Can you believe it is almost JULY!  Summer break is flying by!  I am posting this linky a few days early because unfortunately my Grandma lost her battle with Cancer.  I will be spending time with my family for the next couple of days to celebrate her life.  We did not get her tree completed because things turned quickly, but we will be finishing it up in memory of her.

I didn't do very well last month with my goals.  I did do better with drinking more water, I switched Mt. Dew for a Diet Coke.  It's progress.  I have organized most of my house.  I switched out the boys winter and summer clothes, and organized the entire downstairs of my house.  Just don't go upstairs :)

The boys and I did two weeks of swim lessons together, we haven't had much time outside because of the crazy random rain showers we have been having lately.  I created a Grammar Pack for L.4.1 and recently put it in my TpT store.  Finally, I have not finished my reading list, but still working on it.

On to a new month and goals!

Personal:  I need to learn how to squat correctly.  I put my weight on my toes and not my heals.  I have been watching youtube videos and squatting in front of the mirror hoping to correct  my mistakes.  I am determined to master squats!

Family:  With the recent loss of my Grandma our family has been compiling a list of Favorite Memories.  During this process I thought how great it would of been for her to have heard all of these memories from each of us.  My goal this month is to tell my loved ones what they mean to me and remember and create new memories.

Health: I am blessed to have started CrossFit for free and in a safe place, no pros to judge me :)  I actually am enjoying it.  It is hard but I feel great afterwards, well several hours afterwards.  This is the reason I want to master the squat.  You use the squat in a lot of CrossFit moves.

School: I need to start creating centers for Math Workshop and printing out my math workshop board to prepare for the new year.  I really want this to be successful in my room this year and hoping to plan ahead to ensure that.

Blog/TpT: I have several products I am working on and would like to finish my Back to School product this month. 

Outside the Box:  {Something you would normally not do or struggle to do, step out side of your comfort zone} I need to try some new recipes, I have hundreds pinned and stick to the same ones over and over.  Working on CrossFit is going to help me try more Paleo recipes.

Don't forget to enter my Show Some BlogLovin' Giveaway for a chance to win  ANY 5 ITEMS FROM MY TPT STORE!

I hope you use the blank Goals image below to set some goals and link up!

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Anonymous

I don't do well with change, which is odd because being a military wife, teacher, and mother there is always constant change! 

You have probably heard by now that Google Reader is going away on July 1st.  Well, Google Reader may be going away, but we don't want YOU to go away, so we hope that you will consider following our blog through bloglovin!  I know that change is hard...so I thought we might sweeten it up for you a little bit!

We are doing a giveaway for all of our fabulous followers that take the leap and switch over to bloglovin.  You may have already switched over!  In that case, this will be an easy entry!

If you have not yet switched or are not following my blog through bloglovin, then there are a few easy steps to follow.  You can go to my sidebar (that's the column on the right over there that shows our followers) and you can click the button that says Follow this Blog with bloglovin.  Or, you can go into the Rafflecopter below and click the link in the first entry, and that will take you to our blog on bloglovin.

You will need to set up an account with bloglovin so that you can follow I {Heart} Recess and other awesome blogs.  Please be sure to leave your bloglovin username in the Rafflecopter entry.

If you want to go ahead and move all of the blogs you follow from Google over, you can go to this link and it will take you through the super easy steps.  BUT, please go to our bloglovin link and make sure that you are following us through bloglovin.  To be sure, make sure that the blue button at the top of our bloglovin page has been clicked (it should be gray with the word following- if it's blue, please click it to follow!)

So, if you follow my little ole' by bloglovin, please enter my giveaway!!  I will be picking 1 WINNER and the winner will get their choice of 5 ITEMS FROM my TpT STORE!  :O)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!

get the InLinkz code

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Anonymous

Linking up with Holly today to share some random things I have tried the past week.  

I had read several blogs discussing this book, Wonder, so I had to see what it was all about.  I just started it but, WOW, I already can't wait to finish it.  I am going to read it once for enjoyment and then again to use it in my Reading instruction.  From the first few chapters I am excited about incorporating this book into our curriculum because I think the kids could relate to it and it focuses on compassion, which is something I think our children are lacking {in society as a whole}.  If you haven't read this book or heard about it, I highly suggest reading it!

I also tried out Crossfit yesterday!  Yikes, it was only thirty-minutes and I thought I was going to die!  However, I think it was the best workout I have ever had.  I was drenched in sweat, sore, and exhausted.  I have been blessed to try out and experience Crossfit for FREE :)  My BFF and I are doing it together and our instructor is one of her student's mom.  She just earned her certification to be a Crossfit instructor and asked if my BFF wanted to be her "project", thankfully for me my BFF asked if I could tag along :)  My BFF has been doing it for two weeks now, I was out of town and then the baby got hives so I missed the other classes, but I was able to keep up.  A few things I liked about it is that you can do it outside, there is a variety of workouts, and you compete with yourself.  Our instructor timed us when we did our workout and we work on improving our time on that circuit. Today we did three intervals of running 200m, 5 toe to bars (modified by raising our knees as high as possible), and 10 squats with weights.  I did my three intervals in 7:38, I was impressed with myself but was even prouder that I survived day one :)

The little guy is my Maxton.  He was called up at the end of the night to answer questions about what they had learned.

Finally, I am trying out being a preschool teacher...well at least for this week during VBS.  WOW, a group of three year olds are high energy and sometimes similar to a group of 4th graders.  They are sweet though and love all the different activities.

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Anonymous

It's MONDAY!  I am only excited for Mondays during the summer :)  I am slowly working on our Family Command Center Wall, and this week I made the boys' Responsibility Chart.  This was SUPER easy and only cost me $3.48 to make!  {Foam board $1.48 and Fabric $2.00, I had everything else}

1. I created and cut out the boys' responsibilities and three chores.  We do Dave Ramsey here and I loved that he explained that children shouldn't be paid for what is expected of them, they should earn money when they go above what they are expected.  In our house the boys are expected {responsible for} to pick up their toys, put up their clothes, set & clear the table, feed the dog, and sweep the floor.  If they want to earn money they can unload/load the dishwasher, dust, or pick up the dog poop w/ a pooper scooper of course.  My boys are 6 and 4.  I used some pockets I had left over from my classroom.

2. I cut my foam board to the size I wanted, just a little under half the board.

3. Third I cut and covered the board with fabric using my hot glue gun...LOVE this tool!

4. I hot glued the pockets onto the board and then placed the boys' name cards.  I printed Xavier's name at the top and Maxton's on the bottom, this is so I all need to do is flip the card over when it's time to change responsibilities.

5. I used command strips to hang the board on my wall.  Since it is foam board it only took two strips.

6. The finished board.  I plan to cut out the word "Responsibilities" in red vinyl and place it going down the left side.

Here is a close up of the pockets and the baby trying to figure out how to destroy it :)  So far this has been great!  Xavier has already earned $1 for taking care of the dishwasher, and they both have already done one responsibility today.

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Anonymous

I am ashamed to say that this my FIRST time linking up with Joanne for her linky party.  Saturday's are normally CRAZY around here, but on this rainy day I had a quick minute to link up. :)

For a few years now I have used these "Punch Cards" to motivate my students to make smart decisions with their behaviors.  Students can earn a "punch" (I just sign my initials) when they show outstanding behavior.  Other teachers can also reward my students with "punches", resource teachers, EC, Teacher Assistants, etc.  I have also given them "punches" for earning 80 or above on assignments or test (I have taught the inclusion cluster for three years so this helped motivate my students to take their time and do their best).  When the cards have been filled students turn them in for a trip to the prize bin or homework pass.  

I used the Vista Print Loyalty Business cards for these (when they did their Free deals back in the day). I still have some left, but plan to make my own when I run out.  

Don't forget to follow through Bloglovin' and Facebook!  There is a FREEBIE waiting for you on FB when you do... :)

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Anonymous

Yesterday my youngest broke out in hives after swimming lessons.  He NEVER gets sick and wasn't acting bothered by them.  I took him to the doctors and was informed he has a double ear infection, yeast infection, and an allergic reaction (hives).  After the first doze of Benadryl he look a whole lot better, although this morning they are back and all over his face and neck.  Praying everything clears up quickly.

I have been working on new items for my classroom for next year and created a "How do you get home?" management system.  One matches my My Many Colored Classroom Theme Pack and the other is Bright Colored.  I plan to hang this by my door so I know how my students should line up, and hoping it helps on those days I have a sub.

This week I tried a new recipe for fresh green beans.  I was craving TGIF's Green Bean Fries so I looked up a recipe and found this easy one.  They were delicious!  My oldest wanted more :)

Oh...BlogLovin' how you are creating confusion, frustration, and undesired change for me this week.  Thanks to my BBB they have worked to get some of these issues resolved and help clarify up some of my confusion.  If you haven't started following my blog by BlogLovin please do :)  The button is to your right :) Thanks!

I {Heart} Recess is on Facebook!  I figured since I was changing to BlogLovin' I should join the FB ban wagon too.  Please stop by and "Like" I {Heart} Recess on FB, I will be offering exclusive Freebies through FB :)  If you go now there is one waiting for you in the FREEBIE! tab :)

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Anonymous

When I met with Joanne from Head Over Heels for Teaching last week we talked about team planning.  I shared with her that at my school we have back to back resource (or specials) one day a week, when our students are at their double resources our grade level holds a team meeting.  During this meeting we discuss lesson plans, up coming events, have PD provided by our instructional coach, etc.  Administration will often come in during our meetings to share information, or just to observe our planning.

