Updated Pictures

Little by little!!!! When I found hot glue in my hair last week I knew it was time to stop rearranging and redoing things! This is what happens when I have too much time on my hands! :)

Second Grade Common Core Labels

Check out our second grade CC labels at our TPT store!

First Grade Common Core Labels

Check out our latest and greatest unit! These are first grade common core labels to help you stay organized throughout the school year! All you need to do is print the labels out and tape them onto each file folder. Inside each folder you can put all your worksheets and references inside for easy reference! Hop on over to our TPT store and purchase it before the school year gets started so you have a smooth sailing start of the year! Below is a little sneak peek of what the labels look like!!! :)  Click Here!

First Grade Classroom!!!!

This is my work in progress classroom!!! I love being able to take my time setting up my classroom! The past two years I only had a few days to get everything up and running and that was incredibly stressful! Take a peek to see what I have been up to this summer!

This is our meeting area! Along with our library! All our books are categorized by level and by similar books such as animals!

Our super duper word wall!

This is where our anchor charts will go! Along with the standards we are working on for the week! The two desks are set up for a partner working area or just a quite place to go work!

This is our supply station! Everything they will need for the day can be found here! Everything is labeled and in its own bin!

This is our math wall! Right now it is set up with a number line, even numbers, odd numbers, greater then and equal to, left and right, and math tub rotation! This will be changed out/ added to every quarter!

Math Tubs!!!! In each math tub there is reinforcement games and practice sheets for the students to work on after they have completed their math work! These tubs are for each day of the week. I put groups together and they switch math tubs each day! I use the math tubs as a part of their math grade. If they don't complete a tub they have the opportunity to make up the tub on Friday! My kids love working out of their math tubs!

Classroom rules!!!

My room is sooo close to being finished and ready for the new school year! Check back in to see what new things I will be working on!

New Classroom Setup

A work in progress....

I wanted to create a writing center which you can see next to my new reading couch! I have drawers for writing supplies (paperclips, pencils, editing pens, etc.), dictionaries, spelling cards, and a spot to hold their writing portfolios. 

 I created a math center and painted the top of the round table with chalk paint! On the inside of the storage unit, I have games, manipulatives,  etc. The board is left up all year with everything they need to know for math throughout the year.

This is my desk area...working on trying to make it as usable as possible without leaving too much room for my students to form a line ;) One of my biggest pet peeves last year! I am going to take down the closet doors so its easy to go in and out. In the closet is all my teaching materials, textbooks, etc. On the left side of the picture I set up two desks where I am going to put two computers that I am getting this year! Yay! I already took down the curtains you can see in the picture and put up a poster with computer rules and such. (see picture below)

My favorite part of my classroom.... the meeting/library!  I havent had the chance to organize my library yet, but I set up the bins and labeled them so they are ready to go when I finally sit down to go through all of them! I was thinking about using color coded stickers, but who knows...a few hours on pintrest and I am sure I will have 100 more different ideas on how I want to do it! :) I have clipboards in the zebra bag on the ground next to my chair and two desks set up on the left hand side of the picture for another writing/work area. It is a great way to make the area usable when we are doing independent work around the room. On the board I have a clip on the top of the purple butcher paper to hold anchor charts and cornered off the area with the supplies facing outward towards their desk. Last year i had the supplies in an open area where the students could gather around and it caused some problems, so this year I thought I would make it a little less accessable so their is no room to crowd. I also am going to use pocket chairs and caddies to hold their supplies at their desks.

More pictures to come! I am changing, adding and moving things everyday! so much for summer break!

Crafty Earth Day Fun!!!

We had so much fun celebrating Earth Day this year!!!! We put together a earth day tree and on recycled paper all of our students made a pledge to help make the earth a better place!! SassySistas designed this awesome display!!! Check it out!

How To Projects

ON SALE NOW AT OUR TPT STORE!

Each student needs to pick a topic that they would like to research (ex. how to ride a bike, how to become a doctor, how to write a book). They will spend the first week of the project writing a How To Book in class on their research topic. The second week will be spent making a pizza box diorama in class for their topic. The students can bring in art supplies to work on their project and will need to take out books on their topic from the library here at the school or at the local Library. The books are the only outside requirement for the children throughout this project.

Instructions:
How To Project Instructions

I love to do this project with my students towards the end of the year. It ties in with cc writing standards and is a great celebration of the skills they have learned over the year! To go along with the project I have listed below step-by-step instructions for you to successfully pull off this project in your classroom! Have fun!


Before Day 1

Step 1: Send home the letter below to the parents explaining the project or create one of your own if you have specifications that you need added. Explain the project to the students before you send the letter home to get them excited and help them answer any questions mom and dad might have when they get home!

Step 2: Before the first week of the project make sure to send home plenty of reminders through e-mail, letters etc. to remind parents and students to have their mentor texts in school on the first day of the project. For families who have limited means it is always nice to let the students poke around in the school library and/or offer to use Internet resources that you can find with them at school. The mentor texts are very important in that you want the student to identify the steps without you or someone else telling them what they are. Hello research skills! J

Day 1

Step 3: On the first day of the project it is good to cut out a good chunk of time. My students get extremely excited on the first day and it is really hard for me to pull them away from it. This year I had a student cry because it was time to go home! Start by having the students read through their mentor texts (books). You can have them make notes in their writers’ notebook or simply have them mark important pages with sticky notes, etc. If time allows they can start to map out their steps with the 18 stepped lined paper below.
©SassySistasAZ



Day 2

If your students are anything like mine, by day 2 they are excited! They will start to finish up their “mapping page” listing their steps. One by one as they finish you will need to be available for editing. This is the part that I really step in to help them lay out their steps. I explain to the class before we break off that they will need to work independently and quietly ask friends for help, but it is important to stay focused because I will be busy editing with peers and they too will want my undivided attention when it is their turn. When I conference with them they bring their “folder” (or whatever you choose to have them organize all of their papers, books, etc. with and their mapping page. I use a colorful gel pen or red pen if you prefer to edit with so they can decipher my corrections from their own writing. Don’t be afraid to really help them out on this part. The rest will be easy breezy for them.

Day 3-5/6 Books

Once their mapping page is edited they are ready for their rough draft booklet. To make their booklet I use the no bordered steps sheet (it makes the final bordered steps pages seem more important). I have always premade the booklets. Just copy double sided. They will need to create their cover, dedication on the inside of the cover and a description of their book on the back. I always make sure to stress that the rough draft book needs to look exactly like what they want their final to look like pictures, handwriting, etc. so that I can look it over before I give them their very important, very fancy final book. J Depending on how fast your students work you will start to see them break off into different parts of their projects. The students who work fast and efficiently may be done with their rough draft in one day, but the slower moving students may take until day 5 or 6 to complete their rough draft. This will now give you time to edit the rough drafts and start giving those students their final booklets. I usually make the final booklets on card stock and pre cut the pages so that I can either hole punch with ribbon or use bindings to create a “real” book for them. I keep my students motivated to work hard on their rough and final draft books by telling them that they cannot start their pizza box until their entire book is done.
©SassySistasAZ



Week 2 Pizza Boxes

This is the part of the project that I have students of all different paces working on different parts of their project. I ALWAYS ask for parent volunteers. One minute a student will need hot glue while another needs editing on their rough draft.  Volunteers, volunteers, volunteers!! I always tell my students that they must bring in any supplies they might want to use for their box themselves, but if you or your school has a plethora of supplies they might not need to. I tell all of my students to be as creative as possible! I ask them to try and avoid bringing in finger skateboards…just make one from popsicle sticks and paint it! (You get the idea!) I usually send home a letter of suggested supplies along with a volunteer sign up sheet. I have always covered my tables/desks with butcher paper to avoid any spills or tragedies, but depending on your set up you might not need to. As I mentioned earlier the first year I allowed glitter, but I don’t recommend it if you have carpets! J At this point you just need to be prepared to be bouncing around the room and put on your superwoman/superman hat on and be available as much as possible. I like to use the last hour-hour and a half of school to do it, but again just suggestions!

Have fun and enjoy!