What Went Well Wednesday

HUMP DAY!!! I know it's old and cheesy, but I just LOVE that camel commercial!!

I am linking up with my #kindertribe blog, Kinder Tribe, for their What Worked Well Wednesday.

This is a link up where kindergarten teachers get to share what worked well during their week. I'm not back to school year, so I'm going to share something that worked well last year that I intend on doing again this year!!

This is a picture of my student data drawer. Each student gets a hanging file folder, with different color-coded file folders on the inside. Everything I need to know about my kinders is all in their folder, and I can just grab it and go to parent conferences or IEP meetings, or any other type of meeting where I need data on my students.

Here's my system.

Each hanging file folder contains 5 different folders, and each folder holds different information.

The first folder is a regular manilla folder, and that contains all the information I need about my student. Emergency contact info, medical info, phone numbers, address, personal likes and dislikes, fears and goals, all sorts of individualized information about my Littles.

Next is a yellow file folder labeled 'Assessments'. This folder contains all of the Reading and Math assessments we do throughout the year, including the ones we do three times a year. This folder shows all the growth my kiddos make during the year.

The red file folder is for Work Samples. I don't keep everything my kinders do, I would never have enough room to store all of that. However, I do pick out a few pieces throughout the year that shows how well they are doing with certain skills. In the beginning of the year, I keep some cutting and coloring samples. As time goes on I keep pieces that have to do with rhyming or number sense, and other skills we work on throughout the year. If there is a kiddo I'm concerned about, someone I think might need to be tested for special ed services, I tend to keep more work samples for them. This is a good folder to have during parent conferences, so you can show the parents the amount of effort their child is putting into their school work.

The blue folder is all about Behavior. We follow the PBIS program at our school, and that means students can receive MIRs and ODRs (Minor Incident Reports and Office Discipline Referrals). These reports are on carbon copies, and teachers keep one of the three colors. The others go home and to the assistant principal. I also do monthly behavior calendars where students color in the day for whatever color they landed on. At the end of the month I collect them all and file them in their Behavior folders.

The last folder I have in each hanging file is a green folder, and this one is for Parent Notes. Throughout the year, I get all sorts of different notes from parents. Everything from explaining why they couldn't get their homework done to the latest news from their doctor. Any and all attendance or vacation request notes get sent to the office, and I will get a copy of those in my mailbox. Many parents will send me emails, which I will print out and add to their folders. I have had a few times during the year where this folder has saved my butt, when a parent states they never sent in a note like that but I can pull it from the folder. Many of my kinders don't have anything at all in this folder, but I still make one for everyone just in case!!

So that's my filing system for student data. Do you think I'm missing something? I'd love to know so I can add it!! Make sure to leave me a comment!

Don't forget to swing back over to Kinder Tribe and see who else has linked up to share what worked well for them this week!

Don't forget that you can still link up for Spotlight Saturday!! It's a Teacher's Show and Tell link up where you can share with us your favorite products, activities, ideas, lessons, tips, tricks, resources, and anything else that makes classroom life easier and more awesome!!

Winner Wednesday: CVC Crossword Puzzles

Since this is the first Wednesday of the month, that means I get to link up with A Dab of Glue Will Do for her incredibly fun Winner Wednesday linky!!

This link up happens on the first Wednesday of every month, and we get to raffle off one of the products in our TPT store!

I love hopping around to the different blogs of who linked up and entering their giveaways, so much fun!!!

This is a packet of black and white printable crossword puzzles that focus on medial-vowel CVC words. Each vowel has several puzzles to go with it, covering various word families.

There are also several pages where the word families are all mixed up. Students look at the picture word clues labeled with a number and an arrow indicating if this is an across or a down clue. Then students find the matching label on the puzzle and write in the CVC word.

This puzzles are simple and easy for kinders to complete. They are perfect for morning work, homework, center rotations, or even to be left for a substitute to do! Make sure to enter the raffle using the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Head back over to A Dab of Glue Will Do to see who else linked up and what other fun raffles you can join!

Don't forget there's still plenty of time to link up for Spotlight Saturday! It's a Teacher's Show and Tell to share favorite products, activities, ideas, resources, lessons, tips, tricks, and anything else that makes classroom life easier and more awesome!

