It's Time For Spring Cleaning!

I need to do some Spring cleaning! I've already started cleaning out closets in my home and going through kids' toys (yeah, the kids are hating me on the weekends now) but I REALLY need to do some TpT related Spring cleaning. Here are my top priorities:

1) I need to leave feedback on ALL of my purchases. Have you gone back and left feedback for all of your purchases? It's SIMPLE AND it earns you TPT POINTS that you can use towards future purchases from anyone's store!

Directions on how to leave feedback:  At the top of your TpT page click "My TPT",  then click "My Purchases".  Under each of your purchases click "Leave Feedback"  

You're done!  

You have TpT Credit!

Directions on how to check your TpT Credit Balance:  At the top of your TpT page click "My TPT", near the bottom of that box find and click "TPT CREDIT BALANCE".

Those TpT credits are DEFINITELY helpful during sales!

 2) I need to organize my desktop. I have a horrible habit of saving EVERYTHING to my desktop. I know! Here's a peek at that disaster... Every once in a while I would organize it then it's back messy again! Maybe this time around it will stay organized....or not!

Ummm...yeah, that's BAD!!!!!!

 3) I need to organize my TpT files. I've been much better about organizing my clipart using Pixa (hmmm...I should blog about that adventure). While I'm cleaning up my desktop, I need to organize individual files.

 4) During ALL this cleaning, I definitely will be doing some TpT shopping during the HUGE Spring Cleaning Sale that MANY of my blogger friends and I are having this weekend. You can save up to 20% in various stores! I'm offering 20% off of EVERYTHING including my Tracking Common Core Checklist bundles which have already been reduced! So what are you waiting for...get to cleaning shopping!!!!

 Spring Cleaning Sale Saturday, March 29 - Monday, March 31st!

Click here for the link to my store!

Check out other fabulous sellers who are having sales!  Scroll for links!

An InLinkz Link-up

Product Swap: Congruent Shapes Activity Pack for Centers

Product Swaps are great!  It gives me an opportunity to try out some awesome products from some of my cyber friends!     Today I'm participating in a Trade and Grade.  The product that I test drove was from my cyber buddy Courtney of Court's Creations!  I let her try out my Super Sweet Arrays product.   She shared her Congruent Shapes Activity Pack for Centers with me!  Perfect swap!  

The Congruent Shapes pack is "packed" with congruent shapes, and I give it an "A+" especially for fun!  The pack is appropriate for 2nd and 3rd grade.  It will also be a great review for 4th and 5th grade.  Courtney has included 3 centers to give your kiddos practice with congruent figures.  

Center 1:  Scavenger Hunt  Students get an opportunity to move around the room!  Students get to hunt for the shape that corresponds to the one they pull from the pile of cards.  The kids had a ball running around finding the congruent shapes!  Everything is a competition!

Center 2:  Memory Math  Kids love matching games!  Students flip over cards trying to find matches.  She was really concentrating!  "Hmmm....where was that match?"

Center 3:  Slap The Shape  What kid doesn't like to bang on a table?  Slap The Shape is similar to "Slap Jack".  The kids  had fun looking for and slapping congruent figures!

                                         

One of my favorite parts to this pack is that it has pre- and post-assessments.  Administering pre- and post-assessments can be very powerful in the classroom!  The quick assessments allow you to see the growth that your students make from one period of time to the next.  You can use the pre-assessment data to tailor your lessons or the activities in the pack to the level of the students.

If you have students who perform at a lower level, you can easily modify these centers by providing a smaller number of cards in the different activities.  Kids can also play the games in small groups or pairs.  

Courtney is so awesome that she's giving you all a sample of her Congruent Shapes Activity Pack for Centers.  Just click here to download.

If you get a chance, check out Courtney's blog post on my Super Sweet Arrays here.

Before you hop over to Court's Creation...

Here's a giveaway from some of my Trade and Grade blogging buddies!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


We would love to share more of our Trade and Grade posts!  Check them out!

An InLinkz Link-up

Using Edmodo For Test Prep

You can be creative with Edmodo to help prepare students for standardized tests.  Actually, you can use this idea to prepare students for any assessment.   

First of all...what is Edmodo?  Edmodo is sort of like a social media site for your classroom that is monitored by the teacher.  It's primarily a tool for classroom communication.  I've used it to post announcements, discussions, etc.  When using Edmodo, it is very important that you set rules that students understand and follow.  My students used the tool very well!  They knew that it was not a tool to gossip, bully, joke around, etc.  Expectations must be in place!

I've found Edmodo to be most useful in preparing
my students for tests, especially standardized tests 
such as the CRCT.  In Georgia, the Criterion 
Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) is given to
students in 3rd-8th grades.  

Here is what I did...

I created badges as incentives and a little motivation to get the students involved.  Students really like to have the badges on their wall!  Award the winning students with badges.  I held session for math, science and social studies so I created a badge for each of those areas.

Prepare ahead of time!  I copied and pasted the questions for each session into a Word document.  During the session, I copied and pasted the questions into an Edmodo post.  The first student to respond correctly was awarded a point.

After the questioned is answered by a student or students, discuss the answer and the responses from others.

Set times and dates for the study sessions.  Our sessions lasted an hour. 

