Back to the Classroom

It's that time again!  Time to go back to the classroom and prepare for the incoming little ones.  School starts next week, so I decided it was time to go set up my room, make copies, and get organized.  Let's just say, after spending 5 hours at school, my classroom and I are not quite ready yet.

In my seven years of teaching I have taught in 3 schools, and called 5 classrooms home.  I've had years where I have had to pack up my entire classroom, just to move to the one next door!  I am glad that this year, I was able to not only stay at the same school, but in the same classroom as well.  I didn't even have to take posters down or pack up for summer cleaning!  Hmmm. . . why isn't my classroom ready after five hours?  Let's just say, I like to be really organized.  Matching labels need to be applied, centers need to be prepared, and copies need to be made.
 
In the meantime, I have a question for you.  Where do you conduct guided reading groups if you do not have a reading table?  Yes, you heard correctly, no reading table.  My student desks are bolted to the floor and the L shaped table that is in my room is connected to the wall!  This means if I choose to use the table, all of the kids in reading group will be facing the wall and I would have to stand or sit behind them :(  There is not room for another table in the classroom.

Take a little spin around my classroom and see for yourself (these pictures were taken at the end of last year, so it is a bit of a mess).

Last year I had the students sit in a circle on the carpet, but they are young and sometimes turn into little wiggle worms.  If you have any ideas, please let me know!

--Lauren

 

 

Teachers Pay Teachers, Here I Come!

I feel like the first day of August was just yesterday.  I had a bit of a wake-up call this morning when I looked at the calendar and realized that there are only 2 weeks left in August!!  Only 2 weeks until school starts!? I better get busy!

Not only did I decide I needed to start planning, I decided I should start posting my creations on Teachers Pay Teachers.  I am proud to say, my first official product is now available!

My Back to School Timesavers are a great way to get ready for the beginning of the school year.  This packet has a sign-in sheet, communication log, student info sheet, and more!  It is FREE, so go ahead and grab it and save yourself a little time this school year!

Click here to check it out!

I hope you find these forms as useful as I do!  I would love to hear your opinion :)
--Lauren

Welcome to my world!

Toothless grins, snotty noses, untied shoelaces, fat pencils, miniature furniture.   .    .   Welcome to my world!  In case you couldn’t guess, I am a K/1 teacher.  I love my little learners, and we have tons of fun in our classroom!  I try to make learning fun, because then it doesn’t feel like work.  I mean, who wants to join the workforce at age 5?  In order to make it fun for all of us, I have to do a little prep work myself. 

With little learners, you have to be prepared, otherwise, you will constantly hear--“What can I do next?” This was the most frequently asked question from ALL of my students last year.  While I am overjoyed that they like to stay on task and are motivated to learn, I am usually collecting the papers from their little hands when the words come out of their mouths.  Therefore, planning second by second, with multiple time fillers in my back pocket, is an absolute necessity.

I am trying to get a jump on the school year by preparing items in advance.  So rather than take long walks and enjoy all that San Francisco has to offer.   .   .   

I am starting a blog and creating materials for the upcoming school year that begins in September.  I think my dog, Jack, would prefer the walks, so I will still have to squeeze a few of those in as well :)

If you are interested in seeing what kind of fun you can have in your classroom, please come back and visit.  I will share my materials as they are created so you can try them out in your classroom!

--Lauren