Wednesday, August 7, 2013

IT. IS. HERE. {And you don't want to miss it!}

I am SO SUPER EXCITED to be posting today!
 
Not only is it my first official post from my new home in Texas...
 I have something AWE to the SOME to share with you!!!
 
It's the 2013-2014 Teacher Smart Back to School Emagazine.. and it's FREE!!!
 
Some fabulous bloggers have contributed to this Emagazine to give you their TOP 3 MUST HAVE items for the new school year!
The Emagazine has been assembled and published by April from A Modern Teacher and Melanie from Schoolgirl Style! So a HUGE thanks to them!
 
So, without further adieu, here it is!
Remember, if you see an item you like, CLICK ON IT! Each item displayed is linked to a place where you can purchase it! Also, don't forget to click on all of the blogger's buttons to head to their blog and follow them for even more fabulous ideas!
     
If you enjoyed this Emagazine, please consider pinning this post so that others can enjoy it too! :)
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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Let's Get to know Ya! Guest Blog Post from the Applicious Teacher

Hey Guys! I am Leigh from The Applicious Teacher 


 I am hosting today's post while Daina settles into her new home in the Big T!

Today, I wanted to talk about getting to know your students.

I mean really KNOWING your students.

Not just their grades or who their parents are, but their likes and dislikes,  their academic strengths/weakness and their backgrounds.

Like in this video from SoulPancake
Do you take the time to really understand your students as little people?

You should! Research shows the more you know about a person, the better you can connect with them.


As a teacher, connecting with your students can help to build trusting and respectful  relationship. That ultimately leads to positive interactions and increased learning opportunities as students learn they can ask questions, make mistakes, and celebrate their achievements in a safe environment.

Now, I am not suggesting you set up a ball pit in the middle of your classroom (although that would be TOTALLY AWESOME!) But there are some subtler ways to connect and understand your students.

Student Information Sheets 

One of the easiest ways to get to know your students is to have them fill out an information sheet. I have parents fill one out at the "Meet the Teacher". Then I have students fill one out on the first day of school. I love using this FREE one from Katie Jones.

"Getting to Know You" Games

We all spend the first weeks of school playing the "Getting to Know You" games to help build a classroom community, but do you pay attention or *GASP* actually participate in the fun!?


One of my favorites is the simple, yet effective "Name Game". I always play this on the first day of school.  It is SUPER easy and requires absolutely NO PREP! Here's how to play:

Have students sit in a circle.

Then have students think of an adjective that describes them, but also begins with the letter of their first name. My favorite: Lovely Langton.

Starting with the teacher, move around the circle stating the name alliteration and the person before you's name. The kiddos LOVE playing this and it helps YOU learn their names pretty fast! For a challenge, you can have students reintroduce ALL the previous student's alliterations.

Student Annotated Notebook

When I first started teaching, I struggled with keeping track of the"little" information I would pick up through-out the year on my students. As I was complaining  sharing with a fellow veteran teacher about it while I filled out some IEP paperwork, he suggested I keep an annotated notebook on my students. GENIUS!



To set up the notebook, just assign each student a few pages. 

As you go through the year, use the pages to write down the "little things" that happen through-out the year. I also like to date things (had lunch detention or fell on playground on such and such date)

 I find my self reaching for this little notebook every time I am preparing for a Parent Conference     (their child's art was on display in the office!) 

and when I need to fill out PST or IEP paperwork (they are great with "hands on learning" but struggle to apply the same concept in the abstract)

Those are just a *few* ways you can "get to know" your students better. 

Thank you Daina for entrusting me with your glittery blog! 

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Wishlist Sale - Day 4 & 5 Items

Alright, 2 days left of the wishlist sale which means 2 more products are getting marked down by 20%!
 
Day 4 Item - on sale August 3rd ONLY!
My 4th top wishlisted item is my You Better Splat That! Phonics Game!
 
