Back to School in a Flash: Curriculum Must Haves

Sunday yet again?  Time is flying... and now it's the week I HAVE to go back.  Setting up the classroom tomorrow, last minute boys' dentist appointments on Tuesday, and then district meetings the rest of the week.  Already thinking about curriculum?  Me too!

Today's assignment: Talk about what I absolutely LOVE using in my classroom...

One product that I use on a daily basis are my Whole Class Writing Journals.   I know I've shared about it so many other times, but it bears repeating.  I absolutely love using these journals!  These journals are stored in a basket at the back of my room.  Students choose a topic and write in them during Work on Writing, or when they finish their work early.  During silent reading they have the option of reading them and learning more about their classmates.  

One product I LOVE is this... 

I started using Mentor Sentences in my classroom years ago after Jivey shared about them.  This Better Than Basal pack has helped with ideas for each of the Mentor Texts that I use.  Full of activities, writing prompts, etc. I love all the ideas that she has given! 

One product on my Wish List is...

This resource from Joanne Miller looks AWESOME!  I'm so excited to use it with my kids as extra activities to make learning come alive. :)  Tons of activities to use with every single book we read!  

What are your curriculum must haves?  Share!  

An InLinkz Link-up

Back to School in a Flash: Teacher Faves

Ready for a fun assignment?  I'm linking up with Fancy Free in 4th, Ramona Recommends, and Not So Wimpy Teacher to share my absolute favorite things that make me smile.  

Reading to go shopping?  Just kidding... kind of!  I know I'm going to get a ton of ideas, so grab your own notepad and get ready to write.  :)  

 I have to talk about my obsession with teacher pens.  A couple years ago my blogging friends started sharing their passion for Papermate Flair pens and the Papermate InkJoy pens.  I love both.  For correcting I use the InkJoy ones.  For writing quick notes, I use the InkJoy.  For writing my to do lists, or updating my calendar, or things that I want to save for a long time - then I use my Flair.  

Last year I splurged on an Erin Condren Lesson Planner and this year I bought another one.  It made me happy, kept me organized, and I actually got excited to plan out the weeks.  :)  This year I chose the Favorite things option, and was able to personalize the front.  

  

I have 2 Purple Cow laminators.  4 years ago I bought my first one from Costco for $20, and then I wanted one to have at home as well.  My parents gave me my 2nd for a birthday present the next year.  Having a full stack of laminating pouches also makes me smile.

 I used to print a bunch of stuff through my normal printer, and then a school friend clued me in on getting a personal copier for my house.  Best decision ever! This was $100 a couple of years ago and it came with a cartridge.  4,000 sheets to a cartridge... the savings add up!  The school machine has always been 6 cents a copy, this way I can make copies for super cheap at home.  It's been a way for me to save my classroom budget by just buying replacement off brand cartridges.  

Last favorite for today - my Thirty One bags.  Last summer I saw a FB post from Teaching in Room 6 about best teaching bags and all these people kept mentioning the Organizing Ziptop Tote from Thirty One.  I LOVE Thirty One but I hadn't thought of it for school before.  I bought my pink one last August with a matching water bottle cooler and a key fob (that I store my flash drive on).  Then when I went shopping for a new wallet, I ended up getting my blue one for only $8!  They were having a sale and it was the best deal ever.  I still mainly use my pink one, but my blue one is for those days that I have to haul in project materials, or bring home more papers to grade.  

Oh, grading!  Last summer in the Target Dollar Spot (for $3) they had a portable file folder metal carrier with handles that fit perfectly inside this tote.  It's inside my pink bag, and I use it to hold hanging file folders with different labels (Spelling, Math, Reading, etc).  It helps me keep things organized to bring home.

Want to link up with YOUR Favorites?  Just grab this button, add your own images, and link up below!

An InLinkz Link-up

3-2-1 Teacher Bio

Good morning!  Today I'm linking up with Bright Concepts 4 Teachers to share a little about me. :)   

Pretty self explanatory... In life (not just in my classroom) I like to be in charge.  I like to know what's going to happen, I don't like surprises.  I like to plan out my lessons and know what the outcome will be.  I will do the same thing for years if I know it works.  If it doesn't, then I toss it.  

Respect... Yeah.  If I'm talking, a student should not be talking.  If another student is talking, then we are all quiet and respectful.  If someone's feelings get hurt, then there needs to be an apology - even if it was an accident.  If your desk is a mess, then you need to respect yourself to clean it up... you can't do your best work when you are distracted by all the clutter.  We respect each other by not lying to each other, not hurting each other's feelings, maintaining a safe environment, etc.  It's all about respect with me.

