Organizing my First Grade Classroom: Defining Spaces and Cohesive Color (Day 4)

On my fourth day of setting up my new first grade classroom, I had a few new ideas in terms of defining spaces.  In my old fourth grade room I had the space to put math manipulatives in the same vicinity as recess games.  However, after putting them all on one shelf in this room, I realized there wasn't room.

So my husband moved all the math materials to their new home, at the rug area.  Now, when we do calendar at the rug, the materials will be right there.

He moved all the recess materials to the shelf opposite the rug area.  I'd rather have my math items and library all right there. My next task will be to get these items organized into more appropriate containers, and hopefully end up with space for math centers.  I'm jealous of those classroom setups that have center materials all organized in shoe boxes.  Sadly, I just don't think this goal is attainable by Labor Day, but I can start thinking in terms of a "go to" space for materials that will be used that day/week. 

He also moved all the stationery to the very front of the room onto the nice low shelf.  It will be hard to miss for anyone coming into the room.  I wanted my mailboxes on this low shelf, but that would mean losing some bulletin board space.  I noticed in kindergarten the mailboxes were on the floor, so I think I'll do the same.  I might move the other materials (such as crayons) closer to it.  I also want to get my group caddies on this shelf.  I don't love having the Fundations pouches in that black container.  I'll have to come back to this.

As you can see, I also started bringing in my classroom colors.  I know, I know, decorating before organizing is like having dessert before finishing my veggies.  But if I feel happy in my classroom I'll relax, and if I relax I'll be more productive.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  My closet doors are a big, colorful blank slate amid what is still an organizational work in progress.  And I love the clip chart from Pink Cat Studio.  Once I get a title for that door I can check that off my to do list.

Now, in the bottom photo, did you notice that the teal is not long enough for the bulletin board?  I fretted over this, and my ever practical husband basically told me get over it and let's think of a solution; what can we hang there instead.  I thought  using a roll of paper there, taking it down and cutting the teal to fit two smaller bulletin boards.  I told him, "I'm just scared that if I cut it, I'll find another scrap that would cover the space and then be annoyed that it all could have fit."  So I decided to pin it up quick and dirty, and hope that as I went through the rest of my things, one more panel would show up.

The final space I've defined is the reading area.  Now, there will be some spill over to the rug area, of course.  But the rest of this space was defined by one thing that could not be moved: the word wall.  It's magnetic; the cards are magnetic, so I'm not messing around with that.  Other than the fact that I printed all new, froggy letter headers for our words!  A little more eye candy for me the kids.  I just stapled them onto the old letters that were already magnetic (I tested one out first to make sure they weren't too heavy).

I've put reading group materials to the right (where the teacher's desk used to be) and leveled books on the left (not shown).  I have to admit, it doesn't all fit perfectly.  That kidney shaped table is a BEAST.  Those computers can't be moved too far.  I think it is workable, but it might need just a little tweaking still. 

So at the end of Day 4, things are not looking very organized.  However, I have pretty well defined spaces for recess items, reading materials, and math materials.  With defined areas, I am starting to get a feel for the "flow" in my room.  Next week I will start fine tuning each area to look less jumbled and the week after I will prepare for what we need specifically for September.  The task of preparing the room feels much less overwhelming.  The prospect of "what (/how)" am I teaching is still looming.

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Teach Like a Pirate: Professional and Personal Passions

As I mentioned last time, I have been reading Dave Burgess' "Teach Like a Pirate."  I had to look at my "content passions" with a fourth grade teacher lens, since I don't really know which of the first grade content standards I'm going to love yet.  But the other two types of passions Burgess talks about will not change just because I'm teaching a different grade.  Those are my "professional passions" and "personal passions."  So here they are:

Professional Passions:

• Teaching kids how to work together.  I am not the most outgoing person.  I remember having a terrible time socially when I reached fifth grade.  My mom tells me I didn't have it easy in fourth, either, although at the time I didn't really see it myself (those rose colored glasses of childhood memories must be on).  So I take a lot of pride in teaching children how to relate better to their peers.  The whole "walk around and find a partner" thing would never happen in my class, and you know why.  Instead, when I say, "turn and talk with a partner," I prompt those kids, "ask her if you can work with her (she knows better than to say no, at least on my watch, haha).  Ask him if he wants to join your group." 
• Figuring out what makes each kid tick.  And making sure the kids know it about themselves, so we can both capitalize on it.  Multiple Intelligences was so important to me when I was in college.  I love the idea that we have different learning styles, and can learn the same material different ways.  One of my proudest moments in teaching was when a fourth grade girl, previously disinterested in school, told me, "I finally see what I need to do to learn better."  And her quality of work went up and up and up. 

