5th Grade Math - Standard, Expanded, Word and Unit Form

I finally took pictures of my anchor charts and I am so excited to share them with you!!

This year, I knew that I needed to do something different with naming numbers because my students REALLY struggled with this last year. I came up with this color-coded anchor chart to post our learning for reference.

I can't say whether or not this definitely helped BUT I can say that this was NOT a lagging skill with my students this year. They knocked this out of the park on their assessment! Seriously!

Along with this anchor chart for reference, we also did a ton of review activities! I made a few games that reinforce this concept! Here they are below...

The first game, place value BINGO, has calling cards with numbers written in standard, unit, word and expanded form. The cards also have a variety of number forms in the boxes. This is a great review activity for your students! Check it out by clicking the image above!

The second game is a super fun game with a spinner that gets students involved in building numbers and rewriting them in various forms! The students love it because it's a different format but they are still learning!

The students are loving these games in math centers and in small groups and they are learning so much and strongly improving in this skill at the same time! I have been so happy with the outcome!

Sunday Scoop - September 27, 2015

Have to Do:

As I noted previously, my boyfriend and I are in the process of becoming foster parents. It's a huge undertaking. The paperwork alone is astronomical. We've been filling out paperwork for days. Then, we have to attend 8 training classes, have interviews with case workers, get a home inspection and then get fingerprinted!

My transfer from Washington State University to Concordia is finally official! I was notified of my acceptance into their Ed.D. program on Friday. I'm working on finalizing the rest of the registration process (including tuition reimbursement stuff with the school district) and getting everything set for my start date of October 25th!

My student teacher is beginning to take over a lot of responsibilities this week. I'm phasing her into my language arts instruction and we're doing some planning around prepping her to teach that. Also, she's taking over some art teaching and she's prepping a unit with 10 lessons that she has to put together for her university.

Hope to Do

I have a huge post in progress about the Journey's curriculum! I'm covering my entire experience adopting it this far and noting my must-have features! I can't wait to get this running. I also have an awesome post planned for the next Bright Ideas Blog Hop!! I'm really excited about this upcoming content!!

I went out for a heathy grocery shop last night and I am meal prepping today. I'm hoping to be consistent with it this week and get things back on track!

Happy to Do

I restarted my gym membership yesterday! I always put it on hold over the summer when I work out of the country and I just reinstated it. I had a nice gym session yesterday and it felt so good! Actually, the blog posts mentioned above were thought of while in the sauna at the gym. The gym is just so good for the brain!!

A Week in Teacher Fashion

Welcome to my little corner of teacher fashion. Who said that teacher's have to be boring? Seriously. We deserve to feel amazing at work too. With all practicality considered, here are some great pieces that I wore the first week of school...

The Outfits

I love this little dotted dress from Loft. I paired it with a long beaded necklace (also from Loft) and a knitted cardigan from Maurices. I love how the tan cardigan accentuates the dots on the dress.

I wore a cardigan with this to work but I snapped a pic beforehand sans cardigan. I love this dress. The fit is very flattering but it's also tremendously comfortable. I love that the dress hits at the knees. It's trendy but not too much. This is also from Maurices. I paired it with a necklace that I picked up in Greece this summer...simple and understated for that high neckline.

I wish that I had a close up shot of this dress. I love the way that it hangs at the bottom. It almost looks pleated but it just falls that way. It's black with a print that looks like coffee bean shapes all over it. I paired it with a black cardigan and long gold necklace adorned with keys at the bottom. The dress is from Loft and the cardigan and necklace are from Forever 21. 

 The Makeup

I kept my makeup very soft and light for the first day. I wore neutral shades of pink and purple on my eyes with a light pink matte lipstick.

I upped the drama slightly here by adding eyeliner at the base of my lashes. I didn't extend it past my lash line. This added some intensity but didn't draw any attention to my eyeliner. I added a slightly brighter pink lip.

This look was the boldest. I wore a small winged liner with a bright but deep pink lip. I kept the rest of my eyes light to prevent myself from looking too overdone.

 The Hair

I don't usually do much with my hair but I was loving this superhero headband that I picked up this summer. I has wire on the inside so it actually stays on all day! I wore a super natural eye and a nude lip this day, leaving me with a vintage fresh-faced bronzed look.

What're your favorite teacher pieces?! Please share!!

Also, check out the link up for more Trendy Teachers!

Friday Foodie Favorites Link-up

It's Friday Foodie Favorite time! I love Fridays and I love food!

I have a great recipe for all of you today! If you love tacos or soups, read on...

10-Minute White Bean Soup with Toasted Cheese and Tomato
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen

Total Time:
10 min
Prep:
4 min
Cook:
6 min
Yield:4 servings
Level:Easy

Ingredients
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, each about 6 inches long
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Two 15-ounce cans of cannellini or other white beans, strained and rinsed
1 small shallot, peeled, trimmed and halved
1 small garlic clove, peeled, trimmed and halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 slices crusty sourdough bread (each about 1-inch thick; 8 ounces total),
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions
Position a rack about 4 inches from the broiler heat source, and preheat. Bring the wine, rosemary, thyme and 2 cups of the chicken broth to a boil in a covered medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce to a bare simmer.

Puree the beans, shallots, garlic, oil, butter, remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a few grinds of pepper and 1/2 cup of the simmering broth in a blender until completely smooth and emulsified, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, lay the bread slices on a rimmed baking sheet, and top evenly with the mozzarella. Broil until the tops are browned and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes; remove from the oven. Divide the tomatoes evenly among the toasts, and top with the Parmesan.

Remove the herb sprigs from the simmering broth; set aside. Whisk the bean puree into the broth, and return it to a gentle boil. Ladle the soup into bowls, and garnish with the reserved herb sprigs and a few grinds of black pepper. Serve with the cheese toasts.

BLENDING HOT LIQUIDS: When blending hot liquids, remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid; that prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times, then process on high speed until smooth.

Copyright 2014 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

The Sunday Scoop - September 20, 2015

HAVE TO DO...

I can't believe that it's already time for things to pick back up at the community college. On top of being a full-time 5th grade teacher, I also teach 100 & 200 level education courses at the local community college. It's the start of fall term tomorrow and I need to do some final revisions to my courses and make sure that I answer all of the beginning of the term emails this week! It's sure to be a busy one!!

I'm also in the process of transferring schools to finish my doctorate. I started two years ago at Washington State University Vancouver. I love that school. Really. I've been so happy there and I've been treated so well by their faculty. Unfortunately, when I went back to teaching full-time last year, I wasn't able to drive out to campus to make it to classes after work. So, I've been at a bit of a stand-still. I decided to transfer to Concordia because they have a lot more online course offerings and it'll be a better fit for me. The cohort starts October 25th and I am busy trying to get everything squared away in my application and for admissions.

Payday is this week...which means that I need to sit down and take a look at my budget. Oh the joys...

HOPE TO DO...

I really want to see the new movie, The Perfect Guy. It looks soooo good. I'm hoping that me and my boyfriend can take a trip to the movies this week to catch a showing of it.

I also need to start some new personal development. I don't actually need to go get any. I just need to literally pick up the book and crack it open. That's a huge goal of mine this week. Back on the PD grind.

HAPPY TO DO...

After the tumultuous past few weeks at the hospital with my grandpa (he had a stroke), I'm happy to just be at home and taking care of all of the home projects. It feels good to be able to stay in and take care of things.

Come share your Sunday Scoop with us!

The Global Glitter Monthly-September

Hello, all you lovely readers! I am so happy to be here on a Saturday sharing my teacher thoughts with all of you!!

                                               

I am sure you know that I am one of the admins for The Global Glitter Tribe blog. We just launched last week and we are hosting our very first linkup! I love that it's monthly because that feels a lot more manageable to me than linking up weekly. We all know that I'm not too good at that! Haha.

Anyway, here's my post. Make sure you check out the Global Glitter Tribe and link up too!

Lesson You Loved...

I am actually really excited for a financial literacy extension project that I'm doing with my class. They're going to learn about budgets and work to create their own budget. I have some videos to show them about picking a career, what a budget is, savings, etc. From there, they will choose a career, a house, a car, etc. and then create their own monthly budget! There's just so much to learn here!! 

One Issue I'm Passionate About...

If you're not familiar with Oregon, let me inform you that we have the 3rd largest class sizes in the country! Yes, that's a fact. I find it completely inexcusable. We should not allow this to be the reality of the state of education for our students. I started the year with 35 5th graders in my classroom. It is appalling and completely inappropriate for everyone involved. Class size is my passion issue this year, for sure.

Back to School Must Haves...

I'm going to keep this one pretty plain and simple...protein shakes. The back to school season is so busy. I need SOMETHING to be simple.

Activity to Share...

One of my colleagues created a super great recess activity for students...the mileage club. The students have cards that they get punched as they run around the track during our 10 minute afternoon recess. For each mile that they run, they get a bead. Special milestones get special beads. The students LOVE IT and they're doing way more physical activity.

Little Known Fact...

I'm getting a doctorate. I want to be in the elite 1% of the population who have earned this high honor. I started at Washington State University but I am actually transferring this year due to commute issues. I've been working on a lot of paperwork lately to get that to go through so I can get back to work!

Friday Foodie Favorites Linky

It's Friday Foodie Favorite time! I love Fridays and I love food!

I have a great recipe for all of you today! If you love tacos or soups, read on...

This recipe is seriously so fabulous! I tried it out for a potluck and it was so easy and so delicious!! Lexi's Clean Kitchen has the best clean recipes so you can eat healthy and eat delicious food at the same time!

30-Minute Taco Soup

Serves 4

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Prep Time

5 min 

Cook Time

25 min 

Total Time

30 min 

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2. 1 15 oz. can stewed tomatoes
3. 1 onion, diced
4. 2 garlic cloves, crushed
5. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6. 1 green pepper, diced
7. 1 medium zucchini, diced
8. optional: 1 can black beans

Taco seasoning

1. 1 tbsp chili powder
2. 1 tsp garlic granules
3. 1/2 tsp onion powder
4. 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
5. 1 tsp paprika
6. 1 tsp ground cumin
7. 2 tsp fine Himalayan sea salt
8. 1 tsp black pepper

Toppings

1. Shredded Cheese
2. Avocado
3. Scallions
4. White Onion
5. Non-GMO Tortilla Chips
6. Diced Tomatoes
7. Shredded Lettuce
8. Jalapeno

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven heat oil and sauté garlic
2. Add in diced onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often
3. Add in zucchini and green pepper and let cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring often
4. Add in ground beef and cook until brown
5. In a bowl combine taco seasoning spices
6. Mix in taco seasoning mix
7. Add in stewed tomatoes
8. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes
9. Taste and adjust spices as desired

By Lexi's Clean Kitchen

LINK UP YOUR FOODIE FAVORITES!!

The Sunday Scoop - September 13, 2015!

Have to Do

First, I want to say that I am super happy to be linking up with the Sunday Scoop again. I took quite the hiatus this summer and I haven't fully gotten back into the blogging swing yet. This is a perfect start. I am hoping to pick back up with 5 for Friday soon too!

So, here's what I have to do this week...

First, I need to figure out what the heck is going on with this Journeys curriculum. We adopted it this year and tomorrow will be my first lesson out of it. I really can't even wade through all of this stuff! Agh! Does anyone use Journeys for 5th grade? What are your "must use" pieces? I know that you should pick and choose the best parts but it's hard to sort through it all right now. Haha.

I need to go visit my grandpa at the hospital this evening. I haven't been super active on my blog lately because my grandpa had a stroke last week. He's been in the hospital for almost two weeks now and when I'm not in my classroom, that's where you can find me. I haven't had time to take care of TpT, the blog, cleaning my house, anything. In fact...I might have scheduled a cleaning service from Maid Brigade to help me get caught up after the hospital/back to school madness.

Last, I have some Poshmark sales that have been sitting for a few days that I HAVE TO GET MAILED OUT today!!

Hope to Do

I'm hoping to spend some QT with my computer, blog and buffer today. I am majorly crushing on Buffer lately to keep good content on my Facebook and Twitter pages. I'm already an IG addict so I don't need any help there. I have 5 great blog posts that I really want to write...and soon!

I also want to go pick up some new staple jewelry pieces for the school year at Charming Charlies. I love that store! My currently jewelry selections are feeling boring.

Happy to Do

I am happy to start my day with some exercise. Along with the cleaning, blog and everything else, my health and fitness has really taken a hit the past two weeks. I can tell that my body really needs it and I'm looking forward to doing some PiYo this morning and sweating/stretching it all out!

Click the picture above to join the Sunday Scoop and link up!

Friday Foodie Favorites Linky!

Alright...it's that time!

Wait...what time is it?

It's Friday Foodie Favorites time! It's time to share all of our best recipes and cooking tips for the week!

