Some Fun

I was fooling around online...ok, I confess I was looking around on Pintrest. :P

A couple months ago a fab friend from the other side of the world sent me this one...

I laughed so hard I had to put up a copy in the lounge and copy room.

What I never knew was that there was a whole blog dedicated to these! So because I have nothing constructive to add tonight and it has been too long since I posted, I decided to have some fun.

So take a minute and laugh a bit with me.

Have a great night, and don't forget to visit Hey Teacher! to check out the others.

8:30 wake up call

Maybe I should have called this Surprise Target day.

I started the day early, well early for a summer vacation day. I got a wake up call and was up at 8:30am. However, I had some motivation... I was going to Target.

I was there, at 9:40am, and they were just filling the dollar spot's section with teacher goodies. Truthfully, I didn't find much there, but I did find some.

Some purple pocket charts.

Star erasers and stickers.

I have PLENTY student white boards but I caved and got some of these sentence strip like mini whiteboards for use during guided reading or small group instruction.

Notice I only got 2 sets... so only 4. I am trying to purge and not keep collecting more stuff.

Then I found my way to the back of the store, That is right the back, so that I have to go through every other section picking up all sorts of other goodies that I have no business picking up. However, I did make it there and was able to purchase quite a bit.

Who doesn't need two pocket folders? Both with and without prongs.

Some black binders for myself.

I got some pencil boxes for color pencils to replace some older ones.

Some index card boxes for the Bulletin Board centers I previously wrote about.

One of my favorite purchases are these rainbow colored boxes, both large and small, to organize my desk and teacher table items.

Here is my splurge item. Some half size neon index cards on a ring. Totally not necessary, way over priced but so darn cute I couldn't resist.

But my ultimate favorite purchase of the day are these roll up, slap bracelet rulers. I don't usually need, use, nor want rulers in my class. However, my friend loved them and decided to purchase them and donate them to my room when I said "but we don't use them." I am glad she did because I just adore them!

The best part was I didn't spend as much as I thought I would. I am sure I will be back before school starts because there are a few items I am waiting to go on sale.

What kind of school items are on your shopping list this year?

Workstation Icons

Thank you to everyone that made the 4 on the Fourth Linky Party a success. I have not had a chance to visit everyone yet, but rest assured I will soon. I have enjoyed seeing what everyone is going to try. Gives me so many ideas.

Today I wanted to share my new workstation icons. It was time for me to update them a bit. I was inspired by all of Kristen's new circular signs.

Circular set

However, because I got the rounded corner alphabet I thought I would try a rounded corner set too. It would also make it easier when I put them in my pocket chat. I thought the round ones might roll over.

Rounded corner set

I can share with you now, that while I love these, they are not exactly what I want so I will be making more. LOL So I'll be posting another set later this week. :P Keep an eye out for them.

Have a fab & cool day. It is a smoking hot 99 degrees here already and we haven't reached our high yet.

4 On the Fourth

I am sure I saw this name somewhere else. However, it wasn't the Fourth of July and for the life of me I can't remember which blog. Plus I wanted to have a linky today and was clueless as to what I would share with you all. So I decided I wanted your inspiration.

That is why I would LOVE for you to share 4 things your going to try for the first time in your class this coming school year.

(Click on this image and save or copy to use on your post.)

Here are the 4 things I will try out for the first time this year.

1. Kristen's fabulous new Bright and Clear alphabet line. 

 For those of you that don't know she added a manuscript line to her TN shop. I have been lamenting for a couple of years now that I need a new alphabet line and couldn't find one I liked. Well, I love this one and I think it will be perfect for my ELL kids. Not too confusing.

2. I am looking forward to tweaking and trying out a new custom lesson plan template and making it work for all of my age groups. Yes, I will be teaching 4 grade levels, K, 1st, 2nd and 3rd... I think anyway. Things can change at any moment. 

3. I am SUPER excited that we are finally moving back into our building. We have been off site for a year while they renovated. I can't wait to get into my new classroom and put up all my new goodies.

4. This last one is a bit scarey. For the past 3 years I've been part of a 3 person team. However, This year we have been cut to a two person team... and serving more kids. SO, I will be doing more with less and while this is not a new concept for me, it is certainly one that will take a lot of hard work from both my team mate and myself. So wish me luck.

