Wednesday, September 7, 2011
What we've been up to!
Today we did these:
Our wonderful Name from First Grade Fever . It's a really cute idea, but my kiddos are having a hard time. We will hopefully finish them tomorrow. We've been working on vowels and consonants during morning meeting, but it still is a foreign concept to a lot of them.
Tomorrow we are doing a variation of this:
Peacemakers shared by The First Grade Parade.
I love blogs!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Shhhh!
We've been back to school for three days and this is all I've gotten done saying. Now granted it's only been 3 days, but I'm at my wits end. They talk constantly, and get so loud when I give them independent work. This group also seems to have absolutely no idea what NO TALKING means.
What strategies do you use? Please help?
One thing I've thought about doing is having a contest between the tables and having them earn marbles as a table when they are quiet and doing work. I'm not sure of a prize for the winners though.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Teacher Week Day #3: Where it all Happens
My listening center and that pocket chart will be used for my center chart.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Meet the Teacher Monday!
Tell us a little something about you:
I'm Jenna, I'm twenty something (a little closer to the 30 side), and I teach first grade! I graduated from Marshall University (Go Herd!) in 2007. I'm married to the love of my life! We have 2 furbabies (Noel and Valentina) and we are starting classes next month to be foster parents. I can't wait to be a mom!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
#Tired
Today was our second workday. I've gotten a ton done, but I am exhausted. I guess my body is still on summer time. I only took a couple pictures today because I forgot my camera. I'll try to remember it tomorrow.
This is the bulletin board in the hallway outside of my room. I ordered a penguin bulletin board set from Bender-Burkot at the end of last year, but it hasn't come in yet, and I'm not confident it will be here by open house on Tuesday. I have some backup penguins I can use that I bought at my favorite teacher supply store! I plan to put each of my 19 kiddos names on them.
These are my math tubs. Inspired by The First Grade Parade . I plan on doing more math centers during my math time this year. I found penguins with each letter of the alphabet on teachers pay teachers. They came with some blank penguins, so I used those for my math tubs.
I brought home a huge pile of things I laminated that I need to cut out. I'm not looking forward to it, but here I go.........
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
I found it!
Tomorrow is our first work day :( We were suppose to go to OBX with my parents from Sunday until today, but there was a slight change of plans. So today I'm printing all the awesome blog ideas I've been saving in google documents. I can't wait to share them with my first grade team.
My plan for this year is to keep as positive an attitude as I can. I find that a lot of teachers at my school (sometimes me included) can be very pessimistic. I want to stay away from that. Last year was really hard because it was my first full year teaching, and my first year teaching first grade. This year I feel like I kind of know what I'm doing. We got a new principal this year and she is so sweet. I loved our old principal too though :) I'm very excited and apprehensive (I have 3 retainees this year). Classroom management is not my strong suit, but I'm hoping I can do a good job!
Monday, August 15, 2011
HELP!
Thanks in advance!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
A little bit of this....A little bit of that!
I wanted to share this volunteer form with you. My friend Tuyetnga (that I met at the NCCAT this summer) shared a variation of this form with me. I changed it a bit to meet the needs of our classroom and I someone else might be able to use it. Parent involvement is something our school struggles with. I'm hoping I'll have some volunteers this year! I had two parents last year that helped with everything and that was it.
Parent Volunteer Form
Also, I had a couple people ask me how I got my donors choose projects funded. The first one I entered last year was largely funded by family. I posted a link to the project on facebook and got donations through that. Build a Bear workshop also donated some. I know certain companies/organizations do donations at times, but I'm not sure how they choose recipients.
The second project I entered was funded at the end of 2010. The end of the year is a great time to get projects funded because it's a tax write off. The people that funded mine funded a few others, and when I looked at their history it seems they do that every year. I would highly advise you to post a project in time for tax season.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Donor's Choose
Donor's Choose
Thursday, August 11, 2011
A couple projects
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
A Few Classroom Pictures
View of the penguin curtains I hung up...those things thrown in the cubbies below are put away now.
View from the library center...that's my bff Blake in the background helping me.
View from the front of my room...I have all my tables where I want them. That blue cabinet is in my office now though.
View from my office door. I've since hung my alphabet strip above the board, and hung the clock up on the wall.
Cindy e-mail me your address at jennatwigg@gmail.com and I'll get your giftcard in the mail!
Congrats!
Monday, August 8, 2011
A Giveaway
Help!!
I did start a Teacher's Notebook Store and you can get the basic listening center sheet inspired by First Grade to the Core.
Click HERE to visit my store and get it for free.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Top 10 Reasons You Know It's Back To School Time
Without furthur ado:
The 10 ways I know it's back to school time
10. It's tax-free weekend here in NC.
9. My BFF asked me if I wanted to hang out Monday or Tuesdays because she's off and I asked her if she'd meet me at my school and help in my room :) I lurve her!
