Book Spine Poetry

Yesterday I tried a great little lesson inspired by a PBS Facebook post. I wanted to do some kind of poetry related activity this month in honor of April being National Poetry Month, but I was having difficulty fitting it into our already jam packed schedule. 

This quick Book Spine Poetry activity was the solution to my problem! My students chose books from our classroom library and used the titles on their spines to create poems, phrases, and silly sentences. It was great for reluctant writers who have difficulty creating original sentences from scratch. By working with existing book titles as sentences and phrases students only had to look for a connection between them to create a beautiful piece of original writing.

After showing the class my example, I told students to head to our classroom bookshelves and choose 5 or 6 books with titles they liked or found interesting. Students brought these books back to their seats and started stacking them in different ways to see if any interesting sentences or phrases appeared. If books in their stack didn't work or they needed something else they went back to the shelves to find another.

Stop by my TpT store to grab this quick and easy activity for your classroom! 

Let me know if you try this out in your classroom! I'd love to hear the poems your students create!

LOVE the Scholastic Warehouse Sale!

Last Monday I finally seized the chance to go to a Scholastic Warehouse sale! 

I've received the emails in the past letting me know that the Warehouse Sale was coming to town, but never made the time to go. This year, however, I decided to go with my grade level partner and our 6-7-8 ELA teacher. 

It was my first time there and I was skeptical about finding good deals or anything useful for my classroom. I stepped into the room, my jaw dropped to the floor, and all my previous worries melted away! It was like your regular school book fair on steroids!

Our 6-7-8 ELA teacher had been to one before, so I relied heavily on her guidance and headed to the famous $24/box section first. Literally, anything you can pack into a box from that section is only $24! They had all sorts of books ranging from picture books to adult bestsellers. I watched in awe as she filled box after box. She cleaned the shelves, finding enough copies (20+) to make class sets! One of her boxes contained 24 hardcovers of Just Ella (Margaret Peterson Haddix), 5 copies of Hunger Games, and multiple copies of Scat and Skink (Hiaasen). All for 24 bucks!!!

Once I overcame the shock I grabbed a box and started filling!

In my box are all the books you see above (I'm super excited to use the Neverland book Cave of the Dark Wind as a class novel next year!) plus a few others I forgot to photograph. I picked up the picture book Titanicat to complement my other Titanic teaching materials, grabbed a few copies of a Pirates of the Caribbean graphic novel, and threw in a book for myself to top it off (a Bones novel by Kathy Reichs!). All for $24! The Neverland books were priced @ $9.99 each and I snagged 20 of them, plus so much more, for $24! (If you can't tell, I'm just a LITTLE excited)

Now the rest of the Warehouse Sale outside of the $24/box section was 50%. They had everything you can find in recent Scholastic Reading Club flyers and more. Some books had "Final Price" stickers on them, so I asked if those were 50% off too... They answered YES and I double checked with a few other volunteers just to make sure because the deal was too good to believe. I found a few books that were marked at 79 cents and ended up ringing up at 40 cents when I checked out. SCORE! I bought 5-10 copies of each to make small group sets for literature circles/book clubs. Thats $2 for a small group set of 5 books!

To top it all off, I had a coupon from Scholastic for $25 off a $100 purchase. So everything I snagged only cost me $83. Over 100 books for less than 100 dollars. You can't beat that! Click {{HERE}} to find a Scholastic Warehouse Sale near you and don't hesitate to sign up.

You can bet that next year when the Scholastic Warehouse sale rolls around, I will be there.
I think I might start saving up now so next year's haul can be even BIGGER!

Happy Reading :)

Late to the party...

So I'm running a little late to the "Currently" party this month... Sorry! To make up for it though I'm having an awesome {{GIVEAWAY}} Keep reading to find out more!

Listening to the New York Rangers clinch the Division!! Last night's win over Minnesota puts us FIRST in the division going into the playoffs! Woo-hoo! I see the Stanley Cup in our future!

Loving Jamberry nails!! Have you tried these yet? They are seriously awesome! I love having my nails painted but am too cheap to go get them done. I try to do them myself but they always end up getting smudged and start chipping the very next day. Jamberry nail wraps are like stickers for your nails. They are super strong, easy to put on, and look great for 2 weeks! Best of all, they come in hundreds of colors and designs. There was a basket raffle at my son's hockey banquet this week and I won a Jamberry basket!! (I usually never win at these things)

To share the love, I'm giving away the soccer set of nail wraps I received. This pack is enough for at least 2 manicures and a pedicure! So, here's how they can be yours: I'm thinking of a number.... :) Comment on this post below and leave your email address.  If your post is the lucky number I'm thinking of you win and I'll get the nail wraps out in the mail to you this weekend!

Thinking about some new TpT products! Spring break is only a week away and I'm looking forward to having some time to sit down and develop these ideas in my head.

Wanting more time to write! There is never enough time in the day. If only I could put the world on pause for an hour or two a day... think of what I could accomplish!

Needing to put Easter baskets together for my boys! Easter is two days away... Seriously, how did that happen!?!?

Smocus Smocus? Really weird blog name, I know. When I was creating this blog for part of my masters course, I was having a hard time coming up with a name. I was working on my laptop at the kitchen table when my then 3 year old came up to me pointed his fire house at me and said, "Smocus Smocus Mommy! I turn you into a frog!" Just like that, his cute toddler talk became my new blog title!

Dusting off your childhood, one book at a time!

So many books to read, so little time! Probably the biggest dilemma every working book nerd faces. I seem to keep collecting new books to read but can't find the time to sit down with them. The balance between work and family is already a delicate one... throw in setting aside time to read for pleasure and the whole system falls apart! Perhaps once summer vacation begins I will have a little more time... (said no teacher/mother ever!)

