One and Done!

As {previously mentioned}, I've got some professional reading to tackle this summer.

This afternoon, I sat down with  Your School Rocks...So Tell People! with the intention of tackling a few chapters.

 

 Two hours later, in one sitting, I was done.  

It was a good, quick read that reaffirmed a lot of what I am already trying in the classroom.

My take-aways?

1) Continue to use class dojo to communicate with families about all the awesomeness that's happening in the classroom.

2) They aren't reading the paper newsletter.  Find a different (digital) way to communicate.  I like the idea of weekly podcasts.  I like the idea of them being limited to 2-3 minutes even more.  I'm hoping to figure out how to link them to Instagram instead of posting to Youtube.

3) Respect FERPA. Get permission before posting face pictures and don't use last names.  When in doubt, take artsy, behind the head shots.  It's hard to identify backs of heads & hands.
 
4) Create a classroom/teacher Instagram account.  I've got a personal one that I use and I'm already snapping pictures of class events for dojo, so why not?  In addition to this book being in favor of using social media, dozens of other respected educational articles back up this idea.

I didn't check with administration first, but created one that's totally separate from my personal account.  I shared a message on class dojo with last year's class and explained that families are welcome to follow me, but I won't follow back (thus ensuring their privacy).

One of the big "a ha" moments while reading was how often teens are on social media, so why not use that as a positive force.  One chapter focused on teachers/schools that were sending daily positive affirmations to help students start their days off right.  I have a teacher friend in Texas who has been doing this for years within the Discovery Educator Network (DEN) with massive success.  Why couldn't the same ideas be applied to the classroom?

I'm eager to see how this evolves, but I've got my branding hashtags ready (classroom specific, school specific, and the 50s pod specific). 

I stumbled upon this:

Which I plan to use.  I want the account to feel like a classroom account, so I will be sending students out with the iPads to take pictures.  I'll have them send to me and then I'll post from there. I also like the idea of them writing the captions and mini-blog posts.  Students tend to put forth a lot more effort when they have an authentic audience (meaning not just me the teacher). 

I've got two followers so far, one parent from last year and one teacher friend's professional account.  She used twitter last year and was my inspiration for the project (and who recommended the book to me), so it's nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of in the realm of technology.  Thanks Mrs. K!

Ssshhh!

What's better than starting a new calendar year with new teaching resources?

That's why I'm pleased to announce I'm having an end of the year sale!

For three days (12/30-01/01), my {entire store} will be 15% off to send 2015 of with a bang! 

Don't miss out!

August fires me up

My last few days of summer are here and honestly, I'm quite okay with it. I had an amazing summer and will return to work feeling refreshed and energized for the year ahead.  I've got some great new ideas for things to try in my classroom, courtesy of my DEN tribe.  I go back to my classroom on Wednesday and my bags are already packed!

I'm spending today doing various adult things (laundry, dishes, Costco) but breaking it up with fun activities (20% off my whole purchase at Joann's?! Yes please!) and girl time (Starbucks date with one of the nicest people at my work).  

Tomorrow will be a day devoted to Netflix and finishing a book I started (Al Capone does my homework).  

 I've read the first two and created TpT guides for them, so this is my next task.  The narrator is a young boy (Moose) whose father is a guard (now associate Warden) on Alcatraz Island in the 1930's.  The book follows his interactions with other children, including his older autistic sister Natalie, and famous (infamous?) inmates.  I use this to illustrate the importance of setting with my students.

I also finished this:

In high school, I loved Sloppy Firsts (and the four sequels that followed).  As cliche as it sounds, I grew up with this character (Jessica Darling) and her adventures.  

I was really excited when I found a preteen prequel (and really, really excited when it was only $5 thanks to Scholastic's book flyers).  However, I was hesitant to put it in my classroom library because of the possible content. 

 I vividly remember loaning Sloppy Firsts to a friend, only to have it returned several days later with a scathing note from the girl's mother inside about the profanity and filth of the novel.  The first book is a sixteen year old's diary where she deals with the frustrations of high school, seemingly unfair parents, and the struggles of being yourself while trying to fit in.  I'd be fine if high schoolers read the novel, but not my ten year old munchkins.  They're already in a hurry to grow up too fast, so they don't need to read about the sagas of high school.

However, the It List focuses on Jessica's adjustment to middle school.  In this story, middle school starts in seventh grade, but our district has middle school in sixth.  There's not much of an age gap between my students and the ones in this book, but I decided to read it first just to make sure it'd be fine to place in my library.

It will be.  The main character deals with jealousy issues with her best friend (she got her braces off!), trying out for the cheerleading team, dealing with new friends, and trying to figure out a mysterious boy in wood shop. (Spoiler, it's Marcus.)  

It was a quick read and apparently there's a sequel.  It comes in at a 5.3 reading level and 7 AR points, so it's a good fit for my fifth graders.  

I'm fired up for August, how about you?!

 

DENSI 2015 Take Aways

After much reflection (and reading others' blogs), here are some of my take-aways from DENSI 2015:

1) People matter.  

One of my favorite things about the DEN is that it's truly more than a digitally connected group of educators.  It's a family. It's a tribe.

I know that if I'm stuck on a concept or just need a little inspiration (DENspiration) after a tough day, they will be there.  One of our tribe members, Lindsay Foster, has a daily twitter image or message to inspire creativity and spread the love.  She challenged herself to spread positive vibes and I whole heartily embrace this.  In education, it's ridiculously easy to fall into a negative attitude because there's so much that is out of our control.  So I'd rather surround myself with happy vibes and that love for teaching was overwhelmingly evident at DENSI.

I can reach out on Edmodo, twitter, facebook, or texting when I need advice from my tribe.  This doesn't mean my work family isn't amazing (because they are) but sometimes it's nice to get other perspectives.  My tribe offers that.  From the first moment I walked on campus, I started to recognize people from DENSI 2013 or from the facebook group.  Everyone is welcoming, everyone is positive, everyone genuinely operates with the mindset that everyone should be successful.

I met people that recognized me from my TpT store picture and had previously purchased products, which was a surreal experience.  We ended up discovering this over the less-than-appetizing cafeteria breakfasts.  The friend requests are still coming in and my PLN (professional learning network) is ever-expanding.  It's nice to know I've got people in my corner.

2) Work-Life Balance.

If there's one thing to know about DENSI events, it's the importance of #napchat.  Nap chats fit perfectly with my love of naps.  Sleep is valued.  Taking care of yourself is encouraged.

DENSI focused on putting fun and joy back into the classroom.  Our jobs matter.  But home life and social life matters too.  There was time for learning at DENSI, but there was also lots of time for connecting to others.  I don't think Kate and I got to bed before midnight any day of the week because we were up chatting with others...oops!   Again, people matter.  

Last night, while B had softball, I went over to a friend's for dinner.  Several of my pals inquired as to where he was, which was appreciated.  He was not only missed by me, but my friends as well. I ended up staying for many hours after because I was having such rich, meaningful conversations with others.  The evening did include Cards against Humanity, at which point those meaningful conversations fizzled into ridiculously inappropriate ones.   

This year, one of my personal goals is to be better at the work-life balance.  I've already shared with two of my lovely grade level ladies that I need to leave by 4.  Most of this is to get home to let Waffles out, but I want to make sure I have my evenings for me.  I'll set aside one night to work late from home (whichever night B has class) but I want my nights free for our family time. 

3) Leadership matters.

I'm fortunate enough to work for two amazing administrators who aren't afraid to get a little bit silly when leading by example.

Beyond my admin, the leadership of the DEN is awesome.  The DEN (Discovery Educator Network) isn't as strong in my district as I'd like, so I'm excited to be in conversations about strengthening it to build community.  When educators in my district hear "Discovery Education", they tend to think of the benchmark assessments and the frustration that usually accompanies standardized testing.  I'm hoping to help change that conversation.

4) Have fun and be yourself.

I'm a creative person.  I like having my classroom be a slightly loud, slightly messy, melting pot of learning.  I take risks and sometimes lessons flop.  That's okay.  I learn from them and move on.  I have fun in my classroom and that's okay. 

My classroom is a reflection of me.  My classroom is a reflection of my students.  My classroom is a reflection of our learning journey. 

When you're excited about what you're doing, that enthusiasm rubs off on your students.  That's a good thing.

5) Share.

Often times, we get so wrapped up within the walls of our own classroom that we forget to connect with others.  We forget to share the great things that are happening.  We don't recognize the greatness in ourselves and feel inadequate when compared to others.

This has to stop.  There are exciting things happening in classrooms and they need to be shared and celebrated. 

