Happy New Year!

Welcome to Fishing for More TPT Products! is a series on this blog to showcase some inspiring Teachers Pay Teachers products. I will talk about some items that have caught my attention. If you'd like for me to feature your product, please comment below or contact me with the links and a preview!

---

Happy New Year!

This week I decided to focus on New Year's Activities/Resolutions! These are some great products to get your students about writing some personal goals for the remainder of the year.  I loved doing this with my students because it also gave them a chance to learn about goals and setting personal goals.  A lot of my students excelled in so many aspects of their lives because they gave themselves a goal, pushed themselves, and worked hard for their achievements.  Hopefully these products can help out with that!

By: Michelle Chan

Subjects: English Language Arts 

Grade Levels: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, Homeschool 

Resource Types: Worksheets, Fun Stuff, Printables 

Cost: FREEBIE 

New Year's Resolution pages: This packet includes 3 versions of writing New Year goals that appeal to students at different grade levels. There are also two sets of each: one for girls and one for boys.

By: Linda Kamp

Subjects: Writing, Holidays/Seasonal, The New Year 

Grade Levels: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Homeschool 

Resource Types: Activities, Printables, Bulletin Board Ideas 

Cost: $3.50 

This January printable contains 2-4 days of mini-lessons and activities for your students to learn about the history of the New Year's resolution and to write some resolutions of their own!

By: The Busy Class

Subjects: Life Skills, Winter, The New Year 

Grade Levels: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, Homeschool 

Resource Types: Activities, Fun Stuff, Printables 

Cost: $2.50 

A new year (or a new school year) is a great time to turn over a new leaf, try new things, and end bad habits. Right around winter break (or at the beginning of a new school year) have a class discussion about resolutions. Brainstorm goals that are attainable and share some of your own. Have students create foldable and then hang for others to read.

By: The Lesson Plan Diva

Subjects: Creative Writing, For All Subject Areas 

Grade Levels: PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th 

Resource Types: Activities 

Cost: $3.00 

 Help your students bring in the new year with this cute craftivity. The students can write about what their resolutions are for 2015. There is also a "My Goals for the New Year writing prompt included. They make the face template to look like themselves. They can use construction paper or a hair template that is provided. Hair templates are provided for a boy and a girl. There are 2 brainstorming graphic organizers included. ( I will update this yearly with the correct current new year if you purchase.) There are handwriting and ruled lines provided.

By: Clutter-Free Classroom

Subjects: English Language Arts, Balanced Literacy, Writing 

Grade Levels: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th 

Resource Types: Printables, Bulletin Board Ideas, Graphic Organizers 

Cost: $3.75 

This is a great activity for the month of January as it focuses on resolutions or as I referred to them with my class...goals.

By: Anne Hofmann 1st Grade

Subjects: Basic Operations, The New Year
Grade Levels: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Homeschool
Resource Types: Worksheets, Projects, Printables
Cost: $2.00

 Welcome your students back to school in 2015 with these fun activities. Use as your first bulletin board of the new year.

Find more on My Pinterest:

  Follow Fishing for Education's board Holidays - New Years on Pinterest.

What are you looking forward
to use in your classroom for New Year's?

One Word Resolution: Create!

Got this from Primary Powers and I think it's a great way for narrow down your goals for 2015!  

My One Word Resolution is CREATE!

I like to focus more on creating this for my class, my career, and this site.  I'm currently waiting on visa paperwork to begin full-time teaching, so I've got time to create more!  

I've got some personal goals:

1. Become closer to an Australian citizen. 
2. Read & study up on primary education.  
3. Continue becoming more creative. 
4. Don't let fear hold me back from new things.  
5. Eat healthier options. 

You can read about these goals more in depth on my personal lifestyle blog on 1st January 2015!

What are your goals for 2015?

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with their friends and families!  Make sure to take time to relax and enjoy your time together.  It's only a quick break from school in the USA, but a nice month long summer break for us here in Australia!

By the way, don't you just LOVE the festive frame I used?  I got them from Krista Wallden's TPT Store with her Holiday Freebies!  Definitely check her out, she has great graphics!

Fourteen in '14 Linky Party

1. My Class 

I can't forget my last class I had in Florida!  What an exciting bunch they were!  They were always super eager to learn more and quite inquisitive.  

2. 3rd Grade Fall Festival

Each year we put on our own grade level Fall Festival!  We usually do a lot of work in 3rd grade, so we like to take a break from all the paperwork and play some fun games and get crafty.  It's a great way to have parents volunteer and spend some time with their child.  

