Friday, September 27, 2013

Calendar Math


Don't you just love Teachers Pay Teachers!  It wasn't that long ago that you had to buy/order teacher books to get ideas.  Now you have dozens of books that you have to store somewhere and don't know what to do with! On TpT you can just find anything you want that other teachers have made. One of my favorite finds is the Smart Calendar Math by Mrs Magee!  Her clip art is so cute and the activities are editable for your math program.  I start off the year with just a few pages and add to them each month.



Wednesday, September 25, 2013

BUMP


Do you ever take pictures of your class on your phone because a camera wasn't handy only to have them languish on your phone because there are too many to email them to yourself and you are too lazy to actually hook up your phone to your computer?

You are looking at the worst offender in the history of all cell phone camera users. In fact, when I couldn't find my phone at school a couple of weeks ago (and yes, I freaked out. A LOT.) the first thought that came to my mind was all of the pictures I had on it including the ones I took of the kids on the first day of school. (Well, I was a bit worried about my personal pictures as well.)

Let me introduce you to:

BUMP
Bump is an app that allows you to transfer selected pictures from your phone to your computer without connecting a cord to it. It is internet based so you can do it on any computer. Pretty slick, huh?

I just used it to download the 26 pictures that I took of my students on the first day of school so I could email them from my desktop computer (saving my phone data) to our reading specialist so she could use them for a computer reading program we will be starting next week. Needless to say I was IMPRESSED. Try it, you may like it!


Saturday, September 21, 2013

SEP'S

We are getting ready for Fall SEP's here.  I like to have a check-off sheet so I can remember what to tell parents.  I also make notes on it of things we discuss with parents.  I keep mine and refer to them when I check up with parents.  They also help me remember what we talked about.




click here to download






Halloween Freebie

I don't know about you but I love FaLL! It is my favorite season of all. It makes me start to think of Halloween.
 I also love this clip art set from Melonheadz Illustrating! 
It is so cute! Here is a little freebie just for fun (and because I couldn't wait to do a little something with this set).


Click here to download.

Have a great Thursday!




Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Name Activity

 Don't you love this book?






It has always been one of my favorites. I try to read it every year to my students (I have been even known to read it to "big" kids).

When I was thinking of activities to get the school year started off, I got thinking about this book. I love how it emphasizes how your name is unique to you and it is special because you are special. I have some students with some unique names this year, and my personal children also have unique names (they will never get a pencil with their names on it unless I order them, what a bad mom I am!). I wanted to have a chance to spend some time with the students talking about how everyone's name was unique and special because they are special.

But just reading the book and talking about it didn't sound like too much fun for the students, I mean they get talked at enough on the first day of school so I thought of an activity that they would be able to easily complete on the first day of school that wouldn't cause me to pull my hair out.

I printed each of their names as large as I could with a font that outlined the letter and let each student color them as uniquely as they were. They did a great job. Then I realized I could actually use their artwork to help me out. I laminated them then hung them next to a clothespin in the hall where I hang their work. It looks pretty neat if I do say so myself.








Sunday, September 15, 2013

Flashcards Freebie. In black and white to save on color ink!


Hey everyone. I hope you are having a good weekend. If you are like me you have probably spent some time working on stuff for school . . .that's just kind of what we do . . .my focus this weekend has been re-doing my plan book FOR the 3rd TiMe! LoNg StOrY, not my fault. We keep having grade level schedule changes. Anyway, I got it done and I am not redoing it again no matter what!

My other big task has been getting ready for parent conferences. Printing data, gathering interventions for parents to help with at home and making flashcards. In black and white. So that it is not a drain on color ink. Yay! I posted the links to the flashcards on my classroom blog so that parents can have access right away. 

Here they are in case they can help anyone else out . . .


Click here to download and print alphabet flashcards.




Click here to download and print numbers from 1-30 flashcards.



Monday, September 9, 2013

AmaZIng FiRsT GraDeRs and Poster Freebie for SH, CH, TH

Wow! Can you believe it . . .here I am 2 days in a row! I am actually about to go to bed, I am so sleepy tonight. We had a really busy weekend around the house and an even busier Monday at school. I have to tell you about this cute little class (all 26 of them) I was a couple of minutes after the bell getting into the classroom because I had to get a couple of kids from the cafeteria that were finishing breakfast, WELL, I walked into the classroom and all children were in their squares on the rug and they had started the QuIeT GaMe, on their own, as in without. me. there. 

I was ecstatic!
 Isn't that the most awesome thing ever!?

Gosh, I am so proud of them.

Anyway, we are learning the Phonics Dance and have been working on SH, CH and TH. I made these posters tonight that I am printing off at half size.



Click here to download and print
I will show you tomorrow or the next day what I am going to do with them . . .

Hugs!



Saturday, September 7, 2013

Yes I Am Still HeRe! Classroom Decor/Storage.

Gosh it has been so long since I posted . . .I have suffering a bad case of the "tireds" and the "blahs".  Have you ever experienced this? Low energy, lack of sleep, blah, blah, blah . . .I'm sure you know the story. 

Anyway, I am trying to pull out of it and get back with my routine! I am starting this by actually posting something!

I have 26 students this year and they are a super cute class. How is your year going?

I took some photos of the classroom and I want to share them with you today!


Our Math Journal


Our Writing Journal


Our Desk Totes


Extra Crayons


Our Daily Work Binder


Our Writing Folders


Rules Display


Scoreboards for Whole Brain Teaching


Writers Workshop/Word Work Storage


Math Board



Schedule and Rules


Reading Nook for Daily Leader and Helper

Have a great week and I will try to get with the program! :)







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