Monday Made It...2 in a row...impressive!

Today I did something that I haven't done

in a long time...

I went back and read over all of my posts

that I have ever written.

I never really considered my blog

to be an online diary, but that

is exactly what it is.

I laughed, I cried, and I smiled.

If you are a blogger and you haven't done this

in a while...do it!

If you are a blog follower and you haven't

done this with your favorite blogs...do it!

It's inspirational.

I'm pretty proud of myself for makin' it to 

Monday Made It with 4th Grade Frolics once again.

This week I'm writin' about somethin' that I actually made in the past,

but never blogged about how I display and store my 

Fact Family Behavior Beads.

Fact Family Behavior Beads original post

I used Fact Family Behavior Beads to motivate my students to 

become fluent in their multiplication facts at the beginnin'

of the school year. 

This could be used with addition, subtraction

and division as well.

The followin' pictures I posted on my Instagram 
as we were workin' on our facts.

This year EVERY.SINGLE.ONE of my students

successfully mastered all of their

multiplication math facts in less 

than a month after school started.

Each day I would present the students 

with a facts quiz starting with 0's

and ending with 12's. 

I printed quizzes off of Math-Drills.com.

As students completed each quiz, I would give

them the Fact Family Behavior Bead to keep.

It's amazin' what a little piece of laminated

paper can do to get students excited about their

multiplication facts!

Each Fact Family Behavior Bead has a different

graphic for a surprise Ice Cream Sundae party

at the end.

These sweet parents brought in all the supplies and helped with our 

Ice Cream Sundae party.

As you can tell, my awesome students enjoyed their yummy reward!

Behavior Beads are kept on binder rings and displayed

usin' Command Hooks that are attached to a white board.

I ordered a box of binder rings on Amazon, but picked up the

little Command Hooks at Walmart.

I attached the hooks and the numbers to the board

usin' Blue Sticky tack (it's the only kind that I use).

The numbers are from my 

Behavior Bucks, Rewards, Numbers and Titles

that I wrote about HERE.

They are FREE..so scoop them up...like ice cream!

I use clear, plastic thread organizers to store all Behavior Beads

that I have created and hand out in my classroom.

You can find these at most craft stores for fairly inexpensive.

I can't wait to meet my new group of kiddos

to start Fact Family Behavior Beads with them.

Tomorrow I head out to California for my yearly summer

trip to visit the parental unit.

I haven't seen them since Christmas break.

I'm ECSTATIC! 

Happy Monday, friends!

What?! I'm postin' again on a MONDAY!!!

 I have been spendin' countless hours up at school to get 

ready for Orientation and the First Day of School 

this week, but I'm takin' some time out

to share some made-its that have popped up in my room

because I'm crushin' on them big time!

What better way to show them off than to link up

with my sweet friend Tara from 4th Grade Frolics

for Monday Made It!

My podmate, Jeanne, came up with this fabulous idea

 to display student work in our hallways and I get

giddy every time I walk out into our hallways.

I can't wait to hang some stuff up their 

to show off my kiddos' creations.

My sweet friend Elizabeth from Hodges Herald

also did somethin' else similar 

last week for her Monday Made It.

They are laminated pieces of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper.

Clothespins are hidin' under the 4 inch circles

that are also made out of scrapbook paper.

The three different colors match each of our classrooms.

Mine: The bright colors with black circles. 

I will place rockstar pictures of my kids on the circles.

Jeanne's:  The blues, greens, oranges, and grays.

Anna Catherine's: The reds, grays and blacks.

*I wish I would've taken a close-up photo of their

circles, they are all differnet colors of scrapbook paper also.

 This year my 5th grade team has chosen to have

Learning Goals & Scales boards.

We put up ELA, Math and Science/Social Studies.

After we have discussed the standard and learning goals

that are in an "I Can" stament, the kiddos

will move their number to reflect their

level of understanding.

Students are able to move their numbers as

we become more familiar with each standard until

they have mastered them.

Standards and progression scales are printed on Astrobrights paper

and displayed 

in sheet protectors.  

