Friday Favorites!

This was another of those crazy busy weeks where you just don't seem to know if you're coming or going!  Between the usual routine of school and home, getting ready for some St. Patty's celebrating and our son's growing involvment in swimming and Taekwondo...forget about the lion.  This month is coming in like a whirlwind!  One of my favorite moments of the week actually shows how quickly time is going by:

This is a picture of our 6 year old getting his green stripe in TKD.  He looks like such a big boy!  How can this be?  Wasn't he born just yeaterday? ;-)

So proud of him!

Since this day in the middle of the month - known as the Ides of March thanks to Julius Caesar and some amazing play writing talent from William Shakespeare - falls on Friday Favorite Day, I'm also sharing another favorite.  Flocabulary is a fantastic educational website that has several free videos.  One that I have used in my classes is about the elements of fiction, and my kiddos LOVE it!  The information from various subject areas is shared through hip-hop style songs and videos that are so fun.  We all (absolutely including me) sing and dance right along to this one imparticular:

These Are the Five Things: "This song covers the five main elements of a story: setting, plot, characters, conflict and theme. Whether you’re studying a short story, a novel, an epic poem, a play or a film, if you don’t find these five elements, you’re not looking hard enough. With a catchy chorus that’s hard to forget, this “five elements of a short story” rap will get you or your students hooked." - www.flocabulary.com

There is a fee for full use of this site, but there are several things offered for free - including printable lyrics and lesson plans that go with the videos - that make visiting the site worth while.  Take a look...they keep adding new resources all of the time.

To go with my link to this favorite video of ours, I'm also including a FREEBIE!  I have made some bookmarks that students can use to remember the elements of fiction.  Just click on the image below to print your copy, cut them apart and share.

(Click image)

What are some of your favorites from this week?  Consider sharing in the comments below. :)

Have a great weekend!

Friday Favorites and an Upcoming Giveaway

TGIF!  Seriously.  Just one of those weeks where I'm glad to have a chance to reflect and share with you some favorite things to remind myself of what's important...things including kindness and compassion, a new freebie AND this week, a little news about an up and coming giveaway that I'm super-excited to be a part of because it's celebrating a fantastic bloggy-buddy!

First up is my favorite find of the week.  This video clip has been making the rounds, and though you may have seen it, it's worth a second look.  Consider making time and sharing it with your students and your children, too.  It's another great example of young people stepping up and and showing that kindness and compassion do exist in our schools.  These student athletes have followed the examples of the adults in their lives - specifically parents and coaches in this instance - to go above and beyond in making sure that a very deserving peer is able to experience success on the basketball court.  A must-see:



Love it!!
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Next up is a FREEBIE!  March 1st it is (SO hard to believe it's already here) ...so here is the next in my Cooperative Learning Partners monthly themes.  This month it's:

(Click the image to download.)

Make copies on cardstock, if possible, to make them more sturdy.

3-hole punch them along the top so that they can stay in the front of each student's binder for quick referencing. :)

(Click HERE for the October post that started it all and explains how to use them in your class.  Check out my FREEBIES page as well to collect the previous months if you would like, too.)

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Lastly, I'm so very happy to share some big news with you!!  I can't give too many details yet, but a wonderful bloggy-buddy is planning to share some really great stuff this Saturday.  Tracey from The Teacher's Chair has created the Teaching Blog Circle (a true example of kindness in and of itself) and many of us in it are participating.  She has posted some details of one part of her giveaway already and I would love for you to see it.  Click on the image below to check it out.  Then, be sure to stop by The Teacher's Chair first thing tomorrow to find out how to enter for chances (That's right!  Way more than one!) to win.  What a great way to start a long-awaited weekend, right?!  Yay!! :)

Enjoy the weekend...and good luck!

