Back to School 2017

I am so excited to show you my second grade classroom.  I am moving from the upstairs in fourth grade to a downstairs classroom in second grade.  I am very excited - what a perfect age!

I love incorporating the Daily 5 in my literacy block.  Here is my Daily 5 and CAFE posters that you can find on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Click HERE to check out the cutest CAFE headers and strategy cards.

Oriental Trading has a new addition to their website - Learning365 for all of your teaching supplies and other great educational resources. 

[[Disclaimer: Oriental Trading sent me products in exchange for a blog post, but all opinions in this post are mine.]]

The photo below is my calendar area.  I love me some Georgia Grown Kiddos xo her calendar set are the best out there on TPT! Equally just as awesome, Good Enough Teacher has the best calendar pieces that fit perfectly in my calendar pocket chart.

To the right of my calendar area is my "I Can" learning objectives chart.  I LOVE this... there is actually more sections but I pinned it off to only have 3 sections.  It twists to hang perfectly straight and I can't wait to use my I can statements here.  You can use dry erase or cards!

[If you are looking for 3rd grade I can statements, check mine out HERE]

Looking for a little gift for your students? Mine are going to love these second grade pencils!  I love whenever it's personalized by grade level.

These magnetic dry erase owls are on SALE (under $5 for a dozen!) and they can work for table numbers, groups, reminders, or just cute BTS decor.  I have these located right now in my math area and I hope to find new ideas throughout the year to use them.  I already got a few compliments ;)

I also love these posters from Sneaking into Second.  So cute!

Magnetic alphabet squares are a must for me working in a primary classroom.  It's such a fun way to add practice to spelling and word work.  Incorporating the Daily 5 into my classroom I always try to find new ways for learning.

Something else that is perfect for my literacy groups are these highlighting reading strips.  For the primary grades sometimes it's tricky for kiddos to keep track of where they are with reading, especially when the print gets smaller and smaller with the more difficult books.  My sweeties will love using these during reading :) 

A fun, exciting part of second grade is learning about life cycles.  At my school, we will hatch chicks and monarch butterflies.  This 4 poster life cycle set is only $6.49.  You cannot find a better price for these quality posters!  This is one of the best deals for high quality posters I have seen out there. A MUST HAVE for a second grade teacher!

The last photo I'll end my blog post with is my cookie bulletin board.  While I was browsing through

Pinterest and TPT, I decided to create my own with cute clipart and personalize them with my kids names.  I used counting cookies from Classroom Chitchat.

I hope you all have the best school year.  Thinking of you all - for the ones that already have your routine down and for those of you just starting out and getting your classroom as ready as you can before back to school... Never forget - you are wonderful and we all make mistakes and learn from them.

Have a fantastic year! xo

Second grade starts my new journey.

Common Core

Hi all! :] It is almost midnight, but since I am on February break I have been staying up late and trying to be productive.  I just had some fabulous ladies help me out by checking over my Reading Common Core Task Cards, and I am happy to say that they are live up on Teachers Pay Teachers and Teacher's Notebook! Please check them out :]

The Common Core learning is very important so our students stay on track.. working at a private school, it is not emphasized as much as the public schools, but I make sure to stay on top of it because I want my kiddies to be successful - I love them, and I want to give them all I got as a teacher so they are prepared for 4/5th grade.  I am proud of my ELA Common Core Pack as it has been selling quite nicely over the past couple days.  :] Thank you SO much to all of you for your support and love. I have re-did my Government Unit, Poetry Unit, and now Weather Unit.. all new and improved, better content, fonts, and additional resources.  It took me a LONG TIME but I am so glad I did it since those 3 units are my "Top 3 Sellers".  Please check them out at both my stores!!

I wanted to show you FIVE Common Core products that I think are just fabulous... Please check them out!!

From What the Teacher Wants.. Rachelle has amazing common core checklists for a few different grade levels!! Here is the one for first (one of her best sellers!)

From 3rd Grade Gridiron.. my girl Dana has a 89 page pack full of assessments for ELA for third grade.. Amazing! You need to get this if you are a 3rd grade teacher!

From Deanna Jump... the most talked about TPT seller and millionaire :] She has one of the best all time Common Core sellers for Kindergarten out there... Already has over 2,000 feedback messages! WOW! Such a sweet gal too :]

From Rachel Lynette... she is my go to girl for task cards.. she has the most AMAZING bundles and for such a cheap price!! I have a few of her task card sets, and this is one of my favorites.. perfect for the Common Core, please check these out!!

From One Extra Degree... let's not forget about Poetry!! There are 75 pages from Amanda's Poetry Centers, aligned with the Common Core!! Amanda is another talented lady with many amazing products out there.

