My Classroom

 

I think I am FINALLY ready which is a good thing because our first day of school is TOMORROW! Excuse me while I stop to wonder how summer flew by so quickly : /

 

This year I moved classrooms and grade levels! I'm looping and have the same kiddos I had last year so I really tried to make my classroom look different for our new year. Here's a peek...

 

Here is the library which is leveled for AR.

 

 

 

 

 



 

Right next to our bookshelf we have a basket of pillows and a basket of books that students can check out and take home for reading homework.



 



 



 

Math manipulatives are organized...let's home they stay that way!

 

Here's our supply station. It is looking pretty empty because all our supply boxes are on the floor awaiting tomorrows arrival of supplies!

This is where I will run the document camera. In front of our purple couch will be our meeting area.

 

Our meeting ready for our first of many read alouds:)

 

 This will more than likely be the cleanest our group table will ever be...

 

This is what you would see as you walk in...

Now I'm are off to get a good night of sleep...long day tomorrow!

R

Meet the Teacher Night

Last night was our school's Meet the Teacher night! It was a much more relaxing night than usual since I knew most of my kids. They were so surprised when they found out they I would be their teacher AGAIN this year! I didn't get many pictures but here are a few...and a freebie too ;)

At first I LOVED this poster that I made with window paint and black butcher paper. The colors really popped!...Then I rolled it up and took it to school. When I unrolled it I found that it smudged and it didn't look as nice as it did before :( Next time I'll use chalkboard paint!

The kids wrote how they felt about third grade on post its and I was happy to see that most were excited!

I also wanted to have a little snack for them. I remember seeing something similar to this years ago and I thought I'd try it out this year. I brought 5 different types of snacks that each stood for something I wanted the kiddos to know was important for a successful year. The scoops and and bowls are all from the Dollar Tree and the scoops came 2 to a pack so this wasn't super expensive but it still looked nice! It was definitely a hit!

Click here if you would like to use it in your own classroom:) 

Well our first day of school is on Tuesday! Ready or not....Here they come!

Motivational Folders

My brain has definitely been in summer mode (which explains the hiatus). I have enjoyed spending my days in my pajamas chasing after my toddler. With the first day of school just over two weeks away (omg omg omg) I have been thrown back into teacher mode and I am busily preparing for the upcoming year.I will also be in uncharted waters this new year because.....

I'M MOVING TO THIRD!

I just found out I'm looping with last year's class and I could not be more excited to have them for another year. It's great to already know the students and just where they are all at. It makes the beginning of the year a bit more smooth. As soon as I got the news I started to think about where I left off  my kids, especially that handful that struggled more than others. One particular student stuck in my head. It's one of those students I know I will remember forever. I watched him change and grow SO SO SO much in just one year and I don't think I have ever been so proud. It was not an easy journey for him. He lacked confidence....BIG TIME. He constantly doubted himself and would regularly shut down. I had to encourage encourage encourage and then encourage a little more. I encouraged other classmates to do the same. I had to get this kid to believe in himself and it was difficult. He finally came around by the end of the year and definitely built some confidence. With more difficult content in 3rd grade, I worried that he would struggle again this year so I put together a little pack to spread encouragement and motivation throughout my classroom.

Here's how I plan to use it:
The first week of school I will hang our quote posters {insert photo here} and we will do several activities in which we discuss the meaning and how words of others can motivate us. Each student will get a motivational folder that they will keep in their data binders for them to look through regularly.

The folder will contain some motivational materials for students to have access to when needed. I will teach students to write encouraging notes to each other, I will collect encouraging notes from parents, students will have their own quote book as well, all in which will be kept in these folders. 

I am so excited for this pack and can' t wait to use it! If you would like to try it out as well it's up in my store! Click Below!

Hope back to school planning is going well for you! Until next time!

June Currently

I so love Oh Boy Fourth Grade's Currently link up! 

Listening- My hubby got a sound bar for his birthday and now listens to everything just a little too loud. Apparently movies are really great if you can feel the walls shake..... I may exaggerating a little bit ; )

Loving- I so love spending all day with my little toddler! He is so much fun and at the same time so exhausting...is that possible?

