Reading Log Homework & Setup

My homework has always been a weekly assignment.  Assigned on Monday due on Friday.  Student can choose the nights they want to get homework done and work it along with their schedule.  One item that I assign each week is a Reading log.  Our school policy is that students must read 20 minutes per night if fourth grade.  Student can choose to read anything they like for 3 nights but one night I ask that they complete a reading entry for what we are working on at school.  One of my favorite school items is my subscription to National Geographic Explorer Magazine.  I buy a few different levels that I can assign to different students.  When we are working on nonfiction or informational text, this is my go to.  The photographs and graphics are amazing and the text is rich in Social Studies and Science information.  Students REALLY love learning something new and different.  I also use journal entries that are the same but slightly different and each Sunday night I sort out who will be assigned what.  This is our first week of homework and I brought home all the composition books (another must have!) and grabbed my glue stick and got to work.  In the past I have actually sat with the kiddos and done this together but this was much faster (and a little bit fun).

1/2 way point

I am sorry this is upside down.  It will not turn for me.

Another thing to note is that I also use the other half of my Reading Log to glue and file our Greek and Latin Root  and Vocabulary Notebooking.  I have a great freebie from "Got to Teach" and that is on the first page.  Our first root will be "onym", Latin for "name" because our first story in our BASAL reader from the program "Journeys" is Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.  Last year I piloted and sorted out 30 different sets of Vocabulary lists and aligned in with the stories in Journeys based on the vocabulary words, content or titles of the stories.  It took a while to say the least but I am glad that I did that because I have a great deal of knowledge about the program.  

Classroom Rules Made Easy

Our school has a set of expected behaviors which are often called "RLS:  respect, location, safety".
The students have grown up knowing these rules.  We also have a classroom promise (a pledge) that we recite every morning before the pledge of allegiance.

We don't need many more rules than that.  We added in the homework part because that is an extra layer of responsibility that a fourth grader holds.  I found some great neon giant pad paper at the local teacher shop (yay Teacher's Pet in Methuen!) and it was 50% off, even better.  I couldn't wait to use it.  (I keep an extra set of Mr. Sketch markers at home so this was one of my Labor Day Weekend projects).  I am looking forward to hanging this up in the classroom.  

Open House 2016-2017

Hello!  I am so excited about open house this year.  I am enjoying every single moment of setting up my room and getting everything just perfect for my new students and families.  It's a wonderful thing to meet little human beings that you will be spending your days with.

I tried something new this year and I am putting all my classroom information in a flipbook.  In the past, I've done a booklet (which is still available on my classroom website because it was hard to upload the flipbook) but I thought a flipbook would be easy and fun to use.  I also made a poster this year as the students and families enter which I mounted onto my easel.  I made mini ones for the kids tables so they don't have to keep referring back to the larger poster.   Some other items you will see in the pictures include:

• Printed Post-it Notes for Parents (made by me!)
• Open House Cards for the students to fill out with some information (made by me!)
• Names on the desks that I made with my Silhouette Cameo (and dollar store contact paper!)
• Meet the Teacher Autobiography
• How to Survive 4th Grade
• All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant book and Poster
• Power Point with an overview of everything in the flipbook

Enjoy the pics!

A Grading Gem

I am extremely excited about a new purchase!

I created a stamp using VistaPrint to use for grading.  

I had a 25% off coupon so I think in total I paid about $19.  

Not bad considering how much time this will save me.

I couldn't seem to get the picture to work with me today but you can get the idea of what I have on the stamp.  Our report cards are exactly this system, 4, 3+, 3, 2+, 2 and 1.  Then I added some items at the bottom that I have always wanted a stamp for!  

I LOVE my CLASSROOM! 2016-2017 School Year

I have been into this neon theme for a year or so now.  I had to move classrooms last year, so it was hard to find the time to get the room just right because I was focused on unpacking and getting things organized for the first week of school.  This year though, I simply had to put everything back into it's spot and then I was able to focus on getting everything perfect.  Open house is just around over a week away and I can not wait for the kiddos to visit.

My Silhouette was hard at work this summer!  The Dollar Tree has book covers (the sticky kind) that are neon colored.  I stocked up on those and have been using them in my Silhouette.  Cheap hack!  I took a lot of pictures so enjoy!

I am really in love with these cute little bins that I made.  I found them at Target for $3 a piece and then I had some fun with my Silhouette Cameo (best purchase EVER).  I also love my Target cup (Silhouette enhanced!).