Differentiation

Happy Friday, friends!

So, today we have a school provided PD in-service all about differentiation. More specifically it was geared toward our Christian classrooms to answer the WHY (or the need) for differentiating from a Biblical standpoint.... it. was. phenomenal!

I have studied "differentiation" already, and it seems to be one of those "buzz words," but honestly and truly it is how God designed us to learn from the moment He created us, and it is the BEST way for us to learn.

I just had to share my excitement with everyone, and say what a great day it was. I took away SO MANY IDEAS (my wheels are always spinning, and usually at hyper-speed) and it reaffirmed a lot the what and the how of my current teaching which I think is always important. We can constantly feel the need to try to "keep up with the Jones'" but we need to remind and encourage each other that that is first, unnecessary, and second, impossible. But what we are doing IS working, it IS "correct" (if you so need to name it that way) and it IS good enough. That was a big realization for me.

God also put this thought into my head. It starts with this small anecdote:
       At our Back to School Open House & Dedication this year my administrator told us about land our school recently purchased so that we can build a new building (we are running out of space!) A local church owned 40 acres and knew that they would never utilize all of that acreage. So, when they heard we were looking for a place to build a building they called our administrator and said they would sell us 10 acres... for $1! They knew that they could not stand before God and answer "I gave you 40 acres, and you did well with the first 10 acres, but what did you do with the rest."

I told that anecdote to tell you this: If you stand before God one day and He says, "You did well, my good and faithful servant. You did well teaching those 1000 students I put before you, but what about Johnny, Sally, and Michael? What did you do for them?"

When He hit me with that, I felt convicted. We have ALL had that student (or students) who challenge us in someway. They need our love and they need our help. They were placed in our classroom for a reason and we need to do EVERYTHING we can to reach and love them all. We may just be all they have.

Happy Fall, y'all!

Hey friends!

Just dropping by real quick to show you my new classroom door decor! It's actually quite simple and will last well into fall :)

I used brown chevron border from Creative Teaching Press with a plain orange border in the middle to break up the pattern, The background is wrapping paper from Target. I enlarged Creative Clips digital clip art for the trees and pumpkins and printed out the letters using the KG Second Chances Sketch font. My students created the leaves. I printed a black-line leaf onto white cardstock. They used tissue paper squares I got at Lakeshore and wrapped them around the end of an unsharpened pencil, dipped them in glue, and stuck them on until the filled it up. It was a sweet, simple craft for a sweet, simple fall door!

Have a blessed fall, friends! :)

It's my BirThDaY! #tamsbirthdaybash

Hey y'all... I AM SO EXCITED! It's my BIRTHDAY!!! WOO WOOO!
I love birthdays!! I am no where near the age yet where I am NOT excited about my birthday in any way.. I still LOVE celebrating it and look forward to the presents!! ;)

I am also so excited for my birthday because I get to celebrate with so many AMAZING teacher friends and want to say THANK YOU for your support, love, friendship, and collaboration in this virtual & social world with a big ol' giveaway bash! My entire TpT and TN stores are on sale beginning today for 28% off!! (they will be on sale through Saturday!) I have TONS of giveaways going on over on my Facebook page through the rest of the week, with 28 total winners and 9 flash freebies for 28 minutes each! It's going to be a GREAT day and week, so make sure you've "liked" my page in order to enter!


The BIG giveaway, in detail:
I wanted to share *a few* of My Favorite Things inside and outside of the classroom... sooo, here's what they are and why they're my faves!

Papermate Flair felt pens & Staedtler Fineliners: I LOVE felt pens! I am very picky about my writing utensils, but these are the best! I especially love them for grading!

Nate Berkus paper clips: I LOVE giant paper clips! They come quite in handy when it comes to teacher manuals. These gold ones from Nate's line for Target are beautiful!

EOS lip balm: I am pretty sure this is everyone's favorite! I chose the passionfruit one because it smells soooo yummy....but the mint is also wonderful

VS Beauty Rush mascara: this is my go-to mascara! It lasts me for a few months and works wonders on my lashes. Plus, it's from VS and is no more expensive than a pharmacy brand!