3. Dr. Seuss Day

I love Dr. Seuss Day/Read Across America!  I've found that no matter what age, students love Dr. Seuss stories!  I'm glad they did a full length movie for Horton Hears a Who and The Lorax.  It's a great end of the day activity after all the fun & reading they did earlier that day.

4. Field Day

Oh, don't you just LOVE Field Day!  I honestly love to run around with the kids and goof off.  We were quite competitive this year, and I loved the intensity!  Great way to teach teamwork skills.  

5. Pie in the Face Contest

This was the 3rd year I participated in the Pie in the Face contest.  I was one of the top winners the first year, but got lucky last year as they only picked the top 2 teachers.  However, since the students knew this was my last year at the school, seems they all went digging for coins to donate.  I found out that 3 of my students donated $20+ each, one even using coins he'd collected over the years!  I had to allow those big spenders to do the honors!

6. End of the School Year

At the end of a school year I can get emotional, but I am usually okay since I'll see them again the following year.  But as we said goodbye for our 5th grades during the parade, I found my first class of students leaving and crying and then the water works hit me hard.  It finally hit that (with me moving to another country) I would hardly see them again!  Then my class started crying with me and wouldn't let me go at the end of the year.

7. Send off

Had a few parties and get togethers before leaving the country.  Talk about some feasts!  It's fun to get a chance to get us all together again!  (Not fun leaving though.)

8. Move to Australia

The big journey to move to Australia was soon after my summer break started!  I was too anxious, as this was like 2-3 years in the making, to wait any longer.  

9. Perth

I moved to Perth, WA and it was instant winter.  Luckily, it's not entirely the coldest there in the winter, much like Florida.  However, I was aching for my summer back!  Perth was nice because I got the city life while living so close to the beach! (5 minute walk)

10. Melbourne/Visit with Friends

I got to spend a few weeks in Melbourne, VIC (Australia) before I settled into Perth.  My dearest friend (Chloe) of years since working at summer camp together knew just how we enjoy my visits there! (This would be my third trip visiting her, friends, and her family!)

11. New Zealand Trip

We got a chance to spend a few weeks in New Zealand as someone is obsessed with snowboarding.  I luckily got the guts to try some snowboarding and actually went up on a chair lift and down the "mountain."  

12. Kalgoorlie/Kambalda Move

After getting used to Perth, we found out we would need to move to Kalgoorlie for a job opportunity.  It's a small town, more inland and far from the beach.  (Think basically the Outback, at least in my opinion.)  We decided to settle in Kambalda, which is even smaller and even more in the outback.  

13. Relief Teaching in Oz

However, I was fortunate enough to get a response from the schools in this small area and have them provide some work for me!  Definitely smaller schools, since it's pretty much in the country, but a great way for me to get teaching work and understand how Australian schools work.

14. Esperance Beach

On one of the off weeks, we decided to drive down to the nearest beaches in Esperance.  (It's like a 4 hour drive south.)  Sure do miss the beach!  And these beaches are absolutely GORGEOUS!

What is your Fourteen in '14?

Sequencing Task Cards

Here are two similar products that I've used in the past.  I was looking for some centers while introducing and working on the Sequencing/Chronological Order Reading Skill.  I came across these on TPT.  The first one is from Teaching with a Mountain View, and I liked this one because it provided different ways to practice sequencing.  It had stories, listing events, creating student's work, and more.  The second is from Rachel Lynette, and she has some great task cards for nearly every skills.  (I've gotten a few from her.)  I like how she uses signal words to help students with this skill.

How I Used these Task Cards in my Class:

I initially started using them in a center during my reading groups during the time we're practicing this skill.   It was great because you only need one set and don't need to make/waste copies.  They also provided an answer sheet and the students could check their buddy's work, or there own.  The students were able to work with these cards without any teacher help, and this was helpful since I was in Reading Groups.

Making & Printing these Cards:

I made sure I printed these on cardstock paper so it would be more durable. I had printed one set on white cardstock at home with my color printer and another set on colored cardstock with our school grayscale classroom printer.  Both were great because they were bright and colorful.  Then I made sure to laminate them so that they would last for years.

Rating & Download:

  

Click above to purchase and download these wonderful task cards!

I give both of these products 4 out 4 starfish! 

Five for Friday

Five for Friday is a weekly teacher linky party where you post five random things from today or this past week and on your blog. Then, you come back and link your blog post to Doodle Bugs Teaching linky tool.