Numbers are backed with adhesive Glue Dots

to stick on the fabric that covers the board.

This is my favorite part of my room this year.

ELA: Fireball Fuschia paper

Math: Lunar Blue paper

Science: Terra Green paper

Social Studies: Solar Yellow paper

*5th Grade Florida Standards
(ELA, Math, Science & Social Studies)
 by Teaching Ambrosia
 and Math Vocabulary
by Alyssha Tomphson-
Teaching and Tapas
are also hangin' on binder rings
for students to pull down and use.

  

 My biggest question I was askin' myself when we started 

printin' all our standards was how in the world 

was I goin' to store all of the papers? 

The lightbulb went off when I was in Walmart.

I found these expandable files and have separated

out the standards by sections so they each have their own pocket inside.

Example:  Math

1) Numbers and Operations in Base Ten

2) Operations & Algebraic Thinking

3) Number and Operations: Fractions

4) Measurement

5) Geometry

 My last made-it isn't somethin' I actually made, but

I had to share because they are cute!

I am notorius for checkin' Jane.com's daily mornin' email...

sometimes before I'm actually fully awake.

This display is the result of one of those early mornin'

email browsin' sessions.

I bought 4 packs (pink, yellow, green, blue)

I have my very own Flutterby Butterflies flyin' on my wall!

This just makes me smile!

Happy Monday, friends!

Follower Appreciation Giveaway...come on in and enter!

My sweet friend Lisa from

Mrs. Spangler in the Middle 

is havin' a 

Follower Appreciation Giveaway

and she invited lil' ol'

me to participate.

Just look at all the 

the other amazin'

bloggers I get to join forces

with to make 

Mrs. Spangler in the Middle's 

giveaway a success.

You don't want to miss this!

Be sure to enter to win!

Click HERE!

Happy Wednesday, friends!

I made it happen...one last post before school starts...

I didn't think I was goin' to be able to link up with my 

sweet friend Tara from 4th Grade Frolics this week.

I'm so very glad I was wrong.

It's not often that I admit I'm wrong...

you better write this date down somewhere.

LOL!

My first MMI has been 

in my mind for a long time

and I'm happy that I finally made it happen.

I picked up some bright 7 inch colored plates

at Dollar Tree (pink, yellow, green, blue, purple) and 

Walmart (tangerine) because

my vision was to put Scientific Method posters

on them.

My hope is to maybe entice my students

to quickly remember the steps.

I used these 

Scientific Method Posters

that I found free a few years ago while

I was blog surfin'.

I made 6 inch

circles on Powerpoint, typed up the info and printed.

*I am not offerin' these up for grabs because

this was not my original idea.

I just made it work for me personally

and have to give credit where credit is due.

I did give you a size hint though if you want

to make your own.

I also made my FAVORITE dessert
in the whole wide world...space included.
My Nitty and I used to make this when I was little.
It's seriously the easiest thing you could ever make
and it will disappear quickly.

*Another funny apron for you.  

It's true.

Golden Grahams, Vanilla Ice Cream and Hershey's Syrup.

Marshmallows are optional.

Directions:  

Take the bag of cereal out of the box...

Smoosh...smush? 

However you spell it...do that...

while the cereal is still in the bag.

Place about half of the cereal on the bottom 

of a casserole dish.

Squirt chocolate syrup EVERYWHERE.

Add marshmallows in there if you want 

to really make it a Smore's Delight.

*I personally don't love marshmallows in mine.

Start scoopin' ice cream on top of the cereal.

Place the rest of the cereal on top of the ice cream.

Squirt some MORE syrup.

Place in the freezer.

Eat as much as your heart desires...

because I said so.

If you don't love this...we can't be friends.

I also made a Homework board from Tara's 

Where Are We Subject Cards 

mixed with her

Homework Club Header and Numbers
(Kids & Colors Theme).

*Homework in my class is readin' for pleasure

which I do on a trust basis...

and it works for ME.

Every class is different though.

Other homework might be...

Sharin' Class News with a parent,

gettin' your agenda signed, 

a quick "exit ticket" on Edmodo online, etc.