Scotch washi tape: let's be honest for a minute....pretty much every teacher on IG and TpT love washi tape. So I found some awesome orange & fall-colored designs because orange is my favorite color and I love this time of year!

Ghirardelli caramel chocolates: yuummmmm!

Julep nail polish: in my birthstone color & a beautiful maroon for fall! I love getting my monthly Julep box in the mail! So many great surprises and products for only $20! Click here if you want to get your first box free! Both come in that adorable orange polka dot bag from ipsy. I just love the Ipsy surprises too! only $10 a month for awesome make-up products and samples!? yes, please!

arm candy from The Limited: I buy pretty much ALL of my clothing at The Limited. So, I included some great arm candy to dress up your daily outfits!

soooo... I've decided that my Blogger Buddies can get an *extra* entry by commenting here on my blog! Comment to tell me which of my favorite things is your favorite and what your email is to be entered here! You can also enter on my Facebook page by liking and commenting there!
Follow me on Instagram to get another entry! That's 3 total! GO FOR IT!

The winner will be announced Friday, September 26th at 5:30pmEST before I hit the road to visit my sister for the weekend!


GOOD LUCK!

Erin Condren + post-its = LOVE!

So the other day I was handwriting my lessons on my gorgeous new Erin Condren teacher planner....

isn't it lovely!? {sigh}

when I became frustrated! I wrote something wrong and couldn't fix it! Plus... I am not a big fan of my handwriting and writing them out (seems to) take longer than typing them on the computer. Last year I used post-its and a daily At-A-Glance planner that I loved....

....but it just wasn't enough.

The Erin Condren planner (everyone on IG seems to have one!) is great because it is my calendar, lesson planner, attendance, and grade book all in one! But I still disliked writing my lessons.... until an idea hit me. I opened my desk drawer and found my mini post-its. I laid the stack on top of one of the spaces for a lesson in the week, and low & behold... IT WAS THE PERFECT SIZE! 

So I quickly got to work as soon as I could. I opened a file I have on my computer that has boxes already the size of the mini post-its for another use (I make my students reminders for different things to put in their binder... but I digress...)

 I copied the file and started moving everything around to see what I could fit on one page.

Since there are 7 blocks per day in the teacher planner, I put 7 of the boxes at the top of the page and 7 more at the bottom with a gap between the two to delineate the days. I duplicated the slide (I use Power Point) and added in text boxes. To help myself in the future so I don't get confused while typing, printing, and transferring it into my planner, I put titles by the post-it boxes for the subject they will go on, and labels for the day. I also wrote in (very small) the color that the post-its for that day are, just to help me remember. None of those will print onto the post-its themselves. They will be on the paper. They are just a good reference for me.

Here's what it looked like at first:

then, in those gray boxes, I put my transparent text boxes with my lesson info for that day. You can format the font (any font you want!) to be bold, italic, shadowed, outlined, and any size you need! I continually duplicate my slides so everything is in the same format and I only have to change the lesson info.

Here's what a two-day page looks like all typed up:

So...once everything is typed for the week, I can start printing. First, I print the blank template, which is slide 1 in the file I shared below (you didn't think I wouldn't share the love, did you!?!)

It looks like this:

It is just light gray boxes the size of the mini post-its in the same place as the above slides. I print a few copies of those (so I can print faster) and put the post-its where the boxes are. As mentioned, I use different colors to delineate the days. The top 7 are one color, the bottom 7 another. I use 5 different colors for the 5 days of the school week.

Once all the post-its are on the papers, I insert the paper into the printer and all of my lesson plan info will print right onto the post-its! Then, I transfer them onto my planner, add some washi tape to show where snack & lunch are in our day, and that's it! The whole week is done! Then, when you don't get to something or need to switch it around, just move your post-its! You can also flip them up and write underneath of them, too, if you want additional notes/details, or want to write notes after you teach the lesson for future reference. It's that simple!

You could also use post-it flags for writing the date so your lesson planner is more reusable if you like. I use them under the date for notes specific to that day. and write the date in because I know I will probably use a whole new planner next school year. I use a pack I got at the Dollar Tree that come in a bunch of sizes, are transparent, and are only $1!  

So... here it is, all finished!

I just love the colors and the neatness of the fonts! What do you think?!

You can get the template for this here! It is a Power Point file :)

You can also view my YouTube video tutorial to see it in action!

I hope you find it as useful as I do and find that the instructions are clear. Feel free to comment or email me at mrstamilynnmo@aol.com if you have any questions!

Spelling Homework and a Teacher Hack!

Most of us are probably into the full swing of school now, and mean-old-teacher- me is already assigning homework! I have an organizational system I use to keep it streamlined for myself and fun for my students, so I thought I would share! How do you keep spelling homework organized??

First, I use composition notebooks. I usually purchase these for my students since they are primarily inexpensive and it also allows me to prep them before schools starts. Students must complete all homework in the notebook on the nights it is assigned (Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday). They turn it in to me the next day with their S.O.S. Binders and I check them over. [I don't give grades on homework. They do it only for practice so they can have a successful spelling test on Friday and can earn a reward by staying in the Homework Club!]

I made this cover that I have my students color and decorate to their liking. I then use packing tape to tape them on and cover them with it completely so it lasts all year.

On the inside of the cover is a page of guidelines and rules for spelling homework that I also taped and covered with packing tape. 

Next, I put the first month's spelling homework choice menu. I have different options for September to May. This year I am putting them directly in the notebook so they have their choices with them when doing their homework (they are made to fit into the composition notebook). I copied them onto colored paper so they will be easier to locate, especially as we get father back into the book. 

Their Always Good Choices include a practice test (written or verbal), writing words 3x each, writing sentences, or typing their words on the computer. I also put in an option for them to email me their spelling homework to save paper and time!

This is 2 nights of homework that one student completed already this school year. Above is her computer fun words typed and pasted in. The bottom is 3x each in her neatest cursive. I *starred* them when I checked them over with different colored pens so I knew one day was different from the other.

.....and that's it! All I have to do once they are prepped at the beginning of the year is copy the choice menus and glue them in once a month. They have their spelling words in their binder each week, and just choose how they complete their homework at night. I only have to check them over - the rest is done for me! I find it pretty simple and after three years of using this system, I have a great rhythm and love it! I couldn't imagine assigning homework any other way! What do you think!? If you like this system, you can grab it over in my TpT store! Just click the picture below :)

Now, as promised.... a TEACHER HACK!

I saw on Pinterest a great idea for hanging items when there is a lack of wall space.... specifically: anchor charts! One teacher used magnetic hooks and a curtain/tension rod to hang on a magnetic surface. What a great space-saving idea! So I was at Wal-Mart the other morning and was taking a gander at the curtain rod section trying to recreate this idea when I stumbled upon the most magical invention I have seen this back to school season......

IT IS ALREADY DONE FOR US! and ........ drum roll please....

It is only $9! SAY WHAT!? I was so excited I bought it right then, took it to school and hung these babies! Best purchase of the year! GO GET ONE!

I hope you are having a successful start to your new school year!

SLANT box!

I LOVE being in the SLANT Box exchange! It is soooo much fun! If you don't know what it is, or have never even heard of it, or just aren't sure about it, read more about it here at my friend Jameson's blog - it's so cool!

Last month for June/July our theme was sunshine! Perfect for summer! This month we had to send each other boxes themed for Hometown Pride! I'll admit I was nervous about this one when I first signed up... I'm from a little nowhere town in NE Ohio! But while the Mr. and I were driving to Michigan at the beginning of the month, we talked through some ideas and inspiration finally hit! Granted, I had to go mainly for state pride and Cleveland pride, I still sent a pretty sweet (in my opinion!) box to my new and dear friend Leslie at A Life of Firsts! I also got to chat with and get to know the adorable Emily over at Love and the Librarian! She send me an uber cool box from San Diego I'm about to show you! But right now I'll tell you: go check these awesome ladies out!

