Well, it's been a year!!! First grade was fast and furious, to say the least. And after that great year, I found out I would be going back to second!!! That was an emotional rollercoaster! I had made new and wonderful friends in first, but I was also looking forward to going back home to second grade. The best part of it all it that, because I'm in the only bilingual duo, I would be getting to teach most of my kids a second year! That means that when we come back we will be able to hit the ground running!!!!

This year finds me going full force with flexible seating. I have been gradually using it for four years, but this year I'm all in! I will only have 2 desks and using tables for most of the rest. Aside from the two chairs that go with the desks, my classroom make up will consist of:

• Scoop rockers
• Wobble stools
• Garden stools
• Crate seats
• Stability discs
• Fuzzy loveseat, and 
• Bean bags

I added a standing table to my collection of coffee tables and trapezoid tables. Like I've mentioned before, arranging furniture is one of the first things I do. For me that means making floor plans. I used the gridded paper from my Happy Planner and created pieces that I could move around. Here are a few that I considered.

In the end, I ended up with a mix of all three plans. They each had their advantages. But having already made the floor plans saved me time when it came time to move the furniture. Now comes the fun of preparing materials for the classroom, like I Can statements and Meet the Teacher information.  More on that later, along with information on Class Dojo and more details on flexible seating in my classroom. Until next time!

Happy summer! Unless you're me...

Nah! BUT...after three wonderful years in second grade, I found out that I was being moved to first grade. It wouldn't be too big of a deal if a) I didn't absolutely love my team, b) I weren't also changing content areas, and c) I hadn't already packed for summer. But, thankfully, the aforementioned team stepped up and helped me move most of my things in a day. Another secret blessing is the fact that I would be teaching summer school. I was lucky enough to get to teach in the room I'll be in next year, which means I've gotten to organize and decorate after the kids are dismissed each day. I have two wonderful paras that have helped me along the way. And I can't forget my wonderful husband.

It feels a lot like starting over since I will be in a new grade level and changing to ELAR and social studies, but I know it's not anything I can't handle. Here are some pictures of what the room currently looks like. Do note that there is still furniture in there from the previous teacher, that I'm attempting to organize, and that I have summer school going on, too,  so it isn't going to be the cleanest or neatest in these pictures.

I'll use this writing bulletin board to display different writing rules. I will also have our Work on Writing station under the board, but I will share more on that later. Daily 5 is something that I'll be dedicating quite a bit of time to once summer school is over. 

Here I will have my Reading Focus wall and Social Studies anchor charts. It already looks better since I added border to it today. The reading area is intentionally larger since we will cover more information in reading. I do plan, however, to integrate social studies with the reading, so they will go hand in hand. 

This will house current Fundations anchor charts. If you're not familiar with Fundations, it's a Wilson phonics program that allows our students to have a more structured approach to reading. It consists of a lot of drills that help them remember the sounds and exceptions to phonics rules. I have seen it help dramatically, so I am looking forward to using it daily. Having taught math and science last year, I did not get to use it. And having taught math and science last year, I couldn't put my solar system model in storage! I have had that model since I first started teaching, and it holds a dear place in my heart. So, it made the move with me.

This will be my library area. I have a ton of books, and so I know I will use the three shelves I have. The problem will be putting away some of the collections I put together while teaching second. I always feel guilty putting a good book in a box. But, this too, shall pass. 

In the midst of looking at grade level standards, organizing, decorating and teaching summer school (I'm exhausted!), I've also been looking into behavior management for the upcoming year. I'm already a huge fan of Class Dojo. It's a free behavior tracking website that allows students to earn (and lose points, if you choose) based on their behavior. I have seen my students transform themselves completely using Dojo. Not only are they more aware of their behavior, they are also eager to report other people, in a good way! If you haven't tried it before, check it out for yourself here.

For next year, I wanted to add something extra that would further engage and encourage my incoming bunch. I decided to make a big board that we will use to show those students who have gone above and beyond and gained 100 points. I took this idea from FlapJack when I was searching on Pinterest. I adjusted it a little for my tastes, but the premise remains the same. Student who reach the "100 Points Club" will be able to select a Dojo Monster and add it to the club board. I do not like to reset their points at all, so they can add as many Dojos as they earn. The more the merrier, right?

I do, however, plan on letting them "shop" as they get to certain milestones. For example, at 5 Dojo Points, my students can choose to change their Dojo. At 10, they can opt for a Critter instead. At 20 points, they get to go into the treasure chest, and at 50 they get to eat lunch with the teacher. Many of the incentives they can earn are free to me. For example, it doesn't cost me anything for them to use a pen for a day or sit in the teacher's chair for the duration of a lesson. Yet, they are things that my students look forward to.