I just don't assign "traditional" homework.

I'd rather my babies spend extra time in class 

where they can enjoy some practice 

and I can give them 

immediate feedback.

This works better for us instead of usin'

that time to check homework.

It saves frustration from occurin'

at home...for students and parents....

and ME.

How will this work in my class this year?

Students will have to remove their number

if they do not do their "homework".

I will reward students whose numbers stay on the board.

I haven't decided yet if I will do it weekly or monthly.

Students will also earn "Behavior Bucks" for 

doin' their homework.

A long time ago I made a Pinterest board for
Video Shorts for Reading.
My awesomeness friend AMC from Elementary AMC
was really my inspiration for this because
she has an amazin' Pinterest board
Classroom Videos.
I LOVE usin' short videos in the classroom
to switch things up...and the kiddos do too!

When I saw that the talented, techy Cheryl from
Techie Turtle Teacher has
a weekly linky
Movie Clip Monday...
I knew I needed to contribute somethin'.

Ormie the Pig is one of my favorites.

I've even blogged about how I used this in a writin'

activity in my classroom.  Read HERE.

Monday really is the very BEST day for blog readin'!

Happy Monday, friends!

Some things are harder to make than they look....Monday Made It

Y'all...some things are way harder to make

than they look...true story.

I'm linkin' up with my sweet friend Tara from 

4th Grade Frolics for my favorite linky...

Monday Made It.
This is long...stick it out to the END.
It'll be worth it...I promise!
Hello...Amazon gift card!

Everyone stand up and curtsy...or bow

for Aris from Sailing into Second.

Last week she made the most ADORABLE

banner gif thingy for her TpT Store.

Look at it here before you read any further.

I'll wait for you to finish readin'...

Hers is just so precious and I decided the first time 

I saw it (love at first sight)...that I WANTED one too.

There is NO WAY (yes, I'm shoutin' this)

that mine could even compare to hers...ever...BUT

I was DETERMINED to have one...even

if it did take me a REALLY long time  

to make my own and it's nowhere as cute as Aris'.

ARE Y'ALL READY FOR THIS?

Cue rockin' roll music and air drum your fingers.

I DID IT!

The BEST advice I can give you...

READ Aris' post.

Here it is again if you missed it up there.

I followed her directions that lead me to 

Christi Fultz's tutorial.

*Read Christi's directions and then WATCH the video.

Don't be like ME and start workin' before you have

viewed that video...trust me.

When I was finished makin' the first image, I made 

a second and a third one.

I then dropped all three jpegs into 

www.makeagif.com

*Sign in with Facebook for free if you don't

want to use their watermark.  

After I had my gif saved, I then dropped 

the gif into 

www.photobucket.com

After I had my direct link from Photobucket, I 

then copied that and dropped it into 

http://tinyurl.com/

Final step, I used Christ Fultz's directions

again to input the TinyUrl code into TpT. 

*Aris...if by some magical chance you are readin' 

this, you seriously need to put up custom orders

for this flyin' banner thingy in your TpT store.

You will make billions.

I would like to be your first customer...please!

I'm not jokin'...have your people get with my people.

And by my people...I mean ME!  

I'm beggin' you!

I also made a banner thingy.

I'm a banner newbie,

so I will probably get tired of it in about three days

and want a new one.

I found a fun little tutorial on TpT...

and it was a freebie from Camping Store.

Some of you may be thinkin'...

"Whatevs Alison...

makin' banners

is SO last summer"

and guess what...

you would totally be right. 

I'm obviously late to the party.

In my defense...I DID take the past year

off from bloggin'...

just wanted to throw that back out there.

I need to give Stories by Storie a shout-out also.

She also wrote about changin' out your 

TpT store front last week and inspired

me to "just do it"!

Thank you!

I also made some "Pals" from Polka Dots and Pal's

Create-a-Pal Base Set

This was so F-U-N.  

It was like relivin' my childhood and playin' paper dolls.

I just couldn't decide which one suited me the best.

