Martin Luther King, Jr. Posters FREEBIE

Celebrate Dr. King's immeasurable contributions to the Civil Rights Movement with this collection of quotes and photographs. Included are photographs of Dr. King giving some of his most famous speeches, as well as pictures of him with his family.  Visit my TPT store to download these posters for FREE.



    

    

    
 Enjoy!

Happy New Year from The Chalk!

Happy Holidays from The Chalk!

TPT Cyber Sale Coming Soon!

Who doesn't love a sale? Stop by The Chalk Store for a discount on absolutely everything.  Save up to 28% with PROMO CODE SMILE.

Happy Turkey Day!

Back to School "Selfie-Portraits"

Let’s get our students drawing with an awesome back to school activity! Selfies are typically taken with a camera or camera phone. This Selfie-Portrait Set is intended as a fun and relaxing drawing activity just perfect for a bulletin board display. This activity can be used at the beginning of the year or on an ongoing basis. Students might enjoy drawing monthly self-portraits. Their portraits alone, or combined with writing, can be compiled to create an All About Me book that can be sent home at the end of the year. This set can also be used to showcase point of view lessons. Have students imagine that they are a historical figure and use the writing template to write from the perspective of the person they are studying.

         

Enjoy!

So what? Now what?

Linda Cliatt-Wayman's speech is both passionate and inspirational.  Her "So what? Now what?" slogan is going to me my mantra for the 2015/2016 school year.  No excuses!

Don't Miss the TPT One Day Bonus Sale!

It's the perfect time to fill your carts. Use promo code MORE15 to receive up to 28% off of absolutely everything in my store.

 

The Chalk's August Currently

Hello August!  I'm excited to link up with Farley over at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for the August Currently.  July was productive, intense, and brought new challenges.  I'm now looking forward to the possibilities that a new month can bring.
 
“When summer opens, I see how fast it matures, and fear it will be short; but after the heats of July and August, I am reconciled, like one who has had his swing, to the cool of autumn.”
–  Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm ready for you August.

 



LISTENING:  The movie Birdman /The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance was on HBO last night.  While I was watching/listening I heard crickets chirping.  I thought it was part of the movie.  When it didn't subside after a minute or so, I realized it was REAL.  It was so loud that it distracted me from the movie.  Had to close my window - guess it was a mating call.

LOVING:  Although I worked longer than intended, I'm still finding time to enjoy the lazy days of summer. 

THINKING:  We order take-out all the time.  We might cook 3 - 4 times max per week.  During the summer this shouldn't be the case because I have ample time to prepare meals.  I WILL do better (I think).

WANTING:  I'm looking for plastic or metal hanging file folders to mount on the wall.  I need a system for frequently accessing papers and a binder system won't work well.  Any ideas?

NEEDING:  Purchased 3 begonias for the flowerpots in my front yard about 3 weeks ago. I need to repot them today. I can tell the plants need to spread out.  Plus I'm in the mood to get my hands dirty.

 

B2S RAK:  I'm giving a few people Book Diva T-shirts and clipboards that I got from Scholastic.

TPT Back to School Sitewide Sale

Who doesn't love a sale? Stop by The Chalk Store for a discount on absolutely everything.  Save up to 28% with PROMO CODE BTS15.

Back to School Favorite - Mr. Sketch Scented Markers

Mr.Sketch Scented Markers are by far my favorite.  I use them every year to make my anchor charts.  The colors are bright and vivid and the scents are heavenly. Mr. Sketch markers have twice the ink of most markers and last super-long.



Perfect Pencil Sharpener

I have been using Panasonic pencil sharpeners for about fifteen years because they are reliable.  I decided to try out the X-Acto School Pro sharpener this summer because I read that it was designed by teachers with an emphasis on safety.  Absolutely LOVE IT! It's quick, quiet, and has a guard to prevent over-sharpening.  Everyone who comes in to use it comments on how great it works.  If you're looking for a fabulous sharpener while back to school shopping - this is the one to get.







The Chalk's July Currently

It's that time again! I'm hooking up with Farley over at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for the July Currently.
Here goes...

Listening:  We used Happy by Pharell Williams for our kindergarten Stepping Up.  Can't get it outta my head.  Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof...



Loving:  I have been assigned to do the purchasing at my school.  The system is complicated but I'm looking forward to learning something new.  I'm a little nervous but I do LOVE to shop!

Thinking:  At times I look at my 60+ TPT products and think there's got to be a better way.  I've decided to organize grade level products by color.  Now I just need to begin making the new covers.
What is your system?

Wanting:  I'm on the lookout for an app to organize my clipart.  I have SOOOO much and I usually don't rename it - so finding what I need is quite time consuming.

Needing:  Due to the amount of time I spend on the laptop, I bought a Fitdesk a few months ago.  Then I picked up a Fitbit so I could compete with my colleagues. Now that summer break is here there are No excuses.

