Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Back to school and a tour...

Ohmiword!! I cannot believe it has been over 2 weeks since my last post!! It's also been about that long since my last blog stalking session! I'm not quite sure how I managed to survive! The end of the summer came quickly and let's just say I wasn't giving it up without a fight! There were a few last minute trips with friends and family. There were a few shopping sprees. Not to mention a few days pool side. But at last, it's back to the grind.

I officially returned last week, but didn't get to see my kiddos until Monday. These past few days have been a blur of catching up, reviewing, assessing and practicing! We've been so busy, I haven't had much time to take pictures of all the action. So, you'll have to make due with a little glimpse into my little classroom...


Welcome to my home away from home. This is a view of my desk with my claendar wall and a few bulleton boards behind it. Like I've said before, my room is super teeny and I have to share it with their foreign language teacher. I'm so jealous of all of you out there with writing tables, word walls, meeting areas...


Here is my beautiful reading corner. You can see many of my Made it Monday projects here! The kids think the love sack (AKA the big red pillow) is the coolest thing inthe whole world!


The cubbies (without name tags). I snuck these pictures in before I arranged the desks. This is where the kidlets store their backpack during the day.


Another view of my bulletin boards. To the left is my color chart and rules. I store my centers and daily supplies on the small shelves underneath. The black bin is for our OWL books and the blue (the only thing I didn't spray paint this summer, hehe) holds our journals, some manipulatives, and crayons. And try as I did, I was not able to resist turning my lanterns into owls.  He's got his back to you, but they are used for center work. Yup, the kids go to whatever numbered owl I say and sit on the floor. Gasp! I know!


A few days later I was able to get my "Whooo" has a writer's eye? posters up. The kids are already referencing them as they write! Hallelujah!!


Ah, my closet! I am a NEAT FREAK! I spent some time at the end of last year rearranging everything. I'm still not happy with the top shelf. To be honest, I never am. The second shelf holds most of my misc supplies for art, measurement, counting, dressing up... The third shelf (now) is stocked full of kleenex and Clorox, two things I absolutely cannot live without!! The bottom shelf is where I store my centers. I have two bins, one for math and one for literacy. I keep the corresponding response sheets in 2 three-ring binders behind my desk. On the floor, I have my large bulletin board displays in a rolley (yes, it's a word) container.


This is what my closet looks like when the door is closed. I have a chart to track their math facts progress, some buckets (not pictured) to be filled, and a behavior sticker chart at the bottom. 

Now it's your turn to link up and show off your space!




Since I can't show pictures of my kids actually doing their activities, I thought I would just let you know what I'm using...


I have always and will always be an Anna Brantley fan. I have most of her centers! Right now, we're working through her Back to School math. During Language Arts, I'm concentrating on reviewing the alphabet, assessing and introducing some reading comprehension strategies.

Next week, we will be working on some of my centers!!




In my spare time (HA) I managed to transfer all of my gazillion files to a new laptop AND complete my common core "I can" statements for first, second and kinder. If you're interested, you cancheck them out at my TpT store.

On a final note, I'm super duper close to reaching 100 followers. I've got some great prizes lined up from some fabulous fellow bloggers. So, put the word out! Let's get this giveaway going!!

Hope your first week/second week/last week of summer is going well!

Best wishes,

6 comments:

  1. Looks great! I really like the red.
    I really love the alphabet cards above your chalkboard. I like that they are so big. This year I have a visually impaired student in my class, so I need to think about making things larger.
    Papers, Pencils and Books, Oh My!

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  2. It is a pleasure to meet you, BLOGGIE style! Your classroom is Awesome! Can't wait to check out your CCSS on TPT! I have purchased several other sets, but have been looking for a checklist to correspond with the cards. I am excited that you have included one with the set!
    Have a FABULOUS school year!
    Julie
    Ms. Marciniak's First Grade Critter Cafe

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  3. I love your room! The red and black look so good together. The owl accents are precious! Thanks for linking up!

    Swimming into Second

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  4. Love the red flowers by your bean bag. Where did you get those? They are so cute! Lisa

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  5. I just made the picture larger...are those balloons? Whatever they are they look awesome! Lisa

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