Optimum Organization Linky Party!

Hello everyone and welcome to the Optimum Organization Linky Party! My sweet bloggy friend Elizabeth and I are hosting and would love it if you could link up some of your favorite organizational methods. What has worked really well for you? What systems will you be using again next year? You can link up at either of our blogs to join in on the fun!

Here are a few of my absolute favorites from this school year...

First and foremost...my teacher toolbox! So many of us worked on these last summer and I have to say, this is my absolute favorite organizational piece in the entire classroom.

I haven't lost any supplies I need...

and the labels force me to keep everything in the right place...

I could go on and on about this toolbox. What I really need is to put EVERYTHING in my room in compartments like this. Then I would really be organized, once and for all!

In all seriousness, I am thinking about making another one for my students' workshop materials this summer...that's how well it has worked for me this year!

Another thing I did over the summer was to label as many paper baskets as possible for all types of work I pass out or collect...

If it has a label on it, I am careful to put things in the right place and this has been so helpful for my organization this year. I am going to make more labels for those papers I didn't think of this year (I'm keeping a list of what I will need during these final weeks)...

Another organizational piece that has helped greatly this year are the Sterilite drawers my students use for their materials. 

As many of you know, my students have tables instead of desks. These oversized drawers (they are meant for scrapbooking paper) have been the perfect size for binders, papers, reading materials, and so much more.

Those are my top three organizational techniques...they have helped me so much and I plan to keep these systems for a long time in the future.

How about you? What systems have been of help in your class? If you would like to share, please grab a button...

and link up below...

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You're Invited...to an Organizational Linky Party!

Hello everyone! My good friend Elizabeth and I would to invite you to an linky party we will be having later this week! And it's all about organization (a topic dear to all teachers' hearts)...

Would you like to join us?

If so, all you will need to do is take some pictures of your favorite organizational methods and systems in your classroom this week. 

What worked well for you this year? 

What systems will you be using again next year? 

We need your expertise! Just think of all of the wonderful projects we can work on during our summer days!

After you blog about your favorites, please grab a button...

...and link up with us! You can join in on either of our blogs--it's all part of the same party.

We will be opening the linky on Wednesday, May 22nd...we hope to see you there!

Please Note: The purpose of this linky is to provide new and veteran teachers a chance to come together and share ideas on how to get organized for a new school year.  Please join us and share your advice and expertise, but not links to products please.

We hope to see you soon! :)

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Five for Friday (Fieldtrip!)

We have five weeks left of school and are in the midst of several projects and field trips...and today was the perfect example of that! So I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share our Five for Friday...field trip version!

Today we took our Atlantic salmon fry to the river to release them...  

After we released our fry in the river, we took a trip to our local fishways and saw salmon using the fish ladder!! We've never seen such a large salmon at the fish ladder, in all our years visiting the fishways!

We also started to work on our ecosystem projects today...

This is the beginning of the aquarium, which will be connected to a terrarium in the coming weeks.

Today was all about the aquatic plants...

(and our salmon of course!)

How was your Friday? :)

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Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

Have you ever thought you blogged about something...only to find you haven't? 

I was so sure I had mentioned my social networking icons but, now that I think about, I realize I forgot! It's been a busy year I guess! :)

So, to make the announcement officially on my blog, I am on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! You can follow Ladybug's Teacher Files at any of them by clicking these icons:

Or, actually, by clicking any of the green text links above...since that hovering Pinterest button keeps covering these little guys! You will find them in the top of my sidebar too.

Thank you for visiting! I don't think there is anything else I've forgotten to tell you..but I will be back if there is ;)

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Scientific Method Signs

So, it seems it has become a tradition for me to redesign these signs each year. This is the third set I've made and shared here on my blog. And I'm linking them up with my friend Tara for her Monday Made It!

There are nine signs in all, displaying the different steps of the scientific method...

They're a bit bright to look at here, but I promise they print out nicely! I wish I had a picture from my class to show them in action (well, kind of in action, since they really are just sitting there on a bulletin board) but alas I am in the midst of assessments and do not have any photos!

I do have them in a file to share though...please click on the image below for a direct download:

I hope they can be of use. Thanks for stopping by, I hope your week is off to a nice start!

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Pencil Honors! (The Great Pencil Challenge Part 2)

Hello dear friends! Well, it has been many weeks since my class first began The Great Pencil Challenge.

And it has been going so well!! I've yet to buy a new package of pencils during my weekly errands and that makes for one happy 5th grade teacher.

:)

So, I am back with the promised Pencil Honors sign. This sign can be printed, laminated, and used to record students' names.

We have our pencil check-in each Friday, so this is the time we conduct our ceremony of honors (which is nowhere as formal as it sounds).

As a quick way to work in some math, we have also begun recording the pencil stats. Which, for us in 5th grade, means a fraction converted to a decimal, then to a percentage of students who kept their pencils for the entire week. The stats could be recorded in a variety of ways, depending upon your grade level.

I compiled The Great Pencil Challenge poster and Pencil Honors poster into one file. If you've already downloaded this file, you will find a revised version if you download again.

Please click the preview below to see both posters, if you would like to use them...

Have you tried The Great Pencil Challenge? Is it working ok in your class? I hope so and would love to hear all about it!

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Teachers Appreciation Giveaway!

I hope you've all had a wonderful week of appreciation! The lovely Amber from Adventures of a Third Grade Teacher put this together, as a way of showing our thanks to all of you! :)

One lucky teacher will win all of these FABULOUS prizes!

Stephanie's TPT Shop

Amber's TPT Shop

Elisabeth's TPT Shop

Elizabeth's TPT Shop

Lisa's TPT Shop

Christi's TPT Shop

Lindsay's TPT Shop

Julie's TPT Shop

Gina's TPT Shop

Kristen's TPT Shop

Enter below with the Rafflecopter! Contest ends Sunday night at Midnight. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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❤ Teacher Appreciation Sale ❤

Happy Teachers Appreciation Week to all of you incredible educators out there!! As a small way of saying thank you for your readership and always supporting my blog, I am joining so many others in TpT's sitewide sale!

All items in my store will be on sale from May 7th to May 8th. TpT is offering a promo code (TAD13) that will bring everything in my store to 28% off.

You can click on any of the products in the image below, to see more about that particular item...

or browse my (still being updated!) Shop page to check out some items I have in store...

Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you all have a wonderful week of appreciation! I know I can't wait to go shopping :)

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Peek at My Week & a Gift for You!

Happy Teachers Appreciation Week!! I just love this week and I'm planning on celebrating in many little ways...with all of you, my dear readers!

Today I'm linking up with the lovely Deedee over at Mrs. Will's Kindergarten for her Peek at My Week Linky. Here are some of the major lessons and units my class will be working on this week (you can click on the covers to see more about each). I'm looking forward to starting Jen Runde's American Lapbook and I know my students will love it!

I also have a little file to share with you all! I was looking back at my older posts from years ago and one of the favorite files was the Consonant Blends Chart (you can click on the green link to see the old one).

I decided to revamp it and make a new one to share, as a little way of showing my thanks and appreciation for you...

I hope it's something you might be able to use in your class. I also hope that you have a wonderful, well-deserved week of appreciation! I will be back tomorrow with more :)

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Morphology Dictionary (prefixes, suffixes, & roots!)

Hi everyone!! I'm stopping by to share a new item available in my store. It's something I've been working on all year and it is a big part of spelling and word work in our classroom!

It's a student reference book called...

This dictionary features 320 commonly used prefixes, suffixes, and roots...all defined for the students. There are spaces to fill in words for each affix or root, as well as a places for illustrations...

The other part of this resource is a HUGE time-saver...

Teacher Word Lists! There are words already listed for each of the 320 affixes and roots...over 7,500 words to choose from in all!

The Morphology Dictionary is a resource that can be used many different ways. Teachers can...

• create and differentiate their own spelling lists (this is what I do!)

 

• supplement the spelling words within their current program

• set up word work to complete during Reader's Workshop

• plan for vocabulary instruction

I will be back this week with photos and examples of how we utilize this resource in our class...plus a chance to win a copy for your class, if you would like!

What resources do you like to use for spelling in your class?

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