Classroom Tour - Before

I wanted to share a quick video I made to show you what my classroom looked like the first day I walked in - last Monday! I didn't actually get started doing anything until Tuesday afternoon, then had all day Wednesday to do everything. I'd like to tell you I was able to accomplish everything, but that room was dirty, dirty, dirty! There was no way I could start the year with dead cockroaches and gecko poop everywhere! So, I came in on our two furlough days and even during the weekend. I was up until midnight Sunday night and was finishing placing nametags on student desks the next morning just minutes before the bell rang. I felt like I was on Design Star and room G6 was my White Room Challenge! Ha!

My school system blocks YouTube, so this is a Vimeo video for you (I don't have internet at my house yet - boo!). I will post a video I took directly after the first day next week. For free Vimeo accounts, you can only post one video a week.

Before you click to see my video, be forewarned that this is the first video on my blog! I'm not sure why I have a valley girl voice. People who know me - do I really sound like that? Also, it kind of ends abruptly. Sorry. All the books and baskets on the shelves under the windows, those were actually all first grade materials, so I didn't get to keep them. The dishes on the student desks - the previous teacher left those for me. So nice. She also left that huge bottle of apple juice by the sink. So nice of her. Haha.

How long does it take you to get set up? Have you ever come into a new classroom that was messy and dirty like mine? What new decor ideas do you have for this year? I'll share all my ideas next week!

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Nicole Heinlein

Good News!

Some of you may have noticed my new blog header. I have moved from 3rd grade (that I absolutely loved) to my DREAM grade - 2nd! I am so excited! Another thing that my new header gave away is that I have moved to Hawaii!! My husband had a job opportunity here, so I applied for jobs, visited two schools, and accepted a position at Lanai High and Elementary School on the island of Lanai!

The island of Lanai

 Some people think we are crazy for moving our family across the Pacific Ocean, but if you came here, you would see the undeniable beauty.  We are outdoorsy people (or else like to think we are!), so this place is our absolute paradise.

Hulopoi Beach

Hulopoi Beach, as seen from the Four Seasons at Manele Bay

Nate takes on the waves!

The other good news is that I'm linked up to the Lesson Cloud's Dollar Days sale.

Today is the last day, so get in there and get some great deals!  I have two of my items on sale for $2 each:

I'll be back later this week with some videos of my new room and some new products for back to school!

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Nicole Heinlein

Winner, Winner!

1. The winner of of my new Amphibian Unit  is #1877 Yvonnee Gaynor!

2. The winner of the Polka-Dot Theme Set from Just Wild About Teaching is #1413 Cathy!

3. The winner of the Complete Dolch Sight Word Packet - 220 Dolch Sight Words from Mrs. Stanford's Class is #1900 Mi He!

4. The winner of the Addition Wheels AND Subtraction Wheels from Tales From Outside the Classroom is #238 Katie!

5. The winner of the Busy Bees from It's LMN Tree is #1445 Suzzanne Horton!

6. The winner of Dictionary Dig and The 'Saurus: Excavating Wonderful Words from One Extra Degree is #319 Sally Bondelevitch DeCost!

7. The winner of the  Beginning Alphabet Sounds pack from Kindergarten Korner is #1521 Heidi!
8. The winner of the Kindergarten Smiles is giving away her Awesome Words for Inspiring Authors from Kindergarten Smiles is #934 Kelly Hall!

9. The winner of the Mega Classroom Pack from Dilly Dabbles is #1736 Cathy Park!

10. The winner of the Graphic Organizer pack from Kleinspiration is #1418 Cathy!

11. The winner of the Zany Zebras Math Centers from Fabulously First is #710 Nichole Dirks!

12. The winner of the Scoopin' Up Beginning Fractions, Decimals, and Percents from Journeys of a Substitute Teacher is #1608 Valerie Munoz!

13. The winner of the Alphabet Letters with Character clipart from The 3AM Teacher is #1106 Liz Sheils Howard!

14. The winner of the Writer's Workshop Collection from Elementary Matters is #1188 Karen Lotz!

15. The winner of the Writing Adventures Task Cards Part 1: 36 Prompts and Response Handouts from Innovative Connections is # 721 Jo Johnson!

