{Teacher Week 2015} Sanity Savers

Happy Thursday! How is everybody?? It's Friday Eve and the fourth day of the Blog Hoppin' Teacher Week 2015!!

Today's topic is Sanity Savers: What Makes Work Easier?? 

One Word: Astrobrights!

This paper is the best thing since sliced bread. Like the best. I use Astrobrights to color code EVERYTHING!! I use it for file organization, classroom decor, labels, notes home, storage, etc. 

Here is an example: 

With my Math centers, I usually make about 5-6 copies of each center. Why? Because I have 26 students and when I have 6 students trying to do one center all at the same time it tends to get a little louder than is necessary. And then stuff gets lost and kids start getting a little rowdy while they wait for pieces from the center. BUT if I have a center for each student or pairs of students then this issue goes away. 

When I make a new center or purchase a new center I make sure to have it available in B&W as well. INK SAVER ALERT!!

Then I print them out in different colors. All parts of the center. 

Roll and Write Center

Roll and Write Center

The students know to grab all parts of the activity in the same bright color. So if you are grabbing the pink dice, then you also grab the pink envelope with the pink cards inside it. 

 I cut the paper in half, fold it, and then staple or tape the sides to make an envelope. Sometimes I even laminate the paper before doing this. 

Counting Caterpillar Center

So the students each have an activity in the same color so no pieces get mixed up and each child is happy with his or her own center. Man, when I started doing this my life got so much easier!!!!

Centers are quiet and engaged. Students are working the whole time. There isn't any loud volume voices. I can work with small groups. It's just amazing!! And it is so bright and the paper is such good quality. It just makes sense!!

Well that's it for my sanity saver today. Can't wait to read how everybody makes their life easier!! 

FREEBIE Time!! Spelling Task Cards to help #colorizeyourclassroom

March has so far been very wet for us here in Louisiana. But that has given me plenty of time to work on some amazing additions for my classroom! My firsties are working hard on becoming second graders and as this school year quickly passes us by they let me know how ready and eager they are to learn and be better. Love them!!

My latest addition is to shake up my Building Words/Spelling Words/Word Work/Working with Words center. Task cards!

Ok, so this isn't a new idea but it's new in my classroom this year! And I do it a little differently, with Astrobrights paper to help!

Astrobrights by Neenah cut into 3x5 cards. 

Avery 2x4 shipping labels. 

Astrobrights cardstock is amazing because it a great thickness and doesn't fade. Avery labels are just the best thing ever. I print out the task cards on the 2x4 labels and stick one on each 3x5 Astrobrights card.

I use an index card holder to store the cards. I have multiple copies of each task card so the kids can choose to work on the same task if they so choose. 

I store the task sheets in clasp envelopes and the number on the card tells the student which task sheet to use. 

Cover sheets for clasp envelopes

I also have the task cards with fun, colorful borders as well if you don't want to use labels and cardstock. 

So if you like this idea, click {HERE} for your freebie :)

{HERE} is a sampling of my labels task cards from my larger collection to stick on cardstock. 

Thanks and Happy Teaching!!!

Calendar Puzzle Freebie!! Another way to #colorizeyourclassroom!!

Whew! The first weeks of school are SOOOOOOO BUSY!!! But would we have it any other way??? Of course not!

I just wanted to show you a quick little part of my morning math routine. Morning Math is starting off with a bang! Now it does take the kiddos quite a little while to get it going reeeeaaaaal good, but for the most part they are doing great! I will be posting more on that real soon - the truth is I'm waiting for some stuff I ordered from Really Good Stuff to help us out. Then I'll go on a picture takin' frenzy with my littles and their soon-to-be super charged math brains!!!

Our teacher mentor at University High (aka University Lab School) uses Morning Math to teach her entire math program and those kids are geniuses by the end of the year. We modeled our mornings directly after hers and here are some examples of my firsties work from last year.

139th Day of School

162nd Day of School

We run out of room sometimes!! And look at that multiplication!!! Yes!!! From first graders!!!!

Here's the 10th day from last week of this year. Pulling in those number bonds, making 10 every way possible. Breaking down numbers even more. using number trees, and introducing parentheses.

Anyway, I'm hoping to have my Morning Math blog post up by the end of this week. Please follow my blog to keep up to date on all my postings!! 

Here is a little calendar freebie that we use to show the kids how the months fit together. 

I LOVE how bright it is!!! They are so amazed at how each month runs into the next. I don't think they really realize or even think about it until we bring it up. We use this calendar to talk about days in a month, weeks in a month, days in a year, weeks in a year, etc. 

I also use ASTROBRIGHTS paper to make it really POP!!! Each month is printed on a different color and then I cut and tape together. Easy peasy :)

{HERE} is your FREE copy of the calendar!!

I've also attached some Ways to Make ___ signs for numbers 6-10. 

I post these above my morning math board. 

Have you checked out Astrobrights contest?

Astrobrights is a big supporter of using color to help brighten up your students' brains (and your classroom) for learning!!  

Go to www.colorizeyourclassroom.com and get some ideas to, well,  #colorizeyourclassroom!! Enter to win some fancy paper to help you out! 

And finishing up the third week of school going into a long weekend, we have our very first TIGERS football game!!!!!!! It is abundantly clear here in Baton Rouge that the LSU football season is upon us. 

Raising Cane's paying tribute to Coach Les Miles. 

The Tigers are in Houston playing Wisconsin tonight. It's SEC season and I can't wait for the first home game! 

GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!

Hope everyone has a happy Labor Day!!

Journeys Interactive Notebooks for Lessons 1, 2, and 3! TONS of Pictures!!

Oh my goodness this has been the BEST first week of school!! I was so excited to meet all my new firsties and begin our adventures together! We got through A LOT of rules and routines and procedures this past week and are ready to do even more next week. One of the best things this week was our interactive notebooking (INB) using Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Journeys reading curriculum. This series is completely Common Core aligned and is an excellent way to introduce to students the love of learning to read. We've had so much fun with the back to school week and are excited to keep learning! The kids loved putting their books together and beginning activities to help them study in the future.

I have finished lessons 1, 2, and 3 (working on 4 and 5!) but I couldn't wait to share them with you!

All notebooks are Common Core aligned and feature interactive components.

Lesson 1 - summarizing, main ideas, nouns, sight words, short a words, Daily Edits,

Main Idea sort!

Daily Edits! 

Short a Words - pocket to keep words in to study!

NOUNS!

Labeling

 

Lesson 2 - making inferences, sight words, short i words, ABC Order, understanding characters, possessive nouns, captions, Daily Edits.

Understanding Characters

Possessive Nouns

Captions

Making Inferences!!! What's in the Bag?

The Daily Edits will all follow the same format, but with increasing difficulty through the year. 

Lesson 3 - sequence of events, beginning sounds, short o words, author's word choice, verbs.

I decided to print out on my Astrobrights paper to help #colorize my classroom!! Not to sound too egotistical, but this was a BRILLIANT idea! The paper is slightly thicker than regular copy paper and it brightens up the place!!! 

#colorizeyourclassroom

Spelling Word Slide I thoroughly enjoyed making and playing with as I'm sure the children will, too!!

Totally gonna have to help them cut until they learn to do it themselves.

Working on sentence order. 

Sequencing, allowing the children to write under the flaps. Always ready to practice handwriting!

And verbs!! 

The story in the book for Lesson 3 is Curious George Goes to School. The target skill includes Author's Word Choice so I created a little graphic for practicing. I included a graphic organizer for George and a blank one in case we use another book and we can continue character study with a different character. 

I am loving the Daily Edits!!

Well that's it!! Please click on the Covers below to get your own INB lessons from my TpT store. 

You can also find the Back to School Interactive Notebook for FREE {HERE} on my blog. 

Thanks for reading!! And happy teaching!