Tell All Tuesday: A Goal, A Wish, and A Dream

Happy Tuesday!!! I know many of you have headed back to school and I hope you are having an amazing time so far!! I'll be headed back in a few weeks, and I can't stop thinking of all the things that need to get done!!

One way for me to take my mind off of BTS is to link up with my incredibly sweet friends from My Day in K and Teach Talk Inspire! They have hosted this incredibly fun linky all summer, but just like the summer, all good things must come to an end!! Today is the very last installment of Tell All Tuesday!

This week the link up is focused on heading back to school. Many teachers in the Western part of the country have already headed back to school and many more are headed back this week. Along with my fellow East Coasters, we have a few more weeks of summer left. Most places on the East Coast don't go back until after Labor Day! Our state is trying to pass a law that will restrict school from starting until after Labor Day. We shall see if that comes to pass!!
Today's topic is for your classroom or school year, and is titled 'A Goal, A Wish, and A Dream'. There is so very much I want for my kinders and my classroom this year, it's hard to narrow it down!!

I know as teachers we always want the very best for our kiddos. We all have our own hopes and dreams for the classroom, and surprisingly many of our wishes and dreams are very similar!! Great minds think alike!! Here are mine.

A Goal - Organization!! I feel like this is my goal every year, and each year I get a little closer to the level of organization I want. I'm not disorganized by any means, but there is so very much more organization that I want to get done in my room!! I can't wait until I can finally say I am totally and completely organized the way I want to be!!!

A Wish - I want each and every one of my kinders to reach and surpass every goal, educational and otherwise, that they set for themselves. If they want to be able to tie their shoes by the end of the year or if they want to be able to write a short story, I want them to feel successful and accomplished. All I want is for them to make as much growth as they possibly can and be super ready for first grade next year!

A Dream - I know how important kindergarten is. I know that we, as kindergarten teachers, build the foundation of each child's learning and that we have an impact on their feelings towards and about school. I want to instill such a love of learning in each and every single one of my kinders that they will become intrinsically motivated to continue their educations. I want them to keep learning and growing all the way through college, and that each of my Littles will make the very most of their situations. I want the very best for them, and that means they need to most education possible!!


So there's my goals, wishes, and dreams for this year. Swing back over to My Day in K or Teach.Talk.Inspire to see who else has linked up, and you can link up too!

You can still link up for Spotlight Saturday!! It's a Teacher's Show and Tell where you can share your favorite products, activities, resources, tips, ideas, tricks, and everything else that makes classroom life easier or more awesome!!

Must Read Monday: Holiday Books

Happy Monday everyone! I know many of you have headed back to school or today is your first official day back, and I wish you an incredible start to the new school year! I have a few more weeks of summer left, and I hope to make the most of it!

It's Monday, and that means I am linking up with Kindergarten Planet and The Kindergarten Connection for my favorite linky, Must Read Monday. This link up is almost over, WAAAHHHH!!!! I'm really going to miss this link up!!

In case you didn't know, Must Read Monday is a weekly link up where we get to share our favorite children's literature books based on a given topic.

This week's topic is Holiday Books! One of the things I love most about children't literature is that there is a book for every situation and every holiday/special occasion out there! I have chosen a book from several of the main holidays we celebrate in kindergarten!

Let's start in January, with the holiday of New Year's. This story, Squirrel's New Year's Resolution, is a great story to try and help little minds grasp the concept of a resolution.

Squirrel knows that he needs to make a New Year's Resolution, but the trouble is he doesn't really know what a resolution is. He wanders through his forest home, coming upon animal friends who have already made their resolutions, witch they share with Squirrel.

You are really going to like the ending, where you find out what Squirrel's resolution is!

This is a great lead-in to a lesson on having students make their own New Year's Resolutions.

Moving on to February, let's take a look at a favorite Valentine's book, Love, Splat. Most kindergarten teachers and their students are familiar with Splat and have a fond relationship with him!

Our lovable black cat finds himself making a special Valentine's card for someone very special to him, Kitten. however, Spike also likes Kitten and doesn't want to share. This story shows the lengths Splat is willing to go to make Kitten his Valentine.

