Shopping Spree and a Freebie!!!!

This week, I have been did a lot of shopping. Thank you TPT for your B2S Sale! Below are pictures of my purchases. Not only did I purchase these, but I also bought multiple licenses of many of these, to share with my teaching partners. Hold on tight, here we go!

Shout Outs AND Reminders
from Katie at Teacher to the Core

More awards! Couldn't help myself: Thanks Mel
of Frog Spot!

A- Z Poetry! Thank You Karen, at Mrs. Jones's Kindergarten

Patterns Galore! Thank you Hope
of Second Grade Shenanigans!

Sight Word lists for Teachers from Mel at FrogSpot again! :)

Ontario Curriculum "I Can" Standards
by Brittany at Lovely Literacy and More

Organization Binders from Bridget at Little Lovely Learners

As you can see, I love myself some Differentiated Kindergarten and think Marsha is going to be a life-saver for this first year Kindie Teacher Newbie.
I got these to start me off. First a little Back to School Fun

and this...

and this...

Thank you Marsha! Check her out

(like you haven't already) at 

Differentiated Kindergarten 

And of course, don't forget the great Prezi Bundles (and freebie) from Carolyn at Holding Hands and Sticking Together, that I wrote about yesterday (you can find it here.) 

So, thanks for hanging in there with me! Here is a B2S Freebie for you! I hope you enjoy! You can print the pages you want as a .pdf, or you can download as a .ppxt to edit. Just click on the picture below to get started!

As you can see, I love Melonheadz as much as
I love a little DifferKinder!

I will come back in the next couple of days to demonstrate how I edit this file and print to mail as a postcard! Please, if you do take a copy and like it, leave me a comment and if you find other creative ways to use this, please share! 

Happy "postcarding,"

Feeling the Love

Even though I am new to this blogging world, and have only made a few new friends (thank you to my handful of followers), I am feeling so loved!

After spending too much stocking up for September Start Up, I went back to TPT for one last look. I had been over at Kindergarten: Holding Hands and Sticking Together and I knew she was having a sale on her fantastic Prezi bundles. The only reason I did not get one in my first shopping spree (or second) was I still hadn't decided which 3 bundles I wanted. I finally decided and returned for a 3rd visit (shhhh don't tell) and purchased these 3 Prezi bundles.

Carolyn has created 11 different bundles (which you can purchase on TPT, by linking here) but after two shopping sprees, I knew I had to narrow it down. She offers this Back to School Prezi (part of her Fall Bundle) for free! You should go check it out!

So here is the part that makes me feel so special, and so thankful for my new Bloggin' BFF, after e-mailing Carolyn to request a Canadian version of the Back to School prezi, she replied, created and posted a Canadian version already! It is great! It has a few versions of O'Canada, some songs about Canada (a little Stompin' Tom style) and instructions to teach O' Canada in sign language (and the entire sign alphabet) as well as all the other goodies! Whether Canadian or American, go check out these fabulous freebies (Canadian version here and American version here).

I can't wait to use this!!!

Since I am feeling so loved, here is a sneak peek at what I am working on for all of you! It should be ready for tomorrow (when I will be back to share all of my other great TPT purchases). 

Please come back tomorrow to check it out!

Yours in bloggin' love, 

Jackie (a.k.a. Ms.M)

Claiming My Blog

Each day I learn something new about the world of blogging, and I have to admit I love it. I will discuss this later, but for now, I am trying to claim my blog on Bloglovin'. :)

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10126241/?claim=9uzb7tuqdcc">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Be back later with more, 

Jackie (a.k.a. Ms.M)

Tips and Tricks...and a freebie!!!

It is the last day of Teacher Week 2013 at Blog Hoppin and I have had a great time sharing my ideas, and learning from all of you. I have met some new friends, got some new ideas and even begun my first free product - keep reading to the end to grab it! :) 

But first, my tip of the week. This is something I have done since my first year student teaching. I am not sure where I got this idea, so if anyone knows where it originated from, please let me know.  It has worked wonders for me and it is so simple. Note: For the purpose of this post, I am using my son's "friend," Sulley Monkey, as my puppy friend Silent Sam (not the 'drink') is at school taking care of my boxes, but you will get the picture. 

Introducing my friend Sulley Monkey! He goes everywhere with me. So I will need your help to keep him safe and happy. 

Sully is very friendly and likes to make new friends. So he will be hoping to spend time with each of you today. Also, there is something very special about him. What is so special about him is his ears. He can hear even the smallest noises. Since his ears are so sensitive, he likes it quiet! He will be looking for a friend who is sitting quietly and listening, so he can sit with you!

So, as a supply I would bring my friend with me and introduce him at the carpet, or during whole group instruction. He worked in all of the primary grades and usually up to grade 4. When I noticed most of the kids working hard to be quiet and listen, I would give my friend to one student to sit with. Then it was that child's job to find someone else who is sitting quietly to pass my friend along to (after a little visit). I thought I would have a problem having him hanging out with only one student, but remember, he wants to meet as many new friends as possible, and the students took that on as their responsibility.  In fact, he became so popular, my grade 3 students wanted to eat lunch with them, even though he normally only visited during work periods. It doesn't matter if your friend is a monkey, doggie, elephant, etc. As long as it is cuddly, friendly and not too big (you still want them to be able to see you and listen). 

