Tag Archives: classroom organization

Classroom HELPERS…How do YOU choose them? Do you WANT to??

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I want my kiddos to

HELP!

I am NOT your MAMA.

I am NOT your Grandma,

AND

I AM NOT YOUR MAID!

We ALL work & play in our classroom.

If you work here… you are a part of our TEAM.

AND ALL Team members HELP!

So HOW to

“Share the JOBS?”

Make it a

CHOICE!

I don’t

CHOOSE

daily helpers.

I let them choose what they would like to do each day.

Here are my helpers:

I write their names on

  a  cardstock strip.

I use a 12″ X 36″ pocket chart.

I have

2 Clean-Up Crew members,

2 Ball Handlers ( for recesses ),

and

2 Tech Teachers ( help with log-in’s )

1 line leader,

1 door holder,

and 1 messenger.

9 helpers each day.

My NUMBER 1 RULE!

If you are NOT quiet and  in your seat when the

BELL  RINGS…..

YOU CANNOT BE A HELPER

THAT DAY!

( Don’t be Tardy…or NOISY!)

My kiddos LOVE it!

(I’m HERE & I’m QUIET!)

Hahahaha

and then…

I ask the next person on the card…

“_(susie)___ “,  would you like to be _( ball handler)_  or __(tech teacher)_”

( Go straight down the pocket chart…)

Until ALL the jobs are filled for the day!

They like having a CHOICE in their day!

and then…

I don’t have to do the JOBS!

And…I LOVE THAT!

Leave me a comment.

How do YOU choose helpers?

Wendy

Primary Teachers are Quirky!

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Primary Teachers are QUIRKY!

HUH???

Quirky is defined as…  

”  something that is strange/not normal but cool. Unconventional, surprising, odd.”

You mean ME?  I am… ODD?

YES! YOU!

Here are the top 5 reasons PRIMARY Teachers are QUIRKY!

Number one reason Primary teachers are Quirky

We like to “DRESS UP”!

Now in most professions, there is a RULE of  PROFESSIONAL ATTIRE.

Profession attire for QUIRKY teachers?

In Teaching…we are a little “QUIRKY”!

Elementary teachers dress up in tutus. QUIRKY?

Minions teacher costumes. Thank You https://teachinginroom6.com

Yo Gabba Gabba! Thank You https://teachinginroom6.com

Character costumes…QUIRKY? Thank You https://teachinginroom6.com

We tend to “go the extra mile!”

And it’s a GOOD thing!

( May have to add that to THING 1 & THING 2).

You get MY drift!

How many TEACHER Tshirts do YOU own?

Do YOU wear SCHOOL shirts on FRIDAY?

Do YOU OWN a Dr. Suess HAT?

Do you DESIRE a pair of shoes or socks that look like a PENCIL?

See?  Just a LITTLE  QUIRKY!

 AND …HEELS??? 

 Who can chase little ones

 or grab the glue bottle

 before it puddles 

on the floor..

in heels?

You see…QUIRKY!

NUmber two things that teachers do that are QUIRKY!

SMELLS..

Who doesn’t LOVE to walk into a room smelling of…

LAVENDER

COFFEE

FLOWERS

COOKIE DOUGH

etc.,  etc.

We all DO!

And so we PACK IN THE SMELLY STUFF!

Sweet smelling sprays

Air fresheners are NOT QUIRKY!

Quirky teachers make the classroom smell sweeter.

And then …24 LITTLE ONES go outside for RECESS.

AND they come back in…

UGH! Quirky teachers DON”T like the smell of WET PUPPIES!

SMELLING LIKE WET PUPPIES!

UGH!

 And SOME of those 6-year-old WET PUPPIES…

NEED  DEODORANT!

And so…we retreat to our OLD FRIEND…

Yeah CLOROX!

* in MY district you NOW must obtain a 1 hr. PD and get a “CERTIFICATE” to use CLOROX wipes in the classroom.

A Little QUIRKY!

But…we do what we need to do to survive!

