Classroom Renovations

Jeeze Louise this has been a busy week! On Monday I began the dreadful process of moving classrooms. I definitely can't complain about being bored for the rest of summer! I spent two full days slaving away {with the help of some wonderful colleagues!} and STILL have a ton to do. Before you scroll down and look at pictures, let me give you a heads-up about my new room:

1. It's huge! Seriously. I think it's the largest in the school.

2. There's no outside door, which means I can't go on the weekends and I have to leave before the alarm sets at 6:00. I still haven't decided if this is good or bad, haha.

3. I have a SmartBoard. It's smaller than my last one, but I'm not complaining.

4. I also have a large CHALKBOARD!!?? Do they even sell chalk anymore? I guess I need to make "eraser banger" as a classroom job ;)

5. I found textbooks from...get ready for it...the 80s! Those will be the first things to go.

6. It's definitely not lacking in wall space. They will be filled up with Top Down Topic Webs, Frayer Models, & 2-Column Notes in no time!

Here are some pics, but please keep in mind that it's still a gigantic humongous enormous work in progress!

Day 1

View from the door. The room extends out more on the right.

Here's the extension. You can see the filing cabinet in both pictures to get an idea of how big it is. There are going to be big changes in this area!

1. The gutter-shelf books aren't mine, so those will be gone. 

2. The computers will be moved to the wall next to the small group table. In its place I'm putting a small reading area with bean bags and a carpet.

3. The wooden cubbies (no picture yet) will be lined up underneath the chalkboard.

4. The chalkboard/mini bulletin board will be turned into our math & science word walls.

5. The bookshelf on the right has our art supplies. The cabinets in this room are really narrow, so I'll have to store them here.

 Small group table and my personal area. See both the desks in the picture? There's one on the left with basal readers and a wooden one on the right. Those will not be there when I'm finished. And take a look at the different paint colors on the wall. YUCK! I did something on Day 2 to fix it :)

My chalkboard! Hahaha, I never thought I would have to say that. I'm going to keep the daily schedule on the left with these schedule cards from The First Grade Parade. Our "I Can" statements and math tasks will go on the right.

Day 2

Small group area tidied up! The bookshelf is going to be for math & science resources, planning materials, and student info. It's not organized in any fashion yet. I added a fake bulletin board above it to cover the ugly spot on the wall! Easy fix :) You can also see my paper filer in the corner!

Behind the small group table. Sorry for the poor picture quality. The bookshelf has all my supplies, but I'm not liking how it's organized. It will be fixed soon. The baskets on the window are labeled with the days of the week. I will keep daily work in these. Since I'm teaching two groups of kids, I will have two colored file-folders to separate their work. 

I cleaned out the cabinets, but haven't decided what to put in here yet. I may use it to store math/science books and interactive notebooks. The two pink baskets are for Thursday Folders and Homework, and the purple bin is for their lunch cards. I made bright labels for these, but haven't attached them all yet.

Math manipulatives. I still need to make labels for the baskets. On the bottom I have clipboards and whiteboards. At first I was hesitant to keep our manipulatives in baskets without lids, but I think 5th grade should be able to handle it ;)

Volume level chart. I can't remember where on TpT I got this from, but they are awesome. We use it all the time! Anytime the kids go above the specified volume, I put a strike on the board. After 3 strikes they must work independently for a short period of time. Once they have settled down they can continue at a Volume 1.

Next to the Volume Chart is going to be our Math Rotation Board. I'm still working on a plan for this so I can include both classes up here. Any ideas?? Below that are small group art supplies. Some of the baskets still aren't completed, but you can see how I did that project here.

This will be our class news board. I'm going to post "Brilliant Work", our class newsletter, and a monthly lunch calendar.

Art supplies organized and labeled! The labels were a free download on TpT, and of course I can't find the link! But seriously, if you search on TpT there are literally thousands to choose from. I also covered coffee tins with chevron scrapbook paper! The plastic bin on the left will be moved.

