An Interactive Open House

Even though my Open House for back to school isn't for a few weeks, I'm trying really hard to get as much done now as possible!  I usually don't mind the late nights to get stuff done during pre-plan but with a 5 month old...  I'm thinking I might be getting too old for that (at least this time around, lol)!

This year I am doing something different!  Our Open House usually starts out with the entire fourth grade in the cafeteria and all the teachers talk about what they can expect from 4th grade this year: curriculum, field trip dates, etc.  Then they are let loose up to our rooms for exploration time!  It never fails that parents are busy filling out paperwork or talking to me.  The kids, for the most part, are shy and trying to scope out the room from the safety of their parents side, LOL.  Well I want all that to change...

I introduce to you my interactive welcome sign!

This bad boy will be up on my white board and I will have the remote pen ready to go so my new kiddos can just walk up and start clicking away.  Even though the families just heard a few things to expect for the upcoming year, they definitely didn't get all the good details or what our specific classroom will get into.

I created this by uploading my own picture to ThingLink and made it interactive from there!  If you have never heard of ThingLink (don't feel bad, neither did I!), it is a program that essentially can make any photo or video interactive!  Think of all the possibilities!!!  There is a free version but I caved and paid for the year subscription because it has SO many cool features that I want to try with my kiddos this year.  I think it would also be an incredible tool to use if you happened to be doing a Flipped Classroom!

I thank Kim at iTeach STEM who, a couple of days ago, posted in one of our Facebook groups her newest "All About Me" page on her blog (click here to check it out) for introducing me to this awesomeness!  Well let me tell you, it was an instant game changer when I saw it.  Instead of a bunch of writing, she has a picture of herself using ThingLink and I instantly knew four different ways I wanted to use the program in my classroom!

How would you use it in the classroom?  Leave your ideas in the comments section!

Sale Galore Giveaway!!!

It's that time of year!  The one we all whisper about because if you say it too loud it comes true faster, lol.  It's back to school time!!!  My BBB's and I would love to help you get ready for this momentous occasion by giving away THREE $25 gift cards to TPT just in time for their Back to School Sale!

 

Need some ideas of what to get for your classroom?  Here are my two top wish listed items!

 

Editable Back to School Packet

This editable Back to School Packet includes everything you need to welcome your students and their parents to your classroom this school year! All the handouts are designed to help you get the most information possible about your new students and easily keep it organized throughout the year.

 

 

Not only are there resources for Meet the Teacher or Open House, there are also many activities and handouts to help you, and your students, learn all about each other that first week of school! The activities will require your students to work independently, in pairs, and even whole group, all while improving their social skills and making new friends in the process! I have also added "Teacher Tips" for each activity. Teacher Tips are just that, helpful hints or directions that let you know the many different ways to implement these things in your classroom.  Click on the image above to grab it for yourself!

 

Spelling and Vocabulary Stations: Set 1

Spelling and Vocabulary Stations are a wonderful way for students to independently reinforce their learning and enrich themselves through fun activities! Included are six different spelling and vocabulary activities and graphic organizers that require students to think critically, identify spelling patterns or word parts, write creatively, incorporate mathematics into their spelling, and so much more.

 

Each activity can be used with any set of spelling or vocabulary words.  My student's LOVE using these activities for Word Work time.  These are also perfect for literacy stations, early finishers, or even homework!  Included in this set are three different vocabulary stations and three different spelling stations.  Click on the image above to grab your own set!

 

Now here is one that I have had my eye on and will be snagging in this sale!

 

 

Included are 72 questions for any fiction or non-fiction text and in two sizes: key-ring size (my fav) and full sheet size to use on a bulletin board or as anchor charts.  This is perfect for my guided reading groups!  All I have to do is print and my Guided Reading station is all set up and ready to go!  I can eve pass out the key rings to students working together and have them trade off asking each other questions.  Click on the photo above to buy your copy of this product!

 

My store will be 20% off August 4-5!  If you enter the code BTS14 you get an extra discount!  Can't beat that!



 

 

Don't forget to enter the raffle for your chance to win one of three $25 gift cards to TPT!

Rafflecopter Code - a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out my other BBB's and see what they have on their wish lists as well!

