Back to School YouTube Party + GIVEAWAY!

Hi there!  I know I have been seriously MIA again, but I just cannot for the life of me manage BTS and the blogosphere at the same time.  I realize, I am flawed.  I have accepted it, and have learned to work with my deficiencies.  But I am back today for a super special reason.

My super-fantastic blogging friends and I over at the Primary Chalkboard wanted to do something BIG for back to school for you.  I'm talking, B.I.G.  Sooooooo, we decided to throw a party!

A YouTube Back to School Tips Party + Giveaway! 

So how is this going to work?  Well, we are going to be here sharing lots of tips -- organizational, DIY, helpful ideas-- that you can use RIGHT NOW to make your back to school a little easier!

AND

We are having a huge giveaway!

Would anyone like a $100 Amazon Gift Card?  uh?….yah!

What about a $100 TeachersPayTeachers Gift Card?  Yes, please!

or

A fabulous Michael Kors bag.  

Ok, I am not a "purse" person.  But, even I would die for this bag.

Ok, so yes!  You want in!  I knew you would!  So what do you need to do? 

Did you see that? You can EVEN gain EXTRA entries in the giveaway by watching our videos and entering our SECRET WORDS into the Rafflecopter (but I know you were going to do that anyway, so... 2 birds, 1 stone).  

We will be linking up 5 new videos every day this week... so you can come back, watch, and enter every day!

Alright, so let's get you started here.  How do you manage individual, group, and table materials?  Has management of said materials ever threatened your sanity?

Go grab a cup of Joe, and a notepad, and watch my video below to find out how I solved my own little storage issues!  No worries, I'll wait…..Ok, ready?…..GO!

Yes, I am a total dork.  Who really says the word "bazonkers"? Apparently, just me. 

Well, there you have it.  Don't forget to head over to the Primary Chalkboard to watch more tip clips and gain more entries to the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bright Ideas - Unit Resources Organization

Bright Idea Time!  Ohhhh, I honestly get giddy with excitement!

Now I do love and aspire to being organized. But, I am definitely a work in progress.

So, because I need all the help I can get, I make my own "always-at-the-ready" reference books.  All I do is copy all of the songs, mini anchor charts, reference materials etc… that I typically use during the course of a unit, and stick them in plastic page-protectors, and then join them together with a ring clip (I know these have a different name, but for the life of me, I can't remember it right now.)  

I keep each unit resource book in the front of each unit box in my storage closet.  When I start a unit, I take the whole pack and hang it on a thumbtack near my docucam.  Anytime I find a new resource, I just make an extra copy for the "book" before I file it away.  

I really love this idea because I'm always ready now.  Bring it on teachable moment!  

In fact, I love it so much that I keep an ELA and Math set at my small group/intervention table.  If I need to refer to a study page or song to refresh a student's memory, it's right there.  Coins?  Got it!  Counting by 5's?  Hundred Chart is at-the-ready! I've got it all covered.  

I hope this simple idea, can helps you organize your next unit. If you enjoyed visiting, please consider following me on Facebook, Pinterest, or here on my blog.

Ready for more Bright Ideas? Take a look below.

An InLinkz Link-up

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: My Classroom Then, and Now!

Gee, I don't know about you, but this week is dragging.  I am so tired!  To top it off, we have rain predicted for the rest of this week, and into the weekend.  Now, I live in Southern California, and we are in the middle of a drought, but rainy school days mean no recess breaks, and a shortened lunch.  Who needs rain, right?

So, in case you haven't heard, there is a big sale planned for today and Friday, on TPT.  My store will be 28% off if you use the TPT code: TPT3, at checkout.  To find my store, just look down, and to your right, and there it is on the sidebar.  Or, click the adorable image below that was made by my bloggy friend, Corinna from Surfin' Through Second.

Alright, enough said.

So, I was looking at my room this week and thinking about how it has transformed from the beginning of the year.  So, I thought it would be fun to do a little compare and contrast activity.  It is called "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:  My Classroom Then, and Now!"  I always love getting to peek into other teachers' rooms.  Hope you brought your comfy sneakers.  We're going to be together for awhile.