Yes. Teachers love food too!

Here's my foodie favorite post for the week! 

I am SUCH a huge fan of baked cups for breakfast in the morning. I love oatmeal cups and egg cups. I've been making variations of these for a few years! Today, I'm going to share with you a recipe for some oatmeal cups with berries. 

I'm still REALLY into the summer vibe and I want berries...lots of berries. They're just so sweet and refreshing. 

These cups seem like the prep time is extensive but you have to look at the payoff at the end of the week. You can easily make baked cups for an entire week ahead of time. Can you imagine having a healthy breakfast made and ready to go every single morning for the entire week?? Yes...you can do it!!

Here's the details!!

Baked Oatmeal Cups with Bananas and Berries
(Makes 12 servings, 1 cup each)

Total Time: 45 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 large bananas, mashed
1 Tbsp. raw honey
2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1½ tsp. baking powder
1½ cups unsweetened almond milk
1 cup fresh blueberries (or raspberries)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Prepare twelve muffin cups by coating with spray. Set aside.
3. Combine eggs, extract, bananas, and honey in a large bowl; mix well. Set aside.
4. Combine oats, cinnamon, and baking powder in a medium bowl; mix well.
5. Add oat mixture to egg mixture; mix well.
6. Add almond milk; mix well.
7. Divide oat mixture evenly between prepared muffin cups.
8. Top evenly with blueberries.
9. Bake 26 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Tip: Raisins, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pomegranate seeds, or dark chocolate chips can be substituted for blueberries.

NOW ADD YOUR OWN FOODIE FRIDAY POST TO THE LINKUP BELOW!!

The Global Glitter Tribe Blog Launch

I am sooooo super excited to share the news with you!!

The Global Glitter Tribe is making tons of progress and we're finally launching the official blog! We've been waiting for the perfect time to launch and we think that we've discovered it!

The blog launch is right around the corner and I want to make sure that you know that it's coming! We have tons of great admins on board for the blog and we've already planned out some great new content so that you can read and learn from Day #1! 

The launch giveaway begins on September 11th! You'll want to make sure that you follow me on IG so that you can participate in the giveaway! The giveaway participation will take place entirely on IG! Me and Laura, the founders of Global Glitter Tribe, LOOOOOVE Instagram and we think it's the perfect platform for our launch!

So, stay tuned and get ready for the launch!!

Currently September!

 Currently September

Listening:

I am still catching up on all of the shows that I missed while I was gone for the summer. I am thankful for my DVR right now. I've been catching up on all kinds of stuff...Mr. Robot, Bring It, Unreal, Candidly Nicole...the list goes on. What can I say, I like to relax at night with some mindless TV. It's my way to decompress. That, and yoga.

Loving:

I am honestly SO excited for the new school year. I wrote out notes to all of my new students today. With 35 students in my class, it took about two hours and my hand was super tired. It was worth it. I love all of the possibility that a new school year brings and I can't wait to get things going with my new students.

Thinking:

I think that I am about to break down and invest in some serious Erin Condren swag. I'm talking about a planner, a notebook, notepads, the works. Haha. I want it all.

Wanting:

I want for my classroom set up to be done. Really. I need to get down on some instructional planning. Can't the name tags tape themselves down? No??

Needing:

I need to consider some serious life decisions right now. First, my boyfriend and I are really considering going into foster care and getting a foster kid this spring. Talk about a MAJOR life change. Also, I need to decide if I want to continue to pursue the degree program that I'm in. I've been in a teacher leadership program focused on social justice but maybe I'd rather do a program for administration. I feel like I can't go any further until I know where I want to focus my attention.

3 Goals:

1. I have a serious plan to pay off the rest of my debt (not including my student loans--that's another story entirely) by the end of the year. That does include my car. I've been trying to keep my finances tight and it's HARD.
2. I am hoping to add 5 products a month onto my TpT store. That's an ambitious goal but I think it can definitely be handled. That's just over one per week. That would be a lot for me but I set my goals high!
3. Purging...all of my stuff. The process continues. I hate clutter but I love shopping. That means that I have a stream of things to get rid of. I want to clean out the storage and my guest closet. I want it totally empty so that if we get a foster kid, there will be a nice clean closet in the room for him/her.

So....that's about it for me currently. What about you?? Come link up at Oh Boy 4th Grade!