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy shopping y'all!

Parent Letter Homework

WARNING!  This assignment could possibly cause tears, laughter, tug of heart strings and many more feelings that you never thought you would feel for students you have only known for a few days.

Okay!  Now that that tid bit of information is out of the way, lets get to the good stuff... homework for parents!  This wonderful idea was given to me by my newest team member and I absolutely love it and will be doing it every year from now on.  The assignment is very simple and I'm sure some of you might already do this.  As a team, we sent a letter home to the parents on the second day of school asking them, in a million words or less, to send in a letter telling us all about their child.  I already have that section on my student's information cards that says, "If you would like me to know anything about your child please tell me here," so I thought the letters would be similar to those responses.  BOY WAS I WRONG!

Almost all of my parents returned their letters (I gave them a week to complete them) and they were beyond moving.  I read them in one night and some had me laughing out loud, some had me tearing up, a lot had me smiling and a good majority had me saying "Oh my gosh."  There are things in those letters that these kids would have never told me because they were too shy or I might have found out later on in the year by circumstances popping up.  All the letters I got were at least one whole page and they were some of the most heartfelt and beautiful things I've ever read.  I wish these kids knew how much they are loved.  Even though these students are "my kids" since the second I see their name on my list, this made them all the more mine and I just wanted to protect them and make sure they had the best year ever.  I loved them all the more because of what their parents said and hopefully I'll remember these letters when we're having a rough day! LOL

Some of you might be thinking, "this would not happen at my school" but I work at a Title 1 school and got incredible support with this assignment.  I think it really helped to show the parents that I do care and am not just a passing person in their child's life.  If you would like to do this as well, I've attached a copy of the letter we sent home.  Just fill in your information where needed :o)  I hope you have as wonderful an outcome as I did!

Open House!

I'm back!!!!  Sort of... lol.  It has been insanely hectic around here trying to get back in the swing of things for school with remodeling/moving into a new home during preplan week.  Needless to say, I recommend picking ANY OTHER week than that one, haha! 

We had Open House last week and I have to say it was probably my most successful Open House yet!  Not only because ALL my students and parents showed up (that has never happen to me before) but I was super prepared and had cute little folders full of information thanks to my Back to School Packet and Pinterest finds :o)

I used my Cameo to create the large "Welcome" letters and I LOVE how they came out!  I got so many compliments on the door and entrance.  I'll show you more of what our hallway looks like on my next post: Room Tour.

I saw this idea on someone's blog, she was in second grade, and lord if I can remember where!  If you know please leave a comment so I can give credit where credit is due!  I loved the idea though and had to make one for our class!  I printed it off on an 11x17 size paper so it would be more noticeable when parents walked in.  There are four QR Codes: Our Class Website, Sunshine State Book Trailers, Our School Website, and Our School Facebook Page.  My contact info along with codes that parents can text to me to get classroom updates is added on the bottom.  I use Remind101.com for classroom updates through text messages!  They give the parents a random number to use but you control it.  This way parents can get all the goods and information you need them to without having your phone number :o)

Here is just a quick shot of my room before they all showed up.

Here is what parents found on their child' desk.  The different colored labels can be found in my Editable Back to School Packet.  I wanted to type in their names but we kept getting new kids up to the last minute so it was just a hand written kind of night.

Inside there was a student information sheet that parents needed to fill out on the left and all about our class and myself on the right.  As I showed you a couple posts back, my Vistaprint business card magnets came in just in time and I added those as well!

Here is a closer look at the items on the right: a smaller version of our "smart phone" poster, FAQ for our Class, and a Meet Your Teacher sheet.  I snagged the Meet Your Teacher letter from Suddenly in Second and just put in all my information and added a banner on top.  Such a time saver!

What do you do for Open House/Meet the Teacher?  I'm off to paint my craft room and then our master bedroom!  Finally a real bed to sleep in!!!!!!!!!  All our master bedroom furniture has been covered in drop cloths and what not while we try and find a color and I think we have found a winner which means I get my bed back!

Orange Ya Glad it's a BLOG HOP!

Hey y'all!  I am so excited to be a part of this Florida Back to School Blog Hop with this great bunch of ladies!

