Allergy Aware Classroom

Pin It One of my littles had a reaction to peanuts today during lunch.  Scared me to death!  I am so grateful she is all right!  It was a huge reminder of how serious food allergies are, and how aware we need to be with these little people.  She was sitting at the peanut-free table but one of her friends (who was not sitting at the peanut free table) gave her a peanut butter cracker and she thought it was cheese.  Not good:(   

I came home and made up a new allergy aware sign for my classroom.  You can download it here.  

I also found this great Arthur video clip about food allergies.  I was thinking about sharing it with my students.   Obviously I won't be talking about specific students, I just want them to be aware of the importance of not bringing nuts into our classroom and not sitting at the peanut-free table unless you have an allergy.

I would love any tips on how you deal with food allergies in your classroom!!

Lining them Up

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It has been a crazy week helping my little class learn procedures.  I have always said the first week of first grade is a bit like having a baby.  It is painful, and in that moment, I am  pretty sure I won't ever do it again.  But, as the year goes on they are really cute...and I get to see so much growth...so by the time the next year comes around I have practically forgotten the painful parts, and I can't wait to do it again:)

I was determined to simplify one of the "painful" procedures. When we line up for lunch the kiddos need to be in alphabetical order by last name.  It never fails that the minute I get them in line one of them has to get out of line to get something...or do something...or they just forget they are supposed to be standing in a line...you know how it goes the first week of first grade;)

In the past I have written their names on a piece of tape stuck to the carpet. This year tape on the carpet has been outlawed, so I had to get a little more creative.  I whipped up these cute little name tags and applied the hook side of Velcro to the back.

Then I laid them on the carpet (the carpet acts as the loop side of the Velcro) in alphabetical order.

Now my little sweeties can line up lickety-split.  Even if they get out of line they can find their way back!  Yay!!!  Next we tackled walking in the hall:)

I used these adorable graphics from Melonheadz to create signs to remind them of the behaviors I expect when we are walking in the hall.  

Click to Download

One and two are pretty self explanatory, but three simply refers to the third floor tile from the wall.  If they are walking in the third tile, they are in a nice straight line, they aren't touching any of the artwork hanging in the halls, and it keeps them on one side of the hall.  We have seven (yup seven) first grade classes.  Keeping the third tile rule allows us to move a lot of little kidlets down the hall with minimum noise and  disruption to other classrooms.  When we are out in the hall I simply hold up one, two, or three fingers to remind them of the rules.  

Getting Them Home Part Two

Pin It Last summer I shared the labels I use on the first day of school to get my students home safe and sound. Click here to go to that post and download the labels. 

 I recently had a request to add a label for a daycare van.  So, here it is!!  Just fill in the blank with the name of the daycare van the student rides.  All of the labels can be printed on Avery Labels (5163).  

Guided Math Chapter 5

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Thank you  Mrs. Whitely from Toad-ally Exceptional Learners 

 and Mary from Pitner's Potpourri for hosting Chapter 5

Small Group Instruction

I felt the parallels drawn between guided reading and guided math instruction were extremely helpful in this chapter.  It validated what I have been attempting in my classroom for the past few years.  As I have tried to incorporate small group instruction in math, I have based most of my thinking about what it should look like from my experiences with guided reading.  

I have discovered that my guided math groups need to be even more flexible than my guided reading groups.  Just because a students who struggle with "the big idea"  in geometry  doesn't mean they will struggle with place value.  In order for my small group instruction to be effective my grouping of students have to be based on ongoing observation and formal/informal assessments.  Flexibility in grouping my students has been the key to really differentiating math instruction in my classroom.  


So here is my thinking.  First, I want it to be really easy to change my groups around so each child will have their photo with a piece of Velcro on the back to attach it to the board.  Then changing my groups will be a snap!  Secondly,  six would be the most kids I would want to have in a group. Depending on the needs of my students,  I can add or subtract groups and adjust the size of the group. I also want to be able to change task cards around depending on how often I need to meet with a particular group of students.

Click here for a copy!

One Bite at a Time

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When I was a teenager, more than a few years ago, I read an article called  "How to Eat an Elephant".  I don't remember the specifics of the article, but it's message stuck... 

You can eat an elephant, you just have to do it one bite at a time.

I was faced with an elephant on my plate three years ago.  About a week before school started,  I was leaving a PTA meeting at my children's elementary school.  The principal stopped me in the hall and after a little chit chat, asked if I would be interested in a teaching  position.  What????

My mind started racing.  I hadn't taught in about twelve years.  I had given everything away.  I had five kids!  My oldest child was in 10th grade and my youngest was just starting kindergarten.  School  started in a week!!  I couldn't possibly pull it off.  But, I love teaching!!  I went home, discussed it with my husband and family, and called her the next morning to accept the position.

Sometime in that first day my excitement and anticipation turned into "Oh, no....what have I done?"

All I could see was this gigantic pachyderm:)  I needed a fork!  That's when my plan began.

 My favorite "fork" has always been a good list.  So, that is where I started.  I drew three columns and labeled them: things I need to plan, things I need to make/do, things I need to buy.  Now, because I'm a wife, a mother, and a teacher, some of the things that I wanted to do before school started did not pertain to my new job.  When my very long list was finished, I realized that I could divide everything I wanted to do into four categories: self, family, students, classroom.  I put each category on a separate piece of paper and drew the same three columns: to plan, to make/do, to buy.  I went back through my list and put each item under the appropriate category and column.   At that point I started to panic. There were four very full pieces of paper.   I looked at everything I wanted to do and knew there was no way that was going to happen in a week. 

I knew I needed to set some priorities.  I have never been good at the priority thing.  I always want to do it all, but this was sink or swim time.  I made a new list for each of my categories, this time with the headings of must do and nice to do, instead of want to do.   I went through each item on my want to do list, and asked the question, "Do I need to plan this, make/do this, or buy this, to teach successfully during the first weeks of school?"   If the answer was "no", it went on my nice to do list.  If the answer was "yes", it went on my must to do list.  I had to be brutally honest,  I had a week to pull this off. Even if I didn't sleep (which for me means a migraine later), I only had  one hundred-sixty eight hours!  

I finally whittled my list down to a manageable size and got to work on my musts.  This list, my family, and an amazingly kind and generous team of first grade teachers,  made it possible to get my classroom put together and get my first weeks of curriculum in place during that one week.    

During the last three years I have continued to use this plan, and these lists to set and accomplish my goals.  I'm far from perfect and I still get overwhelmed at times.  But, when I start to feel the panic, I grab my fork and remember, one bite at a time, one bite at a time.

These lists and others including: family, self, student, and classroom versions are available for free at either my TN or my TpT store.  I have also included the black outlines if you don't want to print the "pretty ones". 

If you like what you see,

I would love to have you follow my blog 

and "like" my shops!  

Keep smiling--Fresh air is good for your teeth!

You Know that Feeling?

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Summers are the reward teachers get for doing twelve months of work in the nine month period of time we call the school year.   I firmly believe teachers and their families must take this "summertime" to rest and rejuvenate. 

For me, that means playing hard with my family,  going out to lunch with friends, trying new recipes, reading (for fun), really cleaning my house...the list goes on. 

This summer has been particularly important to me because this is the last summer all of my children will live in my house for awhile.  My oldest son is getting ready to leave for college, after fall semester ends, he will leave to serve a two-year mission for our church.  So, I am soaking up every minute of sun and fun with these people I love.  We are planning a family trip during the second week of August.  This morning, while looking at my calendar and going over vacation details, I had this thought, "Oh, my goodness the summer is almost over, I can't believe school starts in a month, I have so much to do!"

 If you are a smiling or cringing, you know exactly what I'm talking about!   What do you do when that feeling hits?  I start with my master plan.  These are planning sheets and strategies I started developing three years ago.  Over the next few days I will share with you some of the ideas, strategies, and templates that help me fight off the end of summer panic.  These ideas allow me to enjoy the last month of vacation, and have a wonderful start to a successful school year! 

Monday Morning Madness

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Happy Monday everyone!  First, I was just wondering if anyone else is having problems with their followers disappearing?  Mine have vanished and I can't see the follow button on any other blogs...kinda frustrating.  I was also wondering if you are able to see my followers and follow(please) me?  If you are having this problem (I hate being alone:)  or better yet if you know how to fix it, I would be so grateful!!   Second item of business this morning.  I had a couple of people request a jungle themed communication folder like my "frog folder" I shared a few weeks ago.  It is now finished and in my TpT store this morning.  I had a lot of fun making it.  If you would be interested in a different themed folder let me know!  I am working on my "Wild West" word wall this morning and it will be in my store this afternoon.  OK, I think that's everything....maybe!  Just Keep Smilin'

Frog Folder

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Hello my blogging friends! I have been working on my back to school to do list this morning and I thought I would share. Communication between home and school is so critical. I have found the easiest way to facilitate this communication is by using a homework folder. My students are responsible for bringing this folder to school each morning and taking it home every afternoon. The folder includes:

a pocket for homework

a pocket for notes, newsletters, flyers

an envelope for box tops, lunch money, etc.

blank lined paper for parent/teacher communication

a section with important information for parents:

my phone number

my e-mail

class schedule

specialty schedule

literacy and math suggestions

grading information

pond report:

daily behavior report

individual behavior contracts (if needed)

This has worked so well for me and parents LOVE it. They always know where to look for homework, notes, and classroom information. No more backpack diving:

Click on the picture for a copy of labels and dividers!

Do you use homework folders?

I would love to here what you include in your folders!!

Please leave a comment and/or follow me.

Make sure you do something today that makes you smile!

Getting Them Home

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One of the most nerve wracking parts of the first day of school is when the bell rings and it's time to go home. It always seems just a little more chaotic in that moment. My worst fear is letting Johnny get on the bus when he is supposed to walk home, or letting Jill walk home when Mom is picking her up. I start sweating just thinking about it:) I just want to make sure all 25 get home safe and sound. I have found the best way to remember, and help them remember how they are getting home is to put a little label on the front of their shirt. So, I created these cute labels to help remind me how they are getting home. If there is any added information I need like a bus number, who they are carpooling with, or if they are supposed to wait for an older sibling, I just jot it down with a bright Sharpie on the label before I stick it on their shirt. You can print these out on Avery Labels (5163).

Click here to download the "I ride a bike" label.

Click here to download the "I ride on a bus" label.

Click here to download the "I ride in a car" label.

Click here to download the "I walk" label.

I have also included a fun way to make sure parents and students are clear with each other on the mode of transportation home. I have them fill out this graph at our Open House the night before school starts. I just put it under my document camera and project it onto the whiteboard. The kids love writing their names on my whiteboard:) We can use the graph the next day for some morning math as well as a reminder. If you don't have a document camera you can just stick it on a clipboard for them to fill out.

Click here for "How do you go home from school" graph

Watch for more fun management ideas "hopping" your way!