Five for Friday - Operation Classroom Setup Style!

Well, the last week of July has come and gone...this is typically the week when I get my classroom all setup so I can relax a bit for the coming weeks (you know...the calm before the storm). 

And honestly, I tried. 

I spent four days there.

And I have made progress. 

Some progress.

But I am far from done.

I seem to be moving slower than usual.

I blame the shoulder surgery recovery. :(

Anyway, that means I do have some fun pictures for you this week.

So let's get started!

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs again!

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Dear Mr. Maintenance Man...thank you for the new ceiling tiles. They look awesome, however, this is what I call a half-job in my house and/or classroom. :-( 

I have no idea what all these cords and wires are, but I guess I get to figure it out. #Annoyed

2 

So my slow progress also had to do with our new reading curriculum. It took me a whole day to purge my old files and organize my new materials. I was so excited the big, awkward cards actually fit in my filing system though! 

3

If you follow us on Facebook, you know I shared this post from Kristen with Easy Teaching Tools. It inspired me to make these copy clips. #Genius #SaveTheStickyNotes

I'll makes some with numbers needed after final enrollment, but for the most part this is done. #TeacherTimeSaver

4 

 Remember the post about my teaching failures? Some of my mistakes were due to jumping into things. 
 
Well, Whole Brain Teaching is something that I have eased into and feel pretty confident that it fits my teaching style. I have incorporated parts of WBT into my teaching for the last few years.

This year, I'm using the Super Improver Wall for the very first time. Here's how it turned out:

Yes, right now I'm only planning on 14 students. With one class per grade level, my class sizes fluctuate from year to year. The most I've had is 23. If I don't get any new kiddos, this will be my smallest class. It is nice, but makes me worried for our little K-2 building... Remember if you want the editable name cards free, you can grab them in our TPT store.

 5

WBT Power Pix Grids

Speaking of WBT, my most engaging lessons are ones where I have an action for the concept I'm teaching, but I struggled to always come up with an action. 

As I browsed the WBT website for more information on the Super Improver Wall and Genius Ladder (the two things I knew I wanted to add this year), I stumbled onto Power Pix. 

If you are a WBTer, you're probably thinking, "Duh!" 
I had no idea! 
WBT has done all the work of coming up with actions for you. Seriously.

Check out their website if you are interested.

Now, I'm trying to convince myself that I do NOT need to go to the classroom on a Saturday in the summer.

I do NOT need to go.

I do NOT need to go.

:-)

Crystal's Classroom Tour - Video Style

Well, hello there.

I survived the first two days of school (in case you were worried)!

And the first week of volleyball practice!

I'm the assistant high school coach this year…haven't made it home before 7:00 all week!

My sixth year teaching…you'd think I'd be used to the craziness of the beginning of the year. 

But no. 

I struggled this week to keep up. It didn't help that the tech guy decided I needed a new computer on the first day of school! 

I didn't want to complain because I did need a new one, but the timing was a challenge! That combined with the printing and internet problems we've had this week made even the simplest task  difficult and time consuming. Ugh!

 I have actually been at the school for hours today…on a Saturday. :( 

But I feel well prepared for next week, so that is good.

I decided to give you a video tour of my classroom. There is a part in there that will give you a hint as to how my first two days with kids went! ;-)

Feel free to ask questions if you see something I forgot to explain.

One thing I meant to say and forgot about my objectives board. I'm still getting used to how I want to word them, so no judging please! The last couple years, I have posted preprinted "I can…" statements, but I wasn't very good at referring to them. Also, even though my student helper reads them in the morning, I do go over them again during the actual lessons. Just wanted to clarify.

Hope you're having a restful weekend!

P.S. Once again the 20 minutes with Kindergarten (for science/ss instead of music) is going to be the longest part of my day! Bless you K teachers--I simply could not do it!

Goodbye Job Chart and Hello Music Room!

Happy Friday!

I am sooooo exhausted. I have made it through the first full week of school--or I will if I make it until 3:00 this afternoon. Ha!

