Summer of Fun Starts Today with a Flash Freebie

If you've followed me awhile you know that I like to have a little fun during the summer.

Okay. A lot of fun! One of the ways I do so is by running a Summer of Fun "promotion" throughout July. I do giveaways, deals, flash freebies, forever freebies, etc. etc. etc.

Well, it's July 1st and Summer of Fun starts TODAY...but you gotta be quick!

The first deal I'm doing is a flash freebie. You can grab my newest product "Did You Know?" for free for TODAY ONLY!


Did You Know: Schools Around the World features 10 fun and interesting facts about schools and students around the world accompanied by a photograph for the fact. Each card also has a reflection question for students to discuss verbally or respond to in writing.

These cards would be perfect at a writing center, but they're also perfect as extension activities for your own Schools Around the World unit. Use them at the end of a lesson and have a class discussion, during morning meeting, or even in line on the way to your special!

Schools Around the World is the first set of these cards, but I plan on making many more! Click the picture below to grab them from TpT.

Stay up to date on all Summer of Fun deals by following me on Instagram { @halleacrossthehall } and liking me on Facebook. Don't forget to get notifications so you don't miss a thing!

Halle

A Ghostly Freebie

Hi Friends!

I’m popping in with a spooky fun freebie for you :)

I knew I wanted to do a ghost bulletin board this year but I was having trouble thinking of a way to make it a little different than the other ghosts in my hall. First I was gonna go with “Gregarious Ghosts”. Then I decided it was a little early in the year for such a robust vocabulary lesson. A few random thoughts later, “Ghostly Greetings” popped in my head. 

I noticed a few (very few) of my kiddos were attempting dialogue in their writing, so a little crash course on quotation marks wasn’t too out of left field. We practiced a few times on our interactive whiteboard and then got to work coming up with what we wanted our ghosts to say.



Students filled out this sheet and once I approved it, they were allowed to make their ghosts.  Then we grouped them together, and voila, ghostly greetings!







I think it turned out pretty cute :)

And my favorite ghostly greeting…



I just love the bowling ball!

The next day, I reinforced the activity with another practice sheet. I didn’t get a shot of any of theirs but some of them were really, really fun and tongue-in-cheek.



What Did One Ghost Say to the Other?

“What are you being for Halloween?”
”A ghost. Duh.”

“Ahhhh! You’re skin is missing!”
”We’re ghosts. We don’t have any skin!”

Well, I got a chuckle out of them!

If you’re looking for a fun activity or mini-lesson to do in writing over the next few weeks go ahead and download it by clicking the picture below. I hope you’re students have fun with it!



It is my goal to be back everyday the rest of the week with a Halloween-themed FREEBIE for you.  I haven’t been too good at following through on blogging goals though, so don’t hate me if you don’t hear from me for a day or two!

Have a great night!

Halle

Daily 5: Work on Writing & Reading Comprehension, plus a Giveaway!

Longest title ever? 

Maybe :) , but I have a lot to say today!!!!

I have been implementing my own version of Daily 5 in my classroom for a good two years now.  Last year it was a lot harder with our schedule, so I am extra excited about using it again this year.

As I said before I use a modified version of Daily 5 {and honestly, who doesn’t}.  In the past that meant that I did not do Work on Writing.  I didn’t much see the point if I did Writer’s Workshop on a {semi} regular basis.
 
But I’m going to be honest: I was not getting to writing nearly as much as I wanted too and not nearly as much as I needed to.  My kids just weren’t writing the way I wanted them to by certain points in the year.

I decided that this year they just need to write {and write and write}!  Yes, I will still do WW, and hopefully a lot more of it because our schedule is a MILLION times better this year, but still I want opportunities for them to write on the days I won’t get to WW.
Here’s how I plan on doing it {with a little help from my friends}!

First, you need to read my friend Tracy’s recent post on D5: Work on Writing {but finish reading here too, okay???}.

{These are FREE by the way!}

I will be using her list resources, and I love her writing prompts idea.  I have a book at school of writing prompts and I’m going to go pick it up so I can get started on typing them up. 

I also need to get to IKEA pronto {maybe I can talk my hubby into a whole new kitchen while we’re there :)}

I also have a FANTASTIC resource from Lori over at “Teaching with Love and Laughter”.  She is just the sweetest and has such amazing products for K-2. {Not to mention she has a pretty sweet giveaway going on right now too!}

I will be using her “Topics to Write About” Resource.

{Click the picture to grab it from TpT}

I actually got the idea to use the topic cards as border around my writing bulletin board so that’s the plan for when I get into my room, but they would also be darling on a key ring or in a binder.  What I love is that you can display certain cards at certain times to keep it fresh and keep your students interested.

To give my little authors guidance and support with their writing, I’ll be using Jen Jones’ “Hello Writing” sheets.  I love them because she uses word banks and illustrations to guide young writers as they write independently.  Scoop them up by clicking that pitiful thumbnail above {sorry I couldn’t grab a better picture…but they are SO WORTH checking out! Click the picture above!!!}

My students will also be writing on seasonal paper that I recently uploaded to my little shop.  What I love about this “stationary” is that there are no prompts or titles on top, so they can use the paper for whatever topic they choose: maybe a narrative, or a fiction story about a haunted house, or a friendly letter to another classmate?  