Coffee

I had strayed away from coffee since moving to Australia.  Don't ask me why, I just did.  (Maybe because I drank a little bit more tea than usual.)  But since I've started relief teaching (substitute teaching) here I've been feeling the need for coffee.  Now I seem to enjoy them more on my days off!  Just, so YUM!  I found a Butterbeer Latte recipe on Pinterest and I want to try it soon!  (Oddly, it's summer here in Australia but I still love it hot!)  And I just love this mug from Ban.do!

Following Teacher Blogs on Bloglovin'

Well, I've been eyeing some of my favorite teacher blogs out there and kept forgetting their names and URLs.  I've had Bloglovin' for quite sometime, but I can't believe I never thought to follow teacher/education blogs on it!  (DUH!)  I especially like how you can put blogs into groups!  I'm following tons, but now it's all organize.  **Don't forget to follow Fishing for Education on Bloglovin'! Click below.

Taylor Swift Playlist for Our Road Trip

We're getting ready for our 6+ hour drive to Perth (Australia) and I'm setting up my playlist.  My rule is if I'm driving, I get to pick my tunes!  And you know it is #TSWIFT all the way!  (Well, mostly.)  I've also thrown in some good old #RED in there too!

Elf - The Movie

'Tis the Christmas season and it's time to break out the Christmas movies!  (I have yet to break out the Christmas music.)  Love Actually is my holiday go-to movie, but I've recently been enjoying Elf.  Mainly because it reminds me of a former student who would constantly ask if we could watch this movie in class.  I kept informing him that I'm not allowed to at school, but it is a funny movie!  Definitely his type of humor, which we both enjoyed that year.

Summer Time During Christmas Time

One thing I'm definitely getting used to is the summer heat during Christmas time.  Althought I've grown up in Hawaii and Florida and have never experienced a cold, winter Christmas, this is different.  I was always a little colder in Hawaii (at least breezy) and Florida.  This is the true start of summer here in Australia! 

What has been going on during your week?

Fishing for More TPT - Christmas/Holidays

Fishing for More TPT Products! is a series on this blog to showcase some inspiring Teachers Pay Teachers products.  I will talk about some items that have caught my attention.  If you'd like for me to feature your product, please comment below or contact me with the links and a preview! 

---

This week is all about Christmas & the Holiday Season!  I've found some great packets to utilize this time of year.

By: Hilary Lewis

Subjects:  English Language Arts, Reading, Vocabulary, Writing

Grade Levels: 2nd, 3rd, Homeschool
Resource Types: Worksheets, Printables, Literacy Center Ideas
Cost: FREE

Help your students practice synonyms with this word sorting/matching pack.

By: Kiki's Classroom

Subjects: Math, Numbers, Place Value 

Grade Levels: 2nd, 3rd, 4th 

Resource Types: Worksheets, Printables, Math Centers 

Common Core Standards: 3.NBT.A.1

Cost: FREE

This Christmas Roundup Freebie provides fun, seasonal practice in rounding whole numbers to the nearest 10 and 100 and using pronouns. Answer keys are included.

By: A Special Kind of Class

Subjects: Math, Basic Operations, Graphing, Holidays/Seasonal, Christmas/ Chanukah/ Kwanzaa 

Grade Levels: PreK, Kindergarten 

Resource Types: Worksheets, Minilessons, Printables

Cost: $2.50 Forty four simple no prep math worksheets for Christmas using numbers 1 to 10. 

Includes counting, find the missing numbers, putting numbers in order, graphing, patterning and matching.

By: Create-Abilities

Subjects: Basic Operations, Fractions, Measurement

Grade Levels:  3rd, 4th, 5th, Homeschool

Resource Types: Fun Stuff, Printables, Math Centers

Common Core Standards: 3.NF.A.1, 3.NF.A.2, 3.NF.A.3, 3.MD.A.1, 3.MD.C.5, 3.MD.C.6, 3.MD.C.7, 4.MD.A.1, 3.NBT.A.2, 4.NBT.B.4

Cost: $4.50

Fun, holiday-inspired math centers perfect for the Christmas season!

By: Common Core Galore and More

Subjects: Math, Winter, Tools for Common Core

Grade Levels:  3rd, 4th, 5th

Resource Types: Worksheets, Printables, Math Centers

Common Core Standards: 4.OA.A.1, 4.OA.A.2, 4.OA.A.3, 4.OA.B.4, 4.OA.C.5

Cost: $6.95

Put down your scissors and forget the laminator! This 55 page Winter Math Pack requires NO PREP. All you need to do with this pack is hit print and go!

By: BowserBikeJustDance

Just a fun and festive video for the kids to dance to!  I love using Just Dance videos on YouTube for some great Brain Breaks in the class. Enjoy!

What have you been enjoying in your class this Holiday Season?