Kennedy's Korner: 2014

Cyber Monday Linky party ~

The TPT Quarterly SALE is finally here!! We hope you had time to fill your cart and get ready for this busy time of year by letting your friends at TPT help you out with your plans!!

We have a few items on SALE for this big day ~ Check them out below!

Our Math Word Problems Bundle is ON SALE for 50% off.

Each month is sold separately for $2.00 but our bundle is listed at ONLY $8.00 - which saves you 60 % on a normal day... BUT because it's Cyber MONDAY and TPT is having their Quarterly SALE ~ We are putting this bundle on SALE for $4.00 just for two days. IF YOU use the TPT code then you will SAVE even MORE!!!

Don't forget to enter the CODE TPTCYBER to get your additional savings!

That is not all we have on SALE!!

We know December is super busy ~ so we have our Holiday items on SALE too!

These items are 28% off - but don't forget to use the CODE - TPTCYBER to get your additional discount!!
Click Here to view the PREVIEW!

We hope you have fun shopping!!

Be sure to stop by our Facebook page for FLASH FREEBIES and GIVEAWAYS!!

Check out some of our friends items on SALE~ you can't go wrong with these holiday deals!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Black Friday Wishlist and Giveaway!

Black Friday is almost here!! I get so excited around the holidays! I love all of the excitement it brings. Shopping however is NOT my favorite part of the holidays. I hate crowds and lines!! I have found in recent years that I do a lot of my Holiday shopping online! It is so much easier to just shop in your PJ's and have it arrive at your front door!

I have to admit ~ I have never gone shopping on Black Friday!! The idea of getting up that early and waiting in line for a store to open is just not my thing.   Don't get me wrong - I love a great deal like everyone else... but I can think of better ways to get a bargain!
      Well the girls at the Primary Pack are trying to help you during this busy time of the year. We thought it would help you if we shared our WISH LIST for this Black Friday. We have joined together to SAVE you time and money!

In celebration of Black Friday - Kennedy's Korner along with 30 Primary Pack friends of mine are having a GIVEAWAY! You have a chance to win OUR MOST WISHLISTED items from each of our stores!   BONUS ~ Kennedy's Korner will be having a SALE so you can get everything on your wish list for 20 % off.

My Wishlist

1) Reading Tab -its from Simply Skilled in Second - are perfect for our Interactive Reading notebooks. The kids love them!

2) I Can Read Poetry Binder Bundle - from my Primary Pack friend Ashly Sharp has created this product. What a package of perfect poetry to use throughout the year!!

3) The Poem of the Week by Proud to be Primary is a great way to keep your kiddos engaged. I would love these for my Interactive Poetry notebook.

4) I am addicted to clipart - and I love Melonheadz! Check out these cute little Thinking Friends!!

5) Educlips Clipart - always a winner - these Writing clips are cute!!

6) Hello Literacy is a great place to grab some reading essentials. Jen Jones rocks!

7) Reward coupons - read to go!! So many to choose from too!

Mel D from Mel D- Suesstastic has these amazing coupons in her store.

Some items for you ~ 20% OFF too!!

1) Maps and Globes unit - OVER 100 people have given this unit a 4.0 rating. Newly updated and ready to use in your classroom.

2) Animal Research Report Projects - Print and Go Non-fiction writing, project ideas and Craftivities included!

3) Animal Pack of Close Reads - kids LOVE animals and you will love how easy this is to use in your classroom!

4) Holidays Around the World - just in time for the holidays!! This unit is jammed with Common Core Fun!!

5) Martin Luther King Jr. - BEST SELLER on TPT - in top 100 List last year. Power point and ELA activities. Integrate Social Studies and ELA with this unit. Mini booklet included!

You won't want to miss checking out all of the goodies on our wish list. Just be sure to pay attention to what is on the WISHLISTS that you visit and hop from my blog to my Primary Pack friend's blogs.. THAT WAY you can enter the Giveaway and WIN OVER 30 products! YOU will win ALL of the items that are the most popular item from our store!

Good Luck with your shopping and stop to enjoy this holiday season with your family and friends!!

Thanks for visiting our blog!!

We hope you stop back soon! We are so excited that Michelle from the 3amTeacher is designing our NEW blog for us!! It is only a few weeks away from being finished. We can't wait to share it with you! Be sure to come see the final design.

Giveaway!!

Drumroll please.... Check out this HUGE giveaway package you can win by entering below! There is a resource from almost everyone in The Primary Pack, perfect for all primary grades!! Good luck, friends and happy shopping!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now It's Your Turn To Join The Fun!

Just a few rules to follow and your on your way:
1. Download the images above!
2. Add your favorite sellers products in your TpT cart to the "My Black Friday Wishlist"
3. Add your own products to the "For Your Black Friday Wishlist"
4. Link up below to share your Black Friday Wishlists!
5. Don't forget to enter our fabulous giveaway above AND visit others linked up below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Giving Thanks and Turkey Trot Anyone?

