Don't Forget...

Parents:

Don't forget our Parent Meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) from 6-7 in the library! See you there!

Welcome to our classroom!

Here are a few pics of where we spend each day! Welcome to our classroom!

A view from the door

 

Writing station- Strategy posters will be added to the bulletin boards as they are introduced in class.

 

Our computer station.  Check out the Charlie Brown map! Sooo cute!

  

A close up of our clip chart-  The kids love that they are able to move their clips up for good behavior!

Reading Corner- Daily 5 anchor charts will be added to this bulletin board as we create them in class

 

Listening station- you can also see the students' mailboxes on the right. 

 

The Word Wall is up on the left.  This is our Calendar area/ Word Work station.  The felt board and magnetic easel are two areas students will complete word work activities.  There is also a pocket chart on the back of the bookshelf and overhead for other word work stations.

This is a better view of the Calendar area.  You can also see the overhead that is used for word work. 

 

Our class meeting area

 

I love my comfy chair!

A look at our small group table and my corner.

 

My Pinterest inspired project.  Love them!

 

I hope you enjoyed a look around our room! :)

Meet the Teacher

I wanted to do a quick post to let you know a little about me.  This is my fourth year teaching first grade.  I absolutely LOVE it, and I am so excited about this year!  When I have the time, I take a spin class a couple days a week.  It is my stress relief, it's a fabulous workout, and it is so much fun! I've definitely found something I love.  I also enjoy being crafty when I have time.  I love scrapbooking and anything I can Mod Podge.  I put together a scrapbook this summer from my Europe 2010 trip that was almost 90 pages!! I had a blast with it!  I also love to cook / bake.  I guess that's why I workout! HA!  Here are a few of my favorite things:

Diet Coke:

Seriously, I love diet coke.  

The Container Store:

I love to organize almost anything.  I'm a weirdo that actually enjoys cleaning, too.  I enjoy the satisfaction of knowing where everything is, and making it look pretty in the process!

 

I'm a kid at heart.  I guess that is part of why I love first grade so much!  I love Disney movies, especially the classics.  Beauty and the Beast is my all time favorite!

I also love Charlie Brown! Anything Charlie Brown just makes me smile!

Mexican Food:

My good friends and I go eat after school about once a week! Gloria's, El Fenix, Taco Cabana, Little Mexico, Don Pablos, Mi Cocina... Love them all!

And last but not least, TARGET:

What can I say? I can spend hours there! And a few dollars too! ;-) Half my home and classroom came from Target.  The dollar spot is a teacher's best friend!  I'm convinced the air in Target has something special in it! It just makes me feel so happy!!

Well, there's a little about me! I can't wait to get to know all of my 'firsties' this year as well as their families!

Parent Toolbox

Another teacher (Teaching with TLC) posted GREAT information for PARENTS on creating the best learning environment for kids.  Click on the toolbox to check out this super resource when you have some time!

First Graders ROCK!

I met with my new team today!  We had so much fun and got a TON done! Super Excited! I have spent hours and hours and hours this summer on blogs and Pinterest.  Oh my goodness.  Sooooo many ideas! This is one idea that I found on The Fickle Pickle and loved:

I made these today:

Not nearly as cute as the original, but I think it will be cute.  We are going to attach Pop Rocks candy and have it on their desks when they come on Supply Night.  Click on the one I made for a copy if you could use it!  This is my first attempt at uploading something from Google docs.  For some reason, it looks different when it comes up, but once you download it, it looks like mine above.  If I'm doing something wrong, let me know.  I'm still learning! =)

Don't Forget...

Hey teacher friends, don't forget to stop by Mardel's this Thursday- July 21st- for their 20% off sale on education products, school supplies, and kid's products! If you're like me and are not getting any money to spend on classroom supplies from your district this year, every little bit helps!

 

Classroom Cheers

I observed a teacher a few years ago that used class cheers after student presentations.  I fell in love with them, and the kids did too.  I feel it gives those kids who are shy or anxious about talking in front of the group a reason to come up because they love picking a fun cheer! She told me about the Dr. Jean CDs, but I just read on A Teeny Tiny Teacher about the printable cheer cards on Dr. Jean's website.  I plan to put these on a ring to keep in our class meeting area.  Go check them out!

Blog Mixer Party

Yearn to Learn is having a Blog Mixer Party.  I love learning about new blogs! Here's a few of my favs:

1.  "New Kid on the Blog": My friend Mrs. Williams at Mrs. Williams' Whiz Kidz is learning this classroom blog world with me! Check out her blog!

2.  A blogger on my grade level: The First Grade Parade! I have gotten sooooo many awesome ideas from Mrs. Carroll's blog! She is really generous to give away so many freebies too!

3.  A blogger in a different grade level: Mrs. Larremore at Chalk Talk! I am lucky enough to work in the same district with her and she is a FABULOUS resource! She is amazing to work with and always has tons of great ideas!

4.  It's all about the button: I just found Castles and Crayons this week! It's super cute, and I have really enjoyed her posts this week on the Daily 5!


That was fun, but hard! There are so many great blogs out there that have inspired me and taught me so much!  Hope to be able to share things soon!

Pinterest!

I'm hooked! I didn't think there was anything I could spend more time browsing than blogs... but Pinterest is amazing.  I love that I can keep track of awesome ideas and where I find them, and I love seeing what other people have on their boards!  Check out my Pinterest boards, and I'd love to follow yours!

Dinonumbers!

I found a great resource this morning on Doodle Bugs Teaching!  Its a simple and cute way to teach number recognition and even and odd numbers.  Check out their blog and download your copy!