Best Blog Posts of 2012 from 2 Peas and a Dog

2012 Bloggy Best and Brightest Linky Party

Happy New Years Eve! I cannot believe that 2012 is almost over! I bet many of you reading this blog remember the Y2K hype on the lead up to 2000! I remember wondering if my phone, computer or TV would work at 12 am! When I woke up the next morning nothing was different. That was just fine with me!

I have linked up with the blog Bunting, Books and Bainbridge to discuss my favourite blogging moments of 2012! I have only been blogging since October 7th. I am so excited how far I have come as a blogger. 

I wanted to create a post about some of the great things I have talked about over the short time my blog has been around, and this format seemed great! 

One of the BEST things I did this year was learn to use Gimp the GNU Image Manipulation Program.  Click here to get GIMP. It is free open source software that can be used for photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. I used GIMP to create blog buttons, re-size photos and edit images.

The two posts that I love the BEST from this year are all about reading in the Intermediate grades. Creating a Dynamic Intermediate Classroom Library and Intermediate Guided Reading

My most popular post this year was when I was awarded the Liebster Blog Award from a fellow blogger. I was so excited. I had no idea anyone read my blog except for some friends or co-workers.

The BEST news I shared on my blog this year was anything from my 12 in 12 post. I was happy to share it all on my blog with my readers.

The BEST product I created was my Year Long Book Report - each month is a different activity and genre.The genres are: Graphic Novel, Mystery Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Biographies, General Non-Fiction, Classical Fiction and Traditional Literature vs. Fractured Fairy Tales.  I was so excited when people started to purchase this resource from my TPT store. 

It can be previewed or purchased from this link:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fiction-and-Non-Fiction-Genres-Year-Long-Reading-Assignments

The BEST freebies I creates and shared this year were:
Biography Book Report Assignment and New Student Activities

The BEST Math freebies I blogged about were:
Ken Ken Puzzles Math Enrichment for Students
Census at School - Data Management in Action
Free Math Units Grade 7-12
Free Math Games and Enrichment Grades 4-10
Effective Math Instruction + Resources K-6

This will be my last linky party for 2012! I have made some great blogger contacts. Check out the other middle school blogs I read over at the Middle School Blog Log.

Until 2013 .....

@ 2 Peas and a Dog

Share the Wealth Freebies

Share the Wealth Free Resources

Just in case you missed the Pinterest pins about this party there are 28 free resources. If you scroll down there are 55 links to paid resources. All about new ideas to try in 2013 when classes start again. I love free resources! 

What was the best free resource you found this year on Teachers Pay Teachers? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Happy Reading!

A Little Peak Inside Kristy's Fave Things!

I am linking up with Miss Kindergarten for her 12 in 12 Linky Party! I really enjoy when a blogger shares a bit of person information about their non-teaching personality. 

12. Favourite movie you watched: 

Argo - it's always good when teamwork wins!

11. Favourite TV series: This is a tough one! I will secretly admit I watch Bold and Beautiful daily when I get home from school as I make dinner. I also PVR Grey's Anatomy, Pick a Puppy, NCIS Los Angeles, CSI, The Big Bang Theory and The Good Wife. Out of this list I REALLY love The Big Bang Theory and The Good Wife! 

10. Favourite restaurant: 

Fresh Vegetarian in Toronto, ON, Canada

9. Favourite new thing you tried: 

Teachers Pay Teachers 

I was unsure of how to start or what to post, but now I am super excited to be selling my items and getting feedback from teachers. 

8. Favourite gift you got: 

Homemade Teacher Gifts from Students 

This year students made me homemade cookies, homemade dog cookies, a student written poem about my teaching! 

+

3 Donkey Sponsorships for Christmas

When my family and friends asked me what I wanted for Christmas I said "a donkey". I got a lot of sideways looks and funny blank stares! Then I explained I really did not want "stuff" to clutter up my house. I really just wanted to adopt a donkey and go visit it. 

I was really blessed that I got 3 donkeys. 

7. Favourite thing you pinned:

I am super proud of this product/pin! 

Year's Worth of Differentiated Book Reports

This is the coolest idea. I normally just hand out the flyers only to the students who want them. This is a free math assignment and creative marketing idea!

Scholastic Book Order Assignment

6. Favourite blog post:

Creating Dynamic Intermediate Classroom Library

5. Best accomplishment:

I got a framed award from a parent of a student who runs their own ADHD Coaching Business naming me an ADHD Friendly Teacher! This was amazing! I was shocked and honoured that they felt this way about me.

4. Favourite picture:

Just gimme a minute to get my face photo ready!

3. Favourite memory:

Laughing with my class - once I get going its hard to stop and we laugh daily! 

2. Goal for 2013:
Do these things daily: walk my dog, pray, and make my commuting time productive with books on tape!

1. One Little Word: 

Blessings

I am truly blessed to do what I love daily!

Free Biography Book Report

I am sitting here blogging on Christmas Eve because I am "Pea-less". My Pea Husband is not a teacher, and therefore must work Christmas Eve. I am not however, without my dog "Riley", who is sleeping next to me on my home office chair. She even got invited to Christmas dinner at the in-laws. I suspect my 2013 New Years resolution will be to "get a life". I still have six more days to enjoy my dog geekiness, before I must find said life. 

I am slowly learning how to make my assignments more appealing by adding fun fonts and cool graphics. To celebrate my new found basic computer graphics knowledge (or maybe I just had a really patient teacher - right husband pea?)  I am offering a new freebie on my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

Free Download: Biography Reading Assignment

In January, I will be using this assignment with my students. What better time to have them read a biography or memoir of a person who inspires them?  New Year = New Ideas.

Please leave feedback on this product so I can know your thoughts!

Merry Christmas! Santa is coming tonight!

Math Enrichment Freebies - KenKen Puzzles

KenKen is a math game invented by Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto in 2004. To get your classroom involved in Ken Ken puzzles click here: KenKen Puzzles

In my math classroom, I have a Math Challenge Box, where students who finish early or who want to work on a challenge can visit. One of the activities in the Math Challenge Box is KenKen puzzles. I keep print outs of the weekly KenKen puzzles that arrive in my email box. KenKen is like Sudoku, but involves math skills to arrive at the correct number to fill in the box. 

Unsolved Ken Ken

Solved Ken Ken Puzzle

Any Holiday Drama Lesson

http://www.amazon.com/Porcupine-Pine-Tree-Helaine-Becker/dp/054598663X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355355521&sr=8-1&keywords=porcupine+in+a+pine+tree

Since last week in Drama class, we have been working on an assignment inspired by the book: A Porcupine in a Pine Tree - A Canadian 12 Days of Christmas or Watch the Scholastic Site with Video

The students got into groups of 4 or 5 and chose a special holiday or special day i.e. Birthday, Christmas, Eid, Hanukkah, Mother's Day, Father's Day, July 4th, Canada Day, Halloween, Easter, March Break etc.

Then they modelled their holiday story on the 12 days of Christmas song. Once they decided on 12 items to get on their special day, they developed 12 different tableaux to creatively represent their special day. I broke the tableaux rules and allowed them to bring simple props into their tableaux.

The students have been very engaged during these drama classes, and it still provides a holiday celebration while allowing for student choice.

If your students need more inspiration have them watch this You Tube video: Animals Sing 12 Days of Christmas

Data Management Lesson - Census At School

Photo taken from http://www.censusatschool.ca/

When teaching data management I want to ensure my students are using data in a meaningful way and not just using the data sets from our textbook. I found The Census at School Project on the recommendation of several colleagues. 

This website enables teachers to create a class account, students measure themselves (height, foot size, arm span etc) and enter their data into the website. After the data is entered they can compare themselves with students locally or internationally. 

If you are at a school in Canada use this site: Census at School Canada

If you are at a school in one of the following countries: United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, USA, Ireland, use this site: Census at School International

Teacher Feedback on this Project

Other Statistics Sources:

Canada
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html

USA
http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference-Shelf/Data.shtml
http://www.census.gov/#
http://www.bls.gov/
http://www.fedstats.gov/regional.html
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/

December Currently

Thanks to Farley over at Oh Boy 4th Grade for this wonderful Christmas themed link up party!

Liebster Blog Award for Me

This past weekend I was in bed with one wretched virus! When I finally mustered up the energy to check my email on my phone I got this lovely message "Mara and Lauren has left a new comment on your post New Student? No Problem!:  We nominated you for a Liebster Award. Check out our site for more details about the nomination."

