Monday Made It...Oh, how I've missed you...

Yep, it's true.  I have definitely missed linkin' up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for her very popular Monday Made It linky.  It's hard to believe a month has passed since the last MMI.

I was cruisin' through some posts on Bloglovin' this afternoon while I was cruisin' down the interstate(no, I wasn't readin' and drivin'...) and got so excited to see Tara's post.  The only bad thing was, I was stuck in the car and couldn't start my post.  I was too hyped up because I made a quick trip to New Orleans this weekend for the New Orleans Saints football game.

Yep...we(I act like I was on the field or somethin'...)WON!  That's right...we beat dem Dirty Birds aka the Atlanta Falcons(sorry if you're a Falcons fan and lost...I will cheer for you sometimes...as long as you aren't playin' the Saints).  Jerm and I disagree on ALL teams, so today was no different. It was a short trip, but lots of fun packed into two days with some great hosts this weekend.  Lunch at the Cochon Butcher Sandwich Shop.  Ham sandwich + White BBQ sauce=YUM!  Drinks at Mojito's, a little gamblin' at Harrah's Casino, dinner at Dickie Brennan's Steak House and some music at Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse in the French Quarter was just what I needed after the first three weeks of school startin'.   I'm tellin' you...New Orleans is probably the HAPPIEST city I've ever visited.  I ALWAYS leave there so rejuvenated!

Bourbon Street was hoppin'.  

Loved the start of the game.  

Love the Superdome and the air conditionin'! 

Now onto school stuff...I finally made a decision that I needed to organize all of the Math and ELA games that I have been printin', cuttin', and laminatin' the past couple of years.  I was gettin' tired of havin' to sort through a large plastic tub to find the ones I wanted to use.  It was pure madness.  So, last week I asked for volunteers to help sort the games.  I love when 22 hands shoot up in the air to help me.

Here is the beginnin' of the sort.  I gave some of my boys my binder with the Math and ELA Common Core Standards for 5th grade and asked them to sort them.  They decided to use the Post-It notes to get themselves organized.  Be still my beatin' heart...I was swoonin'.  

Look at this!  Are they good or what?  They did this pretty much without any direction from me other than me handin' them the binder with all of the standards.  They made a pretty big dent, but we still have some work to do.

Now...this is where I need your help? Do I make a basket for each group of games or do I keep them in this large plastic tub with some kind of divider?  What do you use in your class to house these games?  All of the manila envelopes are laminated, so they are pretty sturdy.  Keep in mind...I switch grade levels every year, so I need a system that will help me be able to transition into the next grade easily without changin' everything, every year.  Ideas?   

I've also made a new discovery. 

Have you signed up for CoreStand's Core Weekly newsletter via email?  

Each week they have been sendin' an email with a download to a FREE literacy template tied to a current event.  The template also includes a link to a current event article on Time for Kids.   

Here is an example of an article: Time for Kids: History of Labor Day  

The graphic organizer has a question to answer in the areas of Reading, Writing, Language, and Speaking & Listening. Each newsletter includes a template for Elementary and Grades 6-12.  

We have already completed three articles in my class and the kids really seem to be enjoyin' them.  Some literacy, technology, and writin' all tied together.  What's not to love?

Be sure to check out everyone else's ideas on Monday Made It.  I can't wait to come home after school and catch up on the past 3 days on Bloglovin' and answer some emails from this weekend...preferably not on my phone!