November 26, 2018
Cyber Monday Sale
It's Cyber Monday and that means you'll find all kinds of sales at your favorite shops and retailers. Luckily, Teachers Pay Teachers has you covered as thousands of teacher-authors are participating - including me! Over at my shop you'll find EVERYTHING on sale with 20% off your entire purchase. Just use the promo code: CYBER18 at checkout!
Here's a peek at a few of my favorite and most popular resources you can snag for 20% off!
Eureka Math!
Eureka Math is one of the newest and on-trend math curriculums that has has seemingly taken over schools around the country. The concepts that are taught really help students learn new strategies to solve math problems and introduces a few new ways students can think about certain math concepts. However, when my school first introduced this new curriculum I quickly realized the workbooks had a LOT of busy work for kids and it was in a format that wasn't really helpful. So, I decided to add my own spin to the work and create these interactive notebook style resources!
I've been busy trying to upload all of the modules for both first and second grade. It's a lot of work, but I'm excited every time I get one finished to share. So far you can pick up Modules 1-2 for 1st grade and Modules 1-3 for second grade!
Guided Reading
Math
Fraction Bundle
Even and Odd Turkey Trot Dice Game
Behavior Management
Think Sheets
Management Bundle
Bundle all of these behavior management resources into one download! Enjoy products like my think sheets, clip slips, awesome behavior notes, and full lesson plans for establishing the classroom culture!
There's so much more! Go ahead and make your way over to see what all you can get for 20% off!
November 15, 2018
Preparing for Parent/Teacher Conferences
Today I am going to be discussing Parent/Teacher Conferences! These conferences are wonderful opportunities to meet with parents for the first time and discuss how the first couple months have been going for their child. Typically, after routines and procedures have been established, teachers hit the ground running with instruction and conferences are great times to share with parents the work students are doing and the progress they're showing!
This means that teachers need to communicate a lot of information to parents and in a short amount of time. Here I have a resource that has been very helpful to me in the past and it keeps me focused the whole time! It's so easy to get sidetracked so here are a few things I've done that you may find helpful!
Break down the information by quarter or trimester!
Obviously you want to focus on the immediate goals for each child so it's important to dedicate some time to look up student scores and make them easy to compare to quarterly or trimester benchmarks.
This resource includes conference forms for all 4 quarters and now trimesters! It includes areas to document important information about reading, writing, and math so you can focus your conversation with your parents. It also provides the teacher to discuss where the student is at in terms of their work habits and attitude. Having the benchmarks available helps show if students are below, meets, or exceeds the given benchmark for that academic period.
Include student work samples
Student work samples are great tools to use during conferences to show where students should be performing or the goals they should be working towards. I keep previous students' work to help compare. I've gotten a lot of compliments from parents on how helpful it is for them to see what I'm referring to in regards to what I expect each quarter {especially writing!}.
Planning and organization!
I always put out the conference time sign up sheet at my Back to School Night and Open House that way I can get the majority of parents locked in to a time early and it's one less thing to do. However, everyone is different! Plan your conferences to be about 15-20mins each, especially if you're meeting with all your parents the first quarter. Give yourself a few minutes between each conference to prepare and have materials ready.
Tip: have resource information readily available too like:
-specialists emails or phone numbers
-a laptop or iPad with your schools website so you can show
them how to navigate it to find other resources
Keep a record...
It's important that teachers keep records of their conferences with each child's parents/guardians. It's important because it can be used as documentation in other meetings, especially if it's related to academic or disciplinary issues.
This form is good if you want to see your whole class at a glance as you have conferences throughout the year. Or...
You can use this alternative form, which looks at individual students and how often you've met or talked with their parents. I like this form personally because I can keep it in their file in my classroom. It's also helpful if you have students with IEPs or Child Study (in LCPS that the initial meeting that establishes interventions before officially giving a child an IEP).
Don't Forget!
