFJrwEvJyeaoXCWxhbx193FiELEEqOmOdJMEpDzqb_4BvawxrowlksGoLuV4iuG74jCHR137Wuxgdkvsx6rlzk3eEarcFSkIBW_FEDE0CVlM4JQoR_Whoj8OOM/s1600/1blogpostLC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6j-LSVHYUDHYCaMYCRRGFJrwEvJyeaoXCWxhbx193FiELEEqOmOdJMEpDzqb_4BvawxrowlksGoLuV4iuG74jCHR137Wuxgdkvsx6rlzk3eEarcFSkIBW_FEDE0CVlM4JQoR_Whoj8OOM/s400/1blogpostLC.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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See, I don't know about you but I found the old K-2 set a little tough to use - by the time my students got to my classroom they either a) had heard it all before or b) the curriculum was too young for them. The new set has a different set of <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">FOUR</span> units for every grade level! The other reason we were hoping for the new units was that we felt, as a team, our writing instruction was suffering because we didn't have a {rigorous and Common Core-aligned} school-wide sytem of rubrics and exemplars on which to base our teaching {like we have in other subjects}. It was holding our kids back from writing at the highest level. It was a no-brainer. This was needed. </div>
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So then we waited for what seemed like forever {until May}. The units finally, finally came in on the last day of school, and I've spent the last couple of days tucked up on the couch "digging in" to some professional development. {What, everyone doesn't anxiously await their <span style="background-color: #e69138; color: #ffe599;">summer break</span> so they can ... read more about teaching?! <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">LOL</span>!}</div>
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Here's a quick list of three things I love:</div>
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<ol>
<li>Rubrics that span grades K-6 so I can push or remediate my kids based on what they need. </li>
<li>Student exemplars so my kids have authentic examples of what their writing should look like. </li>
<li>In-depth mini-lessons that really TEACH my kids to refer back to mentor texts as examples of what great writers do. </li>
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A few visuals of the things I love:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkGAVxca4cBCWidEcdq7u22lC2-nAu4smtosF3Y6K8CTioNgNij5oe6FKki-BxDl2XX9fFH01C9j4DOVADgpWvl2b_F9pB3bFTp4dHYBqqg_FTgNwT_gSJ3wiSBWghluX0-aBfQt851dQ/s1600/2blogpostLC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkGAVxca4cBCWidEcdq7u22lC2-nAu4smtosF3Y6K8CTioNgNij5oe6FKki-BxDl2XX9fFH01C9j4DOVADgpWvl2b_F9pB3bFTp4dHYBqqg_FTgNwT_gSJ3wiSBWghluX0-aBfQt851dQ/s400/2blogpostLC.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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And finally ... my first-ever VIDEO overview of the curriculum. It's a little silly but I think it gets the point across. :) </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3Rpz27crqU4" width="560"></iframe><br />
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So ... do you implement a writing workshop or use Lucy Calkins? Thinking about purchasing or using this curriculum? Let me know what you think!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Update: After you read this, head </span><a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/07/update-getting-ready-to-use-lucy.html" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> for Five Steps to Implementing Lucy Calkins! *</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q752/msbbzteacher/blogsignature_zps6c1fff91.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="141" src="http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q752/msbbzteacher/blogsignature_zps6c1fff91.png" width="200" /></a>Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-54215721804405726962013-05-22T16:00:00.000-04:002013-05-29T21:16:00.932-04:00Life Lately .... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been largely absent from the blog with end of year and trips to see friends and family {yay!} but I have been floating around Instagram during this busy month. Here are a few pictures of life lately ... </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWwjtD6vf9QZtlZHHrEuTfxgVrEWr2MmgWlHz9ZTISKm67XH7_Gqxl8XywmXAu5nY2avitcneU0vsPflxofHWGS_hf-AfM7nOv47y-MiaBSCyKA_fNFpb8Lgp_45d2xNBrYzAGf7tPnqg/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-21+at+6.26.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWwjtD6vf9QZtlZHHrEuTfxgVrEWr2MmgWlHz9ZTISKm67XH7_Gqxl8XywmXAu5nY2avitcneU0vsPflxofHWGS_hf-AfM7nOv47y-MiaBSCyKA_fNFpb8Lgp_45d2xNBrYzAGf7tPnqg/s640/Screen+shot+2013-05-21+at+6.26.00+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Row One: 1. My favorite Vera Bradley backpack! 2. Tea + DRAs ... my life 3. Field Day fun! 4. Sudoku - awesome way to think logically at the end of the year 5. Road trip to a mountain cabin with friends and our pups :)<br />
