Pencil Sharpener Giveaway from Classroom Friendly Supplies

Win a Classroom Friendly Supplies Pencil Sharpener!

* Giveaway has ended. Congratulations Kelby Black!

I am not a fan of electric pencil sharpeners. They are noisy, messy, and they don't last very long. I have very strict rules in my classroom about pencil sharpening. My students are allowed to sharpen 1-2 pencils first thing in the morning before 8:00. They can also switch un-sharpened pencils with sharp pencils. The rest of the day is pencil sharpener-free.

That means I have to make sure our sharpened pencil can is always full. My old electric sharpener allows me to sharpen about 10 pencils before it heats up and stops. Now that I am using my Classroom Friendly Supplies Sharpener, I can sharpen enough pencils at one time to last several days! It comes with a mount that can attach to a table, counter top, or shelf so it stays put while sharpening. Best of all, it's VERY quiet!...no more frazzled nerves form the noisy electric pencil sharpener!

It's really easy to use too. Here is a how-to video:

To win your very own sharpener, just fill out out the easy entry Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway starts Sunday September 30th and ends Sunday October 7th at midnight.  One winner will be chosen based on the most points and random number selection. 

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Looking for a good read aloud?

My class is participating in the Global Read Aloud 2012. This is a month-long, worldwide project created by a teacher named Pernille Ripp. The purpose of this project is for classes to read the same book and then share their thoughts, ideas, and projects via blogging, Skype, Edmodo, Voicethread and other web 2.0 tools.  My class is part of a K-2 group. We are using blogging, Edmodo, and Skype to discuss and share our thoughts about the book.  We will start reading the book on October 1st and follow a set schedule so everyone will be literally "on the same page". We have selected The One and Only Ivan for our read aloud, but there is another group doing Charlotte's Web. Before we start our reading the students will make predictions. On Friday, I showed the book cover and the students wrote in their journals what they thought the book will be about. They will post their prediction on their blogs on Monday.  As the week progresses, I will create an assignment on Edmodo that they will respond to. I can also create quizzes and polls on Edmodo so I can monitor their comprehension and engagement in the book. We will also Skype with other classrooms and discuss the book.

It's not too late to join in. Check out the Global Read Aloud Wiki and find a class to connect with!

Claco: A space for teachers to create and share

A group of young entrepreneurs in California have created a wonderful space for educators to create and share curriculum across the globe.  Claco is a new site created especially for teachers so they can network together to find the best possible resources to meet the specific needs for their students. 

It's in the early stages, so they are slowly launching and working out the bugs. I have already created several binders and have subscribed to several users.  Shortly, invitations will be going out and more educators will be able to join and share.  

Claco allows you to create binders and add links to websites, videos, and other resources. 

The beauty of Claco is that while it has some similarities to Pinterest or Learnist, it is specifically for educators and curriculum sharing. You won't see recipes, crafts, and snarky e-cards junking up the site.  

I am looking forward to the addition of more educators and more resources.  If you would like and invitation to join this up and coming site, please go to my About Me/Contact Me page and send me your e-mail address. 

To learn more about Claco, read Erin Klein's post about her visit to their headquarters: 

From AOL Squatter to Start-Up Sensation: The Eric Simons Story & Claco Launch

Stealing Minutes

For the first time in 3 years, our 2nd grade schedule has changed - which leaves us with a 20 minute block between lunch and PE. I usually do a restroom break after lunch, but that takes at least 10 minutes. That leaves another 5-7 minutes of dead time before we go to PE. So, I decided that we would "steal" some reading minutes during our restroom break and just stay in the hall until it is time to line up for PE! We also have 15 minutes of hall time in the morning before school starts.  I just put a basket by our door with a variety of books and some math flashcards. No more "dead" time!

Get Colorful with Astrobrights Paper

This post brought to you by Astrobrights Papers by Neenah Paper. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love colored paper! I always keep an ample supply on hand so my students will always have beautiful colors for all of their creative projects. Last year, we called one of my students the "Origami Master", because, when we had a little extra time, he would show us how to make cool things out of paper.