 
This game was made to go with CCSS 1.RFS.2 and 1.RFS.3!

This product includes directions for how to play, directions and resources for creating your own Splat! stick, Splat! cards and word cards. I also included a Quick Print Reference page so that you can quickly know what pages to print for the version of cards you want.

The word cards come in 4 different versions:
A. Full color with words and pictures to match
B. Full color with words only
C. Black and White with words and pictures to match
D. Black and White with words only

My hope is that by providing you with multiple versions, you can use what works best for you. You can challenge students by using the word only cards or aide visual learners or readers who struggle by using the cards with words and pictures.

Overall there are 244 pages in this pack! It's usually $4.50 but for today (August 3) it is only $3.60!
Click the picture to check it out on TpT!
 
 
 Day 5 Wishlisted Item
 
My fifth most wishlisted item is my Prove It! Worksheets!
 
My Prove It! worksheets were designed with CCSS 1.RL.1 specifically in mind! That standard is all about asking and answering questions about key details in a text! They will also work for K.RL.1 and 2.RL.1!

I really wanted to give my students explicit practice with finding RIGHT THERE information from a text.

This file includes 18 different worksheets. Each worksheet has a different short story at the top for students to read. Then they answer 3 comprehension questions. For each comprehension question, they will be asked to mark the sentence that proves their answer is the correct one.

I made it so that they "mark" the text in a different way and color for each question to help you in checking papers quickly.

These papers will help you to see who is struggling with reading, comprehension, and who has trouble backing up their answers! They also work well for increasing fluency!
 
 This pack will only be on sale August 4th! It is usually $4.00 but it will be on sale for only $3.20!

Click the pic to check it out on TpT!

                             
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Friday, August 2, 2013

Guest Blogger: Sara from Miss V's Busy Bees

Hey y'all! I'm Sara from Miss V's Busy Bees.
Miss V's Busy Bees
What do I blog about? Well, a variety of things! A few things I blog about are my life, family, friends, and interests - just to name a few!

But, one of my big interests is Pinterest. Who DOESN'T love Pinterest? We've become such a social society and Pinterest honestly just fueled that for me!

I'll be honest, I have my wedding planned out, my house decor picked out, and my classroom already designed. BUT, none of those has happened yet!! Oh, Pinterest...

Since BTS is coming right around the corner (literally around the corner for a few people I know!), I want to delve into some of the pins I've got for classroom design and organization.

Who knows... maybe you'll find an idea or two to implement this fall!

**Warning: cute pictures and great ideas to follow! You may or may not want to make/create everything below... most likely you may. BUT, you have been warned!**

This chair is one of my FAVORITE chairs that I have seen on Pinterest. There are a ton of reading chair ideas floating around on the website (many cute ones, of course) but this is my favorite. The simplicity of the chair in the red, black, and white, along with the sayings that this teacher put along the seat of the chair and the backing of the chair just make me want to read! I think students would have that same feeling if THEY were the ones that got to sit in the chair and read to themselves, the class, or to you as the teacher during fluency passages or what not.

Although this link takes you to a duvet cover that one is able to draw on, the pin pointed out something TOTALLY different. Grab a shower curtain liner, draw on the "notebook paper" with permanent markers, and then give your kiddos some dry erase markers that you can just wash right off! What a fantastic indoor activity on those super monsoon-y (South) or snowy (North) days. Cheap entertainment is all I've got to say!

I went to a conference last year and one of the speakers was Donalyn Miller. Yup, the Donalyn Miller that wrote The Book Whisperer. She was HILARIOUS, very personable, and had such great ideas that I couldn't wait to get home, write down, and remember to implement in my future classroom. This idea is something similar to what she showed us - her "recommendation board" that she has in her classroom. Students read books and then write recommendations on those books with a short synopsis of each one so that other students know what the book is sort of about and that will help them decide whether or not they want to read it. SO, when I found this pin, I absolutely HAD to pin it. It's called a "graffiti board." The woman who owns this blog actually has this post as inspiration FROM Donalyn, too! Anyways, students write a quote from the book they've read on black paper with a silver sharpie. Not only does it give students the opportunity to write down their favorite part of the book for others to see, but it requires a deeper reading for students to find that "just right" quote.

