The Big Reveal (and a HUGE sale, in case you haven't heard)

I'm alive!  We finally were able to move and we were without internet for a couple weeks.  That and I've been living in my classroom trying to get it ready.  I'm sure you all know how that goes!  ;)

So before I get to the fun part of sharing my room, let me mention that Teachers Pay Teachers is having a HUGE Back-to-School sale on Sunday and Monday!  I'm putting everything in my store on sale.  Be sure to stock up on tons of goodies from the site!  I know I will be.  I can hardly wait!

Now for the room reveal!  I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE taking a peek through the doors of fellow teachers to see how they set up their rooms for the upcoming year.  It's honestly one of my favorite times of the year!  There's still a little bit to be done, but here we go.  I'll add a little description here and there.  I know when I SEE something I like, I want to know more!  Now I have to tell you, most of these ideas are inspired/provided by blogs, Teachers Pay Teachers, and Pinterest.  I also have to tell you that my owl theme came from SchoolGirlStyle.  I already had the clipart she used and needed some bigger items this year, so my budget was a little tight.  I went ahead and did everything myself (even thought it did NOT turn out NEARLY as cute as hers!).  You should check out her blog and be majorly inspired.  Wow is all I can say about that woman!  Anyways....

Welcome to 1A!!!!

The sparkly letter outside my room (found at Meijer).

The view when you walk in.

To the left.

Classroom library...

Here's my little desk area...and yes, I have TWO Scentsy warmers in my very large room!  It makes my room smell SOOOOO good!

Birthday treats....I found the straws at Party City.  The lamp and plate are from Hobby Lobby.

Outside bulletin board.

This is my Squiggles area.  I first heard of Squiggles during student teaching.  Then I heard about them again at a 1st grade conference.  You give the students a "squiggle" on a piece of paper, they turn it into a picture, and then write about it.  It's AMAZING to see what they come up with.  You can order the book HERE.

Here is my "desk space" again.  I decided to get rid of my desk.  Crazy, I know.  :P  I constantly have students at my desk to work with them and I was toting things back and forth to my desk and guided reading table.  So I made my guided reading table my desk!  I only have my computer on it in the corner (well, except for the moment...it's covered in papers and projects).  This allows me to constantly have students with me to work in either guided reading groups or individual help.  And now I have everything RIGHT THERE.  I absolutely love it this way.  I'm not a woman of clutter, so for me it works well since I know I won't have stacks of things piled up with no room for kids.  I do have another desk behind me in this photo where I store materials, papers, and other things.

Look familiar?  Yep, it's my Pinterest project! :P

Here is our classroom Data Dashboard.  We track fluency, extended response, math facts, and sight words in our classroom.

I made cute little labels for our specials materials!  The green crate was  bought at Wal-Mart several years ago and the blue tote was found at The Dollar Tree a couple years ago.

This year I decided to put their name tags on their CHAIRS instead of on their desks.  That way I can zip-tie the desks together (saw that on Pinterest!).  If they ever need to move desks, they just move their chair and belongings instead of the whole desk.  It gives them a good excuse to clean out their desk, too, if they ever have to move.  ;)

Daily 5 posters (Ginger Snaps), owl decals (found at Hobby Lobby), and pennant banner that I made.

A bit of a closeup of the pennant banner.  I made one for each window by printing it on white card stock and then stringing it onto yarn.

Table signs.  I found the hanging decorations at Party City and printed the middle part.

CAFE board.  Once again, thanks to Ginger Snaps!

Phonics Dance board/Data Dashboard.  Monster Words are above and the colored drawers will house my Centers materials (word work on left, math on right).

The numbers for the clock are from Amy Lemons.  Then we have the Daily Schedule and Job Jar.

That cute number line is from Hope King!  It matches my room so well.  Here is my Focus Wall, pocket chart for spelling words, mailboxes, and writing table.  My next post will be all about Writing Workshop!  Oooo...sorry it's a little blurry.