I'm popping in to share pictures of my music room (as promised). 

These cabinets used to be bright red, green, and blue. I knew I wanted to paint them black, but I was afraid it would be too much black. Then I had the idea of using black chalkboard paint. I *love* how they turned out. The kids were so excited to make their mark on the music room by writing their names. :-)

This is the view from the door. Notice the red arrow pointing to my stuffed dog, Duke. He happens to be the best classroom management tip I have for teaching music (not that I claim to be an expert at all). 

Last year with my first year teaching music, the management part of it was definitely the biggest challenge for me. It is just so different than how I handle my second grade classroom. Kids are in and out in 20 minutes and I just didn't feel like I had the time needed to really bond with students to promote good behavior (other than my 2nd graders). 

Duke watches every day for a student making good choices who he can sit with during each music class. The kids also enjoy the stories I tell them about how ornery Duke is when they aren't around...swinging from the ceiling fan, dumping out my markers, etc. The idea is he has to sit with someone who can help him be good. :-) I wasn't sure using Duke like this (similar to how I used him when I taught 1st grade) for music would work, but for now he is definitely a keeper! 

This is the view from the other side of the room.

I only use the music room for 1 hour each day (20 minutes each for K, 1, and 2), so in the mornings it will be used for reading groups. I set up this little area for the teacher who will be working in here.

And finally...goodbye job chart!

Last year I got tired of swapping jobs and trying to remember who had which jobs. I knew I was going to one special helper a week, but I hadn't figured out how exactly I would make that work.

I was talking it over with another teacher and she gave me the BEST idea!

I use an assigned line (I know Kristi talked about this before...of course, I learned it from her) and in the past I have left it exactly the same all year long (except for the line leader). Sometimes I would feel bad that those in the back were always the last to lunch...and everywhere really. 

So my teacher friend's suggestion solved both my problems. Rotate my assigned line and have the first person in line do all the jobs. The next week, that person goes to the back and I have a new special helper. The line is really the same (so no getting confused on the order)--just rotating it. LOVE IT!

My first special helper has done an amazing job. I posted these pictures by the door to help him remember all the things he is in charge of doing.

This system, along with the colored dots on the desks being used to help out with team jobs, is working wonderfully for our class.

Have a wonderful long weekend! 

I know I have big plans to rest up on Monday. :-)

Five for Friday - Again? Say what?

Okay, folks, the countdown is really on for me.

Two weeks of summer vacation left!

I have been busy working on the music room (ugh), sprucing up our TPT and TN stores, getting my kiddos to work on sample interactive notebooks, finishing my math interactive notebook, and writing about the armour of God (my latest chapter in the devotion book I'm working on).

Whew! I'm getting tired just reading all that...

Anyway, because of all that craziness, I actually do have Five for Friday pictures again!

These scrappy numbers are actually a freebie from Graphics from the Pond that I stumbled on yesterday. Be sure to check them out!

The dreadful music room. Take a look at what I'm up against:

Now see my progress:

My wonderful mom made the zebra curtains for me. As of right now, all the primary colored shelving has been painted black. You can't see it in this picture, but there is a wall of cabinets (with doors). I'm painting the doors with black chalkboard paint! Should be fun and cute to decorate. As for the pile in the middle of the floor...ugh!

 I know I brag on them a lot, but I really do have the best kids in the world (okay, in my world?)! Anyway, here they are helping put together my reading and science interactive notebooks.

So maybe he is eating kiwi, but he really has been hard at work on the science notebook!

In case you're wondering, here's the notebooks I'm using:

Bundled Interactive Science Journals by Primary Graffiti

(LOVE THESE!)

Reading Interactive Notebook by Nicole Selby

(Love it, but I am adding things to it so it will be more like a complete ELA notebook if that makes sense.)

The math one I am actually making and I'm not done yet! Ack!

