Just a Linky Party - Thirteen in '13

I am linking up with Miss Kindergarten, A Teeny Tiny Teacher, and Dragonflies in First to give you my thirteen in '13.

A birthday present from Mr. T.

~metallic sweater Uggs in TEAL and CORAL~

comfy, warm, and so uggilicious

I used to go to movies all the time. Well, this was around 13 years ago when I was a nanny to the best little boys in the world. We would go see EVERY movie and we always had a blast. Ah, the good, ole days . .  . anyways . . . on to my favorite movie that I watched . . . 

My husband and I just watched a really good movie the other night: The Way Way Back. It has some great actors in it (Steve Carrell, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, I could go on and on . . . ) and has a similar vibe to Little Miss Sunshine and Away We Go. I highly recommend it. :)

I may not see a lot of movies but I tend to *love* TV. I never watch the shows when they are on (holla DVR) and I probably couldn't tell you the actual channel number of any show BUT when I get a **break** I tend to take advantage and play catch up with my DVR.

So I have a *few* favorites.

Breaking Bad.

The Good Wife.

Sons of Anarchy.

Mad Men.

Some days I just get a hankering for chips, salsa, and a margarita (on the rocks with salt). We have this great little Mexican restaurant called Mi Ranchito near our house and it is YUMMY! There is nothing super fabulous about it but sometimes it just hits the spot!

I am completely green to the whole blogging scene and TPT thing but so far, I am having fun and am learning a lot. I have been purchasing from TPT for about 4 years and have been reading blogs about the same length but decided that I was going to dive head first and actually *put myself out there* as a creator and blogger. I am looking forward to what evolves in 2014. :)

We sold our house and built a new house in 2013. It was a long journey with a lot of highs and lows, but I can happily say that we *love* our new home. I have never seen my kids happier. They have room to run around and play and I love coming home to our *home* each night after work. I feel blessed the way it all worked out and really feel that we are where we are supposed to be.

Too

Many

To

Count.

I have to laugh at this. I have only had 5 or 6 posts and I *might* be the only one who reads them so I have to hold off on this one. I think I'll be able to answer that a little better at the end of 2014. :)

Coming home to this. :)

Every. Single. Night.

As a family, we have begun going to a new church and we LOVE it. We were sort of in a church *hiatus* and were feeling pretty stagnant with our faith.  We just didn't know quite where to go with our faith and how we should get there. We really weren't letting God in but we weren't even aware that this was happening.

Mr. T and I were raised in the church (him as a Catholic and me as a Presbyterian) and have always had church in our lives. However, this year we have begun to grow in our faith and have seen the positive effect it has on our children, our marriage, and as individuals. 

My children and their great grandmother (who will celebrate her 99th birthday in 2014).

 Gibson is telling my Nana (his Grana) about a truck.

Maeve is cuddling with Grana and they are sharing her blankie.

Every visit we have with her is so special.

AND . . . you will not believe this . . .

She plays the piano like a *rock star*!!!!

My dear friend, Anna's, wedding. We have known each other all of our lives and I was honored to be a part of her special day. My whole family was there and we had so much fun dancing and laughing. 

*pray*

Not just when things are tough but all the time.

 *Let Go*

Well, that's 2 words but you get the point . . .

Well, that's my 13 in '13.

I'm looking forward to 2014. How about you?

Punctuation: It's Not JUST a Formality

This is me. On repeat. Every. Single. Day. 

Alright first graders! Think of what good writers do. You are good writers so you can do this! Close your eyes . . . Imagine you are writing a sentence . . . (the anticipation is growing, believe me) . . . think in your head . . . what are you going to put at the end of your sentence?

I know what you're thinking. With that dramatic performance, all of the children put a period at the end of their sentence. Well . . . um . . . not exactly. I am sorry to disappoint but that doesn't happen(well, hardly ever).

So I do what all teachers do . . . I self reflect. How can I help the children understand the importance of punctuation at the end of their sentences? How can I teach them why it is important? How can I teach them to instill this into their muscle memory when writing? Why isn't there a Starbucks in the teachers lounge? #totallyserious

In marches these three fabulous books (which are as entertaining for me as they are for the students). . .

These books are fabulous tools for teaching the importance of punctuation and I highly recommend them if you are trying to instruct on why punctuation is important. It also shows how punctuation changes the meaning of what we write and how we read it (this is where I talk about inflection on the first grade level).

Moo! by David LaRochelle is a hilarious book about one cow's adventures when he spots the farmer putting a "For Sale" on a car. The illustrations will capture your children's attention and will keep them completely engaged. The text is simple but emphasizes how to read when different punctuation marks are used. 

Ah Ha! by Jeff Mack is another action packed book about a frog. It will help teach the importance of utilizing the correct punctuation mark. The only letters in this story are "A" and "H." With simple text, the children can practice how to read it using the correct inflections based on which punctuation mark it used.

Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver is by far my most favorite book for teaching punctuation. This is a fun, interactive book that involves a classroom of students and punctuation marks who are unappreciated and decide to go on vacation. My children literally are bursting to help solve the problem. As I read this book the children are so eager to find out where the punctuation went and how they can get them back. 

Here comes the good part.

Wait for it . . . TA DA!

(or is it TA DA?)

Check it out here!

I have compiled a mini packet on punctuation as a freebie for you!

Here's a look at the anchor charts that we build together as a class. 

These are all available in the freebie!

To conserve precious wall space, I hang them from the ceiling and let them dangle above the student's desks. The students love that I change up their table names throughout the school year and get so excited when new ones go up. This serves as a helpful *reminder* to me to keep referring to them so they are meaningful to the children.

I create my anchor charts during interactive writing lessons and refer to them with the children. However, like all teachers, I am a *bit* of a perfectionist and like things just so (you know the rest . . . that is where the typed anchor charts enter . . .).

This packet also includes a few literacy activities that correlate to the literature. My children get a kick out of each of them so I wanted to share. These are included in the freebie.

How do you teach punctuation to your littles? Have you discovered the secret to the punctuation madness or are you like me at the beginning of this post? Either way, I'd love to hear from you!

Thank you? Thank you. Thank you!