One other thing that I am adding to my Dojo belt this year is the Dojo Table of the Week. I found a sign from Going Strong in 2nd Grade that I plan to hang above the Table of the Week. This will be a group that has been making good choices all around, based on the reports you can pull over at Class Dojo. I'm hopeful and confident that all these new additions will be positive ones.

Be sure to check out Going Strong in 2nd Grade for even more details on Class Dojo!

I will update you as I make progress in the classroom, as well as the new ideas I plan to use and how to use them. We only have seven more days of summer school (but who's counting?) and then I'll really be able to let my creative and teacherly juices flow. Feel free to comment if you have any questions or suggestions for me!

-teach.craft.repeat

I'm so excited! I thought that my Influenster box had been lost in the mail. But today my husband said that I got something from Maybelline. I knew exactly what it was! I will have to try it tomorrow since my "face" is already on, but I will share what I think.

If you're not familiar with Influenster, it's a survey type of site. You take a quiz and they send you products to try and review. The last time I was sent products, it was a his and hers trial of the Dove spray deodorants. Needless to say, my husband needs a new one because he loves it so much. It instantly dries and smells so good! It's a free service and you get some pretty amazing products. 

I will be trying this first thing tomorrow, and will let you know how I like it. The foundation is a matte+pore less formula good for normal to oily skin types. Which is good because I'm somewhere in between that spectrum.

Until then!

Where has the year gone?! It seems like just yesterday that I was posting my classroom, and now the year is almost over. Note to self: post more often.

We begin our last unit in science tomorrow. It's bittersweet, really. Science is one of my favorite subjects! We begin with insects-their parts, complete metamorphosis and incomplete metamorphosis. I have been waiting for this all year!

In the last, I've used a song to help my kids learn the three basic parts of an insect, the head, thorax, and abdomen. I would teach the song and add motions to it. It's worked like a charm! But my one fault was not having it displayed. This helps the kiddos see the vocabulary and helps expose them to the spelling of it. My awesome students tend to use the academic vocabulary in conversation, but when it comes to writing it, they get quite inventive. So I decided that I would make an anchor chart with the song already on it.

Now, anchor charts, for me, are a work of art waiting to happen. I like for them to be unique, eye catching and colorful. You either go big, or you go home! So this one would have to meet that criteria. I looked on Pinterest for inspiration, and I did find some. I even found the song with different lyrics. I took ideas from a few, and combined them with the way I have taught the song in the past. You only learn things once, and I had already learned the song MY way. If I went with another version, I would likely confuse myself, thus confusing my kids. So, I stuck to how I know it. Here is what I came up with:

I love the way it turned out! Coloring this was very calming. I rolled my crayon along the paper to get the light blue color (the original clue is what outlines the words). The colors are soft and the illustrations are so fun! My partner teacher came in my room while I was sprawled out on the floor coloring. She suggested that I laminate it to use it for years to come. I can't pass  up a genius idea! 

I will post the introductory anchor chart tomorrow, after the kids have added their part. Until then, keep on keeping on!

Panoramic Panorama

I went in for a few hours today after making the new front of my desk. I used my Silhouette and the Paper Bannner font on dafont.com to make my name. I loved that the font came with a cheat sheet of how to make banners with different designs. I, of course, opted for one with chevron-y look. I wish that I had added more color to the banner, but knowing that I'd add border, I decided to KISS (keep it simply simple). Here is the final desk. The lighting makes it a little hard to read, but I love it. 

Now, for the actual classroom. I've shared photos of particular areas of the room and I've shared storage. It makes it a little difficult to see the big picture. I took a few minutes before I left for home to take panoramic pictures of the room from different vantage points. One was near the door, one by the window and one in the middle of the room. I hope that these provide a clearer picture of the place that my students and I will call home. 

Please feel free to leave me a comment!

Classroom Reveal: Part 2

Thanks for coming back to part 2 of my classroom tour. I'll now take you into the working parts of the classroom. 

My banner is up and ready for Meet the Teacher next Wednesday. I hope parents will use it as a photo backdrop. The curtains are from Wal*Mart and I absolutely love them. 

This is one of my favorite quotes and favorite things in my room. I'll compile my favorites in a later post. I'm thankful for my Silhouette Cameo. The colors of vinyl are absolutely beautiful. It makes a great focal point with an even better reminder!

The large bulletin board is TEKS Target Practice. It's a spiraling review of the different TEKS. The blank wall will be filled with anchor charts as we get to them.

This little guy is our treasure chest. I rescued it from someone's curb. I love curb shopping! 