Row Two: 1. Tie-dye - stained hands 2. 40 2nd graders in 40 minutes for tie-dye ... shew! 3. Oobleck experiments for matter! 4. LOVE me some cider 5. Painting our learning journals for this unit! </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyUsSG51iEtCig4ger0S6clcDMITn3svgyjSe5-nUgoDsw4L0VoWVobwoa1o44eDILUXF4jwRTxJn3gFuXbk9gOosARFrfEsD67geRtEZuGOri44MP4-nvUs0cHISybjz8I_bbP63_e8G/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-21+at+6.26.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyUsSG51iEtCig4ger0S6clcDMITn3svgyjSe5-nUgoDsw4L0VoWVobwoa1o44eDILUXF4jwRTxJn3gFuXbk9gOosARFrfEsD67geRtEZuGOri44MP4-nvUs0cHISybjz8I_bbP63_e8G/s640/Screen+shot+2013-05-21+at+6.26.07+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Row One: 1. My classroom! 2. Our push/pull wall for Community Night #4 3. Solids, liquids and gas wall for Community Night 4. Favorite outfit 5. Working on fractions! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px; text-align: center;">Row Two: 1. Random painting in my room 2. The BEST hair oil 3. Splattering paint Jackson Pollock-style as we learn about force and motion 4. Me, my mom and brother for Mother's Day! 5. Beautiful Stephanie Ryan print I bought for my momma</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUy64DHvGyuF42699qEcd8bIf80nEtiZL_3AitoegZh8MwCS6yIlXGdWILW4rmsuTGHpAT0nJq9lkl-EwY3S87Jtji8hwET_BkMZYkQDd2dTA9lVZvGNNjVZVulhcZJdWIwRwJrTOJMUB/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-21+at+6.26.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUy64DHvGyuF42699qEcd8bIf80nEtiZL_3AitoegZh8MwCS6yIlXGdWILW4rmsuTGHpAT0nJq9lkl-EwY3S87Jtji8hwET_BkMZYkQDd2dTA9lVZvGNNjVZVulhcZJdWIwRwJrTOJMUB/s640/Screen+shot+2013-05-21+at+6.26.19+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px; text-align: center;">Row One: 1. A little reading 2. The front seat of my car ... oy 3. Cousins! 4. My adorable door from my parents for Teacher Appreciation 5. Yummy muffin that Mr. BBZ took a huge bite out of ... </span></div>
<span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Row Two: 1. My mom and Cici on the way to see my grandma for Mother's Day 2. New shoes from Target! 3. and 4. Zoom balls as we learn about force and motion 5. Another Stephanie Ryan print I bought for my momma in law</span><br />
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-48036514455460108702013-05-21T18:47:00.002-04:002013-05-21T19:52:50.331-04:00Disney Princesses <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, it's been exactly two weeks since I last posted and ohhhhhmygosh life has been crazy! Crazy and good with visits to see family and friends as well as regular old end-of-year stuff, but busybusybusy and it's kept me away from blogging. </div>
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One thing that brought me back here was this Merida controversy. You know ... Disney/Pixar tarted up the heroine Merida from Brave and people are up in arms. One of my favorite bloggers {<a href="http://thebloggess.com/" target="_blank">The Bloggess</a>} wrote about <a href="http://thebloggess.com/2013/05/two-uncomfortable-truths-new-merida-looks-a-little-whorey-less-people-care-about-this-than-you-would-think/" target="_blank">her perspective</a>, and it closely mirrored my own reaction to the Disney Princesses, so I had to share. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGVoddHB6HIShOFe_6m7VzVoMFinAewr82a_VoSQfY5_S6lnN7IEyeiLQebTaidoEinbZAwAvhhX1XNLP14l2aYjNC98JPU7ClfzWolIidtGjw_Sd2z0ZW9I4xOMhAEfbENi2rvtdXvri/s1600/merida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGVoddHB6HIShOFe_6m7VzVoMFinAewr82a_VoSQfY5_S6lnN7IEyeiLQebTaidoEinbZAwAvhhX1XNLP14l2aYjNC98JPU7ClfzWolIidtGjw_Sd2z0ZW9I4xOMhAEfbENi2rvtdXvri/s640/merida.jpg" width="586" /></a></div>
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My reaction was that yes, yes yes yes I believe it's wrong to present a princess {with too much make up and measurements that are scientifically impossible} as the only image of femininity ... but that images from the media shouldn't be the only contact our girls {and boys} have with strong female role models. We {teachers, parents, friends and loved ones} can and should be examples that our kids can look up to, and it's our job to help them distinguish between fact and reality.</div>
