Showing posts with label Back to School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Back to School. Show all posts
Monday, August 31, 2015
#TeacherWeek 15!! -- Fun Facts Monday
Hey y'all! I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin's #TeacherWeek15 !!
Today is...
So here it goes...
I am married to my very best friend! We have been together for 10 YEARS and will be celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary this November! <3
Andrew is the definition of Real Men Marry Teachers. He's the most patient man I know and always encourages me to be the best teacher I can be.
I'm a K-1 looping teacher!! ... What is that you ask? Well, it means that I start with one group of kindergarten students, and then "loop" with them to 1st grade for another year. Having the same students for 2 years is amazing. While looping has it's pros and cons, the relationships I am able to make with each student and their families are incredible. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
 |
| My class two years ago- right before I got married and became Mrs. Saxon :) |
 |
| Same group 2 years later! |
This is my 6th year teaching and I'm back in Kindergarten starting my 3rd loop with a whole new group! Beginning with a brand new batch of kinder babies is always insane exciting!
I have the cutest dog known to man.
Meet Baxter.
He's a Morkie (Maltese & Yorkie mix) and he's spoiled rotten.
Soooo much puppy love for this guy!
I have a very unhealthy obsession with Fixer Upper.
Y'all if I could just be Joanna Gaines for just a day, I'd be happy.
I'd even settle for just being her BFF.
Make that- I'd settle to just MEET her!
Because of her, I have become completely obsessed with the "farmhouse" style and my house is now exactly that. I've never met a rugged old piece of wood or an old antique window that I haven't contemplated bringing home.
My friend, Katy and I made a trip to Waco to visit their little shop on Bosque.
I may have cried and screamed when we pulled up.
No shame.
I'm now the proud owner of a Magnolia coffee mug and tea towel #cantaffordthemagnoliawreath
Can't wait for the new Silos location to open in October. You can bet I'll be there opening weekend!
Painting my nails is my favorite boredom killer. I got so tired of spending way too much money on going to get my gel nails done- so Mom had a genius idea for me to get the at home gel kit.
I'm in love!
Best. Purchase. Ever. and has saved me SO much money!!
Hop on over to Blog Hoppin' to link up for Teacher Week so we can get to know 5 fun facts about you!!
Come back Wednesday for this year's Classroom Reveal. So excited to show you my room!
(And yes, you read that right- I skipped Tuesday. That's because Tuesday is Make Ahead Meals and this girl doesn't cook. )
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
All About The Teacher Autobiography
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw me post about my new Autobiography for me to read to my sweet kinder babies this year!
I'm so excited!
I first found the idea on Mrs. Hilderbrand's blog Once Upon a First Grade Adventure! Too cute!
I loved her book! I just wanted to make my own template with different graphics.
I plan on reading the book the first week of school to help the kids answer the MANY questions they have for me! After I read it, I will put this book in our classroom library for the kids to read whenever they would like!
I had so many of you request a template for you to make your own book. Your wish is granted!
This template is ready for you to edit and make your own! Just click the picture below!!
(It's on sale 20% off TODAY ONLY- July 21)
Just simply print, laminate, and bind with cute ribbon :)
#adorbs
Enjoy!!
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Ask Me!!
It's Sunday night and this teacher has about 7 more loads of laundry to do, so I have to keep this short and sweet...
I'm sure you've seen these floating around on Pinterest, and if y'all haven't grabbed these GENIUS "Ask Me" printables from Frogs and Cupcakes to create for your little ones- you're missing out.
I'm telling you- it's GENIUS!
How many times AFTER you explain directions do you have students coming up to you asking EXACTLY the question you just gave the answer to?
Ya, that's what I thought.
It's ridiculous.
I used her free printable to create badges for my kids instead of necklaces (only because I had the badge holders lying around.)
In our class, we have 5 Ask Me badges.
The students work hard to "earn" the badge while I am giving directions. When I'm done giving my spiel, I will choose up to 5 Ask Me friends to wear the badge to assist friends who still have questions while I'm working with a group.
Y'all- you would think I made them kings and queens of our kingdom.
It's a huge deal to be an Ask Me friend.
After the station is completed, the "kings and queens" are asked to return the badge for me to pick new friends after another assignment is given.
They LOVE it! And it works!!
