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Monday, February 26, 2018
Million Word Letter
After my Facebook post last week about the importance parents have in recognizing the warning signs that their child is struggling, I had several teachers ask for a copy of the letter I send home for parents to tell me about their child. You can find the letter on my Teachers Pay Teachers page. I currently have it posted for free! You can find the full letter by going HERE
Raising Good Humans & Why Parents Are Important
With all of the talk about guns in schools, why it’s happening, and how to solve the issue let me offer a little different perspective. I’ve been teaching since 2003. This marks my 15th year in the classroom. Everybody always talks about how schools have changed, and it’s true, they have. Yes, there’s the “crazy new math” and “bring your own device” changes. However, there are some other changes that I think the general population is not aware of.
Every year for 15 years I have sent home the same assignment on the first day of school. I send a letter home asking parents to tell me about their child in a million words or less. I go on to explain that I want to learn the child’s hopes, dreams, fears, challenges, etc and jokingly ask parents to limit it to less than a million words since we all know we could talk forever about our children. I go on to say I’m not grading these, not looking at handwriting or grammar and don’t care if they send them back with their child, email them, drop them off at the office, etc. These letters have been so beneficial to me as a teacher and getting to know my students on a personal level. I have learned about eating disorders, seizures, jealousy issues between twins, depression, adoption, abuse...just to name a few things. These letters give me a huge head start on getting to truly know my students. I often pull them out when a child has a sudden change in behavior or issue that comes up. Just this week I had 2 students lose their mother unexpectedly. Brother and sister, I taught one last year and one this year. As I have done before, i immediately went to my folders to pull the letters that mom sent for her children. It’s a beautiful gift that I feel I can give students to get a glimpse into how much a parent loved and adored them. As I was putting the folders back in the file cabinet I noticed something. I know that the percentage of parents that complete this assignment each year has gotten lower and lower, but looking at the size of the folders shocked me. That first year I had 98% of the parents send back some type of letter on their child. This year... 22%. That’s a lot of opportunities lost for me to get to know students. Sadly, more parents have access to an electronic device that makes this task even easier and less time consuming.
On another note, this year’s average for homework turned in is riding at 67%. I’m talking a twice monthly 5 sentence summary of what the student is reading in their own time. I remind students daily, I send text messages through Remind, it’s on my website. The only other thing I could do is do it for them. Parents continue to let their child rack up zero after zero. But then again, that average used to be around 98% as well. It was rare for more than 1-2 students to not have their homework 15 years ago. Now, it’s just frustrating.
With all of our other responsibilities in our profession, how are we supposed to get to know students so that we can identify the ones with the mentality and disposition to become a school shooter if parents are checking out of the academic process? How are we supposed to educate children when their parents don’t require, expect and demand their child complete their homework?
Don’t wait until your child is the school shooter to let us know your child is struggling mentally. Don’t wait until your child is ineligible for sports or the day before report cards to check grades and question the teacher on why your child is failing.
Be a parent. Be involved in your child’s life so that you can help them through the issues with friends, the possible suicidal thoughts, and problems academically. I promise you, if parents spent more time with their children and got involved in their lives, we would see drastic improvements in our schools and our society.
As parents, our job is to grow the most amazing humans possible. Its the most important job in the world. The education and emotional stability a parent provides is priceless.
Monday, January 2, 2017
New Year New Goals Reflection for Students
Happy New Year! Can you believe it is already 2017? I mean, wasn't it just 2007 like yesterday?
Like most teachers, I always go back into the classroom after the New Year with big ideas. One thing that I started doing early on in my teaching career was to have students reflect on various parts of their learning. January, the midpoint of the school year, is the PERFECT time to do this!
As students come back to school this week, I will give them this reflection sheet that I put together. I like it because it is short and sweet and, most importantly, to the point. It does require a preplanning from the teacher, as you may want to have their grades already filled out on the reflection sheet, but it is also the perfect time to have individual student conferences! You could easily have your garbed pulled up on your device and fill the grades in as you are conferencing with students. This also gives you the opportunity to help guide students in writing their goals.
