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4/27/2013

Feeding My Font Addiction

I spent some of my day re-doing some of my TpT items and trying to brighten up some of my cover pages.
I tend to lean to black backgrounds and I don't think black is very visually appealing.

I worked on some pretty awesome fonts!  I really think I'm getting pretty good at making fonts.
This time, I tried to only make fonts for cover pages - thicker and easier to read.
They are named after sweets.
Let me know which one is your favorite!  Click on the Any Page to download them!  
Please use my credit button if you use them in a product.
 
 



Amelia over at Where the Wild Things Learn is having a big 3-6 Giveaway!  Go Check it out!  

This Little Piggy's Favorite is either Caramel Drizzle or CAKE!

4/26/2013

Flashback and Friday 5 and Giveaway Winners!

My Giveaway is over (kind of sad) and I have 3 lucky winners!!  Congrats to all of my winners, thanks to everyone who helped out and welcome to all of my new followers!! 

You're not going to believe this, but my friend down the hall won the K-2 Prize Pack, Jennifer Gonzales.
The 3rd-5th Grade Prize Pack is going to Janine Fernandez and the Clipart Prize Pack is going to Tara Witte!  I hope all of you enjoy your prizes and use them in your classroom.

Now, it's time for my Five for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching and Flashback Friday with Teaching Maddeness.  
 
#5) We played a review game on Monday for our upcoming STAAR Test.  I wanted to play Jeopardy (my projector is out, so I had to make something), but I had too many categories.  So, we played "Pocket Full of Questions" - cute huh?  The pockets have task cards in them.
#4)  These are pics from our 5th Grade Reading Teacher's Earth Day activity.  I thought they turned out great! 
   

#3) This is a new bulletin board I put up after testing.   It's a freebie from Down Under Teacher, click HERE to grab it:) 

#2) We began working on some 4th Grade TEKS this week.  I am diving into poetry.  It's not something I (feel like I) teach very well.  I'm trying very hard this year to send my kiddos onto 4th Grade with a solid poetry foundation.   We began using Teacher's Clubhouse's new Poetry Unit.  We finished our "Alliterainbow's" today and Monday we will begin making Simile Sandwiches!  My kiddos loved making the rainbows after doing oodles of reading passages!
  


#2) It's the end of the year (5 more Monday's) and my kiddos need more direction and classroom mngt. than they did at the beginning of the year!  So, I put up these signs today.  All of the groups did well (except my last class).   I cannot figure out who made this freebie...if it was you, please let me know!!  I think it was someone from a 1st Grade Blog.  

#1) My giveaway was a huge success (in my opinion)!  We had almost over 2,800 entries and there were some great prizes!  

This Little Piggy has 6 new fonts for you tomorrow!

4/23/2013

Featuring: Prize Pack for TpT Sellers

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway!

I'm having a pretty awesome Giveaway!  It runs through Thursday.  Yeah, I know there's STAAR testing this week.  But, I wanted to do a Giveaway -- plus, it helps me take my mind off of "the test".  

So, tonight I'm going to feature The TpT Sellers who helped me create Little Piggy's Prize Pack for TpT Sellers.  

First up, Susanna Wesby from Whimsy Workshop Graphics.  I love her little birdie.  I found her because she was featured in the TpT Newsletter last month.  She's really talented and I would love to sit beside her in a Staff Meeting to see what she doodles!  She has AWESOME $1 DEALS!!!   


Next, Kady Did Doodles.  I found Kady in February and used her freebie hearts.  I love her artwork - she even has coffee clipart!!  She also makes frames and you know what...she's going to GIVE YOU FRAMES FOR FREE!  Yes, you heard that right!  If you follow my blog and her blog, she's GIVING YOU FREE FRAMES!   
Bloggie Friends...go get these FREE FRAMES!

Do you know Crystal A.K.A. The Libraryfox?  She makes Foxy Mini-me's.  Yes, you give her a pic and she'll illustrate you for under $10!  Crystal has the cutest doggie clipart and she's donating a product I own...Chevron Letters!  Who doesn't love Chevron?  If you live under a rock and Chevron isn't your thing, she has a huge variety of letters that you can use to decorate covers.

Have you met Octavia from Ink n Little Things?  She's a regular in the TpT Forums.  I ADORE her little octopus logo and her new digital papers.  She's got a new blog and she gives away freebies - have I mentioned there's one thing I love more than Frames...it's FREEBIES!  Check out her blog!  

Now, did you think I'd have a giveaway and not giveaway Piggies?  Johnston Kindergarten and Digital Clipart  has these oh so cute chubby piggies!  They are on my wishlist right now.  I own Bobbi's Lemonade Clipart - so cute!  Whatever kind of clipart you're looking for...she's got it!   

 

Do you recognize this face?  It's Cara Taylor from TpT.  I found Cara's store during Black History Month.  We have a huge Black History Month Celebration at my school and I needed some awesome activities.  Cara's products were perfect.  Cara also has clipart and FRAMES...my favorite!  

Teacher's Toolbox is helping out by offering these oh so cute animal print backgrounds.  Do you have an animal print classroom or jungle room?  These papers would be awesome for you!  I really like the peacock paper.  

This Little Piggy hopes you signed up for the giveaway & I hope you found a new clipartist to follow!  

4/20/2013

My 150 Follower's Giveaway is Up & Running! 3 Prize Packs!!


