tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68274812280115416382024-02-21T00:02:49.822-08:00Mrs. Laue's LittlesAmber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-25465482928728914052014-05-03T09:53:00.001-07:002014-05-03T09:53:36.007-07:00Slacker<div style="text-align: center;">
I am such a slacker! I really do have good blogging intentions, I swear! But, when I get home from work my girls are so excited to spend time with me, I have a terrible time telling them no! Mommy problems. :) I am so thankful to have two beautiful little girls to play with! May is going to be a crazy busy month for us. My oldest daughter turns 5, 3 field trips, assessments, Mother's Day and a traveling husband. I figured I better let you know now, before I forget that I will be participating in TPT sale on May 6th and May 7th! </div>
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I have two new products up and posted just in time! </div>
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<br />I have a Silent E Bingo game that also has some cvc words and some words with blends. It aligns to unit 12 of Fundations if you follow that program at your school!</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Silent-E-Bingo-1230392" target="_blank"><img alt="Silent E Bingo" src="http://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Silent-E-Bingo-1230392-1399060930/original-1230392-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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I also recently completed a write the room for math! There are 16 clock cards with time to the half hour and time to the hour. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Time-to-the-Half-Hour-Around-The-room-1220925" target="_blank"><img alt="Time to the Half Hour Around The room" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Time-to-the-Half-Hour-Around-The-room-1220925-1398922224/original-1220925-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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Have fun shopping!</div>
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Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-82997654362956847022014-01-28T07:16:00.001-08:002014-01-28T07:16:36.179-08:00Box Cars and One Eyed JacksIf you have never hear of <a href="http://www.boxcarsandoneeyedjacks.com/" target="_blank">Box Cars and One Eyed Jacks</a>, you do NOT know what you are missing. BCOEJ is a hands on game based approach to practicing math and literacy skills. Dice, playing cards, dominoes, and letter tiles are used regularly in this program to reinforce skills already taught. About 5 years ago the principal at my school brought in the owners of Box Cars and One Eyed Jacks to our school for a workshop. It is by far the BEST professional development I have had, ever. It is practical and exciting. The kids love the lessons. I was extremely lucky because our district full on implemented BCOEJ the next school year so I got a whole kit of dice and letter tiles to use in my daily lessons. I have had the privilege of having Jane and John Felling, the owners, come into my classroom and teach lessons. I have helped at a conference that John was presenting at. <br />
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I think one of my favorite things about BCOEJ is that they make it so easy to differentiate based on student ability and the students never realize they are doing something different from the other students. It also lends itself really well to Guided Math, which I have not quite been able to master daily in my classroom. We do guided math occasionally. I teach first grade and my math block was placed right after my guided reading block and the students have a difficult time going from reading centers to math centers and staying focused. We do it when we can. Hopefully next year my schedule is set up differently and I will try again. <br />
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Anyway, the whole reason for writing this post was to talk about my adorable 4 year old and my mommy guilt!<br />
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My daughter is unable to attend preschool and this is something that I have struggled with for two years now. I don't think I will be okay with this until she begins kindergarten in the fall and I know she is doing well. She is a smart cookie, she knows her letters and her sounds and counts to 13, skips 14 & 15, and then gets to 20 (who needs 14 & 15 anyways right?). She has a great vocabulary. I know she is going to be fine, but there is that little nagging voice that every now and then gets me thinking that she should be in preschool. I would have totally sent her to preschool if I had a way to get her there. She has an awesome daycare provider, who she loves, that has been amazing the past four years. Natalie gets social interaction there and we work on academics at home. This is where Box Cars comes into play. I swear, my four year old knows exactly what to do to push my buttons and lately doing "school work" at home has become more of a chore and less fun. It has been a constant struggle to get her to sit down and focus on the task at hand. I do realize she is only four, but I am talking two minutes in and she is pretending to be a cat licking her arm clean. We took a break for a week or two and I did some searching on Pinterest on how to get her excited about learning again, while all along, the answer was sitting on my desk at work. I had an epiphany one day last week when I got a new student who desperately needed to work on letter formation. I picked up my Box Cars kit, got out my letter dice and made a game for her to play to practice forming those letters. That is when it hit me! I will borrow a letter dice and play this game with Natalie. BEST. IDEA. EVER. Not only is she back in the swing of things with doing "school" at home. She is BEGGING to play! I'm talking "Mama, if I clean the toy room can I play the dice game?" Music to my ears I'm telling you! The game is so simple, basically the child rolls the dice, and writes the letter. I brought home an uppercase die so she can roll an uppercase letter, but then she writes the lowercase letter. The more she is seeing both forms of the letter, the better! When a letter reaches the top of the graph, that letter wins. To save paper, I give that letter a sticker and then we keep playing. This game is great for letter formation, and letter recognition. Of course, the teacher in me, throws in "and what sound does that letter make?"<br />
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Here is the letter die I brought home:<br />
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This is an uppercase one, but they have lowercase dice as well. The star is wild, so of course that is Natalie's favorite thing to roll. You can order them on the <a href="http://www.boxcarsandoneeyedjacks.com/" target="_blank">Box Car website</a> for $1.50 each, but there is a minimum purchase requirement of $23.95. I would have no problem spending $25 dollars on their website, but if you wanted to just get the letter dice and nothing else, I found a four pack of the lower case letter dice on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alphabet-Dice-Sided-Set-KOP12985/dp/B003ANK2HK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1390921318&sr=8-3&keywords=letter+dice" target="_blank">Amazon for $4.80 plus shipping</a>. <br />
Here is a picture of Natalie playing roll it and write it:<br />
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A few variations of the game:</div>
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*Play with number dice: you can get thirty sided dice with the numbers 1-30 and ten sided dice on the Box Cars website and on Amazon as well. Our local teacher store also has them available. </div>
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*If you are unable to purchase the alphabet dice, use one sided flashcards. Put the flashcards in a coffee can or other container and have the child draw the cards out. (I have some paid and free sets in my tpt store <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Monkey-Madness" target="_blank">here</a>)</div>
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I have the Roll it and Write it public on my google docs. Hopefully this works! Click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2_dD_lGAYEHSG1jelRKWmwwZTQ/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a> to view, print, or download! If you try to to retrieve the doc, and it doesn't work, please let me know!</div>
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<span id="goog_749882090"></span><span id="goog_749882091"></span><br />Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-73075327251348601242014-01-21T18:14:00.002-08:002014-01-21T18:14:37.917-08:00WINNER WINNER!<div style="text-align: center;">
I asked my four year old to pick a number between 1 and 6. She picked 8. Silly girl! So then I asked my husband and he picked three. Since Danielle entered twice on accident, that made Misty S. the third eligible comment. </div>
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Congrats Misty! Check your email!</div>
Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-74187068991735818382014-01-19T01:00:00.000-08:002014-01-21T18:15:12.986-08:00Spoonful of Sweetness!<div style="text-align: center;">
One of my favorite books to read in my classroom is <u>Spaghetti In A Hot Dog Bun</u>. It is a great book that shows children that being different is okay! I love this book! I was honored when the author, Maria Dismondy, picked me to review her newest book. </div>