8. I've been spending hours devoting my life to reading teacher blogs again. I also lurve blogs!
7. My trunk is full of supplies I've bought...and a couple awesome steals I got from a retiring teacher on Craigslist.
6. I've gone back to telling my husband to "hush I'm working."
5. I'm practicing for less frequent bathroom breaks.
4.I feel like my to-do list is much too long.
3. I've already picked out an outfit for back to school night.
2. I'm preparing myself for the fact I won't be able to stay up late to watch my guilty pleasure shows.
and the number #1 way I know it's back to school time:
I started blogging again!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
A question for my blogging friends
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
T minus 14 days
I did manage to get 4 boxes emptied. That may not seem like a lot, but since I moved rooms and EVERYTHING is in boxes, that is awesome. I have 4 closets in my room and I have 1 completely done! I also had an insightful conversation with our amazing custodian today. He wants to go to barber school and I'm really hoping that dream pans out for him. Did I mention he is amazing?? He came in my room out of his own free will and ASKED if I needed help...that's dangerous! Haha!
Since it's back to school time...what better time for a giveaway!!!
I've been stocking up at the Target dollar spot (and $2.50) spot. It's my fave! So for my first giveaway (since I'm a small fry blogger) I'm giving away a.........
$10 Target Giftcard.
I will draw a winner for this giveaway on Wednesday, August 10th at 8pm! Then I'll mail the winner their awesome giftcard!
Ways to enter:
1. Become a follower and leave a comment that you are.
2. Leave a comment with something awesome I should put on my walls (because they always feel so boring)...p.s. I am having a penguin theme.
3. Blog about my giveaway and leave a link to your post in the comments!
That's 3 possible entries!!! I love giving gifts so this is very excting for me!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
New Design
In classroom news, yesterday I went to the awesome teacher supply store. Last year I swear they had tons of penguin stuff...not so much this year. I'm so bummed. I got some penguin decals, some black and silver border, and some penguin pencils and paper. I'm going to try and find some penguin border and name plates online. I did however score big at JoAnn's Fabrics. They had super cute penguin fabric. I'm going to use it to make some little curtains for 2 shelves I have in my room. I was so excited to find it yesterday! Then when the super sweet girl was cutting the fabric for me she asked what I was making. When I said I was a teacher she informed me they have a teacher discount program. In case you didn't know, if you sign up at your local JoAnn's you get 15% off your total purchase! Score! I'm hoping to get this curtains up in my room and post some pics this week!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Day 1 in the classroom
Tomorrow my bff Blake and I are going to do some classroom shopping. I'm going to get some fabric to cover the bulletin boards and to make a couple cute little curtains for some shelves I have. I'm hoping to find some penguin fabric for the curtains :::::fingers crossed:::::: I'm going to go back next week and continue working. I think that once a week until our workdays start will be enough. I also need some help from my hubby. He is great at putting hooks for backpacks in the closet, scraping tape of desks, and moving furniture. I'm hoping when it gets closer to school starting that the building will be open on a Saturday so that we can get in and do that stuff.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Awesome Giveaway
Hello Again!
I spent a week training with the North Carolina Teacher Academy and a week at NCCAT (NC center for the advancement of teaching) at Ocracoke Island. I got so many great ideas. Between that and blogland I'm so pumped to start the year next month. I hope I can keep my enthusiasm up when I'm spending 12 hours a day at school.
In other news.....my husband and I officially start training to become foster parents in September. We have struggled with infertility and are excited to move to this next step.
I felt like my classroom as not even half as cute as the ones I see in blogland. My theme this year is penguins. Any clever ideas for me?
Sunday, June 5, 2011
So sorry I disappeared
My kiddos have 4.5 days of school left, and I have 3 work days after that. This summer I'm doing two weeks of teacher training. I'm doing one related to the reading assessments we use, and another one at the NCCAT . I'm hoping to gain a lot of powerful knowledge.
Tomorrow I'll be spending half the day outside for field day. It's expected to be about 90..which is actually a cool down compared to the last week. Last year I got majorly overheated at field day and spent the rest of the day sick. I'm hoping that doesn't repeat this year.
Next school year I promise to be a better blogger (and hopefully more creative).
Monday, May 2, 2011
Yet another bookclub packet
Here is the latest bookclub packet I made. This one is for Arthur and the Mystery of the Stolen Bike.
Stay tuned later this week for the cute mothers day activity I'm doing.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Wohoo
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Week in review
Thursday, March 31, 2011
You know you're a teacher when...
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Book Club Packet
Friday, March 25, 2011
Some pictures
A little leprechaun damage: