Tuning Into Interesting Words!

One of the CAFE strategies under Expanding Vocabulary is Tune Into Interesting Words, and my students love it! The first month of school, I had nothing on my word wall. I kept forgetting to incorporate it into my daily routine. These past two weeks, I really made a push to use the Word Wall everyday, and it is really enhancing the reading we are doing as a class. 

Each week, there will be new sight words in purple that we practice each day. On a whim, I began color coding the words we put on the Word Wall by nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc... Our amazing adjectives are in green, our vigorous verbs are in yellow, and Social Studies words are in blue. We are reading Charlotte's Web, and the book is full of descriptive language and interesting words for the kids to explore.  We currently love the words dismayed and devoured!

Restart

After a tough three weeks, I finally feel like I have some of my energy back. This weekend I felt much more optimistic and eager to make some necessary changes in the classroom.

The signs below will be the individual tracking system for our "Strong Minds and Big Hearts" theme. Students will receive stickers to place on the numbers when they show one of the characteristics of someone with a "strong mind" or "big heart." Once they reach 10 stickers, they will get a certificate and a special "surprise" - aka I need to figure something out :) I think the kids will be excited to see the next bulletin board tomorrow!

Language Arts Makeover!

Below are our Reading and Writing Goal Binders. Each student has an assigned number to keep them organized. More info later on the contents inside!

I finally created my "Writing Center" to use during Daily Five and Work on Writing!  Below the writing center are our Words Their Way sort bins. Students have a word study notebook and materials for their word sorts for the week.

Some of the paper options for "Work on Writing." During Daily 5, students have a choice of what they can write about. In Writer's Workshop we focus on a specific writing skills and types of writing. We just started our Personal Narrative Unit.

I have five different word study groups based on students' spelling development stage. I am using Words Their Way to differentiate instruction for my kids!  So far I really like the program and it fits seamlessly into the Daily 5 routine.

I've been a little bit of a control freak with materials this year, so the kids will be excited to get their own pink erasers Monday. They will also have to be responsible for this mini-sharpener as a group. Always trying to minimize 2nd grade messes :)

Love Notes

This week has been extremely difficult for me.  It seems like I've been sick since the beginning of the year...as one ailment is relieved, my daily handshaking brings me something else to worry about.  I've also been pretty consumed with this job. It's been difficult to find "me" time and take my mind off the list of tasks that will never be finished.

It's so nice to receive notes like this one below! They remind me of the reason why I do this job and why it is so consuming. I may never feel satisfied with my performance because I care so much about these kids.

 And a little comic relief below :) FYI Her non-functional phone was confiscated the other day after she began "texting" during class.

Class Theme and Sharpened Pencils

One lesson learned teaching - not all pencils are created equal! Cheap pencils are sooo appealing. Seeing 10+ pencils disappear a day, erasers pulled off, and pencils split in half by your most "active" students makes it tempting to go out and buy those sale pencils - the ones you see for a dollar a pack.

There's nothing better, though, then the classic Dixon Ticonderoga... ask any teacher out there.  I also found a website that personalized notepads for teachers. I believe for only $12, I know have a great notepad for positive notes home.  LoveIt! Personalized Notepads (See here!) have tons of cute notepads for teachers.

Our class theme is Strong Minds and Big Hearts. I came up with ten characteristics of scholars who have a Strong Mind and Big Heart.  The yellow sentence strips are Strong Minds and the orange are Big Hearts. When students' actions reflect one of these characteristics I've asked them to draw their actions on a small card and I staple it next to the sentence strip.

Stickers, books, and the DRA

My school does not have a library, but I was fortunate to receive a good supply of used books from different places and people to create a pretty large classroom library. I then began debating how to organize these books.  Since I wanted to teach my students how to find "good-fit" books, I thought I could simply organize my library by genre and call it a day!  Two challenges surfaced - 1. Children's book genres boil down to two major categories - animal fiction and realistic fiction :) 2. Students continue to pick books that were either too challenging or too easy.