My favorite brand of colored paper is Astrobrights because the color is so brillant and there are 23 to choose from! This high qulity paper is great for art projects, but it is also perfect to use when you want to get some attention. As a teacher, I have been frustrated after sending home important information on white paper, only to find out it had been thrown away or lost in the shuffle of papers in the take-home folder. Astrobrights will stand out and not go unnoticed. Pick your favorite color and use it for your next flyer, field trip letter, party sign up, or anything else that you want to be seen! 

Now for something really terrific: Enter the "Give a Brighter Year" sweepstakes for a chance to win a $500 gift card for yourself and school supplies valued at $30,000 for your favorite school (K-8). How awesome is that? Just click on the link and  fill in the short questionnaire - it's just that easy!

I love all of the projects people are submitting on Astrobright's Facebook page! Anyone can participate! Just "LIKE" Astrobrights on Facebook page and click on the "Make Something Astrobrights" link to get started. Take their challenge, create something awesome, and you just might win a Visa giftcard!  

Get inspired and share your own ideas with the Astrobrights community via Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook or other social networks using the hashtag #goastrobrights. I can't wait to see what my students and I come up with this year using beautiful and versatile Astrobrights paper!

Wonderopolis: A New Find!

Last night during #2ndchat, several of the participants suggested Wonderopolis for students. This morning I checked it out and thought it would be a great widget to add to our class blog. I like it because it focuses on one "wonder" a day, but the students can also click on the back arrow to look at previous "wonders". Wonderopolis is also a great site to suggest to parents so they can share learning experiences with their children at home. They also have a mobile app!

Learning is happening everywhere, all the time! We have bottled a little bit of that learning in each Wonder of the Day®. Experience a daily dose of time with your child to make the most of each and every moment together — learn something new, try out an idea, create a masterpiece, imagine possibilities. It’s easy. It’s fun. But the learning is big! http://wonderopolis.org/

One of the #2ndchat participants, Barbara @WonderPhillips, is a lead Ambassador for NCFL's Wonderopolis.org Wonder Year Adventure 2012 and has an entire blog devoted to "Wonders of the Day" called Wondering Through 2012.

I can't wait to try this out with my students. There are so many learning possibilities with this. I really love the idea of having Wonder Journals where students record their thinking about the Wonder of the Day.

The Wonderopolis widget can be embedded on your class blog. To get the code click HERE.

New School Year Resolutions

Here's a chance for you to set some goals for the upcoming school year and share them with the world! I am a big proponent of public goal-setting because it forces me to stick with them! Last year I set 3 goals and posted them on my blog. I also shared my goals with the entire staff at my school. Nothing like putting yourself under a lot of pressure...but that's how I roll best. So here's your opportunity to set some goals, share them with the rest of the world, and then go have an awesome year! 


Just write a blog post stating your goals and then click on the picture below to link up!

MY GOALS FOR 2012-2013

1.  IMPROVE UPON THE GOALS I SET LAST YEAR: Daily 5, Blogging, and connecting with the world. Last year I implemented some huge changes and the payoff was enormous! My students learned to be independent learners and thoroughly enjoyed The Daily 5. They also benefited from the the many contacts we made through Skyping and blogging. This year, my students will experience quad-blogging and more global interactions right from the start. I hope to do a "Skype Etiquette" session during the first week of school with another classroom. (Any takers?)

2.  LESS CLUTTER! I envy the teachers whose rooms look pristine all year long. When I look at my room in the afternoon, it looks like a tornado hit my desk because it tends to be the catch-all. My goal is to have a place for everything so that things don't just get thrown on my desk or on the floor behind my desk. I am skeptical about this goal, but I have seen a lot of great organization ideas on Pinterest that may help.

3.  BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH MY STUDENTS: I sometimes feel that I miss out on opportunities with my students because I am too focused on the tasks at hand instead of what the students need. Taking time to really listen to my students will go a long way in helping build mutual trust and motivating them to work to the best of their ability.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?