Monday Made Its

Monday already? I only have two more days of summer. I'm really sad that this is my last Monday Made It for a while. The next time I'll be linking up will be in the fall. That's one thing I am excited about... FALL. It's my favorite season. This week I got a lot of planning finished with my first grade team. We mapped out the standards for the ENTIRE year using Traci's yearly planner. All I have to say about that is.... BUY IT.

Next I finished printing and inserting my BEE Binder covers. They are free if you use BEE binders!

 Do your students ever complain when they reread a story? These fun fluency voice cards make practicing fluency FUN.

 My biggest fear on the first day of school is not getting all of the students in the right places during dismissal. If you have the same fear then you might need some transportation tags like me.

 I made these transportation tags but this time I made them easy to cut.

My printer was working overtime this week. Next, I printed these great discussion cards for all of my table groups. My students loved using them last year. I will add them to a ring for classroom discussions. We use them for all subjects but they are fabulous for MATH TALK.

Lastly. I added some clip art and changed the font for our WBT rules. You can find this freebie here. 

Thank you Tara for keeping me busy!

Fabulous Find

Are you ready for an app that can replace all of your various communication tools in your classroom? I am currently using remind, sign up genius, blog, newsletters, etc. I have a feeling this app is going to rock my world. In the past I would text parents, send emails and even allow parents to  get a hold of me on my cell. GASP! Not anymore. With Bloomz, everything is in one place. It is going to streamline my classroom communication. 

Tools to Replace with Bloomz

1.  Flyers/Handouts
Swap in all your print materials for a simple, easy to digest post. Attach photos, files or links. Avoid printing costs and the effort of distribution.

2.  Newsletters 
Deliver bite-sized information more frequently than your newsletter allows. With Bloomz you can break items into calendar events, multiple posts, alerts, reminders, etc.

3.  Websites
Give parents easy access to up-to-date information, wherever and whenever (on mobile or web). Websites can be static and require the help of email to draw members to information.

                                                                
4.  Multiple Calendars
School and PTA events, class activities, volunteer coordination, and family calendars can all be managed in one consolidated calendar. Reminders and alerts make planning and participating easy.

5.  Email
Bloomz posts and calendar events are easy to access and can be sorted by category, making it quick and easy to find important information and dates.

6.  Volunteer Signup Sheets/Sites
Volunteer requests and signups are integrated into the Bloomz calendar so you can replace paper signups, google spreadsheets, or dedicated apps that only do one thing. 

7. Text Messages
Send a private, in-app instant message to any individual or group in your network. Avoid texting fees and the hassle to search for phone numbers.

8.  School Directory
Reach parents, PTA members or school staff in your Bloomz network anytime and anywhere.  Membership directories are expensive to produce and often get misplaced.

9.  PTA/Class Pages
Create sub-groups within your school community such as your PTA board or committees. Use the same Bloomz tools to simplify your communication and coordination. 

10. Facebook and Twitter Updates
Bloomz serves the single purpose of building stronger parent communities. Other social networks can filter information, but with Bloomz you’ll see every piece of communication that is posted to your community/groups.


Bloomz is very user friendly and allows parents a chance to engage with the classroom. It kinda reminds me of facebook but in a good way. Since I love taking photos I am going to love to upload images through out the week. Only parents of the class can see these fun updates. It has the ability to  instantly send out phone notifications and emails to parents just like remind. You can send messages to the whole class or individuals. It works on mobile devices as well as desktops. Best part= It's FREE! 

I am so excited to implement this app during Open House!

Have you used Bloomz?

Picture THIS! Monday Made It

Monday already? It's been another busy week of getting my classroom somewhat set up. I can't wait to see all of the Monday Made Its.

I've been crafting using photographs from family sessions. The possibilities are endless.I think it would be neat to document family vacations using different states you have visited. This idea might be great for geography lessons too. In first grade, we use the book ME on the MAP to create a great unit. I think this year I may assign students to fill in a state with magazine pictures or even real pictures. 

My sister in law helped me create the popular letter collages that I've seen floating around on Pinterest. You can click here to see step by step directions.  Now I want to find a source for wooden state cut outs to help me document my past vacations. Who doesn't love anything that involves mod podge and photographs. Smaller letters will make great Christmas gift ideas for students.

I finally got around to adding these labels to my bins. You can find these editable labels from KNJ creations. I am in love with them. Can you believe the difference? It also hides my clutter! I need all the help I can get in that department.

AFTER

BEFORE

Do you use Kagan Management Mats? I did until I decided to create my own using vinyl. You can use a cricut or silhouette to make these durable numbers. I love to group my students this way. Kagan is all about engagement.  When tables are labeled it allows for shoulder partners and face to face partners. It's also great to call all the ones to pick up papers or the threes to sharpen pencils. You should check out Kagan if you haven't heard of their awesome structures. 

 I went to Target on Sunday and found 18 more black cubes. I found them ON SALE. #SCORE 

Now each student will have a numbered cube to keep their belongings. This is in addition to their mailbox, cubby, and seat pocket.I have the top 18 cubes filled with various supplies. I like how they can hide clutter. Is it bad that I like to organize by stuffing? HAHA! I just throw my stuff in different bins. At least they are labeled. Hopefully this will hide my junk from Alison. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Can't wait to be inspired this week.You should  join Tara with your Monday Made It.

Monday Made It

Where did my summer go? I can not believe that I will be going back in less than 15 days. YIKES it went by way too fast. I'm usually great about Monday Made Its but not this summer unless you count photographs. My summer has consisted of family beach sessions most nights. I'm not complaining because photography allows me to be creative. My husband loves it too because I'm not taking over the dinning room table with crafts. HA! 


Today I'm joining Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It! I can't wait to see the other ideas because I actually have a few free days this week.

My first Monday Made It were these " The Buzz about Me" bags that I will be passing out at orientation. I love this first homework assignment that I assign for my first graders. It's a fun way to get to know my students. I usually have about 5 students share each day during the first week of school. The bags were only .62 cents at Target so I just had to snag them up. To download this free tag click here.

I have never really had classroom jobs because I pick one student helper for the day instead. Last year I started using bee bucks. I got to the point where I wanted to pass out bee bucks for little jobs around the classroom. This year I'm going to try classroom jobs. Do you have them? Like them or Hate them? I hope it won't be too much to manage. 

Aren't these bee bucks adorable? You can find my bee job chart and bee bucks right here. They will be free for Monday only.

This is a free product I made years ago. I just added some real life examples underneath. 

Do your students have to track their learning on a progression scale or self assessment tool? This is currently how I will be having my students rate themselves with various standards and skills. It's also a free download here. The sticks have my free insta-sticks that I use  in many different ways in my classroom. They are great for calling on students, labeling cubbies, check-in magnets, AR trackers. etc.

My last Monday Made It I designed and ordered from Paper Concierge. I love that when I get to the bottom of the notepad I usually find a 40 % off coupon. I love fun notepads. How about you?

I've missed this fun linky. Thanks again Tara for hosting such a great linky.

Super Improver Wall

I'm linking up with my great friend Tara to share some things I've put together this past week. Nothing fancy but very effective! 

Monday Made It #1

This is my current AR goal tracker. Each child has their own individual goal and they move once they make progress. I tried the vertical chart with clips but now I'm just using these FREE ones from here. I just laminated everything and used sticky tack. It seems to really motivate the students and they have no idea that some students have goals of 18 points while others may only need 4 points. I love that this makes the contest fair. They are in perfect competition with themselves. 

Take the Lead AR

Instasticks Free download

I printed two slides per page and they are smaller circles :)

Monday Made It #2
The Super Improver Story by WBT-

Two students have a foot race. The faster student wins and she gets an "A" from the teacher. The slower student loses and gets an "F". Every day, they have the same race. Every day, the result is the same. After a while, the fast student loafs and the slow student quits. Of course! The grading system is unfair and doesn't motivate either kid! The teacher creates a new race. Now, the fast student only gets an "A" when she beats her previous best time. Same with the slow student. Now, each student always runs as hard as possible!

Super Improver Wall by Nicole

Have you heard of the Super Improver wall by Whole Brain Teaching? I needed something to help a special friend so I watched an awesome video that convinced me to give it a try. Basically a Super Improver Wall is a system that is purely positive. It's a concept that is fair because students have a perfect competitor... themselves. It helps students to visually see their behavior and academic goals. Students are rewarded with stars for showing improvements in both academics and behavior. Every child has their own personal goal so it’s an individualized plan.

Students can earn stars for many things because everyone can make progress. Students are striving to make individual improvements in any classroom activity. It might be increasing a grade on a test or remembering to be prepared for class. It can be even little improvements such as neater handwriting or staying in their seat throughout the day. The improvements are truly endless and differentiated for each student .

When students show improvement, they receive a star on their name card. 10 stars= advance to the next level. There are 10 levels in the system so children would need 100 improvements to make it to the top level. When a child meets a goal,  I am just coloring in a star on their card. I think only 2-4 students actually make it to the top level by the end of the year. If they do.... you make a huge deal! I plan on putting their picture on my wall for my future students to see.

Free Download by Nicole

My favorite part of the system is it challenges every kid at every level. It encourages students to go beyond their personal best. They can’t get lazy because they have personal records to beat. This system allows every student an equal chance at success. I’m noticing that with my high achieving kids I’m setting more academic goals. It’s really caused them to become motivated in meeting their goals in subject areas. I highly recommend watching the entire video right here. Do you use the SIW? I'd love to see how you use it in your room.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Looking for a fun St. Patrick's Day treat? We made some leprechaun pudding to help us try to catch that wee little mischief- maker.

Ingredients

1 can of crushed pineapples

1 box of pudding (pistachio or banana cream)

1 container of cool whip

I cup of marshmallows