The idea of an "Author of the Month" absolutely delights me. Instead of "of the month," I would almost do "of the week." My reasoning behind this is because it gives students exposure to a variety of authors who write for a variety of genres, some of which may be out of their "norm." Giving students the option to read a variety of books expands their minds, their ideas, and their thoughts, along with giving them exposure to different writing styles, too. Also, providing an author of the month/week board provides somewhat of a mini-biography for students to explore. This non-fiction reading is yet another exposure to ANOTHER genre, one that doesn't often get too much attention. What potential!

While the original pin and post state "a fact a week," this could be changed to a fact a day. Giving students these facts not only gives them the perfect way to become well-rounded individuals, but putting out literature that goes with the facts (for example, books that might go with the fact above could be weather or temperatures around the world or something along those lines) gives students the opportunity to read, wonder, and explore new things daily/weekly! 

THINK board. I think this is ULTRA important what with all the bullying, negativity, and hatefulness that has been happening around us. It's a GREAT lesson to remind students to think about what they are saying and why they are saying it. This acronym is great for students in younger grades just as much as older grades, which is why I made this board for my own future classroom. I simply found a wooden board at Michaels, cut out the letters using my Cricut, and mod podged it on. BAM - a THINK board to put on a wall, my door, or by my desk to remind students to THINK before they SPEAK! Really, it's a lesson that EVERYONE needs, including myself. Which is why I love it.

SO, do you have any MUST HAVE decor ideas that you'll be using in your classroom come this fall? Any sort of bulletin boards you want to put up? Show me, tell me, talk to me! I want to hear all about your ideas.

If you want to see more, check me out on Pinterest by clicking the button below :) I'd love to have ya!
Before I go, I just want to thank Daina for allowing me to write for you! I hope you're having a blast moving & settle in well!!

Have a good day, y'all!
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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Wishlist Sale - Day 2 & 3 Items

Day 2 of the Wishlist Sale is underway which means there's a new product on sale for today! 
 
My number TWO wishlisted item is my Classroom Management File!
 
This is an in-depth file regarding 3 classroom management strategies I use in my classroom. I have included pictures of the actual items I use in class, product recommendations, a parent letter and a reproducible which enables you to have daily communication with every parent regarding behavior.

This file discusses the A+ Behavior Bag system I use, the Stop Light Pocket Chart System, and my classroom library organization method that works for any grade level but is especially helpful for the younger students who can't read or are limited readers.
 
This pack is usually $2.00 but is on sale for TODAY (August 1st) ONLY for $1.60!
 
Click here to check it out on TpT!
 
Day 3 Item - On Sale August 2nd ONLY
 
I'm also going to tell you about my Day 3 Wishlist Sale Item because there's a guest blogger post tomorrow that I don't want to interfere with!
 
My Day 3 Wishlist Item is my Short and Long Vowel Sounds Word Hunt Pack!
 
This pack is great for practicing and reviewing short and long vowel words!

 The original design for this resource is to use as a word hunt where you hide the words around the room and students have to find it, read it, and record it! The kids love it!

Here is everything you will get:
1. Ideas on how to use this resource in your class!
2. 22 recording sheets so that you have one to use no matter what vowel sound you are working on in your classroom!
3. 9 Header Cards for Sorting
4. 50 Short Vowel Sound Word Cards complete with corresponding picture to help any ELLs, ESE students, non-readers, or beginning readers you have. (10 word cards per vowel)
5. 40 Long Vowel Sound Word Cards complete with corresponding picture to help any ELLs, ESE students, non-readers, or beginning readers you have. (10 word cards per vowel EXCEPT LONG E) **All long vowel sound cards are based on the CVCe pattern such as a-e, i-e, o-e, u-e which is why there are not any long e cards**
This pic shows my kiddos from last year working on it as a huge end of year word sort activity!
 