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Fellow teachers ... what do you think? </div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-89284629943735869232013-05-07T00:31:00.001-04:002013-05-07T00:49:13.419-04:00Family Matters: Science Experiments to Celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm squuueeeezzzing this one in right under the wire - <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Family-Matters-A-Matter-Exploration-to-Celebrate-Mothers-Day-and-Fathers-Day" target="_blank">a matter resource</a> designed to help your kids understand how matter (solid, liquid and gas) changes AND give you some usable gifts for Mother's Day or Father's Day (or just Loved One's Day!). :) </div>
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One of my favorite experiments is this liquid viscosity experiment (which ties in to a "breakfast in bed" motif).<br />
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I designed this experiment knowing that one of the toughest things to understand about solids is that things like salt, sugar and flour are all solids - they're just verrrrrryyy small pieces - they don't "flow" like liquid, they tumble!</div>
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Kids will explore gas properties by blowing bubbles ...<br />
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And learn about melting solids by making a crayon sun catcher! </div>
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Just a little taste of what's inside (you can see the table of contents above!) - pop on over to <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Family-Matters-A-Matter-Exploration-to-Celebrate-Mothers-Day-and-Fathers-Day" target="_blank">my store</a> if you're interested in seeing more! </div>
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<a href="http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q752/msbbzteacher/blogsignature_zps6c1fff91.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q752/msbbzteacher/blogsignature_zps6c1fff91.png" width="200" /></a>Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-72797312144230507622013-05-06T19:14:00.000-04:002013-05-06T19:14:52.771-04:00Force and Motion + Teacher Clothes: Black and White Striped Dress <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now that MAP is over, we're back to full-force science time! We're working on forces and motion, and today we spent some time studying Newton's second law ... {that's the one that says extra force means extra motion}. What better way to study small vs. big forces than use Pop pom Poppers?! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHMjPmFvToKsLMNz0cXKB3Tw7iYbI1j3gW31CnQbZA-jutUyfYgfMTCS5SE6hfWZTMpVJA0abJDYyqF_2R1T07VsxHXipsYlNl0dwC4AXMZJDgXraf2NHP7J1mTCpvjk0LTZSdGKjslcW/s1600/forces+and+motion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHMjPmFvToKsLMNz0cXKB3Tw7iYbI1j3gW31CnQbZA-jutUyfYgfMTCS5SE6hfWZTMpVJA0abJDYyqF_2R1T07VsxHXipsYlNl0dwC4AXMZJDgXraf2NHP7J1mTCpvjk0LTZSdGKjslcW/s400/forces+and+motion.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This was the simplest thing to set up - I used red Dixie cups (other kinds weren't sturdy enough), cut the ends off balloons, and put the balloons over the top of the cup. Then I cut out the bottoms. We pulled back just a bit for a "small" force and more for a "big" force. Then 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... LAUNCH! </div>
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We (of course) measured and record our Pom pom "pops" ... and it was a great time to work in some non-standard vs. standard measurement. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFYFhmsxJGV-6In-n9JFHXgww4u9kaoAiqX1R7PPdDb_HPg8EwGmmclOK0sHVwX6tYEzi7kTFOL6RCZPdRDZKqambewXzgFCcTz09zhpUaPpo_KvZbFEuF7rjY3DhHmtc_GztmXLo6mkd/s1600/forces+and+motion+sheet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFYFhmsxJGV-6In-n9JFHXgww4u9kaoAiqX1R7PPdDb_HPg8EwGmmclOK0sHVwX6tYEzi7kTFOL6RCZPdRDZKqambewXzgFCcTz09zhpUaPpo_KvZbFEuF7rjY3DhHmtc_GztmXLo6mkd/s400/forces+and+motion+sheet.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tomorrow we're headed out on a SKATING field trip to learn about friction ... #mybootywillbesore #hashtags4life </div>
