My Classroom Is Ready!

I went back to school this past Monday and sat in meetings, meetings, and even more meetings! We had roughly 6 hours to work in our rooms. So many of us were working weeks before trying to get things ready. I also worked on helping my mentee get set up in her new room. My intern from last school year is also here doing a maternity leave. I couldn't leave her out. I checked in on her quite a bit, but the teacher on maternity leave had everything organized and ready so I didn't have to help out too much. Here are some shots from my classroom:

 

I found this on TpT! It even includes the banner!

 

I relabeled my math tubs with a chevron/chalkboard look. The birthday board will have a picture of the students. I do this the first week of school. I grouped the students by the month of their birthday and take a picture. Their birthday bags are underneath the birthday board.

 

This is the Boggle game for students who finish early or may need to be challenged more.

 

Six-Traits Writing Board

 

I-Families phone (I found this on a first grade blog. Each app is a word family, and we will write the word family words there with a dry erase marker.)

 

 

 

 

 

 Writing Table Area

 

 

Reading Area

 

                                                                   Word Work Area

                                    Question of the Day, I Can Statements, and Daily Schedule

 

Daily 5

 

 

 

Reading Strategy Group Area

 

        Cafe Board (I stapled my poms to my bulletin boards

rather than hanging them. The fire marshall has gotten strict

with items hanging from the ceiling.)

 





                                     

 

This is my team! I am in the back in the middle. We took this photo after Open House with our mascot. Did you notice the shirts? I made them for my team! They say "1st Grade Is A Hoot" at the top and below the owl image is our names.

 

 

Have a great weekend! Our little ones come back on Monday!

Birthday Bags

I imagine that everyone is busy getting ready for school to start back! I only have one more week left of summer. I report back the 12th of August and sit in meetings, meetings, meetings. We have some time to work in our rooms, but not much time. I have already been back working and preparing. I would love to be ready before the 12th so that I am not scrambling to get done! One thing I am working on now is birthday bags. I had a co-worker to share this idea to me several years ago. She created birthday bags for all her students in her classroom. When it was a student's birthday, they picked a bag to take home. If they had a summer birthday, then they received their bag at the end of the school year. I asked her what she put in the bags and her response was "all that birthday trash that kids love!" :) I loved having Mrs. Mohead as a co-worker! She has moved on to another school but I started using the birthday bags that year and my darlings love them! They always ask me what is in them, and I tell them that they will find out when they get their bag. And they never forget to remind me when their birthday! I do make a few extra bags for new students who move into our classroom during the school year. I usually buy the bags from Wal-mart or Target and then I shop around for the items in the bag. Really Good Stuff and Oriental Trading have great deals on bulk items. I have always found items in the party favor or dollar section of stores. I tried adding candy last year, but I found that the lollipops melted during the school year! :( So this year I only added toy items and no candy.

 

I have an eraser, birthday book, stickers, tracing tool, birthday bracelet, mechanical pencil, and a toy frog for each bag. The huge frog is the outside tag.

 

 

 

These are ready to go! I will place them in baskets for students to admire until it is their birthday!