This story is a great lead-in for a Valentine writing craftivity, or as a discussion about being able to have more than one best friend.

Next comes March and St. Patrick's Day, my very favorite holiday!

This is a book we read every single year in March. That's What Leprechauns Do is a story that chronicles the journey of some leprechauns racing to get to the end of the rainbow before anyone else. along they way they stop and complete some tricks on the people who live around them. For instance, they convince a hen to lay on a tennis ball as if it were an egg. This behavior continues all the way to the end of the rainbow.

This is one of my very favorite books, and we always read this book before that sneaky leprechaun comes to our classroom and does all sorts of naughty things. Plus, this is a great book to practice cause and effect. You can talk about what mischief the leprechauns make on their journey and how that effects those around them. It's also a good one for retell!

After March comes April, and the holiday of Easter. The Easter Bunny's Assistant is a hilarious story about the Easter Bunny and his new assistant.

The Easter Bunny's assistant is incredibly excited that it is Easter and all he wants to do is help. However, when the assistant gets too excited, he makes quite a big stink! It's fun to watch the two characters interact.

This story uses bright, bold illustrations and simple text. It also uses many speech bubbles, which is a great way to introduce the concept to your kiddos!

Also in the month of April usually falls Earth Day. Earth Day is a big deal at our school, and we usually celebrate it as an entire school, planting flowers and cleaning up trash.

This is a great story to introduce the concept and importance of Earth Day. Little Critter takes us through Earth Day and how he helps take care of the Earth. Students can learn the importance of cleaning up trash, recycling, and working together to make the Earth a better place.

This book is great to explain Earth Day to your kiddos, and on each page there is something important to stop and discuss.

In October we get to celebrate the holiday of Halloween. The 13 Nights of Halloween is a spoof off of The 12 Days of Christmas.

This counting story takes us through a Halloween night and introduces us to all sorts of Halloween creatures.

This is a fun book to help practice counting as well as to compare to The 12 Days of Christmas. There are many parts to this story that crack me up every year!!

This might be my favorite holiday book of all time. Perfect for Thanksgiving, Turkey Trouble tells the tale of a turkey who is desperate to keep himself off of the dinner menu.

Turkey creates all sorts of disguises to try and trick the farmer into not eating him for Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey almost runs out of time before he finds the perfect disguise!

We read this story right before we introduce a take-home project where they must find a way to disguise a turkey so the farmer doesn't eat him for dinner!! I love to see how creative they get with disguising their turkeys.

Finally, I'm going to share a Christmas favorite with you all! Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight? is the hilarious tale of Santa trying out different animals pulling his sleigh.

Each animal has a certain characteristic or two that make them not quite suitable for pulling Santa's sleigh, and the illustrations really take the cake in helping to tell the story. The details in the illustrations are incredible, and every time I read this book I notice something new.

This is a great book to use with predicting which animals Santa will try out, and there is some great verb practice in here as we describe how each animal moves when it pulls the sled. Kiddos are going to LOVE this book, especially since they will get a peek at Santa's underwear, and what kindergartener doesn't crack up at the mere mention of underwear??

I thank you for reading through all of my choices, I know there were a lot this week! I hope you were able to learn about a new book or two! Make sure to go back to the link up and see what other holiday books made the cut!

Don't forget that IT'S NOT TOO LATE to link up for Spotlight Saturday! This link up is a Teacher's Show and Tell to share our favorite products, activities, resources, tips, tricks, and ideas with each other. It's all about #2getherwearebetter and gives you a chance to shout out a favorite seller!

#2getherWeAreBetter August Link Up: Bulletin Boards

Have you heard about all the social media movements that have been created by Lucky Little Learners and Schroeder's Shenanigans in Second? They have definitely created some awesome ways for us to come together as teachers and help each other out!

On the second of every month they host a 2getherwearebetter link up where teachers share ideas on different topics. This linky goes live the second day of every month, with a new topic each time. It is August 2nd, and this month's topic is Bulletin Boards!

I think bulletin boards are something every teacher has to deal with, even if it's just one board. Some teacher's have HUGE boards, and others have multiple boards in their classroom.
In my classroom, we each have 3-4 large square and 2-3 long rectangular bulletin boards already put on the walls. If you don't have 4 square boards, it's because one of them is a white board.
In my room, I don't have a white board so I have 4 square bulletin boards around the room.

This is a picture of the front of my classroom. My SMART Board is mounted on the chalkboard (though not evenly in the middle, if you'll notice...). There are two large boards on each side and one rectangular board at the top.
I cover my boards with fabric, since the fabric doesn't fade and can be used year after year. I choose solid primary colors so that they didn't detract from anything on the boards. This was last year, and I might change it up this year. Haven't decided yet.

The back of my classroom has another two large square bulletin boards with a rectangular one on top.

You can see my last bulletin board on the left hand side of this photo, it's covered in yellow fabric.

We also have cork strips in the hallway that we use to turn into a bulletin board of student work. This is a pic from a few years ago, I can't find a pic of my Dragon board....

Did you know that you can make your own bulletin board if your classroom doesn't have one? Last year I made several additional boards in my room, and while it was time consuming it was definitely worth it.

First I outlined the space I wanted using Painter's Tape. See, we have lots of rules about what can go on the walls. Painter's Tape comes off without leaving a residue, so it's okay to use. Once I have the Painter's Tape frame up, I then put hot glue ON TOP OF the Painter's Tape. Then I quickly add the bulletin board paper and border.

The blue 'Math' board is one that I created using Painter's Tape. It stayed up there all year long.

Another of my walls isn't cinder block, so it was easier to get this bulletin board up. I used a fabric that resembled the sky and outlined it with a rainbow border. I love being able to turn empty wall space into a new bulletin board!

These are all pictures from a few years ago, and I can't wait to change things up this year!
How do you create bulletin boards in your classroom? What's your favorite way to put up border? Do you use fabric or bulletin board paper? I'd love to hear about your classroom bulletin boards! Leave me some comments or link up with Lucky Little Learners and Schroeder's Shenanigans in Second to share how you handle bulletin boards!

Don't forget that you can still link up for Spotlight Saturday! This link up is a Teacher's Show and Tell where you can share your favorite activity, resource, product, tip, idea, trick, or anything else that makes classroom life even more awesome!!

August Currently

Can you believe it's already August 2nd?? I know many of you are headed back to school next week, I wish you luck for your first day with kiddos!

I head back August 17th and my kiddos return August 26th. Don't be too mad at me...when next summer rolls around and you get out several weeks before me, it'll all work out!!

Since it's the beginning of a brand new month, that means it's time to link up with Farley for her incredibly amazing Currently linky!!

This link up is so much fun!! Did you know she has even started a Currently on Instagram??!! It's so much fun, I love scrolling through and reading what everyone is Currently doing!

Here is my August Currently!!!!

Just got done watching a great movie with my dad, thought I'd post about my Currently!!

Make sure to swing back over to Farley's page to see who else has linked up!! I love reading everyone's Currently!!!

Don't forget that you can link up for Spotlight Saturday still! It's a Teacher's Show and Tell where you can share your favorite product, resource, activity, idea, tip, trick, or anything else that makes your classroom life more awesome!!

Spotlight Saturday: Recipe for Teaching

Welcome to Spotlight Saturday!! I'm so glad you stopped by to take part in our Teacher's Show and Tell link up!!

This is a link up where we get to share our favorite resources, products, activities, ideas, tips, tricks, and anything else that makes our classroom lives that much more fabulous!!! (or easier!!)

This week I am Spotlighting a fellow Marylander and kindergarten teacher, Heather from Recipe for Teaching! I found Heather's blog through a link up party, and when I found out that she was in Maryland too I was so excited!!! I see so many other states having blogger meet-ups and I have always wanted to attend one, but didn't know any Maryland bloggers. Even more awesome, she is a Ravens Fan!!! We have Purple Friday at our school every football season, and it's my favorite day of the week!

Heather has a lot of incredible products in her TPT store, so many amazing resources! I'm sharing two of her creations with you today!!