Thinking- I am all caught up and Scandal (OBSESSED) and Revenge (a little disappointed). I really want to get hooked on a new show...any suggestions????

Wanting- Guys it is 108 degrees here in AZ....108 DEGREES. Too hot! I need some cooler weather...ASAP! Too bad the worst is yet to come : (

Needing- I have a summer to do list that consists of products I want to fine tune for TPT, new products I want to make, and new decor for the classroom. I really need to get started...it's a long list. 

Summer Bucket List- Though I have a super long to do list, I think what matters most is that I take time to RELAX. I want to get refreshed and ready to take on another year. 

Mother's Day FREEBIE

Each time I go for long periods of time without blogging I guess I'll just have to try to apologize with a freebie! I was soooooo late on planning Mother's Day this year. I have been wanting to try something new! I have been on Pinterest way late each night trying to figure it out and I never knew that my answer was right there in my very own bedroom.
My dear friend Alyse over at Keep Calm and Apple On made this for me a while back.

It's an I Love You Because board that I use with my hubby. It's great to find love notes and write love notes back and forth. As I was trying to figure out what to write my dear hubby I thought...wow this would be great for kids to write their moms! Now it's not the cheapest thing I could have put together and it's minimal student work BUT I really think it's going to be a gift that keeps on giving! Plus, kids will get some writing practice in at home right? That's a win in my book!

I bought all my frames at the Dollar tree and will be including a dry erase marker too. I found a small pack of dry erase markers that I purchased in the Target dollar section, 3 for a $1! The kids color the 4X6 insert and BAM! Easy, adorable Mother's Day present that I think moms will enjoy!

Click the pic below and it's yours:)

Standford10....We're Ready For You!

 Well it's that time of year again. It's time for students to show all they know! We will be taking the Standford 10 this week, starting tomorrow and I am anxious! I have been having nightmares for weeks. It is such a stressful time of year but I am trying so hard to not let these anxious feelings into my classroom. I have been doing all that I can to keep my littles at ease.

I absolutely hate covering my walls. Hate it. Not because it's a ton of work but because I don't like to see the room so blank. It doesn't feel inviting. So this year my team and I tried something new. We used kid artwork to cover our walls. The piece below just about wrapped around my entire room. Yes, it took forever. And yes, halfway through and maybe a time or two more I questioned why I was doing it. BUT now that it's done and over my room looks SO bright. I LOVE it. 

                          

I also made some fun signs to cover up our white spaces. It definitely feels more welcoming than years past. I still want my students to have that feeling during testing week. 

              

Each student will also receive a special letter on their desk in the morning letting them know how much their teacher believes in them. 

Today we did not test. We got our room ready, did a little review, and went over testing expectations. We sorted inappropriate and appropriate behaviors and discussed. 

Our pencils, our backup pencils, and our backup backup pencils are ready! Standford10 2014....Let's do this!

Where I've Been and a Freebie

 I have not posted since January! I sure have missed blogging but there has been a lot going on with me these days. Most of us experience the busy/non-stop days that a new year brings. Along with all of that, the new year also brought sad news for my family. My grandfather was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer in late January. It's still hard to believe how fast cancer can change everything. This time last year my grandfather was healthy, happy, and helping us welcome our newborn son. In February we said goodbye. Here is a picture from his memorial service.

Shortly after we celebrated my little guy's first birthday. It was a much needed time to celebrate and be thankful for our blessings.

Now, though my personal life has been hectic, we have also been busy in Room 202! We are in the final stretch before the end of the year and we still have much to learn! 

Here's a recent activity:

I cut out articles from our local kid newspaper and put my students into groups to read and take notes. They loved reading about current events! It was so exciting for them to read about places they've been to, or upcoming events in their own town. After they took notes each group presented and told the class about what they read. 

Later during a writing center, they summarized what they read about!

You can snag this activity (nothing fancy) if you'd like by clicking here.

I hope to be back soon with some more goodies! Have a good night all!