Hello Mrs Sykes

Wow!  Have y'all been enjoying the transition to fall weather as much as I have?  For reals, I've been getting out my sweaters, leggings, and boots!  Love it!!  :)  I was in the  Target Dollar Spot  today, and found these amazing resources for my intervention classroom!! (Here's a freebie  to use with the fun erasers!!) ((Psst... for a  free Phonemic Awareness printable  to use with the seasonal eraser manipulatives, click the free tab on my  Facebook page !!))  Check them out! Cute erasers for Phonemic Awareness manipulatives - for the Kindergartners! Pencil bucket Fall themed pencils - because my kiddos dig office supplies! This little owl - perfect as a cheerful fall decoration - I smile when I look at him!!  :)  What do you think?  What is your favorite Dollar Spot find?

Many teachers work at least 2 jobs, particularly if you are trying to send someone to college, pay bills, etc.  If you've ever thought of running your own tutoring business, you need to read this book : Visit the Novice Tutor online by clicking here The amazing Adrianne Meldrum of The-Tutor-House.com  has compiled this resource, which is easy to read and dead-on accurate regarding what tutors need to consider before starting, when the phone begins ringing, and during the tutoring lessons.  Here's a quick peek at the inside: The Novice Tutor Stop by, visit Adrianne's blog , and pick up a goldmine of information and resources!

Thought I'd share something I've been working on with my fifth graders!  I wanted to have a way for them to record all of their vocabulary work when we use the Mystery Word of the Week each day, but I only have them for such a short amount of time that I needed this to be fast, fast, fast. Click to download the free poster :)  I created a fast and interactive way to keep track of them in our notebooks...  Behold!  The Interactive Mystery Word of the Week !! Download the template here We have been having so much fun with this!!!  They are so excited when it's time for a new word because I let them write the first day's clues in pen.  (((Gasp!!)))  Yep, a ball-point pen.  Whatever color they want.  They get to write the first letter and blanks in pen, so they can try out their guesses in pencil without worrying about erasing the blanks.  This combines their obsession for office supplies and my passion for vocabulary development - it's a win-win!!  :)  Click

Omigoodness!!  My buddy Casey pointed out to me that one of my fav NC bloggers That's So Second Grade posted this picture on her Facebook page: I added the text/arrows.  :)  Background: 3AM Teacher, Font: KG Fonts Click here to visit That's So Second Grade's Facebook fan page! If you're interested in learning more about the Mystery Word of the Week and the Mystery Number of the Week , check them out on Teachers Pay Teachers: I admit... I did a happy dance when I saw the picture...  :)  Weekend Happiness!!!! Congrats to Charlene, winner of the Pin it to Win it!  Charlene - check your email!!  :) a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was checking out a few blogs  blog stalking a few of my teacher friends, and I came across this post from my teaching buddy Stephanie.  She is The Sassy Teacher , and she gave me a huge shout-out on her blog!!  :) Click on the picture below to see her review of my Phonics Intervention Pack for grades 3-5 . Click to visit The Sassy Teacher and how she plans to use this bundle. Also, I found such an amazing resource for my 3rd graders who are learning about text features.  I just needed to share with y'all... From Where the Wild Things Learn To see the blog post where she shares info about how she uses this set, click here! Since October has started, here's my Currently !!  To see what people are Currently up to, go check out Farley's link up . Here's a treat for all of you who love Foldables as a way to create interactive notebooks with students!  This site has tons of templates to follow to use Foldables!  Enjoy!! http://foldables.wikispaces

Have y'all visited www.ReadWorks.org yet?  This site is one that you will recommend to your entire staff! www.ReadWorks.org  Here's my favorite part - the Close Reading and Paired Text comprehension units - including a demo lesson plan to help guide you as you begin teaching Close Reading strategies with your class.  Simply find a copy of the trade book, project or print out the paired reading from ReadWorks, and you're set!  Here's one I'll be using soon with my intervention students, after finding the book from the library: How do you find resources for Close Reading? Just a reminder - Click on the image to enter the Pin it to Win it for any item from my store!!  Remember to go to the post below to enter the contest!

I just started a new job, since I was able to secure a perfect position at a school near my house that lets me: 1) do what I love - geek out about Literacy all. day. long.  :) 2) work around my children's schedule 3) work four days per week Love it!  :)  Here's the "before" pictures: A front view of the classroom - note all the clutter! Ick!! View from the other corner - still terribly cluttered!   After only 2 days (which was mostly spent doing paperwork!)  Here it is: Front work station, with Discussion Rules from Jennifer Jones !  Mystery Word of the Week Freebie   and Graduation Year Posters {free} Prompts for our Book Conferences Many of my Working on Words activities, including the games I've blogged about here . Now I'm going to hang out with the people who live in my house, and have an early night!  :)