I have a confession to make...I'm not into football. The Superbowl is exciting and all, but I look forward to the commercials and the half time show more than the game. (glad to get that off my chest) The boys in my house will be cheering on Denver this year. Hope their team can take home the win so everyone stays happy! LOL!

If you're not into the big game like me or you just appreciate saving some cash, then this sale is for you! Everything in my store will be 20% Saturday and Sunday!!!

This is not a site wide TpT sale, but many sellers are throwing savings your way! Be sure to check them out and happy shopping!!



Getting kids to think creatively and critically can be such a task these days. Coming up with projects and ideas certainly keeps me on my toes. My 3rd graders love to write skits and perform them for the class. I try to give them as many of these opportunities as possible. It is so important for them to have time to  collaborate and share out. They really do love it, too!

One project that we will be working on in February are Presidential Interviews. It's very simple, but it gets them thinking and learning about presidents in a different way. You can assign this after you have studied Abe Lincoln or George Washington as a whole group or assign different presidents to pairs of students to research. Basically, the students will research their given president (or use the information you have discussed in class) and write interview questions. I will tell them that their questions must have answers based on the facts they researched. For example, they might ask "When and where were you born?" or "How many children do you have?" or "What years did you serve as president?" One student will act as the interviewer and one will be the president. They can create props, bring props from home, and wear costumes if they wish.

I created this Presidential Interview freebie to help you get started. It includes the directions for the interview project and an organizer for the questions and script.


Another freebie you might use with this project are these president cards. They come in handy if you are assigning random presidents to students. I have included other ideas for the cards, too.



The Presidential Interview project works well with my All About Presidents organizer which you can find HERE at my TpT store. Students use this organizer when researching presidents (or other famous men in history) and this information can be presented in the interview format.

Enjoy more FREEBIES at Teaching Blog Addict!






If you are looking for more products to enhance social studies look no further.  USA HOORAY Educents bundle  is only on sale for a few more days! $30 for over 1,000 pages of materials! It's a deal for sure!

Using video clips in the classroom can really bring things to life for kids, especially history. I'm joining up with Brenda at Primary Inspired for


Last week, during our study of Martin Luther King, Jr., the topic of Ruby Bridges came up. I found a wonderful little clip about her told from Ruby herself.  You can find it here on Discovery Education. You will need to create a free account if you don't already have one and search Ruby Bridges. This site has fantastic videos right at your finger tips. It is my go to site when I'm looking for something on the spot. I also like it because the videos are broken down into short clips. I don't always want to show a lengthy video. I was also able to show my class a clip of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. Powerful stuff when you can SHOW what you are teaching. Another favorite I find there is Reading Rainbow. My students have not seen these classics with LeVar Burton and I always find them so educational. My students present book commercials and I always show the book reviews at the end of Reading Rainbow episodes as good examples.

Another site I just love is BrainPop.
Now here you do need to pay for a yearly subscription. Thankfully, my school pays for us to have it. The BEST part about it is the kids have access to it at home. I have used this site for homework. I will choose 3-4 videos that compliment a topic we are studying, usually in science or social studies. The students choose one they want to watch at home. After the video they take the quiz and email me the results. Very easy. I do make sure at the start of the year that all students have access to the internet and I do give several days to do this homework. They love it and the scores come right to my email.

Of course, classic DVDs like Schoolhouse Rock NEVER go out of style!
This set has all of the songs and the kids have a lot of fun with them, especially because it's new to them. I love using the American history songs for social studies.

Remember to check out this Educents bundle on sale for a few more days! This bundle includes 20 resources to use when teaching history and geography. These resources are perfect for your social studies units and just about any patriotic holidays! Get yours now before this offer is ends!

Check out my blog post here to see more about the products I have in this bundle. 
Teaching students history helps them understand the present and allows them to learn from mistakes of the past. It is so important for all citizens to understand the world we live in. It's history. It's geography. It's customs and cultures. Social Studies is one of my favorite subjects to teach. Making it fun is the key and that is the reason I am thrilled to be a part of this amazing bundle from Educents! USA Hooray is their newest bundle and it's jam packed with 21 instant downloads with over 1100 pages of materials for our young learners! All for $29.99!!

I'm so pleased to have two products included in this bundle. First, is my Celebrate Freedom with Patriotic Brochures pack. You will receive 5 trifold brochures to enhance your study of patriotic holidays, heroes, symbols, and songs. These are perfect around patriotic holidays or during a study of American history. Great assessment tools, too. These brochures require reading of informational text and/or research to complete. They will enjoy the engaging activities and cute graphics.




Another product of mine you will find in the USA Hooray bundle is this one:


In this pack you will find a variety of activities to accompany a study of the U.S. Regions. There is a matching activity for each region that requires a bit of reading informational text and/or research. I have included a state report form, poetry writing, a math activity, and a blank map to color and label.

For a limited time this pack is $29.99 from Educents which is over 75% off!  It also includes these other great products, so there is sure to be things you love!  (They even have $10 off for first time customers… so it can be even cheaper if you have never bought anything from Educents!)



