It's the end of the year and I haven't posted in SO LONG!  Sorry :/. We have been so busy all year long and I've also been working so hard on creating resources I can use with my students and to share with all of you.  I have so many ideas and it's hard to manage creating new resources and get everything done in class but, in going to work on updating my blog as often as possible!  I hope you're all having a wonderful school year and look forward to having a relaxing summer break :)

Monthly Bucket Fillers

Bucket Fillers for the Entire School Year!

I have been working with my class on doing random acts of kindness for each other.  They have really become so good at this through "Bucket Filling".  At the beginning of the year, we read "How Full is Your Bucket, " by Tom Rath.  We followed his model of doing and saying things that make others and our buckets full.  It also reiterates what would make other's buckets tip (not being included, teasing, etc).  I had a lot of teachable moments occur, especially at the beginning of the year, with students filling buckets as well as students buckets spilling over.  

As October was fast approaching and I was planning on all of the crafts and space on my walls needed for Halloween decor, our bucket fillers (which were pockets made out of construction paper that hang on a clothesline in front of the windows) were "in the way."  I didn't want to get rid of bucket filling since I felt it was so meaningful, but I needed to come up with something- fast.  That's when I thought of changing out the buckets and making "ghost" pockets out of construction paper and changing the wording on the slips we were using to put into each other's buckets into something more "Halloween" themed!   This was where my idea of monthly bucket filling started.  For November, we filled each other's "cornucopia."  Now in December, we are filling each others "lightbulbs" and writing notes to classmates describing how they made their day brighter!  January is fast approaching and I had my very sweet aid help me cut out 62 mittens (2 per student) to prepare for their bucket filling theme, "keeping each other out of the cold."  You can purchase this product here in my TPT store.

I have attached pictures of what each of the "buckets" looked like and how I display them in my classroom so the students are able to access them throughout the entire day.   I posted November as a "freebie" in my store, you can get that here.

October

October "Ghost" Buckets (this picture was before I put them together or wrote their names, I was checking if the size was ok).  The notes read, "It was a "treat" when you ___."

November

November "Cornucopia" Buckets.  The notes are also pictured in the basket below which give thanks to their classmates.

December

December "Lightbulb" Buckets.  The notes they sent to each other (not pictured) read, "You made my day brighter by ___."

January

January "Mitten" Buckets.  Students thank and acknowledge one another for their random acts of kindness.

February

February "Heart Valentine" Buckets.  The notes look like small envelopes that read, "You made my heart smile when ___."

March

March "Pots of Gold" Buckets.  How cute are these!?!

April

April "Clouds and Raindrops" Buckets.  I couldn't decide which one I wanted to do so my friend suggested doing both!  They turned out adorable as we "turn grey skies blue" throughout April.

May

 May "Flower and Pots" Buckets.  How cute are these!!?

Classroom Set-Up

CLASSROOM SET UP 2015 

I have started to set up my classroom!  Over the last year, I have become obsessed with NEON and bright colors as the color scheme in my room...  I started to make mental notes for what I would do for this year and it has started to come to life!  Here's a few pictures of my room when I walked in last week...  I was overwhelmed to say the least.

At least it was organized :/

I attacked the bulletin boards first.  I have been using fabric for year now and its literally the best thing I've ever done.  If you have all the same size bulletin boards in your room then its a no brainer.  I had wonderful parents last year take down my bulletin boards and pack up all the contents into separate zip-lock bags.  I had generic headings but constantly changed out the work displayed.  I work at an IB school so I have a bulletin board dedicated the unit were currently in.  I changed it a little bit by making pennants for the letters using Kimberly Geswein fonts ((http://www.kimberlygeswein.com) instead of the store-bought letters because I couldn't find the exact colors I needed in such a pack.  

Here is what my boards and some of the wall spaces look like so far:

Word Wall, Literacy Center Pocket Chart, Volume Chart

I haven't used this before, but I am SO excited to roll it out!

I split my white board into parts this year.  I decided to go away with the traditional calendar since it took up quite a bit of  time and it was becoming way too easy!  I sectioned off the top for their vocabulary words of the week.  I have neon yellow pennants that spell out VOCABULARY that will hang from the top.  Schedule cards on magnets are next and I haven't quite figured out if I am going to keep the last section for myself and notes or for spelling words.  TBD...

Once I assess at the beginning of the year, I'll group them into reading groups and display them on this board.  I also put up the text features posters I taught my class last year so they can continue to reference them.  

I use a behavior clip chart!  It works wonders, I am also adding punch cards this year so we can keep track of how many times each student gets onto "SUPER STUDENT."  If they get there 10 times, they "retire" their current pin into the
Hall of Fame (a glittered poster that hangs by my desk)!

The bookshelves were not cleared of my mess yet...

Thats all I have for now, stay tuned for the final classroom reveal!  

-Kara

Back to School Binder and Forms

Happy Monday!  I just finished an entire packet of "Back to School" forms just in time to use for the beginning of the year.  These are so cute and colorful and even come with an entire 2nd set of black and white forms!  You can get it here!  I hope you enjoy them :) 

Cover

Student Surveys for BOY MOY EOY

Student Forms Checklist

2015 - 2016 School Year Calendar

Parent Contact Information Page

Addition Dice Game FREEBIE!

Happy Sunday!

I just posted an Addition Dice Game to my store and you can get your copy for FREE here.  It's a super cute ready to print and go addition game that you can use for centers or a group game.  I hope you enjoy it!

-Kara

Hey!

I just finished an addition pack I call "Mastering Addition Facts."  I plan to use these as 1-minute fact quizzes at the beginning of the year.  I have a tall pocket chart that I'll keep each quiz in a labeled folder.  As students start to master their addition facts, they get to choose a different fact to practice next!  In the past, I have done these in a certain order.  I have found that, as like in most subject areas, students all learn at different times and at different paces.  I started allowing students to choose what fact they were going to try to master on their own instead and we got MUCH better results and students were so much more confident.  

How do you challenge your students in your classroom to master their facts?

-Kara

Mastering Math Facts

Summer Fun, Planning, and Ideas!

I have been spending my time off relaxing, entertaining my dog (he's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Kingston), and coming up with more ideas for the upcoming school year... 

Since it's going to be my very first year teaching 2nd grade (I mentioned before I have been in 1st grade for the past SEVEN years!), I have a lot going through my head while I'm trying to relax.  

Towards the end of the school year, I changed the way I did math centers from groups of five to partners.  This made the planning more strategic and focused on exactly what each student needed.  I use this Storage Cart with 10 Drawers as "tubs" they can quickly grab and take to their work space.  Each drawer was labeled with a picture that matched the "math centers" chart.  My chart also had their partner names next to the same card so they knew exactly which drawer they were to be working on during a particular rotation.  I updated the cards that I used and you can get them now for your centers  HERE for $3.75.  There are tons of ways you can use them to meet the needs of your classroom!

After centers or work areas are over and students are cleaning up, they fill out their "Self Assessment Rubric."  I come around afterwards for a quick check-in.  This holds them accountable for their time on task, volume, organization, and quality of work.  I printed them on bright card stock, laminated them for durability, and put them into their caddies in the middle of each table with a dry erase marker.  I absolutely loved them and put them in my shop here for free!

I am currently planning how I am going to get my students to memorize their addition and subtraction facts and then move on to multiplication and division facts.  You can find "Mastering Multiplication Facts" pack as well in my TPT store!

I hope you enjoy them and let me know if you have any ?'s!

-Kara