I've included Don't Forget! slips with my resource pack because it's another small thing that parents really appreciate {especially if they signed up for a conference back in Sept}. Just fill out the student's name and the time/date of the conference and send home a week or so before your conferences begin!
Every year this packet has been such a time saver and an easy way to organize student progress and work in a nutshell for parents.
What are some tricks of the trade you utilize during conferences?
November 13, 2018
Engaging Those Reluctant & Excelling Writers
Two types of writers...
We all have those students who are the reluctant writers. They are the quiet ones - the ones those students who don’t actively ask for help. They hope they can be unseen and overshadowed by the more advanced writers in the class - and will even find ways to become distracted so they don’t have to put pencil to paper. I’ve had my fair share and I can’t blame them for not enjoying writing. It can be a difficult subject for some and depending on their experiences before stepping into my classroom they may already be frustrated or lack in their confidence in their abilities before they even start.
We also know those students who lie on the opposite side of the spectrum - these are the advanced writers. They love to write and often grasp writing skills quickly and are among the first to finish. These students enjoy writing and are eager for a challenge just to keep their minds busy. Teachers often times miss these students too because their focus are on those middle-of-the-road students and assign mundane review tasks just so the excelling students stay busy.
The Answer: A Discovery Journal
How exactly do I manage to grab the attention and excitement for writing from both groups of kids? Well, ever since I began Discovery Journals with my class in second grade it has been proven to show an increase in student involvement both in school and at home.
Discovery Journals is an at-home research/informative writing project that spans the entire school year. It is optional and is not graded, however I do look over each journal and make little notes to the student as guidance for their following entry. I typically begin this activity a few months after school has started - just so kids aren’t overwhelmed and gives them time to get settled in academically.
Research made easy...
I always share with students this new opportunity and how it will give them extra practice with their writing skills. What’s the hook? They get to choose the topic of their writing each and every week (student choice is everything!). Beginning with the letter A and moving through the alphabet, they are to pick a topic, research it at home either using books or supervised online resources, then use the provided brainstorming sheets to record their facts and write a short paragraph or two as an informative writing piece. Students are then to present their writing in a oral presentation to the class on a day designated by the teacher (I typically pick Friday).
I always try to give my parents as much information up front as
possible. I never try to assume that they know how each little
assignment or project is supposed to be completed - even if I feel like I
do a great job at explaining it. Since composition notebooks are the
only material that parents need to provide, it is important that
students find the ‘just right’ notebook for their abilities. So, I
provided this (above) optional handout for teachers to send home with
the parent letter so they know what kind of writing tablet they should
be looking for for their child.
The
main structure of this project is for students to properly plan their
writing so they have material to which to write with. The planning
sheets include A-Z and once students complete Z they can pick their own
topics. These blacklines allow students to:
- draw a picture of their topic (example: alligators (sketch a picture))
- come up with a topic sentence that hooks the reader
- three facts to use within their writing
- find one new vocabulary word to use in their writing and define it for their readers
- a concluding sentence
Afterwards,
students are equipped with enough material to begin their writing,
which they will complete within their Discovery Journals (aka
composition notebook).
I am always so excited to share this with my kiddos and hope you can engage your students too with this fun at-home project!
October 17, 2018
Life Happens...
Hello, friends!
Yeah, it's been a minute since I've been here or on the socials so thank you for sticking it out with me. A touch of busy-ness has fallen upon us as a family and a couple of major life changes has taken place. So, I suppose the distance between me and this space has been for a good reason. But, much like in all things I try to embrace the change, lean into the uncertain, and at the end of the day realize that life happens!
So, what exactly has been going on?
We moved to San Diego!
Our move was relatively painless thanks to awesome movers. But, there's always something that goes wrong on any move and for us it was not anticipating the fact that our sofa (yeah the custom made sleeper sofa sectional we bought a few months ago) didn't fit in the door. We didn't realize the floorplan we have is different from the model apartment they showed us when we first visited (and our sofa being the most obvious decision maker in any apartment we move to). So, the entryway to our new apartment is one of those L shaped designs where there's this corner you go around before getting to the kitchen and living room. Yeah, that corner kept us from moving our sofa in (a.k.a. our bed as well) and we were devastated.
