
Category Archives: Classroom Organization

Are YOU a HELPER ELF?
I do not own this video. This video belongs to SantaKlaws67 http://www.youtube.com/user/SantaKlaws67
SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN!
I work at a low socioeconomic, Title 1 school.
This time of year can be very hard for some kids.
Some families DON’T celebrate Christmas.
Some families can’t afford gifts.
Some are VERY proud and won’t accept donations.
So…Santa doesn’t come to EVERY house.
via GIPHY
So today..we had
THE TALK.
THE talk about what December, Christmas, and Santa
are REALLY about.
GIVING & HELPING!
Today…we became
HELPER ELVES!
NOVEMBER? Already? Don’t BLINK!
I just LOVE
Kenny Chesney… Don’t Blink
“DON’T BLINK”
Don’t BLINK!
DON’T BLINK!

Do YOU Dress Up for Halloween?
I hate to wear hats when I dress up.
I don’t like things on my head.
I do enjoy a great laugh.
I want to participate with the group.
I am a TEAM PLAYER.
BUT… I don’t dress up for Halloween!
There! I said it!
I am the “old teacher” who does NOT dress up for Halloween.
WHY? I dunno.
Just never got “into it”.
The whole “make-up, costume, prop thing” just doesn’t appeal to me.
I don’t get the whole “dress up as someone else”, thing.
DON’T GET ME WRONG!
I love HALLOWEEN!
I dressed my kids up in HOMEMADE costumes AND store-bought costumes.
They were SO CUTE!
Teachers EVERYWHERE dress up and they are AMAZING!
I just can’t do it at school!
My kiddos are NOT allowed to wear costumes to school.
I will NOT, if they cannot.
I wouldn’t dress up, even if THEY could. Sorry, Not me!
Maybe I’ll dress up at home!
A cute T-SHIRT! YES!
Maybe. Maybe not.
Maybe??
So for now… I will live in my “COSTUME”
vicariously through all of YOU on PINTEREST!
This post might help me…
WOW! CUTE hat!… Maybe… Gotta go…
I think I found a HAT I LIke.
Stay tuned. Check out my Instagram.
There may be a HALLOWEEN pic.
Maybe. 🙂
Do YOU “dress up” for Halloween?
Help me out…What do YOU dress up for on HALLOWEEN?
Leave me a comment. 🙂
Wendy

I SEE PUMPKINS! Meet the “little ones”…
I SEE PUMPKINS! Meet the “little ones”…
WE HAVE PUMPKINS!
To help my FIRSTIES get into the FALL SPIRIT…
Fall BUNDLE
FALL THEMATIC UNIT
Reading-
Reading Passage
Comprehension Printable
Reading Response Printables
Vocabulary Pocket Chart Cards
Poem ( And Cut a part printable )
Writing-
Spelling List Forms
Word Family Charts
HFW Lists
Journal Pages & Covers
Interactive Journal Pages
Flap Book Graphic Organizer
Assessments-
BPST printable
Fluency Assessment
HFW List
Grade 1 / 2
BRING ON ANYTHING
HALLOWEEN “ish”…

My OCTOBER classroom DILEMMA!
So my October dilemma.
We have a two-week FALL vacation.
(NO COMPLAINING HERE!)
BUT…
We return on Oct. 18.
MONDAY
21 days (exactly ) until…
YOU KNOW IT
Sunday, October 31, 2021.
Thank You HALLOWEEN for being on a weekend!
Says EVERY teacher, EVERYWHERE!
HALLOWEEN!
Parties,
CANDY,
Kids who can’t wait to get home ( highly DISTRACTABLE!)
(some schools…not mine….)
COSTUMES!
So … My October dilemma.
When we go back,
Do I put out HALLOWEEN themed centers?
Do I keep it OCTOBERish with Columbus, Halloween, Fall, Pumpkins, etc?
Do I just “touch” on the “HOLIDAY” stuff…and Promote the FALL stuff?
Do I add THANKSGIVING?
Should I keep it ALL going until THANKSGIVING?
What to do? What to do?????
BTW… I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE FALL!
I love October!
My favorite season.
YUMMY!
But…
CONTENT is EVERYTHING!
My students MUST take a BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT in December.
I want them to do well.
( I don’t think there will be a
HALLOWEEN question on it.)
Unless it’s about
HOW MANY CANDIES DID YOU EAT ALL TOGETHER?
So ..what to do? What to do?
October INTEGRATE!
I must teach SCIENCE and SOCIAL STUDIES!
( Living things…life cycle…Plants/animals…Lifestyles Long Ago..)
So here is MY October plan:
Reading:
- Nonfiction about pumpkins, apples, plants
- Biographies about Christopher Columbus, Squanto
- Fiction about Fall, Halloween, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving
I am checking my district curriculum
( yes, we have one )
for REQUIRED (Tested ) Skills & Strategies for this quarter.
As we delve into our reading…I make SURE to incorporate TESTED strategies.
Questioning? Sequencing? Retelling? Etc..etc…
Vocabulary? Again…check NECESSARY vocabulary for success!
I spend A LOT of time on the necessary vocabulary. I have 10-12 English Language Learners.
They need visuals, modeling, & practice before they can “TAKE ON” the new information
.
Phonics? Spelling? Grammar?
Required phonics skills for this quarter.
What to use for Spelling?
BOTH!
Required spelling skills AND thematic vocabulary words.
WHAT? WHY?
Because…I want them to have some INTRINSIC vocabulary to use easily in their…
WRITING!
I want MY Mummy! 🙂
Sorry…. couldn’t resist.
October Writing:
- “How To”..grow..carve…etc… about pumpkins, apples, plants
- “Informative” about Christopher Columbus, Squanto, Pilgrims
- “Narrative” about Fall, Halloween, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving
- Thank You cards, Invitations, Lists, Etc.
Again…I am checking my district curriculum
for REQUIRED (Tested ) Skills & Strategies for this quarter.
Whatever our REQUIRED writing prompt will be
( I already know mine is INFORMATIVE)
We will practice, practice, practice!
I won’t skip the other genres.
Just FOCUS on the INFORMATIVE!
BUT wait!
I want crafts! I want CUTSIE! I want products!
I Love October BOOKS!
And so…we will make CUTSIE lapbooks, paintings, charts, stories & crafts
about???
Fall, Halloween, pumpkins, apples
, plants, Christopher Columbus,
Squanto, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving
DON’T tell our FIRE MARSHALL.
I might HANG THINGS UP!
Definitely!
I won’t tell if YOU won’t tell.
MATH:
- addition / subtraction
- missing addends
- place value
- graphing
- story problems
And October MATH??
Lots of Graphs, addition & subtraction, problem-solving, story problems
ALL ABOUT THEMES!
How many apples, pumpkin seeds, candies, turkeys, Indians, etc, etc.
(Math Journals are GREAT for this!)
and, yes..
I will need to keep it going until Thanksgiving.
And I will need to use EVERY MINUTE of EVERY DAY!
And yes… it will take planning, and prepping…
Bat craftivity
BATS!
Black Cat Watercolor
Black Cats
Growing Pumpkins
Making APPLESAUCE!
Happy Birthday Johnny Appleseed!
And YES
I WILL LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT!
You see…
FALL IS MY FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR!
Don’t you just LOVE OCTOBER?
To those of you who hung in there to the bottom of this LONG POST…
A FREEBIE FOR YOU!
Happy FALL!



Boo Bang FREEBIE!
How Calendar Time Starts MY Day!



Calendar Time. I’m NOT sure WHO needs it more..
ME? or my students?
Coffee?
Restroom Time?
RECESS????
NO!
CALENDAR TIME!
I Love Calendar Time.
I Love reading through the MONTH.
What’s happening THIS week
Next Week.
All month!
It keeps my “getting older” brain…
FOCUSED!
It helps my kiddos stay on top of events for this week and this month.
This week we are discussing:
CALENDAR TIME
and
MORNING MEETINGS!
My calendar is next to my focus board.
This is where we begin our morning meeting.
After vocabulary discussions, calendar,
days of the week ,months of the year, HFW cards..
Working on reading strategies!
All of this in about 15-20 minutes!
Whew!



My calendar is in PLACE VALUE numbers!
I got it HERE.
I also have MELONHEADZ Holiday cards.
LOVE THEM TOO!
I try to “release” the CALENDAR instruction to my students as the year progresses.
By the end of the yer, THEY lead the calendar time.
But , I still get to do the READ ALOUD!
I LOVE IT!
Just a quick shout out to
Krista@Creative Clips Papers Collection



This is MY Calendar!
I use it every DAY!
My Preps, meetings, Notes, appointments, etc.
AND I GET TO USE MY FLAIR PENS! 🙂
One PAD lasts 2 years!
I LOVE MINE!
I do MATH Calendar after lunch.
We go back to number of days in school, place value, etc.
This begins my REVIEW of math concepts BEFORE we begin anything new!
We count to 120 by 5’s & 10’s ..2’s to 50 at the end of the year.
This is my FAVORITE!



