Interactive Sentence Scrambles Freebie!!

Hello!

I hope you're enjoying these last few moments of your Thanksgiving weekend and gearing up for TpT's Cyber Monday {and Tuesday} Sale!

I have a fun new product and freebie for you today!

I've always loved using sentence scrambles in my classroom as a way to reinforce proper sentence structure.  They're just one of those things where the students are doing work and learning but they just think they're playing, ya' know?

As much as I love sentence scrambles I found myself wanting to get more out of them, especially in the upper elementary grades. We all know that time is precious in our classrooms and I so I became determined to find a way to get the most out of these scrambles my students loved so dearly.

And so my Interactive Sentence Scrambles were born!

Students are still unscrambling the sentences and having fun while doing it but they're also getting practice with parts of speech, writing detailed sentences and responses, prefixes and suffixes, and synonyms and antonyms!

I've created these interactive scrambles for the months of December, January, and February so far. They are available to purchase by month or bundled together for each season {winter season is the only available season currently}

Here is an example of a completed sentence scramble:

Each interactive scramble unit also comes with a "sentence board" and large cut-apart sentences. These are perfect if you use interactive notebooks or centers in your classroom, or if you want to cut down on your copies!

Want to try before you buy?

Click the picture below to grab an interactive sentence scramble freebie. The freebie contains two interactive scramble sheets.

The scrambles are posted in my TpT shop and will be discounted during the sale. Click below to add them to your cart!

Happy Shopping!

Halle

Bundled Comprehension: Win It!!

PSA: I've been hesitant to write a post plugging my bundled comprehension passages for a few weeks. I hate writing anything that seems to braggy or salesman-like but I really want to show what a versatile product the passages are, as well as give you a chance to win them and/or grab them at a great price...so without further ado..

***

If you've been a follower of my blog or my TpT shop for awhile, you know that my comprehension passages are my babies. I started with the Winter Edition two years ago, and I've since added 6 more editions to the collection. My passages are some of my best sellers in my store and have received some pretty awesome feedback...

The opportunity to buy my passages BUNDLED has been around for awhile...in fact if you bought in early on you got a total of 4 editions for FREE! That's a pretty amazing deal if you ask me!

With the recent edition of my non-fiction passages, my bundled comprehension passages are now complete. Since everyone loves a good deal, the bundle is discounted on TpT. The value of the bundle is $48.50 but you can grab it for $40 even on Teachers Pay Teachers. That's getting a whole regular edition for free, plus another dollar off!

The Bundled Edition of my comprehension passages includes 78 passages, so by purchasing the bundle at $40, you're getting each individual passage for under 52 cents with passages to use all school-year long!

not all passages are pictured

Editions in the Bundle Include:
*Back to School {Mini-Edition}
*Fall
*Christmas {and other winter holidays} {Mini-Edition}
*Winter
*Spring
*Late Spring/Summer
*Non-Fiction

All Editions, except the Non-Fiction Edition {which features non-fiction passages exclusively}, feature both fiction and non-fiction passages that require students to use text-based evidence to answer OPEN-ENDED comprehension questions.

Other skills addressed:
*plot
*characters
*predicting
*inferring
*main idea & details
*sequencing
*author's purpose
*genres
*connections {text to self, text to world}

The passages are PERFECT for:
*homework
*classwork
*centers
*early finishers
*guided reading
*close reading
*small groups
*tutoring
*extra practice

Here are some photos of the passages at work in my classroom:

I introduce my expectations for how to complete the comprehension passages on my projector. We complete a few of these as a class or small group before I assign the passages to guided reading groups or for homework.

A buyer actually introduced me to highlighting the questions and corresponding text in different colors. This is how we complete the passages in small groups. It makes it very easy for the students {and me} to see where in the text they found their answers. We've also used erasable colored pencils in case they make mistakes, but the markers are easier to use.

I also have students circle the words they would use when restating the question for their answer. Restating is a requirement in my classroom.

This is a sheet from the non-fiction passages, which are slightly different than the other editions. They feature a "define it" box where students have to define a specified word from the passage. The passages include definition cards, which are great to keep at a center or use in small groups. You can also have students use their own words or draw a picture of what the word means.

I plan on featuring a post in the near future explaining all of the different ways these passages have been used by myself and other teachers. Be on the lookout!

Now, here's the GOOD STUFF!

You can grab these passages for 20% off today and tomorrow ONLY!{{ Grabbing them during the sale means you get the passages for 41 cents per individual passage!}}

Grab the passages HERE!

You can also enter to win the BUNDLE below!!! Already own the bundle or want to buy it on sale instead? If you win and already own the bundle, I will give you $32 worth of resources from my store instead! I call that Win/Win!

The Giveaway ends tonight at midnight! Good luck!

Halle

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Currently, This November

So, it's November. When did that happen and can time please slow down? I have to spend it with my precious girl.

In other words, please be awesome, November...

I haven't participated in Farley's CURRENTLY in awhile, so let''s get it started!

Listening: to the Broncos and Patriots. It's Sunday, I don't really have a choice :)

Loving: Just hanging out! It's pretty cold and windy here so we've been holed up inside pretty much all day. My husband worked A LOT of overtime this week (including overnights and Saturday), so we're soaking up all the time together as a little family of 3 {{plus Georgie Girl}} eating homemade corn chowder, drinking red wine, and lighting fall candles.

Thinking: Ella needs a bath. She was a VERY messy eater today!

Wanting: Some leftover Halloween candy. We waaaay over-purchased this year. Our trick-or-treaters weren't out in droves like they were last year. I call dibs on Twix, Snickers, and Hershey's Cookies'n'Cream!

Needing: I definitely shouldn't imbibe...I've still got some baby weight hanging around, but my will power around sweets is at an all time low right about now!

Reading: You mean besides baby books, blogs, and forums? I started Yellow Crocus on a road-trip a few weeks ago. It's a beautiful book about an enslaved wet nurse who gives up her own baby to care for a wealthy family's. It's especially touching considering I have a brand new baby of my own right now. I love it so far, but I haven't had the chance to get back into it since we got home.

And now some pictures of my sweet girl, because, you know...

Starting to really smile these days!

Mid-sneeze! An outtake from our one month photo shoot!

Celebrating her first Halloween

Happy November!

Halle

Room on the Broom Freebie

Hi there!

Happy Wednesday! You're halfway through the week :) Yay! That's good news!

More good news?

Ella strongly prefers napping on my lap.

That's good news for you, not so much for me.

See, awhile back I started a "Room on the Broom" unit. It's one of my very favorite Halloween books and I decided I wanted a unit to go with it. It was to be my first unit for TpT since having Ella in September. I was feeling truly inspired!

And then the nap incidents happened. Repeatedly. And I ran out of time to complete the unit before Halloween.

A RARE photo depicting Ella napping in a location other than her mama's lap :)

This turned out not to be a complete loss for two reasons:

1} I love Ella snuggles.
2} You get what I did finish... for FREE!

Yay!

See? Good news!

The FREEBIE "Room on the Broom" unit features 3 extension activities:

1} Questioning Cards
2} Sequencing Cards
3} Cause and Effect Cards

I hope you can find some time to use these activities with your students before Halloween rolls around next week!

I do plan on adding the rest of my ideas to this unit and making it a priced unit at some point in time. Who knows when that will be!  Hopefully some time before Ella's 1st birthday!

Click the picture below to grab this freebie from TpT. If you do download it I would appreciate your positive feedback. It's been a little while since I posted a freebie on TpT!

Have a great day!

~Halle

Introducing Ella Grace

I've been MIA for awhile, but I promise I have a good reason! Just a quick little post to let you know what's been keeping me occupied these days :)

Introducing Miss Ella Grace...

3 days old

Ella was born on September 13, 2014 at 9:47am. She weighed 8 lbs even and measured in at 20 1/4 inches long.  We didn't know what we were having before Ella was born, and both her daddy and I thought SHE was going to be a HE! So, needless to say, we were pretty surprised!

We are so in love with this little lady!

not always a fan of pictures

Once we get some sort of routine going {haha}, I hope to check in a lot more often. Until then, I'll be busy snuggling this little muffin!

~Halle

Meet Me, Teacher Blogger Linky!!

I'm so excited to be participating in this little linky thrown by my friend Stephanie at Falling into First.  I love getting to the chance to know all of my favorite bloggers a little better.

Before I answer all of Stephanie's questions, here's a little blurb about me...

I've been married for 2 years to my loving, sarcastic, hard-working, and supportive husband, Dave.  We are expecting our first baby in just under a month. {Hopefully he/she is not like me in that I am almost always late!!!!}. We live in a cute little house with our dog, Georgie Girl, who is my four-legged, furry baby, and our cat, Mac, who is sweet as can be.  Life has been extremely good to me :)

 Now, onto the questions...

