Groovy Educator

  https://www.ebay.com/usr/groovyeducator Feel free to check out my updated listings. I have a lot of “reading buddies” (plush toys) available as well as some vintage items.  I add new inventory often so please share and follow. 

Join me in an effort to spread literacy by posting pictures of your pets, cute animals, or natural backgrounds with the word “Read” written on it.  Let’s make this go viral. Let’s encourage reading!

Check out my board Anything and Everything First Grade on Pinterest.  I also started an Anything and Everything Science of Reading Board.  I’m debating on starting a board for pictures of animals somehow associated with literacy. Right now I have been searching my camera roll for adorable pictures of my pets and writing “read” across them.  What catches your interest when you are doing searches?  Groovy Educator on Pinterest:  https://pin.it/7ztfBcJ

I have been selected as one of twelve teachers across the nation to participate in Saavas’ Inaugural Literacy Fellowship.   They are flying me to Chicago at the end of the month.  I’m so honored and excited to discuss literacy with researchers and product managers.  It will be an experience!

https://www.disneyclips.com/images5/frozen2.html Frozen Fridays are a fun family tradition in our house.  When my daughter was itty bitty she loved watching Frozen, dressing up like Anna or Elsa, and eating ice cream.  That's how Frozen Fridays began.  We set up a pillow and blanket fort in the living room.  We plan our Frozen snack.  Most of the time it is a "frozen" ice cream treat.  Sometimes we find actual "Frozen" products like a gingerbread house of Elsa's castle.  My daughter either dresses in a themed Frozen outfit or Frozen jammies and then we settle in to watch the movie.   Sometimes we invite friends or cousins for Frozen Friday Festivities.  It is always a blast.  We do not do this every Friday because we want to keep it special.  Now that the new Frozen II movie is about to come out, it's a perfect time for your family to start a Frozen Friday family tradition.  Memories to cherish forever! Check out t...

This summer, I am taking all kinds of new risks.  I just started my first Facebook Group called Groovy Teaching Ideas.  Any advice is welcome.  It is a place to share, learn, and grow.  You can find the link on my Groovy Educator Facebook Page.  Please feel free to share with friends and family. https://www.facebook.com/GroovyEducatorFL/

YouTube Video Teaching Writing Skills and Vocabulary Through Conversation In this relatively short video, I model how you can use conversations to build your child's vocabulary.  Through questioning and rephrasing, you are modeling appropriate language skills.  This in turn improves your child's ability to write because usually if a child can say it, he/she can write it (even if words are sounded out). In the video, I begin by asking what my daughter wants to talk about and she replies "fans."  Then she goes on to say "So today we will be talking about fans."  She automatically went into an introduction without even realizing she was stating the topic (probably because her mom's a teacher).  By giving her a choice on the topic, she is more interested in the conversation.  This builds engagement. A little while later in the video, I state "Apparently my daughter is a fan of fans."  I am intentionally modeling another way to use ...

Last night there were some adorable frogs on our porch.  I filmed one and had fun editing the 30 second movie in iMovie.   Little Frog YouTube Video   It made me think about teaching first grade writing and science.  Children could watch this short clip and discuss/describe the frog's movement.  Also, the children can compare and contrast this frog's movement with that of another animal.  In science one of the topics we study is how animals move.  We read is titled  Move! written by: Robin Page and illustrated by: Steve Jenkins .  The short little clip is a great introduction to the concept of movement before reading the story. Here are a few more resources that may be useful if you are  teaching this topic.  Even though some are geared more towards Kindergarten and Preschool, they're helpful differentiated lessons for struggling students.   Utah Education Network - Animal Mo...

                       Click here to see Pickles on YouTube! Pickles is one of my rescue animals.  I absolutely love my pets.  They are a perfect topic during modeled writing lessons, especially narratives.  I use them to demonstrate how to think about writing.  The kids are engaged when I write about Pickles, Sparky, Cali, Alice, Sadie, Rosie, or Zeus.  They ask a lot of questions and that lead to more detailed writing infused with adjectives and descriptive language. The writing is much more rich in vocabulary and not just "safe writing."     I made a little thirty second video featuring Pickles the cat.  He was a stray that we saved from under a friend's car while visiting an out of town relative.  My husband didn't want to keep him at first because we had too many animals already (3 cats and 2 dogs).  Somehow Pickles found a way into his heart and now they are bo...

Please click the link below and check out my first YouTube video.  It’s less than two minutes long.  It features Groovy Educator and Groovy Learner with a surprise appearance by Pickles the cat. 😁   If you like the video, please subscribe, like or comment.  We sure had fun making this video! YouTube link:   Groovy Educator Intro

I almost didn't write this post because I don't know what is going to happen yet... That's probably why I am up at 3:28 in the morning.  My mind won't shut off. Last summer, I finally sat down and wrote a children's book.  (Right now I am keeping it secret because I am hoping it will be published.)   Publishing a children's book has been a dream since fifth grade after my teacher had us write a book in class.  Why did it take so long to actually write the story?  I think it really comes down to it just wasn't my time. Right now I have a darling daughter who is so dear to me in so many ways.  The idea of being able to pass on a little piece of me after I am gone is so important to me. Last March I was in the hospital for a week and it just made me realize how fragile life truly is... I'm fine now.  Thank God! Also, five years ago, my dearest dad passed away unexpectedly.  Losing him was devastating.  Recently my dad's aunt and...

It has been an eternity since I've blogged or made a product for Teachers Pay Teachers.  This morning I got up extremely early and just could not rest.  My mind was racing about school in the middle of summer vacation.  I am a first grade teacher and I starting thinking about teaching writing.  The spelling dictionary I've been using needed to be updated and I decided to make my own using the Dolch High Frequency Words.  I did add it one word "question" so there would be a word for the letter "q" and because it is an important word.  Every year I use a spelling dictionary to reinforce alphabetical order.  I also teach the children to use it while editing.  I don't like for them to have it out during drafting as I have found some become too reliant on it and use safe writing.  Every week we add our new sight words to the spelling dictionary.  If they are already in the dictionary, I teach the children to highlight them.  If not, t...

This is what I plan to do in my First Grade classroom on the 100th day of school. Read a book about the 100th day then have the children go on a hunt for 100 words around the room.  I asked the children to bring in 100 objects that can be glued down (e.g. Cheerios, goldfish, paper scraps...)  We will make an addition problem with these objects.  60+40=100.  The students will glue them down in groups of ten on a paper to make a model of the problem.   I hope to do the fruit loop necklaces where we put 100 on the necklace (in groups of 10 of course).   Draw and write about when the children are 100 years old. Make 100th day hats to wear. When they are at special area, I will hide 100 Hershey Kisses in the classroom for a Hershey Kiss hunt.  It is kind of like an Easter Egg hunt except each kiss is numbered and when they find one they have to put it on the 100 chart. We might do 100 stamps books. We will write our numbers 1-100.   I am co...

This year I will be teaching First Grade after two years out of the classroom.  I feel like a new teacher full of enthusiasm and giddy excitement.  I am on to a new adventure at a new school.  With a new school, there is a new classroom which is my empty palette.   Here is my new room! In the past I've done a lot with trees, animals, cows, owls, stars, dots on turquoise, etc.  (I have been teaching about 13 years.)  For some reason though, I am beyond excited about this theme.  I LOVE the ocean / nautical theme.  It is so versatile and has so many cute sayings!  Once I have my room decorated I will add more pictures.   In the meantime here is a link to my pinterest board where I am collecting fantastic ideas.   https://www.pinterest.com/lowerysloft/ocean-nautical-classroom-decor/ What is your theme this year and why did you choose it?

Can you believe it is that time of year again?  Even though I am not in the classroom right now, I feel the energy from this time of year. This post is dedicated to the End of the Year Class Parties.  I am going to share a few ideas and then I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE for you to share more ideas in the comments section. My favorite party was an indoor picnic.  We moved all the desks out of the way and brought in blankets to sit on.  Parents brought in sliced watermelon and other fruits.  We ordered pizzas and set up an assembly line on the counter.  It was a parent picnic so the kids sat with their families. Afterwards we went outside and did relay races and free time.  The reason we sat inside to eat is because it was extremely humid so we wanted to limit our outside time.  We came back inside to cool down and shared about how our classmates are wonderful.  It was so much fun. Usually I brainstorm a list of ideas with the kiddos and then...

SALE 20% off!  Check out my best sellers the Mad Minute and Class Yearbook.

Since I've been working on growing Lowery's Loft LLC, I changed my TpT store name to match my business name.  So even though this Groovy Educator is still groovy, you will seem more Lowery's Loft LLC as I transition somewhat.  I will still keep the Groovy Educator Blog and the Groovy Educator Facebook Page but more and more will be Lowery's Loft LLC. On a side note, I marked down some awesome items in my TpT store AND made some FREE!  Feel free to check it out.   Teachers Pay Teachers Store

Often I think critically (without even realizing it); I'm known for "over analyzing" just about everything.  I feel it is necessary to visualize different scenarios and the possible outcomes.  This skill helps in many situations from planning a wedding/event to deciding which route to take home. Recently in the evening, I was driving (by myself) over to my mom's house to dog sit while she went on a short trip.   As I was nearing her house there was a group of men walking down the middle of the road.  I quickly started weighing my options (thinking critically).  I could drive up to them and wait for them to let me pass and then they would see a single lady pull up to a dark house alone, I could go home, or I could turn onto the block before I reached them and circle back giving them more time to get further up the road without seeing me get out of my car.  Of the three scenarios, the last one is what I chose and it worked out well.  The first opti...

Why is it that inspiration strikes when I should be drifting off to sleep?  Tonight I have finally updated my websites:   www.GroovyEducator.com and www.LowerysLoft.com .  You can see my post about these sites on my Lowery's Loft Blog if you are interested. As I have already mentioned on Facebook , I am backed up in my blogging.  Life happens sometimes and apparently, I lost my "groove" for a bit... For the past few months I've had the joy of working part time as a Reading Interventionist.  This has been a joy because I get to do what I love, help children read, yet at the same time I still have ample time with my own little one. My commute is about thirty minutes and during the ride to and from work, I daydream about blogging.  Once I get home however and I become "mom."  By the time I get a chance to sit down at the computer I'm exhausted.  Tonight I am making time for this... Please note that I have not researched any of these ideas yet...

As you may know already, I have a small business called Lowery's Loft LLC while I am taking a break from teaching. There is a wonderful sale going on right now! Check it out here!