My Blog Has Moved!

Hi, friends- Well, I haven't been here in ages, and I can see that my old blog is in quite a state of chaos. I've decided to start a new blog over at Word Press, and I hope you will come visit me there. 

My New Blog at Word Press

Much love to everyone in the New Year!

Make End of Year Planning a Breeze!

The end of the year can be such a challenging time to keep students actively engaged. We've all been there. We're tired and they're tired. As teachers, we need something ready to use and fun that still keeps students' minds active and excited about end of year curriculum. 

This "Less Mess" Summer/End of Year Bundle is perfect to include in your end of year activities to keep students actively engaged before summer! It includes nine of my summer/end of year activities for students' interactive notebooks at a highly discounted price. You can view or purchase each item individually as well.

My “Less Mess” Interactive Notebook Activities allow for two simple steps: cut around the border and glue it in. That’s it! They are perfect for teachers who may have their students for just one short period per day but still need to cover study skills. However, if you are a big fan of the “folds and flaps” that usually come with interactive notebooks, this resource can be a nice supplement to add to what you already have or to use on days when you may have less time.

The pages are designed so that they will work in spiral notebooks, composition books, three hole binders, or as individual activity pages if you are not yet fully ready to commit to interactive notebooks in your classroom. 

You may even want to check out my full line of interactive notebooks. I have over 40 items in ELA, social studies, study skills, end of year activities and more!

Custom "Less Mess" Interactive Notebook Bundles at 25% OFF!

Now you can design your own custom bundles from the choices above. Choose any three or more of the choices above to create your own bundle and receive 25% off! Please be aware that items already bundled at my shop are discounted, but if want to pick your own choices for your bundle, here is your chance!

I know that interactive notebooks are all the rage now, and many teachers absolutely love them. I wanted to try them, and I did. We formed a strange relationship- these interactive notebooks and me.

For a few years now, I guess I have had what you might call a “love hate”relationship with interactive notebooks. I LOVE the idea and concept of them. I love the way they engage students and provide opportunities for inspired and engaging note taking. I love the way they allow students to use what they learn in class and turn it into something creative. I love how they provide students with a useful studying tool to use all year.

However, the hate part comes in due to all of the cutting and pasting. I guess "hate" is too strong a word, but I know that when you don’t have students in your classroom all day and only see them for limited periods of time, it's sometimes difficult to spend a good portion of the period cutting and pasting. I am only speaking about what works/doesn't work for me. I have great admiration for teachers who make this work on a daily basis in a 38 or 40 minute period. However, I realized this just might not work for everyone...or perhaps not every day. This inspired me to create a new line of interactive notebooks.

My “Less Mess” Interactive Notebook Activities allow for two simple steps: cut around the border and glue it in. That’s it! However, you can choose to use these pages in a variety of ways. Also, if you are a big fan of the “folds and flaps” that usually come with interactive notebooks, this resource can be a nice supplement to add to what you already have or to use on days when you may have less time.

I know that we don’t always have the supplies we need and often have to rely on whatever we have. The format of my pages gives you the freedom to pick and choose whatever method works best for you in your classroom. They work in spiral notebooks, composition books, and three hole binders. They will even work as individual activity pages if you are just not ready (or don't want) to make the leap to interactive notebooks in your classroom!

Ask about your custom bundle today. Use the Ask a Question Section at my store to have your questions answered.

Click on this link to see 

"Less Mess" Interactive Notebook Activities.

"Less Mess" Interactive Notebooks- FIVE DAY 20% OFF SALE!

SALE= 5 DAYS ONLY! 20% OFF

OVER 40 "LESS MESS" RESOURCES!

FEBRUARY 20-24, 2018

Sale starts February 20th at 4 PM (EST)

Sale ends February 24 

I know that interactive notebooks are all the rage now, and many teachers absolutely love them. I wanted to try them, and I did. We formed a strange relationship- these interactive notebooks and me.