I ordered these CUTE, COLORFUL bins from Really Good Stuff.  They are PERFECT for our book boxes for the Daily 5!  They're also going to keep their Data Folders in them, simply because I'm out of room to store them anywhere else.  :/  Oh, and my listening center is on the left there.  Still some tweaking to do.

Name tags above coat hooks!

Bucket Filling Area

Math Area.  I'm pumped about using Gumball Math this year!  I think the kids will really enjoy it.  I have math manipulatives on the table and in some of the boxes underneath.  The drawers hold all their Math Homelinks (for Everyday Math) and materials for each unit.  Each unit has its own drawer.

Well friends, there's my sneak peak for now!  Hope you enjoy!  I'm starting to really get excited about heading back to school.  :)

A little about me...

Whew...heading into mid-July.  If you saw my last post, you know that I'm changing grade levels next  year again.  And let me tell you what...I am starting to get in panic mode!  It's like I can't work fast enough.  Someone asked what I'm doing to get ready.  The biggest thing is math flipcharts for the Promethean Board.  I'm insanely OCD (self-diagnosis here!  ;)) and have to have everything organized and ready to go.  Being unprepared drives me crazy, even though sometimes it's inevitable as a teacher.  Things come up, plans change, you have to roll with the punches.  But by golly, I'm going to try my hardest to be prepared in every way possible!  We also use Reading Street and I've come up with resource packets that I use every week.  It just makes the week easier.  If you use RS, too, you can check out my TPT store because I put all of my packets on there.  :)  I'm 2/3 of the way done with first grade stories.  I'm also going to start to implement the Daily 5 next year.  If any of you use that, I would LOVE some feedback!  I'm worried about how to fit in a "daily" 5.  With our schedule, I just don't think it's possible.  It will be more like a Daily 3.

**Sidenote: Does anyone feel kind of...alone, if you will....if you're not at I Teach K in Vegas this week?  Ha!  I feel like all of blogging land is out there.  Maybe one of these days I can go to a huge blog meet-up in a fabulous place.  But for now, I'm stuck here in central Ohio working on school stuff.  :P  

  So last week I received a welcome surprise from...

   awarded me the...

  Thank you so, so much, friend!  Hop on over to her blog and check it out!

Now there are a few rules to follow when receiving this award.

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you. 

2. Include a link to their site. 

3. Include the award image in your post

4. Give 7 random facts about yourself. 

5. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award. 

6. When nominating, include a link to their site. 

7. Let other bloggers know they've been nominated.



So 7 random facts about myself...hmmm....


1.  I have a 1-year old named Rowan.  He is the sweetest little guy I've ever met!  Everyone says he's the cutest kid they've ever seen.  I have to agree, since I'm his mom.  ;)  This picture is from Easter, but it's one of my favorites!

2.  I graduated from Ole Miss with my Bachelor's in Elementary Education and my Master's in Curriculum and Instruction.  Hotty Toddy!  :)

3.  I LOVE to workout.  I just wish I had more time to do it.  :/

4.  I have taken a nap almost everyday this summer with my son.  I love it and hate it.  I feel like I should be getting stuff done (*cough*laundry*cough*), but then again, summer is for relaxing, right?

5.  My favorite sound is cicadas.  My hubby thinks I'm weird, but it reminds me of living down South.  Don't get me wrong, they're creepy little bugs.  The sound is just so refreshing, though! 

6.  I have a secret passion for weather!  I am sorta like a weather-stalker.  I check it CONSTANTLY.  And if we're supposed to get storms, I'm standing out on my back deck watching it roll in!  My mom was struck by lightning when I was in 5th grade, so she HATES my passion for storms.  ;)

7.  I LOOOOOVVVEEEE grilled asparagus!  Um, hello, why did I just find this out about 5 years ago?!?!?  I was in my roommate's wedding down South and we had grilled asparagus at the rehearsal and reception.  It was the most divine food I've ever hated when I was little.  So I started growing my own in our backyard.  :)

So there ya have it!  A few fun tidbits about myself.

Ok, 15 is a lot of blogs...so I'm only going to do 9.  ;)  There are SO many fabulous blogs out there, but these are the ones I follow the closet.

http://sweetiesinsecond.blogspot.com/

Back to creating!  :)

Thoughts on Changing Grade Levels

I feel like changing grade levels is the story of my life.  In the 5 years I've been teaching (including this coming year), I've changed grade levels 4 times.  Blah.  Here's my table right now, as I'm trying to get ready...

As I'm sitting here, slightly stressing, I'm trying to tell myself all the positives of changing grade levels.  So I came up with 4 positives and 4 negatives of switching.  We'll start with the bad first, that way we end on a good note.  :)

Negatives:

1. Changing your mindset.  As teachers, we have to try to think like the kids we teach.  Even though I'm only moving down one grade, I still have to start thinking like a first grader.  They're just coming out of kindergarten!  It's actually a bigger change than one might think.

2. Materials: Oh. my. goodness.  This is what has me stressing.  I have to completely create appropriate materials all over again.  My to-do list of things I have to get ready is m-i-l-e-s long.  It feels like I'll never complete it!  It has taken me hours.  Days.  Weeks.  Even months to create stuff.  And I'm still not done.  Thank goodness for Teachers Pay Teachers.  Honestly.  I can find so many things so that I don't have to create everything.

3. Arranging your classroom: I went from 1st to 3rd to 2nd to 1st.  That's a lot of height changes on tables, desks, mailboxes, etc...

4.  Getting into the groove with a new team: I adore all the people I work with.  Each team has been WONDERFUL.  But they're all a little different in how they do things.  So getting used to that is another change.

Positives:

1.  It keeps me on my toes!: There's no time to get complacent when you're doing everything for the first time.

2.  You get to see how it all fits together: This is the coolest thing to me.  Seeing the developmental levels of all the kiddos and how they change from one grade to the next - it's quite amazing!  And I have a much better understanding of the puzzle, if you will.  I know where they've been, what they need to know, where they come from, and where they need to end.

3.  Thinking of new ways to reach my students: With every grade level comes new interests, new abilities, new creativity, new personalities...it's kinda fun to think of ways to teach them that will really reach where they are.

4.  It makes me a better teacher:  I get this burst of innovation every time I switch grade levels.  My mind starts swarming with new things.  It CAN be refreshing.  Getting the overall picture, working with students on foundations that need to be built at each level...it's truly invigorating.

So how about you?  Have you ever switched grade levels?  How big of a jump did you have to make?  What is one thing you like about it and one thing that you don't like?  The first person to comment (including their e-mail address) will receive a copy of my latest...September Math Centers!  They are geared towards K, 1, 2.  I'm teaching 1st next year, so that's who I have in mind as I am working on it.  I'd still love to hear from you even if you don't teach the primary grades.  Maybe you can give it to someone you work with?  :)  I'm still working on it, but it should be done in a few days.  I will e-mail it to you as soon as it's done.

Looking forward to hearing from all of you!  :)

Flash Sale!

I live in central Ohio and we got SLAMMED by storms yesterday.  I don't know how our house survived.  We have huge, mature trees in our yard and not one of them came down.  Everyone around us in our county is without electricity, but ours is working.  They're saying it could take 5-7 days for everyone to have their electricity back on.  It was the most insane storm I've ever seen.  And we're gettin' ready to get more rain and storms in the next few.  I'm watching the dark clouds roll in through my back window.  We need the rain, but we could do without the wind.

It made me think to throw a super-quick Flash Sale in my TPT store!  You only have 5 hours to go on a little shopping spree, and then it's over!  So head on over and pick up some goodies!  :)

Winner and Back to School Finds

First thing's first!  I went to random.org to pick a winner for the Writing Workshop Packet!  The winner is...

That means rmoncelsi is the winner!  Congratulations!  It will be e-mailed to you shortly...

For those wondering, there was a sweet gal who left her info over on my TpT store, so that's where the 6 comes from.  :)

Has anyone else started shopping for next year already?  I'm like a little kid at Christmas when it comes to shopping for my classroom.  Y'all, I get SO excited!  All the bright, fun colors, all the ideas swimming in my head...I just love it!

Today I went to Party City and found some cute fan decorations that will go above my desk groups.

I also picked up some fun straws and a cup for my birthday treats I'm making this year.  If you've been on Pinterest, you know what I'm talking about.  ;)  The packs of straws were only 99 cents, as was the cup!  So for my birthday treats for my whole class for the entire the year, I only spent $7.  Not bad at all!

Next, I hopped on over to Target (my absolute FAVORITE store!) and got a couple things.  I am going to do Made for 1st Grade's Gumball Math next year with my firsties, so I found a CUTE file folder organizer to organize all the papers!  The best part?  It was on clearance for $10.48!  It even came with 6 orange folders inside.  And I love the way it flips open!

My final find for the day was a index card pack with tabs.  I plan to use it as anecdotal notes for my students for the different subject areas.  As I notice a strength or weakness, I'll jot it down.  I figure it'll be a big help when it comes to filling out report cards and conferences!

What I NEED to find is a set of plastic drawers, big enough to put papers in, that is COLORFUL!  I found some at Target, but the drawers were too small.  I figured I'd wait a little longer because they normally come out with all sorts of stuff when it's "Back to School" time.  If anyone knows where I can find some, let me know!  :)

Hope you have a great week and that you're able to start finding some good deals on cute stuff!

Writing Workshop Giveaway!

Oh. My. Word. Y'all...it is seriously 2:15 A.M.!!!!! I got on a roll with finishing up my Writing Workshop Packet and I could. not. stop. And here we are...after 2 a.m.... Am I the only one that turns into a night owl during the summer? I think in the past week or two I haven't gone to bed before 1 a.m. Tonight is clearly the winner of my late nights. *Sigh* But I seriously have to show you what I just finished...

   

This is all you might ever need. It's got everything I could think of. Common Core correlations with posters. Bulletin board posters. Labels for tubs or drawers. Idea posters. Planning sheets. Primary and intermediate friendly templates. 6 different writing projects (letters, lists, cards, stories, book reviews, & reports). And the best part? It's K-5 friendly. Head on over to my store and check out the preview if you need a better look. I'm putting it on sale for $7 for the next couple days. 

 Buuuuttt..... I'm going to do a giveaway! I'm tellin' ya...it pays to follow blogs in the summer! :P 

 You have two ways to enter. You can enter once for each item below: 

 1. Follow my blog, leave a comment, and tell me if you're a night owl or morning bird. Don't forget to leave your e-mail address! 

 2. Follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers, leave a comment on my blog, and tell me your plans for the weekend. Don't forget to leave your e-mail address! 

 As for me, we've already established I'm most definitely a night owl. This weekend I have a wedding reception to go to for a fellow teacher. Other than that, RELAXATION (and sleeping in :P). 

 I will pick a winner randomly on SUNDAY NIGHT! I will keep the discount until Monday night in case you don't win ;). 

 Happy Friday!

Lazy Days of Summer SALE!

Well, friends, I have been working my little tail off the past couple weeks on some projects for next year and some special requests.  I'm FINALLY done with 2nd grade Reading Street supplemental resources (the 2008 version), have the first 2 units done for 1st grade, and have the 1st story done for 3rd grade.  Whew.  I'm WHOOPED.  Maybe that's why I took a 3-hour nap today after Bible study...

So I'm going to throw a little sale!  20% now through Saturday.  Enjoy and get some early shopping done for the next school year (who wants to think about THAT... :P).  But it's always nice to get a jumpstart.  ;)

Click here to get to my store!

In other news, my life has been C-H-A-O-T-I-C.  Not only did we finish up school last week, not only have I been working like CRAZY on TpT stuff, but we also sold our house last week!!!!  Woohoo!!!!  We just have to wait on inspections, appraisals, closings, boxes, etc...it's going to be an insane summer, to say the least!  Needless to say, I'll be hit and miss on here for a while.  I will try to update when I can!

Happy lazy days of summer, y'all! :)