16. The winner of the Under the Sea Number Sense Task Cards from Teaching in the Early Years is #1072 Cathy VerSteeg!
17. The winner of the Writing and Discussion Prompt Cards from Minds in Bloom is #1370 Debbie Murphy Morga!

18. The winner of the Bee Math Work Station Activities, Numbers 11-20 from A Special Kind of Class is #1143 Kristin B!



19. The winner of the Geometry Fun Supplemental Unit from Mandy's Tips For Teachers is #1894 Markeeta!

20. The winner of the Buggy For Blends Literacy Packet from The Teacher's Treasure Chest is #1347 Meredith Mitchell!

21. The winner of the Parent Night Teacher Toolbox from Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade is #1215 Susanne Powell!

22. The winner of the Multiplication Magic Squares from Hojo's Teacher Store is #807 Lori Archer!

23. The winner of the Irregular Verbs Memory Game from Teaching With Love & Laughter is # 839 Melinda Jackson Baker!

24. The winner of the Missing Numbers Down on the Farm: A Differentiated I-Spy Activity to Meet Common Core Standards from A Differentiated Kindergarten is #1183 Karen Lotz!   25. The winner of the Tap Lights Language Bundle from No Monkey Business is #381 Cheryl Gaudiano Ener!
26. The winner of the Data & Probability Scoot Game from Polka Dots and Pencils is #1855 Micah Brown!

And for the grand prize

She gets ALL the units and a personal laminator! Congrats!

Congrats to all the winners!  You will get an email shortly with your product!  Thank you to EVERYONE for participating!

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Nicole Heinlein

100,000 Pageview Giveaway {giveaway closed}

My little blog just reached 100,000 page views and I am so excited!  To reward my lovely readers, why not have an amazing giveaway??  This is one you will definitely want to enter - 26 different winners will receive a teaching unit from a top blogger.  One grand prize winner will receive all the units, along with a Scotch thermal laminator from me!

Teaching Units included in the Giveaway:

1. From yours truly at Teaching With Style, a copy of my new Amphibian Unit - 1st-4th grade. A science unit for teaching about the life cycle of amphibians.  Included in this fun and visually appealing unit: Organizational resources - book bin labels, book labels, binder cover, binder spine inserts, resources tub label, KWL to assess background knowledge with teacher directions, Scientist Awards for behavior management, Vocabulary resources: colorful posters for each word, student dictionary sheet, small vocab words and definitions for matching, large words and definitions for posting in the classroom on a vocabulary wall or hanging above table groups for table names during the unit, Parts of a Frog labeling activity along with a cloze activity to reinforce vocabulary, Life Cycle of a Frog labeling activity.

2. From Michelle at Just Wild About Teaching, a copy of her Polka-Dot Theme Set - PrK-2nd grade. This packet includes: Months of the year, days of the week, all subjects awards, labels and tags for subjects and center work, numbers 1-100 for a hundreds grid chart, around the room labels for word recognition, letters A-Z for a word wall - with pictures for additional help, flash cards for capital and lowercase letters a-z - can be used for centers or as a memory match game.  

3. From Jessica at Mrs. Stanford's Class, her Complete Dolch Sight Word Packet - 220 Dolch Sight Words - PreK-3rd grade.  This adorable sight word packet will have your students flying through the dolch sight words. The packet includes all 220 dolch words in alphabetical order by level. Students are asked to trace, write, cut, paste, fill-in-the-blank, and create their own sight word sentences. Pages can be bound together to create a daily sight word journal or sent home to bring practice to their house. Any way that you choose to use these pages your students will enjoy!  Aligned with Common Core Standards: RF.K.3

4. Tessa at Tales From Outside the Classroom is giving away her Addition Wheels AND Subtraction Wheels - K-2nd grade. Each one is 18 different pages that are ready to be laminated for math centers.  Each page has two different fact wheels on it.  You can even make it a game by having students complete their wheels first!