• Anchor charts.  Is this really lame to say?  I love making visuals that help kids learn.  With color and pictures and diagrams and bullet points.  
• Making a cozy learning environment.  This sound much nicer than "I love decorating my classroom," right?  Oh who am I kidding.  But seriously, I have to say.  Early in my teaching career, I had a principal tell me my room was a mess, and the parents were talking about it.  I was so upset, but it made me much more conscious of the idea of my classroom representing me even when I'm not teaching in it.  I wish I had photos of my room when she said that so I could see with more objective eyes, but at least now I have recent pictures that I'm proud to publish online. 
• The arts.  Similar to number 2, I love that the arts are there, in schools, to help children through more outlets than just academic subjects.  There is just something about creating with good materials, and creating melodies and rhythms that people NEED.  All people, some more than others.  I need to be in an environment where others are creating art.

Personal Passions:

• My family, of course.  My husband, mom, younger brother and sister, and my in-laws overseas are all the most important of all to me. 
• Art.  As stated above.  I have always loved drawing and been good at it.  Painting, graphic design, even modeling with clay are all hobbies that are important to me.  I used to crochet, I've dabbled in sewing, origami, making Pysanki eggs, and manga.  I love the visual arts.  I was musical in school too, playing mainly clarinet, but also a little saxophone, drums and piano.  I would rather be creating something than watching TV or a movie (although doing both at the same time is good too).

 

• Writing.  Of course, since I blog, it's obvious I love to write.  Although I've never been able to write fiction well, I think I do have a story in me somewhere for someday.
•  England.  I never thought I would enjoy travel, but flying to England to meet my (now husband) for the first time was one of the highlights of my life.  Our summers there are the highlights of each year.  
• Other.  These seem in a separate category, more like interests, so I'm going to group them together in a list.  The beach, unicorns, cats, Pre-Raphealite art, Irish music, TPT, Revenge (the show, not a personal vendetta), Castle (the show and the buildings), fine dining, candles, fall colors (betcha didn't guess that from the looks of this blog), archery.

I just realized that this makes a good little "get to know Amber" section, which is good to put out there as a new blogger.  :)  It's also good to refocus on the my "professional passions" because they are the reason I teach, regardless of the grade level.  Burgess states this, as well as the fact that one's "personal passions" won't be worked into daily lessons, although will probably be worked in at some point during the school year in order to connect to students by making personal connections.  I do have a family photo from my wedding on my desk, as well as an English flag in my pencil cup on my desk.  So I do represent.  :) 

 What are your passions?  If you want to think more about it, and you haven't read this book yet, you can get Teach Like a Pirate with my affiliate link. 

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Teach Like a Pirate: My Content Passion

Yes, I have hopped on the Teach Like a Pirate bandwagon (/ship).

I was interested in this book last year, but instead focused on family (no regrets).  Since I'm changing grade levels this year, I decided it was a good time to download it.  On the one hand, I do need to actually learn the curriculum.  But on the other hand, I need to get excited about teaching first grade.  My emotions aren't as intense as they were in May, but it's still overwhelming and the fact is this was not my choice.  So my hopes is this book will help me feel energized again, and help me focus on all the ways I've made my favorite fourth grade lessons exciting, but this time think about those methods with the lens of a first grade teacher.

In the first chapter, Burgess tells us to note our passions.  He categorizes them 3 ways, which I'll illustrate here.

1.  Content passion:  What subjects and topics do you love to teach the most?
Well, of course I can't answer that as a first grade teacher yet, so I have to go back to fourth for the moment.

