A Wizardly Wonderful Week with a HUGE GIVEAWAY!

Happy Birthday Harry Potter!! 

Today is a wonderful day!!
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been released and I have my copy!!

So once I am finished with this post I will retire to my chaise lounge where I will spend the rest of the day devouring this book! Sorry kids, you'll have to fend for yourself today. Mommy has lost herself in the wizarding world!

I've continued to spread the Harry Potter love into my classroom as I prepare for the upcoming school year. Last year I put up my HP pinwheels and fans...

And this year I'm working on a few more HP items. The Deathly Hallows was a HUGE book so I've still got a lot of pages left to work with!!

First up, an HP lantern to hang in my classroom:

I chose a large section of the book that still had the binding intact. Taking several pages at a time, I curled them in towards the center. Before hot glueing the pages to the center I ran a piece of sting through from the bottom to the top. I then tied some old beads to the bottom. I love the final look!!

My next project is one I am really excited about...

I made the signs out of the cardboard box from our new washing machine. Each sign will hold the name of a different fictional place: Hogwarts, Ember, Narnia, District 12... I can't wait to finish and hang it in my room!!

There is also a pair of Harry Potter themed lamps in the works. I'll post pictures of those when I'm finished.

So, Harry Potter kicks off the beginning of a great week!

Teachers Pay Teachers is hosting their annual sale starting tomorrow!

And I have a $10 gift card to give away!!
Enter below for your chance to win $10 to spend on resources for your classroom this year!! Might I suggest an awesome display of middle grades novel quotes ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, and happy reading!

Sunday Scoop + a GIVEAWAY!

I had some new things to share so I decided to link up with Teaching Trio for this week's Sunday Scoop and to give away a copy of my new TPT product!!

This week our school is participating in Renaissance Learning's Read Quest

Our school uses the STAR assessment and one great component of that is Accelerated Reader (AR). Students can independently take quizzes after reading any novel or story in our text book. The quizzes are quick (only 10 questions each) and provide a quick check of the student's comprehension.

On Friday, February 26th, the site is hosting Read Quest to see how many AR quizzes students can take in one day. My class participated last year and it was a lot of fun. They took quizzes on their own books that they recently finished and they also read to younger students, then helped them take their first quiz. My 5th and 6th graders will be doing the same thing this year, reading to students in 1st and 2nd grade.

I'm also using Read Quest to help kick off a month long reading celebration! Our 2nd Annual Battle of the Books will begin next week!
Here's a picture of last year's bracket:

Our new bracket (with all new books) will be going up this week. I'll post some pictures once it's finished. You can read more about last year's Read Quest and Battle of the Books {HERE}

Now, about that giveaway I mentioned... :)
This year I revamped my classroom library. I wanted to go for a more mature look since I would be teaching in the middle school for the first time. I teach reading and language arts and wanted to bring my love (more like passion) for books into the classroom.

So I started compiling a list of great quotes from Young Adult and Middle Grade novels. I've posted them on a wall in my classroom to pique student interest. I wanted them to see that a book is often more than it's cover.

Students LOVE the quote wall and it often leads to exploration of the featured books! Mission accomplished!

My gift, to the first person who comments on this post, it's a free copy of my Read Together Quote Display!

Here is one of my favorite quotes...

So, leave your comments below and I will contact the lucky one who comments first with their freebie!

THANKS :)

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!

Desperately seeking texts... & {GIVEAWAY} for your suggestions!

It's already December! Where did the time go?! Today I'm linking up with Farley @ Oh Boy Fourth Grade to bring you Currently December:

Listening: to Christmas music! The day after Thanksgiving a local radio station switches over to Christmas music 24/7. I couldn't be happier!

Loving: "The Affair" on Showtime. I started watching the show because Joshua Jackson is in it (my teenage crush from the Dawson's Creek days) and now I'm hooked! The characters are dynamic and interesting. I love how the show is told from two different perspectives. It literally is a "he said, she said" story.

Thinking: December came way too fast! I feel like we were carving pumpkins just last week. There is too much to do in the few remaining weeks till Christmas...

Wanting: More time to create TpT products to stock my store! I feel like my head is so full of ideas I am going to explode! All I need is a little more time to put everything together, but as a working mom with three little boys that is nearly impossible.

Needing: Novel suggestions please! I am on the Language Arts Committee in my school and the Language Arts Council for Southeastern CT and we are working on revising our core literature lists to meet Common Core expectations. This is where you come in! I need suggestions for texts you are using or want to use in your classrooms. Please add your suggestions to the sticky walls below. Include the title, author, lexile (if you know it) and what grade level you use it at. The first 2 people to comment on each sticky wall will receive a free copy of my top-selling City of Ember Unit from my TpT store!

Giving: A FREE copy of my City of Ember Unit to the first 2 people to comment on EACH sticky wall below!

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

I LOVE sticky walls and have created many through Padlet to use with my students. They are a fast, easy way to display student comments on a projector/whiteboard during discussions and lessons. A great way to quickly assess student understanding of concepts. Best of all... it's FREE!

Happy December!