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 :) 

"Hello, Sir- what's your favorite color??"

Our first experience with Interactive Notebooks- YEA!!

Am I the only one who dreams to have her artistic skills??...AND her adorable handwriting?? Totally unfair.

O.M.G 

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!!!  

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)

Read about how I use these monthly storage units HERE!

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!! :)
 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!)

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!!

 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)

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!

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 of junk storage.

My desk/ kid-proof area...
Last but certainly not least...

"How do you structure your Work on Writing area?" I feel like that's a question I ask every teacher! I love to give my students choices of what they are allowed to write. I feel it's so important and helps them love writing! 

 I ADORE the Cupcake for the Teacher's Writing Center - It's kid friendly and SUPER adorable. When it's time for Daily 5, the students who choose Work on Writing grab this board and set it up in the writing center. Love it. 

Throughout the school year, I was noticing the novelty of Work on Writing was wearing off. A friend of mine asked if I had tried Shared Journals. My first thought was, 

"Ummm, I do not need to add any more journals to the disasters they call their desks." 

The LAST thing I wanted was ANOTHER journal that my students had to keep up with. 

And then, she showed me the magic of her Shared Journals. I LOVED this idea! 

Here's what you need:

-6 Journals/Composition Books (you could always do more)

-Cute (and free) journal labels like THESE !! 

Here's how they work: 

These journals STAY in the writing center. When students choose Work on Writing, these 6 journals are another choice for them! The journals are SHARED with the entire class (hence the name: SHARED journals). When a student chooses to write in one, they flip to the next empty page. They need to write their name and date at the top (and I also ask them to title their work). Then they are able to write their story. If another student wants to use that journal later in the day, they would simply turn to the next empty page and write their own journal entry. I usually have to model this more than once, but they really do get the hang of it! 

The students LOVE these journals and I love to catch them reading their friend's entries. At the end of the year, you will have 6 journals that your whole class has written in! It also makes for a fun addition to Open House. 

I used these journals in Kindergarten and First Grade. Here are some examples:

Vacations

Animals: