It's finally May G I V E A W A Y

It's finally May, and I'm celebrating with THREE giveaways this week. This is the first-- look for the next two over the next couple of days. I recently passed 1,500 followers on TPT, so I'm giving away a digital copy of one of my Novel Units to FIFTEEN lucky teachers. Enter by completing this form, and share with your teacher friends! Thanks so much for stopping by!



Thanks for entering!

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Wayside School Giveaway

I'm giving away a class set (30 new copies) of Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar plus my Novel Unit, both digitally and a paper copy.  Giveaway runs through Monday, August 28th at midnight. The books and unit will ship by the end of the month.  Qualified entrants must currently teach in a public, private or home school.  Click here or on the photo above to enter. Thank you!

In other news, this is my newest Novel Unit and it's on sale for only $5 (usually $10) through Thursday, 8/24 at 11 pm. Click here to view.

Also, did you know that there is a Wayside School Movie on YouTube? What a fun Friday treat if you use this book with your class...

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Five Reasons to Teach The Lemonade War

I know the The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies has become very popular over the last few years (maybe even too popular because it's hard to find kids in fourth or fifth grade who haven't already read it).  However, it's for good reason and that's why I chose it as my Summer Giveaway book.  Whether you win the giveaway, already have a class set, or have never heard of the book, I wanted to share a few reasons why this novel really is worth your time if you teach grades 3-5.

1.  The Lemonade War has direct correlations to standards in economics and personal finance.  Each chapter begins with an explicit definition of a word related to these social studies areas.  Then, the chapter illustrates that term with a kid-friendly situation in the plot of the story.  It really brings economics to life!

2.  The author changes perspective each chapter.  Point-of-view and perspective is an important standard in the upper elementary grades.  Reading a book that stays in first person limited but switches back and forth between the two main characters is a great opportunity to reinforce these skills.

3.  Davies' figurative language game is strong!  This book is chocked full of similes, metaphors, and idioms and even throws in an adage or two.  Some of my favorites (featured in my Comprehension Packet) include, "It was like having a chestful of bats, beating their wings, fighting to get out." (p. 4) and "Evan was a straight shooter." (p. 17)  And, of course, who could argue with Evan and Jessie's grandmother's voice in their heads warning, "Pride goeth before a fall?" (p. 96)  So many teachable moments!

4.  You can also easily integrate math into reading this novel, and my Comprehension Packet does just that.  From calculating how many cups of lemonade the characters can make to how much money they earned on any particular day, there are math problems scattered all through the book.  I often catch my students checking behind the math or arguing about the way the characters solved a problem.

5.  Last, but not least, who doesn't love a book or lesson that calls for a food and/or drink treat?  Once you finish the book, you must enjoy lemonade together.  That's a non-negotiable.  Even if you're like me and just buy the cans so you don't have to squeeze it or mix it X 24ish. That smile says it all!

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Click here to enter my Shiloh giveaway by June 6th!

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A SWEET Giveaway!

Enter below to win a class set (30 new books) of The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling PLUS my Novel Unit for the book.

The contest runs through Wednesday, March 29th and I'll ship both the books and a paper copy of the unit by the end of the month.

Click here to read how I used this book in my classroom back in January.

Feel free to share with a friend!

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1,000 Followers Giveaway

In the summer of 2013, I put a few comprehension packets I had typed up for novel study on Teachers Pay Teachers.  In July, I made a whopping $2.10.  Nonetheless, I was excited that anyone found my products and made a purchase.  Then in August, with back-to-school, my sales skyrocketed to $72.83.  I was hooked!  I remember stressing with Brent over whether or not to pay the $60 per year fee to be a premium seller on TPT and keep more of my profits.  "We spend that eating dinner out, Deana," he reasoned with me...so I did it.

Slowly, my TPT store became more and more successful and I began to revise, add covers, try new ideas, bundle products, etc.  I toyed with other kind of products, but Novel Units are my passion.  I've always loved schoolwork more than any other kind of work and this extension of my job became my favorite hobby.  In my spare time, without fail, TPT is what you'll find me doing.

Two years later in late summer 2015, I attended the TPT conference in Las Vegas.  After the conference, I paid Megan Favre to design my blog and began tracking my TPT statistics.  Whether they have purchased an item from you or not, buyers on TPT have an option to "follow" your account and be notified when you post new products and receive messages from you.  In August 2015, I had only 300 followers although I was in the top 2% of sellers site wide.

Last school year I took all four classes to get my AIG certification and unfortunately blogging and TPT had to take a backseat.  This year, I'm back at it and aiming to take it to the next level in 2017.

This week, I reached 1,000 followers on TPT!  I've been watching that number track closer to four digits for a long time and I'm over the moon excited!  Realizing that many people are paying attention to my work on TPT makes me want to give back and I'm celebrating with a 1,000 Follower Giveaway!!   Enter below for the chance to be one of TEN lucky winners to have a Novel Unit of your choice ($10 value in my TPT store) emailed directly to your inbox.  There are over 50 titles to choose from!

You'll also receive bonus entries by liking my Facebook page and following me on Instagram and Pinterest.  The contest runs for one week and winners will be announced next Friday, Feb. 24th.

By entering, you'll be subscribing to an email list.  I'm planning a ONCE a month email with updates on new products, teaching tips and, most importantly, giveaways!  You don't want to miss out on all I've got planned.  If you're a teacher, I hope you'll join me and if you aren't, please share with the favorite upper elementary teachers in your life!

A few of my Novel Units include:

   

 

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