5. Arlene from It's LMN Tree is giving away her Busy Bees unit - 2nd-4th grade.  This is a science, reading, and writing unit that integrates grade level ELA Common Core standards through science.  Complete lesson plan included.

6. Amanda from One Extra Degree has donated her Dictionary Dig and The 'Saurus: Excavating Wonderful Words unit - 2nd-4th grade.  This bundle is a hands-on, DINO-mite way to engage students in dictionary and thesaurus activities like Synonym Hatch, the Dictionary Dig, Guide Word Shuffle, The 'Saurus Eggs, and MORE!

7. Sarah from Kindergarten Korner is donating her Beginning Alphabet Sounds pack - PreK-1st grade.  This is a great unit to use as you introduce and review letters and beginning sounds.  This 70 page pack includes: 26 letter cards, 5 beginning sound cards for each letter of the alphabet, 26 drawing pages for students to draw objects that begin with that letter, 26 beginning sounds color pages that students can either color the 5 objects that begin with the letter they are studying (and X the rest) OR can write the beginning letter of each object on the page.
8. Caitlin from Kindergarten Smiles is giving away her Awesome Words for Inspiring Authors - PreK-2nd grade.  These portable word wall folders are wonderful for your students writing!  I introduce these at the beginning of the year and they are used in the writing center throughout the year to assist students in journal writing, making cards, posters, write stories, make lists, etc.  There are over 25 themes included in this packet!

9. From Melissa at Dilly Dabbles, you could get her Mega Classroom Pack - PreK-4th grade.  This pack includes This pack includes what you need to have a perfectly themed zebra classroom. Each section has an explanation/direction page. This pack includes: Calendar Bulletin Board Items, Word Wall Alphabet Header Cards, Themed Birthday Book to make Class Birthday Celebration Books, All About… Poster, Schedule Cards, Hall Passes, Banner Welcome Cards and Instructions to make a darling paper bag string banner!, Punch-cards for management or rewards, Center Posters, Desk Name Plates in 4 Versions for Upper and Lower grades, Alphabet Wall Cards with Photo Pictures, Number Wall Cards with Words and Tally representation to 30, Thank You Card Printable.  Editable Versions of most items so you can customize them for you! 

10. Erin from Kleinspiration is adding in her Graphic Organizer pack - K-6th grade.  This graphic organization packet contains twenty-one different templates that can be used across grade levels and across content areas.

The templates include the following strategies: asking questions, making predictions, main idea and detail, making connections, cause and effect, sensory detail, making inferences, fact and opinion, fantasy and reality, fiction and non-fiction, problem and solution, sequence of events, story elements, story mapping, venn diagrams, main and supporting characters, using transitional words, character traits, and vocabulary.

11. Deb from Fabulously First added in her Zany Zebras Math Centers - K-2nd grade.  Everyone will love interacting with this math center because it makes learning fun with Zebras. This unit is Common Core State Standards based on two standards: Knowing numbers up to 120 and understanding greater than, less than and equal to. There is a Common Core State Standards poster included for your convenience when the unit is being taught.  Easy to understand instructions and a corresponding recording sheet come with this packet as well.

12. Tanja from Journeys of a Substitute Teacher is donating her Scoopin' Up Beginning Fractions, Decimals, and Percents - 2nd-4th grade.  A sweet pack for those beginning fractions, decimals, and percents. Mainly focused on 25, 50, 75 , and 100 percent, a few thirds included.  Includes: Decimal, fraction, and percent poster, 8 Decimal Delight delight problems, record sheet and answer key, 8 Fraction Fun  problems, record sheet, and answer key, 8 Percent Play problems, record sheet, and answer key, Sweet Match Up game/review.

13. Michelle from The 3AM Teacher is giving away her Alphabet Letters with Character clipart - K-12.  Lower Case Letters a-z, a complete set in black & white, and a complete set in full color. All images are png 300dpi. All of The 3AM graphics are for personal & commercial use. Please read the Terms of Use, included in the file, for details.

14. Sally from Elementary Matters added in her Writer's Workshop Collection - 1st-4th grades.  Here's a collection of the materials for Writer's Workshop. There are pages of suggestions, references, publishing suggestions, copies for children's writing folders, and several different kinds of paper for children's writing. There is a word bank, a revision worksheet, and an editing worksheet.

15. Ann Marie from Innovative Connections donated her Writing Adventures Task Cards Part 1: 36 Prompts and Response Handouts - 5th-12th grade.  Great bell ringers, journal writing activities, "fast finisher" ideas, challenge work, writing center task cards, end of class writing time, etc.  Also great for a "whole group pick a card and write" activity. Great resource tool for a wide array of grade levels!  Students can respond to a prompt of choice on the provided response handout or even in a journal.

16. From Shelley at Teaching in the Early Years, you could win some Under the Sea Number Sense Task Cards - 1st-3rd grade. These task cards will encourage students to practice and reinforce their understanding of number sense concepts. Included are 40 task cards and a student recording sheet.  The skills that are included are: writing and solving equations, solving word problems, place value, representing numbers, expanded notation, odd and even, skip-counting, greater than and less than, number words.
17. From Rachel at Minds in Bloom, you might be lucky to win her Writing and Discussion Prompt Cards - 2nd-8th grade.  These are 200 cards, each featuring a different open-ended question. Perfect for journals, discussion, or anytime you need to get some extra writing in. 

18. Amanda from A Special Kind of Class has donated her Bee Math Work Station Activities, Numbers 11-20 - K-1st grade.  These are seven math work station activities concentrating on the numbers 11 to 20. Activities include one more (adding), one less (subtracting), counting 11 to 20, number recognition 11 to 20, number matching with numbers 11 to 20, measuring and estimating. Activities just need to be printed, laminated and cut out.





19. Mandy from Mandy's Tips For Teachers will be giving away her Geometry Fun Supplemental Unit - 2nd-4th grade.  This 77 page Geometry packet includes vocabulary cards, a student dictionary, three games, two sorting activities, two creative art projects and a short assessment. 

20. Ashley from The Teacher's Treasure Chest is giving away her Buggy For Blends Literacy Packet - 1st-3rd grade.  This includes Word Cards for Word Wall- Blends CR, CH, CL, BL,BR, FL , WH, Word Sort- BL, BR, CH , CR Blends, ABC Order Word Sort- CR, CH, BL, BR, WH,FL,CL, Word Sort- FL, WH, CL, and Blends Memory

21. Holly from Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade donated her Parent Night Teacher Toolbox - PreK-3rd.  If you're wondering what to include at your open house, curriculum night or other parent information evening this is for you!  Product Includes: Community building puzzle piece printable, healthy snack list, student stars and wishes - find out how your students feel about their academic skills, and much, MUCH more!

22. Heather from Hojo's Teacher Store has donated her Multiplication Magic Squares - 3rd-6th grade.  This puzzle will have students practice their multiplication facts from 0-12. The square magically aligns, and the students always love it! 

23. From Lori at Teaching With Love & Laughter, you could win her Irregular Verbs Memory Game - 1st-2nd grade.  Here's a fun game for children to play to help them learn irregular verbs. It contains 27 irregular verb matches and a recording sheet. 

24. Marsha from A Differentiated Kindergarten is giving away her Missing Numbers Down on the Farm: A Differentiated I-Spy Activity to Meet Common Core Standards - PreK-1st grade.  This 30 paged unit is differentiated to meet the readiness levels of your various learners. You can be certain to engage all your students without frustrating students still mastering the skill or boring those students who are ready to be challenged a bit more.   25. Michelle from No Monkey Business has donated her Tap Lights Language Bundle - 2nd-4th grade.  This bundle includes 5 Tap Light games where students race to "buzz in" the correct answer using dollar store tap lights.  Fun, engaging, & a great review of important grammar concepts.  Bundle includes games on nouns, verbs, sentences, adjectives/adverbs, and subjects/predicates.  
26. Lacie from Polka Dots and Pencils is giving away her Data & Probability Scoot Game - 2nd-5th grade.  This is a game I created to review data and probability. Students scoot around the room, answering questions, to review bar graphs, dot plots, tables, probability, and range. I play these review games with my students, and they love it!

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Nicole Heinlein