Hi Everyone,

Where has the Summer gone?? I can not believe it's time to go back to work. Erica and I have had a great Summer and we are ready to get back into our groove. With that said, we are throwing a 20% off sale on TPT. We are already working on new items to post. Be on the lookout for them.

Good luck to you in your 2012-2013 school year and enjoy!



P.S. Erica got engaged this Summer to a great guy named Cole. She has been busy, busy, busy planning her November wedding...yes November! Can you believe she was able to find her wedding dress in 2 hours! A big CONGRATULATIONS to Erica and Cole.

Viva Las Vegas

Vegas, Vegas, Vegas!

Erica and I just got back from the SDE Differentiated Instruction conference in amazing Las Vegas. The SDE presenters did a great job of giving us new ideas to use in our classrooms. My list is getting longer and longer of things to get done before the new school year.

After an afternoon of learning, we got to unwind by meeting some of our industry's leading bloggers. We were able to talk with Deanna Jump (Mrs. Jump's Class), Kathy Griffin (Kathy Griffin's Teaching Strategies), Hope King (Second Grade Shenanigans), and Rachelle Smith and Natalie Kay (What the Teacher Wants) to name a few. They all went out of their way to talk with everyone and answer questions. Everyone was so nice! 

Erica, Deanna, and Ashley

A group of these teacher bloggers put together a bunch of fabulous giveways.  Who doesn't like free stuff?! These ladies know the way to a teacher's heart.  Erica and I were two of the lucky winners. We both won resources from Heidi Songs.  I got a DVD titled "Little Songs for Language Arts" and Erica got a "Sing and Spell" CD.  We can't wait to use these next year! Erica also received a $25 gift certificate to the Blue Bird Gift Company (an awesome shop on etsy!). I think everyone at the meet up won something. They had so many prizes!

We were so blessed to have this experience in Las Vegas and can't wait till next year!

Predicting Next Year

 I have seen a lot of creative end of year activities on everyone’s blogs. This got me thinking I should get the kids to predict what next year will be like. So I created a Book of Predictions for Next Year. I know my little kiddos are excited that they will be big 2^nd graders next year. They are already trying to predict who their teacher will be. I am so sad that they are moving on but I am READY for summer break. Enjoy the last few days and go check out this free...yes, free... Book of Predictions for Next Year at TPT.

Digraphs ai and ay

Only 16 days to go! I am definitely ready for it this year.  Looking forward to relaxing on the beach! 

I just wanted to let you all know that we've added another spelling sort.  This time it's digraphs ai and ay.  I use these sorts in my literacy centers and am loving them.  The kids are engaged and their spelling is improving!  We use Saxon Phonics and Spelling at our school. Although it is very thorough, I don't feel that it gives the students enough practice with each sound.  That's why Ashley and I are creating these centers.  This time, I've included 3 levels of difficulty in the sort for differentiation.  I hope you'll check it out!

Teacher Appreciation Week!

Have you seen the sale that's going on at TpT?  It is time to stock up!  Many of the sellers, including us here at Fit for First Grade, are offering 20% off on all of their products.  AND you can get another 8% off if you use this code at checkout:  TAD12.  I finally get to buy those products that have been waiting in my cart!

It gets even better!  Have you checked out the Teacher Appreciation Jackpot?  Head over to A Modern Teacher to take advantage of these amazing offers!  I've already downloaded 20 freebies and have at least 60 more to go!  A BIG thank you to the participating teachers for their generosity.  The products I've seen are AWESOME.  What a wonderful gift for Teacher Appreciation Week!

I just uploaded our Math Journal Prompts for May and June. It includes 40 word problems for giving your students daily practice with addition and subtraction. It, along with all of our other products, is on sale for 20% off until May 8th!  Click on the picture below to go to our TpT store.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you're having a great weekend...I'm off to download more freebies!

ow and ou spelling center

After using Erica's oy and oi spelling center, I had to make one for ow and ou. I sat with a group of my students and watched them work with these diphthongs. I could see their level of confidence rise with spelling words like mouse and plow. I hope your classroom enjoys working with this new center for ow/ou.

Center includes:

 teacher and student directions
- ow and ou spelling rule reference sheet
- ow and ou sorting mats
- 24 ow and ou words to sort and spell
- recording sheet to write the words

Head over to our TPT store and check it out.  Enjoy your weekend!

Words of Encouragement

It's time for FCAT here in Florida.  FCAT is our high stakes assessment for 3rd grades and up.  This is one of the many reasons I am so thankful to be a 1st grade teacher! 

This year our school has really made an effort to get the kids pumped up for the test.  Each K-2 teacher has buddied up with one of the intermediate teachers.  My students are buddies with a 5th grade class.  In addition to having my kids write notes of encouragement to the 5th graders, I thought I'd make little goodie bags for each day of the test.  I found some really cute ideas on Pinterest.  Here's what I ended up with:

You can click {here} to see my Pinterest board where I got the inspiration. 

I decided to make a little freebie that includes 4 notes with suggestions for treats to go with them.  Head over to our TpT store to check it out and download for free!  They're great for wishing students luck on any test!