Friday Favorites...This Time From Our Winter Break

This week has looked so different across the country: some schools had a long weekend for President's Day while others have had a week-long break.  For us, Winter Recess has been a week of family fun and good times.  The kind of times that, as I sit and reflect on the days we've just spent reconnecting, will make great memories for my husband, my son and myself.  I am truly thankful.  Of course...our time away has kept me a bit removed form Middle School Matters Blog this week.  As I settle back in and begin finishing a couple of new projects that I have started and am hoping to share next week, I'm hoping you don't mind if my Friday Favorites this week are more personal than professional in nature.  These finds may not be directly classroom connected...but there was a lot of learning that happened this week!  Here are some of my family's favorites:

1.  Those of us in Upstate New York remember the snowfall we had a couple of weeks ago, but the New England States really got dumped on by Nemo!  We went to Mystic, Connecticut to visit the aquarium there, but along our road trip we made a couple of stops.  One of our favorite places to eat is a little place called Sylvester's in Northampton, Massachusetts.  We could not get over the snow that was still there and our little guy had never seen such mountains of snow!  Keep in mind that time had passed since the storm AND it had rained the night before...that's a lot of snow, friends!

2. Another stop that we made was at our favorite shop - Yankee Candle in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. If you are ever in the area, you need to go!  It's way more than candles.  Santa's Workshop, a Bavarian Black Forest (inside - decorated with lights and snow.  Amazing!), a castle, entertainment for kids (We saw a performance of The Little Mermaid that was interactive with the audience and really well done.) are just some of the things you'll find.  My husband's favorite though, surprising as it was, was actually one of the candle displays.  The Man Cave included Buttered Popcorn and Bacon...mmmmm, bacon...scented candles.  Crazy!

3. Once we made it to Mystic, the aquarium was our first stop.  We love it there, and again, if you happen to find yourself in the area it is one of many great things to do.  Mystic is full of maritime history and great food...including Mystic Pizza, for any Julia Roberts fans. ;-)  The best part for us this time, though, was Mystic Aquarium.  We had taken our son with us a couple of years ago, but he was too little to remember, so this was like new to him.  Randy and I have been many times, and still saw new things.  It was Weird Science Week, so there were many things to observe and do.  We were able to pet stingrays, saw a 4D movie, toured the Titanic (A. Ma. Zing.  Seriously.), watched a great sea lion show, and spent time at each of the beautiful exhibits.  Here are some of our favorite sights:

 Sea Turtles - Little Man wanted to bring one home, but we settled on a stuffed animal version.

 A Touch Tank with baby stingrays and starfish.  He wanted no part of it...until we went the big tank that had adult stingrays.  We all were so busy interacting with them that we didn't get any pictures. Lol

Titanic Exhibit - Iceburg

I really wanted him to reach his arms out and cry, "I'm king of the world!" but he didn't quite get it.  Generation gap...some day he'll see the movie and meet Rose and Jack.

Learning the difference between seals and sea lions - it's all in the flipper!

Sea Lion Show

My FAVORITE picture - up close and personal with a beluga whale!  It swam back and forth and played with us for a while.  So cool!

I'm including links to the favorite places we visited this week.  If you are ever planning a trip to this part of the country, I hope you consider creating some great memories in these great places, too!  

Yankee Candle  - South Deerfield, Massachusetts

Mystic Aquarium - Mystic, Connecticut 

Have you ever been to these places and have favorites moments of your own?  Please consider sharing below. I would love to read about it!  Here's to taking time to make memories...may they get us through to the next opportunity! ;-)

Friday Favorites, a Freebie AND a Big Sale? Good Times!

It's that time once again...Friday is here and there's much to celebrate!  (I'm hearing Kool and the Gang in my head right now..."Ce-le-brate good times, come on!")

First, I would love to share with you a couple of great finds that I made recently.  One of them is a video that was brought to my attention by a former student who thought it might be something "cool to share on my blog." (How much did I love that, by the why?  It made my day!)  He was so right, and I posted it to my Middle School Matters Blog FB page, not knowing who Kid President was but loving everything that he said in the short clip that is both inspirational and guaranteed to make you smile.  Wouldn't you know, I then saw Kid President was featured on the Today Show a few days after?  Social Media is amazing.  Who would've thought it possible that Matt Lauer would be taking cues from me? ;-)

In his "A Pep Talk from Kid President to You," this adorable 9 year old's  platform is simply that "it's everybody's duty to give the world a reason to dance."  It's one of the best pep talks I've heard, touching both my heart and my funny bone.  