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While I'm updating ... teacher clothes! I'm determined that after two off weeks, I'm going to get up in time to actually feel GREAT about my teacher clothes this week. I kicked off Ms. BBZ 2.0 with this new Target maxi {#loveamaxi} and a sock bun {whoop whoop!}. I have a serious <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/03/teacher-clothes-boots.html" target="_blank">black and white </a>obsession. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34nJ1phuHrWOrUSrdgFxFx8l-BHo-SQOaL-O2mQP9_ohd5_y1d4bxg8SGwoB1lFjS585CY_EzxDg9UGG6AWtDA2F08r3hKUBE1KHdKhJgCTCqS6G4G62hA3UQerWphkM5dWGcXwHpgjBL/s1600/black+and+white+striped+dress.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34nJ1phuHrWOrUSrdgFxFx8l-BHo-SQOaL-O2mQP9_ohd5_y1d4bxg8SGwoB1lFjS585CY_EzxDg9UGG6AWtDA2F08r3hKUBE1KHdKhJgCTCqS6G4G62hA3UQerWphkM5dWGcXwHpgjBL/s400/black+and+white+striped+dress.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Since it's SUPER rare for me to show my face, I decided to keep it classy for ya and leave off the arrows and sources. The dress is from Target and the cardi is from LOFT. The necklace is a Chan Luu necklace that Mr. BBZ bought me for Christmas ... #lovehim. </div>
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We have to talk about that sock bun though ... I'm seriously channeling a little <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Library-Dragon-Carmen-Agra-Deedy/dp/156145639X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367881328&sr=1-1&keywords=library+dragon" target="_blank">Library Dragon</a>, don't you think? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TbKNS9reGpz3hXZneYMwOkvyuJRfQ_vlhypndxf6owMhMsNV-_OpmHf6rB0HEzrp0EGJ8qYl6D5SjDPaQW2M7m4VXFQqUSEwHWkrYMudi_Al4B9jVNNVDOThPmyvrnQg9d-7J5NvzO7i/s1600/sock+bun+library+dragon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TbKNS9reGpz3hXZneYMwOkvyuJRfQ_vlhypndxf6owMhMsNV-_OpmHf6rB0HEzrp0EGJ8qYl6D5SjDPaQW2M7m4VXFQqUSEwHWkrYMudi_Al4B9jVNNVDOThPmyvrnQg9d-7J5NvzO7i/s400/sock+bun+library+dragon.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Not gonna lie ... I love children's literature. Okay, that's probably enough geekery for tonight. Don't forget about the sweet sale over at <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ms-Bbz" target="_blank">my store</a> {and many others} on TpT and our last day of the <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/04/ms-bbzs-mega-giveaway.html" target="_blank">MEGA giveaway</a>! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Zip-a-dee-doo-dah-Designs" target="_blank">Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Design</a>s for the graphic! </td></tr>
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Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-61525578531974594992013-05-05T23:04:00.000-04:002013-05-05T23:14:34.316-04:00Teacher Pay Teachers Appreciation SALE! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Teachers Pay Teachers is hosting a HUGE sale this Tuesday! If your favorite sellers are hosting sales (I am!), you can get up to 28% off your purchase with the code TAD13. WOO HOO! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Zip-a-dee-doo-dah-Designs" target="_blank">Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Design</a>s for the graphic! </td></tr>
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I LOVE the idea of seeing what's on everyone's "wish list," so ... here's what I'll be stocking up on this Tuesday! ... {And if you need more ideas, you could browse the fabulous sellers over at my <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/04/ms-bbzs-mega-giveaway.html" target="_blank">giveaway</a>!} </div>
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First, these assessments from Alyssha are going in my cart, and I'm trying soooo hard to convince the other teachers at my school that we need to use them in other grades too. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/2nd-Grade-Common-Core-Math-Assessment-ALL-STANDARDS-3-testsstandard" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSFmOeVwfS9TEY8ehQIZeyWQfd5fY4eEPs2_T0Cc1reYgr9-yS1uU6XCFYwk-DX370UymJOpuDMLZUKZMWMaEKIcLBhnMcxl3jZICkQX3U0ZBFsQPDbYkRyZjHZFrk5z_axiFxJvEu4Qz/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-05+at+10.22.59+PM.png" width="246" /></a></div>
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I also think the idea of wristbands to show answers is SUCH a cute one, and punctuation is something we NEVER stop practicing. It's been on my wishlist for a while, so I'll be purchasing Leah's "Show Me the Answer" wristbands. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Show-Me-the-Answer-Printable-Math-Symbols-Punctuation" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgNGwVg7JBZ3KBVUpHzu4LpbaAU8AfCrdVSB0D6zQzUm_Rx0Z8DElhhqBsMJNbDlkydjH0lKaCerJZeqoC2W3P9vegottjCERRF7R2e0FVaOAf4h1RWJ4F5HqwTdP0VTuy46RpsgWnxcN/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-05+at+10.24.10+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have Meg's conceptual fraction unit, and it's WONDERFUL. It's so hard to find good conceptual units. This will be a stretch activity for several of my kiddos - </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multi-Step-Common-Core-Word-Problem-Collection-Grade-4-5" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nudvXyxmw94vthwptuuUKU5dDRjCcTlQB0SD5QIprRA4IDYkAE-1fFcZRqMdvesnFIOJFz9da1F-nXTbujcDc_vGAJhry8dX3BRaejH2qKGDivjMxe7ovE3R0HEIV62U0JDefSFj4ifn/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-05+at+10.29.30+PM.png" width="243" /></a></div>