 Now it is your turn. Share 4 things your going to try for the first time in your class this coming school year.

BTW, you don't have to be a teacher to participate either. Don't have a class? What are 4 new things you want to try?

Don't have a blog? Leave me a comment below. :P

I hope you all are enjoying your 4th, as much as I am.

Currently July Linky

So hop on over to...

and link up too.

Zoo Friends Vocabulary

Yes, I am back. :) This time with my Zoo friends vocab freebie.

If your clueless as to what I am talking about, yesterday I shared a vocabulary building/ practice activity/ center I do with my ELL students.

Today, I wrote up the Zoo animal words that will go with my DJ INKERS Zoo Animals Bulletin Board set.

I will do the same thing I did with my Farm Friends set. So here is your freebie vocabulary labels.

Zoo Labels

Now I am off to Old Navy to take advantage of the $1.00 flip-flop sale!

Enjoy!

Farm Friends Vocabulary

Ok, now I know I am on a roll, 3 days in a row! Can't tell you how super proud of myself I am.

Yesterday, I showed you all the goodies I purchased for the next school year. Today I will share a vocabulary building activity I use with my ELL kids.

So all those cute bulletin board decorative I bought weren't really for decoration purposes. Don't get me wrong they are SUPER cute, and make great decorations. However, I had a college professor that once told me...

"Your not going to have 100% of your students attention 100% of the time. So when they are taking a mental break and looking at your walls, make sure what is up there teaches them something too."

It was a huge epiphany for me and ever since then, I have made sure to use my walls to teach my kids, not just display cute work. I put all that cutie stuff outside my room for the rest of the school to see.

Here is how I do it. Remember that cutie DJ Inkers Farm Friends Bulletin Board set I got?

What I do is I make labels for the animals. I print two sets. I attach one to the back of the farm animal or object. Then I attach the second to an index card. You don't have to get all fancy. The kids tear these up, and no amount of laminating can hold up to when they chew on them. For some reason their super saliva always goes in. Gross. So I keep it simple for this activity. If I want to get fancy you can always use the colored index cards.

Because in previous years I have not had large rooms I usually post these on a tri-fold board for easy storage.

I normally cover it in bulletin board paper and make a scene. I also attach a library pocket to house my index cards. However, I have been known to use Ziploc bags in the past. All the kids do now is take the cards out and match them to the picture.

This is perfect for my ELL kids that need that extra vocabulary practice. If I notice that they have got the vocabulary down, I cut apart the words and then they have to put the pieces together to make the words. When they have mastered that I have them write sentences about the scene. 

This year when I create the scene I am going to only affix the barn, trees and fence. I am going to leave the other pieces loose and let the kids manipulate them on their own. So I will probably attach a folder or gallon Ziploc bag to the back of the board to store them all in.

When I am done with this theme I can then put it away and take out another theme, ie Wild Animals.

So I am going to share my labels with you all today... for free, because it is after all Friday and who doesn't love free? :P

(FYI, I use Avery Standard 8160 or its equivalent.)

Farm Labels

I plan to return with my Wild Animals version as well as a set for my Weather Bears too. So if you like these, keep coming back for the others too. I am off to go do some reading, I may just finish my book. Have a great weekend!

Summer Shopping Linky Party

OMG, two posts in the same month, wait a minute in the same week!!! Let's see how long I can keep this up. Ok, so I had some inspiration for this post...

Kristen's Summer Shopping Linky Party!

How could I resist back to school shopping?

I am fortunate enough to work for a district that reimburses me up to $225.00 in school supplies each year. That is in addition to to the $$$ it gives us at the end of the year to purchase student classroom supplies. You see the kids in my district are responsible for bringing NOTHING to school. Ok that isn't right, they have to bring themselves. :P But pencils, crayons, paper, glue, folders, etc... that I am to provide. To be honest I love it. I get to buy the same thing for every kid and I KNOW that I don't ever have to hear "I don't have a pencil."

The best part? I get to drop $ on my favorite thing, school supplies. So each year I save $225.00 (and end up spending more than that). I separate it and spend some on my calendars and bulletin board stuff and drop the rest at Target in late July, early Aug.