We need to share with each other and learn from each other.  Part of my hesitation with sharing is that I don't want to feel like I'm doing someone else's work for them.  Truth be told, I've worked with some lazy educators over the years.  My definition of lazy has shifted because I acknowledge the importance of a work-life balance.  I didn't always appreciate that in my early years and would be unfairly critical to others who left on time to see their families.  I didn't think they put enough effort into their classrooms, but looking back, that wasn't my place to judge. 

Luckily, my tribe is filled with hard working educators who want to share their ideas with others.  

6) Take the time to laugh.

Not everything at DENSI went perfectly.  It rained when we saw the monuments.  I went eight straight days without soda.  I survived on grilled cheese and omelets.  There was ridiculous jack hammering during our trainings (not to worry, it was dealt with). Worst of all? The sheets. I had two flat sheets that did not fit the dorm bed.  I ended up in a cocoon-like ball each night and just slept on the slippery, rubber mattress.  

Could I control any of this? No.

So I chose laughter and rolled with it. 

7) Don't stop learning.

I haven't dived into my pages of notes yet, but I'm so excited to try new things in my classroom.  I obviously need to buy a green table cloth to try greenscreening and videos in my classroom.  I'm excited to incorporate mystery Skype into our geography lessons.  Doodling with note taking will be a new adventure this year.  

If I expect my students to be life-long learners, I should model that myself. 

Thank you, DENSI and my tribe, for helping me feel excited about this upcoming year.

Happy Half!

In elementary school, birthdays are special.  Students are sung to, treats are had, and a cute certificate is placed on their desk.  They get to use this special chair sign for the day:

(That is of course, if they celebrate their birthdays.  Always check during the first few days of school! I do this by including a question on their family surveys.  Chair cover is from the Dollar Store.)

My birthday always falls within the first week of school, so I rarely expect presents...because they've known me for what, 3 days?

However, my heart aches for those summer birthdays who don't get celebrated.  So this year, I decided to change that.

We are celebrating half birthdays:

I sent a note home to all my parents in December who had students with June, July, or early August birthdays to let them know we'd be celebrating and that they're welcome to bring in treats.

One mom made these:

They were delicious!

There has been a lot of positive feedback from my students and their families, so I'll definitely be doing this again next year!

Easing back into the school year

I return to work, for real, on Monday.  However, that didn't stop me from from going into work for a few hours this morning.  I had a bunch of copies to make and had to rearrange my room to fit the map.  A coworker and myself are going in tomorrow morning to crank out two weeks of math plans and finish getting ready for Monday. 

I've gotten some slack from other teachers for going in early.  Yes, I'm aware it's one of my last days for winter break.  However, I'm not willing to fight for copiers on Monday morning. I don't want to walk into work frazzled, especially since I'll have crosswalk duty.  I'm not being a martyr, I just know what I need for my sanity.  For me, that means I spend a little bit of my free time making sure Monday will run smoothly.  I want to spend my prep getting ready for Tuesday's lessons and leave shortly after the kids do.  More importantly, I want to feel relaxed and prepared because that will translate into my students feeling calm and welcomed back.

However, I did have this beast to tackle earlier in the week:

My pile is above, hers is below.  #teacherproblems

I had a teacher date with one of my best friends.  We went out to lunch, built a grading fortress, and tackled our work.  This, sadly, is a norm for weekends.  If you see a teacher, hug them.  Let them know they're appreciated.  There is no way this would ever get graded in a timely manner if I only worked during my contract hours!  It's a good thing I love my job, even the grading parts.

Looking Backward, Looking Forward

With 2015 quickly approaching, I'm pausing to reflect upon the past year.  A lot has changed: new house, new school, and new friends.  I've jumped head first into new career opportunities (TpT and Jamberry) besides teaching.  I love my job, but I don't see being in the classroom forever. I'm not quite sure how to get to my dream job, so it's a good thing I've got a lot of time to figure it out!  In 2014, I've grown a lot as a teacher and as an individual.

I tried new lessons and strategies in my classroom.  Some of them worked, some of them didn't.  That's okay.  

What worked well:

Homework challenge packets. During parent-teacher conferences, some asked for more work.  So I'm doing brain teasers and logic puzzles, very similar to Sudoku and other number games.  It's not directly tied to the standards we're working on, but it won't hurt them to stretch their brains a bit.

