"Ideas Lessons"--Getting Started in Writing Workshop

One of my favorite things to do at the beginning of the year is lay the foundation for Writing Workshop in my classroom.  I always spend the first weeks of school doing a bunch of fun "Ideas" lessons--lessons that are designed to spark an idea for writing.  The kids start a bunch of different pieces in their Writing Workshop journals, add a ton of things to their "ideas list," and basically get bitten by the writing bug.  Taking the time to build the writing community is so important--it helps get the kids excited about writing, but equally as importantly, it gives the kids so many ideas that they can never say, "But I don't have anything to write about!" later in the year during Daily 3 or Writing Workshop.

One of our first Writing Workshop lessons was the "Narrative Heart," which I *think* is from one of Ralph Fletcher's books, but I can't remember where I first heard of this one.  I model writing all of the things that are in my heart on chart paper and the kids do the same in their journals.  Then, they can write a story about any of those ideas when they are stuck and don't know what to write about!  My narrative heart:

Some highlights of my heart: my niece Olivia, my old and new schools, memories from going to Michigan every winter with my dad to cut down a Christmas tree, eating dessert, my high school friend Alex (all of my friends, of course, but I picked one for an example!), and of course my childhood teddy bear Fred. :)

4th grade narrative heart :)

We also read the adorable book Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox, a perfect mentor text for writing about memories using artifacts.  The kids all brought in artifacts, and I brought in my first half marathon medal.  I told them my "memory story," then we all wrote about our artifacts.  Last, the kids shared their writing with partners.  

Another favorite lesson I do every year is using Desert Voices by Byrd Baylor, a book of poems written from the points of views of desert animals.  After reading the book, the kiddos brainstormed animals that they would like to write from the point of view of... 

This lesson usually gets some fun results!

Because I love both Patricia Polacco and my "rotten" older brothers, I always love reading aloud My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother at the beginning of the year.  This year I used it in literacy to introduce character traits and story elements, but then I hit it again in writing workshop.  I read the book and then tell the kids a story about the most rotten thing my older brother ever did--I was about 8, and he was yelling and screaming and generally making my life miserable while in charge one night when my parents were out.  He decided to steal my teddy bear, put him on top of our ceiling fan, and threaten to turn the fan on and chop him to bits unless I stopped crying.  Sibiling love. :)  Anyways, after I share my "rotten sibling story," I challenge the kids to write theirs...

The last "ideas" lesson I want to share was a new one for me this year, an idea I got from the Being a Writer 4th grade curriculum.  I read the beginning of the picture book Gorky Rises aloud to the class.  It's not a favorite book of mine, but the premise is that the kid mixes a ton of different things together and makes a potion that makes him fly.  I only read the first few pages, then brainstormed with the kids what ingredients they could mix in a potion and what the potion would do.  They absolutely LOVED this lesson, and many of them worked on that story all week long!  

 All in all, after two weeks my kiddos are already hooked on Writing Workshop and ask to do it multiple times during the day.  Score!  (Now I just have to teach some writing conventions...god help us all!!!)

Training Tuesday: Track + Trail

While I miss triathlon season already, I'm not sure I miss triathlon training!  It is a challenge to fit in swims, bikes, runs, and bricks during the week and definitely requires a lot more thought and planning than half-marathon training!  Now that tri training is over, I am focusing on training for the Space Coast Half at the end of November, plus training for a 5K PR at one of the races I have on my calendar in September and October.  I am still biking and swimming for my cross training, but it's nice to have the flexibility in my schedule.  

Thursday night I hit the track for a nighttime speedwork session.  I have a love/hate relationship with speedwork.  At first, I really liked it, but after a couple of track workouts, I am not loving it so much...the truth is, it's hard!  

Yep, that's me...collapsed on the track...

I know, I know.  It's supposed to be hard.  That's what training is about, right?  That doesn't mean I have to like it, though!  Training = homework I guess, right?  And homework isn't always fun, but you gotta do it if you wanna see results!  Like them or not, I'm hoping these 400s will help me run a speedy little 5K this fall...