My husband and I love living minimally, so we opted to save money and purchased a custom sectional sofa that folds out into our bed at night. We've loved living this way and it was a huuuuge bummer that the floorplan didn't allow for us to move it in. However, the property manager is amazing and gave us storage for free in the building and so our sofa is all wrapped up and safely hanging out in storage. Glass half full, right?
Our roadblocks with childcare
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| Playing at our local children's museum! |
When we were preparing for our move, it didn't leave us with a ton of time to find a school for Greyson. I mean, we were moving in the middle of September and most school spots are already filled. Then there's the expense of it all! Some schools charge over 1k a month (a month!!) for parents to send their children to. I mean, I love these trendy schools that have organic snacks, but seriously.
Thankfully, and after a hundred emails and phone calls later, I was able to find a Monday, Wednesday, Friday class for him that fit with our budget. Even if it's part time, Greyson loves school and I am thankful for the break. Two year olds are exhausting!
Now that he's enjoying school and I have some child-free time, I am able to rededicate myself to this space, my teacher shop, and my lettering business. Also, I've been applying to a number of teaching job postings in hopes that I can resume teaching here soon or at the beginning of the new year. Fingers crossed!
I'm working on my CLAD certification
I'm continuing my online program to earn my English Language Learners certification for my California teaching credential. Out here it's a requirement for teachers to have considering the high demographic of ELL and bilingual students. I've opted to take the courses instead of the 3-part test and I've found that I'm really learning a lot! There's so much insight and enlightenment that I've experienced just in these first two classes that I know I will be taking a lot of what I'm learning and apply it in my future classroom. I'm learning new ways to celebrate the diversity while learning new ways to adapt my lessons to accommodate those who are learning English. I couldn't recommend this coursework enough and think every teacher could benefit!
The #MomHustle
One quality about myself is my creativity and the fact that I can't sit still for long. Knowing I was going to be home for a little while until I found work, I wanted to throw myself into being productive with my time. I continue to run both my teacher store as well as my lettering shop. I'm so thankful that I have these two outlets to share my work with others, but that I am learning all kinds of new skills being a small business owner.
I'm proud of the growth that my lettering shop has received this season. I re-launched it back in September before our move and I'm thankful I've been able to keep it up now being in San Diego. I'm always looking for new products to share, practice my lettering, and connect with others. It's truly been a blessing for me and I am thankful it's allowed me to channel this creative energy in a meaningful way.
If you're interested in checking it out or learning more about my shop, I'd love to have you pop on over to my shop's blog and Etsy page!
Again, thank you all for being so patient with me as I have transitioned into our new normal! I'm grateful that many of you still connect with me here, on Facebook, and over at my TpT shop! I look forward to creating some new teacher resources soon -- especially Eureka Math products!
xo Kelly
September 26, 2018
Easy ways to get organized this upcoming school year!
Yeah, it may be summer break for most teachers (ahem...including this one) but much like most teachers we're always thinking about the year ahead.
I am so excited to begin teaching first grade this upcoming school year; covering a teacher friend who is staying home with her new baby (expected to arrive this July!). It's such an honor when a teacher entrusts their class with you and these little firsties will have so much fun while in my care.
One of the big things I like to tackle first when planning on getting into my classroom the first day back is envisioning the organization. From teacher and student materials to the physical makeup of the desks, chairs and bookcases. It all plays a part in how well a classroom functions throughout the school year.
So, over the last few weeks I've been cultivating a little list of my favorite classroom organization ideas from fellow teachers across the web (i.e. Pinterest). Each idea makes for creative uses of space without much prep or thought - both being huge pluses for me!
