New Crate Labels For My New Crates

I am so wishing that I could have gone into school today, but I am staying home with my little guy. We are going to enjoy the last couple of days we have together. I am NOT ready to hand him over to the babysitter. Time went way too fast. :(

 

 

I haven't really worked on many school projects at home lately. But here is something I threw together yesterday morning. I don't have any pictures yet because this was definitely a last minute project.

 

 

This year, I am adding some crates to my room. One of the crates will hold all my Rocket Math papers. Rocket Math is something new to our district this year. It is something that we are all doing in grades 1-5. Everyday we will be required to practice math facts for 10-15 minutes. Each class will be using the Rocket Math program. It's very interesting and something that I know I'm not quite comfortable with yet. Once I figure out how to get it to run smoothly, I think it will be great to have every student practicing math facts at their own level.

 

 

The two other crates I'm adding are for writing. One crate will hold my I Can Writing Menu papers. I'm going to always have multiple copies of each writing choice that way my little ones can have everything right at their finger tips. This resource is for Work on Writing during our Daily 5 time.

 

 

The last crate will be for my early finishers writing activities. My little ones will be able to go to this crate when they are done with their writing workshop writing.

 

 

Here are the labels I created for my three new crates. I am going to print them on cardstock and laminate them. Then I plan on using binder rings to hang them from the crates. If the binder rings won't work, I will just hot glue them to the crates.

 

 

 

 

Happy Monday Made It!

Classroom Video Tour and a Sale!

Ok friends, I left school yesterday thinking I was pretty much finished with my room besides copying papers (I almost got into a fight with the copier yesterday. :/), but I dreamed up more things to add to my to do list while I was sleeping.

 

 

Since I thought I was finished I went ahead and did a video tour of my classroom. First, I apologize I sound so depressing. I had been there almost 7 hours and I was exhausted.

 

Here is the tour of my first grade classroom! 

 

 

 

 

To celebrate my (almost) finished classroom (I don't think it will ever be finished.) I am throwing a sale Saturday, August 10th - Monday, August 12th. Everything in my TpT store is 20% off! So hurry and get some last minute things before school starts, if you haven't started already!

 

Click on the picture to check out my store.

 

 



My Classroom Redo

My classroom is done! My classroom is done! And it is only July! Well, for the most part. I have all the furniture and bulletin boards completed. All I have left to do is copy some papers, add some student labels, and set up my word work station. Ok so maybe I'm not done. I thought I was until I started typing. Boo :/

 

 

Ok, so here is what I got completed today in only 3 hours. I was basically stuck at school waiting for my car's oil change to be done. So I couldn't leave and I was basically forced to complete things I have been putting off.

 

I'm putting up a ton of pictures. I am going around my room clockwise starting from the view looking into the room.

 

#1. Here is the view looking into my room. I have 7 tables and my room will not hold any more. So, 7 x 4 is 28...so that means I can't have more than 28 little ones, right!?!? I hope that is what it means. P.S. I am the only one with tables in first grade. I think that's a good thing. Maybe...

 

On the tables I have baskets that hold books for early finishers, pencils, and wet glue that everyone shares. There are tubs under their chairs where they will put their own supplies like pencils, scissors, glue sticks, math books, etc. (I apologize that the pic is blurry.)

#2 This is to the left of the door right when you come in. Last year I had my job chart on the board and a mini filing cabinet here. This year I have place my ONE student computer and our class calendar. My teacher's assistant will be responsible for the calendar changes every day. The blue pocket chart on the wall is for my good behavior tickets. I can't wait to see how it works out.

 



 

#3 My cabinets... I have the rules and my writing process chart. I will also display student work in the empty spaces.

 

#4 The blue things are my word wall. Underneath the word wall is our classroom library, Math T.I.M.E. baskets, and the empty boxed area is for anchor charts.

 

#5. This is my teacher corner and the table is where I will be having guided reading lessons and where I will meet with my small groups for math and writing. I have everything labeled and organized in the tubs on the shelf. The red, blue, yellow, and green folders are for my lesson papers for the week. The book shelf holds anything extra I use daily, and the tubs to the left hold my calendar supplies, etc..

 

#6 This is where I will be keeping my math supplies. I will be doing a post on it once I get my schedule finalized and figured out. But, the tubs on the top are for my math groups that are similar to Daily 5. The green tubs will have numbers on them for early finisher math work (similar to Cara Carroll's Dessert Tubs).

