Sight Word Wall featuring First 500 Words

Word Walls are one of the trickiest things to deal with when it comes to working with multiple grades in one classroom. I always want to display words but it comes down to needs: who needs to see the words the most and then space. I never seem to have enough space to display all the words I would like to put up!


Last year I made a Pre-primer and Primer word wall for my 1st graders. By the time I hung those up I was out of wall space. Sometimes my 3rd, 4th and 5th graders would ask me how to spell something, or I would see them checking the word wall, but alas, it wouldn't be on there! So, I decided to try using first five hundred words this year instead. 

I included 5 sets:

As well as Alphabet headers:

The owl alphabet headers are 6 1/2 x 5 inches and the word cards are 2 1/2 x 5 inches.

Each set of words has a different colored background, in case you need to sort through them, or want to display only one set at a time. All of the colors match the owl headers so they can be mixed and matched to suit your classes needs!

I plan on mixing the sets together and displaying all of them in my room this year. I think that will save me the trouble of having to redo my word wall displays as my groups progress. It will also allow everyone to access words they may not be familiar with.

This set is available in my TpT store!

If I Wasn't On A Budget...Watches and Rings

I love watches of course, since they fall into my jewelry obsession category! I have so many that I adore, yet I am so quick to fall in love every time I see the newest watches. These three definitely have me smitten. I am not even sure if I could pick my favorite...but I do lean towards purple, so I think I would go with the owl!

1. Sprout Diamond Owl Watch
2. Sprout Bird Dial Bracelet Watch
3. Betsey Johnson Black Strap Watch

Rings are another problem, I cannot get enough of these statement rings! I love the Betsey Ring, but I'm not sure I would want to wear a 2-finger ring that often. I really fancy the butterfly ring, especially because it is rose gold! I haven't had stacking rings since high school, but the colors of these chevron rings are awesome - they would match anything and everything. I think they are my pick!

4. Betsey Johnson Iconic Celestial Starburst 2-Finger Ring
5. Cubic Zirconia Rose Gold Double Butterfly Ring
6. Chevron Ring Stack

Which watches and rings would you choose? Let me know in the comments below!

A Room in Review - What Worked? What Flopped?

I've only been out for almost a month, but being a typical teacher I am already thinking of next year, and next year's decor!

Long Vowel Team Games: Including Blends and Digraphs

Now updated with new a clean look!

When I worked in pullout for eight years, I found games to be the most effective way to help students master tricky concepts.  

Nail Art - B+W Crackle, Toes and Giveaway Winner!

I love black and white, I have tons of outfits that can attest to this! I like trying the combo out on my nails in different ways. This time I decided to add silver to it as well! Crackle is great for a midweek manicure, it is so fast and easy!

I kept it simple - white nails divided in half with crackle, alternating the silver and the black.

For this manicure I used: (Click on the color shade for a link!)
Essie - Blanc
Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat - Ink Splatter
Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat - Fractured Foil

I tend to be lazy about my toes, usually I just paint them several colors or use glitter polish. I decided to try some nail art and I really like how it came out! I used the smallest dotting tool for the dots as well as the stripes.

For this pedicure I used:

China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy

China Glaze - For Audrey

Essie - No Place Like Chrome

Dotting tools

Next up, the winner of my Compound Word Puzzles!

Congratulations Cheryl, you are the winner! I will be emailing you this morning!

What is on your fingers and toes this week? Any new shade obsessions? Tell me all about them in the comments below!
 

If I Wasn't On A Budget...Handbags and Shoes

I am on a budget, a strict one too - as in a no shopping budget. I thought I would cheer myself up by pretending to shop on my blog, so here are my top 3 favorite bags and shoes of the week!!

I am smitten with green and teal satchels lately. I would choose either 1 or 2. I like #2's studs but I adore the color and texture of #1!

1. Urban Expressions Le Petit Mini Satchel - Mint Green
2. Steve Madden BStud Studded Satchel - Turquoise
3. Big Buddha JSutton Satchel - Turquoise

As for the shoes, I adore NYT's wedges, they are so comfy! I already have a pair in black and one in silver. I have never tried XOXO's, but I am loving the tan flowers!!

