Office Reveal

Wow! I hope this post lives up to all the hype, lol! You can revisit the before and the planning if you would like.
The office is done, for now. There are a few more touches I would like to add when time/money allow....more on that at the end. 


Drum roll please.................................................
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Tassels are reused from P's 1st Birthday party. The giant gold paperclips were in the dollar bin at Target and I added a magnet to the back. 



After months of searching, purchasing, returning, and not finding exactly what I wanted,  I finally decided to pull the trigger on the black boxes from IKEA. Apparently I bought the wrong size and they were just too much (dark). And of course just like Murphy's law... as soon as I bought them and put them together I made my weekly trip to Target and perfection was found. Of course there were only two of perfection, can't purchase online, and they haven't been restocked yet. I also had an issue with size. I measured in the store and they were the exact size I needed. But, when I came home they didn't fit (talk about a MAJOR let down) until I realized if I removed the lid it would (such an emotional roller coaster, lol). I actually love that the lids don't work because I have turned them into trays! Win!


The cream colored curtains are from IKEA and were originally having in P's nursery. When we moved they no longer worked in his new room. Our new house much higher ceilings and these once gigantic curtains were now too short. I purchased some black material and added a wide band to the bottom of each panel. I love the contrast and simplicity!
The trashcan is from IKEA as well. We just spray painted it gold. 




There you have it. A long time coming, and I hope it lived up to all the suspense I gave you. :)
My next step is to find a cart or shelving unit to go near my desk to house all the cable modem wires and the TV.  I would also like to replace the light fixture- make it more girly. It also needs some small decorative touches, but I wasn't just going to buy for the sake of buying.
AND guess what?! I've been using the office. I'm posting this from that desk as we speak. Remember how I said I didn't know if I would actually use it.... well, I guess it just needed to be finished for me to: :)

~Jenny~

Product Details:
Desk and chair- family antique
Shelving- IKEA
Swimmer Print- IKEA
Black boxes and magazine boxes- IKEA
Cream Magnetic Board- IKEA
Turquoise boxes- Target (now online)

Please leave a comment if you have any other questions about products. 


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Five for Friday... or Sunday

Or SUNDAY ;)

Just a little late to this party! I had the best intentions for Friday night, but we headed to Chuck E. Cheese with E instead. Linking up with Doodle Bugs- make sure to head over there and check her out!

So on with it...

1. For a short week we squeezed a lot into those 4 days. The school was celebrating literacy... We started the week off with an author visit, then we had our Storybook Parade...

The cutest Officer Buckle, EVER!

LOVE being at the same school as my boy!

And we ended the week with Vocabulary Hat day.
Not the best picture, but delectable and architect were our words of choice.
Somehow I managed to fit some learning into those days (and control the excited kiddos).






We did a 'close' read project all week long and the kids LOVED it! (maybe definitely because markers and big pieces of paper were involved)

We used our story for the week (Splish, Splash, Animal Baths!) to create bubble maps on how each animal gets clean (gradual release was used :) ). On Friday, they selected 2 animals of their choice to then create a double bubble on. They then had to write at least 2 sentences comparing and contrasting the animals of their choice. It was awesome to see the teamwork (for most) and the level of thinking that was happening. 

2. 
purchase from Amazon 



I am reading this book and am going to do a book club on here about it... with my 3 followers ;) I would love for you to join me in the discussion. I'll be back here next weekend to discuss chapters 1-2.

3. 
Revealing what's behind the doors tomorrow!

The office is D.O.N.E.!!!!! (at least for now). I shall reveal tomorrow, so make sure you check back.

4. 

I have my observation coming up in two weeks. The stress, dread, and worry has kicked in. I am excited about it for one reason....I am creating my OWN materials to use for it!


5. 


Do you use oils?! I have been interested/intrigued for a while now and have finally joined the bandwagon! I am using doTERRA products and I am a believer. I still have a lot to learn, but the inTune is INSANE. I was this <> close to medicating myself, but when I am using it I am "laser focused"....quoting the Mr. ;)

That's it. My 5 for Sunday. I hope you all have an amazing week! 
~Jenny~
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Fry Words

Say what?! My 3rd post in one weekend?! It's true...so let's get on with it!

This year my school district had some MAJOR changes with curriculum and assessment. For some this change wouldn't be a big deal, but when you are used to having everything 'handed' to you and told when to do it the new freedom can be scary. There was also one other problem with this change- it was told to us the week before school started! That left us lost and scrambling to say the least. 
My team and I decided that it was important to continue teaching/assessing sight words so we decided on using the trust Fry lists. 

The FREEBIE below is what I created to assist us in the classroom. (Just click on the picture and it will take you directly to the item in my store).



The product includes larger 'flashcards' in bright colors. These can be used for your word walls or to use as flashcards in small group. 


I also created a copy of them in black and white because I know not everyone has access to a color printer.


There is a second set of flash cards that are smaller. I print these to send home with the students for practice. They can also be used for your word wall or small group.


Lastly, there is a set of 4 checklists. I divided the 100 words into 4 lists (for each quarter). Each checklist has the ability to assess the student 4 times. These are also student friendly checklists. My students read the words to me, but then they take the lists and color in the words they got correct. This allows them to track their own progress from each assessment date. 

Hope that this product can help some of you in your classrooms! Please leave some feedback if you download and don't forget to become a follower of my store! :)

~Jenny~
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Love is in the air

Less than a month until Valentine's Day and this girl is ahead of the game for once!
Remember how I used that Winter Break to get ahead.... one of those things on that checklist was Valentine's! E diligently sat signing his name on cards in DECEMBER! 

I did my *research* and E chose these for the boys
Materials:
small cars (6 for $3 dollars at Target)
washi tape
free printable

and these for the girls

Materials:
small cellophane bag
ring pops
stapler
free printable 

and for his teacher I created this card (a twist on the Thanks a Latte)

Click here for your free copy

I will be adding a coffee sleeve and gift card...
Gold sleeve from Starbucks
There are so many cute ideas out there. In the past years we have done the following


Insert Lollipop in hand
pail and shovel filled with M&Ms

Cutie oranges inside 
It feels so good to know that his Valentine's are done and waiting in a bag! What do you have planned for your Valentine's?
~Jenny~
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Getting it together....

Reality. 
2 kids + Full time job + house + life = INSANE! 
I seriously don't know how others do what they do. 

So with that being said... I survived my way to Winter break and then took that time getting myself put back together again just in time to return. 


We enjoyed a relaxing Christmas that convinced me of two things: 
1. That 6 is the most incredible age for Christmas. E was a little elf filled with the Christmas spirit/magic. The kid would come home from school, bathe, and put on some sort of Christmas head gear (antlers, Santa hat, etc). That said head gear did not come off until he went to bed, which he would then hang the hat on his bed post. I felt like I was putting Santa to bed every night. And then the poor child was so excited about it all that he couldn't sleep (which means I 'couldn't' sleep).




Pure Joy!


2. 1 year olds could care less. This is obviously something I should have already known, but apparently mommy brain has helped me forget several things. P was very content with just watching his brother open presents, and then clapping for him. Needless to say we could have saved some money. ;)
Presents?! Who cares!
This phone was the ONLY present he cared about.
And notice the typical man with the remote in hand.

And, as I mentioned, I utilized the time to work on some school things that sat on the back burner while I survived. One of which was my reading centers. If you follow me on FB (you really should...I'm slightly better about posting regularly there ;) I reached out to my handful of 'fans' for ideas. 
Over the past 11 years I have tried many different versions of centers. Some years have worked better than others, but I still haven't found that one true fit yet. The first thing I wanted to tackle was having some sort of tracking paper that held the kids accountable. I am a huge fan of Marzano and his 4 point rubric for student self assessment (use it all the time with my 'I cans') and wanted to somehow incorporate it. After researching pinning for longer than I would care to admit, I created the following. 


Under each center is the 0-4 scale. After each center rotation students go back to their seats and score themselves. I then come around and check their score and either initial that I agree with them or circle something else. This whole process takes less than 5 min and has gotten better with each day. It may seem like a big waste of time, but the kids have actually been working better and are producing higher quality work knowing that they are going to have to self evaluate. AND the best part, they are truthful. In fact, they are harder on themselves than I would be. It is a beautiful thing! 
The square you see in each center is where we can write codes if they leave for computer rotation, small group with me, or intervention. The top box for teacher's notes I have used in two different ways: 1. to write behavior notes during the rotations 2. make notes when I am checking their work.

Reading centers are still a work in progress, but I am really excited about where this small checklist has been able to take us in such a short amount of time! If you like it, I have uploaded it to Google Docs.... just click the picture and it *should* take you to it. PLEASE leave a comment if you do download...and feel free to become a Follower (on the right of the blog ;)

So, apparently this HUGE rambling mess is what you get from me when I take a break from the blogging world. And as a gift for surviving it, I have uploaded my Fry 3rd 100 list to my TPT shop for FREE! 

I'll come back this weekend to do a short (I promise) preview of what is included in the file and how I utilize it in my classroom. 

~Jenny~

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