• Immigration.  Believe it or not, I don't love teaching this unit because my husband is one (although that did push it to the top of the list, hehe).  I first learn about teaching immigration when I was an aide in a second grade classroom back in 2002.  The teacher had a "Cultural Foods Event" to end/celebrate the unit, and I've been teaching it this way every year since I've had my own classroom.
• Long division.  No joke.  I actually get very passionate about long division.  I tell my students that it is one of the toughest parts of fourth grade, but that we WILL get through it together.  I tell them that when I was in fourth grade I would cry every night trying to do my math homework, but look how fast I can do it now!  (I have them give me a 3 digit number and time me).  I tell them how I used to be taught the DMSB method and kept guessing on the "D" step, so it took me ages just to solve one problem, and I remember missing recess because I couldn't finish on time.  (And I tell them as long as they are really trying, I won't make them finish at recess.  And that I'd rather they get the first 3 right than 15 wrong).
• Geometry.  It's all visual.  It's basically art during math class.  I know, there's numbers in there too, but still.  I was sad when our curriculum changed and lots of geometry was cut and we ended up with 2 weeks of geometry.  
• Fractions.  After reading The Teacher Studio's blog posts on how she teaches fractions, my eyes were opened to how to teach in a way that gets kids to find their own methods.  She gave me even more ideas about using visuals and manipulatives in a directed discovery workshop.  Fractions became my new favorite just as Geometry was falling by the wayside.
• U.S. Regions.  This is our country, and I love that I get to show the kids what makes it great.
• Narrative Writing.  Obviously, since I blog, I this is something I enjoy!  Writing is critical, and I feel that this form is more accessible to elementary students.  They all have a story to tell.

The other two passions Burgess talks about in the first chapter include:
2.  Professional passion
3.  Personal passion

I think I'll address those in a separate post, since this one quickly became so text heavy.  But I'm already noticing theme here.  I love art.  That's not a surprise to me; one of the first "silver linings" I determined when I learned I would be teaching first grade next year was, "At least I'll have more opportunities to do crafts."  I know, I know, first graders don't sit around and color all day nowadays.  I know they take tests too, and teaching/learning reading is no joke.  However, I do think incorporating more visuals, manipulative, and yes, content related art and craft projects are more expected and encouraged in first grade than in fourth.  This section reaffirmed this for me.  In order to feel like a happy, confident first grade teacher, I have to find/make activities that incorporate art into the content standards.

What are your content passions?  If you are still thinking about it and you haven't read this book yet, you can get Teach Like a Pirate with my affiliate link. 

Model Magic Pointers for Choral Reading

Last time I wrote about creating really easy pointers for my first graders to chorally read their Morning Messages.  And these are so easy to make, if you can un-peel a sticker, you can make these.  But once those were finished I still had lots of dowels left over, and a little downtime in the evenings.  So I decided to try out the Model Magic.



And I'm so glad I did!


I really had my heart set on having pond critters, since this is my classroom theme.  My old classroom had lime green, aqua, teal and brown.  The furniture in the rooms coordinates with these colors.  And a pond has these colors plus the whimsy I think of when I think of first grade.  The critters I planned were a:

* Turtle
* Fish
* Snail
* Frog
* Duck (mallard)
* Beaver


Later I added a worm (simple, gross, but kind of cute) and I might still try a dragonfly and platypus in the future since I have plenty still left over.

I wasn't sure my clay working skills would be up to the challenge, but I found that working with Model Magic is even easier.  It's softer, lighter, and sticks to itself better.  As a result, I could "build on" as opposed to molding out of a single piece.  Forming the head, body, and limbs out of separate little balls worked well.  It helped to keep each limb uniform without having to start the whole body over.  A little pressure (and slight twisting motion, I learned) helped secure each piece on.


Another tip I discovered was to put the body onto the dowel early in the creation stage.  Again, a little pressure and twisting motion worked well.  I could stick the dowel between cushions or in a drawer to keep it upright as I added pieces to it.  It ensured that it wouldn't dry with a flat bottom, and I was less likely to forget to make the hole for the dowel (something I would totally do).


To secure the googly eyes, I pressed them into the head, but then didn't worry about leaving them in as it dried.  The goal was to have nice, flat indentations that they could be set into, but not permanently stuck until the "clay" was dry.  At that point they could be glued on.

The package says your project should dry to the touch after 24 hours, and dry completely after 3 days, depending on the size of your project.  Well, these seem fairly small to me, (I used a piece a little smaller than a donut hole in total for each) but I still gave them a full 3 or 4 days of drying time (it's been humid of course, what with summertime in Massachusetts).  The next step was painting, then gluing the eyes, and the final step was to twist the ribbon around the dowel the same way as with my other pointers.


I'm so happy with the results!  These are more 3D than the last set, and they are exactly the critters I wanted to continue my pond motif.  I really hope that the kids love them like I do (I'm already thinking of having them name each one if I give them an option for two different names to vote for) and I also hope they are durable enough to last.

Color Printing at Home or Online?

I'd heard before that some teachers go to Staples to buy color copies for their classrooms.  I used to think, "How sad.  I'm lucky to have a color copier at school."