I'm excited for a fresh start in January.  I am going to try music in my classroom for transition time.  I'm going to use the Saved by the Bell theme song for our end of day routine.  It'll be nice to give them some wiggle/dance time while they clean up.  I'm also going to make sure each student has an end of the day task to help keep them focused.

We're starting the new school year with new seats and new class jobs.

I'm also excited for making resolutions for myself and with my students.  

What new things will you be trying in your classroom this year?

Thankful

Last year, I struggled as a teacher for a number of reasons.  In a nutshell, I didn't feel supported at my job. I didn't like teaching and there were many, many moments I simply wanted to quit. Crying was a frequent thing and I didn't feel my instructional decisions were approved. 

My end of year data was amazing because my students made awesome growth.  But there was no acknowledgment of that.

So I made a change. I switched to a school that's about eight minutes away from my new house and a later start time. 

The school climate is so much better and for that I'm thankful.

Am I having some struggles adjusting? Yes, of course.

I'm not inclusion anymore, so it's weird not co-teaching. I don't have anyone pop into my room anymore, unless it's to watch her class to solve the mystery of why the kinders were gone for ten minutes. (They were having a party in the bathroom, obviously.  That two minutes of watching the rest of her kinders was enough to convince me I never want to teach the little ones.  Bless her heart though, and those who are brave enough for the littlest ones.)

I"m struggling to adjust to new procedures.  My last school was nearly 100% free and reduced lunch and this one isn't.  I have to remember to ask for lunch money every morning and make sure lunch cards get passed out.  Luckily I delegated this task to students!

I'm struggling with cutting writing short to make sure we have time to fill out our agendas together. I'm struggling to figure out how to track homework, since it's not for a grade.  I haven't quite figured out how I want to keep track. 

I'm struggling with pacing. Math and whole group reading are both running a little long because of different reasons.  My students have some gaps in their number sense, so we're trying to fill those gaps by using hands-on manipulatives and scaffolding lessons.  This takes time away from the fifth grade standards.  However, I think we're seeing results.  There's a lot more discourse in the lessons and their exit tickets are improving.  I can't wait to see how they do on next week's math test!

In reading, I'm struggling because I'm trying to teach too much. I know I am. I want to do phonics and fluency (which are happening during RTI time) as well as our lesson. I also want to do a read aloud.  I would love if there was just a little more time in the day!

However, all of these struggles pale in comparison to last year.  These struggles are a learning curve and I know that. I just need to be patient with myself because this is a new school with new expectations. I have to allow myself time to adjust and be okay with making some mistakes.

I just love that my administration and grade level are so supportive.

Goals for the Year

I love goal setting. I expect my students to make growth, so it's natural I expect the same from myself.

Here are some of my goals for the upcoming school year:

1) Look more like a teacher.  While this may seem vain, I want to put a little more effort into my appearance to look older.  Yes, older.  I was recently at a high school for math training and got hit on by a student council boy...because apparently I look like them.  I've also had cashiers ask what grade I'm starting or if I'm excited to go to UNLV...several times.  Yes, I know I'll appreciate good genes when I'm older but for now, I'd like to look more like the teacher and less like a student volunteer.

At my last school, we had standard student attire (uniforms), so looking different wasn't a huge challenge.  This year, my new school is open dress (but still adhering to the district's dress code).  I've got to put in more of an effort to visually separate myself from them.

For me, this means jeans will be rarely worn.  I'm trying to wear more dresses and cardigans to look teacher-y.

I dressed up for my trainings last week and had several people compliment me, so my goal must be working.  


2) Do better with this work-life balance. I'll either go in early or stay late, but not both. I stayed later than I intended to yesterday, but that was because one of my kiddos was in the office in tears because his grandfather was 40 minutes late picking him up.  It's the first day of school, it happens.  I didn't want to leave the munchkin on the first day and it was a good opportunity to bond with him.

Now that I have a ten minute commute, which is glorious, I can spend more time at home with B and my fur babies. 

3) Bring back the joy into my classroom.  Last year, for a thousand different reasons, was the worst year of my teaching career.  I wanted to quit on a weekly basis.  I cried on average once a day.  Things started going down hill the first week (yes, week) of school and I knew with complete certainty I would not be at that site anymore by mid-September. It was an unpleasant place to be for both teachers and students.

That's not how I want my classroom to be this year.  I want it to be a joyous place full of inquiry and collaboration.  Based on how day 1 went, I'd way we're off to a good start!