My teeny, tiny, one-and-only whiteboard! I'm going to put the daily agenda for each class here so the kids will know exactly what to expect each day.

Still a lot to do, but luckily I have time. What have you done to your classrooms to get ready for next year?

Monday Made It and a New Link

Many of you that I follow are going back to school next week, and I just have to ask....What's up with THAT!? I still have 3 1/2 more weeks people. That's 3 1/2 more weeks of crafting, procrastinating, and just being plain lazy. Ok, I'd be lying if I said that I enjoy being lazy for that long. I'm actually looking forward to school starting so I can get back into a solid routine. I loove summer, but I'm ready for some hustle & bustle. 

Alright, time to link up with Fourth Grade Frolics for some Monday Made Its.

Library Helper Book Bags

Next year I am implementing a new classroom job: Library Helpers. I had one of these last year, but their only purpose was to keep our classroom library organized & clean. Confession: I was NOT always a good role model for proper library etiquette. There were many times when we were rushing out the door and I would throw place a book in some random basket to save time. But this year will be different! I read The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller this summer and have a completely different perspective on my classroom library.

Our Library Helpers will have an important job. Not only will they keep our classroom library organized, they will also be responsible for taking everybody's books to the library during Specials on Thursday. Instead of wasting time for the kids to get out their library books on Thursday {which is usually panic mode for a few because they can't find them in their black hole of a desk}, the kids will drop off their books Thursday mornings in these books bags. 

And the library helpers will carry them to the library :) I got these bags for $1 each at Michaels and dressed them up with some leftover ribbon from my small group bins. 

Monster Themed Daily 5 Posters

Here's a freebie for all you monster lovers out there. It's a pack of Daily 5 posters for your room. There are two types in here, depending on what system you use: full-size posters for a clipchart and smaller cards for a rotation board. Click the picture to download.

I'm also linking up with The Teacher's Chair today for something new :)

Today's theme is lesson planners. This is actually the first product I ever made for my TpT store! Since then I've completed another planner, so I'm attaching both of them. The first is a gray/pink chevron theme and the second is rainbow/bright colors. Click the pictures to download a preview and/or purchase at my TpT store.

Make sure you check out both blogs for some last minute inspiration. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Staples Sales

Today I'm linking up with Ladybug's Teacher Files to share a FABULOUS deal at Staples!


Most of you have already started back-to-school shopping to receive those awesome sales, but please check out Staples if you haven't already. While I was there Monday they were having a clearance on these portable file carriers. {The ones I purchased had clear tops though}.

They normally go for almost $12 each, but they are on sale for $5!! Two of those = BIGI Free, plus $2 savings! I posted here about using one of them for filing graded papers each week, but I don't know what to do with the other one. Any suggestions?? There's no such thing as "too much organization storage", so any/all ideas would be helpful :)

What are you doing to organize your classroom?

An Award and a FREEBIE

I'm suuuper excited to announce that my blog has been nominated for a Liebster Award! This is an award that goes to new-bloggers with less than 200 followers. Obviously I want to have way more than that eventually but, hey, this is a start! Thank you times a bajillion Gemini Teacher!

When you get nominated there are a few things you have to do:

1. Link back to the blog that nominated you.

2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

3. Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator.

4. Share 11 random facts about yourself.

5. Create 11 questions for your nominees.

6. Contact your nominees and let them know you nominated them.

Sounds simple enough.

Here are the questions posed for me by The Gemini Teacher!

1. Favorite subject or topic to teach? My favorite subject is BY FAR math {if any family members ever read this they will scratch their heads and/or laugh hysterically}. Ironically enough, math was never my best subject in school, but I really enjoy teaching it! 

2. What are two things in which you would say you are skilled? I'm skilled at crafting things and cooking/baking. I'm not professional by any means, but I'm not afraid to try new things in the kitchen.

3. What is a weird habit you have? I wouldn't say it's weird, but my husband gets really annoyed by it...I HAVE to have the bed made before getting into it each night. Rarely do I make it in the morning, so each night, as a weird ritual, my husband stands beside the bed while I make it crisp and neat :) Ok, yea after reading what I just wrote, that's pretty weird.