Alright, let's start at the front of my room.  This is where I teach the majority of my lessons.  This is how it looked when school started.

This is how it looks now.  I think this is "the Good."

  I LOVE my anchor charts.

Also, love the shelf on my back table, given to me by my favorite retired teacher (Mrs. E).  It has been a game changer, especially with having a combo class this year.  I have a shelf for 1st, and one for 2nd.  Awesome!

Ok, let's swing over to the opposite wall (below). Before…...

After…..Not too much difference here.  Oh, wait that blasted TV that produced nothing but static and snow, is gone! Once again… loving my anchor charts, and all of my books.  I give this area, "a Good." (Note piles on top of filing cabinet.  I have 4 different unit piles going on up there!)

Oh, wait.  I spot some "Ugly".  That clipboard crate is hideous.  

Making a mental note to do something like this for next year.

Moving on…..CRAFT board beginning of the year…so empty and sad.  So much to learn.

More than midway thru the year, and we have learned a lot.  Can you tell what part of reading I love teaching most?   I love this board.  But, 1) I need to keep up with posting our strategies, and 2) I need to refer my students to it more regularly when I see they are having a specific problem with their reading.  Then, maybe they would start doing it on their own.

This year, I also picked up some book bins (above) from Step Up to Literacy.  I got all those for like $80 dollars including tax and s/h.  Score.  Then, I just bought a couple crates and a piece of finished wood from Home Depot, and oila!  Book bins organized!

Next stop on our tour.  My room, before 25 first and second graders.  Ahhh, so peaceful, so organized, so clean! The OCD in me misses those days.

Fast forward to today, and the desks are crooked.  I didn't take a picture of them.  Definitely "Ugly".  It feels like hot pokers in my eyes.  Yes, I know, there are zip ties for this.  I bought them in the beginning of the year.  I don't know where they are now.

Moving right along.  The pic below is of my behavior chart, job chart, and classroom library. I have more books in bins on the floor.  But, I do really need more books!

Below is a pic of what this area looks like today.  Most of the books I have are in students' desks.  That is a good thing, right?  Some of my students are serious book hoarders.  I think that is a good sign.  But, I will definitely say this area should be categorized as "Bad."  I need to reorganize my library by lexile, genre, or author….anything other than by Accelerated Reader level, which is how it is right now.  It is just not working for me anymore.  Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-AR.  My kids love it!  So we use it!

I do love my Martin Luther King doves (above).  They came from Deb Thomas' MLK Unit.

I had the kids read one of the quotes from MLK, and write about what he was trying to say.  I loved the thinking my students did with this activity.  First graders are deep!

Next!  The area below has everything working like butta' baby!  The blue charts. ... Ah, not the prettiest.  Granted.  But, I love my Behavior Card Chart!

I have the Owl themed materials.  But, I also have Pirates and Super Hero themes, as well.

Another thing that makes my life so much easier, and our classroom a positive place to learn, are my Differentiated Behavior Cards.  This is where my students turn in their cards to be signed by me at the end of the day.  I just sign them, because first graders are horrible at forgery.

This card is from my Winter themed set.  But, I am getting ready to bust out with my popular Owl themed cards for Spring.

This area is just a hodgepodge of all the learning we are doing.  We have been studying heroes for several weeks now.

We've also been working on big reading strategies, like Determining Importance.

 Flipping over to the other side of my room again, we have our writing board.  Right now this board is covered with my students animal reports, diagrams, and life cycle posters.  While a little random, this area is definitely "Good,"  and is one of my favorites.

Yes, we are working on the difference between "their" and "there."  But, this is where they are, and I am so proud.  But more importantly, the kids are so proud of their work!

I love this picture of a bear with the fish label.

The students also made glossaries for their reports.

Ok, we are almost at the end of our tour.  Here is the back of the room.  I don't have any "Before" pics of this area.  Thank goodness.

This area has…Yes, more anchor charts!  AND our MLK report books.  

These came from Simply Skilled in Second.  My students seriously had a blast making these.  Click on any of the images below to learn more about these Famous American Flip Flap Books.  "Good, Good, and more Good!"