I've uploaded the reflection sheet in my Teachers Pay Teachers store and you can download it for free!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/New-Year-New-Goals-Student-Reflection-2941690
Have a great week as you get back into the swing of things and start recovering from the last couple of weeks of longer than 20 minute lunches and potty breaks whenever you felt the need to go!
Like most teachers, I always go back into the classroom after the New Year with big ideas. One thing that I started doing early on in my teaching career was to have students reflect on various parts of their learning. January, the midpoint of the school year, is the PERFECT time to do this!
As students come back to school this week, I will give them this reflection sheet that I put together. I like it because it is short and sweet and, most importantly, to the point. It does require a preplanning from the teacher, as you may want to have their grades already filled out on the reflection sheet, but it is also the perfect time to have individual student conferences! You could easily have your garbed pulled up on your device and fill the grades in as you are conferencing with students. This also gives you the opportunity to help guide students in writing their goals.
I've uploaded the reflection sheet in my Teachers Pay Teachers store and you can download it for free!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/New-Year-New-Goals-Student-Reflection-2941690
Have a great week as you get back into the swing of things and start recovering from the last couple of weeks of longer than 20 minute lunches and potty breaks whenever you felt the need to go!
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Roll 6
Oh my goodness, y'all! My students had so much fun with this game today. The best part? The game was played while reviewing a map of Europe for their test that's tomorrow!
The great thing about Roll 6 is that it is so easily adaptable to any topic that you are covering. I used it today to review for our map test over Europe tomorrow. Students will need to be able to locate 10 countries and 10 physical features on a blank map of Europe. To help them review, I put students into partner groups and gave each group a map and a dice. Once I told students to begin, they had to begin rolling the dice until they landed on a 6. They could not label anything on the map until a 6 was rolled. They could then only label ONE thing. Then they had to roll a 6 again before they could label the next thing. So, they had to roll a 6 twenty times in order to label all of the locations on the map. The first group to label the entire map correctly won Canes Cash (our PBIS reward currency).
Here's the new thing I incorporated today - a 10 second penalty if the dice fell onto the floor. One of the worst parts of classroom games that use dice is that some kids get really into rolling the dice and they end up on the floor more than on the desk. This 10 second penalty worked BEAUTIFULLY at curbing their dice rolling enthusiasm!
I must say, this is quickly becoming my favorite games to use in the classroom. Students really enjoy it, it is very easy to prepare for, and the dice were super cheap! I got packs of 5 dice for $1 at The Dollar Tree. I definitely plan to put this game in the lesson plan more often!
The great thing about Roll 6 is that it is so easily adaptable to any topic that you are covering. I used it today to review for our map test over Europe tomorrow. Students will need to be able to locate 10 countries and 10 physical features on a blank map of Europe. To help them review, I put students into partner groups and gave each group a map and a dice. Once I told students to begin, they had to begin rolling the dice until they landed on a 6. They could not label anything on the map until a 6 was rolled. They could then only label ONE thing. Then they had to roll a 6 again before they could label the next thing. So, they had to roll a 6 twenty times in order to label all of the locations on the map. The first group to label the entire map correctly won Canes Cash (our PBIS reward currency).
Here's the new thing I incorporated today - a 10 second penalty if the dice fell onto the floor. One of the worst parts of classroom games that use dice is that some kids get really into rolling the dice and they end up on the floor more than on the desk. This 10 second penalty worked BEAUTIFULLY at curbing their dice rolling enthusiasm!
I must say, this is quickly becoming my favorite games to use in the classroom. Students really enjoy it, it is very easy to prepare for, and the dice were super cheap! I got packs of 5 dice for $1 at The Dollar Tree. I definitely plan to put this game in the lesson plan more often!
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Personal Laminator Lovin'!
Admit it...we teachers have a laminating disorder. Most of us would run our first born through it if we could just to keep them shiny, clean, and protected from the world.
Well let me tell you, if you do not have a personal laminator...YOU NEED ONE! I'm bought one last year for a craft project that I was working on and it has become my favorite teaching tool! The big laminator at school is great for bigger projects. But the quality and sturdiness of the Scotch personal laminator can't be beat.
I'm all the time needing to laminate small items or single pages for classroom use (and usually at the last minute). Having a laminator and laminating pouches at home has been a life changer. Just tonight I laminated 35 bingo cards for a review game we will be playing in class tomorrow. I love that the cards come out much more sturdy than from our regular laminator at school.
It's super easy to use, too. Simply buy the laminating pouches, place the item you want laminated inside and run it through the laminator. Easy Peasy!
There are tons of personal size laminators on the market. I have the Scotch Personal laminator and love it.
Click here to see the specs on the laminator that I have
I promise you, if you don't have a personal laminator, you are definitely missing out!
Well let me tell you, if you do not have a personal laminator...YOU NEED ONE! I'm bought one last year for a craft project that I was working on and it has become my favorite teaching tool! The big laminator at school is great for bigger projects. But the quality and sturdiness of the Scotch personal laminator can't be beat.
I'm all the time needing to laminate small items or single pages for classroom use (and usually at the last minute). Having a laminator and laminating pouches at home has been a life changer. Just tonight I laminated 35 bingo cards for a review game we will be playing in class tomorrow. I love that the cards come out much more sturdy than from our regular laminator at school.
It's super easy to use, too. Simply buy the laminating pouches, place the item you want laminated inside and run it through the laminator. Easy Peasy!
There are tons of personal size laminators on the market. I have the Scotch Personal laminator and love it.
Click here to see the specs on the laminator that I have
I promise you, if you don't have a personal laminator, you are definitely missing out!
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Camping Themed Classroom Decor
More new products! This time in a camping/Woodland theme!
120 charts and a Classroom Rules poster were just added to my TPT store. More camping themed products to come, so keep a lookout! Also, let me know if there is something special you're looking for and I will try to make it and upload it to the store!
Thanks for looking!
Amie
Panda Themed Classroom Decor
I just love the cute panda in these new products that I've listed! I have added a Welcome Pennant Banner, a 120 counting chart, and a Classroom Rules poster to my TPT store. Check them out!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Simply-The-Middle
More Panda themed products to come!
Have a something particular you are looking for in this theme? Let me know and I will try to add it for you!
Thanks for looking!
Amie
Dr. Seuss Theme Welcome Pennant Banner and 120 Chart
Anyone using a Dr. Seuss theme in your classroom this year? New Dr. Seuss products listed! I have added a Welcome Pennant Banner and a 120 counting chart to my TPT store. Check them out!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Simply-The-Middle
More Seuss themed products to come!
Have a something particular you are looking for in this theme? Let me know and I will try to add it for you!
Thanks for looking!
Amie
Classroom Glass Block Light
I woke up this morning to see new interest in my Quiet Time Glass Block Light thanks to a mention from WeAreTeachers on Facebook. Wow! How cool! I have had several people message me asking about buying the light from me. I have posted it on Etsy for anyone that may be interested. You can find the Etsy listing here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/464209321/classroom-quiet-work-glass-block-light?ref=shop_home_active_1
You can have the light customized any way that you would like by colors or theme. I have made them with nautical, Dr. Seuss, camping designs among many others.
Let me know if you have any questions and thanks for stopping by!
Amie
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Chevron Word Wall Circles Now Available
My chevron word wall letters are now available in my TPT store! I have had numerous emails and posts asking about these letters, so I figured I need to add them to the store!
I really enjoyed using this method for my word wall with my firsties last year. I will be moving to 5th grade for this coming school year and I'm putting the finishing touches on my my classroom decor plans. I will post those as soon as they are ready!
You can see the word wall letters HERE.
I really enjoyed using this method for my word wall with my firsties last year. I will be moving to 5th grade for this coming school year and I'm putting the finishing touches on my my classroom decor plans. I will post those as soon as they are ready!
You can see the word wall letters HERE.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Common Core - Simplified (yeah right)
I know that there are a lot of questions about the future of Common Core. Who knows if it is here to stay (although we all know nothing stays in in regards to education standards) or will be thrown under the bus with every other trend in education. The one thing that we do know is that if we live in a state that has required implementation of Common Core, then we need to hit the ground running.
My school system has been using Common Core for two years. The first year felt like we were being thrown to the sharks. You know how it goes, "Here are the Common Core standards. We don't have money for the textbooks or reading materials required, nor do we have money to train you, but get out there and teach!" I don't blame my school system. It was just the nature of the beast at the time.
Some teachers decided to try to jump in using just the copy of the Common Core standards they were given. Others figured if they ignored it and kept teaching the Georgia Performance Standards the Common Core would simply go away. Then there were teachers like me. If I'm going to teach it, then by golly I'm going to figure out as much as I can about it and teach it the best way I can.
This led me to several great resources, but two of the best are the FREE Annotated Common Core Standards that Secondary Solutions offers and the other is the Engage NY website.
The Annotated Common Core Standards is a great resource that simplifies what we are supposed to teach. It simplifies and explains each standard in a way that just makes sense. Secondary Solutions provides these for free for grades 3-12. You can get them by going to their website HERE.
The EngageNY site is a massive, but useful, amount of information on Common Core. They have everything from videos to writing exemplars. It really is a great site. Plan to spend a lot of time on the site once you're there! You can find the site HERE.
Do you have any great Common Core resources that you've found? Feel free to share them here!
My school system has been using Common Core for two years. The first year felt like we were being thrown to the sharks. You know how it goes, "Here are the Common Core standards. We don't have money for the textbooks or reading materials required, nor do we have money to train you, but get out there and teach!" I don't blame my school system. It was just the nature of the beast at the time.
Some teachers decided to try to jump in using just the copy of the Common Core standards they were given. Others figured if they ignored it and kept teaching the Georgia Performance Standards the Common Core would simply go away. Then there were teachers like me. If I'm going to teach it, then by golly I'm going to figure out as much as I can about it and teach it the best way I can.
This led me to several great resources, but two of the best are the FREE Annotated Common Core Standards that Secondary Solutions offers and the other is the Engage NY website.
The Annotated Common Core Standards is a great resource that simplifies what we are supposed to teach. It simplifies and explains each standard in a way that just makes sense. Secondary Solutions provides these for free for grades 3-12. You can get them by going to their website HERE.
The EngageNY site is a massive, but useful, amount of information on Common Core. They have everything from videos to writing exemplars. It really is a great site. Plan to spend a lot of time on the site once you're there! You can find the site HERE.
Do you have any great Common Core resources that you've found? Feel free to share them here!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Cowboy or Superhero? Fun with numbers!
I made two new games this weekend and totally forgot to add them to my blog! My mom had surgery yesterday, so the past few days were crazy trying to get everything ready for 2 days with a sub.
I was looking for a fun way for my students to work with the 120 board to help them with number recognition and counting. I also wanted something they could play fairly quick after morning work. These games are great in that you can play with as few as 2 players or as many as you want. I have my students play in groups of 2 or 3 and then have them rotate to play with other players if time allows.
Both games are the same, I just changed the theme. One has a superhero theme and the other has a cowboy/cowgirl theme. Students roll to determine how many spaces that they go. If they land on a box with a number, then they just stay on the number until their next roll. If they land on a special box that has a treasure box or cowboy boot then they draw a card from the stack.
The cards may tell "-5", "Go To 136", "Skip a Turn", or "Go Again"...among many other things. I've been playing the games with my students this week and they LOVE them! I hope you do, too!
You can get the Math Superhero game by going HERE and the Wild West Math by going HERE.
I was looking for a fun way for my students to work with the 120 board to help them with number recognition and counting. I also wanted something they could play fairly quick after morning work. These games are great in that you can play with as few as 2 players or as many as you want. I have my students play in groups of 2 or 3 and then have them rotate to play with other players if time allows.
Both games are the same, I just changed the theme. One has a superhero theme and the other has a cowboy/cowgirl theme. Students roll to determine how many spaces that they go. If they land on a box with a number, then they just stay on the number until their next roll. If they land on a special box that has a treasure box or cowboy boot then they draw a card from the stack.
The cards may tell "-5", "Go To 136", "Skip a Turn", or "Go Again"...among many other things. I've been playing the games with my students this week and they LOVE them! I hope you do, too!
You can get the Math Superhero game by going HERE and the Wild West Math by going HERE.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Sight Word Homework Packet - a entire year's worth!
I've been trying to figure out a way for students to review the Fry Sight Words in a quick way that didn't involve flashcards. I decided to make Lightning Words handouts for homework each week for the entire year.
I wanted to make the homework fun, so I added a time component to it - hence the Lightning Words title. Students will get a list each week that they will take home on Monday. Each night (Monday - Thursday) they will say the 25 Lightning Words for the week as quickly as they can. An adult will help them record their time on the sheet. The goal is to increase the time as the week goes on, eventually getting "Lightning Fast".
I've just uploaded the files tonight to my TPT store. The pack comes with 30 weeks worth of Lightning Words. The lists start with the First 100 Words list, then the Second 100 Words list, a mixture of the First and Second 100 Words lists, and finally the last 5 weeks are from the Third 100 Word List. You can snag an entire year's worth of Lightning Words by going HERE.
I wanted to make the homework fun, so I added a time component to it - hence the Lightning Words title. Students will get a list each week that they will take home on Monday. Each night (Monday - Thursday) they will say the 25 Lightning Words for the week as quickly as they can. An adult will help them record their time on the sheet. The goal is to increase the time as the week goes on, eventually getting "Lightning Fast".
I've just uploaded the files tonight to my TPT store. The pack comes with 30 weeks worth of Lightning Words. The lists start with the First 100 Words list, then the Second 100 Words list, a mixture of the First and Second 100 Words lists, and finally the last 5 weeks are from the Third 100 Word List. You can snag an entire year's worth of Lightning Words by going HERE.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Chevron Classroom Decor Printable Set
I just loaded my Chevron Classroom Decor Set into my TPT store. It's a HUGE set! Here is all that you get in this set:
120 chart poster with turquoise background (I printed this at www.shortrunposters.com for $1.97!)
120 chart poster with white background
Chevron Birthday Poster scaled for 17x24 print (also printed at Shortrun Posters)
Chevron Birthday Poster scaled for 11x17
Chevron Birthday Poster scaled for 8.5 x 11
30 rectangular chevron labels/signs
Chevron "WELCOME" pennant
Chevron Teacher Binder cover
Chevron Data Binder cover
Chevron Emergency Plans Binder cover
Chevron Gradebook Binder cover
Chevron Lesson Plans Binder cover
Chevron Meeting Notes Binder cover
Chevron Parent Contact Log Binder cover
Chevron Rosters Binder cover
Chevron Substitute Info Binder cover
Go check it out! You won't be disappointed! Teachers that have downloaded the individual items have left 100% positive reviews!
You can go HERE to snag this bright set for yourself!
120 chart poster with turquoise background (I printed this at www.shortrunposters.com for $1.97!)