However, I have been following a great book blog for a little while now called "The Perpetual Page Turner". Yesterday she featured a fun little post, sending her readers down memory lane. The post was a top ten list of her favorite childhood books you would read again (if you had the time!).  She had some staples from my childhood on her list. Who didn't love a good Sweet Valley High melodrama! And I practically lived off of anything RL Stine wrote.

So up into my closet I went to dig up a box of dusty paperback memories from my parents house.

The Sunday Scoop is Back!

I haven't joined up with Teaching Trio for the Sunday Scoop in a little while, so I think it's time to get back in the game!

Tomorrow my class starts taking the SBAC (Smarter Balanced) Assessment....!!!!!!! I'm a little nervous for my kiddos. This test is INTENSE! I think they can handle it academically, but I'm worried about their stamina. The performance task asks them to read 3 pieces of text then answer questions and write an essay... all on the computer! Students have to scroll through the 3 pieces of text on one side of their screen while answering the questions on the other side. Hopefully I will find time today to make them some little care packages with encouraging notes.

I've started to work on creating a series of tech tips that I will post here and on my TpT store. Check out the first one below (click on the image to download the full tutorial FREE on TpT!)

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to join me for my new monthly linkup to share your Inspired Ideas! My inspired idea for the month is my new classroom Readbox display! Stop by the linkup to check it out!

When PINspiration strikes... Classroom Readbox!

It's time to join in with what inspired you this month! Check out what inspired idea I put into action in my classroom. Then follow the directions at the end of this post to link up your own inspired ideas. I can't wait to see what everyone's been up to!

I was a little late to join in on the Pinterest craze... but once you sign up, it is like falling into a black hole of crafty DIY inspiration! One of my fist times flicking through "pins" I saw this great idea to create a Redbox in your classroom to use as a book display. I'm sure you're all familiar with the amazingly convenient Redbox movie dispensing machines. Well this clever idea uses a play on words to turn Redbox into "Readbox". GENIOUS, and a great way to get students inspired to read!

About 2 weeks ago I finally put this inspiration to good use. There was an old wooden bookshelf in my classroom with faded and dirty blue paint. One Monday afternoon while my students were at chorus, I dragged it out behind the school and attacked it with some red spray paint. The transformation was amazing...

After painting the shelf I enlisted the help of my students to level our class library. The books on my readbox shelf are all new arrivals from Scholastic Reading Club (They had some great deals last month and I cashed in some bonus points to update our selection). To level them I used AR Bookfinder, operated by Renaissance Learning (STAR testing). We use the STAR assessments in our school which provides students with an independent reading range. This helps students select appropriate books to read independently.

I used a sharpie to write the AR book levels on all of my new books, then sorted them into baskets to make it easier for students to find their "just right" book. For more information on AR Bookfinder, download my FREE Reading Celebration Packet. It comes with tutorials for using Accelerated Reader in the classroom (plus an awesome Battle of the Books bracket tournament!).

Here's how my finished display came out:

My students are so excited to "rent" these new books! Now they can't wait for our independent reading time after recess each day. Stop by my TpT store to pickup my Readbox packet. It comes with all the signs and labels pictured, a sign out sheet to keep track of books, bookmarks, and a book review form. Click {HERE} to check it out!

Your Turn: Linking up is simple!

1. Copy the three images from this post (linkup logo, lightbulb,  & my great idea title) to use in your post.
2. Write a post on your blog about your inspiration for great ideas in your classroom. 
3. Link your post back here by clicking on the InLinkz button below.
4. Visit at least 2 others who have linked up to comment on and be inspired by their great ideas!

Thanks for stopping by!

We've got cabin fever... and a flash sale!

Here we are with yet ANOTHER snow day!!
It's tough being cooped up in the house with 3 little boys, but at least we've made some new friends:

This cute little guy has been visiting us on our back deck at our kitchen window. Poor little guy can't find his nuts with 3+ feet of snow on the ground. So we've been tossing him a few peanuts here and there. Yesterday he started digging tunnels in the snow piles on our deck! Very entertaining to watch!

And nothing helps you get through a snow day like a new Oscar winning Disney movie! We picked up Big Hero 6 last weekend and it has been on a constant loop in our DVD player ever since!

This movie is filled with uplifting themes, positive messages, and non-stop action. My boys are in LOVE with the huggable, marshmallow-y Baymax (and I am too)!

I curled up on the couch with my boys and we were all mesmerized. As the credits rolled, I found myself looking for a way to use Big Hero 6 in my classroom. The abundance of interesting characters, plot twists, and positive themes makes this movie perfect for a Literary Analysis!

Big Hero 6 deals with loss, grief, the importance of friendship, and vengeful feelings. Baymax's impeccable morale code influences the other characters and helps them to see that revenge is not the answer. "Our programming prevents us from injuring a human being."

Baymax teaches kids that every life is worth saving and anything is possible with the support of your friends. Seriously this movie is an emotional roller coaster from start to finish! (I cried at least 3 times!)

Stop by my TpT store to grab my newest product (and all other products) 20% off today only!

Click on the image below!

Designed for grades 4-8

Activities included in this packet:

Character analysis
Character traits
Protagonist/Antagonist
Conflict between characters
Static/Dynamic characters
Setting analysis
Theme
Discussion Questions
Plot Pyramid
Science behind Baymax informational article (main idea & details)
Character trait graffiti wall craftivity

All Answer keys included!

Check out this video clip used in the packet to support the "Science Behind Baymax" article:

undefined on Disney Video

If you take advantage of this flash sale, please leave me some feedback. 

I'd love to know what you think!

Here's my 5-year old's illustration of Baymax, so cute! This is his first ever drawing with details!!

Happy snow day everyone (hopefully it's the last!)