All Star:  Just call me the CLIPART QUEEN.  I'm at the point where I go to buy something new and I find that I already own it - LOL!

Teacher Tees from The Chalk

Life is an experiment. Today I've decided to try something new.  I've opened a teacher t-shirt shop on Spreadshirt.  As teachers, we definitely have our own lingo.  Wouldn't it be great to have a t-shirt for the many things we celebrate at school?  I'm looking forward to documenting and sharing my experiences with you as I learn the ropes.  Click here to visit my shop.  Please leave feedback and suggestions.

The BEST Kindergarten Slideshow Songs

What are the BEST songs for a kindergarten slideshow?  I have been creating slideshows for years, but this was my first time adding music.  I searched endlessly online for song lists appropriate for K students.  I narrowed my list down to the following:

                                       1.  We're Going to be Friends by Jack Johnson
                                       2.  Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion
                                       3.  What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
                                       4.  I hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack
                                       5.  You've Got A Friend in Me by Randy Newman
                                       6.  You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker

I really wanted to use I Hope You Dance, but decided against it because of the use of the word hell.  I will use this song next year after I learn how to edit lyrics. I've been told that I can do this for FREE using a program called Audacity.  My final decision was We're Going to Be Friends and Because You Loved Me.  I created the slideshow using iPhoto and iMovie and it was AWESOME!

          

         

June Currently

Oops! It's June 6th and I finally have a few minutes of ME time.  With all the end of year craziness going on, I haven't had a minute to post.  I'm linking up with Farley over at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for the June Currently.  Here goes...



Listening:  I recently used Chicago Song by David Sanborn in a Year in Review slide show.  It's jazzy, upbeat and worked perfectly for me - take a listen.





Loving:  My new MacBook Pro is awesome!  However, I'm facing a few challenges while learning the ropes. I've been using it for two weeks and I still can't figure out how to save to a USB.  I will become an expert by summer once I have time to explore.  Love. love, love iPhoto!

Thinking:  School ends in NYC on Friday, June 26th.  I'm  excited about the summer vacay, but there's much to do in just three weeks.  CRUNCH time...

Wanting:  IKEA has the best houseplants and I am desperately in need of new plants.  I am committed to taking good care of them (this time).

Needing:  This summer I am going to work on scheduling posts. My goal is two posts per week.  How often do you post?

Summer Lovin:  CHEERS to No alarm for 8 weeks! I have been teaching summer school for YEARS.  I took this summer off because I want to work on TPT products, my blog and website. I'm not planning on wearing shoes for two months and I can't tell you how happy I am about that. 

 



Hope everyone is having a relaxing Saturday,



Our Work Lives On

We must choose our words and deeds carefully because what we do has a lasting impact. 

Happy Friday!

May Currently

It's that time again. I'm linking up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for the MAY Currently.

LISTENING:  Who knew I would love contemporary smooth jazz?  Who knew I would actually pay to listen to the radio?  This station is very peaceful, relaxing background music.

 



LOVING:  Ordered the FitDesk last month on Amazon.  Received it quickly and assembly wasn't too difficult.  I love being able to work and exercise at the same time. The problem is, when I get really interested in what I'm doing online I forget to pedal.







THINKING:  In NYC we're getting well deserved raise this month.

 

WANTING:  Mother's Day is almost here, and I would like a Fitbit. This will help me feel even more guilty about what I'm not doing.  Might be just the motivation I need.

NEEDING:  The time is NOW! The condition of my desk is ridiculous. I need an intervention...

 

SUMMER:  I usually teach during the summer. I'm so conflicted about not teaching and working for myself.  I simply need more time to work on my products.  I also want to learn to make clip art and spend more time outdoors.  I'm changing...singing like Jennifer Hudson.











Month-by-Month Reading Logs

Help your students keep track of their reading with these Month-by-Month Reading Logs. The more opportunities students have to practice the skill of reading, the better readers they become! Each monthly log has space for 20 entries and can be copied back to back for additional logging. Students can record the date, book title, minutes read, and there is an area for parent initials. The writing area is large enough for K-3 students to fit the necessary information in the space provided. Reading logs can be sent home nightly. This encourages children and families to participate in shared reading activities outside of school, which ultimately enhances literacy skills in young readers. There are three monthly variations, two in color, and one in black and white (for the ink conscious). Once the logs have been completed for the year, you can add the cover page and staple them together. I have also included a simple template without the month that can be used at any time.

 

 

Enjoy!

Fabulous Handwriting FREEBIE

The ESL Handwriting Wizard is a great free resource for making personalized handwriting sheets.  I make these for all of my kindergarten students each September.  You simply type the name or word into the text box, and voila, you have wonderful practice handwriting sheets for your students.  You can generate worksheets with one word, two words, and more!  I've been using this site for years and it's really user friendly.  Stop by next week for another great Fabulous FREEBIE.

Enjoy!