Arranging the Classroom
Knowing your physical space in your classroom, and using it effectively, will save you all school year long! Over the years, and in different rooms, I've tried a number of different arrangements in terms of the big furniture like student and teacher desks, center spaces, reading nooks, and gathering space. Other uses of space incorporate your walls, doors, or anything you can hang something on. Using these spaces in the right way helps the flow of traffic throughout your room and allows students to work independently without any hassles.
But, always keep in mind that you won't truly know what works until your kiddos get in there. Each class and each year is going to feel and need something different than what you've done before! Keep an open mind and be thoughtful about how you'd like your room to feel and work.
Flexible seating options.
This is the newest approach to classroom arrangement and it's large in part due to the influx of students who need to fidget or those who do their best work in a position other than seated at a desk. By offering students a choice, they have the opportunity to think about what environment helps them do their best - but, of course, understanding the ground rules for each seating choice.
I love this idea to break the small group learning table into identifiable spaces for the kiddos. You can find this, and more fun organizational tips over at Adrienne Teaches!
Designate the right space.
Have visible and designated areas for each major subject. The bright and welcoming colors in First Grade Made's classroom invite students to that space! I love her use of bins for centers and how each wall clearly states where students can find the anchor charts or their work throughout the year.
Arranging the Teacher
Being an organized teacher go hand in hand. If you're unorganized then you'll quickly find yourself underneath papers you don't know what to do with and students all over the place. By incorporating some easy tips and figuring out what works for you will take so much wasted time off your plate!
Use the walls and boards!
This is a 'duh' statement but how you use them is completely up to you and oh, so important! I loved my hot glue gun when I had walls made of cinderblock because I could literally hang anything and it would stay up the whole year - then easily be removed.
Using hot glue to glue clothespins to your cinderblock walls is the perfect option for hanging posters that come up and down regularly - such as my Star Student posters. Another way you can hang clothespins on other types of walls is by hot gluing pushpins to the backs and sticking them in the wall or board that way!
Pocket folders are the best!
Use doors or walls to hang folder pockets for student's unfinished work, for example - but think about the traffic to this place before designating just any ole' door or wall. Make sure students can access this easily.
Anchor chart organization
I love creating fun anchor charts for my kiddos but storing and displaying them can take up so much space! Luckily I found this idea to use a magnetic curtain rod to help me display my charts and have a place for them when I'm done. I just simply flip and display my next poster!
Teachers, embrace the binders!
I am all for teachers using technology to keep track of their lessons or even student data, but nothing's as good (or reliable) and paper and pencil. So, finding a binder system that works for you is instrumental in staying organized and keeping grades easily accessible for when you need them most.
Arranging the Supplies
Dum...dum....duuuuum.
School supplies have a zillion different ways to be organized, but these few ideas caught my eye! Much like designating a space for your centers or student work, every day supplies need designated areas to be stored when not in use and easily accessible to students if you want your day running smoothly. Here are a couple of ways you can organize your supplies...
Supply stations.
Again, the easiest thing you can spend your money on are these various Sterilite plastic bins because you can literally use them or absolutely anything and everything. If you have desks that don't have inside cubbies, use these drawers for each student to keep their things. Use stations or groups of tables? Use a set of drawers for each major subject for every table group and assign table captains to retrieve their materials.
Creekside Teacher Tales decorated her plastic drawers to keep her crayons organized in her classroom. I love this idea - really for any grade!
Charging stations.
Nowadays technology is found in almost every classroom; going beyond just computer desktops. Now students have individual iPads or similar device and much like anything, teachers need to keep these charging stations easily accessible and organized. I love the numbered cubbies from Time 4 Kindergarten's room! Such an easy way to keep these devices safe.
Desk Fairy
I love this idea of a desk fairy because student desks tend to quickly get out of hand. So, if you're prepared to go the extra mile and reward students for tidiness then this idea is perfect! Because let's face it, both students and teachers need to be organized!
Now, I want to hear from you! What are some of YOUR favorite ways to organize your classroom? Share a link in the comments here or on Facebook! I'd love to see!
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