2018 LDS Primary Planning Pages, Christmas Multiplication and Division , and Reading Challenge Update

Primary Presidency Planner
Life has been a bit of a kick in the pants lately. I was called as primary president about 2 months ago and we are still getting things in order. I think once the program is out of the way, I'll be able to rest a bit easier.

I've been on the hunt for a primary planning binder for my presidency and me to use, but I haven't found any that I particularly love. There are some super cute ones on Etsy, but they just don't seem like ones I'd really use. So, I've taken bits and pieces from free planners that I liked and have been working on building my own.

I want to be sure that we keep the scripture for the month in mind, so I made sure to include it a few times throughout the pages.

I found a pretty similar idea here at Little LDS Ideas and modified it a bit so that it is more my style.

I also have a basic notes page with spaces to track presidency goals, important dates, and other things that you may want to keep track of.

This is still a work in progress. I am hoping to have it ready for our kick off in January. I'm pretty excited to use it.

What are some of your favorite ways to stay organized as a presidency? If you are interested in having the binder pages, email me at ashtonsmith026@gmail.com and I'll happily send what I've got!

A TPT Christmas

I've been getting a lot of great feedback from teachers that have purchased my mystery picture activities. Seeing the feedback is pretty encouraging and I'm glad to be providing something that is useful to teachers that students enjoy.

When I've taught in the past, I always had a handful of students that struggled with mastering their multiplication and division facts. The only way I could get them to learn them was to have some sort of practice every day in a variety of ways. For the holidays, I have put together a pack of Christmas sheets for multiplication and division practice, plus two sheets that combine both multiplication and division.

What are other ways you incorporate multiplication and division into your classroom?

2017 Reading Challenge: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
I really wish I liked this book more. I've seen Fangirl recommended on a bunch of Pinterest boards and finally gave in to picking it. Full disclosure, I listened to the audiobook since I haven't been able to hit the library. Also, I'm not going to hide any spoilers so if you continue, you've been warned.

What I liked:
I liked the overall premise of the book. Cath is a fanfiction writer about to start college. She is introverted and deals with anxiety. The story is about her navigating college, family, and friends. I've been reading a lot of dystopian fantasy lately, so this was a nice change.

The characters and their relationships were interesting for the most part. Cath and Wren's complicated relationship kept me hoping that they would patch things up. Reagan's and Levi's interactions with Cath were also fun to read. Both are nice to Cath and help her to open up more. Cath's and Wren's relationship with their father was also a draw for me.

The scenes with the fiction professor were also enjoyable. I like that she didn't just favor Cath, but made her work for her grades. I also appreciated that she gives Cath a second chance with the final project when Cath doesn't turn it in during finals week.

What I hated:
I absolutely hated the descriptions of Levi and Nick. Nick sounded like he needed a good pluck job on his eyebrows. Levi's description made me think of this:

but with a badly receding hairline. Whenever their looks were brought up, I wasn't convinced that Cath liked either of them.

Simon Snow was dumb and did nothing for the plot. The sections of fan fiction that we got were pointless. Also, if it was supposed to be the book version of Harry Potter, why does Harry Potter exist in that universe too? Makes no sense.

This book had absolutely no plot. It was just Cath being thrown into situations and having her react to those situations.

This book doesn't really show what it means to be part of a fandom. It was just Cath and her fans. The book doesn't show the community behind it. I had trouble believing the series was as big as the book made it seem. All we see is Cath.

I also couldn't stand Cath's character development. She is a bit winy at different parts of the book and she was too stuck on fanfiction. Seriously, if your professor gives you a second chance on a project, you take it. Who would be like, no way I am meant to write fanfiction and I do it better than the actual author, anyway? You can't make money off fan fiction. You can't have a real career out of fanfiction.

In the end, this book deserved 2 1/2 stars from me.

2018 Reading Challenge
In the next several weeks, I'll be posting a 2018 Reading Challenge and an overall review of the books I've read this past year. Keep an eye out!

Murder on the Orient Express Review and Thanksgiving Multiplication and Division Mystery Pics

There has been a lot going on lately, which everyone will probably be hearing about in later posts. Baby A and I got back from visiting my parents in Chicago. While we were there, I went with my mom and sister to see the new version of Murder on the Orient Express (my dad babysat).

About six months ago, my mom introduced C and me to Hercule Poirot and Murder on the Orient Express as done by David Suchet. I found it slow but intriguing. I was hooked on the character and the series. When I heard they were remaking the movie, I was ecstatic. The cast was interesting and I enjoyed the first, so why not this one?

My biggest shock was that Hercule Poirot....

is also....

Gilderoy Lockhart.

I didn't actually know until my mom and sister were talking about it afterward. He's aged pretty well!.

I should warn that I did fall asleep for a few minutes during the movie. In defense of the movie, I have not had a good night's sleep in years and it has been worse due to my anxiety with my new church calling. The theater was also switching between super hot and icy cold. I fell asleep during the warm part.

The soundtrack of the movie was well done. I feel like it fit and blended with each scene nicely. It stuck out just enough to add more to the scene, but it wasn't overbearing.

The overall cast performance was great! I should warn that you shouldn't compare this against past versions of the movie. Each edition should be enjoyed separately and on their own merits. It's like trying to compare an apple, an orange, and a banana. All 3 are great fruits, but they aren't truly the same thing and should be enjoyed for what they have.

I really liked the one David Suchet version. He is a phenomenal Poirot and does fit the image I had in my head as I read the book.

I really enjoyed Kenneth Branagh's performance too. I felt like more of Poirot's sense of humor came through. I also liked seeing Poirot's love of food come through. With Suchet's Poirot, you knew about the interest in food, but you didn't always see it. With Branagh's performance, I felt like some of the smaller things about Poirot came through nicely.

In the end, is the movie worth seeing? I'd say yes and I would definitely add this movie to our ever-growing movie collection.

Is it worth seeing in the movie theater? It's hard for me to say for sure. I do enjoy the movie theater experience, but I also like being able to watch from home. It's nice to be able to pause the movie if we need to, eat dinner while we watch, etc.

Does this movie deserve the scores it has been getting? Not at all! This is a very well done movie and worth the watch. People have become desensitized from all of the destruction and sex-laden films. This is a show great for anyone.

What are your thoughts on Murder on the Orient Express? Share them below.

Teachers Pay Teachers: Thanksgiving Edition

I've been developing more math coloring worksheets for my TPT store. I've been getting a lot of great feedback from teachers and the pages seem to be helping, which is wonderful. It's not worth it to make and post these sheets if they don't add to instruction.

Check it out here!

I am excited about my new design for my higher level math sheets. I think it makes it easier to make them and I think they are easier to solve.

What are some of your favorite things to do in class during Thanksgiving? Share below!