120 chart poster with white background
Chevron Birthday Poster scaled for 17x24 print (also printed at Shortrun Posters)
Chevron Birthday Poster scaled for 11x17
Chevron Birthday Poster scaled for 8.5 x 11
30 rectangular chevron labels/signs
Chevron "WELCOME" pennant
Chevron Teacher Binder cover
Chevron Data Binder cover
Chevron Emergency Plans Binder cover
Chevron Gradebook Binder cover
Chevron Lesson Plans Binder cover
Chevron Meeting Notes Binder cover
Chevron Parent Contact Log Binder cover
Chevron Rosters Binder cover
Chevron Substitute Info Binder cover
Go check it out! You won't be disappointed! Teachers that have downloaded the individual items have left 100% positive reviews!
You can go HERE to snag this bright set for yourself!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Chevron Behavior Reward Necklaces
One of the first obstacles that I knew I would face when moving from my 7th grade gifted classroom to a 1st grade classroom was behavior. As soon as I knew I would be moving, I immediately started reading everything I could about positive behavior interventions. I've been in a school that used PBIS for 8 years, so I know the positive results that come along with it.
I thought I had a great system down, but after the first week of school I noticed how much these little people live for their teacher's approval. Over the weekend I whipped these necklaces up and I started using them on Monday of the second week of school. Wow! My little firsties LOVE these things. The adults in the school remark on them when they see a child with one on. Our principal helps serve lunch each day, so she always makes a point to mention their positive behavior.
I made 4 pages of necklaces. A few are duplicates, but they are the ones that I find myself using the most often. I printed them all on card stock and then laminated them. I hole punched each one and then used yarn to make a necklace out of each one. At the end of the day, the students return their necklaces.
These have been an awesome tool in my teaching toolbox! You can get them now in my TPT store by going HERE.
I thought I had a great system down, but after the first week of school I noticed how much these little people live for their teacher's approval. Over the weekend I whipped these necklaces up and I started using them on Monday of the second week of school. Wow! My little firsties LOVE these things. The adults in the school remark on them when they see a child with one on. Our principal helps serve lunch each day, so she always makes a point to mention their positive behavior.
I made 4 pages of necklaces. A few are duplicates, but they are the ones that I find myself using the most often. I printed them all on card stock and then laminated them. I hole punched each one and then used yarn to make a necklace out of each one. At the end of the day, the students return their necklaces.
These have been an awesome tool in my teaching toolbox! You can get them now in my TPT store by going HERE.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Finally - My Room Tour
Wow, what a great start to the new school year! It's hard to believe that we've already been in school for three weeks! This year has definitely been an exciting transition for me. I've taught middle school ELA for me entire 10 year teaching career. The last 6 years have been 7th and 8th grade Gifted ELA. I got my elementary certification 4 years ago and have just been waiting on the right opportunity. Our school system Rif'd 120 teachers at the end of the school year and then transferred probably that many more to other schools to fill needed openings. I was blessed to be one of those people. I have landed in the perfect school. So, now I am a first grade teacher. Yep, you heard that right! All the way down to first grade....and I couldn't be happier!
Naturally I worked all summer studying the first grade standards, reading about topics that pertained to first grade management, gathering ideas and designing things for my classroom. I still have a few things that I plan to add over the next couple of weeks, but here is my room in all of it's bright chevron, polka dot glory. I did not purchase any of my posters, bulletin board letters, etc from a store this year. After not being able to find what I wanted, I made them all. I know it took a little more time, but I love the results and I think I probably saved money in the long run. I love my classroom and my students and their parents seem to really enjoy it, too!
We all know what it's like to go into a new classroom. It all bland, white and packed up. Here is mine the first day I could go in, which was one week before preplanning started.
Here is my temporary door hanger. I'm working on a bigger canvas picture, but for now this helps my firsties know which room is ours. It was an unfinished wood piece that I purchased from Michael's earlier this summer. A little paint, vinyl, bottle caps, flowers and voila...a door hanger.
Here is the view outside of my door. I made the chevron WELCOME banner. You can find it in my TPT store HERE.
Here is the view you get as you walk in my door. I've added a few things to the bulletin board behind my desk since I took these pictures.
Here is my computer center. I made the posters on the wall and you can find them in my TPT store HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Here is a closer look at the posters.