Turkey Trot Tradition in Buffalo, NY
and what we are Thankful for!

Hey there ~ Can you believe it is already almost the middle of November? We had our FIRST huge snowfall this week - and it keeps coming...

so it's starting to feel a little like Christmas in Buffalo - rather than Thanksgiving!! Next week is the annual Turkey Trot that our family gets so excited about every year. I am personally hoping this 5 feet of snow melts quickly and it's at least 50 degrees on the day of the race!

The annual YMCA Turkey Trot is one of the largest in the country with 14,000 people registering each year.

If you happen to be in Buffalo, NY on Thanksgiving morning... be sure to come down and cheer on the Turkey Trotters for the 118th Annual YMCA Turkey Trot and Food Bank Fundraiser.

A little trot history for those of you who are not

from Buffalo, NY.

This race is the the oldest consecutively run footrace in North America!
Grab your friends, family, coworkers and run, walk, or jog the 8k route between the Delaware Family Y and the Buffalo Convention Center on Thanksgiving morning.
Buffalo is the city of good neighbors ~ Once again the YMCA is teaming up with the Food Bank of WNY and Channel 2 to help collect non-perishable items for our fellow neighbors in need. Donations will be accepted at all YMCA Buffalo Niagara branches beginning November 1st. There will also be bins available on race day. Help us exceed last year's amount of over 4,600 pounds of food!

This race is a great day - not only can you do some great people watching - but it's a time to give to the Food Bank of WNY and get together with family and friends.

Thanksgiving is also a time to remember what we are thankful for. I try to teach my students that it's important to be thankful for what we have, NOT what we don't have. I truly am blessed and am thankful for so many things.

So we would love to hear what your Thanksgiving traditions are. Do you do something fun on Thanksgiving? Do you cook, go shopping, or just spend quality time with your family? Please share in the comments below.

We are so thankful for TPT, our sweet TPT blog friends, and the opportunity to share our ideas and products with you!

Most importantly in our new endeavor - we are thankful for our TPT followers and we want to share the Thanksgiving love with all of you!

Grab FREEBIE while you are here, but leave a comment and tell us what your Thanksgiving traditions are.
CLICK here to download your surprise!

Don't forget to leave a comment and share your Thanksgiving with us!! :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Thank a Veteran!

Hello ~ It's Karen and Kelly blogging from Kennedy's Korner. We are so happy to be a part of this new collaborative blog here at the Primary Pack.

We are now officially into the month of November and a very important holiday is just around the corner!

Veterans Day is near and dear to our family. We have many family members who are serving in the military - state side and overseas. Our father is also a Veteran who served in the Vietnam War. So we make sure to teach this very important holiday to our students every year. We wanted to share with you some of the books and activities we use in our classroom to help teach our kids about Veterans Day!

In my Grade 2 classroom I start the week off with the question - What is Veterans Day? Some students are well aware of the holiday and why we celebrate it and others have no idea why we are off from school. I choose a story to read and then I share the Veterans Day Power Point with my class.

Veterans and soldiers who are currently serving our country need to hear THANK YOU from us! Taking the time to thank a Veteran is one thing we can do to brighten their day. Let's teach our students the importance of this.

Some years when we are able to send care packages to U.S. soldiers, we use the website Operation Care Package. Some of the items on their "wish list" are listed in this link on their website. They love getting treats from home!

My cousin's husband who is in the U.S. Army shared with me that these packages are often the highlight of a soldiers month. When it arrives they know that someone at home CARES and is thinking of them.

It is a great way to SAY THANK YOU for all of their hard work to serve our country and protect us.

You can pick up this Veterans Day Unit in our TPT store.

As a Thank You to you for following us at the Primary Pack - here is a Veterans Day FREEBIE for you!

This is just a sample of the mini book you will be getting. :)

Thanks for checking out our post on Veterans Day!

We hope you find the time to Thank a Veteran!

We will be here at the Primary Pack on the 4th of every month! Be sure to stop back and keep up with what is going on at Kennedy's Korner blog. We have some fun FREEBIES just in time for Thanksgiving and the holidays!

Spider Week and Halloween Math FUN!

My name is Karen and I have arachnophobia! SO you are probably wondering how I actually taught a unit on Spiders to my 2nd graders.... Well it wasn't easy, but I have to say I learned a lot about those creepy crawly things that I despise!
I decided to face my fear of spiders head on and I have to say it was easier than I anticipated. The kids had a blast so I think that helped me to not dwell on my fear as much.

Thank you to my Primary Pack friend Elyse at Proud to be Primary for her amazing unit on Spiders! I used that along with some materials from our Charlotte's Web unit. There was a whole lot of learning going on this week but the kids were having so much fun that they didn't even realize it!

First to get my students excited about Spider Week - I decorated our room with some fun items like this tablecloth that my Halloween pixie - left for me. I think she knew I was teaching about spiders so I was pleasantly pleased when I came back from lunch to find it on my desk - full of little plastic spider rings! I forgot to take a pic of the spiders that are hanging from my ceiling - but I found a picture of them online- so you can get the idea.