I decided that it was time to bite the bullet, take home loads of books in my car, and level my library. This will give me more insight into what books fit different students and ensure that kids are picking appropriate books. I decided to level my library by DRA level using the Scholastic Book Wizard (here!). Many episodes of "Mad Men" on netflix and hours later...the job is finished!

To-Do's

A long weekend is a teacher's best friend. I've enjoyed the opportunity to take a couple extra hours and do nothing! I had a great day with my teacher friends Tia and Cara in Sedona today and even got some planning done in the car there and back. 

Everything is in the details...and with so many details to attend to in elementary, it is easy for things to fall through the cracks!  I am trying to find a new organization system to make me more streamlined with planning and to help manage the plethora of "little" things I need to get done throughout the week.   Playing around with word and tables for 10 minutes yesterday, I created a Weekly To-Do template that I plan to begin using this week. I'm hoping that planning my planning and having a central place to record my "To-Do's" will make my life more manageable!

See my template below!

The Emotional Roller Coaster of Teaching

I haven't posted for a while because life has been speeding by during these first weeks of school. Waking up at 5 AM, enduring the extended school day, and coming home to plan has taken a toll again, as expected. I am trying to get more sleep this year and be in bed by 10 PM!

Overall, it has been an emotional roller coaster of HIGHS and LOWS.  The highs are high in teaching, full of love and happiness from children, and of course the lows are very low, as we reflect on ways that we could be better.  Some successes and "failures" so far...I hate calling them "failures," however, when life as a teacher is always a work-in-progress.

Successes! 
(1) Despite the sheer number of little ones (32 of them!), I can say that I have a great class, and I see my "vision" for the class coming to life with the right steps taken.

(2) I made it one of goals to know families this year, and I am proud that I've been able to do so amidst beginning of the year craziness! I have enjoyed speaking with all the families, and I feel like this will be a game-changer for my kids' achievement in the end.

"Failures"! (Things Gotta Change :)
(1) Tightening up some routines and procedures! Moving down from 5th/7th grades has been an adjustment, and it is very different handling 7 year olds! They are a whole different beast :)  I need to tighten up some essential routines - dismissal, line up, etc... Ideas are welcome!

(2) My confidence. I was so positive Week 1, but it is difficult to stay motivated as the grind sets in. With time, I know I will feel successful - in the meantime, I feel like a work-in-progress!

Luckily, Phoenix makes it so easy to think about the "Big Picture" of life when I am surrounded by beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I am trying to take it all in daily and keep it in perspective. Disclaimer: Do not try to take sunrise/sunset pictures while driving...as tempting as it may be :)

Math Rotations

It has been a while since I've posted last, due to the back-to-school craziness that has ensued!  I took a quick picture of the Math Rotations board that I created. I stole this idea from another great blogger, Clutter-Free Classroom (see here!). Thank you for the inspiration. Now I need to roll these out this coming week.

Cacti All Around!

As promised, here are some more pictures of my classroom during it's transformation. It was a crazy week getting prepared to show the room for "Meet the Teacher Night," but after moving desks up three floors, taking five tables and a teachers desk out of the room, and sifting through all the 2nd grade materials from last year, it finally got done!

I'm so happy with the Southwest theme! It really is coming together, and even those who doubted the "cactus" idea are liking it :)  Below are some pictures of the classroom:

Wall left of the door! Bulletin boards for tracking reading, class theme and goals, "Reading Takes Us Places!" Wall, bookshelves.

Wall opposite the door! Bookshelves with classroom library.

"Carpet" area for whole-group instruction. Easel, CAFE board, and Word Wall!

Close-up of the "carpet" area in our room! Thanks to all the generous donations on DonorsChoose.org, I will soon have a beautiful carpet with 30 squares for my kids to sit on :) Thank you!

Cactus CAFE!

Friday is Back to School Night, Tuesday in the first day of school....this week has been insane! Despite all the stressful situations I've found myself in, I was happy to finally begin setting up my classroom today. My first completed project is our CAFE board, in the spirit of the Southwest!

I mentioned in a previous post that I would be doing a Southwest theme. In reality, this means nothing more than picking some great colors and planting some laminated cacti, but I love it so far! I am excited to be implementing Daily Five and CAFE in my classroom this year - more posts to come with this board filled.