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<u>Spoonful of Sweetness</u> is a board book aimed at children 0-3 years old. Perfect for my youngest! While it is short and sweet, like most board books, this one hits home for me. One thing that I focus on a lot in my classroom is manners and positive character traits. I have found that the longer I am in the classroom, the less children know their basic manners. It is a struggle every day to get my students to say hi when someone says hi to them in the hallway. I really think that it is just an oversight. There are so many other things we are trying to teach our children, that sometimes we forget to teach them to be good people. I also think we expect the kids to "just know", but if no one takes the time to teach them, they are not going to "just know". It is nice to know that I am not alone in feeling this. As I was corresponding with Maria she had this to say "It is my effort to incorporate early intervention, encouraging parents to teach simple character traits in the book from the very start of their child's life. It is my hope that if we can start young, children will be equip with important social and friendship skills to use when they enter school." <u>Spoonful of Sweetness and other delicious manners</u> takes the thinking out of introducing manners and positive character traits to your young child. While the book is aimed at ages 0-3, my 4 1/2 year old enjoys the book also. </div>
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51tHwN74q0L._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51tHwN74q0L._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxB2XErfMlsm1r4X-iELvZ642fTDmqafOePhVGc0XkQh3t4D3Te28oMqzWMSZeYtWu1YaXWhxmiMKYQBDU98D-uk4AEEuh-ZP89vr-frViSnDjTz216Tjv6nmhhytzOZ13jaq3TAJ6kTH3/s1600/51tHwN74q0L__SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="393" width="400" /></a></div>
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*Click on the picture to be taken to Amazon to purchase <u>Spoonful of Sweetness</u> for $6.99. </div>
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To learn more about Maria Dismondy and her AWESOME books, check out her <a href="http://www.mariadismondy.com/" target="_blank">website</a>! She has a book trailor and activities to go along with all of her books. I really can't wait to see what Maria comes up with next. Maria's blog is: <a href="http://www.mariadismondy.com/blog/">http://www.mariadismondy.com/blog/</a></div>
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<strong>If you would like to win a copy of <u>Spoonful of Sweetness,</u> leave a comment below with your email address! The contest will close at midnight on January 20th.</strong></div>
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<strong>The contest is now closed! Congrats to Misty S. Check your email please!</strong></div>
Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-61147685836771129542014-01-12T12:20:00.003-08:002014-01-12T12:20:52.503-08:00I'm Back!Whew! When I first sat down to start blogging about my teaching adventures I really thought it was going to be something fun and easy to do in my spare time. Now when I think back to how naïve I was, I giggle. See, I have a two year old a 4 year old. What is spare time? I'm not real sure. I made a decision a while ago that my girls needed to be my first priority. I didn't want to be that teacher that spends her home time doing school stuff. I put blogging and creating for TPT on the back burner. Sure, the little bit of extra cash every month was nice, but not at the expense of my daughters and our relationship. I made the effort to not bring school work home with me and for the most part, I have been able to stick to that pledge. I am really lucky that at our school we get quite a bit of prep time and I have started using my prep much more wisely. I am constantly going at school so when I get home I can give my attention to my girls. Here is what I was doing, when I wasn't blogging!<br />
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We went to the Apple Orchard and we went camping! Natalie got to go "surfing"!</div>
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We went to the Pumpkin Patch!</div>
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My youngest daughter turned two, we got A LOT of snow, and enjoyed being outside to play in it!</div>
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On New Year's Eve, my oldest daughter got to be the flower girl in our good friends wedding. Not only did she do a great job walking down the aisle, she amazed me the entire day. She was well behaved, charming, and absolutely beautiful. I am so thankful she had the opportunity to be a flower girl. I'm pretty sure she will never forget the day!</div>
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My goal for 2014 is to continue to spend as much time as I can with my girls, but I also want to blog more again. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I stumbled across some plans I had for blogging. My goal is going to be to blog two times a month. Fingers crossed, that isn't biting off more than I can chew!<br />
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Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-20492134111168411632013-09-21T10:08:00.004-07:002013-09-21T10:08:58.808-07:00Behavior PlanWhen I began the school year with 15 (no joke) students I was rejoicing and thinking to myself how easy this school year is going to be. 15 kids, that is every teachers dream! WOW, while I am grateful for only having 15 students, I think they are going to give me a run for my money and keep me on my toes! I love every single one of them, and appreciate their differences. But this school year will be far from easy! :)<br />
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I realized quickly that Whole Brain Teaching in theory sounds great, but is not for me. I am using bits and pieces of it, but I was feeling more like a drill sergeant most days than a teacher. I noticed that my students were missing some of the spark I have seen in the past. I may try again next year, but for now I am going back to my own crazy fun way of doing things. Since switching back, the aura in my classroom has improved greatly.<br />
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A question I frequently get from other teachers and parents is how do you handle behavior in your classroom. My classroom has three simple rules:<br />
1. Be Responsible<br />
2. Be Respectful<br />
3. Make Good Choices<br />
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The way I see it, no matter what a child does it falls into one of those three categories. I don't really like public displays of misbehavior (clip charts, flipping cards). It just isn't for me. I had a second grade teacher who was very public with disciplining children and I was terrified of getting in trouble. I promised myself I would never do that. My first 4 years in kindergarten I had a flip chart where students would flip their card for misbehaving, I made it okay with myself because they could also flip to positive colors. I realized that my students were more worried about what color OTHER students were on than themselves. This was totally defeating the purpose, and quickly reminded me of second grade. AAAAAHHHHHH what was I doing!!?!?!? I realized I needed to make a change, quickly. Last year I was very lucky and had the same students for first grade that I taught in kindergarten. Essentially I looped with them for one year. I thought it was the perfect time to make a change, the students knew my expectations. I loved the change I made last year but was a little nervous that it would not work very well with students who had not already had me for a year. 22 days into the new school year and I still love it!<br />
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Basically, the students are responsible for reporting to their parents how their day went. They rate their day a 3, 2, or a 1 based on their behavior and they write it in their assignment notebook. We made a rubric together during the first week of school and it is hung in my classroom. <br />
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3 - I made good choices and followed the rules ALL day.<br />
2- I made good choices and followed the rules MOST of the Day.<br />
1 - I will work harder tomorrow to make good choices and follow the rules.<br />
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Notice there is no zero on my rubric. I believe that every child can find at least SOMETHING that they did well, even if it was writing their name on all of their papers for the day or lining up quietly one time. <br />
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Each student has a behavior punch card that they are responsible for. If I agree with the number they put in their assignment notebook I initial it and punch their card with my super special star hole punch. <br />
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<a href="http://www.reallygoodstuff.com/star-hole-punch/p/155853/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi031jzwHmszGcIfhEpw2yxTWIpGDRWFG1MfvJh9lXMzbJ6JxqGnzcAs7zsdvYH9xiP6b7NoKSycKCKMIuvVHqJDGhMAf7ol7aA2DvwGrQw7N190aLsry3TznY7RUw-IBTJ3DDx0uNxX7xB/s400/hole+punch.PNG" width="400" /></a><span id="goog_1412510892"></span><span id="goog_1412510893"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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The students get 2 punches for a 3, 1 punch for a 2 and 0 punches for a 1. When they get their behavior card filled up, they get to pick out of my prize binder. All of the prizes in my binder are FREE! They don't cost me a penny! Some of the prizes include:</div>
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1. Stinky Feet Day (take off your shoes and relax while we are in our classroom)</div>
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2. Line Swap (swap line spots with anyone but the leader)</div>
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3. Bodacious Book (bring in a book for me to read aloud during snack)</div>
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4. Show and Tell</div>
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5. Zoo Day (bring a stuffed animal to school)</div>
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6. Wear a Hat in the classroom</div>
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I got this idea from a fabulous first grade blog (First Grade Fever) and adapted it fit my needs. She already has the catalog and reward cards made for you. The best part is, they are FREE!!! Click <a href="http://first-grade-fever.blogspot.com/2011/08/welcome-to-my-classroom-pictures-my.html" target="_blank">HERE!</a></div>
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Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2_dD_lGAYEHcUtxY2F4UHZPZDQ/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">HERE</a> for a copy of my Zebra behavior punch cards. The zebra clip art is from Scrappin Doodles. </div>
<br />Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-44815589198042309642013-09-11T16:08:00.001-07:002013-09-11T16:08:53.583-07:00Patriot's Day<div style="text-align: center;">
September 11th is always a difficult thing for me to talk about in the classroom. I never know how much information to give the kids and what their parents really want them to know. Today I basically gave them the large very brief overview. We then talked a little bit about heroes. I quickly realized that these kids had no idea what a real hero was. All they knew was Batman, Spiderman, Superman etc. I explained to them how firefighters and policemen and EMT's were heroes that day. We made a venn diagram or super heroes verse real heroes. It was fun to hear the kids talk about some real heroes they had in their own lives. After that discussion we talked about why America is a great place to live. We made the hearts below!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidW9UVRda9MuJ0TYiQMxEmPnShL8gM__qT1yNLwg03O7aywGeRMfKQ21evzOrkiDSebI9iBA17Y4k2dbIYULw1wDim5f4NiVT-ansyS11IGFATMpMJYfTbepTCtqxZ0836n1CErvVpFvu6/s1600/IMG_0409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidW9UVRda9MuJ0TYiQMxEmPnShL8gM__qT1yNLwg03O7aywGeRMfKQ21evzOrkiDSebI9iBA17Y4k2dbIYULw1wDim5f4NiVT-ansyS11IGFATMpMJYfTbepTCtqxZ0836n1CErvVpFvu6/s320/IMG_0409.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I found it<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Patriotic-Heart-Craft-533741"> here</a> on TeachersPayTeachers!</div>
Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-87986899767495204082013-08-13T14:40:00.004-07:002013-08-13T14:43:51.430-07:00Classroom Tour...Part One<div style="text-align: center;">
I have been in my room A LOT the past two weeks, and while I am not ready to give you the full classroom tour, here is a sneak peak of my classroom!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbPOn-r1G80KDcXOAh9iOwmRVCoQcEwULVBTSkfhDfGzfble1PvxnB2onqoP55qBmWFQDYOSDarUsAwfMdX2GdZPxeVyabgxEezxwcA_3y0ViZNaYVWsq2XaTM9k8q1hz2HsExNeaJyqn/s1600/20130813_152722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbPOn-r1G80KDcXOAh9iOwmRVCoQcEwULVBTSkfhDfGzfble1PvxnB2onqoP55qBmWFQDYOSDarUsAwfMdX2GdZPxeVyabgxEezxwcA_3y0ViZNaYVWsq2XaTM9k8q1hz2HsExNeaJyqn/s320/20130813_152722.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is my math wall. It has shapes, a hundreds chart, a calendar that is always up, months of the year and days of the week posters. The pizza pans are where my math groups are posted. Their names are on magnets so it is easily interchangeable. </div>
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Number Line: Get it <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Glitter-Animal-Print-Number-Line-761744">here</a>!</div>
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Shape Posters: Get them <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Zebra-Print-Shapes-Posters-316490">here</a>! (they are FREE!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdUyHYQzMzHpFqo4ns0__oEpLhUDrenKulsljdP8eX7vHj8TPxGXxNBcympn9pJaw87b_0NbGBQFgz7war5Hn50JkqSxLtc1cvRgPJ_0uq7ubmKbdXquRhKnvTkUFjw5HKZMo7ilc9jus/s1600/20130813_152732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdUyHYQzMzHpFqo4ns0__oEpLhUDrenKulsljdP8eX7vHj8TPxGXxNBcympn9pJaw87b_0NbGBQFgz7war5Hn50JkqSxLtc1cvRgPJ_0uq7ubmKbdXquRhKnvTkUFjw5HKZMo7ilc9jus/s320/20130813_152732.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is my birthday wall. Each month will have the students picture on it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FTbhxmdsEO0D1doCZ-pRHaXsAwBRg8ws0FCNYBdVpHSqdMcv5nna1SeLCOiP-n-y9ELw9gF24AavwfjDhwKVpC29Ao90hMdT1VGmdjIsy7JBVrWQMVSoBOiiIUKQpmrTwtron4mpB9VT/s1600/20130813_152744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FTbhxmdsEO0D1doCZ-pRHaXsAwBRg8ws0FCNYBdVpHSqdMcv5nna1SeLCOiP-n-y9ELw9gF24AavwfjDhwKVpC29Ao90hMdT1VGmdjIsy7JBVrWQMVSoBOiiIUKQpmrTwtron4mpB9VT/s320/20130813_152744.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Get the adorable chevron numbers <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Number-Words-255766">here</a>!</div>
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This is my Student of the week wall. The frame was $7.99 at Michaels and I spray painted it with glitter spray paint. It turned out fantastic! The student of the week will have their picture inside the frame and receive a special certificate from me!</div>
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Hopefully I will have full classroom photos for your soon! Tomorrow I will NOT be going to school. I will be swimming with my two adorable little fish and then going to a rodeo at our local fair. Below is a picture of them ready for the rodeo we went to when we were on vacation in Texas!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ts2YsbjDvdKsuu5i6Cbasz4_uqJz9OccLkNoSYRl8Lsycjp0Zserw8SOGddDpgWzdkVF8JQ8NdZZ6kqfmsbbudXnd-L5hyphenhyphen98RYl9BZXdKHr82HoSu1ge_nho5nHx_J2Czr0zzvTxZ48h/s1600/IMG_9700edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ts2YsbjDvdKsuu5i6Cbasz4_uqJz9OccLkNoSYRl8Lsycjp0Zserw8SOGddDpgWzdkVF8JQ8NdZZ6kqfmsbbudXnd-L5hyphenhyphen98RYl9BZXdKHr82HoSu1ge_nho5nHx_J2Czr0zzvTxZ48h/s320/IMG_9700edit.jpg" width="213" /></a> </div>
Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-14160140542010420032013-07-18T06:50:00.000-07:002013-07-18T08:23:36.669-07:00Back To School Shopping<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOLIcB1HF1Cdx23ItE-MTOdyt5Q2rq2o6gf7u8Rsr5-q35VE0jZI5m2yxh5qFTzswDMa9zcmJUnY-5796TYMcn31zXBpkXEe7sLU_HAQ35Qh59VqLfhoNDzvz5MPXfCWJJp8aXO4jcueu/s1600/Presentation1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOLIcB1HF1Cdx23ItE-MTOdyt5Q2rq2o6gf7u8Rsr5-q35VE0jZI5m2yxh5qFTzswDMa9zcmJUnY-5796TYMcn31zXBpkXEe7sLU_HAQ35Qh59VqLfhoNDzvz5MPXfCWJJp8aXO4jcueu/s200/Presentation1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I have seen many blog posts about all the supplies people are buying for their classrooms. I am a wee bit jealous, but I promised myself I was not going to buy a whole lot for my classroom this year because I still have stockpiles of stuff from previous years. There isn't a whole lot that I NEED for my classroom. Want, yes. Need, NO! Don't you worry though, I have done lots of back to school shopping, just in a different way.</div>
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After I had my daughter Whitney in November of 2011, the weight just wasn't coming off, in fact I gained more and more weight after having her. In June of 2012 we took some generational pictures with my family and when we got them back I cried. I hadn't realized how I looked until I saw the pictures. Here is one with me and my girls. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rWhV7rdC7NZ-A3KJ9ymQAwFGJjAaE16uMyTcy2IIbP_hZZiSahTNTy4IY8-IBESmAjbr-J7jze3XrIgBfkK58CyUHtaZJ7RRixBp5GoHev-sKfnbGeJSxiYagj6Lt1ozXYsrQ7hzYLxu/s1600/80.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rWhV7rdC7NZ-A3KJ9ymQAwFGJjAaE16uMyTcy2IIbP_hZZiSahTNTy4IY8-IBESmAjbr-J7jze3XrIgBfkK58CyUHtaZJ7RRixBp5GoHev-sKfnbGeJSxiYagj6Lt1ozXYsrQ7hzYLxu/s320/80.JPG" width="185" /></a></div>
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I realized I needed to take the steps to get healthy for myself and my family. I started watching what I eat, and tried to completely cut out soda, but realistically I just cut WAY back on soda. I HATE sweating with a fire burning passion. It is gross. *shudder* I slowly started losing weight, but not how I would have liked. I stuck with my plan when I felt like it, but any ounce of stress and the dark chocolate came out and the Diet Mt. Dew was back in my hand. Here is a picture of my in November of 2012, about ten pounds down. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCHD8pqRzLAEAzlcu3_sdXvdVCyrIqJC0mK17_h2-V_-eUQRF6CqNQTMZ2wZ8OhuXYb-zb9QVPVtMmdfjRciybMLEBM6XZUuNC_qncKqQEKWFf0tgdp9iM2rUTI7xQEMRRenPDKbXiGFe/s1600/IMG_8646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCHD8pqRzLAEAzlcu3_sdXvdVCyrIqJC0mK17_h2-V_-eUQRF6CqNQTMZ2wZ8OhuXYb-zb9QVPVtMmdfjRciybMLEBM6XZUuNC_qncKqQEKWFf0tgdp9iM2rUTI7xQEMRRenPDKbXiGFe/s320/IMG_8646.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Sometime in the spring, I think around the end of February, our school decided to put on a Biggest Loser competition. Everyone paid 20 dollars and three people who lost the biggest percentage of their body fat took the pot. Money motivates me. Losing money motivates me even more! I jumped on the chance. I knew for a fact that if I thought I was going to lose money, I would not pick up the dark chocolate, and I was right! I ended up getting 2nd place in our competition and lost 14 more pounds. I am happy to say that I am now down 30 pounds from June 2012. I am holding steady at my current weight, so I decided to join a Zumba class. I sweat there, I don't like that part, but it is SO MUCH FUN! I would go every night if I could. I even bought the Zumba DVD's so I can do Zumba at home when my girls nap. Here is a picture from this week, 30 pounds lighter than a year ago!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlc99C-O4Sx1O9F8o8uoj83VKCIno57cPq2W5-z6MlGMmUeDreS0mwSaIDgNpPoam4-NucQ-gzsw05zka0q_2lfS7ZQfxEBCY1YMcQApM1mJjFaO4xcVE1fbsTIhx6e7w2hr_OtuKH1tP/s1600/final+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlc99C-O4Sx1O9F8o8uoj83VKCIno57cPq2W5-z6MlGMmUeDreS0mwSaIDgNpPoam4-NucQ-gzsw05zka0q_2lfS7ZQfxEBCY1YMcQApM1mJjFaO4xcVE1fbsTIhx6e7w2hr_OtuKH1tP/s320/final+pic.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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My back to school shopping this year has been for clothes. Nothing fits me anymore. My pajamas are even too big! This is a good problem to have. I am cheap. I refuse to pay full price for anything. I have been bargain shopping and having so much fun. The first time I went to try on clothes I had to take them ALL back because they were all 2 sizes too big! So far I have scored the black sweater in the picture above for $8.00 at Kohls and the clothes in the pictures below!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCVNh8KQ2YNZw4QFsgMHPqtxn_U7dymARbRfGyXIMYa6Kl5kNwimwcyyqrn8P5dhI6sS8ZAec2axvxddE7PmZH1xbjyHG49BkxReBC8gutA8zpnmyALIhbWhzL4eaiJUzV885s6_sUDXi/s1600/20130718_080647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCVNh8KQ2YNZw4QFsgMHPqtxn_U7dymARbRfGyXIMYa6Kl5kNwimwcyyqrn8P5dhI6sS8ZAec2axvxddE7PmZH1xbjyHG49BkxReBC8gutA8zpnmyALIhbWhzL4eaiJUzV885s6_sUDXi/s320/20130718_080647.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The tan shirt on the left was $6.00 at Kohls.</div>