4. What is the most adventurous thing you have done? I went ziplining in Jamaica last summer!! It was really high up in the jungle and I don't think our tour guides were "all there," haha.

5. Who is your longest friend and why? I met my best friend Allye when we were in 9th grade. She moved into the house right behind me, so we were always a quick hop away from each other! Allye has the same sense or humor/personality as I do and she has always been loyal. She's a trooper :)

6. Do you have any "catch phrases" that you always say? In my classroom I always say, "Easy Peasy.." and my students reply with, "Lemon Squeezy!" 

7. What do you consider a challenge as a blogger? Learning & understanding all this HTML coding!! Yikes! And figuring out ways to network can be difficult.

8. What are 3 adjectives you'd use to describe yourself? Outgoing, reliable, and stubborn ;)

9. Best piece of advice given and/or received? Growing up my dad always told me, "Your word is your bond." I have to remind myself of this before getting involved with extra curriculars. I hate telling someone I'm going to do something & not following through.

10. What do you remember from your very first day as a teacher? On my first day one of my students {sweeeet girl!} gave me the nickname "Mrs. Pooh Bear." It was actually really sweet, haha.

11. Do you have a bucket list? One thing on it? It's more of a mental list...I guess I should write them down. Something I really want to do is travel the world and learn about my heritage.

11 Facts About Myself

1. I'm 24

2. I married my 1st grade sweetheart <3

3. I have a Puggle named Laura

4. I'm from a coastal town in Georgia

5. I just finished my first year as a teacher...and SURVIVED!

6. I love traveling

7. My favorite snack is a popsicle

8. I love Hersheys with almonds

9. I've never been to a funeral

10. I'm the middle kid. I have two brothers, 19 and 26

11. I never planned on being a teacher! Initially I was a Pre-Med major {that clearly didn't work out, haha}. Even though it wasn't planned, it was without a doubt meant to be!

My Nominees

Practice Makes Perfect
Little Miss Primary

Flamingos and Butterflies

Questions for My Nominees

1. How many years have you been teaching?

2. Have you taught more than 1 grade? If so, what's your favorite?

3. Why did you start a blog?

4. Where do you get most of your classroom inspiration from?

5. What are two qualities that you think every teacher NEEDS to have?

6. What is your favorite holiday and why?

7. If you could visit one place for an entire year, where would you go and why?

8. Name somebody who provides you with encouragement.

9. Describe your teaching style in 5 words or less.

10. What are you most excited about for this upcoming school year?

11. Do you have a favorite joke? If so, share!

If you are reading this, that means you stuck around and made it to the end of another long post! Yay! And since you built up your reading endurance, I'm going to reward you with a FREEBIE! I've had several people ask me about my drawer labels from yesterday's Monday Made It post. 

If you "like" my Facebook page by 5:00 pm tomorrow, I will send you a FREE copy!

MANY Monday Made Its

Today was the first day that I went back to school to actually work. I got SO MUCH done! I love the feeling you get when you can scratch off 5+ things from your to-do list. For a while it seemed like it was growing longer & longer without actually getting anything done. Definitely feeling better after today. So get ready a handful of Monday Made Its! Really...I'm not kidding...I have 7 of them!

MMI 1

Paper Organization System

I desperately needed something to file papers, other than manilla folders that get crinkled and dingy looking. I've seen this idea all over the internet. These adorable pencils are by Creative Clips. Really cute and they come in several different colors. I'm really happy with how it turned out!!

MMI 2:

Graded Papers File

I got this idea from Tara at Fourth Grade Frolics, but I made it to match my paper filer {see above}. Last year I kept the students' graded papers in individual mailboxes in the back of my room. It's a great system, but 1) I wasn't able to take it home if needed. I get try to get all my grades done as we go, but sometimes things get a tad busy ;) And 2) some of my students have sneaky eyes that "accidentally" notice that bad grade someone else got on their math quiz. Having this portable filing system will *hopefully* prevent that!

{flower frame by Ashley Hughes}

MMI 3:

More Paper Bins

These were totally not planned, but they were on sale at Wal-Mart for $1 each! There was no way I was leaving without a couple. Turns out they make great bins for homework and Thursday Folders! To read more about Thursday Folders, check out The Clutter Free Classroom. 

{frames by Graphics From the Pond}

MMI 4:

Crayon Organization

My wonderful mom got me 10 of these cute flower pails at Michaels for $1 each. Six of them are going to hold crayons for each group. The other four will be used to hold other random things/manipulatives around the room.

{frames by Graphics From the Pond}

MMI 5:

Multiple Choice Rings

Another awesome idea from Fourth Grade Frolics! Tara used large popsicle sticks for hers, but I only had the skinny ones and was too lazy to trek through Wal-Mart again. So I whipped these up, printed on cardstock, laminated both sides, and clipped on binder rings. I can't wait to use these during small groups!

{frames by Graphics From the Pond}

MMI 6:

Pencil Bins

This is a MMI with a little extra somethin-somethin. At the very end of last year I started realizing that I was going through a box of pencils every week. And by "box" I mean "box of 80!!" At least four times a day I kept hearing the dreaded, "I can't find my pencil!" This lead to me giving out pencil, after pencil, after pencil until they were all gone. Don't get me wrong. I have NO problem giving out pencils to students who need them. It only becomes an issue when my pencils are 

1) sharpened to a tiny nub, and

2) lost

Maybe this new system will prevent those things from happening. Here's the plan: Each group will have a green bin with 8-12 pencils {depending on group size, 2 per student}. These pencils are for them to use during the school day, but must be returned before they leave (**obviously if a student doesn't have pencils at home I am willing to make an exception). One person from each group will be responsible for counting pencils at the end of the day to make sure they're all accounted for. I know what you're thinking...how will they differentiate between "my" pencils and their own?

BAM! My pencils have colored duct tape around the eraser! I adapted this idea from Ladybug Teacher Files. I almost didn't buy this tape at Hobby Lobby, but I'm glad I did. It's perfect for pencils. This is seriously going to save time from students getting up to sharpen pencils in the middle of the day. And the bins came in a pack of 3 from the Dollar Tree! I love that place.

{frames by Graphics From the Pond}

MMI 7 (last one):

Group Buckets

These will be used to keep art supplies/random things whenever we have group work. I got the green bins at Hobby Lobby when they were on Clearance. I think they were .50 each. And the pink ones are from Wal-Mart, $1 each. I dressed them up a bit with turquoise chevron ribbon and big chalkboard frames {Graphics From the Pond}

Phew! That was a lot, but man does it feel good to have it done! Can't wait to see what you all have accomplished!

Some Firsts :)

I'm here to celebrate two things: First, I've decided to take the plunge. What I thought would be a simple afternoon project has turned out to be a lot more work than I expected. I've stayed up until 2 a.m. some nights trying to figure out this ridiculous awesome thing! I will be sharing ideas and activities that I use in my classroom (including some FREEBIES!), as well as things that go on at the good 'ol Winnie Residence. As a dedicated blog stalker, I can't wait to get this thing started!! ;)

My second celebration (which I am suuuper excited about) is my first ever TpT product! Thinking about next school year really got me motivated to find a teacher lesson planner/binder. Nothing like all-in-one organization :) After a lot of online research I found an Erin Condren planner that I fell in love with....until I saw the total cost in my shopping cart. Yeah. Total let down. It would be awesome to have a $60 planner, but I figured it would be even cooler to have one that I personally created! I got to work and in a matter of hours I whipped this bad boy together. I must admit that for my first online product I'm pretty proud of it. It's for sale at my TpT store, so check it out! It includes color friendly pages for those who like to save on ink (myself included). 

If you download, please leave me some feedback and check out my other products. Thanks!