What's New?

I was encouraged by some friends at school to begin my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. We have become a little Learning Community. We've been sharing ideas, sharing resources, and motivating each other to get our great ideas out of our heads and into our creations. Our results have been fabulous. It's a slow start, but we've all learned some new things about technology in general by beginning this journey. So, I began by examining some older resources that I created years ago, updating them to be more current and linked to the Common Core. This week, I began creating some brand new resources. My most favorite new item is my Gingerbread Numerals. I think it is super cute. Check it out at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store and follow me if you like what you see. I have 2 followers right now. Like I said, It's a slow start. But it's going to be a great journey. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Carrie-Schoenfelder

This Gingerbread Numerals activity is WIDE open. I printed all of the color pages (there are 50+ color pages and another 50+ gray scale pages). I put all of the gingerbread houses with numerals on them in sleeve protectors and put them into a binder. Then I cut out a set of 20 gingerbread babies and 20 gumdrops. Then I cut out all of the trees (at the end of the resource) that have number words on them. I put those into CD sleeves that have holes punched in them. They are the little pockets that hold all of the manipulatives and little pieces that can easily become lost. I put them all into a binder for storage. The kids can place 15 gingerbread babies on the sheet that has the numeral 15 and place the tree that has the number word fifteen on it next to the gingerbread house.  Another way to use this resource is to pass out all of the sheets. One child will be holding the house card with the numeral and another child will be holding the sheet that has the matching number of gingerbread babies/gumdrops/tree. The two children will find each other, match up and sit knee to knee and discuss their match. A third way to play is to cut the gingerbread double ten frames out, the gumdrop double frames, and the number word tree. Then they can play match up, matching the ten frames to the house with the numeral.  This could be a small group activity, whole group game, and also an assessment piece when sitting one on one with the teacher. There are many options for use with this resource, which is what makes it so great. I'm sure that there are other uses, such as putting the trees in numeric order, which is also a standard in the common core. These numbers only to go 20, so perhaps I need to add trees up to 100!  That would be a forest!

Stay tuned for more goodies. I'm on a roll!!!

 

 

My Creations

My friends and family have been encouraging me for years to publish my creations. I love to create things for my classroom and my colleagues. I have been teaching at Strawberry Knoll Elementary since 1989 as a First, Second, & Third grade teacher. In 2000, I became the staff development teacher at my school. In this role, I have the opportunity to create resources and graphics for many teachers besides just my own little classroom. I LOVE doing this. I LOVE my job. I would like to have my own little classroom once again, but I believe that I am more effective in the role that I am currently in. I LOVE being a staff development teacher. (I know.. I already said that... but it's important!)  My principal, Frank Kaplan, provides me with autonomy to set my own schedule and set my own goals. My mission hasn't changed over the years. I work to support the staff and students of Strawberry Knoll Elementary School.  Recently, my father, Jim Kelly, sent me a newspaper article about the top seller on Teachers Pay Teachers. So, I did a little research. I started following some of the talented and creative teachers that provide resources to the teachers of our wonderful country (http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com). I started looking into  copyright laws . I started looking for good graphics that I could use or purchase. I dug deeper into the Common Core State Standards , to begin focusing myself on what is important for kids to know, thus helping me to decide what is important for teachers to use in the classroom. I've been bitten by the bug and this is just the beginning. So, stay tuned and bear with me as I continue to learn, create, and explore.
Carrie