The way we plan is also different from other schools.  One teacher is responsible for Math plans, one for Reading, one for Science and Social Studies, etc.  This year we had two teachers planning Math and Reading.  We each create plans to share with the entire grade level.  We use these plans as a basis for our lessons, some of us have to add to a lesson for our class or take longer on some skills, it all depends on the type of class we have.

We do not write six point lesson plans, actually we do all planning on the Smartboard.  It is our responsibility to review the plans before teaching them to our class to ensure we understand them and the skill we are teaching.  Often during planning we will discuss the plans with our teammates and share tips, important information, or key vocabulary related to the lessons.  All lesson plans are due into our school shared folder a week before our meetings.  Fourth grade planned on Fridays so we made sure we had our plans in for the following week by our planning time (we were slackers).  

When we create our plans we do not label them Monday, Tuesday, etc., but Day 1, Day 2, etc.  This is because we all have different types of classes and some will go through skills quicker than others.  We will give a date in which a unit must be completed by (according to our County's Unit Analysis).

How do you plan at your school?  Do you have grade level meetings/planning?

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Anonymous

Next year I really would like to utilize the Workshop Method.  I feel I tend to rely on the traditional way of teaching too much and need to grow a bit more.  I started to implement Laura Candler's Power Reading Workshop last year, but behaviorally my student's couldn't handle it.  I have seen my roster for next year, a quick glance, and know I won't have the behavior issues as I did last year.  I like Daily 5 but feel that "centers" in reading are not very effective in the upper grades.  I strongly feel students should be reading during reading time and not working on busy work in a center.

Reading

Source: minds-in-bloom.com via Rachel Lynette on Pinterest

I really want to try Math Workshop next year, and I found this Freebie for student rotation.  I do like the idea of centers in Math Workshop because students often loose information when it is not used.  I plan to use a Spiral Review format for my centers, similar to my weekly Monster Math Spiral Review product.

Math

Source: frogsinfirst.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Workshop Notebooks
I hate searching through student notebooks looking for the page to review or grade.  Sticky notes don't always stay stuck, keeping the journals open and stacked take up too much space, and thumbing through the pages takes too much time.  I found this pin and I am DEFINITELY doing this!

Source: whatsthebuzzinfirst.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I have FINALLY created a Facebook page for I {Heart} Recess!  I hope you stop by and like the page HERE!  I also have switched over to Bloglovin' following....not liking it but really hoping/praying Google doesn't get rid of Google Followers.

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Anonymous

I am finally linking up with Holly over at Fourth Grade Flipper for her weekly Tried it Tuesday linky.  I hadn't tried anything new the last few weeks of school because we were in Testing Mode, however the last week when I had nothing planned I tried out Scootpad with my class.

I had already started the free trial with my own boys, I want to keep them sharp over the summer, using the Scootpad App on my iPad.  My boys LOVE it!  I was impressed with what it had to offer and decided to try it out in my classroom.

Class list.  Students can choose an avatar for their account.

We had the mobile lab and I quickly set up my students with accounts (I created a login to use as a teacher and a separate login as a parent), this only took maybe 3-5 minutes.  Students logged on and began practicing their math skills.  One of the best features {in my opinion} is that Scootpad is Common Core aligned.  To use the free trial or basic plan students complete tasks already set my Scootpad, if you upgrade you can set the CCS you want your students to use.

Students complete a Scootpad Learning Path before moving onto more CCS.

Another great feature is the data you receive.  If your school is anything like mine we are very data driven.  This feature does everything for you!  The image below shows my students' performances on the math questions.  There are a large variety of reports/data you can choose and print.  I love this for SST!

As students answer questions correctly they earn coins, which can be "cashed" in to you for awards that you have created.  I created three awards: 1000 coins = homework pass, 700 coins = Prize Bin, and 300 coins = Crazy Hat (students can wear a hat for the day in the classroom).

The images below are my own children's profiles and data.  Maxton won't be in Kindergarten for another year but thought this would be a good start for him.  I currently am using the free basic plan but do plan to upgrade for the summer.

Here is a report on Xavier's math practice.

Scootpad also has Spelling word list you can assign for your class or own child.  I don't plan to use this for Maxton but will for Xavier who is entering first grade in the fall.

I really like everything Scootpad has to offer, I just dislike having to purchase an upgrade to receive all the reports and data for my parent account.  I do plan to upgrade both using my TpT money.  I hope you take a minute to try it out.

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Anonymous

Many of you know my Grandma is not doing well, hospice has been put in place and she is taking one day at a time.  Last week the boys and I went to Florida for a quick visit and put to work :)  My Grandma wanted a Family Tree painted on her living room wall to place all of her pictures.  My parents took the boys and my sister and I got to work.  It took us two days, about 3-4 hours each day.

We didn't get to hanging the pictures and add the special features we have in store for her tree while I was down there, but my sister will be doing the rest and sending me a picture of the completed tree.  Grandma loves the tree and is excited to put up her pictures to enjoy her legacy.

Hope you link up with Tara!

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Anonymous