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Can you tell I'm super math-focused right now? It's because after moving to my new school, math was the most difficult thing to coordinate between NWEA's MAP test and Common Core standards. We used Scott Foresman Investigations at my old school ... which is a littttlllleee different than traditional mathematics and highly Common Core aligned. The MAP test kind of flipped my math long-term plan on its head, but I have my game plan for next year and I'm ready to make it happen. I can't WAIT for summer planning. :) </div>
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Since we're "window shopping," I asked Mr. BBZ to browse around a little and see what he would be interested in buying (he's a middle school special educator). Can you believe he hasn't ever bought a single thing on TpT?!! After looking around he said, "It's going to be really hard not to spend a lot of money." Um, ya think?! ;) Here are his picks: </div>
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The interactive reading and math notebooks from Jen Runde are top on his list (I know why; they're awesome!): </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Comprehension-Strategy-Resource-Binder" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKypSzxXxVxUV53lJOUpJ7_6wDB1jusqj2CP9WomAKgwx2QB1xQp1E2uePyPhrDzhvLTcpQIriwUdZmOTQ95zwfL1dpCUa9O6RzdljvyyqOAJX-SJSO-pmrKp_3lYUKkOXpvvcVGDRWhgD/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-05+at+10.42.57+PM.png" width="246" /></a> <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Math-Journal" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQeVAjzKrCfAUG5f2uvOLmXhURGMoAdy-ZjUd_QBi4SSsYcS2YnaulKFbBCWuChA_XHj-QPXIpLDswSRNswiuj9P9j26AaTFme0fSmcW_tiOyvNiFJj5MNzDlvC87DB-isU7NG5JrJjXL0/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-05+at+10.47.48+PM.png" width="245" /></a></div>
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He also does a lot of small groups with his kids, so he liked these reading resources from Jen Bengal (she has them for all F+P levels!!). </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guided-Reading-Level-N-Teacher-Packet-Just-add-the-Books-and-the-Students" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuUOPkbOMdjjKrDEtI71W3xYvmCwCtzicUxs5FA2SXEFlMo83hMKPOu_UzesAT9VqD7elER0Dao2zGVNGkPVI9dUIFz5pjKYHw9z7uxb0hx_IsnOqUGyMXfv1oJ4L5RvP8fSRBWGl4-1c/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-05+at+10.52.26+PM.png" width="243" /></a></div>
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And was intrigued by this middle-school literacy reading resource from Kasey Kiehl. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Literature-Circles-for-Middle-School-Common-Core-Aligned" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnug6VRx84GMsdqiKEUt-3_om9lIHcjBbtMKuiPTMexdgusLJTVpkNaBuY-YMeDGYYsS-8nViVwdNnnAtcf3yST1rxZEtmTwEKyPpeYBjSu6SGlFrFBrWa75sKFX_v7UvQqbZxe_WL2un7/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-05+at+10.53.09+PM.png" width="245" /></a></div>
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His kids are struggling with equivalent fractions, so he's definitely going to be purchasing from (the wonderful!) Dennis McDonald: </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Monkey-Mania-Jumping-Giraffes-equivalent-fraction-games-task-cards-bundle" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lqMhAx9_pqsgZ-ZO__AB9axZE9m6nnSCbPy9_ui3l4mXm0TwbAdqmPBQ0kkZthy_NQg6kGSa-zyW0y4GQO_9GE4uhAGzVHe6yJEteVg4BHr0XTvhfIpjrEqJGOFOc1B-DL1kALnag3jU/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-05+at+10.59.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Okay, our pockets are going to be empty, so we should stop. :) I hope you find something at TpT that makes your life easier this Tuesday! </div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-68556667558542270682013-05-03T21:20:00.001-04:002013-05-03T22:01:48.650-04:00Currently AND Five for Friday! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ohhhhh y'all. I'm tired. It's FRIDAY! We finished up our MAP testing this week, and my kiddos worked so so so so so hard. I'm immensely proud, but my little heart can't take the stress! Testing, boo.</div>