I'll admit, I wasn't really sold when I was reading so many of the tips for your TPT and TN store about attractive cover pages. Why? Because I'm not a "cutesy" person. I want functional. I'm all for simple. However, as I started working on updating some of our products, I can whole-heartedly admit that the updated products are definitely more eye-catching. I've also added two new products:

We've had people asking us to bundle games for awhile. Here's my first one--finally!

This is more of a time-saver, sanity-saver for me. People were loving this idea on my focus wall and would e-mail me about an editable file. I would e-mail it to them (after they purchased the other one) so I finally decided I should just list the thing! Woohoo!

I won't bore you with the details, but I got a problem with our Facebook fan page fixed (thanks Angela!).

Speaking of that fan page? Have you liked it yet? We are at 1,848 likes. Sure would like to hit 2,000! Click here to visit our page.

And finally, a food picture. Yes, I truly took this picture and posted it to facebook the night I made it! I don't think I am going to be a food photographer or anything, but this was so good!

Cauliflour used as "rice." Oh, the possibilities!

In this case, I substituted it for spaghetti noodles. I made both for the family. My son picked the cauliflour over the noodles right away. Hubby and daughter each tried it and liked it (after already having their noodles).

I saw it on Food Network Star...we usually follow the show, but missed most of it this year so I don't even know the guy who made it. Sorry!

Head on over to Doodle Bugs and link up.

Oh, and come back on Sunday for chapter eight of Guided Math in Action! It's about centers...my least favorite thing. ;-)

Classroom Tour and First Day Activities

I'm happy to report that my second day teaching K music was much better. There was no jumping off benches, rolling around on the floor, or banging on instruments. There still may have been a couple of boys plugging their ears and refusing to participate, but at least they were sitting/standing in their own space! I'm thinking baby steps...

 

Anyway, I finally got around to snapping pictures of my "completed" room (I have already rearranged the desks once) and I thought I'd give you a peek at a couple of our first day activities in 2nd grade.

 

When the students came in on the first day (last Thursday), they had an All About Me page waiting for them. I found this (via Pinterest) here. AMAZING amount of FREE printables on this site so be sure to check it out. Here's how some of mine turned out:

 

 

I always read David Goes to School on the first day to introduce our rules. I used this craftivity and writing freebie from Angie Neal. I always think it is funny to see how they turn out so different...

 

This Back to School Fun Packet from Smiling in Second Grade was waiting for them to start on when they come in Monday morning.

 

 

Now for the tour of my VERY small room...warning - lots of pics!

 

View from the door looking right.



View from the door looking straight ahead.

Wall of bookshelves to the left of the door.

My reading "nook." And yes, I sewed the pillowcases (don't look too close)!

 

 

Here's my desk area...first year without a teacher's desk. Still working on getting organized!

Eventually this will be where the kiddos do Listen to Reading...and also where my paras can work with students.

Mountain Math/Language sheets. I copied them front to back...we will do one sheet each day M-Th to finish the chart page (see below).

 

 

Calendar Area with those famous cupcakes...it is fun seeing them pop up on Pinterest!

Here's my board...all ready using our freebie Morning Routine posters. Check our TPT store. I tried to link, but TPT must be having  a problem right now.

Here's another look of that writing bulletin board from A Cupcake for the Teacher. The giant pencil is from The Teacher Wife. I also sectioned off an area of my whiteboard for math charts.

This wall of white board has been devoted to writing and reading. I have the names of our class written here for easy access - thanks Tammy at Forever in First for the idea. I've got my reading and writing goals posters - pinterest inspired. The baggie next to them has pencils and books ready with student numbers to add to the posters. I also have my Daily 5 anchor charts on this board...you can see the Read to Self one. The others just have the titles waiting until we introduce them.

Another peek at my reading focus wall. Technically this pic should have been by the calendar, but Blogger is having a fit...

Mailboxes, lunch check-in, and homework club...



Job chart!

Kansas Jayhawks! My son made that for me. I wonder how many days until basketball season... The poster was left by the former teacher and I just liked it. :-)

Have a great week! I'm exhausted already!