 

 I am the fourth stop on your lovely tour today and am very excited to share with you my goodies today!



I have two products to share with you! The first is my Editable Back to School Bundle!  There are over 40 pages of goodies to help you get ready for Meet the Teacher/Open House and activities to help you and your students get to know each other during that first week of school.  Click on the image below to get more information!

The second is a FREEBIE!  This is a set of Genre Posters (mostly geared toward intermediate) with a Polka Dot theme.  The set includes: Mystery, Biography, Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Nonfiction, Poetry, and many more!  There are 11 different posters total.  Click on the image below and it will take you to my Facebook page, once there click on the Blog Hop Tab and collect your freebie!  Remember, this will only work if you "Like" my Facebook page :o)

 



Thanks for stopping by!  You're next stop is one of my favorite gal pals, Leigh from the Applicious Teacher!

If you'd like to start from the beginning, you can head on over to Tamara's blog by clicking the link below!


Happy Hopping!

Behavior Management Scale (BTS FLASH FREEBIE!!!)

As some of you saw on yesterday's Monday Made It, I have a new behavior management system for my classroom this year!  Our county has been big into Marzano the past couple of years so my team and I decided we wanted our new behavior management system to align with that.  Now we will be using a scale for the students to measure and track their behavior throughout the day!

 

I would say the biggest difference in this behavior management scale versus all other clip charts is that it uses numbers and general behavior descriptions, not colors and phrases.  There are four coordinating designs in this bundle: Big Kids, Little Kids, Bunting Banners, and Numbers!  They all say the exact same thing but you have four different designs to choose from (that way both primary and intermediate can enjoy!).  The Big Kids and Little Kids designs have children showing the different emotions one might feel if they are on a particular number.  This works great for your ELL students or maybe your ASD kiddos who aren't always aware that their behavior is upsetting others.

I've also included two editable versions (portrait and landscape) of rewards, consequences, and ways to move on the scale posters.  As you can see the descriptions DO NOT include consequences.  They are just general behavior descriptions :o)  My favorite part about this whole thing is that the students are taking responsibility and tracking their behavior as the days and weeks go on!

 

THE FLASH FREEBIE IS NOW OVER! I APPRECIATE ALL THE WONDERFUL FEEDBACK AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Since it is Back to School time and we are all feeling that time dwindle away I will be giving away this Behavior Management Scale as a FLASH FREEBIE for ONE HOUR (July 30, 2013 11:00AM-12:00 PM)!  All I ask is that you leave love!  Click on any of the pictures above to get your copy!

Must Have Monday Made It (LOTS of goodies!)

Happy Monday y'all!  As you are reading this I am finally in my classroom trying to get my room together before we move into our house on Wednesday.  YAY!!!  I wanted to let y'all know that Must Have Mondays will change to the LAST MONDAY of every month now that we are all getting back into our classrooms.  So the next time you will link up will be August 26 and  I want to know what was a must have for the month of August or just anything you couldn't live without!

I asked my husband what was something that I couldn't live without and he instantly laughed and said, "Bins."  Dead serious, no joke, bins.  And if you're a teacher, you know the obsession well.  I have had bins from Really Good Stuff for the past five years and they have served me well.  They are just now starting to crack under the strain of kids handling them and heavy books like Harry Potter.  The ones that hold the smaller chapter books are still going strong though!  That being said, I HAD to get more bins ;o)

I bought a few from the Dollar Tree (the mecca) but I will also be buying a set of the skinny book bins for individual students and as much as I have loved my RGS bins, they are not the same price they were 5 years ago... by like A LOT.  So this poor teacher had to go a hunting and found this wonderful post from Ms. Fultz's Corner.  She compares the book bins from Steps to Literacy vs. Really Good Stuff (literally side by side) and I now know which one I'll be buying.  DEFINITELY WORTH THE READ!

 

Today I'm also linking up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It!  I have been a busy little worker bee this week trying to get everything done for my classroom.  Literally.  I mean, I put the sticky squares on the back of the Word Wall blocks already so that all I have to do when I get to school is peel and stick! HAHA!  I just want as much time in my room as possible before I have to leave early to move into the house.

