Saturday Rewind - Back to School We Go!

Where did the summer go?  Yep it's gone.  
I must confess though that I love my routines. 
 I have a school year routine and a summer routine.  
The problems start when I try to mix the two!!! 

 I am blessed to be starting the school year with lower numbers of first graders this year.  Can I get an Amen! 
 I am excited to have a new group for first graders 
to play and learn with.  

I try to remind myself constantly that I don't need to have the whole year planned out - just the first couple of weeks. My awesome teaching partner and I met and  mission accomplished!  We choose some great picture books to pair with beginning of school activities to get the year started on a positive note.  Looking forward to it.
  
Like most of you, I have been getting my classroom ready for the new school year. I moved into a portable classroom last year and the storage options have been 
challenging to say the least.

 I have bulletin boards up with clean, crisp, shades of blue fabric.  I know, I know.  Many people use paper, but I just love the fabric - no ripping and it can be used more than more year.  If I find a fabric piece I love I keep it in the rotation. To add a bit of freshness, I changed out all the borders this year.

This year I am going with owls and dots theme.  While not everything will be covered in owls, I do like to include a little cuteness to start the new year.  I went with a color theme of shades of blue with a little green and yellow thrown in for good measure. I am hoping for a calm feeling in the room for my 21 firsties (and me).

One plus of the portable classroom is that it is more of a rectangle than a square.  I have 3 distinct areas in the room for great learning to occur. I love the gathering area with a colorful literacy rug where we will 
spend lots of time learning together. 
I love the smell of freshly cleaned carpet.

The second area, the middle of the classroom, is a desk area.  I have the desks in long rectangles that will mimic tables. This allows each student to have a personal space with room for their many supplies and belongings.  It is also where direct instruction takes place and I can use the document camera and presenter to model concepts and provide demonstrations for my kiddos.

The third area is a small group, intervention area with a reading table.  I took the plunge (again) and had them get rid of my teacher's desk.  It makes the whole area roomy and open. This back corner of the room also houses my bookcase filled with binders and teaching manuals as well as my filing cabinet.

I am looking forward to the new year and am blessed to return to the job I love.  Here's wishing all of you a great start to your new school year.

Pictures coming soon:)

~ Clara @ Teaching 365

Sunday Rewind - Back to School Planning

Like most of you, I have been getting my classroom ready for the new school year. I moved into a portable classroom and the storage options have been challenging to say the least.

Finally, I have bulletin boards up (thanks to my handsome hubby) with clean, crisp, new fabric.  I know, I know.  Many people use paper, but I just love the fabric - no ripping and it can be used more than more year.  If I find a fabric piece I love I keep it in the rotation.

This year I went with an owl and chevron theme.  While not everything will be covered in owls, I do like to include a little cuteness to start the new year.  I went with a color theme of shades of blue with a little green and yellow thrown in for good measure. I am hoping for a calm feeling in the room for my 24 firsties (and me).

One plus of the portable classroom is that it is more of a rectangle than a square.  I have 3 distinct areas in the room for great learning to occur. I love the gathering area with a new colorful literacy rug (yes my administrator came through and purchased a new one for me) where we will spend lots of time learning together. I love the smell of new carpet.

The second area, the middle of the classroom, is a desk area.  I have the desks in long rectangles that will mimic tables. This allows each student to have a personal space with room for their many supplies and belongings.  It is also where direct instruction takes place and I can use the document camera and presenter to model concepts and provide demonstrations for my kiddos.

The third area is a small group, intervention area with a reading table and my teacher's desk.  Last year I didn't have a desk but decided to bring it back to use for storage.  It is also a place where I can stash all my teacher goodies, laptop, purse, etc. This back corner of the room also houses my bookcase filled with binders and teaching manuals as well as my filing cabinet.

I am looking forward to the new year and am blessed to return to the job I love.  Here's wishing all of you a great start to your new school year.

Pictures coming soon:)

~ Clara @ Teaching 365
First Grade Sunflowers and Ladybugs

Sunday Rewind - Moving Classrooms Again!!!

School is now over and the next adventure begins!!! Packing and moving - AGAIN!  
I have spent the last week working long hours to literally pack everything in my first grade classroom so it can be stored until August.  Yes stored.  The classroom I am moving into is an old portable with 4 blank walls and will need some major renovation before a classroom can be moved in. No cabinets, no shelving, no nothing.  I have requested a few pieces of furniture/shelving to get started. The good news is that the carpet is being replaced.  Good thing since it smelled like a moldy attic when I did a walk through.

It looks a a lot like the beginning of the school year - boxes, boxes, boxes.

So, I will get to create the space.  I read once that you should begin with an empty space or classroom and then move in pieces as you establish the need for them.  That should be fairly easy since the room is completely empty.  Student desks and chairs will be moved over from my old classroom. My teaching partner is also moving her 
classroom into the portable right next to me 
(looking for any small silver lining I can latch on to).

