Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Workshop Wednesday, PMA & What Happened to July?

OK, so I look at the calendar and it says JULY 3rd....but from the weather we've been having around here in Wisconsin lately, you could have fooled me!  Check out the temperature this morning when I was on my way to Kohl's:


It's supposed to be WARM outside....I am wearing a sweater, for crying out loud!  (I guess days like today are Mother Nature's way of showing us that she is still in charge...)

But at least I got to meet my BFF for breakfast...


Blueberry pancakes....yum!!  Icky, rainy weather...yuck!  {Read to the bottom and there might just be something to lift your spirits.... :)

First, joining up with Teach & Tex for PMA Wednesdays.  I firmly believe that our thoughts create our reality and when I saw this on Pinterest, I knew I had to share...(I wish I could give credit to who ever created this, but the link was broken...:(
See...it's all in how we look at things!

Now on to Ideas by Jivey's very fun Workshop Wednesday.  Her regular weekly Workshop is taking a vacation during summer vacation, so she is having a month-long Workshop Wednesday.  You can link up at any time and go back often to see who else has shared a great idea!
This month's topic is Workshop Preparation....How do you prepare for workshops in your classroom?

I run a Writer's Workshop format for writing.  One of the "must-do's" (in my opinion) for writing workshop is have students maintain a Writer's Notebook.

When I first started doing this, I just had them clip everything inside a 1" three ring binder.  But I'm sure you know what happened...papers got mixed up, lost, destroyed, etc., etc., etc.

So I decided that I needed to use divider pages between each section of the Notebook.  Simple, right?  I copied each divider page onto different colors of card stock, three hold punched them, and had the kids clip it right into their binder.  Then we went back and added some notebook paper between each section and a big bunch of notebook paper at the back.  (Also handy for when you ask kids to take out a piece of paper....)

I have added my Writer's Notebook Divider Pages to my TpT Store.  I have three themes (monsters, birds & aliens) and if you purchase the divider pages, I will customize up to three additional pages for you at no additional charge.  (In case I don't include a page that you would regularly use.)  Each set costs only $2.00.  I hope you will check them out!



I promised that if you read all the way to the bottom, you might find something fun!  With all of the icky weather we've been having lately, I've been spending a lot of time reading -- the mailman delivered THREE boxes from Amazon today!  (Lucky me!)  So I'd like to give away one $10 Amazon gift card and your selection of one of my new Writer's Workshop Divider Pages to one lucky winner.  (I don't want to be the only one getting a gift from the mailman!)

Enter with the Rafflecopter below by midnight on July 11th.  You can enter every day if you'd like!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wishing you sunny skies and positive thoughts wherever you are!

15 comments:

  1. I absolutely love the cute little turtle! :) Words to live by!
    ~Brandee
    Creating Lifelong Learners

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  2. I'm your 200th follower on Bloglovin' ;-)

    I like the idea of using a binder for writer's workshop. I've always used composition notebooks!


    Sarah
    MissKinBK

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  3. I also like to have my students maintain a Writer's notebook. We used composition books last year because our district list had students buying 5 of them!

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  4. My favorite quote (is it inspirational???) by Einstein : "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

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  5. We use a binder too, but just with the plain old dividers and tabs :(

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  6. We've had a lot of icky weather where I live also. I spent 10 days at the beach and only got to enjoy the beach for 3 days since it was always raining. What a bummer!

    I have two favorite inspirational quotes though. The first one is from Henry David Thoreau - "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." The second one is from Audrey Hepburn - "The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it's all that matters."

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  7. I love the quote from Dory in Findin Nemo-Just keep swimming..just keep swimming. You must keep going because eventually good things will happen. I would like the monster dividers. It's also chilly in Chicago.

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  8. I love the quote by Eleanor Roosevelt - "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
    It has been super hot here - 108 degrees - the cool weather would be wonderful!

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  9. I love the quote:" If you want a friend, be a friend."
    We are working on our second heatwave of the summer in PA!!!!!

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  10. I am jealous of that awesome weather! Super duper hot (as always) down here in Arkansas! But at least it will make for some good swimming weather on the Fourth!

    Hard to decide on a favorite quote! I just typed up like ten to post in my classroom because I love them so much. Two faves: "If you think reading is boring, you're doing it wrong!" and from JFK: "One person can make a difference, and everyone should try."

    Thanks for the workshop tips! I am looking forward to using that with my students :)

    Hannah

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  11. Thanks for linking up! I love your optimistic outlook. I need more flying turtles in my life.

    To everyone else who has posted positive quotes comments, come link on PMA Wednesdays!

    Kristin
    Teachntex

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  12. Your dividers are adorable!! Thanks for linking up!
    Jivey
    ideas by jivey
    Follow me on Facebook!

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  13. Those are great! I love Dory's "just Keep Swimming" for encouragement

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  14. I love the "flying" turtle. My favorite quote is the same as ColleenandKendra's; I think it is just perfect.
    Rachel
    la Señorita Creativa

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  15. Love the turtle!!! I am definitely going to have to remember that one :) I'm a quote person but one of my favorite inspirational quotes is from Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path." This is crucial to remember when things don't go the way we think they should.

    :) Nicole
    Tadpole Tidbits
    www.mrscorbitt.blogspot.com

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