Editable Back to School Packet
I finally got all my Meet the Teacher/Open House and First Week of School goodies compiled into one packet!  Can I just say that I am in love!  It has EVERYTHING that I need and all in one place.  Instead of a bunch of random worksheets in random files and folders I've now got it all in one spot and with super cute fonts, borders, and clip art.  The good thing about blogging and TPT is that is has finally made me look at all my creations and "cute them up."  I know some people don't care about that and that's okay, but I like color in my classroom and this does the job!  If you would like to see what is all included and what others have to say or even to get your own copy click on the image below.

Classroom Supplies Labels
In my classroom I have these plain, beige bins that sit on my rolly cart and house our community supplies.  I wanted to find some cute labels to put on them and then just decided, why not make them myself along with everything else I'm making?  I also wanted to make some for my math centers and supplies but have to wait until I'm in the classroom and see what I have!  To get your set of these 15 premade supplies labels click on the image below.

Blog Binder
I totally stole this idea from Katie at Teacher to the Core!  I mean, how could you not?!  She vamped up her regular binders by putting in fancy scrapbook paper!  Now, usually I just make something on the computer, print it off and slip it in the front, but for my Blogging Binder and TPT Binder I liked this idea a lot better.  She uses fancy transparency paper but I found this really pretty teal/blue cut-out paper that matched my bins and baskets in my soon-to-be craft room.  It came as a 12x12 sheet and I just cut it down to size and slipped it in the front and back pockets and the spine!

Inside is a fantastic blogging calendar made by Gina from Third Grade Tidbits!  I just wish that I had found this before July but it could not have come at a more perfect time!  I have lots of giveaways and collaborative blog and boards happening right now and it has been a LIFESAVER!  Click on the image below to see what all is included in this item.

Word Wall
For the past couple of years I just used a bulletin board with punch out letters as my prefix/suffix word wall.  Now that I am teaching all of the subject though, I need that board!  I have decided to move my word wall to below my white board in the front of the room.  It's perfect because it is such an used space and that area of the floor is where we have our class meetings and mini-lessons so the kids will ALWAYS be looking at it :o)

I made these alphabet squares with 12x12 colored cardstock and trimmed down a 12x12 piece of white cardstock to fit in the middle.  I did trim the edge of the white paper with a black sharpie to help it pop more and match with the letters that had a black trim as well.  Then I created these polka dot letters, printed, cut and glued it all together.  Once I had all 26 done I went to our local Lakeshore and got them laminated!  Might I add that a hurricane was happening outside and I was so terrified that all my hard work would get ruined by water spots and color bleeding but all ended well!

Behavior Management Scale

My last creation of the week was our class Behavior Management Scale.  Our county is big into Marzano these past two years and we wanted to include some sort of scale/clip chart but not necessarily how they do the colors in the primary grades.  So we did numbers, lol!  I know not much of a stretch but the kids use this same scale for their academics so it will be really nice for them to transfer that knowledge and experience into their behavior.  I have it printed, laminated, and rings in place ready to hang today, so I will update this post with a picture when I get it!  There are four different design styles (Big Kids, Little Kids, Bunting Banner, and Numbers) along with editable posters for your rewards, consequences, and ways to move on the scale (all in portrait and landscape).

WHEW!  You made it to the end and deserve a little treat!  Since it is back to school time, I have been giving away some BTS Freebies each day but only for an hour!  If you are not a fan on Facebook DO SO NOW so you can get flash freebie updates.  Check back tomorrow because one of these Back to School items might be up for grabs... HINT! HINT!

Don't forget to link up your last "must have" for the summer and leave some comment love on other's posts!

Back to School Bundle! (FLASH FREEBIE!)

Hey y'all!  Well I "unofficially" go back to school on Monday!  We really don't have to be back until August 6th but since we're signing on the house on Wednesday I wanted to get in the room ASAP and get as much done in there before the craziness starts on the home front.  Our Meet the Teacher/Open House night isn't for another two weeks but I know some of you are creeping up on the date so I wanted to share this with y'all now!  My Back to School Bundle is made up of two sections, Open House and Getting to Know You, and has lots of goodies that will help you survive Meet the Teacher/Open House night and the first week of school!