Myself…I prefer cookie dough candles…  

JUST  ME.

DON’T LIGHT THEM…

JUST SMELL THEM! 

Number three for Quirky teachers

Lunch.

A Primary teacher’s lunch is a LITTLE  QUIRKY!

First, it has to have pieces that can be held in

ONE  HAND!

The Quirky teacher can do more in one lunch period, than most people do ALL DAY!

I always laugh when someone says,

” You HAVE 40 minutes for LUNCH?”

Yeah…after I get 25 kids to the cafeteria.

AND…one doesn’t forget their lunch and we have to walk back & do it AGAIN!

AND…if I don’t have to call a parent.

AND..if I don’t need to run off papers.

AND..if I don’t need to correct spelling tests, prepare the SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS, write a note, 

AND…HEAVEN FORBID…

GO TO THE BATHROOM!

( Don’t forget to EAT…it will be ANOTHER 4 hours until you are FREE!)

So…bring a lunch that can be eaten in ONE HAND!

The other hand MAY BE BUSY!

A LITTLE QUIRKY!

Number four for Quirky teachers

DIY? Quirky?

Those DREADED WORDS!

Do  It  YOURSELF…NEVER!  NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

I don’t think I have EVER started a DIY where I didn’t involve someone else!

 Thank YOU to my WONDERFUL HUBBY…

He puts up with my QUIRKINESS!

Spray PAINT!

Quirky teachers LOVE NEON SPRAY PAINT! Raise your colored finger!

Did YOU feel your hands get clammy?

How your heart rate INCREASED?

Do you have a smile on YOUR FACE?

NEON    SPRAY   PAINT!

Do YOU feel the “NEED”…to  spray

SOMETHING?

I know..it’s OK…

I think some people are “wired” with it.

The NEED  to PAINT!

And we do…

Sterlite drawers

Tool Kits for BRAG TAG drawers

Ahhh..organized storage for ALL. Quirky or NOT!

We will SPRAY EVERYTHING!

And…it’s OK!

( I’m sure SOMEWHERE…there is a 12 step program for this!)

QUIRKY?

YEAH!

Number five for the quirky teacher

Are you QUIRKY about BAGS?

No.Not grocery bags.

I mean BIG, LONG HANDLED, BRIGHTLY COLORED, (maybe) on wheels,

BAGS!

“I Like BIG bags & I cannot lie…”

(I think it’s a SONG)

Me dancing…

Quirky teachers LOVE big bags…and I cannot lie!

Colorful Big Bags!

Organized BIG Bags…be still my heart!

Bags on WHEELS! OH YEAH!

But…

LOOK AT THE BRIGHT COLORS!

We will carry 50-80 POUNDS of STUFF in ONE BAG…

GOTTA keep MY hands FREE!

And not think twice about it.

I AM NOT walking BACK to MY classroom AGAIN!

Yes…I can carry it ALL in one trip!

(Why do my shoulders & my back hurt so much?!)

But LOOK at the BRIGHT COLORS! So cute!

No…I will NOT buy 24 folders at TARGET for 17 cents each!

 I just bought the CUTEST  “31”  BAG..  🙂

A LITTLE  QUIRKY!

And so…

Some of us were meant to be PRIMARY TEACHERS.

AND some are NOT!

To those who are…

HOLD YOUR SPRAYPAINTED FINGER UP HIGH…

WEAR YOUR T-SHIRTS PROUDLY…

AND  SMELL  the QUIRKINESS  in YOUR  WORLD!

WELCOME  to the CLUB!

If you have HUNG in here for this LONG  POST…

Keep GIGGLING…

Here is a FREEBIE  for YOU!

Back to School Vocabulary Banner from 1stgradefireworks

Check out OTHER fun things from 1stgradefireworks!

Pin IT! 🙂

What is TRUE Teacher Appreciation? It might SURPRISE You!

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What is TRUE Teacher Appreciation?

I am a VETERAN teacher.

NO.

 I have NOT fought in a WAR.