4. XOXO Sahara Wedge Sandal - Tan
5. New York Transit Value Wedge Sandal - Taupe
6. New York Transit Must Do Wedge Sandal - Pewter/Multicolor

What shoes and bags are on your wishlist (or in my case, dreamlist) lately? Tell me all about them in the comments below!!

Compound Word Puzzles

Compound Words were a troubling thing for my third graders last year in Intervention. They never knew which words went together when they were writing in their journals. We had a mini lesson about them and it seemed to help, but I think these puzzles will really reinforce the concept!

There are a total of 166 compound word puzzles all featuring common beginnings.

I included score sheets, and a sample, so students can work on this independently in literacy centers or in small groups during Word Study/Word Work. I use these score sheets as an post-activity assessment tool.

First students will write in the word they believe makes a true compound word.

For example:
sea + weed = seaweed.

Next they will use the word in a context sentence:

Something touched me in the ocean and I was scared, but it was just seaweed!

If I see a student, or a group of students who were unable to use the compound words correctly, or put together words that do not fit, I know they need another lesson review with me. 

I included an Answer Key so students can check their compound words before handing in the sheets. This gives them a chance to see if their sentences make sense. If they put together a word like backpark and they do not see it on the list they will know they have made a mistake and they will be able to fix it.

The Answer Key lists all the words in this set alphabetically, by their beginnings. This allows you to separate the puzzles when you are introducing new compound word families. I like to introduce just a few families at a time, that way the game is not too difficult for beginners!

This set is available in my TpT store!

Nail Art - Pinky Coral Ombre with Glitter!!

I was feeling summery last week - before the rain set in that is!! I was dying to try out my new Maybelline creamy white shade too, and I thought this would be the perfect way! If you're interested all the polishes will be listed at the end of the post!

I started with hot pink and worked my way to the most orangish coral color. I used the cream on my thumb and pinky and topped it with a glitter that I adore. It has some lovely shades of pink and silver in it. I should use this glitter more often, it goes with any base coat, it is just gorgeous!

I love the shades of coral, I think they are my new shade obsession!!

For this manicure I used: (Click on the color shade for a link!)
Sally Hansen Extreme Wear - Hot Magenta
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri - Snappy Sorbet
China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy
Maybelline - Canary Cool
Milani - Hot Pink

What's on your nails today? I wanted to do a flag manicure for the 4th but alas, I have no navy polish! I popped a Zoya shade into my Amazon cart for the next time I have free points. I will be ready for the next patriotic holiday!!

Happy 4th of July! I hope you all have a great holiday!

Homophone Test Prep Puzzles for Grades 3-5

                                

One of the hardest skills for my students last year was spelling, especially when it came to homophones.

 

Favorite Beauty Items!

I am linking up with Across the Hall in 2nd Grade for their Favorite Things Linky! This week is all about Beauty Basics!

First up is hair:

I recently switched to Joico's Smooth Cure for my shampoo and conditioner. I love that it is sulfate free and it really does make my hair a lot smoother. I have curly hair which has the tendency to feel dry and coarse but this stuff makes it so soft, not just when I straighten it too,  even when it's curly!

Styling products: These two have been my styling staples for years. I love Garnier Fructis Curl Scrunch Gel. I use this first when I get out of the shower to scrunch my hair. Then I rescrunch with Ouidad's Climate Control. This stuff is amazing - it really does cut down on the frizzy's!

Face and body: I have used Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion for years. My face feels so tight and icky if I do not put it on right after I wash my face!

I adore Aveeno's Daily Moisturizing Lotion, it is the only lotion I use now! I like that it has a nice low rating on the Skin Deep Database too! I have been trying to switch over all my products to lower rated items using that site!

Lips: I never leave home without Burt's Bees Lip Balm. Of course I don't have to worry about that, as I have one everywhere I go! I used to swear by Chapstick, but then I saw how many chemicals they had and I made the switch. Burt's gets a nice rating of 1 on the Skin Deep website, and you cannot go wrong with that!

Makeup: I love bareMinerals! I use their foundation, bronzer and mineral veil most days. They are easy (and fast) to apply and they never leave my skin with that heavy foundation feeling!