I must give credit to Ladybug's Teacher Files (http://www.ladybugsteacherfiles.com/) for  CAFE board headings. I made them my own, but I was fortunate to benefit from her fonts and graphics!

Personal Laminator!

I just recently purchased the Scotch Thermal Laminator TL901 (see here on Amazon), and I LOVE it! My school, unfortunately, doesn't have a large laminator and/or sheets that I can use, so this past year, I avoided laminating at places like FedEx or Staples because of the cost.

I never realized how affordable it would be to buy my own! On Amazon, this laminator is $30 and works perfectly. I bought the letter-sized Thermal Laminating Pouches by Scotch as well, and they have done the job.

This may be my new favorite purchase! Life saver :)

See the laminator in use below - I've been working on creating my behavior management system:

Back From Vacation...Back to School Shopping

Home Sweet Home...Back to the East!
After being away from the Southwest and enjoying a vacation for two weeks, I am trying to get all things organized for the final preparation push before the start of school in early August. I was able to make it back to the East Coast for a short vacation to Philadelphia and then down to the beach with some family in North Carolina.  While the air was muggier than the dry desert heat, it was a great time to reconnect with family and slow time down for a while before the fall rush begins again.

Back to School Shopping!
Back to the grind, I did some Saturday morning shopping today, making trips to Lakeshore Learning (online here!) and OfficeMax (That happened to have 25% off for teachers today!).  Check out my "Back to School" goods below!

A couple projects in the works...


(1) Southwest-Inspired Color Scheme!
                                

This idea came to me somewhat casually at Lakeshore when I realized that they had no teal bulletin board paper (1st choice) - tragedy :) .  I decided that I would switch my original idea for color in the room to something that was easily available. And this is where the Southwest color scheme comes in!

Considering I'm a non-native to the region, I'm telling myself it's still cute and acceptable to embrace this theme! Who doesn't love a cactus and a sunset?  Bulletin boards will be the bright red/orange and I purchased orange, yellow, and light green borders.  The picture on the right is of amazing desert decorations made out of fabric that I saw in the Anthropologie store in PA - a little inspiration!

(2) Venn Diagram Pocket Chart!
                                

At Lakeshore, I was excited to find this Venn Diagram Pocket Chart on sale! I bought it for $18, but could only find it on Carson-Dellosa for $29 (here!)...probably worth looking on Amazon instead. If you have as much trouble as I do drawing large circles that resemble a Venn Diagram on the board - this is probably a great buy for you!

(3) Word Wall Alphabet Photo Cards!

I originally thought I would make the letter cards for my word wall, but after stumbling across these Photo Cards at Lakeshore, I gave in and decided to buy. I love how clean and clear they are, and they also provide a great example picture/word for each letter. Can't go wrong with the traditional manuscript!

More pictures to come with completed projects!

Teacher Clothes

While this may seem like a frivolous post, everyday as a teacher you must wake up and decide on something to wear that will be both comfortable AND will somewhat reflect your personal sense of style - a very difficult task.

While exploring Pinterest today, I came across a great image from Atlantic-Pacific's blog that, in my opinion, reflects the perfect teacher combination of comfort and personal style. Skirts and tops are the way to go - and I happen to love mixing patterns. Now on to find some affordable options.

On my eternal quest for affordable and adorable "teacher clothes," one of my first stops to shop is Anthropologie's sale section --- Rarely will I ever even think to buy something full-priced from Anthro, but fortunately for those of us on a limited budget looking for great floral patterns, they frequently have amazing sales. Check it out here!

Lucy Calkins...you are my hero.

Through my masters coursework this past year, I was introduced to the "Writer's Workshop" approach to teaching writing and instantly fell in love! Even when I was excelling, I was always an anxious writer in school and held "perfectionist" mentalities towards the craft. I never was given the opportunity to benefit from a program like Writer's Workshop that encourages risk-taking in writing and emphasizes the idea that writing involves the continual process of revision.