I also made each monthly set with different handwriting lines to accommodate my students’ handwriting as it progresses through the year.

{Click the picture to grab it rom TpT}

{{My monthly stationary was actually a “flash freebie” on Facebook a few days ago…make sure you’ve liked me so you don’t miss out in the future!}}

That about sums up how I plan on implementing Work On Writing this year.  Stay tuned for pictures…believe me, I’m probably more excited than you are to see how my set-up turns out!

Speaking of Daily 5, there’s another product that I use over and over again when I meet with my small groups: my Common Core Reading Comprehension Passages.  I assign them as homework to some of my higher-leveled kiddos, but I often use them in small groups with my below-level loves.

They’re perfect for practicing open ended questions and supporting your answer with text from the passages.  My kids were SUPER STARS with this by the end of the year last year!!!

I just put up a mini-edition of Back to School Passages.  My Back to School Edition has 8 passages {as opposed to 12 or 13 like my other editions}.  I did a Back to School Edition because I had too many ideas for stories to include them all in my Fall Edition {coming soon!}

If you haven’t tried my passages out yet, the mini-edition would be a great way to get your feet wet, so to speak! 

I have also decided to bundle all my passages together!!!!  If you don’t own more than one version but you think you might like too, I strongly suggest buying the bundled version now.  The price will go up as I add to the bundle {Fall and Winter Holidays Edition coming soon with plans for a non-fiction edition too}, so you’ll save a ton now and update your file as new passages are released.

{Click the picture to grab it from TpT}

Now for the fun stuff!!!  I will give away your choice of my Monthly Stationary or Back to School Reading Comprehension.  All you have to do is comment below and tell me when you go back to school! {Me, not till after Labor Day!!!!} Don’t forget to leave your email!!!

And be sure to come back tomorrow and link-up for my “Favorite Things” Linky! Tomorrow’s topic is “Feels Like Home”.  Share all your favorites for your home {designs,  decorative items, furniture, dream homes, whatever!}

And here’s the schedule for the rest of summer:

See you tomorrow!

~Halle

Write About It Wednesday: Narrative Mentor Texts

It's time for another amazing Write About It Wednesday!

This week's topic is...

Mentor Texts for Teaching Narrative Writing

Can you imagine teaching writing without using them??

So this week, we've decided to highlight some of our favorite mentor texts and share what lesson topics we use them for!

Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox

• Small Moments 
• Characters

Tough Boris by Mem Fox

• Words that Paint a Picture
• Characters

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant

• Interesting Opening
• Small Moments
• Description

Thundercake by Patricia Polacco

• Interesting Opening
• Setting
• Word Choice

Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey

• Voice {I read this book without showing pictures to my students first}
• Sequencing

The Pain and The Great One by Judy Blume

• Point of View/Perspective
• Characters

Do you know and love any of these books? We'd love to hear about it!

And don't forget about the gigantic, even-more-amazing TpT Sale happening right now!

If you've still got some teaching to do this year, better snag some of your favorite goodies!

I hope you found this idea helpful! Link up with us and share your favorite mentor texts for narrative writing!


If you link up be sure to… 
*be a follower of both of our blogs.
*use the provided button {just save the image above and link it back here, or provide a link in the picture caption}.
*link to a post related to today’s topic.
*make sure you link to the specific post and not just your blog.

Thanks for playing along! Don’t forget to check out Kate's post on the same topic!

I Survived {my first day back!!} + a Winter Writing Freebie!

Well, I did it.  I survived my first day back from break.

The kids made it pretty easy.  They’re still as cute as they were in 2012 {if you can believe that}!!  Once I saw them I stopped pouting about not being able to sleep in and I just sort of went on with my day.  We had fun.  It’s gonna be a short week, and short weeks are easy peasy!

We’re learning how to “Zoom In” on our topics in writing, so we started with a list of all the fun things we did during our Winter Break, then we looked at my {superrrr long on purpose} list and decided what I could zoom in on.  Then, we worked on creating a really detailed paragraph about the White Elephant Exchange the Mr. and I hosted at our house on Christmas Eve.  Then I sent them back to their seats, and they picked one item from their list they want to write about.

Tomorrow we’ll write our sloppy copies, and Friday we’ll write final copies on the paper below.  I’ve uploaded it to Google Docs if you would like a copy for whenever you head back.  Just click the picture to head on over and grab it.

{There’s a “back side” with more lines for students who will use more than the 5 on the front}

Just a reminder, I’m hosting a giveaway until Saturday!  Click the picture below to enter!



I’m also part of a giveaway that Amy over at 3 Teacher Chicks is hosting.



Head over to wish her a Happy Birthday and enter!

~Halle

A Holiday Writing Freebie

I have a freebie for you tonight.

{Hold the applause}

Every year we do a "Holiday Traditions” writing in 2nd Grade.  It’s an idea our grade partner Erica brought with her to 2nd Grade. {She totally rocks, by the way}.  Each year students decorate a foam gingerbread man and write about their holiday traditions.  In the past, this project was done completely at home, but we decided to take the writing portion, and have students complete it in the classroom this year.

Earlier this week, we sent home a letter explaining the project, as well as the gingerbread men and a graphic organizer for students to complete with their parents.  Later this week, we’ll start our writings.

This really is a wonderful project.  It’s fun as a teacher to hear how other families spend their holiday, and students learn so much about their own traditions along the way.  Win. Win.

I’ve uploaded a general letter explaining the project to families, as well as the graphic organizer and writing paper to Google Docs.  There’s also a rubric to guide families when they’re creating their gingerbread man.

Pretty basic, but definitely a worthwhile holiday project.  Please download it, by clicking the picture below, if any part of it would work for your classroom.



Have a good night friends!

~Halle

Apple Mania, End of Quarter Sale, and Check Out This Giveaway!

Just a really quick announcement: I’m holding a 20% off sale in my store because it’s the last weekend of September.  Thank you everyone for your support of my store.  It’s crazy to me that my products are in classrooms all over the world!  Warms my heart :)

Now, on to the yummy stuff…

Apples have taken over the blogosphere classrooms, and our room was no exception.  Check out how we celebrated Johnny Appleseed’s birthday in our classroom this week :)







We started off by trying apple cider and apple cider donuts.  The whole class knows that Mrs. H loooooooves apple cider donuts, so they were pretty excited to share this bonding experience with me chow down.




Then we graphed the results.  Can I tell you how much they loved that the graph went off the board?  They were rolling on the floor.  “She has to get a chair to reach!!!!”  It’s covering the alphabet!!!!!!!!!!!!!”.  It was adorable.





Then we graphed our results on paper, and interpreted the data.  This was our first graph of the year, and I have to admit, they had some trouble comparing the results.  I was really surprised!!  Note to self: more graphs this year!

We complete the “Happy Birthday Johnny Appleseed” book from Alisha. {Sorry, no pictures, but the book is really cute!}

And we finished up our apple glyphs and apple writings from my “Favorite Way to Eat an Apple” pack.







I modeled the detailed sentences first, then a topic sentence, and well as a closing sentence.  We’re definitely working on organizing our writings.  There is a lot of room for improvement!



The finished result!  They look adorable in the hallway.

I hope to be back soon to share some Back to School Night photos and ideas, as well as offer up a pretty big giveaway!!!

Speaking of giveaways, check out “What Happens in First”.  You can win a LOFT gift card {something every teacher needs :)}


-Halle

It's Hereeeeee! {And a FREEBIE is too!!!}

I finished my Back to School {MEGA} Pack a little earlier than expected...probably due to the temps outside, and not wanting to be anywhere around that heat in the middle of the afternoon.

{Confession: I actually don't HATE the HEAT.  I like it...but since no one else does, I had nothing else to do yesterday afternoon!}


Anywhoooo...my Back to School {MEGA} Pack is up in our TpT shop!  I am also working on posting packets for each of the books individually, but that's taking a little more effort than I currently feel like expending!  {So, if you're looking for activities pertaining to one of the books only, keep your eyes peeled}.  I must say, though, that the {MEGA} Pack is a much better deal {for you bargain shoppers}.


If you won the packet in our little give-away, keep your eyes peeled.  I'll get it to you soon!


For the rest of you, I'm offering up a FREEBIE!  You can grab the Friendly Letter posters I made for the packet for FREE here!

I hope you like them!  I always start my year off with a friendly letter writing.  I end my year that way too...I'm "full circle" like that :)


I hope everyone is having a great Saturday with all this Blog Swappin' goin' on. I know I am :)


Have a good weekend!


Halle

Is Spring Break Over Already?

Well, D-Day is upon us. We go back to school tomorrow, after 10 wonderful days off.

Part of me is excited, because I do much better when I'm on a routine. I got a lot done during spring break, but I also spent my fair share of time watching the Today show {love Kathie Lee and Hoda J} and breaking in our new couch. I actually think I get more done when I'm working! Weird, I know.

We do Terra Nova testing immediately upon our routine from break. This is a first {testing right after break, not testing in general}, and I honestly can't say whether I think I'll like it or not. On one hand, it's easy to plan for, on the other hand, how do we make time for fun spring and Earth Day activities?!!!? We'll see I guess.

I have a freebie for you today: My Spring Break Picture Quilt. It's good for anyone returning to work like we are tomorrow. For everyone else, well, there's always next year! My kids will work on this right when they come in. {We don't have "regular" morning work at this point of the year…we change it up every day}. We'll then use it for their Spring Break writing. It's a fun pre-writing activity, and of course it looks cute.

Grab it Here

I hope you like it, and I hope you can find some way to use it!

Also, Amy Lemons is having a sale today in here TpT shop, 15% off on April 15^th! I already loaded up my cart with tons of her adorable units and packets!

-Halle