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The purple shirt next to it was on clearance for $5.25 at Maurices.</div>
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The off white shirt next to it was also $5.25 at Maurices.</div>
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The black and white striped shirt was on clearance for $6.00 at Maurices.</div>
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I also got a pair of blue jean trousers for $9.00 at Maurices, but they accidentally left the security tag on them so I need to take them back. They are in my car because if I don't leave them in my car, I will forget to take care of it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X9pWWrbamE9-aqOobQwuQzYVmxX_ke8BcI_yv2H2wk3-wDN2BhdcppVRbX1hZmN8K0Ea2rJIyPU9Oj3mX2RM-8WjNF1BYHUS-3wsnrdiIS1mAODwX378Saod2z9_aFxXlaDBbHdKL69l/s1600/20130718_080741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X9pWWrbamE9-aqOobQwuQzYVmxX_ke8BcI_yv2H2wk3-wDN2BhdcppVRbX1hZmN8K0Ea2rJIyPU9Oj3mX2RM-8WjNF1BYHUS-3wsnrdiIS1mAODwX378Saod2z9_aFxXlaDBbHdKL69l/s320/20130718_080741.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Both of these dresses are from Kohls. I am short, like REALLY short. Think 5 foot 1 short! I have always wanted a Maxi dress but they are always ridiculously long on me! The blue dress on the left was in the petites section of Kohls and with some wedges will be the perfect length! That one was on sale for 25 dollars but my mom gave me $20 in Kohls cash so I only paid 5 dollars for it. The one on the right was a little more expensive, but I LOVE it. I think it was right around $20. They have that same dress in black and white. I really want to get it. I have three weddings coming up and I think the black and white one would look great at a wedding.</div>
Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-86505483891383327922013-07-11T18:35:00.000-07:002013-07-11T18:35:17.598-07:00Blog Award! <div style="text-align: center;">
I was honored to receive a comment on my blog nominating me for the Liebster Award. </div>
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<a href="http://mrsehleskindergartenconnections.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Mrs Ehles Kindergarten Connections" img="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKvUV-S3mWWQyLNL1QXYi6a4xVgRafJndOgU59Yqrl1OKH4cxNnsO0616APsRtNNyIcO3IjuozpdFJAoejPxVJ4YDKYRtc89BxqXggKPKLeE_IGWbVrRq8OBA9eQpkpm30c15ea0qSCM/s1600/button.png" /></a></div>
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Mrs. Ehle from <a href="http://mrsehleskindergartenconnections.blogspot.com/">Mrs. Ehle's Kindergarten Connections</a> nominated me. If you have never visited her blog, GO NOW! It is one of my favorites! She has awesome ideas. </div>
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Now for the award itself, here it goes!<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0gxSQrGj1Ld3cEXOGzlTC08BkyJ1iRRNtA9dGGXJdoE1jlEUc6HJyBFEVlboy6Qre2rddNqKmPKxE_wIWN_dMJ_hNmVhkjfgINK-_tStZhN_OO7QW1lyOa-BBrIR2DzrZ-BYij6p9QSD/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-07-06+at+9.04.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #688140; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" closure_uid_121789924="8" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0gxSQrGj1Ld3cEXOGzlTC08BkyJ1iRRNtA9dGGXJdoE1jlEUc6HJyBFEVlboy6Qre2rddNqKmPKxE_wIWN_dMJ_hNmVhkjfgINK-_tStZhN_OO7QW1lyOa-BBrIR2DzrZ-BYij6p9QSD/s200/Screen+shot+2013-07-06+at+9.04.39+PM.png" style="border: 4px solid rgb(196, 65, 37); padding: 2px;" width="200" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><u style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"><i>To accept the nomination I must:</i></u><br style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">1. Link back to the blog that nominated me</span><br style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers</span><br style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">3. Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator</span><br style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">4. Share 11 random facts about yourself</span><br style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">5. Create 11 questions for your nominees</span><br style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">6. Contact your nominees and let them know you nominated them</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"></span></span></span> </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;">Here are some "facts" about me... prompted by ?s from my "nominator!"</span></span></span></span><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Coming Soon"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;">1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? </span><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">We have an AWESOME ice cream shop by us called Dairy Haus. All of their ice cream is home made. They have wedding cake ice cream that is to DIE for!</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
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<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;">2. What is your favorite type of music to listen to? </span><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Country or Pop, depends on the day. My newest music obsessions are Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;">3. What is your favorite subject to teach? </span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Math</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;">5. Do you prefer sweet or salty? </span><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Sweet!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;">6. Name 5 things that are currently in your purse. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"> <span style="color: #674ea7;">a. a diaper (I have a 1 1/2 year old daughter)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"> b. childrens underwear (I also have a 4 year old daughter)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"> c. Receipts</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"> d. wet ones</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"> e. my giraffe print wallet</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;">7. Where is your favorite vacation destination? </span><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"> <span style="color: #674ea7;">Vegas</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;">8. How long have you been teaching? </span><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">This will be my seventh year teaching.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;">9. What is your favorite children's book? <span style="color: #674ea7;"> </span></span><span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Oooh this is a hard one! I would have to say Lulu and the Brontosaurus</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;">10. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? </span><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">neither, I prefer pools, there are fish in the ocean...and sharks. NO THANK YOU!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;">11. Name one special thing about the town you live in. </span><span style="font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 22px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">There really isn't anything special about the town I live in now, but where I grew up our high school mascot was the Pretzels. When I was a senior George Bush choked on a pretzel and the national news came to our town and interviewed all the high school kids. It was interesting. :)</span></span></span></div>
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I'm not real sure that I can come up with 11 MORE interesting facts about me that you would actually care to know, but here are a few...</div>
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1. When I was a child my first grade teacher was also my tumbling coach. I was POSITIVE I was going to be in the Olympics one day. That NEVER happened. </div>
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2. I am extremely gullible. When I was a kid, my grandpa used to tell me we were eating road kill for breakfast, and I believed him. </div>
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3. In my first three years teaching, I taught art, second grade, first grade and kindergarten. Yes, I switched from Art to second grade mid-year. </div>
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4. I can NOT dance. I have no rhythm what so ever, but I started taking Zumba classes and I love it!</div>
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5. My last name rhymes with Cow. (A lot of people ask how to say my last name)</div>
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6. I am the middle child. I have an older sister who is my best friend and a little brother who is pretty cool too. There is a reason they stopped having children after him though!</div>
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7. I know a lot of people switched over to bloglovin, but I still get <strike>really</strike> ridiculously excited when I log into blogger and see that I have a new follower. 82 and counting... I don't really understand how bloglovin works. I just get my blog fix from the blog feed at the bottom of my blogger dashboard. </div>