I wear my hair all of these different ways.

I'm horrible at makin' decisions.

I think everyone should make their own Pal!

Does anyone think these look like my favorite crazy pants?

I have a palazzo pant addiction...if you didn't already know.

Before we leave these two techy made-its...

Have y'all checked out the 

Technology Tribe Pinterest page?

You should think about followin'.

Lots of great technology pins have been added

from blogs and other sources 

in the past two weeks!

Thank you to Rachel Burden from 

180 Days to Happy for settin' it up.

I love butterflies.  

I'm pretty sure my classroom decor 

has an identity crisis every year.

The theme is supposed to be Rockstars,

but through the years I have added in pieces

of things I love...

butterflies & giraffes bein' the main additions.

I saw this outside of Kirkland's and I could NOT walk away.

It's wings were whisperin' my name.

Even better...it was on SALE with an additional 25% off.

I quickly ran inside and asked them if they would put it on hold for me.

After a little beggin' from me and the promise of a new fishin' reel,

Jerm took his truck back to pick it up and even put it

together for me.

So, I guess my "made it" is...I made Jerm

help me on his day off.

I'm lucky he loves me and my bossiness.

When I woke up on Saturday mornin' he was busy puttin' it
together for me and told me...
"You almost missed Monday Made It because you
were Sleepin' In On Saturday".
I love him!

I have no idea WHERE it's goin' to fit in my classroom.

I will have to make space....

 even if I have to put my desk...

on the ceilin'.

This was also on sale for $13....it had to come home with me too!

It will match my room...and might also have to go on

the ceilin'....yikes!

See if you can find a spot for it to fit...

See....I bet you didn't find a spot either...
no more room left to put anything except children.
*These are last year's beginnin' of the years pics.
I can't get in my room to work some magic until
Summer School is over and carpets are cleaned.

Everyone made such a big deal about 

Jerm's Corn Salsa & Key Lime Tart

from last week

that I had to get back 

into the kitchen with him...again.

You guys OWE me BIG time.

You know how much
I LOVE the kitchen.
*One day I'm goin' to get struck by lightnin'
as a punishment for my sarcasm.

Just look at all the love me bein' in the kitchen
got last week from my BBB's.

Ali from Teaching Powered by Caffeine

pretty much told me she loved me
(more than she already did)
 because she made Jerm's Corn Salsa...
minus the black beans

and jalapeno.
Her yummy creation made her happy...which
made me happy.

Erin from Miss Lifesaver
made Jerm's Corn Salsa too...
and some other yummies!
She even tagged me in a picture on FB.
I tagged Jerm and told him he is famous.
Miss Lifesaver KNOWS who the kitchen boss
is around here.
*Hint: It's not me.

Carol from Teachers are Terrific made the 

Key Lime Tart and sent me pictures.

She added toasted meringue to hers

and I'm goin' to be honest...her pictures

made me want to eat her tart...with a shovel.

She put mine to shame. 

Okay...focus Alison...

kitchen...cookin'...cute apron...torture.

Sandcastle Cake

Not sure where I got the pan...maybe T.J. Maxx

or Marshall's several years ago.

This past weekend was my mother-in-love's birthday

so we made this for her because she loves the beach.

The castle didn't want to come out of the pan, so 

we lost some of the towers, but that's okay...

we just added some candy for distractions.

(Swedish fish, seahorsies, and Sour Patch Kids)

The sand on the sandcastle is Vanilla Wafers.

I got chased out of the kitchen for tryin' to steal frostin'.

I didn't make y'all a cute recipe card this week

because we were in a hurry and used a cake mix.

You can just call us "Mr. and Mrs. Betty Crocker". 

I discovered somethin' while in the kitchen...

I still don't like bein' in there.

My friend Jamie from Life As I Know It... is havin' 

an awesome Back to School giveaway and 

asked me to join in the fun!

Make sure you head over to her blog for a chance

to win a $35 Amazon Gift Card and $15 to my TpT store.

I just put up a bundle of my best-seller Rockin' Behavior Beads.

Happy Monday, friends!