Calling All Superheros!

Kids love superheros! I would love them more if I had a pink/purple cape. I've noticed lots of teachers in blog land have super cute superhero themes in their classrooms. So, I thought I would share this adorable gift my son received for his birthday this spring.

Super Donavon (my son - isn't he so cute?!!) 

The family that gave it to him had it custom made with a "D" on the back.

The company that made this cape is called Power Capes.  They make capes, tutus, masks and lots of other cute super hero accessories.  You can click on the image below to go their site.   They also do fundraisers, but I don't know anything about their fundraisers.

My Favorite Books From Series

After my post last week about one of the response forms I use with my students when they are reading a book from a series, I received a few emails asking about my favorite series for 1st graders.

Here is my quick list. I only listed one title from each series (as I pulled them off my shelf). I also included the Fountas/Pinnell level, in case that is helpful for anyone. The levels for different titles within some series vary from book to book.

Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (level F)
Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath by Cynthia Rylant (level F)
Follow Me, Mittens by Lola Schaefer (level F)
Carl and the Puppies by Alexandra Day (level F)
I Won't Share (Noodles) by Hans Wilhelm (level G)
I Spy a Butterfly by Jean Marzollo (level G)
Marley Farm Dog by Susan Hill (level I)
Back in the Saddle (Pony Scouts) by Catherine Hapka (level I)
Leo City All Aboard by Sonia Sander (level J)
The Bernestain Bears Family Reunion(I Can Read) by Stan and Jan Berenstain (level H)
Fancy Nancy Poison Ivy Expert by Jane O'Connor (level I)
Young Cam Jansen and the Zoo Note Mystery by David Adler (level J)
Mr. Putter and Tabby Write the Book by Cynthia Rylant (level J)
Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House by Cynthia Rylant (level J)
Poppleton and Friends by Cynthia Rylant (level J)
Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown by Paula Danziger (level K)
Minnie and Moo Go to the Moon by Denys Cazet (level K)
Amelia Bedelia and the Baby by Peggy Parish (level L)
Cam Jansen and the Secret Service Mystery by David Adler (level L)
Horrible Harry and the Kickball Wedding by Suzy Kline (level L)
Pinky and Rex by James Howe (level L)
Ready, Freddy! Homework Hassles by Abby Klein (level L)
Arthur and the Cootie-Catcher by Marc Brown (level M)
Junie B. First Grader (at last!) by Barbara Park (level M)

Hope this is helpful for someone! Off to put my books back...

Activity Pack for Back to School

I just posted my Activity Pack for Back to School on Tpt!

I'm also excited to announce that I'll be selling things now at Teacher's Notebook as well. I just set that shop up this morning, so it only has a few products posted so far.   You can click on the link below to visit my new Teacher's Notebook shop.  The Back to School pack can be purchased on either site.  I'll be posting more details about the new shop in the next few weeks.  If you're interested in setting up your own Teacher's Notebook shop, you can click on the link in my sidebar to get started.

Look Who Went Shopping!

Shopping is just about the only reason I can think of to post a picture of myself in shorts (yuck, I agree with Abby about shorts)  but anyway... I'm so excited about my purchases that I forced my husband to take a picture of little old me and my new bloggin gear! After responding, "You're kidding, right?"...he cooperated.  And my five year old contributed, "Oh great, now even your clothes are funky!" 

Yep, I purchased these oh so cute items at the TBA blog shop at Cafe Press! The shirt that I'm wearing in the pic, the water bottle and the bag all have my blog button and the TBA blog button on them.  And the "teacher by day blogger by night" was just too cute to pass up.  My teammates at school are gonna burst out laughing (and be jealous I'm sure) when they see my new back to school blog gear. :)

There are tons of choices at the TBA blog shop.  You can click on the TBA blog shop icon in my sidebar if you'd like to take a peek around at the shop.

I couldn't do it. I cropped out my shorts (and the not so pretty legs that were stickin' out of them).  Ha!

It's Freebie Friday!

 

Happy Friday!

These are two of the games we play in one of our math units. The focus of the games is to help students explore combinations of numbers. We use 2 colored counters with both games. I fancied up the recording sheets so I could share them with you. You can click on the images below to download the games.  I love comments and new followers!  If it's your first visit, please consider following.

Enjoy your weekend! 

A New Blog in Town

Nothing like finding another fabulous teaching blog! Kristin is a first grade teacher with lots of experience, great ideas and a new blog! She already posted a few freebies for her new followers. Please stop by to visit her at A Teeny Tiny Teacher to become a follower.  Her blog design is adorable!

Welcome, Kristin!

Books from a Series

Reading books from a series is an exciting part of 1st grade. One of the best things about teaching 1st grade is discovering the "favorite" series of a specific student.  I've found that reading books in a series can be factor that motivates students to move from "assigned" reading to pleasure reading.  For that reason, I use lots of books from series (that are appropriate for 1st graders) as read alouds in my room.

Here is a response form that I use with my students. You can click on the picture below if you'd like to download it.

Did you know that a TBA author (or 2) gives away a freebie each Friday?  It's called Freebie Fridays!  Tomorrow it's my turn.  Come back to visit!