Eyes: I use bareMinerals High Shine eyeshadow and No7's Exceptional Definition for my mascara. I wear these most days since I am not a lipstick person. Plus I adore super shiny eyeshadow!

Lastly we have some of my favorite beauty tools! I love my Tweezerman tweezers! Not only do they work amazingly well, they are adorable too! <3!

Sephora's Eyelash and Eyebrow Comb! These are a great quick fixer for messy eyebrows and clumpy lashes! Sadly I don't have a link for this one, it seems like Sephora is not carrying them anymore!

Those are all of my beauty basic favorites, now I am off to check out everyone else's! Click the picture below to hop on over!

DIY Bracelet Stand and Giveaway Winner!

I know I have mentioned this before, but I have tons of jewelry. Click here if you want to see how I have stored some of it in the past. My necklaces and earrings have stayed organized with those stands and displays.  My bracelets however...they were out of control!! I decided to make a bracelet stand for my sanity's sake!

I was going to use a paper towel roll but upon further inspection it was way to flimsy. I cut a foot long piece off of a gift wrap roll instead. The heart shaped lid came from an anklet I got a few years ago. 

I sliced and folded the end I cut back a bit to give it a solid base.

I painted the lid with some black nail polish that had gotten thick. It worked perfectly on the lid but not so well on the roll. Nail polish is definitely meant for small areas only!

I electric taped the ends of the roll for a closed top and base. I don't want my bracelets falling inside - or a dust filled stand either!

I used this pretty zebra tissue paper a few years back on some candles I made as a Christmas gift. I mod podged the paper onto the roll and presto! Now it is a lot less hideous looking! I used hot glue to attach the roll to the lid.

After it had dried I put a few, or maybe a zillion, bracelets onto my new holder. Then I noticed this:

I had made the leaning tower of bracelets!! I switched those bracelets with my bangles, hoping the lightness would help, but alack no. It fell over everyday last week!

This weekend I took the roll off the lid and reattached it with the ever fabulous Super Glue!

Finally I was left with a fully functioning, and a straight, bracelet stand! I am loving how easy it was to make too!

Click on over to Tara's blog to see the rest of the Monday Made Its!

Last but not least, the giveaway Winner!! Congratulations to Michelle! You are the winner of the Neon Month, Day and Date Template! I will be emailing you today!

Neon Month, Day and Date Template

I like having the majority of my message written out for me ahead of time each day, so last year I had a houndstooth version of this set on my whiteboard:

I liked it, mostly because I adore houndstooth, but I wanted to make something that would match my room decor a bit better. 

I made signs for all 12 months: Each sign is 3 1/2 inches wide and 10 inches long. If you hang them side by side they are 20 inches long.
There are six different neon backgrounds, I changed the order around to give each month a new look!


These were a huge time saver for me this year. I printed, laminated and binder clipped these last summer. Every time a new month rolled around I was ready to go! My 5th graders loved stopping by in the morning to help me fill it out too!

This set is available in my TpT shop!

Follow Me On Bloglovin!

I switched over to bloglovin' yesterday and I must say it was incredibly easy. I downloaded the app for my ipad too and I must say I am loving it! It is so easy to pick right up where you left off last time you read. This comes in handy if you are easily distracted like me!! Don't forget to switch all your blogs over too! 

Click Here to Follow Me on Bloglovin!

Nail Art - Nude with Glitter Tips!

I never wear nude nail polish but I always love how it looks on other people so I figured I would give it a whirl!

I used OPI Bubble Bath for the base and Zoya Mimi for the glitter tips. I poured some glitter onto a paper plate and then dabbed a cosmetic sponge into the paint. I like to cut my sponges into little triangles, it makes it a bit easier to work with them that way.
I liked the combination of the colors but I would definitely go for a gradient look next time. I have a tendency to do my nails late on Sunday nights which makes me rush a bit!! Still I really loved the nude and will definitely be using it again soon! Oh yes and please excuse the chipped tips, I took these pictures at the end of the day on Monday. It is amazing how quickly one day can destroy a mani!!

What's on your nails this week? Are you rocking a solid shade, statement nail or nail art? Tell me about it in the comments below!!