 

#7 This is the writing corner. The table will house all the different writing supplies that I plan on putting out for my little ones to use. They will also be able to sit at this table to work during Work on Writing. I just don't have enough chairs.

 

A quick vent...I only have chairs for my student's desks. No chairs for the writing center, no chairs for the Word Work center, and no chairs for my guided reading table!!!! ARRR

 

The green board will hold the daily writing anchor chart. Right now I have my Giving Tree up for Open House. I still need to finish it. The green shelf is holding my CD player, but I have no idea what to put on it. Any ideas?

 

#8 This is my teacher computer and Daily 5 board. I have to have my computer at the front of the room because it is connected to the Elmo, which I use All.The.Time.! I also have my core drawers on the first shelf since I spend a lot of time up here teaching.

 

#9 Here is the front of the room. This is to the right of my teacher computer station.

 

Here I have my SMARTBoard and my writing menu board. The board will be filled up with writing choices for Work on Writing as the year progresses. The filer will hold all the different writing papers. This area is still a work in progress.

 

#10 My Word Work Center.

 

The book shelf will hold all the Word Work manipulatives. The colored drawers, which I just got today at Sam's Club for $24.99, will hold all the Word Work recording sheets. This area is also a work in progess

 

#11 The Word Work Manipulatives book case...

 

#12 This is what my little one's cubbies look like. On the shelf are my monthly file tubs. I only put word work and math center games, morning work, and fluency practice sheets in these tubs. They do not hold worksheets.

 

#13 This is the end of my room. This is the left of the door when you walk in. I have my birthday board and sink. Under the fabric is where I put tissues since there is like NO storage in my room.

 

So, basically my room is complete! I would love to hear your feedback. Leave a comment and make sure you become a fan of Spotted in First Grade's Facebook Page to get the Facebook Fan Freebie.

 

Remember, tomorrow is Friday so be on the look out for my Flash Friday Facebook Fan Freebie. It may be something amazing or it may not. Wink, Wink...

 

 

 



Classroom Design Day 1 and 2

It has officially begun. It is time to stop "thinking" about school things and classroom designs and it is time to start "doing" it.

 

 

Last week sometime, I made the hubster and the little man go into school with me for the first time. I needed him (the hubster) to help me move all my furniture around. I want a FRESH start this year so I thought it would be a good idea to rearrange my room. So that was Day 1. I was so excited that I didn't even think to take pictures.

 

 

However, today I did remember. Today my goal was to get my bulletin boards placed and up. Here is what I came up with.

 

The back of the room:

  

 

This is my new small group reading/math corner. Last year I had an easel and calendar/Daily 5 in the back of the room. This year I wanted to have guided reading and math here. Ignore the faded board, I didn't change it out and I am going to cover it up.

 

The blue side is for CAFE and reading related things. The purple side is going to be a mini math resource wall. I don't plan on filling the boards up until students arrive. I want the room to be like a canvas for them.

 

The tubs house my guided reading books, manipulatives and resources, and other teacher related things that I might need throughout the day.

 

The front of the room:

 

 

Here is what the front looks like so far. It has a long ways to go still. The blue board is where I am going to put my writing menu for Work on Writing. The filer underneath is where I am going to put all the papers that go with the menu choices.

 

On the left I have my computer desk and Elmo that is connected to the SMARTBoard. Above the computer is my Daily 5 board and I will be putting other reading related things in the blue box. The green board is for the days current anchor chart. It could be reading, writing or math. It just depends on what we are learning that day. OR if we have to display our learning objectives that is where I will put them.

 

The doorway:

 

 

When you walk into my room there is a mini bulletin board and red cabinets. I feel like it is wasted space. I moved the student compute here and I also put the calendar on this board. Last year I had the job chart (I'm moving that to the door).

 

So far I like what I have done. The next day I go in I would like to work on decorating the boards and work on setting up my writing center.

 

 

Yours in Teaching,



 

 

Favorite Pins...Classroom Organization

 

For this post I am going to focus on my ten favorite classroom organization pins that I would like to incorporate into my classroom next school year.

 

I like the idea of only focusing on one topic at a time. My brain is flowing and I need some way to manage it. :) This coming week I am only going to work on creating organizing things.

 

So here they are. My top ten favorite classroom organization pins to focus on this week.

 

 

 

1. I have the perfect bookshelf to do this with. My plan is to place my word work centers that will be out all year in the file folders. I can't wait to see how this will work.

 

 

2. I like this idea and I think it looks super cute. I just don't know if it will work for me. I might just have to make it and test it out to see.

 

 

3. I love this frame notes idea. I was recently cleaning out my basement and I found the perfect frame that would work for this. I plan on writing important reminders on it each week.

 

 

4. This drop box will work wonders. Last year my littles would be so excited to hand me important notes right when they walked in the door. Even though I told them to keep them in their take-home folder they still felt the need to hand them to me. I'm going to try this and see if it works better.

 

 

 

 

5. I like the idea of having everything displayed. It just seems to make sense. I have a spot for this at the front of my room. We will see if it works out with the new layout I plan on doing.

 

6. I am constantly changing my reading groups. I waste so much paper righting the groups out, rewriting them, and then writing them again to make them look nice and neat. This will save me tons of time and paper. :)

 

7. Having everything at your finger tips makes everything run smoothly. I love the idea of having drawers with manipulatives just for me at my finger tips. It makes the idea of principal walk throws less scary knowing that I won't have to stop and search for something that I need to continue a lesson.

 

8. Last year my anecdotal notes consisted of a piece of notebook paper and I wrote names and notes all on one piece of paper. But when it came time for grade cards or conferences it was just a mess and hard to find notes about a particular student. This will be great and it will help keeps my notes organized.

 

 

 

 

9. I have had this idea pinned since last summer. I never tried it but I think it will be a life saver. I had so many littles not put names on papers last year. Like, there were so many that I ended up just throwing their work away because no one could claim there work. This will NOT happen again this year! I REFUSE! 

 

10. Remember how I said I had a not so well behaved class last year. I'm hoping it was just that group of students and not a first grade thing. But I am going to do everything in my power to not let things get out of control. I am going to pick a mystery walker each time we head out into the hallway. It's just one more way to keep my littles under control. Wish me luck!

Now, just for a little humor....

 

I can only hope! :)

 

Be sure to link up with Cara from the First Grade Parade's Favorite Pins Linky Party.

Yours in Teaching,

 

I'm Alive and Classroom Overhaul Again

Where have I been all my life?!?!? Why, in my classroom of course. I apologize for being absent for the last week, but I have been extremely busy since summer school started on Monday. I feel tired exhausted when I get home. I'm hoping once school starts that it will be an easier transition. Doubtful but I'm hopeful!

Ok so I keep thinking I'm done setting up my room and then I get on pinterest and your wonderful blogs and I keep giving myself more and more to do. I have to stop! I. will. am. going. CRAZY!!!

Here are some updated pictures of my bright polka dot/owl themed first grade classroom. :) (P.S. - I am a horrible picture taker. Hopefully I get a nice camera for Christmas.)

Here is the view from the door. I scored the bins, to the left, at a garage sale and I spray painted them to match my room. I'm kinda loving that I am going to have tables now.

Thanks to an awesome second grade teacher at my school, she solved my dilemma that I was having with name tags. I bought the table organizers and I am just going to have my littles place their name tags in the organizer, and they can pull them out when they are at their seats. That way I can easily move seats if and when needed. Problem Solved!



Here is another view from the door. I'm loving that the cubbies are ready, minus my littles data folders. I am waiting dreading putting them together. I'm thinking that it will have to be my last thing to do.

You can also see my pocket chart. I'm going to have my littles rearrange our poetry. It will be one of the read to self options that they can choose. Behind the pocket chart is my table for the word work station.

Look at my amazing new bookshelf that my DAD made for me! :) I am one happy girl. I love that there is a shelf on the bottom and three more shelves on the back. Yay for more storage!

Behind the shelf is my listening center BTW!

Here is a picture of what the insides of the cubbies look like and my word work and math center organizers. I'm loving the owl name tags and the book bins. I made the bright polka dot number labels for the book bins. You can get your free copy here.

I will do a post soon about how I organize my word work. Promise!

Ok, so it's a bad, bad picture. I warned you. Here are my rules. This was definitely pinterest inspired.

I spent 6 hours, yes 6, at school today organizing. Here is a section next to my teacher area. I created tubs for guided math and guided reading supplies. That way I can just grab any manipulative I have to help instruct my littles. In between the green tubs is my task cards. I usually use these for when I have a spare minute or two. Which hardly ever happens. On the bottom shelf are my birthday supplies, thank you cards, reading logs, AIMS Web papers, hunks and chunks cards, and some extra supplies.

This tub is located behind my kidney table. The top four drawers are labeled with color groups. I am going to store my guided reading supplies in them. The bottom shelf is labeled CAFE Strategies. That is where I house my strategy cards and any other items I might use to introduce or provided extra instruction on specific strategies.

Lastly, I bought these tubs at Big Lots to store those ugly and awkward  clip boards in. I just put them on top of the cubbies for now.

And as an extra added bonus....

My beautiful bean, Olive! I call her Bean even though her name is Olive. I saw these adorable froggy baby jammies and I couldn't resist. I put them on my bean and they fit perfectly. Isn't she just the cutest thing you have ever saw!?!? P.S. She's 2 years old and weighs 4 pounds, so she is not a puppy. She's just little (like a bean). :)

P.S. Check out my latest TpT Product. Hunks and Chunks Word Wall Cards or Sorting Activity. I will do a write up in a few days or when school starts.



Teacher Must Haves and Classroom Overhaul Day 2

I've linked up with Life Is Sweet...In Kindergarten's Teacher Must Haves Linky Party.

1. My first must have is Mod Podge!!! I could not live without this stuff. I have gone through almost a whole bottle this summer making things. Here are some of the things that I made with Mod Podge's help. :)

These are wooden cubes I bought at Hobby Lobby. I painted them with purple acrylic paint and then Mod Podged the time numbers onto the wood. The Mod Podge worked as a glue and as a sealer! That's why it is amazing!

I had these boring old plastic drawers and I wanted to make them purdy so I bought some scrapbook paper and Mod Podged the paper to the inside of the drawers! They look so much better. :)

2. My second must have are my Mr. Sketch Markers. I absolutely love them. When I was student teaching some of the teachers bought me a pack as a good-bye gift. I could not live without them now! They are the only markers I use for making my anchor charts.

Oh, I also use them as incentives with my littles. They love that they smell. Sometimes when I'm working one-on-one with a little and they are really struggling to stay focused, I let them smell a marker after they complete a task. It works every time!!!

3.  My third must have is my teacher tool box. Even though I just made it and I really haven't gotten to use it, I know that I can't live without it. I love being organized and I have always said that I would love to be a personal organizer if teaching didn't work out. This tool box is the ultimate way to be organized.

Sorry that the picture looks a little rough.

4. This is a must have that I don't know how teachers have gotten away without using for years. The Elmo is a teacher's best friend. I love that you don't have to make transparencies and that you can just slap your paper or book underneath the camera. I also like that you can take a picture or freeze the work. Every teacher needs one of these!

5. My final teacher must have is my teacher bag. I love using Vera Bradley bags because the prints are gorgeous. I just bought this bag this summer. One of my littles got me a gift card to a boutique in my area and they have all kinds of Vera Bradley bags. I walked into the store knowing that was going to be my purchase and they had a new print that matched my color scheme this year! I was over the moon when I saw this bag!!!

Ok, so I spent allllllll day working in my classroom today! I had to force myself to leave.

My daily 5 board is finished!! Thanks to Kylie from Down Under Teacher for the Daily 5 packet. The colors and the polka dots match my classroom decor. I have the regular 5 choices that "The Sisters" wrote about in their book, but I also have a Read with Teacher choice. The charts hanging below are my rotation cards.

The calendar side isn't finished yet. So far, I have the calendar, days of the week, a hundreds chart, and a days in school counter.

This picture is what is to the right of the Calendar and Daily 5 board. I put up the alphabet line and the word wall alphabet letters.

The table is going to eventually be my listening center. You can't really see it but the CD player and headphones are to the left of the paper organizer.

The blank spaces on the wall, in the corner, is going to be where I hang all the anchor charts that we make together in class. So, it will be plain Jane until school starts.

Here is a close up of the leveled library. I used Erica Bohrer's Leveled Library and Word Wall packets to create my classroom library.

The books on the bottom shelf are in author baskets. I have Mercer Mayer, Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, and Jan Brett baskets.



I plan on going back tomorrow to finish my CAFE board because we are having a Daily 5 and CAFE book study in my room on Thursday. What is the most important thing to keep in mind when implementing Daily 5 and CAFE into your classroom? I'd like to hear what you have to say so that I can share with my colleagues.

P.S. I also plan on creating my birthday board and helpers board tomorrow. So come back to check it out!!