4) Let the horrors of last year go.  It was a dark year that I never want to repeat.  I am doing my best to stop comparing last year to this new school, but the differences are startling.  This new school is a breath of fresh air. I'm going to focus on the positive vibes of my new school instead of complaining about the woes of last year.

I have a few friends still at the old school and they say it's better this year.  For their sake, I hope so! I wish them the best and nothing but good luck.  Hopefully all (or at least most) of the factors are gone, allowing them to have a fresh, positive slate as well.  Everyone deserves to be happy at work.

5) Be open to new things.  I'm the new one on my grade level.  I'm the one, with five years of teaching under my belt, that is the newest teacher.  I like what I've done in my classroom because I've seen the results, but I also need to keep that in check.  I have so much to learn from these four other awesome women. I need to remind myself to be open to their ideas as well, rather than just focusing on my own.  Some days this will be hard for me, but I'm excited to learn new strategies from them.  

What are your goals for the 2014-2015 school year?

Simplicity, part 4 (ideas 11-13)

Continuing the new ideas, simplicity trend, here are three more ideas for next year.  I'm excited for small tweaks to make a huge, positive differences.

Idea 11: Beginning of the Year "I am" statement for writing notebooks

This would be such a cute first page in their writing notebooks.  It'd be great for students to see themselves as multidimensional people and an easy way for them to get to know each other!

Idea Twelve: Clothespin revival

I've tried the push pin strategy with clothes pins, but I like this one for more permanent places:

Since I moved recently, I seem to have a plethora of extra command strips!  I could easily decorate the clothespins to match my classroom colors (once I you know, determine those).  Thanks Fifth in the Middle for the idea!

Idea Thirteen: Morning Memes

 To be fair, this isn't entirely a new idea for next year.  Last February, I started doing a morning meme to add some positivity in the morning.  They were a great way to connect with students and reinforce various topics (rules, grammar, being nice, etc).  The memes would inspire my students to talk with one another and start our day on a positive note.

I've been pinning ideas to my Pinterest morning meme board, which you can follow here!

What new ideas are you excited to try?

Simplicity, part 3

As previously mentioned, I'm committed to small, simple tweaks this year to make my classroom a more organized and positive place.  Today I present ideas eight through ten!

Idea Eight: Notebook Bookmarks

One of the things my students seem to struggle with when using notebooks is finding the page they left off on.  For some reason unknown to teachers, they love to skip pages.  At the beginning of the year when we set up our notebooks with our table of contents, page numbers, and color coded markers to distinguish subjects, I go over the norms of not skipping pages and using the backsides.  However, by November, this is usually forgotten.

Not this year!

No, this year will be different with the help of this ribbon and duct tape combination!  After journaling, they will simply put the book mark in their notebooks to indicate where they left off and then put their notebooks away.

Idea Nine: The Great Pencil Challenge

Could it be? Can washi and/or duct tape can solve the mystery of the disappearing pencils?

I could have cute prizes for the students who have their assigned pencils at the end of the day, then a few days, then a week.  

When the pencil gets down to basically nothing, I'd give them a new pencil with the same number but different tape (so I could keep them straight). 

Idea Ten: Table Organizers

The great bucket idea of last year failed.  Yes, these shower organizers that were so meticulously color coded by table and had so much hope...didn't work.  

By May, all of the buckets had been stepped on and cracked beyond repair without so much as a simple apology.  Part of this was my fault because the buckets didn't have their own space to rest on when not in use. See, the buckets would rest on someone's desk (if he or she was absent) or on the floor, where the buckets were inevitably and frequently stepped on.

However, I could have eliminated the problem with this set up:

I was already planning on placing my students in Kagan groups of 4-6 (depending on class size), so I could arrange the desks around these organizers.  I know they are at Target, I just need to wait for them to go on sale or be in my cartwheel ap (or both!).  

I'm getting excited to get into my classroom and begin setting up! 

Grouping Ideas

I love new teaching ideas. I like to try new strategies and change up my classroom.  I find that some change (not to the big things of routine, structures, or procedures) keeps everyone interested...myself included.  Burned out teacher robots make me sad.  My classroom is not the same year to year because my students aren't the same from year to year.  If I expect my students to be continually reflective, adaptive, and grow from knowledge and experiences, I should expect the same from myself.

