The Before

I finally decided to go into my classroom this week to start the madness that I like to call, "Ohmygosh I Have So Much To Do And So Little Time To Do It" project. What is meant to be a few afternoons of putting materials back in their place, labeling my students' names on everything, and just generally making my room look cutesy, turns into "Maybe I should reconsider my theme." And then, I go crazy.

The last 2 years, I have been very devoted to owls. My students have picked up on this, and have fueled my obsession. I now have more owls than I ever gave a hoot about (intended!). I am not ready to give my owls up just yet, though. I love the color theme I had last year - lime green, bright blue, and brown. But, as you may know, there is a little chevron obsession happening right now, and I couldn't resist the urge to add a bit to my room.

So that meant...

redoing all of my labels (and this Ms. Type A loves her labels!), signs, and daily schedule cards. So, instead of cleaning up the mess that is my classroom, I am formatting labels on my computer instead.

Unfortunately, my classroom still looks remarkably like these pictures, and I hope to make more progress this week. Stay tuned!

ABC Order Fall Pack!

Since my calendar informed me that it is now August, I figured I had better get my act together and start getting ready for the school year. It has been the most wonderful summer and it's hard to wake up and smell reality.

The creative juices were flowin', so I decided to make an ABC order pack for those first few months of school. In it, you'll find:
- 5 thematic abc order pages (school, fall, apples, Halloween and Thanksgiving)
- Each abc order page has two options: one with just words, and one with pictures accompanying words for students who need extra support.
- A "Choose it, Write it, Draw it!" page that you can use with any of the abc order pages. Students choose one of the words from the abc order page, write a sentence using that word, and draw a picture. Perfect as a supplemental activity or for those early finishers!

I should note that there are 4 words to put in order on each sheet. I didn't want the work to be too overwhelming, especially at the beginning of the year. Also, each word that the students have to put in abc order begin with different letters, again, making this easier for those firsties. I plan on making Winter and Spring packs in the futures, and these will become increasingly difficult.

Head over to my TPT store and check it out!

Erin Condren Sale!

So, if you all are like me, you love yourself anything that will keep you organized in the classroom. If you haven't heard of Erin Condren yet, then get acquainted! Not only does she offer the most wonderful life planners (I just got my first one!), she also has lesson planners. And! They are currently on sale! I don't know about you, but "planners" and "sale" make my ears perk up!

So, go to Erin's website, get yourself a lesson planner, and type in the code "Schooldays" at the checkout. It'll save you $10!

Happy planning!

Birthday Books

Our school is probably one of the few in our area that still allows birthday treats. Last year, however, I decided to shake things up a bit and change the way birthdays were run in my room. That's right - the witch inside of me took the treats away! I must say, I was nervous to share this information with the parents that I had barely met at our Go-to-School night at the beginning of the year. No joke, there was an audible gasp in the room when I mentioned that treats were not allowed in my room. You would've thought I had told them I most certainly would NOT be teaching reading this year!

I did this for a couple of reasons. Our district had updated its guidelines and suggested celebrating parties (birthdays and holidays) in a healthier way. As much as I love 20 sugared-up 1st graders, I couldn't argue with the fact that going cupcake-less would benefit everyone. Also, my room had multiple severe allergies last year, and it was one more thing I could control to make sure that all of my kiddos were safe.

I still wanted my students to feel special - so, along with the birthday crown, certificate, and pencil, each student wrote a birthday page for the special student. We bound the book and gave it to them during their celebration later in the day. Yes, I still let family members come and read a book to the class, play a game, or do a small art project - I wasn't that much of a witch! :) 

And to be honest, the kids didn't seem to notice a difference that they weren't eating a cupcake. We got to focus on the birthday student, and they were able to walk away with a book that they can keep for many years to come.

If you'd like to purchase the birthday book, head on over to my TPT shop!

Graphics courtesy of Scrappin' Doodles and KPM Doodles.

iLove this iDea

You've got to love Pinterest. Whenever August is just about upon us, I start having the dream. You know the one. The one where you're teaching. You have students. You have to start thinking about going back to work again. That one.

Pinterest has made it so much easier for me to get excited and back into the swing of things. I came across this idea and iLoved it! (Corny, I know!)

I can only imagine how much fun my firsties will have using the iPods and iPads to practice their word wall words this year!

Stop by Mrs. Bremer's Kindergarten to get your own freebies!

Teacher Talk Tuesday

Oh, gosh. When I think back to my first year of teaching...yikes! It was riddled with "rookie" mistakes. Here are a few tips to help those first year teachers!

1) Be. explicit. with. everything. Even if you can't believe you're explaining how to do something so simple. Like use a glue stick. But, it's needed and it'll save you hours of frustration in your future if you take the time to teach it right the first (and second...and third...) time.

2) Prioritize. When creating a To-Do list, prioritize! I heard somewhere that you should do the most "brain-intensive" tasks in the morning, when you are fresh and ready to take on the day. Leave the things like copying, cutting, and other mundane tasks for later in the day. Your brain will thank you!

3) Take time for yourself. Easier said than done, especially at the beginning of the school year. You get to a point in your day when it's way more important to sit back and watch The Real Housewives of Such and Such than to sit at your computer creating the lesson plan of the year.

4) Communicate. With students, colleagues and parents. People need to feel that connection to you -- communication is key to your success!

5) Smile! Think about the difference you are making. :)

Jenny

Meet the Teacher!

Hi, everyone! I am SO excited to join in on the fun over at Blog Hoppin'! What a great way to kick off the school year and get to know one another a bit!


My name is Jenny and I absolutely love what I do! I am engaged to S. - this school year will be a busy one as we are getting married at the beginning of next summer! That should make for an *interesting* end of the school year.

How long have you been teaching?

This year marks my 7th year teaching 1st Grade. 7 years! Where has the time gone? I can't imagine teaching any other grade. 1st Graders are that perfect mix of cuteness and possessing that excitement for learning. I couldn't ask for anything more!

You might not know...

1) I LOVE to dance. I took ballroom dancing lessons for 2 years (and yes, I was inspired by Dancing with the Stars!) but now I limit my dancing to twice-weekly Zumba sessions and weddings. Oh boy, do I love weddings.

2) I enjoy being crafty. I love to knit and am learning how to embroider and sew. There's just not enough time in the day! I entered the blogging world with my blog, Project Handmade.

3) I cannot say no to Caribou Coffee's Medium, milk chocolate, Mint Condition, decaf, skim and no whip drink. Is it a problem if the baristas know my order?


4) I am an animal lover. My dog, Ellie, means the world to me.

5) I enjoy shopping...a lot. It's kind of a problem.

What are you looking forward to the most this school year?

I just can't wait to have a new class! One of the (many) great things about teaching is that we get a fresh start every year. How many other professions can say that? We have that natural starting point in our jobs that allows us to try new things with a new group of students. I love that (along with brand new pencils) at the start of the year!

What do you want to improve?

Differentiation. Sometimes I feel like it's hard to manage the needs of ALL of my students at the same time. I'd like work on making sure every student feels appropriately challenged when completing an assignment.

What teaching supplies can I *not* live without?

I am a supply junkie. I LOVE any sort of new pen, notebook, planner, marker, post-it, etc. It really brightens my day.


Head on over to Blog Hoppin' and meet some new teacher friends!



Jenny