Wow! First two weeks down! It kind of feels like a month! Oof! We've gotten to know each other a little but I'm still getting to know them as little learners and what all their quirks are. We've done some fun things and have already implemented lots of behavior mod (my kids have lots of stuff going on in that department). In order to help each kid work on a goal, I made these goal charts. They are cute and small (I print them out two to a page so they are smaller) and they are easy to tape on their desk and walk by and mark. My ultimate goal is to laminate them and Velcro stars on them but we're not there yet.

I also made this which we haven't used just yet but I am really excited about it! Although it wouldn't transfer in a or document to Google docs, I can edit it and take my own CLOZE notes on it for the kids about just about anything!

I also finished my fancy word wall and we are just starting to fill it up. Here's a picture of it! Click on the pic to get the title file.

Almost Ready!

By far the most fun I've had so far this year is decorating my classroom. Although walking into an empty classroom in July was majorly overwhelming, once I got started, I couldn't stop! I am very happy with how my room came out and I am excited for all the learning that is going to take place there! I wanted to make the room as warm and welcome as possible to the newbies. I can only imagine that being 5th graders at a middle and high school must be wildly daunting. So I want to make the kiddos feel as welcome as possible. I still have things to do (like make a welcome door, finish my fancy word wall, and put up the regular word wall) but I'm happy with how it looks so far!

My desk and the calendar area. The posters are from this awesome blog and the teacher tool box is a pinterest find.

My Target bookshelves (because my room has NO storage... seriously, none) filled with 1 cent notebooks from Staples. On top is my "I'm Done" Jar, my "Brain Breaks", and guided reading question stars. I also have my pencil sharp/dull station there. But I don't have a pencil sharpener yet sooooo they're all dull :P. Here's a link to the labels I used.

Here is my unfinished fancy word wall. I need a title and "bad" and "scared," but other than that I like the way it came out and we can add words throughout the year. Here's the Fancy Words Posters. All the ClipArt that I've used, I've gotten from Pixel Papers on Etsy. I LOVE her stuff! Its all over my classroom :)

Enjoy the freebies!

Story Boards Galore!

My school is very into using story boards to dissect literature and to aid in comprehension. We make them for the kiddos initially and then we teach them the skills they need to generate them their selves. However, the school provided worksheets were just not that cute. Soooooo, I made my own! And here they are. The ultimate goal is for the students to take the sentences on the worksheet and use them to write a summary paragraph. We'll see how it goes!

Enjoy!

Story Board Worksheet

Pinterest Inspired

The first day of school is quickly approaching, (15 days, but who's counting!) I found a similar "getting to know you" sheet on Pinterest that I liked for the first week of school, and wanted to customize it for my students. So here it is!

Enjoy!

Getting to Know You Worksheet

First Day!

So after being introduced to the wonderful (and all-encompassing) world of teacher's blogs, I've decided to make one myself! My goal with this blog is to share, share, share! After hours and hours of blog searching, I have come across wonderful primary grade blogs, but not many for upper grades. I am starting my first year teaching 5th grade at a middle and high school (the school is growing down) and will be surrounded by a wealth of upper grade and primary resources. And I'd like to share! So enjoy!