 

Don't forget about my GIVEAWAY that I am having.. you can win $25 to TGI Fridays [yum!] and any two products from my teacher store!! Tell your friends!

 

By the way, my Pinterest is under construction.. I have finally decided to divide all my teacher delights that I have found into appropriate categories.. boy, I wish I had done that sooner than later!! It has taken me a few days, and I am STILL not done :[ Advice - if you have not already created a pinterest and you want to, do NOT bunch all of your activities into one category.. organize first ;]

I also messed up my Pinterest account by trying to pin from my blog from my Kindle Fire.. do not do this because now it won't let me pin at all from my blog because of "spam/inappropriate content." I was so excited to pin that I tried over and over and over.. and finally, it cut me off.  I can't wait until they respond and I can start pinning again!!
Come follow me anyway!!! :] http://pinterest.com/lauralove2teach/

Currently and Super Bowl Sale!

Even with all the busy-ness of my life, I always look forward to blogging for Farley's "Currently's." She is unbelievable and always brings us bloggy teachers together :) Join in on the fun by clicking HERE! I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of the month of February.  I actually feel like this is one of my busiest months.. doing more prepping my kiddos for the state tests.. superbowl [which last year was waaaay better with the giants ;) ]... valentine's day... michael's birthday [30 this year!]... and we just had our Catholic School Week! It was crazy busy--Hat day, Hawaiian day, Western day, School Spirit day, and Royal day.  The kids LOVED it and that's all that matters! (even if my throat does hurt).  February break is coming up... who's with me? Excited, and hoping that I get everything done that needs to be done so I can actually ENJOY it... but then again, that would be my first break ever ;)

Pet peeves - that was something to think about.  Lying is the worst thing, and my kiddos know it.. granted, they are 9 and 10 years old, but they know to tell me the truth because they will get less consequences if I find out that they lied to me about the situation.. oh boy! ;) I guess cheating goes along with lying.. only because, really? Just break up with the person!! I am seen too many people hurt by cheating.. messes up their whole lives and their children's lives.  If you are not happy, then communicate!... That is my rant about that.  And animals.. they are everything to me.  If I could, I would be vegetarian.  Here is my cute little Zoey.

I am currently working on a ELA Common Core Unit, and it's already 39 pages.. it will probably end up being around 100 I am sure, because there are not just readings and posters, but games with have lots of printables that after you print in color and laminate, can last you a very long time! I can't help but using color because the kids love it and it will last me years and years :) 

I am also trying to continue with my 90 day weight loss challenge.. it's almost been 3 full weeks.. I have NO idea where the time has gone.. My next weigh in is Monday so we will see if I lose any weight--I have lost a total of 3.5 pounds thus far which I am very proud of! I am also continuing Insanity, but only 4 times a week.. makes me feel strong.  I highly recommend it if you really want a hardcore challenge!



I wanted to show you my friend Holly (since Kindergarten)'s creation for a friend of mine.  ADORABLE! She actually started her business with making the most adorable bows, but now she is crocheting hats... look at this cute owl one she made for a toddler?? Sorry my phone camera quality is so bad, but you can see how amazing her talent is!! Check out her facebook page for more examples.. she literally can do ANYTHING!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bee-Belles-Baubles/277719062262787

 

Don't forget about the amazing sales going on on TPT and TN!!! Click HERE to check out my TPT store for 28% off February 3rd and February 4th when you use the code: super. And click HERE to check out my Teacher's Notebook sale of 30% February 2nd and February 3rd!! Going on now with so many amazing teacher stores so go check them out!!
Look how cute Ashley Hughes' clipart is? She's the best... Click here to visit her blog and link up!

Breast Cancer Awareness, Projects, and Teachers Notebook

Hi all! Hope you are enjoying your weeks.. It is only Tuesday, but it'll be Friday before you know it! I have lots to do this weekend (including working!) and a Breast Cancer Walk that is held in Albany, NY every year.  My boyfriend's aunt is a breast cancer survivor, so I wouldn't miss it since she is family to me :) My dear childhood friend Ashley also suffered from cancer when she was so young.. I cannot even imagine, but I must say, they are both fighters!

 

My class made beautiful Character portraits and summaries today that I just had to share them with you.  They each got to pick a character from a story they like, and sketch and tell me a little about the character they chose.  I just found a random character sketch online, added lined paper, and voila! Masterpieces :)

 

 I took a picture of the characters before I hung them up, and after I hung them up :) They were just too cute nad my kiddos worked so hard on them!

 Tell me that doesn't look EXACTLY like Greg Heffley?! ;)

One of my favorites, Geronimo Stilton! (I helped him with the nose!) Love it!

