The end of summer is sneaking up on us all, I pledge to savor these last summer moments. Today I am linking up with my blog crush Farley from Oh Boy 4th Grade and her ever wonderful Currently Linky.
For my Back to School Must Haves I chose:
1) All things owl! I am and everyone else decorating my room in an owl theme. I have loved owls since Harry Potter! I am going Owl CRAZY this summer! I even created an Owl Themed Classroom Pinterest board to share ideas with another teacher blogger who is doing the same theme. My most recent purchase are these Owl Scratcher tickets from Tonya’s Treats for Teachers. She is currently having a sale on them at her Teachers Notebook Store. You should fly on over and see what other sweet deals she has!
2) I just posted about this Back to School Must Have: Whole Class Journals. These are a great way to cover all genres of writing, build classroom community and use in your writers workshop or as part of your Daily 5. I have created sentence stems and some language patterns to help guide the students in a more direct way to help their writing be more specific. Check them out here: Personal/ Imaginative Narrative, Persuasive, Informational and Compare & Contrast. These babies are on sale until Sunday!
3) I have been busy ORGANIZING my classroom library this summer. Jumping around from different grade levels (4th-7th), school sites and getting rehired with mere days to set up my class these past 5 years, I have not been able to tackle this task…. until now. This is how I spent my Wednesday night…
Another Teachers Night In! By the way, this is just 1/5th of the books in my classroom library. While I was writing the AR level, points and quiz number on all of these and organizing them into book bins with my new Owl Library Labels, I was noticing some of my books were (gasp!) stolen or ruined. I got pretty discouraged because a lot of the ones that are missing are the ones that kids love! So, I found an Amazon gift card and went to town replacing ones that are lost and also purchasing some new books that came out since May as well as preorders some that are coming out later this fall. Thank you Amazon for helping me restock my library!
Well there you have it, August Currently done! I am off to go see what some others have to share.
Enjoy your weekend!
Your table looks a lot like mine did at the beginning of the week! LOL I totally get your feelings about books that go missing or get ruined. I don't get as upset as I used to because I figure if a student 'borrowed' a book because they really liked it, then at least it will get read and loved?!…and isn't that the whole idea? 🙂
I do, however, keep a basket of my most 'special' books in my cupboard (Harry Potter, 39 Clues)and students have to ask me to borrow them.
Good luck with your library!
Classroom Capers
I need to organize all of my books, but after trying multiple times to find the best way I gave up because I couldn't get them all the way I wanted them. I guess I will have to try again. I hope you enjoy all the time with your little girl and hopefully the principal calls soon. That is one of the most frustrating things about summer, not being able to get back into our rooms when we want too.
Heidi
My (Not So) Elementary Life
Owls-YES!! me tooooooooo
I watched Project Runway like 4 times last night….love this new season!!
Carrie 🙂
The First Grade Derby
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment! I totally understand trying to get enough time in with your own kids before school starts. I feel the exact same way. Hope you are able to find a B2S outfit for yourself. I have loved doing that since I was a kid!
-Jaime
Bright Concepts 4 Teachers
Yes owls are in! My owl products have been flying off the shelves and zebra too.
I hope you get to go to your class soon!
Journey of a Substitute Teacher
Endless Pinabilitites!
Thanks for the shout out! I appreciate it:)
Tonya
Tonya’s Treats for Teachers
I’m having a 40% off sale at my TN store! Come check it out!!!
Love the whole class journal ideas…definitely on my to do list!
Brandi
Success in Second Grade
Don’t forget to check out My Summer in Pictures Linky Party
I am your newest follower & I am lovin Owls this year also!
🙂
Tamera
http://myheartbelongsinfirst.blogspot.com
Kaizactan2001@yahoo.com
I can't wait to see what happens with all the people leaving on Project Runway!
🙂 Kaitlyn
Smiles and Sunshine
I always love to do back to school shopping!! I found your blog through the linky:) I'm your newest follower!
Tammy
1…2…3…Teach With Me
I love shopping for books on amazon! It may be my achilles heal. Amazon and Target. 🙂
Hope you are able to sneak in a little clothes shopping and find the perfect back to school outfit!
Newest follower!
Thanks for stopping by my blog! 🙂
Love all the cute OWLS stuff that is out there right now! I am thinking it is time for a decor change!
frogsandfirstgraders.blogspot.com
Hey Layla! Thanks for stopping by my blog. After checking out your blog I'm sure your classroom will be just as adorable! I would love to see some pics once you are all set up!
Ugh… I love having a LOT of books in my class library.. but it is such a pan t have to go through them all fr stuff! I think I finally got ours all set with every book labeled and orgaznized at my prveious school. THey were also packed away so that they were grouped and rubber banded and labeled with where they were, and the boxes were labeled with which levels were in the box. Can we say I was a LITTLE OCD? Then I realize… oe yeah.. new school is AR and NOT SRI/Reading Counts. Sigh… I am doing the same thing!
I need to jump on this whole class journal bandwagon. That's it! On my trip for cute baskets… I'm getting some journals!
Ashley @ Fierce in Fourth
You seriously won't regret it!
I am your newest follower!!!! Love that you had an Amazon gift card just floating around!!! Ha!!!
My Whole Brain Teaching Blog
A Grade One Nut and Her Squirrely Crew
I love your blog! I found it off Farley's linky and am your newest follower 😀
Twins, Teaching and Tacos.
LOVED reading your August currently and your back to school MUST HAVES! I especially love your whole class journals and can't wait to see how you use them with your kiddos!! This is ALWAYS something I struggle with, and have honestly been TRYING to get my journals together together all summer! I look forward to blog stalking!! ha!
Young Teacher Love 5th Grade Blog
Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog! I'm your newest follower! I SO badly need to redo my classroom library…maybe I will if I can ever get in my classroom 😉
Bonnie
Living A Wonderful Life
I have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award. Come on over to Groovy in 3rd to claim the award. Congratulations! http://www.groovyin3rd.blogspot.com
Tammy
Groovy in 3rd
Hi!
Newest follower here and looks like we both want to go back to school shopping for ourselves and enjoy the rest of our summer break. I'm still waiting to get back into my classroom. The office staff will be back this week and I'm chomping at the bit to get my keys and start putting everything back together again. Happy New School Year and good luck with the shopping!