Check out this pack today and preview all the wonderful products!


Allowing time for students to be creative has always been a top planning priority in my room. I'm excited to be a part of the Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store #teachercreativity Blog Hop.

Do you find the traditional book report summary or one page typed research paper boring and, most of the time, copied from the internet?? I turn and run from these old-fashion projects. I much rather give my students a project that they will make unique and I know is not plagiarized. LOL!

These little Paper Bag Scrapbooks are super, duper easy to make and can be used for just about any subject and grade level.

Here are some of the supplies that I purchased at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store. If you are going to have students create books based on a specific topic then purchase a variety of stickers and papers that match your theme or purchase a mix of basic paper and letter stickers. As time goes on, you will build a collection of scrapbook materials. Asking parents to donate or students to bring in supplies from home helps, too and adds to your collection. I knew that I was going to create a scrapbook based on Charlotte's Web and one about Abe Lincoln (my favorite president BTW!) I purchased materials that I knew would compliment both of those topics.
These card stock books are great and inexpensive. Check it out...$4. Get these when they are on sale or with your Teacher Reward discount. These books come in a variety of patterns and colors and there is plenty of paper inside! I also purchased those manila tags.

Ribbon, brads, or brass fasteners work great for holding these books together. A staple works, too.


Here are the quick and easy peasy steps to making a Paper Bag Scrapbook. Three paper bags will make a 12 page book which is plenty. Lay the bags on top of one another alternating them like this:

Fold all three in half. Use a hole punch to make a hole at each end of the crease, punching through all three bags.

 I used ribbon on this book to hold it together. I used brads on the other book.
Three pockets are created by the bag openings. The kids love these. I tell them they are good for holding secrets and surprises! Use the tags to place inside or cut more card stock and slip it.

What goes inside those pockets is open to so many possibilities. Encourage students to create the scrapbook from the perspective of a particular book character or president or famous historical figure. The pockets could hold memorabilia, theater tickets, important documents, letters, photos, or other trinkets. The sky's the limit and so is your students' imaginations. These books make for a perfect assessment tool. You will be able to see how well they know the topic!

I created forms students could use if you wanted to make a book report scrapbook or president scrapbook. You can find those HERE and HERE if you are interested.


If you want to start your collection of scrapbook materials for the classroom start by printing out this coupon.


If you have not signed up for their Teacher Reward program, you can do that HERE. You'll get 15% off your order every time you shop!!

Check out these other teacher bloggers and see how they foster creativity in their classrooms:


It's Monday and we are back at school after a wonderful winter break. I'm sending warm thoughts to those of you in the freezing north, I hope you are staying warm. I feel guilty saying it, but I JUST turned my AC off and opened the windows. It was 82 here today, but the temperature is going to dip into the 40s tonight. There is a beautiful cool breeze now. (Personally, I think we should have a cold day tomorrow. LOL!) The cold doesn't last long here. We'll be back into the 70s by Wednesday. Happy! Happy! I don't like temps below 70. I certainly can not imagine -30! I'm sending warm thoughts from Florida.


Today I'm linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It.
I wanted to share these cute little paper baskets that I created. You could use these for gift boxes for students or parents. I like to use them at the holidays for sweet treats like M&Ms. At our winter party they held candy that we used as game pieces for bingo. Students could write on the inside of them, too. My students enjoyed making them and they are super easy to put together.

Print. Color. Depending on what you are doing with them you could laminate them.
 Cut and fold in on the lines. Students can tape or glue the tabs to the inside. That's it!
VOILA! Done! Easy peasy!


The set includes 18 boxes which cover the four seasons and major holidays. I've included back to school, fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, winter, Christmas, Hanukkah, spring, Easter, MLK Day, Presidents Day, Valentine's Day, beach theme, patriotic, New Year, Chinese New Years, and St. Patrick's Day. Download the preview for a freebie HERE at my TpT store.

Stop on by and see my friend Maria at Everyone deServes to Learn for a fantastic giveaway.

Thanks for stopping by and stay warm!!
Hi Friends!
It's my last weekend of winter break then back to work on Monday! ~sigh~
Are you going back, too? Some of you might be having a snow day, right? Not here in South Florida. It's finally cool outside, but quite dreary and rainy today. To lift your spirits, how about a free $10 to spend at Educents? What is Educents? It's a site that offers discounted educational products (and sometimes some freebies!). All you have to do is sign up for a free membership. You can do that HERE. Once you sign up you'll be given $10 towards a purchase. If that purchase is $10 then your order is free!! I think that is a pretty good deal! So check it out today. Stay warm. Enjoy your weekend!

While you're here be sure to check out this wonderful giveaway going on now. My friends at Fourth Grade Flipper and Head Over Heels for Teaching are co-hosting this giveaway that is going on for the next several days. (One of my products will be coming up this week!) Get on over there and join in!
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!!
Back to Top