All of these changes came about because our school is beginning extended day kindergartens.  In the past we have had pairs of two kinder teachers teaching and sharing a classroom with half day schedules for the littles.  No more sharing classrooms with an am and pm class. That also means no partner to help teach.  

Big changes. I am trying to take the high road and not complain too much. However 3 moves in the last 4 years is a little daunting even for me who usually just rolls with it. Fortunately I have been able to stay  at my same school throughout all these changes. 

The upside is that I will have time to read and reflect focusing of two things in particular.
1.  Daily Five Rewind - How did it go after the first year  of implementing Daily Five?  What will I do differently next year?   What will I continue to do the same next year?

2.  Implementation of Common Core State Standards - I will be attending 3 days of training throughout the summer directly tied to Proficiency Scales and our new electronic report card as it relates to Common Core.  Fun times!  

What changes are you experiencing this fall?  How have you dealt with portable classrooms in your teaching?


~ Clara @ Teaching 365
First Grade Sunflowers and Ladybugs

Desk or no desk? - that is the question.

After many weeks of trying to make a final decision, I did it.  I got rid of my teacher's desk!!!  

It was a huge old school desk, metal, with 13 years of use.  I wanted to gain space for the

munchkins and boy did it.  This year in first grade, each class has 24 students.  

I need all the room I can manage for students to use, and move, and create, and learn, and grow. I will replace the desk with a reading table that was already in the room and voila, 

at least 30 square feet more useable space.  I converted two of the drawers in an existing cabinet to "desk drawers" to store my school supplies such a paper clips, etc. 

 I added a small book case behind my new work area to organize my daily bins, 

teacher's manuals, read alouds, and things I normally would keep on my desktop.  

I am so excited to try out the new arrangement on Monday.  

How do you arrange your work area in your classroom?  Do you have a table or desk you use?  I will post before and after pics soon.

Classroom Setup 2013

We just finished our third week of school.  Finally my firsties are beginning to settle into the routines of first grade.  How many times a day can a six year ask if it is lunchtime yet or if it is time to go home yet?  I smile and say that I will tell you when it is time.  It is a huge transition for our kids from our half day kindergarten program to a full day in first grade.

My classroom is starting to feel more like home.  I only moved across campus but it might as well be another country with the differences between fourth grade and first grade.  The good news is that I love it even more than I thought I would.  The amount of materials in first grade to be stored and organized for ready use is a little overwhelming at times.  I consider myself an organized teacher, but I have done and redone some things a few different ways before it felt right.

I have an awesome team of first grade teachers to work with.  All different - all talented - all helpful.  I am truly blessed.  I also have the privilege of working in the same grade level with one of my teacher friends for the first time and we are having a blast figuring out first grade together.

Here is my classroom.  It is a moving, breathing organism as I try different things and experience success and challenges along the way.  Enjoy the before and after tour.

 Clean floors and furniture all in the room

 Table groups arranged.

Empty bulletin boards ready to be covered with fabric and decorated.

My plan was to come into school one day a week for the summer and ease into the new year.  That was a no go as my room was used for storage while carpet was installed and other cleaning was being done in the first grade pod.  Then the wet wax... yadda, yadda, yadda.  So I couldn't begin until a few days before school began.

My boxes have been moved to my new classroom.  I have started unpacking in this pic and every surface is covered with my boxes and books.

 Endless piles to sort through.

Books, books, books.

Handsome hubby came and helped cover the bulletin boards with fabric. The colors are teal and purple.

Picture books sorted into themes.

Using the vertical space above the cabinets for the book bins.  I plan to rotate the bins into the class library.  My current plan is to have 12 bins out at a time.  12 is the magic number because they will fit nicely into the space I have for classroom library.

Calendar Bulletin Board

Teacher Area - Needs a little more work.

Cubbie labels - Binder clips with names added
This sure makes adding new kiddos easier.  Just move the clips and voila - done!

Welcome to first grade banner for the window using Eric Carle letters and animals

Caterpillar mobile to compliment the Eric Carle theme thanks to helping husband for helping me pull this one off.

Ready for the first day of school.  Whew... barely made it. View from front of classroom gathering area

View from doorway


Here's hoping for an awesome year of
Growing, Changing, and Learning in First Grade!
I welcome your comments below.


Teaching 365 with Sunflowers and Ladybugs in First Grade

~ Clara

Daily Five - Word Work

Here is an update on Word Work in my classroom.  The kids are loving the materials and I am loving how much they are practicing their Words to Learn.  The Words to learn in my classroom are 10 beginning spelling words plus 5 new sight words each week.

The kids are practicing their spelling words and having fun at the same time.  They take it very seriously.  Have you implemented Daily Five in your classroom?  I would love to hear how it is going for you.


Daily 5, By Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.  

Step 1 - If you don't have the book, get it.  I have read it through twice now and it has changed my perspective on how I will implement literacy centers in my first grade classroom this fall.  If you are at all interested in The Daily 5, get it, read it.

