Back to School Sale on TPT and Facebook Friends

We are throwing a sale for our TPT store.  20% off ALL of our items.  You can also enter the code
BTS13 to receive an additional 10% only through tomorrow.  The 20% will go through Wednesday, August 21.  Happy Shopping and thank you for your purchase ahead of time.  My colleague/friend and I REALLY strive to ensure that you can use EVERY page in EVERY pack.
Since I started my blog in February of this year, I am very excited to begin posting at the beginning of the school year.  Stay tuned for pictures of my classroom and things that are currently under thinking construction. :)

The Brewton Kindergarten Facebook page is up and running.  Although we only have a few pictures of the teachers that I am SO blessed to share my days and children with, we are planning on posting new pictures very soon.  So, in the words of many kindergarteners all over the world... "Will you be my friend??"  You can "like" us through the tab on the home page of the blog.  "BES"t K Teachers.  Hope you have a wonderful beginning of school!!!

Only Three More Days of Freedom...

I am trying as hard as I can to get those last minute cleaning projects completed before going back to work on the 13th.  Clean out ALL closets- check, clean out my laundry room including behind the dryer and washer- check, bleach my back and front porch-check, have my classroom in working order prior to the first day back.... NOT a check!!  I went to work last week and just could not make myself get in the mood.  Have you ever been there??  I kept thinking about all of the things that I could be doing at home. At the end of every summer I ALWAYS think " How DO I  get everything done at my house and work too?"  It's called being efficient.  Kind of like when you have a new baby and you clean your entire house during the baby's one hour nap when it used to take you two days before that sweet baby came along.  I recently read a devotional bible study called "Redeemed" and the author pointed out that God gives us plenty of time in one day to get everything done that we need to do if we put Him first. All other things will just line up in order of importance.  How true is that?? 

 Now with all of that said ,I promised many Alabama teachers this summer at my inservice workshops that my colleagues  and I  would be putting a year long kindergarten scope and sequence on TPT.  So..... ta da.... here it is!!  This has been a  5 year work in progress and ENDLESS hours have been put into this sacred document.  It is aligned with common core standards for reading and math.  A little sneak peak....

        

              http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Scope-and-Sequence-818697

If you or your entire grade level has been wishing for a “year in view”, this document is for you!  A kindergarten scope and sequence that is common core aligned for both reading and math.  It is in sequential order from the beginning of school to the end.  Inside you will find a weekly progression that builds from simple skills to more complex.

 It includes:

-letter sequence (this will align with the majority of decodable text)

-high frequency words,

-phonemic and phonological awareness skills

 -comprehension target skills

 -math progression

 -weekly social science themes

-writing (what the teacher will model and demonstrate as well as    what is expected from the students)

Although our kindergarten utilizes Scott Foresman reading series,  this year long progression can be used with any reading series or theme based kindergarten.  (Many stories may not match the SF book/big book sequence)

Also, my friend Shari and I have just completed a shapes pack as well.  If you are looking for a fun and creative way to enhance your current method of ensuring mastery of basic 2D shapes, this pack is pretty cute!!  It has several shapes art projects, a shapes glyph, a booklet for each shape (including hexagon), and a shapes environmental web. 

 We also posted an "All About Me"  freebie that is pretty stinkin' cute, if we do say so ourselves.  

So check it out and I will post pictures of my finished classroom soon (hopefully).  Blessings to all!!

Liebster Award... Whoo Hoo!!

First of all, I have not blogged in SEVERAL days!!  I have had the opportunity this summer to present at various workshops and inservice centers and it has truly occupied LOTS of my free time. I have been inspired with the teachers that I have met across the state of Alabama this summer.  My youngest son is having a 4 year old birthday bash this weekend AND I am teaching VBS at church this week. I have 60 bundles of pine straw sitting in my flower beds as we speak.. blah blah blah..you get the idea!!  BUSY BUSY BUSY!!  I feel like I will have better posts once this week is over and done. 
 Now with all of that said, I want to give a great big THANK YOU to Tracie Penn for nominating me for the Liebster Award.  I am MOST honored and blessed!!  Her link is: http://kdgpenn.blogspot.com

                                  

The Liebster Award is for blogs with less than 200 followers in order to promote that blog, show appreciation, and hopefully draw more followers. To accept this nomination, you need to do a few things first. 

1. Link to the person who nominated you. 

2. Answer questions from your nominator. 

3. 11 random facts about yourself. 