All that being said, I knew I wanted to hold a "Writer's Workshop" each day this school year, but I hadn't yet flushed out all the details of HOW! And this is when the stars aligned in my favor, and Lucy Calkins came to my rescue.  A Teach for America alum was selling Lucy Calkins Units of Study for Primary Writing: A Yearlong Curriculum (see picture below & check out the publisher's website here) at a very reasonable price, and without knowing little more than that Lucy Calkins is a woman to listen to, I bought it on the spot!

I've been pouring over these units this past week, and I am coming to realize how fortunate I was to happen upon these books! My school does not provide guidance on Writer's Workshop, so this will be my lifesaver! More post to come on implementing the curriculum.

Now some Writer's Workshop Pinterest inspiration! 

(1) I have not yet decided whether I would like students to have a writing binder or folder OR binder with folders - so many decisions to make. Nevertheless, below is some inspiration guiding those ideas. Thank you Ms. Madden of Madden's Monsterous Masterminds.  Her ideas for the writing binder are great!

(2) Definitely loved the idea of teaching Six Traits Writing using the acronym - VOICES.  Similar to the CAFE strategies board, I want to have a VOICES board that displays strategies we use in Writer's Workshop. Thank you Ladybug's Teacher Files for providing this great resource.

Pinterest Inspired Crafting - Happy 4th!

My dear friend Cara, another 2nd grade teacher in Arizona and author of the blog, Little People, Big Goals, is getting her craft on after finding some inspiration on Pinterest. These jumbo craft sticks are being painted and labeled with each student's name. A great way to check for understanding and hold you accountable for calling on all students. Once a students name has been called she can simply flip the stick over to the other color to keep track!

and the inspiration below...

Courtesy of KinderTastic!

Happy 4th! :)

35 Days Until School!

I cannot believe how fast this summer has flown by! There are so many things I want to accomplish and prepare for my second year in the classroom. For this reason, since I left school in late May, I've felt the coming school year looming and approaching.  For the past five weeks or so, I've been working at my school for Teach for America's Institute and have been able to reflect, prepare, and spend time with some of my future kids! I'm so happy I took the job as a faculty advisor because I've gained some valuable insights watching new teachers grow this summer.

It's difficult to sum up all the things I've been working on and planning for this year, but I'm hoping to start posting my plans and progress over the next couple of weeks.

Two fun and affordable things I did the last two days :)

(1) This coming year, I will be doing Writer's Workshop with my second graders and needed an "Author's Chair" for sharing time. I did a quick search on Craigslist yesterday for a child's rocker, and found a cute and cheap chair for $10! Below is the "Before" picture of the Author's Chair. I'm planning to paint it and hang a sign from its back.

(2) I also paid a visit to an amazing place today with my teacher-friend, Cara! Treasures 4 Teachers is an organization dedicated to helping teachers with limited funds find the supplies they need. They have a warehouse-like room full of free or discounted used and new materials teachers can use. For a small membership fee of $35 a year, you can visit as many times as you'd like! There is a whole section of free materials and $5 a bag section (you can fill your bag to the brim!).  I spent $28 and came out with 32 binders, books, 8 packs of dividers, 7 huge packs of sheet protectors, hanging file folders, portfolio folders, and a bunch of other small items.  This place is a life-saver for us poor teachers!

Me with my shopping cart of binders! I'm going to use these for Daily Five and Writer's Workshop :)

I'll update my blog with the "After" picture of the Author's Chair once it's finished!

Summer Reading: Six Traits

And the Six Traits book!

Scholastic 6+1 Traits of Writing by Ruth Culham

Summer Reading: Writer's Workshop

For writing instruction, I'm hoping to implement a "Writer's Workshop" and to use the Six Traits as an assessment tool.  Below you will find some of the reading that's getting me ready for the fall!


Writing Workshop by Fletcher & Portalupi

Summer Reading: Literacy

While I'm extremely excited to move to second grade this fall, I'm also overwhelmed by the amount that I need to learn! I've decided to front-load my reading on literacy instruction so I can enter the classroom in August with confidence. I'll let you in on some of the helpful reading I've done so far that will change my teaching this fall.

Guided Reading by Fountas & Pinnell

Word Matters by Fountas & Pinnell

Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller

The Daily Five by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser

The CAFE Book by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser