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!