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! :)

Need something fun for the last week?

I can't believe it...4 days!  Are you kidding me?!?!  First of all, SO jealous of those who are already out.  Have I already said that at some point?  Oh well...I'm still jealous.  :P  But for those of us lucky enough (trying to stay positive...) to still be in school, I have something that might be fun for the last week!

I was trying to think of something fun and engaging for my math kids during our final days together.  My creation is "Fun with Food" math centers!  Which I found out that when I tried to upload it, there's already something with that title on TpT...oops!  It's now called "Fun with Food Math Activities" on the site.

Here's the deal...since I want you to have this in your hands NOW, I'm deciding to skip doing a giveaway...kind of.  There's no time to wait!  So I'm giving this goody away for FREE to the first 4 people (since there's 4 days of school left!) who comment below.  Simply follow my blog and leave your e-mail address!  I'm getting ready to call it quits for tonight, so you'll either get it in your inbox tonight (depending on how quickly you respond and how late I actually stay up) or tomorrow.

Have a great end-of-the-year!

Here's the description:

A fun, edible, and healthy option to have a little bit of fun with numbers! This pack comes with 10 different math activities. Only 3 out of the 10 involve candy. The rest involve fruits, pretzels, crackers, etc. Use this as an beginning-of-the-year activity, end-of-the-year wrap up, review for tests, or fun ways to introduce and reinforce math concepts! Your students will love using food as manipulatives!

The following centers/activities are included:

- Base Ten Munch
- Ants on a Log Count
- Skittle Survey
- M&M Fraction Find
- Grape Giveaway
- Apple Addition
- Orange Operations
- Peppermint Place Value
- Parts-and-Total Popcorn
- Cheerio Change


***This activity pack is appropriate for grades K-2.  Basic addition and subtraction are used, as well as place value, fractions, graphing, etc.

CLICK HERE TO GRAB IT FOR ONLY $3!!!!

Ah, Pinterest...you inspire me!

It's never too soon to get ready for the new school year, right?  Some say I'm crazy.  Ok, a LOT say I'm crazy.  Honest moment here?

For next year I have already:

-torn out and sorted math homework
-printed and laminated my new number line
-printed and laminated Tic Tac Toe boards for all my firsties
-created their spelling homework
-rearranged my room so that I can leave a note for our awesome custodians on how to arrange it after they clean this summer!  :P
-and I'm ALMOST done with creating their math review sheets (btw, if you use 1st grade Everyday Math, be on the lookout for a new packet in my TpT store...it has an in-class review sheet and homework for the end of each unit...it'll be up by Saturday at the latest!)

Crazy?  I think so.  However, my thinking is that I can honestly walk away from school this summer for as long as possible.  Not that I don't want to spend every waking moment there (because I honestly could), but I'm trying to get this whole motherhood/teacher balance thing goin' on.  It's HARD!  One step at a time...

So I pinned on Pinterest a while back a SWEET way to spruce up those plastic drawers that so many of us use for storage.  In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm TOTALLY Type A.  It's ridiculous.  My need for perfectionism is NOT a good thing.  But part of me enjoys it and finds relief in it!  Maybe you can relate.  But I can't STAND to see clutter.  AT. ALL.  I mean, is it just me or do all those things shoved in these plastic drawers drive you crazy when you look at it?!?!  I decided to take the Pinterest-inspired idea one step further, mainly for visitors and subs for my room.  I feel like the queen of labels.  You too?  Then you'll love this idea!  I used scrapbook paper, printed some labels, and taped them right inside!

Enjoy and be INSPIRED!  :)

Ahhh...so much more pleasing to the eye!  :)