Common Core Extravaganza!!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

Well, it's here... the answer to your K-2 Common Core math needs! Under the leadership of Tracee Orman, with the very capable help of her busy elves (in the case of this book, Elf Rachelle Smith), the Back-to-School Common Core Math ebook has arrived! Free, free, FREE!

Each page in this ebook has been created by a different TPT teacher/author, all with the goal of making teaching with the Common Core easier for you. On each page, you'll find...

                    a tip for teaching with the Core

                    a free K-2 math resource with Core alignment included

                    links to other Core math resources, with the coordinating standards included

That's a whole lot of goodies... did I mention that they're free? :) Just click on the image above to download it!

pssst! Look for my Primary Inspiration page to find a set of downloadable hundred chart puzzles!

Can't find it in the book?  Click here and download the free preview to "Rowdy Robots on the 120 Chart".  All six of the 120 chart puzzles are included free in your preview!

And after you've spent a few hours sifting through the math ebook, check in Deanna Jump's TPT store tomorrow to find its ELA companion book! It's sure to be another one to love!

On to some random thoughts ... because I read some great posts last Friday linked to a  blogpost about randomness ... which I can't find now that I want to link to it ... which I'll link to if I ever do ... but, hey, maybe it was just a random linky party.

Here are a few non-teachery things I happened upon this week.

If you ever see a squirrel up on a 15+ foot tall birdhouse, lounging in the sun and not moving (not even blinking) for ten minutes, don't worry too much about him being dead. Chances are he's not.  Three friends and I spotted this guy from a second story window and got kind of concerned. So one went downstairs and found a pine cone to throw up at him. Just to see if he was okay, you know. In retrospect, what was our plan if he wasn't okay?  Hmmm...

Well, when that not-so-dead squirrel made a flying leap at least 10 feet in the air to the nearest tree, you never heard four grown women scream so loud (especially the one down on the ground, needless to say) and then laugh so hard! Mr. Squirrel was quite likely screaming, but probably not laughing.

 (Wouldn't that squirrel photo make a great writing prompt? Cause and effect, point of view, making predictions, writing dialogue- squirrel on the birdhouse to his friend on the ground, : "There are some crazy women down there..."), etc.



I've been loving this sign since the first time I saw it, and finally remembered to take a picture of it.

As I said, nothing teachery in this randomness. Right. Hey, once we finally get all of the plates up in the air and spinning, somebody's got to keep them going. Right?

Last is this business with airplanes. Never in my life have I seen a plane being transported via pick-up truck. So, my husband and I spent the night in Danville, PA, this week and woke up to see this parked outside our window.



 Really interesting! Then later that day as we are nearing our home in NJ, I see this ahead of us and yell, "Follow that pick-up! I need the picture for my blog!" And my poor husband does. Wow!



 If that's not random, what is?



Happy Teaching!