I Can Board... Pinterest inspired Post 2

Hey guys! This is the second post of my pinterest inspired classroom posts! I hope you enjoy!  Last year I created an I Can Board that I really liked. However over the summer we found out that we would no longer be departmentalizing and so I needed to reconfigure some of my boards. Here is the link to last years board. Click Here!

This is the new board I went with. I didn't change much except now I have 4 picture frames instead of 2, I changed the paper in the picture frame, and I gave the picture the illusion that they were being hung by the string. (The string is really just decoration, it was hung using command strips.)

The red background is fabric from Hobby Lobby. The teal and brown board I got from a local teacher supply store. The picture frames are from the Dollar Tree. The I Can Banner was adapted from a School Girl Style Banner that I edited.

I was really pleased with my results! Do you have an I Can board in your room? I'd love for you to leave pictures in the comments!

Back to School: Putting Up Supplies

Hey guys!! Today, I want to share with you one of the new things I tried this year for back to school. In years past, students came for a full day the first day of school. This allowed me plenty of time during the day to take up each child's supplies individually. However, this year we started school with a "Meet the Teacher Day/Drop Off School Supplies Day" which was an abbreviated day.

Some of the obstacles I faced in trying to decide what to do were... 1) We are departmentalized in 5th grade and we were going to switch on the 1st full day. This left me very little time to put supplies away on the 1st day. 2) We have tables and share schools supplies, so I needed to store most of the supplies while leaving a few out for use.

I decided that I wanted all the supplies put up on the 1/2 day, so that on the 1st full day we were ready to begin.  However, with it being a drop in day, I didn't want to repeat the directions on how to put up the supplies 30 different times for every child. I decided to set up boxes around the room that students would put their supplies in. I also put the instructions on the board, so that all I needed to do after meeting the parent and student is direct them to the directions on the board.

Here are the boxes I set up. I used the boxes that my workbooks came in instead of spending money on cute boxes. After the Meet the Teacher Day was over, I stored the supplies where they belonged and recycled the boxes. I did use a few baskets that I already had for smaller supplies like glue and pencil erasers.

                                             These are the instructions I had on the board.

Over all I felt that this approach was very successful. It was super easy to put all the supplies in the correct storage area after the Meet the Teacher Day. It allowed me to have all the supplies ready for the 1st full day, without taking time out of that day!  I did find that some parents and students didn't follow the directions and I still needed to explain the process to them. I've thought about next year, on top of having the directions on the board, giving them a check list of things to do. That way they have a copy in their hand.

Have you used something similar for putting supplies away? OR Have another way completely? Leaving a comment, I'd love to hear your ideas!!

5 Things I Want to Try in My Classroom This Year!

Hey guys! Today I want to share with you the 5 things I want to try in my classroom this year.  Last year we went full common core in math and reading. After a year of getting my feet wet, I'm now ready to dive in and see how it goes. Here are the 5 things I'm wanting to try during my "diving in" process! 

Number 1: Number Talks 

During a recent math conference this book was brought to my attention as a great way to work on fluency and math strategies with students. This book has common core connections and is for grades K-5.  I have talked my school into purchasing the book and am waiting very impatiently to get my hands on it! 

Number 2: A Carpet 

This one may seem strange but hear me out! In my school only K-3 grades have a carpet in their classrooms. It was always thought to be "too young" for 4-5 grade. To better implement number talks from above I need a "meeting place". Thus I would really like to get a carpet this year. I have read many blogs about intermediate grades using carpets successfully. Of course when I go searching for them again, I can't find them. ::sigh:: Once I have implemented the carpet and number talks I promise to come back and report how it is working! 

Number 3: Desk Organization 

I found a blog that had a really neat idea on how to keep desks organized when students switch classrooms. I am really hoping to try this this year to help keep the desks from becoming black holes. This idea can be found here: http://www.ashleigh-educationjourney.com

Number 4: Fractions 

During a recent math conference, this book was recommended to me for teaching fractions. In 4th grade CCSS fractions are a major focus. I really want to make sure I am teaching it in a way that my students will understand and comprehend, not just know how to find an answer. 

Number 5: I Can... Bulletin Board 

I am really wanting to turn my small bulletin board into an I Can.. CCSS Bulletin Board. I have been posting my standards on my white board, but now that summer is here, I am ready to tackle the bulletin boards. There are MANY cute ideas on how to decorate or organize an I Can bulletin Board. I'm juggling ideas around in my mind and have decided that I will decided on July 1 (when I am allowed to go to the teacher store and purchase items for the new school year) what route I want to go. 

What are some ideas that you are hoping to try this school year?

I hope you enjoyed!

Meet the Teacher Letter

Hey guys! Today I want to share with you a letter that I sent home to my students to introduce myself. In years past, students were able to meet their next year's teacher on the last day of school. This was the first year that the teacher assignment was not told until July. I thought writing a letter would be a cute way to have parents and students get to know me a little and hopefully get them excited about the upcoming school year!

Top 10 - Getting to know your Teacher!

Hey guys! Today I want to share with you something I plan to do this year for my students to get to know me better on the first day. I got the idea for this at the end of this past school year. I was doing end of the year activities with my students and was thinking to myself how much I was going to miss them. By the end of the year, my students seem to be able to read my mind. After searching through pinterest for end of the year ideas, I came across several packets that have students fill out information for next year's class. Kind of a survival guide from a previous student. I thought it was a super cute idea, but wanted to make it more of a whole class project. I decided to have my students make a top 10 list of things new students need to know about being in my class. The kids loved it! I complied their answers into the most common responses and made a list. I plan on using this list on the first day of school, to better help my new students get to know me better.

Even though it is summer you can still use this idea for the beginning of the year. Just come up with 10 things that your students need to know. You can make them funny, silly, or serious. Then next year you can have your kiddos make one for you. 

Here is an example you can use to create your own top 10... 

          10. If you are nice to her, she will be nice to you. 

           9. Mrs. McDonald likes to sing. 

           8.  When she says "eyeballs", she means stop and look at her. 

           7. Mrs. McDonald loves hugs!

           6. Mrs. McDonald LOVES polka dots. 

           5. Mrs. McDonald does not like for you to talk in the hall, but she gives the best line walker a piece of candy. 

           4. Do not talk when Mrs. McDonald is talking.     

           3. She gives you another chance so that you can learn from your mistake. 

           2.  When Mrs. McDonald asks you to do something, do it the first time.

           1. She lets you play games when you are done with your work. -Educational Games :-)

Sports Theme- Get to Know You Page!

Hey guys! This year at The Grove our theme is Sports/Teamwork so I made this super cute get to know you worksheet for the students to fill out and I wanted to share it with you! I hope you enjoy!

Get it Here!

Sports Theme: Make Your Own Baseball Card

Hey Guys! This year at The Grove our school theme is sports/teamwork. I have decided to go with a baseball theme! I usually incorporate my theme into my Accelerated Reader Bulletin Board and then into the first couple of weeks with get to know you activities and such! I just found this super cute baseball card generator that I am planning on using! I'm not 100% sure how exactly I'm going to use it yet. I've come up with a couple ideas.

1) Make it into a writing activity where they tell all about themselves and hang them out in the hallway.
2) Use the cards to show who has what class job.
3) Pull a card: During a lesson sometimes I pull sticks with their names on them when we are doing review, maybe this year I will pull a card instead.
4) I could put the cards on the door with a cute banner that says "Mrs. McDonald's Team"
5) Could be used for a bulletin board.

I feel like the possibilities on endless! I can't wait to do this! Okay here is how you do it! Go to this site... http://www.mlbbaseballonline.com/cards. Upload a picture and feel in the information. The card can be made into football, basketball, or tennis cards with several color combos if you aren't doing baseball. You can then save it and print it out on paper or send it to be printed as a picture! Here is the picture I made as an example.

Newsletter #3

Did you miss getting the newsletter this month? No worries! Here is the link to view it! Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter so you won't miss it again! The newsletter always has a freebie and some classroom tips and tricks too! I hope you enjoy!