Well guess what?  At the start of last year it ran out of ink and there are no plans to buy more.  Ouch.

Now, I used to do my fair share of color copying at home (or on the color printer I bought for my own classroom that I resupply myself).  But faced with the task of copying EVERYTHING in color (for a new classroom) I thought that maybe, just maybe I needed to examine my options.  Here's what I experienced.  (If you're looking for decision making tips and not a story, skip to "What I Learned" at the bottom). 

First, my goal was of course to save money.  Saving time would be an added bonus.

In order to save money, I needed to spend less on the printing than on the ink (and paper).  If you've noticed on my blog, blue and yellow (and combinations thereof) are my go-to colors for my teaching spaces.  This means I run out of those two colors first, and I end up throwing away (/recycling) a cartridge full of red ink.  So to get the biggest bang for my buck, I would print only pages that were predominantly those two colors.  For example, I got a great freebie from Amber Thomas for dismissal posters.  The few printables I needed that use mostly red ink will be printed at home.

The other money saving tip when choosing pages to have printed is to choose those printables that have very little white space.  I purchased a darling clip chart from the Pink Cat Studio, and the color background goes pretty much to the edge of each page.  If I printed that at home it would drain my resources REAL fast.  Those pages that have only a little bit of color, on the other hand, would cost me the same amount as the saturated ones if I printed them at Staples.  So I saved those files to print at home.

With those goals in mind, I braved the website.  I had the forethought to name each file with "portrait" or "landscape" in the title, as well as "card-stock."  I knew that they wouldn't make me pay for any page I wasn't happy with, so it would behoove them to get it right the first time.  As long as a person looked at it, I had a backup in case I selected the wrong option.  That became important later!

Another thing to note is that you have the option to pay online or at the store when you pick it up.  As much as I love the convenience of online shopping, I wanted to have a person to talk to when I looked at my final, printed product.  I wanted to be able to explain if something needed to be fixed.  And I wanted to make sure my teacher discount went through. 

Once I completed my order late Thursday night, my receipt noted my order would be ready at 8pm the next day.  That was fine with me; I could cut all weekend and laminate at school on Monday.

Friday morning I got a call.  "Mary" wanted to clarify before she printed; she noticed that my file name said "card stock" yet I selected regular paper. 

Hah!

I was relieved that my idea worked.  I was not thrilled that it doubled the price.  I thought my 41 pages were going to be $22, but instead it became $42.  Ouch.

The next issue was down to human error ("Mary's," not mine).  I went to work on my classroom and my husband called back to say there was another problem, and I needed to resubmit the files.  She left an Email address for the store, but I didn't have them at work so I had to wait until I got home.  A shame, since it would have been on the way, but since I was not owed them until 8pm I can't hold it against them.  Even when I learned that she accidentally deleted the files, that's why I had to resubmit, haha.

Then "Mary" called a third time with another issue.  She said something about the file name of "the fish" said 8, but there were only 4 pages.  It said I wanted 1 copy, so she wanted to make sure I didn't actually want 8 copies.

This confused me.  I told her to disregard the 8, and should have known this was not really resolved (I checked; my file name did not have an 8 in it). She also told me my order would be ready in 10 minutes.

When I arrived, she showed me my pages, and they were beautiful, except she then started explaining that she printed 27 copies of the bathroom passes because it said 27.

I feigned horror so she would have to reassure me that I would not have to pay for those copies that I didn't want/was her mistake, but on the inside I just wanted to laugh. It's the little things that separate us teachers from "civilians," eh?  27 bathroom passes!  Aww.  :) 

I started flicking through my suspiciously light stack of pages as she threw out the extras and knew at once, "There seems to be some files missing..."  That's when I realized where 8 came from with the fish.

As I explained to her: when I uploaded my files onto the Staples copy website, I created 3 "jobs."  One was for 2 projects in portrait, of 4 pages each, that of course totals 8.  Another was for several projects in landscape view, which totaled 27.  The final was a single page, but I wanted 6 copies.  I actually put "6 copies" in the title of that file to clarify.

She told me that you can't do that.  You have to submit each file as a separate job.

Now, I don't know if this was a fault of hers or the website.  The website has a button that specifically says, "upload another file."  Why would that be there if you couldn't?!