My classroom library has been a big hit! I tried to go to Goodwill at least once per week this summer to begin my first grade book collection and when I visited my parents beach house this summer, I ran by the Goodwill there at least once each trip. A retiring teacher gifted me with about 200 additional books. I love, love, LOVE books, so this made me one happy girl! I found my chairs at Lowe's for about $12 each and my bright colored baskets are from Big Lots.
Here's a closer look at my book basket labels.
Here is my focus wall. I made all of the signs and letter for this board as well.
I just love this Chevron behavior chart that I found for FREE on TPT. HERE is the link to the free file from A Cupcake for the Teacher. I use clothes pins with my students' names on them. For each day that they reach "Super Student" level they get a gem on their clip. After they get 5 gems on their clip, they move it to the wall of fame (a picture that says "wall of fame" that has a ribbon hanging down to attach the clips to) and get a new clip.
Here in my calendar/morning math board. At some point I think I will do all of this on the Promethian board and after Christmas I might make each student a sheet and laminate it so that it is dry erase and encourages more independent work.
Here is a closer look at my 120 chart. This is a bad picture. The colors are very bright, as you can see above. I searched high and low for a 120 chart that I liked, but couldn't find one that was just right. So, I decided to make my own. I then used www.shortrunposters.com and had it printed into a 18x24 for only $2.97. You can find my 120 chart HERE in my TPT store. You get both the white center and the turquoise center with the file.
Here is looking at the front of my classroom. I have a new bright colored rug that has been ordered and will hopefully be here this week.
I wanted a class set of dry erase boards, but they are at least $3 each. So, off I went to Lowe's. I found a huge sheet (4x8) of shower board for right at $11. They were able to cut down the board into 12x12 pieces for me for free. (LOVE this about Lowe's!!) I then used duck tape around the ragged edges. My students LOVE them.
This is my Word Wall. I used paper plates for the Word Wall sign. I found them at the Dollar Store. I cut the letters out using my Silhouette Cameo and attached them inside the plates. I made the letters for the board and found some cute polka dot ribbon at Wal-Mart that matched the colors of my room perfectly. I clip the words to the ribbon each week.
Here's a closer view of the word wall.
One of my absolute favorite parts of my classroom - my curtains. I bought 2 yards of the fabric at Hobby Lobby and used half for each window. I hot glued all around the edges, hot glued the ball trim on and hung them on a tension rod. I then used black ribbon to tie them up on each side.
My birthday poster that I made. I then sent it to www.shortrunposters.com and had an 18x24 made of it for only $2.97. You can find it in my TPT store HERE.
I made this light to indicate when work should be quiet work. When the light is on, we work silently.
These are my seat labels. I decided that this would be an easy way to move students after the year got started. I made the labels, laminated them, hole punched them and used a round book clip to attach them to the back of all of the chairs. I also have name tags on their desk for the first few weeks, but this will not get as dirty or give students something to pick at like the desk labels do.
My desk. I just glued wrapping paper from Party City to the front and trimmed it with grosgrain ribbon. I cut the letters out using my Cameo and then attached an owl that I made to add a little more decoration.
Easiest way ever to keep up with papers for the week. I like to make all of my copies before I leave on Friday for the following week. As I make copies throughout the week, I can store them in my "Next Week" drawer.
Here is where we are hanging work in the hall. I made the owls with their names preprinted on them. I laminated them and glued them to clothes pins. I think hot glued the clothes pins to push pins so that they could hang from the corkboard strip outside of my door.
My daughter helped me model the frame that I made so that I could take pictures of all of my firsties. I just used a piece of foam board from the Dollar Store and hot glued ribbon and decorations to make it cute.
Treats for the first day of school!
Finally, one of what I consider to be the best positive behavior management tools that I am using - behavior necklaces. I made them, laminated them, hole punched them and then tied a piece of yarn into a necklace. My students LOVE them and it can turn a misbehaving student around quickly. I have about 100 made up, so there are enough for every student to get one throughout the day. I have everything from "I lost a tooth", "I was a good friend", "Number Talk Whiz", to "Superstar in the Hall". I'm thinking about adding these to my TPT store as well.