I have taught in GRADE 1

 ( exclusively )

for over 30 years!

WOW!

( Never “graduated” to second grade..as my students tell me!) 🙂

But…

I have changed my “VIEW” on teacher appreciation.

We ALL want to be appreciated.

We want to be recognized for

SOMETHING “GOOD”

 we have done!

But..

things can get a little …

OUT OF HAND!

I believe..

YES…

I believe there are

those who

are APPRECIATED

and those who

WISH THEY WERE!

What is TRUE Teacher Appreciation?

I will say this ONE TIME…

IT  IS  NOT  ABOUT  TEST SCORES!

The teachers with the SUPER highest test scores

are NOT, always,

the teachers who are

APPRECIATED the MOST!

Now…disclaimer…teachers work WAY TOO hard!

I got that!

Some are SOOOOOO  focused on the “data”…

they forget, or can’t “document” the traits of the child the “data” came from!

Nowhere is there a box to check that says:

___  Didn’t have breakfast ( or dinner the night before ).

___ Couldn’t sleep because my parents were arguing LOUDLY!

___ No one would help with homework/reading ( for the past two weeks!)

or

___  not in a good “mindset”  today.

BUT…

these are kids!

This is life!

To attach a “number” to a student, 

based on “today’s testing module”

is NOT  what teaching is all about!

( Ok sorry…OFF my soapbox!)

So,

What is TRUE Teacher Appreciation?

Where? How? When?

Admins…

Please… I don’t need a new pen with my school name on it.

What is TRUE Teacher Appreciation?

If YOU really want to show me your appreciation…

HAVE MY BACK during an IEP

when ‘the team” says

I NEED TO DO MORE!

By the time I have gotten to his stage…

I HAVE DONE ALL I CAN DO!

Take the stand that I AM DONE!

SEND ME SOME HELP!

Now I have great admin’s…

I know they have my back!

THAT’s  APPRECIATION!

If you want to “give” me something…

…TAKE MY RECESS DUTY!

…Take my class for an hour at the end of the day, if MY child is home sick!

… Come in and do reading groups once in a while

( an extra adult doing centers is ALWAYS appreciated).

You see…it’s NOT about the “things”

it’s about WHAT you DO!

What is TRUE Teacher Appreciation?

How do you know if your “team” appreciates YOU?

Do you “share”?

Do you “follow through?”

Do you “care” about each other?

My “teaching partner”…

( I said “partner” one time..it took on a WHOLE DIFFERENT meaning!)

and I have taught next to each other

( rooms 3 & 4)

for 24 years!

We are going to retire together 

the same year…in 2-3 years.

( We “pinky sweared”…

..as long as nothing catastrophic happens before then).

Her mom works in her room.

I call her MOM!

Our students think we are

SISTERS!

See the family “resemblance”?

In my heart…

SOUL SISTERS!

We run homework for each other.

We share our students.

We laugh, we cry, we CARE about each other!

We are NOT the ONLY grade 1 teachers.

We have 1-2 others who teach with us.

( Depending on the year and student numbers).

We ALWAYS include them!

This is NOT a

CLOSE YOUR DOOR & DO YOUR THING!

NOPE!

WE DO!

Together.

Feel appreciated? YEP! Daily.

( I could have transferred to another school in MY district..many times!)

NOT LEAVING!

LOVE MY CRAZY TITLE 1 school!

and then…

Your students…

What is TRUE Teacher Appreciation?

When do they make YOU feel appreciated?

Is it when you are passing out report cards?

Is it when they forgot their homework?

Is it when they have interrupted you for the 1000th time that day?

Probably NOT!

It’s when that SAME little girl walks in EVERY morning

and says…

“Can I have a HUG?”

or

When the little boy who STUTTERS ( severely )…

asks if he can READ his newest story

TO THE CLASS!

( And EVERYONE cheers  for him!)

or

The “behavior problem” child

who knows ( his MAMA tells him a lot )

that he is a PROBLEM…

and he hands me a heart he made with a picture of me & him!

( Melts my heart..right before he hits another student!)

and last…

the “older students” who come back…

just to say HI!

or…

“I got my driver’s license & I promise to be safe..just like you said!”

“I got a full-ride scholarship…to HARVARD!”..yes  it did happen!

“I want to be back in first grade so I can PAINT!”

“Thank you , Mrs. McCarty, for listening to me!”

Giggles, Grins, Hugs, & High Fives to 

ALL of YOU!

YOU make a difference!

625 Valentine Cards??? Where do we Put them ALL?

1 Reply

 VALENTINE  CARDS

It’s that time of year when we share Valentine cards!

Kindness cards, Friendship Celebrations, Valentine Parties

Whatever YOUR site chooses to call it.

IT’S  HERE! Let the Valentine Card sharing begin!

The time of year when we color,cut & glue

to show our FRIENDS  that WE LOVE THEM!

Pinterest has LOTS ( I mean LOTS )

of Valentine IDEAS!

These are a few from one of my collaborative Pinterest boards

Valentine STEM Activity fro The Trendy Science Teacher

Valentine STEM Activity from
The Trendy Science Teacher

Check out this fun  Valentine Post  about

Valentine Resources

You need NOW!

 

Kindness Cards


CLICK HERE FOR FREEBIE

WE LOVE VALENTINE’S DAY!

But WHAT TO DO WITH ALL OF THOSE VALENTINE CARDS???

How to MANAGE them ALL?

2 days before our “Friendship Celebration”…

*We are NOT allowed to call it a VALENTINE celebration

(separation of CHURCH/STATE thing..)

we make our BAGS!

Now I have done LOTS & LOTS & LOTS of different types of cardholders…

(Again…THANK YOU PINTEREST!)

But I think the MOST important thing to remember is…

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO PUT THEM?

If you have 25 students…these take up a LOT of space!

So the choice is yours!

Just remember…

ALWAYS…ALWAYS…make 1 extra!

(That student who was absent on CRAFTY day…will want a bag on PARTY day!)

ALSO….

Have your kiddos write THEIR NAME ONLY on the cards.

One in each bag…PLOP..PLOP…PLOP!

NO need to MATCH their friend’s name to the bag.

One for EVERYONE!

When we open our bags…we say THANK YOU to each person who gave us a card!

MANNERS COUNT!

So good luck.

Check your CRAFTING SUPPLIES.

Find out where you want them to be …they will be there for two whole days.

AND enjoy!

Don’t forget to make one for yourself!

I am sure your kiddos will have “TREATS” for you too!

Do you NEED a few more Centers for Valentine’s Day?

Can You Make 10? Valentine Math Canter

Can You Make 10? Valentine Math Canter

Missing Addends Math Center for Valentine’s Day

Missing Addends Math Center for Valentine’s Day

109 pages of Math Task Cards for Valentine’s Math Center

Happy Friendship Day!

Wendy

1stgradefireworks

How to Prepare for a Successful Reading Workshop in First Grade

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Reading Workshop

“Creating a Community of Readers”

When I teach reading, I don’t want my students to stop and ask for help.

I want them to have the skills to be independent readers.

I want them to be problem-solvers.

So, I am…

How to create a community of readers

Keep reading for a FUN FREEBIE

Freebie for Followers

 How?

What do you do BEFORE reading?

*Frontload any vocabulary that may change thinking, distort comprehension, or is unfamiliar to them.

Take a picture walk. Cover the words.

Make them use visual cues in the story.

Have them make predictions

PRIOR to reading.

After reading, check their predictions.

When you finish reading, do something!

 I LOVE this!

After reading..then what?

DO SOMETHING!

Reread it for NEW information.

Retell it to yourself or a friend.

We use our 3 fingers to retell.

I love this part…DIGEST IT!

Just as a good meal…when you are finished, appreciate it.

Think about it.

 ENJOY IT!

Read MORE!

 You are NEVER done!

