Hello Mrs Sykes

Hello!  If you are lucky enough to have a subscription to classroom magazines, then you know how easily they can slide from being effective to being something else to take care of.  (If you don't have classroom magazines, be sure to check your Scholastic book catalog at the beginning of the year - they usually have a deal where you can "try it for free in your classroom.")    Here are my top tips for using Classroom Magazines effectively.    I know... slap a post-it on there to help you remember that this is a great article for summarizing, casue/effect, etc.  That will save you a bit of time in the future.  I have class sets of several classroom magazines that I received ages ago.  I love, love, love using these magazines with my Upper Elementary kiddos, because they have great content that can used for close reading (annotate with sticky notes), reader's theater (I just love watching them prepare to perform; they don't realize th...

If you are a teacher, you will eventually need to have resources to help you teach students who are English Language Learners.  Here's a quick round up of my favorite go-to resources for working with ELLs.  Enjoy!

Ugh.  One of the worst parts of having depression  is that sometimes, for no reason at all, everything stinks.  This happened to me last spring.  It started with being a bit tired/unmotivated.  A month later, I realized I had neglected housework, the yard, and things I am usually passionate about - like this blog.   At the same time, I felt completely overwhelmed. by. everything.  I got through it with a lot of rest, time, support from friends, love from my family, and learning not to be so hard on myself.  I am working on my gratitude, and seeing the blessings present in my daily life as a way to beat depression, including opening myself up to new friendships and opportunities. { source } As we gear up to begin a new school year, I just want to remind myself (and all of you) to be gentle on yourself and each other.  We truly don't know what personal struggles each other face, and we need to be mindful. { source } Teachers are a r...

Here's a quick roundup of 5 freebies and tutorials as you gear up for Back to School from my TPT store: 1.   A tutorial on  how to create your own Chair Pockets  from a person who rarely sews... 2. The Guided Reading Cheat Sheet: A handy reminder of what to do before/during/after reading: 3. The Mystery Word of the Week:   Print a free week here... This one isn't a freebie, but you can download 2 weeks of Mystery Words free from the preview on this product... 4.  The Brain Booster Box:   Grab the instructions and a free set of open-ended questions here. 5. Do your kiddos need to learn Greek and Latin Stems?  Here's my 5 Minutes a Day Strategy: Also, you may have heard about the upcoming BTS sale on TPT !   Shop my store now to add to your cart , and they will be 28% off (August 4 and 5) when you enter the code: BTS14  (Friendly reminder to use the code...  occasionally I forget!) Button credits: ...