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I am nominating:</div>
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<a href="http://iamcampingteacher.blogspot.com/"><img alt="CampingTeacher" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrnstIYyQ4Vxj60uOkZKpf47St_r5fNl6pw6ey3Go54w-qd0a-fQ9Uo0uHrYb_LsgrvSLlXN8ualWErPSpD44qUI8oGB0pHSwwU4zXv8woupqSLjF72xfd44YyKVhi0OEzz5vlRzEKGtT/s200/blog+button+2.jpg" title="CampingTeacher" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://mrs-smithsroom.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Visit My Website:" height="102" id="Image1_img" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCf4NX5QhNT2VWxYBI5LiCMkisi9pHibDk5jIG9slxIHFlJ0djM_w4NFdxV_g0rh_LJJQWfrkj03y4xgaQ-jRqaj0JKwd4W60p3nRvF8CaG8UwfGYPNgsvwIm09Umxv0aEh1zojzhrmaQ/s150/roomlink.jpg" style="visibility: visible;" width="104" /></a></div>
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Check out their amazing blogs!</div>
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Ladies, you can answer the same set of questions I got to answer!</div>
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Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-15095996775202474202013-07-10T08:41:00.001-07:002013-07-10T08:42:54.555-07:00Crazy for Animal Print<div style="text-align: center;">
I used to say I have a jungle themed classroom, but in reality I have an animal print classroom. I basically just want my students to feel comfortable and not overwhelmed by classroom decorations. Last year I did all of my bulletin boards with a black background and I LOVED how "homey" it made my classroom feel. I had the privilege of looping with my class last year and I was really surprised about how much calmer my students were. I am super anxious to get back in my classroom because it always takes me FOREVER to get things how I want them, and I KNOW I have a lot of organizing to do. I decided that I wanted a new number line and new headers for my word wall this year. Glitter Meets Glue Designs on TPT has some adorable glittery animal prints so I got busy! Here is what I created!</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Glitter-Animal-Print-Number-Line-761744"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub-B5ll4mCxktnPGhpIUIiyOxUAKzJ7hVFIEt3YDceHp0Y4nYdpDTYpyAItxlCtXYVZbGtLkG8LjUcYRXDNLB7NKvsJve6LZ8QEPxhzvvR-DtLGJ28gJkDQX6FcXmwUEwx1EL39_xC2ke/s200/Slide3.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhZtnERaJVnfJKPi5p3Da3egwIciesocg3QtBzEgpTKXcnukKvE9jegywgS9jk1vNqqoxLxGjIVEfycAPpMACtEJz7IxTN7duf5li7gkQBwK-y6RaoiX3cjWNTiFvnG_8LSoWTJeoOZM9/s1600/Slide4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhZtnERaJVnfJKPi5p3Da3egwIciesocg3QtBzEgpTKXcnukKvE9jegywgS9jk1vNqqoxLxGjIVEfycAPpMACtEJz7IxTN7duf5li7gkQBwK-y6RaoiX3cjWNTiFvnG_8LSoWTJeoOZM9/s200/Slide4.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkM_DoGeZHproXNPnCPnFwJReDuXT7vlGaj8Q_iMkNBYNwiU7ZThYa-kj5P6D797mrRw15GVrvzUE0iAEV9YTMHevh8YmzWlcdCAvUGmBM5xEs1BnImXMviKaqhI29vAI8J07fIZfc6oi/s1600/Slide5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkM_DoGeZHproXNPnCPnFwJReDuXT7vlGaj8Q_iMkNBYNwiU7ZThYa-kj5P6D797mrRw15GVrvzUE0iAEV9YTMHevh8YmzWlcdCAvUGmBM5xEs1BnImXMviKaqhI29vAI8J07fIZfc6oi/s200/Slide5.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGLNwUlGuc4tey51YKNjPnvn11YqTO7-DIBW4vqJS6b4WozU0Reht3NGY8NtHddnItaj2SA1ry27DyD8cDMV5D2Pk6c5QnXo519OAqIz0hAHocQ7SyweJVqyy0v9wBJjxELfCQIuXSRYQ/s1600/Slide6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGLNwUlGuc4tey51YKNjPnvn11YqTO7-DIBW4vqJS6b4WozU0Reht3NGY8NtHddnItaj2SA1ry27DyD8cDMV5D2Pk6c5QnXo519OAqIz0hAHocQ7SyweJVqyy0v9wBJjxELfCQIuXSRYQ/s200/Slide6.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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Click<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Glitter-Animal-Print-Number-Line-761744"> here</a> to see my number on TPT!</div>
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I also created alphabet cards for my word wall, that could double as flashcards!</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Zebra-Print-Alphabet-Cards-763316"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZsUtb11K66FBEv23OdKgwQdz5rATx6voEqPNq-gy35J52IJ4sycZt7CKTLXdGUO-qCJbcGQNf_pcvy3p6CfyTK05d1WEJfakG-GaRgNwK-NnHDQ__UHQjwp3WOKVpmnJ3E0hgirwZvEB/s400/Picture4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEIts8ECYDP9mAAedWJQ8Feu6TvU9n8fRIet1F7srf_lvYIrc4uj767l3Oi0bxvVbpKEwUOJZ7pUBr2voqYxixnvjgfRCOA3IeBhlX-kfrDTb9Sq8ms2hjUb0eWD3MvHhLbbu6_uz-taF/s1600/Picture3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEIts8ECYDP9mAAedWJQ8Feu6TvU9n8fRIet1F7srf_lvYIrc4uj767l3Oi0bxvVbpKEwUOJZ7pUBr2voqYxixnvjgfRCOA3IeBhlX-kfrDTb9Sq8ms2hjUb0eWD3MvHhLbbu6_uz-taF/s200/Picture3.png" width="183" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6gwKED3WEaaYkW557qK_2lJyRxP6jOeDSZ-YFvn4vGwRVNYSwAOmtfAuGgMMzbqddev-wMmPx3sbGiZlpAww8-IOsbYTO7KLn4hlj4Bi6QYkHhdkvjHPcnIp9tuOnirsdKtdqIQgY8pY/s1600/Picture5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6gwKED3WEaaYkW557qK_2lJyRxP6jOeDSZ-YFvn4vGwRVNYSwAOmtfAuGgMMzbqddev-wMmPx3sbGiZlpAww8-IOsbYTO7KLn4hlj4Bi6QYkHhdkvjHPcnIp9tuOnirsdKtdqIQgY8pY/s200/Picture5.png" width="198" /></a></div>
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The cards are 3 inches wide and 4 inches tall. I can't wait to take pictures of these hanging up in my room!</div>
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Click <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Zebra-Print-Alphabet-Cards-763316">here</a> to get my alphabet cards. </div>
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Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-35737621468674506632013-07-08T18:15:00.003-07:002013-07-09T05:24:08.506-07:00Super Improvers Wall<div style="text-align: center;">
I think one of the things about Whole Brain Teaching that I am most excited about is the Super Improvers Wall. I am a firm believer that every child (AND adult) has something that they can improve on. I love that all interactions with the Super Improver Wall are positive. </div>
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For those of you not familiar with WBT, a Super Improvers Wall is part of their year long classroom management system. There are ten steps to the SIW, which you can name whatever you want. There are some really cute sports themed steps in the book, or you could just use colors. Your SIW wall should have all the steps laid out for the students, and each student also needs to have their own individual card on the wall to chart improvements. All students start out on the first step, which I am calling beginner. Then they have a goal for improvement and each time you see them improve they get a star. When a student gets ten stars, they take home their card to show their parents and they get a new one that correlates with their new level. From what I understand, you can change the goal for improvement as you see necessary, but should only focus on ONE thing at a time. The best part is, it doesn't have to be a behavior that you are focusing on. A student's goal could be to return homework on time, improve sight word fluency, or anything else academic that a child needs to work on. </div>
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I am so excited to put the SIW up in my classroom, of course mine has animal print!</div>
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A student would have to make 100 improvements throughout the school year to achieve living legend status. I plan on having a permanent place in my classroom to display pictures of students who have made living legend status throughout the years. </div>
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You can snag my Super Improvers Wall posters in my TPT!</div>
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Click<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Super-Improvers-Wall-Zebra-Print-762419"> here</a> to go to my store!</div>
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Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-60769685568244034222013-07-03T06:23:00.000-07:002013-07-03T06:23:14.851-07:00SALE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Monkey-Madness"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVhZSmQFRMg0ucoCx-XJtEhHCu5D2iNb4fDQgdnEU8jrMu2vuPDcoMlchdGiBtznQ4DjB1OkjZoF4NG6NZ_z1pKNyoOCbSDUyyBoy2e7AEnlA7LA09et2-qmQm9FaZzoPeZ4wlY5IZvx_/s400/sale.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In honor of Independence Day my entire TPT store is on sale until Friday at midnight! Stock up now! I am going to try and finish up a few things I have been working on today, but if I don't get them finished before the sale is over, I will put them on sale for a couple days after they are posted! Here are a few things that I have finished and are in my store ready for purchase!</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Owl-Locker-Tags-754345"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrxsi0r6lsRGkaTsM2N6FbDjK6pJj04M9nGnFbnY3SVx8MYLOPZNyZgm0aoPkWVt4ejZhtGVeuRwqepbH5N8KYlv_-al2A77gBymBSas-oAgSfjOLI1-KFAe0k8qDMFuFbyGeT4yN-_tP/s400/locker+tags+pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These adorable locker tags match the rest of the owl themed items in my store! </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/1st-Grade-No-Prep-CCSS-Operations-Algebraic-Thinking-Worksheets-743468"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjxf7qa2_6RZ4KnwuSOdIadGrOzitETVn7lZQVgvpHxsoGDpVSZ5I4q5VpdwdMQSKPaxa9VNUQaZ0_FduANyD1jQsTG1zIF6PMUxZfBONVO19h8EPj3Ws5GgXcxYWn9OsdCNLtpg_95wv/s400/math+worksheet+packet+picture.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This math packet includes at LEAST one worksheet for each standard under Operations and Algebraic thinking for first grade. Download the preview for the freebie pictured below!</div>
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Have a great holiday weekend for your family! And remember we are the land of the free because of the brave! </div>