SALE ALERT!!! I found a huge sale at CVS this past weekend.. all of their dollar bin back to school supplies were 75 percent off... 25 cents each!! These are a couple things I got! Make sure to check out your local CVS too!

I bought this for pretty inexpensive at Scholastic because I thought this could be a great addition to my library for my students.  They were so moved and interested in the tragedies of 9/11 that I want to make sure I give them as much literature as I can that interests them.  I will be reading this soon to make sure it is appropriate for my kids first, but let me know if you have purchased this book or have read it your kiddos?

 

I know it is only the middle of October, but my paychecks and money have been making me think about Christmas already.  I am the type of person that tries to save every penny I can to afford wonderful Christmas presents for my family, friends, and of course, my guy.  Our 3 year Anniversary is November 7th, and my 27th birthday is November 10th.  That is A LOT in one week ;) I love that because I was born the day before the wonderful holiday of Veteran's Day, I receive a 3 day weekend this year!! (Normally, it's just a day off!) As I grow on tremendously on Teachers Pay Teachers, I don't want you to forget about Teacher's Notebook either!

I am going to be having a HUGE sale on Teacher's Notebook very soon, and ALL my earnings are going towards Christmas Presents for the people I love most in the world (and of course my students!) Teacher's Notebook is fabulous because it gives 100 PERCENT of the earnings to Teachers!! How incredibly generous of them!! [And also my prices are normally a bit lower on TN since I earn 100%] I will most likely be having a big sale on TPT too and love my quarterly earnings ridiculous amounts, but if you buy from my Teacher's Notebook shop, I will be able to use the money right away for gifts... I thank YOU all for giving me smiles and wonderful feedback to my shops.. it really makes a difference in my life and being able to spend money on myself sometimes, so THANK YOU SO MUCH.

 

If you missed my giveaway on facebook a week or two ago, I am giving away my Fourth Grade Common Core Unit on Teacher's Notebook now until the 21st... please check it out HERE.. 2 lucky winners!

 

AMAZING GIVEAWAYS!!!

 

Second Grade Smartypants reached 350 Followers!! What a Milestone! Check out their giveaway HERE! :)

 

Shout out to my girl at Fourth Grade Lemonade!! She has reached a wonderful 100 followers and is also having an amazing giveaway right now! Please head over and check it out by clicking HERE - I am giving away one of my units too!!! ;)

 

 

 

Common Core

Hello lovelies! Hope you are doing well on this (freezing) Saturday.. I finally have time to blog now that it is the weekend. I am very excited that my Spring Break is coming up, and I only have a 3 day week next week. It is much needed, I just hope May doesn't go too slow ;)

The state exams are directly after break, so I hope my kiddos get enough rest and are well refreshed when we come back! I only ask they do their best, and with all the skills and strategies they have learned, I think they will be just fine :) Love my students..

My Common Core short passages (Grades 2-4 appropriate depending on reading levels) are finished and up and running on TPT and Teacher's Notebook... From my workshop and research, I have learned that the Common Core is about shorter readings with more difficult levels and vocabulary.  It is about students pushing themselves and challenging themselves to read nonfiction and provide evidence of opinions of what they have read.  I tried to do just that in these 10 passages.  Please let me know what you think!!

http://teachersnotebook.com/product/msboudreau/ela-common-core-activities

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ELA-Common-Core-Activities

Yesterday most of my kiddos participated in a Stations of the Cross play that they have been working all month on.. I had plans yesterday, but I realized that with my students telling me that it would mean so much to them if I came, I decided to turn around and make it just in time. When they saw me arrive, they ran up to me and yelled and hugged me more than they ever have before!! It REALLY made a difference, and I am so glad I was there for them... not only that, they were INCREDIBLE actors!! I have never been so impressed with their singing and acting... xo Glad I didn't miss it :) 


Freebies! I love that you are all getting use out of the freebies I post, because there are SO many out there and I love posting them to give some lovely teachers recognition :)

Little Miss Kindergarten came up with these adorable rolling dice games for the younger kiddos, and the Pre K teacher at my school loved these because the kids were SO engaged!  Laminate and enjoy!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Roll-the-Dice-Spring

I came across Ms. Dillon's bug observation freebie and it was just adorable.. Check out this cute science activity!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bug-Observation-Freebie

I always look forward to Ashleigh's writing prompts.. I am definitely using these for April! So cute, check them out!!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/April-Creative-Writing

Graphics from the Pond, always giving away amazing freebies.. here are some Spring spinners that would be perfect for probability!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Spinners-FREE-Graphics-for-your-Teaching-Resources


I will leave you with a cute Dr. Seuss quote...