WWW Wednesday: First Day

Today I am linking up with the Kinder Tribe blog for What Went Well Wednesday.

Click on the button above to check out some kinder teachers' awesome ideas and join in on the link up!

Since we are gearing up for another school year, I thought I would share what went well on my first day of school last year. These are things that I will definitely be implementing again this year with my kinder kiddos.

Line students up with numbers. 

  

This trick works wonders for quickly teaching your students how to form a line. Each of my students is given a number on the first day of school indicating which cubbie is theirs and where they stand in line. 

We practice finding their number a couple of times and after that they are good to go! No arguing about who stands where or confusion when we get in our lunch line. This also works in specials classes that don't have numbers on their floor because the students learn who they stand behind.

Collect a Work Sample

 I collect a work sample on the very first day of school with a simple coloring sheet. This quickly tells me who can write their name and who has never held a pencil before. We complete these sheets again on the 100th day of school to see how much we have  improved. This students love showing their growth!

Ask Your Students What They Want To Learn

I did not take a picture of this, but last year I asked the students "What do you want to learn about?" I gave each student a chance to answer and we recorded their answers on a chart that we displayed in the room. This worked well for many reasons. First, it gave every student the opportunity to participate on the very first day. It also gave me insight into the students' special interests. I then referred to this list throughout the entire year when planning lessons and special units. 

Include Playtime

    This is an entirely new setting and experience for your students. Build in some playtime during those first few days for them to explore and interact. They will be very curious and will also need the break time during those long first days.

Thank you for stopping by! Please leave comments if you have any questions about our first day of school.

Don't forget to also head back over to The Kinder Tribe for the linky party! 

Guided Reading Essentials

Yesterday I shared a Periscope about the essentials that I keep behind my guided reading table. Thank you to all of the viewers and hearts! :) Just in case you missed it, I thought I would do a round-up of the things I shared.

This is what my small group table looks like. On the top you will see that I have a numbered bin and binder for each group. I keep the lesson plans, data, and notes for each group in their individual binders. I also keep each groups' books and written work in those bins.

Under the bins you will see two green buckets. This is where I keep all of my essentials for guided reading and math. These are products and resources that I want at my fingertips because we use them all the time!

Here is a peek into the contents:

Alphabet Charts and Flashcards

These are especially important at the beginning of the year, but I use them all year long. The chart is from our Breathrough to Literacy program, but you can download them off of Teachers Pay Teachers as well. We use these to practice letter identification, sounds, and for reference when writing. 

Alphabet Game and Paper Keyboards

I found this alphabet game at Walmart last year and the kiddos love it! They asked to play it all year. They draw out a cookie and have to identify the letter that is on it. If the cookie has a bite taken out of it, they have to put all their cookies back into the jar! As the year progresses, I have them identify the letter sound or a word that starts with that letter. 

The keyboards are a free download from the blog Primarily Speaking. We get these out to practice typing sight words.

Sight Word Flashcards

The Crayola flashcards are from Dollar Tree and have examples of words with digraph and blend sounds. I keep these so I have a word list ready for any sounds we are practicing. I made the sight word flash cards with index cards. Often I spread the cards out across the table and have the students find and "slap" a card as quickly as they can.

Elkonin/Sound Boxes

I actually have sound box stamps, but you can print off many free versions. I put ours in page protectors so we can wipe them off and use them each week. (These need to be cleaned from last year!) We always start with two sound words and work our way up. Love using these to help students segment sounds!

Question Spinners

This set of guided reading question spinners is from Creative Teaching Press. They include a book preview, story elements, and reading comprehension questions. We don't use these every day, but they are a great way to keep the kiddos interested and volunteering to answer questions.

I also shared some books that have been extremely helpful to me when planning guided reading lessons. You can see all of the tabs I have marked in there! Both of these books are great for primary students of all reading levels.

If you have any questions about our guided reading or any of the resources, please feel free to leave a comment below!

Meet This Kinder Teacher!

I am so excited to participate in the Kinder Tribe's first linky party! The Kinder Tribe collaborative blog just launched yesterday and they are giving away some AWESOME prizes. So, head on over there to enter and participate in the linky party! Just click on the button below.

 

I have already met so many great teachers through my tribe. You can click through their blogs at the bottom of the linky post and get to know them a little better.

Here is a little bit of info for you to get to know me!

You can also click on my social media buttons at the top of the page or search for my username:

Instagram: @case_harlan

Periscope: @case_harlan

Pinterest: Grow and Enjoy

Thank you for stopping by! Make you sure you check out kindertribe.blogspot.com to meet the other teachers!

Five for Friday: Classroom Tips

I have been very busy working in my classroom and wanted to share five classroom tricks and tips to help you out this year! These ideas are super easy and cheap! Yay!

One of the most frustrating problems with setting up a classroom is hanging things on the walls. You have limited space and things either fall off or pull off paint.

 #1: Buy a pack of clothespins at Dollar Tree and attach them to the walls with Command strips.

 

I love this because I can easily change out posters throughout the year without a hassle! And the posters don't fall off the wall onto a student's head!

 #2: Cut up alphabet banners from Dollar Tree to create flashcards for literacy centers!

 

Last year we had these donated to us and I had no idea what to do with them since I already had alphabet banners. Now I seriously use these flash cards all the time! They are super cheap so you can make multiple sets for students to use during literacy centers, your own guided reading groups, and for your para-educator. 

We mix them up and practice letter naming fluency, sounds, magnetic letter matching, etc. They are also super handy to pull out when a student is struggling with writing a letter. I have them practice tracing the letter on the card with their finger. 

 #3: Give each student a pom to use as a white board eraser.

I've seen the Pinterest posts where teachers glue a pom onto the tops of markers and honestly, I just don't get it. I don't have time for that! And do you do it all over when the markers run out?!

Just giving the kids a black pom works for me because A) It's cheap B) It's effective C) It doesn't take up my time and D) They are easily replace if lost or swept up by the janitor.

That's enough for me! 

 #4: Use page protectors to give everything a wipe-off surface!

I put almost all of my center activities and games in page protectors. Kiddos use the dry erase markers, wipe them off with one of the poms, and they are ready for the next center. This helps your school save on paper and printer ink. Plus, I always keep mine ready for easy sub planning or a center emergency (paper jam, computer probs, para-educator dealing with potty emergency, etc.) 

 #5:Put your name somewhere visible for student reference.

Students want to include you in their drawings, stories, and notes! Place your name somewhere in your classroom for their easy reference so they don't have to ask how to spell your name everyday :)

I keep my name on the front of my desk and the students always refer to it.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope these suggestions save you time and frustration as you are setting up your classroom!

Monday Made It: Fishing Poles!

This Monday I am bringing you a cheap, quick, and fun project that is perfect for back to school. Fishing poles! 

We all have magnetic letters in our classroom and have a huge focus on learning letters at the beginning of the year. So, here is a fun way to engage your students in the process!

You will need a package of dowel rods, string, and circular magnetic stickers. I already had plenty of lacing string, so that is what I used. You can get the materials to make a set of these fishing poles for less than $5!

Here are what mine look like. Nothing fancy, but it works. Tie one end of the string to the end of the dowel rod. On the other end of the string, place two of the circular magnetic stickers back to back.

This is the fun part! Fishing for letters!

I had fun doing this as an adult, so I know the students will love it as well. Have the students stand over a bowl or bucket of letter magnets and go fishing. They have to identify the letter and sound of whichever letter they catch!

BONUS Monday Made It!

I also made these tactile number and counting cards from burlap stickers I got at the Target dollar spot. They will be great for students to trace with their finger to practice number formation and one to one correspondence. 

 

I hope these ideas give you some ideas for your classroom! Happy Monday!

Favorite 5 Friday: Tips for New Teachers

I decided to bring my Favorite 5 Friday posts back from my college days! 

It is hard to believe, but school will be starting in just one month. Recently I have seen many new teachers asking for advice as they prepare to start their first year. So, today's favorite 5 focuses on my favorite tips for new teachers. 

I decided on my tips after reflecting back on my first year of teaching. It was the most challenging learning experience ever! Also, most teachers have been giving the advice to focus on procedures. That is very important, but I left it off of my list because it already highly discussed.

1. Take care of your body. 
I think I was at my school working everyday for a month after I was hired. I felt like I constantly had something to work on in the classroom, lessons to plan, copies to make, etc. This led to me gaining weight, not sleeping well, and having some anxiety and stomach issues. I had to make a change.
I quit going to the school or bringing school work home every day. I worked on bringing healthier food and drinks for lunch. I started taking exercise classes and got back into running. This is me and my teacher BFF after we completed a Waterfront Challenge 5K.
All of these changes made a huge difference in the second half of my year and ultimately made me a better teacher for my students.

2.Follow inspiring educators on social media (and in your school).

This past year I found so many inspiring and helpful educators through Facebook, blogs, Instagram, Teachers Pay Teachers, Pinterest, etc. You do not have to reinvent the wheel. Find teachers on these sights that work in the same grade as you and adapt their ideas to your classroom. Also, don't forget to seek out the teachers within your own building. I have the privilege of working in the same school with my own kindergarten teacher and I am always going to her for advice! Other teachers are your best resources!

3. Share what you are learning with parents.
I found that parents have many misconceptions about what goes on in kindergarten, but they want to be informed. I let my parents know what is going on in our class through a Facebook page. I invite all of them to like it during our open house at the beginning of the year. The parents also fill out an info sheet giving permission for me to post their child's photo on the page. All of my parents consented! And they loved it! I even had some grandparents that ended up liking the page as well.
I posted a lot of pictures and the parents would comment cheering their child on. I also posted reminders about things going on at school. The parents said that they loved getting on and seeing pictures of their children smiling at school. Consider making a classroom Facebook or Instagram page to share what your students are doing! 

4. Ask for help and use feedback.
One of the first things you have to overcome as a new teacher is the fear of people observing and evaluating you. Most schools have systems of evaluation that include your principal, curriculum coach, and peers. Instead of viewing these observations as if you are on trial, view them and use them as a learning experience. Even better, meet with your observer beforehand and let them know some areas you would like assistance or improvement in. 
Use the feedback that they give you as a positive way to improve your teaching and ultimately increase success for your students.

5.Make intentional goals for yourself.
You can not improve on everything in one year. Pick a few priority areas and set intentional goals for yourself before the school year starts. Keep these goals in mind as you are looking for resources, planning lessons, and interacting with students. Also, keep them in a place where you can easily refer to them to keep  you focused. I shared my own goals for this coming year in a previous post.  

These are just a few of the things that stuck with me from this past year. Remember, being in the classroom is your best professional development! Feel free to share any advice you have in the comments below.

Happy Friday Teachers!!!

Back to School Dollar Centers

I am so excited about all of the Dollar Tree finds I have grabbed this summer! They are going to be awesome to use during centers this year with my kinders.

Here is a look at my stash and how I plan to use them.

Chalkboards and Chalk

These chalkboards come with two pieces of chalk and an eraser. I got the  purple sandwich holder from the Dollar Tree to hold everything. I love using the sandwich holders to store just about anything! I grabbed a whole stash of them. I also grabbed some colored chalk from Michael's for a dollar to add some fun. I plan on having students use this center to practice writing letters, sight words, or write the room.

Double-sided Hero and Princess Crayons

I think my kiddos are going to love these! They are perfect for little hands and add just enough novelty to make rainbow writing super fun.

You can grab a Rainbow Write FREEBIE I made specifically for use with this center over at the Grow and Enjoy TPT store. It includes a recording page for super heroes and princesses.

Shape Storage Containers

These awesome storage containers come in one set, so you get all four for just a dollar! I immediately thought of a shape sorting center when I saw them. The pattern blocks shown are already in my classroom.

Small Plastic Containers

These small plastic containers come in a set of 10. I used six of them to hold dice and keep them off the floor, in mouths, etc. Last year I used plastic Gerber food containers and they did not hold up very well. Hopefully, these will work better! One easy way to use these is to have students roll the dice and practice writing the number it lands on. You can also have them roll and graph the numbers. I have a ton of roll and write activities that the kinders always love.

Coordinating Paper Die Cuts

I have to give Mr. Greg over at Kindergarten Smorgasboard for this awesome idea. The Dollar Tree has all kinds of different die cuts you can use for matching games. I did capital and lowercase letters with the milk and cookies and will probably do math facts on the lock and key die cuts.

Foam Counting Blocks

I don't actually have a specific use for these yet, but I can imagine lots of possibilities using them as dice, letter blocks, etc. If you have a good idea for using these, please share!

I hope you can find some of these products at your local Dollar Tree! I have also done some previous blog posts about Dollar Tree centers. Click on "dollar tree center" in the label cloud to the right for more ideas.

2015 Classroom Goals

Ok, the end of the school year and starting grad school got me. But I have continued to be inspired by so many blogging teachers so I am finally making my return!

I have been reading several blogs of teachers who are doing a book study on Teaching with Intention by Debbie Miller. She has awesome suggestions, along with questions to get you thinking about your own classroom. 

 

It is available from Amazon for less than $20 bucks!

After reflecting on the past year and with inspiration from this book, I am making some intentional classroom goals for this coming year.

 

This year I will intentionally:

1. Give students more choice in the classroom.

I chose this goal because I believe it will make my students more engaged in their work. I will focus on giving students seating and task choices during center time. Students will feel ownership and responsibility for their own learning.

2. Incorporate art into the classroom more consistently.

Because it supports listening standards, student creativity, and it is FUN!

3. Give students a purpose for learning.

I post the learning targets and we used them, but not consistently. This year we will use the targets from day one! 

Some of my smaller goals include introducing schema charts, reaching out to families through a (stuffed) class pet, and the use of hands on center activities.

Just thinking about these goals is already getting me excited for lesson planning! These goals will guide my choices throughout the year. I encourage you to pick up this book and make some of your own intentional goals for the classroom. 

It is all a part of growing and enjoying each day! :)