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

my Georgie Girl, lattes, pale pink nail polish, beach days, summer nights, breakfast foods, evening walks, fonts, and naps

IF YOU WEREN'T A TEACHER, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO BE?

a newscaster or graphic designer

THREE LITTLE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOU

sensitive, creative, shy

FINISH THE SENTENCE, "_________________" SAID NO TEACHER, EVER!

paperwork is the best part of my job!

Q: IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND YOU CAN INVITE ANYONE {DEAD OR ALIVE} TO YOUR PARTY. WHO ARE YOU INVITING?

Justin Timberlake, Emma Stone and Jimmy Fallon

Q: IF SOMEONE WROTE A BOOK ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD BE THE TITLE?

Just a Small Town Girl

Q: YOU GET TO PICK ONE SUPERPOWER. WHAT IS IT?

invisibility

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE OR SAYING?

i have so many. here are a few of my favorites

Q: IF YOU HAD TO SING ONE SONG ON AMERICAN IDOL, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

like a prayer {madonna}

Q: ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?

morning person...about 20 minutes after my alarm goes off

Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE RESOURCE THAT YOU'VE CREATED IN YOUR TPT SHOP?

probably my comprehension passages, although my favorite is usually whatever i've just finished!

SHARE SOMETHING WE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU!

i'm half italian which no one would ever guess given my fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. {ok, naturally light brown hair and blue eyes}

So fun, right?!  Make sure you join up with Stephanie and/or head to her blog to learn about many more of your favorite bloggers!! Click the button below to head on over!

TPT B2S Sale Must-Haves & a GIVEAWAY!!!

Hello friends!

I'm taking a break from stocking my TpT cart to show a few back-to-school items you need to add to yours!  And if you're patient enough, you could even win an item or two :)

Starting tomorrow, and lasting through Tuesday, you can save 28% in my TpT shop by entering the code BTS14 at checkout!

I always head back to school with books. Because I LOVE books!

This pack will get you through your first week guaranteed!  It contains some activities to go with your favorite back to school books, as well as a few wonderful books you may not have hear of yet {add them to your Amazon cart, pronto}

I especially love the Bully Book Pack. Much of the pack can be used without the books, though I highly recommend them.

You can also purchase all of the book packs separately by clicking here, but the bundle is a HUGE savings...especially during the B2S Sale!

Do you have a writing center in your classroom? Do you use Daily 5?  Do you do thematic writing? If you do, add this monthly writing paper to your cart!  I don't have to search for writing paper throughout the year anymore. I just print off what I need when I need it!  And there are different styles of writing lines that make this product great for any grade level!

I JUST posted my newest inferring pack.  This one is perfect for back-to-school, or anytime you're introducing or reinforcing inferences.  As always, it contains two sets of clue cards, making it perfect for grades K-3

Check out my other inferring packs here!

If you're teaching any types of nouns this year, you NEED this pack!!  It uses "noun cards" to introduce and reinforce nearly every type of noun. It truly is an engaging and interactive product your students will love!

Last year I thought to myself, "I have this beautiful word wall but my kids aren't using it."  I created this Word Wall Book to make my word wall more interactive. My students recorded new words in their books weekly and used their books during writing.  They also used the extension sheets during Daily 5.

Last, but MOST DEFINITELY not least, are my Reading Comprehension Passages. These passages get me through the year. They are definitely my most used product that I make myself.  I have them for every season, separately or bundled. And I'm REALLY HOPING to get my non-fiction passages uploaded at some point during the sale.  Then the bundled pack will be complete!

You can save BIG TIME by buying the bundle during the sale, but all passages are available separately.

I really hope you'll add some of these beginning of the year products to your cart during the sale, and I'd love to give you some incentive...

Want $10.00 to shop with during the sale tomorrow and Tuesday?  You don't even have to use it at my store!!

Enter using the rafflecopter below!  Giveaway ends tonight at midnight. I will email the winner their gift certificate in the morning!

~Halle

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wish List Wednesday: Back to School MEGA Book Pack, Win It!!

Today's Wish List Wednesday is PERFECT for Back to School!

My MEGA Book Pack has everything you need to get through your first week back, using your absolute favorite books!

This unit incorporates the following books:

*A Bad Case of Stripes

*Chrysanthemum

*Dear Teacher

*How I Spent my Summer Vacation

*Juicebox Bully

*The Recess Queen

*Hooway for Wodney Wat

I have used this unit for my first days of school for the past 4 years.

Here a few example photos from various parts of the MEGA Pack:

Read more about this unit and download the preview here.

Grab it for 30% off through Friday here.

Win it TODAY ONLY below:

~Halle

a Rafflecopter giveaway