Click the pic below to grab your FREE printable! Thanks so much Frogs and Cupcakes!! :)
Told ya it would be short and sweet! Hope everyone has a fabulous Monday!!
Friday, September 26, 2014
Student-Guided Classroom Creed
It's been a few weeks since this little blog of mine has had any attention! Too much of my time has been spent focused on taming the craziness in my class- and watching Big Brother. (#teamderrick!)
If you've read my previous classroom reveal post, you know that I am all about Great Expectations with my kids! My students are held to high standards and are expected to follow 8 expectations each day. Part of the GE "gig" is to have a Classroom Creed that your students create and recite each morning during the Call to Excellence (or Morning Meeting). When I had this group in kindergarten last year, they weren't ready to help create the creed. Instead, I had them recite the standard "classroom pledge" I found ...thank you Google!
In first grade, I knew I had to make the kids step it up a bit. The pledge in the picture above wasn't meaningful to them- they couldn't own it because they didn't get to have their voice in it.
We had to change some things this year.
In order to do so, I created two interactive flaps to have the kids glue in their journal as a brainstorming activity.
Under each flap, students would list attributes of each. Example: A great student is responsible, caring, and respectful. A great student follows directions, shows good character, and helps others.
The next day, I had them get out their finished notebook entry to share with friends what they believe makes a good student.
The kids were then placed in groups to use their "great student answers" as a guide to fill in the blanks of our empty creed.
Now- don't think this task came easy to them. I heard MUCH debate between the groups on what they felt was the perfect word to use for each blank. In order to help them in the process, I showed them this example I created-and encouraged them to use their own creativity instead of copying my words.
The process continued with the kids working (and arguing) to make the perfect creed to fit our class. Y'all. I was BLOWN away with their ideas. Each group pitched their ideas- and it was so hard to pick one! Here's a couple for you to take a peek at...
Told ya- my kids ROCK! Their FAVORITE word is "integrity", can't you tell? :)
We loved everybody's hard work so much that we decided to morph ALL of them into one Creed. Here was the final result:
I LOVE it. More importantly- THEY love it!
And OWN it!
And ABIDE by it!
I strongly suggest helping your classroom community by having your kiddos create their own creed. It's the perfect way to start our morning, and I love being able to refer to it throughout the day.
Want to grab your own FREE and EDITABLE copies? Click on the pic below!
(Please be kind and return the favor by leaving a comment and follow me!)
Have a fabulous weekend!!
Saturday, August 30, 2014
We Survived the First Week!!
Y'all.
We made it!
We survived the 1st week!!
I'm not sure how you are feeling, but I have a hunch I'm not the only one feeling a little bit like this guy:
Looping with your class is a WONDERFUL experience. For real- wouldn't change it for the world. BUT the talking. Oh, the talking.
Moving on...
Because of the craziness with our first week schedule (full day Monday- followed by 3 half days for assessments- and another full day Friday), it was difficult to get to hardly any of the amazing lessons I was hoping to do with my kids. Oh well.
We laughed, we played, we sang, we go-noodled, we read, we wrote...
...and LOVED our first week!
We were so busy that this teacher forgot to take pictures of everything, but here are some highlights!
Our 3 Back to School Read Alouds:
I love all three of these books!! You're Finally Here is probably my #1! It's hilariously adorable and the kids CRACK UP. Of course we love Recess Queen to teach kids how to include everyone on the playground. And I'll talk more about First Grade Stinks a little later :)
Our Favorite First Week Activities:
Because I looped with my class- 90% of them already know each other- REALLY WELL (hence all of the talking!) But we do have some newbies that joined our little family. We spent some time partnering up sharing our Summer adventures and later practiced our interviewing skills before we did a REAL interview with a new friend :)
 |
| "Hello, Sir- what's your favorite color??" |
 |
| Our first experience with Interactive Notebooks- YEA!! |
Babbling Abby's Fun With Firsties pack is one of the BEST!! Seriously. A must have.
We were able to fit in 2 Find a Friend activities. Find a Friend, (or Find Someone Who) is a huge class favorite! We use it so much in our room, usually as a formative assessment.
Read more about how we use it here!
Also in Abby's pack is a fun activity to go with the book First Grade Stinks.
I love this book so much. It's great for kids that are wondering if First Grade is going to be as fun as Kindergarten... or maybe they are thinking it will be TOTALLY different..?
We used Abby's double bubble idea to compare First Grade and Kindergarten. I particularly love this activity for my class since we looped together from Kinder. This visual helped us see that there are SOME things that will stay the same-(we will still read, write, and have fun in math) but in First Grade, my students are held to higher expectations than they were in Kinder.
I loved seeing the
"Oh yea! I'm going to ROCK First Grade, Mrs. Saxon"
on their little faces.
They are totally up for the challenge! #letsdothis
I am big on teaching my kids a classroom climate of respect. I loved the Magic Triads my firsties made when we discussed and reviewed the 3 things that help make up a great classroom community: Kind Touch, Kind Word, and a Smile.
Let's talk a little about Writer's Workshop. It's my favorite. I mean...FAVORITE part of our day! My personal preference of a WW structure is Lucy Calkins. Her series SAVED me when I first taught Kindergarten 4 years ago. Her lessons clearly lay everything out for you, and we are usually able to hit the ground running DAY 1 of school if we wanted to.
#ILoveLucy
This week for Writer's Workshop I had many plans to start my Lucy lessons, but time was simply just getting away from us. However , I was able to introduce Heart Maps.! I originally saw Heart Maps on Cara Carroll's blog and loved them!
 |
| Am I the only one who dreams to have her artistic skills??...AND her adorable handwriting?? Totally unfair. |
I knew that I wanted to have my kids create their own Heart Maps before we truly dive into Lucy Calkins next week. After showing them an example of my heart map, they were able to create their own with the template that I gave them!
My little writers did SUCH a good job! I can't wait for them to use these adorable maps throughout the year! It will totally help with the...
"But I don't knoooow what I want to write aboooooout"
If you would like to have your kiddos create their own heart maps- click on the pic below to grab one from my store! :)
Well I think that's everything in a quick little nutshell. I'm looking forward to a normal schedule next week with no half days. I've got some BIG plans :) For now, this teacher is ready to catch up on sleep and relax on her 3 day weekend. Hope everyone else had a wonderful first week back!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
My Classroom- The "BIG" Reveal !!
It's finally HERE! Meet the Teacher is TONIGHT and after a solid month of prep, my classroom is FINALLY ready. (and no, I didn't even change rooms)
After attending the "I Teach 1st" Conference this Summer, my "to do list" grew ...
and grew...
and grew...
I may not be completely finished checking things off the list, but I can finally share my "classroom digs".
I'm so excited to start the year and can't wait to have my classroom be a true learning EXPERIENCE!!!
and grew...
and grew...
I may not be completely finished checking things off the list, but I can finally share my "classroom digs".
I'm so excited to start the year and can't wait to have my classroom be a true learning EXPERIENCE!!!
Enough talking... let's see some pictures! :)
When you're standing in my doorway, this is what you see...
And yes, our rooms feel HUGE because of our amazing vaulted ceilings. Love them!
I have 2 main meeting areas in my room for different reasons.
One large space in front of the Word Wall where I do my read-alouds and word work activities...
...and another space in front of the Smartboard (where all the magic happens)
Our school is so blessed by our PTO and there incredible generosity- all of the teachers are so spoiled by technology.
Here's a little close up of my 50+ sock monkeys I have in my room... ha!
Love having a wide variety of pointers for the kids to use- the chomping shark is for sure the class favorite!
Next to my Smartboard area, I have the student's book boxes and such...
(Once school starts, the numbers on the boxes will be replaced with photos of their cute little faces)
If we zoom in a bit, you can see my Great Expectations board. Our school is not a GE Model school (yet) but we are pretty darn close!! You won't see a clip chart {GASP!!!} or classroom "rules" in my classroom. Instead, we have 8 classroom expectations the kids are expected to follow. Our classroom is based on a Climate of Mutual Respect and we refer to a Magic Triad throughout the day that encourages the kids to make good choices.
I love me some G.E!! :)
The kids LOVE the Class Shared Journals! Be sure to visit my post on how I use these in my classroom. Click on the picture to get your FREE Journal Covers!
If you move a little further down the back wall, you will find my Science Area!
(Those ugly brown cabinets up top won't be ugly for long...they will soon be covered with student work!)
Around my Math board I have hands to help us Add by 5's... and dots to help us add by 2's...
(I went to a conference last Summer that mentioned how we should say "Add by" and not "skip count by" because essentially what the kids are doing is ADDing... why not call it that? Hmmm)
Can't wait to get the kid's pictures in the squares for my birthday door...
(Behind the door is a bathroom- with a SUPER tiny, little potty)
No, I don't let kids use it...and yes, it houses a TON ofjunk storage.
My desk/ kid-proof area...
Last but certainly not least...
When you're standing in my doorway, this is what you see...
And yes, our rooms feel HUGE because of our amazing vaulted ceilings. Love them!
I have 2 main meeting areas in my room for different reasons.
One large space in front of the Word Wall where I do my read-alouds and word work activities...
Our school is so blessed by our PTO and there incredible generosity- all of the teachers are so spoiled by technology.
Here's a little close up of my 50+ sock monkeys I have in my room... ha!
And to think that 3 years ago, I only started with ONE monkey... (that big guy on the right)
Love having a wide variety of pointers for the kids to use- the chomping shark is for sure the class favorite!
(Once school starts, the numbers on the boxes will be replaced with photos of their cute little faces)
 |
| Read about how I use these monthly storage units HERE! |
I love me some G.E!! :)
I am a HUGE Bucket Filler Fan... I use the lingo from the book constantly, and I LOVED Christie's poster you can find here!
The heart mirror was too cute for me to pass up at Bed Bath and Beyond. It's the perfect size for the board and is a reminder for students (and me!) to do a "neck-up, check up" in the mirror for a quick attitude check! It works wonders for little ones.
{Read more about Great Expectations here!}
Moving on...
My Writing Center may be my favorite spot in the room. It's probably because I LOVE teaching Writing! |
| I found that long paper roll thingy at IKEA! Jackpot. My girls will love to pull that out to draw on. |
 |
| I got the adorable pencil from The Teacher Wife :) |
The kids LOVE the Class Shared Journals! Be sure to visit my post on how I use these in my classroom. Click on the picture to get your FREE Journal Covers!
If you move a little further down the back wall, you will find my Science Area!
(Those ugly brown cabinets up top won't be ugly for long...they will soon be covered with student work!)
Up on the cabinets, I have a "Science Talk" section where I will put up Science vocabulary we learn throughout the year.
After attending the Sally Ride Training last year, I learned that no matter what age, students really need a designated area to EXPLORE!
This Science Observation area will change throughout the school year as we are going through different units, but we are ready to rock and roll with our Rocks Unit!... see what I did there? ;)
I'm planning on using my "Wonder Wall" for ANYTHING the kids are wondering about. I have a cute little light bulb post-it that the kids will write things such as "I wonder why the sky is blue" or "I wonder why boogers taste so good, but you aren't allowed to eat them"
{OMG. SERIOUSLY! Get your finger out of your nose!!}
Inside the green organizer, you will find magnets, hand lenses, and droppers...
My Math center definitely got a makeover this school year. After learning all about Cara Carroll's dessert tub rotations, I had to steal that idea! The grey tubs are their dinner rotations (what they have to do) and the green tubs are their dessert (what they can do after they are finished with dessert).
SO cute, right!?
I will place the kids into math groups and their names will be next to the numbers on the red rotation chart.
 |
| And did you spy the Red "CONFIDENTIAL" folder on the board? That's a part of Cara's Math Missions pack!! SO excited to use it this year!! |
A close up of the math baskets...
Around my Math board I have hands to help us Add by 5's... and dots to help us add by 2's...
(I went to a conference last Summer that mentioned how we should say "Add by" and not "skip count by" because essentially what the kids are doing is ADDing... why not call it that? Hmmm)
Some decor things around my room...
 |
| Hope King is a straight up genius, and her Setting the Stage to Engage has been the forefront of my mind as I prepare my class for my firsties this year. This quote will forever be engraved on my mind! :) |
 |
| Found the adorable balloon idea from Reagan Tunstall! I used Laffy Taffy I found from Sams! |
(Behind the door is a bathroom- with a SUPER tiny, little potty)
No, I don't let kids use it...and yes, it houses a TON of
My desk/ kid-proof area...
I couldn't have finished my room without the help of my incredibly talented and creative Mom!! Every year she takes a day off work to be my assisstant at school to help prepare for the new year. So thankful for her help and ideas. #momsarethebest
Thanks for swinging by to take a peek at my room!
Be sure to click the picture below and link up with the other teachers so we can see YOUR #classroomdigs!
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)
Grab My Button!
Guess What?!