In the Recipe for Teaching TPT store, there are pages and pages of so many incredible freebies! Heather has created so many awesome resources I had a hard time choosing just one to Spotlight!

I chose this awesome math freebie because we do a similar activity with 2D shapes, and I think it would be so fun this year to do a 3D shaped food sort! This little freebie is perfect for an incredibly fun and engaging math lesson on the attributes of 3D shapes! Heather has provided a really great recording sheet that kinders will be able to complete independently. After they sort their food shapes, they are to write a sentence about their favorite! Pretty nice how she included a writing activity too!

As I was 'window shopping' through Heather's Recipe for Teaching TPT store, I came across an activity she created that made me stop right in my tracks.

My mom's most favorite animal was a turtle. You could say she was obsessed and be right on the mark! House full of turtles, and she created a turtle-themed nursery for my niece! Mom unexpectedly died in August of 2013, and there are times where it's still hard to deal with. However, there are other times when I come across something that makes me think of mom and smile. These little turtle cards of Heathers did just that.

She created number cards for 1-10 that have an adorable little turtle on them! She also included a set of 1-10 ten-frame cards, as well as practice pages for the numbers 1-10. As soon as I saw the cover of this packet, I thought of mom and smiled. So naturally it went right into my cart, and I can't wait to use them with my kinders this year!

I am going to have them use the cards to play number memory 1-10 at the pocket chart center, and I am going to laminate the practice pages she made and have my kinders use those during our Math with Self rotations. I'll be on the look-out for tiny turtle erasers that my kinders can use as counters to make each number on the mat.

I would definitely recommend visiting Recipe for Teaching's TPT store to check out all her awesome creations for yourself! Here are the different ways you can find Heather through social media.

Find her 3D Shape Food Sort by clicking the image below:

For her Turtle Ten Frame Cards, click on the image below:

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO GO TO HER BLOG:

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO GO TO HER TPT STORE:

CLICK HERE TO VISIT HER FACEBOOK PAGE:

I hope you take the time to Follow Recipe for Teaching, you won't be disappointed!!

You can link up for Spotlight Saturday too!! Show and Tell us about your favorite classroom product, activity, resource, idea, tip, trick, technique, or whatever else makes your classroom life all the better! Feel free to use the graphic at the top of this post, or use the one below and fill in who/what you're Spotlighting. If you are Spotlighting another seller who has a Facebook page, go over to their Facebook page and leave them a message with a link to your post letting them know you Spotlighted them!! You could really make someone's day!!

Rules:

1) You need to spotlight an educational resource that either you have created or you have found from someone else and love! This means you must link up with a blog post you have written putting an activity or idea in the Spotlight. Please do not link directly to a product in Teachers Pay Teachers or Teacher's Notebook or similar sites.

2) If you are Spotlighting a product from your own TPT store or that of another seller, make sure that in your blog post you Spotlight a freebie or a paid product. If you have a freebie and a paid product from the same seller, feel free to use both in your post. If all you have is a freebie, then post about the freebie and how you used it. You can also Spotlight a freebie that someone else created along with a product that you created.

2) Make sure to give credit where credit is due! You will need to include the name of the creator as well as a link to their TPT or Teacher's Notebook store where others can get a copy of the resource as well.

3) Include pictures of the product in your post, either screen shots  or photographs of your kiddos actually using the product. Give us a snapshot, just a brief glimpse into how the product or activity works. Just an image of the cover and one of the pages you have listed in the preview of the activity on TPT would be fine. It gives readers a visual and helps them better understand what your product is all about.

4) Make sure to leave a comment on the post of the two people before your post and the person after. This will help get conversation rolling, and will make sure everyone feels recognized for their efforts!

5) This is not the place to share your frustrations or disappointment with an activity or how you would have done it differently. If you are unsatisfied with your purchase that is a private conversation you need to have with the seller via email. This is not a link up to bash any sellers or their products, and any posts like that WILL BE DELETED!!

6) Follow my blog with Bloglovin' to make sure you are kept up to date on all the latest link up additions. Don't forget to follow my Facebook page too to keep up with all the notifications I send out!

7) To Link Up, you will need to click on the small blue button underneath my closing signature. It is directly under my name on the left hand side of the blog.