So as I just mentioned, Emily sent me an awesome box from San Diego! Since I've never been further west than Michigan (wow, that's sad!) I don't have must experience with the west coast, so I was super excited to paired with her! She sent some really unique pieces from different parts of her town and I really felt a sense of the culture there! She explained each item so thoughtfully too; it was an awesome gift.... so awesome I felt like I had cheated my friend Leslie with what I sent her! haha

Here's the goodies:

some beautiful anchor note cards - LOVE!

a piece of the ocean.. I just love the soothing blue of this starfish!

an attention getting maraca for the kiddos!, a deck of Cali playing cards (Hubby and I love playing cards so these are perfect!) and a medal representing her husband and the active military community.... Thank you to Emily and her husband for their service to our country!

I love the pouches she sent - so unique and colorful! It looks like a great town to go shopping in :)

I also LOVED reading the postcards she sent. She wrote down a lot of information about her area, in case I ever go visit. I will definitely be holding on to those for insider information on where to go and what to see in San Diego! 

She is right! We can never have too many notepads ;) I bet watching the boats is so fun and relaxing!

Last but not least, this beautiful cross. The picture doesn't do the colors justice! I can't wait to take it to school to hang in my classroom. I have been wanting a cross to hang, but never could find one I liked well enough. Thanks to Emily, I have the perfect one and it will always remind me of her! <3

Next month's theme is Teacher Voice: ON! Umm...yes! Teacher themed goodness, I can't wait! PLUS, September is my birthday month so this will be a blast! Sign-ups are on through TOMORROW if you want to join in on the fun!

Classroom Jobs & The S.O.S Binder!

It's back to school time!! Have you started yet??
I started this Monday, but only went for two days. We close because of the local county fair that is right across the street from our school. So I go back after Labor Day! It seems strange to some people to go for just those two days, but it works very nicely - we get the kids and all of their supplies in, we discuss and practice routines/procedures, our rooms are ready, and when we go back we can jump right into the curriculum!

Well, a midst all of this crazy back to school preparation I made some changes to how I manage things in my classroom and thought I would show and share those with you!

The first thing I changed was my "theme." I have an overall colorful, chevron theme going on (with mostly gray and white chevron) but last year I used robots from CTP, the previous year I had owls, and the year before (my first year) I had stars. I wanted to do a nautical theme along with the chevron, but it just seemed like an overwhelming undertaking when I realized I needed to change all of my black accent items to navy. Just tooo much right now. Then I started working on my student take home binders, and out came a Superhero Kid theme (also thanks to Krista Wallden at Creative Clips, because her aDoRabLe superhero kids clipart helped too!)

When I got to the point that I wanted to work on my classroom jobs, I was a bit stuck. I couldn't figure out exactly what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to use the superhero kids for "Super Helpers" and wanted to have enough jobs for each child (since I would only have 15 to 16 in my class -- I know, I know, I'm lucky blessed!) Finally, inspiration struck when I saw what The Tattooed Teacher created with her new classroom jobs! She added in circles where faces should go on some super cute clip art and the effect is awesome! In the circles, you could put student faces or numbers, and BOOM! adorable job system!
So, while we were in the car heading to Michigan a few weeks ago and I saw this creation on her Instagram, I got to work!

Here's how they turned out, once I printed and laminated them!

SOOO CUTE, right!? I am so glad I found her amazing idea, because I JUST LOVE IT! I took my students' pictures on the first day. I printed an extra circle the same size as what I used to cover their faces and traced on the pictures so it was the exact same size. I cut them out, laminated them, and I will use sticky tack to put them up and change them! I can't wait to put the pictures in on Tuesday to see the final product!