Well, there you have it. I hope I haven't bored you to death. Personally, I really enjoy looking at pictures of other teachers' classrooms. I find that it gives me a ton of inspiration. And who doesn't need a little inspiration from time to time?
Naturally I worked all summer studying the first grade standards, reading about topics that pertained to first grade management, gathering ideas and designing things for my classroom. I still have a few things that I plan to add over the next couple of weeks, but here is my room in all of it's bright chevron, polka dot glory. I did not purchase any of my posters, bulletin board letters, etc from a store this year. After not being able to find what I wanted, I made them all. I know it took a little more time, but I love the results and I think I probably saved money in the long run. I love my classroom and my students and their parents seem to really enjoy it, too!
We all know what it's like to go into a new classroom. It all bland, white and packed up. Here is mine the first day I could go in, which was one week before preplanning started.
Here is my temporary door hanger. I'm working on a bigger canvas picture, but for now this helps my firsties know which room is ours. It was an unfinished wood piece that I purchased from Michael's earlier this summer. A little paint, vinyl, bottle caps, flowers and voila...a door hanger.
Here is the view outside of my door. I made the chevron WELCOME banner. You can find it in my TPT store HERE.
My classroom library has been a big hit! I tried to go to Goodwill at least once per week this summer to begin my first grade book collection and when I visited my parents beach house this summer, I ran by the Goodwill there at least once each trip. A retiring teacher gifted me with about 200 additional books. I love, love, LOVE books, so this made me one happy girl! I found my chairs at Lowe's for about $12 each and my bright colored baskets are from Big Lots.
Here's a closer look at my book basket labels.
Here is looking at the front of my classroom. I have a new bright colored rug that has been ordered and will hopefully be here this week.
I wanted a class set of dry erase boards, but they are at least $3 each. So, off I went to Lowe's. I found a huge sheet (4x8) of shower board for right at $11. They were able to cut down the board into 12x12 pieces for me for free. (LOVE this about Lowe's!!) I then used duck tape around the ragged edges. My students LOVE them.
Here's a closer view of the word wall.
One of my absolute favorite parts of my classroom - my curtains. I bought 2 yards of the fabric at Hobby Lobby and used half for each window. I hot glued all around the edges, hot glued the ball trim on and hung them on a tension rod. I then used black ribbon to tie them up on each side.
I made this light to indicate when work should be quiet work. When the light is on, we work silently.
These are my seat labels. I decided that this would be an easy way to move students after the year got started. I made the labels, laminated them, hole punched them and used a round book clip to attach them to the back of all of the chairs. I also have name tags on their desk for the first few weeks, but this will not get as dirty or give students something to pick at like the desk labels do.
Easiest way ever to keep up with papers for the week. I like to make all of my copies before I leave on Friday for the following week. As I make copies throughout the week, I can store them in my "Next Week" drawer.
My daughter helped me model the frame that I made so that I could take pictures of all of my firsties. I just used a piece of foam board from the Dollar Store and hot glued ribbon and decorations to make it cute.
Treats for the first day of school!
Finally, one of what I consider to be the best positive behavior management tools that I am using - behavior necklaces. I made them, laminated them, hole punched them and then tied a piece of yarn into a necklace. My students LOVE them and it can turn a misbehaving student around quickly. I have about 100 made up, so there are enough for every student to get one throughout the day. I have everything from "I lost a tooth", "I was a good friend", "Number Talk Whiz", to "Superstar in the Hall". I'm thinking about adding these to my TPT store as well.
Well, there you have it. I hope I haven't bored you to death. Personally, I really enjoy looking at pictures of other teachers' classrooms. I find that it gives me a ton of inspiration. And who doesn't need a little inspiration from time to time?
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