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<br />Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-5391420780383279922013-07-01T02:01:00.000-07:002013-07-01T02:01:33.037-07:00Happy Fourth of July!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am so thankful to be an American! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">I love my country and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"> It frustrates me when people say negative things about our country after tragedies like the Boston Marathon bombings and Sandy Hook happen. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">I refuse to let the horrendous acts of a few people change my feelings about our country as a whole.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">It makes me so proud to be an American, when we all come together to help the victims of these events by donating whatever we can to help. <span style="color: blue;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">America has a lot of amazing things to offer!</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">In honor of Independence Day, I joined up with 180 Days and Counting for a July 4th giveaway. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">I also will be putting my entire TPT store 20% off from July 3 to July 5th!</span></span> </span></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3eac012/" id="rc-3eac012" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">Please enjoy the holiday with your family and take some time to think about the men and women who are currently overseas. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"> It breaks my heart knowing that their families miss them like crazy and they miss their family also.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">This school year I had a little boy who's dad is overseas and it broke my heart every time he talked about missing his father.</span> </span><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script></div>
Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-8368451859392808622013-06-30T13:16:00.001-07:002013-06-30T16:18:12.394-07:00Pinterest Widgets and Pin It Hover Button Tutorial!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I seriously just spent well over and hour trying to figure out how to get the pin it button to hover over my images. I found numerous blogs with html code ready for me and not one of them worked for me. Did you know that Pinterest has a widget builder? It was SOOO easy using their website and it worked on my very first try! Here is the link to their widget builder: <a href="http://business.pinterest.com/widget-builder/#do_pin_it_button">Pinterest Widget Builder.</a> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkwEAdkDMHw_Z88V_v9NXZYc7Z4OuXtVp1wiepT7UTMazJsmoCBWYk-kmAkpn2LdgQSON4hk6XjMpVadoTmY7rTGsn5gUDiVM5TDi78jo-wcW-K8q0vLcPa_y3u3CbdI4_MmrNZlIXNOw/s842/widget.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkwEAdkDMHw_Z88V_v9NXZYc7Z4OuXtVp1wiepT7UTMazJsmoCBWYk-kmAkpn2LdgQSON4hk6XjMpVadoTmY7rTGsn5gUDiVM5TDi78jo-wcW-K8q0vLcPa_y3u3CbdI4_MmrNZlIXNOw/s400/widget.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
It was so easy! I just selected the pin it button up top by clicking on it. Where it says button type, I clicked on image hover and it took me to this page where I clicked build it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNHoKXxi2525LmFrdLX2ualBIQ7AIdv3lTC5NdJF-_MuwN_5UdrmQpj3VJsPOl1tsUTJAx_5lIx32bpzxK6EMOdIkMkMMryC01DrHe5zvoKKokapnmYh7XgsKxB1FSEyL0m4XOhyphenhyphenk_Q4h/s744/image+hover.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNHoKXxi2525LmFrdLX2ualBIQ7AIdv3lTC5NdJF-_MuwN_5UdrmQpj3VJsPOl1tsUTJAx_5lIx32bpzxK6EMOdIkMkMMryC01DrHe5zvoKKokapnmYh7XgsKxB1FSEyL0m4XOhyphenhyphenk_Q4h/s400/image+hover.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
After clicking Build It!, it gave me the html code and where to embed it in my blog.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdXoyOKe5qPluzY7x-SzbrUjsmUY3x5dknMqRVKN_Tyv4MnGZIpFIdLXHkgfbLQrWYMz5HkIpmr2AJMSeKEsdQiDdHFjmIpi8yKxeu8HHQGNBslkOY5yF-so161A6K6bt3nGYALPv4NGP/s804/code.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdXoyOKe5qPluzY7x-SzbrUjsmUY3x5dknMqRVKN_Tyv4MnGZIpFIdLXHkgfbLQrWYMz5HkIpmr2AJMSeKEsdQiDdHFjmIpi8yKxeu8HHQGNBslkOY5yF-so161A6K6bt3nGYALPv4NGP/s400/code.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you don't know how to find your html code, it is super easy! Go to your blogger dashboard. On the left hand side click on template.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iOxEWHNV-ScvJlgcllt9CzGzW6N8MiXedZOTsY0JjZjo5pGB-ba7hg9O7TAXkfMnUacWhYcV3L9CbBFZNmUnWN7JW-hhhX0RA5WwGQ5hwq4Hc4T8QUxLjSzG43HQ9b-6YsbGZIWpMmjW/s1000/dash.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iOxEWHNV-ScvJlgcllt9CzGzW6N8MiXedZOTsY0JjZjo5pGB-ba7hg9O7TAXkfMnUacWhYcV3L9CbBFZNmUnWN7JW-hhhX0RA5WwGQ5hwq4Hc4T8QUxLjSzG43HQ9b-6YsbGZIWpMmjW/s400/dash.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Once you click on template, you will see this screen:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqlFYFBBddI2ewzARsu11nfgZ0x3cq3G-ST375qb8An0-ZuYzUXdMuqVAuAasKoechCjsrlg8AtbBUa9Td0L7Wcnjw0mQKS8DC-J-YbbKXXgTwFvM4w5u9f2i4tChpPe3_9ApnIZTnSj9/s1600/template+shot.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqlFYFBBddI2ewzARsu11nfgZ0x3cq3G-ST375qb8An0-ZuYzUXdMuqVAuAasKoechCjsrlg8AtbBUa9Td0L7Wcnjw0mQKS8DC-J-YbbKXXgTwFvM4w5u9f2i4tChpPe3_9ApnIZTnSj9/s320/template+shot.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I suggest backing up your html code by clicking the backup and restore button in the upper right hand corner before you mess with your html code. I do this no matter what I am doing, just in case I mess something up! After you back up your code, click on edit html and follow the directions that are on the Pinterest sight!</div>
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Easy, peasy lemon squeezy!</div>
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Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-66637721996519931422013-06-30T11:36:00.000-07:002013-06-30T11:38:46.433-07:00I'm A Little Late....<div style="text-align: center;">
But follow me on BlogLovin! I'm not real sure what is going on, and if I even use google reader. I just follow blogs by the blog list on the bottom of my dashboard. Everything I have read, says that is not going away, but we will see tomorrow. Either way, I know a lot of people are starting to use BlogLovin and I love that they have an app for my Galaxy!</div>
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/5875117"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyAqOEBQgopaC3LZtWKC3fPaFC6_HJv209ErUYm1xui1lCFAQFYVgukfAoTudk9CBCGEd92YA_N17f44fOP0hyOkP30eLbaLWMsa3NSXCNCzre_33BdBrYlULqNNk8jktknSD7szJ9NSB/s288/bloglovin.jpg" /></a></div>
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Keeping things short and sweet today! My girls want to play outside, and since it isn't raining for the first time in like a week, we are headed outside to play in the pool, ride our bikes, blow bubbles, and maybe go for a walk!</div>
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Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-32793943770249473192013-06-26T09:53:00.002-07:002013-06-26T10:06:32.562-07:00Whole Brain Teaching...Getting Started<div style="text-align: center;">
I have started to read the Whole Brain Teaching Book, which so far has been amazing and eye opening. I must say, I wish that I started reading this at the beginning of August so I could jump in and get started sooner. It all sounds so perfect on paper, and I can only hope it works as well in the classroom as they say it does. I know going in that I am going to be making A LOT of changes in how I do things and it is going to be a lot of work up front "training" them. I don't like using the word training, but in essence when it comes to routines, that is what we are doing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpmvXenSis_J5WBKchzsSQYwxDrdo4j5k1l41zRXRiMqRYj15elrMLuJ6SVmqEBX17ZCYEHXQlozGFvalgnUnqRmCrMQikefzscgqT-LVecrxrAWAHW2BiGmwp2ZiUNkw9WlW3on7voVQ/s1600/Slide2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpmvXenSis_J5WBKchzsSQYwxDrdo4j5k1l41zRXRiMqRYj15elrMLuJ6SVmqEBX17ZCYEHXQlozGFvalgnUnqRmCrMQikefzscgqT-LVecrxrAWAHW2BiGmwp2ZiUNkw9WlW3on7voVQ/s1600/Slide2.JPG" /></a></div>
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The idea of WBT is to engage the child's whole brain in learning so there isn't any mental area left over for challenging behavior. The book gives some pretty detailed explanations on how to do that. On top of the book, which is awesome, they have an amazing <a href="http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/">website</a> with a plethora of resources. One of the thinks that stood out in the introduction to me was when the author pointed out that no adult really wants to punish a kid, we punish because we don't know what else to do. I don't know about you, but this is very true for me. I get to the point where I am pulling out my hair and I don't know what else to do sometimes. I can't wait to try the ideas outlined in this book and put them to use this year. I want to leave you one final quote from the introduction today. This quote is so extremely true, and I need to remember this when I get to that frustration point at home and in the classroom.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDfAbkYKBy4e9qVv4HatuiOZxMzbYKnRuQh77KT4racCll7nxrZCrIewaJQHXQoFwP1OVjh0wMM0Vc0-iZP9fAUYt85s3bBlBsaNOLbcMX0sCOhiujjdkcnnByZmhwLlinBPzqQpIQ1fi/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDfAbkYKBy4e9qVv4HatuiOZxMzbYKnRuQh77KT4racCll7nxrZCrIewaJQHXQoFwP1OVjh0wMM0Vc0-iZP9fAUYt85s3bBlBsaNOLbcMX0sCOhiujjdkcnnByZmhwLlinBPzqQpIQ1fi/s1600/Slide1.JPG" /></a></div>
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Ps. I took my little cuties camping last weekend. Despite getting 8 inches of rain the two days we were there, we had a blast!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AMzAPXUjvF6OyzAGNaujsX0ILM4GUf-m_rATblsz4dJFVvQGcGfndXDcB_Uatvu6OBI5C1uEhwuAyxb9BIz1OIjTsa0QtquvItfQ3UNuEPbu1v029hRY1EBVE-ukH55nvbXFNhgsAPfb/s1600/IMG_8827edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AMzAPXUjvF6OyzAGNaujsX0ILM4GUf-m_rATblsz4dJFVvQGcGfndXDcB_Uatvu6OBI5C1uEhwuAyxb9BIz1OIjTsa0QtquvItfQ3UNuEPbu1v029hRY1EBVE-ukH55nvbXFNhgsAPfb/s320/IMG_8827edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSgWCEsD7TF51652p5fEaOi7fcv6G6_4DuNMuCLJHaSGG-OrF9Cvn8YBVQymnJDF6dtjG7L1bdQ644lD6p7SYAh_j53-xxpSELeDsfYsr9RrsWjScFfwR1lDgcUxVqNSARgoVu5KQodJr/s1600/IMG_8997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSgWCEsD7TF51652p5fEaOi7fcv6G6_4DuNMuCLJHaSGG-OrF9Cvn8YBVQymnJDF6dtjG7L1bdQ644lD6p7SYAh_j53-xxpSELeDsfYsr9RrsWjScFfwR1lDgcUxVqNSARgoVu5KQodJr/s320/IMG_8997.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02fm4xcyGfr_20-GtmBaC5qp2oejp9WexWRadkRWF5OBmLh_JcQbI036D7QLnWdCtB3vwpZmhB5_-qbu56ecCI2NxO5YPE_DFz7iCPJ1-ohDj1NFCJS0kr6PEXNoEApz66Nars_Rbod3M/s1600/Presentation2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-31580749464606707852013-06-25T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-25T00:00:05.570-07:00GIVEAWAY!<div align="center">
Katie Orr has reached 100 followers on TPT and she is having an AWESOME giveaway!</div>
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Check out her store<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Katie-Orr-1"> here</a>, it is fantastic! Click on any of the pictures below to be taken to her blog where you can enter to win 1 of 5 amazing prizes. </div>
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<a href="http://sparkingthemind.blogspot.com/2013/06/100-follower-giveaway.html"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LrydU3O6LX9vZkw3qArcehGB3UDiV57z1JJWq5vyP7TyBVHX1ygkuUS4dSLxImYCWFxdMwLHRWbHyH9_uubkrrWbEqCMkVI35wgwWg2eVc24QxNMqXw_Dsj4fYdnbK96fdAGrMXfF4yC/s400/100+follower+giveaway+pic.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://sparkingthemind.blogspot.com/2013/06/100-follower-giveaway.html"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWSxeAO1LI3OF1-j0EJRhtXtbs_8wJ-x0EA_qCZN8IzllDli6QpKRjR5inKGHl7fzAibfMV8q23x9xdSjr0DPNju7K2KzseWe8NYZTdQxAAV3phHZvXXwLoUnns0xC0DPvcBC-SXrgJqH/s400/K-2+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I can't wait until I can host a give away. Only 40 more followers until I reach 100! It is still amazing to me that 59 of you actually care about what I have to say. Thank you for being so amazing. </div>
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Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-2173850386679940732013-06-20T11:04:00.001-07:002013-06-20T11:04:46.738-07:00Owls, Owls and More Owls (and a FREEBIE!)<div align="center">
My coworker and best friend is changing her classroom theme next year and I could not be more excited! She told me she wanted to do an Owl themed, but couldn't find exactly what she wanted. Of course I jumped up and down, waved my hands around and said "pick me pick me!" </div>
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So I created desk tags (4 different background options), which are a freebie in my TPT store. Click on the picture below to be take to the product in my store. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Owl-Themed-Desk-Tags-736789"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ffapq8c2fKYCAl-T0FULlD15lECgU57-c9n-5ViElVypuMQ4d5mypo0F0Z6mLiiZ2ah79SC-nHvjmM-jP5XvN9AsJ6G-JPO1ffE2WWEQrt2PzXOjweSzmFZVw06PCEafUAGRW6BKDvsS/s400/owl+tags.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also created word wall letters, for her word wall. Once again, I gave her options, so there are three different options. These are $2.50 in my store right now. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Owl-Themed-Word-Wall-Letters-733822"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhCbEUGXZpRYQQYGhIKzafXkSNoRq0Bmn65962FYuIk_ksrml-HXpHkt2W_xcUZ3zQ13Uvzt-ACA7n_F012z8k4j-yxxLMPC17Ay-1N2S2FQCK1OfMYfGIDfwVk9aP-gfeVfl-xMaR1Yi/s320/owl+letter+cards.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
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Then she reminded me about her calendar bulletin board, so I created a calendar pack that includes 31 3x3 number cards, 3x3 cards for each day of the week, month of the year cards and days of the week cards. This pack is on sale for $3.00 in my store right now.</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Owl-Themed-Calendar-Pack-734991"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BlTJL7oS-btEXgULtW7GLPCiOCYmsrx5cFntVOCaPwWXL4bJoIl04KBMFP2DjxOThnUcDp3aEGuUupP8mfpoAMaHUsrl2rNu_0TBN1AIKhBUqPFWxJwWgjOJMgwI1JtG_uWTIeDCpz8v/s320/calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsoMc4xdvwAmWtKz_W-GWK8XRyzy1vm5F9tIDoHmoP4V8V2yKK0p5g3aNpYexruAu3SUiTQj_erKf_L-Mnwn_WrPwmuv4Vc_61ISTLHVefB4RvSqPtyau_HQrU8QxvclKHstNZ4gga_ad/s1600/calendar+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsoMc4xdvwAmWtKz_W-GWK8XRyzy1vm5F9tIDoHmoP4V8V2yKK0p5g3aNpYexruAu3SUiTQj_erKf_L-Mnwn_WrPwmuv4Vc_61ISTLHVefB4RvSqPtyau_HQrU8QxvclKHstNZ4gga_ad/s320/calendar+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also created sight word cards for the word wall that have Fry's first 100 words and number cards. Check out my TPT store for all of the adorableness. I am secretly jealous of her classroom. It is going to be adorable!</div>
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Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-28981854345246209172013-06-18T10:54:00.001-07:002013-06-18T10:54:55.059-07:00Feeling A Little Anxious...Everytime I think about the last time I saw my classroom, I get a little bit anxious. We had to take EVERYTHING down off our walls and the tops of our shelves had to be cleared off and packed away or put in boxes so it was easy to move. Here are the images burned in my head...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPr6nODTSVoQrkgTbxpuXku9XPHAty7QW0azqQX6UtwKUuOsNR96rwKvAbBvTyqHiflbuNloAaGPF-RoPTqky1-IvWfqlmYgox_mnpU-eQeekFOsb4CZ6kEXRn6Kx_Ly4dVOFacKwmoAm3/s1600/empty+classroom+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPr6nODTSVoQrkgTbxpuXku9XPHAty7QW0azqQX6UtwKUuOsNR96rwKvAbBvTyqHiflbuNloAaGPF-RoPTqky1-IvWfqlmYgox_mnpU-eQeekFOsb4CZ6kEXRn6Kx_Ly4dVOFacKwmoAm3/s320/empty+classroom+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10QAx6KTMKi5WcEgQehlKlrQ_1JjNLS1JYFayhg82YR2oWUm4USj1MPmhMpfM3s5UXtf-zt0vDKmy-IBNgfsfTlXX95k1hGkPvX-n2I1YEorjmBvbHYEOi4AbEeqXJd0NoM3rXMuestuA/s1600/empty+classroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10QAx6KTMKi5WcEgQehlKlrQ_1JjNLS1JYFayhg82YR2oWUm4USj1MPmhMpfM3s5UXtf-zt0vDKmy-IBNgfsfTlXX95k1hGkPvX-n2I1YEorjmBvbHYEOi4AbEeqXJd0NoM3rXMuestuA/s320/empty+classroom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It seems so wrong to have a classroom with NOTHING on the walls. It looks so cold and empty. I can't wait to decorate again this fall. It usually takes me a couple weeks to get things exactly how I want it. This year, my goal is to get a sitter for my girls for two or three days, shut my door, turn up the music and finish it. I already have ideas in my head for what I want to do different and where I want to put my new Super Improvers Wall, but for the most part, I am going to keep it the same as last year. A jungle print/monkey themed classroom.Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-76348872844394690892013-06-17T11:14:00.003-07:002013-06-17T11:14:44.825-07:00Whole Brain Teaching<div style="text-align: center;">
Holy cow, it is hard to believe that June is already halfway over. Why oh why does summer have to go by so fast? So far this summer I have spent A LOT of time outside with my girls. They are fish and would spend all day, everyday in the pool. </div>
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Over the past year, thanks in large part to pinterest, I have heard and seen a lot about whole brain teaching. The little bits and pieces that I saw intrigued me and I want to learn and know more. I love trying new things in the classroom and I am really stoked to try this out next year. I got the book <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Brain-Teaching-Challenging-Kids/dp/0984816712/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371491217&sr=1-1&keywords=whole+brain+teaching#_">Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids</a></u> by Chris Biffle. I find it interesting that the little things they are suggesting you add to your routine can make such a big difference in motivating children and getting them to be productive. I have to say, I am a bit skeptical as the author claims that this has been tested and worked in grades k-college. I am not too far removed from college and I don't think that I would have bought in to this system. But, I think it is perfect for elementary, especially first grade. </div>
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<a href="http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/index.php?option=com_banners&task=click&bid=19" target="_blank"><img alt="Banner" src="http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/images/banners/AmazonBook.jpg" /></a></div>
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Here is a seven minute video to show whole brain teaching in action. A-MAZING!</div>
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I love how organized this teacher is. She has everything planned out and ready to go and the kids are so focused. </div>
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Amber Lauehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369634227678291804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-37252183246314680052013-05-13T15:53:00.000-07:002013-05-13T16:55:25.853-07:00Blog Help & Ducks!<div style="text-align: center;">
When I created this blog I spent HOURS figuring out how to make it cute without spending money. While it isn't as cute as some other blogs, I really like the blog. I am switching from teacherweb to a blog style website for my classroom next year and I am having a HORRIBLE time remembering how I did things. I am completely stumped on how I changed my title to the cute graphic I made! Do any of you have good websites that are helpful? </div>
