Five for Friday - New Blog Design

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for Five for Friday again. 

Here are 5 things from my week to share with all of you.  Hope at least one of them is useful, or at least interesting to read.

 

If you've been to my blog before, you may notice it looks different.  Kristin, over at That Fancy Blog Boutique did the design.   Very happy with the final look, and can't wait to change a few more things.  I need to fix up the side, and get something on My Classroom page.  Now that I've been back in my room, I can start taking pics and putting them up on there.

 

 I feel bad that I've been getting a little side-tracked in this blogging world, and have lost sight a little of my original purpose, which is focusing on using our new series McGraw Hill Wonders.  So, I plan to make sure that I put a little into each post.  Once school gets started, I'm sure that focus will grow.  For today, my number two is a "needle in the Wonder's Resourse haystack."  I've been going through each of the folders and taking notes on the good, bad, and ugly.  Here's a good:  If you are planning to implement PARCC testing, this resource looks pretty good.  Of course, until you actually USE a resource with students, you never truly know... 

I think they might have these at every level, at least I checked with a second grade colleague.  Even if levels don't administer PARCC, it helps students to be prepared when they have ample exposure to a certain format.

 

BOOK TO MOVIE REVIEW: A couple of week's ago, I linked up with someone about making the book The Giver into a movie.  I was not excited, as it's my favorite book, and movies always screw it up.  I usually won't even watch them.  So last night I fell for it, I watched Divergent.  I only read the book as a bonding experience with my 13 year-old.  The book was pretty good.  I even read Insurgent, but it lost it's feel, so I'm not reading the final book in the Trilogy.  Well, the movie did disappoint. I barely connected with any of the characters, and then the ending????  Whatever!  I did enjoy The Fault in Our Stars.  Another book I read at the request of my daughter.  Good book, and actually enjoyable movie. 

 

 

I can't believe how many of you are already back in school!  I still have until the 18th (21st with students) and our neighbor Michiganders are even later yet.  It's great that I'm behind the average, I've enjoyed getting ideas from all of you.  As a matter of fact, I need to get going on my second coat of spray paint for my next project, check back Monday (hopefully it turns out).

 

FREEBIE - I'm celebrating my new blog, and the many mini-goals I've hit this summer with my new blogging adventure.  The only goal I haven't hit is getting 50 followers on TpT.  I still have a little time to go.  If I can get this before I start school, I will make my most wishlisted item free for a day.  If I make this goal, I'll announce the item on my blog.  Here's a new item in my store that I'm making free for today:  Editable Book Basket Labels.