When you finish…read more!

My kiddos love to stack ALL of their books on the left..

as they finish reading a book…

place it in a pile on their right.

Keep reading!

Their goal is to

read more every day!

STAMINA!

Reading MATS are used to make goals.

Our goals are to read MORE!

Use your eyes to read…not your fingers.

 We want kids to quit using

their fingers to read.

Good readers use
their EYES!

“SCOOP” up words (phrases)

with your eyes.

When reading, put 3-4 words together

and read the phrases!

*GREAT time to teach

prepositions & prepositional phrases!

Always reread text

 Always, always…reread!

You will see more, read more, and understand more when you reread a story.

Read it to a partner, a

parent, or a friend.

The same book can sound new

when you are reading it

for the second or third time!



So there you are…


GET  READING!


Remember…


When in doubt…


ALWAYS make it


BALANCED  LITERACY




For more early literacy


 reading and writing resources


Check out


  1stgradefireworks


Click HERE for 


FUN FREEBIE


Freebie for Followers


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				I SEE PUMPKINS! Meet the “little ones”…
			

										

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I SEE PUMPKINS! Meet the “little ones”…






My hubby, AKA  Farmer Without a Farm, is growing




 pumpkins!




In our backyard.




On the fence.




Across the lawn.




In EVERY garden we own!




And FINALLY…Yes, I say FINALLY…


WE HAVE PUMPKINS!


2 to be exact!




Meet the “little ones”.








Clara the colorful…




She is turning ORANGE the fastest.










Sidewinder SAM.




He is growing SIDEWAYS ON my ladder!




Just like the “STEPS” he can take to grow!




HAHAHA




 Pumpkin  HUMOR 🙂 








And this is Junior!




Junior is was growing in our garden at school.




I work at a TITLE 1 school…someone STOLE him!




RIP junior.




You would have made a great  PIE!   🙂




To help my FIRSTIES get into the FALL  SPIRIT…








I have brought out the FALL GOODIES!






 Remember…it’s 95 degrees in NORCAL this week…




 hard to feel “FALLISH!”






Fall BUNDLE








Falling for NOUNS ( Common Core Grade 1 )


and




FALL Fluency




BUNDLED TOGETHER to save $$










FALL  THEMATIC   UNIT








Includes:




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






AND…




BRING ON ANYTHING  


HALLOWEEN “ish”…




Fact  Families








Finally, 






MORE TASK CARDS




These are  ADDITION ONLY!




Good starting PACKET






Fall ADDITION TASK CARDS










Now…If I could just get the PUMPKINS




to




CARVE THEMSELVES!




( I Hate the SLIME!)




Oh, well.




Stay COOL my FRIENDS!






Wendy

					

		
		
	


	

				

			
						

				My OCTOBER classroom DILEMMA!
			

										

					1 Reply				

					


				

			
 




So my October dilemma.






We have a two-week FALL vacation.






 








(NO COMPLAINING HERE!)






WAHOO!!!








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!






Happy Halloween!


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?????


FAll Leaves


BTW…   I  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE   FALL!


I love October!


My favorite season.


Pumpkins


Starbuck’s Pumpkins Spiced Latte


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!


 




Bear wrapped as MUMMY


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???









, 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!









(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


Pumpkin plant in the garden


Growing  Pumpkins


Crock pot applesauce


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!


Boo Bang FREEBIE!





					

		
		
	


	

				

			
						

				Bring on FALL!  We are READY!
			

										

					2 Replies				

					


				

			


Have I mentioned…








I  LOVE  FALL!








OK…Many times.






I live in NORCAL.








We don’t have the  TRADITIONAL






4 seasons.








DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE  4   ????






In NORCAL…


we have


Summer ( 90-100 degrees )


Fall   (  80-90 degrees)


Winter   (  foggy…  60-70 degrees…sometimes cooler )


Spring  ( 70-90 degrees )


It’s OK…I LOVE my HOMETOWN.


Sometimes.


OH…well…  🙂


And so on.