Now, to manage the jobs I created something else to go along with them. I decided that I wasn't very satisfied with a weekly job selection anymore. It just wasn't wowing me. So I switched it up and went with a monthly system. I also have wanted to do a "job application" system but I knew I needed to be in the older grades for it to work. Since I get to stay in 3rd grade this year, I am going for it! I worked on a job application one night, and then to help students stay accountable to their duties, I created job descriptions for each job. I no longer have to repeat what every job is responsible for when we apply for jobs or remind students what their responsibilities are. If they forget or aren't sure, they can look through the descriptions before applying! God really gave me inspiration one night and I worked until about 2am so I didn't lose my train of thought!

Here's how it all turned out!

I laminated the descriptions and hole punched them to put them on a binder ring. I hung them on a shelf that is right next to the wall the jobs are on, and under them I added a pocket where the job applications are kept. Everything is in one space-saving spot!
I also made a disclaimer (above) that says that if at any time a student is not fulfilling his/her duties, I can remove him/her from the assigned position! I couldn't resist that little paragraph of enforcement that they are agreeing to when they sign their application! ;)

I also made a poster to remind them to do their jobs and to do their best (so hopefully I won't have to and they will get in the habit of doing them at the end of the day) and also connected it to my classroom verse: Colossians 3:23. In this verse, Paul instructs us to do our best in everything we do so as to honor the Lord, not to please men.

On Tuesday afternoon I was going over the jobs with my new kiddos and told them we would be applying when we came back from our little break. They were so excited they convinced me to let them apply then so I could assign jobs over break. I was excited about having them apply too, so I went with it! I am so glad I did, because their applications are JUST ADORABLE!

This application wants to be hired because she loves me and "wants to help"..... AHH! This group melts my heart! Several couldn't pick, so they applied for anything! Their reasons were well-written and I was so thrilled as I went through the stack. It's going to be so fun, I will be looking forward to this every month!

Now, I also mentioned above The S.O.S. Binder. It's a revamp of my Take Home Binder system I blogged about several months ago in my post "O-H So Organized." It's a way I keep my students organized and I have wanted to post the pack on TpT for a while, but just never got around to putting it all together. One day this summer the term S.O.S. came to me for Super Organized Student and I finally got to work! I was struggling with more inspiration once I had the name and title down, until I thought of using superhero kids for being "super organized." Originally I had wanted to connect into my nautical theme because of "SOS" being a rescue term, but I couldn't find clip art I liked so I stuck with superhero kids, and I am so glad I did!

Slowly, it all started to come together and I worked and worked....and worked until I had the finished product! Here's a peek of how it looks assembled for my students!

 the cover:

a clear pouch for notes/money, my welcome packet for the year,

and S.O.S. Dos and Don'ts for the students:

 descriptions and instructions for the parents and the communication log:

I just used loose leaf notebook paper for the communication log, but the pack includes contact log forms.
Next is the homework log:

I copied my homework log sheets to be double-sided, and because I don't assign homework on Fridays

one page should last about a week and a half!

Then I added in a page for my behavior logs:

my behavior log calendars. I always print them in color on cardstock to remind parents

of the color choice so they aren't confused if their child is always on red.. that's GOOD!

I then have clear page protectors in which I put our weekly spelling lists & Bible memory verse.

This is where I put other homework helpers, project information, and other items students will need.

last but not least, the take home folder! I bought plastic ones this year, in the hopes

they they won't rip out and will hold up all year!

Because I had looped with my last group of students for 3 years, most of my parents knew and understood this system; they were used to it. This group of parents had never seen a system like this before, so I made sure to lay it out in a simple, organized way and walked my students through the entire thing on the very first day. I had RAVE reviews in several communication logs the next day which warmed my heart! 

You can check out the whole pack here on TpT. Everything you see above comes in color and B&W versions and is entirely editable! I inserted text boxes on the cover pages and put my students' names on top of the burst. Cover pages have multiple options and there are monthly calendars included for the whole year (similar to the behavior logs, but those specifically are not included). Once you purchase it you will be able to redownload the updated calendars every year - so you only need to buy it once!

There are several other items also included that I don't use but that I put in by request. So there are lots of options for you and your students!

What do you think!? Do you use a binder system like this? Tell me about it below - I love to hear others' ideas and how they make it work for them in their classroom :)