Blogging Organizer

Today I am linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It link up AND Bainbridge's Class
for You might be a teacher if... link up.
.      

It is no secret that I like to be organized.  Being organized makes life so much easier when you have a system and can find what you are looking for.  Especially with all of the paperwork and documentation that comes with teaching, being organized saves me a lot of headaches.
 Since I started blogging over the summer, I want to schedule my posts to keep myself accountable.  This blogging planner is similar to my Twitter chats planner.  Read about that HERE

This cover is from the TPT/Blogging planner I purchased HERE  

I also added post it tabs so I can easily find each month.

I used the calendar from my Teacher Planner purchase.  Buy that HERE

I printed monthly 1 page calendars for September-May.  I didn't print August because I figured I would be swamped. On each monthly calendar I will write when I want to do a blog post or if there is a link up  I want to participate in.

For each month I printed out 6 blog planning sheets.  I haven't decided how many posts I will do a month, but I plan to do 1 a week.  This blog planning sheet is from the TPT/Blogging planner purchase.  The seller did this as part of my custom order.  The purpose of this sheet is to help me keep track of  ideas or pictures I want to include in each post.

I got my book bound at Staples for less than $5.00. Happy blogging!

Teacher Week: What I Love to Teach

I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin' for the final link up of Teacher Week.  I am excited to share with you my love for writing in the primary classroom along with some freebies.

My 3rd grade blogging friend Amber posted this picture on her Instagram a few weeks ago as she was setting up her new classroom.  I love her writing area so far.

Write Pencil Headers: Freebie in Amber's TPT Store HERE

What Do Writers Write Pencil: Freebie at The Teacher Wife blog HERE

Last school year I took graduate school courses for my K-12 reading endorsement.  One point  emphasized through every course is that reading and writing go hand in hand.  When defining literacy, we cannot limit the definition to only reading.  Children need to master concepts of print before they can progress to becoming authors.  

The Heart Map is a perfect beginning of the year activity.  Students can draw or write words for things/people they love.  Also a great way for teachers to learn more about their student's interests.  To avoid students from complaining that they don't know what to write about, have them keep this in their desk or folder for future reference. 

Grab this freebie at Mel D's blog HERE

Framework

Anchor Chart Credit

Each day a specific time should be set aside in your schedule for writer's workshop.  Time management is tricky.  If you teach half day Kindergarten, devoting an hour each day out of the 2.5 hours you have students may not be manageable.  You have to decide what works best for your schedule.  Below is the framework I use:

Mini Lesson: 5-15 minutes

Writing: 30-40 minutes

Sharing: 5-10 minutes

Conferences

Picture source

 The purpose of conferences is for me to give encouragement and suggestions to students. I stumbled upon this pin (shown above) last year and was inspired to implement a schedule where each student has an assigned day of the week that they meet with me.  I found this schedule to be most beneficial because it guarantees that I meet with each student during the week.    Once I am done with those conferences, I work with my low students or check in with any other students that require follow up.  Conferences require proper documentation.

This conference sheet can be found for free HERE.  I keep each student's sheet in their folder for easy reference during parent-teacher conferences or meetings with staff members.

Sharing

This is a time for students to gain self confidence and take pride in their work. I allow at least 1 boy and 1 girl to share.  When a student shares, I ask the class for feedback.  Reflection is one critical component for growth. To ensure that it isn't always the same students sharing, I have an Excel document for each 9 weeks.

  

**Regardless of how you teach writing, it is important for teachers to develop realistic goals to reach by the end of the year.   **

This resource can be used with Kindergarten or 1st grade students.  I used the sheet shown at the bottom of this preview as a visual reminder to students.

Grab this freebie HERE

Monthly words for writing via Busy Teacher's Cafe

Picture source: First Grade Fresh

If your district uses Lucy Calkins or you are interested in learning more, visit this blog post.

Whew!  That was a long post!  Thanks for reading and I hope you could enjoy some freebies.  

Stop by Monday for a Monday Made It post.. a new organizational tool.

Teacher Week: Why Organization

Today I am linking up with Blog Hoppin' to talk about organization.  I recently wrote a blog post about classroom organization.  Read more HERE.

I love being organized.  If I cannot find something, I become stressed out and frazzled.  I try to maintain a system that is practical and simple.  In this post, you will find a few tips along with pictures of some systems I use.