I decided to do a 150 follower's giveaway a few weeks ago and by the next week...I had 170 followers!  Whoa.  But, we're still going to celebrate 150 followers!
My Piggies are from Nikki at Melonheadz and the fonts are from kevinandamanda.com
This Little Piggy went around and gathered up some AH-MAZING prizes for you!  These products are wonderful and I promise you can use them in your classroom!  I have pretty much purchased something from everyone in my giveaway.  I promise they pass on great ideas and it doesn't hurt that they are pretty funny too!

On to the Prizes...
This is a fabulous variety for K-2 
math, games, vocabulary, 3 winner's choice and classroom awards! 
I am honored to have these awesome bloggers help me out!  
Jennifer from First Grade Blue Skies was the first blog I ever read.  I am giddy (yes, I said giddy) to have her product in my giveaway!  These frames are free from Teacher Tam.


a Rafflecopter giveaway As you know, I teach 3rd Grade so this Pack had to be grrrr-8! 
ONE of my fellow Upper Elementary Teachers will love this pack that includes 3 Winner's Choice. 





a Rafflecopter giveaway I'm super-dee-dooper excited about this last pack-  
It has clipart, backgrounds and frames.  I love frames!  
Let's be serious, did you think I would have a giveaway and not give away piggies?  


a Rafflecopter giveaway
This Little Piggy's TpT Store is on Sale through Monday!



4/19/2013

Friday 5 Countdown - My Amazing Week

I had an amazing week!  Ah-mazing!  I don't have many pics...but I'm doing a blog post anyway!
Link your week up over at Doodle Bugs Teaching.

#1, 2) Okay, so I blog a few times a week.  Often, I have no comments.  Sometimes I wonder...is anyone reading my blog?  Yeah, I guess some people are.  My lil' blog/teaching product was featured on not one, but two different blogs this week!  YIPPIE!
You know that "STATS" link on your blogger dashboard, it gives you a lot of info about your blog.  Oh hush, you know you look at it too;)  I check it on occassion to see how people are finding my blog.  It looks something like this...

I saw teachjunkie.com and thought, "Hum, I've never heard of that blog."  So, I click.  I find this...
Teach Junkie - 42 Free Fonts for Teachers {Goodie Bag}

My Girly Fonts were featured on teachjunkie.com.  How cool is that??  Made my day!

Then, today I go on blogger.com and scroll through the blog roll (I know many of you use blog lovin' now but not me).  Scoll, scroll, scroll.  Double Take.  
Wait a minute, that's my product.  So, I click the link and oh so young Ms. Durbin from 3rd Grade's a Hoot said great things about my STAAR Test Prep Strategies.  Made my day!

#3) I was in the classroom 2 1/2 days this week.  I had PD on Wednesday for ESL.  We had a 1/2 Day Thursday (got my grades in).  I spent most of today in a PD for RtI. 

#2) My AP paid me & my teammate a great compliment.  She told another parent that she couldn't find better teachers for her child.  Made us feel good.  

#1) My Giveaway goes live tomorrow!  There will be 3 Prize Packs and over 21 total Prizes!!       

This Little Piggy had a great week, but I know West, Texas had a horrible week.  Sending some love to my fellow Texans. 

I wish it would have been thunder

Last night my sign off post said, "This Little Piggy hates thunder."
Well, I only thought I heard thunder.
It was actually the explosion in West, TX.
I live over an hour north of West, TX and yes, I felt it.  It was a huge boom and reminded me of the thunder I've experienced when a tornado is on it's way.
About 10 min. after posting, I realized it wasn't raining at all.
Turns out a Fertilizer Plant exploded.
15+ people were killed (as of now).
Homes were destroyed.  Some no longer exist.  The concrete pad is there, but the house is gone.
There was a middle school not too far away from the blast and it is destroyed as well.  My school district is collecting school supplies for the students and teachers.

Melonheadz made this awesome graphic in memory of West, TX.

4/17/2013

Graphic/Text Features and Commit"Mint"

I had a Prof. Development today. 
The good news...I got out before 1!  
The bad news...it is the week prior to our State Test!  HUH?  Yup. 

This week (well for the past 6 weeks) we've been in HEAVY test prep mode.  
I'm covering those few TEKS that students didn't score well on during our Benchmark.  


 
We're working on text features and graphic features.  My kiddos LOVE procedural text.  
We've written it many times this year (4) and they usually do well on it.  
So, I went back to it to re-teach graphic features.  
We played a game of "Scoot" or Round-the-Room (as I call it).  It's my newest product at TpT.  
It is STAAR Style Q's and is TEKS aligned.  If you need some quick test prep, give it a try!


About 2 weeks ago, I posted about my FREE Test Taking Notes from the Teacher.  It includes a note for students to make a Commit"mint" to do their best on the TEST.  My students did it last week.  We ate peppermints and talked about testing anxiety. 
I gave everyone a sticky note and they wrote down one thing that made them nervous about the test and one thing they could do to help them do better on the test.  Then, I split the class into 2 groups and they sat in a circle and shared their ideas.  Afterwards, we made one big circle and shared out.  
Finally, we talked about what a commitment was and come up with the synonym, promise.  I passed out peppermints and they made their commit"mint" to do their best on the test.  I was really impressed with their ideas. Some examples were eat breakfast, get 8 hours of sleep, read longer to build staminia, take breaks, drink water, use strategies and pay attention when my teacher is doing strategies (ie: think alouds).       
Click the Pic to get the notes!

This Little Piggy hates thunder!