I also got my sleepy self up for another 4am run Tuesday morning last week.  It was...early.  And tired.  My legs felt like they weighed about 300 lbs each.  But I made it three miles before the sun even came up, so mission accomplished.  (I also saw not one but TWO skunks.  Needless to say I kept running...in the other direction!) 

Check me out rocking a face full of sweat, dark circles under the eyes, and my See-Me-Run reflective iron-ons!  Woo 4am!

Over the weekend I took advantage of the day off and drove up to Michigan to visit one of my high school friends who has since moved there.  We had a lovely weekend catching up, drinking local beer outside, walking to get ice cream, and eating delicious food, but one of my favorite parts was my long run Sunday morning.  I headed out for 6 miles in my friend's small town neighborhood with no real plan in mind, but with so much beautiful Michigan nature nearby, my eyes were on the lookout for a trail.  And I found one!!

The trail was dirt and rocks and ran alongside a river in a gorgeous ravine.  So. beautiful.  The only "trails" around where I live are of the paved asphalt variety through forest preserves, so this was a totally new experience for me!  I absolutely LOVED the gorgeous scenery...

 

But I also just loved the feeling of running on a real trail!  Keeping an eye out for rocks and roots made kept the run interesting and it also slowed me down a little bit, which was perfect for a long run.  Anyone else struggle with slowing down those long runs during distance training?  (And to clarify, ALL of my runs are slow.  My "long slow distance" runs are molasses slow.)  

I found myself wishing I were running further than 6 miles, something that rarely happens!  So jealous that this trail is walking distance from my friend's house!  I am always sad to see the end of summer, but I am super excited about fall running!  Can't wait for cool temperatures, crunchy leaves, and 5Ks.  :)  Anyone with me??

Do you do speedwork?  

Thoughts on trial running?

2 weeks down and still smiling :)

Well, I have survived 2 weeks of school at my new job and have to say, I am so. much. happier.  I just went back and skimmed a few of my posts from last September, and at that point last year, I was in the kind of funk that most teachers get in at SOME point during a year, but never in September!  In fact, when I think back about the first week of school last year, I'm pretty sure I had already cried a few times, and let me clarify that I wasn't crying over the kids.  Let's just say it like it is: last year pretty much sucked.

This year is the change I needed.  My new school is no ritzy building, but in comparison to my old school, it's Disneyland.  The teachers are happy, my team gets along great, and the kids are wonderful.  Yes, we still have pressure on us and low kids with so much growth to make in so little time, but I don't feel like I'm working in a prison.  Last year I felt like no matter how hard I worked (which was pretty freaking hard), it was never good enough.  This year feels just so different in so many ways.  Also, can I just say that third and fourth graders are freaking adorable?  I love them.  This is definitely the age for me!  Cute words from third and fourth graders...

"Today I am feeling good  i got to purple in 3 and 4 grade.  I just might go to pink.  Pink is the Best." 

(Clip chart love!)

 

Cute 3/4 experience of the week: I use music for transitions and "anchor" a different song to the different transitions during the day, and our song before PE is "Firework" by Katy Perry.  All of the kids were singing it while lining up, boys included.  Our clean up song is "Who Says" by Selena Gomez (adorable song, youtube it if you don't know it), and they all sing that too.  Adorable.  Love it.  Is it easy and stress-free?  OF COURSE NOT!  I am still teaching, of course, and with that comes the same politics and silliness as at the old school, but it is just so much more bearable.  Things are just better.  When I compare my feeling after the first day this year to last year, it's so completely different.  I just know I made the right choice and feel so good about that.  Things really do happen for a reason, and I am so LUCKY I lost that job or I'd still be there crying and tearing my hair out.  Funny how life works sometimes!!

Just wanted to share some of my lessons from the first week...

Our first class read aloud was The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman, a super cute story about a gang of odd balls ("dunderheads") with unique talents.  The kids work together to help one of their friends after a mean and nasty teacher steals one of his prized posessions.  While reading, the kids listened for the special talents of each kid and I recorded them on chart paper.  Then, the kids each wrote some of their special gifts on strips of paper which we connected into a paper chain.  Love this, and the kiddos loved it too.

Our chain

On day 2 I did the lesson from Comprehension Connections on Metacognition.  This book is an awesome resource with fabulous lessons on reading skills like schema, visualization, etc.  All of the lessons have great "concrete experiences" to help the kids really understand the skills.  Love it!

 We have also been working super hard doing our Daily 3 training.  (More on Daily 3?  Check out these posts: Daily 3, Book Boxes, Introducing the Daily 5 (or 3), Word Work)  So far the kids have been practicing Read to Self and Work on Writing, working hard to build up their stamina.  I plan to pilot Word Work midweek this week.  Next week, I will start running my guided reading groups.  (So far, I have been monitoring the "training" and giving Fountas & Pinnell assessments to all of my kiddos.  I am SO sick of those little books by this point!!!)  

We made the chart below after our first round of Work on Writing training.  I noticed a couple of kids struggling with what to do when their pencils broke.  I am a stickler about getting up during Daily 3 and say the only time it's allowed is if you need an emergency kleenex or are bleeding!  I gathered the kids together and talked about different problems that could come up to distract you from your writing.  Here's what they came up with... 

The kids suggested bringing an extra pencil or a sharpener with them to their seat for WoW, but if they don't have either, I told them I would rather they switch to Read to Self than get up to get a new pencil.  Standing up = breaking concentration, distracting others, and distracting me in my guided reading group!  

Anyways, I am so happy to say it's been a great first two weeks.  Things aren't perfect (especially in my math class...we are trying some new management tactics this week!!), but I'm happy.  Yay. :)

((Belated)) Giveaway Winner!

Omg.  I am the worst blogger ever.  I said I would pick a winner for the organizing tips book giveaway over a week ago.  Oops.  Sorry, guys!  Anyways, I'm excited to share the winner is...

Shannon!  I love Shannon and her blog!  She is a new runner, veteran teacher, and inspirational in both areas!  Best of all, she is super friendly and sweet :)  Enjoy, Shannon!

Email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com with your address!

Race Recap: Danskin Sprint Triathlon

Oh hi.  Remember when I said I'd recap my first week teaching 3/4 multi-grade at my new school?  Yeah, I never made it that far!  I will soon, I promise.  Just know that I am HAPPY and BUSY and STRESSED and TIRED all at once.  But mostly happy.  :)  Part of why I'm tired?  (Besides grad school?)  Oh, you know, I just did a TRIATHLON yesterday.  I am still not used to saying that.  Yes, pathetic me who milked asthma as an excuse to get out out of PE more times than I am proud to admit, is a triathlete.  X2.  BAM.

Yesterday morning I completed my second sprint triathlon, the Danskin Sprint Tri in Pleasant Prairie, WI.  When my alarm went off at 4:15, all I could think was, "Where am I?  Why am I awake?  Do I have school today?"  Thankfully, I figured it out soon enough and got my sleepy self out of bed and into my tri clothes.  I drove an hour in the dark to Pleasant Prairie, parked my car in the satellite lot because *surprise* the road was already closed off in the direction I was coming from, and rode my bike 2 miles to the race site.  Eh, we'll call it a nice easy warm up (although I did manage to get two bug bites on the way...).  Since I was super early, I was able to chat with the bike mechanics that were available, get a couple small adjustments made to my bike (since I was too lazy to bring it in for a much needed tune up...yay procrastinating!), and have my tires topped off with air.  Oh wait, I should know how to fill up my tires myself and not rely on my dad for this?  You don't say.  I should be able to change a flat too?  Huh.  Better get on that...

I set up my transition area and then proceeded to wander around, wait in bathroom lines, kill time playing on my phone, and blow my nose 100 times while waiting for my parents to show up.  (Damn allergies.)  A bunch of people were warming up in the lake, and while I knew it would PROBABLY have been a good idea to do that, I just couldn't get the motivation to get in the water before I absolutely had to.  Instead, I sat by the water watching other age groups start and visualizing myself successfully completing the swim course.  Since I've been struggling with open water swimming (read: hyperventilating any time I get in open water), I repeated my current swim mantra to myself over and over: STRONG. CALM. STRONG. CALM.  Short and sweet.

I'm straight up there in the middle closest to this side--one of the few without their arms out of the water!
Yeah breaststroke...

About an hour after the official race start, I made my way over to the lake to start with my wave.  STRONG, CALM, I thought over and over again.  I also made peace with the fact that I might hyperventilate at the beginning of the swim.  Instead of telling myself, "You won't hyperventilate!" I decided it was best to make my peace with the fact that it might happen, as well as the fact that I would breathe, calm down, keep swimming, and find my groove.  I told myself that I had had trouble catching my breath with each open water swim, but had never NOT caught it, had never NOT found my groove, and had definitely never come anywhere near drowning.  I got my head in the game, positioned myself at the BACK CORNER of my wave, and jumped into the water.

Guess what?  I DID NOT FREAK OUT, HYPERVENTILATE, PANIC, or DROWN!!!  At all.  Zero freaking out in the water.  I cannot even tell you how amazing this felt.  Seriously, once I started swimming (breast stroke, even though I've been training with freestyle, whatcha gonna do...a swim is a swim...), I just kept breathing, kept repeating STRONG, CALM, and kept moving forward.  When I had made a little progress and hadn't panicked yet, I realized that I wasn't GOING to panic!  And I unearthed a massive store of confidence in the process.  I knew I HAD this.  I knew I wasn't going to hyperventilate and that I was going to make it through the swim without ANY problems.  Women all around me were swimming side stroke, back stroke, and clutching noodles for swimming help (love women's tris), but me?  I was breaststroking my way around the lake with confidence and ease.  I finished the 1/2 mile swim in 21:13 according to my watch (possibly a tiny bit quicker, but for some reason my chip time is just a time for each leg and a total time--no separate times for transitions).

Thanks photographer Dad!

I even managed to run my way up the beach and into transition, got my shoes on and got on my bike, and made it back out of there in 2:06 accd to my watch.  (T-1 from my first tri was 4:46!)

The bike leg went well overall--a few killer hills, but mostly smooth sailing!  I ate about 3 clif shot blocks during the bike leg.  It was nice and cloudy/cool and I wasn't thirsty, but did my best to hydrate with water/G2 from my water bottles.  I finished the 12 mile bike ride in 40:25.

T-2 was nice and speedy too---I racked my bike, swapped my helmet for a hat, and adjusted my hair as I jogged outta there, simultaneously sucking on a peanut butter GU even though hunger was the LAST thing on my mind.  Made it outta transition and onto the run course in 1:48.  (Damn ITband straps slowin' me down!  I definitely needed them though; holy tightness.)  During my brick workouts, the bike --> run transition and running leg has always been my biggest struggle energy-wise, but I got a huge burst of energy during the run!  I was feeling awesome, even running through a few of the galloway walk break "beeps" my watch was giving me.  My IT bands were aching, but I knew the finish line was SO CLOSE.  I am normally an 11-ish minute miler, so I was shocked when I passed the first mile marker, looked down at my watch, and saw that I'd only left T-2 10 minutes beforehand!

Check me out rockin' the purple top and IT band straps ;)

I kept up the speedy pace, passed a few women (side note: only at a women's race will you hear, "oh no, YOU go ahead!" on a course when you are trying to squeeze past someone on a tight course!  LOVE IT), got passed by a few, and sped up the closer I got to the finish.  I couldn't believe it when I saw that I finished the run in 30:29!  My 5K PR has been 31:34 for the past year and a half, and after I ran a 30 something 5K at the SheRox sprint tri in June, I chalked it up to a short run course.  But finishing the second tri with ANOTHER fast 5K...I'm wondering...this HAS to be another short course, right?  There's NO WAY I can be faster running a 5K in the end of a tri than during a regular 5K, right???  Please weigh in.  :)

Wow, this is getting long.  Anyways, I finished fast, strong, and smiling.  My watch says my total time was 1:36:04, but my official chip time was 1:33:05.  I'll take it!  For SheRox, my first tri, I had one goal: FINISH.    After finishing that race strong, I decided my goals for #2 would be to speed up transitions and NOT PANIC during the swim.  I'd say I succeeded in both those goals!  Hooray! :)

All in all it was a wonderful race--I felt great the whole time and finished feeling overwhelming proud of myself and how far I've come.  One of the mantras I carried with me was, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," and I truly believe now more than ever that if you have faith, confidence, and courage, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.  Bring on the next challenge.  BRING IT ON.

Training Tuesday: Attempting to Embrace the 4am Workout

First things first:  Today = first day of school.  It was great.  Truly.  I think I'm going to hold off on a recap until the end of the week and just reflect on the whole thing.  But I must at least share the obligatory first day of school picture.  Second: Today = second class of a new grad class.  After last week's first session of this new class, I thought this course would be a cake walk.  I may have jinxed myself with thinking that, because umm after tonight I am ready to curl up in a ball and cry.  Or consume some adult beverages.  Or something along those lines...For now ut though I'm just laying in my bed at 9pm, unable to process anything else.  The four projects that were detailed to us tonight can wait until tomorrow...or the weekend.  Yes, four simultaneous projects.  Sweet.

But since my brain is completely exhausted from class and I cannot bring myself to discuss anything that reminds me even remotely of class (i.e. teaching in general), I'm going to talk training.  It is Tuesday after all, right?

Yesterday I grumbled about my alarm going off at 5:30...well today it went off at...gulp...4am.  Yup, you read that right.  Let me give you a little background:  I love sleep with a gigantic passion.  Seriously.  I can take a nap anytime, anywhere and have a very close relationship with my snooze button.  But in the spirit of keeping up with my training even through the start of the school year, a time when in the frantic rush of starting new routines, excercise can go on the back burner and tends to STAY there for me if I let that happen, I was determined to start the year right.  I run Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or Sunday with one extra day of an EASY/SHORT run or tiny run as part of a tri brick sometimes thrown in there too.  I've experimented with other days, but staying consistent with Tuesday/Thursday/one weekend day just works best.  The thing is, though, that I have grad school Tuesday nights, like I said, after class my brain is often complete mush and all I want to do is curl up in the fetal position bed, workouts rarely happen.  That means if I'm going to run, it better be EARLY.

I'm talking hella early.  On a normal day I am up between 5 and 5:30 for school, so if I want to make time to run and foam roll/ice (even super briefly!), that alarm is gonna go off E A R L Y.  Case in point:

This morning was FREEZING!  I even had to break out my arm warmers and GLOVES for the first time since spring!  Crazy town.  On the other hand, it was super energizing.  I love a good run when it feels like the world isn't really awake yet, and a run when you can see the stars certainly is a plus.  (Turns out the stars are shining bright at 4:30!)    I'm not sure if it's the speedwork or if it was just the cold, but I was speeding along this morning and feeling strong.  Of course though, my garmin decided to act up so I don't know my exact distance or pace, but I think I'm getting to the point where I can give a pretty good estimate based on feel.

Arm warmers on, gloves in hand, thighs frozen.  CRAZY!

Anyways, I'm starting to completely ramble.  Must be the 3 hours of grad school hell taking their toll.  I swear I had a point to this post.  *Looks back at title*  OH. Right.  Embracing the 4am workout.  Here's what I do to make that 4am workout happen when it needs to:

1. Sleep in running clothes. I've said it before and I'll say it again--If my alarm goes off hella early and I am not already wearing running clothes, 9 times out of 10 I'm sleeping right through it.  There is something so pathetic about having to change out of workout  clothes without having worked out that gets me out of bed.

2.  Pack lunch and teacher bag the night before.  This is probably something I should do every night (should being the key word), but it's an absolute MUST if I want to squeeze in that workout.  Every second of sleep counts.

   

3. Lay out school outfit the night before.  There is no way I am going to waste time rummaging through my closet on a crazy early morning.  Once again, I love sleep and I don't want to give up a single second I don't have to!

4. Last but not least, tell someone you're going to workout in advance!  If you have a workout buddy, that's super easy, but even just mentioning to a friend on the phone the night before or a coworker that afternoon that you're planning on an early morning workout the next day gives you some tiny amount of accountability.  Obviously my friends could care less if or when I work out, but having someone say, "Did you actually make it out on that 4am run?" and being able to say, "Why yes I did, believe it or not!" still helps. :)

How do you squeeze in training when days are long and busy?

Any tips for getting out the door on early mornings?

Buh Bye Summer...

Teachers: Tomorrow is the last day to enter my giveaway to win a book of tips to organize your classroom! 

Today is August 20th and officially the start of the school year.  This morning I saw 5:30 am for the first time in a LONG time...unfortunately, my relationship with 5:30 has not improved since June, and I think it is safe to say that in this case, absence does not make the heart grow fonder.  Bummer.  Today was a day of boring meetings an Institute Day for teachers in my district, followed by a meet the teacher Back to School Night and barbeque.  In other words, it was a long one!  I am feeling so much more excited about this year, though, than I was this morning.  Third and Fourth graders are way cuter than 5th graders, it turns out!  And I love my new team.  But more about that later...first, let me share how I spent my last day of summer yesterday!

The morning started with a glorious 6-mile run.  You guys, I haven't seen 6 miles in quite awhile, and I love love loved this run.  I forgot the wonderful groove I get in after 5 miles (sometimes at least)!  But I have another reason why this run was awesome...Here's a clue:

What my legs looked like during Sunday's run...

See that?  Notice anything about my knees?  Here's another clue:

What my legs USUALLY look like before a run...

Yup, yesterday I ran without IT band straps for the first time in a LONG time!  Actually, this happened by accident.  I've been trying out KT tape on my IT bands this summer from time to time (I'll do a full post on KT tape vs. ITB straps another time!), and I typically put it on my legs the night before a run to let it really stick on tight.  Saturday night I forgot to do this, and Sunday morning I decided I'd use the tape anyways and just stuck it on before heading out the door.  Well, about 1 mile out the tape peeled right off my sweaty legs. I hadn't even brought the straps with me when I'd driven to the forest preserve where I like to run, and I immediately began wondering if I should just head back to my car and call it a day--I was already imagining the familiar knee pain that typically comes when I don't wear the straps (or even sometimes when I do!).

I decided to attempt the run anyways--the day was just too gorgeous to pass it up--and figured I would just stop and stretch as needed, listening to my body.  I stretched at 2 miles and 4 miles, and while I felt a little tightness in one of my knees, I can honestly say that there was not a single moment of the run when I was in pain--truly, this feels like a small miracle.  I don't want to say my IT band woes are OVER, but I am feeling so optimistic--something I haven't felt in terms of running/ITBS in a long time!

After my run (and an obligatory chocolate milk, PBJ, and a nap), I met my soul sister teacher friend Katy who also started school today for manicures and pedicures per back to school tradition...

Followed by Panera yumminess.  I am totally lovin' the summer corn chowder these days.  It is seriously AMAZING.

While I wasn't THRILLED to be gettintg up early this morning, and while I am still a little nervous about our first real day of school tomorrow, I am in a good place and feel 100% confident that I made the right decision in taking this job and moving to my new grade level and building.  What a great feeling to know you made the right choice!  And now, it's time to relax after a long day with some Jimmy Johns and craft beer... :)

PS: A big thank you to Claire from the Country Mouse Tales for featuring me on her blog today!  Claire, I love YOUR blog too!

When do you go back to school?  How are you feeling? 

Classroom Tour :)

Teachers: Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a book of tips to organize your classroom!

Happy Saturday :)  I can't believe that this is my last weekend before the school year starts Monday--whoa, where did the summer go?   I started my Saturday off today with a grueling triathlon brick workout, my last before next Sunday's race.  I have loved tri training this summer, but I'm kind of ready for it to be over!  My running training routine takes far less planning than tri training!  After the brick, I collapsed on the FLOOR in my living room on a beach towel, turned on TLC, and passed out for an hour.  Yep, on the floor.  Even after I woke up I didn't bother moving to the couch.  My goodness.

Anyways, enough about my pathetic laziness (I think tri training makes one deserve a certain degree of laziness during the rest of the day, don't you?).  The real purpose for this post is to share pictures of my finished classroom!!  Friday I was at school from 10:30am to 6:30pm, one of the very last cars left in the parking lot.  I spent the day putting finishing touches on the room, finishing my lesson plans, making copies, and prepping chart paper for all of the charts and things I'm planning on using during the first week.  (I use charts like CRAZY and try to prep them in advance as much as I can.  Huge time saver!)

I really must apologize for the awful quality of these pics.  My phone usually takes decent pics, but in my frantic rush to GET OUT OF THE BUILDING at 6:20 last night, I forgot to turn on the lights in the room.  Um, I know.  Duh.  I work in the dark with lamps on, though, and it honestly didn't occur to me to turn on the overhead lights for the pictures!  Will you forgive me?

My decor theme this year is turqoise and black with polka dots, plus neon accents.  I'm going for soothing. :)

 Morning check-in and rest room sign-out, just outside the door.  Students will move their clothespins from the left to right side of the hanging posterboard as they enter the room--makes attendance a cinch.  Sorry, I had to cut off their names!

Thank you, Pinterest!

 

On the window next to my door--a reminder to the kids AND to me!

 

View from the door.  I have four groups of 5 or 6 desks with a gathering area in the front.  My room this year is SMALL, but it works.

 

Job Chart--thanks for the inspiration, Jordyn the Messy One! 

My teeny tiny teacher desk and happy wall.  Check out the awesome post-it board my friend made me a couple years ago!  It rocks.   

Close up of the gathering place where I do the bulk of my teaching.

I'm trying something new for my word wall after seeing Stephanie's word wall display under her board.  Try as I might, I just CANNOT keep up with writing words on sentence strips and cutting them out--hate.  This year I printed the alphabet on neon cardstock, mounted it on black construction paper and laminated, and taped them up under my board.  I plan to write our vocabulary "wonderful words" on the pages in vis-a-vis marker.  This might be a system I can actually maintain! 

Front board: Place value chart along the top, schedule at the right, reminder signs and boggle on the left, magnetic pockets from lakeshore (that I prettied-up with scrapbook paper this year) for turning in homework and assignments. 

I have little "reminder signs" up around the room every year, but this year I decided to pretty them up with some sweet polka dot duct tape--check it out!

I think this tape was created especially to match my room, don't you??

Library corner

 

More library and my Writing Workshop board--soon to be filled with anchor charts!

 

Guided Reading table  

 

"Affirmation Wall" above the board--Again, sorry about the awful picture.  I got the idea for this from the Clutter-Free Classroom--my favorite teaching blog.  I taped a roll of black fadeless paper above the board with teal duct tape.  I am just starting with one affirmation poster and will add (and discuss) one at a time throughout the year.  Our starter: "Everything I do deserves my best effort."

 

Trying something new for rest room procedures this year...I make kids ask permission and sign out, but I sometimes have a hard time remembering if someone is already using the restroom--I only send 1 kid at a time.  I hate the kids carrying passes with them, so I'm going to have them place one of the beanie babies on their desk before leaving and return it when they get back.  That way I will be able to see who's there.  We'll see how it works! 

One of my hanging lanterns--I have 6 throughout the room, 4 of them displaying team numbers.  Ugh, sorry for the blurriness!!

I couldn't take pictures of two whole walls of my room because the light coming in from the windows was making everything blurry and dark--worse than the pictures I actually included!  So I will post a second set of classroom tour pictures soon.  All in all, I absolutely love how the room turned out.  It is both warm and soothing at the same time, and the colors and polka dots just make me happy.  Happy teacher = happy students, didn't you know?  :)