I didn't really talk before college.  I have always been super shy, and even though I like to be in control of the situation, I didn't want to take the leader role.  I was afraid of hurting someone's feelings, I was super unsure about myself.  College was when I really came into my own.  Maybe it's because it's when I finally started taking those education classes and learning to become a teacher?  Don't know...   Growing up I had friends, but I LOVE to read.  I was one that my family had to physically shake me to get me out of my reading induced coma.  I love making the movies in my head, still do - but with 3 kids there isn't as much time during the school year.  Already this summer, in the past 4 weeks, I've read 11 fiction and 1 nonfiction.  Life is good when you have a book.

In high school I took 4 years of French.  We only needed to take 3 years, but my teacher said that if we took 4 she would take us to France during our senior year.  It was her thing to do with the seniors and she did it every year.  I saved money for the trip, and then family issues caused her to have to cancel the summer that I was to go.  My dad's family (way back when) came from France.  Someday...  

Thanks for stopping by!  What's on your bucket list?

  I hope you have a great day!

Tis the Season to Shop!

Have you heard the news?  Cyber Monday (and Tuesday) are quickly approaching!!  I have been so busy this past fall, that I am looking forward to picking up more resources that I know will work beautifully in my classroom.  Before I go on and share my wish list, I wanted to share 3 new things that I just uploaded! 

Yep!  My students need a little extra help working with Contractions, so Contraction Task Cards and Match Up was created over break.

My kiddos also need some more review with Multi-Digit Multiplication and Long Division, so I made up some winter themed task cards for them to use during our December and January math centers.  Then I bundled the sets because why not?! 

Maybe something can help someone.  :)  

On my own wish list, I'm excited to pick up the following products on Monday and Tuesday!

Cooking with Science

Bulletin Board Book Report

Winter Close Reading

Presentations

Fluency Passages

Now, talking about my own store and what people have tucked away... I guess a lot of people do what I do, they tuck freebies on their wish lists.  I do the same thing until I have a chance to download them.  :)  

 

My most wish listed items in my store are my Whole Class Writing Journal Bundle and my Starter Pack.  I've done this now for the past 3 years in my classroom, and every year it amazes me how much I can contribute the journals to helping build relationships in my classroom.  

Here's my picture from 3 years ago.  

The kids share about themselves in the journals and then they learn about each other when reading them during silent reading time.

Here's my picture from 2 years ago.  Now I just have tons more.  

I store them in just a couple of big plastic baskets in my writing area.  This year I actually prepped the journals before school even ended, I had my "future teachers" help me glue them onto the spiral notebooks.  During class time I have the students write in the journals during our ELA workshop, when they are done with their main writing piece of the week, and when they finish early.  Students are allowed to read them during Silent Reading time or during ELA workshop.    

 

My next paid Wishlisted item is my California History Bundle.  This history bundle has everything I use throughout the year with my kiddos.  The first week of school my students get their own California ABC book that has vocabulary words that they will learn throughout the year.  I use my Regions Pack to start out the year.  The kids create postcards and a mini book as they research their region.  We create Salt Dough maps and form the boundaries.  For our Native Tribe unit my students research and create a writing journal, outlining what they would do if they were part of their specific tribe.  After Native Americans, the students learn about our California Early Explorers, and we research and write about the 3 men that are most famous for exploring our state.  California Missions are a huge part of our curriculum, and my students research a Mission a Day and record the information into our Research Books, and then they create a Mission Project.  After missions we learn about the California Gold Rush and they write a historical narrative as if they were a miner during that time period.  We end the year creating our State Symbol Fact Fans, creating our own drawings on the bookmarks that form a fact fan.  

Want to share what you are excited about picking up in the BIG sale?  Or something that has worked wonderfully in your own classroom?  Please link up or comment below!    

An InLinkz Link-up

My House Decorations - Want to See??

Linking up with Christina to share some pictures of my decorated house.   

We use these wooden garlands around all the downstair doorways.  Some of the doors also get a little wreath.  

Outside we have Frosty (and 2 deer).

I've always had this thing with nutcrackers.  The little "traditional" one in the front I've had since junior high or high school… long enough to forget when exactly I picked him up.  The teacher one my student gave me a couple of years ago.  

Yes, somehow my boys' stocking holders broke while in storage - and those things are expensive to replace.  Between our extra curious dog and our 3 year old (they would have pulled them down from the mantle), we decided to use wreath holders on the boys' bedroom doors.  I love them!    

My in laws like to move every couple of years… and every time they move they give us more of their stuff.  I loved this little town, so my mother in law sent them over about 7 years ago.  As the boys have grown, they are in charge of setting this up every year.  Some years they put "snow" under the houses, this year they didn't.  

Our tree makes me happy - even though we have to rearrange the furniture to fit it.  This year hubby had to take all the lights off of it (it was a pre lit tree), since all the lights died after 10 years of using it.  Now it has LED lights that will last a lot longer.  

My sister is letting us use this tree on our kitchen counter.  It is extra festive!

Go show off your house decorations over at the linky party!  

Hope you had a great day!  Thank you so much for your support with the TPT sale!  I picked up some great deals the past couple of days too.  :)