School and the City

Today was the first day of school and I lived to tell about it! I also fed myself AND am now blogging. I'd say today was a success, other than the fact that I just popped some Ibuprofen to numb the pain in my legs and my roommate / coworker / live-in comedian is moaning about how she needs a cane and some orthopedic shoes. Don't tell her I told you that. Today was an absolute BLUR and naturally I didn't take enough pictures. We started by reading Froggy Goes to School. It was a great introduction to rules and procedures. After Froggy, we studied our school's behavioral matrix and brainstormed ways that we can be respectful, responsible, and safe while at school. I also taught my new students how to use sticky notes appropriately so that they don't lose their stickiness!  Next we did the polar opposite of rule-following by having a "snowball fight" at school!  (Shoutout to Karen H. for the suggestion on my giveaway post last month!...

It was a loooong week back at work. I've been crazy busy - and exhausted - but am excited to finally publish my classroom reveal!!! Let's start at the beginning. I really needed a bulletin board here. Last year I made a faux board, but I couldn't staple into it. This year I bought some little cork square. Ta-da! I'm sure they will fill up soon with calendars, reminders, and more.  How cute is this? My paper sorter (students mailboxes) is new this year. So excited! This area is most of my classroom library. The empty wooden shelving is used to store my math centers. All of our reading anchor charts will cover up that blank wall! I love this new setup. The board behind my desk is two filing cabinets pushed back to back. The table in front of my desk will be the turn-in area. I have ribbon strung across my windows to display student work.  (Forgive me for forgetting to unroll the American flag!! It kept hitting m...

I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin' for Teacher Week 2014! 10 Fun Facts About Yours Truly 1  - I'm a second year, second grade teacher in Charlotte, NC. My kids come a week from today. Cue panic attack. 2 -  I have a major sweet tooth. (Thanks, dad.) My two vices are candy and Coca Cola classic. I also love chocolate milk. I am a child. 3 -  I am overly competitive. Like, if you want to get to know me on a too-deep level, initiate a game of rummy. Or Monopoly. Or say "I'll race you home." 4 -  My middle name has been passed down four generations. My great-grandfather had to make up a middle name for himself when he enlisted in the Army. They wouldn't let him enroll without one! That middle name was given to my grandfather and then to me. How cool is that story? 5 -  I like to eat (obviously) but I do NOT like to cook. I hate the prep. I CAN cook, though. I make mean green beans. My favorite meal is chicken parmesan, but I've never t...

Hey y'all! I'm Kristin. I grew up in Atlanta, GA then moved to sweet home Alabama for college. After graduating from The University of Alabama in 2013, I moved to Charlotte, NC for a new adventure. I am about to enter my second year of teaching 2nd grade - my favorite grade!   THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS... Tervis Tumblers. Alabama football. Football season in general. Maps, new and old. Bodies of water. Views from airplanes. Friends that have become my sisters. My wonderful boyfriend (I know you're reading this; #sappy). The Bobby Bones Show (basically my other boyfriend). Saturday mornings. Mindless TV shows. Snail mail. Girl Scout cookie coffee creamer - yum!! ROLL TIDE ROLL!  IF YOU WEREN'T A TEACHER, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO BE? An anchorwoman! I started college as a communications major, but switched to education after a semester. Teaching has always been "what I want to be when I grow up." My ultimate goal i...

Yes, I know it's Tuesday. But it's summer, so I can't keep track of what day is, and... Last night - okay, and this morning - I finished my FISH folders. I decided to use the FISH acronym because I like the alliteration and how easy it is to say. And I have a teeny bit of an under-the-sea theme.  When you open up the cover, the first thing you see is a baggie which will hold students' Words Their Way words for the week. On the right, in a sheet protector, is my weekly homework page. I modeled it after Amanda Madden's after reading her fabulous homework series . Here's a close up of the baggie. I chose quart-sized freezer bags because the freezer bags are thicker. I made sure to get baggies with zippers because some of my 2nd graders had trouble with the interlocking Ziplocs last year. I reinforced the sids with fun duct tape, so hopefully they will last! Then I stapled the bags to the top of the folder so students can easily get their han...

After attending a PD workshop last week on balanced literacy, I was inspired! I was particularly motivated by a session about conferring with readers (and writers). It was based on this book , which - by the way - is easy to read and fabulous!  After attending the session, I realized I needed to get organized and make a binder to hold all of my materials and records for my student conferences. I had to make my conferring binder match my planner binder, OBVIOUSLY.  Binder covers are by A Modern Teacher! The first thing I have inside is the "Matching Books and Readers" document by TCRWP . Since I've seen Lucy Calkins speak in a workshop before, every time I read this document, I hear it in her voice. It explains in depth what students are expected to be able to do at each guided reading level (Fountas and Pinnell). Next I have numbered dividers for each student. For each student, I have a strategy checklist that I created. It is essentially a s...