Now, I mentioned yesterday that I was creating a freebie. If you read yesterday, I discussed my Time-In Station. My first freebie is a Feeling Chart to post at my Time-In Station. If you would like a copy, you will find it here!

Please note that this is the first time I have shared, and when I was viewing on Google Docs, the colour was distorted. Please try to print only one page and check before printing the entire thing. I am off to get a new printer this afternoon and won't know for sure how it will look. If you do print this, please send me a message and let me know if it works. Thank you!

I hope you enjoy this freebie, and if you love Melonheadz as much as I do, then you may want to continue this theme in a Behaviour Clip Chart, created by Bridget at Literacy Without Worksheets. 

What's even better, is its free! I know I will be using this beauty. If you would like a copy, visit her here.  Don't forget to leave her some love!

Thanks Bridgit! They are sweet!

That's all for now! Thanks for a great week! Now go check out the other trips and tricks at Blog Hoppin'.

Yours in "Tips and Tricks,"

Jackie (a.k.a. Ms.M)

Tamin' the Wild

I am linking up with Blog Hoppin again for Teacher Week 2013 - Taming the Wild. I know that there is going to be a lot of posts about reward systems and variations of the clip chart, all of which I love, and will use! So, I am going to try to discuss something else I am going to try.  

Have I mentioned that I am new to kindergarten? ;) Just once or twice?  Did I mention that it scares me? a little?  Well, this is a bit of an aside, but I met the DECE (Designated Early Childhood Educator) that I will be working with this year and she is FAB-U-LOUS! Seriously! Talking about the year with her, although no official planning occurred, was a huge weight off my shoulders. I am now feeling excited (and only a teeny, tiny bit scared). 

So, I have been butting heads with my 4-year-old lately, and being as though we are so much alike, we have both left feeling frustrated. In fact, at one point he told me he was moving to the forest. He walked out into our backyard, but since he isn't allowed out the fenced area on his own, he came back home! Phew!  After the latest episode, I felt like the worst mom EVER! So, I have been putting a lot of thought into Classroom Management, that will work at home too!

Here is the plan! Time-In Stations!

Since self-regulation is a focus of kindergarten, I will focus my classroom management around self-regulation. There are various components, such as brain breaks between transitions. When I taught grade 2/3 we often did dances for brain breaks, like this one (a favourite):

However, after doing this one, the kids were pumped. It was great before lunch/recess, but not so great if you wanted them to get to work. So before transitioning to quiet work, such as centers, you may want to consider something like this:

Responsive Classroom has a variety of Energizer Videos, if you are interested! I also like this one:

Valerie at All Students Can Shine has a great pack of brain breaks, that you can see here, or purchase here. 

However, even with incentives, clip charts, brain breaks and other classroom management strategies, you are still going to have those times when a student's behaviour make you want to run for a time-out yourself. This is where the time-in comes in! 

In an attempt to maintain a positive learning environment, where behaviour management isn't used as a punishment.  I plan to have a quiet spot in the class, where I will ask students to meet me to have a talk, or just to take a break. I plan to have a feeling board, to monitor how they are feeling and to help begin the discussion on what can be done in this situation. Children struggle to understand their emotions, and this will help to teach them about their emotions and how to express them and deal with them (as well as direct social skills teaching in class). There is a great post on Simple Kids on this, which you can read here.

Also, supplies will be available to help them calm down and relax, before returning to the regular routine. These will include paper and crayons, music (with headphones), books to read, stress balls and/or silly putty, and sensory bottles, and bubbles. Check out Ausomely Social for more breathe box ideas. 

Faith-Family-Food-Fun has a great post on sensory bottles and bags, that you can find here. 

I plan to have comfortable seats and make this area as welcoming as possible to help kids de-stress and deal with their emotions. 

Walmart is having a great sale! Yahoo shopping!

Hopefully this is useful to others.  Keep checking back, I am in the midst of making some freebies for my Time In Station! 

Don't forget to head on over to Blog Hoppin to see other great ideas. 

See you tomorrow for Tips and Tricks. 

Yours in "Tamin' the Wild,"

Jackie (a.k.a. Ms.M)

Organized? Me?

I am so enjoying participating in Teacher Week this year and I am wondering why I did not start blogging a long time ago! :) I am especially happy, that for me, Teacher Week occurs before school starts (sorry to all those already teaching) because I have less commitments (the house cleaning can wait, right?).

So, here is the funny thing. When I receive notes from supply teachers, they often thank me for being so organized. This makes me laugh out loud, "Boy do I have them fooled!" I am so far from organized, it is embarrassing! I do, however, have dreams of being organized though! And, this is my chance. In June, I worked very hard to purge and organize (having everything from grade 6 to grade 2, and a beginning collection of kindergarten supplies).  I only have a few boxes that I had to just dump things in (because I was down to the wire of being kicked out of my school) and I got rid of A LOT! What scares me is how much I have left! Yikes! 