Tips:
1) Help keep your students organized.  I want students to play, create, and use the classroom.  However, I expect each student to do their part, which includes cleaning up after themselves.
2)  Label everything.  From your classroom library to student supplies, everything should have a place. This helps minimize interruptions. A student finds a marker on the floor?  Find the labeled bin.  See, one less interruption.
3)  Always be ready for a sub.  Absences sometimes occur unexpectedly and being prepared saves you the stress of creating lesson plans at the last minute.  Last year my goal was to have all of the materials for the following day ready on the teacher table.
4) Keep a Student Information Binder.  Buy the numbered tabs and use student's assigned number for easy reference.  In this binder include emergency forms and parent contact information.
5) Even though I am a morning person, I like to have everything ready for school the night before.  I set out my outfit, pack my lunch, and pack my teacher bag.

A few years ago, I found this folder at Wal Mart.  It has 5 dividers, but with pockets on each side that means there are really 10 folders.  

How I use it: Each month for the school year has its own pocket.  I place any handouts or notes inside these pockets. Last year the team met once a week and having these notes handy was a huge help when it came to long term planning.  

Binder Cover: This product is a Powerpoint so you are able to edit the binder cover to fit your needs. Simply insert a text box and type.  Purchase HERE

Meeting Templates: This product comes with stylish templates for staff and grade level meetings.  Purchase HERE

A new pack of flair pens is a great way to start off a new school year.  I love the colors!  I am one of "those" teachers who likes to color code.

I bought these book bins from Target last year in the $1/$3 dollar spot.  I  store all of my read alouds and materials for that day. To keep papers organized, I put them in file folders so they do not get bent.

Come back Friday to learn more about writing.

Next week I will also be introducing a new organizational tool.  Stay tuned!

What is your favorite organizational tool in the classroom?

The Radical Leap: Re-Energized Review

During #hcsdchat this week, a principal recommended a new book to me: The Radical Leap: Re-Energized by Steve Farber.  On Twitter this principal has mentioned the acronyms LEAP and OS!M and I didn't understand the meaning behind either.  I had to read this book before a new year school begins.  Without giving too much of the plot away, I discuss a few quotes from the book and how they impact me personally and/or professionally.  Purple is the direct quote from the book.

"OS!M.  You just had an Oh Shit! Moment and it's the natural, built-in human indicator that you are doing, or about to do, something truly significant and you are, rightfully, scared out of your gourd."
As I learned about OS!M in the book, 2 words came to my mind: risk-taking.  These OS!M moments can result in something amazing and unexpected even if we are scared in the process.  I have mentioned before that risk taking is the best thing we can do for our students and our growth as educators.  This school year strive to try things that are out of your comfort zone.

"There are three parts: Do what you love.  Make sure that your heart's in your work, and that you're bringing yourself fully and gratefully into everything you do.  If you're not connected to your own work, you can't expect to inspire others in theirs.  In the service of people will keep you true, honest, and ethical, at the very least.  If you're doing what you love, you'll make yourself happy.  But Extreme Leadership is not only about you; it's about your impact on others.  Who love what you do doesn't mean that you just find the people that love you and then serve them; it means it's your responsibility to give everyone you serve something to love about you and what you're doing."
"Do what you love in the service of people who love what you do."  This paragraph was one of my favorites in the book.  Each part of this quote drives me as a teacher.
I love teaching and can't imagine myself doing anything else.  Young children are so enthusiastic and curious. Especially during arrival, students love to share stories with me.  I cherish this time because I get to hear about my students' lives such as sporting events or family memories.  I always give teaching my all for the students, parents, and staff.  One way I impact others is my positive, driven attitude.  I never give up and try to look at things on the bright side.  I am also a team player who enjoys sharing my ideas and thoughts with other teachers.  I get so excited when I discover or create a new resource/lesson. As a classroom teacher, I am eager to try new things in order to meet my student's needs.

"But I didn't believe I had to understand something in order to be optimistic about its future.  Sometimes intuition was enough."
Although last school year (and maybe this school year) certainly were not what I expected, I am grateful for each opportunity, experience, milestone, and challenge.  Most importantly, thank you to each person who supports me.

A few questions to guide your thinking into a new school year:
What are you going to change?
What are you going to experiment with?
What commitments will you make to yourself and to the people around you?
Who do you need help from?
*The end of the book has a section to guide your actions and thinking.

I highly recommend reading this book.  I started and finished it today.  You know you read a great book when you are still reflecting on it hours later.  This book left me in an inspired state of mind and stretched my thinking on leadership.