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August 14, 2017

Getting Guided Reading Ready

Going into the new school year I always set one goal for myself. 
Last year, my goal was to thoughtfully plan out, record and track my guided reading lessons.
I know that sounds A W F U L to say that I didn't already do that, but it's true...I didn't. 

I knew what I did worked, I just needed a way to organize it!


Let me just say, they worked beautifully!
I check out books from our fabulous literacy library and go through them to see what I want to work on with my groups. I record what we will do before, during and after reading. On the days we do word work, I can choose what skill we will be reviewing and the activity that corresponds.

I pull out the plans in my binder and have them in front of me for each group.


The lesson plans are editable and you can add your own text. Or if you are simple like me, I just print them out and write on them. 

You can find the pack in my TpT store

It comes with 4 different templates depending on how you structure your groups and what strategies you use. It also includes a letter to parents explaining decoding strategies and their rules.


August 11, 2017

Worry No More...Free First Week Assessments

t's August!
The month when school resumes.
The month when summer is over.
The month when littles come to us and we have NO idea what they know.
We need to know how to meet each and every one of them on their level and get at it quick!
Today I am sharing with you a collection of back to school simple daily assessments for the 1st week.

This packet contains all the assessments you need to figure out what your littles are capable of.



Included are the following:
*I Can...draw a picture of me.
*I Can...write my name.
*I Can...write my alphabet.
*I Can...match uppercase and lowercase letters.
*I Can...hear beginning sounds.
*I Can...write my numbers.
*I Can...can the objects.




My recommendation is to knock out one or two a day that first week, before you even begin to teach anything at all. 

You can grab it HERE in my TpT store or by clicking on the cover below!



Check out my TpT Store for even more freebies I didn't have the chance to share OR just click on the freebies tab at the top of my blog page!

August 8, 2017

Flexible Seating Storage

This year I'm being brave and giving up some control and choice to my kids.
Insert flexible seating into classroom.

One dilemma I was faced with was storage for my students. 
We'd be going from desks to tables, couches, lap desks, etc. with no "place" for their supplies. 

There were drawers I had purchased for guided math last year and I knew they'd be perfect.


Although they can't be removed, students will go to their numbered drawer, pull out their supplies and return them at the end of the day. 

These drawers can be found on Amazon but most recently I found them on Wayfair for a whole lot cheaper! 

August 3, 2017

Join Our Tribe Gift

Are you loving the tribe themes going on currently?
Our school is embracing the theme and our team wanted to incorporate it into our Meet the Teacher.


We decided to make simple and cheap gifts for our students but also inspire them for the year!
We want them to BE BOLD, BE BRAVE and BE BRIGHT tribe members! 


Here's what you will need:

Washi tape
Glow sticks (found on Amazon)


You will also need to head to my TpT store to grab the printable
They are available for Kindergarten-6th grade.


Here are the simple instructions:


It took myself and 3 team mates about 45 minutes to make over 120 of them! 
Imagine how quick it would be to make a class set, not to mention how cute they are!