Monday Made It

Monday Made It - Pizza Box Portfolios

Yes it's Monday. My official last Monday of summer break. I report back to work THIS Friday. I should be relishing every last minute of my summer break, yet somehow, I have found myself assembling 25 pizza boxes. Here's why: 

So this year I am setting out to do pizza box portfolios. I went to my local restaurant supply company and picked up some pizza boxes. On the front I have created a cover page that says, My 'OWL'standing First Grade Work.

So the front is still kind of too plain for me, so i'm thinking i'll be letting students earn writing awards and we can glue them to their boxes as they earn them. I'm currently creating these awards. More to Come!!!

Here it is up close and personal :) 

On the inside of the box, I plan on putting published writings. At each writing celebration we will put our portfolios out and allow parents and students to tour or boxes. I decided to put a Meet the Author page on the inside flap. 

I also created a sheet to go with this for the celebrations. Parents and students can use the 'hoot n' holler page to leave compliments about the writing. 

These documents will be uploaded to my TPT store soon and will be known as "OWL"standing Parent Communication 

Back to School-The Name Game

Hey ya'll! I have to report back to work in 5 days! Eeek! I wanted to share with you a fun back to school game that your kiddos will love AND it will help everyone learn new names. This game can be played from small kids (like my firsties) all the way with adults. I've never tried it in kindergarten, but GO for it!!! The instructions are below. I can tell you, your kiddos will love this and have a smile on their face. It's a great first day or second day of school game. I do advise that you give the kiddos a chance to learn names and interact with their peers before playing this game. So you may want to do it in the afternoon of the first day or on  the second day.

The Name Game

You will need:

A large blanket

2 people (1 person to hold up each side of the blanket) 

Students/Players divided into 2 teams

How to Play: 

1.You (the teacher) will hold up one side of the blanket. You will need another student (who may need to stand on a small step stool) to hold up the other side. The blanket should be held up between the two teams, creating a barrier. So one team is in a straight line on one side, and the other team is in a straight line on the other side (talk about a great time to practice line procedures). 

2. The object of the game is to be the first person to say the other person's name when the blanket drops. Whichever student or player says the other player's (the player on the other side of the blanket when it drops) name first wins! It's very important that the line is straight and only one person from each team is up to the blanket so the players don't get confused as to whose name they are trying to guess. The loser must go to the winners team. You can play until it gets down to two people to determine the winner. *If you have a student helping you hold up the blanket, make sure to rotate them out, so they get a chance to play too!*

You will be surprised how hard it is to come up with their name under pressure. We have played this game at our family functions and it's always hilarious as well. This could work as a great staff icebreaker game as well. 

I'm hoping you can visualize this...I plan to post some pictures once we play this in my class next week! Happy Name Calling - In a good way of course!

Five for Friday

For the first time ever, I'm kind of bummed it's Friday! Why? Because it's my last Friday off before I have report back to work. Guess I should make it count! Here goes my Five for Friday.

1. I've been working on creating a revised edition of my weekly newsletter. Just finished the template. 

2. I want to give a shoutout to A Bird in the Hand Designs for blog makeover.. I am in LOVE and I must say the process was so quick and easy! If you need a blog makeover, I highly recommend you check out Megan's website. 

3. My son is growing like a weed! He's about to be 5 months. Time slow down! 

4. My school is pretty particular about our copies, so I have gotten creative and have started a pack called 'paper savers.' These are fun, engaging activities that you your kiddos can do on whiteboards or just plain paper. So it's VERY low prep-no copies!!!!! I'm still working on the back to school pack and I will then move on to October and the other months. 

5. It was my birthday this week! Yay! 

Back to School Goals!

ALERT! ALERT! I have to report back to work in 2 weeks! Oh my goodness, this summer has FLOWN by! With that being said, it's time to gear up and get ready. I'm linking up with I Heart Recess to talk about my school goals. Check them out below. 

Link up with us by clicking below. Thanks to I Heart Recess for this great link up and for helping me get 'mentally' ready for this school year! 

Christmas in July Sale

It's Christmas in July!!! So....

My ENTIRE store is on sale through July 16th! Get ready for back to school by picking up my August Word Work Choice Board or the WHOLE bundle. These word work boards make easy morning work or word work centers.

Click on the pictures below to check out each product on TPT. Grab it on sale today!

I also JUST finished up my new math center packet. These math centers ONLY require spinners. Just print, add a spinner, and GO! I'm all about low prep - I have a 4 month old! I tried to include some challenging skills that I know my first graders typically struggle with such as balancing equations, finding missing addends, and number formation for numbers above 100. Just click on the picture below to check them out. I really am proud of this product and I believe it is a purchase you won't regret. Look for seasonal ones to come soon!  

Thank you Blog Hoppin' for hosting this great link up! Head on over to their website to make sure you don't miss this great sale! 

Giveaway Alert!

I have recently launched a Facebook page for My First Grade Happy Place. In honor of its launch, i'll be doing a series of Giveaways. My first giveaway is my Burlap, Chalkboard, and Chevron Decor Pack. You can look at it in detail by clicking the picture below. To enter the giveaway, just click to the left on the Facebook icon or click the Giveaway Alert picture below,like the page AND like the Burlap, Chalkboard, and Chevron Giveaway Post . That's it, just hit like twice! If I get 50 likes, I will select 5 winners. If I get 100 like, I will select 10 winners. I will select the winners on Saturday, July 5th. Ready, Set, Like!

Check out this packet on TPT by clicking the picture below. 

Enter by liking my Facebook page and this post by clicking below! 

Worksheet Wednesday Link Up!

It's Worksheet Wednesday Time! I don't have a worksheet per say, but I do have a FREE (only today) behavior sheet that I send home daily with my kiddos. It includes a special section for transportation changes. No excuses for not knowing how someone is getting home! I use this in my classroom and IT WORKS AWESOME!  Head on over to TPT to grab this FREEBIE today! If you like this FREEBIE, please leave me some feedback. Thank you for stopping by!

Thanks Teaching Tribune for hosting this Link Up!

Burlap, Chevron, and Chalkboard Oh My! - FINISHED!

It's done, it's done, it's finally DONE!!! Yay! I have been hard at work on this packet. It is all finished and is ready for purchase in my TPT store. Check out the pictures below and snag your copy at the bottom of this post. It is on sale currently! Head over to my Facebook page to participate in a giveaway of this product.

 My classroom is FINALLY put back together! 

 Another angle of my classroom. 

 Here is my writing center. Those posters are from Mel D's Writing Center Kit. It is awesome! If you haven't purchased it, you should so do it! It's completely worth it. Hands down one of the best things I have purchased off of TPT. You can purchase it by clicking here.

 My sink area. I am so thankful that my classroom has a sink in it. We use this baby so often! 

 I am super excited about getting some Ipad minis for my classroom. I did a Donor's Choose grant and they are expected to arrive by August. I have raided my families houses and collects some old Iphones. 

 Daily 5 Posters. 

 Another view of my classroom. We have "instructional monitors" in our rooms with Apple TV's. Our district has provided us with Ipads and we can mirror our Ipads on to the TV. We also have document cameras to project documents as well. 

 My Helpers Chart

 My behavior chart. I am planning on doing "behavior beads" this year. A post will follow later detailing those. 

 My Word Work Center. I was able to get this table off of Craigslist for $10. It originally had glass, but the glass was broken, which is why it was so cheap. M hubby cut and put shower board in for me, so it became my dry erase/word work table. 

This bin is awesome! I purchased it online from Walmart. It has 5 drawers on the left for my days of the week. That is where I throw my copies for each day of the week. It has 10 drawers on the right for the months of the year. I use these to throw in all of my master copies and craftivity examples. 

You can't see well from the picture, but those are BURLAP.  I found bright burlap scrapbook paper at Michael's and that's what started this WHOLE decor pack. 

You can purchase these labels and more from my Burlap, Chevron, and Chalkboard Classroom Decor Kit. Just click on the picture below.

Currently - It's July Already!

It's July 1st...Which means I have exactly ONE month left before I have to report back to work. So this post is kind of painful to write, because from here on out it becomes the END OF SUMMER countdown in my head. It goes by so fast. Plus, you know that list you make out of all the stuff you're going to do over the summer (house cleaning, organizing, etc). Yeah, I haven't tackled that beast yet. Here is my currently, I shouldn't be blogging and should really be cleaning list.

Thanks for stopping by! Please check out my NEW Facebook page that I just launched. I will doing a giveaway soon for the 4th!

Two for Tuesday Link Up!

It's Two for Tuesday! Two Things on Sale HALF OFF!!!

First Up: My hot off the laptop- WORD WHIZ QUIZ 

This is a complete year's worth of first grade word study/spelling that is DIFFERENTIATED. It is based off the book WORD SORTS and MORE, but you could easily use it with WORDS THEIR WAY (sometimes I prefer WORDS THEIR WAY sorts). It's on sale today for $6 (HALF OFF!). Click the picture below to grab your copy! 

Next Up: To complement your WORD WHIZ QUIZ packet is the BUNDLED MONTHLY WORD CHOICE BOARDS. This packet includes a monthly choice board that students can use to study their words. You can use these for morning work or for your word work centers. BEST PART: These activities can be done in a notebook! NO COPIES! This is only $3 today!!!! What a deal! Click on the picture below to grab your copy today! 

Thanks Teaching Tribune for Hosting this Link Up! 

Monday Meet Up!

Hey friends,
I hope your Monday is finding you well. I am linking up with the Teaching Tribune and posting about 3 things I am thankful for. So here ya go :) Link up too by clicking the Monday Meet Up link below! Stay tuned for Two for Tuesday!

Link up with us by clicking the picture below! 

Read to Self Raffle

More Daily 5 Fun! While reading, I thought it might be nice to motivate my students to Read to Self by doing a monthly Read to Self Raffle. As students are "caught" reading to self correctly, they will be given a Read to Self Raffle Ticket. Each month I plan to "raffle" off....BOOKS!  I plan to make a BIG DEAL out of these tickets, as well as the RAFFLE. I will probably purchase some seasonal or high interest books from Scholastic to keep it fresh all year. Enjoy this FREEBIE by clicking on the picture below!

Daily 5 Freebies

So I have been reading the Second Edition of Daily 5 and I'm loving it! I was inspired to create some new Daily 5 sheets to use in my own classroom. Feel free to use them in your own if you like :) You can pick them up for FREE in my TPT store. Keep Calm and Daily 5!

Daily 5 Check List 

 Daily 5 Rubric