So yes, I spend a good deal of my free time thinking about teaching.  (Don't worry, I've never been better at that work-life balance!).  I love what I do and when passion and careers come together, it's a beautiful thing.

 I like this idea for placing students in small groups:

Specifically I like that it would get my students up and moving.  I like that there is a problem solving component.  I like that I would have control over the groupings.

Would this take a little bit of prep time? Yes, of course.  But after I've decided on groups, the rest would be mindless writing and cutting while watching TV the night before.

This would be great during the first week of school but could easily be used throughout the year.  

Spin off ideas include using famous duos or trios to have students find their partner(s)!

Naturally, my brain started spinning with possibilities, so I'm pleased to announce a new TpT product on creative groupings!  

With over seventy pages and a cheat sheet for teachers, it's a great way to make new small groups or partners.  I designed this to work for partners, groups of 3, groups of 4, and larger groups (5 or more).  I used different colors to help with organization. Print it once, laminate, and you're done!

(Thank goodness it's summer and I can indulge my creative tangents without feeling guilty!)

Simplicity, part 2

As I blogged about last week, I'm excited to try some new, simple tricks in my classroom.  Last week I chronicled ideas 1-3, so today you can find the next four gems! I'm all for small, simple tweaks to make my classroom run a little more efficiently.

Idea Four: "Partners" Poster

In the past, I've used a handmade version of this poster for groups to set norms:

This groups one works pretty well.  I found this "partners" one earlier this week and can't wait to use it as well!

I like that this poster goes more in depth with expectations.  I also like the "explain your answer" part because students need frequent reminders to do so!


Idea Five: The Ten Commandments of Math

I may need to tweak this idea so it's not so overtly religious, but I like this anchor chart:

I think laying down some ground rules for math would be a great thing! It might be cute to make it like a constitution and have my students all sign our declaration of math.

Idea Six: Additional Rewards for the Mystery Walker

I already implemented the mystery walker idea last year but I like this extension idea.  All I'd need to do is recreate this with my favorite fonts (we don't have time for cutesy clip art in fifth grade!) and dedicate a bucket to collect raffle tickets.

Idea Seven: Color Coding Notebooks

In a perfectly coordinated, OCD controlled world, all my students would have the same color notebooks for each subject.  I'm aware that won't happen.  But this could be a good back up plan:

The original pin was about text books, but we don't really use those in my classroom.  When we set up our notebooks at the beginning of the year, I could have each subject be a different color.  Having students search for their blue math notebook would definitely help with the desk organization and help struggling students with staying focused.  I know that it's tough for fifth graders to use a different notebook for each subject, but it's definitely necessary for middle school!  I'd rather they struggle with me and enter middle school prepared to switch classes and stay organized.

I'm committing to small, simple steps toward a better, more organized and positive classroom!  Who is with me?

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!

Motivation

For the past few years, I've used the "kiss your brain" jar to reward students for thoughtful answers.

It works fairly well but I was ready to try something new.  While searching pinterest, I found this idea:
 

I think making a jar of treats to celebrate their growth and academic progress.  I just need a jar, a printer, and some markers!

Simplicity part 1

I'm always looking for ways to make teaching just a little bit easier.  Some of the grand ideas on pinterest seem wonderful but when I start them, I quickly realize that these ideas simply won't work for me.

After sifting through hundreds of pins (hey, it's summer!), I found these three gems that I can easily implement next year:

Idea One: Sticky Labels

Now, I love sticky labels but didn't think to use them this way for grading.  I think this would work best for grading writing but I'm excited to adapt it for other subjects.  It would also be easily modified to include the standards at the top of the assignments.



Idea Two: Math for the First Day(s) of School

The first week is dedicated to establishing routines, setting up notebooks, practicing procedures, and building a supportive classroom culture.  One of the things I struggle with is incorporating math into the read alouds, team building, and getting to know each other activities.  This gem fits right in with the first week vibe:

I also think it'd be especially helpful this year at my new school.  I think this thirty minute activity could be great for not only introducing me to my class but helping them see how math is incorporated into every day life.

Keeping in mind with the first week theme, I liked this idea from pinterest as well:

Idea Three is enabling students to be problem solvers when they're in small groups and I'm conferencing with students.  I would type up these "what if" scenarios and have table teams brainstorm how to solve these problems, then open the discussion up for a class debate.  In doing so, they are creating their own norms and thus have more of a "buy in".

I'm excited to try these three simple things in my classroom next year!