A Long-Overdue Update!

A post on this blog is way overdue! And so was a makeover on my best selling product on TPT, my Ezra Jack Keats author study. I've used this every year since I've started teaching and my kids love it. Bonus - my administrator also loved it. And a super bonus - I love teaching with it! 

However, it definitely needed a complete overhaul. Apparently when I first started creating, I had no sense of cohesive fonts. Plus, everything just looked kind of "blah" to me. As I spend more time developing my creative style, I wanted this product to match my more recent products.

Here are some before and after photos of the author study. The "before" is on the left-hand side, and the "after" is on the right. 

The product also includes new printables, including cumulative writing activities that encourage students to utilize text evidence to discuss the common themes of the stories. I also included an opinion writing activity where students write about their favorite Ezra Jack Keats book, giving details to support their opinions.

Each of the seven stories also has a sequencing cut and paste activity and a flip book highlighting the academic vocabulary terms from the books.

If you are looking for a great way to incorporate quality children's literature into your classroom, look no further. This unit is jam packed with resources to help support young students' reading development!

December Currently

Welp, here I am again for Currently. I know I say this every month, but I cannot believe it's already December! We've had just a few dustings of snow here and there so it definitely doesn't feel like the holidays are right around the corner.

And again, here I am saying that I wish I was doing a better job keeping up with this blog! We've been up to some really great stuff in first grade lately but I've been too caught up in the moment to take pictures and blog about it. My kids are loving our light and sound unit in science. It is so super hands-on that they are really getting a solid understanding of the concepts and are having fun at the same time! Hopefully I can add some pictures soon :)

Here is this month's link up with Farley:

Listening: Laundry seems to be a constant in this apartment. For those of you who have kids, I know it multiplies even more than I could ever imagine. I don't know how you all do it!

Loving: Christmas is hands down my favorite time of year. From the holiday music and the decorations and all my students getting excited about Santa - I love every second. Even if it does mean a couple of weeks of restlessness in the first grade world.

Thinking: Tomorrow is our annual ornament exchange and it is definitely one of the highlights of the year! I can't wait to enjoy a fun night with my friends and co-workers. Then, this weekend my man and I are off to St. Louis to celebrate our anniversary. We're going to hop around town, get drinks and sushi for dinner, and then see the Christmas lights at the botanical garden. He totally surprised me with this idea and I can't wait to have a fun and relaxing weekend!

Wanting: It seems that as it gets closer and closer, this pops up on my blog more frequently. After fall classes wrap up next week, I've got one more class until my Masters degree is in the books. I can almost taste the freedom.

Needing: Holiday time means buying for others and getting sucked into all of the cute wintery clothing and the fabulous online sales. I should probably get a bit more consistent when it comes to saving.

Christmas Tree: I always, always will choose real over fake! Although we do not have a real one in the apartment, we definitely will when we have the space in our own home. We always had a real tree growing up - nothing beats that pine-y smell!

Happy Holidays!