Organization and a Face Lift

No, no....not an actual face lift....

I am an avid blog follower of other teachers, fitness and foodies, and of course fashion...I visit these blogs and just love all the layouts, colors, designs, and personalities that come through the pages. I realize that I am just starting in the blog world, but I also realized I had no idea how to design my page. 

After reaching out and doing some research, I have hired a blog designer to up my esthetic game. She has been hard at work designing and making my blog what I have always dreamed. I can't wait to reveal it in August! 

Well...I am three weeks into summer and have been hard at work catching up on my favorite shows and working here and there.

One thing I promised myself was this year was going to be the year of organization for me. This started with me hard at work on my master teacher binder. This is my go-to binder for everything! I bring it to all my meetings and professional development. Last year I was working on perfecting this system, and I am hoping I nailed it this year. I used all the sheets that were the best in getting organized and created a bundle to keep handy. There are 24 pages included in the pack. The sheets range from "student list and information" to "CCSS standard" and "Professional Development Credits"...(I have a hard time keeping track of these!) 

Next on my quest to get organized is to start my first month of lesson planning. Sounds like a big task when I think about it, but right now I have nothing by time and sunshine to do it in. 

If you want to download a copy of my FREE organizational sheets, you can click here!

Let me know your thoughts! Leave a comment or feedback. I love hearing from people who successfully use my materials and getting feedback to help me professionally! 

Have a happy and sunny Monday! :) 

Notebook Guidelines and Covers

My students use their notebooks every day. They have two. One notebook is a "first grade notebook". This is where their journal prompts, notes, and practice goes daily. The second notebook is a "Center Notebook". That notebook only contains the students center work if their is no worksheet at the center. For example, at the spelling center, my students roll, write, and create sentences using their spelling or sight words. This eliminates daily grading for me because I can check the notebooks when we have our weekly teacher/student conference. Any student who has not been working during centers will know I will find out when I check their work for the week. It eliminates the social aspect of my groups and helps them stay focused.

The students and I had to learn how to use notebooks in the beginning of the year. They had to learn how and where to place the date and title and what I expected out of their notebooks. Sounds like a lot from first graders, but they LOVED these. Each student had a composition notebook. I take the cover and paste it on. On the first page, we glue the guidelines and expectations sheet. This sheet explains what I expect out of each journal entry. This is great because when a student says, "I'm done already, Ms. C!!", I can tell them to check their guidelines and make sure they have everything listed. It really showed them the importance of checking your work.

I created copies of the title page and guidelines for free on TPT. Click here to get your own copy! Let me know what you think.

How do you use notebooks in your own classroom?

Summer Bucket List

Today is the first week of summer break for me. This has been deemed by favorite week of the whole year. Now it is time to make my summer bucket list!

1. Practice yoga and make it a part of my life.
I started this week already with a couple of poses and flows. It is amazing what it has done for my happiness already!

2. Give myself a spa day.
Our boss got us all a massage at this beautiful spa in our town-Moroaccan themed relaxion. It has inspired me to take a spa day for myself and by myself to relax and clear my mind. I feel like we don't do that enough as teachers.

3. Work on decorating the apartment.
...consistant struggle...

4. Read at least 3 new books.
1 down! 2 to go! Just finished "Gone Girl"...ahhh-mazing!

5. Try new recipes.

6. See live music.

7. Tan by the pool.

8. Work on my blog.
I already started making new resources for next year. I also hired someone to glam up my blog...because lets face it...it looks drab and unprofessional...I am clueless about HTML so hopefully you will all love the new layout in August!

9. Travel..somewhere...anywhere.

10. Relax.

How do you all spend your summer break?