Classroom Pics!

I've been working like a dog (as did everyone else out there) to get my room ready for our firsties. They come this Wednesday and I think I am ready for them. There is still just a few odds and ends I want to do but that will eventually get done. So here we go.

Our entrance to the room.

View from the door. This is our class library area and where I like to do whole group lessons and our morning math board. I just happened upon this awesome rug when our librarian was moving her room and didn't want it anymore. I love it!

My class library. I sorted the books into the various genres and level 1 through 4 books. I'm still working on the "just right" books this year. Each bin is labeled with a colored dot sticker and all the books in each bin matches the label on the bin. Last school year the kids were real good about putting the books back in the right bins.

I let my kids check out the books like a libray. Each book has a library pocket and index card in it. When they want to check out a book they just take the card and put it in their pocket. That way they don't have to write their names on anything and I can always see who has a book checked out (and who doesn't). This system works wonderful for us. You see our school library has such old books still that I thought it would be nice to allow them to take our class books home.
I saw these little seats on a ton of blogs and just had to have some. So we got busy over the weekend and made four of them. I used the smaller crates (beacause as you know firsties have little bottoms).

Here is our word work workstation. They can use the new seats when working there.

This is my area for small groups and computers. You might be wondering what the 6 and 7 are for on the shade. On the first day I will take pictures of the kids. Then I let them put their picture on the number for how old they are. When it's their birthday they just love switching their picture over to the 7. They also take home the birthday bag with the birthday binder in it to write about what they did for their birthday. This has always been a big hit in our room.

Here is my desk. I also saw this sucker tree on many blogs and once again, had to have it. I give the kids a ticket for all kinds of reason throughout the day (good behavior, returned homework, etc.). Then they put their names on the back of the ticket and it goes in this #1 bucket. On Fridays I pull out a few tickets and if I pull their name they can pick a sucker. If the sucker has a red dot on the stick then they can pick from my treasure box. This ticket system really works, it gets them to return homework and if I carry the tickets with me when we leave the room they are well behaved.

Our bucket fillers and class rules. I really hated my rules chart. It was plain and ugly. Last night I found these rules on The Polkadot Patch blog and loved them. They are all the same ones I have so I printed, mounted and laminated them. Now I just have to get them to stay up, they kept fall down today. I will eventually move them over to hang behind my desk on the wall but for now I want them front and center.                                  

  Here is my writing center supplies. I am still working on it. The blank board is for the Super Star of the Week's poster. The gutters under our white boards are awesome. We saw this done at another school

many years ago and then had our maintance men do this for us. I put books for the month or holidays in it and change them out at the beginning of the month. They are just plastic gutters from Home Depot. 

So, that's it in a nutshell. I hope you may have gotten a few ideas, however, many of my ideas came from blogs. There are so many wonderful teachers out there with awesome ideas and I thank you for sharing them.

Have a great year!



Poppin' Into First Grade

Okay, here is the bulletin board I have up outside my classroom. You see, all the kids in my previous classes know I LOVE popcorn (more than ice cream) so I just had to do this board. Makes me want some all the time.

As I was blogging I came across many teachers who made these cute little seats for their kiddos. So I had to make some. I used the file folder size crates instead of the regular size crates. I really love how they turned out. And, so do the other teachers in my building and now we'll be making more this weekend for the other teachers.
Our kids start on the 24th so I have just a few more days left to set up and plan. I'll get pictures up this weekend of the room. I've seen some really awesome rooms out there. I feel like I have "idea" overload".
Thanks for stopping by.

Help Wanted!

I need some help.  As I was blogging the other day I came across a teacher's blog who posted the cutest back to school poem that had a small bag of glitter attached to it. You are to give it to the kids the day or so before school starts and it's to help them not be nervous about going to school on the first day. It was so cute. Well, I can't find which blog it was and really would like to find it. You see, at my school our first graders are welcome to come the day before school starts, bring their supplies, find their desks and meet their teacher. It really is nice thing to do. It makes the first day run a little smoother. So if anyone knows which blog it's on I'd appreciate it. Thanks for your help!