This just made my weekend THIS MUCH BETTER, as for the most part I had been in bed watching items that had accumulated on my PVR. I had no idea anyone but me and maybe a good friend or two had been reading my blog! 

Mara and Lauren are two Catholic school teachers from New York City who write a blog about their lives teaching in Grades 1 and 4. 

The rules for the Liebster Blog Award are:

1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.

2. Answer the question that the nominator set for you.

3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.

4. Choose 11 other blogs with under 200 followers to nominate and link them in your post.

5. You cannot "tag back" the other blog, but leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster post so I can learn more about you and see who you nominate.

11 Random Things About 2peasandadog:

1. The blog is named after my husband and my dog
2. I am allergic to dairy products, almonds, baker's yeast and soy
3. I commute 30-45 minutes to school daily
4. I love to send snail mail to friends
5. I wish I could do the Flat Stanley project with my Grade 8's just not sure how!
6. My dog is a Shih-Tzu breed who we rescued last April. 
7. I have 1 cat, 1 dog, 1 rabbit and 1 guinea pig 
8. I love to cook vegan and gluten free
9. I am addicted to Pinterest
10. My husband is exactly 3 days older than me
11. One of my favourite teen fiction books is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Questions Asked Of Me:

1. What is your favourite article of clothing? 

My yoga pants

2. Name one thing that always makes you happy.

My dog Riley

3. What is your tastiest meal?

I love anything from a vegan restaurant

4. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and during what time period?

Oh no! Just one ... I would travel back to the 1960's USA

5. What bill do you hate paying the most?

I really hate paying the mortgage because is such a large lump sum at once

6. What made you become a teacher?

I was inspired by all the great teachers I had growing up!

7. If you had to choose a TV character to be your friend who would it be?

I would choose anyone from Friends or maybe Kenzie from NCIS LA

8. What is something "quirky" about you?

I am EXTREMELY hyper and always happy!

9. Which category do you fall in: "MAC" or "Other" when it comes to computers?

PC all the way. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to use Mac products!

10. When teaching do you like tables or desks?

I have only ever had desks in my room. I would love to try tables!

11. What is your favourite standard to teach?

We don't have the CCSS in Ontario but I love teaching Media Literacy and Reading!

Questions for the 11 Nominated Blogs: (I used many of the questions asked of me.)

1. What is your favourite article of clothing? 

2. Name one thing that always makes you happy.

3. What is your fave restaurant? 

4. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and during what time period?

5. What bill do you hate paying the most?

6. What would you be if not a teacher?

7. If you had to choose a TV character to be your friend who would it be?

8. What is something "quirky" about you?

9. Which category do you fall in: "MAC" or "Other" when it comes to computers?

10. When teaching do you like tables or desks?

11. What is your favourite subject to teach?

The Chosen Eleven 

I have no idea if these blogs have less than 200 followers, but they are good blogs.

Teacher Blogs:
For The Love of Teaching Math
the real teachers of orange county

mrsteachnology
24-7 teacher
more time 2 teach
the school supply addict
teaching in room 
splish splash splatter art

Craft Blogs That I love:

Stamp with Jenn 

Come Stamp With Me

About Motherhood: I am not a mother yet, but I really like reading Kara's blog about being a good Christian mom in today's fast paced world. 

mommy what now

TIPS4RM - Free Math Units Grades 7-12

I am going to pretend it is Monday today, and I love to discuss MATH on Mondays! 

The Government of Ontario a few years ago developed this really great resource called "Targeted Implementation and Planning Supports for Revised Mathematics (TIPS4RM)" 

TIPS4RM

In daily life who can remember such a long name? So it evolved to being called the "Tips" binder or units. These units are based on the Ontario Math curriculum, but the concepts are universal. 

The units are not 100% complete so you will need to supplement from your regular textbook/workbook, however the lessons provide great experimental/hands on learning opportunities for students.

A complete unit comes with a unit overview, plus each additional lesson is broken down into Minds On (the hook), Action (what students will do), Consolidate (how they will practice what they have learned). This resource compliments the three part lesson design that is becoming very popular.

If you teach any junior high or high school math course, this resource is worth a look.

Happy Wednesday!