Thursday, August 30, 2012

Class Dojo

I have been looking for a super, phenomenal, out of this world, make an impression on a kid behavior management program for years.  I have tried lots of different things.  We have tried lots of different things at our school.  Hello, Class Dojo!  I have only been using this online behavior management tool for a week, but it (along with a little prayer) is already working miracles in my classroom.  My students absolutely LOVE earning points and don't want to loose points.  They will do anything for me to earn points.  I am so pleased with Class Dojo!
 
Log onto classdojo.com and take a look at it.  The kids love having avatars and watching points accumulate.  The student in my class who has the most points at the end of the week will get to go visit the principal and choose a treat out of her treasure box.  A nice visit instead of a discipline visit. 

A few of my favorite things

A few years ago I was washing clothes during summer break and emptied a bottle of laundry detergent. The plastic liner had not yet been replaced in the compactor so I just put the lid on the counter. The bottle went into the recycling container in the garage. A little later in the day I picked up a pencil laying on the counter and put it in the lid. An idea was born and the idea spread quickly throughout my school.


                                              

I use Velcro to attach the lids to the desks. Pencils are almost never on the floor in my classroom anymore. This is one of my most favorite features in my room. I save the lids and ask parents to save them. You need to use tall skinny ones like on Great Value laundry detergent. Then the pencils don't lean over to far and get snagged on every passing kid.


Next are my "pouches". I purchase work order pouches from the office supply store and Velcro them to the sides of the desk. Only unfinished work goes in these pouches. That way I can tell who has unfinished work and I can redirect them to complete their work before heading out to recess or moving on to a center. This has worked very well for me. No more lost papers in the depths of the desk.


Saturday, August 25, 2012

Sweet Treat

This year is gonna be a real hoot! And, I'm pretty sure my little people are gonna enjoy this sweet treat at the end of their first day of first grade. The bag topper is Summer Bag Toppers from Cricut. I downloaded Cricut Craft Room and bought the digital version of the bag topper. Now I can access ALL my cartridges from home or school after I get them all uploaded to CCR. Sweet!! My husband helped me create the toppers and put the bags together. I think he had fun. Teehee.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Meet The Teacher Night

Meet the teacher night was a huge success. Kids and parents alike loved my car and funky lady. I'm super excited to get to know my new group of cuties. And, yes, I stole the idea from Pinterest.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Just Add Kids

Here is a sneak peek at my classroom. Ian using black and white with blue. It really looks nice. I still have a few items to purchase for my room but for the most part this is it. I am a minimalist. I don't like a lot of distractions up in the room. But the kids have access to any resource they could need in a journal in their desk. Here are my walls.
This is how I display all my old class pictures. My students and parents all love to look at these. Quite a few comment on my hair style from years past. :-/

This is a special part of my classroom library. It is my "Book Buck" area. It will go on its own special shelf. Around November my students will begin checking these books out from my classroom library and begin reading them independently. They are not allowed to take them home. They must read them by themselves. When they are finished with the book, a parent volunteer will come and ask comprehension questions. If they get 75% or more correct, they get "book bucks". The more difficult the book the more money they earn. Then, once a month, we have "store". They get to buy lots of fun stuff. They absolutely LOVE this program. It is not mandatory. So there is no pressure. Yes, it is my version of AR. 

This is my computer desk with a print hanging above it that we sold at our school auction last year. Our theme this year is "Learning to Be the Light" so I couldn't resist decorating with Christmas lights donated to my class by my son and daughter-in-law. 

This is my center area. I package each center in its own little box and my students take the box to their desks to work on it. It may be a literacy center, a math center, or a writing activity. They enjoy doing these. I always reward them for their extra effort.

Now, all we need to do us just add kids and the room will be complete.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Crack an Egg

I created this little game last year to help my "little people" differentiate between the short e and i sounds. You have to admit, they do sound a lot alike. Poor "little people". Each egg contains a different item. The student has to decide what the item is and which sound it has. Then they write the word under the correct header on the worksheet. You can get the worksheet under my "Freebies" tab. This little boy had no idea what that black and white piece of material was. LOL. No wonder.  He doesn't have any sisters. Otherwise he loved the game and really started pulling the sound out of each word.

To grab this worksheet FREE click here.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Pinteresting Deco Mesh Apple Wreath

My husband is constantly "accusing" me of doing Pinteresting things. Well, I just had to try this one out and it turned out so cute!! I can't believe how easy it was and how Fabulous it looks!!



I started with a roll of 21" Deco Mesh in red (and ended up needing two rolls) and two 5" rolls one each of green and gold.



I started attaching the mesh to the wire wreath with pipe cleaners. I attached a worm. And, voila.,


Monday, August 13, 2012

Needle Point

This is a little more than a craftivity. I took a little time out before school starts to do some needle pointing with my mom. Just fun. I'm making a Christmas stocking for my daughter-in-law. Love that girl!!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

TPT Back to School Sale

TPT is having a Back to School Sale tomorrow. Everything in my store is 20% off!!  Then TPT is giving you an extra 10% off on top of that. Lots of cute stuff to keep your little people busy, having fun, and learning in an amazing way all at the same time.  Click here to view my store.   Lots of fun stuff including my new anagram game, Hoot -n- Annie inspired by the iPad app, Chicktionary. Happy shopping.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Back to School Book

I've been working on a Back to School Book for the little people to create the first day of school.  I want to make sure that they know the classroom rules.  I want to get them off to a good start.  I think this book cover turned out really cute.  Parents will be sure to notice it when it comes home at the end of the first day.  You can pick up my whole back to school pack at TPT.  Just look for my Back to School Book pack. It's full of activities for the first day and week.  Don't forget it has a printable poster for Classroom Rules and a section for telling time.  I want to ease them back into things but I want them to know what time they need to be at school..

 

I don't know why this next picture posted sideways.  I could not get it horizontal  Ugh!




Only two weeks of summer left.  I'm really excited to get back with my new group.  My daughter and her sweet college roommate shared an ipad game with me this weekend and I loved it soooo much that I created one for my little people.  I think they will have fun with it.  It's a take on Chicktionary.  Mine is called Hoot -n- Annie. It's an anagram game that will get the kids thinking about word structure, blends, rhyming words, and more.  I love tricking the kids into learning. ;-P  Check it out on TPT.


 
Sooooo much fun!!  Toodles!  Have a great week!