In case, like me, this is the first you've heard of Kid President, there are other sweet video that your kiddos will love...even if they've seen them before.  They are great catalysts for discussion and/or writing prompts, for sure!

My second favorite I would like to share is a blog that I discovered through my first giveaway last week!


This is a great blog to visit to find TONS of creative ideas for your teaching and for your classroom.  Tina offers her own creations, but she also generously shares ideas she discovers from others so that her audience can easily find them, too.  Talk about "bloggy love!"  What better way to start February - the month of hearts, valentines and all things kind - then to bring your attention to a blog that shares the love all year round?!   Speaking of Valentine's Day, I also have a new FREEBIE that I would like to share.  The beginning of a new month means the introduction of a new theme for my Cooperative Learning Partners:

(Click on image for download)

This month, I decided to ignore the temptation to focus on the "lovey-dovey" theme that Valentine's Day brings immediately to mind and chose to focus on perfect pairings for food - a theme much more palatable for middle schoolers. :)  Be sure to click HERE to visit the first post about how I use Cooperative Learning Partners as a classroom management tool for cooperative learning.  By visiting my FREEBIES page, you'll be able to pick up previous months' themes as well. 

Lastly, I want to make sure that you are aware of two fantastic sales going on this weekend - as if the Super Bowl doesn't bring with it enough excitement!  Teachers Pay Teachers AND Teacher's Notebook are both offering amazing deals on their own...and I am also providing additional discounts at both of my stores.  MANY teacher sellers are taking part and making similar markdowns, so be sure to take time this weekend to visit all of your favorite stores and attack those wishlists!

Teacher's Notebook:  Sale Saturday and Sunday (February 2nd and 3rd) all products in my store will be will be 25% off!

Teachers Pay Teachers:  I will be running a sale for 20% off both Saturday and Sunday (February 2nd and 3rd) AND on Sunday, February 3rd, TpT will be contributing and ADDITIONAL 10% discount off my already discounted price! (That's 28% OFF! Sa-weet!)  Just enter promo code: SUPER at checkout on Sunday.

Check out the savings at all of your favorite stores.

Have a great weekend filled with  family, friends, football, fantastic food and FABULOUS SALES!

This Week's Friday Favorites - January 25, 2013

And another week has flown by!  Time for Friday Favorites, a moment that I like to take to share things I've found over the week that are inspiring and motivating.  It can be anything that can help enrich instruction in the classroom, touch the hearts of teachers and parents alike...or anything in between.

This week, before I show you some of my favorites, I would like to once again thank everyone who participated in last week's Favorite Finds Linky Party by either linking up a post, or taking the time to check out the great ideas and finds that were shared.  I plan on having another linky party with the same theme next month, so be on the lookout for some great ideas to share.  I can't wait to see what February will bring!

Now (cue drum roll), on to my shares:

First, I want to share something that, as a blogger, has already changed my life.  I was so lucky to come across a FB post by Krystal of Lessons from the Middle, which happens to me one of my favorite middle school blogs. (Click on the link and take a look if you haven't found her already.  Hey, I just shared a favorite without even trying! Lol)  Anyway, she shared a post from the blog Coffee Cups and Lesson Plans that shared a link to a FREE...I know, that's right...a FREE Blogging Planner for 2013 created by Confessions of a Homeschooler!  I clicked on the link and checked it out, downloaded the planner and had to check back a few times to make sure it really was for FREE.  First of all, these are b-e-a-utiful!  Then, even before I started printing the pages I knew this was just what I've been trying to create for myself, but still being kinda new to this whole thing, didn't really know how to best put it all together.  I've started using it already this week and, between this and figuring out HootSuite for scheduling posts on FB, I'm really starting to feel a little more organized and am starting to gain a bit more blogging confidence.  If any of you are also new to blogging, or thinking about starting a blog, click on the link for Confessions of a Homeschooler and take a look.  I just know you'll love it!  I know I really appreciate all the shares that led me to my "bloggy bliss," and I hope this may help you, too. :)

Secondly, I want to share a beautiful story that is sure to inspire.  I came across this via a FB friend (She also happens to be the beautiful wife of my cousin, mommy to 3 fantastic young children AND a brand new teacher to boot!) who posted this link to a news video clip from wltx.com.  It's a story about a beautiful young woman's true passion for teaching and determination to break through stereotypes to meet challenges and make her dreams come true.  This is perseverance at its best...and a love of learning that is contagious. It's my gift to you - to warm your heart on this cold winter day (at least here in the Catskills...brrr!).

Anything that has inspired you this week?  Feel free to share in the comments below! :)
Have a great weekend!

New Linky Party - Favorite Finds

One of my blogging goals for this year is to make sure that I stay true to my original vision of Middle School Matters Blog.  I want this to be a place where, yes, teachers can come to find resources that may be helpful in their classrooms, but to also find a supportive community in which we can share things that motivate and inspire.  I want this to be a place where, knowing the challenges we are all facing in education today, we can find strategies to help work our way through some of the muck and mire that surrounds our profession, and still feel passion for what we do.

In an effort to start sharing some of my favorite things I've found that inspire me, I created Friday Favorites.  Last week, a fellow blogger, Erin of Miss Lifesaver, suggested that I turn this into a Linky Party.  What a great suggestion!!  I have taken part in many the last couple of months, but I've never held one myself.  Could I?  Should I?  Then I saw this on FB:

(from http://ow.ly/i/1nj5s)

Well...OK!  Here goes nothin'!

WELCOME to Middle School Matters Blog's first Linky Party!  I'm hoping to make this a regular event if this goes well.   I can't wait to see what happens!

First, here is my favorite piece of inspiration I've found so far this week.  It's a video clip of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Kids SportsKids of the Year. I've been frustrated as of late about the amount of attention being placed on assessments and test scores...at the expense of the time we have to teach all of the other things that are so important in the growth and development of our children.  This video is short on time, but long on examples of kindness, compassion, empathy, tolerance...love.  You know, all of the qualities that make up excellent people, not just excellent test-takers. ;-)  Take a moment to watch and be reminded that there is so much good in the world.  Then, show it to your students.  Have them talk about it, write about it, reflect on it and respond to it.  There are tons of ways that this could be used as a catalyst for all kinds of authentic writing practice that could easily be aligned to the CCSS for ELA.  It's my favorite find this week!

So, again with thanks to Erin for the idea...it's your turn! :)

Here's what you need to do to link-up and share:

1) Create a blog post that features one of your "Favorites."  This could be a lesson you've just done, a strategy that you've found successful - or want to try, a new website or resource, something you read or wrote...or something that simply inspires you or your students.

2) I'm posting this now to serve as a heads-up for tomorrow.  If you're interested, and oh, I hope you are...just follow my blog and come back to link up starting tomorrow, January 18th. The link will be open all weekend, so if you need to write something for this linky, you may be able to find some time.  

To Link-up:

-Grab my Middle School Matters Blog graphic below to place in your blog.

(Please be sure to include a link back to this blog post.)

-Link up your post! :)

I can't wait to see all of the Favorite Finds we can share!  Thank you for trying this out with me.  I would truly love any feedback or suggestions for this Linky in the comments below. 