SO now that it’s 80 degrees & FALL..


What’s UP in ROOM 3??






Fall Brings…


BRAG  TAGS!


We use Brag Tags on rings during the month.


They earn BRAG TAGS


for


 following classroom / school rules


AND


Lifeskills


At the end of each month…


They transfer their earned BRAG TAGS  from RINGS…


To string necklaces.


They get to wear their necklaces ALL DAY AT SCHOOL


and then


HOME!


( Parents are told at BTS night to


 REWARD their kids for necklaces


 at the end of the month!)  🙂




Fall Brings…


English   Language   Arts


Word Work




Word  Sorts…NO GLUE!


Pick 3 crayons.


Color the words according to the KEY!


Write!




Back from 2 week vacation.


TEACHER…..CLEAN   YOUR   TABLE!


 I don’t have a teacher desk.           #bestdecisionever




Reading  ROCKERS!    #alternativeseating






Birthday  Books.


On each student’s birthday  ( or close  to ),


We make a class BIRTHDAY  BOOK!


We do these during  MUST DO TIME!


Independent work.


We have a “FRAME” style we use.


Everyone makes a page.


We STAPLE together and VOILA!


CLASS   BIRTHDAY  PRESENT!


We sing and dance as we PRESENT ( haha )  it to the birthday  student!


LAST..( whew..what a  week !)




Fall Brings…


GUIDED MATH


My  newest  &  favorite time of the day!
















 We are doing






MATH  MUST  DO’s  &  MAY  Do’s








( Same format as ELA centers in the AM )








KEEP  YOUR  ROUTINES  THE  SAME!








We go the the MATH  Calendar  (  next to ELA  Calendar  )






after  lunch.








Math  Calendar






After  we go through the “math board”…


We NOW ( Quarter 2)  do MATH MUST DO’S.


(  Approx.  45   minutes  )


Must DO’s


#1    MATH    JOURNAL


Story  Problem  with  illustrations &  number  sentence.


#2    Math  Paper


A  Workbook Page FROM  YESTERDAY ( review )


#3    MATH   TUB  (center)  with a PARTNER


I do the whole class MATH lesson  BEFORE  centers.


SOMETIMES we do the workbook page together…sometimes they do.


Depends on the Lesson.  We  have a district curriculum to follow.


( Approx.  time    45  minutes  )


What  am I doing?


GUIDED   MATH   GROUPS!


I meet with 2-3  kids at a time.


We work on a STRATEGY.


NO  worksheets!


They need  to have independent  strategies to do ON THEIR OWN!


I  can’t  take the assessments  FOR THEM!


So…


Here is what’s UP  in room 3 in the FALL?


Need  supplements for ELA  or MATH?


Brag Tags


Balanced Literacy


Check out my store for GOODIES!


1stgradefireworks









					

		
		
	


	

				

			
						

				DESK Plates for student names…No Paper Needed!
			

										

					6 Replies				

					


				

			


This week’s theme…




Student desk plates.


Name tags. Desk Plates. Whatever YOU call them.




Do you have name plates on your student’s desks?


Do they




WRITE ON THEM?


 RIP THEM?


 PLAY WITH THEM..ALL THE TIME?




I have a SOLUTION!




PAINT PENS!




WHAT?


PAINT their desks?  NO WAY!








No …Not Paint their desks!




I use SHARPIE PAINT PENS…


(OIL BASED)




To write their names ON THE DESK!








Check out the CUTE Colors!






But…HOW DO I GET Desk Plate   OFF???




Shhh….don’t tell




BLACK EXPO MARKER & a Good eraser


will take off ALL PERMANENT Marker


and


Oil-based  Paint pens!


WHO KNEW?








Now…No papers on their desks.


No TAPE!


Nice…smooth…clean…


I LOVE IT!


Try it!




You can change it whenever you want!


 Add cuties for the changing seasons!


SO FUN!


And so easy the add or change


when a new student enters your classroom community!


Check out MORE  about


classroom organization.