In any case, she was very nice about the whole thing, and printed those files that I needed.  So as she did I joked, "What, you mean you didn't design the website too," to let her save face.  But lesson learned; it seems there is less chance for human error if you upload each file separately.  Since I have the pro version of Adobe Acrobat I might even combine them all into one file next year.

WHAT I LEARNED

1. If your pages are mostly combinations of two colors (such as mostly blue and yellow and almost no red) you should print them at a copy center, not at home.  This way you don't throw out 1/3 of your ink.
2. If your pages have very little white space and lots of vibrant or dark colors, you should print them at a copy center.  You pay per page, not for the ink itself this way.  If you have just a little bit of color on the page, print at home.
3. If you're using Staples, you might want to take advantage of their "pick up and pay at the store" service.  This way you have the convenience of uploading in the comfort of your home with no lines or need to change out of your P.J.s, but you can still talk to a person face to face if you need something in your order fixed.
4. Be very specific in your file names.  I added the orientation and paper weight onto my file names before uploading.  For example, "Frog Alphabet Landscape Cardstock" or "Bus 6 Copies Portrait Cardstock" makes it very clear to the person manning the machine what you want, even if the website interface was confusing/glitchy for you. 
5. Use your teacher discount.  Obviously.  ;)  On Staples' website, there is a spot to enter in your rewards number.
6. Upload each file separately, even though you have the option to add files onto each "job."  You want to have multiple "jobs" all in one order.  You don't want to have multiple "files" in one "job."
7. If the last 3 sentences was confusing, don't be scared off.  The nice people at Staples will fix your order and not make you pay for copies that you don't want, haha.  
8. And finally, really consider point #8.  I don't know about you, but printers and I don't always get along.  If my paper misfeeds, or I run out of ink halfway through a page, or I print too many copies, or whatever, I eat the cost.  If that happens at Staples, they eat the cost.  

In conclusion, I paid $42 for 41 pages of card stock.  A color cartridge is about that much money.  So is it a big savings?  Not exactly sure, but I don't think so.  Was in convenient?  Well, it depends on your point of view.  One might say that many phone calls is a pain in the neck.  On the other hand, I actually felt impressed that "Mary" worked so hard to make sure I got exactly what I wanted.  But "Mary" might not be the one who does your copies.  So the bottom line is, my advice is you should try out the service of a copy center for Back to School.  It really is worth trying.  I will probably use them again next year because I don't think I lost money on the deal, and as an added bonus, I didn't have to fight with my printer. 

Credits:
(Hand Sanitizer labels from Amber Thomas.  Beavers images are from In the Pond.  Fish adapted from Jena Hudson.  Frog Alphabet adapted from Schoolgirl Style using a font from Kimberly Geswein and frogs from the Digital Bake Shop).  The book labels and lunch menu page are my own design!  :)

New Classroom Transition Organization Trouble Shooting (Setup Day 3)

Today was more about tying up loose ends than starting new projects.  However, I thought of a few tips to share.

Problem:

Organizing by subject works best for me.

Scattered items. Part of what has made this transition feel overwhelming to me is the amount of "mixed up" items.  Of course when you change classrooms, it is rare for your organizational system to perfectly match the other teachers.  What worked for one person doesn't work for everyone.  Personally, I like to organize my materials by subject.  For example, I might organize my classroom into a games area, math area, and reading area.  I'm used to having my teacher's manuals also organized by subject.  At the end of day 3, my new ones are set up this way and that makes me happy!

One shelf won't work; I'll need to split them up.

The other teacher did not sort items this way, and as a result, it's been a challenge to know how much space I need to allocate to any given subject. Well, today I realized my math area was too small.  As a result, one of my "hubby helper's" jobs on Monday will be to move everything from one shelf to another.  This conglomerate of math and writing materials makes more sense split up.

Solution:

To prevent this from happening again, a rule I generally follow is to gather items into an area before really settling on their placement.  Start with an idea of the big picture, and then fine tune.  It is easier to move an empty shelf over than to start over (removing and refilling shelves).  

Today it's clear they need a bigger shelf

.

Yesterday I knew I had to purge toys.

Problem:

Those big books needed a big tub!  Now they're accessible.

Containers.  Similar to the above idea, with everything mixed up, it's hard to know which containers will be home to which materials.

Solution:
Create a gathering place for empty containers.  I started to find that there were some "like" containers, which made them stackable.  Then, as I started filling containers and finding that they were too small, I could just swap a larger one and put the smaller one in the empties pile.  And vice versa.