I am posting this on Teaching Blog Addicts's Ultimate Linky Party Page.  Click above to find other opportunities to link-up and find resources to share! :)

A Day for Sharing: Friday Favorite and Teaching Blog Circle

I know this post comes a little late on a Friday...but the day just seemed to get away from me!  As things are finally quieting down and I can take a breath, I see it's after 8:00 already.  Yet, I can't hunker down for a night of movie watching with my hubby without taking a moment to share two fabulous finds with you.  One is officially my Friday Favorite - a little something I found and posted to my Facebook page earlier this week.  The other is something that kinda found me, and I'm so thankful.  Both are things that I hope will inspire you.

First, I have a name for you.  It's one to remember, as it is the name of a boy with a heart of gold who has taken the mere words, "Stand up against bullying," and has acted on them.  He started a movement that has touched the hearts of those in his high school, his community and now thanks to NBC's Today, has inspired the multitudes.  His name is  Jeremiah Anthony.  He is a high school student who decided to show it's just as easy to tweet compliments as it is to spread hurtful comments through social media. He's been an inspiration in his school's community, and serves an a beautiful example of compassion for all of us. Nicely done!  Take a moment to click the link above and watch his story.  At a time when it seems difficult for the media to find and report on simple examples of human kindness, it made my heart happy to see Jeremiah's story.  Think about how you may be able to share this clip with your students. 

Secondly, I would like to share with you that I was the recipient of an act of "bloggy" kindness earlier this week.  It made my day when I saw this comment on my last post:

"I just shared your site with my daughter's middle school teacher :)
You have a special place in the heart of the Teaching Blog Circle! I invite you to stop by and learn more... Your blog has inspired and helped me :)"
Tracey
The Teacher's Chair

Thank you, Tracey!  This gesture was so appreciated, and I look forward to passing along the love to some of my favorite bloggers who have taught me so much - without even knowing - and continue to inspire me every day.   Be sure to stop by Tracey's blog, The Teacher's Chair, to learn more about this award and her other creative ideas and resources. Ok.  My hubby has gotten our little man to bed and I can hear he's just finishing reading the last story before "lights out."  I don't want to miss out on the goodnight smooches! :-)  Be sure to leave a comment about any of the above, or something that you found this week that is a favorite of yours.  I would love to learn about it!

Friday Favorite - The First Thanksgiving

Happy Friday!! I've been looking at lots of great teaching resources this week, but my favorite find is what I share with you today. I happened to see a preview for this on Scholastic Teachers' Facebook page. Scholastic has a whole series focusing on virtual field trips with The First Thanksgiving as a theme. It's fantastic!! For anyone looking for resources to use for supplementing any thanksgiving reading or writing lessons in the next week or so, please take the time to check this out:

The First Thanksgiving Student Activities for Grades PreK-12 
 http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/

You'll find a variety of different resources, including high-quality videos that recreate the events that transpired in the creation of that very Thanksgiving so many years ago.  In my search, it looks like the newest video about the Mayflower is coming soon, and if the preview is any indication, I can't wait to see it.  I know that students in middle school would love it!

Take a look and let me know what you think.  I hope you find it helpful!  In the comments below, please consider sharing any ideas you may have for using it in your lessons next week.

Have a great weekend!

November Currently - Awesomesauce!!

I saw so many of these posts over the last month and wasn't really sure how it worked...until now. Turns out, each month Oh' Boy 4th Grade hosts a really sweet linky party.  This is such a fun way to get involved in the teacher-blogger community and learn about other teacher-authors!  Thanks for the opportunity, Farley...and heeeerrrreee's my November:

Listening:  It's funny how kids really subscribe to the "out of sight - out of mind" principle.  We've had some old toys in a box for several months now, and our son has not mentioned them once.  Today I brought the box up from the basement to go through some more things that we can donate to those who have lost everything in the wake of Sandy...and now everything in the box is his favorite.  Lesson learned.

Loving:  I so adore the first few snowflakes that fall from the sky and blanket the muddy fall ground in a blanket of white.  My adoration wanes shortly after the holidays...but for now, Yay!!