4. Nominate five or more blogs with less than 200 followers. 

5. Pose questions to your nominees. 

Questions from my nominator:

1. What's your favorite school supply?

My favorite school supply is... crayons.  I LOVE the smell of them in the box.  Euphoria!!for teachers!!

2. What animal describes your teaching style?

The animal that best describes my teaching style is a  butterfly.  I flutter ALL OVER my room.  I am here, there and everywhere.

3. How many years have you been teaching?

I will begin my 16th year on August 13.  Time truly flies when your having a ball

4. What's your favorite restaurant?

My favorite restaurant is Texas Roadhouse.  Best steaks, honey cinnamon butter biscuits, and you get to throw peanuts on the floor.  And the most important thang.... They serve the best sweet tea :)
5. Which season do you like best?

I LOVE the season of fall.  The smell of pumpkin spice, feeling a chill in the air, and watching football games gets me every time.
6. Do you have a TPT store?

Yes, I just started my TPT store.  What a lot of work it takes to make a product. 
7. What subject do you most like to teach?

My favorite thing to teach is small group.  It's where the magic of reading takes place and I can a front seat everyday.
8. Do you have a class pet?

I do not have a class pet.  I think having twenty kids to take care of plus three personal kids is plenty enough for me
9. What's your favorite part of your classroom?

My favorite part of my classroom is my teaching rug.  It is where my class becomes a community and a family
10. If you could hire anyone in the world to teach your class, who would it be?

I would hire any politician that has made laws that effect teachers but they have never stepped foot in a classroom.  Be my guest my friend!!

11 Random Facts

1.  I can sing the sounds of the alphabet to the tune of any song that is given to me

2.  I took the 30 day challenge to listen to nothing but Christian music and I passed with flying colors and was uplifted too :)

3.  I LOVE the gals that I work with.  So much so, that we do things together outside of work. 

4.  I am a professional development presenter with several college universities across the state of Alabama.

5.  I was a Tigerette at Auburn University for two years.  (Waarrrrrr Eagle, HEY)

6.  I also like Florida State Seminoles

7.  My oldest son who is 12, is a walking/talking ESPN commentator. He can tell you any fact about any sports team or player.  (But mostly loves Seminole football and baseball facts)

8.  I am a mom of three boys

9.  My husband proclaimed his love for me when we were in the 5th grade.  We started dating when we were 16 and the rest is history.   Talk about soul mates....

10.  I just recently got an iphone

11. I live in Florida but I teach in Alabama. 

My five nominees are:

1.  Teaching with a smile http://teaching-witha-smile.blogspot.com/

2.  Handy Dandy School Counselor http://handydandyschoolcounselor.blospot.com
3. Just Keep Teaching http://justkeepteaching.blogspot.com
4. Kinder Lovin Care http://lovebuglawton.blogspot.com
5. Learning In Progress http://mrshill-learninginprogress.blogspot.com/
The questions for my nominees are:
1. How long have you been teaching?
2.  Where did you go to college?
3.  Name one accessory that you just cannot live without
4. How many minutes does it take you to get to school each morning?
5.  If you were not a teacher, what is one profession that you could see yourself loving?
6.  What is the one thing that you have to have to get you through the tough days?
7. What is your one guilty pleasure?
8. Favorite hobby or past time?
9. Name one movie that you have watched more than 5 times...
10.  Your greatest blessing is??
Don't forget to name 11 random facts and find 5 blogs that have less than 200 followers.  Happy Blogging to all!!
 

    

New (and seasoned) Teacher Advice

I saw this on the Flying into First Grade blog and thought this was FABULOUS!!  I had to type it instead of filling in the apples because my responses were TOOOO long.
Buy- NOTHING!! (at first)  How out of the ordinary is that??  It is NOT about the stuff... it is about effective, intense, systematic teaching!!  I have seen some of the most robust, rigorous teaching with just a book and some chart paper.  Once you adopt that theory, you will look for tools that will support your teaching style.  Sometimes that will include purchases that are not high dollar.... The dollar section at stores is one of the best places for teachers to visit.  
Always- Be yourself in all you do in that classroom.  Compare your style to NO ONE else.  God created you to be just that.... you.  You are like NO ONE else and that was His plan all along
Never- Shoot an ant with an elephant gun.  Keep problems in prospective.  React to small problems in small ways
Find- A good friend/mentor that you can vent to on days when it seems way harder than it should be
Make- Time for your family.  School should NOT be your every thought... it will wait until Monday
Be-  Patient with parents.  You are holding their greatest treasures every day.   
Sorry for the oversized picture..... I am not tech savy and it WOULD NOT shrink!! 
 

