Second Semester, Day 1

We got through roughly half of what I'd planned for the day.  We did a lot of goal setting today.  But I don't necessarily think that was a bad thing.

We talked about the difference between goals and dreams.

From there, we talked about a goal vs. a SMART goal.

(This image is from my daily morning journals, available {here} and currently on sale). 

We set reading, math, school, and life goals.

I modeled the differences between a goal and a SMART goal:

Yes, taking attendance on time is one of my goals. The office is quite pleased.

We then recorded our goals in our {flip book}.

We also reviewed the difference between daily, weekly, and monthly goals:

It was a busy, busy first day back. We also went to library, looked at our 50+ new books (I've been doing some cleaning), took the math pre-test, talked about our upcoming field trip, and got on the computer for Lexia practice.

Prepping for Day 1, Round 2

The first day back from Winter Break is basically the first day of school all over again.

While it's important to jump back into the swing of things, it's also important to take into account the emotions of my students.  Some are upset about being back to school, but others have missed the stability and consistency that school provides.

I'm treating the first morning back from break like August all over again.  

We are going to change seats, re-establish class jobs, share about our breaks (while respecting that not everyone had epic adventures),and do some goal setting:

This {freebie} is perfect for our morning and I managed to get it copied before winter break.

We will be doing a pretest for our next math unit, a sort for our new reading unit, and having some computer time. 

After the kids leave, I'll prep the rest of my materials for the rest of the week.  One day at a time!

Back into the swing of things

Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite.

I love reading.  I want my students to love reading.

But sometimes, no often times, I don't make time for reading myself.  Yes, I read emails.  Yes, I read social media.  Yes, I'll flip through magazines on a regular basis.

But reading an actual book from start to finish in a timely manner? That's a rare event...and something I need to work on.

With 2017 looming right around the corner, I thought it'd be a good time to start thinking of some goals.  

By sharing them, I'm more likely to hold myself accountable and actually complete these goals.

Now, that's not a SMART goal, so let's get a little more specific. 

I'd like to tackle 17 novels in 2017, but if I get through one a month, that will suffice.

I'd like to read a mix of professional books, young adult adventures, and books that spark my interest.  Some of them will be the Battle of the Books books since that's starting up in January.

I finished The Only Thing Worse than Witches a few days ago and just posted the novel guide {here} on my TpT site.  The chronological order sort is in progress, as is the bundle guide.

Last night, I started The Hammer of Thor, the sequel to The Sword of Summer which is Rick Riordan's new Norse mythology series.

This book is January's task!

I've taken a few book suggestions from others, but need to prioritize and have the Battle of the Books ones done by the end of March.

Classroom Shopping

We report back the middle of August, so I was thoroughly disgusted when I discovered Target had set up it's back to school aisles.  This may deter me from shopping, which wouldn't be the worst thing since moving is expensive!  (Paying double rent and (shudder) utilities during a Las Vegas summer is even worse!).  I refuse to visit these aisles until August.  July is my month!

I did however take advantage of my mom's visit to determine my classroom colors.  My boyfriend, bless him, could care less about what colors I'm doing and how I'm organizing my classroom.  He's more than willing to help but looks at me strangely when I ask his opinion on color palates. 

I'm starting over at a new school and rejuvenated with excitement about decorating a new learning space.  These feelings of desire, nervousness, and passion mirror those I experienced right after Teach for America's summer institute five summers ago.  I have a new teaching space in a new positive environment and I'm so blessed to have this opportunity for change.

My mom and I drove by my new school, which was 7 minutes from the house with no traffic :)  She loved it and is so supportive of this change, which means the world to me.  We then, coupons in hand, trekked to Joann's to investigate their teaching aisles.

I scored a banner in this color scheme:

For 70 percent off!  My entire purchase was under twelve dollars, which also included several other classroom goodies.  (For the record, I love coupons and sales!)

I picked up a plain yellow banner:

That I will repurpose into this:

Except have it say "writing" instead of write. 

I grabbed a classroom jobs premade kit with this color scheme:

Which will be the basis for my new classroom! 

I also snagged some self adhesive paper pockets:

That I will transform into some sort of goal-setting wall!  I like the idea of having students' goals displayed but in a more private manner.  (I also liked that I scored a 24 pack for under a dollar instead of their posted $4 price!)

I'm excited to decorate my new classroom!

Writing Portfolios

This year I'm having my students keep track of their writing with portfolios.

During the first week of school, I had them fill out a "me as a writer" sheet so I could start to plan out mini-lessons based on their needs.

I read through their writing struggles and made a list:

Luckily, a lot of these concerns are addressed in the CCSS so my instruction can be both standards-based and data-driven.

From there, I found a stack of manila file folders and stapled their sheets inside.

I then added a picture of this chart

about growth and mastery of standards to the outside of their folder:

For durability, I added some packing tape to make sure the growth chart was staying put!

Inside, I stapled a double sided chart of the common core writing and language standards so they could see exactly what we're working on:

We will talk about SMART goals after our diagnostic constructed responses this week.  Students will then generate their own writing goals, which will also be stapled into their portfolios.

Their portfolios can double as privacy shields during independent writing time for assessments.

I made a wordle out of their list of struggles with writing:

At least we have a very comprehensive list!  Plus, the largest issue of "big words" we are tackling right away with explicit phonics and syllable types :)

I turned that wordle into part of my bulletin board, but more on that later!