Problem:
Random pieces in the bottom of bins.  I've met some organized teachers, but none so organized that they can avoid this issue.  'Nuff said.

Solution:
Create a "misc" box.  Sometimes, if I'm near the spot where that outlier belongs, it makes sense to put in in the correct place immediately.  However, if it's on the other side of the room, it's fastest to have that miscellaneous box right near my current work area and pop it in there.  Then, when I move on to the next area, I bring the misc box with me, put the items in the area where they go, and continue filling.  I forgot to take a picture of my empties, or my metal cabinet that is pretty much all set now thanks to this strategy.

Once again, it's not pretty, but it's looking more organized after just 3 days.  I was even able to get everything off the floor (not off the reading rug, but it's a start).  Everyone teacher knows, you need to keep the custodians your friends, so I felt better leaving the area presentable for them.  

New First Grade Classroom Setup (Day 2)

Today I finished my second day of classroom setup.

I didn't feel right about posting "before" photos of the room.  I used to when it was my OWN mess, but I couldn't post photos of someone else's, haha.  Let's just say I have my work cut out for me over the next few weeks. 

Fortunately, I had my husband to help me.  During these first two days:

1. We sorted all the file folders that were spread across the counter tops.  Science and Social Studies are now organized into my crates.  ELA and Math will be a task for another day.  I need to get to know the curriculum better before I can tackle them, but at least they LOOK organized while I move on to other things.
2. The book bins are almost all organized onto the shelves where they will stay.  This includes books by genre and by reading level.
3. He started stapling up my fabrics to cover up the yellow (more on this in a later post).
4. I emptied out my new desk and started filling/reorganizing it.
5. I cleared off the toys/games shelf and filled it with other toys and games I found around the room.  I've come to realize there are WAY too many.  It does not look inviting.  I knew I'd need to cover it with a curtain before, and probably unveil one shelf at a time to my firsties, but I will also need to purge.
6. I cleared off a shelf near the front of the room that I was unsure about.  It's a great little shelf that is exactly the right height for many spaces; the question is what will live on it?  It used to be near the rug for calendar, but it seemed to make the calendar hard to reach.  I'd asked the custodians to move it to the front of the room, but it was too cluttered there.  Instead I decided to put it near my reading table.  I like how it looks and I've already started putting materials on it so I think it was a smart move.
7. I realized (at 2 am last night) that my metal cabinet would make MUCH more sense turned around to face away from the classroom entrance.  This way it will not only face my desk so I have my materials at my fingertips; I will gain a new magnetic surface.  I could put my schedule on it!  We turned that around and I've mostly cleared it out and halfway reorganized it.
8. We halfway cleared out the two closets and started reorganizing.
9. I asked my husband to sort through a pile of construction paper.  He asked if I wanted it by size (9x11 and 11x17) or color.  I said "size," knowing that his OCD would not allow him to mix up the colors.  I was correct; it's all perfectly sorted now!  
10. We filled a trashcan to overflowing (not something that comes naturally to me). 

 Next on the to do list:

1. All those "halfway done" tasks.
2. The leveled books need new labels.  This is not just for aesthetic reasons; many are torn and hanging off of their baskets. 
3. The shelves near my desk need sorting.  I'm dreading this because I'm scared of messing up an order of things (although I don't think there currently IS one).  I guess I just have to take a deep breath and go for it.  I'm not messing up someone else's order; it's MY stuff now so I need to live with it.  If I make a mistake I only have myself to answer to, so I'll just go in and fix it.  
4. Color printing some items (more on that later).  
5. Give my hubby the day off.  He earned it!  Between entertaining his family and having me home all day Tuesday, he needs a day all to himself.  He didn't even complain about going in so soon after they left, nor did he ask for a day, I just know he needs it.  He agreed and was appreciative when I told him I'd be on my own tomorrow.

It might not look like much, but I'm feeling a bit more settled.  The feeling of being halfway between two classrooms was really unsettling.  You know how it is; our classrooms are our second home.  Today was a big step towards feeling like this is MY new room.  It's not pretty, but it will be. 

Alternative to Organizing with Binders

When I got the curriculum overview (in other words, a list of topics) from my new grade level partner, it was clear how the curriculum is organized in first grade.  Compared to fourth, science and social studies strongly relate to each month.  My first step was to create some Pinterest boards so that I could collect all the ideas I was seeing in the blogs I was reading.  Now, two weeks later, my in laws have arrived safe and sound back in England so I'm taking the day to relax.  Tomorrow I'll be going in to start organizing my new classroom, so what could be more relaxing than creating some printables designed to keep me organized (haha).