Blog LOVIN'

I am the newest member of the"Blog Lovin'" community.  You can follow me now through this wonderful tool. 
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/8627193/?claim=nwy3uyfer83">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

More TPT packets

Here are 2 packs that focus on beginning sound practice.  (excluding letters q, u, x, y, z)

       

With this packet students can build sentences to make predicable books about child-friendly topics.

This is another packet to practice high frequency words....however this pack is for those using the Scott Foresman reading program or the Dolch word list.

Children enjoy talking about the people, places, and vehicles in their community.  This pack will give you several ways to go over these topics with them in various ways.

Never fear....a math pack is also here!!  Start the beginning of the year with working on numbers 1-10 using this packet.

I know these packets will be useful for you as you begin a new school year.  If there is something that you are looking for in a pack and don't see it in my store, please send a message so I can look into it.

Packs in my TPT store

This pack will be great to use with letter recognition (you may also use the letters for making words).

 

Want students to have some independent practice with the high frequency words that you have taught them?  This packet will allow them to do just that.  (These words correspond to Scott Foresman high frequency words)

   

This packet includes 22 graphic organizers for story elements that can be used with any read aloud or basal story.  This includes main character, sequencing, setting, compare and contrast, cause and effect, additional characters, before and after reading as well as a page to talk about your favorite book.

Rigor Workshop at Univeristy of South Alabama

      One of my favorite quotes from the movie Pearl Harbor was this: "There is NOTHING stronger than the heart of a volunteer."  When educators come to workshops on their own free will when they do not have to... and during their  vacation..... to gain knowledge and understanding of current topics, there is nothing stronger than that. 
Let me just say that I thoroughly enjoyed sharing with all of the wonderful teachers of Alabama today.  Mobile and Baldwin County teachers are some of my favorites.  I feel like it is a family reunion each year.  I hope that you are were able to take away something fresh and fun for your classroom.  Rigor is a very hard concept to grasp but it is one that is essential to robust and effective instruction. 
I brought my camera but I forgot to take pictures......  THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!!  I will be back in July presenting workshops for small groups and whole group comprehension/common core standards so I will hope to see you all again there!!  I will post our scope and sequence VERY soon.  If you are signed up to follow me, you will receive an email once it is posted.  It will include: weekly stories, phonics progression, high frequency word progression, phonemic awareness weekly/bi-weekly skills, writing and comprehension target skills, and our weekly/bi-weekly social science units.   Blessings to you all and I will see you again very soon!!

My New Teachers Pay Teachers Store..... Whoo HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

 Let the BELLS RING OUT!!!!!  Finally........... I am on TPT!!  Whoo hoo and kudos to everyone who has gone before.  I come to the altar and confess that it takes LOTS of time to make these packs but I am so excited!!  I am starting slow, and hoping to add more in the future.  The packs that are there now include:

1.  Letter Font Sort
2.  Before and after alphabet sheet (freebie) :)
3.  Scott Foresman/High frequency word pack (One of my favorites)
4.  Comprehension pack (Another favorite)
5.  Having a Ball with Beginning Sounds
6.  Sentence Books using standard high frequency words (from Dolch word list)

** I will post pictures of the packs soon**

I have a friend/co-K teacher that is helping me with this (Shari Robinson) and we have worked together for a few weeks putting these packs together. Our goal is simple: In each pack, EVERY page can be used and everything will be made with cost in mind.  Teachers like to get the most BANG for their bucks and pinch their pennies!!     Just search Courtney McBride if it does not come up after you click the tpt button and let me know what you think. 
                                           

Summer Summer Summer Time and a little VACAY!!

Florida Summer Vacation with my 

PRECIOUS Family/SEUSS LAND!!

 Our school got out last Friday.  WHOO HOOO!!!  I had a little break between school getting out and VBS starting.  So we decided on a very last minute whim to take a trip to Universal Studios in Orlando.  If you have never been.... it is worth going.  Especially if you have boys that are a little older.  Each afternoon, we traveled back to the resort and sat by the pool.  It was great.  It had a pirate ship right in the middle of the pool with a slide located inside.  My boys were in heaven.  

My favorite part of Universal was "Seuss Land."  Any character, book, movie, etc. that you can think of was represented.  It was like teacher heaven.  And look at the shirt that I found in the gift shop at the end of the Cat in the Hat ride.... tooooo cute huh??

My youngest "whittle" guy

 LOVES the grinch.  Most kids may find him scary, but NOT him.  He and LOTS of other characters were there just hanging out in Seuss Land.  Pictures just do not describe.  You just have to see for yourself.