So we started off the week with a K W L on spiders. We read the story Diary of a Spider from our new JOURNEYS reading series. Kids worked on fact and opinion, authors purpose and I started the discussion on Point of view - so this week we can read Diary of a Fly and compare and contrast the text.

Kids were ALL IN on this unit and couldn't get enough of spiders! In library they were all checking out spider books and coming to school to tell me how they went home to research spiders!

My little learners were so excited that I have decided to carry spider week into the upcoming week ~ perfect for Halloween! I am showing them how to dig deeper by doing some close reading with text from Elyse's unit and some passages from our Spider unit. My class is so varied in ability levels that I need to have many levels of reading on hand to meet their needs. Pebblego.com was a very helpful website to use while doing research for our Non-fiction reports. Kids were able to read or listen to the information found on this site. You do need a membership and luckily my district has always had a membership to this site. It is a fabulous resource!

Some fun art projects I found on the HGTV site you might want to try - I like the glitter webs and the trash bag web.. I think I will pass these along to our ART teacher!

I have to say we didn't even have time to do all that was included in Elyse's spider unit. SO next year I will have to plan ahead and start this unit a week earlier! Definitely a fun one around Halloween! Hmm maybe I will dress up as Charlotte this year ~ then I can really say that I conquered my phobia!

We will be finishing up our non-fiction writing so I will share my student's final products soon. This week should be fun wrapping up spiders and working on our NEW updated Halloween Math Centers. If you are looking to keep your kiddos engaged and having fun this week - try them out!

GRAB these centers in our TPT STORE.

They will be on sale in our store this week for only $1.00!

Here's a sneak peek into what you will get ~

Happy Halloween!

Bright Idea for Behavior Management

I am teaming up with some fabulous bloggy friends to bring you a Bright Idea for October!

So my Bright Idea for October is an idea that may help you if you use the Behavior Management system that uses "fuzzies". My sister Kelly used this at her house with her own kids ~ so that is where I first saw this idea to use pom-poms or "fuzzies" to encourage good behavior. Then I found a
great blog post by Mel D from Suesstastic Blog. She has been using this system in her classroom for years.

I decided that I wanted to try this in my classroom this year. The problem was WHERE to organize the fuzzies, prizes, reward coupons and cute containers. SO as I was walking around Hobby Lobby one day I saw these cute

favor boxes and got my idea.

Now Mel D has this system down perfectly and I love all of her ideas.. but as we all know, we adapt other people's ideas to meet our own needs and space in our classroom. SO this is what I came up with. Every Monday I put 10 fuzzies in everyone's container - so they all start the week off with a fresh start so to speak. The kids can earn fuzzies

throughout the day in any classroom.

They can earn fuzzies for:

*good behavior

*following directions

*being a good friend

*showing that they are working hard

*being a good listener

and the list goes on.... :)

They can also earn fuzzies in SPECIALS - so the music, art and phys. ed. teachers are super happy now! :)

Kids can also lose fuzzies..and we all know what our little friends can do to lose a fuzzy ~ I don't think I need to list that here.. :)

On Friday - we have Trading Day. The kids look forward to it all week. They can either trade in their fuzzies OR they can save their fuzzies from week to week to earn the BIG reward!

I set my system up using these cute tin buckets I found at Target. I labeled them in chalk with the numbers 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 to represent the number of fuzzies it takes to choose from that bucket.

I forgot to take a picture of MINE, but this is these are the buckets.

I keep the coupons I made in these containers and when Trading day comes - we spend about 15 minutes - trading in fuzzies. They can only turn in fuzzies in increments of 10.. so they may have some left over to start off the next week. I have one student who is at 50 now and was so excited to choose from the "50" BUCKET. He saved his fuzzies and very was patient ~ so he was able to choose from the Mystery Prize Box :)

(more to come on that later)

SO getting back to the fuzzies.. WE needed somewhere during the day to add / take out fuzzies - without it being a distraction..so I came up with this..

Kids use these to add their fuzzies during the day and at the end of the day - part of their job is to empty their bright container into their plastic BAGGIE that they keep in their desk. They are responsible to keep that baggie safe until Trading Day. :)

The fuzzy container is a clear container that latches - so my little friends are not tempted to dip into it when they are near this table.

This pic is of my Writing Area that is still a work in progress.

The buckets are kept on top of the bookshelf so only I can reach them.

I will be posting more about using fuzzies in my classroom. The kids are excited and work hard to earn their fuzzies! Parents have even shared with me that they are going to try to incorporate this system at home! It's a Win-Win for everyone! Thanks again to Mel D for her inspiration!

If you liked this bright idea, please consider joining me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram for more great ideas!

For more bright ideas from a variety of other bloggers, please browse through the link-up below and choose a topic/grade level that interests you. Thanks for visiting!

An InLinkz Link-up