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Anyway, every week I see people with their linky parties going on, so I decided to hit all of them in one fell swoop. First, it's MAY! So ... linking up with <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Farley</a> for a "Currently ..." </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhg7EfdioFUIyA9k_3U16_jkDPH9HDtVC5tRScS_c7N_Vt16-LdCSvXu39eoVa0EPtYyi-TbET2Nv2OTTbhaFvG9YgKzZ6Q22rHCpRsQQdUNBNPofmUJ8qCL01DU9MwVLfJYgVfZh3j6M/s1600/may5.3.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhg7EfdioFUIyA9k_3U16_jkDPH9HDtVC5tRScS_c7N_Vt16-LdCSvXu39eoVa0EPtYyi-TbET2Nv2OTTbhaFvG9YgKzZ6Q22rHCpRsQQdUNBNPofmUJ8qCL01DU9MwVLfJYgVfZh3j6M/s640/may5.3.13.png" width="474" /></a></div>
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AND with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Doodle Bugs </a><span style="text-align: center;">for Five for Friday! If you follow me on </span><a href="http://instagram.com/ashleybbz" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">{</span><a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/05/teacher-clothes-target-skirt-and.html" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">my new obsession</a><span style="text-align: center;">} you might have seen many of these ... </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdd0plakAIwYrcUkie22gATQg7ZigHU3eJovKzyRfFoOIQ4levHhZjSJa1iCzt3i4VCalhBjfT6vkggpqchp8gBdNuGx9WriWZ-NWWAWQpr-3PZ_B-Bh8OlcQUidpbAPr2SXCSc2imWTc/s1600/Five+for+Friday+linky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdd0plakAIwYrcUkie22gATQg7ZigHU3eJovKzyRfFoOIQ4levHhZjSJa1iCzt3i4VCalhBjfT6vkggpqchp8gBdNuGx9WriWZ-NWWAWQpr-3PZ_B-Bh8OlcQUidpbAPr2SXCSc2imWTc/s320/Five+for+Friday+linky.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Currently reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545040876/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0545040876&linkCode=as2&tag=msbbfuinthseg-20">Zen Shorts by John J. Muth</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=msbbfuinthseg-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0545040876" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (close reading!), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142408816/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0142408816&linkCode=as2&tag=msbbfuinthseg-20">Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=msbbfuinthseg-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0142408816" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (read aloud!), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060256710/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060256710&linkCode=as2&tag=msbbfuinthseg-20">The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=msbbfuinthseg-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0060256710" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (another close reading text!) and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590788672/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1590788672&linkCode=as2&tag=msbbfuinthseg-20">Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist by Jane Yolen</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=msbbfuinthseg-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1590788672" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (AWESOME for our poetry writing!) {all wonderful, beautiful fabulous books, and you KNOW <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/03/what-works-for-boys-and-more-beautiful.html" target="_blank">I love a beautiful book</a>} ...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTz90CLFHTKwUuJdjU9y1fFwr_jspOPiHpIzfz7ESUSBoIVwE_uEfEP9y4fMGPg0tEi3QX5R5vAxSnx2ueoFOrrTFWmPclI_L5NAaRlnBmmeOhIu4dctHaQ8HijKdLi3uhvICcBRQcc02/s1600/books2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTz90CLFHTKwUuJdjU9y1fFwr_jspOPiHpIzfz7ESUSBoIVwE_uEfEP9y4fMGPg0tEi3QX5R5vAxSnx2ueoFOrrTFWmPclI_L5NAaRlnBmmeOhIu4dctHaQ8HijKdLi3uhvICcBRQcc02/s400/books2.png" width="382" /></a></div>
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These two - Mr. BBZ and our pup Cecelia - are my favorite.</div>
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We set off rockets this week as part of our forces and motion unit. The kids LOVED it {duh, so did I!}. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghX4qyIu6dl9VTzWiaQrZBse2_2gkbXgBXUD-wAhfcC3lNIypIl-kwmqesu_IT5MX_U1Djiv_YrYJYTQlBx98IVu1JEr5agOv6cT62_6I7D2KzBWFWJhb2waDbBDaQyhAWjU549uZmw762/s1600/rocket.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghX4qyIu6dl9VTzWiaQrZBse2_2gkbXgBXUD-wAhfcC3lNIypIl-kwmqesu_IT5MX_U1Djiv_YrYJYTQlBx98IVu1JEr5agOv6cT62_6I7D2KzBWFWJhb2waDbBDaQyhAWjU549uZmw762/s400/rocket.png" width="393" /></a></div>