 The first section (Open House) contains items you will need to run a smooth and successful Open House!  We all know how crazy it can get in there ;o)  One of the things I always notice about Open House night is that the kids want to explore and the parents want to talk to you.  Which is understandable but sometimes the kids are getting into things you don't want them to quite yet and there is a long line of parents trying to talk to you and you're not able to greet the new ones coming in.  To help alleviate that from happening (or at least keep the flow going) I have included Student Information Sheets, Parent Volunteer Sign Up Sheets, Transportation Logs, a Classroom Scavenger Hunt and more!  These items usually keep the parents busy filling out their information while their kids explore the room in a controlled environment and other parents, who have already filled out their packets, are now talking to you.  Life saver I tell ya!


In the second section (Getting to Know You) there are oodles of activities to help you and your students get to know each other throughout the first week of school!  This is such a big deal to me because this classroom is really our second home and we should feel as comfortable here as we do on our couch with our family.  I spend the entire first week doing different "getting to know you" activities, that way the kids become more familiar with each other and they are working on their social skills in different settings.  I've been to some places where they do an activity one day and then that's it.  Well that might work for some, especially adults who are more outgoing and willing to engage in conversation with others, but not for kids.

I have activities for whole group, small groups, and individuals!  Some of them are the old classics like "Classmate BINGO" (with a twist of course) and others, like "Dice to Meet You," will be brand new and engaging to the students!  Dice to Meet You is my favorite by the way!  There are also art activities that allow students a creative outlet to show you who they really are.  By the end of the week they will know each other VERY well and there is even a game/challenge included to see how well they have been paying attention.

Since you made it through this LONG post I feel you deserve a freebie!  I have done this Getting Know You Glyph for the past couple of years and my kids LOVE it!  It also looks really good in the hallway for when parents visit.  Click on the image below to download your copy!

THE FLASH FREEBIE IS OVER BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS!  I APPRECIATE IT MORE THAN YOU WILL KNOW :O)

Also for being so patient and reading through ALL of that I will be giving away my Back to School Bundle as a FLASH FREEBIE for the next hour (July 27, 2013 1:00 - 2:00 EST)!  Click on the image at the top of the post or here to access the Back to School Bundle!  All I ask is that you leave me some feedback love!  It wouldn't hurt my feelings either if you wanted to pin it! ;o)

Don't forget to hop on over to our Pinterest Scavenger Hunt Contest for your chance to win a $50 TPT gift card!  I hope y'all have a fantastic summer weekend!  Enjoy it, there aren't many more left?!?!

Meet the Teacher Magnets (FREE Template)

Hey y'all!  It's about that time... You all know what I'm talking about.  Back to School.  Next week I can finally go back into my classroom but that is also the week we start moving into our new house!  Needless to say it will be a little hectic and I am trying to get the majority of my teaching to-do list done before the move.

One of my items was new business cards (since I have a new name now).  I was hesitant to buy 100+ business cards with my school contact information when I could be in a whole new room next year with a new phone number and have to waste all those cards, but I knew I wanted to give the parents something.  The answer you might ask?  Business card MAGNETS!  I bought 50 of them and at checkout they were half off!  Love it when a surprise deal/coupon comes my way.  I also love the idea that they are magnets and parents won't lose them as easily!  Here is my final product!  Now it looks much prettier without my contact information scratched out, lol, but you get the idea.

We all know how OCD I am (I mean, did you see my Intsagram post today with the sketch????) and I could not find a business card magnet design that I loved so I made my own and uploaded it.  I wanted to share the love with y'all in case you too wanted to make some magnets in the last, final, glorious days of summer ;o)  Consider it a Back to School gift from me to you!

Click on the image below to download the editable PowerPoint to create your own.  I know that it looks like a lot of extra space left on the bottom of the document but leave it as it is!  When you save it as a PNG file after you enter all your contact info and then upload it into Vistaprint, you will be able to crop it perfectly!

 

Here are the two fonts that I used on the card:

 

"Mrs. Sanjurjo's Class" = MTF Jumpin' Jack (with the Glow Text Effect)

"Contact Information" (the rest of the card) = LL Elementary

I hope you enjoy the freebie and the rest of your summer!