I know many teachers love binders, however I have been using file folders for a number of years and I will probably never go back.  Young teachers beware.  I know binder covers are cute, and spines look very organized with coordinating inserts.  However, bringing a bag full of books, papers, and binders every day has caused damage to my shoulder that is only going to get better with surgery.  It's. Not. Worth it. 

Besides, you want cute?  I've got cute!


I used the Clipart Kids set from Educasong, one of my favorite TPT clip artists.  Then I created these hanging folder inserts.  Each month has one hanging folder for science and one for social studies.

Next, I created simple file folder tab labels that are color coded to go with each month.  Each topic in our curriculum has a separate file folder.

I even created covers for each hanging file.*  This way I can see at a glance what is coming up each month.  If the folder feels "light," it's off to TPT for some shopping.  In August I just need to make sure September and October are "heavy."  As long as I'm two months ahead, with a general idea of the year as a whole, I think I'll survive my first year.

[Update:  I've made the tabs available in my TPT store!  It's my first product listing as a first grade teacher, so if you like it I'd appreciate the feedback].




Credits:
 *Fonts from Hello Literacy and Amber Thomas, borders from Krista Wallden.

Echo Owl Puppet for Fundations

I haven't had Fundations training yet (though I am registered for early August) but I've already got my Echo.

A colleague told me that in Fundations, the kids chorally decode phonemes by repeating (/echoing) what an owl puppet tells them.  And its name is Echo.  Well, the teacher whose class I'm taking over didn't show me any owl puppets, so I assumed I was on my own if I wanted/needed one.

I've been entertaining my in-laws this week (they're here from England) and we brought them to Newburyport for the day.  I think we will all look back on it as the highlight of the trip.  We had fun checking out lots of the cute little shops, and one of those had puppets.

I didn't see owls at first, but then I saw a white furry thing with black spots and thought, "This is either a snow leopard or a snowy owl.  Oh, I hope it's an owl..." and sure enough.  The prettiest breed of owl, as far as I'm concerned.

Does my Folkmanis owl puppet look more like Harry Potter's Hedwig than Echo?  Of course it does.  Does that make me love it less?  Of course not.  When I got it home I was even more thrilled with it because I learned that the velcro on its wings is meant to pull them back so it looks as if it's perched.  Perfect for sitting with me to work on phonemes!

Not only am I changing the species of Echo, I'm changing the gender.  Apparently all white snowy owls are male, and the ones with markings are female.  So my Echo is a girl.  And I love her.

Edit:  I just did a search for Echo, and apparently I was wrong.

I'm not changing the species of Echo...she's on the official Wilson site!!  

I'm really surprised since the logo elsewhere for Wilson has been (I believe) a Great Horned Owl.  But now I'm even more thrilled.  I feel all official now, haha.  Not to mention I paid less in Newburyport than I would have on the site (they gave me a teacher discount).  Even the Folkmanis site seems to cost less, although I couldn't tell the shipping costs on Wilson's site. 

So there you have it, if you are thinking of buying an owl puppet, you can either go through Wilson, Folkmanis, or use my affiliate link for Amazon (yay free shipping!).  And it really is a beautiful, award winning puppet (apparently it made the list of the 1997 Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's products as well as the 10 Best Children's Socially Responsible Products).  It's soft and the swiveling head makes it even more endearing.  Time will tell how well the kids like her, but I have a good feeling.

Cute Pointers for Choral Reading

I've made my first creation for first graders!

When I observed my future first graders a couple months ago, I saw them chorally reading a Morning Message on chart paper.  Both their teachers used pointers instead of their own hands.  One was fairly basic, and one was a gloved hand that reminded me of Mickey Mouse.  I found those on Amazon.


I figured I could get the hands, or I could tie in the fish pond theme that has been resonating with me from the beginning.  What I really wanted was to find pointers with fish, frogs, and turtles.

But I couldn't.

Then I found this idea on A Cupcake for the Teacher.  She went to the craft store and made her own.

Oooh.

Have I mentioned yet that I love art projects?

So I waited for Michaels to have a great 4 hour flash sale, and went through their craft department.

First I looked through the wooden pieces, like Cupcake described, but I didn't find the cute animal figures she got.  I think she used Hobby Lobby, but they're not (to my knowledge) in my part of the country.  Plus I didn't feel confident I could get them to stick to a rounded dowel and stay put with just hot glue. 

Instead I looked through the Creatology felt stickers.  I figured they would be very easy to attach.  Unfortunately all I found was beach themed items.  Now, as much as I love dolphins, starfish, and mermaids, I refuse to mix a beach motif with my pond motif.  I don't want to breed misconceptions in my students' minds about all sea life being in the same ecosystem.  Next I thought MAYBE owls were a good option. 

But I had ideas about featuring Echo Owl for Fundations, so I really wanted to diversify a bit.

So instead I settled on cute zoo creatures.  I got the felt stickers, dowels, googly eyes (yes, I had to find someone who works there and ask, "Where can I find some googly eyes?"  Nevermind; they knew exactly what I meant) and thin ribbon.  Then I got some Model Magic just in case I had the time and drive to create my own pond creatures later on.

I'm pretty happy with how they turned out!

Twisting the ribbon just so took some time (the lion was an early attempt; the fox was where I mastered my technique) but soon the creation process became very relaxing while watching Hulu episodes of MasterChef Junior.  And of course the stickers had eyes already, but I felt the googly eyes added some movement and 3D effects that endeared them to me.  I'm excited about introducing each one to my class the first week of school!

I still have the Model Magic to try, but even if that doesn't work out, I think I'm set for pointers.

Starting First Grade Pinterest Boards

Because I'm a teacher in transition (moving from fourth to first) I started "secret folders" on my old Pinterest for my first grade finds.  I didn't want my followers' feeds to get cluttered with them, since of course they are interested in fourth grade materials.

However, since I have made this new Google account, blogger account, and TPT account, I started a new pinterest account as well.

I am debating whether to have monthly boards (probably) or thematic boards.  Maybe it would help me stay organized to name them with both, such as "September:  Apples."  Any suggestions?

[Update]  I decided that the best way to go is to name the boards by month and topic (our "themes" are really topics).  So far I like how it's organized.  I can for see looking for all my September stuff first, then moving on to the next month as the year progresses.  I've found a fantastic kindergarten board to follow:  http://www.pinterest.com/jeanniepartin/ which is perfect to start.  So they're starting to fill!  If you have a first grade Pinterest board, or can recommend someone else's, please leave a comment. 

Changing Classrooms and Saving Stuff

I've heard that hording disorder is hereditary.  My nana had it bad, my sister has it almost as bad, and I admit, I have a touch of it.  I'm not talking about collecting hair or used tissues or some of the other gross stuff you see on TV (I think my weirdest issue is that for some reason any sort of container is hard for me to get rid of).  And although my closets at home and school are nearly full, the "living space" is open and tidy enough.  But the idea of watching several barrels of my fourth grade tools being brought to the curb is one of those parts of changing grades that I was dreading.

The person who is coming into my classroom has been teaching full time for 3 years.  She has also decided that she wants lots of space in the closets, which meant today that she dumped shelves and shelves of whole binders.  I wish I was not in today to see it.

At least she had mostly prepared me for this ordeal.  She told me a few weeks ago that she did not want my anchor charts.  I have to admit I was offended; I feel like they were gold.  They've not only been loved by my own students (one year the kids told me "making posters is your super power") they have also been shared by many on Pinterest, so I know they're useful.  She said that she wanted to photograph some of them for reference, and get rid of the rest.  I told her that I'd take them.  I'll check that I have them all photographed for my blog, and either save my favorites or I could always hold a giveaway for them on my blog; that way I'd know they were going to a teacher who really wants them.

As for the binders that were dumped; I was ready for that too.  The key was all in a great little FREE app I stumbled on at random.  It's called CamScanner (for Android or iPhone) and it's basically a quick and easy document scanner.  Basically, you use your phone or tablet to take a picture of the document.  But then the genius is it auto selects the document (with at least 90% accuracy) so you just have to click the check mark to crop it.  It automatically skews it back into a rectangular shape.  Take another picture, and another, until you have finished a full set of, say, your invertebrates unit.  Then you can email the whole batch to yourself at once because it turns it into a pdf and it even zips it for you so that it's quick!  All my hard work is now saved digitally, not taking up any space, and the hard copies are there for her to (hopefully) use, or throw out.

We've been out of school for less than one week, but thanks to this document scanner and my dear husband who came to help me pack up my bulletin board decor, I'm nearly finished with my old classroom.  Pretty soon I won't have anything left up there to lay claim to, or any reason to go upstairs at all.