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Our ducks are doing great! Here is Quackers with my oldest daughter Natalie.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P10mdHfktZ0/UZFuTYNjzDI/AAAAAAAAAI8/PAb8axCR1E0/s1600/IMG_8358.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P10mdHfktZ0/UZFuTYNjzDI/AAAAAAAAAI8/PAb8axCR1E0/s320/IMG_8358.JPG" /></a></div>
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(I left my camera at school, I will post more duck pictures tomorrow)</div>
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Here is a link to my classroom webpage with more pictures!<br />
<a href="http://teacherweb.com/IL/PecatonicaElementary/Laue/apt4.aspx">http://teacherweb.com/IL/PecatonicaElementary/Laue/apt4.aspx</a><br />
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Here are a few videos!<br />
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Quackers looking for Bob!<br />
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Swimming Ducks!</div>
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Hope you all had a great Mother's Day!</div>
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I spent mine with these cuties!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6O8dGvTv7OI/UZFuTyYnlgI/AAAAAAAAAJE/-QccTZV5xW4/s1600/IMG_8381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6O8dGvTv7OI/UZFuTyYnlgI/AAAAAAAAAJE/-QccTZV5xW4/s320/IMG_8381.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-84020949498863675062013-05-08T17:29:00.000-07:002013-05-08T17:35:26.450-07:00We Have Ducklings!<div style="text-align: center;">
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They are the best of friends!</div>
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I was lucky enough to be able to catch the duckling as he got his head out of the shell. The first thirty seconds are the most important. I didn't catch the rest of his adventure out of the shell on camera. </div>
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Mjl6F6mTQks" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-78204840126853626942013-05-02T14:55:00.002-07:002013-05-02T14:55:50.453-07:00Yes, Yes, Yaul!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1423146824/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PTEAq7_8tL8/UQxFJIP0GgI/AAAAAAAAAHY/FX2HdZojFCc/s320/books+i+love.png" width="320" /><img border="0" class="fullScreen" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ll1lVefbL.jpg" style="height: 500px; margin-top: 44px; width: 436px;" width="174" /></a></div>
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Click on the book to be taken to Amazon!</div>
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Yes, Yes, Yaul is a fantastic book that my students adore. It is about a turtle named Hip and a rabbit named Hop. They love to rap. They come across the porcupine named Yaul, who says no to everything. They make it their mission to make him say yes to something. </div>
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The best part about this book is that parts of it is written in rap. When the writing is green, Hop is rapping and you should rap as fast as you can. When the writing is red, Hip is rapping and you should rap as sloooooooooooooowly as possible. The kids always enjoy hearing me rap the parts of this story. Making a special appearance in the story is Moo Tang Clan, Kanye Pest, and Bee-Yonce. </div>
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I use this story when I want to touch on fluency with my students and when they just need a good giggle. </div>
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Next week we are starting narrative writing. I can't wait to share how my first lesson goes. I am excited about it because I found a great packet on TPT on writing narratives AND I am getting observed during that lesson. Updates to come soon!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827481228011541638.post-32618030385135733292013-04-27T17:37:00.002-07:002013-04-27T17:37:56.890-07:00Geometry, Fractions, and Books...Oh My!<div style="text-align: center;">
We have been very busy in first grade. I have a love/hate relationship with Spring, I love the nice weather and being able to play outside with my girls. (See below) I HATE how antsy the students get this time of year. They want nothing more than to be outside playing. I try to take my lessons outdoors as much as possible this time of year. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9kEg1SFsz54/UXxpNRbIENI/AAAAAAAAAIA/gF1uF9vbpg4/s1600/IMG_0297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9kEg1SFsz54/UXxpNRbIENI/AAAAAAAAAIA/gF1uF9vbpg4/s320/IMG_0297.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Eydsk2fULI/UXxpRWQ5TmI/AAAAAAAAAII/BxGDMcJEAkI/s1600/IMG_0286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Eydsk2fULI/UXxpRWQ5TmI/AAAAAAAAAII/BxGDMcJEAkI/s320/IMG_0286.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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(As you can see, my oldest is a little sassy when she isn't in the mood for her picture to be taken!)</div>
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In school, the students have been busy learning about 3-Dimensional Shapes and let me tell you, Julie Gesin was a life saver, and she doesn't even know it. She has this amazing packet on TPT. Every single activity we did from her packet my students LOVED. They were engaged and excited throughout the whole unit and ROCKED their end of unit test. Not one of my kids scored below a 90%. Amazing, right?!?!?! So are you wondering what this wonderful, marvelous packet is???</div>
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<img alt="Common Core Geometry: Fun With Shapes!" class="preview-product-image" id="simple-target-1" src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Common-Core-Geometry-Fun-With-Shapes/medium-382787-1.jpg" /></div>
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(Sorry, I can't figure out how to make that picture bigger)</div>
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It is <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Common-Core-Geometry-Fun-With-Shapes" target="_blank">Fun with Shapes</a> and it is in her TPT store for $8.25. Well worth the money!</div>
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While you are at it, check out her blog!</div>
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<a href="http://funfabulousfirsties.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Fun Fabulous Firsties</a></div>
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Julie...if you see this THANK YOU!</div>
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We are moving onto fractions next week and my girls have been healthy and life has slowed down a bit for me, so I decided I would create my own fraction mini unit. I am really excited about using something I have created with my kids again. It has been a while since I have had the time to sit down and work on stuff for school. </div>
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Check it out at my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Monkey-Madness" target="_blank">TPT store</a>!</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fun-With-Fractions-in-First-CCSS-Aligned" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lDYgdJy8aE8/UXxsFaL2BOI/AAAAAAAAAIY/Ou6_4YdVJtM/s320/Slide1.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Moving onto Reading...</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PTEAq7_8tL8/UQxFJIP0GgI/AAAAAAAAAHY/FX2HdZojFCc/s1600/books+i+love.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PTEAq7_8tL8/UQxFJIP0GgI/AAAAAAAAAHY/FX2HdZojFCc/s320/books+i+love.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This first one isn't necessarily a book that I love, but it is one my students fight over daily. We had a book fair last week and I grabbed this book initially for my daughter, she loves looking at pictures of real animals. I left it on my desk by accident and the next morning when the kids came in they were BEGGING me to read this. It is now a book where there is a sign up for so the kids know who gets it when they are done... Are you ready for it...</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Angry-Birds-Feathered/dp/1426209967/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367108747&sr=1-8&keywords=angry+birds" target="_blank"><img alt="" id="main-image" rel="" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51b-tkanDgL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" style="display: inline;" /></a></div>
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<br />I will admit, I read a few pages out loud to the class. It is very informative but humorous at the same time. Click on the picture to be taken to the book on Amazon. </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1423121902/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1W5HYTN4TM9TGSV731ZH&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846" target="_blank"><img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="xpJIlrnjcdtHPM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQwlBjo0dIOFzcGht_dNUfSCPhK77gydvWm7tkl33EUdNNXg6Dc" style="height: 189px; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -4px; width: 189px;" /></a></div>
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Blackout by John Rocco is another great book. I love when I get to use this in my class. This year was extra fun because we had a day where shortly after school started we lost power. The electric company kept telling us it would be back on shortly. Well, it eventually came on 30 minutes before school was let out. It ended up being a really fun day and the kids STILL talk about it. </div>
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The day after our blackout we read this book and then the kids wrote about our blackout. The illustrations in this book are phenomenal as well! </div>
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My two little munchkins are BEGGING me to watch The Lorax with them! Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!</div>
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