Send home a note to parents about the study sessions.  Although these sessions occurred after school, you will be surprised at how many students 
participated.  Each day I would set a different session time so that all students would have an opportunity to participate.  You may also consider during a session during school hours in a computer lab. 

Each day that students come into the classroom I would have the winner's name written on the board. Make a big deal out of it! You definitely will have more participants each study session!  Funny story!  I had a student's older brother participate.  He wanted to see what all of the excitement was about.  I gave him the log in information.  My students beat him!  Lol!

Next up on the blog hop is Sarah 

from Permanently Primary.  Sarah has a 

great post for using write and wipe pockets 

for writing in the classroom.  

Just click here 

to read her post!

Alternatively, you can search by topic using the link-up below and move along to any other blog on the blog hop!

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

I Got My "Stitch Fix" On

Now this post has nothing to do with curriculum and instruction but more so about your school/work/daily wardrobe.  

So, when it comes to shopping for clothes for myself...it's almost non-existent.  Of course, most of my "shopping energy" is devoted to grocery shopping and shopping for my kids.  My work wardrobe consists of blacks, grays and browns, oh yeah, and more blacks!  I'm that type of shopper who hates trying on items in stores because 1) I don't have time for that!  2)  Hmmm...who's watching me behind that mirror!  3)  I just don't have time for that!  

Have you ever tried to shop for yourself with kids playing tag under the clothes rack and running around customers?  Yeah, I've have "those kids"!  So I'm that grab and go shopper!  For real!  When an event comes up for school, like wear red for Red Ribbon week, or wear your favorite team shirt...I will run to my local WalMart or Walgreen's REAL quick...grab and go!  So, with all of that said...I was so happy that my friend Stacy told me about Stitch Fix.  Well, she told me about Stitch Fix a couple of months ago, but you know how life gets busy...yeah, that happens.  Anyway, I was still a little hesitant when she mentioned a personal shopper.  I just shook my head.  Little ole' me with a personal shopper!  Yeah, okay!  Well, I did it anyway.  It was EASY!  I completed a Stitch Fix Style Profile (questionnaire) and told them all about my style (what little there is)!  You can even give them access to your Style Profile on Pinterest.  Yeah, I don't have one!

In the beginning, I was still in the "whatever stage" until I received my email saying that my first "Fix" from Stitch Fix would be delivered on March 6.  I was like "Wow, that's fast!"  I actually got a little excited!

             

Then, a couple of days later...Talk about service!

                          


Then, today....

Literally, Stitch Fix made my day!  I arrived home  from work around 5 pm and less than 10 minutes later I heard, "Mama, FedEx is at the door!"  Talk about excited!  I was like a kid at Christmas!  After a longgggg day in a longgggg meeting ... and rain too, Stitch Fix made me happy!

The packaging is so nice, neat and pretty!  It comes with an envelope full of ideas on how to put together different outfits with your pieces and very detailed directions on what to do.

With each shipment Stitch Fix charges a $20 styling fee.  No worries!  If you decided to buy one of the 5 pieces the $20 goes towards the price of the item(s).  If you decide to buy all 5 pieces, the $20 goes towards the total, and you also receive 25% off the total of all of the pieces.  FYI...very important...If you decide not to keep anything, the $20 styling fee DOES NOT rollover to your next "Fix".

I have a stylist now!  :)  Heeheehee!

Some handy, dandy tips for putting your pieces together!  Stitch Fix sends Styling Cards for each piece!

Stitch Fix sends a pre-paid shipping bag so that you will not have to pay for shipping!

So here's my FIRST "Fix"...

Surprisingly, I LOVE the bright colored pieces!  I was also glad that I could try on clothes and "shop" from the privacy of my own home.  Yeah, my stylist did that! ;)

#1) This is one of my favorite pieces!  I love this cardigan!  




#2)  Kind of against horizontal stripes at the moment.  The picture doesn't do it justice!  It really is a nice top!  I'm still debating on whether or not I will keep this.  I have 3 days to decide.  Hmm...decisions, decisions!

                    

#3)   Ok, Ok...This one is my favorite!  Hahahaha!!!  I love the ideas that were sent with this top!  Yeah, I love this top!  Yep, this is my favorite of the 5!

                       

#4)  I don't know if you can see the detail in this shirt that well, but those are swans.  I'm not really a swan type of girl.  Love the red but no "Swan Lake" for me! 



I told Stacy that the shirt was red and had swans on it.  She sent me this picture!  This is how she pictured it in her head!  Hahahaha!  I immediately sent her a picture of this shirt!  It's definitely not this bad!

                                           

#5)  I really was not into this last shirt.  I call this shirt "Purple Rain".  For some reason it reminds me of Prince's movie.  I'm not so much into the "Purple Rain" shirt.

                           

So, that's my first "Fix" from Stitch Fix!  I'm excited and ready for my next "Fix"!  You can sign up to receive shipments monthly or as often as you would like.  If you sign up for monthly "Fixes", shipments will be sent every 30 days.  You can cancel your "Fixes" at any time.

Once you receive your items, you log into your account and leave feedback so that they can get started on your next "Fix".

Do you want a "Fix" from Stitch Fix? Click here for my referral!  You can earn $25 towards your "Fixes" for every friend that orders from their shipment!

Happy Shopping At Home!!!