 
Remember, this pack is on sale August 2nd ONLY.  It's usually $3.00 but you can pick it up tomorrow for only $2.40!
Click here to check it out on TpT!
                                 
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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Wishlist Sale - Spectacular Space!

Woo! The Wishlist sale begins today!
 
My number ONE wishlisted item is my Spectacular Space Unit!
 
My Space Unit is very near and dear to my heart! It took me many, many hours over Christmas Break last year to create it. I LOVE teaching about space! It's usually $8.00 but for today only you can grab it for 20% off making it $6.40! That's over 170 pages for $6.40! Can't beat that! :)
 
There's a lot of goodies in this pack. Here's a quick synopsis of what you get:
1. An Anchor Text (810 Lexile)
2. A Student Mini-Book to accompany the anchor text – the mini-book is on an approachable level for 1st grade students.
3. 4 Concept Maps
4. Vocabulary Cards
5. 5 Experiments/Demonstrations – All with an accompanying worksheet/recording sheet
6. My Night Sky Diary Homework Mini-Book
7. Collaborative Grouping Cards
8. Space Test
9. 5 Math Centers – Focusing on: Addition, Subtraction, Tens Frame Card Game, Measuring, and Counting
10. 5 Literacy Centers – Focusing on: Sentence Structure, Long and Short Vowel Sounds, Past/Present/Future Tense Verbs, Singular/Plural Nouns/Pronouns, and Root Words/Suffixes
11. Various Worksheets and Recording Sheets to accompany centers and anchor text.
12. Alien Craftivity with Writing Extension & Graphic Organizer
13. Rocket Craftivity with Writing Extension & Graphic Organizer
 


 
 Click on any of the pictures in this posting to head on over to my Space Unit on TpT!
 
Have a great day!
 
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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Guest Blogger: Tamara Russell from Mrs. Russell's Room

Howdy everyone! :)
So excited to be sharing a little something with ya since Daina is on her way to the great state of Texas!  Those of you who follow us, know that we taught first grade together last year and had a total blast the whole way through! :)  She will surely be missed here, but...thanks to the 'bloggy-sphere' she will never be more than a few quick clicks away! :)
So, let's chat a bit today about two things that I think about in the weeks before school starts.
One of the things I am most passionate about is parent participation.  Work on building a relationship with them early.  I find that once parents are comfortable with my routines and proceedures, they typically go with the flow...but the first few weeks of the year, they are typically a bit nervous and needy. Remind them that it really is going to be okay and that you're in this TOGETHER. Offer them specific opportunities to participate in students learning.  Make sure that it is something that they can be successful with...and that they can experience with their little learner.  Apple Day, Pumpkin Day...these are great days that include both learning and play.  The parents will enjoy getting to see how you interact with their child, and to see what they are learning.  This year, I am hosting a Teacher Talk night once a month to explain to the parents a little bit about what I'm teaching in the classroom and to show them how to review the reading and math strategies at home.  I'm hopeful that it will be a great opportunity for us to share our enthusiasm for their children's learning!

Something else that I think a lot about before I start the year is daily routines.  I had a mentor once upon a time that gave me a list of 100 common classroom procedures that I should have an answer for in my room to make sure that my management of the children was always on point.  Things as simple as how do the children take care of sharpening their pencil to what do they do if they find a book that needs repair.  I was surprised at how many things I didn't have an answer for.  If you are a teacher that struggles with having students that constantly come up to you and ask you questions about procedures...then, those are the things that you should be thinking about explaining more clearly...while you have the time to do it in the summer.  Sometimes...even after all these years, I've found that I need to adjust some of those procedures because children change over time...or some procedures don't work in all situations.  Be open to that as you review your procedures.


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