There you have it.  MOST of my classroom, the way it looks today.  There were some parts we didn't get to see today, like my Reading Table.  But, I am saving that for another post.

Thanks for coming along.  Ciao!

Nicole

Hot Off the Presses!

I just got word from fabulous teacher, and blogger extraordinaire, Charity Preston, that she has created a digital magazine just for teachers!  She sent me the link to her first issue, and I wanted to pass it on to all of my friendly followers. 

The theme for this month's edition is "Tackling the Paper Monster."  Charity has great organization tips, crafts, links, Pinterest ideas, and a lot more!  I hope you are as impressed as I was.

Have a great week,

Nicole

There is Light at the End of this Tunnel!

Hi Everyone!  Last week, I thoroughly enjoyed what was left of my very short vacation (4 measly weeks).  Let's see:

1) I took my children fishing.  They caught 8 rainbow trout!  We cooked half of them up for dinner that same night, and they were delicious.  I shared a pic on my Facebook page of my precious boy catching his very first fish!

2) Spent lazy days at  Hotel del Coronado's beach reading Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  

Such a moving story and beautifully written.  I highly recommend it.

3) Went to San Juan Capistrano for my hubbie's birthday.  "Happy Birthday, Honey!"  Every time we visit, my husband makes a big deal about the "Los Rios" district, even though there is no relation to us. It is really pretty though. 

So, do I feel 100% ready to go back to school?  Well,....no.....no way .....absolutely not!  But, since my principal has been nice enough to let me go camping during our "official" prep days, I am making up those days today and tomorrow.

And....some of you might remember that last time I mentioned working in my room, I was very displeased with the colors of my bulletin board paper.  I debated taking it down, but my daughter convinced me to sleep on it, in case it "grew on me" later.  Well, I am so happy to report that after 3 days of working to finish my bulletin boards...."I love it!"  Who knew an 11-year old could be so wise?  Thanks, sweetie!  The colors, now that I have them on all of the walls, really look nice together.  The room feels cool, calming, and fresh.

Ok, so I took some pictures of the progress.  I really only have started working on the first half of my room.  It still needs all the accessorizing, since I have removed every scrap of clutter.  I hate clutter!  Every piece will need to earn its way back into that space!

The first project that I worked on was a bit of an exercise in "problem solving."  I have kind of accepted that I am a "grin and bear it" type person. Sometimes, I will just live with minor annoyances instead of looking for a better way, especially when I get head deep into the school year.  Well, one of those annoyances had to do with our new math series' student math bags. Super cute?  Yes!  Efficient and practical?  Not so much.  Last year, every time we needed a math manipulative, the students would have to go to their bags and remove the item we needed.  They were pretty good at it, but I knew there had to be a better way.  Here is the before:

I know what you're thinking.  The solution is so obvious.  But, I told you...."bigger fish to fry."  So, here is what I spent my day doing (after I finished all my bulletin boards).

Much better!  I now have all my math manipulatives individually packaged for each child, ready to distribute in a flash.  All my clocks in one bin.  Coins and bills in another.  Also, notice the 9 empty cubbies behind the bins.  I am very excited to free up some more space for storage.  Storage for what, you ask? Well, I haven't figured that out yet.  But, I will.  

Anyway, all those pretty lime-green bins go here now.  Right in the front of the room....where I teach from.  Aahhhh!  

Do you like it?  I think it will really cut down on our transition times during math.  It is very efficient and practical.  This shelf made by "ClosetMaid" was on sale at my Target for $34.99.  The little cloth bins were around $5 on sale. It was worth every penny.

Ok, so as for the rest of my room, here are the before and after pics to-date.

BEFORE -  Ugghh!

AFTER - Happy!

BEFORE - Not Happy.

AFTER - Tidy!

I still have a lot of work to do tomorrow.  So, I will keep you posted on the room. 

Finally, I did want to share another "find".  These adorable little seat covers were in the dollar bin at Target.  I think I will use them to recognize two students each week for academic achievement or citizenship.  What would you use these for?

Alright,  I have to get ready to go back and tackle the rest of that room.  Have a great day.

Nicole