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A happy Friday outfit that matches my classroom! Aerosole shoes ... #comfy. ;)<br />
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Got a haircut yesterday ... it was time. I don't include too many pictures of my face around here, so I figured this one was a great one to start with. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!@#)($&&$#!!! {I'm tired} #crackingmyselfup</div>
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And a BONUS .... another teacher clothes outfit! My favorite <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/03/teacher-clothes-boots.html" target="_blank">rodeo princess boots</a> and Spring-y scarf, with a jersey pencil skirt that is, quite possibly, the closest thing I'll ever get to a real pencil skirt in an elementary classroom. <br />
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That's it for me - I'm off to bed. ;) Don't forget to enter the <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/04/ms-bbzs-mega-giveaway.html" target="_blank">MEGA giveaway of AWESOME TpT supplies!! </a></div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-19199721364468377062013-05-02T19:59:00.003-04:002013-05-02T19:59:43.027-04:00Teacher Clothes: Target Skirt {and INSTAGRAM!} <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
P(re)S(cript) - Don't forget about our <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/04/ms-bbzs-mega-giveaway.html" target="_blank">MEGA giveaway</a> - it's SO easy to sign up! </div>
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First things second ... HOW did I not hop on the Instagram train sooner? I've had an account for a while, but rarely added anything. I joined back up for #teachertalktuesday and realized it's basically ... the best. Pretty pictures from my friends and other teachers? Yes please! I'm <a href="http://instagram.com/ashleybbz" target="_blank">@ashleybbz</a>, or click on that little camera over in the "Keep in Touch" section. </div>
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Third - Instagram definitely fuels my teacher clothes addiction. I wish I could be half as stylish as the cute teachers over there! I posted this pic on #teachertalktuesday .... </div>
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This is what it looks like in full. More evidence of my <a href="http://msbbz.blogspot.com/2013/04/teacher-clothes-shoe-round-up.html" target="_blank">TOMS addiction</a>!! That skirt is cute and I love it, but the waist is oddly tight. Or maybe that's a sign I need to run more .... {probably} #sadface. </div>
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-30521592689439988622013-04-30T18:36:00.000-04:002013-05-12T06:09:21.395-04:00Ms. BBZ's MEGA Giveaway! Editing to add: THANK YOU everyone for your entries. Three winners have been selected:<br />
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<li>Dina</li>
<li>Linda</li>
<li>Bethany</li>
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They have been e-mailed and sellers will be contacting them to deliver their prizes. If you're stopping by, check out <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ms-Bbz" target="_blank">my store</a> or any of the wonderful sellers below! </div>
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- Ms. BBZ</div>
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I am SO SO excited to share this giveaway with y'all. There are more than 70+ Teachers Pay Teachers sellers signed up to offer you all - my store and blog followers - THREE different prize packs. There is a K-1 pack, a 2-3 pack AND a 4-6 pack (don't stop scrolling ... it's there!!). In addition to each grade level pack, you'll be entered to win <span style="font-size: large;">any</span>product from my TpT store ... <span style="background-color: #f4cccc; color: #a64d79; font-size: large;">WOO HOO! </span><br />
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All you have to do to enter is sign in with the Punchtab gadget, and click "actions" to gain entries! Happy entering --- let's get started!<br />
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<br />Ms. BBZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374824333920516443noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308758895592212170.post-16211387531825148712013-04-30T16:50:00.001-04:002013-04-30T16:50:18.283-04:00#teachertalktuesdayI am officially OBSESSED ... with Instagram. Follow me! I'm @ashleybbz. :) <br />
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