Thinking:  Fall Back Day (what our family calls it) had once been of my favorite days of the year.  That has changed since having our son.  There is no sleeping in anymore.  It is 6am every morning...except for Fall Back Day when it is 5am.  I always have great hopes and seem to forget the previous year's lack of sleep.  I worked on some projects a little later than usual last night knowing I had the extra hour, but this morning our son informed us that though he knew what the clock said, his brain told him the clocks were wrong.  Oh well, nothing a little extra java can't fix.  And the flip-side is we have an extra hour that my hubby and I are spending with our greatest little love! :)

Wanting:  Nothing like roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and biscuits to accompany the first snowflakes!

Needing:  Added to my to do-list ASAP...Teachers Help Teachers is a link for anyone who can help those teachers who have lost so much - including teaching resources - as a result of Hurricane Sandy tearing through the East Coast.  Here is the link if you would like to learn more about this and would like to help:

I plan on linking a product donation today. 

Music: I know.  Christmas music already.  Crazy...but it makes me SO happy!  Our son has been singing "Frosty the Snowman" since Tuesday when he had his first "snowday" from Kindergarten.  It was actually a hurricane day (Who knew in upstate New York?!) without snow.  He was a little confused, perhaps, but it put me in the spirit nonetheless.  

That's what I'm doing currently.  That was so much fun!  Click on mine above to check out the link for Oh' Boy 4th Grade to share what you're doing currently, too.

Friday Favorites

So I'm trying something a little different.  As I've been learning more and more about blogging and all of the great teaching resources that are out there in the blogosphere, I'm realizing there is just SO much to see and so little time to really dedicate to exploring. This, my friends, is a great problem to have!  I'm adding more and more items to my Pinterest boards, but I also want to share with you some of my REALLY favorite finds and keep them in one place for you.

Each Friday I plan to share a link to a favorite blog post or resource that I happen to come across.  I'm hoping that you may also be inspired by my lucky finds.

To start, this week has been an unbelievably difficult one for so many of us.  Whether we are experiencing for ourselves the devastation that is occurring as a result of Hurricane Sandy, supporting friends and family who are in the midst of the disaster, or looking for a way to help as we see image after painful image of the desperate situation unfolding in the Northeast - many of us are physically and emotionally exhausted.  Courage is just one of many character traits that we are seeing so much of these days...and many are digging down deep to find it within ourselves.

With this in mind, I was so happy to stumble upon:
 

This blog, written by Maria Dismondy, is filled with all kinds of resources, including book trailers and teaching guides to books that she has authored.  My favorite part of this blog is her monthly linky party.  It focuses on a character trait as a theme for the month...and as luck would have it, November's theme is courage!  Her hope is that each month bloggers will link up ideas on how to teach these traits to children so that, as more ideas are shared, more children will be able to recognize these traits in others and develop them within themselves.

Talk about teachable moments - tons of them have blown in with Sandy!  I find that, in middle school aged students, it helps guide their understanding of concepts like this when they are given a chance to make personal connections.  If it relates to them...then it's valuable to consider it, read about it and write about it!  I love using current events for this purpose, and especially with the shift toward using nonfiction resources with the Common Core State Standards, collecting several news clips of true stories of courage to show as writing starters would be fantastic.  As in any natural disaster that brings communities to their knees, media coverage of Sandy has provided us a plethora of images and true stories of courage.  Gathering a few of these and showing them as a starter for students explaining what courage means to them, or describing an example of courage, would be very helpful.

For another idea, we've all seen the Values.com advertisements and billboards that promote character traits like courage.  On their website they have a page dedicated to courage and a space for students to design their own billboards.  Whether you choose to use this resource as it is, or develop a lesson around creating a "Courage. Pass It On." type advertisement, this would be a fun way for students to explore their own definition of courage and to share it with others.

Here is the {LINK} to her post explaining Maria's monthly themes and how her linky party works. You'll find other opportunities to link up as well.  I just couldn't wait to share the link with you as November is starting already and I'm sure that there are so many of you who have ideas that you could use right now.  Be sure to check out Maria Dismondy's Make a Difference Monthly Linky - my 1st Friday Favorite!