This year, My school's PBIS plan will include warm fuzzies for all grade levels. Each class will have a class jar and then each student will have their own warm fuzzy jar. I found a lot of super cute warm fuzzy posters on Pinterest, but I had to change it a bit to match my classroom theme. I think they came out pretty cute. I bought a jar from Walmart for $5 and I already had some zebra print ribbon to hot glue around my jar. I can't wait to see the jar as it fills up with those neon colored fuzzies!

Last week I decided to change my guided reading groups a little bit. I wrote in a previous post about how each member in the group was responsible for a job. I also shared the job necklaces that my students wear in their groups. A few days ago while searching the internet for a way to ensure that my students were thinking deeply about the text, I ran across some reading sticks with question stems.

I loved the question stems, but it seemed as if the questions were based on picture books. I needed questions that my students could use during chapter books. Therefore I created the Wiz-Kid Sticks. I printed the questions on mailing labels and then stuck them to tongue depressors. I love how they came out! My students love using the sticks and I feel it helps them with discussing the book.

Today I am linking up with Manic Monday to offer you my Wiz-Kid Sticks for free. You can download a free copy by clicking below or heading over to the side bar and clicking on professional development. If you have not been there before there are many free downloads. Enjoy!

Hey Friends! I am linking up with Classroom Freebies to offer my library book bin labels. I love the bright colors and how it makes my library look so much more clean and organized. If you are interested in more freebies click on the professional development tab on the side bar.

Hey Friends! I am gearing up for the North Carolina Reading Conference and wanted to post a freebie for my followers who might not be able to attend the conference. Click the picture below to download a free copy of the jobs I use in my classroom to make my novel studies interactive.

My students LOVE these jobs and when we are reading from our novels in class, the students know their roles and therefore spend more time on task and engaged in the book!

I am so excited to announce that soon you will be able to download many of the products from my TPT store for free on this blog. These downloads will all be available in the "Professional Development" section of this blog. You can get there by clicking on the link on the right side bar. Until then, head on over to my TPT store and download your free copy of my monthly behavior charts or click on the picture below.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about teaching lately and I wanted to share some of my thoughts. Recently I watched several episodes of Undercover Boss and it really got me thinking. I began to think about all the employees who are working so hard in their nine to five jobs. I am inspired by the factory workers who go above and beyond each day and the customer service people who serve each customer with a smile.

God has blessed me to get up and work in a profession that I am so passionate about. I know that some times in the teaching profession we can get overwhelmed with testing, paper work, observations, emails and parent conferences, but I hope at the end of the day we see the value of our role in each child's life. YOU are the deciding factor in whether a child is excited to come to school each day and whether they feel encouraged and empowered in your classroom.

I am very grateful to all the teachers out there who are inspiring students and who know the important role they play in each child's life. My prayer for every teacher is that they are able to see each child through God's eyes and help cultivate that child's potential. Teachers are so important and I have been blessed to work with many outstanding teachers in my career.

Here is a freebie to all the teachers saying. Thank you for all you do!

To download your FREE copy of the supply labels, CLICK HERE and head on over to my TPT store!

Over the last few weeks I have been teaching my class how "good readers" are constantly interacting with the text. Whenever I read-aloud a story to the class, I display it on the SMART Board and have students sit on the floor with their writing notebook. Then they create a Double Entry Journal in which they record what they are thinking about while reading. I have thinking clouds that I use when I am reading aloud to illustrate the thoughts that I have as a reader. Since young students do not automatically have metacognition, I explicitly teach it.

When my students first used a DEJ, I had students record what the different thinking clouds I used said on the top of their Double Entry Journal. Then I asked students to try and pay attention to which of these thinking clouds they use on their own while reading. I decided to create a sheet that students could use when they are reading that already has some of the thinking clouds on it. This sheet is perfect to send home so parents know what types of things the reader should be paying attention to when reading.

At first students connections did not really add meaning to the text, but after using a DEJ multiple times their connections became more meaningful. Students also begin to pay closer attention to the questions they have while reading. This is important because they are interacting on a deeper level. If you would like a free copy of the DEJ forms I use in my classroom click on the picture below.

In the spring, I always do a unit on fairy tales and my students really enjoy it. During this time we talk about the elements that make it a fairy tale, we compare and contrast popular fair tales and do Reader's Theater with fracture fairy tales. I am so excited to begin our fairy tale unit this year and so I thought I would share a wonderful download from my friends at Primary Education Oasis. If you would like a copy of this 32 page unit. Click on the picture below and head on over to PEO to download your free copy!