For a few years now, I guess I have had what you might call a “love hate” relationship with interactive notebooks. I LOVE the idea and concept of them. I love the way they engage students and provide opportunities for inspired and engaging note taking. I love the way they allow students to use what they learn in class and turn it into something creative. I love how they provide students with a useful studying tool to use all year.

However, the hate part comes in due to all of the cutting and pasting. I guess "hate" is too strong a word, but I know that when you don’t have students in your classroom all day and only see them for limited periods of time, it's sometimes difficult to spend a good portion of the period cutting and pasting. I am only speaking about what works/doesn't work for me. I have great admiration for teachers who make this work on a daily basis in a 38 or 40 minute period. However, I realized this just might not work for everyone...or perhaps not every day. This inspired me to create a new line of interactive notebooks.

My “Less Mess” Interactive Notebook Activities allow for two simple steps: cut around the border and glue it in. That’s it! However, you can choose to use these pages in a variety of ways. Also, if you are a big fan of the “folds and flaps” that usually come with interactive notebooks, this resource can be a nice supplement to add to what you already have or to use on days when you may have less time.

I know that we don’t always have the supplies we need and often have to rely on whatever we have. The format of my pages gives you the freedom to pick and choose whatever method works best for you in your classroom. They work in spiral notebooks, composition books, and three hole binders. They will even work as individual activity pages if you are just not ready (or don't want) to make the leap to interactive notebooks in your classroom!

The line now has over 40 different resources for all of your teaching needs in ELA, social studies, study skills and more! For five days only, there is a 20$ discount on all "Less Mess" resources!

Click on this link to see the FULL LINE of

"Less Mess" Interactive Notebook Activities.

Breathe Some New Life Into Ancient Egypt!

Hi, Friends!

Do you want to breathe some new life into your study of the ancient past? If your unit is on Ancient Egypt, this resource will provide you with a way to ENGAGE STUDENTS and INCORPORATE TECHNOLOGY!

My "Less Mess" Ancient Egypt Interactive Notebook helps you tackle this challenge in a ready-to-use, creative format. Just like all of my other "Less Mess" Interactive Notebooks prove, less mess equals LESS STRESS for you as a teacher. Don't use all your time cutting, pasting, and gluing. Do it in one quick step and get RIGHT TO THE CONTENT!

There is just SO MUCH included!

 Check it out by clicking HERE.

If you'd like to view my entire line 

of "Less Mess" Interactive Notebooks, click HERE.

Archaeology and Stone Age FUN!

Hi, Friends!

Are you struggling to make your study of archaeology and the Stone Age fun and exciting for your students? Why not add some creativity so that your class can be engaged and motivated when studying the ancient past?

My "Less Mess" Archaeology and the Stone Age Interactive Notebook helps you tackle this challenge in a ready-to-use, creative format. Just like all of my other "Less Mess" Interactive Notebooks prove, less mess equals LESS STRESS for you as a teacher. Don't use all your time cutting, pasting, and gluing. Do it in one quick step and get RIGHT TO THE CONTENT!

There is just SO MUCH included!

 Check it out by clicking HERE.

If you'd like to view my entire line 

of "Less Mess" Interactive Notebooks, click HERE.

The Magic of Dada Poetry

Teaching poetry is my passion and my love. Watching what students can do with words is amazing. Even those students who are struggling with how to write a complete sentence can somehow magically string together words to create the most beautiful poems.

 

One of my favorites is dada poetry. Here's how I do it:

 

1. Give students a stack of magazines.

2. Give them a time limit to cut out words that appeal to their senses. Be sure to require that they find different parts of speech.

3. Have the class compile a box of "found words." You could categorize them by parts of speech if you want to.

4. Give each student a chance to take a handful (or a specific number) of words without looking.

5. Have each student construct a poem with the found words. I also allow my students to write in articles, prepositions, and conjunctions as well as punctuation as needed.

Behold the magic that is created!

Stop by to see my poetry resources and ideas at TpT by clicking HERE.