My students will use the BUILD banner for moving their clips to the center they'll be working on. 

These are our computers with crate seats. My construction paper is color sorted in one of these.

Our iPads live here. We are getting 5 more per classroom, so I need to find another one of these wire organizers.

I keep a right and left hand on our big poster wall. They refer to it so much. After one of my kids in my first class told me that's the best thing he learned, I'll always have them for reference.

 

This section will tell my Table Captains what center their group will go to.

Our Math Word Wall contains all of the vocabulary we will use throughout the year. I'll pull the cards and move them to the main board as we use them.

No Name paper holder!!! I don't use this often.

The inside of my door. Note the "vertical" and "horizontal" on my door frame. Have I mentioned that I love my Silhouette?

Lanyards for my helpers. I have a line leader, two journal helpers, and two bathroom leaders. They're always so proud to wear these!

Germ Juice 

My calendar and objectives. 

More posters

My chair! Here is the "before".

Small group table with bucket seats. Actual buckets! These were icing buckets  from Wal*Mart. I just added a cushion to the top from old pillows. 

And my trusty light. When it's on, my kids know to take care of their business because I'm not even there. 

Aussie Pouches for student desks. With little storage space in the desks, they house their folders and material boxes without me having to get more shelves or having them fall to the floor. 

Each desk group has a colored caddy to hold their communal supplies. Each group also has a Table Captain responsible for their papers. In the back you can see my desk. It is currently undergoing a face lift. More on that to come!

I still need to get in and take better pictures of the whole room, as well as a panoramic picture. Here is my view from the door!

 

Classroom Reveal! Part 1

I'll be going back for teacher in service next week. Which means that this is my last week of summer break! When I got my keys on Tuesday, I decided I needed to get my classroom set up quickly so I could enjoy my last week of freedom. There really is nothing like falling asleep without an alarm!

I'll be starting my third year at an amazing school. Thankfully there have been no classroom or grade level changed. That allowed me to start prepping for the new year before we ever wrapped up the school year. My first year I had a garden theme going. The kids loved it, so it continued the next year with a little chevron here and there. But by the end of the second year, I was ready for something new! Only one phrase can truly describe my current classroom theme: CHEVRON ALL THE THINGS! :)

But first, I had to get my keys. This is a little more difficult than my first year, just because we now host summer school on our campus. This delays our amazing custodial staff in the floor process. They strip the wax from the floors and then wax it for that new school year glow. They do such a great job! So, alas, I got my keys and was ready to roll. Because of the waxing, shelves must be empty and everything left must be easy to move. Here is what I walked into. 

The easiest place to start was to move the desk, and then arrange my furniture. One tip that has really helped me is creating a classroom floor map. It helps me visualize where I want things to be and allows me to get a feel for the layout. Once my furniture was set, I could start going through boxes. That led to a few hours of cabinet and drawer organizing! 

Organizing...It calms my soul. My classroom this year is probably the most organized it's ever been. Here is a look at all the containers that are helping me with that. 

My trusty teacher tool box! This guy holds so many of my essentials. I love having a spot for everything rather than having to rummage through my desk. I recently changed out the labels for it.

This is right behind my small group table. I'll be using the chalkboards and dry erase boards during math intervention. I love the banners!

I like having the kids' work sorted by day. I can then, go into the day's bin and pass it out. These ice containers are great for that without having to spend lots of money on the typical book box. Thank you, Wal*Mart!

My library is very different this year. Rather than being self contained, I'll be teaching math to three different groups. I debated getting rid of my library, but I opted to minimize. Reading has never hurt anyone! This can always be an option for those early finishers. I decided to use the built in shelving the classroom provides. That saved some space. A lot of space.

This wall has the paper sorter for my home room class. That's where I put their graded papers in the mailbox. It also has math manipulatives in the twin rainbow drawers and the bookcase. Here's a closer look.

The crate bench has seen better days, but it holds books, so I don't dare part with it! The storage seat holds clipboards.

Here are more manipulatives and some turn in trays. The blue trays are split into three, one for each of my classes. I also have a tray for Daily Folders and Graded Folders. My kiddos will drop those off as they enter in the mornings. 

This container has math games and flash cards inside. I Modge Podged paper and flowers into each clear drawer. And yes, I just used Modge Podge as a verb.

My pencil buckets are a couple of my classroom favorites. I'll post more on that later.

This will house their BUILD center games. I'm excited it try BUILD this year! Homework trays for each class are also here.

Each class will have their interactive math journals in their colored bin. And their graded papers will go in the corresponding drawer until they're passed back out.

Thanks for joining me for my very first blog post! I will post more (including some of my favorite things!) later. 'Til next time!