It ALL begins with Calendar TIME.
Check it out on PINTEREST and TPT!

Change my Classroom Library…AGAIN?
OH, NO YOU DON’T!!!!
So again…WHAT AM I DOING???
REDOING MY CLASSROOM LIBRARY!
WHAT???? AGAIN???? NO!!!!!!!
So, How many times do I have to do it..before I LIKE it??
Here is the BEFORE…






So, why? Oh, why?
Why mess with a GOOD thing? ( Can you hear the shame in my voice?)
BECAUSE. Because I know what wonderful books are in the tubs.
BUT … the kids DON’T!
They know their favorites. They go to the same tub over & over. I LOVE THAT.BUT…
How do you know… there might be a BOOK you would LOVE BETTER!
They don’t search. They just go to what they know.
SO…I am expanding their KNOWLEDGE BASE!
I have decided to TAKE AWAY THE TUBS!
WHAT???? I know…you with OCD will HATE ME!
WHY?
Because..it’s not MY library…it’s OURS!
I am going to dump EVERY book in a pile in the middle of our carpet area.
AND WE WILL SORT!
Common core says NONFICTION is a PRIORITY!
My kids don’t even know WHAT Nonfiction books we have!
So…we shall sort!
Fiction…Nonfiction…author study…science…etc..etc..etc…NOT ME!
Not my SUMMER! (again )
OURS…ALL OF US!
(Do not do this the day your admin is observing YOU!)
This will take time…time well spent!
My thoughts are to have the kids make labels…NOT ME!
And put them right ON THE SHELF!
YES…ON THE SHELF!
They take ownership, so they can put things away!
Not ME!






Others have perservered…it IS POSSIBLE!
WOW! A Classroom library that mimics a PUBLIC LIBRARY!???
They will know HOW to USE a PUBLIC LIBARY!
Not “What tub is LIBRARY——- book in?” Hmm…
Food for thought.
So…if you are thinking of RAISING THE BAR in YOUR classroom library…
LET THEM DO IT!
Close your eyes…change your MINDSET..and collaborate WITH YOUR STUDENTS!
They might surprise YOU!
Classroom Management with BRAG TAGS!
Fall, Apples, & Johnny Appleseed
It’s ALMOST HERE!
FALL
FALL!
The leaves will be changing, sweaters & boots come out of the closet, & PUMPKIN SPICED LATTE!
The world will be “balanced” again!
To celebrate the
COMING OF THE NEW SEASON
I have a new apple activity for fall!
I LOVE APPLES!
Apple pie, apple cake, applesauce…apple everything!
September is the MONTH of celebrations!
We celebrate Johnny Appleseed’s birthday too.
We make… APPLESAUCE!
To add to this year’s celebration..
I have a NEW product.
Apples are the BEST!
September Literacy Booklets for Apples and Johnny Appleseed.
Booklet style..2 on a page..B/W
21 PAGES of Reading, Graphic organizers, Word Work, Grammar, labeling, & Writing!
All in ONE BOOKLET!
Great for Whole Class, Small groups, Partner Work, Independent practice.
Early Finishers WILL LOVE THIS!
Fall themed.
If you need more Literacy Products… follow 1stgradefireworks
I hope you can enjoy
APPLES ARE THE BEST!

10 Teacher Items YOU need TODAY!
Back to School is coming soon. I am NOT ready! I love summer vacation.
BUT…I do need to start getting ready.
HOW? WHAT? WHEN?
My vacation brain won’t wrap around the thought of setting up my classroom!
WHAT do I need?
Help is on the way!
Here are 10 teacher items YOU need TODAY!
Like it? Pin it!
1. Flair Pens. You NEED at least 24. The MORE the Merrier!
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2. Astrobright Paper – You will print EVERYTHING in colored paper!
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3. Book Boxes- Where will your kids put all of their independent reading books?
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4. storage drawers- Where to keep all of YOUR stuff?
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5. pencil sharpener – THE BEST!
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6. labels – After you get all of your ‘goodies” unpacked…LABEL everything so YOU can find them later!
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7. Growth Mindset Posters – Helping kids and adults create a positive mindset.
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8. Writing Centers – Every classroom needs a place for writing.
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9. Teacher Planner – YOU KNOW YOU NEED THIS!!!
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10. Balanced Literacy Resource – MY personal FAVORITE! Helps me remember what I need to do!
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I NEED to start thinking.
Begin the planning.
Open my teacher Bag.
Check out my BACK to School Pinterest Board! Pin If you LIKE!
First I need to jump in the pool again!
Maybe I’ll start tomorrow!
When you are ready…Let me know!