Being new to kindergarten, and not having a lot, my plan is to organize (especially the paperwork) right from the beginning. Recently we had to get rid of our 4 drawer filing cabinets (apparently they are a safety hazard). So, after seeing how this worked effectively for a colleague, I am going to binders. I have a wonderful, fantastic, fabulous, outstanding friend who is going to take all of my grade 5/6 files and grade 2/3 files and organize them by subject and strand/unit, making it easier to share with my fellow colleagues. I refuse to get rid of them because you never know what grade you are going to teach from year to year. I had a fabulous student teacher who started this for me! 

They look similar to this:

Check out the post at The Teacher's Cauldron

I also keep a Substitute binder, Parent Contact binder, Student assessment binder, which I will continue to do, but wondering how this will work for me, while using technology for these tasks as well. I will get back to you on that one! Last year, I purchased this binder set from Little Lovely Leaders (check it out here):

But now I am loving this set of binders by Little Lovely Leaders and thinking it may be time for an update. 

If you are loving this, like me, you can get your own copy here.

I also love this idea from Orange Polka Dots for making tabs using sticky notes! Seriously, you can use a sticky note for almost anything! 

Previously, I used a Monday to Friday file folder organizer to keep copies of worksheets I planned to use, but after visiting my son's Kindergarten teacher and watching them in action. I see that they will likely be doing the same thing for at least a week, this organization strategy is not as useful for me. So, I have other plans (thanks to all of you wonderful bloggers out there)!

I will keep my current centers in buckets, ready to use and when they are not being used, I will store them like this: 

A Cupcake for the Teacher 

And I plan to organize my storage buckets like this: 

Erica's Ed-Ventures

It's a start, right?  Just one last thing! Looking around others' classrooms yesterday, there was one thing that stood out that I really liked and wanted to mention! I loved the idea of collecting the books you plan to use for teaching by your reading chair! So simple, but a great idea! The kids can still enjoy them as well (I know my kids always liked to read them on their own, especially right after sharing a book) , and they are all there at your fingertips!

Thanks for joining me! Now please head over to Blog Hoppin' and check out all the other organizational ideas! Remember to share the love and make some comments. It is nice to hear from people! A special thanks to Desiree at Kinders on the Block for linking to my site yesterday! As I said to her, it is nice to know that someone other than my mother is reading! ;) 

Come back tomorrow for Classroom Management ideas!

Yours in organizing, 

Jackie

Classroom Reveal

I am very excited about today's topic for Teacher Week 2013 - the classroom reveal! I love taking a look around everyone's classrooms and seeing how they decorate, the different themes and "embellishments."  

Unfortunately, mine will not be that exciting, because this is how my room looks right now: 

Construction is behind, but there is still hope for September Start Up! Keep your Fingers Crossed!

This is how it looked when I had to drive into the city to help out a friend and decided to drive by to see the progress.  It didn't look encouraging, but I have to tell you that the gentlemen I met from the construction crew were such nice guys and I know they have been working tirelessly to get this all done for us! 

However, that doesn't mean the back to school preparations haven't begun (at least in my mind), so today I am going to share with you, some of the items I have chosen to create and decorate my new, fabulous plans (going by the blueprints I saw last June...I will have to use my imagination)!  

Before I make a final commitment, and begin the printing, cutting, laminating, cutting process. I plan to meet with my new teaching partner. I can't have her spending all year in polka dots if she dislikes polka dots!  In Ontario, our new Full Day Kindergarten (every day, all day) consists of a Qualified Teacher and a Qualified Designated Early Childhood Educator (DECE) working together to implement the program.  FDK is new to our school this year, and I am new to kindergarten after years in grade 2/3 and in grade 5/6, so my DECE partner and I will be doing a lot of learning together.  Starting with how best to set up the classroom.  

Here are some of the things I will be presenting to her when we meet for the first time this week, thanks to so many of you and your great ideas and wonderful creations: 

Marsha McGuire's ABC chart (and tracer) Pack and her Numbers and Colours Pack from Differentiated Kindergarten. You can purchase a copy by clicking on each of the headings above. 

Also, she has created a set of Shapes posters, that you can get for FREE here!

In my "window" shopping, at Scholar's Choice, I liked these and think they would go nicely with Marsha's posters (J.W. if you are reading this, here is my visual shopping list).

I also love Hope King's Decor Galore and I think I have narrowed it down to Patterns Galore (on black), but I have to tell you, it was a difficult choice. Her decor bundles are all beautiful. You can check them out here or purchase here. 

But I am a little torn because I also love Amy Lemon's Get Your Chevron On Bundle. You can check it out here and purchase it here. 

So, now I need your help!!! Please comment below and tell me which one you think I should get! 

Then I thought I could tie it all together with some material for the bullentin board backgrounds (thanks again to Amy Lemons), some paper lanterns and some of these, just because I think they are fun! 

Check out Meredith at Keen on Kindergarten, for directions on how to make these.  She also use paper lanterns to create the Very Hungry Caterpillar too! So cool! I may have to create that as well!

Hope this gives you a sense of where I am going with my classroom.  Come back tomorrow for organization ideas! 

Yours in classroom decorating, 

Jackie (a.k.a. Ms.M)