Back in the Swing of Things

So, I spent a good part of the day in my room setting up all the furniture. I think I have that part done, at least I thought I did until I started blogging and saw a million wonderful ideas from all the awesome teachers out there. Blogging is soooo addicting! I'm hoping to get back there tomorrow, however, I do have a college bound daughter who needs to get shopping done before next week so that may be how we spend the day.
I'm hoping to get some pics posted of my room real soon, so be sure to check back.

The Heat is on, AGAIN!

OMG! I don't know how we are going to do it. Just these 2 days in our classroom and the temps are in the high 90's . I haven't even looked at the classroom thermometer. I don't want to know. I'm sure in December we'll be begging for heat again. Ahh, lovely Chicago weather!!

Pet Peeves

Alisha over at the Bubbly Blonde is hosting a linky party about our pet peeves of teaching ( why, I can't imagine having any pet peeves with these little darlings!) I have read about some real good ones and most of them fit into my own pet peeve catagory but here are a few more of my own. Enjoy!
1. When I ask a question, their hands go up, I call on someone and then they have to start thinking for the answer and then we are waiting for them to come up with an answer. This drives me crazy. They don't get it that they have to have an answer and then raise their hands.
2. When we take a washroom break together. They want to run down the hall like they can't hold it anymore, insead they immediately line up to come back to the room. They want to be the first one in line to come back. Then  once we are back in the classroom it never fails, within five minutes those are the same kids who need to use the washroom.
3. Slamming the lockers is another pet peeve. When I ask the locker helpers to make sure all the lockers are closed out in the hallway I can hear them slamming each and every one. It drives me nuts!
4. And, among others, pencil sharpening. When I am teaching a lesson to the whole class or reading them a story one of the little darlings decides to get up and sharpen their pencil.

I 'm sure there are  many other pet peeves (like ridiculous announcements over the speaker in the middle of a lesson) just give me a few weeks with the kiddies and I'll remember them. Be sure to hop over to the Bubbly Blondeand check out the other wonderful teachers' pet peeves.

                                   

Colorado Vacation

What a beautiful part of the world. My daughter and I flew out to Denver to spend some time with my sister and we did a lot of sightseeing. This is a picture of the famous Stanley Hotel up in Estes Park, Colorado. If you haven't been there it's a must. This hotel overlooks the Rocky Mountains and is just beautiful! Not to mention HAUNTED! This hotel is the place that Stephen King got his inspiration for the movie The Shining.
It is supposed to be haunted. They even give a "haunted" tour of the hotel, which we had to do. It was awesome and we got a ton of great pics. Anyway, yesterday when we developed the pictures we saw something interesting in the picture of Casey standing in front of the door where Stephen King stayed in and wierd things happened to him in there. It looks like a face on the door. Is this really a ghost or something? I can't explain it and am not too sure if I believe in ghosts but this picture is really creepy. What do you think?
Have you ever been there?  I guess I am trying to believe it's a ghost but I'm just not sure of it.
So, that's what we did last week and now on to more school planning. We start summer school next week for 2 weeks. It's more of a refresher for these kids.  Hope everyone is having a great summer. I've seen a ton of awesome units planned for the new year. Thanks to everyone for sharing them.  Have a great week!

Freebies Galore!

Be sure to check out http://justaddclipart.blogspot.com/2011/07/freebie-linky-party.html  for a linky party for a ton of awesome freebies. What teacher doesn't love freebies!!
Have a happy FIREWORKS day!

Happy 4th!!

I hope all you wondeful teachers out in blog world are having a great summer. I feel like mine just started even though we were out of school June 8th. I just finished my grad class for the summer so now summer officially starts for me. However, I have been reading Debbie Dillers books and now will start to create.
Woo Hoo!  Anyway, have a great holiday!

Welcome Summer!

Ok, school has only been out several hours and I am already thinking about next school year. Don't tell my daughter, she will think I am the biggest nerd. I haven't even finished packing up my room yet. The temperature has been in the high 90's and we don't have air conditioning so I had to leave early and hopefully tomorrow will be better. Any way, I hope everyone has a wonderful summer.