Work Work - Fun ways to have the kiddos practice spelling skills.  "The Sisters" in the book Daily 5, explain the importance of Word Work for reading and writing development.  Some of the goals of Word Work are:

• Experimenting with words for learning and practicing a spelling pattern
• Memorizing high frequency words
• Generalizing spelling patterns
• Adding to our knowledge and curiosity of unique and interesting words

                                   (The Daily Five, page 85)

Materials:  A key consideration for Word Work is identifying the materials students will use for their practice.  While there are tons of choices, The Sisters recommend selecting materials and then keeping it consistent for the year.  This supports their proposition of providing authentic reading and writing experiences for your students.  If the materials keep changing, the kiddos may become focused on the novelty of the materials rather than the Word Work.

A list  of materials I am working on for the kids to practice Word Work includes the following:

• Whiteboards
• Magnetic letters
• Scrabble tiles
• Wikki Stix
• Letter stamps
• Mr. Sketch colored markers
• Tactile letters, Foam letters, Upwords game (perhaps as one rotating activity)
• Just added:  alphabet beads for stringing their words

I plan to use the process outlined in the book, Daily 5, to introduce Word Work.  The Sisters make the point that the kids will need time to "explore and play" with the materials for Word Work in order to use them for tools for spelling practice.

Now that I have gathered the materials for Word Work, I need to have a kid friendly storage system that allows easy access to the materials but also keeps them organized.  The kiddos should be able to set up, work with the materials, and clean up independently.  A tall order...

My amazing teaching partner has made cards with our Words to Learn for each week.  Let the fun begin!

How do you organize your materials for Daily 5 Word Work?  What materials have been successful for use with the kiddos?  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Please leave your comments below.

~ Clara @ First Grade Sunflowers and Ladybugs

Daily Five - Read to Self

Read to self may be the most important literacy learning in first grade.  In the past, my read to self time was DEAR, SSR, silent reading... a time when the kids chose a book, read it, and took an AR (Accelerated Reader) quiz to show they understood it.  This is quite different from the Read to Self described by "The Sisters" in The Daily Five.

I need to spend focused teaching time with the key concepts, materials,and routines to launch Read to Self with both mini-lessons and materials the kids will need.  

One of my big jobs to prepare for this part of Daily Five will be to organize book boxes for each of my students (25 first graders).

The kids will need an individual book box for their books.  It will have 3-8 picture books, magazines, and easy chapter books that I have selected for them to read. 

Here is a pic of the bins I will use.  Now I just need to label them and fill them.

I will post more pictures after I have it set up in my classroom. 


Mini-Lesson: 3 Ways to Read a Book
This lesson honors the kids level of reading development, whatever it may be.  In Daily Five, this lesson addresses the kids' belief that reading only means reading the words. 

What are the 3 ways?
Read the pictures
Read the words
Retell a familiar story

Mini Lesson: Good-fit Books
Using an anchor chart "I Pick" gives 5 ways to help choose a "good fit" book. Some time after this lesson, kids will choose their own books for their book boxes. For kids to grow as readers, they need to spend lots and lots of time reading with the majority of that time with "Good-fit" books.

 Daily Five - Model, practice, model, practice, model, practice,then repeat.

I will definitely need to go slow now to go fast later.  There is so much more in the Read to Self portion of the book.  Once again, get the book and read it, and then read it again. I am certain to keep it nearby as I continue my journey with Daily Five in my first grade class.

How have you used The Daily Five and Read to Self in your classroom?  Challenges, successes?  I would love to hear your thoughts.

~Clara

Daily Five - Summer Reading and Planning

I am moving to first grade this year and have decided to implement Daily 5.  Although it seems a little daunting, I believe from all I have read and all that teachers have shared that Daily 5 will provide the structure and direction that first graders need to develop into readers and writers. I have a great first grade colleague that is willing to join in the fun with me.

Daily Five, written by "The Sisters" is a great resource.  From Chapter One, I read that teachers have children "doing" lots of stuff in the literacy block.  I asked myself, "How is what I am planning on having children do creating young readers and writers?" With the goal of engaging my kiddos in meaningful reading and writing practice every single day, there is much to think about.

One of my first steps is to plan a learning environment to support the design of Daily Five.  I will need a meeting area that the Sisters call a "Gathering Place.  In first grade, that can be a carpeted area with open space on the floor.  I also need to plan for display areas for bulletin boards for CAFE and Daily Five anchor charts.

Here are some pictures of my first grade classroom - a blank canvas - ready to be transformed into a warm and safe learning place for first graders.  I am one of those teachers that needs my environment to be ready before I can really buckle down into some serious planning.  How about you?

 There is a wonderful carpet in the room that I can use for a Gathering Place.  Love the primary colors.

 A very long bulletin board stretches along the side wall of the classroom.  I may use it for Daily Five anchor charts and CAFE strategy display area.

In the end, I pulled down the old fabric from the walls from the previous teacher.  They were about 10 years old, very faded in spots, and I want a fresh new canvas to work with.

More pics to come to share my journey into Daily 5 with first graders and my new classroom design.

First Grade Sunflowers and Ladybugs 

Clara