So I've been teaching a little while now. I haven't hit my 10 year mark yet, but I am pretty close. A lot of my items are new because I do purchase new items each year but there are some favorites that needed replacing and updating so this year I bought a lot! Thanks to Lindsey from The Teacher Wife for introducing me to MPM School Supplies. I also order from Creative Teaching Press and Carson Dellosa.

I won't write much more, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

(Please excuse my bad iPhone pictures)

The whole deal...

 Now this BB set is for my Surfing theme this year. More to come on that next month. :P

Surfing BB

My Weather Bears are going on 9 years old and very worn out. They are a FAV and definitely needed replacing. I am keeping the old set and will be doing something creative with them, so keep an eye out for that on another post.

DJ Inkers Weather Bears

I got these two BB sets for when we study Farms and Wild Animals. I plan to have my students use them to learn vocabulary.

 I have been wanting this one for years. Not sure how I will use it but I just had to have it for Jan.

DJ Inkers Penguin Pals BB

 I couldn't decide on just one of these so I got both. They will be part of a center.

Chart 1   Chart 2

Love, love, love. If you remember last year I was upset I didn't get the waves on blue boarder for my Word Wall. As you can see I didn't pass up the chance this year.

Boarder 1   Boarder 2

These were just too precious to pass up. I am sure I can do a matching game with them.

Birds and Nest Cut-Out Buddies

I mean who can resist stickers? BTW, I have decided that after my crowns run out this year I am just going to give the kids a little cupcake. Plus the cupcake sticker for their month. So much easier. Plus most of my kids get a crown from their homeroom teachers anyway so a 2nd one always seems redundant. I think this will be much better.

100 day items. These are a must have each year.

Certificates   Designer Cutouts

Ok I think I am the most excited about these 3 mini BB sets. I really want to dig deep into writing and story comprehension this year and I think the two sets on the right will help me do it. The Taste of Asia was on sale and I just couldn't pass it up another year. I thought it would be nice for my Asian ELL students. Who knows how I will use it though. I haven't a clue.

Taste of Asia

Story Elements

Become a better Writer

You see that didn't seem like that much. Now I just have to wait a few more weeks to spend the rest at my fav place... TARGET! :)

So what are you getting this year?

Stop on my Ladybug's Teaching Resources and link up too.

Buddy Room Bags

Hi everyone,

Several months ago, maybe longer, I wrote about BIST and today I am back to share a stolen, borrowed idea I am using in my room next year that will help with a  component of BIST, the Buddy Room. The best part is that you don't have to know or use BIST to use this with your kids. All you would need is a partner teacher who is willing to help you out.

So a brilliant teacher I work with came up with this idea and it is such a great idea that when I saw these bags...

...at target I thought they were a perfect fit. I got them at Target, and was able to get the matching pencil pouches too.

So the history behind the Buddy Room is that when a student is being particularly disruptive in your room, you have given them a redirect, have gone to the Safe Seat in your room and is still struggling to get it together you then send the student to the Buddy room.

A Buddy room is just a classroom outside of their own but where they are still in a learning environment. They are to sit in the Safe Seat in that room until they show they are ready to return to their own classroom.

They don't go with nothing though. That is where the Buddy Room Bag comes in. So in each bag I have...

1. a spiral notebook.

2. box of crayons

3. pencils (2)

4. eraser

4. scissors

5. some leveled readers

Basically anything that the student will need to calm down and/ or complete their assignment. I would put all the small items in the matching pencil pouches so they don't slip out of the bag.

So I thought that these cuties were perfect for the job.

For when a student is upset I got "Mr. Happy."

 For those talkers I got "Little Miss. Chatterbox."

 For when someone is hurt I got "Mr. Bump."

 And for those naughty moments I got "Little Miss. Naughty."

Because I teach multiple grades and levels I was thinking of having books with different levels in them but I think I will just put a variety of levels in each bag. So it won't matter which bag a student picks up.

On a completely different note I finally ordered my classroom goodies for this coming year and have received 1 out of 2 packages. As soon and the second arrives today, (YAY!) I will link up with Kristen's Summer Shopping List Party. So keep an eye out for another post from me... soon.

Hope your having as fabulous and quiet a summer as I am.